How Green Becomes Wood

"Hey, Ringo was always my favourite Beatle." Sloan chuckled, resting her chin in her hand, "Your band is, what? A singer, a guitarist, and a drummer? See, you finding out now that you're not moving is great, because now when you pick what song you're singing at the talent show this year, you won't feel like you need to pick some sad, 'until we meet again,' number. It'll actually be fun, now."
 
"That's true! We do need to pick a song!" Alec gasped. "Technically, we have two guitarists or a guitarist and a keyboardist depending on what we're playing. I do guitar and keyboard and main vocals. It gets rather awkward sometimes."

Peter snickered as he texted Xander the news. "That's alright. I wouldn't leave my drums for singing if you paid me, though I don't mind the occasional backup vocals."
 
"I always wanted to have musical talent, but I've never really found an instrument that clicks for me. Not that I've tried a bunch. Sometimes I think about joining as an act and doing a floor routine, but I'm definitely not getting up in front of this school in a leotard and even if I wear leggings and a tanktop, I'm still not sure I want to deal with whatever comments people would make after seeing it." She shrugged, not really upset about it, "Once straight teenage boys find out you can do the splits it's all over. And I know, because one of the younger girls at my gym, who also goes to my brother's middle school, can do the splits, and Benny has not shut up about her since finding out."
 
"She could always show him just how strong her legs are when kicking at a certain height, just as a display," Peter remarked casually.

"Peter!" Alec gasped.

"I didn't say she should kick him, just give him a nice demonstration of what else she can do," Peter smirked. "What song would you suggest for us, Sloan?"
 
"I think she's okay with it. She came to his Bar Mitzvah, anyway. She'll probably end up being his first girlfriend." Sloan shook her head. Brothers were weird. Sisters probably weren't, at least not weird like that, but she'd check in with the twins in thirteen years and ask. "I'm not sure, really. Most of the songs I listen to are by women, so I'm not sure if you've got the range to pull of feminine rage."
 
"I don't mean the vocal range, I mean the emotional range," Sloan laughed. That day was better than the day before for her, and she was able to go to gymnastics after school without feeling like if she ever stopped running or flipping she would fall apart, so she was able to give her normal 110% compared to a potentially dangerous percentage.

At home, Daizi happily continued her new routine, often inviting Xander to spend time with her and Ivy, although she never pushed him to if he wasn't interested. Cooger did take him a few times on some smaller jobs, and promised next week he'd take him along for something bigger, it was just difficult to balance the timeframe his clients expected against what he could teach Xander to do well and quickly. But everybody started somewhere, so he just figured Xander would be okay with learning the simple skills first and coming along when he could.

On Friday, Daizi made sure to point out to Xander (and Dark made sure to point out to Alec) that now there were only five days left of suspension. Xander would be out of school for all of the following week, and then the suspension would be over. It wasn't far away... but it was still good for it to be the weekend. Daizi loved getting to spend time home with her daughter, but when she could equally share responsibilities with her husband, she felt far less stressed. So she waited almost desperately for her husband to come home. She was going to take a bath, she decided.
 
Alec laughed and enjoyed the rest of his day. It was honestly the best day since Xander had been suspended, and a lot of that came from Peter and Sloan. He actually enjoyed himself! He still loved going home far more, and it felt like something was missing when Xander wasn't there, but it didn't hurt as much.

For his part, Xander focused on keeping busy. Alec was far more transparent in his emotions, meaning it was easy to see he was missing Xander, but Xander missed Alec, too. He felt off-balance, restless, and uneasy. He kept those feelings hidden and tried to ignore them through keeping busy. Going out with Cooger was the best as everything was different and distracting, but he understood that he couldn't go on every job with his uncle. He was so determined to keep busy, he even agreed to join Daizi for tummy time with minimal reluctance. He wasn't great at interacting with Ivy, but he tried not to be too cold. Nothing was her fault, and he didn't want her to ever feel it was. He just didn't really want to be there. He couldn't put his finger on why, he just didn't. Even so, he tried.

Friday arrived with relief and anticipation. Weekend! Weekends were always the best, but this weekend was especially good. Alec cheered when Dark reminded him that there were only five days left, and Xander grunted, "good," with a look of satisfaction. School was the worst, but better than leaving Alec to fend for himself. Bullies had been leaving him alone so far, but Xander did worry about him.
 
It was pretty obvious Xander wasn't totally comfortable joining her and Ivy down on the floor, but the fact he tried at all meant so much to her, and she hoped he could tell. Daizi wasn't certain if she should tell him how grateful she was he was making an attempt or if it was easier on him if she didn't. Ivy was just excited for more playmates, so although she still didn't really understand why this person didn't ever hold her, she grinned at him just like she grinned at everyone else, and was just as excited anytime he sat down on the ground with them.

One thing Daizi had kept a pretty good record of since Dark and the twins were back at school was making, or ordering in, some dessert to welcome them home to on Friday, and this Friday was no exception. Of course, she invited Xander to help bake with her while Ivy napped. Only five more days, then her sons would be much more content again, and that was wonderful for them.

She was happy, and whenever Dark was home, he was too--his feelings for his job remained complicated, but he tried to keep it from the twins--and soon enough he, too, was home, and a bit earlier than usual, because what point was there in staying late on a Friday.

"I am not going to ask how your week was," he said to Xander, as he took off his shoes, "I have asked you every single day how your day has been, and I am certain if I ask about your week it will not be different from the day. But I hope you are at ease with yourself. Have you been journaling like you are supposed to be?"
 
Xander was much more comfortable in the kitchen than sitting on the floor with the mini, and he sat sideways on the chair with his legs hanging over either side when Dark asked him the question. "Yep. Not many emotions to he had so far, but their down." He didn't understand his feelings about things like Ivy and tummy time, but he did write them down along with a few doodles.

"Did you see the moving truck?" Alec asked from the front window as if it was possible for Dark to miss it. He'd planted himself there to watch since it had shown up not long ago. "Not much activity yet, and I only caught a glimpse of one person."
 
Dark nodded, pleased he had been doing his 'punishment,' and went to the window, "I did see it. I have been trying to ignore it. I know the polite thing to do when you have a neighbor is to say hello to them and welcome them to the neighborhood, but I despise it. The people, I am sure, are lovely. I do not like talking to people."

"I know, darling," Daizi teased, breezing into the room, "that's why we let me make the first impression. And now we've got her," she lifted Ivy a little bit higher, "so if I bring her with, maybe bring Alec along with me, because he smiles, we'll look like a perfectly respectable family, and after they've decided they like us, we'll let them know the truth."

"They have seen our house, they already know the truth."
 
Xander looked up from fiddling with a puzzle cube. "Because he smiles?" he repeated with a frown.

"More than you do," Alec replied cheerfully. "Oh! There are people now. It's a bustle. I see children! They are moving fast. Uh... one, two, three... more than three. All the children are in the house, and now someone is backing the moving van into the driveway properly. Darn. Now we'll never get to see the people! The back of the van is really close to the garage door. I can only see glimpses."

"Thank you for that exhaustive update, Mr. Retporter," Xander grumbled, turning back to what he was doing.
 
"You're like Dark," Daizi replied, "You bark first. I'm just teasing though, I don't mean anything by it."

"We will see them eventually." Dark said, turning away from the window and taking Ivy from his wife, "I hope they are not too loud. That many children sounds quite loud. And I'm concerned enough that somebody is starting to have a bit of sleep regression." He kissed Ivy and then closed one eye as she attempted to return the gesture, "I think if we must meet them, we should play up who we are, and then hopefully I will not be forced to attend barbecues."
 
"I would love to see that," Alec grinned, turning toward Dark. "I think you should go in a suit! Right, Mu-Mama?"

Xander set the solved puzzle aside. "Don't you have homework?"

Alec pouted. "Come on. We haven't been home that long."

"Yeah, but if you don't do it, you'll whine about it and then cram at the last second and waste all relaxation. Come on. Let's go do it together."

"You just don't want any more updates." Alec plastered his face against the window. "I think they have a toaster!"

Xander sauntered over and scooped Alec up, folding him over his shoulder and carrying him off protesting.
 
Dark watched Alec be carried off, "Why is it that when I lift you up, Spider, they make such a fuss about us being 'sappy' and 'romantic' in front of them, but it is completely acceptable for them to hoist each other?"

"Because teenagers are inherently hypocritical." Daizi replied, reaching out to pull Dark in to sit beside her, "They would probably make some point about how they're brothers and we're married so it's different."

"But we have known each other for longer than they have, I do not think they comprehend," Dark sighed.

"Not proportionately. Unless you count our past lives."

"You do count our past lives."

"But they don't," She rested her head on Dark's shoulder, "You have to stop being so stressed about new neighbors."

Dark sighed heavily and looked at his wife, "I know. But I cannot help I do not like meeting new people, now I have so much more to protect, and I have never trusted people to begin with. I especially do not trust neighbors now, not after being spied on and harassed like we were. I would rather the house stand empty."

"I love you, Goose."

"Darling---"

"I love you.".

He looked down at her with a frown and then, because he knew he had to, committed to taking a deep breath to calm himself, "I love you too."

"I'm anxious about it too, babe. But we both have to remember what we went through was not normal. It's not going to happen again."
 
Less than a minute later, a wailing cry came from outside. It was closer to Dark and Daizi's house than the neighbor's house, but not so close as to be on their front lawn. A little boy of about three years of age sat on the cold grass in shorts and a t-shirt and no shoes with his head back and his mouth wide open as he wailed. According to his highly healthy lungs, he was in immense mental agony! Oh, the horror and pain! Oh, the loneliness!
 
At the sound of the cry Dark and Daizi both sat up straight as a knife, "What is that?" Dark asked while Daizi swore over how immediately her shirt began to dampen. Again, Dark went to the window, and seeing the child outside with seemingly nobody to guard him, he quickly turned and handed Ivy back to Daizi, "I am going to make sure he is alright. Stay here."

"What's going on?" Daizi asked, rapidly shifting from the immediate focus on her physical discomfort to a more concerned, maternal mood at the sound of those cries.

"There is a little boy outside, no shoes or jacket, and I do not know if he has been forgotten or if he scrapped his knee or..." Dark trailed off, already putting on his shoes. Just to check. He was probably alright, but on the off chance he wasn't, Dark walked over to the toddler and crouched down in the grass near the boy while still keeping a clear and obvious gap between them, "Salaam," he said in a low, calm voice, doing his best to make himself small, "Are you okay, my friend? Why do you cry?"
 
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The little boy's cries silenced when Dark walked over to him, but his whimpers continued, his full lower lip trembling as tears threatened to continue spilling over. He studied Dark for a wet moment before suddenly catapulting himself into Dark's chest, his cries quieter but no less lusty as he collapsed against the complete stranger.
 
"Woah, hey, hey," Dark said, completely taken aback, holding his arms up and back. But then, after just a moment, he gently rubbed the little boy's back with one big hand. "Salaam," he repeated, although the context had shifted from a general greeting to a more direct translation, peace, "where are your grownups, hm? Do not cry, let us go find your grownups."
 
"I dunno where dey are!" the little fellow wailed, his voice so shaky and muffled that it was barely understandable. "Dey lost!" He settled in for a good cry, clearly not willing to be of much help to Dark

"Hey. You. Put the kid down and back up," came a sudden voice. A woman in tattered blue jeans and a black tanktop sporting a washed out and faded logo of some illegible band stood watching dark through narrowed eyes. She was a fit woman with dark hair piled on top of her head, and not unattractive though far from a traffic-stopping beauty, but most importantly, she had an aluminum bat resting on one shoulder, and the way she stood casually holding it with the other hand on her hip said she was confident in her usage of said bat, and not in hitting baseballs.
 
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