How Green Becomes Wood

Dark looked up at him, "The Satanic Panic is a historical event wherein goths were accused of performing ritual abuse as part of Satanic cults. People also thought Dungeons and Dragons was Satanic."
 
"To be fair, you do have literal demons and succubae in Dungeons and Dragons," Xander pointed out.

"I know what it is," Alec said, rolling his eyes, "and I'm pointing out it's not a panic. It's..." He huffed in annoyance. "Never mind. It's not important. It's not like you're the ones who have to impress her parents."
 
"What would you call the immediate assumption I engage in the 'stereotypical bad goth stuff'?" Dark asked, "Considering the stereotypical bad goth stuff is Satan worship, sacrifices, and ritual abuse. They may not be screaming and clutching their pearls, but it is the same thought patterns. That is fine, I expect that sort of thing, especially since I am actually married to a practicing witch, but I think I am also within my rights to call it out. But you are right, I should have no bearing on if they are impressed by you because you are your own person and I have only been raising you for two years."
 
"And you make assumptions whenever you see people like them and make comments like 'clutching their pearls,' so you're just as bad in your thought patterns," Alec shot back. "Besides, someone else raised me for the first fourteen years of my life, so who do you think has more bearing there?" He flushed, feeling he'd stepped over a line. He looked away. "I have homework." He fetched his bag from next to the stairs and half ran up them, heading to his room where he firmly closed the door.

Xander finished folding a shirt inside out, realized what he'd done, and started over.
 
"I did say I did not believe they were clutching their pearls and that they were not actually in a panic." Dark said calmly, expecting he would be apologized to later. Even if he did immediately form judgments of those sorts, he didn't go straight home to tell his children about them. He certainly didn't understand what Alec's point was about being raised by someone else for the first fourteen years, considering his whole point in bringing it up was Emma's parents should only be mildly concerned about his bad goth influence.

Ivy come around the side of the table and tried to grab at the folded shirts, wanting to help.
 
Xander handed her one of her own shirts. "Here you go, Mini. All yours! Can you fold it?" He showed her how he was folding his own shirt. "Flip side to side, just like that."
 
Xander clapped for Ivy, his face still serious. "Well done, Mini. Good job." He handed her a pair of her own pants next and dug out a pair of his own to fold. As he was introducing Ivy to the joys of pant folding, he glanced over at Dark. "So... how was meeting them? The... Satters or whatever their name is."
 
Ivy watched Xander and did her very best. Dark sat on the couch watching them for a few moments before sighing and beginning to fold again, "The Suttons. And they were... fine. There really is not much to say. They seemed fairly standard. Maybe not people I would choose to hang out with, but it is not as though they were talking down to me. I am still confused as to why they presumed Ivy was adopted, most people say the two of us look alike."
 
Xander glanced at Dark. "You have two adopted kids already. It's not that big of a leap," he pointed out. "Maybe they were afraid to assume because a lot of people adopt because they can't have their own minis. You could have taken the opportunity to brag about how you made this one." He clapped dutifully for Ivy and told her she was doing a great job.
 
"I would never brag about her being being biological. Daizi could, since she did the work, but it does not feel right to brag about her not being adopted. I do not want it to seem I value you and Alec less. But honestly, the only thing which really bothered me is their reaction to me being a stay-at-home father, but I am used to those sort of those reactions, even though they frustrate me."
 
Xander shrugged. "It's true, we judge books. Y their covers, and your cover so does not say 'stay at home dad.' Your old friend, Matt, he looked more like a stay at home dad. Qnd people are weird about things that aren't normal because normal is proven safety. Not normal has got to be tested. You're the proof stay dads are safe. Lucky you." He smirked. "And I so want to see you and Mama brag about how you bought two and got one for free."
 
"The responses I receive are less so about how I," He gestured to himself, "am a stay-at-home father, and more so that I am a man who elected to stay at home. Surely you recall the sorts of comments you would make before you adjusted to my parenting style, I recall your surprise that I was interested in things mothers were only meant to be interested in, while fathers only were there for the fun bits. That is the confusion I get out in the world, and that is what I find grating. I understand why those reactions exist, but I hate being praised for babysitting my children, which is not infrequent. Remember the aquarium?"
 
"I remember who you chose to save from a waterfall," Xander quipped. Then he gave his father a slight nod. "Seriously, Ba, you dress like a mythical creature, and you're frickin' proud of it. This is just something new for people to judge you by, but I think that maybe, just maybe, you're a bit prouder of being a stay-at-home-dad than you are being a vampire. You managed to live through a mouthy teen judging your every move and proved them wrong. You'll be proving a lot of people wrong."
 
"It is less about myself, and more about the wide expectations of fatherhood," Dark replied, "it is annoying personally, of course, but it is disheartening to know fathers taking an active role in their children's lives is such an oddity."
 
"Maybe," Dark said, taking the strange garment from Xander and righting the garment: it was one of the odd pieces Daizi would wear over her clothes for extra drama and flair because she was not a woman who ever went sans accessories. "I think I am allowed to find it irritating, though."
 
"Thank you, that is very gracious." Dark said, scooping up Ivy and setting her on the couch to distract her for just long enough to put the folded clothes back into the basket so he could take them upstairs to his bedroom.
 
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