I interrupt the longer piece I'm working on for a bit of Fluffy McFluff Fluff. You're welcome.
For reasons known only to himself, Rip Hunter had decided to gift his team with a day off, on Earth, at a boardwalk replete with all manner of amusements. The team had scattered eagerly to partake of their preferred form of entertainment.
Sara spied the entrance to the aquarium and smiled. She grabbed Len's hand and tugged him along with her. That was fine with him. The cool cavernous space lit with swirling blue and green light was soothing. The chaotic brightness outside had been slightly grating. He was content to follow her through the halls, admiring the surprisingly beautiful displays.
There was a touch tank where guests could feed and pet rays, and Sara turned puppy-dog eyes on him until he bought her a small tray of stinky dead fish.
"Some people will touch anything," he grumbled, but there was the faintest hint of fond amusement in his voice, and she heard it.
"Come here," Sara instructed.
"No, thanks."
"I want to pet one, and you can't really touch them and feed them at the same time, so come here and take this." She held out the last fish.
Len sighed theatrically and made a show of pushing up his sleeve, but he did take the damn fish and hold it so Sara could stroke the ray while it nibbled the treat from his hand.
"It's so soft," she marveled, "like silk."
He had to admit, that smile was worth a soggy hand. Not that he intended to tell her that.
"Why here?" he asked curiously, as they moved on to the next exhibit.
"I guess I was feeling a bit homesick," she admitted quietly. "When I was a little girl, I didn't have a teddy bear - well, I mean, I'm sure I did, but my go-to was this stuffed shark my dad bought me at the aquarium."
"When I was a little kid, I didn't have a teddy bear, because my old man was an asshole," Len said quietly, the words seeming to flow without any interference from his brain. "I made damn sure that Lisa had one, though."
There wasn't really much Sara could say to that, so she settled for lacing her fingers through his. "You want to go get a drink?" she offered.
"We can stay, if you want."
When Sara returned to her room that night, there was a stuffed shark on her pillow. She picked it up with a watery smile and hugged the silly thing fiercely.
When Len returned to his room that night, there was a stuffed bear on his bunk. A proper white polar bear, complete with a pert black nose and tiny leatherette claws. His hands shook slightly as he reached out to pick it up.