How Green Becomes Wood

"They have chairs in the waiting room, and a rather sophisticated fish tank with lion fish. I am sure if we asked we could put a chair right outside the exam room for you, though," Dark told Xander, "and if you would be more comfortable staying behind, you do not have to go."

Daizi sat back in her chair, stroking her baby bump. When she did, she could feel the baby wriggle and kick, "I'm sure." If she knew for certain the baby was going to live, then maybe she'd like the surprise, but she didn't. Finding out at the birth of a live baby was special. Finding out at a stillbirth was not, "Dark says she looks a lot more like an actual baby now, and not like a little smudge on the screen."
 
Alec glanced at his brother, settling back a little. "We can stay here together and wait. I don't mind waiting. Then we can celebrate here!"

Xander looked between Alec, Dark, and Daizi. He took a deep breath and said, "Nah, it's okay. I'll come. Lion fish are pretty cool. Watching one of those wouldn't be the worst until they're all done if I'm not allowed to stay in the hall."

Alec brightened and touched Xander's hand. "Lion fish are awesome!"
 
"Are you sure?" Daizi asked, concerned, "We don't want to make you do anything that will be difficult for you."

Dark, looking at the twins, understood that Xander was agreeing to go because otherwise Alec wouldn't, although the possibility that wanting to support himself and Daizi never crossed his mind, "Did you ever develop a preference, Alec? Or are you still neutral?"
 
"Preference?" Alec repeated. "Preference for... Oh! The gender? No, I'm still neutral."

"I'm voting boy," Xander said with a smirk. "Boys are more fun, don't you think?"

Alec made a face. "That's a dumb reason."

"Maybe, but it's mine!" Xander said cheerfully. He stood and started clearing up the table.

Alec followed his lead and found the dishcloth to wipe down the table. "It can still be a dumb reason. I think both are perfectly fine."

"And both are a lot of work," Xander stated.
 
"I don't think they're necessarily more fun," Daizi argued. She stood to also help clean up, but Dark sat her back down. She had been working all day, she deserved to rest, he thought. She pouted at him, but he kissed her and began putting away the few leftovers.

"I think Tarot is probably more fun than I am," Dark said, supporting his wife, "and if you are not careful, baby boys can, well, cause trouble during diaper changes."

Daizi frowned slightly, thinking about it a little bit more, and after a moment said, "I just hope she can see. And hear. It'd be really hard if she couldn't hear."
 
"She is," Alec and Xander said simultaneously.

"No offense, Professor," Alec added.

"You have your moments," Xander agreed. "Hey, you got this?" he asked Alec. At Alec's nod, he said, "I gotta go take care of something. I'll be back in a minute."
 
"I am never offended by the truth," Dark replied, holding up his hands. Daizi was bright and untamed and relaxed. And he was uptight and never really let himself slip. He had his reasons for that, and he was comfortable as he was, but to put it in nerdier terms, he had a lawful alignment, but Daizi was chaotic, and they balanced each other out that way.

Daizi turned to them, "Hey, no, Dark is really fun. He's just different, he's probably not going to rush out of the house on an adventure without doing any prior planning, but that doesn't mean he's not fun. You just haven't seen him when he really shines yet."

He sighed, and went behind her to rub her shoulders as Xander left the room, "Darling, it is okay. I am not upset, and it is complimentary to you."

"I just don't think it's fair... You're my favourite person to spend time with, so if I'm fun and I love being with you, that makes you just as fun..." He turned to Alec, "Do you want to know what he did for me, once?"
 
"Probably lots of fun things because you two had a lots of time to get comfortable with each other," Alec said happily.

Meanwhile, Xander had fetched the bit, stuffed snake. It was shockingly heavy, even as large as it was. Now, where to put it? Somewhere where Daizi would find it, but preferably not where Enkidu might mistake it for another fun toy. He studied the snake thoughtfully then had an idea. Perfect! He let himself quietly into Daizi's office and laid the snake on the desk. It wouldn't be much of a shock to a sighted person, but Daizi would have to touch it to fetch anything from her desk. He dropped the tail down in front of the drawers and made certain it was well balanced before heading down to the kitchen again.
 
"It was was 26 and he was 27, and we had gone camping with Cooger, and the three of us were sitting in this clearing enjoying the night, and he and Cooger kept talking about the stars and the constellations and they saw shooting stars and everything, which of course I couldn't see, and I was feeling pretty bad about it, because I would do anything to see the stars, and I didn't say anything about it, but he knew, because he cares, and even though at the time we were living in this really awful, tiny apartment, while I was at work one Saturday because I still had to work weekends then, he went through and strung up blankets or curtains or something all throughout the house, and had attached all of the important objects from our relationships in the shape of constellations. Teacups and ticket stubs and the old letters we had sent each other, things like that, and it was all so that I could experience the stars. It wasn't our anniversary or Valentine's Day or anything." She huffed, reaching out to hold Dark's arm, refusing to accept any 'slander' towards him. It wasn't even that she was angry about being called definitively more fun than her husband, she just knew how hard he tried, not even just with the twins.

For his part, Dark was still trying to convince her it was okay, and he mouthed, knowing she wouldn't know, the word 'hormones,' to Alec, and then said, "I think that was more romantic than fun."

"I had fun," She replied, pouting, "It was both. And just you wait, some day he'll do something sweet and caring--not romantic, obviously--gesture for the both of you, too, because he's special that way."
 
Alec sighed and leaned against the counter. "That is so incredibly romantic! You have the sweetest soul," he said wistfully, smiling at Dark.

Xander groaned. "Yes, very sweet. I think I'm going to get a toothache. In fact, I think I'm going to head to bed early."

"Awe, you have no poetry in your soul," Alec pouted.

"Nope, not a speck," Xander agreed calmly. "Do you two tweety birds need anything before I turn in?"

"I should turn in to," Alec commented.
 
"Are you feeling okay?" Daizi asked, "if it's just that you don't like hearing about the fact my husband loves me that's okay, or if you're just worn out from a long day, but if you're feeling sick or something... Arcades are touched by hundreds of people a day and I don't think they're wiped down all that often..."

"Let us know if you need anything," Dark said more calmly, speaking to both twins, since both were planning to head to bed already.
 
"I'm fine, just tired. It's been a long day," Xander said. "Besides, it'll give you two more alone time."

"Behave," Alec told them cheerfully as he followed Xander out of the room. "Don't stay up too late, now! You need some good, solid sleep."

Once they were safely out of earshot, Alec commented, "Is it just me, or is this thing with Declan so much harder on those two?"

Xander shrugged. "It's the nature of adults to be worried about a thousand different things in the future and forget about the problem right in front of their noses. I guess that's what kids are for."

"Still, we should try to make it easy for them," Alec smiled.

Xander nodded. "Probably for the best. Hopefully, with us out of the way, they'll make a start by getting some rest."
 
"Oh please," Daizi teased, "what's the worst that could happen? I'll get pregnant?" She laughed while Dark cringed and rubbed his hands over his face. But it was nice to be alone. As always, first they fed and walked the dog, and then they went in the living room together. Of course, the initial topic of conversation was Declan. Yes, he was mostly good to the twins, but he clearly had a strong preference for Xander. No, Dark did not succeed in never upsetting the other man. Yes, he tried.

"I still feel like he is not telling us everything, and I know we should not expect him too, but I just feel unnerved. One of his first questions about the twins was if they are straight, how weird is that?" Dark asked, lying with his head in his wife's lap while she played with his hair and caressed his face, "As if I would tell him even if I did know. That is not my information to divulge."

"That is a bizarre line of questioning... I suppose it's something where, some men only know how to talk to others of their gender if they can comment about women? I don't know... But it's not like we can expect the world of him. He's a man who ran out on his children."

Dark gazed up at her, frowning, "Do not say that. They are not his children. Nobody gets to spend fifteen years forgetting someone exists and then call them their child. I am so angry at him for saying that--that he forgot about them, and that it is easy for men to forget. They have lived with us for six months, or a few weeks less, and I could never forget them. I could not be less related to them, but if the court took them away tomorrow, I just--I would spend the next fifteen years trying to contact them, trying to help them, and I would never... forget. And the fact that he thinks it is a normal thing to be able to..." He huffed, "Alec and Xander deserve so much more than to be told they were easy to forget. They are great kids, better than they think they are. I am so happy I get to know them, and so pissed they come from someone who devalues them so much."

Daizi hummed, laying her hand on his chest to feel his heartbeat, "You should tell them that."

"Tell them what?"

"What you told me. About how much they matter to you and how much you would fight for them. I think... Well, they have Declan and they have you. I think it'd be good for them to hear that you would never forget about them, and that you cannot even imagine a world where that would happen. They deserve to hear that from someone. You did too... I'm sorry you never did." She told him, tapping his shoulder to indicate for him to sit up. When he did, she wrapped her arms around him and held him close.

He started to say, "I just never want our kids to feel..." when she kissed him gently and whispered, "Just tell them," before kissing him again. Then, as the conversation shifted, so did she, so she could lie against him and he could massage her belly and just... talk about simple things for awhile, and enjoy being alone, until eventually the heaved themselves up to go to sleep in their own bed, because even though they felt tired enough to sleep right there on the couch, they both knew they were old enough (and in Daizi's case, pregnant enough) that they'd be sore for the next few days if they did so.
 
The day of the karaoke with Declan came fast, faster than either Xander or Alec had expected. It arrived without a fuss, only a note on a calendar. Xander would have forgotten about it entirely had he not had to hunt Alec's ringing phone out from under the couch cushion and turn it off. It was just a telemarketer, but Alec had set unknown calls to "Safety Dance" with the reasoning that if they were going to call him, he might as well get something fun out of the heart attack of having his phone actually ring. and as Alec nearly always sang along with the ringing phone, it reminded Xander of their agreement to meet Declan at the small Karaoke resteraunt in town. It was an odd little place that relied more on their odd assortment of finger foods from all over the world to stay in business more than their rather nice karaoke rooms.

Declan had rented a room for three hours, so they could all hang out by sitting on the plush benches or stand singing along to the music. One wall was a giant TV screen that had the lyrics as well as any animations that went with the songs, and there were thousands and thousands of songs to choose from. One need only cue in the song title from the handheld device in each room and choose. Food could be chosen for the rooms, as well, and ordered via a small wall-mounted phone. It was a nice place, but a niche interest.

Alec was nearly beside himself with excitement. Ever since learning of the karaoke place's existence, he had wanted to go. Xander, on the other hand, intended to do little more than endure the next three hours and get it over with. He supposed at least here there wouldn't be as much opportunity to talk, meaning little opportunity for any fights to break out or offenses made.
 
Daizi was fairly excited for the karaoke. She would have preferred it if Declan wasn't going to be there, but she was trying to think of it as an evening out with her husband and their twins with and additional person along for the ride. She wished she could drive with Dark and the twins, but as with the talent show, since she was coming from work, she had to take the train back from the city and then meet everyone else there, which wasn't ideal, but at least she was able to use that time alone to try to meditate, or something, because she had been a bit cranky all day, because her back (courtesy of the bell pepper-sized fetus pressing on her pelvis) had been killing her all day, and all of the day before. But she kept trying to remind herself that it was worth it, because now the baby could hear her, and she knew this, because the baby--whose movements were beginning to feel more like proper kicks and less like flutters--became much more active when she was speaking than when she wasn't.

Ultimately, though, she wasn't really in a bad mood, not really, and by the time she met with her family waiting for her outside of the building, she had done enough work to be able to trust she wouldn't be unfair towards Declan just because she was a bit uncomfortable. And the access to a wide variety of food was set to appease her and she could not wait to indulge the frightening and concerning taste combinations she now desired. Dark was more anxious than she was. Daizi had nearly considered being a concert harpist when she was younger, so performing wasn't something that scared her, but he didn't feel similarly, and even after learning it was a karaoke spot with private rooms, he still was hoping nobody would make him sing.

Immediately after coming into the room, Dark helped Daizi to one of the plush benches, and she fully intended--except for when it was her turn to sing--sit there comfortably, hope Declan didn't say anything to frustrate her, and continually cheer on Alec, who she presumed would turn out to be a bit of a mic hog. Her husband, meanwhile, felt very similarly to Xander about the whole thing, although he was also a bit concerned about how obvious his wife's pregnancy might be to unknowing eyes.
 
Declan grinned and slapped Dark's back. "Awesome to see you again!" He turned and gave Xander the same treatment, making him stumble a little in surprise. "How's it going, buck? Good to see you. Hey, there, Alec! Since this was your idea, why don't you pick the first song?"

Alec was thankfully standing just out of arm's reach and therefore did not get a greeting smack. "Um, okay, I can do that." He sat near Daizi and started looking thought the songs.

Declan sat across from Daizi and lifted his hand. "Sorry, Daisy, didn't mean to miss saying hello."

"Daizi," Xander corrected.

Declan frowned in confusion. "What?"

"Her name is Daizi, not Daisy," Xander said.

"Oh, Daizi, sorry," Declan grinned. "I'm not great at foreign words. Hell, half the time I can't even speak English right!" He laughed and shook his head.

Alec picked a song and smiled teasingly at Dark as "Safety Dance" started playing.
 
Dark's entire body tensed when Declan slapped his back. It was so much worse than when Jack Hollis would pat his arm. It did not hurt him, and clearly was not meant to, but nonetheless it did not feel wonderful. At least Declan was in a good mood, Dark thought, as he greeted him in a much more subdued way.

"Don't worry, Day-clan, I'm not great at foreign words either," Daizi replied, being both understanding about the slight mispronunciation about her name and mildly sardonic about his choice of words. And of course, she did not raise her hand back to him, but naturally this reflected nothing about how she felt about him, "but I am glad you seem to have had a good day thus far." Then she turned and smiled warmly at Xander, making a subtle gesture of thanks. Him taking the time to not only notice when her name wasn't being said properly but being firm about correcting it wasn't nothing to her, and she made a mental note to tell him as much later.

When the initial notes of "Safety Dance" came over the speakers, Dark slowly looked at Alec with a haunted look in his eyes, "Will you never let me live that down? I thought it was my job to embarrass you." Then very quietly he practically whimpered and rubbed his hands over his face, and intentionally using massive hand gestures (to make it completely obvious he was not being serious) said, "Let it never be said Alec Cunningham has never intentionally harmed another!"

"What is going on?" Daizi laughed, and Dark 'grumbled' that he would tell all later, or in his exposé to be published posthumously, before politely giving Alec his due and watching him perform the song. After the song was over, and they had all sufficiently clapped, Dark helped Daizi with the menu, since it was not in a format readable to her, although she was the one to place it on the phone, since her accent was softer than his.
 
"Not half bad," Declan praised Alec as he sat down breathlessly. "Alright, Xander, you're up!" He started to give Xander a cheerful slap, but Xander was up and moving before his hand landed. "What are you singing?"

Xander took his time to find a song while Daizi ordered via the phone. He picked the first song that looked interesting, an old rock song by the Animals called "It's My Life." He'd never heard it before and had no idea who the Animals were - he envisioned a group of furry, red muppets - and thus didn't do so well, but he liked the beat, and it was that or try to explain that he really didn't want to sing.

Declan got up next and sang "Born to be Wild" by Steppenwolf. He didn't do too badly. He was more passion than precision as far as the notes went, but he knew every word by heart and didn't hold back, earning vigorous clapping from Alec and a grudging nod from Xander. Declan then passed the selection machine to Dark.

"Here you go!" he grinned, his eyes twinkling in a playful challenge. "Let's see how low you can go, big guy, eh?"
 
"Oh, no," Dark said quickly, "I really am not much of a performer, I prefer to just watch." Daizi rested her head against him, lightly squeezing his arm. He knew he should just bite the bullet and sing, after all Xander had, but Xander had already performed before all of his peers, Dark had never done so. Plus there was Declan, which didn't put him any more at ease.

Lightly stroking his bicep, Daizi said, "I'll sing. I actually used to take vocal lessons, so as long as there's a song I know the words to, it's no problem. Goose, you know the song I normally start with, would you check if they have it?"

Dark began scrolling through the list of songs beginning with "T", and under his breath listed the names of some of the titles as he scrolled. Upon hearing him mutter, "Take Me to Church", Daizi immediately stopped him, and her classic crooked grin spread over her face. Dark, before he looked at her, began to ask if she was sure, having never heard her sing that song even once, but when he actually did turn to see her, understood at once, "Really?" He asked.

Gleefully, she sprung off the couch, her scheme over-ridding her backpain for the moment, "Play it." Then she went and took the mic as Dark sighed and did as she asked. The opening lines to "Take Me to Church" are, "My Lover's got humor, she's the giggle at the funeral. Knows everybody's disapproval, should have worshipped her sooner."

This is not what Daizi sang.

My snail's got humour
She's the sniggle at a funeral
Knows every snail's disapproval
Should've snorshipped her snooner

She sang the entire song with complete conviction and passion, except when she would remember what she was doing, and a few giggles would sneak out. Because she was a rather nice singer, she managed to still make it sound like a true, emotional lovefelt ballad, even as she sang, proudly and only slightly ironically:

Keep the goddess on my side
She demands a snackarifice
Drain the whole sea
Get something snaily
Something smeaty for the smain scourse
That's a fine looking high snorse
What you got in the snable
We've alot of snarving snaithful

And the whole time, Dark genuinely could not help but look overcome with love the entire time. It was definitely the first time Declan had ever seen him with a truly softened expression, even though his wife was singing, "That looks snasty. That looks slenty. This is snungry work," but, well... She had a lovely voice, and... Daizi was definitely the only person he knew who could possibly go up to the mic and with such confidence sing that song. Never once did Dark ever forget why he fell in love with her, but that didn't mean every time she broke and giggled during the song he didn't remember it more vividly.

Finally, the song came to an end with an impassioned:
In the smadness and snoil
Of that snad earthly snene
Only then I am snail
Only then I am slean
Snaaaaamen.
Snaaaaamen.

And into the microphone, she said, "Snail Church." and began to entirely scream laugh, as she had been fighting to keep back her entire performance, while she walked back to Dark, and quietly whispered to him, "And now they're probably not going to even remember you had chosen not to sing."
 
"Go, Daizi!" Alec cheered and broke down laughing hysterically. "Snurch! I've never heard that before!"

"I have no idea what the hell just happened," Xander muttered, utterly confused, and Declan looked just as lost, though he joined in the laughter.

"That was a weird one. Nice memory!" he congratulated Daizi.

"My turn!" Alec cheered. He had to scroll all the way down to find his song, but it wasn't long until he was singing along to "You Can't Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd" by Roger Miller. He was clearly having an absolute blast.

You can't roller skate in a buffalo herd
You can't roller skate in a buffalo herd
You can't roller skate in a buffalo herd
But you can be happy if you've a mind to

You can't take a shower in a parakeet cage
You can't take a shower in a parakeet cage
You can't take a shower in a parakeet cage
But you can be happy if you've a mind to

All you gotta do is put your mind to it
Knuckle down, buckle down
Do it, do it, do it

He put his heart and soul into the ridiculous old country song, laughing even harder when he started messing up the words. The, somehow, he managed to get a still completely bewildered Xander to do a duet with him and sing along to "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls.
 
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