How Green Becomes Wood

It didn't strike Dark as particularly strange that he didn't like most children, but loved his own. Like he said, watching his wife interact with babies and how it felt when he participated with her made such a difference in his mind. It wasn't until Daizi got pregnant the first time, though, and lost it, and he realized how much it hurt that he realized it was something which truly, deeply mattered to him. It was infuriating a little bit, now, as he watched how the twins interacted with each other, or felt Ivy's fingers in his heard, because he remembered all of the times as a teenager that he protested he did not want to have children, because he did not like children, only to be told, 'it is different when they are your own children.' He had not believed it, then, and the stubborn part of him still wished it weren't true--and, in his defense, it certainly was not true for everyone--but setting up the twins' bedroom the first night? Holding Ivy in the palm of his hand? Yes, it was different for him. And, except for how frustrating it was to be wrong, it didn't bother him, because he loved being a father, he loved being a husband, and his wife loved both him and being a mother. That, for once, was enough.

The night ended peacefully enough, and only a few days later, Dark and Daizi were up at what felt like an ungodly trying to get themselves, and Ivy, ready for the day. Of course, Ivy was not going to the wedding, but they wanted to have her as settled and happy as possible before handing her off to the twins. Daizi was fortunate, or sort of fortunate, that it was planned all bridesmaids, on both sides, were getting their hair and makeup done at the wedding venue, so all she needed to do was put on a dress, and, given the fact she had a baby and a dog, it was agreed she would get dressed at the venue. Since Dark would not be wearing makeup, so he was just going to get dressed at home and trust no catastrophes would happen before he left the house. And, unfortunately, he would have a good few awkward hours to wait while everyone who had hair and makeup to be done--which was everyone except for himself and the only other bridesman--once at the venue, but it would be fine. Then there would be all of the pictures, then the ceremony, then more pictures, then the reception. They had to be at the venue by 11, which meant they needed to leave the house by ten, and with the time it took for them both to shower and for Dark to get into his complete wedding attire, especially considering the rehearsal dinner the night before---it was somehow stressful, and they weren't even the ones getting ready.

While Dark was upstairs, mentally preparing himself to don his... suit... Daizi was downstairs with her hair in a loose bun, feeding Ivy breakfast.
 
Alec watched Daizi feeding Ivy with a grin. "Who do you think will have the most fun today? You two at the wedding, or us three here at home?"

"Obviously us at home because we don't have to dress up," Xander said. He looked to have deliberately dressed sloppily in contrast to Dark and Daizi having to dress up.
 
Daizi chuckled, "I think I will have a good time, I think it depends on the reception if Dark does. I hope the three of you have a good time, though. I think this will be the longest you two have been in charge of her, you'll basically have her all day." As she scooped another spoonful of Ivy's breakfast, she asked, "Are you going to be good for your brothers, Ivy?" Then she turned her head back towards the twins as she handed the spoon to Ivy, "She still nurses a few times during the day, which obviously I cannot be here for, but I have milk in the fridge, you just need to heat it up for her. It's been rare that she's been given a bottle, but I think she'll take it."
 
"We can do that, and we have all the numbers of all the contacts prioritized from slight inconvenience to immediate emergency," Alec said cheerfully. "We'll follow her schedule as much as she'll let us, and if it's nice out, maybe take her out for a walk."

"Should be nice enough out for that," Xander agreed with a nod.
 
"I'm sure you know this, but you have to make sure the milk isn't too hot when it's in the bottle, because she's got a sensitive little baby tongue, I've never bottle fed her, but I think you're supposed to check it on your wrist, like you would if you were checking water for a bath." She set the small, plastic bowl of baby food down and then sat back to let Ivy try it herself a few times, "She'd love a walk, I'm sure. We have a coat for her in the nursery, but it's early September, so it probably won't be that cold yet. We're going to leave you one of our cards so you can order in dinner."
 
"I've got the testing technique sorted out," Xander assured Daizi patiently.

"If we go for a walk, we'll take a light blanket just in case, but I doubt she'll need it. Still, better to be prepared!" Alec agreed.
 
"It's not that I'm worried," She said, hearing a particular clatter noise and miraculously managing to catch the bowl before it fell to the floor, although the spoon was a lost cause, "I've just never had you give her a bottle before, to my memory, because we've never left you with her for a full day before. I've never even given her a bottle before, because there hasn't really been a need for me to."

She sighed, standing up to get a new baby spoon, "Dark wrote her schedule out. Don't drive your crazy babysitting her, though, okay?"
 
Xander fetched the spoon from the floor and cleaned up the mess with a few quick swipes. "We haven't before, but it'll be fine, I'm sure. Might be weird, but it'll be fine."

"We got it!" Alec agreed. "We're going to have a lot of fun today, I'm sure of it!"
 
"It's very high quality, I assure you," Daizi joked.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Dark was staring at himself blankly in the mirror, dressed in his lavender suit with a cream undershirt. The fact it looked good against his colouring was aggravating. He looked like an easter egg. He ran a comb through his hair one last time, smoothed down his beard, adjusted the cuffs of his painful, cream-coloured shirt, sighed heavily. Xander was going to make fun of him. The things he did for his wife's friends. If they weren't on a fairly strict schedule, he would've procrastinated more, but they were, so, putting his phone in his pocket, he went downstairs in his lavender suit.
 
"I hope you can get some pictures for us to see of just the generalities and stuff. As long as people are comfortable with that kind of thing," Alec said, but he stopped when he heard footsteps. He turned and leaned over so he could stare up the steps.

Xander moved to see the steps, too. He stared. His lips twitched.

Alec cleared his throat and kept a very careful expression.

Xander pulled out his phone and took a fast picture.
 
"Oh, I'm sure you'll get pictures. I don't know how many we'll be able to take, but eventually they'll release the wedding photos." Daizi said, and hearing the footsteps, knew her husband was coming down the stairs, and knew how this would feel to him.

Again, Dark sighed, pausing only momentarily, understanding for the first time exactly how Enkidu had felt after he had a surgery and needed to wear a cone. "We do not have to," he told his children, flatly, while Ivy squeaked and cooed to try and get his attention, "I know, and you know, and we do not need to address it."
 
"Oh, I think we do," Xander said deadpanned as he looked Dark up and down. "You look very, very good in that color."

Alec nodded, fighting with his face to stay serious or at least not laugh. "Yes, that is a good color," he agreed, his voice wobbling slightly.
 
"I think you look as handsome as you always do," Daizi said gently, genuinely trying to make him feel better.

"Thank you, darling." Dark replied flatly. Then to the twins he said, "It is a colour. That is the extent of it."
 
Xander nodded sagely. "It is, indeed, a color. There are many colors. This is one of them. And this is a lovely color. It brings to mind... spring time."

"Warm days," Alec agreed.

"New beginnings."

"Rebirth."

"Eggs."

Alec couldn't keep in a quiet snort and turned away, shoulders shaking.
 
"Right. Well. We cannot all wear sweatpants and a stained t-shirt, can we?" Dark asked, taking a towel and lightly wiping Ivy's face and hands clean before he felt comfortable lifting her up, because as much as he hated this suit, he wasn't going to let it get stained. It mattered to his friends, or his friends-in-law, so he was going to treat it properly, "If you are not careful, I will make you both wear something worse to the renewal."
 
Xander smirked and leaned against the counter, hands in his pocket. "Maybe not, but they are comfy. And I doubt you can find anything worse than the Easter Bunny's protection detail."

Alec shook his head. "The Bunny's wedding security detail!"
 
Dark scowled at his sons and pointed first at Xander, "Chartreuse sequin suit, with an orange sequin bowtie," then at Alec, "beige t-shirt, beige khakis, beige crocs."

"Goose, don't bully the children."

"They are bullying me."

"Well, they shouldn't be doing that either," Daizi laughed.
 
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"I," Alec said, pretending to tug at lapels he didn't have, "could make beige and khakis look good and exciting! And I hear crocs are comfy."

"I don't know what char-toose looks like, but I bet I could rock it," Xander shrugged. "And just because I wore it doesn't mean it wouldn't suffer an unfortunate... accident somewhere along the way."
 
"You are not allowed to accessorise, and you would not be so cruel as to ruin our vision" He asked, not enjoying this outfit as much as they were, especially not since he knew he was actually pulling it off. It would be so much easier if he looked bad in it. Ivy, watching him closely, and noticing how, weirdly, he wasn't paying attention to her, choose to shriek at her maximum volume and, of course, Dark looked immediately at her, cringing at how close that was to his ear, "And what was that, Miss Ivy-Qadira?"

Once her Baba was looking at her again, she smiled and flopped against his shoulder, cuddling up against him. Frowning, Dark patted her back, said, "That was impolite, sweetheart. Baba was chiding your evil brothers, you should not interrupt people." Then looked back at his sons, "It is our dream to have you in unaccessorized beige and sequin Chartreuse, respectfully, surely you would not deny us that."

Daizi snorted softly, bringing Dark a second cup of coffee, figuring he needed it, "Our dream?"

"You would not be able to see it," He pointed out.

"That's true... Alright, I'm into it." She stretched up to kiss his cheek, "I mean, they're clearly unbothered by it, so surely we can commission the sequin suit."
 
"That's okay. I can still rock the beige without accessories, and you don't have to worry. I won't outshine how fantastic you look in this moment," Alec said with a wink.

"I might literally outshine everything and everyone if you stick me in sequins, but, yeah, you will still rank higher in your pretty pastal purple pants," Xander said with a somber nod. "You have nothing to worry about there."
 
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