How Green Becomes Wood

"I appreciate your concern, but going forward we would both appreciate it if you allow us to make those decisions." Dark told him, smoothing the front of his shirt. He wasn't angry, but he was setting this boundary as clearly as possible, "Ivy was sleeping, and had she not been, the boys are more than happy to watch her. It makes it easier to work together when we can decide together."
 
"Of course," Tristan said. Though if Daizi had asked to stay or if Dark had requested she stay, he certainly wouldn't have said no. He preferred one-on-ones but understood Dark's desire to have Daizi there as well. He'd only requested an audience and had actually been surprised when Dark said yes. In truth, he felt like he was getting chided for a choice they had made, but he let it go and chaulked the whole thing up to a miscommunication. At this point, he was willing to do a lot to keep Dark and Daizi happy.
 
Dark nodded, "Right. Well. I will leave you to it. I am sure you have much left to do, and we should be getting home." He held out his hand to Tristan one last time and then went outside to rejoin them.

"What was that about?" Daizi asked, the second she heard the door open.

"I will tell you when we are all driving away," Dark replied, helping to put Ivy into her carseat, thankfully she didn't start screaming this time, and then sat down in the driver's seat. Once he began to drive away, he said, "He asked me how much I believed his brother had hurt the two of you, and expressed his concern at how those actions may make him seem."
 
"Why would he want to know that?" Alec asked, leaning forward.

"Yeah, it's not like he could do anything about it either way," Xander grumbled, leaning back and crossing his arms.

Alec leaned against Daizi's seat. "I don't think he's the same as his brother. He makes me feel surprisingly comfortable, but... I'm still worried a little."
 
"He said two things about that." Dark replied, "First, that he is sorry for what his brother did, and that he wants to fix it and make up for it. Second, that he knows there is no such thing as fixing it or making up for it. Considering both of those two, he expressed his desire to be in your lives, but only if that is something you are comfortable with. He said he will respect your wishes." He glanced back at the twins through the rearview mirror, "Do not take that as an ultimatum or a decision moment. I would strongly advise against making any sort of unyielding declaration. Nobody expects you to say, 'Yes, I want him in my life,' and never go back on it, nor does anybody expect you to write him off now and forever."
 
"I just want to know why he wants in so badly," Xander frowned. "He hasn't had a thing to do with us for sixteen years, and it's not like he's our actual dad or something. There's no point or reason for someone like him to butt in."

"Well, maybe it's guilt that he hasn't been around, or maybe he's lonely," Alec remarked. "He said he doesn't have anything to do with the rest of his family. Maybe he's looking for more family." He could understand that drive.

"He should have found some friends or something to pick up the slack by now," Xander stated.
 
"In his defense, he didn't know about you until recently," Daizi pointed out, "He couldn't have had a thing to do with you any more than we could have. Maybe if he had been told about you when you were Ivy's age, he would have been there all sixteen years, but he wasn't given the option then."
 
"That does make sense," Alec nodded. "I think, if you're okay with it, we should let him have a chance. I really do. But if you don't want to, if you've got a bad feeling, then we don't have to."

"Calm down," Xander sighed. "Mama and Baba are right. We don't need to make any decisions right now."
 
"Just take it day by day," Daizi said, rolling down the window a touch, "I don't think what we did last year where we had at least one meeting a week was healthy. It put too much pressure on the two of you."

Dark glanced back at them, "When we get home there is something else we need to talk about, but it is not a stressful thing, so do not worry. I just do not want you both to run off."
 
"Alright, we'll stick around," Alec agreed. He looked over at Xander and reached over to touch his arm. No matter what happened, he wouldn't leave Xander behind. Never.
 
The rest of the drive was handled in general silence, and when they got home, Daizi meticulously extracted Ivy from her car seat. This time she stayed asleep, much to her mother's delight, and they were able to lay her in her pack-and-play while the rest of them talked in living room, after everyone had taken sufficient time to decompress however they needed.

Dark found this, of all things, difficult to talk about, "I... wanted to talk to you both about something my therapist suggested today."
 
"Well." Dark said, clearing his throat, "We were talking about how fireworks affect me, which we have before, and I told him my concerns about passing on my negative response to them onto Ivy. And he suggested he prescribe particularly strong anti-anxiety medication, that I can take on the Fourth of July, so I can, hopefully, experience it without having flashbacks."

This was a serious conversation, so Daizi bit her lower lip and turned her face away. It was not at all amusing that Dark's official medical recommendation was to get high.
 
"That sounds like a good idea!" Alec agreed immediately. "Then you can join us. Or we could still go to Cooger's place to make it easier? Whatever we do, I think that might work!"

"What are the side effects?" Xander asked suspiciously. There had to be a downside to all this or else why not do it before?
 
"I will not be able to drive," Dark began, recalling all of the potential side effects he had talked about with his therapist, "There is a chance it will just put me to sleep, which would not be the worst option, it may not work at all, and..." He licked his lips, "It is weed. It is Marijuana. Basically. There is some technical difference, it is a synthetic... something. But that is what he compared it to."
 
"Oh, is that all?" Xander asked. "The pot heads we've known have all been super chill and mostly wanted to either talk about random stuff like it was the deepest philosophical discussion or sleep. Except for one that would always go shopping and get all the weirdest stuff. Always themed."

"The one who got literally gummy everything that one time, and then a bunch of chicken related stuff, including chicken nugget earings and a chicken purse for our mum?" Alec asked, snickering.
 
"You haven't seen him high before," Daizi said, unable to fight back a small giggle.

Dark turned to look at her, "Darling."

"No, you're right, it's serious, I'm sorry," She replied, holding up both hands, fighting for her life.

"Like I said, though, it is not exactly weed, it is just most similar to weed, but, essentially, yes." He nodded, "and I wanted to bring it up in case it does make me act particularly different, because I know that can be upsetting."
 
"Thank you," Alec said seriously. He leaned over and patted Dark's arm. "This is serious, and thank you for telling us, but I think if you are certain you want to give this a try, then I support you."

Xander shrugged and then nodded. "If you're sure, then you should do it."
 
He exhaled, looking at his daughter sleeping deeply in her cot, her tiny arms flopped out to the side. "It had been offered before, every so often, but my therapist and I always ended up agreeing if I were to get high every time I was likely to face a triggering event, I would have overdosed before turning twenty. But I want her to not grow up to be like me. At least, not in that way. And my therapist thinks it is the best option." A small smile pulled at his mouth, and he laughed the way he had been doing in the car before groaning and pushing his hair back with both hands, "It is ridiculous, I cannot blame you for laughing, Spider. My doctor told me to just get high."
 
"Maybe it won't be so bad," Alec suggested. "A lot of those things are just calming, right? So maybe you'll just be mellow and chill and-"

"And playing reggae music while wearing a floppy hat," Xander finished.
 
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