How Green Becomes Wood

"I don't like to leave people alone when they're unwell," Daizi said softly, and then, in a brighter tone, "I suppose mopping the floors is sufficient. I don't know how dusty they are. But you should rest first, I can't imagine any of us got a lot of sleep last night, you've got to have loads of energy for tomorrow."
 
Xander hesitated and glanced at Alec. "I'm not sure about tomorrow."

Alec frowned and cocked his head to one side. "Really? Why? What's the matter?"

Xander fidgeted. "Well, see, it's my part. The solo. I'm not good, and it's just dragging down the performance."

Alec smiled and put his hand on Xander's shoulder. "I don't care if you mess up every single note. I just like doing it with you."

"You are a sap," Xander replied, ruffling his hair. "But I kind of had an idea." He headed off toward his bedroom, talking in a low tone to Alec about his idea to a slight change in their performance.
 
Since clearly this conversation wasn't meant to include her, Daizi smiled gently and walked into the kitchen. In only a few hours Dark would be home, and she decided that since she was home first, she'd cook dinner that night. It was too early to really start, but she could do prep work. It'd be good practice, she figured, since her leave from work would probably last longer than his.
 
Alec and Xander spent perhaps an hour talking and arguing about the show, eventually moving from their room to the music room where they continued the discussion amidst random piano and guitar noises. They clattered and clashed and completely forgot about their homework and the problems of this morning. All was well. Gradually, the noises ebbed into silence. They sat on the floor, side by side, still talking, until they both fell asleep leaning into one another.
 
When Dark came home, he was pleasantly surprised to find Daizi preparing dinner for him. Still, after setting his things down, he went to help, grateful but not wanting her to cook alone. They didn't inquire about the twins, assuming they were doing their homework or something, so they just enjoyed the time they had to themselves.

When dinner was done, they texted the twins, and receiving no response, Dark went upstairs to knock on their door, "Dinner is ready," he said from outside their room.
 
In the music room, Xander woke with a start at the knock. He started to sit up and realized Alec still leaned up against him, snoring softly. "Wake up," he grumbled groggily, half pushing his brother off.

Alec grumbled and leaned against the wall, rubbing his eyes. "What?"

"Food." Xander scrambled to his feet and weaved over to the doorway. He flopped against the doorjamb and leaned out to peer down the hallway. "Food?" he queried.
 
Dark turned, surprised to see them in a different room that usual, "It is on the table. You two must have been working hard."

He went down to the dining room, stopping to kiss his wife on the cheek as he sat down.

"They're still here, aren't they?" Daizi joked
 
It took the twins a moment to pull themselves together, but they did eventually clump their way down to the kitchen.

"It smells nice in here," Alec said with a sleepy smile.

Xander yawned and stretched. "We made some changes to our performance. We'll have to let Peter know so he isn't taken completely by surprise."
 
"Oh, you better, it'd be awful to throw him off like that," Daizi chuckled, imagining the cruelty and chaos of if they did it differently without even a whisper of a warning.

"It seems a little late for a change, right?" Dark commented, "What inspired this?"
 
"I've never liked the rhetoric of talent. Nobody can spell 'cat' without knowing the alphabet, it all just takes time. Some people may show a greater aptitude, but acting like that's all there is to it ignores all of the time and effort put into learning something," Daizi mused, resting her head in her hand, trying to be supportive of Xander, "You've only been learning for a few weeks."

"And confidence is harder to develop. I hated even being percieved when I was in high school, I desperately wanted to simply disappear." Dark added.
 
"Disappearing sounds like a good idea," Xander agreed.

Alec smiled and nudged him gently. "Just once. Then I'll never ask you to preform in front of a large audience ever again."

"Especially not in a band called Driftwood?" Xander asked dryly.

"Hey, I like that name!" Alec protested with a laugh.

Xander rolled his eyes but nodded. "Just this once, doing it my way, and then never again. Probably."
 
"Disappearing isn't all it's cracked up to be," Daizi said, "it's much better to find the places you feel comfortable being noticed, but it's okay if performing isn't it. Dark always says he's not much of a performer, but I think he'd be lovely up on the stage. He's got a beautiful voice."

He shrugged in response and looked away, "I think I am happy where I am. I attract too much attention already--I am rather conspicuous, even if I were not tattooed, I am practically a giant, I can never just blend into the background."

"I just think it's good to try all things once. I'm very proud of how brave Alec and Xander are, going up in front of the full school like they're going to."
 
"Ugh, in front of the whole school," Xander groaned. "I'm having second thoughts. Half of those kids think I'm a bully." He paused to consider. "Actually, I did push a couple of them around a bit. Mostly the ones that pushed first. I hope everyone is checked for rotten fruit."

"There are other bullies planning on being up there performing," Alec reminded him. "So, at worst, people will have to ration their projectiles."

Xander snickered at that. "We should consider heading to ed soon if I'm going to have the energy to duck all those flying veggies and fruits."
 
"Go to bed, we can clean up here," Daizi said, although she stayed where she was sitting. She planned on getting up to help, just not quite yet.

Dark, however, did stand and began to clear the table, "If it helps, I have been watching ten years of talent shows, and most of the time, students who are not interested tune it out, and those who are interested are supportive of all of the acts... And I do not remember most of the performances, so in a few years, you will be the only one with the memories."
 
Both twins stared at him thoughtfully.

"I genuinely cannot decide if that is helpful or not," Alec said after a while.

"We'll help clean up if you agree to stop being supportive," Xander said dryly.

He and Alec stood and started cleaning up the kitchen, wanting to leave if sparkling before heading to bed. Besides, Daizi looked tired, and she would try to help if Dark didn't have help. Only after everything was clean did they head for bed, butterflies in their stomachs. And they had to go through an entire day of school before the show! (or however much of the day you have before a talent show... it seems to vary between schools.)
 
Daizi yawned, "I think it's helpful, he's really just encouraging you to get out of your head and not worry about what other people will say." She stood and helped with what was left of the dishes, although with the twins also lending their aid, there wasn't much to do.

"Alright," Dark chuckled, "you will both fail and we do not care about the outcome. Is that better?" Like the twins, he also tried to do more than his fair share to save Daizi some work, even though he knew full well it was a risky game, because she hated feeling coddled. She was a fully capable woman, pregnant or not, but he couldn't help it if he wanted to help her more. He loved her and she was growing his child, he'd do anything to make her life the tiniest bit easier.

They still had a few more specific chores to take care of, including taking care of their dog, but at last they went to bed, not nervous like the twins were, just happy to reach the end of a long day.
 
The next day went by mostly as a normal day would. Alec remembered to pack the lunches, so they had lunch and told Peter all about the changes they'd decided on the previous day. Peter seemed confused but willing enough to go along with the change. It didn't affect him as the drummer other than to have some idea of what was going on. Then there was nothing to do but to wait.

Finally, it was time. Alec, Xander, and Peter stood in the wings watching the other acts go on. Peter moved off to make sure the drum set and the piano would wheel onto the stage with ease when it was time. Alec stared out, peering through the gaps at the crowd in the room. There were so many people! His heart thumped harder, his breathing coming faster.

Xander gently pulled him back away gently and patted his shoulder. "Focus on the song," he said softly. "That's all. Just the song. We'll be fine."

Alec gave him a shaky smile. "You're right, but... I didn't see Daizi or the professor out there."

"They'll be here," Xander assured him. "Or they're here already and just haven't gotten their seats yet. It's barely started."

With a deep breath and a shake of his head, Alec pulled himself together. "You're right! I'm going to go check when we go on, just to be sure we have our timings right."

"Then can you help me with my eyeliner? I think I smudged it," Peter called.
 
Daizi had been running late, just slightly, which wasn't her fault. She left work early to be there, but the train was delayed, and had struggled a bit to find a cab or a ride share to the school. Because Dark knew there was absolutely no way she would be able to find her way to the auditorium on her own, because the school didn't have adequate signage, Dark was waiting by the front entrance for her. The twins were later in the show, so he wasn't particularly worried, and she was only running about ten minutes late, fifteen at the most.

At last, she came hurrying into the school, apologizing profusely even though she had already let him know what had happened, and he swore it was okay, and waited for a minute so she could catch her breath and let go of the running-late anxieties. And he needed the minute too, because since she was arriving late--and she wasn't the only one to be--it meant they'd catch some glances as they snuck back inside, but more than that, well, seeing her there made him a little weak in the knees, and he needed to recover. Following Alec's suggestion, she wore her dark goddess dress, but had changed into it at work, so Dark hadn't seen her in it yet that day. It was definitely tighter than the last time she wore it, but it still had the predicted effect, at least on him. She filled out the neckline more than she had in the past, so although the dress didn't hide her pregnancy, it wasn't the defining focus. Since it was a special occasion, she wore lipstick, and just for fun, her batwing sunglasses.

After the minute passed, Dark took her arm as he so often did, and led her into the auditorium. Some students who saw them murmured about it, mostly just focused on the fact that Mr. Dark had actually brought 'Mrs. Dark' to school, since it was too dark to see anything about how she looked. Dark and Daizi sat in the teachers' section, and murmured introductions to Mr. Major and some of the other nearby teachers, and settled in to watch, or listen to, the rest of the show, after really only missing two or three performances.

Backstage, one of the other students--a senior, who knew absolutely nothing about Xander or Alec, but who had taken a few classes with Mr. Dark in the past--had been peeking out at the house when they entered and said, "Dude, I think Mr. Dark actually brought his wife, that's crazy, I was beginning to think he made her up or something."

Sloan heard it, but rolled her eyes and just went over to the twins and Peter. She looked pretty, because it was the job of the student council to introduce the acts and play with the crowd between the various performances, so she was dressed for the stage, "I just wanted to check on how my boys were doing," She said, "Are you nervous?"
 
Xander glanced at Sloan and looked her up and down. "Nice ringmaster's outfit. How are your monkeys?"

Alec gave Sloan a smile that was only slightly wobbly. "Yes, just a little. A lot," he admitted. "I'm so excited! And absolutely terrified!" He turned away and found a wall to lean on and catch his breath. "I'm alright. I'm okay."

"Hey, Mr. Dark and his wife are here," Peter told them. "One of the seniors just said."

Alec brightened. "Really?"

Xander didn't smile, but he had a satisfied expression as he adjusted the straps on his guitar. "Told you they'd come."



~~



A short, stocky, blonde man in a button-up shirt and blue jeans walked down the aisle and grinned. "G'day!" he greeted Dark and Daizi. "You must be Mr. Dark, the history teacher, and his wife. I'm Jack Hollis, Peter's father." He held out a hand to shake theirs. "I'm not sure if this is the area where the parents can sit, but I had to come say hi after everything I've heard about you."

He flashed a grin, and the resemblance to his son was uncanny. He had the same laidback yet alert presence, sparkling blue eyes, and a comfortable beritone voice with a hefty New South Wales, Australia accent. Also, he was only perhaps half a foot over five feet tall, revealing where Peter got his height issue from.
 
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