How Green Becomes Wood

"Because it will help you in the long term," Daizi said gently, walking alongside him, "Even though it may not feel like it just now."

"Take some time to breathe before you go to work," Dark said.
 
Alec rubbed his face a little hard and walked faster, outpacing his longer-legged parents for once. "I don't need to breathe. I just want to just... I don't know. Where's the car?"
 
"It is just over this way," Dark replied, walking more at his normal pace to keep up with Alec more. The drive was long enough he hoped it'd give him time to self-regulate, but he wished they could stop to just breathe.
 
Alec got in the car and huddled in the backseat. He didn't say anything for a while, pulling at his sleeves or the hem of his shirt. Finally, he blurted, "I don't want to stagnant and rot!"
 
Pausing, Dark glanced at Daizi for a few moments while she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Are you afraid of that?" Daizi asked hesitantly, "I don't think anyone else has had that concern about you."
 
"All things do," Dark replied, "but it does not mean it is for the worse."

"I think of it less as change and more as evolution," Daizi added, "It is how they survive to face new challenges."
 
"Things die out because they did not adapt," Daizi gently pushed back, "Things which remain the same despite external changes do not survive. Those which develop to survive the new weather survive."
 
"This is not helpful," Alec said flatly. "It's still death. It's still failure. It's still stupid. Evolution is still change. I don't adapt well, so I'm going to die. Because of evolution or change or stagnation or... I don't know! I don't like any of it." He slumped back, pouting as he stared out the window.
 
Alec grumbled moodily, still staring out the window. He didn't want to think about any of this. Why did he have to think about it? Why did everything have to get all messed up? Why did he have to mess things up? It just wasn't fair! He just wanted to get things right, and he ended up in therapy with an Ice Queen who was cruel and unforgiving. And everything in his head had started shouting and turning against him! Why had it started to become so freaking difficult to be happy these days? That used to be easy! Now he couldn't manage to think happy thoughts for five seconds in a row! And that was making him angry and nothing was working! Maybe the annoying adults were right and teenagers should just shove themselves in a barrel until they were twenty-one.
 
Dark took another glance at Daizi and then looked back at the road, driving in silence to Tristan's flower shop. For a little while, Daizi touched her hand to the back of Dark's neck before dropping it back to her lap.

Soon enough, they arrived at the flower shop. Both Dark and Daizi wanted to tell Alec to take a few breaths before going in and to make sure he was okay, but they both knew that boy was going to storm out of the car as soon as the wheels had stopped, so instead Dark just said, "I will be here when you finish up."
 
"'Kay," Alec mumbled and hopped out of the car as fast as he could. He headed into the shop and disappeared into the stack of flowers. Time to work! Work was good. Work was grand.

An hour later, Tristan texted Dark, Please come take him home. I am begging you. I'll pay him the full day's wages, just take him home before he makes my plants shrivel. I do not know how to handle this aspect of Boss and Uncle to a kid that is usually soft as moss but currently making me want to hug a cactus.
 
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Dark stared down at his phone and then passed his hand over his face, nearly laughing at the grim terror of this message, Okay, I am on my way. My apologies.

Then, with a quick explanation and a goodbye, Dark drove to the flower shop.
 
Tristan texted a quick thank you and peeked into the back where he'd left Alec sorting out some of the wilted flowers and things. The teen scowled all the while, acting every inch the surly teenager while stabbing rose stems into their bucket of water. Tristan was quite happy they weren't in the business of carrying anything too breakable. "I decided to close up early," he called to Alec, wincing a little. He made it a point of honor to never lie, which meant he was going to have to close early today. Maybe just an hour early. That still counted as the truth, right?

Alec's frown deepened. "But I just got here," he complained.

"I know. I apologize, but it is unavoidable," Tristan replied. He watched Alec a moment, expecting him to ask questions - he always did - and when no questions came, he said, "I alerted your father for you so that you can continue working."

"Okay." Splash. Splash. Splash. Flower stems should not create that much splash in a bucket of water.

Tristan cautiously backed up into the main part of the shop right as a customer came in, and he welcomed the distraction. He glanced occassionally toward the back, making certain Alec stayed put and out of trouble as he waited for Dark to come get him.
 
Dark arrived without too much trouble, decreasing the time Tristan had to spend with a moody teenager by a little bit. After parking, he went inside to fetch his son rather than waiting for Alec to come out. When he stepped inside, he nodded to Tristan, "You are surviving."
 
Tristan cleared his throat. "My apologies for summoning you like this. I really am at a loss in this situation," he admitted. "I really have no idea what to say to him or how to handle this as both his boss and family member. I do not know what is troubling him, but he seems incapable of putting it aside in favor of work today. That is not usually a problem. Things might trouble him, but he is able to compartmentalize enough for customer service. Please take him home before one of us says something we both regret."
 
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