How Green Becomes Wood

"And come home on Sunday," Daizi affirmed lightly, thanking him for getting the mugs, "I'm not sure anyone actually gets sleep at a sleepover. But you'll have fun. It's not like you're a stranger at being a guest in someone's home, it'll be more comfortable staying there than it was staying your first night here, I'm sure."
 
"I think staying here was an outlier in visiting experiences," Alec said with a smile.

Xander stuck his head in through the back door. "Can Enkidu and I come in now? I'll clean his paws."
 
"Probably. But if you survived staying in a house with strangers and a twisted ankle, certainly you'll be fine staying one night with your friend. What makes you nervous about it?" She asked.

"Yes, you can come in," Dark said, having put away the mop, "I just thought he wanted to be outside."
 
Alec shrugged. "I got used to being here. Here is a good, safe space. We moved a lot when we were younger, so I'm used to that, but it's nice to have a steady place to come back to." Beyond that, he wasn't really sure what was making him so nervous. Was it because before, whenever they went somewhere new, it was a new house they had to learn to live with and new problems that came with it? What a silly thought. Clearly, they were only going for a nice, quiet night with friends. Or a loud and noisy night, he didn't know.

Xander brought Enkidu inside and wiped off his paws dutifully before releasing the dog into the house. "The place looks good. Did you use a toothbrush?"
 
"You still have steady place to come back to," Daizi pointed out, "Really it's the same as any party, the hours are just different."

"Thank you. I did not, no. Maybe if I had more time I'd take one to the baseboards, but I did not," He sighed, forcing himself to accept that although his house was still extremely neat and clean, it wasn't as clean as it used to be.
 
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"I do enjoy a good party," Alec mused. "Alright, I'll go whenever this nightlife party presents itself!"

"You know, most people might get to the baseboards once a year, maybe twice for spring and fall cleaning," Xander remarked. "That means you still have a ways to go before approaching 'normal,' so... congratulations."
 
"Maybe," Dark conceded, laying Ivy down in her cradle, "but I really dislike dirt. I do not want my home to feel..." He grappled for the right word, and he exhaled while crossing his arms, "Now that Ivy is sleeping through the night, I should clean at night again."
 
"Just don't forget that you're supposed to sleep at night, too," Xander remarked as he wandered passed. He stopped short and facepalmed. "Ah, darn it! Alec! You got me doing it, too!"

"Doing what?" Alec asked innocently.

"Fussing like a mother!"

"I don't know why you're upset about that. It suits you," Alec grinned and scampered away to figure out where he'd hidden his phone from himself.

Xander grumbled about too many nagging people in the house and wandered off to do his own thing.

Alec, meanwhile, texted Peter about a sleepover night, and Peter eagerly agreed. They discussed possible days, and Alec went to Daizi, presenting her with the weekends that seemed like they would work best pending parental approval.
 
The date worked great, and next Saturday, Daizi sent Dark out on a number of errands, telling him how excited she was to just have a chill, lazy afternoon. Then, after he was gone, Cooger stopped over briefly to collect a nice outfit as well as Dark's favourite bath items, with express orders to call Dark over at a specific time to let him get ready without spoiling the surprise. This, however, was something she kept secret from the twins as she helped them prep for the sleepover, she just handed him a bag and had texted him earlier in the week about the plan.
 
The twins did wonder if something was up as Daizi seemed a little too excited about things, but they also figured maybe she was just that excited to have a day to herself. Who could blame her? Instead, they talked about what they would do during the sleepover and picked out a few games as well as proper pajamas. To have a sleepover, one needed sleepwear that one would not be embarrassed to be seen in.

Alec was still fretting over whether or not to bring more snacks on the day of the sleepover despite the fact that Xander had made cupcakes and a few other finger foods - not all of them pure sugar. "Maybe we should take pretzels. SHould we take pretzels? Or chips?"
 
"I'm certain Peter will have snacks for you there," Daizi chuckled, bouncing Ivy, who was happily cooing to offer her own input and carefully watching the faces of her brothers, "You are not going off to war, you don't need to overburden yourselves with rations."
 
"I just want to make certain we make a good impression," Alec said.

Xander, who would have stopped at cupcakes and puppy chow but somehow got talked into making what was essentially a trail mix and granola bars, rolled his eyes. "Dude. Have some chill, man, it's Peter and his family, not the queen of England."
 
"You've been friends for just about a year, I'm certain you'll make a great impression. They all already like you. But if it helps, you can run to the backyard and pick some flowers to bring to Mr. And Mrs. Hollis to thank them for hosting you," Daizi said, getting a pair of shears and holding them out to Alec, "We should have a few in bloom."
 
Alec accepted the shears, nodding. "That's a perfect idea! Mrs. Hollis might not be the queen, but she kind of reminds me of one." He headed out back to collect a bouquet.

Xander glanced at Daizi. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
 
"Of course I do," Daizi said confidently, "It's one night away and you'll be with your friend the entire time. And with each other. If the two of you were able to survive living on the street together, you will survive staying with Peter for one night."

She leaned against the counter, not bothering to stop Ivy from grabbing at her hair, "Are you worried about it?"
 
"I'm not worried about surviving Peter or his parents. I'm worried about surviving him." Out of habit, Xander nodded toward the back where Alec gathered what flowers he could. "He's buzzing like an electrical conduit."
 
Daizi nodded, "He's anxious. But I'll bet once he's there he'll be able to relax and have fun. But it's something he's never done before, and that normally stresses him, doesn't it?" Here, Ivy squeaked, so naturally Daizi said, "I know, habibti, you're always trying new things. But that's different. Yes, it is."
 
"Yeah, he hates new stuff, which is weird for a guy who wants to try a bunch of new things in other ways," Xander shrugged.

Alec came in then with a handful of carefully arranged flowers. "What do you think of these?" he asked, offering them to Daizi to smell, trying to keep them out of Ivy's reach.
 
Daizi leaned in to smell the flowers, but when she did, Ivy looked at the flowers with her usual look of amazement. They, like everything else, were brand new to her, because they were just beginning to enter her first spring, and these were some of the first spring flowers to bloom. And they were colourful! And they smelled! And she wanted them in her mouth. Naturally, then, she reached out her tiny arm to grab them, but since Daizi felt her arm move, she was quickly thwarted. As soon as her mother released her arm, she tried again, only to be prevented again.

While Ivy laughed over this new game, Daizi said, "I think they're perfect, they really smell lovely," followed quickly by, "Ivy, I know you want to smell the pretty flowers, but they are delicate!" This appeal meant nothing to the baby, who fixated upon them.
 
"You can have your own flowers someday, Ivy," Alec chuckled. "Maybe Xander will make you eatable ones!"

Xander frowned. "Made of what? She's too little for almost anything." He glanced at the clock. "The Hollis' should be here soon to pick us up. Do we have everything?"
 
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