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“I wish you didn’t have to go” you frowned. You and Natasha were curled up in bed, the last night you two would have together before her month-long mission.
“I wish I didn’t have to go either” she murmured sleepily, “but how else would people get saved. And besides, sometimes we get a land shark out of it too.”
You both tilted your heads towards the lump between you, and he also lifted his head, tiredly questioning why you were talking about him.
“Well what would life be without Jeff?” you agreed, “so maybe it’s worth the missions”
“yeah, maybe” she laughed.
Jeff sighed, settling back between you with a huff, and you smiled. He might have been annoyed that you disturbed his sleep, but you were just glad he was there with you.
“You know, since I found Jeff, it’s on you to find the next pet for us”
“Oh really? Is that how it works?” Natasha teased back, “does that mean you’re not satisfied with Jeff? oh poor Jeff”
“That’s not at all what I mean and you know it” you sulked, moving to stroke Jeff just to ensure he understood you loved him, “I’m just saying that if you see another animal in need on this mission, or any others, I wouldn’t stand in the way of you taking it in. I would actually welcome it”
“I see… well I’ll keep an eye out for any endangered animals”
“Good” you hummed, satisfied with the outcome of the conversation, until it spurred a memory of what you were supposed to give Natasha that night. “Oh wait, Tash, I’ve got something for you!” you remembered, rolling and almost falling out of the bed in excitement.
Natasha watched with curiosity and slight amusement as you shuffled through the cupboard in your room. Jeff watched you with curiosity and great annoyance, since your sudden rise had rolled him and stirred him from his sleep.
You grabbed the wrapped present from its hiding spot, smiling as you showed it to Natasha. Jeff lay on his back, trying to tilt his head fully to see properly.
“Here you go Jeff” you offered, handing the gift to Natasha before rolling Jeff back onto his feet. He ‘mrrr’d gratefully, then padded closer to nudge the gift in Natasha’s lap.
“So is this for me…? or Jeff?” Natasha questioned with a raised eyebrow, smirking at the interest your pet land shark was showing the gift.
“It’s for you, to take on your mission”
“What is it?”
“You literally have it right there, just open it” you laughed
“Alright, alright” she chuckled with you, carefully peeling the wrapping paper to reveal the gift inside.
“Is this Jeff?!” she exclaimed excitedly, looking between you and the toy for confirmation.
“Yeah, I got it custom made! You always say I have Jeff to keep me company if you’re on solo missions, so I thought you might like a mini Jeff to keep you company”
“I love it Y/N/N, thank you”
“mrrr?”
“Look, Jeff, it’s you, what do you think?” Natasha showed the toy off to the shark, and he nudged it playfully, before slowly crouching back to lie between you two.
“I think he likes it”
—
You woke up slowly the next morning, roused by your sheets being (gently) shaken and annoyed huffs. Once you were slightly more awake, you recognised them as your girlfriend’s, and you rolled over to ask what was going on.
Natasha threw her hands up in frustration, then settled them on her hips as she answered, “I have to pack for the mission and I want to bring the mini Jeff. But I can’t find where it’s gone”
“Give me a second to get up, I’ll help you out” you answered sleepily
With you out of the bed, Natasha completely searched through the sheets, making sure Jeff Jr. didn’t get lost within them. Meanwhile, you checked all the areas beside and under the bed, to no avail, and you left with the whole room turned upside down.
The pair of you even began to search in irregular places, back in the cupboard the present had been hidden in, in the kitchen, and the bathroom; just in case the toy had decided to take a wander you guessed.
It was never going to be there, but it sure wasn’t in the places it should have been.
It was only when you gave up, flopping onto the sofa with Nat, that you remembered that you hadn’t seen the actual Jeff in a while either.
The only reason you remembered that, of course, is because Jeff trotted in right at that moment. You felt Natasha’s eyes lock onto Jeff just as yours did; more specifically, onto what was in his mouth.
There it was, the object you had turned the house upside down looking for, mini Jeff, being carried around by a land shark of its own image. Neither you nor Natasha said a word as Jeff paraded it past you and he didn’t even acknowledge your presence.
His bed, for when he wasn’t sleeping on yours, was in the corner of the room, and you watched as he made his way to it. He set the toy down gently in the centre, then curled himself around it, cradling tiny Jeff within his ball-shaped body.
Minutes later, when Jeff had fallen into a slumber and was snoring lightly, that was the first time either of you dared to speak. Natasha held her phone up first, quickly snapping a photo of the sleeping shark and his toy, then spoke without taking her eyes off of him.
“We’re letting him keep that, right?”
You answered quickly, “I’ll get you a new one”