How Green Becomes Wood

Dark set down the dish he was cleaning and turned towards Alec, "It was difficult, for a really long time. I saw and experienced things nobody should have to see or experience, and then I went to a place where people were not kind to people like me. It was hard, and sometimes it still is, but I think what is more salient, and more important, than all of the pain that I felt, is that I survived it. I did not go from the person in that book to who I am today overnight, there was never a switch flipped which turned me from that teenager into this adult. It was gradual, and I grew, and my life improved. It was a lot of work, but it happened. Even then, even when it was at its hardest, it never defined me, it was never all who I was," Slowly he moved towards Alec and put his hand on his back, "And that is an encouraging thought, is it not? That there is more to inherit from this life than what we have received so far? Even then, it was not exclusively pain. I was falling in love, I was making my most important platonic friendship, and that wasn't painful, and that is also captured in that book. We do not have pictures from it, but during those years, Cooger took me to my very first carnival, and it is still--despite everything I was struggling with--one of the best days of my life."
 
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"I like that bit," Alec admitted. "I just..." He sighed and scrubbed the counter harder. "You are a worse version of Xander in those," he said softly. "I didn't think it could get worse. But it was. For you. I don't want to think about that. I don't want to think about your pain or Xander's. Xander is better but not like you yet. I don't want to think about that. I don't want to think about your pain or his. It makes me sad."
 
Dark rubbed Alec's back, "If I was worse than Xander at his age, and grew into someone you think is a good person to be, then... You can take heart in the comfort that Xander will grow into a better man than I am. And take comfort in how you and your brother are getting help sooner than I did. You do not need to focus on what I have been through, although I know you are extremely empathetic, and it may be difficult to not, but... I do not even focus on it, anymore," At least, not most of the time. Sometimes it bubbled over, but he was safer than he had ever been, "and, you know, it is okay to be sad."

He wanted to ask about Alec's own pain, but feared going too far and making him confront too much that night. Never did Dark anticipate those pictures would upset one of his kids so much, and he wasn't entirely sure how to speak honestly about it without making it more difficult for someone with Alec's temperament to handle, or without forcing himself to reexperience the hardest moments.
 
It was okay to be sad. Why? Being sad hurt. It seemed everyone told him sadness was not a good thing to feel. They were told to smile, to be brave, to not cry, to stand tall. Sure, he had cried, but everyone viewed him as being weak for it. Xander was strong. He stood bold in front, but then he was labeled as a troublemaker with anger problems. Why couldn't people just be happy? Why did they have to feel pain and give pain? He didn't want to feel pain. He didn't want to see it, especially not with people like Dark who was so strong and kind. He didn't want to see that kind of brokenness.

Alec turned suddenly and wrapped his arms around Dark, hugging him tightly. "I am so very, very glad you were able to overcome it all," he whispered. "I'm glad you are here now and the person you are."
 
By this point, Dark had grown accustomed to Alec needing hugs when he was upset, so he didn't flinch or pause, and instead returned the hug, bending down slightly to make it easier, and said only "Thank you." He didn't love the phrasing of 'overcoming it all,' because although it was inarguable that he, in fact, had, considering he had grown up and made a life for himself which was not defined and constrained by his past, at least not in its totality, but at the same time, the scars were still there, and they always would be.

But it didn't seem like the right time to warn Alec of that, so instead he squeezed him tight and said, "I am glad to be here too."
 
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Alec pressed his face into Dark for a moment, soaking in Dark's strength and clean smell. There was only the faintest hint of the scent of sawdust on him. Then he took a deep breath and let go, stepping back a pace to give Dark space. "I'm sorry I put a damper on your nice evening," he said meekly. "I didn't mean to make a fuss, really. I did have a good time, and I am glad you have details that you like to remember." He managed a tiny smile. "Xander liked seeing them, I think. He will totally bring them up if he gets into trouble again."
 
"You did not dampen it, and you did not make a fuss," He replied, turning back to dry the final few dishes, "You were only answering my questions. And I am sure he will." He chuckled slightly, not particularly looking forward to that day, but knowing it was inevitable.

Just then, Enkidu came happily thundering down the stairs, with Daizi following close behind, ready to at last give him his dinner. But, before she could reach down to pick up the bowl, Dark bent down and grabbed it for her, "Let me," he said, "I do not want you to hurt yourself."

"I'm okay," She replied, a bit stubbornly, but recalling she had heard Alec's voice, she made sure to say, because she knew how easily concerned he was, "I am, it's just a very common pinch I sometimes feel that Dark is worried about. It's just my muscles stretching."
 
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"You are a strong and very capable woman," Alec said stoutly, "but you are also growing a whole other human, one that the Professor is partially responsible for, so it makes sense that he'd want to fuss and look after you. It makes him feel better. Right, Professor?"

"What's the professor responsible for?" Xander demanded, clumping into the room with not much less noise than Enkidu and flung himself into a chair. "And is it time to walk the fluffy knee-licker?"
 
"Impregnating me." Daizi replied immediately, although after she said it she knew it was not the right response. It was the accurate response, but not the right one.

In response, Dark swore under his breath, and said, directly to Alec and nobody else, "Yes, it does make me feel better to make her life easier. And now I am going to feed my dog."
 
Xander immediately flung himself back up out of the chair and started walking out. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go be literally anywhere else while you have this conversation."

Alec couldn't help a giggle as he watched his brother's hasty retreat.
 
Despite knowing perfectly well she had said entirely the wrong thing, Daizi was an agent of chaos and so she cackled while Xander fled the scene. It wasn't her fault he had came in at exactly the worst time, but not including that particular little incident, the day concluded without any more fuss. The next day, school started up again, but only briefly. Due to a clerical error, "Spring Break" was absurdly close to the end of the semester, but really that only affected the teachers who had an entirely useless week of school to fill.

Besides that, though, the week began seeming normal. Daizi still hadn't felt the baby move and was sore about it. She'd spend time every day alone in her bedroom trying to focus entirely on feeling the slightest flutter, but still--nothing. It was when she was up there, though, when the call came through. Social services didn't tell her much, only that they had found Alec and Xander's next of kin, and that it was possible this person, whoever they were, might come to the home. The Social Worker didn't know exactly what it would mean for their family, but they both knew reunification was normally the ultimate goal. It didn't seem right to Daizi, but she had no idea what to do, so after hanging up the phone, she slunk off to tell Dark about it, and after collecting themselves, they sat down the twins, and told them what little they knew. To her surprise, Daizi managed to avoid crying at any point during the long conversation, and she and Dark both seemed strong, calm, and concerned, but not terrified, even though on the inside they felt extremely panicked.

But all they could do was wait.
 
Xander sat on the floor of the bedroom between the dresser and the wall, angrily kicking at the floor with one heel now and then to let out a bit of steam. His hands focused on the stitching in front of him, weaving a thick threat between the holes he'd already punched into two pieces of leather. Someone was coming for them. Someone was finally coming! But who? Why now? Why had it taken so long? Why hadn't they been a part of their mother's life for so long? Did it even matter? Were they going to take them away? Unless they had some damn good reasons for not being in touch for so long, he wasn't interested.

Alec sat at the desk, earbuds in, listening to Enya while he painted with a set of acrylic paints, idly drawing the paintbrush across the paper. He didn't think anything of the coming problem. He didn't want to think about it. It was better to focus on the abstract colors in the picture he was creating. That was better than thinking of anything at all. He would not think of it.

Then, downstairs, someone knocked on the door.
 
Hearing the knock like a death knell, Dark urged Daizi not to get up from where she sat on the couch in the living room, and went to answer the door alone. She didn't argue: she would have, under normal circumstances, but she didn't know who they would be, or what type of people they were, and she was worried that her face, and her disability, would immediately make the wrong impression, which just wasn't fair.

Dark opened the door, calmly, and seeing the people out on the stoop said, "Hello, may I help you?" Hearing that alone was too much for Daizi, and she couldn't resist but get up, throw on the nearest pair of sunglasses, and go to stand with him. She didn't want him to greet them alone, and she didn't want to be alone.
 
The woman standing on the stoop had dark reddish-brown hair and eye structure similar to the twins', but that was where the similarities stopped. She was dressed nicely, like someone in management who'd just gotten off of work with a navy blue suit dress and a single strand of pearls, and she gave them a professional smile. Not a plastic one or even a fully fake one, but it was clearly from someone used to dealing with Problems. "Good morning. My name is Ciara [Keer-ah] Cunningham, and I am told that you two have my sister's children?" It was phrased as a question, but from her expression, that was only to be polite.

A man stood behind her, his body language shifted away and all but screaming that he wasn't with this woman. His hair was more on the orangish side of red, short, and he looked more like a casual biker in a heavy tan coat and beat-up jeans. He kept his hands in his pockets, looking out at the neighborhood and the grounds with an interested expression as if he approved of this neighborhood and was thinking of moving in. Other than the eyes, his face was nearly identical to the twins', though with more stubble. It was like looking at an older version of Xander.
 
"Hello, yes, please, come in," Dark said, standing to the side to allow these guests inside, even though he found himself really just wanting to close the door and lock it. Neither of them exactly raised concern, at least not from their first impression, but he and Daizi were happy. The twins seemed happy. So they didn't need these strangers coming in and ruining it, "My name is G.M. Dark, this is my wife Dr. Daizi Wahid. Please, remove your shoes, and we have a bowl of salt by the door we would request you touch."

Daizi greeted them warmly, much warmer than she expected she would, and in a much stronger voice than she thought possible with how her heart was beating. Unlike Dark, she didn't realize there even was a second person, and she certainly didn't know that it was so clearly the twins' father, "The boys are upstairs. Could I get you something to drink? We have water, milk, juice..." She held onto Dark's arm, as she so regularly did, and very much seemed in every possible way the lady of the house.
 
Miss Cunningham glanced at Daizi then took a longer look, her expression flickering only briefly. "I would really prefer not to remove my shoes," she said. "I mean no offense, but I have a difficult time trusting floors I have not personally cleaned, and these are new stockings." She did, however, reach out and tentatively touch the salt, seeming unsure of what she was supposed to do with it.

"I don't suppose you have a beer?" the man asked, speaking up for the first time. Hands still firmly in his pockets, he made no move to either touch the salt or remove his shoes. He gave Daizi a long look, seeming puzzled at first, then looked away to give the interior of the house a good look.
 
"I promise our house is very clean," Dark replied, disguising his mild indignation. He put a great deal of work into keeping his house spotless, and the supposition that it was not clean enough was a bit annoying, "but if you are really uncomfortable, we have those single-use shoe covers, if that would be better," He looked at the man, "Please, sir, I will bring you the shoe covers as well but I would appreciate it if you obliged us by just, ever so briefly, touching our bowl of salt."

When the man spoke, Daizi turned her head sharply towards him, having only just learned of his existence, "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name--and we have ginger beer, but it's non-alcoholic, if you would like that, but that's the closest we have."
 
"Shoe covers would be perfect, wouldn't it?" said Ciara pointedly to the man.

He looked clearly put-out, but he nodded. "Yeah, ginger beer is fine, if you have it," he said. He had a slight Irish accent, barely noticeable to someone not paying attention. "I'm Declan. Declan Walsh." He reached out and bushed the salt, knocking some to the floor.
 
Dark went into the single drawer in the foyer table and handed them two sets of shoe covers, while Daizi went into the kitchen and then returned with Declan's ginger beer.

"We should sit," Dark suggested, "we can go into the living room. It might be better to talk a little before we bring the twins downstairs."
 
Ciara put on the shoe covers immediately. After a pointed look, Declan did the same. "Yes, I think that might be wise," she said with a nod. She stepped farther into the house and moved smartly toward the living room.

"You have a nice place," Declan said, wandering after her, seeming almost bored.
 
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