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In all honesty, Jax brought up the idea. For Ragatha, it feels like a childhood memory unlocked.
“Ribbit got one, and it looked cool.” He told her while she bundled up to head out. He caught himself walking up to her to mess with her little black coat button. “I figure we can grab one when you come home, since ya like that type of stuff. Of course, I’ll be doing the craving since mine can look better than ribbits.”
Guess Ragatha didn’t expect Jax to even like something like that. Her surprised look gave him the wrong impression, but it quickly turned to a face full of joy when she started throwing questions about what type of pumpkin they should get. One that’ll be pretty to put out on their front porch for trick-or-treaters to look at. The only problem is that Jax is expecting a quick trip to the grocery store and just grabbing one, not driving an hour out to the countryside in the middle of the day because they need “the best” pumpkin.
“How far is this place? Also, how many corn fields are we gonna pass by to get there?” Jax sighed. They've been in the car for only 20 minutes, yet Jax was already ready to get out. He had zero clue where they were heading, only seeing fields of farm land and little houses in the background.
“You do realize we literally just left the house, right?” Ragatha questioned him. With the way his ears looked, Jax was already bored. “I know it far, but trust me, it's worth it. It's a pumpkin patch from an actual farmer who put love and care into his work! It's like a mini festival in a way, with food booths and fun activities to do. Don’t be such a grouch…”
When Ragatha plans something, it is always far off from what Jax normally likes to do; he’ll get every complaint in before he gets dragged into the car and Ragatha drives them god knows where. While Ragatha had her tunes and ramblings, Jax had a good ear and a scenic route from the window. He takes in parts of Ragatha's conversation. Pumpkin patch, craving, farm, childhood, some more country shit. He only glanced at her when she mentioned her mother, a sad smile appearing when talking about good memories.
“We used to go every year when I was a child; it was the most exciting part of fall for me, and my mother used to always help me pick out a pumpkin so we could carve it together. I always wanted a horse in it, and she knew I was horrible at drawing but let me design it anyway.” Ragatha reminisced about the memory as if it were yesterday. She let a sigh, rethinking reality now. Jax could only rub her thigh with his gloved hand; he didn’t know why, but Ragatha's face managed to soften up.
When they arrived, it was exactly what he was expecting. Rows of pumpkins were either lined up or moved around by the picky ones. Kids laugh and parents carry whatever one was picked, from the biggest to the smallest. Vendors with all sorts of treats and goodies for those wanting a taste of fall again. An old farmer on his tractor, watching events unfold, another year of selling over a dozen pumpkins to make some autumn a little more special.
To Jax, this really was nothing, but to her….
“Jax, look! That's the lady who sells the pumpkin bread from when I was younger! The one with the sugar power on top that I tried making for you that one time!” Ragatha grabbed his arm, making him walk to the stall with a very elderly lady holding a pan of freshly baked bread. A small dog with tiny glasses on top of her nose. Sniffing out the smell of that delicious pumpkin, Jax had smelt the moment he stepped out of the car.
“Oh my Ms.Ragatha, you are always coming back more beautiful than ever! Who is this young man next to you?” The little old dog shifted her eyes to Jax, his focus distracted by the little shooting range competition happening. He sees one guy hit a perfect, clean shot on the target.
Ragatha nudged him, getting the rabbit to turn around. “Sorry, it's Jax, I’m her boyfriend.”
He was rewarded with Ragatha's blush, the cold breeze adding to her already red face.
“Yes…my boyfriend.” Now it was Jax's turn to feel embarrassed. “I wanted to show him the pumpkin patch I used to go to all the time as a kid, we’re gonna get a few to carve and maybe some pie. Got distracted by that bread of yours.”
“Well, I just got some fresh out of the oven just in time. I’ll cut some pieces for you two to try.” The dog smiled at the couple, her small tail wagging behind her.
When they finally got their bread, along with Ragatha trying to avoid Jax trying to lick the corner of her mouth to get a final crumb(which he succeeded), they walked around and engaged in the little activities around the big old farm. Ragatha knew Jax was gonna take part in anything involving shooting a gun, proudly signing himself up for the little contest. Jax was horribly humbled by the skilled farmers he was matched up with. Pulling his ears in frustration, the poor rabbit hit last place and was only awarded a basket filled with different fruits and vegetables: Apples, carrots, berries, and….
Jax nearly dropped the whole basket when he spotted the corn. Confusion surrounding those, and Ragatha chuckling at the poor rabbit.
“Ragatha, I know you're not laughing…” Jax frowned, catching the doll laughing. She quickly pulled her scarf to hide her smile.
“I’m not laughing!” Ragatha protested, but she still had this cheeky grin on her face. “I mean, I just witnessed you lose to a 70-year-old man in a shooting contest. Funny enough, didn't YOU tell me you were the master of guns? I was hoping you would have a lot more fun since this was such a specialty... oh, and then you nearly dropped some perfectly grown vegetables cause of some corn…It's a little laughable, Jax."
Before Ragatha got the chance to say another word, Jax suddenly picked up something off a nearby rock, and it moved. That grin dropped from the doll's face as soon as Jax was stepping too close for comfort in her space.
“Jax, you know I was joking! There's no need to Jax…JAX!”
The basket of goods was forgotten, and Ragatha yells, plastering throughout the crowd to get as far away from Jax's new little friend. She didn’t mean to cause a scene, but Jax seemed more than pleased with the poor woman's reaction. The idea of the centipede's little legs accidentally getting anywhere on her was worse than hell itself.
“Is this laughable for you rags!” Jax finally caught up to her, grabbing her by the waist to pull her close to the creepy crawlie. “Maybe I should put this guy in that scarf of yours since you've got a lot to hide. Must be nice to have something crawling on your neck for once..."
~
After Ragatha's little torture session, they did a few more activities before heading to the pumpkin patch. One of them was apple bobbing, and Jax, of course, needing to challenge someone, chose Ragatha. He lost to someone who was somehow an expert in something so niche. It was a funny sight to see Ragatha cheer about beating some random children, though; that competitive side of her is a nice touch.
“Well, every year there was this girl I always went up against, and I always came second to her.” The two started snacking on the apples they grabbed, holding each other's hands as they walked along the path to the patch. “I know it's a little silly, but I wanted to beat her so bad. I started timing myself until I felt I was just fast enough to do it under almost 20 seconds.”
Jax hummed at her determination. He would have complicated her; instead, Jax bent down to her ear with a sleazy smile.
“Well, Ragatha, you certainly mastered the skill of bobbing your head pretty fas..”
As if Jax hadn’t already succeeded in making Ragatha blush today, her facial expression definitely took it this time. Completely frozen in her spot as Jax moved away from her, the doll's whole body could be flushed red at this point. Her coat, her scarf, and even her own hair, Jax can have this picture imprinted in his mind.
“When we get home, we can see if that's still true- GAH!”
Ragatha pitched a perfect ball, or an apple in this case, at the right side of Jax's head, knocking him over a bale right by him. She didn’t look over his way to check on him, stomping passed him with her face still red.
“If you don’t mind, I am going to find the biggest pumpkin, and you’re carrying it back to the car.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Which Ragatha did, in fact, find a decent-sized pumpkin, and gladly made Jax carry it back with no help whatsoever. Jax didn’t realize how far they were from their car and was already tired from walking around today. At least Ragatha was nice enough to open the door and let Jax fall right into his seat.
It was pretty dark when they got home, and they both were tired from being on their feet all day. They decided to work on the pumpkin tomorrow when they both were more awake and not craving the warmth of their bed.
At exactly 1:04 am, a sudden, highly awake doll ran downstairs to open up the top of a very huge pumpkin in the middle of her kitchen table. 20 minutes later, a half-asleep purple rabbit dragged himself downstairs to find orange pieces on the floor and a pile of pumpkin seeds on the side.
Now it is 1:33 am, and Ragatha is still working on the pumpkin, sitting on top of a sleepy rabbit who lies head-on top of her bundle of hair. Letting his doll indulge herself in her crafty and messy craving skills. They both were too tired to care what mess they would have to clean in the morning. The smell of an open pumpkin, the warmth of their bodies, and the quietness of their home were fitting for a lovely fall night.