#... i also had to go buy new sketchbooks and pens

[captainshadowshifter]

damn bro of all the parts of slbu I could fixate on now that I've been able to write again it just HAD to be the darkest one that ALSO happens to be the best fucking commentary on reality

[ppnuggiexxx]

Im craving for artist user around whb since i need artist users with Whb characters

If you don't mind can you write Artist user who's good really good at being an artist with Leviathan, Barbatos, Andre, Mammon?

the way user would look at them admiring and never afraid to look at them in the eyes in adoration or love because the user was just wandering around their facial shape(i forgot what word was it) and also their muscular body to where user just sketches them, admiring them with love and finding them beautiful on user’s eye. And also the way user looking at them makes them a little fluster just how much user were staring at them a lot by studying their facial expressions and shape (this is the word i lost oof)

(Sorry if it’s long i have so many ideas on the headcannon or any specific request—except oneshot since i cannot bare reading a lot of oneshot. Though i do wanna read the whb reaction or hc of it if this isn’t a struggle to write for you (⊃｡•́‿•̀｡)⊃

-> gn artist reader | whb

• characters :: mammon ,, leviathan ,, barbatos ,, andrealphus

• here you go ! :D i hope you enjoy them <3

  - leviathan

| • at first it ticked him off when you just stared at him . he knows he's gorgeous but you don't have to stare like that ,, hes scrunching his nose up as he asks you what your problem is

| • when you explain you're just admiring his features and noting them down in your mind for later ,, he asks why

| • when he gets the true answer ,, that you're using him as your muse to draw ,, he feels quite proud that you chose him ,, but of course you would . you'd be a fool not to

| • though do keep your staring at a minimum ,, its hard for him to focus with your eyes on him 24/7

| • he wont ask to see your works but he is curious to how you draw him ,, probably snooping through your belongings when youre not aware

| • leviathan's heart clenches when he sees your works ,, how you draw him so gracefully and like an ethereal being

| • he secretly takes pictures and has them in a hidden folder on his phone

  - barbatos

| • he notices your staring almost immediately ! he's quick to call you out ,, asking if its because he's just that beautiful you cant even tear your eyes from him

| • when you openly admit its so you can draw him accurately and grasp his features ,, hes swooning ! you're drawing him ? he wants to see !

| • its only fair after all ,, letting you use him as your muse ,, in return he gets to see your works

| • he has nothing but praise anyways ! he treats it like god had made it himself ,, being your #1 fan and supporter of your works

| • barbatos smothers you with smooches whenever you show him a new piece

| • do continue to show him anything you make <3

  - mammon

| • he's already aware of your artistic habits ,, supplying you with the equipment you need to make your art comfortably

| • sketchbooks ? water colors and watercolor paper? oil pastels ? maybe even acrylics ,, or did you need more white gel pens . whatever you need ,, just say the word and he'll buy it for you

| • though he wasnt expecting his master to use him as a muse ,, gazing lovingly at his features and complimenting him in the process

| • he admires your work ,, hanging it up in the halls of his palace and always walks down the hall just to see it . whenever his nobles are over ,, hes shows them your work and remarks your effort and praises you for your talent

| • he appreciates any art of him ,, open to how people interpret him through his eyes ,, as everyone interprets the world differently and he loves to see your interpretation

  - andrealphus

| • while hes not aware of your staring ,, he is notified by the chatter of other niflheim devils

| • after all ,, he isnt deaf ,, and the devils there do talk a little louder than most ,, especially when it comes to any gossip

| • knowing that you stare at him the most makes him curious . is it something about his scars and appearance that catches your attention ?

| • andrealphus asks you about it ,, happy that the real reason isnt you being scared of him but rather enchanted by his features

| • you tell him its so you can draw him ,, and hes more intrigued now . he cant see them but he'd love to feel the artworks ,, especially if its painted or layered in a way

| • his finger tips ghost over the canvas ,, feeling the ridges of different paint spots that didnt level evenly

| • he praises you for your work ,, bringing you close and planting a kiss to your head . your more than welcome to come feel him up if it helps with your art ,, feeling his facial anatomy could be beneficial (he just likes your touch)

[irishmammonagenda]

How I Think The Obey Me Dateables + Co Would React to The Rumours™️

Summary: Rumours have been floating around the Devildom. Rumours about a certain Angel and Sorcerer...how will the demon brothers react? Word Count: funny joke! Content Warnings: nothing i dont think Disclaimer: This will probably not make a lot of sense unless you've read this fic here for context, but ykw life doesnt make sense you do you <3

[Brothers Version]

dividers by @cafekitsune

You had left the Sorcerers' Society feeling quite flustered, but also extremely pleased with yourself. Take that Solomon. You grin. In all the excitement of the following days, you'd forgotten about the rumour you had accidentally spread around the Devildom. Perhaps you shouldn't've pretended to be Archangel Michael to gain entry....

💙💚BARBATOS💚💙

Finds out about the rumours relatively quickly, Little D No.2 sees him nearly dropping a plate before catching it with his tail. He was sworn to secrecy.

Poor Little D No.2

His first thought is shock, his second thought is.

'What did you do MC?'

smiling he dials your number on his DDD.

You were in the middle of doing homework, or rather, sitting at your desk staring at your homework when Barbatos called. "Hiya Barbs!" You grin into your DDD. "Hello MC." You can hear the Butler's smile through the phone. "What's got you calling Barbie?" "There have been some rumours of a certian bastard sorcerer and Archangel in a romantic relationship...you wouldn't happen to know anything of it?" You laugh. "My assassination attempt went wrong." Barbatos lets out a small chuckle along with you. "I can't say Solomon doesn't deserve it." You pause. "Barbs?" "Yes, MC?" "Would you maybe wanna...go to the next Devildom Carnival with me?" You mumble into the phone, but he catches it. Thankfully, he was feeling nice, and did not teasingly ask you to repeat it. "Of course I would MC," Barbatos tone softens, smile visible in his voice. "Perhaps you can tell me more of this assassination attempt going aray?" "It'd be my pleasure Barbie."

❤️❤️DIAVOLO❤️❤️

Barbatos tells him.

Remember the sticker incident? Yeah. Diavolo laughs when he hears about it

This could be a great help in uniting the 3 realms!!!

And hey, if someone commissions Asmo to make stickers of Michael x Solomon, dont look at Diavolo who is very suspiciously whistling innocently.

"Hi Asmo!" Lord Diavolo steps out from the shadows. Asmodeus shrieks, loosing all colour in his face before gaining it back again and grinning excitedly." Diavolo! What are you doing in my room?~" Diavolo shooshes him, pale golden eyes widening as he looks around the Avatar of Lust's room. "Not so loud." After deeming it safe enough, the Demon Prince continues, "I snuck away from Barbatos" Asmo makes a noise of understanding, he looks up at the other through foxlike eyes. "So what can I do for you Dia? ~" The Prince smiles ear to ear. "Remember the stickers you made of me and Lucifer. Well, I'd like to commission something." Asmodeus gasps excitedly, moving a stray champagne coloured lock from his forehead, he grabs his bejeweled pen and journal. "Of course! We can discuss pricing later on! First things first! What would you like?~" "Well..." Diavolo lets out a booming laugh, "Maybe something quite similar to the stickers of me and Lucifer, except with Michael and Solomon?" Asmodeus sets his pen and sketchbook down, looking up at the Devildom's present goofball and future ruler. "Y'know what, Diavolo?" He smirks mischievously. "It's on the house." Diavolo pouts, "At least let me buy you Majolish's new line of clothes." "Awww!~ If I had a ring that I didn't want to keep for myself I'd propose to you!~" Diavolo laughs. These stickers were going to be amazing.

🩷🩷THIRTEEN 🩷🩷

Haha L Solomon

Knows it's fake from the moment she hears it.

Upset she didn't think to start it....but when she finds out from Satan you had a hand in it?

Damn bbg she's about to have your hand in marriage😏

You were just trying to walk home from RAD, having finally gotten a moment of peace from your idiots when an extremely loud 'VROOOM' startles you. A black motorcycle with pink accents traverses the streets of the Devildom like it's attempting to audition for Fast and Furious, before going rogue and coming straight towards you. Scared, you start to sprint, alas, even as an angel,you can't outrun motorcycles. You don't wanna die! The mystery rider drives beside your sprinting, catching up to you before reaching their leather gloved hands out and; YOINK! The motorcyclist pulls you flush against their chest, holding you there with one arm as they use the other to steer. You've been kidnapped by a motorcyclist who thinks they're in GTA. Great. Being kidnapped by a crazed motorcyclist before GTA 6....actually, maybe this was GTA 6. "As much as I'd love to hear your screams in a different context MC, can you stop screaming?" A voice asks through the Motorcycle helmet, you immediately stop squirming to get out of the Motorcyclist's arms. "Thirteen?!" She laughs, "Awww, I love it when you say my name!" You drive in relative silence for a while until she reaches a small cafe. She stops the bike and takes her helmet off, her long ombre hair is tied in a ponytail, she takes out the bauble and lets it fall down. Bloodied emerald eyes lock onto yours as she pulls you in for a kiss. "What's this about you dying and not giving me your soul...." She says in mock sadness before jumping off of the motorcycle, helping a dazed you to your feet. "No bother!" She flirts, tucking a stray hair away from your face, "You can just give me your soul, and your heart, and your body, and your mind!" You blush. "W-why are you in the Devildom Tee?" "Well a certain someone-" She pinches your cheek, "made up a fabulous rumour about that Rat-Bastard! So I'm here to give them a lovely little dinner date and my hand in marriage as a reward!" "Excuse me? Could you repeat that?!" You ask, heart racing. Thirteen just laughs and gives you a kiss that leaves you breathless, a soft blush of her own showing up on her porcelain skin. You walked out of your impromptu unofficial kidnapping dinner date a married MC. Time to go to Vegas to make it official!

💜💜MEPHISTOPHELES💜💜

The man found out because you told him.

He is not impressed. Couldn't you have made up a rumour about Lucifer dating someone?!

No MC, this is a serious newspaper! He is not posting gossip. Or advertising fanfictions. Especially ones with a name like that!

What do you mean Lord Diavolo would 'want you to do it, Mephisto!!' are you trying to emotionally blackmail him?!

"Pleaseeeee!" "No." You try again. "Mephisto pleaseeeeeee?" He gives you a rather rude look. Damn, rich people really were good at looking at people like they were dirt on their shoes. "I won't ask for anything ever again!" "You will, and the answer is still no MC." He glares at you. Pear green eyes filled with annoyance. "The RAD newspaper is sacred! I'm not posting fanfiction on there! We are a serious organisation!" "You post popularity polls." You deadpan. "This is why I hate rich people." "Let me go wipe my tears with my various stacks of grimm lying around. Speaking of which, how did you get into my house, MC?" You grin sheepishly. "No comment!" "MC." "Your little brother let me in! He's very nice, unlike you! Now please I'm begging you!" Mephisto raises an eyebrow. "You don't look like you're begging." "I'm not getting down on my knees. I'm going to piss in your cereal." Mephistopheles scoffs. "I don't eat cereal. That's poor people behaviour." You sniffle, deciding that the best course of action would be to annoy him. "You know, you're acting like Lucifer right now! Not letting me post this in the Newspaper." Mephisto waggles his finger at you, "Send me a Devilmail of what you want included later." "Yay!" You cheer. Satan was going to be so happy when he found out you managed to get your fanfic mentioned in the RAD Newspaper!

🩵🩵SIMEON 🩵🩵

He finds out after you print out the published parts of the fanfiction you and Satan wrote.

He's an author after all! What better person to get constructive criticism from?!

Someone please save this poor man.

Solomon looked up at Michael with dull eyes devoid of emotion, just previously they had shone with tears, now they were just dead. A graveyard of feeling. "Take it back Michael." The sorcerer mutters, but Michael heard him clearly. "What you said about Humankind...take it back!" "It's the truth Solomon!" Michael raises his voice, the rain dropping like bullets against the windows of Cocytus Hall. "I can't do this anymore!" Solomon blurts out, before turning on his heel, cape flapping, as he runs out of the door, into the storm outside, his arms cover tear-stricken his face. "Solomon wait!" Michael races out after him braving the- "MC..." Simeon looks up at you, he takes his reading glasses off and gently sets the paper down, attempting to avoid looking at anything else written on it. "MC, what is this?" "Art." You nod seriously. "It is good writing MC, but, why?" "Why not?" You tilt your head. "With all the love in my heart, darling, I'm forcing myself to forget this story's existence." You pat Simeon's back. "That's probably for the best Simmy."

🤎🤎RAPHAEL 🤎🤎

Solomon? Michael was going out with Solomon?

This worked out great for him actually, this meant he could eat Solomon's food more often. How delicious!

Disappointed when he finds out the rumours aren't true.

"Raphael for the last time, do I look like the type of person that would date Solomon?!" Michael says exasperatedly, covering his face with his hands and fake sobbing. Drama king. "You are a bit odd. Are you sure you're not dating him? I won't judge you, Michael, I respect you a lot." Raphael nods seriously. "I am not dating Solomon." Raphael pouts, "I see. Have you considered dating Solomon?" Michael grabs a pillow and screams into it.

🖤🖤SOLOMON🖤🖤

Finds out through Asmo

Is that a fanficiton, MC?

Two can play at this game.

You enter your room when you feel a hand go over your mouth. You attempt to scream, but seeing as there's a hand over your mouth, it doesn't exactly go very well for you. "Relax Mc, It's just me." You turn your head around to see Solomon and that signature sneaky smile on his face. You scream louder. He chuckles and mutters a few words, all of a sudden you feel very sleepy.... Hours later, you wake up on your bed, now around 3 feet tall and with familiar pink wool, your hands and feet are now hooves, beside you Solomon had been oh so kind as to leave you a note. Cant write Fanfiction if you don't have hands. Jokes on him. You're a co-author.

🩵🤍LUKE🤍🩵

hears some demons talking about it at RAD while he´s in Devildom history

Michael are Solomon are DATING??!!!

LIKE THE THING PEOPLE DO BEFORE THEY GET MARRIED??!!

Michael and Solomon are getting MARRIED??!!

Is Solomon his dad now?

Luckily for Luke and Unluckily for Michael, Michael is still in the Devildom, so when Luke gets home, he goes to ask Michael about it.

Sounds of sizzling and chopping can be heard from the kitchen in Purgatory Hall, and thankfully, it's not Solomon. Michael hums as he expertly dices the onions up and puts them into the blender with the tomatoes, broccoli and cauliflower. His long golden hair had been haphazardly thrown into a plait, small curls that didn't feel like conforming popping out here and there, sauce stains found themselves a home on his dark skin, he stuck his tongue out in concentration. Frozen meatballs had been left out to thaw, and now the Archangel was making the vegetables in the sauce so they'd undetectable to a certain fussy young angel. "Michael?" The young angel in question calls out in the doorway resulting in Michael exclaiming something that sounded like 'GAH!' and attempting to hide Luke's view of the blender. "Hiya Lukey!" Michael grins awkwardly. "What's up with you today? Haha." Now long used to Michael's strangeness, Luke pays it no mind. "Michael, I have a question." The archangel turns the various pans on the stove to the lowest heat before sitting on a stool on the kitchen island and pulling Luke up to sit on his knee. "What's up Kiddo?" He grins, tilting his head at the boy. Luke fiddles with his thumbs, his blue eyes meeting Michael's red ones. "Is it true you and Solomon are getting married?" Michael's smile drops. He pats Luke's blond hair, "No Lukey, me and Solomon are not getting married, nor are we in a relationship." Luke's face flushes, he clenches his tiny fists. "Those demons! Making up lies!" Michael shakes the image of you from his mind. "Yeah. Demons. Yup!"

lads im gonna be honest here i havent met mephsitles or hwoever u spell it a lot in game (as well as thirteen and raphael) so apologies if theyre really ooc😰

[luffydotcom]

straw hats and birthday gifts

synopsis: headcanons on gifts i think the straw hats would like on their birthdays! (+ their birthdays in general)

feat: luffy, zoro, nami, usopp, sanji (i was going to do the rest but it was getting pretty long)

notes: this is my first post ever on this blog and on tumblr... but since my birthday is coming up soon, and i love one piece, i had to make this! i had to think really hard about this to be honest, since they're all so different from each other + their interests are quite different

warnings: (slight) whole cake island spoilers in sanji's part

luffy:

LUFFY doesn't take his birthdays too seriously. he does take note of when his birthday is coming up, but it's not something he's too bothered about. he probably wouldn't ask for too much for his birthday, since every day is a fun day for him, so is his birthday much different?

however, he would definitely be happy with anything food-related - a big, cartoonishly towering cake (baked by sanji, of course, for his special day) that he could eat with his friends would make him very happy.

honestly, luffy would appreciate anything that satisfies his stomach - even a huge piece of meat, made extra special and extra large, would be enough of a gift for him!

most importantly, a big party with all his friends on the ship would make his whole birthday complete. he loves to party, and it would feel even more fun on such a special day.

zoro:

ZORO doesn't care too much about his birthday. he's only getting a year older, why make a big deal out of it? it's part of life, right? he's not the type to ask for gifts - but if he were to receive any, he would definitely appreciate it and be grateful for it, even if he doesn't explicitly show it.

anything that would help zoro take care of or maintain his swords he would definitely appreciate. his swords are very important to him - the thought of someone acknowledging this through a gift would almost certainly make him happy on his birthday.

additionally, zoro trains a LOT. if you were to give him training equipment on his birthday - even something as ridiculous as the comically big dumbbells he uses, or even a mat to work out on, he would definitely love! it shows that you understand his interests and priorities and want to help him in becoming stronger.

nami:

due to NAMI'S childhood, she never had much time to celebrate her birthday or receive any nice gifts. it would definitely mean a lot to her to receive a gift on her birthday, and while she would be happy with anything, she does have her own preferences.

nami is very a fashionable girl that enjoys dressing for the occasion. she loves designer fashion and luxury brands and would be over the moon to receive this as a gift. however, even if it wasn't designer or expensive, she would be happy nonetheless - she still has new additions to her wardrobe!

on the topic of fashion, nami loves making her outfits stand out. she would absolutely love receiving accessories to add to her wardrobe - especially jewellery. (it doesn't have to be very expensive, although she would be over the moon if it was!) new earrings, necklaces, bracelets, anklets or rings would make a great birthday gift.

and honestly, if that's too hard, just give her a wad of cash - she wouldn't complain at all. she could just buy whatever she wants using it as gift money.

usopp:

USOPP somewhat looks forward to his birthday - it's a day all about him, for him, why shouldn't he get just a little excited? although, he won't make a big scene for it. he isn't very demanding with what he wants, but there are definitely certain things he would like for his birthday.

usopp is creative, trying to design new things to help the crew (such as with nami's clima-tact) and also for himself. anything arts, crafts, or graphics related, such as a sketchbook or new pencils, pens, or other art supplies would have him overjoyed on his birthday, showing you understand his creative side.

obviously, since usopp is a sniper, a new type of gunpowder or ammo would also make a great gift for him. if you gave him something creative and new that would be great on enemies that he doesn't have in his inventory, or something he can use to create a new kind of gunpowder, it would be not only a great gift, but a useful one.

sanji:

SANJI never celebrated his birthdays in his early childhood. while his brothers were celebrating their birthdays together as a family, he sat quietly in a cell from afar, forgotten. although when he was adopted by zeff, he would get small gifts and plenty of birthday punches from the chefs at the baratie. sanji is a giver who expects nothing in return, so to receive a gift on his birthday - even a small one - would make his heart melt.

being a chef, sanji would love a new cookbook for his birthday. cooking is his passion, and he loves trying new things and experimenting with his food. a cookbook bursting with recipes he hasn't tried or are completely new to him he would absolutely love!

additionally, he would love new seasonings or spices as a gift. even it if was a small amount, he would be overjoyed that he has something new to add to his cooking, especially as with seasonings, the options are practically limitless.

sanji cares a lot about his appearance and looking his best, much like nami. a new suit and tie or new fashionable clothing would be perfect for him. more specifically, new shoes with strong soles and durability would have him absolutely thrilled and extremely thankful... his shoes can only take so much damage with all the kicking he does.

if it was from a lady, realistically speaking, sanji would be happy with practically anything, even a jar of dirt... LOL

[mendeshoney]

this close isn't close enough

a/n: happy thirsty thurday fellow harlots ^_^

this is a small little part 3 ish/sequel to take me back to eden (you can find part one here and part two here) that just popped into my head and i figured i'd jot it down for you all to enjoy. it does discuss wanting and trying for a child, so if that's not something you're comfortable with, this may not be for you, so read with caution. this is for @pyotrkochetkov and @smileysvech because without them this fictional andrei wouldn't exist! title is from "melt" by kehlani

warnings/tags: nine year age gap, older man x younger woman, slice of married life, baby fever, fluff, lots of smut, shower sex, hotel sex (semi-public, against the window), oral sex, unprotected sex, mentions of pregnancy/impregnation

word count: 12,163

“Almaznyy?” Andrei calls out, removing his reading glasses with one hand as he shuts his laptop with the other, then rubs the bridge of his nose.

He counts to ten in his head, waiting for your response, but it doesn’t come. The soft and familiar whrrrrr of a machine echoes back at him instead, and he sighs, a small smile stretching across his face as he gets up from his desk to wander down the hall.

When he makes it down the hall and to the threshold that leads to you, he's not surprised in the slightest to find you at your pottery wheel. Your back is to him as you sit on your stool, headphones on as your body lightly moves along to the music playing, hands firm and shaping the clay in front of you into what he knows is the makings of a teapot.

Beside you, on the work table, Andrei sees two mugs newly finished with their handles attached, two finished matching saucer plates that need to be painted with glaze and fired, and two little spoons, already fired and glazed, probably newly taken out of the kiln. Beyond that, he also spots two jars - one for honey and one for sugar cubes, you had told him - and three brand new jars of glaze.

He takes a second to himself to just silently admire you, his beautiful wife of nearly two years, and lets his heart beat wild and content in his chest.

Andrei had converted one of his guest rooms into your own little art studio not long after you moved in with him, and by converted, he means he took out all the furniture, stripped the carpet, and let you decorate and furnish it how you saw fit.

He tried his best to learn as much as he could about what kinds of art you liked creating, the tools you used, but in truth, a lot of it was lost on him, and you had more mediums of art you were interested in than you cared to admit. Andrei had ended up giving you his card instead, telling you to buy whatever it was you needed or wanted, so that the space became exactly what you had always dreamed of.

You had been meticulous about it, too, and Andrei adored every second of watching you design the space back then. The flooring was first - you insisted on water and stain proof vinyl floors - followed by shelves, storage drawers, a small desk, your massive work table, and other organizing things. Then, once you had a place and space for everything, you bought canvases, a pottery wheel, clay, easels, paints, a sketchbook, pencils, pens, markers, and more.

You’d bought a kiln, too, which had its own place in a little shed he bought and had built for you outside. Since you'd gotten back into pottery and started making pieces, you'd been able to sell some to a few of the wives, girlfriends, and partners of players on the team, as well as some of Andrei's co-workers in the Canes' front office. You had even put a few up of your paintings and drawings you'd done on your larger canvases in their charity auctions over the last couple of years, which had given you a significant amount of your own money.

Andrei encouraged you to go legit and open up a shop, which was an idea you'd been slowly getting used to. You'd set up a website so far, and had sold your first collection a couple of months ago - planters and vases and hanging planters and such - which had done extremely well, but you insisted you wanted to still be able to find fun in doing it again instead of allowing it to feel like an obligation.

To help with that as of late, had been your project of a tea set for his mom's birthday, which was still months away. You'd been using the kiln a lot more because of it, for test pieces as well as the actual pieces themselves, so more often than not lately, your art studio is where he found you.

"If you call for me and I don't respond to you in ten seconds," you'd told him when you first started on the set, "I'm either in here, or at the kiln out back."

Quietly, he observes as you shape the lump of clay in the center of your wheel into a sphere, then, unhappy with the roundness, you carefully squeeze at it until it's back into another lump, before shaping it out once more. The rise of your shoulders before they tense as you start to create a hole in the middle of the clay, and the fall of them again when you start to pinch at the walls until it forms into the exact shape you want.

Only when you stop the wheel and dip your hands into the bowl of water beside you to get rid of the excess clay does Andrei approach, carefully placing his hands on your shoulders to give you a gentle squeeze.

You tilt your head back, bumping it into his abdomen gently as you gaze up at him with his favorite dazzling smile. He carefully removes your headphones, putting it on the work table and smoothing your hair down.

"Hi baby," he murmurs, bending down to press a kiss to your forehead, the tip of your nose, and then to your lips.

You hum softly before sitting up, turning yourself around on the stool to face him. "Hi handsome," you return, grabbing a towel from the work table and wiping your hands before settling them on his waist, fingers playing with the belt loops of his jeans. "Did you call for me a lot?"

"Just once," he says, unable to resist bending down to kiss you again.

He loves looking at you like this, soft in the mid morning light, a blissful smile on your face with dots of clay and glaze over your cheeks and on the little apron you have covering your clothes. He loves how he can smell the vanilla of your body wash among the earthen scents in the art studio, and how it makes him feel like he's completely at peace.

Andrei loves you. His almaznyy. His beautiful diamond. His wife.

"What's going on?" You ask him, those beautiful eyes crinkling at the edges in another one of his favorite smiles when his hands descend into your hair, carding the strands between his fingers.

"I bought the tickets for us to go and visit Evgeny and Sara." He says.

"Oh good," you say with a nod before leaning into his touch. "When do we leave?"

"Next week," he says, tugging playfully on a strand of your hair and chuckling softly when you pout at him for it. "Is that okay?"

You wrap your arms around his waist, rubbing your face into his clothed abdomen, your verbal response muffled in the fabric. Andrei laughs, scratching gently at your scalp. "What was that, almaznyy?"

"Da," you say, leaning back to look at him again but keeping your arms secured around his waist. "That's fine with me."

He smirks when he spots a familiar glint in your eyes, watching the way your pupils dilate then blow out a little wide when he cups your face in his hands, thumbs caressing at your jaw. "My busy little almaznyy, you've been working hard lately, haven't you?"

You nod, humming in agreement. He nods too, letting one of his hands trail down and to the back of your neck, deftly undoing the knots at the top of your apron. "So diligent," he praises, "What did I do to deserve you?"

Your eyes track him as he removes his hands from your body, lowering himself to his knees so he can wrap his arms around your waist to get at the ties behind you. He buries his face into your neck as he does so, adoring the way your head immediately tilts to allow him the room. He ghosts his lips across the skin as he undoes the ties around your waist, ignoring your little whines of protest when he pulls the apron off of you and tosses it to the side.

He sits back on his haunches, looking up at you with a Cheshire grin of his own. "You got clay on your clothes too, almaznyy." He playfully chastises, gesturing towards the little flecks of clay on the black shirt you're wearing - which is most definitely his - and to the miniscule spots on your sweatpants. "Think we should probably get you cleaned up in that case, shouldn't we?"

A small smirk crosses your lips as you nod, and Andrei smiles, surging up to wrap you in his arms. You go easily, both your bodies on muscle memory as you wrap your arms around his neck and legs around his waist, and he lifts you into his hold easily, standing with you and carrying you off down the hall to your bedroom.

~

The warm spray of the shower cascades down his bare back as Andrei fucks you slow and deep against the tiles, his arms settled into the space behind your knees as he holds you up and open for him.

Your cries echo around the bathroom, your arms wrapped around his neck and fingers tangled in his hair, grasping at the strands desperately, his name a repeated plea on your lips.

"More," you beg sweetly, and he smiles, eyes locked on your face. He lowers you a little bit, and on the next push in, your eyes flutter shut as your mouth falls open in a beautiful cry, pussy squeezing around his cock in a way that makes him so fucking dizzy.

"Come on baby," he coaxes, pressing you impossibly closer against the tiles and against himself, burying his face in your neck to suck a bruise into the skin. With every press of his hips forward, your clit grinds against his abs, and he can feel the way your body begins to tense up and shake in his hold, your nails disappearing from his scalp to dig into his shoulders instead.

His name leaves your lips in another desperate plea, and he chuckles, nipping playfully at the skin of your neck, your jaw, before capturing your lips in a filthy kiss. He licks into your mouth, massaging his tongue with yours before he pulls away just slightly, dragging your bottom lip between his teeth as he goes.

"Is my pretty wife going to come on her husband's cock?" He taunts, and he sees the way the words go straight through you, your eyes glazing over, body going almost lax in his grip.

(He'd gotten much filthier and practically insane with his dirty talk over time. It started not long after you'd left Eden and began officially dating nearly seven months after meeting, and had only gotten more intense during the three month time span that you'd been engaged. It didn't help the fact that he noticed you particularly loved when he called you his wife, regardless of the situation.)

"Andrei," you plead. "Please."

"Please what, pretty baby?" He murmurs, dragging his lips against yours lazily, "What is it my pretty wife wants, hm?"

Your pussy squeezes down again and he groans, stealing another filthy kiss from you. "'M so close," you say between kisses, dragging your nails across his shoulders again.

He keeps your legs hooked over his bent arms, reaching his hands down to squeeze at your waist, thumb rubbing gently over where he knows a little diamond tattoo sits at your side, fucking you onto his cock in deep, sharp thrusts that steal your breath from you, and your eyes squeeze shut as your body shakes even more in his hold.

Andrei latches his lips to that sensitive spot on your neck, pressing his body tight against yours. That, and the added friction as your clit rubs against his abs, your sensitive nipples brushing against his chiseled chest, has you coming around him with a loud cry. Your pussy clamps down, pulsing around him and Andrei groans, holding you tight as he fucks past the grip, chasing after his own orgasm.

He groans low and deep, electricity shooting up his spine as he comes, filling you from where he's buried deep. It sends your body into a second orgasm almost immediately, and Andrei curses, muttering a string of Russian in your ear at the unexpected sensation.

You both take a blissful, fucked out moment to calm down, heartbeats slowing and breathing returning to normal.

"Okay?" He murmurs after a few minutes, and you nod, sighing happily in his hold. He taps your hips, and you nod again. An unhappy sounding noise leaves you when he gently pulls out, and his heart aches a little bit, thinking you’re probably sore. He’s immediately pressing apologetic kisses to your forehead while lowering you to the ground. His hands stay on your body, keeping you steady until you manage to stand on your own.

When his eyes finally get back to your face, there's an expression there he hasn't seen before, one he can't quite place. There's a tinge of disappointment there, and longing, and it brings a frown to his face too.

He cups your face in his hands, tilting your head up to look at him. When your eyes lock, the expression fades, and the smile that takes over your face is so brightly it almost knocks him off of his feet.

"What's wrong, almaznyy?" He says, thumb brushing against your cheeks.

You lean into his touch, hands circling around his wrists. "Nothing, Drei." You promise, "I'm perfectly happy."

There's nothing in your voice or in your face now that tells him that you're lying, or that you're hiding anything from him, so he has no reason to not believe you.

Still, he stores the expression he saw away for later, keeping it in mind just in case.

He takes his time washing you both off after that, enjoying the content noises you make as he shampoos your hair and wraps you up in a fluffy towel when you're all done, pressing gentle kisses all over your face before seizing your mouth in a kiss he hopes tells you "I'm so in love with you I think my heart might burst without you."

~

Andrei quickly darts out of the way as a little boy zooms past him, his father chasing after him and tossing a “sorry!” over his shoulder as he goes.

He laughs a little, calling out a “it’s okay!” in their way as he double checks that he still has a hold on your drinks and food before he keeps walking. 

He heads back into the airport lounge and straight for you, handing you a cup of hot chocolate and a warmed up croissant from one of the bistros in the terminal. You accept it with a happy smile and a murmured ‘thank you’ before he snuggles up next to you on the little couch you’ve both managed to commandeer for yourselves.

He glances over at your airport outfit once more, mostly because he can’t help but appreciate how cozy you look.

Admittedly, he’s still got a small habit of dressing up when he flies, so he’s his standard in black pants and a white shirt, and you insisted on matching with him when you got dressed this morning. You’re in black lounge pants, a white shirt, and you have a gray sweater tied and resting around your shoulders.

Andrei figured out that when you fly you prefer to have your own blanket with you, which you have curled around your shoulders right now as you take a sip of your hot chocolate.

You look more ready for a cozy winter than you do for a week-long vacation during the summer in San Jose.

“Is it good baby?” He asks, taking a sip of his own coffee. You nod, holding the cup to your cheek. Another thing he learned - you get cold easily, but especially in airports.

“Very,” you nod, leaning your head to rest on his shoulder. “Spasibo, malysh.”

“You’re welcome, almaznyy.” 

He’s content to relax like that with you, and when he takes his phone out once you’ve finished your drinks, you help him with the crossword puzzle game he became addicted to once he saw you playing it yourself.

The two of you are engrossed in trying to figure out a six letter word for the clue “tough” when there’s a blur of pale yellow accompanied by a flurry of giggles that crashes into your legs, and it makes both of you jump up a little in surprise.

It’s a baby boy, Andrei realizes, one who’s most likely just learned what running is given the delighted and mischievous expression on his face, and when he turns to check if you’re okay, he’s surprised to find you out of your seat, blanket abandoned, and kneeling on the floor in front of the child to see if they’re okay.

The baby looks like he’s seconds from crying, but then you’re smiling, speaking at him quietly and gently, and to Andrei’s amazement, the baby stops, looks at you, and then bursts into a fit of giggles.

You laugh, happy that you could make him feel better, and continue to speak to him while he babbles away at you. He’s seen you do it with Luka, coaxing him away from a tantrum he’d been seconds away from, and calming Mila down when she scraped her knee while learning to ride her bike that first time, and it still amazes him how good you are with kids. Something warm and fuzzy starts to grow in his heart, and it stops short when a woman who Andrei can only assume is the baby’s mother approaches.

“I’m so sorry!” She says, jogging toward where you and the baby are on the ground. “Leo’s just discovered how fast he can move but we’re still working on finding his brakes.”

“It’s alright,” you reassure her through a laugh. “My nephew Luka was the same.”

My nephew - Andrei still loved that you thought that way.

“He probably had places to be and we were just in the way, weren’t we Leo?” You tease, pulling a funny face at Leo. His mom laughs when Leo bursts into giggles, picking Leo up into her arms.

“He’s fast,” Andrei notes when you stand with her, “How old is he?”

“He just turned one,” his mom gushes. 

You make a little cooing sound. “Is he your first?”

Leo’s mother shakes her head with a laugh. “You’d think so, but I have a three year old too. His name’s Sky, he’s with my husband over there, we finally just got him to settle down but then this little guy decided it was time to sprint.”

You and Andrei look over to where Leo’s mom gestured, finding the three year old who almost ran him over earlier eating snacks while his dad watches over him, all the while looking over at his wife and smiling when he sees her.

Andrei knows that smile, he probably sends that same smile your way about a hundred times a day. 

Ulybka vlyublennogo muzhchiny. His mom had said. The smile of a man in love.

“You should think about getting them into sports soon.” Andrei says when he turns back toward the mom, “Sky almost tackled me in the terminal earlier-”

“-And Leo barely flinched when he ran into me!” You tease, making another funny face at the baby. He giggles, suddenly growing shy as he hides in his mom’s shoulders.

She laughs, “Everyone’s been saying that to me. I might just have to consider it.”

Andrei reaches into his pocket, grabbing his business card from his wallet and hands it to the mother with a small smile. “If you ever think they’re interested in hockey, give me a call or send me an email. I’d be happy to get them set up.”

The mother takes Andrei’s card with a curious look, and when she reads his name, her eyes light up in recognition, and she smiles, laughing a little to herself.

“I knew you looked familiar! My husband and I are big fans. We were there for your last cup winning game. It’s so nice to meet you!”

Andrei catches the glance you shoot at him from the corner of his eye, can see the tense line of your shoulders in his peripheral, but he gives the mother an easy smile, and your body relaxes.

Now that he has you, that time in his life isn’t so painful anymore.

“Thank you,” he says genuinely. “I’m glad that you were there, it felt good to have home crowd support.”

“I appreciate your offer, I’ll definitely reach out.” She says, then looks at both of you. “It was nice meeting you both, you’re such a lovely couple!”

You both say your goodbyes, you waving at baby Leo, who waves back shyly, then looks at Andrei. Andrei waves too, and to his surprise, baby Leo waves back to him too, before burying his face in his mother’s shoulder.

You finally return to your seat on the couch next to Andrei, wrapping both of your arms around his, resting your chin on his shoulder as you smile brightly up at him.

“That was hot of you.” You say, which has Andrei laughing in surprise.

“What was, almaznyy?”

“You and your business cards.” You say, scrunching your nose a little. “I liked it, it was very authoritative.”

Andrei shakes his head, booping your nose with his finger. “Calm yourself down, almaznyy. I’m still not interested in being part of the mile high club.”

You roll your eyes with a shrug, but relax fully against his side. “Offer still stands.”

~

You're laying on the floor of Sara and Evgeny's living room, laughing as you bounce eight month old baby Alexei up and down against your belly, watching as his little legs kick back and forth and he babbles his joy. From beside you, three year old Luka lays on his belly as he plays with the train set Andrei had bought him last Christmas, and five year old Mila rests on your other side, coloring diligently in the sketchbook you'd bought her for her birthday.

She'd seen you drawing in one of your journals and had become both enraptured and amazed as she observed you, and then had been overjoyed when you handed her the book and pencil so she could create her own drawings as she pleased.

Her parents had been worried that she might accidentally press the pencil too tight and ruin one of your other drawings, or accidentally draw over something you had done, but either way, you would have cared less. "It's good for her to do it this way," you had told them, "so she knows what she makes is important, too."

On the couch above you, Sara's feeding a bottle to Alexei's twin brother Aleksander, watching you and her children. She smiles, nudging you gently in the side with her socked feet.

"You're a natural at this," she praises. "The kids always seem to behave better when you're here."

You scoff a little, making nonsensical noises at Alexei as he babbles back at you. "Hardly," you say. "I think it's because Andrei wears them out first."

When you and Andrei come around, he tends to round up his niece and nephews, tiring the older ones out by running around while you and Sara or Evgeny or Andrei's parents help with the twins.

Sara shakes her head. "No, he might wear them out, but they still have plenty of room to be crazy. You settle them down. This is the quietest they've been all day."

You look at your nieces and nephews at where they each are, peaceful and happy and content, and you shrug, smiling a little to yourself. "I guess so."

Sara laughs, nudging you again. "So, when are you gonna have some little ones of your own? We're outnumbered by boys here and it's your turn to pop a baby out for once."

You falter slightly, almost dropping baby Alexei straight on your face before you catch him effortlessly, trying to ignore the wave of dizziness when you launch yourself upright into a sitting position. Luka and Mila barely spare either of you a glance, too focused on what they're doing. You gaze at Sara, holding Alexei tight with one hand while shushing her with the other.

"Not so loud!" You half whisper, half yell.

Andrei and Evgeny were just in the kitchen not too far away, and while they were probably distracted by shop talk, you couldn't risk him hearing like this.

Sara narrows her eyes at you, frowning, whisper-yelling right back. "You told me on the phone last week that you were going to talk to him about it! And the week before that, and two weeks before that!"

You groan, shaking your head and beginning to bounce Alexei again when he starts to fuss. Sara shakes her head right back at you, gesturing for you to follow her as she heads toward the twins' nursery, instructing Mila and Luka to "wait right here while mommy talks to your aunt."

As you head to the nursery, you pass Andrei and Evgeny who are, as expected, engrossed in their conversation, but it doesn't stop Andrei from tossing a wink at you as you pass by.

You pointedly ignore the way it makes butterflies swarm and swoop in your stomach, smiling softly in return before ducking out of sight and into the nursery. Sara shuts the door behind you, giving you a pointed look as she does so.

You'd had best friends before, obviously, but never an older sister figure, and none quite like Sara. When Andrei had introduced you two, she'd been nothing but welcoming, friendly, and someone you'd come to rely on quite a lot since then.

When she announced she was pregnant with twins last year, you'd been overjoyed for her, and often traveled back and forth between San Jose and Raleigh to help her with the babies, especially since it had been Evgeny's first year working with the coaching staff of the Sharks, having previously been in the front office.

Maybe it was the excitement you got in helping her decorate the nursery, even though most of it was taken care of since they had things from Luka and Mila, or maybe it was just all the preparation you helped her with, but it had given you severe baby fever.

Like...severe.

Severe enough that you were practically ready to be pregnant that very same day until reality kicked in and knocked some serious sense into you.

You'd asked her how she and Evgeny had approached the topic of having kids, if she had advice on how you should broach the subject with Andrei, and she had only one thing to say.

"They're pretty direct people," she had said. "It's best to rip the bandaid off with something like that."

A couple of months ago, she texted you a picture of the twins in the matching pajama set you'd bought, and something in it made you want to finally talk to Andrei about it. So you told Sara that you would.

But...

The second you'd gone to Andrei in his office about it, you suddenly got cold feet. Realistically, you two hadn't actually talked about having kids before. Things with the two of you had been unconventional and fast from the start, so granted, you both had done things a little messily and quite backwards.

Still, the worst he could say to you was "no" or "not right now baby," but despite your past mess you two had always been on the same page, so the idea of hearing a "not right now" was okay, but hearing "no"?

Yeah, not something you had exactly prepared yourself for.

So instead of allowing there to be room for a "no" or "not right now," you just...didn't say a word.

Which Sara was definitely going to yell at you for.

Or at least, whisper yell, what with the twins going down for their nap and all.

Sara lays a droopy Aleksander into his crib, and he falls asleep the second his head hits the pillow. She takes Alexei from you next, sitting in the rocking chair set up in the corner of the room to start to feed him his bottle while you sit on the floor, gazing at baby Aleksander through the bars of his crib.

"What in the world are you waiting for?" Sara asks you, voice soft but firm in the nursery. 

You groan a little to yourself. "I just haven't gotten around to it, okay?"

"Yes, but why?" She presses. "You know he won't say no to you."

"I actually don't know that. He might not be able to say no when I ask for help, or ask for something, but children are not things to ask for. It's an entire human being you're bringing into the world, you know!"

Sara gives you a deadpan expression. "Of course I know, I've brought four of them into existence."

"Then you know that it's a lot to ask. Even if I want a child, even if I want to be a mom and raise my kids and bring them up, that doesn't guarantee that Andrei wants the same."

"He'll want them with you." Sara insists. "He'll want them because you'll be their mother and he's in love with you and those kids will be half of you and he'll be so proud to say that they're your children."

The idea fills you with hope, but you tamp it down. You have to be realistic about this. You know your husband, and you know that while Sara's right and he will do anything for you, he also probably won't handle this being sprung on him as a surprise, or appreciate being confronted with it out of the blue.

"Just get rid of your birth control and tell him you want a kid." Sara insists, and your eyes bug out of your head.

"Are you insane?" You whisper yell. "That would definitely give him a heart attack."

"Don't be so dramatic," she says, rolling her eyes. "He's too young to have those."

"I'll talk to him," you promise, more to yourself than to Sara. "But I'm not using any of your suggestions."

Sara shrugs. "Fine by me, but there'd better be a new baby next Christmas, and it won't be mine."

~

In the kitchen, Andrei watches with fond eyes as you disappear into the nursery with Sara and the twins. He's listening to what Evgeny's talking about, he really is, but his eyes are locked on the silent screen of the baby monitor, showing you handing Alexei off to Sara after Sara's put Aleksander down.

Watching you with his niece and nephews all day had filled his heart with something warm and fuzzy, something he couldn't quite place.

The way that you cared for his family since he introduced you to them was something that made Andrei incredibly happy, and he could tell that the way that they cared for you in turn made you just as happy.

He often caught you speaking with his mother on the phone, trying your best to only stick to Russian as best as possible to make her comfortable. His father didn't reach out often, but when he did, you did your best to converse with him too. Sometimes, when you thought Andrei wasn't looking, he'd see you reading through a Russian textbook in your art studio, brushing up on the language.

You talked to Sara almost every week, the two of you growing to be as close as sisters, and that made Andrei happy considering the only real sibling relationship you had was still pretty strained. Even after Andrei married you, your brother Joshua still wasn't his favorite person, which was unfortunate, considering his husband Sam was an angel and one of your favorite people.

Evgeny had also grown closer to you a little, considering how much you helped him and Sara prepare for the arrival of the twins. There were times he'd reach out to you if he couldn't reach Andrei for any reason, and Evgeny often teased Andrei about how more often than not, it seemed like a freak accident that he'd managed to find someone like you to be his wife.

"Believe me," Andrei had told his brother. "I know."

He listens intently to his brother as he discusses what's going on with the Sharks, clearly seeking Andrei's advice, but all the while, Andrei keeps his eyes on you, watches you through the baby monitor as you sit with Sara and the twins.

Everything about your body language screams comfort, like there's nowhere in the world you'd rather be, and it brings a smile to his face unconsciously.

Evgeny pauses in his ranting, glancing to the baby monitor and rolling his eyes, shoving at Andrei. "Obrashchat' vnimaniye," he scolds. Pay attention.

"I am!" Andrei insists, turning his full attention back to his brother. "You were saying?"

Evgeny opens his mouth, then closes it, a curious expression crossing his features. "Have you thought about it?"

"About what?" Andrei asks, moving his brother so he can go into the fridge and steal one of those obnoxious glass bottles of water Evgeny insists on buying.

"About what comes after marriage," Evgeny says. "About having kids."

Andrei almost drops the water bottle on the kitchen floor, can hear it shatter in his ears, but he's pretty sure that's his brain doing that. "About what?" He asks, voice practically an echo in his head.

Evgeny shakes his head. "Ty takoy idiot."

Andrei turns to face him, frowning. "I am not an idiot."

"You are, actually. Have you two not talked about having kids?"

Andrei opens his mouth, then shuts it.

You two actually hadn't. Not really. Not at all, now that he thought about it.

Evgeny shakes his head. "Listen, I know you're enjoying your never ending honeymoon phase, but it wouldn't hurt to ask."

Andrei takes a swig from his water, glancing at you on the monitor.

You've got Alexei in your arms now, feeding him the rest of his bottle while Sara rests on the rocking chair, eyes on Aleksander.

His heart does a little flip, imagining you holding a little baby that's got your nose and his eyes, and it brings back the warm and fuzzy feeling he'd felt earlier.

Maybe...maybe it was worth a discussion.

~

Since Evgeny's house had gotten crowded with all the kids, Andrei had booked a suite for the two of you at the Marriott.

It had a lovely view of the city, especially at night, and Andrei enjoyed it even more with your naked body pressed against one of the many floor to ceiling windows, watching the way your face twisted with pleasure in the reflection of the glass.

The lights were off in the hotel room, so there wasn't a single chance of anyone seeing what the two of you were up to, but the thrill was there all the same. He wanted to show you off, show off his beautiful little wife, the only diamond he ever needed.

Your palm prints littered the window as you pushed back against him, and Andrei groaned, tightening the grip on your hips, fingers pressing against where he knew that little diamond tattoo rested beneath the waistband of your thong.

He could barely wait, barely think by the time you both got back to the hotel. The second your jeans were off, he pulled your thong to the side and slid in to the hilt, burying himself inside of you and making you come all over him in seconds.

It wasn't often that Andrei took you from behind. More often than not, he preferred looking at you, preferred watching the beautiful faces you made and watching the way your body reacted to his own. But in times like these, where there was something that could help him watch you, he couldn't exactly complain.

He releases his hold on one of your hips, letting his hands wander up your torso, bringing you upright against him as he bends his knees a little, adjusting for your height difference so he can cage you against him as he fucks into you.

Pleasant and happy noises leave you as he plays with one of your nipples, then the other, his mouth leaving a trail of kisses on your neck. His nails gently scratch at the valley between your breasts, making you shiver, before trailing his hand down your stomach.

He had every intention of putting his fingers to your clit, rubbing gently there the way you liked when he took you like this, but instead, his hands lingered on your stomach, on where he could feel the slight bulge of where his cock fucked in and out of you, and he found his hands resting there instead.

A shiver ran through your body, your pussy pushing back on his cock again as if on impulse, and a deep, pleased noise rumbled through Andrei's chest.

"Almaznyy?" He murmured against your neck, finding the sensitive spot below your ear and sucking against it gently.

You gasped in his hold, shaking a little, and he chuckled, pressing his hand against the little bulge of your stomach, the hand he still had on your waist tightening its grip, pressing his fingers a little more into the diamond tattoo.

"Can you feel me here, moya krasivaya zhena?" He asks you, cock throbbing when you squeeze against him in excitement. You loved it when he called you ‘my pretty wife.’ "Can you feel me fucking you?"

You nod, frantic, hands gripping onto his arms. "Please, malysh, wanna come."

"You wanna come already?" He taunts. "Gonna come for me in front of the whole city?"

A soft whine leaves your lips as he thrusts in particularly hard, emphasizing his question.

"Yes," you answer, nearly breathless.

“And what about me?” He teases, pressing his hand against your stomach a little more. "You want me to come inside, almaznyy? Want me to come right here?"

In the reflection of the window, he catches the way your eyes slam shut before you throw your head back against his shoulder, mouth open in a silent cry and body seizing as your orgasm claims you. Your pussy clenches impossibly tight, and it sends Andrei over the edge in seconds, pushing down on your waist to bury himself inside of you, cock throbbing almost painfully as he comes.

The two of you shake silently for a second, and Andrei holds you both upright as best as he can until he can feel your body as it calms down. He pulls out gently, not wasting a second before he scoops you up, walking you over to the bed to lay you on it gently before he climbs on beside you.

You go to him almost immediately, and his arms open on instinct, welcoming you in his embrace as you bury your nose in his chest.

He wants to say something, anything. He wants to ask you if what just happened was okay, if you're okay, if he didn't cross a line, if you maybe wanted to try that again sometime soon or maybe if you want to try it in a different position.

But then he hears your breathing start to even out, feels the way your body goes lax in his hold, and he resigns himself to discussing it another time.

~

The following day, you and Andrei head back over to Sara and Evgeny’s for lunch. You help Sara put the kids down for their naps after you all eat, and Andrei and Evgeny handle the dishes.

When you and Sara come out of the kids’ rooms, you’re met with a chorus of laughter from Andrei, Evgeny, and then their mother’s voice echoes through the living room.

Peeking around the corner, you can see Andrei and Evegny crowded around Evgeny’s laptop, definitely on FaceTime with their mother.

She signals to you to hang back, and you nod. You’re more than happy to give Andrei and his brother the alone time they need to speak with their mom, so you lean back against the wall, Sara against the one opposite you, and you smile at each other when you hear the brother excitedly converse with their mother in Russian.

Your fluency has gotten better, but it��s not one hundred percent - same with Sara’s - so the two of you can only really pick up on bits and pieces here and there, catching tidbits of their mother’s praises for her boys along with her normal chastising.

You two are looking fit!

Still, you both need to eat more. 

You’re working too hard.

Are you ready for the upcoming season?

Oh my brilliant boys!

How are my daughters?

How are the grandkids?

Evgeny, you’d better bring them by soon so I can babysit.

Andrei, how are you doing?

Are you and my favorite girl happy?

When are you two going to give me more grandchildren?!

That last part sends a shock through your body, and Sara nudges you with her foot at the same time Andrei begins to stutter and stammer in the living room.

Their mom starts to say something else when her voice gets quieter, and you realize Andrei’s turned the volume down. His voice gets a little quieter, and Evgeny’s loud laughter drowns out whatever Andrei says in return to their mother.

Sara gives you another pointed look, as if to say “So you still didn’t talk to him about it.”

You roll your eyes, and she nudges your foot again before dragging you down the hall and into her and Evgeny’s bedroom. 

“For the love of God,” she says. “I know you said you’re not taking my suggestions, but you are going to have to take this one, specifically with the promise that you’ll at least save it until you get back to Raleigh.”

You answer her with a deadpan stare, and she sighs, exasperated, before gesturing to you. 

“You have to seduce him.” She says plainly. “It’s how I did it with Evgeny, and it’s how you’re going to have to do it with Andrei instead of tiptoeing around.”

You’re slightly dumbfounded, so all you can manage is a weak “What?”

“Remember when I told you to rip the bandaid off?” She asks, and you nod. She waves a hand around, “Well, that’s what I meant by that. Seduce him. Rip the bandaid off.”

“Seduce him…” You say, and it sounds more like a question than a statement.

Sara grabs you by the shoulders and shakes you a bit. “You know he loves you, you know he thinks you’re hot. Use it.”

Sara doesn’t know how you and Andrei met, no one does except Lottie, Oli, Mason, Eli, and you and Andrei. She has no idea about your past.

Which means she has no idea that if there is anything you know how to do, it’s seduce Andrei.

~

You try your best to clear your mind, focusing on exfoliating your skin as you shower and the things you’re planning on doing once this shower is done.

It had been a week since you’d returned from visiting with Sara and Evgeny, and this morning, you’d gone to see your OBGYN doctor to discuss…well, a possible game plan.

You agreed that after you finished this round of birth control pills and had your period, you and Andrei would probably start trying.

And well, after you spoke to Andrei about all of this, of course. 

But Sara was right, seduction might have to come first. You were too out of sorts to wait any longer.

He had been gone this morning when you went to your appointment, having to be at the practice rink to watch the team’s morning skate, and when you had returned home after running some errands, he’d been in his office for a string of phone calls, which he said he’d be in and out of till about two this afternoon.

It was about noon, then. So you’d gone on a run, had a little pep talk with yourself to prepare for the impending conversation, and strategized.

The pep talk you had was simple - if during said conversation, Andrei voiced that he didn’t want kids, that was that. You would not be forcing him into anything he didn’t want or trying to convince him, and the two of you would likely talk things out from there.

If he did want kids, perfect, you could talk about that, but, you could also give him a bit of extra motivation.

Which brought you to the seduction strategy you’d developed so carefully on the way back from your run.

It was about one in the afternoon when you got back, so you threw together a quick lunch for you and Andrei to have - once he was done with his phone calls and you - and it was about one thirty when you hopped into the shower.

You’d gone for a wax right after your doctor’s appointment, as part of the errands you ran, along with a mani pedi, but a little extra gentle exfoliation on the legs never hurt anyone.

Once you finished in the shower, you toweled off and applied the vanilla lotion Andrei loved the most on you, before slipping on one of your favorite sundresses. It was also one Andrei liked on you, particularly because it was just the right side of see through. 

Hence, why it was a key part to your strategy.

It might be devious, and it’s definitely playing dirty, but you need a little ammunition on your side, if not for the sake of a small confidence boost to get you through the conversation.

You did this for a living, for a time. You did this specifically for Andrei before, it shouldn’t be too hard to do it for him again. Sure, the way that you seduced him now looked different, the way that you were together now had changed drastically, but Sara was right. At the very least, Andrei loved you, and he never failed to remind you how attractive you were to him.

So hopefully, this worked.

You checked the time on the clock on your nightstand - one fifty five. A quick glance in the mirror assured you this was the best option outfit wise, and your nerves reminded you that you’d both probably need a little bit of liquid courage for this next bit. Heading back out to the kitchen, you make yourself a quick margarita and pour Andrei a shot of his favorite whisky. 

If there was anything you knew about your husband, sometimes he just needed a little something to take the edge off before he could plow forward with whatever it was he needed to do. He was bound to be nervous once you brought up the idea of having a baby, especially if you were going to be playing just a little bit dirty about it. 

You grabbed both glasses and headed back down the hall to Andrei’s office. Just as you crossed the threshold, he was bidding whoever was on the other line goodbye, and you took a deep breath to steel yourself.

Andrei is your husband. You love each other. You reminded yourself. He is your husband. You can get through anything together.

Andrei smiles when you hand him his glass, his reading glasses perched on his nose making him look both hot, authoritative, and innocent all at once. “Now how did you know I needed this, moya zhena?”

You shrug, playing innocent. “A lucky guess.”

You both toast, clinking your glasses before each taking a sip of your respective drinks. You try to hide your smile behind your glass as you do, but you should’ve known better.

Andrei’s almost always looking at you, so nothing ever could get past your loving and doting husband.

“What’s that smile doing there?” He teases, and it’s then that he seems to finally take in what you’re wearing.

And that you’re wearing nothing underneath it.

You try another innocent smile, but Andrei raises a brow in suspicion, quirking his finger and summoning you to his side of the desk.

Placing your glass down on the mahogany, you round the desk to his side, obeying when he taps the desk and jumping up, taking a seat but keeping your legs crossed.

You don’t want him distracted.

“Are you about to ask me for something expensive, almaznyy? Because if you are, you’re off to a good start.”

You never actually needed to do anything if it was expensive, including asking him for anything, since you did have your own income, and you both knew that. But still, every now and again you liked to pretend like you did, liked the way it made Andrei nervous and pliant, like he didn’t meet you the way he actually did, like he wasn’t familiar with the concept. 

But that wasn’t what you were going for here.

“Well,” you start, “it’s sort of expensive. An…investment, if you will.”

He frowns slightly. “Don’t tell me Jarvy’s wife actually talked you into wanting to buy that monstrosity of a beach house.”

A surprised laugh bubbles out of you, having almost completely forgotten Tessa’s attempt to expand her real estate portfolio by tempting you with an even bigger sunroom than the one you and Andrei had now.

You shake your head. “No no, I don’t want that house.”

“But you do want a house?” Andrei inquires.

You shake your head, nerves suddenly racing through your veins. It makes your hands shake, so you reach out for him, cupping his jaw with your hand, leaving the other resting in your lap. You thumb over the stubble along his jaw, humming to yourself, trying to gather the right words.

It makes Andrei nervous. “Listen, almaznyy, whatever it is, we-”

“I want this house, Bubby,” you interrupt, wanting to be out with it but also not sure if you were remotely prepared for the rest of his sentence. At the pet name, Andrei’s eyes get brighter, his entire demeanor softening. “I want this house, with you and I in it, and maybe…maybe a little one running around in it, too.”

There. You said it…kind of.

But it was out there now. 

And Andrei…

There’s surprise in his face, definitely, and you’d been expecting that. But there’s also no…opposition. Nothing that says he doesn’t want to have this conversation, nothing that screams disagreement, nothing that says he doesn’t like the idea.

There are nerves there, like yours, but amongst the nerves and surprise is…hope? Something wistful. 

You lean into it, trailing your hand from his face to his arm, then down to the desk where his hand rests beside your legs. You take it, intertwining your fingers, playing with his hand a little.

“Bubby,” you continue. And that time you’re definitely playing dirty, saying one of his favorite pet names like that, like you want something - which you do, no question - and it makes Andrei’s whole body relax. “I want a baby,” you say, this time, plainly, so there’s no question and no doubt. “I want to have a baby with you.” You glance up at him, finding his intense gaze already on you. “What do you think?”

He’s quiet for a moment, and if you didn’t already know your husband, his lack of a response might concern you. But the look on his face tells you that he’s thinking, and so you wait, giving him enough space and time to collect his thoughts.

Finally, he squeezes your hand, a little sigh of relief mixed with a laugh leaving his chest, eyes crinkling at the corners as a brilliant smile takes over his features. He says nothing, just maneuvers you to part your legs so he can haul you off the desk and into his lap. You go to him easily, wrapping your arms around his waist and burying your face into his neck, breathing him in. One of his arms bands itself across your waist, the other across your back so he can cradle the back of your head in his hands.

“I didn’t know how to ask you.” He says softly into your ear. “I’ve been thinking about it, too. How to ask…how to tell you…”

“Ya tozhe,” you tell him. Me too. “I didn’t know if it was something you wanted.”

“We never talked about it,” he agrees. “And we should have, and I’m sorry we didn’t.”

“Nothing to be sorry for, malysh. We’re talking about it now, aren’t we?” You say, pressing a small kiss to his jaw.

He tightens his grip on you. “Because you were brave enough to do it. You’ve always been the brave one of the two of us, almaznyy.”

“You were the one who brought us together, Andrei.” You remind him, “I couldn’t have done that. Only you could have, and you did.”

“I would do it again.” He swears, leaning back a little to press a kiss to your forehead. 

You pull back a little, puckering your lips, and he laughs, leaning down to kiss you softly, gently, and like he has all the time in the world. You love when he kisses you like this, like he’s afraid you’ll break or disappear into thin air. It makes you feel precious, like the very diamond he continues to call you.

“Bubby,” you murmur between kisses, “how many babies do you want?”

There’s a choked noise that bubbles in his throat, so you pull back, looking at him in concern. He reaches for his scotch, but you bat his hand away, handing him the bottle of water he always keeps on his desk instead.

He takes a couple of grateful swigs, and much to his disappointment, you climb off of him and climb back to your perch on his desk, giving him some room to breathe. 

“I’m sorry,” you say. “Didn’t mean to take you by surprise there.”

Andrei shakes his head, putting the closed water bottle down and reaches for his glass, downing the rest of its contents. When it's empty, you take it back from him, putting it on a far enough corner of his desk before reaching for your glass, taking down the rest of your margarita, then set the empty glass next to Andrei’s. Once those are out of the way, you lean back on your hands, your attention solely on Andrei once more.

He’s got a little glint in his eye as he considers you, letting one of his hands come up to rest on your legs, caressing your skin. “You know me, almaznyy. I’m not picky.” He starts. “I’ll be satisfied with as many babies as you’re willing to give me.”

You smile, pleased with his answer. In reward, you nudge the hand he has on your leg a little, and Andrei beams, gently grabbing your calf so he can part your legs, this time, to take in the sight of your bare pussy.

Carefully, you pull up the hem of your dress and push yourself to the edge of his desk, and Andrei takes your ankles, gently placing one on the armrest of his chair, putting the other over his shoulder. He scoots his chair in closer, your leg sliding down his back a little and allowing his hands to rest on your hips.

“We should…” he starts, swallowing. “We should probably talk about this a little more.”

You smirk. “We are talking, though.”

“In depth,” he clarifies. “Get into specifics, and things.”

But even as he says it, you can see in his face you probably wouldn’t get further than the next five minutes. “We can still talk about it after, too, okay? We’ll sit and have a real conversation about it.”

He blinks, nodding, then glances down at where you know he wants to bury his face.

“If you wanted a baby, almaznyy,” he says, warm breath fanning over your lower abdomen, “you didn’t have to play dirty.”

“Dirty?” You ask, innocent as ever. “What do you mean?”

Andrei narrows his eyes at you. “The first time you walked into this office on a mission, you were dressed just like this.”

“You mean when I used to be your assistant?” You tease, and he pinches your thigh playfully.

“Moya zhena,” he warns. He may be playful, but it seems you’ve pushed a few too many buttons in that area today.

Shame, you think. Maybe I can try again after dinner. 

You roll your eyes playfully, pouting a little. “I was nervous and needed some confidence, alright?”

“You look plenty confident to me,” he reassures you with a slight nod, then he’s bunching up the fabric of your dress and pressing against your stomach, his nice way of saying ‘lay back moya zhena, let me take care of you.’

The first swipe of his tongue in your folds takes you by surprise, a pleasant squeal leaving your lips and echoing around his office. His second taste of you is slower, his tongue laying flat against you and dragging from your entrance to your clit, his lips circling around the bud and sucking in a way that elicits a pleasant moan from you.

Andrei’s hands crawl up your body to the neckline of your dress, and you help him a little, slipping the straps off so he can pull the neckline down, cupping your tits in his hands and squeezing.

He’d been particularly fond of the first time you’d had sex in this house together. Had cherished the memory of you in that light pink sundress and on this desk in a similar fashion. It was probably why you’d chosen to approach him this way, he thinks absentmindedly, lips and mouth settling into the familiar pace you love when he’s got his face between your thighs.

Andrei can feel his pants get a little tighter the wetter you get, his chin coated in your slick and nose nudging against your clit as his lips and tongue work you open. He’s so perfectly at peace here, totally content to just lick at you and taste you for hours at a time that he nearly forgets why you’re sprawled out on his desk like this.

You tugging at his hair serves as a gentle reminder that kicks him into gear, and he smiles against your skin, pressing kisses to the junction of your thighs and nipping at you a little.

“Andrei,” you say, breathless. “Potoropites', pozhaluysta.” Hurry up, please.

He shakes his head, gently letting your legs fall to the side as he sits up in his chair, draping his body over yours. “Not this time, almaznyy,” he says, wrapping your arms around his neck before he wraps his own arms around your back, cupping your ass in his hands.

Your brain kicks into gear just in time for you to wrap your legs around his waist, and then he’s lifting you up, pressing filthy open mouth kisses to your neck as he navigates the hallway carefully, taking the measured and familiar steps to your bedroom.

He lays you gently on the mattress, placing you delicately among the pillows before he’s shedding his shirt and pants, kicking his boxer briefs off to the side and then settling back between your legs.

This time, your thighs squeeze at his head when he sucks your pussy into his mouth particularly hard, tongue dipping inside of you, and your fingers fly into his hair, scratching at his scalp in warning.

“Behave, moy muzh.” you hiss through gritted teeth, even if the way you writhe against his face tells him you like it. 

“You started it,” he reminds you, tugging on the dress resting around your middle. You huff, grabbing the bottom and peeling it off, tossing it in the direction of Andrei’s pile of clothes. 

Your eyes sparkle with mischief when you watch the way he takes in the sight of your naked body. No matter how many times the two of you do this, Andrei always looks at you the same way.

Like he’s in love, like it’s the first time, like for all he wants to take you apart, the way he’ll put you back together will be well worth it, and if it isn’t, he’ll work for it until it is.

“Pridi ko mne, lyubov' moya,” you beckon him. Come to me, my love.

His bottom lip drags against your clit as he rises from his position, tongue darting out to lick at your arousal still coating his lips, and the sight alone licks at the flame of arousal sparking low in your belly.

When he crawls up your body to kiss you, he props himself up on his arms, not wanting to rest his full weight on you, his delicate little almaznyy. Normally, you love it, but right now, you need something a little different. 

Your arms wrap around his neck as you seize his mouth in a bruising, desperate kiss, pulling him down to you and taking him by surprise as you manage to flip him onto his back on the way down. You take full advantage of his surprise by making your way down his body to settle between his legs, wrapping your fist around his cock and taking him into your mouth.

Andrei groans, sitting up on his elbows to watch you.

“I don’t know if we’ll be able to make a baby if you keep doing that,” he warns, cock throbbing against your tongue as if to emphasize his point. 

You bat your eyelashes at him, sucking at the head of his cock and using your hands to stroke at him at the same time. He hisses, one of his hands flying to rest in your hair, the other resting behind his head and emphasizing the chiseled muscles of his arms, chest, and abdomen.

Sometimes, you couldn’t believe this man was your husband.

“Almaznyy,” he warns when you take him down your throat, swallowing around him. You’re slow to come off his cock, letting him leave your lips with a dramatic ‘pop.’

“I’m still on birth control,” you tell him. “So we can’t make a baby tonight anyway, probably not for another month, at least.”

His brows furrow, both from your statement and the way you twist your wrist, stroking his cock the way you know he likes. “Then what - ah yebat’ - what are we doing?” He asks, trying to focus on the conversation as you take him back in your throat. You hum a little, and he tugs on the strands of your hair again in warning.

You pull off of him, gently stroking your hand up and down, squeezing as you go. “Practicing, of course.”

He lets his arms fall out beside him, collapsing against the pillows and dragging his hands over his eyes. “Almaznyy,” he huffs, hips stuttering when you squeeze him at the base.

“Hmm?” You hum, ready to take him in your mouth again, but Andrei moves quickly, hauling you up his body and cradling you close as he flips you over again. He positions you among the pillows, placing one under your waist so you’re practically propped up for him. He positions himself so his arms rest in the crook of your knees, your ankles near his head as he folds his body over yours.

He takes his cock in his hand, running the head through your folds. “Practice?” 

You nod, “Practice, for now.” You reach out, pushing his hand out of the way so you can line his cock up with your entrance. “Which is why the desk was perfectly good, and-”

The rest of your words are stolen from you when Andrei bats your hand away gently and slides inside of you, slow but precise, bottoming out and nestling his body close to yours. Your eyes flutter shut when you squeeze around him, and his hands come up, cradling the sides of your face as he murmurs encouraging words to you, staying still until you’ve adjusted to his size.

“Almaznyy,” he calls, and your eyes blink open, glazed over and hazy and you’ve barely even started. “Good?”

You nod, tilting your hips a little, trying to fuck yourself on his cock. He laughs a little, shaking his head. “So damn impatient.” 

He raises his body off of yours a little, angling his hips and setting a steady pace, one that has you whining in protest almost immediately, grabbing at the muscles of his ass and trying to drag him closer.

“I won’t break Andrei-” you start, but he cuts you off with a particularly hard thrust that has your eyes rolling back into your head.

“I don’t care if it’s just practice, almaznyy.” He tells you, “and I don’t care how many times we have to practice. I’m going to make it last, and I’m going to make sure that you remember all the ways I fuck you and make love to you until I put a baby in you.”

You gasp a little, and Andrei smiles to himself, thoroughly pleased. He sits up, placing his hands on the backs of your thighs and settling in to fuck you just the way you like. He fucks you in deep, strong strokes, the head of his cock brushing up against that sensitive spot in your pussy every single time.

It steals your breath from you, and all the telltale signs of an orgasm approaching signal to Andrei like a beacon. The way your breathing catches in your throat, the way you can’t keep your eyes open, how your legs start to shake.

He takes his thumb and rests it on your clit, rubbing in lazy circles until your back arches off the bed, a satisfied cry echoing out of your throat and into the pillows beside your head when you come. Your pussy squeezes down in a way that makes Andrei’s head go dizzy, and then he’s coming with a groan, pushing your hips down onto him as he buries himself to the hilt, his orgasm sudden and a shock to his system.

It takes him a second to catch his breath, and moves your legs off of his shoulders to make it easier to pull out of you and give you reprieve, but a noise of protest leaves your throat, and your ankles lock at the base of his spine. 

He pauses, glancing at you curiously when he notices the look on your face.

Andrei thinks back to before you left for San Jose, the day he took you in the shower, and how upset you’d been when he set you down on your feet.

It clicks in his head, then. What you’d been upset about.

He’s still hard - he’s practically always hard when he’s around you - so he moves his hips, slowly pulling back an inch before pushing back inside. You throw your head back, his name leaving your lips in relief, and he smirks. 

Fucking you in shallow thrusts, thumb circling your clit, Andrei watches in fascination as he pushes his come back inside of you with his cock, watches the way your pretty face twists in pleasure, and hums satisfactorily to himself. 

“Is this what you’ve been needing, moya zhena?” He asks, eyes on yours the whole time. “How long have you wanted this?”

You can barely answer him, your head thrown back against the pillows, eyes squeezed shut, brows furrowed, back still arched and pushing those beautiful tits of yours up. Andrei takes them in his hands, massaging them, and you keen, pushing into his hands and pussy trying to retreat from his cock with nowhere to go.

The sensation feels different for him. He’s hypersensitive now, all too away of the slick slide of his cock, of your mixed come leaking out of you before he pushes back in, feels heat begin to prick at his skin when your pussy continues to flutter and squeeze, like it’s trying to keep him inside of you. With every brush of his finger over your nipples, your pussy squeezes and you try to pull off of him, but in the next breath you’re winding your hips, pushing back down until he’s buried to the hilt.

Andrei pushes your legs up again before he rests his weight on you gently, his shoulders under your knees, burying his face in your neck and placing his hands under your ass, cradling you closer to him as he starts to fuck you in deeper strokes, drowning in the pleased little noises leaving your lips.

“Ty chuvstvuyesh' sebya tak khorosho, dorogaya,” he murmurs against your neck. You feel so good, darling. 

“Andrei,” you finally manage to breathe out, and relief floods through his veins. There were times when you two made love that you got so lost in the pleasure that you couldn’t speak to him, and it worried Andrei to no end. But you always came back to him, always called for him, and the same calm washes over his body, a shiver running up his spine.

Your arms come up, wrapping around his neck and arching your back, giving him more access to you. Andrei hums, pleased, sucking a bruise into your skin while his cock starts to throb from where he’s fucking you, can feel a second orgasm creeping up when he bites down gently, raking his teeth over the sensitive skin and you start to squeeze and clench around him.

“Gonna come again, almaznyy?” He asks, nosing along your jaw. “Want me to come again, too?”

You nod, turning your head and Andrei meets you, slotting your lips together and swallowing your moans down when you shake gently beneath him, back arching and pushing your body closer to his. His eyes squeeze shut, electricity zipping up his spine when your orgasm tips him over the edge and he’s spilling into you again, groaning against your jaw.

His arms come out from under you and he gently eases your legs back down against the bed, massaging the muscles as he does. Instead of resting them against the bed though, you wrap your legs around his waist, locking your ankles at his lower back, and Andrei laughs. 

Gently, he rolls you both until he’s laying underneath you instead, careful to keep himself nestled inside of you, and he smiles to himself when you do a half cat-like stretch before sprawling across his chest. 

A pleased little exhale greets his ears after a moment, and his hand comes up, rubbing gentle circles in your back. “Made you lunch,” you tell him, voice hoarse. “‘S in the kitchen.”

“Spasibo, almaznyy.” He murmurs, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “We should go eat it then, it’s probably cold by now.”

“It’s the chicken caesar salad wraps you like.” You say, lips dragging across his chest as you speak. “And I made strawberry lemonade this morning, should be ready by now.”

He nods, tapping your flank gently. “We should get up, malyshka. Get cleaned up.”

You nod, but you’ve got that look in your eye like before, like you’re disappointed as you carefully lift yourself off of him and roll onto the mattress beside him. Andrei rolls onto his side, cradling your face in his hands. “What’s wrong, moya zhena?” 

You shake your head, a small smile gracing your lips. “Nothing’s wrong, just…excited, is all.”

“Excited?”

“To start a family with you,” you clarify. 

“Then why do you look so sad?” He wonders, thumbing at the pout in your bottom lip.

You laugh, nose scrunching a little before cuddling into him. “It’s silly - I just wanted to start now.”

“It’s only a month, right?” He asks. You nod, nose rubbing at his pec, and he smiles to himself. “That’s good - plenty of time for us to practice, then? Wanna make sure we get it right on the first try.”

You snort. “Perfektsionist.” Perfectionist.

“Only the best for you, moya zhena.” Andrei says, teasing. Underneath it though, you both know that he’s serious. Because if anything, even as he rises from the bed and lifts you in his arms, carrying you into the bathroom, you know he never does anything half assed. 

Now that you’re both on the same page, he’s going to do everything he can to ensure you’re well looked after from beginning to end, and when your little baby eventually comes, he’s going to work twice as hard to make sure the both of you are taken care of, and that you’ll want for nothing.

You, his almaznyy, and your future child, his malen'kaya rubin. His little ruby.

[hemi-demi]

Hi! I absolutely adore your art style and was wondering if you have any tips for a beginner?

Hihi! Honestly, I thought about it for a bit, and I think my tips for new artists aren't much different than the ones for established artists. I've been making art in one way or another pretty much my whole life, but I still feel new to it half the time, which in all honesty I think is how it should feel.

So, some general stuff that I hope helps:

1. Don't spend a lot of money on it when you start out:

Super tempting to buy a bunch of expensive tablets, software, etc, but can be daunting when you're brand new.

Just start with whatever you have! Pencil and paper, or even drawing with your finger on your phone (like my friend @the-awful-dread-that-leaves, wtf how do you do that?) just use whatever is available to you!

Also, pen and paper can actually be great practice. Can't undo your mistakes, gotta work around them. Flexes a lot of creative muscles.

2. Study real life and study other artists:

Figure drawing from photos or real life, still life's, perspective practice, all that stuff helps a ton. Even if you like very simplified styled which stuff like mine tends to lean towards, it helps so much to know what realistic proportions should look like before you go messing around with them. A big chunk of my early childhood work was pretty much all charcoal and pastel portraits, trying to be as realistic as I could.

But I also really loved anime as a kid and would try to match people's styles, and that's the second part of this. Just look at and dissect as much art as you can. Find out what you like, what you don't like. Try to draw something just for yourself in those styles, feel the way your hand moves when you do.

Try to reverse engineer how they did something, or if the artist is active on socials, just ask them! Can't speak for all of them, but many are happy to talk about their process. And getting helpful feedback from other artists makes a huge difference, no matter how long you've been making art.

3. Just draw as much as you can

I was doing vector art mostly for several years before the TMA brain worms kicked in, and starting to draw again when I would just passively doodle in sketchbooks felt like I had to retrain all my muscles.

My hyperfixation has helped so much, honestly. Gave me something very specific to want to draw again, and I try to draw at least a little if not every day, then every other day.

I do try to branch out and draw other characters, or incorporate environments so I'm not stagnating myself to the same poses and blorbos forever, but I also let myself indulge when I just want to get something down on paper. Whatever gets you drawing more is going to be good for your skill over time, so just chase whatever drives you!

Hope these are helpful!

[bucksaiga]

Tommy has a journal (?)

(Read below, or on Ao3)

When Buck starts staying at Tommy's more often, he's given free access to move a few things around and make himself at home. While Buck is making himself some room in a bottom drawer, he finds out that Tommy has a journal.

It's a seemingly old book with a blue hard cover and elastic closure.

Buck really wants to know what's inside. Not because he's nosy, (partly because he's nosy) but mostly because he wants to know what Tommy uses it for. Knowing his boyfriend is also into journaling is exciting new knowledge for him. What is he logging in his book? Does he write his thoughts and feelings, affirmations? Does he use it took keep himself organized?

Buck told himself it may be too intrusive to ask, but he wants to know.

One night, when he stays over, he leaves the room to spy on Tommy, and see if he will take out the journal and write in it. He planned to waltz right in and curiously ask "what're you writing?" so he could learn what Tommy uses his journal for.

He just had to know, it was all he could think about.

For an entire week, he'd sneak off and leave Tommy alone to see if he'd grab the journal, but he didn't.

Buck began to assume that maybe Tommy didn't like to use the journal when he came over.

He told the 118 about his silly little predicament.

"Why don't you just ask him what he uses it for?" Hen wondered.

"Because that's too invasive!"

"So you'd rather spy on him when he's possibly writing down his most intimate thoughts?" Eddie chimed in.

"I'm not trying to spy! I don't actually want to see in the journal. I just want to know what sort of journaling guy he is. Maybe we can go shopping for new books and supplies together!"

"So...just invite him to do that and see what kind of things he wants to buy." Chimney proposed.

Buck nodded. "Yeah! That's a great idea!"

So, Buck takes Chimney's advice and invites Tommy to Michael's with him. Buck shows Tommy some journals, stickers and stamp pads, but Tommy doesn't seem very interested in them.

He does buy some gel pens, though.

Buck considers that a clue. Maybe Tommy uses the pens for color coded writing. He's going to ask him about it in the car.

"So, gel pens, huh? You bought that multicolor pack. Tha-that's pretty cool."

"Yeah, I figured I could take some, and you could take some. They're retractable and great for jotting things down."

"Oh, definitely. D-do you know which colors you want?"

"Eh, I don't think it really matters." Tommy shrugged, eyes remaining focused on the road. "I'll just switch between colors when the other runs out of ink."

Buck nodded. He still wasn't getting anything juicy about Tommy's journaling habits. Maybe Tommy didn't have any. Or maybe he was a "go-with-the-flow" type of guy.

Buck decided to kick it up a notch. "So..." He began as they walked in the door. "I was thinking we order a pizza and maybe we could have some uh...some journaling time together?"

"Journaling time?" Tommy raised a brow.

"Yeah! I-I'll break out my new journal and you can get yours. We-we can just...have some quiet time and write in our journals together."

Tommy snickered. "Evan, I don't have a journal."

"Y-you don't? B-but I found that journal in your bottom drawer and I thought..."

"Oh, that." Tommy disappeared into the bedroom and returned with the book and handed it to Buck.

Buck excitedly opened the book, frowning at the blank pages.

"I don't exactly...like journaling, so I never used it. My therapist suggested it a few years ago but it didn't work for me. I prefer doodling."

Buck's eyes lit up once more. "Do you have a sketch book?"

"Nope. I just...doodle on napkins or scraps of paper and then throw them away."

"Throw th—" Buck scoffed. "Throw them away?! Tommy, get back in the car."

"What? Why?"

"We're going to get you a sketchbook."

"Now? What about pizza?"

"We'll pick up pizza on the way home." Buck pushed Tommy out the door.

At least they could still have their journaling time together...sort of.

[fuyuu-chan]

Bookworms (pt. 2 of reading each other's favorite books)

Pairing: Neuvillette x Reader

Fuyuu-chan: Hiii!! I decided to make a Part 2! Hope you enjoy reading this! 💙

Genre: Fluff

Part 1 is here!

✧⁠◝⁠(⁠⁰⁠▿⁠⁰⁠)⁠◜⁠✧

It's weekend, so what time is it?

That's right! Library time! Your all time favorite hobby is reading and so you were always excited to go to the library.

You and Neuvillette meet up earlier before lunch in town so you two can eat together for lunch in Café Lucerne and after you two ordered a take out for later while you two are in the library.

While on your way you saw a new bookstore so of course as always you two go inside to see what they have.

Always telling yourself to just look but can't help but buy at the end. So there we go your tote bag full of new books, it's supposedly for grocery you say but to be honest it's just for new notebooks, sketchbooks, books, and art books.

So there you go, your finally at the library. And it just so happened that you built a private library and it's done a few weeks ago and you love it so much. So basically your library, and recently you and Neuvillette always go there for the weekend.

You entered and go to one of the sections, you place the other books you just bought in the bookshelf and the notebooks to the Writing section you had. You love writing because you always get inspired by the books you read so you had the writing section where all the things you need are there.

After that you go find Neuvillette, and you found him sitting in one of the chairs in the center. You approached him with one book in hand and notebook and your fountain pen, in case you got an idea on what to write.

"Hey, found a book to read?" You said as you placed down your things on the table.

"Not yet" he says as he finished placing down the snacks and drinks you two ordered earlier for take out.

"Then go find one, I'll be here" you said as you sat down and smiled at him.

"Alright" he says as he go to his favorite section, thinking on what to pick.

While you were sat down and about to open the book, you got an idea on what to write, so you opened your notebook and grab your fountain pen and starts writing down your idea.

You were still writing when Neuvillette came back with a book in hand.

"Have a new idea huh?" He says as he looks at you writing while smiling.

"Yup hehe" you said as you looked at him.

He chuckles as he sat down and opened the book.

"So what book did you picked?" You said as you take a peak.

"It's a mystery novel (book name)" he says as he knew what was coming.

You gasp.

"Isn't that the book I recommend??" You said as you happily looked at him. You were glad he picked the book you recommend a few days ago.

"Yes it is, I thought why not try it especially since you have good taste in books" he says as he smiled helplessly.

"Awwww thank you, and I'm sure you would love that book!" You said. Excited for him to read it and see his reaction or his say about it after.

"Okay" Neuvillette said as he started to read.

You smiled and grab the book and starts too, while reading halfway you got another idea and inspiration from the book so you write it down and you will probably continue to do your idea later when you have the story in your mind.

In between of reading the book, some parts Neuvillette would talk to you about the part he likes in the book or where he was not expecting a part and you would see his facial reactions. You two would also take a break from reading, like drinking the drinks you two got and eating the snacks.

Few hours had passed and Neuvillette is done reading, he looks at you and see that you were still reading and looks like almost finished so he kept quiet and took a sip from his drink.

After a few minutes you closed the book and looks up to Neuvillette and saw him looking at you.

"Why are you looking? Is something on my face?" You asked as you place your hand on your face.

"No I was just admiring your beauty while you read" Neuvillette said as he chuckled because of your reaction to him looking at you.

You're flushed from his compliment so you looked away for a bit.

"Oh come on.... Anyways are you done reading?" You asked as you calm down a bit and finally looked at him again.

"Yeah a few minutes ago" he said as he points to the book he recently finished.

"I see, so how is it?" You asked. You look like you're so interested to his final say about the book especially you recommend it to him.

Neuvillette then told you about his opinion and true feelings about the book and you listened to him all the way. And you can tell that he enjoy the book because he was telling how he feels about it to you with a smile.

After that, he also asked you about the book you've read, you told him you felt different emotions about it it's like a roller coaster feeling but mostly you were happy especially in the end of the book where there was an art of the main characters together hugging each other.

You also told him a fact about the author that they were also an artist and so they decided to draw the main characters at the end. Which is cute and heartwarming.

You showed him the drawing and he smiled, because it is indeed cute and nice for the author to add it at the end.

After that you ask Neuvillette if he wanted to borrow a book in your library since when you still don't own a library he would usually borrow books in different libraries.

He agreed and so you waited for him to pick books to borrow and after that you two leave the library after closing it. Then the two of you only walk for a bit when you arrived at your doorstep (and to add something, the library and your house are actually in like a compound where you own that lot).

You offered to Neuvillette that he should stay over at dinner or if he would like to stay in for the night (which always happen since you two are best friends). And so he agrees (like usual).

ฅ⁠^⁠•⁠ﻌ⁠•⁠^⁠ฅ

Please do not copy, translate, repost to any other social media, Thank you

[nauticaxskids]

Heya pookie, I really love your drawings and the way you paint. Like rghh your art is just so scrumptious please don't ever die. ♡⁠(⁠Ӧ⁠ｖ⁠Ӧ⁠｡⁠) I'm also really thankful I came across your account last year, because you and your arts were one of the inspirations I had to get back and relearn drawing again after I had an awful burnout for 2 damn years.

------- I've been meaning to ask this for a while now, but I was too embarrassed/nervous to even reach out to you. So I hope you don't mind me asking...

What materials do you use for drawing? Like what kind of paint and papers do you use?

I've been struggling to find a good art medium for a while now, I even tried acrylic markers and it didn't go so well... And tiny acrylic pens are such a pain in the aft to draw with because of how small they are lol. So it would really mean a lot...

Hello!!! I am also a fan of your account ever since you drawn Black Airachnid! Queen!!!💜💜

Anyway, sure I can list some supplies I use and the sketchbooks. They will be pricey (obviously)

Sketchbooks I always use mix media, they are sometimes good with using markers and acrylic paint. The acrylic paint on these papers don't heavily bleed through the papers but expect them to sound crunchy when you turn the page lol. The size of the books is up to you!

Some markers I use for outlining are Inklink Pen from Kingart. They come in all different sizes and help make drawings pop up with the outline. The sizes really help in case you want to outline small details without worrying if the markers bleed over it.

As for pencils, I just use plain old mechanical pencil. I used to have a set of "Artist'sLoft" fundamentals pencils that have different points (example, H2 I used for sketching since it is light while 4B is dark used for outlining or shading) In my opinion, you don't need to buy them to be honest. You can be cheap by buying mechanical pencils of a variety of points too. It's just to save money. [ You don't need a fancy one. Like the one grey mechanical pencil. I buy a whole pack, and they tend to be cheaper. Don't be like me😒]

I had used acrylic paint as I started to pick up the brush about a year or two. There are different brushes to use for acrylic (Mix Media brushes I think). I buy all of these in Walmart. However, when painting, one of my biggest pet peeves is that the paint literally dries up too fast. Also, cleaning the brushes is a pain, too. If you like painting, use the Mixed Media sketchbook.

Color pencils I brought from a pack called "H&B" but I think you can buy cheaper ones. It really only matters if you understand color theory, and then the results would be amazing regardless of the quality of the supplies. I myself am still learning🥲

As for markers, I use Dual-Tip Acrylic Markers from Pagather. They are new to me, so I'm still trying to experiment with them. They are good with the Mix Media sketchbook as they don't bleed through the pages. I so far like it. (Forgot to mention the old markers I used for the perfect Cell drawing. That one I used was azure Quality alcohol based markers. Truthfully, they're good at first. However, they dry up too fast. They are a waste of money if you tell me as they dried up for me less than a week. So I wouldn't recommend) So don't buy alcohol markers. They even bleed through the mixed media sketchbook

That's really about it I use art materials. I hope this somehow helps you, friend!💜 Don't be shy to ask me things! I'll be happy to reply when I have the time. Peace! 😁

[chaoticarson16]

May we please have Loui, NY, and TX hc’s? 👁️👁️

*not forcing*

Of course you may!

Louisiana:

• He’s a literal sweetheart that gets along with everyone. Like, he knows everyone and everyone knows him

• He will drop whatever he’s doing to help one of his friends. Doing the dishes? Not anymore. Eating lunch? He says he ate enough. Self care? You need it more than I do! Therapy? He’ll be your therapist.

• He very rarely cusses. Every now and then he’ll cuss in French but he rarely cusses in English. When he does this everyone goes quiet cause he’s either in a lot of pain, very upset, or MAJORLY pissed.

• Him and California are the only two not allowed to be ANYWHERE near guns. (With the Wild West and the Black Panther group, please don’t quote me on this, California would be able to shoot guns frighteningly well. I also believe Loui would be extremely good at shooting guns, like, completely incapacitate someone but still keep them alive. Everyone believes they’d be way too dangerous with a gun. Even Florida won’t give them a gun….sometimes)

• Him and Florida have a pet alligator that they’ve named Kitten. She’s around 8 feet and is the biggest softie ever. When the others hear they’ve got a pet named Kitten, they assume they have a cat and weren’t very creative with the name. They are wrong. Florida and Loui laugh every time they agree to meet Kitten and she’s a big ass gator. Govs the only one who got used to her (surprisingly) cause when they got married (pushing my Flouigov agenda) Kitten would constantly follow Florida or Loui and she eventually started following Gov too since he was there more then the other states and she now sees his as a family member.

New York:

• He LOVES to draw. Like, this man always has a sketchbook on him. Any chance he gets he buys a new one (literally me tho) but they don’t last cause he’s always drawing.

• He’s got hella tattoos. Him and California have the most tattoos out of anyone else in the statehouse. Most of the states believed New York had the most tattoos until there was a pool party at the statehouse and they saw Californias.

• Him and Colorado are surprisingly friends. They’re hiking buddies and like to go exploring together. New York likes hiking with Colorado cause he’s allowed to climb pretty much everything. Colorado likes hiking with York cause he’s one of the only people who can keep up with him.

• Him and Jersey like to act like they hate each other, but they’re actually twins and they’re really close. They created different signals (hand placement, facial expressions, pencil/pen placement) to have silent conversations in the middle of a meeting. They’ve started randomly laughing while Gov or one of the other states were talking and had to leave the room to stop. Everyone was very confused.

• Begged Illinois to go see the Chicago rat hole and when Illinois finally agreed he was super excited. He took so many pictures and even left some money there. He cried when he found out someone filled it.

• Him and California have a black oriental cat that they’ve named Gremlin. He’s so stupid and they love him very much.

Texas:

• Him, Jersey, and North Dakota all garden and they love to go to one of their houses and plant new plants that they bought while shopping alone cause they have no self control- (Jersey is the garden state and North Dakota is the peace garden state)

• He has a red dun quarter horse with white blaze and sock markings (yes I looked it up cause I had a very specific image in my head) named Janie. He likes go horseback riding a lot since it calms it down.

• He’s also got an Australian shepherd named Buck (I know so original) but the funny part is she’s a girl. She learned to nip at people’s feet when they call her a he and Texas finds that hilarious. When he says she has an attitude, he means it. She’s also like an emotional support dog for him which honestly he needs. This boy got hella trauma-

• This man is deathly terrified of big crowds. If he can’t easily get to an exit he starts to panic. And when I say panic I mean p a n i c. He started crying and having a panic attack after a meeting cause he was too tired to teleport and everyone kinda crowded around the door to talk. It was made even worse when they started crowding him to make sure he was ok. Buck ended up not leaving his side for a while after that, even going to meetings. If she saw people crowding the door she’d go up to them and bark till they left.

Sorry this is a bit late! My teacher threw a random test at us and I still haven’t finish it💀

[silent-raven13]

Valentine's Day

Miles lifts up his Valentine's Day gift for his boyfriend, "I hope he likes it." He found a thrifted old punk vest in his world, it had old markings and it's in a pretty cherry red color, too. There was wear and tear on the edges, a few old patches, and the leather's color was faint. The eighteen year old spend his allowance on this leather vest jacket, and supplies to give the jacket a new life.

He spend time sewing parts that needed to be sewn, and condition the leather material. Then, he added Hobie's favorite band patches, and buttons. Also, leaving some wear tear for the aging look, and a little bit of paint design on the back of the vest. Miles noticed a sewn in tag that said, "To mi amor." With a red heart drew next to it.

"Awe." His heart was touched by the cute tag. He wonders what happened to the person that gave this to their loved one. Miles did noticed the old patches look like from original punk bands designs, he left them along with the new ones he put.

When Valentine's Dat came, Miles wrapped his gift in a pretty pink box with a big red bow. It's all about showing their loved ones how much they care for them.

Rio being pregnant gasps at her bouquet of red roses, "Jeff, they are so beautiful. Gracias, mi amor." She kisses her husband's lips being so happy. "I love them."

"Just you wait what I got us for tonight's dinner." Jeff sang giving his wife a kiss on the lips. "Anything for my baby."

Miles quickly left for school, good thing it's Friday and he did mention he'll be hanging out with Ganke. Good thing, his best friend got his back.

After school, he quickly dressed in his Spider-man suit and went to Headquarters to find the whole place in pink and red. Miles held the gift in his arms as he went to find Hobie.

"Miles!" His Spider senses tingle when he heard Pavitr, he knew where to turn his head. Looking up he saw his friends upside up while he was walking upside down.

"Hey guys!" He saw Pavitr rocking a pink Valentine's day suit, and Gwen dyed part of her hair a red and pink ombre. "Wow, rockin' Valentine's day?"

"Yeah, today is the day about love, Mi!" Pavitr squeals with joy, "Me and Gayatri are going to a cute restaurant and movie."

"Wow, that's cute." Gwen said.

Hobie turned in sparkle pink with heart patterns with a smile on his face when Miles noticed him. Their Spider Senses tingles and syncing together, "Hobie! There you are."

"In the flesh. I got something for you, Sunflower." Hobie held out a bouquet of red roses and Sunflowers and a gift bag that was painted red and drawn with his aesthetic style.

Miles gasps with joy, "For me!" He took off his mask with his eyes gleaming in shock, he never got a Valentine's Day gift.

Hobie's cheeks went bright red, his whole body turning bright warm red with hearts everywhere. Miles shyly hold out his gift for Hobie, the punker blinks a bit in shock. "Um.. Happy Valentine's Day, Hobie."

"Sunflower, you got me sumthin'?" Hobie took the gift while Miles took his. Gwen and Pavitr saw the two, and decided to give them their moment.

Since the two been together for almost a year, this was their first Valentine's Day as a couple. Miles open his gift bag seeing a handmade sketchbook and a variety pack of artist pencils and pens, then a box of chocolates, and an oversized Hobie's band shirt.

"Wow, Hobie this- this is amazing. Thank you!" Honey-Brown eyes glistening like gems at all the gifts, "I never gotten a Valentine's Day gift." He happily hugs the punker and shyly kisses his cheek, "Thank you. I love it."

"Awe, Sunflower." Hobie's heart melted by his boyfriend's cuteness, he sneaked a kiss on the lips. "Heh, I'm glad. Spend a month working at odd jobs to save."

Miles' blushes feeling his boyfriend's soft lips, he was about to protest about kissing in public. Not because of looks, it's more of his shyness He's not as bold as his punker. But!

"You worked? To BUY me these stuff?"

"Yea, except for the shirt. That's mine- all my good stank and scent, luv." Hobie jokes.

Miles quickly took the shirt out to smell it. Yup, that's his boyfriend's scent. In a flash, he puts it on, "Heh, it's because I love wearing this one, huh?" He always wore this shirt when he sleeps over at his man's place.

"Heh, it's looks good on you, too." Hobie felt his heart pounding against his chest. "I want you to have it."

"I love it, bae. Thanks." Miles awkwardly held his punker's left hand.

"Ha, I thought you would hate it. Honestly, I thought you wanted something fancy." He said.

"Why would you think that? I love all the gifts you given me." Miles never looked down upon any gift especially if they came out of love.

"I know, it's just... hmph, never mind. My insecurities are gettin' the best of me, eh?" Hobie looks at his gift, "Now, my turn."

"Hope you like it. I really try to keep it raw, and fit to your style." The Black Latino Spider-man watches his boyfriend opening up the box.

Hobie pulled the ribbon to untied it, then ripped the pink wrapping off. The white box peaking out of the pink wrapping, his large hand lifts up the top box to reveal the most coolest, beautifulest red leather vest he ever seen. "Sunflower..." Hobie merely lost for words, his dark eyes gleaming like stars.

Miles quietly watched as his punker took the red vest out of the box and quickly put it on, "Oh luv, you didn't have to spend so much on me. This is amazing. I'm completely Godsmack, luv. Ace choice." Hobie set his old black leather vest into the white box and wore the red one. "Fits like a glove."

"Oh thank god!" Miles let out his breath of relief, "I'm so happy it fits!" He knew his boyfriend likes wearing tight clothing, and the vest is a size small.

"Luv, this feels a bit expensive..." Hobie pouted for a moment with his hands feeling the smooth cherry leather, and the smell of new.

"No, bae! I thrifted it! I know how much you like thrift shopping and making something out of nothing. So I found this vest for a great price since it was all dirty and wore down and I spend three weeks fixing it!" Miles explained.

"You hand sew the patches? And how did you... the buttons?" Hobie took off the vest to see the inside being a bit faded brown color, and the tag is yellowish from age. His dark eyes spotted the hand sew stitching of the patches and other areas. There was a section where Miles painted an Anarchy symbol on it. The vest had so much thought put into it, it made the punker feel so much love.

It shows his boyfriend is willing to take the time to show love towards him. That thought alone made Hobie's heart dance with awe and admiration. Before Miles can say another word, the punker went into for a kiss. "Hobie." Miles gasps.

Hobie pulls away to kiss his Sunflower's forehead, "I love you, Sunflower. This is one of the best gifts you given me."

"I'm glad." His boyfriend face lit up with a sunny glow. "I worked so hard on it." The two were hanging out together, then Gwen and Pavitr came by to check out the gifts.

"Whoa! This is a nice jacket, Miles!" Gwen gasps, "Looks new!"

"And it was thrifted?" Pavitr gasps.

"Yeah, it was really dirty and wore down when I bought it. Me and my mom spend time cleaning it. My dad found some products for the leather, and my grandma helped me sew the pattern. It took a village." Miles chuckles.

"Miss Morales, pops and Mrs. Morales helped you? All the more to love it." The punker had a giddy attitude with his legs happily kicking in mid-air. The group were sitting at on the bridges of headquarters.

"Yup! But it was still a nice jacket. I wonder who it belong to, it had to be a gift. On the tag it had someone stitches saying, 'I love you'." Miles added.

"It does!" Gwen checked on the vest having to carefully pulled back the collar of it to see the tag. "Man, I wonder why they gave it away?"

"Maybe the person passed away and the family ended up donating it." Gwen look at the jacket, "Looks a bit old like it was made in the seventies or early eighties."

"That's could be a thing too." Miles said, "Man, that's kinda of sad."

"Well, this jacket is never being given away. I'll buried it with me, Sunflower." Hobie proudly wore it, "I love it." He kisses his boyfriend's cheek, "Thanks, luv."

"Hobie, you're tickling me." Miles giggles feeling his lips grazing against his cheek. "I'm happy you love it." The group decided to get some heart shaped pizzas, through headquarters they saw Gabriella hanging out heart shaped lolly pops with her dad. Mayday and her dad giving out candy with cards. Gerald got some Transformers Valentine's day cards with gummy bears packs. Needless to say, it was a very fun Valentine's day.

When Hobie and Miles were alone watching the sunset while cuddling. "This is the best Valentine's day ever." Miles admits.

"Me too. Sunflower." His boyfriend gave him a soft smile. They stared in each other eyes. Miles leans over for a kiss. The two sat their kisses for what feels like eternal.

[katabay]

I'm going to be honest finding your account has sent me down a rabbit hole I did not expect to find myself in, yesterday I spent six hours, looking at all of your stuff and I'm absolutely amazed, I have no words. Your art and everything you talk about I'm absolutely fascinated in a very normal way I don't mean to sound weird. I was wondering if you had any thoughts to share with someone who's hating everything they draw and have lost the fun and passion when creating, I want to snap out of it.

I've been holding onto this ask for a minute because a few years back I went through a phase (I call it a phase, I fully intended never to pick up art again) where I also hated everything I was making

ultimately, what got me out of it was mostly doing other stuff. not even in a 'get a new hobby,' kind of way, I hated drawing in my sketchbook, so I started cutting out washi tape as clothes over old sketches and filling in the negative space between scribbles with highlighter and pen colors I thought looked nice. I went out to daiso, bought $10 worth of stickers, and started putting them where I thought it would look nice when I got the urge to do something but still couldn't bring myself to actually pick up a pencil.

if there's something that you know for sure you don't like about art, it can help to confront it and then go in the other direction. there were a lot of things I used to draw because I felt like it was expected, only I was unhappy all the time, and once I realized I was unhappy because I wasn't actually exploring what I thought was interesting about the subject holding my attention, it was sometimes easier to see what I DID want to do, I just had to acknowledge what I DIDNT want first.

that said, I still have an on-off again antagonism with myself and art, it's messy and it's always going to be that way for me, but whenever I feel stuck, I do try to change things up, or head off to a space that I feel has absolutely no expectations from me whatsoever. like. whenever I get really annoyed on my history blog, I actually turn to watching 2PM's vlogs on youtube. I have enough 2PM art in my sketchbooks I almost thought about making a dedicated HOTTEST twitter account lmao.

probably my last thought on this might be: try keeping two sketchbooks. nothing expensive. one can be something more serious, but keep a space just for yourself to fuck around in. don't draw in it unless you want to. put stickers in it, press flowers that you think look neat. buy some cheap water colors and see if you like the blues that you get out of it. it's okay to feel antagonistic towards art, but if you aren't ready to break up with it (and art will always be there if you want to go back, that's an important thing), I've found the straightforwardness of 'I like these stickers, so I'm going to put them on top of this square of blue I liked,' to be akin to leaving messages for someone you aren't ready to talk to face to face just yet, but maybe someday.

[f4y3w00d5]

lmao i had no intention of telling yall it was my birthday but since it is ill tell you what i got

Got about a hundred fifty bucks from my relatives collectively (and 50 bucks in a gift card, but the giftcard goes to officeworks so imma buy some posca paint pens), so now i have MONEY AGAIN

I got a new sketchbook cos mine was nearly full (IT HAS FLOWERS ON IT!!! PLUS MY 4 YR OLD COUSIN I HAVENT SEEN IN A YEAR DREW ME PRESENTS IN IT EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE)

Got a new phonecase (cos i had to get a new phone cos it stopped charging, so had to find a new phonecase cos it was a different type)

Im gonna also get to go shopping at my fav store with my aunt :333

ALSO I NOW HAVE TWO PAIRS OF ILLFITTING DOC MARTENS SO I HAVE 4 PAIRS OF SHOES NOW :DDDD THIS IS LIKE THE MOST IVE EVER HAD!!!

[trentcrimminallybeautiful]

hi! i saw the ask game and wanted to ask either 🫐 or 🌈: is there any line/quote from a wip you’d like to share that may not totally fit the listed themes but you still want to share? thanks!

fuck it we ball [lemony snicket appears and turns to look at the camera, although his face is lost to the shadows] In this instance, reader, 'ball' can be defined as 'we can answer both of these questions', or perhaps 'the author was originally going to choose rainbow after receiving an abundance of blueberries, but has now found another quote he would like to share, but also has no wish to forsake the question of the rainbow, and therefore, has decided, to do both, rather than either'.

🫐 a line from a published work that you’re proud of, but no one’s mentioned yet - or if you can’t think of one, an underrated line in general

They’re friends. Trent knows how he takes his tea, and Colin knows that Trent actually prefers hot chocolate to tea, even if he wouldn’t normally admit it. Colin knows Trent chews on his pens no matter how hard he tries to break the habit, and then keeps buying new ones to cover up the marks, so he just has two huge boxes of pens hidden in his desk, one for the bitten ones and one for new ones, and Trent knows that Colin likes to draw even though he’s not that good at it, and has one sketchbook with doodles of the team (and Trent, too, and the coaches, and Will, and even Ms. Welton and Higgins) and another that’s filled with drawings of men he's been on dates with that just gives way to pages and pages of Michael. And some dragons doodled around the corners, because of course there are.

from "two (not) pieces of shit"

i just like this little list of headcanons i made for this fic i just enjoy them,

🌈 asker’s choice of wip: request a quote from a wip - something i want to share that might not fit the themes

hmmm i guess this is kind of funny but it's not really a Comedy Quote but it kind of is but like.... hmmm fuck it i'll just do this one:

“He was into it,” said Beard, with the solemnity of someone who Knows things they shouldn’t. “Wow, really?” says Keeley. “Huh. I guess I can see it.” “Oh, yeah, he’s had a bizarre crush on Ted for ages,” says Beard. “You know how you get a really intense, weird crush on someone you think is straight and/or unattainable, so you just try to repress it until it goes away, but that only makes it a little weirder?” “Ah,” says Keeley, with deeper understanding. “So he’s wildly in denial.” “Wildly,” agrees Beard. “Hang on,” says Ted, “Trent’s what?” “Into you, keep up,” says Beard.

[unpossession]

Willow,

I went to get a new sketchbook today; our favorite arts store. Picked up this stationary when I was looking through the pens. Recognize it? It’s the kind I kept almost buying but would always put back at check out. Finally got it. Turns out it has plenty of paper for the price, just thinner pages. Texture’s alright, but I’m sorry if the ink bleeds through. I’ve been chewing up all my good pens again, not about to take one of yours without permission. I remember what happened last time lol

I’m trying to be funny but I’m coming up short. It’s harder to find the motivation now, not that I was doing a particularly good job of it in the first place. I’m so afraid that I’m going to kill your garden that I’ve been taking notes on Youtube videos about gardening like I'm gonna have a test about proper soil drainage on Monday. I’d ask Tallah but she’s too busy with the baby. I’m not talking to Zero right now, so I’m not going to ask him. Hawk told me that I shouldn’t talk to Zero and he’s probably right. I’d ask Donnie for help but Hawk also told me he is a cult leader, and I kinda believe him this time, so I won’t ask him either. My circle keeps getting smaller and smaller and smaller. First Zero, then Donnie, now yo —

I miss you. I keep having these moments where I think you are in the house with me. I know you aren’t. I know you can’t be, but sometimes you’re there. In the doorway, where you always stand when you’re asking to come in, when you don’t want to intrude. You’ll be there, just out of the corner of my vision, but when I turn to look at you, you’re gone. Sometimes I want you to be there, so I never look over. I just keep you in the corner of my eye. I tell you to come in but you never do. I wish I could pull you back myself. I wish I could cast a spell like Benji and pluck you right out of there and bring you back here, where you belong. If Zero came back, then you have to be able to, right? I promise I will try to find some way to bring you back home. What’s the point in being able to see the dead if I can’t see you?

But I don’t want this letter to be a downer. I don’t know if you’ll ever read this, but I don’t want it to be me whining the whole time. When I was at the store, when I picked up my new sketchbook and this stationary, I realized that I had never written you a letter. Like, once! I’m wearing the bad friend shirt for the week. (I told you I kept it, it was in the back of my closet with my bag of hair dyes. TRUST I will never get rid of a gag shirt, no matter how stupid.) I know it doesn’t make up for all the missed ones, but maybe writing letters to you will make it hurt less, anyways. I’ve never been much of a writer but maybe I can be. For you, at the very least, for you. 

I love you. Please haunt me.

Salem

The letter sits where it falls into her letterbox, outside the house, where it will stay until it's recipient returns. If she returns.

[joannaliangart]

I sight freeze (2023) 5.5” x 5” x 2” Box book, 54 pages. Translucent sheets of different paper and plastic, black ink pen, gift box, and poetry.

I sight freeze contains a collection of poetry on the lesser known anxiety response: freeze. The loose, translucent pages visualize mental cloudiness. The poems are about feeling emptiness in a dishearteningly neutral and quiet way.

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one of my favourites... It's a very personal piece but not. a difficult piece if that makes sense? There's some pieces I make that are very personal and they still make me a little heavy to look at and contend that I made it into Something, but this one it just feels good when I look at it. Maybe that's just a testament to how much I like the execution of this piece though haha which is still good

This piece is one where handling it physically brings a lot to the experience of reading it. I was very happy during our crit I got a lot of positive responses to it; and several comments on how they were afraid to handle such thin and delicate material, Which pleased me too as I think fits very well for its concept (ie the freeze response as an attempt to become nothing in order to survive.)

Made for my democratic multiples course; This was our first like proper project (ie second after our quick intro assignment); I was having trouble thinking of an idea, and I was sitting alone in my bedroom at like 3am with my sketchbook. And translucent paper? for some reason? (It was like the paper they use for wrapping when u buy new shoes) I don't remember if I went downstairs to grab that or if I was just kinda drawn to the material and wanted to use it in the project but wasn't sure how?

Either way... I ended up just writing on the translucent paper, kinda letting whatever come to mind. and uhh a theme was very quickly established when I first started writing And then something fucking possessed me as is the tendency when you're writing and you're alone at 3am and I just. kept. going.

and was left with a very long piece of writing! That I later organized into pages and made I sight freeze.

I typed out and formatted and printed out the poems onto printer paper, and then using that as a guide I painstakingly traced the words onto different papers/plastic. I keep a lot of collage materials and I had a whole section dedicated to stuff of varying transparency (including a cereal bag, dryer sheets, the paper(?) that comes in iphone packaging, the shoebox paper, and other mystery stuff)

I got a star shaped hole puncher, I think I was searching for a box for this piece and saw that and was like ohhhhhhhh perfect!! Or maybe I was searching for it specifically? Can't quite remember lol but either way I'm very glad for it...

a lot of the stuff I wrote about is based off the disassociation star theory, ie spoon theory except for dissociation

Also! I know there's the fourth anxiety response fawn lol but this piece ain't about her I'm so sorry girlie. (if I were to personify them I think its ironic and funny that the fawn one doesn't get mentioned as if they're being like 'o no that's fine' fadksjlgh nooo I'm so sorry)

more detailed description of the piece:

I sight freeze is a book object containing a collection of poetry on the third, lesser known anxiety response: freeze. This work is about my personal experience with how my anxiety manifests; and the visual metaphors of mental cloudiness and dissociation are conveyed through the delicate materiality of the loose paper/plastic pages and stars inside the box that have varying levels of translucency, with some pages having poems and others being blank. The poems in I sight freeze delve into the difficulties of articulating your thoughts, feeling an absence of identity, and the fear of death. It’s about empty spaces and feeling like you are nothing at all in a way that is dishearteningly neutral and quiet.