How Green Becomes Wood

When the twins stepped inside the house, Ivy was screaming and crying at the absolute top of her lungs, holding one hand to her forehead. Daizi, meanwhile, was pacing through the main level of the house attempting to shush her. Dark was sitting in the kitchen, holding an ice pack to his face.
 
"Ivy and I were playing." Dark replied blandly, sounding tired in a way only parents of toddlers could, "And then she sprang up from where she was lying, heedless of the fact my face was in the way. Her skull is very small, but rather solid."
 
"Ooo," the twins winced, recoiling a little at the thought of that pain.

"Note to self, treat Ivy like a dangerous jack-in-the-box," Alec stated. "Is there anything we can do?"
 
Neither twin said anything for a moment.

"That is a really good black eye," Xander said at last.

"I'll see if she'll let me hold her so Mama can get a break," Alec said. He didn't think he'd be successful, but it was at least an attempt.
 
"You cannot imagine how relieved I am it happened to me and not your mother." Dark replied flatly, knowing how concerned people would be if a blind woman was walking around looking like she was punched in the face.

"Maybe if one of you brought her a snack or something?" Daizi called from the living room, "I'm just trying to distract her."
 
"One snack, coming up!" Alec called. He put his backpack by the stairs and fetched one of Ivy's favorite snacks. He walked into the living room and called to Ivy. "Look what I have, Ivy. Would you like this?" he asked, holding up her snack and a drink for her.
 
When Ivy looked at him, her face was all red and snotty from crying, and Daizi definitely needed to wash her hair, but she looked at the food and sniffed.

"Do you want the good snack, habibti?" Daizi asked, continuing to sway and rub her back, "I bet you're so hungry."

Ivy gurgled and moved her hand---unlike her father, she barely had a mark on her---but didn't reach out to the food, trying to make herself still cry.
 
"Do you want to sit on the couch with your brother?" Daizi asked, walking to the couch to sit down before Ivy could say anything, "And we can put on Ivy's favourite movie, with all the water."
 
"Let's do that," Alec agreed. He helped set Ivy up with the snack and the drink and got the movie going for her. He sat next to her, offering her a side to snuggle, hoping Daizi might get a little bit of a break this way.
 
Daizi sighed softly as the movie started and Ivy began to finally settle. All things told, she hadn't actually been crying for that long, but the sound of her crying from pain rattled her so much more than a tantrum usually did, especially when her husband couldn't help because he was busy treating his own injury.
 
"Okay," Alec agreed. He helped Ivy with her snack and drink, turning his attention almost entirely to her.

Xander got himself and Alec a snack ready and got Dark a fresh ice pack.
 
"I realize," Dark said, stretching out his legs and adjusting to the now-quiet house, "I could have used one of her teething toys. Her round one probably would have fit my eyesocket perfectly."
 
"I dunno. Either she wouldn't care, or she'd be very upset," Xander said. He sat down to eat his snack. "Is it weird that I figure if she was ever in a really tight spot, she'd pull like a shotgun out of her purse?"
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top