How Green Becomes Wood

"Everybody gets sick sometimes, kid," Cooger replied, "even if you never get the sniffles, one day you might get an infection or break a bone or something. One day, some way or another, you'll get soup. And in that moment you'll believe in god."

Daizi chuckled a bit, but was still trying to reach out her hand and find Dark, but he wasn't paying attention so he didn't know to look for her, "I think you're exaggerating a bit."

"Only because you've not had someone make it for you since you were a kid," Cooger replied, "you've forgotten. And sure, no problem, I'll take you home. Don't want to wear these two out."
 
Alec stood and inched over carefully to Dark. Leaning over, he whispered, "Daizi's hand," then inched back. "You are very energetic today, Ivy!" he said, pretending as if that was the only reason he'd walked over to Dark. "Don't wear yourself out, either. You have a long road ahead of you!"

"Apparently filled with soup," Xander remarked.
 
"Oh," Dark turned, pinching the bridge of his nose and then wiping his cheek with the back of his hand, and seeing Daizi took her hand and sat on the side of the bed with her, adjusting how he held Ivy so she could easily reach her. Once her husband was near her, she fell against his shoulder and gently squeezed his arm. It was possible for Dark to obscure his feelings by turning away from the sight of others, but that trick didn't work with her. Dark rested his head on hers and took a deep breath, "Of course her life is filled with soup," he said, "it is a physical manifestation of her love."

"That's really cheesy, Goose," Daizi chuckled, rubbing her hand up his arm.

"I know," he agreed, "but it is true."

"You're sleep deprived."

"So are you."

Cooger rolled his eyes, and stood with a grunt, "Yeah well I think you've not become a real dad yet, my brother. 'Cause if you were you'd say 'no it's not cheesy, it's soup-y." He went over and squeezed Dark's shoulder, "Your kids are right, though, you two are tired, we should give you some time to yourselves. I'll see you tomorrow though, alright?"
 
"We'll see you tomorrow!" Alec chirped happily, waving to them. "Sleep well, Ivy. Sleep some, Mother and Father of Ivy."

"That's a formal goodbye if ever I heard one," Xander remarked as he walked toward the door. "Still... what he said, folks. See you tomorrow."

Alec stretched as they stepped out of the room. "That place sure is going to be cramped when all of the aunts and uncles come."
 
"We'll try," Daizi replied, and reached out her hand to him, "you try to get some rest too, okay? I love you, habibi. And have a good day in school, you two. I'll miss you."

"Do not burn the school to the ground without me there," Dark advised them, looking at both boys through tired eyes, "Remember to pack a lunch... and promise you will let me know any rumors the students are spreading about me in my absence, okay? And let me know if my sub is destroying my classroom. You both are my spies now."

Cooger leaned to give Daizi a hug, making his goodbyes to her, and then turned to usher both boys out of the room, "Don't worry about work right now, you freak," he said and then out in the hall wiped his hands on his jeans as if wiping off the perfect sanitation of the hospital room, "Don't forget the grandfather. Only living grandparent that kid's got. But I suspect it'll mostly be aunts and Saladin. I'm sure her uncles are thrilled, but I doubt most of them will take a flight for it."
 
Last edited:
"Spying, we can do," Xander agreed before stepping out into the hall. "That'll be pretty fun, especially figuring out who's saying what to who."

"What's it like to fly on an airplane?" Alec asked Cooger. "It seems scary. Who even came up with the idea?"

"The first person to see a bird flying and say, 'I want that,'" Xander said dryly, walking with Cooger. "Not looking forward to the grandfather. Seems like it's going to be another level of awkward."
 
While they walked to his truck, Cooger did his best to answer their questions and concerns, "Airplanes aren't so bad. They're cramped, which is awful. I'm too wide for the seats, Dark and Daizi are too tall. But I guess it's safer than driving, and once you're actually in the air it's not so bad. Unless there's turbulence, it's kinda boring, but the worst part is actually getting on the plane... Saladin isn't actually so bad," Cooger looked down at Xander, "You don't gotta worry about him trying to touch you or nothing. He'll probably try to get you both to have a haircut, though. But he's only mean to Dark, and he's either very passionate or quiet, but he's not really a brooding guy... He laughs really hard at his own jokes and if you're tease him he'll threaten to hit you with his shoe, but he is just joking and will just lightly tap you with it before clapping his hand on your shoulder... I guess, though, I've known him so long, I don't remember what he was like before I got to know him."
 
"Airplanes still sound horrifying," Alec grumbled.

Xander shrugged. "As long as Saladin ain't mean to someone in front of me. Daizi's dad or not, I'm not puttin' up with that."

Alec sighed. "Can you wait to pick a fight with him until he's actually here? And maybe after he's done something worth fighting about?"

"Alright, fine, I suppose that's fair." Xander frowned and ran through his red hair. It was a bit longer and shaggier now, but he thought it still landed in the "acceptable" length. Unlike Alec's nearly shoulder-length hair. "What's wrong with my hair?"
 
"You'll be fighting then," Cooger confirmed with a shrug, "Unless becoming a grandfather mellowed him out and he's changed drastically, he'll still be really hard on him. Worst crime a man can commit is 'steal' a dad's daughter away, I guess. I don't know. If it were me, I'd have forgiven him long ago when I saw how damn happy he makes her."

He squinted down at Xander's hair and then ran a hand through his own, somewhat thinning, hair, "I don't know, dude. I think your hair is fine, although I'm maybe the wrong person to ask. But he always wants me to get my hair cut. I asked Daizi about it, she said it's just something Egyptian dads do."
 
Xander grumbled quietly to himself, eyes narrowed. He knew full well Dark could take care of himself and all the reasons why Daizi's father would hold a grudge, but there was no way Xander was going to sit back and let someone talk smack about his foster dad, no matter what issues Xander may or may not have with him! He hoped he wouldn't make things worse, but sitting back didn't feel right.

Alec sighed and pulled a clump of hair out to where he could see it. "Does that mean I should get a haircut? It'll grow back, so it's not the end of the world if it'll make things easier for them."
 
"Nah, I wouldn't bother, kid," Cooger said, clapping Alec on the back before fishing around in his pocket for his keys, "I think the number one thing they tell girls about dating is never to change themselves for a guy, and I think that's probably true for anyone regardless of gender and their foster grandpa. If he wants you to cut your hair, just say no. Simple as. He's not even an American citizen, he's got no authority over you."
 
Alec stagged a little under Cooger's back-clap but quickly regained his footing. "True, but every relationship requires a certain amount of compromise. Boundaries that are uncrossable, and places where you are willing to concede."

"I don't think it's quite the same when you chop it off while he's here just to grow it back the minute he's gone," Xander pointed out dryly.
 
"Sure, but the compromise shouldn't be semi-permanent changes. I mean, Daizi will normally wear a hijab again when going out in public with him even though we all know normally she doesn't cover her head at all, or at most she'll wear a hair scarf when she feels the call, but then again, normally when she does that, they're in Egypt so it's just generally a different situation."

He climbed into his truck, "Plus you got a baby sister and babies are kind of dumb so if you cut your hair, she probably won't be able to tell you and Xander apart from each other unless one of y'all wants to shave your head or dye your hair or something."
 
"I'd rather not dye my hair. Red doesn't seem like an easy color to work with," Alec frowned, patting his head after he'd climbed in and buckled up. "But I get your point." He leaned back, eyes half closing. He was tired.

"I'm not sure if she can tell us apart yet as it is, but I guess you're right," Xander agreed.
 
"I once bleached my hair for charity, and I'm a ginger too. But I screwed up and didn't do my eyebrows so I had blonde hair and red eyebrows and Dark still brings it up sometimes." He chuckled and began driving back to their house, "and that's my point, Gladiator. She's still learning what people look like, and if you're not holding her or leaning over her, she can't see your face clearly, so she is learning vague shapes. If you cut your hair and grow it back, she'll think you're a completely new person. I actually, you know, told Dark he and Tarot should make a bet, and if the kid says 'Mama' first, Dark should shave off his beard, but if she says 'Baba' first, she should cut her hair to her shoulders. He didn't like it. Me, I'd do it. Could you imagine Dark without his beard? I've not seen what's under there in decades, we both still had baby faces when he grew it."
 
Xander heaved a sigh and rubbed his chin. "I can't imagine him without it... and I can't imagine me with it. Wouldn't you know it, but I can't grow a proper beard? I tried over the summer. I got like a Shaggy Rogers kind of chin fuzz, and even then it wasn't very noticeable. Dark didn't even notice. Alec barely did."

"I did notice! Kind of," Alec protested feebly.
 
After squinting at the few scarce hairs on Xander's chin, Cooger shrugged and said, "wait a few years. I couldn't grow a beard when I was fifteen either. I couldn't grow mine until I was in my 20s, and I've met some people who couldn't until their thirties." He looked back at the road, "Us three've also been cursed by our ethnicities. I don't know if I'd be able to grow my beard if I weren't part Norwegian and y'all are Irish. Dark's Arab. But, you know, and I know I said we shouldn't be teasing him now 'cause he's going through it, but did ya know he actually waxes his body hair over the summer? He doesn't care so much over the winter 'cause he's wearing warmer clothes but in summer when you see more of his skin, he complains that it obscures his tattoos too much so he removes it."
 
Both Alec and Xander stared at Cooger after this latest revelation. After a long, awkward silence, Xander stated, "That's kind of gross and I don't know why."

"I don't think I wanted to know that," Alec said vaguely. "That's just a weird thing to know, even if it is just hair."

"It's the thought," Xander agreed, and the pair both turned to stare out the window.
 
"He doesn't have back hair, though, if that helps at all." Cooger commented, quietly amused by their reaction. Having grown up with Dark, awkward silences didn't bother him any, since for the first while of knowing him, they didn't even really speak the same language.

Finally, they all arrived back home, and looking up at the decorated exterior, a new thought occurred, "With the new baby, how long do you think it'll be decorated for Halloween for? Because you know they ain't taking it down before Halloween, but I doubt they'll have the energy to take it down in November."
 
"Don't worry. We'll take care of it before Turkey Day," Xander assured Cooger, hopping out of the car.

"Turkey Day is sacred. It must not be shared with the holiday before or after," Alec told Cooger with a lopsided grin before following Xander out of the truck. "We can get everything taken down."

Xander frowned and looked over the house. "We might need to fix some of these, though, so they last."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top