How Green Becomes Wood

"Think about what you want, and when you'd like to do it," Daizi told them, and then realized she should probably talk to her husband about it, so when she heard him coming down the stairs bickering, she asked, "Goose, I told the twins we should plan a day where each of them separately get a day with both of us."

"Oh," Dark replied, impressed, "I like that idea. When?"

"We haven't decided yet." Daizi replied.

Dark looked over at Cooger, "Could you babysit?"

"What, and watch this little thing?" Cooger asked, flipping Ivy upside down and carrying her the rest of the way to the living room like that, making Ivy absolutely squeal with laughter, "Yeah, that's no problem. Just let me know when."

With a bright grin, Daizi turned back to the twins, "See? I told you, it'd be no problem."
 
"I like it!" Alec grinned. "We are going to have so much fun! All of us! Thanks, Uncle Cooger!"

Xander muttered something about it being nice, his hands fidgeting with the trim on one of the pillows. Horses were nice, but was that too obvious? What else did he like to do that his parents enjoyed doing? And, suddenly, his brain decided that he had never liked doing anything ever in his life. A complete blank.
 
"Ah, it's no problem, Lil' Sage," Cooger replied, waving it off, flipping Ivy right side up again, "It's my job to babysit."

"There is no rush thinking of anything," Dark said, his eyes briefly landing on Xander, "We only just decided this is something we are going to do, and there is no due date."

"Hey," Cooger looked over at Xander, "Who do you think would win in a fight, me or your dad?"
 
"If it's short, you. If it's drawn out, him. If it's by surprise... you'd both lose," Xander said, not needing any time to decide that. "If it's quick, I'd beat you both at the same time. Maybe one on one."
 
"That is why I almost was," Cooger replied, "I was accepted, I had a scholarship, I chose not to go."

Dark knew, ultimately, he was more dangerous when taken by surprise, not less. Fireworks may take him to the ground, but although he had worked on himself that he was no longer jumpy when people came up behind him, he nonetheless knew himself. If someone came at him in violence, he knew how he'd react. But rather than voicing this, he said, "You are quite skilled at Judo, but I do not think you could take me down, at least not in a fair fight, only due to the size difference between us."
 
Xander snorted. "When is a fight outside of a ring ever fair?" he smirked. "But, yeah, you've got the size on me. You'd probably win in a fair fight, but I still have a small chance. Size isn't everything, and you don't train to fight."

"This is true, but size does help a lot!" Alec remarked.
 
"Not in the same way you do," Dark agreed, tugging lightly on his earlobe, choosing not to bring up the fact they saw him tank a punch to the ribs and then knock a man out with a single hit.

"Can we stop talking about beating each other up?" Daizi laughed, "I thought families are meant to love each other."

"I think I'd kick Dark's ass," Cooger said, and but as he did, Ivy reached up, grabbed his beard, and pulled his face towards her with enough of her infant strength to surprise him, "Ow, Ivy!" He said, surprised, working to free himself.

Dark chuckled, "See, she does not like hearing you insult her Baba."

"I feel like a goon just came to get my money."
 
"Hair pulling is cheating," Cooger told Ivy, lifting her up and kissing her on the tummy.

"Well, if hair pulling is allowed, I can win the fight," Daizi laughed, "Ivy's just a baby and she can win with hair pulling, so I've definitely got a shot."

"I thought we were not talking about fighting," Dark reminded her, grateful Cooger had come over. It made things easier.

"Well, yeah, but now I've got a chance," She replied, "I'll just pull your hair."
 
"If hair pulling is the way to win, then Xander would probably be at the advantage since he has the least hair of any of us, except maybe Ivy, but no one is pulling Ivy's hair," Alec said stoutly.

"Darn straight no one's pulling her hair," Xander grumbled.
 
"Except herself, probably," Daizi agreed, smiling at Xander's protective quip.

"Tarot's at an advantage too," Cooger mentioned, setting Ivy on the floor, "She's got the longest hair out of any of us, but I don't think any of us can hurt her. I mean, who'd pull her hair?"

Dark glanced around for his water glass but found it empty. "I would rather not have to fist fight my wife."

"'Cause I'd win," She teased.

"You would," He agreed, doing his best to navigate treacherous waters, "because I would let you. I--" Dark paused. He had about to say he felt guilty enough for throwing her across the bed last night, but even though it was completely innocent, he realized it would not sound that way, "Do not hit women."

"Yeah," She laughed, "unfortunately, I think whoever I'm fighting would need to throw the match for me to win. I'm scrappy, but I'm at disadvantage."

"Unless it is a fight in the pitch black," Cooger suggested, holding up one finger.

"Oh, well, yeah, then it's on."
 
"I think you would win even if someone was mean enough to fight you like that," Alec said.

"No, she wouldn't win because whoever was fighting her would have been dogpiled in seconds by everyone she knows," Xander replied.

"True, they'd break the laws of physics to do it, too," Alec agreed.
 
"I think I'd take the win if everybody came to my rescue," Daizi grinned, "It's just not a physical victory on my part. But a win is a win."

"I would go to prison for you," Dark said, and meant it.

"I know you would," Daizi smiled, kissing his cheek and, afterwards, needing to use all her strength to stop from squealing. It was too hard, it was less than a week from when she was going to propose to him, and she couldn't help but find him so freaking cute. Just everything about him.

Watching her face for a few moments, Dark asked, "What?"

"Nothing," she replied, "You just make me happy."

"Do you see this?" Cooger asked, looking at his nephews, "We're talking about a full family brawl, and somehow they still go and act like this. Who allowed this?"
 
"Not me," the twins said in unison.

"It's so weird," Xander sighed in resignation.

"Cute, but weird," Alec amended.

"They just can't help themselves," Xander said, shaking his head.
 
"Hey, I am just sitting here," Dark pointed out.

"I just sometimes think about how in a few months we'll have been married for ten years," Daizi said, "It's a really exciting thought for me."

"Well, here's to another ten," Cooger said, getting up with a stretch, "I want to hang out, believe me, but somebody," he lightly shoved Dark's shoulder, "peer-pressured me into running an errand. So I should probably get going, even though otherwise I'd be glad to spend the rest of the day here."
 
"You should come over more often," Alec said, getting up to see him out.

"Yeah. How do you feel about being a model for a coyboy themed outfit with leather accessories?" Xander asked. "I'll be done in a couple of weeks. And I'll pay."
 
"I always love visiting," Cooger said, picking up Ivy so he could say goodbye to her also, "and that definitely depends on the cowboy outfit, Gladiator. I ain't gonna put on no assless chaps, okay? And I'm not dressing like I'm from Toy Story, either."

After giving Ivy the hug she deserved, he said goodbye to the twins, then said goodbye to Daizi, then Dark, and finally he took his flowers back and, after the door was shut, took a breath and walked over to Lex's house and knocked on the door.
 
"I would pay a lot of money to see Cooger dressed as a serious version of Woody," Alec murmured. He glanced at his father, wondering what he thought of that.

~~

Lex came to the door in an old shirt with a nearly worn-out picture a colorful cartoon character and a pair of paint stained sweats. Her still lightly damp hair hung in loose, messy ringlets around her face. Not her best look, but she didn't care one bit as her face lit up in a smile. "Cooger! This is a nice surprise. What's the occasion?"
 
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