your arms are crossed, hip cocked lazily against the edge of the claw machine, while you watch your wife burn through yet another five dollar bill with the intensity of someone training for a national competition. the blinking lights of the arcade cast pink and green hues across her face but shes unfazed, completely locked in on the stuffed octopus you pointed out twenty minutes ago in a throwaway comment

“babe..” you say slowly, voice half amused and half warning

“no" billie snaps, not looking at you, jamming the joystick with a precise, vengeful motion “im getting it”

you blink “youve already used like twenty bucks-”

“twenty five” she mutters still laser focused

you sigh, tilting your head “i didnt even really want it. i just said it was kinda cute”

she doesnt even flinch “you said you wanted it. so now i want it. so now its happening”

the claw drops, misses, and closes on empty air

billie curses softly and pulls another crumpled bill from her back pocket, shoving it into the slot without hesitation

you lean in, lowering your voice with a small grin “you realize were legally bound to each other. you can just buy me a damn octopus from amazon”

she glances at you for a split second, with her eyes narrowed and lips twitching “and thats why this has to be earned”

you snort, eyes flicking to the machine “youre getting beat by a pile of polyester”

“im gonna destroy this thing” she growls, slamming the joystick again

you reach over and steal the pink claw controller from her hand mid movement, forcing her to look at you

“okay fine” you say “if you win it ill never bring up the time you cried watching that one dog commercial”

her mouth drops open “thats low”

“you started it” you smirk “now let the machine win or im pulling wife rank”