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‘This looks like a page off John’s old, dusty books,’ Sara complained and her grip on the piece of paper tightened, tiny creases forming where her thumb applied pressure. Her eyes jumped to the small metal bits and pieces of wood spread in a circle around her. She wasn’t sure what kind of mystical power it would take to turn all these into a bed; all she knew was she didn’t possess it.
Maybe they needn't have replaced Ava’s old single bed in the first place, she thought, the fingers of her free hand idly tracing her jawline. Indeed, she had been a fan of the idea that they had to cuddle lest one (or both) of them ended up on the floor whenever Sara spent the night.
Poor Ava had husked that they needed to get a bigger bed just yesterday, when she’d woken up to find she had been sleeping on the floor, her body aching from the fall. Sara had smiled sheepishly before she buried her face into her pillow to hide her embarrassment.
Her gaze scouted to the corner of the room where the wooden boards of Ava’s old bed lay.
They had shared some nice moments in it, from that time Ava told her she loved her during sex to those rainy mornings they’d spent snuggling or that night Ava asked Sara to move in with her.
Before she could realize it, a soft smile had worked its way onto her face. Sara’s nose scrunched; she would miss this little bed. Especially now that they’d have to sleep on the floor since there was no way this mess would turn into a bed anytime soon.
Sara let out an exasperated huff of air. She had been so excited at the store, wandering around the beds section of IKEA, Ava’s hand in hers, Zari and Wally trying out every mattress so they’d ‘find the best for the moms.’ She really hadn't suspected a thing when they were picking up those long brown boxes, or when Wally offered to help set it up in no time.
Ugh, furniture’s stupid. IKEA’s stupid.
‘You’re stupid,’ she mumbled, her eyes returning to the little leaflet she was convinced was written in gibberish.
‘Who’s stupid?’ Ava asked as she entered the room with two beer bottles and came to stand behind Sara to see who she was talking to.
‘This little guy with his wicked, little smile,’ Sara replied, pointing to the cartoon person on the paper in her hand.
‘Oh.’ Ava passed her one of the bottles, planting a kiss on Sara’s cheek. She sat down behind her and wrapped her arms around the small woman’s waist. She reached for the instruction manual in Sara’s hand, and said softly, ‘why don’t you let me do it while you put your clothes in the closet?’
‘I’m not a kid, Aves, I can assemble a bed,’ Sara whined, although she knew the latter part was not true. ‘I’ll let you know I have assembled furniture hundreds of times.’ Sara left Ava’s embrace to pick up the first tool she spotted.
‘Yeah?’
Sara nodded her head before her eyes jumped from the metal thing in her hand to the small shiny bits on the floor and the wooden boards.
Ava leaned backwards, her back resting against an empty box, and took a sip of her beer. ‘Just follow the instructions,’ she said, holding up the paper with the little guy on it. She leaned forward to turn to the second page and hand it to Sara.
‘These are the instructions?’ Sara said under her breath. She took a moment to examine them. ‘Oh, I see,’ she said and set the instructions on the floor, a smirk plastered on her face. ‘I just have to use this a few times,’ she pointed to the cartoon tool on the page, then her finger hovered over a cartoon screw and a number written next to it, ‘…and then we can screw—multiple times.’
Ava’s laugh filled the room; Sara bit her lip at the sight, Ava’s head thrown back, her eyes shut from laughter. Her heart was flooded with pride, a grin appearing on her own face.
All she had to do now was finish building this bed and Ava would be so proud of her. Without thinking, Sara flourished the strange tool in her hand, but shortly caught herself. For a moment there, she wished she had helped Jax more when he’d fix the ship or run some maintenance routine. Maybe then she’d knew what the hell to use this for.
Sara finally used the tool to comically bang a wooden board once, before she looked up at Ava, whose cheeks had turned a rosy hue.
‘You probably know, what, ten different ways to knock someone out using just this wrench, but can’t use it to build something,’ Ava mocked, shaking her head.
‘Fifteen,’ Sara mumbled. ‘I know fifteen different ways to knock someone out with this.’
Ava bit her lip, probably to hold back a chuckle. ‘Need some help?’
Sara looked down at her hands; she supposed she couldn’t do differently. She had really wanted to have this bed ready all by herself for Ava but had failed massively. Her gaze shifted to Ava. ‘Yes, please.’
The next hour flew by as the pile of boards and the swarms of all kinds of screws turned into a majestic king bed.
A small triumphant noise escaped Sara’s mouth when the mattress fit the bed frame perfectly. Next came a fresh sheet, a cover and two pillows in matching pillowcases. As she threw the last pillow on the bed, Sara noticed how Ava’s eyes lit up as she took in the final product.
Sara paced to where Ava was, a soft smile on her face. After taking her hand in hers, she kissed her knuckles, ‘This is perfect.’
Ava returned the smile and nodded to the bed. Soon, they were both laying on their backs, eyes closed. A couple moments later, Sara slid closer and into Ava’s open arms. Ava placed a kiss on the side of her head as Sara threw her arms around Ava.
‘So, we’re really doing this,’ Sara said softly, and it was more of a realization rather than a question.
‘I mean, I guess,’ Ava replied with a grin. ‘Unless you got into all this fuss for this little guy right here,’ she continued, her voice raising as she brought the instructions leaflet in front of her face.
‘Ava,’ Sara said in a playful tone, as she nuzzled against Ava’s neck.
‘Couldn’t help it,’ she chuckled. They lay like that for a while, before Ava spoke again. ‘So… dinner?’
Sara let out a throaty ‘wah’ before tightening her grip around Ava. She knew none of them was particularly fond of moving at the moment, so she suggested, ‘We could order in.’
Ava’s reply came in the form of a grin and a kiss on Sara’s forehead before she reached for her phone, making sure she moved as little as possible.