"You act like I seek reasons not to spend time with my wife," Dark replied as dryly as he gave one final wipe to the countertop. Then, after feeding and walking Enkidu, he went upstairs to the nursery to join Daizi as she readied Ivy for bedtime.
"Alec suggested I take you out to get an outfit for the rehearsal dinner," He told her, settling in beside her in the rocking chair, "We can get dinner after. They said they'd watch Ivy for us."
"I'd love that," Daizi sighed, snuggling down against his shoulder, "I just... I don't know if we have the time..."
"We have next weekend," Dark suggested, furrowing his brows in confusion when Daizi shook her head.
"I'm busy, at least I am that Saturday, I don't know how Sunday will be." Daizi answered, hoping he didn't ask too many questions about why she was just now she was declaring she was busy.
"Busy with what?"
"Just a... friend thing, I don't know." She paused, realizing that was about as suspicious as she could sound, "I want to go visit our rats, and the new ones who joined their mischief. Gwen says they're really happy."
"Oh." Dark replied, resting his head against hers and rubbing Ivy's back, "We can always do during the week, after school. I miss spending time with you. Spending that kind of time with you."
"I know. Me too. But we're okay?"
"We are okay." He promised her, and after Ivy fell fully asleep and allowed them to lay her down in her crib, they retreated to their bedroom, chatting quietly about what day was best to get the rehearsal dinner outfit and about a million other things. If it was okay to pull the twins out to take them to the park, when they should take Enkidu to the groomer's, the plans for the bachelorette party, and anything else they could think of until finally, Dark began to explain to his wife about the conversation he had with Xander. "I am trying to think of alternative sports, if he decides judo is no longer something he wants to pursue but wishes to stay active. The only one I can come up with is fencing, or other sword fighting groups, but somehow I think that is not exactly for him."
"You always wanted to try those," Daizi commented, holding him around his waist and resting her head against his chest, the pair of them sitting up against the headboard.
"If he decided to try them, I would do them with him," Dark admitted, "He asked me why I work out."
"Did you tell him it is because it makes you extra warm?"
"No, of course not."
"Did you tell him it is because it makes you the sexiest man alive?" She asked, tracing her fingers along his abdomen.
He snorted quietly, "Why would I have told him that?"
"Did you tell him it lets you toss me around like--"
"Spider."
"I'm sorry," She laughed, nuzzling him.
"I told him the truth," Dark told her, looking up at the top of their bed's canopy, "We have similar reasons, and I am not surprised... I feel... I feel fortunate he trusted me enough to come and talk to me about it. He could have kept it inside until it boiled over, if it boiled over, but instead he came to me, he spoke with me about what he was feeling."
"Xander has really come a long, long way," Daizi said, rubbing her hand up from his chest to the crook of his neck in slow, soothing circles.
"He has, I am really proud of him." Dark commented, falling silent for a little while, enjoying the quiet house and the warmth of his wife, "It makes me feel like I am doing a good job."
"Of course you are doing a good job, Goose," She promised him, tipping her face more towards his, "You are doing an excellent job."
"He told me... Well, I told him, that I did not want him to use me as his baseline of how to be, because I want him to be better than I am..." Dark swallowed and then took a deep breath, the emotions from before rising back up as he spoke about it, "And he told me... He could never even reach me. And I just..." He trailed off. Beside him, Daizi pulled away, shifting so that she was facing him, although she never broke content.
"Ghalib," She murmured, the sound of him alone bringing tears to her eyes, "You're those boys' hero."
"Well, you--"
Squeezing his hand, Daizi spoke sincerely and firmly to them, without an ounce of distress in her voice, "They love me. And I love them so, so much. But I wasn't the one who found them in the snow and brought them home. You saved their lives."
His throat tightening, Dark glanced away from the way his wife looked at him, but after one a second he looked back at her, bringing her hand to his heart. "You saved my life."
"You saved mine, too," She reminded him, moving closer to him while still sitting in front of him. One of his hands rested on her waist, and she draped both of her arms around his neck, "So we're even." Daizi leaned in and brushed her lips against his before almost suddenly squeezing him in tightly and kissing his temple. "I love you, so much. Ghalib, Goose, darling, everybody in this house--damn near everybody I know--thinks the world of you. I think the universe of you." She sniffed, "Our children do too."
Allowing himself to live in her embrace, and relishing the sound of his name on her lips, he confessed, "I never thought... anyone... would look up to me."
"I know, and it breaks my heart." She ran her fingers through his hair, holding him there until they were both ready to settle down again. Still intertwined, she said, "You are the greatest father I have ever met. And the strongest--of course they admire you. I admire you."
