How Green Becomes Wood

"Thank you," Daizi said, sighing heavily, "It is that loud. People who go to concerts a lot without protection go deaf by the time they're our age. That ringing you hear in your ears isn't a badge of honor, it's hearing damage." She was terrified Declan would be the kind of man to talk Xander out of it, because even though he was a smart kid, he was still fifteen, and even the smartest fifteen year old was still a little dumb and impressionable.

Dark rubbed her shoulder, seeing her anxieties colouring her face, "We should do something special with you, Alec. You should get to do something fun, too. What would you like?"
 
Alec smiled and said, "It's okay. I don't feel left out. I wouldn't enjoy a concert like that. I've seen pictures of them, and I think I'd rather keep my personal space."

Xander frowned. "I hadn't thought of that. Maybe I'll try swinging my arms a lot to keep people back. But you should do something, too, and I'll bring you something from the concert. Unless they literally want arms and legs for the stuff."

Alec snickered. "I hope not! I think I'll stay in the nice quiet with my personal space bubble and maybe read a book." He looked at Daizi and Dark. "Unless you want to do something?"
 
"We'll send you with some extra spending money," Daizi said, smiling at him despite her concerns, "You deserve to have a good time and be able to get something to remember it by."

"We do not have to do anything tomorrow if you would prefer not to, Alec, we can go a different day. But surely there must be something you have always wanted to do but have not because you worried your brother would not enjoy it?" Dark prompted. With how near the concert was and how prepared Declan was with buying two tickets, Dark privately wondered how long they had been bought, and how long Declan had been planning to take only Xander. He didn't want to assume those actions, but tickets for a well-known band tended to sell out. So it was only fair to Alec, even if he said he didn't feel left out.
 
"I'm fine, really," Alec promised. "I can't think of anything except maybe something like a museum, but it's so nice outside, it seems a shame to spend a bunch of time indoors." He studied Dark for a moment. Dark seemed worried, though about what exactly, Alec couldn't tell. Perhaps he should agree to do something to make Dark feel better. "Then again, now that I think about it, I could use some new pants, and Xander hates thrifting! That won't take as long as a museum."

"Ugh, thrifting," Xander groaned. "You should definitely go out and try on all the clothes in the store without me. That sounds like your kind of day."
 
"Thrifting is a good idea," Daizi mused, "Dark has been bugging me about how I need new clothes, so we could take you for a nice day and I could get him to stop hounding me."

"I am not going to apologize for trying to make your life easier." Dark replied, taking a sip of his drink.

"You can focus all of your attention to Alec while I get the first few bright pink, bow covered sacks I can find."

"We can go to the ones in the city where we are more likely to find stuff you will like," He replied, and turned to Alec. Since he had turned away, he didn't notice the way she curled into herself slightly at the thought of going back into town so soon, "You will adore what they have there, I am sure, they have a far larger selection than what we find closer to home. And we can take the train in."
 
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Xander noticed the movement. "Trains are overrated, and Daizi has to take the train practically every day," he pointed out.

"True!" Alec agreed. "We don't want Daizi to feel like she's going back to work, right? We should take the car, and I know for a fact that they have some really cute maternity clothes, Daizi. They don't all look like sacks."

"And I'll miss the whole thing," Xander said with no small amount of satisfaction.
 
"We can drive then, if you would prefer," Dark said, mildly confused, but it wasn't something he had a strong preference about, besides the effort it would take to find parking.

"I'm sure they do, but I'm also unconvinced they're not all designed for, like... sorority girls making the transition to soccer moms. There's nothing wrong with women like that, it's just not my style." She replied, finishing the remainder of her dinner, "I want to still feel like myself. I know I can't see it, but I'll know."
 
Xander snickered and shook his head, amused at Daizi's fashion ramblings. Not all pregnant women could possibly turn into soccer moms, but he didn't care to think about it beyond that.

"You will," Alec assured her. "You're the same person, you just have a different body shape, that's all. Between Dark and I, we'll have no trouble at all finding you something you'll like!" He finished off the last of his fries, leaving half of his burger untouched.

Xander had long since cleaned his plate, and now he happily stole what was left of Alec's dinner once he was sure his brother was done. The burgers tasted a lot different from the fast food kind. As far as he was concerned, they were incomparable, both really good in their own way. He hoped Dark would try making them again sometime.
 
"It's less about the shape and more about what the shape is covered in," Daizi replied, standing to clear the table, "I've already had to give up many things I love for this dumb kid, I don't want to have to start dressing like everyone else too. Did you know I'm not even allowed to lay on my back anymore?"

Dark stood to try to take the plates from her, and openly teased, "Do not worry, my love, I will still love you even if you look like you decorate our house in 'Live. Laugh. Love.'"

"I've got it. And don't even joke about that."

"I will still love you if you start taking quizzes on what 'Friends' character you are. Even if the result is Rachel." He murmured, smirking slightly as she squirmed.

"Stop it."

Dark leaned against the table, "I will even still love you if you want to name our baby Kayleigh."

This was enough to make Daizi laugh, but never being one to back down from a challenge, "If I have to dress like a soccer mom, you have to shave off your beard."
 
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The twins glanced at each other. Dark and Daizi seemed to be lost in their own loving argument, so they grabbed some of the items and hot-footed it into the house before the lovebirds could do anything more embarrassing. Like kissing and holding hands and such. The twins didn't say much to each other as they started clearing away the leftovers and got the dishes going.

Finally, while he was finding room for the leftovers in the fridge, Xander glanced at Alec. "Are you sure you don't want to come?"

Alec shook his head. "I really don't like Disturbed, and a concert doesn't sound like fun to me. Are you sure you want to go? By yourself?"

Xander frowned and turned to look at him. "What's the big deal? It's not like Declan is going to actually hurt me or anything. What's your problem with him?"

"I don't trust him," Alec finally admitted, his eyes on the plate he was washing. "I don't understand why you do. We've barely known him, but you took to him way faster than you did Dark and Daizi."

"Doesn't that mean that they helped open my eyes to the fact that I can trust people?" Xander huffed. He closed the fridge door harder than necessary and winced when he heard something fall inside. "I didn't trust him at first, but he hasn't done anything but try to be nice to us. Yeah, he's rough around the edges, and he's no dad, that's for sure, but why can't we be friends?"

Alec kept washing the same plate over and over again, not looking at Xander. "I guess there's no reason not to. I just... I don't like him. I don't know why. And I don't think he likes me. He likes you, though."

"So the reason you don't like him is because he might like me more than you?" Xander challenged, leaning against the counter. "Why don't you think he likes you? Because he doesn't like your music or your style or your hobbies and he hasn't figured out yet how to do things you like?"

"No, I don't mean that," Alec sighed. "I don't mean... I don't know what I mean, I guess."

"Then maybe you should figure it out, and for the love of clean, stop washing that plate!" Xander snapped.

Alec set the plate aside to rinse. Finally, he turned to face Xander. "I'm glad you have a friend," he said. "I'm glad you like him and he likes you. Yes, I do feel left out, but mostly, I'm waiting for him to leave. He's already stated he travels for his job and likes it. Do you really think he's going to drop everything and buy a white picket fence here just to be with you?"

"Do you think maybe you should give him a try?" Xander snorted and turned away. "You're as bad as Dark. Besides, what's so bad about traveling for work?"

"Other than the fact that he'll never be around, just like before?" Alec pointed out. "It's not like he's going to invite you to come with him."

"And what if he did?" Xander challenged.

"What if he did?" Alec snapped, turning the question back on him.

Xander didn't have an answer for that, and the two stood glaring at each other.
 
"That is a fine agreement," Dark replied with a playful shrug, "because I know it will not happen. We will find clothes that you like and which suit you, and I can promise that."

"And if you don't, you're shaving your face," She challenged, leaning towards him.

"It is only fair." He agreed, secure it wouldn't come to that.

"Right. Because we're in this together."

"Of course." He bent down slightly, so his head was more level with hers.

Daizi felt him shift closer to her, and faltered slightly at the scent of his cologne, "Good."

"Good." He repeated, kissing her after tucking her hair behind her ear, "and I promise, even if I need to spend my entire salary to commission it, I will make sure you have clothes that you love."

"It's summer break, you don't have a salary." Daizi replied, putting her hand over his. When he went to pull away, she held him tighter, and being unable to keep it together any longer, she began to cry, "I had such an awful day." Immediately Dark tried to sit her down so she could talk about it, but she said she wanted to sit on the swing bench near the ivy, and requested he get her blanket because even though she wanted to be outside, the blanket would make her more comfortable.

He agreed, and went inside, but on his way stopped, catching sight of the twins staring each other down.
 
Alec caught sight of Dark first and turned around quickly to keep washing. Xander followed Alec's glance, saw Dark, and went about wiping down the counters. Neither of them said a word or asked where Daizi was. They were busy cleaning and getting things to Dark's standards.
 
Dark stood for a few seconds and then walked away. He wasn't stupid, he knew perfectly well something was up, but siblings fought. If it got worse, he'd probably intervene, but otherwise, it was healthy to let them work through it. So he went upstairs, fetched Daizi's blanket, and went downstairs to join her. They wrapped the blanket around both of them, and she cried against his shoulder while she told him, in much more detail than she gave Xander, what she had gone through that day. Like she anticipated, he was furious at the man, and like Xander he was angry at all of the people who didn't try to help her, but he put it all up on a mental shelf, because it wasn't his anger that she needed from him in that moment.

The following morning, they were dressed and waiting for the twins to be ready. They couldn't take Alec down into the city at for thrifting at the same time Xander was at the concert, because they wanted to be home when he was picked up, and that meant they wouldn't make it to the city until 7, and by then the shops would all be closing. So their plan was to go earlier in the day and get home well before 6, and as soon as Alec was ready, they would go.
 
Alec came scampering down the stairs in all his colorful, disorganized glory, still trying to pull on his jacket. "Daizi! Daizi, I forgot something!" he called as he ran into the room. "I'm sorry, I forgot to give this to you yesterday!" He had the black box tied with a ribbon in his hand, and he held it out to her for a fraction of a second before setting it on the table. "This was from Peter's mother."

Xander followed more slowly, meandering down in his socks and sleeveless shirt. He watched curiously but hung back. Alec seemed to really fit with these two. One could almost forget they weren't actually a family.
 
"Oh," Daizi murmured, surprised, and picked up the box, carefully opening it. She remembered when Sally had come over, she wanted to do something with the sonogram, but Daizi couldn't even begin to guess what was in the box.

Dark peered over her shoulder, but still made sure to look up and smile at Xander as a greeting. It was another thing he was working on, being even the slightest bit more expressive towards them, even though it was very much not a comfortable or natural thing for him to do.
 
Inside the box lay a tiny, perfect 3D print of the baby, exact from the size right down to the tiny thumb in her mouth. The tiny, flesh-colored plastic baby lay nestled in a bed of black velvet, a card laying underneath it. It was a standard business card advertising the 3D printing services of a small, niche business, but while the front was colorful, the back had a braille version of the front.

Xander stepped forward and stared at the little thing curiously. It looked simultaneously ugly and cute, in his opinion, but he didn't say anything. Alec keened in excitement, putting his hands - one still lost in the sleeve - to his mouth to force himself to not squeal. It was perfect!
 
Daizi carefully ran her fingers over it, and when she recognized what she was feeling, she gasped quietly, and then broke down in sobs. It wasn't just that she was getting to 'see' her daughter, as in the baby she was currently pregnant with, it was that until then, the only one of her babies she had ever 'seen' was the stillborn remains of her son before he had been taken away. But now she had this. It touched so many different emotions she couldn't even find the words.

As always, Dark was impressed with her ability to cry so openly in front of anyone, and he focused more on her than on the print. He couldn't really describe why, but for some reason it felt like something he wasn't supposed to see. It was his child, and he recognized that, and even though it was more or less what he had already seen moving on the screen, seeing it, her, to scale, in colour, was... strange, and he couldn't quite process it. To an extent, it hit him with the true reality that they were going to bring home a baby. A real one. A new person they were going to just. Have. Forever. And that was terrifying. And thrilling, and exciting, but terrifying.

Daizi had sat down on the stool, or had been guided into it, and was running her fingers mostly over the face, while crying into roughly Dark's sternum, since he was still standing. He was stroking her hair, but after a moment he looked over at the twins, just naturally, at his other kids, and his face was strange. They were going to be with him forever too, or at least he hoped they wouldn't turn 18, move out, and go no-contact, but that didn't scare him like this baby did. He could already tell they were going to be wonderful people. Traumatized people, but wonderful. He could feel certain of that. He could see that. And he could see how they had grown, in all conceivable ways since they had moved in. They were taller, sure but... "I think I love you." He said, and wasn't sure how or where that had come from. Daizi didn't react at all, she was sobbing too hard over the print of her baby, and was using too much energy to work through her own complicated feelings to pay attention to what anyone else was saying.

"I am sorry if that is weird to hear," He murmured, after fully realizing what he had said-- he still hadn't realized Alec had already heard him say it--"I just... all of this, I..." He furrowed his brow, trying to even just catch up to himself.
 
When Daizi first started crying, both twins jerked back a little, scared that it was the bad kind of cry. Then they realized that, no, it wasn't like that. She was weeping in joy. They relaxed slowly, but it felt awkward. They didn't have the same kind of connection to the little print, and while they logically understood the significance, it was something that, at the heart, neither would be able to fully grasp until they were ready or expecting their own children. They felt like interlopers in that moment, but then Dark looked at them, somehow managing with just a look to include them and draw them into the moment, into their family.

Alec smiled at Dark and finally fixed his sleeve. "I know," he said gently, his heart set to burst. "We love you, too. Both of you. Maybe all three of you."

Xander reddened, blushing to the roots of his hair and looked away, shoving his hands into his pockets awkwardly. He attributed this to the rush of emotion and hormones. There was no other way Dark would say something like that, right? Still, it made his heart quiver, and a warmth spread through his soul.
 
Dark nodded at them, and took a shaky breath before kissing the top of Daizi's head.

"It's our baby," She whispered, finally getting herself together enough to speak.

"I know..." Dark replied. He still found it a bit difficult to look at the print, so he only looked at his wife, and moved his hand to her belly, because it was easier for him to focus on the real one, which was still growing, and that he still had time to prepare for. The terror was giving away to excitement again.

"Does she really suck her thumb like that?" Daizi asked, swiveling up to face him.

God, she was incredible, Dark thought, looking at her face. He fished around awkwardly for his handkerchief, because he didn't want to let go of her, and with it dried her tears, "Yes, she does."

She swallowed, desperately trying to catch her breath, and suddenly she began to laugh, "Hey," she said, gasping for air, "Xander, how does it feel knowing I've learned what an unborn baby looks like before I've learned what you look like?"
 
Xander shifted awkwardly. "I guess a little sorry that I haven't been better about holding still for a family portrait," he said lightly. "But, you know, it's kind of... growing... inside you. It makes sense for you to figure that out first."

Alec giggled. "He is so red right now! He's blushing like you wouldn't believe, Daizi."
 
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