How Green Becomes Wood

At some point, Dark had stripped from his shirt in that feverish, deep-sleep haze, leaving it in a crumpled heap beside him. His illustrated back was glistening with sweat and but he wasn't tossing or mumbling. If anything, it was the most peaceful he had ever looked sleeping.

Still, the moment the glass hit the bed side table, he jerked upright, staring at Xander with wide searching eyes, lines of the pillow pressed into the side of his face, before dropping back down and going back to sleep.
 
Xander jumped when Dark jerked and looked at him, but when Dark almost immediately settled back down, he just shook his head and headed out of the room. "Creepy," he muttered.

When he got back down to the kitchen, he told Daizi, "I think he needs sleep more than food right now even if it messes with his sleep schedule. He is out of it."
 
"Is he really?" Daizi asked, again about to get up and go to the stairs, but her aunt gently grabbed her arm.

"You said it's just a reaction from a flu shot, he'll be fine by morning." Zeinab advised her, "You need to eat your dinner and not stress yourself out."

Daizi couldn't help but pout as she settled back down in her chair, "Ivy-Qadira, Baba is sick. And it's his own fault. I'll probably sweat half to death tonight if his fever doesn't break."
 
Alec and Xander both glanced at Zeinab appreciatively. They could never get Daizi to listen to them ever. She got annoyed if they ever suggested she might possibly maybe be doing too much. They got the point, she didn't want to be coddled, she didn't want to be worried about, but she got to worry about everyone else in existence! It was kind of nice to have someone who could get her to relax just a little. It made them feel more settled.

"This is good," Xander said, barely remembering not to talk with his mouth full. "Really good."

"Amty Zeinab is a patient and good cook," Alec said happily.
 
"I've had a very long time to learn," Zeinab said proudly, ignoring how Daizi was tapping one foot beside her. For someone who had declared her husband soup unworthy, she was certainly worried for him. "But thank you. Alec did his best to help."

"Thank you for cooking, Amty," Daizi said, turning in her chair to help feed Ivy, "What did you mean, Xander, when you said he was really out of it?"
 
"He was asleep. Nice and soundly asleep. And relaxed. Like, way more relaxed than he is when he's awake. He's fine, Mama," Xander told her. "Really, he's just resting, and he's fine."
 
Daizi shut her eyes for a moment and then turned to Ivy, smoothing down her hair while the nearly-one-year old made a mess of her dinner, "I know that he will be fine, but I don't like thinking about him unwell. And I was kind of mean to him about it."
 
Sighing softly and tapping her finger against her cheek, she said, "I'll check on him after Ivy is in bed. I'm just glad he doesn't have the actual flu, it'd be awful if he was sick on her birthday, or even if he couldn't help set up tomorrow."

Zeinab chuckled, squeezing her grand-niece's shoulder, "It's sweet to see how much you care about him. I've never seen that man of yours unwell before."

"He rarely is," Daizi replied.
 
"If he's not up and raring to go tomorrow, I'll eat my belt," Xander stated.

Alec frowned. "Isn't it, I'll eat my hat?"

"I don't own a hat," Xander pointed out.

"Oh, that's right. You should get a hat with how much you're outside," Alec said.

"I've been thinking about getting one, but if I did, I still wouldn't eat it," Xander said.
 
"He'll be up," Daizi agreed, resting her chin in her hand, her loose hair cascading over her shoulder and framing her pouting face. Sitting besides her aunt, she looked like a teenager who had been forbidden from going out on a Friday night. Then she pushed back from the table and went to get a wash cloth to clean Ivy's face with, "but that doesn't mean I like when he's down."

With a knowing smile, Zeinab only said, "Nobody does, habibti," before telling the twins, "Eating a belt is probably better for you, at least if it's good leather that hasn't been too intensely treated."
 
Xander glanced down at his waist. "Better not try it, then. I made this out of part of an old harness that was falling apart."

"Definitely not a good thing to try eating," Alec agreed.
 
"Really? Is it better for the leather to be warm?" Amty Zeinab asked curiously, and proceeded to practically interrogate Xander, and eventually Alec, about all of the details of their hobbies. Given the imperfect knowledge behind some of her questions, it seemed she had either done her reading or someone had done their absolute best to explain what "they" knew about "their" sons' interests.

But whoever that person might have been had excused herself to finish feeding their third child.
 
Alec and Xander were only too happy to explain to Amty Zeinab everything about their hobbies. Xander talked about the differences between leather types, how he sourced his leather, what was popular in his shop, what was fun or not fun to make, and what he hoped to do in the future of his business. The worst thing, he grumbled, was the shipping. That wasn't fun. Then he got off talking about horses and what he did at the barn and how he was given a discount on the fees for staying longer to clean the barns and sometimes the tack. Judo didn't really come up, but he did mention it a little.

Alec enthusiastically talked about the Cyr wheel, his lessons, his classmates, and his teacher, waving his arms as he tried to describe different positions and moves. He had so much fun with the wheel! He told her about how he'd gotten into it after his brief stint in acting, his continued efforts in the band, and a little bit about his art. He loved everything he did so much his main complaint was how there was never enough time in the day! One thing he would love to do was spend more time with his mother and even his brother just playing their instruments. Not trying to practice anything, just playing.
 
Zeinab nodded curiously, trying to follow everything being said and asking follow up questions. When Alec mentioned his desire to play music with his mother more, she sat back and with a warm smile said, "I am never not impressed with how talented your mother is. When she told us she wanted to learn, none of us knew how well she'd handle it, but she's wonderful. I don't know how she can have such delicate hands."
 
"Her harp playing is so pretty! It's like... like..." He struggled for a moment, waving his fingers lightly.

"Butterflies dancing on spiderwebs," Xander supplied.

Alec nodded. "Exactly! That's what it is like. Or when she does piano, too, though that's more like baby rabbits hopping from key to key."
 
Listening to their explanation, Zeinab squinted slightly and asked, "Wouldn't the butterflies be caught in the webs?" Then she shook it off, not quite getting their perspective on Daizi's music but chalking it up to a language difference, "Sometimes, as proud as I am of her, I wish she had continued persuing being a concert harpist. More than anything else, I want her to be happy, and first woman doctor in our family is nothing to scoff at, but I don't think I've ever heard someone play like she can. At least not the harp."
 
"She is really happy in her job," Alec assured Zeinab. "I agree, it would be amazing if she'd gone on to be a harpist, but I think she finds more joy in just playing for herself and sometimes a few people rather than a large group of critical concert goers. She works hard at work and gets to play in peace."
 
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