The ending of T.R.A.C.K.S emotionally destroyed me and I'm really not ready for the next episode so I'm coping with all the angst by writing fluffy team stories. Hope you like it!
"We should get a pet," Skye murmured seconds after sliding off one of the lab's countertops and was now leaning against it with an expression that showed she was deep in thought.
"Hm?" Fitz was the first to notice what the hacker said as he glanced up from his work and tilted his head at her.
"We should get a pet," Skye repeated, this time sounding surer of herself. "Like a dog or something."
"You think Coulson would let us?" The Scot asked with a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Wouldn't it be against protocol?" He turned to his counterpart for this explanation who took a few moments to think of an answer.
"I suppose if it wasn't disrupting our work then there shouldn't be a problem. They let animals in off-campus apartments after all." Simmons answered which caused Skye to smile widely and stroll over to the two scientists.
"So a dog or a cat?" She questioned when they attempted to turn back to their work.
"A cat would be more practical," Simmons stated then drifted slightly. "But a dog could be fun too. We could get one of the trained sniffer dogs and take it on missions with us." She added with a small amount of excitement spilling into her voice.
"We could have a monkey…"
"Fitz," The girls groaned in unison. "We can't have a pet monkey; it's illegal in half the countries we stop in!" Simmons reminded the engineer when he still didn't look convinced.
"We're stopping of in Nevada for fuel and food soon, right?" Skye asked after a few moments of quiet and received twin nods from the scientists. "So maybe we could visit one of the animal shelters while we're there."
Fitzsimmons smiled widely at this then proceeded to follow the hacker out of the lab, through the cargo dock, up the stairs and through several corridors until they were standing outside Coulson's office. All three adults paused then and turned to each other, huddling as they worked out their plan of approach. "One of you two should talk about the benefits of having animals around," Skye whispered while pointing to the Brits. "Use a bunch of science-y terms, that'll help."
"There was a study that suggested living with an animal has multiple health benefits and can increase the production of endorphins in the body," Simmons murmured in a distracted voice.
"Good, you make sure to say that," Skye instructed then turned to Fitz. "Just try not to mention the monkey, alright?" The man pulled a sulking face before reluctantly nodding and the trio straightened up. "Right, let's do this."
"I still don't see why I need to come," Ward stated with a deadpan expression causing Fitzsimmons to let out a little huff.
"Because," Skye began her explanation for the third time. "The shelter recommends that the whole family comes along so we can make sure it'll like all of us."
"I won't even spend that much time with whatever you choose so it won't matter if it likes me." Ward replied as he turned his back on the group and walked toward the metal staircase.
"Just come to help us pick it out then," Simmons pleaded as they trailed along after him.
"I don't care what you get," He stated while turning and looking down to the disheartened group. "I'm not an animal person. If I come along they probably won't even give you the thing."
"Everyone's an animal person, Ward." Skye teased with a slight smile.
He was letting out a little sigh with an unconvinced look when he heard the door behind him open. "Let's get this over with." May grumbled as she followed Coulson down the staircase, popped open the passenger seat to Lola and slipped inside.
Fitzsimmons shared a twin smile as they practically skipped off to the short bus while Ward glanced round, almost pinching himself to make sure that they really were being dragged off to look at cats.
After a few seconds he rolled his eyes, let out a small sigh then joined Fitzsimmons in the back of the van. Moments later Lola was speeding out of the cargo bay, quickly followed by Skye in the van.
"All cats in this section are available to adopt," Lisa, the team's assigned helper for picking out the perfect pet, explained as she led them into a long corridor with built in cages for the animals. "Would you like me to help you show some of our most suitable pets?" She added with a bright but artificial smile.
"No, we'll be fine looking around ourselves." Coulson answered while returning the smile. The shelter helper nodded, told them to come get her if they found one they liked then disappeared out the same door she had come through. Fitzsimmons and Skye waited with bated breath for the small nod Coulson gave them before they raced off down the corridor, pausing at each cage to make doe eyes at the feline occupants.
Ward let out another small huff as he followed the younger agents down the pathway, glancing in occasionally when they seemed to take particular interest in one. Coulson and May shared the same tiny smile on their lips as Ward tried his best not to look too interested at a jet black cat with huge yellow eyes.
Fitz had been staring down at black and white cat, which was currently refusing to look back at the young scientist, until Simmons and Skye brought him down to a kitten four cages down. "He's adorable," Skye cooed while kneeling down and pushing her finger through the bars to scratch behind the feline's ears.
"He's also been reserved," Coulson stated after flicking through the board clipped onto the cage.
Skye put on a pout as she stood and began a slow walk down the remaining corridor. "All the nice ones are already taken,"
"What about that one, Ward?" Coulson called to the younger agent who had his fingers curled round the wire of the cage and looking down at the cat that was staring back up at him. Ward took a moment to hear Coulson's question before he glanced up, stepped away and put on a disinterred look while shrugging.
All five other adults smirked as they neared the cage. Fitzsimmons and Skye quickly began competing for the affection of the 2 year old cat that purred loudly and rubbed the top of her head against the extended fingers. May and Coulson craned their necks to get peeks of the little cat making such a noise while Ward smiled slightly and busied himself with flicking through the files. "It looks like she hasn't been reserved yet," He said brightly then cleared his throat in an attempt to hide his happiness.
"I'll go get Lisa then," Coulson stated after a few seconds then began a quick walk back up the corridor. He found the woman within a few minutes of searching and after nearly an hour of convincing, with a fair amount of bribery and flashing badges, they were loading the cat and all she would need into the back of the van.
And with a final warning to take good care of the little feline, they were speeding back off to The Bus.
A wave of yawns had passed through Fitz, Skye and Simmons as they all tried to stay up just a little bit later so they could enjoy their time with newest member of the team. "We still need to think of a name for her," Skye mumbled as she tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear and looked down at the feline that was pawing Fitz's legs.
Coulson glanced up from the book in his hands. "Well, she's your four's cat. If you're going to be looking after her then you should be the ones to name her." He stated before taking a sip of his scotch and returning to his book.
Silence returned to the room, only broken by the load purrs emulating from the pleased cat as she circled the laps of Fitzsimmons and Skye. "What about Ivory?" Skye offered while looking thoughtfully at the cat.
"You know ivory is white, right?" Fitz said with a smirk.
"It's ironic, Fitz." The hacker retorted with a roll of the eyes and tried to resisting as the engineer dramatically mimicked her.
"We could call her Blackdown," Simmons murmured as she ran a hand down from the cat's forehead all the way to the tip of her tail.
"Isn't that a place in England?" Skye asked then pulled a face when she got a nod from Fitzsimmons and quickly shook her head.
"How about Nox?" Fitz suggested.
"Like in Harry Potter?"
"It's actually Latin for 'night' but I guess you could use it from the movie too…"
Skye shook her head then sighed and leant back into the sofa. "You two are hopeless at picking names," She mumbled in a defeated tone.
There was a small amount of quiet in the room before Ward decided to add in his suggestion. "What about calling her Friday?"
Skye mulled over the idea for a few seconds before her forehead creased in confusion. "As in Black Friday?" She asked.
Ward nodded as he watched the cat collapse into the gap between Fitzsimmons and roll onto her back for someone to scratch her belly. "It's just an idea," He added in a low voice while shrugging slightly and turning his eyes away from the feline.
"It's perfect!" Skye announced, her face splitting into a grin as she leant forward and cooed down at the cat. "Hey, Friday!" She whispered while scratching the special spot behind her ear that made the purr increase in volume even more.
"Well, know that that's settled, you should all try to get some rest. Friday will still be there tomorrow." Coulson said as he stood brushed the creases out of his suit and carried the book off to his room.
Skye looked a little disappointed as Fitzsimmons stood, stretched, said their goodnights and strolled off to their bunks. She hung back a few minutes to pet Friday for a little longer before she gently picked the cat off her lap and placed her back on the sofa. "Night, Friday." She mumbled while dropping a kiss on the top of her head then turned and walked away. She paused at the door and leant against the frame as Ward finished his drink then gathered up the glasses and wandered toward the kitchen. "Aren't you going to bed?" She asked which drew his attention toward her.
"Yeah, I'm just washing these up first." He answered while gesturing toward the glasses in his hands.
She took a moment to consider this before smiling. "I'll see you in the morning," She added before yawning and turning to walk to her bunk.
Ward carried the glasses over to the sink, cleaned and dried them in silence before carefully placing them back behind the bar, Friday trailing round under his feet the whole time. He watched the cat for a few moments before he knelt down and ran a hand over her smooth, dark coat. She let out a loud meow which made him smirk as she slinked in between his arms and legs.
After a few minutes he yawned, ruffled the fur on her head then stood and stretched. "Goodnight, Friday." He murmured as he wandered off to his own bed.
