How Green Becomes Wood

Dark let himself laugh in his soft, reserved way, after being permission and said, "I hope you will hold yourself to that." Then he sat back and waited for Alec to try on the other pairs of pants. In the meantime, Daizi found her way back to him, and he got off the little plush seat so she could sit down instead, although she swore it was alright if he stayed sitting.

Back at her house, Sloan was relieved to hear the story behind the outfit and said, I definitely think no one will miss him if he shows up wearing that!
 
The rest of the pants went by quickly. Texting Xander and Sloan had lightened his heart, and Alec had a lot more fun with the pants. Some of them didn't fit and were quickly tossed aside, but he couldn't help showing Dark the pair that he had to hold up with one hand and shuffle around as the legs dragged on the floor. Perhaps these pair had belong to a much younger, thinner Dark! The did emphasize the fact that he was thinner than one might expect, much thinner, though he naturally leaned to the small side of stature. In the end, he chose three other pants, the ones that felt the best and he thought were the nicest colors. One pair was actually a nice, quiet blue that was so dark it was almost black. And, of course, the colorful ones Dark had picked out.

Once he was dressed in his proper clothes, Alec stepped out of the dressing room and carefully put all of the rejected pants on the rack for the store people to return. Then, new clothes on one arm and his jacket on the other, he turned to Dark for the final approval for leaving.
 
When Dark noticed just how thin Alec was, he frowned slightly, still in his subtle way, but didn't say anything just then. Instead, as they brought the clothes to the checkout line, Dark asked, "Where do you want to go to eat, Alec?" because he knew the conversation they needed to have wasn't best suited for public. Looking at his wife, he knew she'd fall asleep on the drive home, so he could talk about it then. And Xander wasn't there to get angry and defensive, which was also for the best, since the last time he tried to express his concerns with how Alec had been eating, Xander shut the conversation down.
 
Alec considered the question. "Somewhere small and homey," he decided, "like a bagel shop or a sandwich place. I've never been in one, but I always thought they looked the nicest. Usually quiet, but with good smells. And soup! Though I don't think they have your favorite, Professor." He smiled at the thought. Soup and a sandwich! Even if it was a warm day thanks to the approaching summer, it was still one of the coziest things he could think of. Like a hug to the stomach.
 
"Oh we can go to the Eleven City Diner," Daizi suggested. She was, of course, to nobody's surprise, starving, "It's this really nice Jewish deli and restaurant near to where I work. Their matzoh ball soup is delicious."

"It has been a long time since I last went to Eleven, it is very good." Dark agreed.
 
"Yes! That sounds perfect," Alec agreed. "I don't think I've had Jewish food. Is it particularly different from Egyptian? It must be. They originated much more West right?" He hesitated, trying in vain to picture a map in his head. "No... East." He looked at Dark and Daizi, hoping to garner a clue from their expressions. "No, I had it right the first time. Isreal is to the West of Egypt. Right?" He started to turn the wrong direction for the car lot.
 
"Israel is East of Egypt," Daizi corrected, "but it is different from Egyptian food. Jewish people were diasporic for a long time, so their food has a wide range of influences. I don't know the origin of it."

"Alec, the car is this way," Dark corrected, "I need to buy you a compass or something."

Taking his arm, Daizi suggested to Dark they walk to Eleven, rather than going to the car lot, but Dark replied saying it was smarter to drop their bags off in the car, rather than try to carry them all over the city, which she agreed with.
 
Alec happily followed Dark and Daizi to the car and deposited his bags safely in the backseat. Clothing was heavy! Then he followed them down the city sidewalks, coat still over his arm. He felt more comfortable carrying it than wearing it but hadn't thought about leaving it in the car. He was enjoying the afternoon with its sights and sounds and smells. It was so much more enjoyable to stroll as a family than to walk alone looking for where you were going. He could enjoy where he was!
 
The city was lovely, and busy, with people of all sorts of backgrounds and lifestyles walking down the street. The sides of some buildings were brightly graffitied, sometimes with dramatic intricate murals, but other times with simple tags or smiley faces. None of this seemed to strike Dark or Daizi as anything special, but all of the sights, sounds, and scents of the city they had largely grown accustomed to, Daizi especially, who had also grown up in Cairo. But to be fair to him, Dark had grown up in Baghdad, and both of them had lived in New York City after coming to the United States, so cities did not scare them.

They passed by a large, multilevel stone building standing alone at the end of a street, with statues decorating the front and a large and detailed frieze, "That's where Daizi works," Dark said, as they passed it.
 
Alec paused to look over the building curiously. Then he hurried to catch up to them. "Daizi, do you think we could visit your workplace now that we're on break? If it's okay and we won't be in the way. I wouldn't want to distract from your work, if we're even allowed."
 
"Of course you can," She replied, smiling at him, "If you go on the weekend, I can go with you, but otherwise I'll stop in and join your tour. I'm not sure if you'll be allowed behind the scenes, but I'll ask. I know I've brought Dark back there a few times."
 
"I'd like that, if it's allowed." He strode along beside them, for a moment realizing that, for the first time, he didn't feel like a small child in their presence. At first he thought it was just because he'd grown taller, but no. It was because they had grown softer, and, more importantly, he had grown more confident. He smiled to himself. He truly felt like a young adult. "So, where is this number place?"
 
"I'm sure I can pull some strings. Although I'm not sure how exciting it is. I just have an office." Daizi replied, her cane tapping rhythmically against the pavement.

"It is a nice office though, you have a beautiful view of the courtyard from your window." Dark told her, looking over his shoulder back at the museum.

Daizi laughed lightly, shaking her head, everything feeling perfectly natural and easy, like it how it started to be after the twins adjusted more to the idea of the baby, before Declan came, "I don't know why they wasted an office with a view on me. They could've just stuck me in a cement box and it'd be all the same to me."

"At least you get fresh air," He shrugged, and glancing at the street sign told Alec, "Just around the corner."

Eleven was a small, unassuming diner wedged in amongst other buildings, with bright white letters painted in the windows declaring its status, "Do you want to eat outside or inside?" Daizi asked as they went to the host stand. Inside, soft jazz was playing over the speakers.
 
"Um..." Alec considered, taking stock of the interior and the exterior. Outside might be nice with the fresh air and sunshine, but there were also cars and fumes and random pedestrians. Inside there were more people and smaller places to sit, but a more stable environment. "How about inside?" he suggested cautiously. "A table in the corner instead of a booth." He hoped he'd chosen wisely.
 
"That sounds wonderful," Daizi replied, and the host sat them as requested. Being in a back corner, Dark sat with his back against the wall so he could see the rest of the establishment.

"We are fortunate it is not crowded," Dark remarked, "this place is extremely popular."

"This is rush hours for the museum, most nearby restaurants are empty around now. That's why most of us who aren't required to interact with guests take our lunch break during this time," Daizi replied.
 
"I didn't know Museums had rush hours," Alec commented, looking around the room and taking stock of the place. It wasn't quite what he'd meant in his request, but it was close enough, and Dark and Daizi were happy. They had good taste, so the food had to be good, too. He leaned back in his chair, satisfied.
 
"It's not specific to hours but to a larger branch of time, because most people don't want to wake up at the crack of dawn to go wander a museum, especially if they live at a distance from it like we do. So midday is always busier than early mornings and evenings, especially when the college semester is in session, because college students get free admission, so art majors practically live there and other students go pretty regularly too." Daizi explained. She knew the menu, so she already knew what she was going to order, so she just sat comfortably while Dark and Alec looked it over, "You have to try the Matzoh ball soup, it is very good."
 
"Okay, I'll have that," Alec agreed with barely a glance at the rest of the menu. "That and maybe a piece of this bread. Um." He looked up at Dark and pointed to the name of the bread. "I can't pronounce it, but that's what I want. It looks delicious!" He looked down and smiled at the menu. So many different names and choices! His smile faded just a little. If only Xander were here to enjoy it. He tried to shake it off. No, he wasn't going to let that get him down! This looked yummy, and he'd keep a bit back to share. Yes, that was a good compromise, he thought.
 
"Oh no, I just realized I can't have lox," Daizi said, rubbing her face beneath her sunglasses, "Babe, can you order it and have it so I can pretend?"

"Of course," Dark replied, and it seemed very noble, but it was secretly what he was planning to order.

Daizi paused for a few moments, and then said, "In retrospect, going out to a deli to eat was a dumb idea, considering I can't have deli meats. Oh well," she laughed, "I'll just have mac and cheese. And that soup, I don't care if they don't go together."
 
Alec still didn't understand Daizi's dietary restrictions, or why she couldn't have some things like smoked fish, but he accepted it with a nod and assumed she and the doctors knew best. He murmured something encouraging to her and waited patiently to place his order.
 
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