#mendeshoney masterlist

[mendeshoney]

if you're still interested writing from the drunken confession prompt can you pls do "I can't wait for the room to stop spinning, so I can focus on your face again." With barzy but with the reader being the drunken one pls 😭

3.) "I can't wait for the room to stop spinning, so I can focus on your face again." with Mathew Barzal

"What the hell, Sydney?" Mat practically barks out, his hands shooting forward so he can steady you when Sydney all but dumps you into his arms.

You're absolutely wasted.

And it's not even one in the afternoon.

Sydney rolls her eyes, and from behind her, Mat can see her husband and his teammate, Marty, rolling his own eyes at his wife's lack of coordination. "Will you relax? She's fiiiiine!"

At Sydney's tone, and your sudden lack off coordination, Mat frowns, tightening his grip to keep you upright. "You two said you were going for brunch."

His tone is slightly accusatory, and it makes you scrunch your nose up in dissatisfaction. "We did!" You all but whine, and Marty sighs from his doorway.

"They went to that one café with the bottomless mimosas." Marty explains, barely breaking a sweat as he helps to keep his wife standing.

"They were amaaazing!" Sydney gushes, and you giggle from within his embrace.

"Sooo delicious!" You agree, and Marty sighs.

"She's been fine since I picked her up," his teammate tells him, "No nausea or sickness or anything, but I brought her straight home before these two could start brunch hopping."

Mat nods, letting out a small breath as he glances down at you, an amused smile crossing his lips when he finds you already looking at him with those big, beautiful eyes of yours and a toothy grin.

"Thanks man," Mat says, quickly shaking his teammates hand before pointing a finger at his wife. "And you! No more brunch."

Sydney whines a little more as Marty drags his wife back towards their car. Mat shuts the door behind him, turning to you and laughing a little when he finds you're still looking at him with that same grin.

"How are you feeling, princess?" He asks softly, brushing some hair out of your face.

You shrug, eyelids blinking slowly at his face. "Fine," you say, then frown a little, "A bit dizzy, I think."

Mat frowns now too, carefully putting one arm behind your back and the other behind your knees before lifting you bridal style. "Let's get you some water then."

"Mkay," you say dismissively, humming quietly to yourself as Mat walks you both toward the kitchen. He can feel your eyes glued to his face as he goes, and he hides the smirk threatening to cross his face.

He places you on top of the kitchen island, careful as he steps back, and he sees you blink at him, smiling, before your eyes blow wide and then squeeze shut, your body swaying a little.

"Whoa there," he says, placing his hands on either side of your face, steadying you, watching as your eyes do that slow blinking thing again. "Are you okay?"

"Mhm," you say, eyes still shut. "A little bit more dizzy."

"From me carrying you?" He assumes.

You try to shake your head, but Mat's hands keep you still. "Dunno baby."

"How many mimosas did you have?" He asks through a laugh, thumbs rubbing gently at your cheek bones.

"Can't count now, baby," you say, "trying not to be dizzy."

"I'm sorry princess," he says, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead. "I didn't mean to make it worse."

Your mouth opens like you're going to say something, but then it closes again, and your mouth forms a little pout, and he swears he can start to see tears beginning to coat your lashes.

He presses forward, hands still steady and holding your face. "Baby? What's wrong?"

"Too dizzy to open my eyes, room's spinning," your voice wobbles the way it does when you're about to start crying, and Mat can feel himself start to panic.

"Do you want water?" He asks, "I can get you water but I'd have to move to the sink."

"No, I don't want that." You pout more, and Mat's heart starts to fracture.

He presses another kiss to your forehead. "What do you want then?"

"Wanna look at your face."

It's quiet for a second, and then your words click in his head, and Mat starts to laugh. "What?"

"Wanna see you," you explain. "But I'm worried if I open my eyes, I won't be."

"Cause you're too dizzy?" He manages to ask through his chuckling.

You nod slowly, and then the tears that threatened to spill from your eyes start to disappear, and a small, pleased smile crosses your lips, posture straightening a little.

"I can't wait for the room to stop spinning, so I can focus on your face again." You declare happily.

It only makes him laugh more, and he presses his palms into your cheeks a little, delighting in the way they squish a little and your mouth exaggerates the pout that forms.

"Why do you want to see my face?" He asks playfully.

"S' pretty," you manage to say through the squish. "And I love it, love you."

"I love you too, princess." Mat punctuates his statement with a kiss to your squished up lips, then slowly lowers his hands from your face to your shoulders. "Now, how about that water? And some Advil. Definitely Advil."

[smileysvech]

You’re so dumb and poetic

It’s just what I fall for, I like the aesthetic

Dumb & Poetic – Sabrina Carpenter

short n’ sweet moodboard series masterlist

tagging: @pyotrkochetkov @senditcolton @mendeshoney @cowboybarzy @fallinallincurls @comphy-and-cozy @jostystyles @jost-tyson

[youunravelme]

hi! first off, just wanted to say i love love love your fics especially ‘this is how you fall in love’ and i think i’ve read them all more than what might be normal 💗 i like how you wrote certain scenes and how you managed to balance the fluffy and angsty scenes.

also just wanted to ask, do you have some fic recs for mat? or any other nhl players? i think i’ve read them all already 😭

hi! here's my list of recs!! (it's much easier than searching my blog for the fic rec tag truth be told)

i'm going to split this into a section of my all time favorites (regardless of player)! and then ones i love organized by player.

somethings you need to know BEFORE going on:

mat is my number one baby, so most of these recs are mat fics

i am a happily ever after girly, so most of these recs end happily unless otherwise noted

please support these authors! send them encouraging messages! reblog their works! hype. them. up!

there are a lot of fics that are older (bc i have no chill and will keep checking the tags until i hit the bottom)

here it is:

screaming, crying, throwing up (aka my all time favs)

questions -- anthony beauvillier by @col-islander43

the ENTIRE friends series with auston matthews by @leafs-lover

literally anything by @mendeshoney but here's a list of some of my fav things:

"I've been waiting for you to come to your senses." -- mat barzal

“I love you. But that’s a secret. So I won’t tell you about it.” & 11.) “You’re drunk.” “Yes. And hopelessly in love with you.” -- mat barzal

"I can't wait for the room to stop spinning, so I can focus on your face again." -- mat barzal

"You're so perfect. How can anyone be so perfect? Maybe you're just a dream." -- mat barzal

don't tell me you're my heartbreaker -- mat barzal

girl at home -- mat barzal by @midnightsnyx

this series is still updating!

a tale of dancing and romancing -- jack hughes by @thatintrovertedwriter

tkachuk!reader

paul revere -- mat barzal by @starry-hughes

angst city baby

this entire series see it with the lights out -- mat barzal by @barzysunflower

THIS ENTIRE SERIES IS SO GOOD

and let's just be so forreal, read ANYTHING by her. check out her masterlist! this series just happened to be a fav of mine.

lover of mine -- nico hischier

literally my all time fav nico fic.

graduation blurb -- mat barzal by @ladylooch

"i got you don't worry" -- mat barzal by @bitchinbarzal

second chances -- mat barzal by @bedsyandco

winter magic -- mat barzal by @matbarzyy

show me the places where the others gave you scars -- mat barzal by @miracleonice87

ours -- mat barzal by @puckinghell

cuddles -- mat barzal by @twinklelilstarkey

set it up -- anthony beauvillier by @troubatrain

slip of the tongue -- mat barzal by @jonesinghardy

caught in the middle -- mat barzal by @hockeywhy

this is literally my ALL TIME FAVORITE MAT SERIES (even if it's one part shy of being complete). i love it so much, i go back and read it all the fucking time.

defender -- mat barzal by @sorryjustafangirl

five times everyone knew mat loved you & the one time he realized it for himself -- mat barzal by @idontgiveaflyinggrayson69

general fic recs! (sorted by player)

jack hughes

a little funky by @bagopucks

mat barzal

bad reaction by @jackhues

there's a part one to this linked in the blurb itself

anthony beauvillier

communication skills by @ohmyeyesmyeyes

i'll do my best to keep this list updated at time goes on!

again, go show these authors some love!! send them a message/an ask/reblog!!!!!

[goodnightoilcountry]

jo's new york islanders fic rec list !

fic rec masterlist: jo's nhl fic rec list !

like my selection of fic recs? have a player who's not been featured? let me know and i'll go on a deep dive for you!

MAT BARZAL

five times everyone knew mat loved you & the one time mat realized himself by @ idontgiveaflyinggrayson69 word count: 11.8k

bad luck charm by @ matwith1t summary: the four times you watch Mat lose a hockey game, and the one time you watch him win word count: 11.3k

show you by @ islesnucks summary: after hearing something he shouldn't have Mat is set on proving he is serious about dating you word count: 7.2k

to all the girls you've loved before pt1 + pt2 + pt3 + pt4 + pt 5 + pt6 + pt7 by @ youunravelme summary: being a nanny for rich people was probably the worst thing that ever happened to you, until you started working for mat. word count: 38k total

the worst wing-woman by @ youunravelme summary: you've been in love with mat barzal for as long as you can remember, so what do you do when he asks for your help to win over your friend?

this is how you fall in love by @ youunravelme summary: when confronted with the idea of going home without a date, you lie and say you have a boyfriend. which would be fine, except you haven't dated anyone seriously in a year. so instead of facing the ridicule of your family, you ask mat.

it's nice to have a friend by @ youunravelme summary: wherever mat went, you were never too far behind or the one where you are childhood besties

we've come so far baby by @ mendeshoney word count: 15.4k

vibrant, saccharine, his by @ yelenasdog summary: pretending is getting harder, for both of them. and after a hard roadie, mat’s not sure if he wants to pretend anymore. word count: 8.7k

four times mat almost told you how he feels and the one time he did by @ fallinallincurls word count: 6.5k

8:18 AM by @ undertaurus summary: bogged down by the consecutive losses experienced by the isles, mat finds another avenue for hope and what else to look forward to in the future. word count: 2.4k

almost something by @ chukys-mouthguard summary: “It’s like…you have this power over me, and I-I guess I’m wary of where it might lead.” word count: 2k

truth or dare by @ dunnerlars summary: summers are your favorite, but what comes after summer? word count: 2.7k

first time feeling by @ huuuuughes word count: 6.3k

MATT MARTIN

who are we to fight the alchemy? by @ senditcolton word count: 3.7k

[shawnblrficawards]

Nominated Fics - Summer 2019 (updated daily)

part 2

updated August 11, 2019

***LINKS ONLY WORK ON ORIGINAL POST, NOT REBLOGS***

Best fic < 5K

You Play? || @shavvnmcndcs

Little Family || @saintlymendes

Honey, Honey || @shawnjpeg

Drunk || @t-lostinmendes

Lovely || @grawndolandes

In His Calvins || @smallerinfinities

Red, White, and You || @shawnscheekscar

Amsterdam || @bakedmendes

Not Good Enough || @sauveteen

Tell Me When You’re Ready || @shawnjpeg

Gold Digger || @chillmichelle

Nothing Feels Better || @shawnsmoose​

Best fic 5K+

Good Boy || @sauveteen

When You’re Ready || @softboyshawn

On The Edge || @wanderingmendes

Tutors || @fourtristattoos

Blood Stained Guilt || @heartsofminds

Decisions || @shawnandyn

Third Time’s A Charm || @sauveteen

Hitched || @softboyshawn

Break My Heart With Mercy || @mend-es

Ours || @softboyshawn

All That Matters || @softboyshawn

Bold and Bubbly || @feministshawnmendes

Coffee and Flowers || @feministshawnmendes

Falling Stars || @softboyshawn

Building Affection || @softboyshawn

If I Can’t Have You || @t-lostinmendes

Goth Girlfriend || @jawnjendes

For The Love Of Books || @shawnm521

Broken Glass || @chillmichelle

Winter King || @fourtristattoos

Change of Pace || @harryandmolly @achinglyshawn

Best Fic 10k+

Roommates || @infiniteshawn

Because Of You || @parkershawn

Dirty Little Secret || @getwaytooinvolved

The Perfect Arrangement || @softboyshawn

Like The Back Of My Hand || @harryandmolly

Third Time’s A Charm || @sauveteen

Jealous of Aladdin || @shawnsassymendes

Benefactor || @agentunwin

Healing Touch || @softboyshawn

Falling Stars || @softboyshawn

You Flower, You Feast || @shawnjpeg @sauveteen

Building Affection || @softboyshawn​

Goth Girlfriend || @jawnjendes​

Sugar I’m Going Down || @softboyshawn

​Fake It Till You Make It || @mend-es​

Stuck Together || @sauveteen​ @bluerroses​

Best Smut

At The Same Time || @shavvnmcndcs

Silver || @pastelshawns

Fooling Yourself || @parkershawn

Dirty Little Secret Part 1 || @getwaytooinvolved

Slow It Down For A Second || @shawnjpeg @wanderingmendes @harryandmolly

Routines || @shavvnmcndcs

Saint Valentine || @mendesromano

Knowing That You Love Me || @sauveteen

Soundproof || @harryandmolly

Taste || @curlsofshawn

You Flower, You Feast || @shawnjpeg @sauveteen

Hymn and Praise || @sippingchai

Camping || @parkershawn

Curious || @getwaytooinvolved

Stamina || @pinkk-peonies @dylshoney

Let Me Do That || @sippingchai

A Beautiful Existence || @wanderingmendes

Lost || @harryandmolly

Sunkissed || @pastelshawns

All For Me || @sippingchai

Best Fluff

Pre-Concert Talks || @bakedmendes

Showers || @pinkk-peonies

Oh Baby || @serendipitousshawn

A Baby’s Intuition || @ificanthaveu

1.0 || @choco-chip-cookie

Three Lifes || @accuratemendes

Prank Warz || @shawnm521

Boobs || @sauveteen

When You Can’t Fall Asleep || @shawnjpeg @sauveteen

Cherry Knots || @sauveteen

If I Can’t Have You || @parkershawn

Falling For You || @imagine-that-100

Shower || @cashmereshawn

Sleep || @cashmereshawn

Man Of The House || @atlas-of-a-human-soul

Wine Red || @bluerroses

Meet You Under The Moonlight || @shawnjpeg

From Italy, With Love || @shawnscheekscar

Best Angst

Third Time’s A Charm || @sauveteen

Little Matchmakers || @winterdaylove

She’ll Be Okay || @parkershawn

Because I Had You || @perfectlyephemeral

A Mother’s Love || @saintlymendes

Three Little Words || @choco-chip-cookie

Decisions || @shawnandyn

Spilled Popcorn || @chillmichelle

Cold Sheets || @honeyrosemuffins

Not Good Enough || @sauveteen

Gin and Juice || @smallerinfinities

You Flower, You Feast || @shawnjpeg @sauveteen

Slamming Doors || @shawnm521​

We Find Love || @cashmereshawn​

Mercy || @cashmereshawn​

The Start Of Nothing || @cashmereshawn​

Goth Girlfriend || @jawnjendes​

Finding The End Of The Line || @mendeshoney

Fight Series || @pinkk-peonies​

Anything by @winterdaylove​

Unsteady || @rosiemercy​

An Exuberant Burst, A Silent Beauty || @holdinbacksecrets

Best Werewolf!AU

She’ll Be Okay || @parkershawn

Hypersensitive || @parkershawn

In My Blood || @zankivich

Running With The Wolves || @tnhmblive

Comfort || @zankivich

Mated || @softboyshawn

Safe And Sound || @softboyshawn​

Werewolf Masterlist || @softboyshawn​

Growl || @shawnm521​

Bubba || @t-i-n-y-d-i-n-o​

Mine || @t-i-n-y-d-i-n-o​

@wanderingmendes​

@sugarshawn

Best Dad!AU

Parenthood Series || @fourtristattoos

Little Matchmakers || @winterdaylove

Hurt Feelings || @cottoncandyshawn

Brown Skin Girl || @lostinshawnsmemory

Bubble Baths || @redrebecca

Third Time’s A Charm || @sauveteen

Baby Steps Series || @shawnm521 @shawnhavemercy

Bring Heaven To You Part 5 || @shawnjpeg

Ours || @softboyshawn​

Family Night || @parkershawn

​Oh Baby || @imaginashawnns​

Skyla Rae Anne Mendes || @shawnm521​

Best Badboy!AU

Because Of You || @parkershawn

Rainy Nights || @cocoashawn

Senorita || @watchmegetobsessed

Tutors || @fourtristattoos​

She Got The Moon In Her Eyes || @harryandmolly​

Desperado || @harryandmolly​

Tequila Sunrise || @harryandmolly​

Best Plus Size!Reader

Girls Like Me || @shavvnmcndcs

Clothes || @alittletoomuchshawn

Neighbors || @zankivich​

Best POC OC

Nadine, “Stuck Together” || @bluerroses @sauveteen

Val, I Could Write It Better Than You Ever Felt || @harryandmolly

Kinks and Curls || @agentunwin

Witness || @fourtristattoos

Ginny, The Emancipation of Ginny || @harryandmolly

Tolani, Figure You Out || @lostinshawnsmemory

Teacher’s Pet || @zankivich

Lady Jane || @rulerofnocountry

Finding The End of The Line || @mendeshoney

Alisha, Bring Heaven To You || @shawnjpeg

Anya, Third Time’s A Charm || @sauveteen​

Best OC

Nadine in Stuck Together || @bluerroses @sauveteen

Lola from Because Of You || @parkershawn

Business and Pleasure || @zionsvalentine

Tolani, Figure You Out || @lostinshawnsmemory

Val, I Could Write It Better Than You Ever Felt It || @harryandmolly

Lady Jane || @rulerofnocountry​

Annalise Flores || @jawnjendes​

Penny, Complicit || @harryandmolly​

Most Unique Story

Superhero Blurb || @mani-lifes

Winter King || @fourtristattoos

The Rapture || @fourtristattoos

Jealous of Aladdin || @shawnsassymendes

I Could Write It Better Than You Ever Felt It || @harryandmolly

Benefactor || @agentunwin

The Guru || @shawnase

Anything By @fourtristattoos

Still Here || @agentunwin

All That Is Evil || @lumineshawn

Fireproof || @softboyshawn​

Goth gf series || @jawnjendes​

Melted Gold and Copper Crowns || @fourtristattoos​

Best Series

Routines || @shavvnmcndcs

Because Of You || @parkershawn

When The World Stops Turning || @harryandmolly

Your Favourite Colour Under The Light || @shawnjpeg

Stuck Together || @sauveteen @bluerroses

Fake It Till You Make It || @mend-es

You Flower, You Feast || @sauveteen @shawnjpeg

Teachers Pets || @zankivich

Lost In Ibiza || @serendipitousshawn

Fireproof || @softboyshawn

Senorita || @watchmegetobsessed

Honey, Honey || @shawnjpeg

Roommates || @infiniteshawn

Complicit || @harryandmolly

You Flower, You Feast || @shawnjpeg @sauveteen

Oh Baby || @imaginashawnns​

Words Cut Like Knives || @t-lostinmendes​

Curious || @getwaytooinvolved​

OC PAIRING || @rulerofnocountry

​Heavenly Entities || @mendesromano​

Goth GF || @jawnjendes​

Forgotten Memories || @pinkk-peonies​

Gin and Juice || @smallerinfinities​

Best Blurbs

@bakedmendes

@fourtristattoos

@choco-chip-cookie

@winterdaylove

@wordsandshawn

@pinkk-peonies​

@lumineshawn​

@wordsandshawn​

@honeyrosemendes

@shawnpetermuffins​

@gentleshawn​

Best Collab

Stuck Together || @bluerroses @sauveteen

Stamina || @dylshoney @pinkk-peonies

When The World Stops Turning || @harryandmolly @achinglyshawn

When You Can’t Fall Asleep || @shawnjpeg @sauveteen

You Flower, You Feast || @shawnjpeg @sauveteen

Change of Pace || @harryandmolly​ @achinglyshawn​

Best All-Around Writer

@shavvnmcndcs

@parkershawn

@fourtristattoos

@harryandmolly

@zankivich

@agentunwin

@softboyshawn

@dylshoney

@infiniteshawn

@getwaytooinvolved

@shawnm521

@rulerofnocountry

@jawnjendes

@mendeshoney

@pinkk-peonies

@sauveteen

@sippingchai

@alittletoomuchshawn

@smallerinfinities

@perfectlyephemeral

@shawnpetermuffins

@honeyrosemuffins

Breakthrough Writer

@curlsofshawn

@winterdaylove

@tnhmblive

@mani-lifes

@ruinedreputation

@serendipitousshawn

@lostinshawnsmemory

@pastelshawns

@shawnscheekscar

@imaginashawnns

@jawnjendes

​@Curlyshawny

@honeyrosemuffins

​@rosiemercy​

@tell-me-when-ur-ready​

@cashmereshawn​

@rosiemercy

​​@shawnmendesstorycollection

@winterdaylove​

@zankivich​

@fourtristattoos​

You can nominate your faves here! 

[egoludes]

issa 2k challenge masterlist.

hi, everyone ---- it’s been a little while coming, but here is the masterlist for my writing challenge that wrapped up at the beginning of the year! thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone that reblogged, liked, or participated. it was so much fun putting this together and seeing what you talented people did with these prompts. i look forward to doing this again in the future!

reminder: if you snagged a prompt but haven’t posted it yet, you can still submit entries - just make sure you tag me in it! and if i am missing your piece from the list, please message it to me. :)

HARRY STYLES.

nostalgia by @stylishmuser​ // prompt: “who told you i would be here?”

NIALL HORAN.

suite surprises by @fireawaynjh (deactivated unfortunately but still wanted to show appreciation!) // prompts: “you’re gonna have to speak up if you want this to go somewhere.”

hold me by @thicksniall​ // prompts: neighbors au & hold me while you wait by lewis capaldi

SHAWN MENDES.

pink walls by @theshawnmendesstorycollection // prompts: single parent au & “you’re gonna have to speak up if you want this to go somewhere.”

kiss me by @rainbowshawn​ // prompts: “stop being so dramatic!” & friends to lovers au

get your kicks by @sinplisticshawn​ // prompts: road trip au

nervous energy by @heartopen-testify​ // prompts: “you’re really bad at this, huh?”

lost in space by @iconicharry​ // prompts: space au & “you promised me.”

e’caduto sceso dal cielo by @sabrinasweetner​ // prompts: fallen angel / guardian angel au & “that’s bullshit and you know it”

playing it cool by @mendeshoney​ // prompts: fake dating au & cool girl by tove lo

BUCKY BARNES.

from eden by @heartopen-testify​ // prompts: from eden by hozier & “you can’t do this to me.”

[kerwritesthings]

Hi, for your change the narrative thing, there’s a smaller Shawn blog mendeshoney who is a poc and she just finished a story about Shawn dating a Filipino teacher. Idk if that qualifies but I wanted to suggest it

@mendeshoney : Masterlist

(for some reason I cannot tag her but, I can link her name and drop the link to the master)

[goldenhemmings]

Do you know of any really good athlete! Shawn? I’m in a MOOD

lmao rt i’m��always in a mood for athlete!shawn so here I go making a masterpost of my favorites

Baseball:

ok so aside from Stealing Second (which is linked in my masterlist, shameless self-plug) we’ve got

Rule Breaker (series) - @hollandlovely

Team Manager - @shawnm521

Big Shot - @shawnm521

Football:

Gin and Juice (series) - @smallerinfinities

Fines - @shawnm521

Hockey:

Finding the End of the Line (series) - @mendeshoney

Shoot Your Shot (series) ((I’m also pretty sure this one’s on hiatus or something but the parts it has are still good)) - @wanderingmendes

Ice Lesson - @softboyshawn

The Girl - @accuratemendes

Basketball:

For the Win by yours truly aka another self-promo. i have no shame

Misc:

The Ring: Boxer!Shawn - @fourtristattoos

Tooth and Cheek: Boxer!Shawn - @fourtristattoos

Faster: Streetracer!Shawn (series) ((not sure if this counts as “athlete” or not but it’s fucking good so I’m including it)) - @accuratemendes

ok that’s all i’ve got for now but I’m going to save this and add to it as more things come to mind, and if anyone else has any other recs send them my way!!

[wanderingmendes]

What accounts do you recommend that do a lot imagines or concepts of Shawn

Omg okay be ready theres a lot..

@shawn-mendes-thirst: She literally posts the filthiest stuff ever and is really good about posting. Also she’s my mom, so give her a follow.

@begginyouformendes: She has a series called Cohesion, and it’s honestly AMAZING. Also, her premature baby blurbs KILL.

@t-i-n-y-d-i-n-o: Run and Sugar are two of her best works, but everything else she writes is amazing too!

@planstonightbaby: She uploaded a bubble bath prompt last night and its banging. Also she’s a 10/10 person and always there if you need someone to talk to.

@infiniteshawn: She has a series called Roomates and it gets me weak overtime I read it, highly recommend. Also, she doesn’t ever take shit from anons and I LOVE her for it.

@smallerinfinities: GIN AND JUICE. I absolutely adore this series, and anything she writes always sounds so poetic and well thought out. I literally have no clue how she does it, also she’s a suuupppeer supportive, kind sweet person.

@lostinshawnslight: THIS BITch. SHE UPLOADS SO MUCH IT PUTS EVERY OTHER PERSON ON TUMBLR TO SHAME. Recommend her Badboy!Shawn fic.

@softboyshawn: She writes the most AMAZING Werewolf Shawn things. I could probably list everything in her master list as a recommendation so I’ll limit it to only 3. Safe and Sound, Mated, and Sugar I’m going down!

@flickershawn: I’ve binged her entire master list in a week and let me just say, WOW. I recommend all of her smuts, especially exposed as well as her love sick fic and I liked the building, not you.

@mendeshoney: She is SOOOO slept on here. Her mafia fic (I want you close, I want you closer) is the SHIT. Seriously though, go read it. 

@torontogawd: SOULMATE SERIES, READ IT! Also, all of her blurbs get me everytime, love her work!

@sincereshawn: Her entire master list has everything I’ve ever needed in life. Take the trade is amazing and she has a new au coming out with @nervousroses called somewhere in the dark and i’m super pumped for it!

@nervousroses: Her blurbs are so fluffy and amazing and I highly recommend her fic Because I Had You.

@song-bird-shawn: She has so much on her master list it leaves me confused as to how she can write so much, and not to mention that it’s all so good. I recommend her Neighbors fic.

@nightlyshawn: One word. Belted. That smut is my LIFE. Amazing work, always and a 10/10 good time guaranteed.

@shawnm521: I love all her work, especially Baby Steps, its soooo cute.

@sippingchai: ALL OF HER MASTERLIST. OKAY? But fr, her smut blurbs are incredible, and her porn blog is a must have.

@illumendes: Writes A LOT and everything is 10/10 content. Incredible work.

Sorry if theres anyone I forgot, those are just the ones I could think of right now/my go to blogs. Theres a lot more Shawn blogs out there with amazing work, these are just my top few!!

[mendeshoney]

for the drunken love confessions prompt, can you please do something with #20 🫶🏼

20.) "You're so perfect. How can anyone be so perfect? Maybe you're just a dream." with Mathew Barzal

"Oh god, he's wasted" you say, breathing out a laugh, eyes following along as Ethan all but manhandles Mat back to the table.

From beside you, Lenasia snorts. "Good luck getting him home."

You turn to where she's sitting and gently rocking Gracie in her arms. "This is technically your fault, you know," you tease the bride. "He's drunk because of you."

Lenasia shrugs, and you both watch, amused, as Ethan gathers both of Mat's unruly hands in his own, trying to guide Mat into his chair beside you. "It's my wedding, everyone should be drunk."

"Ease up bud," Ethan tells Mathew, handing him a glass of water. "I don't wanna hear about your hangover in the morning."

Mat scoffs, but takes the glass anyway. "M' fine," he says, and as he leans back in his chair, he seems to finally notice that you're sitting beside him, and a large smile grows on his face.

You frown a little, knowing exactly what's coming next, while Lenasia smirks and Ethan barks out a laugh.

"Well hello there beautiful," Mat drawls, "are you having a good night?"

"I am," you say, raising a brow as Mat's eyes start to slowly roam over your face. "You seem like you're having fun, too."

"I am now," he agrees, offering you his 'good boy' smile. "Now that I'm looking at the most expensive piece of art in the world."

The groan that escapes you is muffled by the laughs of the bride and groom, and your head snaps to them, eyes narrowed. "Don't encourage him."

"Don't boss the bride and groom around," Lenasia chastises, "That's illegal."

"No it isn't," you say, scrunching your nose, and Mat makes a soft sound.

Your attention diverts back to him immediately, to where he's got this fond look on his face. "You're so pretty."

You huff, ignoring the flutter of butterflies in your stomach. "You're drunk."

"You're still pretty," he muses, setting the glass down on the table and turning his body towards yours.

"Thank you," you say, watching carefully as Mat leans forward, resting his elbow on the table as he leans closer to you.

"You're such a great wedding date," he says, thinking out loud. "It's like you're almost too great, you know?"

"Here we go again," Ethan mutters, and Lenasia nudges him with her elbow, careful not to disturb Gracie in the process.

"You're nice," Mat drawls, then gestures to Lenasia and Ethan, "All my friends like you, you like all my friends-"

"Well she's my bridesmaid, so I sure hope so." Lenasia mutters, and you shoot her a look, ignoring her snickering.

"And you're a total bombshell," Mat continues, eyes crinkling at the corners as his smile stretches across his face. "You're so perfect. How can anyone be so perfect? Maybe you're just a dream."

"Oh yuck," Ethan murmurs, and Lenasia elbows him again.

Mat reaches for your hand then, thumb rubbing the back of it in gentle circles. When his thumb hits your ring, his motions pause, and the smile on his face instantly drops, his brows furrowing in confusion.

"You're married?!" He asks, completely shell shocked.

You sigh, exasperated, and Lenasia and Ethan burst out laughing beside you, Gracie bursting into her own fit of giggles just from observing her parents.

"I am," you say to Mat patiently.

"To who?!" He exclaims, head snapping up to look at you. "Who is he?"

"I'm married to you, Mathew." You say, grabbing his left hand and holding it up in front of his face so he can see his own wedding band.

His jaw drops. “You are?"

"For two years now," you confirm, dropping his hand and reaching for his glass of water. You hand it to him, wrapping his fingers around the glass and pushing it to his mouth. "Now drink up, I don't want to have to explain this to you for a third time tonight."

[smileysvech]

Now he’s thinkin’ ‘bout me every night, oh

Is it that sweet? I guess so

Espresso – Sabrina Carpenter

short n’ sweet moodboard series masterlist

tagging: @pyotrkochetkov @comphy-and-cozy @jost-tyson @mendeshoney @lovelyteuvo @laurenairay @senditcolton @ahoist @sydnikov

[infiniteshawn]

Lol I’m the same anon. You and mendeshoney are so cute. I’ve read both your masterlists ladies, keep up the great work!

she’s so good. everything she writes i’m just ugh. sis gimme ur talent

[brianc521]

Fav writers?

Oh god there are so many. 

@aeraxia rn is fucking it up man

@torontogawd, She just posted ‘I’m Sorry’ and it FUCKED ME UP. Just go read everything in her masterlist it’s totally worth it.

@ffsshawn, she’s back and badder than ever {HER MASTERLIST}

@infiniteshawn, she straight up fucks me up with what ever she posts. Puppy Love is killing me, but let’s be honest I go and reread House of Boys at least once a week {HER MASTERLIST}

@lostinshawnslight, EVERYTHING BY HER KILLS ME, rn she’s doing her Bad Boy Shawn series and it’s fucking LIT. Also her Shawn and Jo series is bomb, always a must when I need something good to reread. Neighbors is also amazing, love the whole story line there. Like I started writing bc of her, so yeah I’m a fangirl of her. {HER MASTERLIST}

@babyshawwn is also a big favorite, her masterlist saves me on my bad days.

@mendeshoney, SHE DESERVES THE WORLD. She also needs to write a fucking book bc lord knows I would be the first to pre order that shit no matter the cost. Summer for Suckers is my favorite thing right now. Like I can’t get over it. AND! Some Unspoken Thing is still my favorite series on Tumblr, always will be.

@shawnhavemercy, so like she helped me write Baby Steps, and she’s my girl and I talk about her all the time (sorry not sorry) but for the parts she wrote for Baby Steps and Workout, I couldn’t stop reading when I got it. Like I didn’t want it to end

Oh god and there is so much more 

[egoludes]

issa 2k writing challenge!

first of all: thank you, thank you, THANK YOU -- i broke 2k followers a while back, and i am just so beyond grateful to you all. i’ve been writing on tumblr on and off for years at this point and this is the happiest and most welcome i’ve ever felt. it’s been so fun to reconnect with and write for characters, actors, and performers i love, but most importantly, to have you all along for the ride! :) 

to celebrate this milestone, i put together a little writing challenge! see rules + prompts below and let me know if you have any questions!

guidelines:

you do not have to follow me to participate.

this is a multi-fandom challenge; partial to ones that i’m plugged into (mcu, chris evans, sebastian stan, shawn mendes, harry styles, and niall horan), but open to all -- i will read, reblog, and shoutout every submission!

you can choose at most two prompts and they must be from different categories (i.e. one prompt from dialogue and one prompt from scenarios). bold them in your entry!

right now, there is no cap on how many people can use a prompt, but each prompt can only be used once per character/person. 

send me an ask with your prompts + character and i will add it/you to this post!

include warnings as needed and absolutely no underage smut. also drawing a hard line at noncon/rape. 

both reader fics and oc fics are allowed. 

all pairings (or no pairing!) welcome, so long as they aren’t incestous or don’t include underage characters.

submission deadline: january 1st, at which point i’ll put together a follow forever for all the writers who took part! miss that deadline? no worries! i’ll keep reblogging pieces and adding folks to the masterlist/follow forever as they come with the most up-to-date version linked from my masterlist. we stan content creators and community in this household!

finally, tag all entries as “samis 2k challenge” / tag me in them so i can find them. if i don’t reblog them after two days, you can send the link via submission to make sure i see it.

dialogue

“please, just talk to me.”

“you’ve got to be shittin’ me.”

“this was supposed to be different.”

“tell me something i don’t know.”

“sure, if you’ll let me.”

“you’re not making any sense.”

“please don’t make this any worse.”

“i would if i could.”

“i don’t know if we’ll make it.”

“did you know you could do that?”

“this is probably the stupidest thing i’ve ever done.”

“you promised me.”

“after this, i’m going to have to change my name and leave the country.”

“are you really just going to leave like that?” // @parkeraul​ + tom holland

“this has to end.”

“what do i get if i win?”

“it was you, wasn’t it?”

“come on, let me see you.” 

“we’re never getting out of here.”

“what’s with the entourage?”

“so much for being mature about this.”

“are you that scared of me?”

“shut up and let me think.”

“that’s bullshit, and you know it.”

“i don’t think that means what you think it means.”

“you can’t do this to me.” // @heartopen-testify​ + bucky barnes

“you’re gonna have to speak up if you want this to go somewhere.” // @fireawaynjh​ + niall horan; @theshawnmendesstorycollection​ + shawn mendes

“i didn’t believe you then, and I don’t now.”

“tell me what you know.”

“i’m not letting you blame this on me.”

“who told you i would be here?” // @stylishmuser​ + harry styles

“i would laugh if it didn’t hurt so much.”

“does it ever hurt being so wrong?”

“i’m done being the only one who cares.”

“could’ve fooled me.”

“this is it...this is how it ends.” 

“stop being so dramatic.” // @rainbowshawn​ + shawn mendes

“is that supposed to make me feel better?”

“you’re really bad at this, huh?” // @heartopen-testify​ + shawn mendes

aus / tropes

“oh my god, there’s only one bed.”

friends or enemies to lovers // @rainbowshawn​​ + shawn mendes

reincarnated soulmates au

neighbors au // @thickyniall​ + niall horan

mutants au

college au

roommates au

historical au

supernatural / monster au

crime / mafia / heist au // @feminarrie​ + chris evans; @parkeraul​ + tom holland

fake dating au // @mendeshoney​ + shawn mendes

 horror au

royal au

road trip au // @sinplisticshawn​ + shawn mendes

criminal + bounty hunter/cop au

fallen angel / guardian angel au // @sabrinasweetner​ + shawn mendes

apocalyptic / post-apocalyptic au

medieval au

single parent au // @theshawnmendesstorycollection​ + shawn mendes

 futuristic au

magic/witches/wizards au

pirate au

steampunk au

space au

superheroes/supervillains au

holiday au (can be any holiday of your choice!)

songs

find all the songs below in the playlist here.

crop circles / jon bellion

say it first / sam smith // @fireawaynjh​ + niall horan

hold me while you wait / lewis capaldi // @thickyniall​ + niall horan

superposition / young the giant 

rooting for you / alessia cara 

weary / solange

anna sun / walk the moon 

somewhere only we know / keane 

bambi / jidenna

lights up  / harry styles 

downward / ripe

god’s whisper / raury

gimme / banks

where were you in the morning / shawn mendes 

light on / maggie rogers

all night / beyonce

what a time / julia michaels ft. niall horan 

same drugs / chance the rapper

thunderclouds / lsd

cool girl / tove lo // @mendeshoney​ + shawn mendes

summertime magic / childish gambino 

false god / taylor swift 

waves / normani ft. 6lack

the tide / niall horan 

the last of the real ones / fall out boy

memory lane / mcfly 

from eden / hozier  // @heartopen-testify​ + bucky barnes

is this still love / danny jones

when the party’s over / billie eilish

cough it out / the front bottoms // @feminarrie​ + chris evans

laura palmer / bastille

[mendeshoney]

can u do a imagine that you and barzal get into a argument and it ends happily

The door slams loudly behind you, and you whirl around, fire in your eyes and venom in your words when you say "Just because you're angry that you're not getting your way doesn't mean you can start slamming shit like a caveman."

Mat's nostrils flare, the vein popping in his neck. "I'm not angry because I'm 'not getting my way,' I'm angry because you're just not listening."

"No, you're the one not listening, Mat. I've said exactly how I felt a dozen times. My mind hasn't changed, and we keep coming back to this same argument because everything I say goes in one ear and out the other with you. You can ask me as many times as you want, but I am not going to uproot and change my entire life around just because you feel like it suits you better."

"But we're dating! And we're in love! What's so wrong with living together if we're dating?"

You push air out of your nostrils, the brunch the two of you just ate turning sour in your stomach. "As I've told you over and over, we've only been together for three months, Mathew. You and I have entirely different schedules, entirely different lives, and I am both not ready to and believe that we are not in a place where I feel I can share my space with you that way, or take that step with you, until we've been together a little longer."

"I can respect your schedule, life, and space, and still do it as your boyfriend who lives with you." He pushes, gesturing around to your apartment. "Have I not done that so far?"

"You have," you say, frustration creeping through your veins at the fact that you've having to explain yourself yet again. "But you've done so because you don't live here. I do. And I've done the same at your place because I don't live there."

Mat waves a hand dismissively. "We sleep over at each other's places all the time, what's the difference if it happens all the time instead of a few times a week?"

"Because that's temporary! That's basically us playing house, not actually living together." You sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose when you can feel a headache starting to bloom at the back of your skull.

"Well I don't see what's so wrong with me wanting someone to come home to at the end of the day." Mat bites out, and your eyes squeeze shut.

"You already do that. You call me or text me or you ask if you can come over if you need to see me at the end of the day, and I do the same to you."

His face hardens. "Oh, I see. It's fine that way because I get to leave after, right?"

Your eyes fly open and your hands drop to your sides. "Mathew," you warn. "You're being extremely unreasonable right now, and I do not have the energy to continue repeating the same script over and over until it finally sinks in."

"How am I being unreasonable? I'm pointing out the obvious here!"

And that...that's your limit.

The two of you had been arguing about this for the last two weeks off and on, and you'd hoped that this would be the last time.

You don't know if you had another fight like this in you.

"If you can't take no for an answer, then I think it's best you just leave."

He blinks, taking a step back like you've shoved him. "What?"

"I think you should leave." You repeat. "You're not listening to me, you're only hearing the things you think you can pick apart to try to win the argument. But arguing with the person you're in a relationship with isn't about winning, it's about understanding, and you and I clearly don't understand each other right now. So you should leave."

"Baby, I-" he says, swallowing a lump in his throat, and you sigh a little.

"Not like that, just...I just think we need to cool down, okay?"

You can see it in the lines of his body that he wants to protest, to demand to stay and work things out, but instead he nods, jaw ticking in irritation. His hands twitch at his sides, and you know what he wants to do, but clearly isn't sure if he's allowed to right now.

Instead, you approach him, kissing his cheek and gently squeezing his biceps. "It's okay," you assure him. "Just for a little bit."

He nods, body relaxing a little under your touch. "Okay," he says quietly, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead. Without another word, he turns and leaves your apartment, this time, gently shutting the door behind him.

The second he's gone, all the frustration finally boils over, and you shut your eyes, tears silently falling from your face.

~

You're brushing through your wet hair, resting on the couch in your pajamas and trying to catch up on your favorite TV show before bed when the intercom on your wall buzzes.

Tossing your brush to the couch cushion beside you, you head for the intercom, already having a good idea of who's on the other side. You press the buzzer to open the front door to your building, then head back to the couch to grab your hairbrush and put it back in your bathroom.

You head back to your living room, heading straight for the door once you hear the soft knocks on the wood. When you open it, you find Mat just as you expected, but what you didn't expect was the find him with his face red, puffy, and tears caught in his eyelashes.

When he sees you, his body launches forward, and he wraps you tightly in his arms, bending down a little to bury his face in your neck, and you can feel him sag with relief.

Carefully, you wrap your arms around him, shutting the door and locking it before walking you both backwards a little, bringing him further into your apartment.

You hold each other like that for a little bit, and when you feel Mat's body shake a little as he starts to cry again, you can feel your own tears brimming in your eyes, exhaustion settling in your bones.

Mat hiccups a little bit, and then you feel him press a gentle kiss to the base of your neck before he murmurs "I love you so much."

You tense in his arms.

I love you so much.

I love you so much.

I love you so much.

He'd never said that to you before.

"You don't have to say it back." He says, voice scratchy. "I didn't say it so you'd forgive me, or so that it would make anything better. I just wanted...if this was the last time...I just wanted you to know that I do love you."

"I love you too," you say without hesitation.

His body sags a little more, and he holds you tighter. "You were right, about all of it. I wasn't listening, and I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too," you say. "If I hurt your feelings, or if I made it seem like I wasn't-"

"No," Mat says emphatically. "You have nothing to apologize for. This was all me."

You put your hands on his shoulders gently, pulling back a little bit and frowning slightly when you see his face. He frowns when he sees yours, his hands coming to your face and brushing your tears away with his thumbs.

"I didn't mean to make you sad." He mutters.

You laugh a little, thumbing away his tears too. "I didn't mean to make you sad either. C'mon, let's sit down."

You lead him over to the couch, and instead of sitting like you intended, Mat lays down, pulling you with him until you're pressed against the back of the couch and he's essentially wrapped himself around you.

"You're a whole person," he says once you're both settled. "Relationships should be about adding to one another's lives, not trying to take away from them, and I thought I was doing that, but I wasn't. I was asking for something that wasn't for us, but for me, and I'm sorry."

"I get where you were coming from," you assure him. "And I accept your apology."

A comfortable silence settles between the two of you, and Mat's breathing starts to even out as his tears settle. Eventually, the late hour blinks at you from your cable box, and Mat runs a finger along your jawline. "I can go home, if you want."

You shake your head. "You can stay the night, I want you to."

"Are you sure?" He checks.

"Yes," you assure him, starting to sit up and pulling him with you. "I think we've earned ourselves a good night's sleep."

The two of you head into your bathroom to start to get ready for bed, and Mat reaches for your hairbrush while you brush your teeth, running his fingers through it every now and again.

Something in your mirror's reflection catches your eyes, and after you rinse your mouth out and put your toothbrush away, you turn to Mat, tilting your head at him curiously.

"What is it?" He asks, setting your brush down on the counter.

"How about a drawer?" You ask, and Mat blinks at you.

"What do you mean?"

"A drawer," you repeat. "A drawer of your things at my place, and a drawer of my things at yours. It's not moving in, but it's a...a baby step."

Mat's quiet for a second, looking at you almost as if to make sure you're certain about your offer before he say anything. He must decide eventually that you are, because eventually, he nods. "I'd like that."

You hold your hand out to him, and Mat raises a brow at it. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Barzal."

Mat laughs, rolling his eyes before he puts his hand in yours and tugs you to him, pressing his lips to yours.

"I love you so much," he whispers against them.

You smile into his next kiss, winding your arms around his neck. "I love you too."

[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.