Work Text:
Jay was always so sad when her dad had to go away on Navy trips. He talked about being Captain and being on the water, and she always asked to go with him.
Each time she would ask, he would pick her up, letting her sit in his arms, and say, “It’s too dangerous, and I don’t need you getting hurt.”
Jay would sadly nod. She knew. But maybe it wouldn’t be dangerous one of the times she asked. And she really wanted to go with him. So she asked, multiple times before he would leave, just to see if it would be safe enough for her.
“Is it too dangerous for Ava? She’s really big.”
“For her too. You are both too young.”
“But Ava’s old!”
“Not as old as I am. She still has growing to do before she can come on her first trip.”
Jay sighed heavily and loudly, “Can we play captains?” She added softly, “For a little?”
He looked at her and smiled, “For a little.” He leaned down slightly to get Jay onto his shoulders. She wrapped an arm around his neck and moved her feet to hook behind his back so she could move a bit more without falling.
“Kitchen!” Jay pointed. Jayson ducked slightly, making sure to not accidentally smack Jay’s head on the open door frame between the kitchen and living room. Jay giggled as he moved swiftly to the kitchen.
“What now, Captain?”
“Can I have a snack?”
“It’s getting close to dinner, we’ll have to ask Captain Mom about that one.”
“Okay. But like a little snack?” Jay asked.
“Once we ask your mom.”
Jay heaved a disappointed sigh, “Fine.”
“JayJay-”
“I knowwww. Don’t ruin dinner.”
“We can ask her right now,” Jayson said, “She’s outside with Ava right now. Let’s get you off for a second-”
“No!”
“I’ll put you back once we get outside. You would hit your head on the door.”
Jay grumbled as she was taken off of his shoulders and set on the ground to follow him outside. As they exited the house, she could feel the dry heat of this sunny day. The flowers that speckled the yard in vibrant color would always be her favorite thing about the house. None of the other houses had this many flowers, or this pretty of flowers. Her mom said it was because of her magic.
Jay looked up to her dad expectantly. He wasn’t paying attention, trying to find where May was. She lightly smacked his side a few times and raised her arms into the air. He looked down with a quizzical face.
Jay opened and closed her hands, bouncing on her toes. “Up?”
“What do you say, JayJay?”
“Thank you.”
He moved slightly. “The other one.”
“Please?”
“There,” he reached down to lift her to his shoulders again, “of course, JayJay.”
Jay giggled as she once again sat on his shoulders. She loved being this tall. She was able to see so much and grab things that were so high up.
Upon seeing her mom close to the side of the house, both her and Ava in the garden picking vegetable. Ava was covered in dirt while May was almost completely clean.
Jay patted Jayson’s head, “Momma! Garden!”
Jayson rubbed her leg, “Nice eyes, JayJay.”
She beamed at the compliment.
He walked over to the garden, Jay holding on tightly. “May, she asked for a snack. Will you be starting dinner soon?”
“Yes, Ava was helping me grab some things from the garden for the stir fry. I know it’s your favorite.”
“You don’t have to make that just because I am leaving tomorrow.” Jay placed her head on top of her dad’s, making a sad sound at the mention of him leaving again. He rubbed her leg again, attempting to soothe her sadness.
“Jayson, you know I do this because I want to. I love cooking for you three.” She stood up. “Come on Avie, let’s wash these in the sink so I can start on dinner.”
Ava jumped up, dirt probably staining that dress until they are able to bring it to someone who can magic the dirt away, and sprinted inside.
May laughed, holding the plastic bowl with many varieties of vegetables. She held the bowl out to Jay. “Sweetie, why don’t you go inside and help your sister wash these.”
She took the bowl with stars in her eyes. Jayson lifted her over his head and placed her on the ground. She took off running to the door.
“JayJay, be careful! That bowl is heavy and we don’t want you to fall,” May called out.
“Okay!” she yelled as she slowed down slightly. She heard her mom laugh before starting to talk to her dad. But she had a duty to fulfill.
She stepped onto the stepstool at the sink and set the bowl on the counter. Ava was right there waiting for her.
“I thought mom said I was doing that with her,” Ava pouted.
“She said I’d help!”
“You can’t even reach the tap,” Ava demonstrating turning the water to the sink on and off, barely able to reach it herself.
“Mom!-”
“No, no, you can help, you can help, you don’t need to get mom,” Ava blurted out.
Jay giggled. “Yay!”
Ava turned on the water and started rubbing excess dirt off of it, then handing it to Jay to dry slightly and put on the cutting board.
Ava splashed some water at Jay and she laughed. She reached over to the flowing water and flung some back at Ava. Within seconds, the splashes turned into an all out war. This quick war was defeated by the return of their parents.
Jayson walked upstairs while May entered the kitchen.
“Shh, don’t tell daddy,” May whispered in her daughters’ ears, “but I got his pin. When you finish with this, you can write something on it.”
Jay gasped loudly and Ava shushed her just as loud.
“How’d you get it?” Ava whispered.
“That’s my little secret,” May joked.
“Oh, okay,” Ava said.
“Let’s dry off…” May looked around the mess surrounding them. There was water all over the counter and floors. Some of the water was clean, while some had dirt and muck in it. “Everything… How did you two get it this wet? You were alone for barely a minute,” May asked, stifling a laugh.
“War!” Jay exclaimed.
May was silent for a moment, looking away from the kitchen before looking right back at them. “Okay. A water war?”
“Mhm,” Jay affirmed.
“Well, lets clean up this water war, and then you two can decide what you want to write on the back of his pin.”
May handed both of them a small towel, with another in her own hand. Jay climbed off of the step stool and started wiping up some of the water on the ground. May crouched beside her and did the same while Ava was wiping down the countertop.
Once the area was mostly dry, May shooed the girls into the living room, handing Ava the pin.
They both walk into the living room and sit at the table in front of couch. Ava picked up a marker and started brainstorming.
“Hmmmm… maybe ‘I love you’? Or… I don’t know what to write.”
Jay murmured, chin resting on the table, “Be safe, Daddy.”
Every time she asked if she could come, he would say no. So that means it might even be dangerous for him! That seemed scary, but she knew her dad could handle it.
“Okay,” Ava said, “Just ‘Be safe, Daddy’?”
Jay nodded.
Ava removed the cap from the marker, revealing the black ink within. It would show up easily on the golden backing of the pin. She stuck her tongue out as she drew each letter, focusing very hard to get the letters to be readable and spelling right.
After a minute, she showed Jay the pin. She couldn’t read it, but assumed that it said what she said it did.
“Let’s go bring it to dad-”
“No, Avie, I wanna write something on it!”
“You don’t know how to write!”
“Oh…” Jay sheepishly realized. “Uhm… Can I draw a picture?”
“Yeah, I think. Momma did say write.”
Jay called out the second Ava finished her sentence, “Mom!”
“Jay, why are you so loud!” Ava exclaimed.
“Yes? Everything okay in there?” May asked, walking into the living room.
“Can I draw on it?”
“Oh, yeah, of course, sweetie, whatever you want to put on it. It’s something that he can have when he’s away. Something to remind him of the two of you.”
“Mhm,” Jay nodded. She turned to Ava and whispered in her ear, “I wanna draw a smiley face.”
Ava nodded and silently gave the marker to her sister. Jay held the marker with a fist as she attempted to draw a smiley face. It was slightly crude, but it didn’t overlap with anything Ava wrote, so Jay thought that was a job well done.
She showed it to Ava who nodded and took it from her hand. She then stood up and gave it to their mom. “We finished.”
She grabbed the pin and read the short message. She smiled fondly, “Alright, thank you so much Ava. And you too Jay. I’m sure he’ll love it.”
“Are we gonna give it to him now?” Ava asked.
“Once he realizes that his pin is gone, I’ll give it back to him,” May said, “If he doesn’t remember by tomorrow, I’ll give it to him right before he leaves.”
Both girls nodded.
“I’m almost done with dinner, so go sit at the table. I’ll bring over the plates and call your dad down.”
With the two at the table alone, Jay asked Ava, “Do you think he’ll like it?”
“I think so. I thought it looked pretty.”
They were both quiet for a moment.
“I don’t want him to go…” Jay confessed.
“I don’t want him to go either,” Ava admitted in return.
Their sad looks vanished when they saw him walk down the stairs. Ava shot out of her chair to give him a hug. Jayson hugged her back.
And Ava didn’t let go. He breathed out a subtle laugh as he tried to move to his spot at the table with a five-year-old stuck to his leg. Ava giggled for the whole, very short, journey. She sat back down at her chair when he got to his.
Dinner was as normal as it could be. The air of tenseness was strong enough that even Jay could feel it. Knowing that her dad would have to leave early tomorrow settled in her mind.
“Do you have to go?” Jay asked.
“I do,” Jayson said. It sounded like it was rehearsed.
“Why?”
“Because if I do, I will have a better chance to become a Vice Admiral. Do you two remember Tay?” Jay and Ava nod. “That’s what his rank is.”
“Speaking of—” Jayson continued— “May, have you seen my pin?”
Jay giggled, which made Ava giggle as well. He took a glance at his two girls, then returned his sights to May.
“I do believe I have. Let me go grab it for you.” She stood up from the table and walked away to grab the pin.
“Did either of you do something to my pin.”
Ava grinned, “Maybe.”
“Will I need to ask my mother for a new pin because this one got destroyed?”
“Uhh. No? I don’t think so?”
“That is,” Jayson paused to think about his wording, “not very reassuring, Ava.”
“We didn’t destroy it!” Jay claimed, “We added to it!”
“Yeah!” Ava agreed.
“Okay, I believe you,” Jayson acquiesced.
May returned with the pin in hand, symbol facing up. She handed it to him so that the message would be hidden from view. “Here.”
“Thank you, May.”
He flipped the pin over and froze. His face had a nondescript expression, stuck exactly where it was when he first saw the message.
He then breathed out a soft breath and close his eyes for a moment. He looked up to Ava and Jay, and he smiled kindly. “Thank you. I’ll keep this for as long as I can.”
“Forever?” Ava asked.
“If it lasts that long, yes.”
Jay cheered, “He likes it! He likes it!” Ava joined in the chanting exuberantly. “He likes it! He likes it!”
Jayson laughed as May said, “Okay, girls, girls please. Settle down and finish your food.”
They both settled down enough to continue eating, but would whisper to each other at random, excitedly saying that he liked their gift, like their writing and drawing.
After they finished eating Jayson stood up and hugged both Ava and Jay close. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”
“A lot? Like a lot, a lot?” Ava asked.
“Yes, a lot, a lot,” Jayson said. “I’ll be able to keep you close, even when we are oceans apart.”
He squeezed them closer. “Thank you.”