How Green Becomes Wood

"I'm not sure if you're implying Dark would be too good or if I'd be too bad," Daizi teased, taking a sip of her tea. "You should invite Sloan, she lives right across the street. Or Peter. But if you invite both, you'll be back at an odd number again."

"Or it can be the three of you and you are forbidden from teaming up." Dark suggested, "It would be unfair if I played, I think. I was a Lion Cub."
 
"That he'd be too good," Xander said. "Could do Sloan."

"Sloan's a great choice! I bet she'd like to do something out of the ordinary for a while," Alec grinned.

"I'll ask, and if she says no, I'll ask Peter," Xander agreed. "If both say no, it's no team ups."
 
"I might well be," Dark agreed with a grim chuckle, "although I have not done anything of the sort in years."

"If we were playing, I would just use him as a shield. I don't trust my ability to either hit someone or dodge." Daizi added laughing.

Dark chuckled lightly under his breath, "If both say no, you should invite Cooger. Although it would be an unfair advantage for one team, because he is too big of a target."
 
"That's not a bad idea, and we should establish when it's going to happen, but can we back up to when you said you were a baby lion?" Xander asked, frowning in confusion.

"Are lion cubs like... a club of some sort?" Alec asked, also puzzled.
 
Dark sat back in his seat, a few memories flicking distantly across his face, "I suppose you could say it was like scouts. It was... voluntary, but at the same time.... heavily expected... And I do not really know if I would have been allowed to say no. It was over the summer and we would go to... what was like a summer camp for three weeks."
 
"Sounds like fun!" Alec chirped at the exact moment Xander said, "Sounds suspicious."

"In either case, you can join in, if you want," Alec said. "Right, Xander? Seeing as this is your party you haven't actually invited me to."

Xander very gently backed Alec's shoulder. "I was talking to Milo last night and came up.with the idea. I had to be sure the backyard was okay before anything else. Of course you're invited, and I'd expect you to crash the party if you weren't."

Alec smiled, pleased.
 
When Alec said it sounded like fun, Daizi shook her head subtly to indicate it was not. Dark squinted his eyes slightly and tapped on the table, considering it, "We woke at 4 a.m., began training at 6 a.m., took a two hour break in the afternoon, and then trained until 8 p.m. We would all throw rocks at the building when we left, but I had a benefit the other kids did not---I did not miss my parents." He shrugged, seemingly unbothered by the recollection, "I was wondering who the third person in your fight was, because you had already established it was not myself or Daizi, and Ivy has not discovered she can throw things yet."
 
Dark thought about it for a few moments, and then, frowning, said, "In my defense, it is very early and I have a baby screeching in my ear."

With a light laugh, Daizi leaned in and kissed her husband on the cheek, "The man does make mistakes."

"I have never once claimed otherwise," Dark replied, "But, yes, just let us know when you want to have them over."
 
"That's fair," Xander agreed. He told Dark and Daizi the times that Milo had told him. "We plan water only. No rocks at any buildings."

Alec rested his chin in his hand and studied Dark. "I'm glad you are who you are, but I'm sorry you had to go through what you did to get here."
 
It took a few moments for Dark to realize Xander's comment wasn't just an assurance to them their home and garden would be safe, and when he did, he looked sidelong at his son with a distant, wistful, smile, pleased that if nothing else, Xander didn't get it. At Alec's words, he sat back, patting Ivy's back with one hand and shrugged, taking some time to really consider what to say to that, "We all have experiences we wish we did not have to go through. I am okay." There was much about his experience as a Lion Cub that he did not allow himself to think about, but it did weigh on him much less purely because he did not experience it alone, and there was something comforting in that.
 
Xander didn't get it, but a part of him knew he didn't get it, and he wasn't sure he wanted to. There were some things that were better forgotten, he thought. "I'm glad you're okay now," he said simply, but he really, really meant it.

Alec hopped up happily. "So! When are we having this party? Will there be snacks?"

"Of course there will be snacks, but first there's a kitchen to clean up," Xander told him.
 
Dark nodded to Xander and propped Ivy up on his knees, looking into her tiny face, "We do need to clean up the kitchen. And then we get to go play, right my darling girl? What does Miss Ivy-Qadira want to play today?" He kissed her cheek and then stood up to help clean, giving Ivy to Daizi so he could make most use of both of his arms.
 
"You always clean. It's my turn. Besides, if you spend too long in the kitchen, you might start cooking something," Alec said, playfully batting Xander away.

Xander held up his hands in defeat. "Okay, okay, I'll go!" He wandered away into the living room and plopped down on one end of the couch.
 
Daizi laughed at Alec's comment and bounced Ivy up onto her hip, and then turned the high chair around to face where Dark and Alec were cleaning, and set Ivy in it, knowing perfectly well as soon as Dark was finished, he was going to play with her, so there was no point in engrossing her into an activity yet.

Instead, she went down to the living room, where he knew they would go to play, and joined Xander on the couch.
 
"I thought the idea of being a stay-at-home dad was weird at first, but then I got to thinking, it's a pretty good deal," Xander admitted. "People who have stay-at-home moms have it real good, so why not stay-at-home dads? It's cool to have one home, no matter which. And he seems way happier now, so he should do it no matter what I think."
 
"Growing up, my dad was never around. I was always stuck with our live-in nanny, and she was basically like my parent, I guess." Daizi said, picking up a pillow so she could hug it in her lap, "I always hated how isolating it felt. I think I probably would've felt isolated regardless, because I felt so different, but I wonder if it would've been easier if my dad seemed to want to be around me."
 
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