#collect my canvases

[animation-reformation]

Hey girl

[cowardlykrow]

“I let him die / Taking your advice”

[puppyeared]

valentines day pkmn wip ^_^

[todayisafridaynight]

[mylovelookup]

Can’t post art with smut on here. Thought about posting it on AO3. Googled how to. Saw how I’d have to do more steps than the expected copy and paste. Gave up.

[fluffywhump]

i still like these :3 (even if sal's guitar looks jacked up; i do... not remember if i used a reference or not...)

[milo-is-rambling]

I want to create but idk what I want to create but I want to make something my hands

[pixiemage]

Unfortunately I’m allergic to cats, so my next thought was, as a writing prompt:

The story of someone who is cursed by a witch to end up living alone with nothing but a mass of cats and books in their home. They love the reading, and they’re not looking for a life partner, so 2/3 of that curse sound legitimately enjoyable…but the cats. They LOVE cats, don’t get them wrong, but the longer they’re near one the worse their allergies get. Runny nose, itchy eyes, itchy skin, the works.

So as the years go by and the cats keep flocking to their door, a little bit of their income has to go toward allergy meds on a biweekly basis just to keep them sane. Strays follow them home, they’re drawn to boxes of abandoned kittens, and even the neighbors’ cats visit sometimes. They’re a cat magnet, and where cats appear the runny nose is soon to follow.

But they also never have need to buy new books because they’re just always there. New ones appear on their shelves bringing new stories and new worlds. It’s wonderful and completely free. And when they’re out in public they no longer get insistent and annoying people trying to ask them out on dates who can’t seem to take no for an answer. All the people who kept coming back, who ignored their protests even when they explained they were aro and ace…no longer an issue. They’ve never felt so free in their life.

If it weren’t for the allergies, and if it weren’t for the constant purchasing of allergy meds, they would almost go so far as to say that whatever spell the witch used? It was more of a blessing than a curse.

[littlelambii]

going through spurts of inspiration, between a complete lack of inspiration, is so overwhelming when it finally hits again

I can't choose want I want to work on because everything seems like a lot of fun and my head is going to explode if I get any more good ideas

[mochie85]

House of Cards

These Wicked Games Collections | Complete Masterlist

Summary: You and Loki finally confront each other about your feelings and what went wrong. Suggested Song: "Fantasy" by The Driver Era Word Count: 2.9K Pairing: Loki x Female Reader Warnings: Smut. Dominating/Controlling Loki, Angry sex, rough sex.

Loki’s room was dark and humid. Thick waves of moisture rolled to you from his en suite, bringing with it the scent of his soap and aftershave. He must have taken a shower moments before movie night, you mused to yourself.

As the latch on his door clicked closed, the fireplace roared to life startling you. The heat from the fire only made his scent grow deep and heady. Warm yellow light canvased the room. You followed the flicker of the flames as your eyes took in Loki’s private chambers.

There you were…alone in his room. His sanctuary. A rare opportunity to sneak around and find out more about the intimidating god of mischief. Nothing had changed since that fateful night when you challenged him to Blackjack. That following morning, you were too hurt and busy trying to get out of the mortifying situation you walked yourself into to appreciate anything else.

His desk sat in the middle of the room, facing his bed. A house of cards was meticulously crafted on top— an elaborate pyramid of angles and shapes. Some cards, magically teetering on their corners. You had forgotten your deck that night, in a hurry to leave and lick your wounds from Loki’s casual opinion of your relationship with each other.

You reached out to take one— a discarded card lying on the bottom layer. You focused on the filigree and the cherub on the back cover, greeting you back.

“I thought I told you to wait for me on my bed?” His deep voice froze your movements, squeezing the air from your lungs. You turned quickly to find Loki, already closing the final steps to you.

“Loki, I-” He didn’t let you finish as he seized your lips and invaded your senses once again. His fingers laced themselves in your hair. His other hand pulled your shirt off from behind, popping your buttons, and exposing your breasts that were already spilling over your bra from his groping earlier.

You wrapped your arms around his neck, hoping to melt with him. You needed him closer. You needed his every being to get reacquainted with you. God, it's been so long.

His kiss was never-ending. He didn’t let you catch your breath, stealing your mouth every time you moved to inhale. His lips were so ravenous and demanding that it almost hurt. “…Loki…” you whined.

At long last, his fingers pulled your hair and brought your face up to meet his eyes. “You never do as you’re told, do you, darling? You never listen. Always worried about letting people inside.” His fist in your hair got tighter. His breath was hot and sweet; trying to hold back an emotion you had yet to work out. “Is that why you perfected your poker face? To hide the lies underneath?”

“What lies?!” you asked insulted and slightly afraid. “You lied to me! You used me just to play some game! Toying with me! Just entertainment for the night!” You tried to push him back, but his body was hard and unyielding. You pounded on his chest, trying to get away. But he trapped you in his arms and he wouldn’t let you go.

“You don’t listen! I have already told you, and yet you still pay no heed to my words! Do you even know how the last two weeks have been for me?” he said with a cold glare. “Torture! The moment you walked out of my bed, I started doubting myself. I started doubting you! I never thought you of all people would play me for a game like you do with your cards and tricks.”

He was furious! You had no idea how this would go, where Loki was going with his discourse. You knew Loki would never hurt you intentionally, but the look in his eyes was undoubtedly anger and pain. Not knowing terrified you and it also sent a thrill down your spine.

You had hurt him. You can see that now. He was affected as much as you were that night. You could see it in the unshed glimmer in his eyes. “You do care about me,” you realized.

“And what made you think I didn’t?” he demanded. His hold on you tightened. To be in his arms and to know that he was holding back so much of his godly strength. It hurt to almost breathe in his presence. But that was nothing compared to the guilt you felt inside. It hurt to know that you had assumed the worst of him and failed to communicate what you wanted. That you had missed out on two glorious weeks of being with him.

“You said you liked playing games. The way everything unfolded…I- I didn’t know what to think. I had no idea you even looked at me that way! And in mere hours I was splayed like a toy for you in your bed, Loki! What was I supposed to think?! How was I to know that I wasn’t just another conquest for you? That your confession was true?” you yelled back at him.

“Does this feel untrue to you!” he bucked his hips to yours, pushing you against his desk. You let out a carnal moan as you felt the length of him rub against your awaiting clit- throbbing to feel more of him, to be closer to him. The pyramid shook slightly behind you but remained standing. “Perhaps, you need a little reminder…” he growled as he kissed your lips boldly.

Blurring colors started to form and solidify in your head. Memories took shape as if they were tangible moving pictures.

~Loki growled. His fervor and desire ruling all rational thought. “I love that you’re intelligent,” he said as he flattened out his tongue and lapped the juices flowing from your cunt. “…Loki…” “I love how clever you are.” He said giving your sensitive clit a soft kiss. “I love how you’re willing to play my games.” He laughed as he kissed his way up your stomach. He knelt up on the bed, towering over your lustful figure beneath him. His eyes were wild taking in your heavy breathing, your glowing skin, and how utterly besotted you were when you looked at him. Your eyes were hooded and pleading, missing his tongue. Your mouth was open, ready to beg him to continue. “And by the Norns, you look absolutely sinful laying on my bed the way you are now.” He lined his hard cock at your entrance and slammed his way inside your tight folds.~

You felt him thrust towards your aching cunt, as if he was reliving the memory himself. The heavy force of his illusion pushed you back into reality. The house of cards gave way and fell behind you in one fell swoosh.

“You love me,” you whispered to yourself. Tears brimmed your lids as you looked at the truth in his eyes. The realization was heavy and thick; along with the guilt of invalidating his feelings.

Loki closed his eyes as he leaned in to rest his head on yours. He took a deep breath, relieved you had finally understood what he was trying to convey. Your fingers brushed through his silken hair, pulling him closer. Your lips apologized for you as you assailed his beautiful face with kisses. Softly, one after another. His fervid cheeks. His troubled eyes. His sharp chin. He felt each kiss as a prayer of penance asking for his forgiveness.

Your velvet lips turned into passionate kisses the more you held him. Loki returned your fervor with as much desire, if not more. How long has he waited for this? Dreamt of this? Wondering if he’d ever get the chance to kiss you again like this.

He had already granted you his pardon- earlier tonight when you had confessed that you imagined kissing him instead of Rogers. Perhaps even earlier than that, when you sat down on his lap and acknowledged his presence, finally, after weeks of disaffection. You had his forgiveness, but not his mercy.

“Loki, I need you. Please,” you begged. You started to unbutton his shirt, your fingernails nicking and scratching at his creamy skin in haste. “Make love to me,” you whined, wanting to compensate for lost time.

He licked his lips and savored your words. “Oh no, pet,” he chuckled darkly. “Only good girls get made love to...” Loki pushed your shoulders down, laying you on his desk. Your eyes widened in shock as your hair flowed around you, weaving with the cards of the fallen castle. He pulled your legs forward, bringing your hips flushed with his hard cock. “…Bad girls get fucked!”

You took a sharp intake of air as his words rattled your nerves. You heard the zip of his pants as his hands held you down on his desk. He nudged the wet gusset of your panties aside and guided the tip of his cock at your entrance. You moaned shamelessly when you felt him inside you for the first time in weeks.

He let out a shaky breath as he dragged himself up and down through your wet lips. Slowly teasing you, making you squirm with need. “…please…” you said so quietly you thought it was in your head. “…please, Loki…”

He gave into your cries. Into your begging; and thrust quickly inside you. You let out a vulgar moan at the sheer length of him filling you completely. Your knees squeezed around his hips as you tried to slow his assault. Your nails dug into the soft wood of his desk trying to hold on. “Stop resisting, my love. I thought this was what you wanted?” he grunted.

 Your hands gripped his wrist that was holding down your shoulder. He gathered your skirt around your waist and used it as leverage to thrust deeper into you. “Just a little bit deeper…fuck…When I’m…when I’m done with you…I’ll make sure…you can’t walk in the morning…” he vowed. “So, you won’t leave my bed like you did that day.” His rage was palpable and cloying.

“…Loki…” you whined. But that only made him go harder. Faster.

You held the edge of the desk above you, trying to meet his passionate thrust with your own. Strands of your hair fell off to the sides. Your back arched, and you could feel the cards stick to the sweat of your skin.

“You like this, don’t you? Look how wet you are for me.” He watched as your sweet cum coated his shaft, making him groan. You could feel it dripping from you with each hard thrust of his cock. “Do you like it rough?”

“…fuck, Loki…please…”

“You’re enjoying this too much.” His hand moved from your shoulder up to your throat. He grabbed your chin in between his thumb and forefinger, “Next time, I’ll just fuck you in front of the team. So, they can see what a begging mess you become for me.”

And he was right. You are a mess. And you are enjoying this too much. You had always prided yourself in being a tough and independent person. But when it comes to Loki, you didn’t hesitate to be cuffed and barred. You didn’t fight it when he chased you. You wanted him to catch you. You wanted his dominance.

Loki bent to hover over you, pinning your hips down to his hard desk. “You are not to leave me. Ever. Do you understand?” his breath came out labored and grunting. “You can storm out angry. You can yell, scream, and fight. Hell, I prefer it. But you are never to leave without returning and talking about it afterward. Is that clear?” He thrust deep to mark his point. You moaned loudly into the stifling air. Your fingernails digging into his shoulders.

“Say it!” he thrust again, demanding an answer.

“yesyesyes…please Loki…I’m a-about to…” you squeezed tighter around him. You wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed him.

“Come on then. Give it to me.” He demanded in your ear. You wrapped your ankles around his waist, keeping him locked to you. Loki stood back up, taking your wrist ad holding them down against his desk. You were trapped in between his corded arms. All you could see was the beautiful face of a god unraveling above you. His slanted brows and his gritted teeth, his deep voice grunting at the feel of your warmth around him.

You could feel the tight pull of his shaft against your walls when he dragged himself out and plunged back in. “Fuck baby, that’s it. Tighter. Come on.”

Your legs shook and you screamed his name one last time. Your orgasm pulses inside you, making every single part of you sensitive and euphoric. Loki followed soon after. His hips jutted forward with each grunt and spill of his climax inside you.

Loki bent over you again. He caged your head between his arms and kissed you softly on your swollen lips. Your hands roamed his back, feeling his powerful muscles contort and contract as he moaned above you. Your nails would scratch on his smooth skin whenever his cock twitched inside you. “Loki.”

Without breaking your kiss, he scooped you up from his desk and walked over to his bed. “…such a good girl for me, darling…” he whispered on your skin. “…taking me all in like that. Good fucking girl...” Your throat was hoarse and stung too much to answer anything above a sigh. His plush blankets welcomed you as he laid you down on top. “…and do you know what good girls get?”

You bit your lip to stop from giggling. Loki lined himself up with your entrance once again and pushed slowly. Your giggles turned into moans as he continued his rhythmic thrust against your heat.

“Look at me, darling,” he asked so sweetly. Your furrowed eyes caught his. “I love you,” he murmured. “I should’ve said it from the very beginning.” He continued at a tantric pace, keeping his stare at yours. You tightened around him and you got a more genuine feel for him. Every vein, every inch, pulling your moans from your lips and leaving you with nothing but the sensation of his love and adoration for you.

He looked deep into your eyes, and you could tell that he was close again. “I love you too,” you whispered. Loki let go. At the same time, your body releases itself into a climax. One of the strongest, and most powerful, ones you’ve ever felt.

His body sunk on top of yours. He was finally letting go of the weight and worry that he held these past weeks. And you welcomed it by holding him tighter against you.

You woke up the next morning, tender and stinging. The tiniest movement of your hips shot an aching soreness throughout your body. And you smiled. Your mind reeled at the memories of last night. After your shared confessions, Loki took you again in the shower, then on the floor, and then in the shower again. He fucked you in every conceivable space in his room. And then he would make love to every inch of your body afterward.

“Can you walk?” his voice was low and gravelly. The dredges of sleep have yet to release him from their grasp.

“Well, good morning to you too.” You playfully pushed him aside, pretending to be insulted. He laughed as he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you in for a morning kiss.

“Good morning, my love…” he said with adoration. “…Can you walk?” he repeated. You rolled your eyes at him, smiling. You knew the answer before you even attempted to sit up and try to get off his bed.

Your hips felt out of place. Your thighs burned and screamed at being used again so soon after last night. And your feet could barely hold you up threatening to slip. “No, I can’t. Are you happy?”

Loki scooped you up making you yelp and grab hold of his shoulders. “Tremendously, so.” He said kissing you heatedly on your lips.

Nat sat in the conference room, reading Tony’s mission briefing from the night before. The rest of the team returned early last night and decided to join in on the movie. No one had noticed that you and Laufeyson were missing until Thor asked where his brother was. “They were both very tired. I think they might’ve gone to bed early,” Nat smirked.

And now, here she was watching the two of you come out of the bedroom hallways. A sudden giggle escapes from your lips. She looked over the paper and witnessed Laufeyson carrying you into the kitchen bridal style. “Put me down! I can walk now you know,” you whispered into his ear.

“Oh, darling. We both know I’m too good for that to wear off so quickly.”

“You pompous ass!”

“Yes, one that has your scratch marks all over it!” He gave you a quick peck on the lips, followed by his signature devious smirk. Loki pulled out one of the chairs and sat down with you on top of his lap.

Oh, this oughta be good! Nat neglected the rest of her work on the table and made her way over to the two of you. Loki had conjured a muffin and some coffee for you. While you sat on his lap feeding him grapes like he was Dionysus himself.

“You know, when I dared you to sit on his lap, I meant for the length of the movie,” Nat said coming up from behind you and sitting across the table. “Not indefinitely.”

“Your lovely friend here has been incapacitated, Agent Romanoff.” Loki smiled, nuzzling his nose against the smell of his shampoo in your hair. “I’m afraid she’ll need assistance from here on out. For the foreseeable future.”

“Stop it!” you chided him.

“Make me,” he teased.

⬅️ Truth or Dare | Hide and Seek (Coming Soon) ➡️

A/N: I guess I wasn't ready to let go of these two yet. This series wasn't supposed to have any major angst or plot. It was just supposed to be a collection of these two characters playing random "adult" games. So, I will try to get back to that thought and update whenever I think of something for them to do 😉.

🏷️ @emarich7 @michelleleewise @coldnique @psychospore @lokisgoodgirl @silverfire475 @fictive-sl0th @springdandelixn @wheredafandomat @goldencherriess @peaches1958 @salempoe @thomase1 @kkdvkyya @a-witch-with-words @mischief2sarawr @sarawr-reads @vbecker10 @peachymallow @irishhappiness @cakesandtom @simplyholl @here4thefanfics @tallseaweed @immersed-in-mischief @joyful-enchantress @lokisninerealms @kikster606 @glitterylokislut @loz-3 @slytherclaw1227 @chantsdemarins @the-lady-amphitrite @eleniblue @km-ffluv @lokidokieokie @n3rdybirdee @melsunshine-blog @gigglingtiggerv2 @lokischambermaid @cjand10 @asgards-princess-of-mischief @chrisevansmaindish @capswife @dangertoozmanykids101

[dappermouth]

How are the prints of your art so freaking beautiful? I have three of your 24x36 prints and they're the best looking pieces in my whole collection and I wish I could get my art (digital) to look half as good in a large print but I just can't figure it out. Is there some special trick to it or just your own brand of magic? Love you and your work <33

Oh thank you! I do have some tips!

If you're looking to get crispness at scale, I think the most important factor is the size of your art. I work on big canvases, at least 8000px on the shortest side. This requires your computer to be haunted by a powerful ghost, but painting at that scale results in a finished file that you can print at large sizes (posters, wall tapestries, etc) and it'll look fantastic. As a rule of thumb, figure out the largest dimensions you want to print at before you start painting, and set up your canvas to that size at 300dpi.

Select paper stock with your artwork in mind — matte and semi-matte papers are much preferred for darker art like mine. And possibly for all art, all the time. Brightly colored art can work on glossy paper but idk, I don't like glossy prints in general. Too shiny? I feel like a bird would come grab it out of my hand? on reflection this may be a personal problem

If you're making prints at home, look suspiciously at your printer while it prints. Keep it self-conscious, keep it on its A-game. Don't let it pull one over on you.

I hope that's helpful somehow! There's a ton of other stuff but I'm already rambling. A lot of it is still mysterious to me also, don't be discouraged if it takes some trial and error!

[animation-reformation]

[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.

[malewifeharem]

CELEB JING YUAN?? ☁️

celebrity!AU jingyuan

彡- ,, a collection of my brainrots about dating jing yuan as diff types of celebs!

cw ⁞ none unless ur allergic to rich hot general fluff. not proofread.

an ⁞ this may be a little ooc, i apologise ehe. I TRIED PLEASE I PROMISE RGRGGRHRGHGRHG

imagine ceo!jingyuan picking you up from work at your office, patiently waiting for you in his car. he doesn't understand why you want to continue working when he's already mentioned countless times how he could provide for you. you'd never have to work a day in your life again! (lets pretend we're hardworking in this) he gets out of the car to greet you with a smirk before opening the car door for you.

"get in, princess."

you smile at him and thank him for sending you home again — this has become a habit of his, though he sees it more as his duty. you quickly arrive at his residence and were about to bid him goodbye when he suddenly stopped you — his hand gripping your wrist, reluctant to let go. you ask him what's wrong and he just has the saddest pout on his face, looking like a dejected, kicked puppy. (lion?)

"why won't you let me spoil you... i know how much you hate your boss, if you resign, you'll never have to deal with him again. i'll pay for whatever you'll ever want and need, darling," he murmurs sleepily, pulling you closer to him so he can rest his head on your chest. how are you supposed to say no to him like this?! you don't notice his smug smirk as he hears your heartbeat fasten rapidly — he already knows you'll give in to him this time. (sly mf)

imagine artist!jingyuan who sits in his studio everyday, painting his beloved lover onto countless numbers of canvases — his work forever preserved. they all lay untouched, scattered on the floor. he's displeased. you'd visit his studio occasionally and always find him grumbling and utterly frustrated with himself. usually, when he's hit with a creativity block like this, it passes within a couple of days but he's been in this state of discontent for weeks at this point.

"i've been painting for ages now but nothing is appealing," he groans.

you turn to look at the multiple canvases strewn all across the floor and you beg to differ but ultimately decided to stay quiet — you won't be able to understand an artist's grievances anyway. you comfort him to the best of your abilities and you can tell that he appreciates it a lot — the weight of his eyebags lifting slightly. you return to the studio a few days later to see it in a completely different state of mess, the canvases from before are now replaced by sludges of clay.

"oh, you're back. ah, so you've seen the ceramic statues. it's you, my love. it seems your beauty is so breathtaking that it must simply be portrayed in multiple forms of art."

imagine world renowned author!jingyuan who sits in his garden everyday, inscribing his poems on scrolls — the work forever preserved. he hums in satisfaction as he rolls up the piece of parchment, slotting it into a case before sending it off to you via his personal cycrane. you're already reading his first draft within a few hours and pointing out any mistakes he's made so carelessly — making sure to add sarcastic comments by the side to add salt to the wound. after a few days of corrections, the work is ready to be sold to the collectors — the two of you meeting up to thank them for the smooth transaction.

"must you be so cruel every time you mark my work, my love?"

"it's because you're so sloppy with your work, 'yuan. aren't you a famous author? hm?"

"sorry, i work best with a reward-based system. maybe you should give me a kiss for every grammatically correct sentence."

"if that's what will solve your problem then fine."

"don't act so cold, we both know you'd like that."

you notice that his writings have become longer and you haven't been able to spot any mistakes either. (rip your sore lips)

[minnielvrr]

Living Canvas

Lee: Minho Ler: Hyunjin, Chan Word Count: 2.7k

A/N: it's almost insane how much I love seeing Lino getting all the tickles his sweet heart deserves🥺💖hope you like it✨🤗

Tags: @itzsana-kiddingmenow, @lajanaa, @bbybumblelee, @hearted-anon, @lunalattae,

@reginald-stay09

Hyunjin was BORED. You may wonder, of what? Of painting, particularly on his usual canvases. He never thought a day would dawn when he’d feel that way, but here he was.

He lay draped over the carpet in their living room, mindlessly tracing patterns into the soft fibers, only to brush them away in frustration.

He was still there when Minho came over, stopping to stare at the moping puddle that was Hwang Hyunjin.

“Wow, a new rug,” he commented dryly, toeing at Hyunjin with one socked foot before heading over to Chan’s room. Hyunjin let out a long, drawn-out sigh, continuing his sad ministrations on the carpet.

Minho eventually did emerge from the leader’s room and flopped himself onto the couch. They stayed in a comfortable silence until the older’s voice cut through it.

“What’s wrong?” There was a tinge of worry and concern in Minho's voice that made Hyunjin roll over to face the kitten. “I don’t wanna paint anymore…” The older’s brows shot up at the confession.

“What? Like at all? Why not?”

“It’s not interesting anymore. I don’t feel as inspired to paint as I did before. Something about the canvas itself is throwing me off every time I so much as pick up a brush.”

The dam broke and Hyunjin rambled on until a finger was pressed onto his lips, effectively shutting him up.

“Did you try switching things up? Maybe try something other than a canvas to paint on?”

Minho’s suggestion was predictable. After all, that had been the first thing Hyunjin had tried. But maybe—maybe Hyunjin had been looking at this all wrong this whole time.

An unnerving smile crept slowly onto his face, his calculating gaze assessing Minho’s figure as an idea formulated.

“Hmm. You’re right hyung! Perhaps swapping out my usual for a more…interactive canvas would be a good idea.”

Minho did NOT like the emphasis the artist had put on the word ‘interactive’. His eyes narrowed and a chill ran down his spine.

Every instinct in his body screamed at him to run at the look Hyunjin was giving him. But the older remained seated, ever the poster child for a poker face.

But even as his face remained impassive, his body seemed to give him away. His feet drummed anxiously on the floor, his clasped hands writhing where they lay on his lap and sweat beaded his forehead.

“Hyungie, will you pleaseee help me out? Pretty please? I’ll take you out to eat afterwards!” Hyunjin’s voice was sugary sweet, eyes wide and innocent as he tried to convince the older to make a deal with the devil.

By now, Minho had a good idea of what was being expected of him. The kitten gulped, caught in a stare-off, until he folded—he really couldn’t say no to the kids.

“Fine, but you’re getting me ice cream too.” He hesitantly agreed, fully aware of what was coming his way.

“Deal!” Hyunjin’s smile was demonic. “Sit tight hyungie~ I’ll go fetch the supplies!”

Anxiety, nervousness and anticipation swirled like a soup in Minho’s stomach, his feet tapping more and more frequently on the carpet the longer Hyunjin took. Minho’s thoughts raced a million miles an hour as he mentally prepared himself.

After a good 10 minutes of this, the artist sauntered in, wearing a paint-streaked black apron and holding a big wooden box filled to the brim with paints and a collection of different brushes. He gave Minho a warm smile, setting the box down next to him on the floor.

“I’m just going to lay down some newspapers so we don’t ruin the floor,” he explained as he worked, covering the carpets with multiple layers of newspapers and finally with a paint-stained towel.

When Minho crouched to lay on it, a little dazed from the unexpected turn his day had taken, the artist stopped him, gesturing for him to lose the shirt.

“Your pants might get stained though…gimme a second hyungie!” Hyunjin raced to his room, reappearing with a pair of shorts, “Wear this, I don’t want your clothes to get messy.”

Then the ferret disappeared once more, this time into Chan’s room, allowing the older to change. By the time the kitten was done, Chan and Hyunjin emerged together.

"Channie hyung, help me hold him down, will you?” Chan was all too happy to lay Minho on the towel, cradling his head gently in his lap.

The leader clasped Minho’s hands in his own ones, gently rubbing circles into his palm to soothe his nerves.

“Okay! Time for prep!” The artist announced with a flourish, cracking his knuckles. Minho gulped at the action, biting his lower lip nervously. This wasn't in the script!

“W-what do you mean ‘prep’?”

“Hm?” Hyunjin sounded genuinely puzzled by the question. Then a twinkle of mischief appeared in his eyes.

“You’re too ticklish hyung. If I use my brushes on you right now, you’ll squirm around so much it’ll ruin my painting! So Channie hyung and I will get you ready so that you won’t be so sensitive.”

Minho didn’t buy that nonsense. He was all too familiar with this particular technique, being one he often used on the younger members (mostly Innie) whenever the youngest needed to put on makeup on his neck and ears.

Minho always volunteered, dragging their maknae away from their makeup noonas to wreck him, claiming it’ll let them do their job ‘easier’. Surprise surprise, it didn’t.

But now that the tables were turned, the kitten didn’t find it as funny. “That—that won’t be necessary. You can just get started. I’ll stay stiHIHILL!! HYUHUHUNJIHIN!”

The ferret had dragged one of his brushes over Minho’s lower belly, his eyes already flickering over to the next spot—Minho’s hips.

The kitten shook his head, blabbering in a panic,” No! Nohot there, JihiHIHInnie pleheheHEHEASE! Ihihi sAHAid noahAHAHAHA ah!!”

Hyunjin ditched the brush, carefully massaging the spot with his thumbs. The oldest grinned at the way their lee arched and squirmed. This was just the beginning.

“Chahahanihihie hyuhuhung!! Ahahahaha sahahave meee!!” He screeched at his only hyung. Chan just grinned at him, and wanting to get in on the fun, he grabbed a brush.

Holding Minho’s hands with one of his own, he moved them to the side of his face.

Then as the kitten watched with growing dread he lowered the brush to his ear, running the soft bristles over the shell of Minho’s reddened ears.

“Ah nohohoho not my eahahahahars!! Thahat's cheHEHEATING!”

It had the cute lee squeaking and shaking his head desperately…until Hyunjin’s hands cupped his jaw, fingers wiggling at his neck while Chan happily ran the brush all over his ears and the backs of them.

“Mhmhmhehe ahahahAHAHAHAA!! PLEHEASE!”

Minho’s face burned as he tried—and failed—to stifle his giggles, his attempts at self-control crumbling with every ticklish touch. He kicked his legs and tugged at his arms but Chan was stronger and he held firm.

For all his attempts to escape, they didn’t stop. Hyunjin’s hands moved from Minho’s hips to his belly to his sides and ribs, leaving hysterical laughter in its wake. Chan focused on rubbing Minho’s ears and scribbling under the younger’s arms.

“Nahahahaha lehehet me goHOHAHAHAHA! Ihihit tihihihickles!” He squealed out. “Yes baby, that’s what we’re tryna do~ Dohohon’t behehe ihimpatient,” Chan mocked the poor boy’s cries for mercy.

The two continued their playful torment on Minho’s torso, only stopping when Minho’s laughter grew breathy and his struggles started growing weaker.

After a short break and some words of praise, the artist grabbed a palette, squeezing a dozen or so different colors on the flat surface.

“Prep’s over! Now for the real fun~” He snickered meanly.

Hyunjin decided to start off with a smaller paintbrush, dipping it in some water, he hovered the brush over the older’s tummy.

Minho’s breathing was picking up, a smile already tugging at the corners of his lips as he watched a drop of cool water fall from the brush and onto his hot skin.

That ‘prep’ had done nothing. Not that any of them expected it to anyway.

“Hmm so much to cover! Where should I start?” Hyunjin pondered, staring dead into Minho’s eyes and the poor flustered boy averted his gaze, prompting a high-pitched cackle from Chan.

“Aw don’t be shy Linoya~” he cooed, simultaneously moving his eyes to tell Hyunjin to go for his stomach. Boy was Chan mean when he wanted to be.

Then, while Chan gently tickled his underarms, Hyunjin scooted back, leaning forward to plant a kiss on the center of his belly.

Now, ticklish kisses don't usually work on Minho but the way Hyunjin's and Chan's fingers scritch scratched at his waist and armpits made him feel that much more sensitive.

His body seemed suddenly receptive to the soft pressing of Hyunjin's plush lips on his belly and Minho couldn’t help jerked his body away. But there was nowhere to go.

“ohoHO MYHYHY GOHOHOD, IHIHITS SO BAHAHAHAHAD!!” He wailed, his body shimmying around helplessly. If he twisted away from one hand, he'd only be shoving his sensitive spots into the other hand. It was merciless.

“Lino hyung…how on earth are you so precious. Just look at you! I’m touching you so lightly and yet you look like we’ve tortured you for hours! What a mess we can make of you hyungie~”

Minho’s eyes flew open at that, his mouth falling open in shock. Hyunjin had murmured those words but it felt like he’d screamed them in Minho’s ear instead.

“I—you- Hyunjin I swear to god I will literally KILL YOU aft—nO shihiHIHIHIT SOHOHORRY, IHIHIM SOHOHORRY PLEAHEHEASE!!!”

At the threat, Chan’s fingers went crazy on his armpits, Hyunjin’s hands now starting to knead his sides as he kissed all over Minho’s belly before letting up.

The two waited patiently for the kitten’s breathing to calm down, and just when Minho least expected it, Hyunjin struck once more.

Hyunjin grinned and grabbed a paintbrush. Dipping it in water, he surged forward, swirling the wet tips along Minho’s upper arms, just above his armpits.

The poor kitten jolted, arms coming down only for them to be pulled back up by the leader. “Uh uh, you have to be still or Jinnie won’t be able to concentrate~”

But even as he said that, Chan showered a pokes Lino's torso with his free hand, giggling as he watched the kitten squirm. “Nohohoho whyhyhy ihis Chahahnihie hyuhung dohoing thihis tohoohoo?!”

“Yah! Can’t this old man have some fun too?” Chan scolded playfully, praying that Seungmin hadn’t heard him. He’d never hear the end of it otherwise.

“Sohoho youhuhu admihit youhu’re old?” Minho teased through his giggles, immediately regretting it when Chan’s thumbs drilled in between his ribs.

“So cute hyungie. You’re absolutely adorable.” Hyunjin’s reverent words cut through their playful banter.

The tips of Hyunjin's fingers drag along the soft expanse of skin along with the brush on the other side, observing with the kind of attention that he’d usually keep reserved exclusively for their dance practices.

The artist's gaze was trained on the way Minho squirmed, goosebumps raising on his bare skin as his eyes fluttered shut. Minho was so soft, so sensitive when it came to this little weakness of his.

“Hyuhuhunehehe plehease! Ihihit’s sohoho bahaHAHAD! ehehehEHEHEhehe~”

He was putty in Jinnie’s unforgiving hold. His pretty doe eyes sparkled with an innocent, child-like excitement that Minho himself didn’t seem to be aware of.

He’d strongly denied it when Chan had brought it up once, threatening to utterly obliterate the older if he wasn’t careful. But the blush on his cheeks and the way he couldn’t meet their eyes gave him away.

“I love you so much hyungie,” Hyunjin murmured softly, tears welling up when he suddenly recalled their past. Minho blinked up at him in confusion, bambi eyes wide and shining as they flickered over Jinnie’s features.

Then a small smile broke out, wiping away the previous sadness and Hyunjin pressed his fingers into Minho’s sides more firmly.

The lee squealed at the abrupt change, bucking and twisting as he tried to escape those mean fingers. “shihihiIHIT ! NOHOHOT THEHEHEHERE AH!”

“Do you feel how much I love you Lino hyung? No? That’s okay, I’ll tickle you until I convince you”

Minho's vision is a little blurry with tears of mirth, the two lers appearing as wobbly figures in his eyes. In contrast, the feeling of hands attacking his worst spots felt so much more intense than before.

“YEHEHEHES! YEHEHES IHI DOHOHO HYUHUHUNJIHIN NAHAHAHAHA!!”

“So handsome~ So sensitive~ You’re just perfect hyungie,” Hyunjin’s voice dripped with so much love and affection, it had even poor Chan feeling a little flustered, ducking his head to hide how the words affected him.

Minho was full on blushing, his eyes squeezed shut and giggles rising in pitch with how embarrassed he felt.

“Our shy little kitten,” Hyunjin breathed softly as he ran his fingertips lightly over Minho’s painted sides. The poor lee giggled some more, squirming around.

“NAHAHAHAA I CAHAN’T TAKE ANYMOHORE!! HYUNJIN PLEASE! I WANT TOHOHO DIE NATURALLYHYHY!!”

Chan and Hyunjin died at his dramatic proclamation, laughing almost as hard as Minho was.

Lino's body trembled and shook with the force of his laughter, words growing warbled and incoherent as it mixed with his sweet, bubbly cackles.

It wasn't often his laughter got the chance to spread through their dorm so the red lights duo were determined to milk that opportunity for all it was worth.

"ChaHAHAhanihie hyung plehehEASE lehehehet me gohOHO! Hehehehes gonna kiHIhill me lihhihihke thihis!! ArghAHAHAhaha NOHOhoho"

With a sly smile, Hyunjin leaned back, gripping onto Minho's thick thighs with his paint-stained hands and gave it a squeeze. The poor boy squealed, feet skidding on the floor and almost tearing the newspapers as he struggled.

“FUHUHUHUCK! ChahanNIHIHIE HYUHUNG PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE!!”

But of course, that didn't deter the artist, who pinched and squished the soft flesh between his fingers and watched with growing amusement at the way Lino threw his head back, loud bouts of laughter ringing through the wide space.

He was hysterical. Between Chan's fingers gently wiggling in his armpits and Hyunjin's skilled fingers at his thighs, he was a goner in seconds.

Minho yelped, dissolving into shrieks and giggles, his sounds bringing smiles to everyone who heard it. “N-nohoHO MOHOhore pleHEHEhease!!”

And much like the tune from the pied piper, summoning a couple of eager faces to the scene of the crime with his infectious laughter.

Minho strained against Chan's hold, desperately trying to fight back. But the leader was obviously stronger and the hands running along his body only served to weaken him further.

“Linoya is this really that ticklish,” Chan asked as he used his free hand to lazily scratch over each of Minho's ribs.

The poor lee nodded furiously, his hair whipping everywhere and tears getting yeeted in all directions from the sheer force of the movement.

It made the leader giggle, “Is our little tsundere kitten so sensitive he can't even form a single thought? Can't remember how to say yes hm?”

Minho had to get them back for this. He certainly would. He'd use his electric toothbrush right on Chan's belly button and his feathers on Hyunjin. But revenge would have to wait. He'd have to survive this sweet torture first.

The thought of revenge was what got him through their relentless taunts and jabs at his sensitivity. Despite the fact that he had turned a concerning shade of red, his struggles getting weaker, Minho held on.

“I cahAN'T tahaHAHAHAKE IT!! AHHAHAHAHAHAHA,” he wailed frantically, his feeble attempts at escape doing nothing to help him.

The two menaces went on till Minho's sweet hiccupy sounds cut off completely, replaced by little spray bottle noises that only brought with it more hysterical laughter from the rest.

Minho curled up on his side, rubbing over all the spots that were now pink from their playful assault as Chan stroked his hair in adoration.

As Hyunjin wiped away the paint, Minho’s giggles softened into quiet chuckles. “You-you’re evil Hyunjin,” he complained, voice still shaky from laughter.

Hyunjin grinned innocently, “Only for you hyungie~”

The leader himself massaged gently along his arms, soothing the hyper kitten from his giggly fit.

“Go take a shower, let’s cuddle after okay baby?” Chan cooed, pulling Minho up and pushing him towards the bathrooms.

Hyunjin has a lot of snacks prepared, humming contently as he placed them neatly on a table.

Minho’s idea had seemed to work it’s magic and Hyunjin already knew what he wanted to paint next. Maybe this was the right way out of his creative slumps.

And after a nice, warm shower, the three spend all evening cuddling and snacking together as they watched a random k-drama.

Later, a certain kitten received a rather embarrassing—and extremely flustering—painting that captured a moment from their...eventful evening.

His breath hitched as he unwrapped the painting, looking over the vibrant colors and playful lines that captured his every ticklish struggle.

Minho’s face was bright red in the canvas, little tears forming at the corners of his eyes as a wide, beautiful smile adorned his face.

The painting also included some rather unnecessary details like the hands that had put him in that state and he most certainly did NOT hang it on his bedroom wall. No, he definitely did not.

[narrycherries]

love of my life

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✩ chapter 02: please don’t be too good to be true ✩

word count: 3.08k

warnings/tags/info

chapter 01

It was my fourth day in this city, and thankfully it wasn’t raining anymore. I couldn’t do much for a few days except try some restaurants and ride around to see the city from the car’s window. However, I have a good day ahead of me. The French Quarter is one of the most popular places to visit here, and I would be a fool not to experience it. I still had a lot of places on my radar, some that were tourist attractions and others that were hidden gems.

“So.. you never told me how much you paid her.” Chris sighed as he tossed his empty Coke bottle into a trash bin.

“Doesn’t matter.” I shrugged, my eyes roaming over everything as we walked. My sunglasses made things darker, but it made hiding a bit easier.

“Don’t be a prick.”

I huffed. “Five thousand.” He stopped in his tracks, mouth agape as I looked over at him. “What?”

“What do you fancy more.. the painting or the girl?”

My eyes rolled. “She deserves it. She’s talented and she underprices her work.”

“Mhm, I’m sure that’s why.”

“So.. what are we doing next?” I changed the topic quickly before it got out of hand.

Chris sighed as we began to walk again. “Going to see the cathedral.”

We both became silent as we walked down the sidewalk. My eyes were everywhere, taking in the sights and absorbing the feelings. This city was full of culture and diversity and just happiness. All I saw were smiles and happy faces. Chris and I walked until we finally ended up at a corner. My gaze shifted from the people to the huge building in front of us. I could see the side of the St. Louis Cathedral and it was marvelous. Chris guided me through a crowd of people watching a magician. There was a line of women offering to read palms, a couple of street food venders, and what seemed to be a large collection of artists spread out around the area.

Chris looked over at me as we stepped off the sidewalk. “This has got to be a joke, right?”

I furrowed my brows, not entirely sure what he meant. “What?”

He pointed over to the left of us. I followed his movements and tried to line my eyes up with whatever he saw. I was looking, trying to determine it, but I had no clue. When I looked back up at him, he sighed and stepped behind me. He grabbed my shoulders and angled me so I could see whatever it was that baffled him. He pointed directly in front of us and I focused my eyes there. It took me a moment, but I finally realized what he was referring to.

“God.. it must be fate, yeah?”

He huffed. “Luck.”

I smirked and shook off his hand. Chris wasn’t happy when I started walking away from him. He caught up with me and made sure I was as unnoticed as possible. The closer I got to the table, the faster my heart thumped. I licked my lips as I reached the small crowd. Everyone was occupied by looking at some of the canvases, so I took the opportunity to cease the moment I so desperately wanted.

“Those are lovely.” I said, glancing at the small canvases that were placed on stands.

She whipped around, eyes wide and lips parted as she saw me. I grinned at her, lifting the sunglasses up so I could see her better.

“Jennifer.”

“Ha-Harry.. um. Thank you.” She laughed through a breath. “I.. I see you’re exploring the city.”

“You’re welcome.” I nodded. “Of course. Such an interesting place.”

She smiled back, cheeks flushed and eyes dropping from mine. She turned back around to finish putting the paintings on the display stands. I watched her, completely fascinated by her work. She had a great talent. When she faced me again, she glanced at Chris. I gave him a look as well, and somehow he understood. He stepped away, observing some of her other works and giving us some space.

“How are you liking it here?”

“It’s very nice.” I smiled.

She smiled back. “It is.”

“You knew who I was.. the other day.” I blurted, shoving my hands into my pockets.

She took a deep breath, her fingertips tracing over her white table cloth. “Mhm.”

“You.. you didn’t say anything.”

Jennifer shrugged, eyes flicking to mine. “Did you want me to? By your.. outfit.. I was under the impression that you were hiding.”

I chuckled, letting a bigger smile take over my face. It pulled a smile onto her lips as well. “That’s true.. I’m trying to enjoy a vacation for once.”

“It must be exhausting.. trying to hide all the time.”

I exhaled deeply. “Extremely.”

“Excuse me?” A voice caught her attention and interrupted our conversation.

She gave me an apologetic smile. “Just a minute.”

I nodded as she turned away from me to deal with the curious customer. My eyes remained on the table where she had a few smaller paintings and a stack of business cards. The corner of my mouth twitched up as I heard her voice and how professional she is. She was definitely a businesswoman, even if she didn’t realize. She seemed to know how to talk to her customers well.

“How much is this one here?” The woman pointed to the painting across from me.

“That one is two hundred. I can have it shipped to you for two-twenty five.”

“That’s perfect! I will gladly take that off your hands.”

Jennifer laughed ever so slightly, almost like she was surprised. “Here’s some information on the piece.. how to clean it and store it. Also all of my information in case you ever need anything.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw the woman take the papers from her. “Alright.”

“And this,” she handed her a few more. “.. I’ll need your name, address, and contact information. If you don’t want to ship it, then ignore the address stuff. I will take a check if you need to do that.”

“Yes ma’am. I’ll fill this out real quick. I can carry it with me, no need to ship.” The lady grabbed a pen from the cup by another stack of business cards and stepped away to write her stuff down.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Jennifer had her attention back on me. She sighed and shook her head before looking up at me, catching my gaze.

“Sorry about that.”

“No, no, you’re fine. I.. shouldn’t be distracting you.”

She smiled gently. “I’m having your painting shipped tomorrow.”

“Oh, that’s good, thanks.”

Her cheeks blushed just a little. “You shouldn’t have.”

“What?”

Her eyes rolled. “That check.. all that money.”

I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest. “It’s perfectly fine. If you would’ve allowed it I would’ve given you triple of what I did give you.”

“Why, though?” She huffed, cocking an eyebrow at me. “Why so much?”

The smirk growing on my lips seemed to make her a little nervous. I noticed how her face flushed and her tongue came out to lick her lips. I saw another person approach the table, but I was determined to keep her attention for a while longer.

“Because I loved the painting. It’s beautiful.” I shrugged to keep things nonchalant, even though she made my heart race. “The water, the sea foam, the sun.. There are many reasons why it’s so beautiful.”

“Not five thousand reasons.” She glanced at the customer who was eyeing each piece intensely. “I’m sorry, but, um.. I don’t really have time to chat.”

“Later, then?”

Jennifer let out a breathy laugh. “Later?”

I ran a hand through my hair, nervousness was taking me over. “Yeah. You’ve got my number.. I’ve got yours.”

“Um, I.” She paused, eyes squeezing shut for a moment. “I don’t know.. about later.”

I made sure she saw me smile, I wanted her to feel comfortable. “Then tomorrow.. or whenever.. I’d love to treat you to dinner.. or lunch, breakfast.. whichever you prefer.”

There was no hiding her blushing cheeks now. She was trying to compose herself and hide her shock with light laughs. She kept glancing at the customer, yet her eyes kept landing on mine, too. She did not want to look away, I could tell, but she was right - she didn’t have time to talk. She had a business, a job she was doing and I was rudely distracting her.

“So I’ll hear from you?” I slowly started to back away from the table.

She swept her long hair out of her face, lips shaping to a smirk. “Later.”

—-

To say I was nervous would be the very least. I was extremely terrified, yet excited about hearing from that amazing woman. I wanted to call her myself, maybe send her a message - but I refrained. I didn’t want to seem pushy, and I wanted her to be comfortable with any communication we had. It was already late into the day. I began to worry about whether or not she would send something or call. What was her version of later?

After our encounter earlier, I completely ditched my plans and insisted we go back to the hotel. I was too frazzled to do anything else. Chris was hesitant at first, and he attempted to change my mind. He failed to do so. I just wanted to be at the hotel and be alone. The city was nice, and touring was going well, I just didn’t want to be around so many people.. I wanted to rot in my room and think about her.

“Still waiting?” Chris shut the balcony door behind him.

“Unfortunately.”

He sighed back. “Worried she won’t call?”

I shrugged, trying not to be too concerned with it. “Not worried.. just impatient.”

My phone was resting on my thigh, but the screen hadn’t lit up since I came out here. Part of me was worried - extremely worried. What if I said something wrong? Did I make her feel weird? Was I too open?

“I think she likes you.”

A gentle smile played on my lips. “I think I like her.”

Chris laughed. “I know you like her.”

“Must be obvious.. Think she’s got any idea?”

“Probably.” He grabbed the handle of the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Let me know what the plans are in the morning.”

“Alright.”

Despite overlooking some of the city, it was quiet on the balcony. The temperature was nice and it allowed me to relax. I had calmed down a lot since I first stepped out here. My mind was lost, drifting through a ton of thoughts all related to her. What was she like when she painted? I bet she was precise and meticulous - every single stroke of the brush would be accurate and perfect. What was she like in her home away from other people? I wonder if she liked to read or if she preferred a good movie. Did she enjoy fruits or did she have a sweeter tooth? What did she do when she wasn’t occupied with a painting? Did she draw? Did she do ceramics? Did she dabble in any other forms of art?

I wondered if she had a studio or did she paint from a small bedroom in a crowded apartment. Was she solely an artist, or did she have a regular day to day job? I even began to think about things beyond her daily life. Was she an only child? Did she favor her mother? Was she even from the city or did she move here? What were her college years like, did she even attend? Had she been growing her hair out for years or did it grow quickly with each trim? What sort of weather did she prefer? Surely, it couldn’t be anything too cold or icy, at least not if she’s used to be down here.

The sudden ding of my phone made me flinch. I snatched it off my leg and quickly unlocked the screen. My heart started to pump violently, quick and sharp breaths came from my lungs. It was her. I had already saved her number into my phone before I even saw her today, so that was a convenient move. All of this was making me feel like a desperate teenager.

From Jennifer: hello, hope it isn’t too late

A laugh fell from my lips. What a cheeky thing she was. I took a deep breath while typing my reply. I was unsure if I should immediately reply or not. Would that send an awkward message? I had been waiting all day, and I’m sure she expected a reply.

To Jennifer: hi, it definitely isn’t too late :)

I stood up from the chair and went back inside my suite. My body was tired, but my heart and mind were wide awake. I laid down on the bed, eyes locked on the screen waiting for a new message. After a minute, I worried that she wouldn’t be quick with a response. I wondered if she thought that would make her seem desperate? I had the same thought about myself.

From Jennifer: good, I would’ve been disappointed if it was :)

To Jennifer: I’d hate to disappoint you

A wave of relief washed through me. Maybe she was just as interested in me as I was in her. She truly was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

From Jennifer: I’m sure you won’t

To Jennifer: so, have you picked which meal you’d like me to treat you with? I’m sure you know the best restaurants around

From Jennifer: no I haven’t actually :) surprise me?

To Jennifer: well, when are you available?

From Jennifer: busy tomorrow, but the next day I’m free all day :) just let me know when!

To Jennifer: let me know where?

From Jennifer: I will.

From Jennifer: I hate to go, but I’m very tired. Got a busy day ahead :/

To Jennifer: that’s perfectly understandable. I’ll text you tomorrow then

From Jennifer: okay! good night :)

To Jennifer: goodnight

I tossed the phone on the nightstand and put my hands over my face. My heart was fluttering and my stomach was flipping like I had just jumped out of an airplane. Normally, I was more composed than this. This girl has me feeling like I’ve never spoken to a human being before.. and I was enjoying the insane feelings.

—

I hardly got any sleep last night. The overwhelming thought of seeing her again was eating me alive. Why was I so nervous? Usually, I’m very relaxed and comfortable when it comes to meeting new people or going on dates, if that’s what I can call it. But for some reason, all of that confidence and familiarity has gone down the drain. I’ve been acting like a teenage virgin who’s going on his very first date.

The worst part about all of this was that I still have to wait an entire day. I decided that I needed some help with the details, and I just wanted to know someone’s opinion. There was no better person to call than my mother.

The phone rang a few times, then her cheerful voice picked up. “Honey, hi!”

“Hi, Mum.”

“How are you doing, sugar? Having a good time, I hope.”

I sighed. “It’s going well, yeah.. um.. I’ve got something to tell you.”

“Oh,” She seemed very surprised. “What is it?”

I took a deep breath, then squeezed my eyes shut. “I’m.. going on a date tomorrow.”

“Wow, okay. This is mighty early for you to be telling me about a woman.. you usually wait a couple of weeks.” She quickly responded the way I expected her to.

This has never happened, I always, always wait to see how things go before telling her. I don’t like getting her hopes up.

“When.. when did you meet her?” She asked after my moment of silence.

“Few days ago. I know it’s.. very soon, but.. trust me.. I.. I feel something.”

“Honey, I.. you know I love you and I’m going to always support you..” Her voice trailed off for a moment. “But, baby, you’ve only been there a few days.. how can you be sure that you’ve felt something special?”

“The way I feel around her, Mum. I.. I feel like I’m floating.. like I’m looking at something that’s too good to be true, like an angel. Gosh, she’s such an angel.”

“What do you know about her?”

I paused for a second. “Not.. not a lot, yet. But.. I know I want to know everything, I never want her to disappear.”

Mum chuckled very faintly. “You’re the sweetest boy on earth, Harry. You deserve love.. and happiness. But.. I don’t want you to rush into something because you’re heartbroken.”

My chest tightened as I rolled my eyes. “It’s been over a year. I’m fine now. Besides.. I don’t even think about that when I’m around this girl.”

“How.. how are you sure that this girl isn’t.. interested because of who you are?”

I sighed heavily. “Mum, trust me. Please, just.. trust me.”

“I want what’s best for you, honey. I.. I don’t want you to get hurt again.”

Despite not wanting to tell her everything all at once, I figured I owed her an explanation of some sorts. Besides, it isn’t like its a bad story to tell.

“I went to the museum the other day.. the art museum. There was a special exhibit and she was set up there.. I bought one of her pieces.”

“She’s an artist?”

I smiled at the word. “For sure. She’s incredible, Mum. But.. I saw her again, yesterday.”

“You went back to the museum to see her?” She asked curiously.

“No, I saw her somewhere else. I talked to her for a few minutes and.. we kinda arranged a date.”

“Oh, well.. that’s a lovely coincidence.”

I sighed gently. “Mum.. I really want this to work out.”

“Then let it play out naturally, darling. Don’t rush anything or.. try to push anything to happen.”

At this point, my biggest fear was losing this girl. I didn’t necessarily have her in any way yet, but the opportunity to get to know her was enough motivation. Nothing in my personal life had seemed to work out in the past, and for once I just wanted something genuine.

…

[a/n: unfortunately the day I chose to upload followed a very sad, tragic event.. sending my thoughts, prayers, condolences, & love to Liam’s family, his friends, to the other four boys, and to all the little directioners still living in our hearts, 13 year old me is shattered.. — remember to have some humanity.. despite anything he did or didn’t do during his life.. he is someone’s child, brother, father, and friend, and his loved ones deserve respect during this time 🫶🏻]

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