How Green Becomes Wood

"Is it winning if you just steal and eat the pieces?" Dark asked, playing like he usually did, although he felt absolutely exhausted from how little sleep he had been managing to get.
 
Dark frowned at the board for awhile, taking time to consider the best way to get out of check. Then he moved a piece he was satisfied with, "Do you remember last year when we did a chess tournament on my birthday?"
 
Xander cursed quietly and grumbled for a moment as he tried to figure out what to do next. He picked a piece and moved it almost at random, trying to see if he couldn't shake Dark up as well as get himself out of check. "You want to do a checkers championship this year?"
 
"In what way? Point her in the right direction, tell her when she hits close to the board or on it, and that's about the same chance as the rest of us have without practicing at all," Xander said, sitting back with a smirk, feeling certain he'd gotten him this time!
 
"Try telling her that. Or do not, she would be delighted and I would end up with a dart in the wall or the dog." Dark replied, watching the board. Then he moved his next piece, "Check."
 
"The dog? Are you expecting her to do the whirlwind while throwing darts?" Xander laughed. "Definitely in the wall. We'll all be hitting the wall, I guarantee." He made a move to get out of check, but it didn't help him much. "Alright, no darts."
 
"Ah, damn," Xander sighed. "Closer. Always closer." His phone chimed, and he pulled it out to check. "I need to go pick up Alec." He offered Dark a fistbump before cleaning up the chessboard. "Good game, Professor."
 
"Me too," Xander agreed.

After putting away the chess board and pieces, he went out to pick up Alec. Alec came out immediately, having been watching for his brother and hopped in. He normally preferred online meetings with his therapist, but she'd asked if he would come in person this time, and he'd agreed with only a moment of hesitation. Xander looked to see if he could tell any difference in his brother... but he couldn't. If anything, Alec seemed a hair more tense than before, relaxing only when they were in the car.

"So... thinking about talking to Mama and Ba about everything?" Xander asked as they drove.

"No. Why should I?" Alec asked, sounding puzzled. "Mama didn't do anything."

"And Ba?" Xander prompted.

"No," Alec said flatly. "I'm tired of being the one to apologize, and I don't think I was as wrong as him."

"I don't think that's the point," Xander tried.

"No," Alec repeated more stubbornly.

Xander gave up, and they drove in silence save for the music.When they got home, Alec went to play with Ivy a little before going to do his homework, speaking happily to Daizi but avoiding Dark.
 
When Alec continued to ignore him while talking to everyone else, all of the anxiety and frustration at himself Dark had managed to set down while playing with Xander game rushing back in. It was such a frustrating thing, because he knew perfectly well the issue at hand was largely due to the moodiness of the teenage years but even though he kept trying to get his inner monologue to shut up, watching Alec seem to switch to absolutely despising him made it impossible. His mind simply would not stop berating him. Of course, he continued his attempts to extend the olive branch and at least begin the conversation because he would not stoop to Alec's level. Alec may be furious with him, but he was not furious with Alec and he was doing his damnedest to make that very clear.

Not really understanding why she was forgiven, Daizi chose to go along with it, hoping the fact Alec wasn't angry with her would give her a chance to try and mediate whatever was going on between the two of them before Dark had a self-loathing fueled breakdown. She knew he was doing his absolute best, but with everything else he was dealing with mentally and his longstanding anxieties about being a bad father due to his past... It was really hard on him.
 
Perhaps an hour after Alec arrived home, an email pinged in Dark and Daizi's inboxes, a group message. It was from Alec's therapist. It was carefully worded and very polite, but it stated that she did not believe that, at that moment, Alec was not benefiting as much as he could from his sessions.

It is my belief that I am not the right match for him. I can see that he is keeping things in, that he is dealing with some heavier topics, but he will not bring them up voluntarily, and any attempt on my part is met with evassion. I believe we have made some progress in small areas, but he still keeps deeper subjects closed off to me. I think it would be best if he were to find another therapist, one who can help him reach deeper and open up more.

I have included a list of therapists in the area as well as online options for your consideration.
 
Because Daizi still had to pay attention to work emails, she read it first and then went to speak to Dark about it. There in there inbox was more evidence that their son was not okay, regardless of what he said. Having already been struggling to deeply with his despair and his anxiety rubbed his hands over his face and just said, "I do not know what to do." After taking a deep breath and trying to find some courage, he ultimately only managed to repeat, "Daizi, I do not know what to do."

"We will figure it out," Daizi answered softly, "We always do."

"He will not open up to us, he will not open up to a professional, he will not even speak to me anymore." Dark replied, holding his head in his hands and staring down at the floor. "He is my son and I can do nothing for him."

"That's not true."

"There is his room, and there is this, and I am scared for him. And I do not know what to do. Whenever I try to help him it only frustrates him and pushes him further away and there is nothing I can do."

"Ghalib, Ghalib," Daizi said gently, putting her hand on his back, "Take a breath. Right now just email his therapist back, tell her we understand, thank her, and ask if this is a more recent problem or one she has been having. Okay? I'll go upstairs, I'll let him know what's going on, and I'll talk to him. He's speaking to me again. We'll be okay. We'll make it okay."

Nodding, Dark forced himself to take a deep breath. When he murmured assent to her plan, she leaned in to kiss his head and then stood up, took a moment to steady her own anxieties, and then knocked on Alec's door.
 
After a while, the therapist responded that it was not a new problem, but one that had existed to varying degrees since fairly early on. Alec had opened up a small amount early on, but then had never quite allowed her past a certain point.

Meanwhile, Alec cautiously opened the door a fraction and then all the way when he saw who it was. "HI, Mama," he said slowly, slightly wary.
 
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