How Green Becomes Wood

When Alec sat down with them, Ivy squealed again and rocked up to one side, like she had been beginning to do, but didn't quite make it all the way over yet. Daizi, meanwhile, picked up one of Ivy's toys and handed it to Alec, "Sometimes I wish I could play video games. I'm glad you had fun..." She bumped her shoulder against his, "I told you you'd enjoy yourself."

Dark wandered into the living room after Xander, quickly bending and sticking a missed rose petal into his pocket. Normally he would join Ivy and Daizi on the floor, but he wanted to give Alec some space with them.
 
"There are some games for the visually impaired, but I'm not sure about complete blindness," Alec mused, taking the toy. "I should ask Peter if that's a thing. There's all sorts of cool things they can do with video games now." He grinned at Ivy and made the toy dance. "I'm glad I went, but I think I don't want to do it too often."

"Doing too often would ruin the coolness of it all," Xander remarked, plopping down in a chair. "It was pretty cool, and their house is awesome."

"You think so? It was too... pointy and symmetric for me," Alec remarked.

Xander shrugged. "Wouldn't know about wanting to live there, but it's awsome to look at."
 
"There are some rhythm games you can play," Dark suggested. He assumed there were others, but those were the only ones he knew of for certain.

"Yeah, but I want to get to play adventure games too. Do you remember that year, babe, when you became way too into Skyrim and you played it for, like, 9 hours on the weekends and had me help to pick who to marry? I want to get to do that." She replied, bouncing a different toy for Ivy, while she stared giddily at them both, attempting to decide which one she wanted to reach for.

"There may be one, or a way to make a different game accessible," Dark said. Then he sat back, "The house was nice... too modern for me, but it suited them. Jack's photographs are nice."
 
"You played Skyrim?" Xander asked. He frowned at Dark and studied him suspiciously. "I cannot picture you sitting at a computer or any console and playing games like that. It does not register in my brain."

"I can see it," Alec offered. "I liked his photos, too."

Xander nodded. "Wonder if Milo would do stuff like that."
 
"My therapist said I needed a hobby I could not use against myself," Dark replied sardonically, "Video games, she suggested, would provide escapism when I needed it, but because I was an active participant, it would not make me feel guilt for 'not being productive,' and they would not feed into my 'unhealthy desire for perfection."

"And what happened, Goose?" Daizi asked, lightly teasing because she knew he wasn't that bothered by it.

"She told me to stop playing Skyrim because I became too focused on completing every single aspect of the game." There was a long pause at the end of which he softly chuckled at the absurdity of it, "Do you mean 'stuff' like Jack's photographs or 'stuff' like video games?"
 
Alec giggled and danced his toy a little closer to Ivy. "That sounds exactly like you, sadly. Don't worry. I like you better imperfect."

"The photographs," Xander supplied. "He likes pictures. Seems to be mostly people, but not posed pictures."
 
Ivy squealed and reached out for the toy Alec held, and she squealed again when she actually managed to grab it, and Daizi cheered for her.

"He might. I am sure he has some way of displaying his photographs if he takes so many," Dark answered, "but you would need to ask him if his preferred subjects extend beyond people."

"Why doesn't he liked posed photographs?" Daizi asked, lying back down on her stomach so she and Ivy could be face to face.
 
Alec clapped and cheered for Ivy, genuinely pleased to see her progress. It helped, too, that she was so darn cute!

"Something about how they don't look natural, I think," Xander said, trying to remember the brief conversation they'd had about it. "I'm not sure if he does have a display. I'd have to ask." Actually, he was quite sure he didn't have a display since his only comment on the subject was keeping people in a shoebox for memory's sake. Something like that, anyway.
 
The more excited Alec and Daizi got for her, the happier Ivy was. Again she rocked up, getting just a little bit closer to getting over onto her back. Nearly swooning at her baby's excitement, Daizi leaned in, kissed Ivy's head, and then sat back and stuck her tongue out at her. Ivy watched this curiously and then stuck her tongue out back.

"That is interesting... I have heard similar sentiments before, though," Dark commented, the tiniest smile lifting the corner of his mouth when he saw Ivy stick out her tongue.
 
"Mama, she's copying you," Alec giggled, taking care to try to use the term Daizi wanted Ivy to call her.

Xander shrugged. "Nothing more natural than nature. Anyway, was it boring here without us?"
 
"Is she?" Daizi asked brightly, then stuck out her tongue again. Again, Ivy copied her.

"No," Dark answered, and after he did so he hoped he didn't answer too definitely, "We were not bored.'
 
"She did it again!" Alec squeaked, trying to contain his excitement. "She wants to be just like you. She was trying to roll earlier, but she can't quite make it yet."

"Must have finally gotten some rest," Xander concluded. He stood and stretched. "Which is what I want. Need anything before I go?"
 
"Aw sweet girl," Daizi cooed, stroking Ivy's hair, "I think she'll tip over any day now. You're doing so so good, baby! You're so strong!"

Dark's gaze moved from his baby to his wife, "It was restful. No, I don't need anything. Go rest, I will call you when dinner is ready."
 
Xander headed upstairs without further comment, but Alec stayed on the floor with Ivy and Daizi, enjoying watching Ivy figure herself out. "I wonder if she'll be a singer or play an instrument," he pondered. "The harp? The piano? Clarinet, perhaps? Or maybe she'll make something completely different and play that!"
 
"I'm sure she'll do something musical. She's been hearing music since before she was born, and feeling the vibrations of it from before she could hear. And she still loves it when we play with her around... I can't imagine her not liking music." Daizi sighed happily and then, deciding it was irresistible, sat up, scooped up Ivy, and then carefully flopped onto her back, holding Ivy up above her, since now Ivy had the neck strength for it.
 
Alec giggled watching her, but his laughter was interrupted by a yawn. "I think I'll go lay down for a bit," he said grudgingly. "Can I help you with anything before I go?" He reached up and caught Ivy's hand, gently waving it around.
 
"No, I'm alright, thank you," Daizi said, and Ivy watched Alec with big eyes and then squealed as Daizi lowered her down to her chest before lifting her back up again.

"It makes me uncomfortable when you do that," Dark said blandly, as if he had never lifted Ivy above his head before. But it looked different seeing it from the outside!

"But she loves it! Don't you, Hummingbird!" Daizi cooed, "Make sure you rest up this afternoon, you have school tomorrow."
 
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"Ugh, schoooooool," Alec moaned but nodded. "See you for dinner." He headed upstairs to flop onto the bed with Xander, who was already out like a light. It took a bit of wiggling to fit on the bed with him, but soon they were both sound asleep and dreaming of sleepovers.

The next day was school, and for the most part, it seemed to be going like usual. Xander kept one eye out for Milo, but he didn't go looking for the other boy, either. Alec stayed close, feeling a little clingy after the events of the last couple of days. It had been a good upheaval! But still an upheaval for him, and he needed a bit to settle.
 
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Since the day Milo was invited to eat lunch with them, he made himself a little bit more visible to the twins and their friends. He remained hesitant and shy around them, and only really sat at their table when they explicitly invited him that day, but he would occasionally walk alongside the twins on their way to class without being spoken to first. This, he did, on their way to lunch, and as he came up beside them, he said, "How was your weekend?"

This was a vast improvement, as the last time he walked up to them, he began the conversation with, did you know there is a tribe in Brazil who used to eat their dead?
 
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"Different. Good," Xander told him.

"We had a decent amount of fun, I think," Alec told him cheerfully. "How about yours?"

"Do you like non-people pictures?" Xander asked at the same time as Alec asked about Milo's weekend.
 
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