How Green Becomes Wood

Dark stretched, staring tiredly at Alec, confused. He thought about maybe getting up and going to sit on the couch with Alec so they didn't wake Daizi... but it was January, it was cold, and he really didn't want to get out of bed. So after a few more moments of staring at his son in the dark, he shifted over in bed and held up the blanket, "Okay, come here."
 
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Alec didn't need to be told twice as he quickly slid into the blankets and nestled up to his father as best he could. "Thank you," he whispered. He felt tears coming again but fought them down. He was safe here. Safe, secure, and whatever else Dark was or was not, he was love. He was compassion. He was safety. When Alec closed his eyes, he could see some of the pictures he'd looked at, but he could also feel Dark's muscled warmth behind him. He focused on that feeling, holding on tight.
 
Dark wrapped Alec up in his arms, not knowing what he had gone through that night, but knowing he was upset. So, he held him close and murmured, "You are very welcome, habibi." Daizi, who had miraculously stayed asleep despite typically being a light sleeper, rolled back over and did her best to snuggle back in.
 
Alec took a deep breath and let it out shakily. He relaxed slowly, and after a while, he fell sound asleep. It was going to be a very confusing morning, and maybe he'd feel embarrassed that a sixteen-year-old boy still came to climb into his parents' bed, but for now, he didn't care. He slept deeply, fully relaxed and comforted.
 
Eventually, Dark, too, fell back asleep. Come morning, Daizi woke up, her arm stretched across her husband's body. The bed felt warmer than usual, that was good. She snuggled into his back, inhaling the deep scents of wood, spice, and that vague incongruent sweet scent nobody else believed he had.

Tracing her fingers up his arm, she murmured something softly in Arabic, and... His shoulder appeared much sooner than it ought to be. That didn't make sense, seeing as her face was still very much pressed into his back. Moving her hand higher, she felt a bald face and leapt back in surprise, touching her front to double check she had gone to bed with a shirt on.
 
Alec squeaked in surprise as he woke up first to a tickle on his arm and then a hand on his face. "Who?" he blurted blearily. For a second, he didn't remember where he was. Then he did, and he blushed. "Good morning, Mama. I'll just... see myself out." He started trying to wriggle out of Dark's hold.
 
"I didn't... what?" Daizi asked, utterly bewildered about what on earth transpired over the night. Dark was still very much asleep but he wasn't holding onto Alec particularly tightly.
 
Alec slid out of bed and started walking backward to the door. "Sorry, Mama. I'll see you downstairs for breakfast." He hurried out and went to his room to get dressed.

Once dressed and ready for the day, he headed downstairs to start getting breakfast ready. It was a simple breakfast of pancakes, but it'd be good! And today... today was a special day! Today Emma was coming over.
 
"Mmhm," Daizi replied, rubbing her face. Thankfully, she couldn't linger in her embarrassment for too long because Ivy began to fuss over the baby monitor, so she got up, quickly brushed her teeth, and headed to the nursery. After Ivy was changed, dressed, and nursed, Daizi came downstairs with her, leaving Dark to sleep.
 
"Good morning, Ivy," Alec greeted her with a smile. "Look! I made you some pancakes just your size." He showed her the small, round pancakes he'd made for her. "Now, when is your other brother going to get up? Maybe you should go wake him up so we can have hot pancakes!"
 
Alec took Ivy and galloped with her downstairs to the basement. "Time to find Xander!" he said loud enough that Xander could hear them coming if he was awake. "Ivy, do you know where Xander is? Can you find him?"

Xander was dead to the world and buried under his blankets with only his foot sticking out.
 
Ivy babbled excitedly, not understanding the game but recognizing Alec was exicted. If let loose, she immediately found Xander's foot and grabbed hold of it, otherwise she just excitedly pointed, screeching in delight.
 
Alec opened Xander's door and let Ivy down. "Go get him!"

When tiny hands grabbed his foot, Xander woke with a start. He didn't pull away immediately, too groggy to understand what was happening. His head emerged from the blankets like a fish surfacing the water, and he stared around. "The hell?"

"The Ivy!" Alec picked Ivy up to display her and then set her on the bed with its mound of blankets. The one thing Xander was a maximalist in was his blankets.
 
Ivy immediately tried to put Xander's toes into her mouth and would do so if not prevented from the action. As soon as she was put onto the bed, she crawled towards Xander's face, not paying even the slightest attention where her hands and knees hit. This was a flaw in Ivy her father had discovered many times.
 
Xander started to say something, then abruptly wheezed when Ivy's knees hit a tender spot and a hand smacked his stomach, soon followed by a knee. "I'm up! I'm up! Save me!"

Alec caught Ivy around the middle and held her suspended over Xander, keeping her just out of reach of Xander's face. "Good job, Ivy! He's up! He's awake!"

Xander glared at Alec. "I'm going to get you as soon as you aren't holding a toddler."

"I know!" Alec said cheerfully and danced back out of reach, holding Ivy like a sheild.

Xander rolled out of bed and stomped after Alec, hair in a disarray, but fully dressed in oversized pants and shirt. Alec led the way with Ivy upstairs to the kitchen.
 
Ivy laughed happily as she was whisked away. Whatever this new game was, she liked it!

Upstairs, Daizi was drinking a cup of tea, and hearing the footsteps return she asked, "Were you successful?"
 
"Yes! We were super successful, weren't we Ivy?" Alec laughed, swinging Ivy around and keeping her between himself and Xander.

Xander glared. "That is not fair. And where's food? I hate mornings."

"Food's over there," Alec said, using Ivy's foot to point. "You have to get it yourself.

"You can't hold that baby forever!" Xander warned, stomping over to get his breakfast.
 
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