A/N: Since it's Fair time for me, I figured I might as well take Densi along for the ride. Written August 2024.
No, no, not that one!" Kensi shouted, waving her hands frantically as Deeks held a pair of scissors, pointed to cut a deep red rose twined around a trellis.
"What's wrong with this one?" he asked, pointing at the perfect bloom with the point of one blade.
"It's too small."
"Kensi, I think it looks fine," Rosa assured her.
"Fine isn't good enough," Kensi insisted fiercely.
Under the combined attention of Kensi and Rosa, their garden had flourished this year. It seemed Kensi had finally overcome her black thumb for the most part, and Rosa was particularly adept at gardening. Deeks often joked that Rosa possessed secret powers since the plants she tended were particularly lush, especially for the climate.
Together, the two of them had cultivated a variety of vegetables and flowers. Deeks happily pruned, watered, fed, and picked as needed.
Currently, they were all outside, the twins playing in the grass while the three adults picked flowers.
"This is my first time entering flowers. I want to do it right." Kensi's intensity made Deeks grin.
"It's just a county fair," Rosa reminded her with a gentle smile. "It's supposed to be fun."
"I am having fun," Kensi said, sounding surprised at the implication that stressing over finding just the right flower arrangements wasn't enjoyable for her.
"She really is," Deeks agreed. "I don't know if you've noticed, but Kens thrives on competition."
"Sometimes I forget."
Cutting a larger but equally beautiful rose, Deeks handed it over to Rosa to place with others in a bucket.
"Alright, what's next?"
Ah—dadata," Caleb said, somehow having found his way to the edge of the blanket and stretching far enough to reach the edge of the flower bucket.
"Woah, where you think you're going, sir?" Deeks asked, pulling him back a few feet just before disaster struck.
Sophia complained on his behalf in a long string of babble, shaking both fists to show her anger.
"Well, I'm sorry, but mommy and Rosalie worked very hard on those flowers. So you cannot have them. I know it breaks your tiny hearts."
Caleb just grinned up at him in a way that suggested it wouldn't be the last attempt to cause mischief.
"Here, how about a nice octopus to chew on?" Deeks offered, holding out a vibrating teething toy. Sophia batted it out of his hand with another squawk. "Ok, but I'm not picking it up for you."
He set Caleb back in the middle of the blanket with a few toys, chuckling as he immediately began babbling back and forth with Sophia, likely planning their next shenanigans.
"Thank you, baby," Kensi said, kissing Deeks' cheek.
"Anything for my favorite gardeners."
A couple hours later, they'd moved inside and several vases sat lined up on the kitchen table. Deeks had been on baby duty and in charge of attaching exhibit tickets.
"What do you think?" Kensi asked, stepping back with an uncertain expression.
"They look amazing," Rosa said. "We did a good job."
Deeks eyed them critically, taking a moment to examine them from every angle. "I'd give them all the ribbons. Beautiful work, ladies."
Kensi rolled her eyes, but wrapped her arms around his middle anyway. "Thank you."
"And if I don't win anything, we'll come back stronger next year," she declared.
A/N: Much like Kensi, I have a bad track record when it comes to keeping plants alive in the long term. My mom and sister are the gardeners.