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"Mama!" There was a tug at her skirt.
She looked down, shutting the cupboard. Sasha was looking up at her, her big baby eyes fixed upon her face. "What is it, Sasha?" She asked with a smile.
Sasha held up a dandelion in her little hands. "Papa give."
"Hmm?" Mikasa crouched down, with caution. By now, her belly was starting to round up a little. She wiped a little stain of dirt from Sasha's cheek. "Did papa give that dandelion to you?"
"Give mama!" Sasha stretched her little hands further towards Mikasa. There was another dandelion. In her hair, stuck behind her left ear. The bright yellow colour was creating a contrast against her dark black hair. She also had, Mikasa notices, dirt in her hands which had to have left a stain on Mikasa's skirt. But she decided not to worry about that for now.
"Papa gave that dandelion to mama?"
"Ummm," she nodded her little head up and down, an earnest expression on her face.
Mikasa found herself tearing up a little, which she blamed on her pregnancy hormones. But that was the thing about being loved by Jean. His love was unabashed and unconcealed. He never let go of any opportunity of letting her know just how much he adored her. “That is so nice of papa, isn't it?”
“Papa nice,” little Sasha said, with a big toothy smile.
"Yes, he is. That’s why we love him so much.”
“Shasha love papa!” She said.
“Of course baby, you love your papa a lot.”
“And… and,” Sasha drew her brows together, with that expression, she was an exact spitting image of Jean, “Shasha love mama!”
“Oooh, I know you do,” she said, holding her little face in her palm, “I love you too.” She placed two kisses on her cheeks. In response to that, Sasha craned her neck and planted two slobbery kisses on Mikasa’s cheeks as well.
“You are the sweetest little girl in the whole world.”
Sasha smiled, seemingly very pleased with herself.
“Let me have the flower then," She took the dandelion from Sasha and turned it round in her hands. "It's so pretty."
"Pwetty." Sasha grinned, making Mikasa chuckle.
"What do you think mama should do with the flower, Sasha? Should I wear it in my hair like you?"
"Yes!" Sasha’s eyes gleamed in excitement.
"Okay then..." Mikasa stuck the flower behind her ear, into her hair. "Is this good?"
"Mama machwy!"
"Yes, mama and Sasha matchy matchy," She tapped Sasha's tiny nose with her index. "Is papa in the garden still?"
"Yes."
"Hmm..." She thought for a moment. " Shall we take a photograph? With our matching dandelions?"
"Yes! Yes!" Sasha jumped, full of excitement.
Mikasa chuckled. "Go tell papa. I will bring the camera."
"Papa-" Sasha ran, without having to be told twice.
.
.
.
Out in the garden, she was greeted by the smell of freshly-cut grass mingled with the citrusy-sweet scent of the dandelions. Amidst a flood of soft sunlight and a buzz of bumblebees, she found them. Jean standing with Sasha casually secured in his left arm, while with his right one he was pointing towards the dandelions in the corner, explaining something. Whatever it was that he was saying he had Sasha’s full attention.
“Oh! Mama is here!” Jean turned, apparently having heard her approach. While he greeted her with a tender smile, his eyes quickly travelled down to her little bump before moving back up to her face again. It was strange, almost absurd. It had hardly been half an hour since she had last seen him, and yet the sight of him – sunburnt, disheveled, muddy, and a little sweaty – made her realise just how much she was already missing him.
"Sasha and I think that spot is the best," he said pointing towards the spot he just was showing Sasha. “Right Sasha?”
Sasha bobbed her head up and down.
"It'll come out good. Dandelions in the background, dandelions in your hair."
She turned to the corner. The yellow flowers sprinkled over the bed of green. "Hmph." She looked back to him.
"But I was thinking we'll take it together. All three of us." She said as Jean got busy setting the camera with Sasha right on his heels.
"Oh,” Jean looked up from the camera, the little freckles on cheek very prominent in the sunlight. “You want me to be in it too?"
"Yes. Why not?"
"Yes. Papa too. Papa too." Sasha bounced up and down, grabbing Jean's old faded pants in her tiny fists.
Jean chuckled, and patted Sasha in the head. "Okay, okay, now. How can I turn down my little princess! Papa will be in the photo too."
"Everyone ready?" He asked, checking through the lens after setting the camera on a wooden box.
"Wait," Mikasa stopped him before he could push the button.
"Huh?" He looked up, the smallest hint of a frown between his brows.
Plucking another dandelion she made her way to Jean. "Doesn't make sense to leave you out," she stuck the yellow flower behind his left ear. "That's better," she said, happy with the view.
"Papa machwy!" Sasha claps.
Jean chuckled. "Yes, we’re all matchy matchy."
“You look cute,” getting on her tiptoes, Mikasa gave him a small peck on his cheek. “Thank you for the flower.”
“One lucky flower this one is,” he replied, fixing the flower in her hair, with a cheeky smile that made her want to do things with him. No wonder she was pregnant with his baby.
"Now, who is that for, Sasha?" Jean’s question, however, broke the chain of her indecent thoughts. Sasha had picked up another dandelion.
"For baby!"
Taken aback, Mikasa turned to him. As their eyes met, the softest smile spread on Jean’s face, a smile she returned to him. On the fence, a skylark kept trilling merrily. Down below, a handful of butterflies were fluttering between the hyacinths and primroses.
"What a good big sister you are, Sasha,” Mikasa said, smiling as she caressed her bump.
“But the baby is still in mama's belly," Jean said with a mock serious look on his face. “Baby cannot wear flowers like us. What should we do?”
Sasha turned to look at Mikasa, eyebrows drawing and lips gathering in a pout, her little hands were holding on to the stem of the dandelion.
Mikasa leaned forward and put her hand on her daughter's head. "Sasha, will it be okay if mama holds it for the baby? Since the baby is in mama’s belly, mama holding it will mean the baby is also holding it."
Sasha contemplated for a while before nodding her approval.
"Then, give it to mama," she held out her palm and Sasha carefully placed the flower there. "Oh! What is the baby saying?"
Sasha blinked.
"Baby is saying thank you to big sister!"
A smile appeared, filling up the little girl's entire face. Mikasa held on to the dandelion, turning back to the camera and to a smiling Jean. A golden sun was hanging low on the western side of the clear blue spring sky.