How Green Becomes Wood

As if on cue, the sound of Ivy jingling and squeaking came from the other room. Daizi had her in the high chair while she cooked to give Dark a pit of time to decompress, but now she was hearing so many voices she was demanding to be let out. So, Daizi quickly washed her hands, picked up Ivy, and brought her towards the living room, "Dinner will be ready soon. I think she wants to play in the meanwhile."
 
"I got her!" Alec instantly volunteered, hopping up.

"Hairbrush," Xander remarked.

"I got her in just a second!" Alec dashed up the stairs to dispose of his hairbrush in its proper place.

Xander looked at Ivy. "Sup, Mini? You wanna play with the big boys now? Up your game skills? Is that what's happening here?"
 
Once set down on the floor, Ivy quickly crawled over to her father and brother, and tried to pull herself up to standing, but fell back over.

"Uh-oh," Dark said calmly so she didn't start to cry, "Shall we try that again, my darling?" as he reached out to help her back up, "What game would my sweet baby girl like to play with her big brothers?"
 
"Babble translation," Xander suggested as Alec came galloping back down the stairs. "Except she always wins at that."

Alec ran over, dropping to his knees so he slid across the floor to Ivy. "Ivy! Hi! Did you miss me?"
 
Ivy giggled at the way Alec zoomed towards her and Dark instinctively pulled her back slightly in case the teen overshot. "That is because she is the only one of us fluent in babbling."

Feeling secure in how her Baba had her, Ivy reached out towards Alec with so much excitement, one would think she hadn't seen him in a year.
 
Alec had his slide perfect and stopped exactly where he wanted to, but he didn't blame Dark for protecting Ivy. He caught her and rolled onto his back, holding her up above him. "Ivy! You are the prettiest sunbeam in the ocean! Yes, you are!"
 
Hearing that statement from the kitchen, Daizi couldn't help but pause and make a face. It was utterly incomprehensible to her.

Ivy squealed joyously at the swift movement, laughing as hard as her little lungs could. She loved everything she was lifted up like this, it was fun every time!
 
"What does that even mean?" Xander demanded.

Alec ignored him and used his feet to push himself around in a circle, still on his back, spinning in place as he held Ivy up. "Happy, happy, pretty little Ivy! So cute and happy!"
 
Dark smiled looking at the two of them, "She is a happy, pretty baby. The prettiest baby, I believe. I have never known a prettier one."

"Be careful about winding her up," Daizi reminded pointlessly. It was too sweet, and Ivy had missed him too much, to try to enact any laws. They both needed this playtime.
 
Alec laughed and brought Ivy down to lay on his chest so he could hug her tight. "Argh, you're right! I should be winding you up, should I? No, you should be getting ready to sleep!"
 
Ivy giggled, grabbing onto Alec's face as she snuggled in, gurgling at him. She didn't really understand and of this conversation, but she felt very very awake. Still, it was nice to snuggle. It was probably one of her most favourite things.

Dark stood up and stretched, deciding to set the table while Alec took charge of Ivy. It was good to give them bonding time just as siblings.
 
Xander stuck around to make sure Ivy was safe and Alec wouldn't lose his grip on Ivy. He trusted his brother, but Ivy was heavy and wiggly and accidents happened. Alec kept his focus entirely on Ivy, playing with her and cuddling, although he did try to tone it down a little.
 
Now at slightly over twenty pounds, Ivy definitely was a far cry from the four and a half pound baby she had entered the world last October as. Long, long gone where the days when her father could fit all of her in his hands, but she was still very easy to throw around, which she adored. Dark had learned very quickly that she lost her mind laughing anytime he threw her into the couch, so this method of play with Alec, even as he tried to keep it at least slightly relaxed, thrilled her.

Eventually, Dark came back around and told them dinner was ready and if they did not come to eat it while it was hot, only one of them would get to eat, and it was the one who couldn't make their own food--and then, a glint in his eyes, said, "So I suppose Alec has nothing to worry about."
 
"Hey!" Alec objected indignantly. "I can... make sandwiches!" Still, he hd Ivy up for Dark to take before scrambling to his feet.

Xander didn't bother with banter and hurried into the kitchen ahead of them. Food! That he didn't have to make!
 
Dark took Ivy into her arms and brought her to her high chair, setting her down before sitting down and taking out the spoon.

"You have to promise not to live on your own then, habibi," Daizi chuckled, "You can't live on sandwiches alone."
 
"I can't? But it's got bread, protine, veggies, dairy, and sometimes fruit depending on the type of sandwich you make," Alec said.

"A fruit sandwich?" Xander asked, mystified.

"Jam," Alec pointed out.
 
"But too much deli meat isn't good for you," Daizi pointed out, "Whatever is in it is bad enough you can't eat it while pregnant. Jam has lots of added sugar, especially if you don't make it yourself."
 
Alec smiled and nodded, though he didn't take Daizi's words to heart. "Then I guess I'll never move out and you can cook for me forever!"

"Sounds more like a threat," Xander muttered.
 
"It'll be annoying for you, I think," Daizi grinned, "we get to keep you around all the time, and you get to know you are going to be asked, in detail, about what your plans are, both on that day and in life."

"I am sure all of your friends will be delighted when you are thirty and still need to ask permission to have them over," Dark mused, feeding Ivy a spoonful of her dinner before offering her the spoon, "She will be fifteen. Do you think she will be annoyed and embarrassed by her thirty-year-old brother or will she be glad he is there daily?" He glanced at the two of them before looking again at Ivy, "Teenagers are irrational."
 
"I think it'll be about fifty-fifty if she likes or hates it," Alec replied. "Some days good, some days bad, and I don't mind being asked about my day!"

Xander sipped his drink. "I want to move out. Eventually. Not too far away or anything, at least, not permanently, but it'd be nice to have a bigger space to call my own."
 
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