Sara was ashamed to say that it wasn't until she'd woken up from a between missions cat nap that she'd even noticed it. And that was only because she'd been burrowing into it soft fur in her sleep.
"Where did you come from?" The captain questioned her voice still thick with sleep as she blinked clarity back into her eyes. "I'm not really a cat person but you are kind of cute." She admits staring into the cat's kind-looking brown eyes as Sara starched herself out along the bed she hadn't been laying on before. The assassin knew for a fact that she'd been curled up on the small sofa in her office when she'd closed her eyes and now she was tucked into her bed like she was a child.
"Well, it's a sure thing you didn't move me here." Sara grumbled scratching under her companion's chin as she tried to remember who had been carrying her down the halls of her ship. But she just came up empty only that she felt safe with them holding her close as they wondered the corridors from her office to her room.
"Probably the same someone who left you to guard me huh?" the blonde mused meeting the sabretooth's unblinking eyes with a raised eyebrow. "Thought as much." Sara sighed when the room stayed just as quiet as before she'd spoken. "Do you think we should take the day off?" the blonde questioned pushing her long hair back over her ear with a little laugh at her own descent into childish actions in talking to a stuffed animal like it was a real one that could talk back to her.
"Well too bad kitty cat. We're staying in for a while longer." She announced quietly deciding that she deserved the day or at least half the day off to recharge. And thanks to whoever had moved her to a more comfortable relaxing spot than the small leather sofa in her office she now had someone to talk to other than the ships automated pilot when she wanted some time alone from her shipmates.
"Aviator," Sara whispered to herself when she spotted a scrap of navy blue fabric tied around the animal's neck giving away who had snuck the plush prehistoric feline into her room. "That's what I'll call you." She smiled nodding appreciatively at her own on the name nuzzling her forehead against the cat's "Welcome to the ship little Avs."
To bad the lady herself was nowhere to be seen. "Gideon any chance Ava's still on board?" Sara asked the ceiling as her fingers stroked the cat's head absently.
"Director Sharp had to return immediately to the Time Burrow after dropping off your gift Captain, but she did say that she would call when she had a free moment." The IA answered sounding as close to sympathetic as Sara had ever heard her as she pulled her knees up to her chest letting her back rest against the headboard of her bed.
"Worth a shot." Sara sighed running her hands through her sleep-tousled hair then going back to staring at the fluffy cat sitting on her chest. "Least I have you to cuddle with."
"Happy Birthday Peter Pan." Ava's voice tells the snuggling time ship captain. Then after a small pause and that little giggling laugh, the listening blonde found so heart warningly adorable a whispered: "I love you, Sara."
Captain Lance stilled in quiet puzzling over what had just happened until an inspection of the big cat's collar gave her the answer.
Ava hadn't even gotten a chance to give her anything more than a shy smile in greeting before Sara was talking fast in a rare moment of unbridled happiness "I love her so much thank you thank you thank you."
"ha-ha you're welcome babe." Ava laughed the stress of the day lifting from her shoulders the longer she witnesses the usually locked down captain's curiosity as she nuzzles her grinning face against the top of the stuffed cat's head on the other end of the video call.
"I just thought since I have Pan that you deserved someone to cuddle with when I can't get away now I'm busy whipping this place into shape." Ava smiled in low simmering pride. "Dam. Aviator and I could use the company once this call ends." Sara pouted "She and I are spending the day veg'ing out or whatever people say nowadays for taking a personal day while you're making that place…Sharp."
Ava groaned at the pun but couldn't hold in the laughter at it either. "Sara Lance. Did you really name a sabretooth tiger 'Aviator'?" the time agency director scoffed stretching her arms over her head as she leaned back in her chair to try and get comfortable.
"Says the woman who calls an alligator Pan." Her giggling assassin girlfriend replied seeing that the agent had already pulled the animal in question out from the side closet
"Touché Lance."
"So, when can we get them a play date?" Ava's eyes sparked at the question while Sara just grinned shamelessly at the video screen. "What I miss you." Sara confessed looking up at the time director thought her lashes "I admit it okay. I miss you Avs."
"I miss you too Sara." Ava agreed pulling the white plush animal in her lap into a tight hug while Sara was going the same with her tiger making the recording attached to the stuffed toys makeshift collar play out between them.
"You know it's not my birthday today." Sara laughed not repressing the happy shiver at hearing Ava say she loved her. "I know but I only had a limited recording time and it was the first thing that came into my head that wasn't complete cliched romantic mush."
"I do tend to have that effect on people."
Ava sighed in agreement "You know what?" the former agent asked after casting a glance around her orderly office.
"What?" Sara wondered genuinely curious but was only met with the call being cut off. "No that wasn't what I was wondering." The captain grumbled falling back onto the bed to glare up at the ceiling.
"I was wondering if you two get to take a day then why can't we take one too." Ava clarified as she closed the time portal behind her already kicking off her shoes beside the bed.
"Now that has to be the second-best thing I've heard all day." The question on the tip of Ava's tongue was answered when Sara pressed Aviator's collar as she repositioned the long-toothed cat farther up the bed beside the fluffy white alligator Ava had brought with her while the woman herself climbed up onto the bed beside her lover letting Sara curl around her as she let herself relax for the first time since she'd left the same bedroom that morning.
Author Note: Aviotor = the Build a Bear Sabertooth Tiger