How Green Becomes Wood

Daizi was glad to be sitting down again, because her singing like that caused the baby to start going absolutely bananas, a fact which she privately relayed to Dark while she moved into his lap. He was glad to hear his baby was alive and well, and that Daizi's snail plan had worked as intended, and more than that was really proud the twins took her idea and ran with it, choosing to be a little silly as well.

"You are consistently braver than I am," He told them earnestly after they concluded their Spice Girls rendition because he was so genuinely impressed with them. They were great kids. Ever since Daizi had told him to tell them how strongly he felt for him, he had been really... scared? He didn't know the right word, he didn't know what he was supposed to say or how he was supposed to handle it. And he thought it was probably true when he had told Alec that Xander was probably going to grow up better than he ever was. He was already bolder than him, clearly. And it took him ages to be able to express how he felt with anyone--he had been in a relationship with Daizi for years before he told her that he loved her, but he also didn't believe kids should have to wait years. But he was awkward, and it wasn't his fault, really, he was a RAD kid.

But while Daizi cheered for their renditions, Dark watched them with the same sort of softness he had watched Daizi's song with.
 
"I feel like a complete idiot," Xander stated bluntly, but he grinned and gave Alec a gentle shove in the shoulder. "You are such a dork." It almost sounded like a scold, but there was an underlying fondness that took out any actual harshness. If it weren't for Alec's badgering, Xander would have been happy to sit out the singing, but, nope, Alec had to go the whole hog and make him sing along to the catchiest girl band song he'd ever heard.

"Yes, yes I am," Alec replied proudly.

Declan snorted when Alec pushed the selector at him. "My turn? Again? Alright, fine. Let's do something a little heavier." He chose "The Sound of Silence" as covered by Disturbed and did his best deep, throaty growl as he sang along. It was terrible, but also good fun. Then Declan handed the device to Dark.

"The one person who hasn't sung yet!" he announced.
 
Dark swallowed, looking down at the device in his hand. He knew, and Daizi knew, that if he really was against it, he could firmly assert so, and the twins at the very least would accept it. But he looked over at them and wondered if perhaps they'd be disappointed if he didn't. He didn't want to disappoint them. Daizi often and with great relish spoke about how she believed she and Dark had been living for thousands of years, through all of their reincarnations, seeking each other, and even though most people didn't believe it, there were times one could look at them and almost see what she was talking about, and in that moment as she whispered something nobody else but him could make out--not that they would be able to understand it if they could hear her--she looked sort of like an ancient queen giving soft advice. Whatever counsel she gave to him, he took, and as he picked his song and stood up in front of everyone, she told him simply, "Just look at me."

He stood awkwardly in front of all of them, clearly not at all comfortable, but still committed. There was a long guitar opening to the song, which he had forgotten about, and he spent the time staring at his shoes, and then at last it was time for him to sing:

Well I heard there was a secret chord
that David played and it pleased the Lord
but you don't really care for music, do ya?
Well it goes like this, the fourth, the fifth
The minor fall and the major lift,
The baffled King composing Hallelujah

At first his voice was quiet and soft, even trembling slightly, but eventually through the song he relaxed just enough for his rich, strong baritone voice to fill the little room. All of the times Daizi had sworn he was a wonderful singer were proved correct, but it didn't help him to feel better about it. The entire song he stood still. He held the microphone in his left hand, and he had his right hand tucked beneath the opposite armpit. At first he did spend look directly and exclusively at Daizi, not because he was singing to her, but because it helped, but eventually he just closed his eyes tight.

At the end of the song, he opened his eyes again for the final verse, and this time instead of looking at his wife, he rather naturally found himself looking at the twins, because really the only reason why he had decided to sing at all was for them, because it was important to him for them to see him make this effort, even though it wasn't something he took any great joy in.

Maybe there's a God above
But all I've ever learned from love
Was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you
And it's not a cry that you hear at night
It's not somebody who's seen the light
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah
 
Alec sat with his feet on the seat cushion, hugging his knees, listening in complete rapture. He had suspected Dark had a wonderful voice, but this was above and beyond anything he'd expected! It was marvelous! It took him a few breaths after the end of the song to remember to clap, and clap he did, staring at Dark in utter awe.

Xander sat back, not really looking at anything as he listened. Something about the song made him feel uncomfortable, but he couldn't put his finger on why. He didn't want to be rude to Dark, so he held his hands in his lap and fought the urge to squirm. Dark did have a good voice and was doing really well. He didn't deserve to think Xander was restlessly wanting to be anywhere else. So he hung on and waited until he heard Alec clapping. He looked up and gave a few claps of approval, nodding to Dark.

"Damn, man, you belong as the front man of some band somewhere, not an underpaid, overworked teacher," Declan said admiringly. "You've got a nice set of pipes."

A knock at the door announced the arrival of the food, and Declan opened the door for the man bearing a tray full of food per Daizi's order.
 
"Thank you," Dark mumbled, and gladly returned to his seat besides Daizi, who for the moment didn't really care at all about the food, because she first needed to hug her husband and let him know how well he did. She had privately and silently cried during his performance, not just because he sang beautifully and with real emotion behind it, but because she knew how hard it was for him to go through with singing in front of all of them. And because she knew, ultimately, why he had decided to do it.

He was fine, more or less, at least now that he was no longer being watched by everybody, but he was still grateful to have her right there supporting him, "The food is here," he told her, pulling away.

"Good," She sighed, "I'm starving."

"I know," He chuckled, "I know." All of the food, of course, was not for Daizi, but he did get up to fetch her portion of it, as well as his own, but he was still too worked up from making himself sing in front of people to eat quite yet.

"I demand a snackarifice~!" Daizi laughed, referencing back to the song she had sung.
 
"Nice, meatballs!" Xander hissed, leaning forward to snag a couple of the toothpick-pieced delights.

"Do you know what would be fun? One of those like cheeseboard things, but all fruits! Imagine how colorful that would be!" Alec said, picking up a small plate for himself.

"Meatballs are the best," Declan agreed, picking one up and offering it to Xander like a toast.

Xander hesitated and then awkwardly touched his meatball to Declan's before shoving it in his mouth. The song list sat off to the side, momentarily forgotten as they focused on eating.
 
"Cheese and fruit together is the real ideal, although I'm not bothered about the colours," Daizi replied, and also made other suggestions for charcuterie boards and platters. Most sounded good. Some... definitely did not, but she was hungry and pregnant, and even though Declan didn't know about the latter, she didn't care enough about his opinion to worry about if he thought she had terrible taste.

"Some of the traditional meals in my country are eaten like this, communally and with your hands." Darks said.

"Mine too," Daizi nodded, "There is a lot of tearing pieces of bread and then using the bread to pick up the rest of the food."

"And never eat using your left hand, only your right one." Dark added, and Daizi repeated the sentiment, since it was the same in both of their homes. This was a custom they both did not intentionally follow anymore, because neither of them followed the faith which dictated it, and never expected Alec or Xander to keep to it, nor would they expect their baby to follow it either, but because it had been so heavily beaten into them, literally in one of their cases, they still maintained the rule.
 
"Sounds messy and like it would suck if you're naturally left-handed," Declan chuckled.

"I think it sounds amazing!" Alec grinned. "Why don't we do that more often at home?"

"Because we'd run through napkins like there's no tomorrow," Xander said dryly.

"I dunno," Declan mused. "It sounds very... communal. Like a real good way to connect with people. We do that already with food. It's just the next step."
 
"I am naturally left-handed." Dark replied simply.

"It's not as messy as you think, because you eat very specific foods that way," Daizi replied, "it's not like you're eating fist fulls of spaghetti. It is very communal, although it wouldn't be fun for me here, because often it'll be split so men and women eat separately, so I'd be all alone."
 
"Weird," Declan murmured, but he wasn't really paying attention. He was scrolling through the song list and seeing what they had to offer. After a bit, he grinned and pulled up a song. He stood brushed himself off, and told the song to play as he prepared to sing. He'd chosen the Frank Sinatra song "My Way," and he actually didn't do too bad, though he was clearly not a crooner.

Alec smiled politely as he sang and clapped, but he couldn't help thinking that the chosen song was just a little bit on the nose. Xander wasn't paying much attention, and when Declan handed him the list, he passed it on to Alec. He was far more interested in finger foods than he was in singing. Alec happily took the list and chose "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the waves. When he finished, he offered the list around to see if Daizi, Xander, or Declan wanted a go. Declan waved the list away, seeming content to eat and watch.
 
"Did you know," Daizi said, her legs once more drapped over Dark's lap, "There's a string of murders and assaults in the Philippines directly related to when people sing that song, Declan." It wasn't a threat, just a genuine fact related to the song choice that of course she knew. But she clapped happily for Alec's performance, "You're such a good singer, habibi," she said happily, reaching out to him so she could squeeze his hand, "I'm so glad you're having fun."

Then she was in a pickle, because she did want to sing another song, but was so comfortable. Regardless, she took the machine from him and handed it to Dark, who knew she was absolutely going to end up singing, so he began scrolling to her usual song so that when she did decide to get up, it was queued up already.

She then gave a passionate, and surprisingly energetic (considering her brief hesitance to get off the bench) performance of Tina Turner's "The Best," which was prefaced with a caring and truly not mocking, "Xander, sweet boy, it's okay if you want to step out of the room for this one," because it was impossible to pretend she wasn't singing directly to her beloved husband.
 
"If I can stand watching you sit in his lap, I think I can put up with this," Xander grumbled, making no move to leave. There were snacks here. How could he possibly abandon snacks?

Alec swayed along to the song, sometimes joining in quietly once he felt he knew the song. Yes, it was a love song that Daizi likely aimed right for Dark, but it was a good song, easy to sing along to, and Tina Turner was just so fantastic! How could he resist?

Declan grinned as he watched Daizi, seeming amused, but nodded along to the tune. It was catchy.
 
Daizi laughed at Xander's response and at the end of her song, as she walked back to her seat, asked him, feigning offense, "Would you deny me comfort?" Then she bent and kissed Dark's cheek, and still mostly just teasing Xander, but with a note of sincerity said, "I love you, darling. I am so deliriously happy with you."

Dark looked up at her, and asked, "Am I a pawn?"

"Right now? A little bit." She admitted, running her fingers through his hair. Although, even though she was mostly playing it up, she did nonetheless find herself feeling sorry for everyone who hadn't found what she had. She hadn't sat down, though, and then released her husband from her warm embrace and turned to Alec, "You should sing a real duet with me, not a secret half mumbled one."
 
Alec brightened at her offer. "Yes! That sounds amazing! What song do you suggest we sing?" He started scrolling. "There's so many here... I don't know a lot of them. If you have one you like, it's probably on here."
 
"Hmmm..." Daizi paused, thinking about it, and then took the device from Alec and handed it to Dark, asking him to check if they had one particular song. She had played it in the car often enough that she suspected Alec knew the words, she was pretty sure she had even heard him hum along to it once or twice. After he found it, she handed the device and showed it to him, "Do you remember this song? "A Safe Place to Land"? I know the words to it, and it's an actual duet, not just a song we could sing together."
 
"I know it a little," Alec agreed, downplaying just how well he knew it thanks to Daizi's love of it. "I'd love to sing it with you!" He stood up on the short table, careful to avoid the food, and held the microphone where they could both easily reach it. "Is this comfortable? We can start on your mark." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, preparing for the gentle ballad.
 
"It's so strange to hear you speaking from above me," She said, and because she so rarely had the chance to, reached up to touch his shoulder, and then had Dark play the song. Her voice melded nicely with Alec's, and it was nice getting to sing with him. She had been teaching him piano for months by then, it was weird to realize despite all the time they had spent together, they had never sang together, not really.

And as they sang, it occurred to Dark exactly why Daizi had selected that song, and without even really thinking about it, he shifted slightly closer to Xander so they were nearly shoulder to shoulder, although there was still space between them.
 
Alec was only a bit taller than Daizi when standing on the table, but it was a unique experience to not have to look up to her. He forgot all about their heights as the song swept them away. Tears stung his eyes as he sang, focusing on the words as he followed Daizi's lead, hoping his voice didn't shake too much.

When holding your breath is safer than breathing
When letting go is braver than keeping
When innocent words turn to lies
And you can't hide by closing your eyes

When the pain is all that they offer
Like the kiss from the lips of a monster
You know the famine so well, but never met the feast
When home is the belly of a beast

The ocean is wild and over your head
And the boat beneath you is sinking
Don't need room for your bags, hope is all that you have
So say the Lord's Prayer twice, hold your babies tight
Surely someone will reach out a hand
And show you a safe place to land

Xander pulled one leg up, resting his arm on his knee as he fiddled with his empty toothpicks. His heart stirred slightly at the soft, gentle song, giving the same feelings as when Dark had sung. He looked away. He didn't want to feel these things or let the song get so far under his skin. He didn't like it. He didn't want it. He took a deep breath, not even noticing how close Dark was, and tried to calm himself. It was just a song, and it would be over soon.
 
As they sang together, Daizi did detect the slight tremble in Alec's voice, so rather naturally she put her arm around him and gave him a warm smile, without breaking pace in the song... and maybe she gave him a slight squeeze at the line "hold your babies tight," but it wasn't to make a point or anything. She didn't forget about Dark or Xander as she sang, they were very much on her mind as she sang, because the emotion of it all wasn't lost on her either, not at all.

Dark watched how Xander curled into himself, and as quietly moved further away, so as not to startle him, and then in a whisper, so nobody else would hear, asked, "Are you okay?"
 
Oh, imagine yourself in a building
Up in flames, being told to stand still
The window's wide open, this is leap is on faith
You don't know who will catch you, but maybe somebody will
The ocean is wild and over your head
And the boat beneath you is sinking
Don't need room for your bags, hope is all that you have
So say the Lord's Prayer twice, hold your babies tight
Surely someone will reach out a hand
And show you a safe place to land

Be the hand of a hopeful stranger
Little scared, but you're strong enough
Be the light in the dark of this danger
'Til the sun comes up
Be the hand of a hopeful stranger
Little scared but you're strong enough
Be the light in the dark of this danger
'Til the sun comes up

Be the hand of a hopeful stranger
You're scared but you're strong enough
Be the light in the dark of this danger
'Til the sun comes up
'Til the sun comes up (Oh)
'Til the sun comes up ('Til the sun)
'Til the sun comes up (Ooh)
'Til the sun ('Til the sun)
Comes up

Dark and Daizi were their lights in the danger. Alec knew that without a doubt. Daizi was the light, and Dark was the hand. He wanted to dwell on that idea and consider it more, but the song had to end eventually. He leaned into Daizi just a little, feeling her arm around him and feeling safe. It was still a novel sensation to him, and he hoped he'd never lose his appreciation for it.

Xander jumped at Dark's question. Careful to keep his voice low and not interrupt the singers, he whispered back, "Yeah, sure, I'm fine. Why? Don't suppose you want to sing a duet."
 
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