How Green Becomes Wood

"I lost the debate, or... won, the debate? It is confusing, we were each trying to convince each other to rest, and ultimately I convinced her to let me cook so since Alec is occupying her time already, I may as well help." He said, rolling up his sleeves and going to wash his hands, "and I suspect I know the recipe better than you do."

~~

Daizi turned towards the doorway and smiled, stopping playing for a moment, "Oh, hi. No, you're welcome to come in. I'm never alone anyway, right? Is everything alright?"
 
"Yeah, you've only had like a million years to perfect it," Xander pointed out, "but if you need a break, I can handle it." He started slicing the onion into rings, moving slower and more carefully than Dark might, but still doing decent. At least the slices looked even.

~~

"I guess you're as alone as you can be." Alec walked over and sat on the floor by Daizi. "For if everything is alright... I don't know. Is it?" He put a hand on her knee, resting his chin on the back of his hand."
 
"I have had more time than you, but koshari is Egyptian, Daizi taught me to cook it. It is not something I grew up eating. Anyway, I like to keep busy," He said, and got to work on the tomato sauce. He was looking forward to resting later, but he always felt a bit guilty anytime he was idle. He supposed he could go to his shed to work on his projects, but it didn't feel right. He'd rather help to feed his family.

~~

When Alec sat down beside her, she reached out and smoothed his hair, "If you're asking me if I'm okay, I am. It's just a stressful time for all of us. Mrs. Hollis says Dark and I may be a bit too protective and that it might be better if we just follow your lead for a little while," she caressed the side of his face, passing her thumb over his cheekbone, "we are just very nervous, we don't want anything to happen to you and your brother. You've already had to go through more than anyone should have to so young."
 
"Busy's good," Xander agreed. He was happy to keep busy, too, and didn't see the harm in never resting, always doing something. Still, now was a good time to keep busy. It meant he didn't have to think about things he'd rather not deal with and couldn't do anything about. He focused on taking care of the onion rings, crisping them up nicely before moving onto the lentils part. It was nice to only have to do part at a time and not worry about the whole thing.

~~

"Maybe, or maybe that just means we're better equipped to face things like this," Alec pointed out. "It's rough and stressful, but not the worst thing that's ever happened. That was losing our mother. Compared to that, having a dad walk in - or shamble in - is nothing! At least we have you now. We didn't have that before."
 
Dark worked quietly alongside Xander, and occasionally stood back and just watched him work. Rather suddenly, he said, "You have really come a long way in the kitchen, it is very impressive, I think." Back in December, Dark recalled, Xander had struggled to peel an orange, now he was frying onions, and taking the time to really see that development hit him unexpectedly.
~~

"I can't imagine how that was for you..." Daizi sighed, "Getting that news... just awful... but I suppose if you and Xander are prepared to deal with this curve, then Dark and I can learn a thing from you. I'm just so, so relieved I don't have to worry about losing you and your brother. I'm not sure what I'd do if you were gone." She had begun to fix his hair, going entirely off of touch, because she had no other option. It wasn't something she was doing intentionally, but after smoothing his hair and feeling his face, she had fallen into adjusting certain strands so it felt nice, almost as if she was preening him.
 
Xander paused and looked at Dark, surprised by the compliment. "Thanks," he said awkwardly. "It sure beats living off spaghetti and meatballs and Mac and Cheese."

~~

Alec closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of her fingers in his hair. "It's not easy, but as long as we have each other, we'll be alright, won't we?"
 
"I am sure it does," Dark chuckled, coming closer to take a better look at what Xander had been working on, "Tarot can talk for a long time on the cultural importance of food in bonding, she loves to talk about food culture and its importance. But it's not really something you can appreciate until you are not hungry anymore, I think." He stood with his hands lightly on his hips, and in a soft tone repeated, "You have really come a long way..." but what he meant had changed.

~~

"Yes we will be." She replied, feeling her heart swell, "I'm so glad Dark found you that day, and that you and Xander let him bring you home."
 
Xander watched Dark uncertainly. He wasn't sure what was going on here, but he had the feeling that Dark was trying to say more than what he was actually saying. Either way, he did appreciate the compliment. He just wasn't sure how to respond to it. "Yeah, nearly a full city's length!" he said cheerfully and turned his attention back to the lentils. "So, how long did it take you to learn to cook something?"

~~

Alec giggled softly. "We were in such a mess! And we certainly made a mess of your life, didn't we? Such uncultured kids we were, always arguing or hiding or making all kinds of trouble for you."
 
"Me?" Dark asked, looking at Xander, "well I was... scrappy growing up, and we did not really have... an abundance of food, so I spent a lot of time trying to make the most with scraps. You know, take the bits most people forget or purposely leave out, and try to make something with that. Or I would go out and sit by someone else's fire if they were cooking outside and hope to be allowed to share some of it, so I learned a lot from watching. I never had anybody to teach me." He rubbed the back of his neck, "I suppose I put in more direct effort to learn after graduation when Cooger and I were roommates, because he can cook very little, and I wanted food that reminded me of my city."

~~

"No, you didn't make a mess of my life. My life is different, and sometimes harder, but I wouldn't have it any other way... and I think one day everything will finally even out, and all five of us will be very, very happy together. We just have to make it until then."
 
"Learning to cook scraps sounds pretty resourceful and stuff," Xander agreed. "You really don't like American food? Like burgers and stuff?" He moved on to get the rice going and the pasta boiling.

~~

Alec lifted his head to give Daizi an incredulous look. "Even with the fights and stuff?" he asked doubtfully. "That sounds messy to me."
 
"I had to do something. I had to live somehow." Seeing Xander had a handle on the actual cooking, Dark started cleaning up the counter, "It isn't that I don't like American food, it's just not what I grew up on. And I can go out to a thousand restaurants to get good American food, when I want it. You have to go all the way into the city if you want good Arab food."

~~

Daizi laughed lightly, "Well. That's not ideal, but it's really only a small part of my life. And you fight less than Dark used to, and you and Xander don't fight with each other, so it's really not so bad."
 
Alec shrugged. "I don't mind this stuff, it's good. Kind of miss simple stuff that doesn't two hours to make, though." He was exaggerating a little, but it felt like that sometimes. "I miss grilled cheese and tomato soup. The weird stuff in the can. It's dumb. This stuff is better." He reached over and poked the pasta tentatively.

~~

Alec smiled and rested his chin on his hand on her knee again. "What song were you playing? The one when I interrupted you."
 
"Khubaz does not feel the same?" Dark asked good naturedly, referring to the pita bread and jam he'd make instead of the more American peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, "but we have bread, cheese, and butter, so you can make grilled cheese. But we would keep the rest in the house if you would like it, you just need to tell me because since it is not what Tarot and I eat, we do not know what to look for."

~~

"All I Ask of You," Daizi replied, stroking the soundbox of her harp, "it's a song from The Phantom of the Opera. It's one of my favourites, it's such a beautiful duet."
 
"Are barbeque meatballs not the same as falafel?" Xander asked dryly. Then he shrugged as he started trying to properly put all the separate pieces together. That was where he struggled the most. "Khubaz and all of that is good, but different. It's okay. Didn't mean to complain. Food is food, and you don't have to make extra effort." He almost dropped the rice as he tried to add the lintils.

~~

"Oh, I know that song," Alec said, brightening. He reached up and carefully plucked the strings for the first few notes. It was awkward from his angle, but it did the job of conveying the right song. "That one, right? It's really pretty. Would you like for me to move so you can keep playing it?"
 
When Xander fumbled with the rice, Dark reached out to steady it, "You do not need to hold it all at once," he explained, "and I did not think you were complaining. I do not mind buying what you like. You live here too, and you and Alec already make your own lunches anyway, it is only right you should have access to what you enjoy."

~~

"Dark and I always end up singing along when it plays. And it feels right for days like these... No more talk of darkness, forget these wide eyed fears," She softly sang the lyric, and then said, "you can pull the piano bench if you'd like to stay sitting here with me. I just don't want to bump you in the head with my elbow or something. But I can't sing along, because it's a love song, and my duet partner is cooking dinner."
 
"Just, awkward," Xander mumbled, eyes on his work. "You give us too much already. It's good, we don't mind. It's just cheese and bread and soup. No big deal." He finished assembling the dish with Dark's help and started setting the table. As he was finishing, one of the pasta tins started ringing merrily away. Xander pointed it out to Dark. "I think that's Alex's phone," he said as Dark was the closer of the two. He seemed completely unsurprised that the pasta was trying to call.

~~

Alec scrambled to his feet and moved the bench closer. "Out of the way and ready," he said, situating himself carefully.
 
"It was a big enough deal for you to mention it," Dark said, but otherwise dropped the conversation, making a mental note to buy American cheese and tomato soup. When Alec's phone began ringing from within a pasta tin, he raised his eyebrow slightly and remarked, "He really does forget it in the strangest of places," before removing it from the tin and checking to see who was calling.

~~

When Alec said he was ready, Daizi took a breath, and then, with her eyes closed, began to play the song. Her fingers move deftly, like she were weaving a tapestry of spinning a web, and she rocked slightly while she played. The hemline of her dress mostly hid her work on the harps petals and more than anything else, her face was serene as the gentle, loving tunes filled the room and passed into the hall. Occasionally her eyebrows would move with the emotion of the song, but mostly she was in some sweet memory somewhere.

After playing the final note, she sat still, and didn't open her eyes again until the final reverberations had stilled. Not that having her eyes open or closed really made a difference to her at all.
 
"I can't even remember when he was last using the pasta," Xander admitted. "Should I go get Daizi and Alec?"

It was Peter calling, his assigned ring tone the very uncreative "Down Under." It was a cheerful ditty, though, and seemed to fit the blonde.

~~

Alec listened intently, watching her fingers and trying to see her pedle work. At least at first. Gradually, the tune sucked him in, and he ended up sitting staring at nothing, listening to the haunting melody. It was perfect, sweet, and pure! When she finished playing, he didn't say anything, not wanting to break the spell.
 
"I suppose so, since supper is ready," Dark replied, handing Xander his brother's phone, "It is Peter calling, his mom said earlier he was interested in a sleepover."

~~

Daizi didn't speak either, and her hands hovered over the strings, itching to play again. At last she gave in, playing a different song, and this time she sang softly. Loud enough to be heard, but she wasn't performing, and she wasn't competing with the strings, she was just enjoying the music as it was.

The piano is not firewood yet
They try to remember but still they forget
That the heart beats in threes
Just like a waltz
And nothing can stop you from dancing

It wasn't the love song she was compelled towards after the first melody, but even though she was enchanted by the music, she had not entirely forgotten herself, and she knew who she was with. The song would make more sense if she were actually at her piano, but she knew the notes well enough to be able to play it on the harp as well.

Rise from your cold hospital bed
I'll tell you, you're not dying
Everyone knows you're going to live
So you might as well start trying
 
Xander took the phone right as it quit ringing. "A sleepover? Why?" he wondered out loud. "What's the point?" He headed for the music room, not really expecting an answer. "Alec! I found your phone!" he called long before he reached the door.

~~

"That's really sad," Alec said softly. "What is that?" he paused as he heard Xander's call. "Oh, sounds like dinner's ready."
 
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