How Green Becomes Wood

"I've got a baby I'm also feeding," Daizi said sheepishly, "I'm starving." She knew the actual additional calorie needs weren't all that significantly higher, so she was careful to not eat too much, but over the last few days, her appetite had definitely increased. After how it had all but vanished during her period of severe morning sickness, it was a welcome change.

"I wish you had said so, I brought a granola bar," Dark had noticed she had been hungrier lately, so anytime they left the house, he packed some small snack for her, just in case she needed it.

"I am certain I will need it on the drive home, don't worry," She chuckled, and allowed herself to be led to the café. It was a cute establishment with big windows and a loft. The menu was mostly coffee, teas, and pastries, but it also had some smaller meals like sandwiches and crepes.
 
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"This isn't bad," Xander commented, looking around. "I thought it'd be a lot more tacky."

"I love it! I want to come here more often! Like a lot!" Alec enthused, looking around. He took a deep breath of tea-infused air and smiled. "It smells like happiness."
 
Dark gestured Daizi to sit at a table, "You should stay here, I can order for you. Alec and Xander can come with me, since they need to see the menu."

"Alright," Daizi said, taking a seat, "I'm quite alright to stand with you all though."

"I know. But I get nervous, I like letting you rest." He bent down to kiss her cheek, and then gestured to twins to follow him to the counter to order.
 
"Why does a flower garden need a cafe?" Xander asked, wandering after Dark. "Not that I'm complaining, but it seems a little weird."

"Even flower lovers get hungry, too," Alec pointed out. "I think it's a good idea. You can wander some, stop for a break, and then go back out into the flowers."

"How much flower viewing is one expected to do?" Xander asked, sounding almost mournful.
 
"It is not only about viewing flowers, it is a lovely place to go on a date because it gives you a place to talk. Tarot has brought me here many times, most recently the day she told me she was pregnant, although she waited until we were home," He glanced over his shoulder at her, recalling how hard she had cried, and how small and scared she seemed. Now Daizi looked above anything else, content, and watching her sit alone, but not alone, completely at peace filled him with warmth, "but I understand. It can get boring, and she knows that, she keeps offering to let us all go home. But, she loves it here, so if at any point, one of you wanted to come back, she would gladly bring you again."
 
Xander scratched the back of his head. "I guess I could see that. I wouldn't know the first thing to ask a girl when on a date. But this is for Daizi, right? So, what kind of date do you go on when it's for you?"

"I'd want to go to an art gallery for looking and talking," Alec commented.
 
"I do not really think of dating as something where the date is either 'for me' or 'for her.' I cannot recall the last time we went to a place where only one of us would enjoy it. But I suppose if you break things down along those lines, more of our dates are 'for her,' because since she is blind, there are many places I would like to go that would be absolutely miserable for her, so I go to them alone. Although, there are not as many as you might think, and I do take her to art galleries," He responded to Alec's idea, "they are really wonderful places to take someone, anyone, especially on an early date, because if you are not sure what to talk about, there is always another painting to comment on. And if you know terminology and can look at a sculpture and talk about how it utilizes the chiaroscuro technique or something, you seem very impressive. But, when I go there with Tarot, I mostly go to the works which interest me, and then describe them to her. I used to take her wine or whisky tasting, but obviously we cannot do that for the next little while. We go to many concerts, or other music venues, and we go dancing..." He paused, really trying to differentiate what was for him and what was for her, but it was difficult.

After being silent for a good while, he at last said, "I think the thing about dating, when you are in a healthy relationship, is that you choose things you both enjoy. I do like coming here, and we have come frequently enough that it is a place full of good memories for me. We are really just happy to spend time together, so it does not really matter where we are or what we are doing. One of my favourite 'dates' I ever took her on was the day we were supposed to go to this massive flea-market, but we had the time wrong, so we arrived after it had closed, so we just ended up walking through the city, and then it started to storm unexpectedly so we hurried inside this little restaurant we had never been to before, and it is still our favourite place to go eat. I proposed to her there, eventually. We also once accidentally went to a men's volleyball game, and even though I still have no interest in college volleyball and she cannot see a thing that is happening, we had a wonderful time. I think the only place we go that feels like she does it 'for me' is the Carnival, but even then she enjoys it. I suppose the more sight-based places too, but often she will suggest we go to them... I think that is also important when asking a person out, you think about what they would like to do. Everything is about communication, too, so you can always just ask what they would like."
 
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"How do you 'accidentally' go to a volleyball game?" Xander wondered.

"But it seems like while you would try to go to places you should both enjoy, you lean toward always doing things mostly Daizi likes," Alec pointed out.

Xander nodded. "Yeah. I mean, it makes sense to try to do something you'd both like, or at least have never tried but are both interested in, but isn't it also good to try to sometimes do something one person likes more than the other person?"

"Like treating each other to a date," Alec chimed in. "Daizi can take you on a date she only enjoys that you love, and you take her to things you only like that she loves."

"And then sometimes you do things like dancing," Xander shrugged.
 
"I think you both assume most of the places we go are places she prefers over me. Like I said, the majority of our dates are catered to what she can do, but that is because it would be cruel of me to take her somewhere she could not participate in. I love the aquarium, but I do not take her on dates there, since I could tell her for hours we are standing outside a jellyfish tank, but for her, all she could do is think, 'Okay, there are jellyfish there' and wait around. I would rather go alone than make her follow me around all day being told, 'There is a whale shark.' And I think it is healthy to spend time apart like that," He looked over his shoulder at Daizi again, "But I think dancing is generally something I prefer to do. She likes it, but I feel very close to her emotionally when we dance together. I am glad we married after physical video tapes were outdated, because I would have long since worn out our first dance on our wedding tape. And even though it may seem like the amount of music we go listen to is more for her, the genres we choose to go hear is more dependent on either of our preferences, sometimes it is genres she loves, sometimes it is genres I love. And she will come with me to the movies, but even I do not often feel like going there."

Honestly, when he was trying to think of things they did, he realized for the most part they didn't really experiment much. They still would try to find new things every so often, but for the most part they had settled into going to a few places they liked best, rather than constantly trying to find somewhere new and exciting. This realization, though, didn't make Dark nervous, he found it really pleasant to have found 'their' places together.

He also found it sweet that the twins were starting to seem invested in his relationship and their happiness, the whole convention, to him, seemed like they were worried about if his dating life was equitable, "The botanical garden we actually found as a compromise to the aquarium or the zoo, because she was saying she would go for me, but I knew she would have a bad time, because we had tried before and I could see how she was miserable, so I suggested it. Now it is one of our favourite places-- but you must understand, by speaking to me, you only get my side and my views of our dates, you would need to speak to her also if you really wanted to get a good picture of it."
 
"You basically said most of the things you do are for her, although you did have a good reason why," Alec said musings.

"I'd rather not get her side of things right now," Xander sighed, turning away. "I'm not interested in other people's love life. Long as they aren't being stupid, whatever."

Alec shrugged. "I don't mind glimpses. It's fun seeing alternative lives."
 
"Catering to what she can do is not the same thing as doing only her favourite things all the time," Dark argued, "I would be an awful husband if I brought her on dates she could not enjoy because of her disability. Could you imagine if she had mobility problems and I forced her to take long hikes with me? You would think I was terribly cruel. No, we do go to places I take a greater interest in, but if we are going together, we are only going to go to places she can be involved in. I do not have a good time if she does not, and considering I do not have any disabilities she needs to work with, it makes sense for me to be more accommodating--but we still do go on dates which appeal more to me. And she makes sacrifices for me, we are planning to take a pottery class together this summer, even though she hates getting clay underneath her fingernails, and it was her idea," Some of these dates he was not totally comfortable sharing with the twins, for example, the couples massage they got every few months, by his request, but also because he had never before considered who the dates were "for" he struggled to differentiate them, "and in any case, I cannot remember the last time I had a bad time on a date with her, so it does not really matter."

He smirked slightly as Xander said he wasn't interested in their love life, even though he was the first one to ask what dates they went on that were geared more towards him, but he wasn't going to point it out. He also didn't point out that he mediated his statement with right now, which implied he wasn't totally disinterested in it. They had made it to the front of the line, so he ordered for himself and Daizi, and then let the twins order whatever they liked.
 
Xander, and a little bit Alec, were beginning to think there was never a short answer when it came to Dark and Daizi. They didn't even mean to be rude, but sometimes it was hard to follow. There were always ten different examples and so many words that by the time they got to the end, the twins had forgotten how the beginning started or where the topic was supposed to go.

They both order sandwiches and went to stand with Dark, watching the people curiously as they walked by. What kind of people went to gardens?
 
Dark waited at the counter for the drinks they had ordered, since the food would be brought to the table. Most of the other people in the café were either friends or couples, as well as families with small children. One family appeared to be carefully studying what appeared to be a scavenger hunt, and they were crossing off the plants they had already seen. There was one younger couple, probably in their early thirties, with a baby who looked to be about six months old--Dark watched them the most, although he tried to be subtle about it. Someone like him staring at a baby tended to make the parents uncomfortable.

When the drinks finally were set on the counter, he took his and and Daizi's back to her, and settled in beside her at the table, "You were gone for awhile," she said, "I was beginning to think you had run out on me."

"Never. There was just a line, and we were chatting."

"Good. Well, I was thinking," She took a sip of her drink, and turned towards them excitedly, "What if... we named the baby Alexandria," Almost immediately her face broke into the crooked grin she always had when teasing them, and she was evidently extremely amused by this not-at-all serious suggestion, "That way, we only have to remember two names."
 
"Go for it," Xander said dryly. "You know you're going to get our names mixed up anyway, especially when you're dead dog tired."

"Peter thought our name was Alexander when he first met us," Alec said with a grin.

"He also thought we were one person," Xander pointed out.
 
"I think my father still doesn't totally understand there are two of you," Daizi chuckled, "I keep trying to explain it to him, but 'Alec' is not exactly a common name in Egypt, and neither is 'Xander,' obviously, but Alexander is well-known, and he swears we are descendants of Alexander the Great, which obviously is not true, but he swears it is where I get my colouring from. The point is: there is a good chance when he meets you, he will be shocked to meet both of you."

Even at the mention of this man, Dark sat up straighter, even though he was not slouching to begin with, and he looked vaguely like a scolded schoolboy, "Perhaps we should send pictures as warning."
 
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"We don't do pictures," the twins said simultaneously.

"Maybe someday we can meet him in person," Alec said with a smile.

Xander nodded. "Surprises are good for a person. Gets the blood going!"
 
"I'm sure he'll come when the baby is born," Daizi said, and it seemed to be the first time Dark had realized this. He took a slow sip of his drink and stared blankly at the table. Even blind, she recognized the mood that had come over him, "It'll be fine, babe."

"He hates me."

"He doesn't---Okay, but he won't be here that long, and he'll be too distracted by everything else going on to have time to torment you." She tried to be sympathetic, and had many times battled with her father for Dark's sake, but even though her initial instinct was to lie, she couldn't bring herself to do it.
 
"Oh, is there friction? Are we going to get to watch a daddy showdown?" Xander grinned teasingly.

Alec huffed a strand of hair out of his eyes and turned to look at the baby, who seemed to be staring in their direction. "You are far too eager for a fight."

Xander made a dismissive noise. "We both know nothing will come of it ultimately. Dark will still be with Daizi, and Daizi's daddy will still love her too much to actually kill Dark. Not that Dark would make it easy on him, anyway."
 
"No, were are not going to brawl...although i would win... No, he just," Dark ran a hand through his hair, "He hates me because I am an atheist, and because tattoos are haram, and because I proposed to Daizi without asking him first after convincing her to leave her first fiancé, who was someone he specifically selected, and because I come from literally nothing and because he cannot trace my family lineage and because she stopped adhering to his faith during the time we first got to know each other and because I got her pregnant before we got married and for a thousand other reasons including the fact that when he was growing up there was a war between Iraq and Egypt and in the very early 90s Egyptian migrant workers were marginalized by Iraqi veterans and apparently that was my fault even though I was a baby." He huffed, and seemed genuinely moody over it, although he had been told for all of his adult life and most of his teenage years that he was not good enough for his wife.

She leaned over and wrapped herself around him, "You're too harsh on yourself. Really..." Daizi rubbed the back of his neck and turned towards the twins, "when Dark and I met, I was questioning a lot of things, and he gave me the courage to explore those questions, and unfortunately that means my father blamed Dark for all of it, and so keeps finding reasons to criticize him, but it's really just because my father cares a great deal about my 'reputation.' But," she turned back to Dark, "now you will be the father of his biological grandchild, so he won't be able to continue to deny you. And you know he'll only be here for a week at most."
 
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It felt like they were a part of a conversation that didn't actually involve them any longer. Xander turned in his chair and stared out at the people, watching aimlessly as they walked by. He felt so restless it qlmost physically hurt! And not just because he was bored of flowers. That was more of an excuse than a real reason.

Alec only half listened to Daizi and Dark's conclusion to theories conversation. He felt restless, too, but in a quieter way. He felt melancholic and depressed the moment there wasn't something to distract him. Even so, he didn't want Daizi to feel bad. This was her day.
 
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