spring gardening :)

Mimi carried the box of bagged sproutlings, their elbow occasionally bumping into Liviana’s as they walked side by side. The sun was bright overhead, and Mimi could already feel themselves breaking a sweat. “Thanks for helping me plant these herbs, Livi,” Mimi huffed cheerfully, a smile spread across their face even through the exertion of carrying the large box, filled to the brim with sproutlings that Mimi had started over the winter. Liviana was carrying a small bag of gardening tools, a watering can, and a shovel that rested on her shoulder. Mimi had made sure that she got a much lighter load, even if she still insisted on carrying more.  

“Of course,” Liviana replied, a tiny smile of her own. It was hot out, but thankfully also moist, a good day to plant the new sprouts. When they finally made it Mimi’s plot of land in the nearby fields, which was designated by a shoddy, faded sign that Mimi had painted years ago, they set their stuff down as Mimi laid out their plan. 

“Okay, I think we’ll plant the flowering herbs over here, and for the ones where I need to harvest the roots and leaves, over here…” Mimi trailed off, walking around their plot of land and marking the vacant soil with their hoof, not necessarily making anything helpful or clear for Liviana to recognize, but completely and fully having everything planned out in their head. They could already envision everything full grown. For Liviana’s part, she seemed to mostly keep up with Mimi’s plans. The two of them worked well together in that way.

They got to work, first sorting through the sproutlings, and then beginning to plant them in their very loosely designated areas, appropriate distances apart. Mimi worked diligently, already too focused on their task to even think of any further socialization. Liviana was content to work in relative silence, as just being able to spend time with Mimi on a nice sunny day was something she cherished enough. 

When their labor came to an end, both of them stood back and admired their handiwork. Rows of small mounds, patted down neatly and evenly, mostly thanks to Liviana. The final task was simply to water everything, which they both did together, one hand grasping the handle of the watering can as they went down the rows, both of their gazes flitting upwards at each other once they had finished, and smiling warmly at one another. They had their final moment of looking over the work they had done, hands on their hips, Mimi drenched in sweat, Liviana looking as elegant as ever. 

As the pair of them trotted away from the result of their hard work, happily planted sproutlings, Liviana tossed a final glance back and noticed how drab the sign marking Mimi’s plot seemed. It made everything look so dreary. An idea quickly came to her mind, causing her to smile to herself before she turned her attention back on the path ahead of her and Mimi. 

//

When they next returned to check up on the sproutlings together, Mimi squinted from afar at the newly decorated plot of land, wondering if perhaps they had taken a wrong turn, even if the path broke off straight from town. But as they got closer, Mimi easily recognized Liviana’s handiwork. The area had been cutely embellished with tiny cosprout garden statues, dressed in precious frilly outfits, and the sign designating Mimi's plot had been repainted as it was before, but with Liviana’s wonderful flair. Mimi was totally fixated on how good it looked, and they were only broken out of their entranced state by the sound of Liviana's voice. 

“So, do you like it?” 

“I love it!” Mimi exclaimed wildly, crouching down to tap the nose of a tiny fake lapito and admire the ruffles on the clothes it was fashioned with. They stood up to quickly trot over to Liviana and spring a warm, happy hug on her. “It's fantastic. Thanks, Livi,” Mimi added, a smile in her voice. 

“Of course,” Liviana replied, savoring the embrace while it lasted. Both of them admired the beginnings of the garden, the tiny green sprouts that had begun poking through the dirt. Mimi felt Liviana's gloved knuckles brush against their own; they gently grabbed her hand, happier than ever to have what they had.