How Green Becomes Wood

"On Thursday, Dark and I will probably have dinner together just us," Daizi said, tearing some of the complimentary bread in half and handing some to Dark, "and if we are both at different museums or.." She sought for the correct word, failed to find it, and instead used, "Events, like Dolphin watching or if you went on a biking tour, it may provide lunch. But I think if we always make sure to communicate, it will be okay. We can also just decide when a good meal time would be, if we normally eat around now, but one of us is busy then, we can call and move it back." She shrugged, "I don't think we should over complicate things."

"Regardless, Daizi should pick everything on her birthday." Dark said, but she shook her head and affirmed she didn't need that.
 
"I agree," Alec said, smiling as Daizi shook her head. "And we should definitely always meet for dinner, but we'll just talk and make sure everyone know what everyone else is doing."

Xander nodded. "No complications. Just... good vibes."
 
"Always meet for dinner, except for Thursday night, when Dark and I have a date," Daizi repeated a bit slyly, thinking it was fair of her to request. She wasn't planning to propose the vow renewal then or anything, because she did not have the time to sufficiently plan it, but even though they had a family now, she wanted to have one strictly romantic night with her husband while on vacation. "But yes, good vibes!" She raised her cup slightly, and Dark repeated the gesture.

After lunch, Dark handed the twins a bottle of sunscreen and made them reapply, before reapplying it to himself, Daizi, and Ivy (although Ivy had a special type explicitly for babies). The twins were likely to burn, his tattoos were likely to fade, Ivy had young sensitive skin, and he didn't want Daizi to develop skin cancer. Therefore, he kept a close eye on everyone.

Afterwards, they returned to their rental to let Ivy nap for a bit while they took time to relax before changing into their bathing suits, gathering their supplies, and going out to the shore.

Over Daizi's celestial swimsuit, she wore a mostly sheer black coverup, the hem of which was cut like bat wings, although it wasn't really necessary because of how close to the water they were, and when she took it off, it wasn't too difficult to see the healing stretch marks from her pregnancy. They'd always be there in some capacity, but they didn't really bother her. It was so hard to have Ivy, whatever her body needed to do so she could have her baby, she accepted. And the way Dark was undeterred by them helped, too.

His swim trunks were simple and black, but that didn't really matter much, because since he was only in swim trunks, and ones which only reached around mid-thigh, his tattoos pulled more attention than anything he wore would have. He didn't often wear shorts, so some of the tattoos would have been brand new to the twins, including one on his right hip, where the bottom of a dragon appeared at the hem of his shorts, but the head emerged above the waistband.

He lay out some towels, and set Ivy down on one with a few of her toys while he blew up her little float device.
 
Xander had red trunks, and Alec had white. Both had opted to wear a regular T-shirt with their trunks. Xander had picked white thinking of its reflective properties and hadn't considered the fact that it would cling with a certain amount of transparency once wet. Alec had thought of that, hadn't gotten around to telling his brother, and had gone with a light bage shirt for himself. They had been sorely tempted to stick around and stare at Dark's tattoos and take them all in, but, resisting the urge, the moment their home base on the sand was established, both took off running into the water. As long as Xander was nearby, Alec forgot all his fears of sharks.

Meanwhile, not far away, a fellow family had set up camp. This family consisted of a mom, a dad, two boys, and a girl. The girl looked to be the middle child. The mom laid out on a beach lounge in a two-piece with a brimmed hat and a book. The older boy and the girl were out in the water while the slightly chubby dad sat by himself trying to blow up some sort of plastic thing and not getting far. The youngest boy huddled the shade of a large umbrella with the towels, covered by some sort of dark outerwear. He sat blatantly staring at Dark, though he did make some small attempt to hide behind a large Narnia book. His glasses glinted every time he raised his eyes.
 
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Dark did not wear a shirt. For one thing, he didn't feel like anybody should be made to feel insecure about being shirtless, as a moral stance, but more honestly: He had worked rather hard to look the way he did, both in the gym (and he felt extra proud, considering how many coworkers told him he was not going to stay fit now that he was a dad, and considering he had broken a rib not too long ago) and under the needle, getting artworks embedded in his skin, and this was about as much as he could legally show off without feeling uncomfortable.

He caught sight of the other family, and especially the boy who kept staring, but did not acknowledge them. He was used to being stared at, and anyway, he was blowing up his own inflatable so they could take Ivy swimming. In preparation for this, this had taken her to baby swim class, but it wasn't like she was Michael Phelps, she was still a baby, and they were very protective. Eventually, Dark did vaguely wave at the boy staring at him so he knew he had been spotted.

For the time being, anyway, Daizi sat with her, playing with her like they did anywhere else, except now she was battling against Ivy's desire to eat sand.
 
The boy - who looked to be about 12 or 13 - visibly gasped and ducked behind his book. After a little bit, his mother looked over and said something. The boy grumbled a bit but nodded. He got up and left the comfort of his shade to walk out into the sunshine. He wore a large black over coat that looked possibly military or some sort of grunge/construction worker that nearly fell to his knees. The bottoms of bright blue shorts stuck out, giving a hem to what looked like a walking tent. He plopped on a large, grey rain hat, completing the tent look, and wandered out. He slowly made his meandering way down the beach, just "happening" to walk by where Dark and Daizi were sitting, awkwardly skirting the water. Gradually, he made his way back farther up the beach and away from the water slowing to a painful crawl as he walked closer and closer to Dark and Daizi. Sunlight glinted on his glasses, making it hard to see his eyes under the rim of the hat.
 
When the kid got up, Dark noticed how he was dressed and the next time he caught him staring, he gave him a slight, respectful nod. That boy was a baby alt, probably thrifted that jacket, and likely faced a lot of pushback for his choices, so he deserved from affirmation from adult alts. Even in their bathing suits, it was pretty obvious the sort of people Dark and Daizi were. Yes, Dark's tattoos certainly helped with that, but... Daizi's beach towel resembled an ouiji board which read, "Never Trust the Living", Dark's was shaped like a coffin, and their baby who, despite dressed like a watermelon, was placed beneath a black lace parasol carefully stuck in the sand. So. There were signs.

Leaning over to his wife, Dark quietly and in Arabic explained what was happening, and Daizi sat up, lifting Ivy into her lap, replying softly to him with a little chuckle.
 
Finally, the kid managed to get closer and stood awkwardly shifting between looking at his book, looking at the sand, and looking at the sky. He edged just a hair closer and asked in a breathless tone, "Excuse me, sir, but are you... are you the," his tone dropped to a whisper, "Illustrated Man??"
 
The boy paled slightly and took a step back, but even as his fear grew, so did his fascination. "You mean... you're really real? Oh, wow!" He swallowed hard and looked at Dark and Daizi. "Does that mean... are you going to," again the whisper, "kill them?"
 
Dark's eyes glinted, this was as enjoyable as when children thought he was a vampire. "Kill who?" He sat back, resting one illustrated arm against an illustrated knee, "Which 'them'?" Averting her gaze to hide a smile, Daizi wondered if Dark was intentionally thickening his accent.
 
The boy glanced at Daizi and Ivy again, gripping his book harder. "The... the. Baby? And the wi-" He clamped his mouth down on the word "witch" before it could get out. "Woman?" he tried again. "Are you going to hurt them?"
 
"Ahhh..." Dark nodded slowly, "No, not I am not going to hurt them. I promise." He looked over at Daizi again, who was bouncing Ivy on her lap, "Understand, Mr. Bradbury was a very clever man, and a very talented writer, but we met only briefly, and he took some liberties when he wrote. You see, I did seek the witch," He nodded towards Daizi, who smiled towards the boy, "but we married. This is our daughter."
 
"Really?" The boy brightened a little. "Did you really? Wow. Wow." He stared at Daizi with awe and only a hint of fear that bordered on respect. "That is really cool. I didn't think you'd ever find that kind of happiness, Mr. Illustrated." He also looked just a touch disappointed. He wasn't quite at the age that recognized the beauty and happiness of a family as your "happily ever after." "I read all the stories of your illustrations, sir, and I almost memorized them before my mom took away the book. I promise to remember the morals they teach, sir."
 
His expression not changing perceptively to the boy, Dark smiled at the boy's comment. He didn't think he'd ever find this happiness either. He recognized the hint of disappointment on the boy's face, and said, "Do not worry, the Dust Witch still casts incantations, and I still did all of the things I have done before. I appreciate how much you adore the short stories about me," He turned one arm palm-up and flexed to make one of his tattoos move for the boy, "and it is good you take their lessons to heart. Have you read Something Wicked This Way Comes? It is another Mr. Bradbury wrote inspired by myself, it shows a bit more of what we have been up to in the intervening years. Although it still takes creative license, of course. He had to tell a good story, and Ray loves to make me the villain." Again, Dark's eyes glinted, and he held out his hand for a handshake, "My name, to those brave enough to know it, is G.M. Dark. He changed that, in the book. To protect my privacy."
 
The boy's eyes lit up as he watched the tattoo move, and when Dark held out a hand to him, he practically vibrated. "Wow," he whispered, his voice squeaky. He lunged forward and shook Dark's hand quickly, nearly dropping his book. "It is a pleasure to meet you, sir! It is a pleasure! Wow! My name. My name is Rich! It's short for Richard. Richard Dunstan. I won't tell anyone else who you are. Promise! It's their own fault for lacking culture to not recognize you, anyway, sir." He was still shaking Dark's hand.

The book had slipped in his hand, revealing that the book underneath the dust jacket was not actually Narnia. It was impossible to tell what book it actually was, but it was definitely not Narnia.
 
"I am very glad to meet you, Rich." Dark said, shaking the boy's hand for as long as the boy needed to, admittedly enjoying this moment of celebrity. He would always pretend to be a vampire, or the Illustrated Man, or the Phantom of the Opera, or whichever creature, monster, or villain children wanted him to be, and he knew Daizi was always willing to be a witch, because it was better to let children have their fantasies. So long as parents weren't using them as tools to discipline their children, they were happy to oblige. "What book are you reading there, if I may ask?"
 
Rich finally let go of Dark's hand and blushed bright red as he gripped the book in both hands. He glanced toward his mother, who hadn't noticed who he was talking to yet. "Um. Narnia?" he half said. Then, almost guiltily, he whispered, "Actually, it's the Hitchhiker's Guide collection."
 
"I see..." Dark replied, following Rich's gaze, "Well. Since you have promised to keep my secret, I will promise to keep yours. That is a clever trick, but keep an eye the dust jacket stays in place, so you do not get caught."
 
"Yes, sir, thank you, sir," Rich promised quickly. He glanced toward Daizi nervously and leaned closer. "Sir, the Dust Witch, would she let me shake her hand?" he whispered.
 
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