Ward had always been the first to be up and about out of the youngest four agents. Skye liked to sleep in late anyway but it didn't help she insisted on staying up past midnight on her laptop doing nothing in particular. Simmons was an early riser but would often stay in bed until the familiar sounds of other people moving around would echo through The Bus and, well, Fitz would get up when Simmons did.
Ward liked the small amount of peace he had in the morning. May and Coulson weren't people that liked to spend the early hours with others so they would often just grab a coffee and go find somewhere quiet to fully wake up, leaving Ward to enjoy the lounge all to himself.
As The Bus became familiar territory for the operations agent his little habits developed into a morning routine he became comfortable. He would wake up at 4:45, dress, have breakfast and a cup of black coffee in the lounge then relax while flipping through SHIELD news on his tablet until it was time for Skye's training.
The first morning after getting Friday was different.
He woke up to the sound of his alarm clock beeping out its usual rhythm. A strange weight on his chest set him on alert as his eyes flickered open to see the black cat napping on top of him. "Friday," He let out a soft groan while relaxing slightly, safe in the knowledge his would-be attacker was just the little feline.
At the mention of her name Friday slowly opened her eyes and let out a noisy purr. She watched him for a few moments before pawing at his skin then standing, circling his chest and attempting to settle back down just as he lifted her off him.
The 2 year old curled and twisted round Ward's legs as he dressed himself, made the bed and strolled out to the kitchen. She occasional nudged at his ankles to hurry him along while he switched on the coffee machine and poured his cereal. While the coffee brewed Ward opened a can of cat food, forked it out onto Friday's purple dish and placed it down for her.
Friday pounced on the food like she'd never been fed before, something the team became accustomed to over the following months as a Friday quirk. Ward smiled slightly as he knelt down to run a hand down the cat's back. "You're an impatient little girl, aren't you?" He whispered, almost under his breath, as he petted Friday a few more times before standing and bringing his breakfast into the lounge.
He ate in peace for the first few minutes while the feline demolished her food but, once she had licked the plate clean, she came bouncing over again to disturb him. "Not now, Friday." Ward murmured as she attempted to nuzzle her way into his lap. After four failed attempts the cat sat back and watched him.
She livened up again when Ward went to the kitchen to place his mug, bowl and spoon in the dishwasher but had a look of confusion when he sat back down and began flicking through SHIELD articles on his tablet. She kept a steady watch on him with her huge yellow eyes for several minutes before giving up, hopping off the couch and disappearing out of the room.
Ward glanced up when the feline finally stopped nudging and pawing at him in time to see the feline skulking down the corridor but he quickly returned to a SHEILD report on a recent armory bust. There were a few minutes of silence before a low huff came from one of the bunks.
Fitz had been sleeping peacefully in his bed when Friday slipped in through the gap in his door and pounced onto his stomach, knocking almost the air out of his lungs and rudely awakening him from a particularly nice dream. He watched the cat with a scornful look as she pawed at the blanket that cover his feet before collapsing down and rolling onto her back.
"Bad, Friday," Fitz muttered as he threw back the blanket and scooped the cat up. "Waking Fitz up is very bad," He added while carrying her down the corridor, opening the door to Simmons' bunk and dumping her at the end of the bed.
Simmons had to restrain herself from giggling as she glanced up to see Fitz, bedhead and all, glaring at the black cat that didn't pay him any attention. "Was Fitz being mean to you, Friday?" The biochemist asked as the feline nudged past the book she was holding to flop onto her lap.
"She woke me up," Fitz stated in a slightly insulted voice from his science counterpart taking the side of the cat. "If she's allowed to roam round The Bus then she needs to know my bunk is out of bounds,"
Simmons' smile increased even further as she marked her page then stood and cradled Friday in her arms. "There's this new invention you might have heard of," She said while leading the engineer out of her room and through the corridor. "It's called a door."
Friday began squirming as the duo approached the lounge until Simmons gently placed her down on the ground and she raced into the room. By time they had closed the few yards between them and the lounge Friday had pounced up onto Ward's couch and had preceded to drape herself across his shoulders.
Fitzsimmons shared a twin smile as the agent scowled down at his tablet. "Not a word," He warned without even taking his eyes off the text in front of him. The scientists smirked to themselves while they went to the kitchen to make more coffee.
Ten minutes later the familiar sounds of Skye's alarm rang through the second floor of The Bus. The buzzing tune played out twice before it was turned off and the half-awake body stumbled to stand up and wander to the lounge.
Skye froze in place when she noticed the cat curled around Ward, her feet pressed against his collarbone with her head resting under his chin. "That is adorable!" She grinned while lifting up her phone to snap a picture of the little scene, Ward shooting her a look but unable to stop her without disturbing Friday. "How long have they been like that?" The hacker teased while glancing over to Fitzsimmons.
"Very funny," Ward grumbled as he tried to stand but got a claw hooked under his skin for the movement. "Will someone get her off of me now?"
Skye seemed to consider whether or not it was worth extra pushups during training just to make Ward suffer a little longer before she stepped forward, lifted the cat off him and placed her down on the couch.
Ward stood with a huff just before Friday could settle back down on his lap, placed his tablet on the coffee table and locked eyes with Skye who was still struggling not to giggle. "Time for training," He stated, finding it difficult to remain serious with the three adults smirking at him, before marching out into the corridor.
Skye watched Ward's retreating back with a slight smile then waited for Fitzsimmons to go to their bunks to get dressed before she followed her SO down to the cargo bay that doubled as her training area. Friday watched her owners from the sofa until she was alone at which point she hopped off the chair and found her way to the staircase leading to the bay.
The feline paced around the first step for several minutes before she sat down an inch from it and let out a loud meow. Skye and Ward glanced up from the punch bag to smile slightly at the cat. "C'mon, Friday," Skye called while kneeling down and waving a finger in an attempt to coax her down.
Friday tilted her head at the hacker then let out another wailing meow as an obvious request to be carried down. Skye was strolling toward the staircase to oblige her when Ward called her back. "She'll come down when she's ready," He stated then swung the punch bag gently toward her.
If Friday were human she would have been pouting by that point as she watched the training session continue without her. She returned to pacing around the step for a few minutes before she paused, sniffed the ground then bolted downward. Ward and Skye could see how proud the little cat was of making it to the bottom but instead of joining the two she decided to rocket back up them again. Then down and up and down. Even Fitzsimmons wandering down the staircase and into the lab wouldn't distract her. Friday had found her favorite toy on The Bus and she intended to play with it all day if she could.
So thanks to all the great feedback I decided it would be fun to add another chapter! This one came out a little Ward-centric but I think there'll be another one or two chapters to follow this so I'll get Fitzsimmons and Skye more involved again in those. Thanks to Jess S1 and everyone else who gave me some ideas for moments with Friday. If you've got any ideas for the next couple chapters feel free to drop those into a review or into my tumblr askbox (shield-the-revolution).