#nina writes

[doc-pickles]

homecoming | matthew tkachuk

summary: five times matthew came home to you from a roadie

warnings: lots of fluff, pregnancy, babies

a/n: hey hi hello! i’ve wanted to write for ratty for awhile and finally came up with this. hope y’all enjoy!

xoxo

nina

one.

You danced around your kitchen as you made dinner, your hips swinging to the music pouring from your speakers as you stirred the pasta on the stove. You loved cooking and you often found yourself getting lost singing to your favorite songs as you worked in the kitchen.

“And all the girls think that they’d be your partner,” you sang into your wooden spoon, your hips moving as you belted the words. “They’d be your partner! You’re so vain, you probably think this song is about you!”

A deep chuckle sounded behind you, making you drop your spoon as you spun around. Leaning against your entryway was your best friend Matthew Tkachuk, his sly grin plastered on his face as he smirked at you, “Don’t let me interrupt, you know I love Carly Simon.”

“Jesus you can’t scare me like that,” you gasped as you put your hand to your chest, only causing Matthew to laugh harder. “How did you even get in here? When did you get back?”

“You gave me a spare key months ago,” you watched as Matthew grabbed a paper towel and crouched down to grab your dropped spoon, wiping up the mess of sauce it left behind. “Got in an hour ago, wanted to see my favorite girl.”

You could feel the blush creeping up your cheeks as Matthew smirked at you. You’d been friends for a few years now and he never failed to pull that reaction out of you.

“I was just making dinner if you want to stay,” you offered, gesturing over your shoulder to the pasta and sauce you had going. “It’s pesto, your favorite.”

“Good thing I brought your favorite wine,” Matthew walked back to the entryway before reappearing with your favorite red wine and a bouquet of multicolored tulips. “And your favorite flowers.”

“Matty…,” your eyes widened in shock as you looked at your best friend who simply grinned at you. “What in the world are you doing?”

“Just trying to show my favorite girl how much I appreciate her,” Matthew smiled as he stepped closer to you, setting the wine and flowers on the counter before skating his arms around your waist. “I’ve been thinking about you all week. Couldn’t get you off my mind.”

Your heart was racing as you met Matthew’s eyes, his grip on your waist pulling you closer to him, “And what were you thinking about?”

“How you’re my best friend and how much I need you in my life,” Matthew’s voice dropped down to just above a whisper as he leaned his forehead against yours. “How much I want to kiss you, to stop calling you my best friend and start calling you my girlfriend. How much I love you….”

As soon as the word leaves Matthew’s lips you’re closing the short distance between the two of you, your lips pressed together as your fingers tangled in the curls at the nape of his neck.

“Only took you five years,” you grinned up at Matthew who in turn rolled his eyes before he leaned down to kiss you again. “And for the record… I love you too.”

two.

You’d had quite possibly the longest day at work ever. Between your boss being an absolute dick and your clients being snarky and rude you were ready to curl up in bed with a bottle of wine and a trashy rom com. And that didn’t even get into the traffic that had you coming home at an ungodly hour.

It didn’t help anything that Matthew was on the road right now and wasn’t due back until tomorrow. Your hands shook as you unlocked your apartment, the urge to call your best friend turned boyfriend so strong that you were shakily grabbing for your phone as you made your way inside.

Once you closed the door you leaned your head against the cool wood, heart hammering in your chest as you tried to hold back tears.

The attempt failed.

Your shoulders shook under the weight of your cries, your bag dropping to the floor as you cried to yourself in the doorway of your apartment. The weight of the day settled over you as your knees grew weak and you nearly dropped to the floor.

But you didn’t drop, instead a pair of strong arms wrapped around you and you gasped slightly as Matthew pulled you to his chest.

“Hey hey, it’s okay baby,” Matthew soothed as he held you close. “It’s alright, I got you.”

Your sobs continued as Matthew led you to the couch where he promptly sat down and held you close as you continued to cry. You sat in his embrace for a few minutes, letting him soothe you as you clung tightly to his shoulders.

“I thought you were supposed to be back tomorrow,” you sniffled as Matthew rubbed his hands across your back. “I thought-“

“I’m here now, that’s all that matters,” Matthew mumbled as he pressed a kiss to your hair. “What’s wrong baby? What can I do to help you?”

You relaxed slightly as Matthew held you, his body pressed so close you couldn’t help but take the comfort he was giving you.

“I just… It was a long day,” you sighed as you pressed impossibly closer. “It sucked and all I wanted was you and now you’re here.”

“Of course I’m here baby,” Matthew cooed as he pressed his lips to your temple. “I’ll always be here for my favorite girl. No matter what.”

Matthew held you through the night, eventually pulling you toward your bed and dressing you in your pajamas. He held you the whole night and when you woke in the morning with him pressed against you, you couldn’t remember why you were upset in the first place.

three.

It was late, but not late enough for you to have to explain why you weren’t asleep yet. Matthew was due home any minute now, and you were more excited than you would ever been. Even though the Panthers had lost in the semi finals for the Stanley Cup, you couldn’t hold back the grin that was threatening to split your face.

Matthew walked into your bedroom just shy of midnight. When he spotted you wearing his jersey and what looked to be little else his grin widened.

“Sorry you guys got knocked out,” you whispered as Matthew toed off his shoes and made his way toward you.

“S’okay. I have some fun plans for the off season I’ve been eager to get to,” he grinned as he began to unbutton his shirt, your eyes going straight to his toned chest.

“Like what?”

Matthew smirked as he removed his shirt and moved toward the bed. He grabbed your left hand and pressed a kiss to the ring that adorned your finger, “Like making my favorite girl my wife in a few weeks.”

“Twenty one days, seventeen hours, and twelve minutes but who’s counting,” you grinned as Matthew straddled your legs and pressed kisses to your cheeks. “Matty!”

“I’m sorry I only respond to ‘hubby’ now,” you laughed loudly as Matthew buried his face in your neck, lightly nipping at the skin. “God I love you baby.”

“I love you more, hubby.”

four.

It was nearly 3 AM but you couldn’t sleep. The other side of the bed was cold and Matthew would be home soon from a roadie out to California. Normally you wouldn’t stay up to wait for him, he’d usually slip into bed at some ungodly hour and wrap his body around yours. But he had taken a hard hit in his game against San Jose last night and you couldn’t stop worrying about him.

You heard the front door creak open then close quietly, Matthew’s footsteps echoing softly in the living room before he started up the stairs. It wasn’t long before he appeared in the doorway of your shared bedroom, heaving a sigh as he saw you were still up.

“I’m fine, baby,” Matthew tried to reassure you, but as you turned on the bedside lamp you let out a loud gasp. “It looks worse than it is.”

“You have a black eye and stitches, Matthew,” you threw the covers off, walking toward your husband. Once you stood in front of Matthew, his eyes avoiding yours, you cupped his face in your hands. “Jesus Matty…”

Matthew shrugged out of your hold, beginning to pull off his suit as you sat on the edge of the bed, “It’s fine, that fucker had it coming.”

“You can’t keep getting into stupid fights on the ice,” you warned as you crossed your arms under your breasts with a wince. You’d never been concerned about his on ice antics before, but it was different now. “I need you to come home in one piece.”

“I always do, don’t I,” Matthew scoffed but when he turned around he could see the tears shining in your eyes. “Baby it was one fight. I’m a hockey player, it’s what I do.”

You nodded and sniffled, wiping at your cheeks, “I know but… I can’t keep watching you put yourself on the line, I can’t keep worrying every time you’re playing that something horrible is going to happen.”

Matthew stepped towards you, his boxers hanging low on his hips as his shirt and pants had been abandoned behind him, “Hey, I’m okay. I’m not going anywhere okay? What’s really wrong, huh? You’ve never had a problem before.”

“I’m sorry I just-“

“Don’t apologize,” Matthew shook his head and pressed a kiss to your forehead. “I love you, you’re the most important person in my life, my favorite girl. I’m sorry I scared you.”

You nodded but sat in Matthew’s embrace for a few more minutes, letting his warm body soothe your anxiety.

“I’m gonna brush my teeth and I’ll be right back,” Matthew pressed another kiss to your forehead before tucking you into bed and heading for the bathroom. Your eyes had just closed when you heard him all but shriek. “Babe?”

Matthew reappeared in the doorway as you sat up, his eyes wide as he held up two plastic sticks. You grinned sheepishly as he looked from the tests to you, “I forgot they were in there. I was going to buy a tiny jersey and surprise you and-“

Before you could get another word out Matthew was across the room, pulling you into his arms as he peppered your face with kisses. You couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of you as he held you close.

“Fuck baby, I’m never getting in another fight ever again,” Matthew murmured as he pressed his face to your hair. “I’m never leaving again, I’ll only play home games and when the baby comes I’ll retire and-“

“Matthew,” you giggled as you pressed your hand to your husbands cheek. “You’re not retiring, you’re barely 30. And you’re not changing your schedule. Just be a little more careful, okay?”

With a nod Matthew settled into bed next to you, his hands instantly gravitating to your flat stomach. He sighed into your neck as he pulled you close, pressing a kiss to the warm skin, “I can’t believe we’re having a baby.”

“Me neither,” you smiled as you cuddled into his hold.

“I’m screwed if it’s a girl, aren’t I?”

“Absolutely.”

five.

“Riley get down from there before you bust your head open,” you sighed as your three year old daughter grinned at you from her place on the kitchen counter. “I’m so serious right now! When your dad gets home he’s going to be so mad!”

“Daddy!”

“Yes, daddy,” you crossed your arms over your swollen belly and fixed the toddler with a glare. “He’s not going to like that you’re not listening to mommy.”

“Daddy! Daddy!”

You sighed as you rubbed a hand over your face in exasperation. Being nine months pregnant and dealing with your daughter while Matthew was on a roadie was not easy. Riley had a wild streak that made her hard to handle on good days, but she always seemed to act up more when Matthew wasn’t around to help you.

“Riley Chantal I really hope you’re listening to your mama,” you whipped around and sighed in relief as you saw Matthew standing behind you. “Get off the counter.”

Riley scrambled off the counter as Matthew pulled you into a hug, your shoulders dropping as you let him hold you, “Thank god you’re here.”

“Missed my favorite girl,” Matthew murmured into your hair as he held you close, one hand coming down to cradle your baby bump. “How’s little man doing?”

“She’s doing fine,” you grinned as you watched Riley run toward her father. She wrapped her arms around his legs and Matthew broke away from you to lift Riley up. “You happy daddy’s home?”

Riley nodded as she looked up at Matthew, “Mimi is coming over!”

“Mimi Chantal?” Matthew questioned as Riley nodded her head. “Why’s she coming?”

“Cause mommy’s having a baby, duh,” Riley said the statement with an air of certainty as she looked at you. “Right mama?”

Matthew looked at you in confusion but you simply smiled as you’d settled a hand onto your belly, “My water broke half an hour ago.”

“And you didn’t call?!”

“I checked your location and made sure you were headed home,” you stepped around Matthew and gestured to the hospital bags by the door. “I was ready, been ready for a few weeks now.”

“Holy fuck-“

“Bad word daddy!” Riley shrieked as she slapped a hand over Matthew’s mouth.

“Sorry baby girl,” Matthew sighed as he kissed Riley’s cheek, watched as you leaned against the wall and closed your eyes. “Babe?”

“I’m fine,” you breathed out, eyes snapping open. “I’ve been having contractions all day.”

“Babe!”

The front door burst open just then as Chantal walked in, Riley immediately wiggling out of Matthews arms to run to her grandma.

“Matthew Brendan I really hope you’re not yelling at the woman who’s about to have your baby,” you chuckled at Chantal’s remark before another contraction hit you. You took a deep breath but struggled to hold back your groan as pain surged up your back.

Before you could say anything Matthew was at your side, rubbing your back and holding you close, “Okay let’s get going before you have this baby in the car.”

You straightened up and gave Riley a kiss before following Matthew out the door, accepting his help as you stepped up into the passenger seat of your SUV.

“Looks like I came home right on time,” Matthew grinned as he leaned across the console to kiss you.

“Don’t you always?”

[ninadove]

Man, I love writing Luka. Writing Luka helps clear your skin and regulate blood pressure. Ask your doctor today if writing Luka is right for you.

(Side effects might include: humming while you go about your day, an overwhelming love for the people around you, and a complete inability to set boundaries)

[seokmashu]

zb1 dorm dynamics part 3

room 3: big dog union!! 🐾

the most chaotic room period

more specifically it's gyuvin causing all the chaos cuz that boy won't stay put. every time you turn to look back at him he's disappeared and gone off to do something else

the "fun" room that the other members go in and out of cuz it's always noisy

usually it's gunwook and gyuvin joking around roping taerae in

gunwook 10000% has his own little towel that he uses to wipe his face after showering, he probably has cute fluffy sandals too that match his cat headband 🐈

remember how gyuvin packed a suitcase full of snacks in bp? he restocked it for the zb1 dorms LOL

taerae brought his guitar to practice with~ he has regular jam sessions with gunwook and yujin who comes in to play

taerae tries to make an effort to bond with matthew because they're both 02s

but they're both kinda awkward lol

matt asks taerae if he knows any english songs and he does!!!

so they do a jam sesh tg 🎸

taerae's fashion terrorist ways make a reappearance

besides guitar, taerae also really likes to build logos in his free time

gyuvin is greatly interested and he'll play with the pieces taerae isn't using to build something

i feel like gyuvin is into baby yoda lmao

gyuvin loves going into room 2 to bother yujin his jaeminnie~ but what he doesn't anticipate is his natural predator ricky

gunwook the student body president likes keeping everything clean in direct opposition to the human tornado gyuvin

gyuvin doesn't even make his bed before he flops onto it like a fish on land

gunwook and gyuvin game together

gunwook is a BIG AF genshin nerd in fact he's probably playing honkai star rail as i type this

gunwook also likes gymming and he'll go with matt everyday when their schedules align (matt likes to sleep in but he also likes having a gym buddy hehe)

at nighttime: surprisingly, they all sleep pretty early

maybe bc they're so worn out from being three frantic scampering chipmunks all day long but they sleep well~

taerae will sometimes stay up to watch videos on his phone

gyuvin will stay up too sometimes to read webnovels/webtoons

overall i see this room being the most fun/chaotic bc they love to joke around with each other, but they also love to go into the other member's rooms to see if anything fun is happening~

>> part 1: jiwoong, hao, matthew

>> part 2: hanbin, ricky, yujin

let me know what y'all think!

[ninadove]

#wait what fic

@nayvwriter this fic! ❤️🐉💜🦚

A noble sentenced to die is allowed to choose their execution method. They ask to die in honourable combat against the king's knights, armed with a wooden sword while the knights have real weapons. It's been 24 hours since the execution started and the king is running out of knights.

[darlingaffogato]

me: ok, so for school, i need to, uh, 1. work on this godawful essay on war and violence, 2. re-read parts of othello and make notes for that essay, 3. read about word problems in my algebra textbook, and 4. finish that homework assignment

my brain: oooooooor we could fixate on this, like, half of a romcom story idea you've had floating around for a while

me: GODAMNIT

my brain:

[perfectfeelings]

How amazing is it to find someone who wants to hear about all the things that go on in your head.

Nina LaCour

[mournfulroses]

Nina Mclaughlin, from "Wake, Siren," originally published in November 2019

[ninadove]

Whoops fic happened! 💚💜

my explanation why felix wasn't in london special. he was preparing for party.

ps: i also wanted to see a comic.

[thatsbucknasty]

I have a boyfriend

And I have a crush on a girl from my class

I don’t even know her name and we don’t talk but she’s beautiful and funny and talented and I try to stay as far as possible from her because I don’t wanna be a creep or make her feel uncomfortable.

I love my boyfriend and we’ve been together for many years. Although lately I’ve been overthinking everything about us and how it’s been so long and we don’t even have plans for marriage. He’s not as affectionate as he used to be. And I’m also very flawed, immature and insecure. I know that to make things work I need to do my part.

I just feel so shitty that in these many years I’ve never looked at another guy. Until now. Until her. And I don’t even know her name.

[doc-pickles]

where’s the trophy? he just comes running over to me (a waking up in vegas blurb)

series masterlist

summary: matthew wins the stanley cup

warnings: just fluff!!

a/n: of course I HAD to write this! it’s short and sweet but i’m filled with so many emotions about matty that I can’t quite put anything else properly into words. enjoy!

xoxo nina

the buzzer counts down, the stadium silent for a single second before it erupts into the loudest cheers you’ve ever heard. brady’s arms are wrapped around your shoulders, blake is cheering in taryn’s arms, and confetti is streaming from the ceiling. you watch as blurs of white and red streak across the ice to form a dog pile behind the home goal, the cameras panning over the players as they cheer.

they won.

your husband won the stanley cup.

reality crashes back into you as you hug brady back, both of you laughing and smiling brightly as you watch matthew and his team celebrate their win. keith, chantal, and taryn all give you hugs as you celebrate together, none of you able to stop the happy tears trailing your cheeks.

“mama cry?” blake asks as she leans over to you from her perch in keith’s hold. “don’t be sad, daddy won!”

“i’m not sad, they’re happy tears” you laugh again as blake sports a confused look. “i’m very happy daddy won. promise baby.”

before you can blink you’re all heading down to the ice. a huge grin spreads across your face as you watch the boys take turns lifting the cup and doing a lap with it held high above their heads. taryn and brady are chatting loudly behind you but as soon as you spot matthew their voices are white noise.

matthew is smiling widely, talking with sasha and sam as the cup goes around. he turns at the sound of lomberg shouting his name to take the cup but stops short when his eyes meet yours. even from 50 feet away you can feel the excitement and happiness radiating from him, the way your minds are always on the same page.

instead of turning towards ryan and the waiting cup matthew beelines for you, his arms outstretched to grab you as he skates through the crowds of people. he has you wrapped up in an instant, his arms squeezing you tightly as he spins you around. you let out a string of laughter as he brings you down and peppers your face with kisses, his hold on you remaining firm.

“matthew! the cup!” you giggle as you look up at him, his hands gently cupping your face.

“since that buzzer rang this is all i’ve wanted to do.” matthew leans in and kisses you soundly, cheers erupting around you. “I wouldn’t be here without you. I love you so much baby.”

“I love you too.” you echo the words and smile up at him with tears in your eyes. “now go lift the cup baby!”

with a chuckle matthew turns and takes the stanley cup, holding it above his head as he circles the ice. everyone around you is cheering and clapping but the only thing you’re focused on is your husband who gave his blood, sweat and tears to be here today.

[ninadove]

Brand identity 🥰

[silentlyinmyhead]

Please read this fic!!!!

I cackled, I cried, I facepalmed. I just love this so much!

This encapsulated everything that the other side of Buck's coma should have been in canon, and getting Eddie's repression story to come to a satisfying fruition unlike the cowards at showrunner and/or the executive table.

let the world have its way with you

buck/eddie | 54.5k | rated e

“It’s just that—I died,” Buck continues, voice unsteady enough that Eddie wonders if this is the first time he’s acknowledged that out loud. “I died, and there’s so much more. There’s so much more I want to do, things I don’t even know I want to do yet, and I almost had the chance to have and live them taken away. I don’t want to die and regret missing out on everything else, Eddie.”

“So let’s make a list,” Eddie says. “Let’s do them.”

or, a bucket list that’s really about buck needing to make a change and an eddie who’s ready to do anything to see him fall in love with life again. it takes some crossing off for eddie to realise—the thing at the top of the list in his own heart? it’s been right here all along

read on ao3

[seokmashu]

zb1 dorm dynamics part 1

based off this tweet this is how i imagine zb1 dorm rooms are like:

room 1: the snorez 😴

definitely got put together because the other members could not sleep due to the construction noises

the coworkerz are probably a little awkward around each other in the beginning -- i mean this picture was probably their third interaction 💀

BUT over time i can see the two of them bonding over being the oldest hyungs taking care of everyone else

matthew goes to both of them for advice when things get tough and both of them are really good listeners who try to be considerate of his feelings, they have little sunshine protector moments heh 😊

hao is shocked to find out where their tattoos are

he already knew matthew's bicep one but didn't know about the one on his back, also he doesn't notice jiwoong's leg tattoo for like a month lol

bin 100% comes to their room every night (to see hao), similarly gyuvin barges in all the time whenever he feels like it

however hao also needs his alone time loool i can see him trying to be considerate of all the Es in the house for a few days until he sets proper boundaries with them and also gets headphones lmao

matthew games on his phone, zhang hao stays up studying using one of those book lights, jiwoong also reads a bit before bed

matthew probably realizes how much hate he's been getting online :( so he stays up all night cuz he's too anxious to sleep and in the morning has deep bags under his eyes for weeks until one day zhang hao notices how late he's been staying up (bc he also stays up) and they have a heart to heart about it (jiwoong also joins in) and the three of them talk for hours deep into the night

in the morning the two hyungs check up on matthew :') matthew feels grateful to them and they all bond, this is also when jiwoong and hao get close too :)

jiwoong does a face mask every single night which inspires the other two to take better care of their skin too -- one day he gets a pack of animal face masks to share with them and he giggles at how cute they look

gives a pig mask to matthew and an elephant one to hao hahah

gives the zebra one to himself

they take a lot of selcas, some cute some imitating their animals lool

both jiwoong and hao help matthew with his fashion sense asdlfalsasdf

matthew ask about hao's music experience and his teaching experience, sometimes hao will practice in front of them at night and they have a little concert hehe the other members also come by to listen sometimes

hao practices his korean every night and asks jiwoong for help sometimes

matthew also joins in sometimes

overall i see this being a very chill room where they all have their own nighttime activities (jiwoong reads and does skincare, hao studies or practices, matthew sleeps early or games with some of the other members) and are considerate of each other

>> part 2: hanbin, ricky, yujin

>> part 3: taerae, gunwook, gyuvin

lemme know your thoughts c:

[perfectquote]

I never realized what a big deal that was. How amazing it is to find someone who wants to hear about all the things that go on in your head.

Nina LaCour

[quotefeeling]

How amazing is it to find someone who wants to hear about all the things that go on in your head.

Nina LaCour

[resqectable]

How amazing is it to find someone who wants to hear about all the things that go on in your head.

Nina LaCour