How Green Becomes Wood

Xander frowned, wondering when he'd ever said he was passionate, but then he let it go and moved on in talking to Cooger and his parents about other things. It was easy to find topics of conversation to talk about with Cooger there. He always made the discussion lively.
 
After the conversation about the pets ended, the situation turned around to the more comfortable way it began, and eventually Cooger stood and made his usual long goodbyes. Naturally, he and Dark still ended up chatting on the front stoop for about half-an-hour, then he got in his truck and drove him.
 
The twins had headed up to their rooms by the time Cooger had left, and Alec sat on the floor with a schedule drawn out before him. Xander was ignoring him as he worked on a bit of history homework he hadn't finished yet. Alec muttered to himself quietly as he worked. Up and to school by 8, usually earlier, but 8 was the absolute latest. Out of school by 3:30. Cyr wheel practice took two hours with travel time included and started at 4. That meant he was home before 6. In bed by 10-ish. That meant four hours of free time (and meal and homework time) every evening. But if he was working at Tristan's... that put him home at around 7-ish, depending on the day. If h said 7:30, that meant only two and a half hours in the evening. Mondays were mostly free, giving him at least six hours, and Saturdays he either had the last half free after working for Tristan or most of the day on gig days as the gigs took only about three hours in total. He tried counting that up. Not counting Saturdays, that put him at twenty hours a week. If he counted the lesser time on Saturdays, that was up to around thirty hours a week! Give or take. If he was generous, he could say his average free time during the week was twenty-two hours. If he was not so generous, it was closer to eighteen. Then he had at least half of Saturday and the entirety of Sunday! That was a decent chunk of time.

"Xander, how many hours a week do you think you need to devote to a cat?" Alec asked.

"Dunno, don't care, I'm not the cat guy," Xander mumbled as he flipped through his textbook, trying to find a date. "Doesn't matter because Ba said no."

"He said not right now. So, I need to have a good pitch ready for later," Alec told Xander as he wrote down notes.

Xander waved his pencil distractedly. "You do that. It's never going to happen, but good luck trying."

Alec started to say that the dog was less likely to happen than the cat, but he bit his tongue. At least for now, both were out, but that didn't mean he couldn't be ready for next time! He made a note to look up sources for cats enjoying the company of other cats.
 
"Are you really that against another pet?" Daizi asked as they settled into bed, "Or, are you really against a cat? Dogs, sure, there's no way we could make space for another dog, it wouldn't be smart or all that safe. But cats don't take up that much space."

Dark shrugged, shifting towards her as he adjusted the covers, "Both of them spend very little time at home these days. Alec does not drive. I do not have the emotional capacity to provide care for another living thing, and with how often they are not at home: With what time is he going to trim the cat's nails?"

"I think that's what scratching posts are for," Daizi pointed out, snuggling up against him.

"Do you want a cat?" Dark asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Not really, no, I'm happy with our life exactly as is," She replied, "but I think, of any pet, a cat is fairly low-maintenance, and we know Cooger would be able to find us one who would be relaxed and non-destructive."

With a heavy sigh, Dark tipped his head back and stared upwards, "I do not want any more pets. For the past two years, we have not been able to make it a full calendar year where our home is stable, for the past two years we have not been able to last a full twelve-months without a new life coming into our home. I cannot keep going with that pattern. At some point it needs to end. The thought of bringing in another life fills me with dread. I cannot do it."

"I understand," Daizi promised, snaking her arms around his waist and settling down with him.

Over the next few days, Dark set about putting up the rest of the decorations, both inside and outside. Daizi helped where she could, since it mattered to her, too, and the hardest parts were just making sure things were placed where Ivy couldn't reach. Then, Wednesday came, and in the after noon, with quite a bit of anxiety, they took Ivy to her baby group.

As forewarned, when they arrived home, their expressions said much, although Ivy was sleeping peacefully and allowed her mother to lay her down in her crib without waking.
 
Alec and Xander hadn't been home long since Xander had just picked up Alec from his Cyr wheel practice. Alec was in the shower, and Xander was sitting on the couch with his math homework. He watched his parents come in with raised brows but did not immediately say anything.

"So. Do I need to ask how it went?" he asked Dark mildly. "Or should I just infer by your expressions?"
 
"Well, we were the oldest ones there," Dark replied flatly as he sat down on the couch. "Which I had not expected."

"I guess it makes sense, but it was still uncomfortable." Daizi sighed, pulling her legs up onto the couch, "I felt like we were on display."
 
"We just went to the one that was recommended to us," Daizi groaned, "The next oldest one had just turned thirty and already is a mother of two."

"I have never in my life seen so many monogrammed water bottles."
 
"Even keel," Daizi couldn't help but laugh, "They kept asking us these underhanded questions and backhanded comments."

"I wish I was brave enough to dress like that in public," Dark quoted.
 
"Hey, I take that as a compliment!" Alec protested as he came down the stairs, still towel-drying his hair. "Some people really mean it, after all."

"I doubt this group meant it that way," Xander replied. "Monogrammed cups?"

Alec hesitated. "Then... no one ever gets theirs mixed up at a group function? Like baby play dates?"
 
"Most were in this," he gestured with one hand, "Swirly font. It was on their bags, too."

"And they kept asking if Ivy had started doing certain things yet, before asking, 'Oh, but isn't she almost a year?' in this really sweet voice. I'm pretty sure we said she's premature a hundred times." Daizi sighed, flopping against Dark's shoulder.
 
"Ask them how far along their baby is in something like sign language," Xander told her with a smirk.

"It shouldn't matter if she's premature, at least, not to those women. What if they did that to someone who was really, genuinely concerned about their baby's growth? I'm sorry, Mama, that does sound miserable for literally everyone," Alec winced.
 
"I would, if Ivy knew sign language," Dark replied with a tiny smirk.

"She is learning to be bilingual, though," Daizi pointed out, "They were just very judgmental people, I'm afraid. The few older kids who were there were sweet, and very curious in us both, but... I'm not sure their parents were thrilled about that. I don't think we'll be going back."

"Ivy showed a bit of curiosity in others, but mostly just wanted to sit with us." Dark mentioned.
 
"It was definitely the most strangers she's been around since she was just born, so it makes sense why she was nervous," Daizi agreed easily, "I wasn't particularly worried she mostly just sat and wanted to play with us. I think it's about what I expected, really."

"She did smile at the other people, which is an improvement on her past shyness." Dark said, thinking it through, "Really, she did well, I believe. And she was the cutest baby there."
 
"Of course, she was," both twins said with a hint of dryness.

"I have no doubt she was as cute as a bottle of buttons," Alec said stoutly. At Xander's confused look, he said, "Because of that saying, Cute as a button?"
 
Alec gave Dark a narrow-eyed look. "Are you bald-shaming?" He paused and reflectively ran a hand through his own hair. "I wonder if baldness runs in our genes?"

"Aw, hell, no," Xander groaned. "If I can't grow a beard, at least let me keep the hair I have!"
 
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