How Green Becomes Wood

"Okay, habibi. You have fun," Daizi said, standing up with him, "I think we'll go upstairs. Give you three some space."

"Metal and leather isn't that different. You're just more grunge than they are." Sloan commented, looking at the maximalist walls, "The rainbow is what stands out, I guess, but they just had a baby girl so it'll be good for them, I guess."
 
"Alright. Sloan probably won't be here too long. I'll let you know when she's headed out," Alec promised her. He headed for the kitchen to see what the other two were doing.

Xander snorted and started tempering the eggs by adding just a bit of heat to them and whisking them up so they wouldn't turn into a scrambled mess. "She'll totally grow up to be like that one character from that one cop show. Had something to do with the Navy and solving crime, she was the happy goth chick?"
 
"I have no idea what you're talking about. The only cop show I watched was Bones. The cannibalism plotline really freaked me out." She replied, "Well. That and Broadchurch. You all must spend so much time dusting."
 
"He's talking about Abby on NCIS," Alec said, sliding into a seat. "We watched some reruns of that and Bones. I refused to watch it after the cannibalism plotline showed up as being a continuing story."

"I thought it was just getting good," Xander grumbled as he watched the pudding boil. The bubbles rolled up and popped on top until he took it off the stove. He whisked in the vanilla and ran it through a sieve to make it extra smooth and put plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding. "This needs to chill, and then you can eat it." He popped the large container into the fridge and started wiping things down. "We don't dust much, but the large Arabic vampire does."
 
"That makes sense... My mom's a minimalist but still hires a maid." She rubbed her finger against the counter, "I don't know how I'll decorate when I have a place of my own... Did you ever watch that show Wife Swap? I wonder what it'd be like if my mom and Mr. Daizi had to switch places. I think my mom and Mr. Dark would brawl and Daizi would make my dad weep."
 
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Xander slid into his usual seat and frowned. I want to know how whoever convinced them to do it did it."

"I think it sounds terrifying," Alec mumbled. He looked at Sloan guiltily. "Maybe I shouldn't bring it up, but I'm sorry I couldn't - didn't say anything."
 
"Money." She said, until Alec's question made her slump down again, calling back to the forefront of her mind all of her complicated, shitty feelings. Mumbling, she told him, "It's okay, I guess... I know you were just trying to keep me out of it or whatever..."
 
Alec reached over and gripped her hand gently. "No one of any worth truly believes those things in their hearts, and those that do are not worth knowing or fretting over. We love you, Sloan, and we'll always be there for you. Even if all we can do is give you pudding. We just... have to figure out a few lumps and bumps, I guess."
 
She nodded a tad excessively but couldn't look up at him, trying to fight back everything. Crying in front of them was a mistake, she couldn't let herself do it. "...thank you..." She mumbled, her words half lost.
 
Alec smiled and ran his thumb briefly over her knuckles in what he hoped was a comforting gesture before sitting back. "It's okay," he said gently.

Xander glanced at the clock. "It's also time for pudding. Do you want the whole thing at once, or do you want a portion in a nice bowl or something?" He stood up and went to the fridge to get it.

[In reality, pudding would take longer to cool, but I call upon RP magic to make it happen for Sloan!)
 
"I can't eat all of it at once," Sloan said flatly, not realizing she may not have been thinking what Xander had offered through all the way, "I guess I'll just have a little bit now. Thank you for making it for me."
 
"Sure." Xander scooped in a generous portion of the butterscotch pudding into a glass dish and set it on the table before Sloan. Then he went on the hunt for a disposable container he could send home with her. Once he found it, he put in a bunch more, leaving just enoug for a bowl full for each of the rest of the family. "Here ya go. For later."
 
She mumbled out her gratitude and, after eating a little bit, said, "It's good."

It was as she was finishing up the bowl that Dark came home, worn out even though nothing bad really happened to him. Still not a yeller, he poked his head into the kitchen to try to find his family. "Oh. Hello, Sloan. I did not know we had company. I would have tidied this morning."

"Hi, Mr. Dark. I was actually just about to leave. And the house looks great, don't worry," She said, looking up at him, which she quickly decided was a mistake. His expressions still weren't really readable to her but there was something about the way his gaze shifted from her to the twins that made her nervous. And she didn't know what he knew.
 
Xander pushed the container of pudding toward her. "Don't forget the extras."

"Text if you need anything," Alec piped up. "I'll walk you to the door." He got up to do just that, and Xander took her bowl to the sink to wash.
 
"Thank you," Sloan sniffed, picking up the container and following Alec to the front hall, "Bye, Mr. Dark. Bye Xander, thanks for having me over."

As she left, Dark walked up beside Xander and in a low voice said, "She seemed upset. Is everything okay?"
 
Alec offered to hold her container for her while she got her shoes on and gave it back. "No one else knows anything, not even them," he whispered. "They know a.few more details, but not about you. Promise. Xander refused to name names." In a more normal tone, he said, "Walk safe!"

Xander replied, "She had a bad day at school and needed comfort pudding." It was close enough to the truth.
 
Hearing nobody, not even their parents knew about what happened, was a relief, and it showed just subtly on her face. "Good. Thank you." Then, forcing herself to sound more like herself, she added, "I'll bring the container back as soon as I can, see you at school tomorrow."

"Alright," Dark agreed, leaning against the counter. "How was another day at home here?"
 
"No rush. See you tomorrow!" Alec said with a little wave. He stood watching her go, making sure she was alright even though her house was literally across the street.

Xander shrugged and finished washing the dishes he'd used. "Weird. I don't hate it, but it's hard to get used to when it's not an official day off."
 
"It will be over before you realize." He assured him. "I hope you have not already begun to go stir-crazy sitting at home all day. But I am sure the intended goal of suspension is to make you hate being at home so much you never misbehave again. It never worked for me."
 
"Nah, it's not that," Xander assured him, checking to make sure he'd gotten everything to Dark's standard of clean. "It's just... kind of... It's different. Not bad, and I don't hate home, just different. It's nice to have more time to myself."

Alec slid into the room on his socks. "Hello! Welcome home! Mama and baby are upstairs, by the way, and would you like for us to get started on something other than pudding for desert?"

"Us?" Xander challenged, raising a brow.

"You wouldn't let me do it on my own."

"Hmm. True."
 
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