Summary: Nyra tries to convince B to do her paperwork.

"Pleeeeaaaseee…"

Her voice was high-pitched, ringing in his ears. Her eyes were wide, the gold surrounding her pupils brighter than usual as she stared up at him, her expression pleading, begging even.

Her feathers were smoothed out, her wings pressed tightly against her body as this bitch of an owl tried to make herself as small as she possibly could, trying to seem helpless, vulnerable…even if she was anything but.

And B knew this. As such, he refused to fall for it. Not again!

"No."

His voice was a low, harsh growl, his red orbs flashing in irritation as their gazes met.

She let out a huff, her cheeks puffing out as she glared at him for the split of a second. However, that soon faded, her features returning to their former glory as she tried again, refusing to give up.

"Come on~!", she whined, pushing her chest further against his own, her grip on the rock tightening so she would not fall. "Please? You'd really, really help me!"

He scoffed, shaking his head at her insistence. "Nyra, I said no!", he snapped, gently pushing her back to emphasize his point. "I shan't do it! I shan't fall for your tricks once more!"

The Alba staggered back, her wings flaring as she struggled to regain her balance for a second. Once she managed, she folded them back at her side, her feathers ruffling in frustration as she realized that this time, it'd be a little harder to convince him than usual.

She didn't know why though. He had no reason to be that resistant. Aside from the countless hours of extra work he had to endure the last time he agreed to it, of course. But…she conveniently decided that she would forget about that.

"You're being difficult." she accused him, holding her beak high. "It is only paperwork, and it isn't even that much!"

B had to suppress the groan that built in the back of his throat, dragging his tongue along his inner fangs instead, his large ear tufts fluttering slightly. "If it is not, do it yourself then."

"I would do it if I could! But I can't! I simply lack the time!", she argued, throwing her wings onto the air in aspiration.

"You do realize that working overtime is an option, correct?", the male growled, lowering his head more so they could face each other properly. "You are not forced to finish the paperwork while still officially on duty!"

"B, that is not an option either. You are well aware that I have a patrol tomorrow morning followed by a council meeting." Each future task was emphasized with her flicking her wrist and stretching out a digit, her eyes never leaving his as she spoke. "I need my rest! Sleep is precious, even for me."

The monstrosities lower eyelid twitched. He couldn't believe his ears. "And what about me?!", he asked, gesturing towards himself. "I also require rest! Quite a lot of it, even! This body is heavy, as are the burdens that have been placed upon me!"

"Yes, but you have time to sleep in tomorrow!", she reminded him, pulling out a list seemingly out of nowhere. B blinked, recognizing it immediately. She did not…

"Here!", she began, pointing towards the writing. "Your duty only begins early afternoon, which means you have all morning to rest your body! I, on the other hand,…" she moved her finger, dragging it over the paper before stopping at her name. "...am busy from the very first moment the sun rises."

"These are terms you agreed with, Nyra. Your lack of ability to plan is not my problem.", he huffed, snatching the list from her. Where did she even get it? He could have sworn he left it in his studies.

"Given that I am your wife, it is your problem!" she argued, snatching the list back. "You're supposed to help me when I require assistance! That is what mates do!"

"I shall help when help is needed and not when laziness won the battle over responsibility." B huffed, shifting on his talons to adjust his posture. Ugh…his back hurt… "Besides, I helped you last time, which cost me hours upon hours of my free time."

"I'm not lazy, I simply do not want to sacrifice my sleep and risk a migraine in the morning!" she argued, peeved that he'd dare to call her out. "I have other plans than just laying on the cushions all day, feeling like someone threw an entire mountain at my head!"

"..." B was silent for a moment. That was…a valid argument.

"Besides, it's good practice for you. Your talonwriting is horrendous." she added, a small smirk growing on her beak. B felt his sympathy burn to the ground almost immediately upon hearing those words.

"MY talonwriting? Excuse me, have you seen YOURS?!" he hissed, glaring down upon her as his ears shot up in agitation, his mane rising along with them. Glaux…she sometimes forgot how big her husband was…

It didn't deter her though. She knew that he wouldn't harm her. Much to his dismay.

"My talonwriting is as pristine and elegant as I am." she argued, puffing out her chest in pride. "Besides, never has our beloved husband asked me what in Glaux's name that word was."

"You are mentioning a note I have written in haste." he huffed, his claws digging into the ground.

"This wasn't a one-time-thing, my dear." she reminded him, which caused his expression to darken even further.

What. A. Bitch.

"You are not helping your case." he pointed out, the glow of his eyes brightening with annoyance.

"You just don't want to hear the truth." she shot back, though she knew that he was right.

B just grunted, wishing it was winter so he could throw her into the snow.

"Anyway, are you helping me or not?" she asked, returning to the topic. The giant felt a laugh building up within his chest.

"No." he repeated bluntly, his answer not changing. "If my talonwriting is truly that horrendous, I am sure that you would not want it to stain your work."

"Ugh!" Nyra groaned, throwing her head back. That man… "Come on! There has to be something to convince you!"

"I highly doubt you can find something that will break my resolve." the black owl pointed out, a small smirk appearing on his own beak now as he realized he was on his best way to win this argument. "After all, the ground you stand on is rather unstable."

Hmm…Nyra narrowed her eyes, trying to think of something he could want. After a good 30 seconds of thinking, she decided to stoop a little lower. "What if I repay you with mating?"

The massive owl's jaw hit the floor. "Excuse me?!" he rasped, his voice thick with utter disbelief as he forgot to breathe for a moment. She did not just say that…

"You heard me! You do my paperwork, and I repay you tomorrow night.", she offered, sounding so causal that B felt the need to slap so she would regain common sense.

"No!" he spat. "Nyra, your body is a temple! Do not even think I would take you up on that offer! If we mate, it shall be because we both want it and not for some favor!" His voice rose to the point it rang in her ears, causing her to lift a talon to rub her right one. Ugh…

"Don't be dramatic. I'm your wife. There is rarely a day I don't want my men.", she argued, though she did realize that it sounded rather bad.

She was desperate, okay?

"And what if you do not desire to mate tomorrow night?", he asked, trying to put into perspective how utterly stupid that offer was.

"Then it's the night after tomorrow's night or something." she shrugged, her feathers ruffling as her wings twitched upwards, along with her shoulders. "You are acting as if I asked you to skin a hatchling!"

"With good reason, my dear!", he spat back, slamming his talon into the ground.

"Has your answer changed at the very least?" she asked, rolling her eyes at his reaction.

"No!"

Nyra growled. She was growing tired of that word. "Fine! Then I'll offer something else! Maybe…" she broke off, trying to think of something. B just stood there, fully glaring at her now, waiting for her next absurd statement.

Then, suddenly, an idea struck her. She straightened her back, her face lighting up. "Cookies!"

That…caught the giant off guard almost more than the mating offer. "What?"

"I could bake you cookies in return!" she elaborated, realizing just how good the idea was. Her bigger husband was a MASSIVE foodie! He loved everything that was food-related!

Why didn't she think of that before?!

"I…" He snapped his beak closed. He didn't know what to say.

"Think about it.", she began, setting the list down hopping off the stone and trotting towards his legs, circling them before slipping through them. He lowered his head, twisting his neck so he would look at her, watching as she pressed her cold palm against his warm talon. "If you sacrifice yourself for this night only and do my paperwork, I promise I shall bake you your favorite cookies for…", she stopped, her eyes wandering upwards as she tried to think of a reasonable timespan. When she had one, her gaze snapped back to meet his once again. "Two weeks."

"I-I…" He broke off once more, truly not having any argument against it. That offer was more than compelling, especially since Nyra was a goddess in the kitchen.

"What do you say?" she asked, her grin widening. "Will you do it? Will you take my offer? I could give it to you in writing too if you're unsure."

A few seconds of silence followed. Then, the monster sighed, straightening his neck and dragging his heavy tongue over his beak and buccal flap. Sprink…she got him. "Fine."

The joy that Nyra felt explode within her chest was remarkable. She barked out a laugh of triumph, her wings flaring with pure and unfiltered happiness. "YES!" she screeched, jumping into the air. A rather childish display, but they were alone.

He had seen her in far more embarrassing situations…especially when she was drunk.

"Thank you, B! I promise you'll get your cookies as soon as I have time to bake!" she squealed, hugging his leg before stepping back.

"Yes, yes. Just…tell me where the work is.", he grumbled, though he could not deny the smile that slowly spread the sides of his beak apart. Seeing his wife so happy…it did something to him.

"In my studies, on my desk." she explained, jumping back onto the rock to grab his head and press a kiss to his forehead. "They're easy to find. The first page has tomorrow's date on it, sooo…"

"Alright. I…shall get to it once I am done with my own work, then.", he rumbled, nuzzling into her affection even though he'd much rather kick her into a pool of water. Glaux…that woman.

"Thank you!", she chuckled, pressing another kiss onto his face before pulling back, spreading her wings. Then, she took off without another word, laughing maniacally, as if she had just ripped someone's head off.

B looked after her, his red eyes glowing dimly with a mix of emotions. Then, he snorted, slowly turning on his feet to continue on his way. He had one word for what had just happened, and it described everything rather well.

"Unbelievable."

With that, he grabbed the list, tucking it underneath his wing before he trotted off.