Work Text:
If you asked Viridian what he thought about his various jobs, he would have said he loved it without any hesitation. Not many could say that they had a hobby as their main job, and he genuinely enjoyed spending time around young kids while teaching them various things about the wildlife he observed and photographed.
However, such jobs came with a tiny drawback - whether it was a monthly report of lesson plans and progression, or descriptions that came with publishing photos of rare specimens, Viridian would find himself needing to do something he was never particularly skilled at nor fond of - writing.
Written words were never the owl's strong suit. He enjoyed reading from time to time, especially if there were texts about new discoveries in nature, but he knew very little on how to write well himself. Nonetheless, it was that time of the month where a printed copy of the details of his lesson plans and schedule was needed again, and he had no choice but to get to it - a few long hours that required his intense focus was awaiting him.
Time passed by swiftly as the shapeshifter worked on this task, his fingertips dancing on the keyboard and making clicking sounds occasionally as he attempted to compose the paragraphs, but with the adjustments made recently to his teaching methods and class timetables, Viridian found himself quickly growing frustrated at the lack of success. The shapeshifter sighed and leaned back in his chair, feeling fatigue sink in as his shoulders sagged in exhaustion.
He was brought back to reality by a warm feeling pressing up against his legs and the familiar brush of silver fur. Despite the annoyance he felt just moments ago, a smile crept up on the owl's face once he realized the presence of his furry visitor. The winged shapeshifter felt his mood instantly lighten as he reached out a hand and petted the wolf at his feet.
"Silver, dear, what are you doing?" Viridian giggled slightly as he looked down into a pair of amber eyes, greeted with the sight of a wagging tail as he gently stroked his lupine partner. Sylvester simply gave a whine in response to the question and licked his hand while laying his furry head on Viridian's lap.
"I know, I'm happy to see you too," he responded, but sighed quickly as he ruffled his fur with a few fingers. "I just can't seem to figure out how to write this thing and I don't have much time left..."
The owl was too preoccupied with his thoughts to notice the sudden shift of magic in the air, or that his hands were now running through silky, white hair as opposed to fur, until he heard Sylvester humming softly in contentment as the back of his ears were scratched. Viridian made the mistake of looking down once more - once again, he found himself captivated by the wolf's beauty and irresistible adorableness.
"You're stressed," the shapeshifter pointed out, looking up with one amber eye open that showed a hint of worry. "You should take a break if you're tired, Viri. It's been a long day."
"Silver... darling, you're too sweet," the owl shapeshifter responded affectionately while giving the wolf more pats on the head. "But I really need to finish writing this report - and you know I don't like handling words like this..."
"Of course I know that. You do know I have been doing the same thing for the past 6 months too, right?" Sylvester nuzzled further into the palm of his hand, causing Viridian to once again look away from the screen, distracted by just how effortlessly cute the wolf was acting.
He wasn't wrong - it took a lot of convincing on both Viridian and Nightlight's sides, but Sylvester eventually did admit to enjoying the company of young, bright-eyed shapeshifter students, and accepted the offer to teach a class of his own, something he does incredibly well, too. The owl had always admired how gentle and patient the wolf was with kids, and how knowledgeable he truly was - and most of all, he felt even happier at work nowadays knowing one of his partners was always with him in the same building.
However, as much as Sylvester loved the youngsters and showed his soft side... this one, where he seeks out physical affection without any hesitation... it was a side only Viridian and Nightlight were lucky enough to ever witness.
"Silver," the owl said with fond exasperation. "I'll come over to give you proper cuddles later, okay? I really need to get back to work..."
"You need some rest, love." Sylvester ignored the comment blatantly and looked up once more with pleading eyes, his pointed, furry ears drooping slightly when Viridian moved his hand away to resume typing, making a small sad howl in response.
"At least, please keep petting me..."
Catching sight of the wolf's amber eyes in his peripheral vision, the owl's heart melted at the sight before he gave in and laid a hand on the smaller shapeshifter's head again, smiling in spite of his situation as Sylvester immediately wagged his tail in response.
"You're lucky that you're so cute," Viridian chuckled before yawning, being reminded once again of how tired he was. A crestfallen expression made its way onto his face as he realized he still had a daunting task to complete. "But I'm running out of time, Silver. Why don't you go see Nightlight first..."
"Did someone say my name?" A soft, shy voice interrupted the owl's train of thought, and he didn't even need to turn around to know who it belonged to. A pair of black wings enveloped him in a warm hug from behind, and Viridian found himself relaxing as the raven rested his chin on the shapeshifter's head of blonde hair.
"Speak of the devil," Sylvester said with a teasing note in his voice. "I told you he'd be happy to see you, love."
Viridian cracked an eye open and saw the most adorable expression on Nightlight's face, his cheeks flushed and his stunning periwinkle eyes looking away. He wasn't even mad that his attention was diverted again from his main problem at hand.
"Hello, sweetheart." The owl said to his winged partner, delighting in how the raven instantly smiled upon hearing his voice. Unable to contain himself in the presence of his lovers, Viridian turned around and properly met Nightlight's lips in a kiss, which the other shapeshifter eagerly reciprocated.
"You've been working for a really long time," Nightlight said as they finally pulled apart, wearing a concerned expression similar to the one on Sylvester's face. "I can see that you're tired."
"I know. I'm sorry I haven't been able to give you much of my attention..."
The raven shook his head and smiled at Viridian while gently caressing his cheek. "Don't apologize for that, Viri. I didn't mean it that way - Silver and I were just really worried that you were going to overwork yourself and forget to take a break."
"And it seems like we were right," Sylvester interjected as he got up from his position on the ground... only to quickly plop down on the owl's lap where his head had previously been resting on, causing the shapeshifter to yelp in surprise.
"Silver! I'm not joking, the deadline is coming soon and I need to get this done-" The rest of his words were promptly cut off by the wolf leaning in and kissing Viridian deeply, a gesture that he can't help but melt into. Times like this were why the owl was glad that Sylvester was small enough to sit on both his and Nightlight's lap - it made it easy for them to cuddle the white-haired shapeshifter by holding him close to their chests, like how Viridian was doing it at the very moment - but it also meant that he was a very effective distraction.
"Viri, love, you look really exhausted." Nightlight's gentle voice brought the owl's attention to how his brain felt heavy from the long hours of work, and how his body screamed for some actual rest as he realized how late it already was. He blinked once and saw that Sylvester was looking at him with his bright amber eyes, containing endless amounts of affection and care once they broke the kiss, and that reminded Viridian of just how much he loved the wolf he was holding in his arms.
"... you're right. But..." The owl sighed, frustration and worry taking over his senses as he tried to find the words. He appreciated how his two partners were looking out for him, and their company was a sight for sore eyes - but at the same time, they were kind of the reason why he wasn't able to solve the very problem that was bugging him right now...
"It's the monthly report, right?" Sylvester asked, and Viridian nodded as the smaller shapeshifter turned around to face the screen, leaning back against the owl's chest and filling his heart with warmth, both physically and spiritually. "I might be able to help you out a little. If you would let me." The wolf tilted his head adorably to look into his own green eyes for a confirmation, and Viridian couldn't help but smile and nod again.
"Everything is going to work out fine, love," Nightlight said in a quiet but reassuring tone, and the owl felt a soft kiss being pressed to his cheek. "I know you're worried about deadlines, but I know you have more time than you think. Don't push yourself too hard over it, okay?"
"Besides... I think I've more or less figured out what you're mostly having trouble with." Sylvester added with an encouraging smile as he held one of Viridian's hands before guiding them to the keyboard once more. "You see, what if you just moved this sentence over here..."
With the wolf's guidance, Viridian managed to properly arrange the document in a neat structure within the next few minutes, all while the raven was running his fingers through the owl's brown wings. He was surprised at how well Sylvester seemed to know exactly what to do - but his partner had always been better at handling details, and he knew the little shapeshifter was incredibly smart - something about him that he adored to no end. It also probably helped that Sylvester had to complete the same dreaded task every month... except with much less effort.
"See? It's no problem at all. You should've just asked us for help earlier..." Sylvester shook his head fondly as he turned around and kissed the owl once more, which Viridian responded by wrapping his arms firmly around the wolf who now snuggled into his chest.
"I know, you're smart as usual, darling." He said with a smile while scratching his lupine partner's furry ears. "I just didn't want to seem like you're doing my job for me, especially when you can handle it yourself just fine..."
"Viri, it's not wrong to reach out to us even if you think something is your responsibility," Nightlight's soft voice reached his ears and warmed his heart thoroughly. "We'll always be here for you, and the last thing we want is to see you overworking yourself over something like this."
"Aww... you were this worried about me?" Viridian turned around again and saw a blush creeping up the raven's cheeks, a sight that he would never fail to find adorable. "You're so sweet..." The owl teased Nightlight slightly before leaning in for a kiss. He still enjoyed how the tall, attractive shapeshifter gets flustered every time, and this was only made better by how cute Nightlight's expressions would be.
"So, would you come to bed now? I think all of us deserve some rest." Sylvester said, finally getting off Viridian's lap, leaving him actually missing the warmth against his body. The feeling was short-lived, though, as he smiled and realized that he would be lying down next to both of his lovers in just a minute.
"Of course." The shapeshifter let out another yawn, his eyes fogging over this time. As he opened his eyes again, Viridian felt a pair of strong arms encircle his body before he was lifted off the chair with a small yelp.
"You're tired... let me help you." Nightlight smiled warmly at the owl he was carrying steadily in his arms as he walked towards their shared bedroom. Viridian felt his own face grow red, surprised by the sudden show of affection from the raven, but he quickly settled in and allowed himself to lean against his partner's chest, feeling the rhythm of his heartbeat against his skin. In the background, he could faintly hear Sylvester shutting off the computer screens as well as the lights.
Viridian didn't recall being laid down on their soft bed before falling asleep peacefully in Nightlight's arms. He was also blissfully oblivious to the fact that the taller avian shapeshifter had brushed away some of his blonde hair and kissed his forehead, smiling at the owl's contented expression and the rise and fall of his chest.
When the raven had finally placed the exhausted shapeshifter down gently, both him and Sylvester had quickly clambered under the sheets themselves, giving each other a few kisses before cuddling up to their beloved slumbering owl and drifting off as well.
Perhaps Viridian was glad that he had these two distractions after all.