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Seeing his son sitting by Rina on the moving wagon wasn't a sight he was expecting to see during his fatherhood. Sitting in between his parents, the small toddler watched the greenery as the smell of fresh strawberries wafted through the breeze as the wind blew pass their hair. Tooru wanted to be present, but it was hard for him to stay focus in the moment when Rina's presence is disrupting his peaceful thoughts. He couldn't help but to look at her way with conflicting and studying eyes, as if he was trying to decipher her.

It was too unbelievable to see her here with him and Tetsu, trying to be a family. He thought he wouldnt have these imaginary moments with her when Tetsu is born. They've been flushed the second Rina made the decision to leave.

"I see them!" Tetsu pointed once the wagon slowed to their designated picking area. Rows of bushes and strawberries are untouched since they are the first group to arrive at the spot.

"Ya-hoo, Tetsu~," waved Oikawa with his phone camera on to spam numerous of photos of him. "Can you wave to Mommy for me?"

It was effortless since Tetsu was already smiling his way, pointing at the direction where the strawberries are visibly behind his head. No matter how many of those photos looked the same, Tooru sent all of them to you.

"Are you ready?" Rina looked down at the boy beside her and he nodded in excitement.

The car parked, signaling everyone to exit and step down from the cart. Tooru's hand reached for his son's to help him hop off carefully due to the bumpy dirt path. The straw hat he swore fell back as the string hung behind his neck when he did so. It was a sunny day so Tooru fixated his hat for him from getting a sun burn.

"Care to help me?" a sweet face lit up on Rina. Her hand extended out for the older Oikawa who seemed dazed at her question.

Drawn by her expression, Tooru didn't refuse with deadpanned eyes and just lended his hand for her to grab. Soon, she landed on her feet gracefully down the creaked wood. And for a brief second, he felt her grip tightened once she neared him and smiled warmly.

"Thanks."

The feeling felt familiar to him somehow. This is the first time they made skin-to-skin contact after years of separation and Tooru's brows furrowed as if the touch stung him. He jerked his hand away quickly before any intrusive thoughts clouded his mind.

"Let's go, Tetsu," he ordered the smaller brunette with a low smile who scanned the green field and picket bushes, simply ignoring the odd feeling he felt earlier.

Tetsu nodded and skipped ahead to beat other people in getting the biggest and sweetest strawberries that both Tooru and Rina had to chase him. His little hand reached and plucked each red berry from the bushes with the help of his father, picking him to grab at a higher area he couldn't reach.

It was until Rina crouched down to the boy's level and watched him attentively.

"Wow, those are big berries you're picking," she mentioned while she glanced down at the plastic container he was holding, packed with the heart-shaped fruit.

Tetsu gasped at the compliment and his eyes sparkled when he turned to her. "They're for Mommy! Do you think she'll like them?"

He didn't noticed but her face drew blank at his kind words, knowing that he wasn't referring to her but to somebody else.

Her frown curled upwards slowly and said lowly to him in a gentle tone, "Yeah, your mommy will love them."

Then her hand patted on top of his head through his miniature straw hat, causing him to look up at her.

"You're such a good boy, Tetsu."

Tetsu blinked at the praise, more so on the action than her words. It felt pretty significant the way she stated it as if it's such an amazement to her. He awfully found it strange to hear an acknowledgement from a stranger so quickly like she's known him for a long time.

So he grinned and giggled playfully with reddened cheeks, looking bashful. "Ri-chan, wanna pick strawberries with me?"

Tooru examined the two interacting, seeing Rina nod and oblige to help him pick berries off the bush and drop it into his little container.

He wanted to intrude but left it alone and attended back to picking his own berries with a close eye. But Tooru couldn't stop glancing back by the sounds of Tetsu's delighted laughter and the sight Rina's glowing face.

Is this how she really is?

The athlete had trouble thinking but carried on and threw the lingering thought in the back of his mind, following the two to fill their plastic box in a small pile.

Shortly, the berry picking didn't take long as the host announced everyone to hop back to the wagon to pick other fruits and vegetables along the ride. It was until the end, Rina noticed a stand by the register where freshly sheared sunflowers wrapped in brown paper piqued her interest.

The warm yellow and crimson red petals caught her eyes, then they followed a certain brunette already making his way to the cart where the flourish is arranging the stems.

"Those are sunflowers!" Tetsu's voice chimed and caught up to his dad's side to gaze at the bright flowers.

In the middle of a trance, Rina noticed Tooru didn't wink an eye at his son and glued his brown optics at the bucket of sunflowers that are not yet plucked from its leaves. She was about to make an apparent statement of her fondness of the Little Becka sunflowers that she was gawking at but seeing Tooru's mesmerized state caught her attention.

A tweaking smile curled onto the older Oikawa's lips once a certain memory flashed in his mind and the image of you appeared suddenly, already declaring and picturing your delighted expression if he were to purchase these.

He decided, raising a finger up to the flourist and pointing at a set of bouquets in the bucket. "I would like to have one, please."

The girl nodded and handed him his chosen bucket in exchange for his cash.

"Are you getting those for [Name]?" Rina questioned after he turned his Jody around to walk away from the cart.

Tooru lifted his head at her from looking at the tall, yellow flowers. "Hm? Oh, yeah. I figured she would like them since it reminded me of our first date."

"You bring flowers?" Even Rina was surprised, probably more surprised than Tooru at the chivalrous act. A trembling snicker escaped from her lips and walked beside him with Tetsu walking ahead of them with his box of strawberries. "I didn't know you're that type of guy."

"Perhaps you've never allowed me to show you." The innocency masked his pessimism but his words gave it away.

Her expression didn't stir, analyzing him for a minute before she smiled in defeat while throwing her arms behind her back.

"You got me."

It's true. Tooru never shown any romantic gestures towards her only because they've chose to stay platonic. She never wanted anything more and the thought of it disappointed her.

That was her mistake.

Early lunch came soon when their strawberries and flowers were purchased and Tooru suggested eating on top of the grass with a blanket underneath them, nearby a playground. Tetsu was ecstatic at the monkey bars and swings after seeing numerous of children around his age running around the area. He whimpered to his father who instructed him to eat food first before he could play.

Like usual, he obeyed and ate his ham and cheese croissant that you made for them peacefully with the help of Tooru feeding him in small pieces and wiping his lips. Rina stopped midway in pinching her soba noodles in her bento to gaze at the two, making train noise and gleeful laughs.

It never failed to grab the attention of other women, although it was a cute sight to see.

"One more bite and you're done," the mature Oikawa encouraged.

The toddler opened his mouth, welcoming his hand that was holding the last piece of the flakey pastry and chomping at it eagerly. "Can I go play now, Daddy?"

"Okay, okay. Stay close where I can see you!" the brunette called, watching his little boy standing in his seat and skipping off to the warm sandbox. Tetsu waved in response, earning a nod from his dad in approval.

Very quickly, Tooru pulled his phone out to take a subtle picture of him collecting sand in a bucket and sent the photo to you through a text message. When he placed his phone beside his leg, his screen flashed to his lock screen which Rina took notice of an unfamiliar photo of you holding Tetsu in your arms while eating a chocolate and vanilla swirl.

Studying it for a moment, she let her bangs fall over her eyes as she felt her chest growing hollow. Despite the significant picture, she did her best not to let it swallow her.

Once it was just the two of them again, Rina smiled at Tooru's way. "You're so good at taking care of him."

He let out a shy chuckle, letting his index finger scratch at the surface of his pale cheek. "Trust me, sometimes I don't know what I'm doing."

"But it seems like you do," she retorted, facing at the direction where Tetsu abandoned the sand castle he made to run to the spiral slide and waved at the two of them. Tucking her knees in, she pulled her dress black chiffon dress over her calves. "It's like you're meant for him."

Tooru stayed silent, having nothing to reply to that sentence as he felt the mood suddenly become pensive. He leaned his against arms behind him and stretched his legs out against the red blanket, looking deep in thought.

"You know," he began with hooded eyes at his lap, "I never thanked you for giving birth to him. He's everything that I could've asked for."

Rina turned her head at him as if she never seen such a grateful attitude. Then she shrugged her shoulders while holding her knees together.

"You really did changed," her eyes fluttered sadly down to the cut grass, her voice lowering with the soft breeze of the early spring wind. "You were never like this, at least - not to me, not about anything. All you cared for was about volleyball at the time."

All she could remember the countless times he would always leave her hanging, never caring, treating her like a tool - like an object. She never seen so much affection from him until he begged her not to abort a baby that he called his, wanting to help her and support her for childcare. Suddenly, he wanted to be a family.

He's a brand new person; a definition of what a man should be.

She didn't know what to expect from him, but she didn't expect this.

"I'm sorry," he said gently, "for treating you so unfairly."

At that moment, she can feel the tears swimming in her eyes. The pent up emotions that she bottled inside of her since her father passed away, she can feel herself breaking. With a simple rub at the back of her hand, Rina wiped the tear peeking at the end of her eye.

"I'm sorry, too," she hiccuped. It shocked him to hear her voice breaking through sobs. "I honestly missed you, Tooru. I know I missed out on everything - on what I could've had, what we could've been. I regret it so much."

Enthralled by her explanation, Tooru's plain face drew a blank - unable to say anything back to her instead he just allowed her to continue. Blinking her bubbling tears, Rina fluttered her long lashes coated in black mascara to collect herself back to normal, sighing in relief.

It was like a dead weight lifted from her shoulders.

"Seeing Tetsu like this, I'm glad that I never aborted him. It was selfish of me to even think of something like that, and I'm sorry for putting you through everything you didn't deserve."

The softness in her voice made him speechless, and he knew that her emotions poured out after years and years of solitude. And he remembered that she was never like this, never this emotional. He wasn't sure if he should believe her or not.

Or unless, perhaps she is a changed person too.

So Tooru had to ask to get the facts straight.

"Are you really here for Tetsu? Or are you here for yourself?"

Rina stared down again, shy to show her puffed eyes and reddened cheeks. While she folded her arms over her knees, the words came out smoothly like she had no hesitance to say it.

"I'm here for him, and for you."

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Posted: 06-30-21

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I'm so happy with the growing love every day. I've been so busy and stressed lately, I can always count on you guys to brighten up my day, even if it's a little.

I hope everybody is ready for the next few chapters. Hehehe...