How Green Becomes Wood

"That sounds... really complicated." Cooger replied, knowing absolutely nothing about the process of creating music, "I'm always surprised you want to play metal songs. I'll head upstairs and say hi--Do you know where Xander is?" Cooger asked, heading to the stairs, "They don't care if you call them Mum and Da. Especially if you're just talking about them."
 
Alec smiled, relieved Cooger understood. "Xander's out back. I'll go get him!" He turned and trotted out to the backyard to fetch his brother.

Xander had just put the finishing touches on a wide leather belt that looked vaguely like a corset when Alec tapped on the door. "Sup?"

"Cooger's here, and he's asking about you," Alec reported.

"Cool." Xander wrote out a tag saying who the best was for and hung it up carefully so that it could cure before he had to mail it off. "What's he want?" He slid off his stool and followed Alec to the house.

"I don't know. I guess we'll find out!"
 
"No problem," Cooger nodded, and went upstairs to greet his friends and niece, and by the time the twins came back inside, the three adults were seated on the couch, and Cooger was propping Ivy up in his lap. When they came in, he nodded towards them, "Sup, Gladiator. Remember that text you sent me? 'Bout what you wanted me to keep an eye out for?"
 
"Yeah?" Xander asked, tipping his head curiously. "You found one already? Nice." It was a faster turn-around than he'd expected, but he was wondering if it was too late. Still, there was time, and Cooger had done him a favor. He wasn't going to back out now. Bikes were useful. If it didn't work out for his original intent, he'd find another use for it.
 
"Yeah, it was twenty dollars. It needs a little bit of work, but I figured it was the best deal you can hope for." Cooger explained, "If it was more than that, I'd've called to see if it was something you wanted to do or not."

Dark looked from his friend to his son carefully, "I apologize," He said, raising one hand, "What are you talking about? What did you find? What are you buying?"

"Oh, you hear that?" Cooger asked, "It sounds almost like he's suspicious of our dealings."

"Calling the transaction you are making with a teenager your 'dealing,' is not helping."
 
Xander smirked with a glance at Dark before turning his attention back to Cooger. "I guess I gotta see the product before any money changes hands, yeah? You got it here, or are we going to a neutral location?"

"Ooo, the plot thickens," Alec giggled. "A mysterious product! Is it a package, a box, a bag, an envelope, who knows?"
 
"It's in the truck," Cooger said, "I can show you, but I don't mind if you take the keys and go and look for yourself. Tarot, let me give you your baby back to show Xander the product. I don't want to make her an accomplice."

Dark ran a hand through his hair, because although he knew they weren't actually doing anything illegal, and he knew they were just joking, he couldn't help feeling a little stressed by it, "Introducing you was a mistake."

"Give her here," Daizi laughed, immediately on-board with the joke, "If anyone comes asking, I know nothing about it."

"I expect to get her back after our deal is done."
 
Alec grinned and whispered to Daizi, "The good thing about your condition is that you can never be called an eyewitness, right?"

Xander went to get his shoes and headed out the door. "It's good doing business with you. You're a smart businessman. We just gotta be careful with the narcs. Spies on every corner!"

Alec glanced at Dark in amusement. "Are you okay?"
 
"See, that's a good point," Daizi chuckled, leaning in, "I didn't see anything. And right now, if she did, she can't say anything about it."

"My folks are lawyers, I think we'll make it out alright," He joked, following him and slipping into his shoes.

Dark sighed heavily, then said, "I am fine. I know it is all a joke."

"He is feeling stressed today," Daizi explained, unmockingly, with a little pat on her husband's knee.
 
"Really? Why?" Alec asked curiously, turning to look at his father.


Outside, Xander headed to Cooger's truck to look at the bicycle. "Nice body, but, uh, where are the wheels?" he asked, genuinely confused.
 
Dark shrugged, "I am always stressed."

"Wheels cost extra." Cooger replied, joking with him, "You didn't tell me you wanted wheels." Then, seriously, said, "Bike tires are like... fifteen dollars? I figured a $35 bike would serve you better than a complete bike that cost more."
 
Alec glanced at Daizi. "Maybe we should schedule him for a spa day. Or maybe trap him in his woodshed to breathe in the soothing smells of freshly cut wood for a while."

"Fair point," Xander agreed. He pulled out the body of the bike and looked it over. "Yeah, this isn't bad. Just needs a bit of polish. It'll be fully functional once I get some tires for it." He reached into his pocket and rooted around until he found a twenty. He handed it over to Cooger. "Thanks. Oh, and, it's not for Alec. It is for someone else, and if they don't want it, I figure maybe Alec can use it, but it's not for him."
 
"We should," Daizi agreed, shifting so she could rest against her husband's shoulder, "Or just help him remember he cannot control everything."

"I would be less stressed if I could," Dark replied, somewhat joking.

"No you would not be, you would just be differently stressed."

Cooger nodded, putting the money away in his wallet before taking the bike out and nodding for Xander to open the side gate, "If I had known that, I'd have been less dodgy about mentioning it. There's no way you'd be okay with just any bike if you were getting one for Dark, and Alec is the only other one in the house who can ride one. Do you want this in your shed?"
 
"You might actually explode from stress if you could and needed to control every little thing," Alec commented. "I think it's a good thing you can't! It takes a lot of pressure off."

"Yeah, that'll be a good spot for it," Xander agreed. He walked along with Cooger toward the back. "I have enough for a car now. The Professor said he'd help me go car shopping. Have you seen any good ones hanging around?"
 
"He's just anxious is all," Daizi hummed, kissing Dark's cheek, "It's Saturday, you can relax a little bit."

"Okay," Dark said with a tiny smile, "You both do realize I am not on the verge of a breakdown? I am Type A, but I am not neurotic."

~~

"Oh yeah?" Cooger asked, "I didn't know you had made it to the threshold. Last Dark said, you were real close. Congrats, kid. You're not gonna go driving off into the sunset once you have your own set of keys, right? And I'm sure I know some people with cars they're selling, but I haven't been looking all that closely."
 
"We know, and we'd like to keep you that way. Plus, it's fun to fuss over you sometimes," Alec grinned. "What would you like to do this Saturday?"

~~

"Pretty much," Xander agreed. He opened the shed door and held it for Cooger. "Just stick it anywhere. I can't afford a real nice one, but I figure I don't need a real nice one. Just something that'll get me and Alec places and ease up the professor's time in the car."
 
"I don't need to be fussed over," Dark told them, and when he did, Ivy squeaked loudly. Frowning, Dark scooped her up and held her high above his head, which made her laugh, "You do not get to start."

"I think she already did."

"She has no right to, as if she is not the cause of much stress!" He lowered her down and then hoisted her again to make her laugh more.

~~

"It's always good to be able to transport yourself. I was telling Lex that earlier today." He set the bike down and wiped his hands on his jeans as they walked back to the house, "I guess the real solution should be better public transport but it's hard for individuals to make that happen, so it is what it is. Do you think you'd put a car seat in yours?"
 
"I think the cause of his stress is also the solution," Alec grinned as he watched them. "And the cause of the stress absolutely loves to be the solution!"

~~

Xander glanced quickly at Cooger at the mention of Lex but didn't mention it. "I dunno. I don't know if a certain person could handle the idea. He might actually die of stress. I guess I could, but she's only going to need one for a short time, right? Then what are we going to do with a bunch of unneeded car seats?" He shrugged. "It's hard enough to get Alec okay with the car idea, no point in getting the Professor worried, too."
 
"It's her laugh," Daizi murmured, grinning at the sound, "When's the last time you had that much fun?"

While he continued the motion that kept his daughter squealing with laughter, Dark said, "I do not think that she solves the stress she causes, so much as she makes the stress worth it." He dipped her down, "If she was less cute, it would be less tolerable."

~~

"Donate them, I guess? I just think a lot about how Tarot can't drive, and if Dark is away from home, and there's a problem... But there aren't really that many situations where he would be gone but Ivy isn't, considering you two aren't babysitting." Cooger replied, "It's really only haircuts and doctors appointments. He kinda ran out of space for tattoos."
 
"Uh-huh, I'm sure she'd be so much less tolerable," Alec grinned. "You'd start completely ignoring her for certain." Looking at the bouncing baby, he said, "Don't worry, Ivy. We all know the truth. No matter what you look like, you are adorable and he'd love you to bits and still toss you around."

~~

"He mentioned trying to redo or cover some up with new ones," Xander remarked. "And we'd babysit. If they could time it so they could change her right before they left, and then we'd look after her. Maybe when she's older. I dunno. It's not like a certain someone wants to let her out of his site, anyway."
 
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