#and probably going to prepare midnight celebration snacks now :2

[mitamicah]

Thank you all so much for being a positive presence in my 2023 🥺 i had no idea what a tightknit, supportive and amazing community i would become a part of when I first shared a sketch of käärijä back in may

You are all so wonderfully embracing and talented (and gorgeous) as heck 😭 meeting some of you at the europe tour seems so surreal 😱

Here's to a great 2024 to everyone - hope for all the best for each of my kääryleet and baby boos (and people who have been here even longer as well) 🤗💚❤️

[luvring]

COVE RELATIONSHIP HCS

gn!reader | tbh i thought i alrdy did this but i guess not.? cove hcs r hard bc i can't remember what is literally Just Canon. this is long as hell so if he doesn't win that poll i'm gonna be very disappointed in u all /lh

he instinctively offers you the last seat on the bus. if you want him to sit down it's a little fight /lh. the both of you staring at the other, nodding toward the seat. "i don't need to sit down. we walked a lot, you must be tired." "we walked the same amount so you'd be the same amount of tired." etc etc

he'll sit down if you stand in front of him.. one time a lady commented on how cute you two were and (after thanking her) he flushed and rested his head against your stomach, fiddling with the hem of your shirt to hide how giddy he was

he also instinctively gets your favourite snacks while you're out shopping btw

can't walk around any mall or market without you in mind. we know this but really imagine cove walking into stores he probably wouldn't have otherwise just to see if they had something for you. him calling a store to check when they'd have something in stock again so he could surprise you. him debating between two shirts/charms/etc for like 10 minutes because he wants to make sure he gets the best one

cove texting you to tell you about about a new fish he found. or telling you about what fish you'd both be. constantly thinking of you whenever said fish is mentioned and, to strangers, randomly lighting up at its name

you text cove a pick-up line and get left on read for like 5-10 minutes while he 1) recovers and 2) looks for one to send back

asking cove to kiss where you got hurt as a joke and him doing it. and then kissing you again. and then kissing you on the LIPS!

you make a little charm bracelet that says something silly like "best bf <3" "i love u <3" etc etc and he just doesn't take it off. makes one for you too. do not ask how long he was standing in the same michaels aisle trying to pick the perfect beads/charms...

you visit him at work except you actually meet his coworkers and everyone already at least knows your name.

he Makes Sure he's the first one to tell you happy birthday. Always. will say it at midnight and when you wake up in the morning. it's a minute to midnight and he is Staring at the clock as the seconds tick away.

^ he puts sooo much thought into your gifts and celebration... if you Do have a party, he still makes sure to have time together alone afterward :-( asks if you had a good time and gets all happy when you thank him... he tells you it's the least he could do for you

walks in on you watching a show and asks what it's about and suddenly it's 2 hours later, you're both caught up, and he's tense because your favourite character is collecting death flags and he's worried for everyone involved right now . at least if the character dies he's already prepared to comfort you

cove when asked what he thinks the most romantic song is says the song you picked for your first dance. when asked Why he thinks so, he goes red but explains, eyes flickering over to you and a soft smile on his lips

carries your bag whenever you ask. does not matter if it's a backpack or tote bag or shaped like a chicken (something i really want) like Don't worry about it

makes a playlist with your favourite songs to play in the car so no matter where you're going, he hopes you have a good start to your day/trip

cove asks what song you're playing/humming and if you mention it's onw of your favourites, he goes out of his way to listen to it and at least sort of know the lyrics

when you move in together he's stuck in a constant happy state because he keeps looking over at things and realizing You're Living Together. you're unpacking boxes with YOUR stuff you will both cook in that kitchen you will go shopping together for decor for YOUR place he's going to SLEEP and WAKE UP to you EVERY morning

and you tease him about how you were already seeing each other every day before this and he's like well, yeah, but this is different.

supports you with all your hobbies/interests.... helping you look for a new bookshelf to keep your books/collectibles.... listening to you explain the complexities and tragedy of your favourite character/ship.... offering his opinions when asked,, he's not sure how much you should trust him, especially if he has no experience with it, but he's always a little happier after you thank him with a smile

remembers the names of people who've done you wrong. will block you from sight if you're at an event and see them and asks if you're alright or want to go somewhere else

cove always offers to help you study and quiz you if you have an exam coming up. you can also count on him to make sure you aren't stressing yourself out or sleeping too late. and then, no matter how you feel coming out of the exam, he will always make sure to treat you to something to say good job :-)

Your guy to go to if you're feeling sad or anxious. he'll do whatever you'd like/he knows would help ... taking care of your share of the chores without being asked, cuddle you for a couple hours, shower you with praise and reassurance, take you out on a date, etc

always interested in hearing what happened at an event he didn't accompany you to! even if it was just a hangout with friends, he'll listen to you recount jokes and things that happened. if it was a bigger event, he'll listen As he helps you wind down from a long day

if you have a small business, cove will actually order things himself during shop openings. as if all your stock isn't a couple rooms over and he doesn't help you pack orders. the both of you celebrate your first sale, big achievements, etc ^___^

basically literally canon but hides his face in the crook of your neck when he's feeling shy . but like (re)imagine having been in a relationship for months, years, and you kiss him in the morning like you always do but for some reason he's feeling particularly shy about it . or you just Smile at him and he's like .!!!!!!

cove will stare at you with a lovesick look on his face while you aren't looking. doesn't even realize he's doing it, he just really loves you. friends point this out to you afterward because it's so cute

he's not good at taking photos but he sure will try. like if you mention wanting more candid photos, he'll remember and try to take some. many may be questionable but there's some really good ones !! he keeps a folder of them/photos of you both and looks at it randomly :-)

cove asking your parents how to cook some of your favourite meals the way you enjoy them to surprise you..

he would do so well on those couple challenges where he's asked questions about you. your birthday? child's play. your favourite restaurant and go-to order? easy money. what your favourite field trip was when you were little kids? he was literally there.

you must at some point get a version of this seal video like... also omg. seeing the mermaids at the aquarium. genuinely so impressed and brings up the idea of a secret underwater world again

ideas i could/will write if cove wins and will NEVER write if he doesn't 🤌🔥🔥✍️

cove doing that trend where you cover him in lipstick stains and he's looking at you with heart eyes GRAAAAHH!!!

you askingfor money and him saying okay before actually asking what for

trying out pet names on him

smth about getting ready for a fancy event together and him helping you. like.. adjusting your tie / zipping up the back of your dress .... Grah!

? nsft hcs except i'm still at least waiting for the patreon bonus story

random texts because i adore our life but i do not text like that unfortunately.! i would be like WAAAHHH!! i'd be like GBRHABAAH ?!?!?!?!?# i'd be like goodnight ^____^ <3 <3 <3 <3 >___< see u Tomorrow love of my life <3 <3 <3 (/j)

cove-centric event where all i do is cove related reqs/drabblrs GOD BLESS COVE NATION!

@lordbugs @xfangirl-trashx @fifteenshadesofpinkk @lotus-sukimono @bakugosgrenade @vhenis @anime-ships-gay @dreamtydraw @lost-lonnie @cvhenia @mitskiologist

[hum-suffer]

I'm Yours 2

Ishan has always been a light sleeper. His mother was proud of him and his dad, a man who craved snacks at midnight, bemoaned his habits.

So when he wakes up on Sunday morning with a fresh gajra tied on his wrist, for a moment, he wonders if this is a hallucination or a dream. He blinks and pinches his thigh, the sharp sting reminding him that it's reality. He frowns, and touches the gajra. It's real.

Ishan takes a deep breath.

"Let's bathe first and then deal with this," he says to himself. Another beat passes as he reconsiders his promise to himself. "Maybe have some tea first."

____________________________________________________

He's so fucking glad that he had the tea first.

The moment he was more awake, he was panicking.

Someone fucking broke into his house? His house? His ancestral, beloved house that had marble flooring which made clancking sounds everytime he walked? Ishan cracks his neck and takes another fortifying breath, staring at the discarded gajra on the dining table. It feels very audacious. And flattering.

The thought is horrifying and for a moment, Ishan imagines his grandfather shaking his head at the bloody idiocy Ishan possesses. Wryly, he says outloud,"I'm a very good source of entertainment, aren't I, Dadaji?"

The house obviously remains silent. In a surprising turn, the loneliness he often feels seeps right back in.

He glances at the gajra again. "Hey, at least, someone alive gets entertainment from me."

He knows he should report this. But for now, he doesn't want to care. It's a bloody Sunday and he will be damned if something ruins his Sunday, even if it's a stalker/admirer.

A message pops on his phone just as he's about to wash his cup. 'Did you like the gajra, love?'

'don't have the hair for it, dude.'

He probably shouldn't antagonise a probable sociopath.

But hey, what is life, if not had decisions taken in the spirit of loneliness?

____________________________________________________

When he's more settled, in the evening, Ishan goes out for a walk. His body aches in protest and the ink marks on his fingers dictate his profession to anyone who cares to see.

End of semester season is horrible, but more so when he already has to plan so much. Tomorrow's the seminar for something techy— Ishan doesn't know, he's the Hindi teacher, and he'd rather prefer not to know. Those things just rot his brain and he hates the seminars more than students, probably, but he'd do just about anything to take some load off of Virat bhaiya. Jaddu almost always lightens the mood at seminars, and he's back from his holiday to Jamnagar, and Ishan is counting on him to be the better part.

Apart from Shubhman, that is.

Ishan cannot get over his silly little crush, no matter how hard he tries and he hates it. That's a celebrity. A good looking, smart philanthropist who also owns a registered firm.

Ishan doesn't know the name of the firm, he realises with a groan. He gets his phone out, shoots a quick text to Shreyas to prepare the introduction speech for Shubhman.

The admirer, has sent him another message.

'Do you have any favourite colour?'

'yes, it's the shade stfu of the colour mind your business.'

'Lol. Really, tho. Don't make me dissect your wardrobe and make a guess, love'

Ishan's eyes narrow. He's not going to be ordered around by this bullshiter.

'Be my guest, love'

'i'm gonna overlook the rudeness for that endearment'

'Im gonna kill u'. Ishan doesn't even realise he's smiling until he casts a random glance at the windows of parked car. He controls his smile instantly.

'your looks already have'

Ishan scoffs at the blatantly cheesy line. Ew. 'Stay dead.'

____________________________________________________

'You have an awful amt of blue clothes'

The message greets Ishan early in the morning, and so does the smell of jasmines. He looks down and there it is— a gajra tied on his wrist.

The pounding headache that he already has becomes more pronounced as he passes through the motions of his schedule, the message a background chatter in his head until he has the cup of tea in his hands.

So.

That happened.

Yesterday's gajra and today's gajra, side by side, stare at Ishan. Ishan gulps. He should not have done that— any of that.

"Kya kar Raha hai tu," he mutters to himself as his thumb hovers over the block button. Why is he hesitating?

(Maybe because he doesn't care of he's dead or alive. Maybe because he wants the attention. Maybe because the idea of being so desired makes him warm. Maybe because someone only focusing on him makes him feel cherished.

Ishan doesn't dissect these ideas.)

He blocks the number and reports it for good measure.

He's already almost late— the quest to find his beloved oversized blue silk shirt had taken too much time. He's probably left it back home, maybe. He doesn't remember taking it there but he's always been clumsy so who knows? He'll continue the quest later.

The smell of jasmines cling to his nose even after he's deliberately choosen a woodsy perfume.

____________________________________________________

Shubhman is at perfect time.

Avesh, the admin staff manager, came almost running to Ishan when Shubhman, bless him, called in advance to say that he'll be at the college withing fifteen minutes.

If Shubhman keeps this up, Ishan will do something embarassing— like quoting Hannibal or something. The sheer appreciation Ishan feels for the man is beyond words.

As always, Rohit bhaiya had forgotten the matchsticks somewhere but Jas had come through and Ishan is now running around only making sure the height of the mic and the placement of flowers.

Siraj drags him forcefully to the gate of the faculty, to greet Shubhman. A volunteer student clicks photos as Virat Bhai hugs Shubhman, who always appears star struck at the attention from their resident King. Rohit bhaiya squeezes Shubhman in a tight hug and the smile Shubhman has on his face is blinding.

(Ishan wishes someone was as happy to see him. His colleagues are always fun, but they have lives— Ishan doesn't.)

When Shubhman turns to him, Ishan can't help but stare. He's wearing a navy blazer over a white shirt and dark blue jeans. His eyes, they're dark and intense. Ishan feels frozen.

"Ishan." His voice sounds so fucking good. He steps forward and before Ishan can hold his hand out for a handshake, Shubhman steps in his personal space and gives him a side hug.

Ishan breathes in, to calm his heart, and catches a distantly familiar scent from Shubhman. It's probably a kind of perfume Ishan knows, he's obsessed with scents.

"Shubhman. It's a pleasure to meet you again."

What the FUCK is he saying. Ishan wants to dig a hole in some lonely ground and bury himself. A pleasure to meet him? Could he be anymore obvious?

"Trust me, the pleasure is all mine."

____________________________________________________

The seminar goes on for two hours, perfectly adhering to the scheduled time and Shubhman has prepared enough to be also able to do a QnA. Ishan will marry him.

The students rush out of the seminar hall without a second thought, all of them sleepy and wanting to enjoy the rest of their day after the cancellation of their classes.

Ishan hums to himself as he wraps up the extra papers and wires, the bag for Shubhman ready to take. "Tulsi, reusable pen, certificate." He counts everything outloud and puts the bag aside. Someone lifts it up instantly. Ishan whips around, seeing Shubhman standing there grinning at him.

"Hello, there."

"Hi, Shubhman. How long have you been standing here?"

"Just long enough to hear that aap Mumbai aa sakte hai."

Ishan feels his face heat up instantly and shakes his head. Shubhman laughs. "Come on, I feel like we should close this hall before someone closes us inside it."

Would it really be so bad?

Oh god, when did he turn into a desperate teenager?

Ishan follows Shubhman out, talking about measley things like movies and songs, to see him off and help him settle with the gifts but they're met with Virat bhaiya and Rohit bhaiya standing at the gate of the faculty and a thundering rain.

Fuck.

They both despise the rain. Ishan does too, to be honest. Almost everyone at the college hates it. Mostly, because after rain, their usually pristine college roads turn into water holding corners at some areas and the greenery in their college always allows for mosquitoes after a good rain.

Virat bhaiya shakes his head,"Unnatural rains, at the time of diwali no less! Kya zindagi hai yaar."

"Why are you being dramatic?" Ishan asks with a groan,"I have to go back on my bike! I'm already applying for sick leave for tomorrow, Rohit bhaiya."

Before Rohit bhaiya can say anything, though, Shubhman frowns at him. "But why do you want to get soaked? I have my car, I'll drop you off at your place."

"Absolutely not, I'm not going to impose on you like that. And what about my bike?"

"I'll send Rutu or someone with it tomorrow to pick you up, bhai." Rohit bhaiya says. "Don't get sick uselessly! Shubhman is right, you don't need to get soaked for nothing."

Shubhman nods along,"And it's not imposing if I offered. Come on, let me do my good deed for the week."

Ishan looks helplessly at Virat bhaiya. He lifts his chin and gives him a reassuring look.

"Okay."

____________________________________________________

Tagging: @mayakimayahai @kyayaarkiraa @ispeakmorelanguagesthanyou @onthecloudseven @khwxbeeda @ek-ladki-bheegi-bhagi-si @fortunatelycrazyyouth @ishkrisq

[adriennebarnes]

The Other Woman

Pairing: Xavier Thorpe x Hispanic!Reader

Summary: Xavier has been acting suspicious and Y/N thinks the worst

Warning: this is an AU fanfic where Nevermore Academy is more like Sky High, so not a boarding school but still a school for outcasts, Xavier and Y/N have been dating since they were 14 so for 2 years, Jericho normies are NOT assholes, and it takes place during the holidays, it starts December 16th. I’m also going to try to make this gender neutral for a change, comment if you want more gender neutral Hispanic reader. Y/N has a bond with Xavier like Rose’s bond with Lissa, sometimes Y/N sees what Xavier sees and feels what he feels, Y/N can’t control it.

Masterlist

December 16th, last day of fall semester

The Nevermore Academy school bus dropped Y/N and Xavier off at their bus stop.

“It’s finally winter break! I’m so excited for Christmas, are you going to Nochebuena with my family and then spend Christmas Day with your family like last year or do you have different plans?” Y/N asked. As a Hispanic, they celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve and open presents at midnight. Xavier was aware of how his lover celebrated Christmas since he usually spends Christmas Eve with Y/N’s family.

“I actually can’t spend Christmas Eve with you this year, I’m sorry, baby.” Xavier said, kissing Y/N’s forehead.

“Um, it’s alright, flaquito, will you be free tomorrow? I really wanted to go to the winger carnival.” Y/N asked him, hugging him.

“I think I’m going to be busy all week with Christmas preparations and everything, I’m sorry. But we can hang after Christmas, okay? I love you.” Xavier said, kissing Y/N.

“Okay, I love you too.” Y/N said and they both walked to their respective houses. Y/N was taking off their jacket when they suddenly felt a pull and is now seeing Ajax on a computer screen. Xavier must be video chatting with Ajax.

“Did you get to see her?” Ajax asked Xavier. Her? Which her is Ajax talking about?

“I didn’t get to see her yet, the bus just dropped Y/N and I off. I’ll probably see her later today. She’s very cute.” Xavier told Ajax. Who’s cute? Who the fuck are they talking about?

“I’ve seen the pictures you sent me, I love the sweater you bought her.” Ajax said and that’s when Y/N was pulled out of Xavier’s head.

Xavier bought a sweater for some girl? Maybe Y/N was getting it wrong, “Maybe it was his cousin or niece…he’s not Hispanic, he doesn’t have extended family like that, oh my gosh, is he cheating on me?” Y/N thought to themselves. Y/N started pacing around their room, this can’t be happening. You know what, it might be a misunderstanding, don’t jump to conclusions, it’s probably nothing.

December 17th

“Amor, out on your shoes, we’re going out!” Y/N heard their mom yell.

“Okay, ya voy!” Y/N yelled back, they put on their winter shoes and coat to get ready.

“I have to buy some things to make flan and polvorones, you’re coming with me, you can buy whatever snack you want.” Y/N’s mom said,

“Cool.” Y/N replied, they got into the family car and when they were driving, Y/N saw Xavier hug some girl and that girl let Xavier inside her house. Y/N was internally screaming already. They breathed in and out and decided to call Xavier.

“Hello?” Xavier answered.

“Hey, Xavi, my mom is going to bake cookies today, you want to come over and help us?” Y/N asked innocently.

“I cant, darling, I’m at Ajax’s house.” Xavier said. LIAR!! Y/N screamed in their head.

“That’s okay, I’ll call you later, I love you.” Y/N said,

“I love you too, bye.” Xavier replied and hung up.

“Mi vida, qué pasa? Te noto estresado (honey, what’s going on? You look stressed.)” Y/N’s mom asked.

“Creo que Xavier me está poniendo el cuerno, lo vi hablando con Ajax, diciendo que ella se veía muy linda, y luego lo vi hace unos minutos con una chica abrazándose. No sé qué pensar, mami. (I think Xavier is cheating on me, I saw him talking to Ajax, saying she’s really cute, and then I saw him hugging some girl. I don’t know what to think).” Y/N ranted.

“Xavier is a good guy, I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation. Now let’s get out of the car and do some grocery shopping we can even get ice cream.” Y/N’s mom said. Y/N smiled, their mom knowing exactly what to say. They bought everything they wanted and needed and then got back into the car. On the drive back, Y/N didn’t think about Xavier until they were pulled in his head again.

“See you Christmas Eve.” Xavier told the girl.

“Yeah of course, I’m surprised your SO didn’t make a big deal about you not spending Christmas Eve with them.” The normie girl commented.

“I made something up, Y/N doesn’t need to know, at least not now.” Xavier said and Y/N once again is pushed out of his head. Y/N was getting even more worried, stupid one-way bond.

December 18th

Y/N was video chatting with Enid and Wednesday

“Y/N i Don’t think Xavier is cheating on you, the boy loves you.” Enid said.

“He would be stupid to cheat on you after I threatened him with shaving his head.” Wednesday commented.

“Yeah well I’ve been in Xavier’s head twice and both times gave me very sketchy and suspicious images. Him telling Ajax that some girl was cute and then telling said girl that I don’t need to know now. Like how can you explain that?” Y/N said exasperated.

“That’s it, Wednesday and I are coming over and we’re having a sleepover, we need to take your mind off this Xavier thing. I also don’t understand how you can see inside Xavier’s head, aren’t you a seer? How can you be in his head?” Enid asked Y/N.

“How the hell am I supposed to know? There really isn’t a class about seers.” Y/N said. “Mami, vienen unas amigas para una pijamada!” Y/N told their mother. An hour later, Enid and Wednesday were knocking on the door with their duffel bags packed. Y/N opened the door.

“Thank you for opening the door, it’s so cold Wednesday actually wore her snood.” Enid said walking into Y/N’s house.

“I actually got color in cheeks.” Wednesday said walking in after Enid.

“Oh damn, it really is cold then.” Y/n said, closing the door. “My mom made some hot chocolate if you want some.”

“Yes!” Enid said dropping the duffel bag and ran into the kitchen.

“I’ll have some as well, it’s abuelita chocolate right?” Wednesday asked.

“Of course it’s abuelita chocolate.” Y/N answered and Wednesday also walked into the kitchen. Enid and Wednesday then came into the living room with mugs if hot chocolate and sat on the couch. “So what movie do y’all want to watch?” Y/N asked and then she was pulled into Xavier’s head.

“ Ajax, I don’t know what to tell Y/N. I told her yesterday I was with you when I saw Jackie and I think they knew I lied.” Xavier said. So that’s what her name is! Jackie, interesting.

“Y/N is a seer…I think they’re already suspicious of you, Enid texted me.” Oh my gosh, Enid, why do you tell Ajax everything?

“Oh damn, do you think they know everything? I don’t think I can hide it from them any longer.” Xavier said and Y/N’s out of his head.

“Were you in his head again?” Wednesday asked.

“Yes, Enid why did you tell Ajax?” Y/N asked.

“So Xavier Can know what he is doing is wrong! Like I don’t think you can handle 6 more days of this. He’s going to ruin your Nochebuena!” Enid exclaimed.

“He’s not ruining anything. I’m gonna take that fucking suppressant so I won’t get those bonding visions, they’re ruining everything. Now let’s watch a movie.”

December 24th, Nochebuena

It’s been days since Xavier started acting suspicious and the bonding visions didn’t stop, Y/N was with their parents and their extended family mingling but when it was 10pm, they got another bonding vision.

“That’s it, mami, papi, voy a salir a hacer algo, ahorita vengo.” Y/N said as they put on their jacket and left. They walked to Xavier’s house and started knocking.

“Woah Y/N, what are you doing here? I thought you were with your family.” Xavier said.

“I was. But you have been acting suspicious all week and I’m really cold, and you better have an explanation for acting suspicious because what I’m think right now is not pretty.” Y/N ranted and Xavier grabbed their hand so they could enter his house.

“Okay, what do you think is happening?” Xavier asked.

“You’re cheating on with that normie girl Jackie and you’re too chicken shit to break up with me before Christmas so you wanted to wait after which is stupid! Here’s your fucking gift by the way.” Y/N said, shoving Xavier’s gift to his chest.

“I am not cheating on you, Y/N, why would you think I’m cheating on you?” Xavier asked.

“THE BOND! The fucking seer bond, I can see what you see, hear what you hear, and feel what you feel at random times, and I saw you talking to Jackie saying that I don’t need to know. I don’t need to know what? Tell me what you’re hiding from me because I’m this close to losing my mind.” Y/N shouted.

“I am not cheating on you, I love you, I love you so very much.” Xavier said, caressing Y/N’s face and kissed them deeply. “I’ll forgive you for thinking that because I’ve been acting sketchy. I’ll show you why in just a second though. Close your eyes.”

“Okay, if you scare me, i will kill you.” Y/N said as they close their eyes.

“I was going to wait until tomorrow morning but since you’re already here, I would like you to meet Cinnamon.” Xavier said and Y/N opened their eyes and saw a cute Havanese puppy.

“Aww, she’s adorable. Hold on, why did you give me a puppy for Christmas?” Y/N asked,

“We were watching a movie and the lead had this breed of dog, you were saying how it was so cute and how you wanted one so I started looking up where to buy one when I found out that Jackie’s dog had puppies so I asked if she could save me one and she did. So this puppy was specifically reserved for you.” Xavier said, handing cinnamon over to Y/N so they can carry her and Cinnamon started licking their nose.

“She’s absolutely adorable, I love her little doggie sweater, you are the sweetest boyfriend ever.” Y/N said, kissing him. “I’m sorry for thinking you were cheating on me but I couldn’t help it, like you always spend Nochebuena with me.”

“I know, I’m sorry, but I had to make the visit is with Cinnamon, making sure she got her vaccines, she’s used to me, Havanese are good for first time dog owners so it’s perfect for you. Let’s just hope your parents are okay with the puppy.” Xavier said.

“I’m sure they will be fine with Cinnamon, she’s small, she can’t cause much harm. Thank you so much, Xavier.” Y/N said and they hugged, Xavier walked Y/N to their house and he spent the rest of Nochebuena with their family and they were playing with Cinnamon in Y/N’s room.

“You know, we’re kinda like her parents.” Xavier said.

“That’s a cute way to think of it. Isn’t that right, cinnamon? Come on, bebé, kiss your daddy.” Y/N said and they held cinnamon to Xavier’s face and she started licking him and Xavier scrunched his face.

“Thanks, Cinnamon.” Xavier said and Y/N laughed. “Oh You’re laughing? Then let’s kiss.” Xavier said leaning to Y/N but they pushed him away.

“Not until you wash your face,” Y/N said. Y/N continued playing with cinnamon. “Thanks for spending Nochebuena with me”

“Anything for you, baby.” Xavier said.

The End

Hope you liked it, Merry Christmas, happy holidays to everyone!

[gaemkyuu]

The Proposal

Warnings: none!  A/N: Third  installment to the Teagan Valencia Series!  A fluffier chapter because the next one is going to be intense... like woah, ‘that was unexpected’ intense. Disclaimer: This is a FICITONAL writing piece on Charlie Gillespie. In no way do I claim or declare that Charlie’s portrayal is accurate to real life. I do however, own Teagan Valencia :)

Masterlist

The Teagan Valencia Series: The Meeting  / The Fight / The Proposal / The Present / The Recovery / The Future

The Proposal

“Cut! Alright let’s do touch up and we will run that scene one more time”

Kenny’s voice brought Teagan back to reality. Charlie and Maddie were laughing and wiping their tears as the make up team came for touch ups. Owen and Jeremy stood in their positions waiting to repeat the scene and complimenting the two leads. Teagan caught Charlie’s eye and he blew her a kiss from where he was standing, which caused Maddie to wave enthusiastically at me, and a “HI TEAGAN!” from Jeremy and Owen. She smiled and waved at them, Maddie spontaneously breaking out into a small dance where she kept flipping her hand in the air. For a moment, Teagan was confused, until she pointed to her own ring finger then back at Teagan. A smile came to her face as she remembered the high they were all riding from the weekend.

***

Charlie shuffled around the foyer of the hotel lobby. Charlie did get nervous from time to time, but the nervousness, excitement and, oddly enough, fear was eating him alive.

“Dude it’s going to be fine” Owen placed a hand on Charlie’s shoulder to help calm him down. Charlie gave Owen a nervous smile.

“How’s my bowtie? My hair okay?” Charlie rushed to look into the reflective surface of the wall beside him.

“Charlie you look fine. Plus, she isn’t going to care about what you’re wearing. Your plan is full proof!” Jeremy held him by both shoulders and tried to help ease his nerves.

“Were you this nervous when you were proposing?” Jeremy chuckled and nodded his head releasing Charlie from his firm hold.

“Absolutely, but I knew I had to do it. I couldn’t imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else” Charlie smiled at the nostalgia that crept onto Jeremy’s face reminiscing on the day he proposed to Carolynn. “Everything is going to go exactly how it needs to go. Now, take a deep breath. You don’t want her to catch on too early do you?”

“Better breathe quickly. Here she comes!” Owen whisper-shouted to the two leaving them to approach the staircase that the girls were descending. Being the southern gentleman he was, he offered an arm to Maddie as she descended the last few steps.

“I will never understand how girls in the movies make it look like walking down stairs in heels is the easiest thing in the world!” She scoffed, gladly taking Owen’s hand in hers. Savannah and Tori giggled behind her, being used to wearing heels on more than one occasion. The staff at Netflix were throwing a formal evening party to celebrate the success of Julie and the Phantoms. The series had been a hit! This meant that the production budget was increased and so were the possibilities of the show. The entire cast and production crew, old and new, were invited to the event in LA as they were close to starting the filming of season 2. Naturally, Charlie brought Teagan as his date, while Jeremy brought Carolynn. The rest of the Julie and the Phantoms cast decided not to bring someone else as their plus one, but everyone knew it was going to be an amazing night. Everyone was dressed in their evening best and Charlie was surprised at how well everyone cleaned up, but he wasn’t prepared to see Teagan and Carolynn descend the staircase last. Charlie could tell you were nervous when Carolynn whispered something to help ease the tension in your shoulders. Teagan wore a modest high neck a-line floor length emerald gown with a beaded bodice that faded into the bottom half of the dress. She wore her hair in a simple elegant side bun with soft curls framing her face, making her look more radiant than ever. Charlie was glad that she got ready with the other girls because although she looked absolutely stunning, he could still tell that it was Teagan. Her makeup wasn’t too overpowering, but wasn’t too simple either, and her dress complimented her beautifully.

��“Charlie?” her voice brought him out from his day dream and admiration. “Is it too much?” she bit her lips slightly, an action that made Charlie’s heart swell but also tempted him to take you back to the apartment for an evening between the two of you.

“What? Are you crazy? You look stunning!” He kissed your cheek gently, placing his hand on the small of your back. “You make me look like an attendant” he chuckled. Charlie almost felt sheepish standing next to you in his black suit and bowtie. 

“Nonsense, you’re handsome as always” she kissed him on the nose, wiping off some of the lipstick that rubbed off on your nose.

“S’excuse me! The limo is waiting!” Maddie interrupted their flattery exchange, and with a smile Charlie extended his arm out to Teagan, escorting her to the limo with the rest of the group. That evening was filled with laughter and smiles as everyone dined and danced the night away. However, the night didn’t end when everyone left the event to go galavanting on the Malibu beach at midnight. At this point, nobody cared about dirtying their clothes as everyone was too lost in the fun and was comforted in the fact that Owen reminded us of drycleaning. They cherished each other’s company as the girls walked barefooted on the sand with shoes in hand, the guys with their suit jackets over their shoulders. As everyone played “What are the odds” on the beach, Teagan watched Charlie quickly dash into the wave to quickly dash out, now half wet. Teagan watched a brief moment of panic cross his face, to relief wash over him, and nerves reach his eyes. As Owen declared a giant game of tag, Teagan sat out on a big piece of driftwood, Charlie joining her. His mind drifted to when he had asked her father for her hand in marriage...

***

Charlie’s palms were wet with sweat and his body was buzzing with nerves. He took a deep breath before pressing the doorbell alerting the residents of his presence. Teagan’s mom answered the door, a slight look of surprise and confusion on her face at the man at their front door.

“Charlie? What are you doing here? Come on in!” she ushered him in quickly as the rain had began to fall outside, giving him a big hug as he entered. Like any good host, she brought him to the table and insisted he sit, momentarily leaving him to grab a cup of tea and snacks from the kitchen. “I didn’t expect company anak! Sorry about my clothing”

“You look fine Mrs. Valencia!” he smiled, trying to hide his nervousness and thanking her as she placed home baked filipino snacks in front of him with a cup of green tea. “These look delicious!” he enthused as he took a bite, and he probably would’ve enjoyed them more, if his stomach wasn’t so busy doing summersaults.

“So how are you? What’s going on?” Mrs. Valencia had a way of soothing Charlie with her motherliness. She reminded him of his mother at times and that brought him comfort. “I thought you weren’t coming until tomorrow?”

This was the big weekend that Teagan would officially be moving to live with Charlie for good in LA. She had gotten the promotion she had worked hard for and Netflix offered her a bigger role with the marketing team in the US. When Teagan was first promoted, she would fly down for weeks at a time but it quickly came up in conversation that it didn’t make sense to pay rent for a place she barely lived in.

“I-uh wanted to surprise Teagan a day in advance, but she doesn’t know I’m here yet” at this information, Mrs. Valencia cocked an eyebrow, now curious and slightly suspicious of this secret visit. “Is Mr. Valencia home too?” Charlie knew the man was retired and rarely left the house without his wife. She nodded and went to fetch him which felt like an eternity to him as he sat there in the silence of their dining room. His leg began to bounce restlessly and he played with the snack in front of him until he heard footsteps approaching. He took a deep breath as Teagan’s dad walked into the room.

“Charlie! What are you doing here?!” her dad’s voice boomed in the house moving to give him a hug. Charlie gave him a hug and a smile as well, sitting down in his original spot, while he father sat across from him and her mother in between the both of them. “I thought you were coming tomorrow?”

“I wanted to surprise Teagan and uh talk to you two, actually” he felt the nerves rising in his throat and started to fidget in his seat. He could see Mrs. Valencia perk up and become excited, but he could also see Mr. Valencia become serious, the big smile now disappearing. “Teagan and I have been together for three years and you have an amazing daughter.” He hated how his voice was shaky and that he was stuttering, but still he persisted. There was no backing down now. “She has been the best thing that has happened to me and I know that I haven’t always been the best for her, but I can’t see my future without her” For some reason, the more the thought about Teagan and how much he loved her, the stronger his voice felt. “She has made me a better person and I’ve been so blessed to have her a part of my life. So before I take your daughter to come live with me in LA, I wanted to ask the both of you a question about a decision I have been ready to make for a while.” Charlie sat up straighter. “I love Teagan more than words can explain and I know how much it would mean to her that I ask you both before asking her” He took a deep breath.

“Do I have your blessing to ask Teagan to be my wife?”

The silence was thick and tense. Mrs. Valencia was tearing up, looking at her husband. Mr. Valencia folded his hands in front of him, bowing his head. 

“Do you swear to take care of my daughter, no matter what?” Charlie didn’t know he was holding his breath until Mr. Valencia asked him this question.

“On my life sir” and with a nod, Mr. Valencia sat back in his chair, a happy but sad smile on his face.

“You have our blessing”.

***

“Y’alright?” Teagan looked at him with light concern in her eyes, interrupting him from his thoughts.

“Yeah why?” Charlie chuckled but avoided eye contact, sending Teagan warning signs that something was up. Teagan eyed him carefully in silence as he looked onwards to his friends running around. She then noticed that occasionally her friends would glance over to them in their game of tag. Maybe they knew something that she didn’t?

“Nothing... It’s just... You seem tense and I don’t think I’m the only who notices” she expressed nodding her head over at their friends. Charlie shifted weight from side to side and chuckled softly to himself. Teagan was going to drop the topic but quickly changed her mind when Charlie’s face adorned a deep pensive seriousness. Teagan began to worry that something heavy was bothering him.

“You know I tell you everything right?” Charlie looked her in the eyes and she desperately tried to read the man to find some sort of comfort to her increasing worry. She nodded and he grabbed her hand in his taking a deep breath, steadying himself. “Do you trust me? Because what I have to tell you will radically change things for our future”. His eyes expressed a worried sincerity and Teagan began to think the worse. Had he cheated? Was he breaking up with her? But things had been so good! Or was there something more?

“Charles Jeffrey Gillespie, tu m'inquiètes. What’s going on?” she started to wring her hands together, a nervous tick that came out when her anxiety started rising. Charlie knelt in front of her between her legs, looking down taking a deep breath. When he looked back up at her, his eyes seemed glossy and watery and hot needles started to prick at Teagan’s skin as her heart rate increased. He held her hand in his and took another deep breath, opening and closing his mouth a few times.

“I don’t know how else to say this without coming flat out and saying it. I want you to know that I love you with my entire being and there is no one else on this earth that I would rather be with. You accept me despite my major flaws and you forgive me even when I don’t deserve it. I am truly grateful that you are the person for me” Teagan’s face remained frozen, bracing herself for whatever news had gotten her boyfriend so distraught. She was so focused on his words and his every breath, that she didn’t notice their friends creeping up on them with their phones out, filming. She didn’t notice Charlie reach into his damp pocket to pull out a small damp box. She didn’t notice him open the box and present it to her. She felt utterly confused when Charlie smiled at her with misty eyes and said “Will you do me the honour of being my wife and marry me?”

Immediately, tears came rushing out of Teagan’s eyes, emotions crashing into her in waves. All she could do was utter a “Yes”, hold his face in her hands and kiss him. The cheer of their friends erupted at her reply as the two of them kissed. Charlie broke the kiss to place the ring on her finger, kissing her hand and looking at her with pure love in his eyes. More tears came to her eyes as she realized the ring on her hand was the same ring her grandfather had used to propose to her grandmother and the same ring that her father had used to propose to her mother. Charlie gave her a knowing smile and stood up with her, laughing as she smacked him on the chest before hugging him.

“I thought you were going to tell me something really bad! Tu m’as inquiété! Sérieusement!" she laughed and chastised through the tears that were slowly coming to a halt. As they hugged, their friends came closer and approached them, offering their hugs and congratulations. No one could ruin the happiness present on the beach that evening as the both of them began their journey towards Mr. & Mrs. Gillespie.

[imanativeofswlondondahling]

Becoming A Stark? (2) Peter Parker x Stark! femReader

A/N: In celebration of finishing a class that has literally been six weeks of hell, I thought why not post chapter two. I had a blast writing this chapter because I love Natasha. Anyway, enjoy, and as always, let me know if you want to be tagged or your thoughts:)

Word count: 4596

Warnings: swearing, think that’s it

Chapter One (If You Missed It) || Master List 

You’ve been staring at the ceiling for hours. You had told Tony you were heading to bed at ten, mainly because you couldn’t stand him looking at you any more, especially since he looked at you like you were going to disappear most of the time. It was straight up creepy. Add to everything, you’re starving. A grumbly stomach and a mind that doesn’t want to shut off makes it impossible to go to sleep. You check Wallace and you’re sitting at 136, which isn’t surprising since you didn’t really eat anything but veggies at dinner since Tony didn’t realize that you were vegetarian so there wasn’t much besides veggies that you could eat of the food that Steve had made. You need real food though or you’re never going to sleep. In your mind you trace through how to get to the kitchen and you think you can get there without getting lost or waking up the other Avengers. 

Opening your door, you peak your head out just to see if you spy anyone down the hallway. Seeing the coast is clear, you step softly onto the floor outside your door, almost waiting for an alarm to go off yelling that you’re leaving your room. But after a few heartbeats thudding in your ears and nothing happening, you decide to make your way down the steps to the kitchen. “Jarvis?” You whisper.

“Yes, Miss Y/N?” The voice booms over the speakers that you haven’t seen.

“Shhhh. Take it down a few levels. And turn the lights on in the kitchen.”

“Certainly Miss Y/N.” The lights are blinding after being in your room in the dark for so long.

“Jarvis, dim the lights by uh 75%.”

“Certainly Miss Y/N.” The lights drop drastically and you feel more comfortable. Walking to the pantry, you look for something easy to make. There are ingredients for fancier dishes that you have no patience to make, so instead you reach for a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, and then make your way to the fridge to look for jelly. Setting your ingredients on the counter, you grab a paper towel to make your sandwich on before setting on your way of making your sandwich. 

“Midnight snack? Or well two am snack?” A voice suddenly comes from the other side of the island and you nearly jump out of your skin.

“Jesus fucking Christ.” Your hand slams to your chest as you knife clatters to the counter. “Do you try to scare people to death?”

“To be fair you did move in with an ex-assassin.” Natasha says with a soft smile as she sits down on the bar stool across from where you stand. 

“It wasn’t by choice.”

“I had a feeling.” Natasha’s red hair is pulled into a low ponytail. Her eyes rome over you, seeing the bits of Tony that are in you even though you didn’t know you were related until this morning.

“Want a sandwich?” You offer, trying not to be rude. The other Avengers, you don’t have anything against personally. Just the one who stripped you from your house with his fatherly claim.

“If your sugars are low, I’m not taking your food away from you.” Natasha holds up her hands, trying to show she comes in peace.

“Is there anyone he didn’t tell I’m diabetic to?” You roll your eyes as you slide the sandwich in her direction, grabbing another paper towel to make another. “Wallace says I’m fine for now. I can make another.”

“Wallace?”

“My blood sugar monitor. It’s actually called a Dexcom, but I named it Wallace so that I can say things like Goddamn it Wallace when he wakes me up in the middle of the night. My pump is named Queenie. I think it’s more personal when they have names.”

“I like it.” Natasha lets a small smile escape her as she takes a bite of the sandwich you made. “And to answer your question, he told us all the emergency information about it that your grandmother shared with him. He just wanted all of us to be prepared in case we’re here and he’s not. But if you feel better we can not mention it.”

“It’s fine. It’s been a part of my life as long as I can remember.”

“He’ll probably try to invent something to make your life easier.”

“Seeing as his last thing to make my life easier stripped me of everything I’ve ever known, I’ll turn down that option.” You say with a sneer.

“He means well. Tony just doesn’t always think everything through before he acts.”

“That doesn’t make it any better.” You finish making your sandwich and after throwing the knife in the sink, you enter the carbs into Queenie.

“It doesn’t, but don’t hate him just yet ok?” 

“Fine.” Natasha leads you to the couch, where you and her sit, talking for what feels like hours about trivial things until you fall asleep. She wraps a blanket around you, then falls asleep next to you. 

Waking up in the morning feels different for Tony. For starters, it’s his first full day of being a dad, even if said kid hates him. True yesterday was probably his first full day, but today is the first full day of having you under his roof. Leaving his room, he makes his way towards the kitchen, thinking he’ll check in on you on his way to get coffee. However when he finds an open door and an empty bed, his heart starts racing. Not even 24 hours into this and he’s lost his kid. “JARVIS find Y/N.”

“Miss Y/N is in the living room.” Are you that early of a riser that you are up at 6:30 on a summer day? Like he himself is only up because he has an idea for your pump that he wants to work on. Bypassing the kitchen and coffee, he makes his way to the living room, needing to calm his heart down. What he finds is not what he’s expecting. The sight in front of him is you, wrapped in a white knitted blanket curled into the side of the deadliest assassin in the world. But you were asleep and safe, that’s what matters. He tries to steady his heart before turning back towards the kitchen, not wanting to wake you yet, since he wasn’t sure when you actually went to sleep. Looking in the sink as he passed to grab a coffee mug, he spies a knife with peanut butter and jelly smeared along the tip. He’s going to have to figure out what you eat since you don’t eat meat. Steve has been cooking for everyone a lot, but with you not eating animals and him cooking a lot of meat and potato meals, there needs to be a compromise. Tony will figure something out, it’s the fatherly thing to do.

Filling a coffee cup up with the liquid he was craving, he starts to type up some of the ideas he had on his Stark Phone so that he can get the ideas down without having to go all the way down to the lab. With you sleeping on the couch, this is the closest you’ve been to him without a grimace plastered on your face since he met you.

“Sir, you said to alert you if Miss Y/N went below 100.” JARVIS’s voice speaks out. 

“The actual fuck.” Your voice fills the kitchen as you pad into it from the living room. Tony spins around to look at his daughter, the knit blanket wrapped around your shoulders.

“What?”

“You have your AI monitoring my blood sugar?” You spat out before Tony can respond.

“JARVIS monitors a lot of things for me.”

“That’s fucking creepy. And also you have it set way too high. There’s nothing to do if it’s at 100. That’s a good blood sugar. Have Dexcom send you alerts to your phone like a fucking normal person.” You turn and storm out of the kitchen. You had been used to constant monitoring when you were a kid. But you had been allowed to be the person watching your sugars for years. Having an AI watching your sugars was too much.

You throw your book, your headphones and your wallet into your backpack before pulling on a pair of ripped jean shorts and a black graphic t-shirt that says ‘Sorry I’m Late I Didn’t Want To Come’. Slipping on a pair of galaxy high top converse that you love and sliding a pair of black and gold could have been Ray Bans if you had the money into your hair, you figure that if you slip out the back end of the hallway, Tony won’t see you leave. Checking Queenie before you walk out the door, you have plenty of insulin so you’ll spend the day out of the eye of your overbearing father and in the city you love. Peaking your head out you see no one out in the hall, not even Natasha. So you slink down the hallway towards the elevator and get on it without anyone noticing. “Jarvis, take me to the ground floor.” You wait for him to say no, but are surprised.

“Certainly Miss Y/N.” Once on the ground floor you pull the sunglasses down, already seeing that there are a few vultures waiting with cameras outside. But when they see it’s just a kid and not one of the Avengers, they let you walk on by without snapping anything. Taking your phone out of your pocket you type a quick message in your group chat to your two best friends, letting them know you’re taking a day off of social media and texting before flipping your phone to airplane mode. No creepy AIs for you today. 

Taking your metro card and headphones out of your backpack, you make your way towards the closest station. If you hop the four or the five train you could head to your favorite coffee shop and even hit up The Strand before making a next move. Swiping your card, you hear the sounds of a train pulling into the station.

Tony throws the screw drive across the bench in frustration. Maybe Y/N was right. Maybe having JARVIS monitoring your sugars was too much, but he doesn’t know how to be any other way. Especially when his child that he’s only known about for two days has a life or death condition. “JARVIS what’s Y/N’s blood sugar?” 

“I don’t know sir. I can’t read it.”

“What?” His project is forgotten, his child the only though in his mind.

“Her phone isn’t connected to the internet.” And your monitor has to link through the internet to connect to JARVIS.

“Is there something wrong with the internet?”

“No. Internet is functioning at 100%.”

“So why is her phone not connected to it?”

“I can not say sir.” Tony pushes away from the bench and makes his way up the stairs to see why your phone isn’t connected to the internet. He looks in the kitchen for you before looking in the living room. He finds only Clint on the couch.

“Have you seen Y/N?”

“Not today. Maybe she’s in her room?” Tony turns and moves quickly through the kitchen and up the stairs, finding your door open. He moves down the hallway to Natasha’s room, hoping she might know where you are. He pounds on the door. 

“What?” The response is short as the door is pried open.

“Y/N, have you seen her?”

“Not since this morning. Why?” Ignoring her, Tony calls out for JARVIS. 

“JARVIS, where is Y/N?”

“Miss Y/N left the tower at 9:46 this morning.”

“Why was I not told?”

“You didn’t ask to be told.”

“Tony, do you think she went home?”

“Maybe? I don’t know. I can’t get a reading on her blood sugars though.” Tony is pacing in the hallway. “What if she’s hurt?” 

“JARVIS can you override her phone?” Natasha asks, not counting on it.

“No I can not. It is not a Stark Phone.”

“That changes immediately.” Tony mutters, but Natasha ignores him. Instead she pulls out her laptop.

“JARVIS can you pull up the security camera footage from the front door from when Y/N left?”

“Of course. I’ll send it to your computer.” The images of Y/N sauntering past the paparazzi, smirking as she pulls her sunglasses on makes Natasha let go of a breathy laugh. She watches as you walk towards the downtown subway station.

“She’s not heading home?” Tony says looking at the screen.

“She’s not?” Natasha asks.

“Her grandparents live in Queens. She wouldn’t take a downtown train to go home.” Natasha hits some keys and runs your face through some camera recognition until she finds where you get off, but shuts the laptop before Tony can see where you got off. “Natasha-”

“If I let you see where she went, you two will get in a screaming match in the middle of the street. Is that really how you want the world to find out that Tony Stark has a child?”

“At least get her to turn her phone on so I can see she’s not dying?”

“I’ll try.”

When you read, you fall so deeply into a book that you don’t have to even think about it. Hours pass, coffee is drunk, and the day rolls away from you. The argument, if you could even call it, with Tony seems days ago now. You’ve always loved the atmosphere of The Bean and would stay there for days if they didn’t have to lock up at times. Turning the page, you push Tony from your head, and just focus on your music. You could live in this moment forever, but out of the corner of your eye you notice a redhead sitting down at your table. Glancing up, you shouldn’t be totally surprised that Natasha found you. “I know you’re an assassin, but like stalking is a crime,” You say as you pull the earbuds from your ears.

“Tracking a runaway here, not stalking.” Natasha says softly as she places fresh coffee in front of the two of you. 

“I didn’t run away. I just needed to get out of that tower. It was suffocating me.” You say as you pick up the cup sitting in front of you.

“You turned your phone off.”

“I didn’t turn it off. I put it on airplane mode.” You can’t help but smile.

“Tony thinks you’re lying passed out on the side of the road because he can’t read your blood sugars.”

“Well let him live like that for a bit. He deserves it after programming his AI to shout my BGs all over the tower.”

“You know Tony doesn’t check his phone right? JARVIS is his phone essentially. So telling him to just send notifications to his phone wouldn’t do much different than having JARVIS tell him stuff.” Natasha reaches a hand across the table to grasp yours. “He’s trying.”

“He’s suffocating me.”

“It’s going to take him a few tries before he gets this right. He could have flown out here in his Iron Man suit to make sure you were still alive. Pretty sure that’s what he wanted to do.”

“Ugh, no! That’s worse than having you stalking me here.”

“Again, not stalking. This was a recovery mission.” Natasha takes a sip from her own mug. “So you going to come home or am I going to have to kidnap you to bring you home?”

“I still have things to get done today.” You say with a non committal shrug.

“Y/N, you’re fourteen. You have to at least tell your guardian when you’re going to run around New York City.”

“He doesn’t even-”

“Don’t say he didn’t care before yesterday, because that’s not fair to either of you. He didn’t know about you before forty eight hours ago. I was there when he got the call.” You think back to last night when Tony introduced Natasha as Nat and things start to make a lot more sense. 

“If you were there, tell me about it.” You say, finally marking your page in the book and setting it aside.

“He was pretty shocked to say the least. He was confused on why a school was calling him, but then to be told it was his daughter’s school, well he basically went into shock. He was listening to them talk about you while I tried to find out what I could about you. When we hung up he shot into a Tony rant about needing to find you and know you. To not be like Howard and to show you that he was going to be there for you.”

“Who’s Howard?” You ask, not following.

“Your grandfather, Tony’s dad. But if you want to know more about him, you’ll have to talk to him.” Natasha takes another sip of her coffee.

“What happened after his rant?”

“He spent most of the night on the phone with his lawyers. Trying to figure out the best plan of attack and what to do for you. Also spent a fair amount of time talking with Pepper about the situation.”

“Who’s Pepper?”

“His girlfriend, but also the CEO of SI.”

“He’s dating his CEO?”

“Technically they were dating before she became CEO. She’s put up with a lot of his shit before and after being placed in the position.”

“Why?”

“Because she loves him.” Natasha says it like it’s an easy answer. “Maybe you should talk with her when you have a chance. She knows that Tony isn’t easy to talk to but he’s worth it more than any of us.”

“Maybe.” You take a sip from your coffee, not wanting to admit that meeting your new to you father’s girlfriend wasn’t something that you were all that interested in.

“You don’t have to decide right now, but you’ll probably meet her eventually.”

“If it happens, it happens I guess.”

“You’d like her I think.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because she doesn’t put up with Tony’s shit either.” Not wanting to hear about Tony much more you shrug. 

“Do you want to see my favorite place in the whole city?” Natasha doesn’t ignore the fact that you’re changing the topic, but nods. You throw your book in your backpack, along with your earbuds, before swallowing the last bit of your coffee. “Come on! It’s right over here.” You motion for her to follow. Across the street, the red banner awaits you. You ignore the carts sitting by the door, wanting to show Natasha the inside beauty of The Strand.

“Wow, you know who would love this place? Steve.” Natasha says as she looks at the shelves that line the walls. Thousands of books fill the store and you could take hours looking at each and everyone.

“My Pops brought me here when I was like six and I’ve been coming here ever since. It’s the best place to find amazing books.” 

“Where do you start looking?”

“Queer YA, always.” You answer without a second thought. “They always have something I haven’t read waiting there for me.”

“Lead the way.” Natasha motions forward, towards the rest of the store, not knowing where that would be, but is willing to follow you.

“Really? I’m not going to force you into seeing what I look at-”

“I want to see the things you’re interested in.” Natasha lets off a soft smile, similar to the ones she had given you last night when talking with you on the couch and you decide to just trust her.

“It’s upstairs.”

“Let’s go.” She follows you up the winding staircase towards the YA section. Even though both of you could have easily made jokes about the Avenger end cap that was meant to inspire reading about ‘Heroes Just Like You’, neither of you point it out as you walk towards the Queer YA table. Looking at the table, it’s easy to fall into the habit of looking at books and picking up ones that interest you- Love Simon, Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe, The Disasters, More Happy Than Not, Every Day, Darius The Great Is Not Ok,and so many others. Natasha eventually takes the books from your arms so you can pick up more.

“I need to pair down. I can’t afford all of these.” You say looking at the pile that has accumulated in her arms.

“Tony can. It’s fine. Ready to pay and head home?” Natasha asks.

“Wait what? I’m not letting him buy these.” You say defensively.

“It’s ok Y/N. You’re his kid and the price of these are pocket change to him.” She starts to make her way towards the staircase to head downstairs to pay.

“Natasha, no. I’ve known him for less than twenty four hours.

“He honestly would demand to pay for them if he was here. I promise, it’s ok.” Natasha steps down the first couple of stairs. “You coming? Or are there more books you want?”

“I’m done.” You say, not wanting her to purchase more stuff in Tony’s name. During the checkout process, you find yourself unable to find your voice as the total just climbs. The number is higher than you’ve ever seen it. Nana and Pops never would have let you spend this much money, but Natasha swipes a black credit card without second thought. You have a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach because of it. That much money could have paid for your Nana’s medicine for a month. And as much as you want the books, you know so many other people it could have actually helped and to Tony it was no big deal to drop this amount of money on this stack of books. 

Walking outside of the Strand, you turn to make your way back to the four train when Natasha catches your arm. “This way Y/N.”

“The subway’s this way.” You point down the street.

“Happy’s picking us up.” You don’t say anything, but follow her. Private chauffeur when you have a perfectly working metro card makes no sense. You’ve been using the metro since you were a child, so stopping now makes no sense to you. Honestly, even though there can be weirdos on the subway, you love the feeling of the train moving beneath you. It’s a part of being at home. But maybe this is part of Tony’s whole not touching things that he doesn’t like public transportation? All you have to do is make it through the next two weeks of summer and then you’ll be back at school and hopefully he’ll cool off.

“Romanoff, Y/N.” Happy opens the door for the two of you to slide into the back seat. Natasha gives him that tight smile. And before you know it you’re in the elevator headed back up to the suffocating hellhole that is the tower. You shouldn’t be surprised to see that Tony is waiting for you when you step off the elevator.

“Never, ever shut your phone off like that again.” You roll your eyes, but start to walk away from him. “We’re not done talking Y/N.”

“I’m going to my room. Or is that not allowed now?”

“We’re having a conversation about the fact that you left without telling anyone and that you shut off a major communication device, so no you may not leave right now.” Tony’s face gets red as his anger enters his voice.

“I’ll put these in your room.  I think you and Tony need to talk Y/N.” Natasha lifts the bag of books as well as takes the backpack from you. Instead of running to your room like you want to, you slam onto the couch, knowing that even if you did leave to go to your room, Tony would probably follow you.

“I know you’re not ecstatic about this new living situation, but we have to put some ground rules in place.”

“Ecstatic is the last word I would use to describe this.” You motion between Tony and yourself. “You’re treating me like I have no clue how to deal with the disease that I have been dealing with since I was four on top of the fact that you won’t let me walk around the city that I have lived in and traveled in since I was a child. You’re treating me like I’m new to all of this when really the only new thing here is you to my life.”

“Ok maybe I’m not handling your diabetes well. And I’ll work on that. But what you’re not understanding is that you are no longer Y/N Y/L/N. You’re Y/N Stark and there are a lot of people who would do anything to get their hands on you. Which means you can’t just wander the streets of New York without at least telling us where you went and shutting your phone off because it’s a safety issue. If you get hurt, that’s on me. And I’m not letting that happen.”

“People don’t want to get their hands on me. I’m a nobody.” You scoff.

“You’re the heir of Stark Industries. That doesn’t make you a nobody.” Tony runs a hand through his hair. “I didn’t explain that well enough but on your eighteenth birthday you come into a large fortune and then on your twenty first birthday or on the completion of college, whichever comes first, you have the opportunity to take over SI. That puts a large target on your back and I’m sorry about that, but I’m not sorry that I’m going to put your safety first.”

“I don’t want to run Stark Industries.” You say, the disgust at the idea filling your mouth.

“Then we will figure something out, but right now, keeping you safe is my number one concern. So you can not leave the tower without Happy. No more metro hopping, no teenage angsty storming out of the building, and 1000% no turning off your phone so I can’t read your blood sugars. Also your new phone will be here tomorrow.”

“What new phone? My phone works fine.” You casually don’t mention that you’ve had the same phone for three years, but that it’s worked just fine that whole time.

“I can’t have you using competitors’ products. You’re getting a Stark Phone tomorrow.”

“You just want it so your tech can override my settings.” You imply with a scoff.

“Not at all. I can’t have you running around with competitors’ products, especially when it’s being announced on Monday that I have a daughter.”

“What? Why?”

“Because there’s only so many times you can be seen leaving the Tower before people get suspicious. Plus Monday gives Pepper and the legal team to pull together an official statement from SI too.” You drop your head into your hands. “Talk to me kiddo. What’s with the defeated look?”

“We can’t wait until school at least starts?”

“Pep thinks the sooner we announce it the better.”

“Yeah well she never had to go to high school a week after it was announced that she was Tony Stark’s kid and the supposed to be inheritor of SI. I’ll never have a life again. I haven’t even told my friends yet.”

“You have time. Invite them over. They can come over for dinner tomorrow or something.”

“Ugh, fine.”

tags:  @persephonehemingway  @iamaunicorn4704  @furiouspockettoad  @daughter-of-stark  @eternalharry  @huntective-kyeo

[manggojooz]

Foolish Love, Fake Love (Part 4)

pairing: idol!Jungkook x bodyguard!reader

word count: ~2,800

genre: idol!au; angst; romance; drama; enemies to lovers sort of thing

warnings: none

previous part: Prologue | Part 1 | Part 2 |  Part 3

summary: If all you can give me is a fake love, then I will be the fool to pretend that it is all true.

Taglist: @a-hopelessly-imaginative-girl​ @dollwithluv​ 

Sejoon bursts through the door, “Y/N? Y/N?”, he calls out.  

Yuri jolts awake from her napping on the table, flailing a little from the sudden movement.  

You were sitting at one of the dressing tables in the room. Sejoon runs up to you and sees the contract lying in front of you.

“Have you signed it?”, he picks it up to flip through to the last page.  

“Yah”, you answered soullessly. In your mind the scene of you signing the contract flashes again.

“Signed what?”, Yuri asks in her stupor and appears behind Sejoon to take a peep at the document he was holding.  

“Great, I will hand this over before Director Lee throws a fit again”, Sejoon quickly folds the papers in half and walks out of the room

Yuri’s eyes trace Sejoon’s steps as he walked briskly out the room, “... So what was it?”  

“It’s nothing, just some schedules and stuff”, you just smiled, not wanting to let Yuri know about the contract.  

Yuri eyes you suspiciously, you swallow dryly, wondering if she is about to ask a difficult question. You were never a particularly good liar.  

“Must be some secret stuff between Jungkook and you huh? I get it... I won’t ask”, she smiled cheekily. You let out an awkward laughter in response.  

---

The days that followed all just felt like one very very long day. If not for Yuri mentioning that it’s the third day since the scandal broke out you might have thought that that day would just never end.  

“We are here, guys”, Sejoon said from the front of the car.  

The moment you stepped out of the well-polished black van, it was a flurry of flashlight, screaming and squeezing all over again.  

Unlike the rest of the bodyguards, Yuri and you would loosely follow the boys as they made their way into the building, trying to appear to be “staff members”.  

As you trudged along behind the entourage, you heard a few whispers near you, “Did you get a photo of her? She’s the one, the girl at the back wearing a black shirt.”  

BH Entertainment has been diligent in trying to get the media to not reveal your face in the news reports and photos but the Internet isn’t exactly somewhere you go to keep secrets.  

The boys had already made it safely into the event hall and just before you reached the doorstep you walked past a group of rowdy girls, one of them stuck out her feet, tripping you. As you fell forward and crouched on the floor, you heard a voice above you uttering a swear word, followed by a number of people lamenting, “Is it really her?”, “I can’t believe it”, “Jungkook can do so much better”. Actually, some of these were probably just voices in your head. You really should stay away from reading any more of those comments online.   

You closed your eyes but allowed Yuri to help you up. “It will all die down soon...”, you comforted yourself, “... just endure a little longer...”, and you finally walked through the doors into a quietness, “... it’ll all be nothing in a few more days.”  

The boys had already begun their filming, Yuri decided to grab a quick bite at the convenient store nearby and dragged you along. You knew she was trying to cheer you up the moment she came out of the store with your favourite drink in her hand.  

Both of you sat sluggishly on the plastic chairs outside the convenient store, Yuri softly munching on her sandwich. A breeze passes by, and you felt a queer sensation – a tingling. Your head instinctively turned towards the corner of the street. It felt as if someone was just there, staring at you, but now that you are looking, there was no one.  

“What’s wrong?”, Yuri asked.

“Felt like someone was over there watching us”, you muttered, “Did you see?”  

“Didn’t see anyone...”, Yuri replied, busy chewing on the second half of her snack.  

---

Finally another day was over, by the time you reached the apartment it was close to midnight. You were almost prepared to fight with Yuri for the shower but the sofa looked too inviting and you succumbed to it instead.  

The doorbell rings just as Yuri enters the shower and you very reluctantly dragged yourself up from the couch that was engulfing you. The person who stood outside the door was definitely not someone you wanted to see at this time.  

---

“Where are we going?”, you asked, speeding along the road in Jungkook’s black SUV.  

“I have to go meet someone”, he answers unmindfully.  

“At this time? Why do I need to come along?”, you probed.  

He swerves the car to the kerb, and you tense up visibly.  

“I’m going to watch a movie with Yeonjoo, it is easier to have you around because if any of those people who call themselves the ‘media’ end up catching any photos of us, then I can just explain that I was watching the movie with you”, he explained very succintly, not mincing any of his words.  

To have your role explained so indiscreetly to your face was not something you needed after all that had happened. You wanted to say something but there it was again, your inability to find your voice.  

Maybe he felt a little awful too. “Alright fine, it was not cool to just drag you out without telling you where we were going. I’ll give you one chance then. You can choose to walk away now if you want to.”, he waited for about two seconds, “It's now or never, Fake-Love-nim...", he spat impatiently.  

Another long pause ensued.  

Jungkook sighed and turned to face you. “We are both stuck in this situation... which will last for a while. Let's try to make it a win-win, ok? You come along when I have to meet her, so it wouldn’t blow your cover and Director Lee wouldn’t ask you for all that money back for breaching the contract... and I get to meet her. Look, you have nothing to lose. Right?”, he ended with a persuasive smile.

“Right...”, you said listlessly. He was about to step on the accelerator with a smirk of satisfaction when you suddenly continued, “... but technically if you get caught by the paparazzies for meeting Yeonjoo, it wouldn’t be my fault, so I wouldn’t have breached the contract. There’s not much in it for me.”

Jungkook bites his lower lip in annoyance, disliking your quick uptake on the situation.  

“Look, I promised to watch the movie with her before all this happened. Let’s just say I am asking you for a favour, alright?”, his teeth were gritted together. “... And you ought to know that having someone like me owe you a favour, is rather... I wouldn’t say a really great thing... but it will definitely be worth more than just these 3 hours of your time.”  

Granted, it doesn’t hurt to have him owe you a favour. Satisfied enough with this wrangling, you nodded your head to concur, “Deal. You owe me one then.”

---

You were peering over Jungkook’s shoulders at the ticketing office. The manager was very chummy with Jungkook, at one point you were sure you heard Jungkook call him “hyung”.  

“I’ll get the show ready, you can just head over to the private hall now, do you want some popcorn?”, the cinema manager asked as all of you walked out towards the theatres.  

“Of course, there must be popcorn for a movie”, Jungkook winked.

Another cinema employee came along to lead Jungkook and you into a cozy theatre. It only had around fifty seats, spread out over five rows. The experience was so surreal and you wondered if this is how celebrities catch movies. After all, it’s not as if they could just walk into any other public showing without being mobbed.  

But you always liked watching movies in a crowded theatre. Hearing everyone sigh, laugh, cry and sometimes cheer together is part of the experience, isn’t it? You were in the midst of feeling a tinge of pity for them missing out on all this, when Jungkook casually asks, “You are ok with horror movies, right?”  

Your eyes widened in shock, given that this whole time you had not bothered to ask what movie they were watching.  

“I can’t... watch horror”, you stuttered.  

“What? Aren’t you a bodyguard? How can you be afraid of horror movies?”, Jungkook chuckles sarcastically.  

“What has this got to do with my occupation? And do you think we are supposed to protect you from supernatural things too? We are BODYGUARDS, not SHAMANS!”, you responded way too agitatedly.  

“How would I know a grown ass human like you would be scared of horror shows? Why are you yelling at me?”, Jungkook shouted back.  

“I will just wait outside”, you mumbled with a frown and turn to walk up the stairs of the aisle.  

Jungkook immediately grabs your arm and yanks you back, causing you to stumble back down one step. You instinctively grabbed his collar with your other hand to prevent yourself from falling.  

When you came back to your senses, Jungkook’s face was literally mere centimetres away from yours. His hand still holding your arm and you were grabbing steadfast onto his collar.  

“What are you doing?”, he asked expressionlessly, “let go of my collar.”  

“You let go first”, you demanded.  

He rolls his eyes and releases your arm with a little push, and you too unclasped your fist over his jacket.  

“How are you planning to wait outside? It's this late at night and the story is that I came to the cinema with you... but you end up waiting outside? Do you have the confidence not to be caught by any paparazzi?”, he questioned.  

You had little confidence. Everything else in the mall was closed by now. Where could you possibly wait for this to be over?  

Jungkook took something out from the back pocket of his jeans, “Just sit at the back and listen to some music, or sleep, or play a game... or just... watch some videos... do whatever you want”, he commanded as he hands you a pair of earphones.  

It was your turn to roll your eyes and just as you were begrudgingly swiping the earphones from his palms, the VIP of the night arrives.  

“Jungkook”, she called out sweetly as she walked down the steps.  

Her long hazel-coloured hair and floral-printed shawl swished from side to side as she strutted towards him. She approached him and seeing them facing each other, you couldn’t help but hear the words repeat in your mind, “Jungkook can do so much better.”  

Yeonjoo smiles and greeted you, “I heard you would be joining us tonight. Sorry to make you come out this late at night, but we can hardly watch a movie other than at this kind of ungodly hours.”  

“She’s not really joining us”, Jungkook said as he flicked his head towards the back of the cinema, signalling to you to make your way up already.  

Yeonjoo and Jungkook sat in the middle of the third row of seats, a box of popcorn resting in between them and soon after the theatre turns dark.  

You plugged the earphones into your phone, trying your best to focus on the music blasting into your ears. The theatre was freezing cold and it was almost impossible for your mind to keep quiet with all the music and noises seeping into your ears.  

Eventually you opened your eyes and the first thing you saw was Yeonjoo, eyes peeled on the scenes running through on the huge screen. You looked beside her and Jungkook was there, stuffing a few popcorns into his mouth, his eyes staring intently at her instead of the movie. It was difficult to comprehend that they were not really dating.  

And if you have ever wondered what the Little Mermaid felt as she watched her Prince loving another woman, this was probably a weak representation of what it must have felt like. All the distant-connection you thought existed between you and him was all in all a dream and the pain must be reality smacking you on the back. It is not unimaginable pain, it is just… the feeling of waking up from a really wonderful dream.  

In all of the fairytales, the Little Mermaid must have been one of the biggest fools. She never knew the Prince before she gave up everything to come onto land to be with him. Yet when she found her way to him, all he wanted to do was to marry another woman. Despite all of that, she still chose to give up her life for him, turning silently into foam and bubbles.  

You could not help the sigh that left your breath, and wistfully looks up again, deep in thought.  

“Omo-ya!”, you suddenly shrieked as you had raised your head a little too high causing you to catch a glimpse of the horribly shocking scene on the screen.  

You immediately covered your mouth but it was already too late, Jungkook and Yeonjoo had both turned around. Yeonjoo had a tiny smile but Jungkook was clearly frustrated, mouthing at you to “keep quiet”.  

After they turned back to their movie, you decided that this seat wasn’t going to be enough to keep you from getting a shock. So, you quietly stood up, the bottom half of the chair retracted up. With the ample space now, you proceeded to sit on the floor instead. This way your vision was safe, safe from things you did not want to see.  

---

The credits were rolling, Jungkook stood up and looked behind him but you were not there at your seat. He looked around and you were nowhere in the theatre.  

“Wow, this movie was so good”, Yeonjoo exclaims and she notices how Jungkook was panning around, “oh, where’s Y/N?”, she asked.  

Jungkook and Yeonjoo walked up to where you were sitting earlier and as they came closer to the spot, they could hear a faint sniffling sound. Once they reached the entrance of that aisle, Jungkook was befuddled.  

There you were, huddled on the ground watching some video and sniffling.  

“What are you doing on the floor?”, he asked. You looked up at them with eyes still slightly red-rimmed.  

---

Jungkook could only watch Yeonjoo leave in her manager’s car from the driver seat of his car. His eyes flickered with anguish that the night ended too quickly. A quiet moment later, he recalls that you were still sitting next to him and clears his throat before starting the car.  

“You were crying from watching the Little Mermaid?”, he suddenly questioned out of the blue during the drive home.  

“I wasn’t crying crying... and it’s a sad story, ok?”, you felt embarrassed somewhat.  

“Why? Didn’t she end up with the prince?”

“That’s the version Disney put out to scam little kids... in the original story the prince married someone else and she died for him, have you never read it before?”, you were shocked that he did not know this already.  

“Is there a movie version? Or a comic? Reading is not really my thing...”, he said nonchalantly.  

“Of course, of course...”, your tone was disparaging.  

He somehow did not take offence at your tone but went on to ask, “Why would a fairytale intended for kids be so dark though? You said he married someone else and the Little Mermaid had to die for him?”  

“Yeah, he married someone else. And she had a choice, either to kill him and turn back into a mermaid or to vanish into bubbles after he marries the other woman.”  

“Wow. That's melodramatic. I don’t get all these sacrificial love type of things. What's with the obsession over people sacrificing themselves for love though? Is it really such a great thing?”, Jungkook asked.  

The change in his demeanour before and after meeting Yeonjoo did not escape you. He was even willingly making small talk with you now.  

Instead of looking at him, you stared out the window. The car was crossing a bridge over the Han river, the moonlight reflected on the water, shimmering, just like the night the Little Mermaid must have first met the Prince.  

“It’s not a great thing... it’s foolish”, you replied solemnly.  

The Little Mermaid loved the Prince based on a fantasy she created for herself. How could such a love be real?

“It really is foolish”, he concurred.  

“But...”, you seem to be slowly finding your voice again, “if it is not foolish, is it still love?”

[stachmousworld]

Dear Dad, fuck you.

Pairing: Stuckony 

Summary: My take on Civil War, but with less property damage and as much betrayal and drama. 

TW: abuse both physical and verbal but not sexual (thank you Howard for your A+ parenting skills).

Ok, so you may cry and hate me at the end.

Also: This is the first installment of my universe A. The two others are: 

Dear Dad, fuck you Punishments

27 MINUTES AND 32 SECONDS AFTER THE CIVIL WAR

Tony would have never guessed it would have ended like it did. Not in a million years would he have thought that his dead dad would be his demise. He was dead for fuck’s sake. He couldn’t beat Tony, nor verbally abuse him anymore. He wasn’t there physically, and yet he managed, from the grave, to shoot him in the soul. Literally. There were no other words to describe the way he felt.

He couldn’t breathe, his head felt loud and light at the same time, he couldn’t stand straight but sitting down made the earth spin faster, if that made any sense. 

Eyes closed his thoughts spiraled out of the control and images. No. Memories of his dad stuck to his retina, giving Tony a full 3D experience, sound included. And eyes opened, reality dawned him: Steve and Bucky didn’t want him anymore.

You are a worthless piece of shit, that’s what you are.

I should have made your mom abort you.

I won’t pay for any ransom.

Why can’t you die?

Funny how when everything goes to shit, his dad is the first one he hears. Always. Tony was long used to his voice in his head, muttering death threats, insults, or influencing his suicidal thoughts.

Tony finally decided to sit on the couch.

“JARVIS, lights out”.

He flinched at the sudden darkness. His left eye twitched. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea, after all. He’d rather suffer under the artificial lights than…his breath quickened and his thoughts spiraled. He could feel hands on his shoulders. A fist to his left eye. A blow on his lower back. A sharp pain to his right wrist…

The lights suddenly went on. Tony gasped, body shivering from the phantom pain, the adrenaline forcing him to stay alive through all his tortures, while shock and uncertainty chained him close to reality.

Focus Tony. You can do it, whispered a soft motherly voice. He wailed at the sound of her voice. She was the only one he heard when everything went to shit. Not his mom or Ana, Edwin’s wife. No. Hers. He called her mammina even though Howard would have had a heart attack hearing him. She was a nurse, who used to take care of him every time he was kidnapped. All 7 times.

She was a middle age black woman, who had worked as their personal nurse in case of emergencies. She had given him more love in the first few months after his first kidnapping than both of his parents in years. 

She’d smell like vanilla and cinnamon and talk softly. She’d always have a twinkle in her eyes every time she’d tell him a story. Tony used to be so thrilled to listen to her. Whatever the kind of story, whether it was fairytales or made-up ones from her life, he’d feel as if he was a part of it. She never made him feel worthless. She even learnt Italian for him, calling him her Tesorio, when he’d show her his grades reports and inventions, Cucciolo when Howard or Maria were missing his birthdays, and Luce dei miei Occhi, whenever she saw him.

If he’d been her light, she’d been his sun in the darkest night. He couldn’t recall one moment when he didn’t hear her voice calming him, cheering him, reassuring him. Even she wasn’t here physically, she was still in his head. Always.

Her death had hit him hard. Harder than his parents. Harder than the Jarvis. She had always been his pillar. His guide in life. He could recall a thousand proverbs, phrasing, advice for each different situation in life. She had prepared him for the real world, and yet, he somewhat felt like a failure. After her murder (she was shot while going to church), he had totally lost touch with reality. His parents had been dead for a few years by then and Jarvis and Ana for less than 2 years.

Tony should have been seen it coming. Everyone died because of him.

He went to the funeral and sat in the back of the church, feeling like an intruder. He had jumped to his feet a few minutes in the ceremony and tried to run out, when his mammina’s daughter, Celestia, intercepted him, calling him in front of the entire church, his name resonating in the holy building. He could still hear what she said, loud and clear.

“Tony, my baby brother. Mom wanted you with us, your brothers and sisters. Don’t run, please. Luce dei miei Occhi, come back to us.”

It only took a few words for him to feel the sun. The light he hadn’t expected to see again.

At the end, he found more than a mom, he had a family.

And every year he went to each of their birthday. He had[AB1]  two baby siblings, two older brothers and one older sister, nieces, and nephews and even grandparents. They all accepted him for what he was and never used him, nor his money. They welcomed him when he was down, teaching him how to recover with love, a lot of talking and proof of fatherly/motherly love.

To say he’d been surprised, when he had to witness an “argument” between one of his nieces and her dad, would be a euphemism. He had feared the violence, the insults and other dismissal, but had been floored. They both had decided to go to their room for a few moments, the time to cool down and then talked in the living room in calmed voices. Not ones had he experienced an argument in his new family, even the most vocal ones, which didn’t end up calmly.

Never in his life had he seen a more functional family. More props to burn Howard’s grave.

“Sir,” JARVIS urged him.

Tony focused on his surroundings. DUM-E held a poisonous smoothie under his nose. How hadn’t seen him before?

“No, thanks, DUM-E”, he replied softly. “I feel a bit…nauseous”

DUM-E chirped sadly but moved away.

“Sir, are you all right?” JARVIS enquired worried.

“Yes, thank you, J’” Tony replied softly.

Tony stayed down for a moment. His breathing was back to normal and his migraine was gone. Maybe he should go to his bed and take a nap. He didn’t dare ask Jarvis for how long he’d been awake. He’d work on the prototypes later anyway.

           He stood up, wobbling on his feet and made his way to the doors.

You should keep Cap’s name out of your mouth, Boy. He was worth ten of you.

He never was slacking; you should take example on him…not that you’d be able to reach his level anyway.

You may be a genius, but you still couldn’t free yourself. What are you, 9? 10? You’re old enough to get away from these clowns. Kidnapping? I call it attention seeking.

At your age, Steve fucking Rogers fought against bullies despite his asthma and scoliosis. What’s your excuse? Go back to work!

Tony tried to tune out the voice, but they kept getting louder.

“Stop!” He screamed panicked.

“Sir? Your heart rate is to high, do you need Dr. Banner?”

“No!” He exclaimed. “No,” he repeated softer. “I’m okay”.

Lies. JARVIS’s silence spoke volume.

“I’ll…Where are the capsicle couple?” he asked uncertain.

“On their floor. They had restricted the access.”

Tony ignored the tug in his heart.

“To whom?”

J’ took his time to reply. It didn’t comfort Tony at all.

“Only me, huh?”

Silence.

“If I had wanted you to be silent, I would have put you in a coffee machine, J’. But thanks for looking after me.”

“It is my duty and my honor to do so.”

Tony went back to the couch, took his clothes off, staying in underwear and laid down. The lights went down to a semi darkness.

“Where are the others?” Tony mumbled, half asleep.

“With the Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes, Sir.”

Tony snorted. J’ must be really mad at them to use their titles, he thought, dizzily. As he closed his eyes, he felt the embrace of his mommina and a kiss on his forehead.

 DURING THE CIVIL WAR

Today was a good day, so Tony had thought. He wasn’t late in his projects, he signed contracts, surprising Pepper to silence (“No, I’m not going to die, again.” “Are you sure Tony?” Grunts in response.), he had even eaten his breakfast, lunch and snack. It was good day. Until Bucky came back to God knew where, dressed in a blue midnight suit. Steve was also wearing a suit. And by the look on their face, Tony believed he’d missed something and messed up already. 

He probably had forgotten an anniversary. But even as he racked his brain he couldn’t think of a single anniversary. Christmas was in a few days and nothing remotely important happened in this month. Nothing worth being celebrated. So what?

“I’m sorry”, Tony said unsure. He didn’t even know why he was apologizing and couldn’t questioned J’. Glancing at the others, he could tell they knew about this “important” day. And what was it with the grim faces?

“Tony,” Steve called gently. “Are you not coming?”

“Where exactly are we supposed to go?” he asked in the same vulnerable voice. God, he hated that. The tension was torture. He half expected Clint to jump in front of him and admit it was a prank. No. Cap would never participate in this kind of activities. And Bucky had always expressed his resentment against suits and tuxedos in general.

“Tony” Bucky sighed. “The cemetery”

“Someone’s dead!” Tony exclaimed fear pumping in his veins. He looked sharply around trying to find clue. The others didn’t let anything show. Even Bruce who was bad a hiding his emotion.

“Stop joking, man,” Clint said calmly. “You can drop the mask. We are your friends too, you know. No one is going to judge you for mourning your parents.”

Tony’s laugh erupted. They…he…what now? He tried to stop himself as Steve’s frown went lower and lower and morphed into a disappointed face. Tony bit his lips and coughed for good measures.

“Tony, can’t you be serious?”, Natasha said coldly. “Have some respect. We know it is hard for you…”

“You know?” He failed containing his hysterical laugh. It kept bubbling and escaping is control.

“Yes, we know.” Bucky intervened. “He was not only your father, but our friends. One of our closest, actually. I…regretted more than anything murdering them. If I could…If I had been stronger…”

“Don’t Buck, it was not your fault,” Bruce reassured him. “There was nothing you could have done to prevent that.”

Tony laugh died somewhere between Buck’s guilt and regret. Tony’s right hand felt too heavy, hanging by his side. He crossed his arms to relieve the tension.

“I won’t go.” He stated firmly.

“Why?” Bucky asked with a small voice. “Is it because of me? Because I could stay in the-”

“No Bucky. If you can’t go, I won’t. But Tony, we’ve known Howard the longest. He was our closest friend, don’t do that. He had helped finding Bucky when he was tortured and helped me adapting to my new body. He provided us unique gears. He was there for us. He…he had respected me despite my small height, my sickness. He saw the soldier in me. He believed in me,” Steve pleaded.

Tony felt the glares from the others and shuffled on his feet. He resisted the need to give in.

Stark men are made of iron, but you are none that. I don’t know who your father is, but it is certainly not me. Always crying, complaining…(laughter)

Look what you made me do! Stopping the production of weapon to built this…(throws the object at Tony’s face). You should thank me on your knees, boy! No one would do that for a burden like you.

“It is not the problem, Bucky, Steve. It has nothing to do with their murder or your friendship. You can go, but I won’t. I wasn’t going to, anyway, so it doesn’t change anything.”

Silence. Tony’s eyes stayed fixed on his biggest “threat”, Steve. He was red, not the sexy, embarrassing kind. No. The ugly kind. Tony widen his stance preparing for the worst. Steve would not hit him. He was 100% sure. But his words had the same effect anyway.

“Can’t you be more respectful, Anthony. Some of us didn’t have the chance to live a lavish lifestyle with caring parents. I don’t even know where my ma’ and pa’ are buried,” Bucky deplored.

Et tu, Brutus? Tony’s head snapped toward Bucky. What the hell? And “Anthony”, really? Bucky’s face revealed discontent. His eyes were narrowed and he stood tall and strong.

“I beg you pardon, James” Tony hissed annoyed.

“Tony,” Steve warned him, inching to stand in front of Bucky. Tony’s eyebrow went so high he felt a strain in his left eyelid.

“What?!”

“After everything they’ve done for you (to you supplied mammina’s voice). And you couldn’t do that? Going to their grave and commemorating their lives should be the bare minimal. After all, if it wasn’t for them, you’d be (loved) nothing,” Bucky spat.

“No…nothing!” Tony spluttered indignantly. “They were never around me. I didn’t even call them mom or dad, they had always been Maria and Howard. They were never there for any of my birthdays, celebrations, school representations, not even the annual parents-teacher meeting. I. Made. Myself. I was born alone, and I’ll die too.” He ended up breathless. He hadn’t wanted to spill these details. Hell, he hadn’t even talk about the worse of it.

“All I heard was “poor rich Anthony Edward Stark, mommy and daddy worked too hard to make the Earth a better world for me”, “poor me, I seek attention…”

The rest of Bucky rant was lost. His father words came back in full circle.

Then Sunset’s words “you were always too much. Too needy. Always seeking attention”.

Tiberius “I don’t know what I’d done with this attention seeking whore. Really Anthony is only good when he opened his legs. I don’t see the genius in him.”

Obediah “God, Tony, lay low for a few months and seek help. Closing the weapon sector, but for what? My attention? You didn’t need that for me to care for you. Don’t be delusional, what would your father say?”

Maria “Anthony, stop, touching my dress, you’re ruining it. (She called someone behind the 3-year-old Tony.) Hey, you! Go take Anthony to his room and locked it. (She went back to her conversation). If I had known he’d be so clingy I’d have given him some sleeping pills in his baby bottle. (Laughter).”

Mammina “Tony, why are you so far from me, come nearer. You know you can always come to me. (Tony mumbles a few words). An attention seeker? Baby no, where did you hear these words? (Tony stayed silent) Cucciolo, I would never lie to you, you know that. You are the cutest little child ever, and I have 3 of them. You’ve met them and they absolutely love you. You are the perfect big brother, Tesorio.”

Tony closed his eyes, took a sharp breath and straightened his back.

“You can all call me by any name in the book: whore, worthless piece of shit...” Bucky flinched, panicked. He opened his mouth, but Tony kept going. “Warmonger, Merchant of Death, attention seeker --” He spat the name. “...but it wouldn’t change the fact that the person you knew as my biological father was a disgusting man, and my biological mother an air-head bint”. Tony approached slowly from the soldiers. He felt enraged. How could Bucky even say that? If he wasn’t so angry, he’d cry at the ice-cold words of his lover, but he was on a rampage. “I should actually thank you. Thanks Bucky dear, you made me a huge favor: to not be in the same world as them”, he finished with a deformed smiled. He knew he looked demented. And for the first time in a long time, he didn’t care.

Bucky’s expression went from guilty to confused. He pressed his left hand flat on Tony’s collarbone to push him away or hug him, Tony couldn’t tell. He brought his own hand on top of Bucky’s, moving the vibranium one to his neck. Immediately, Bucky backed off horrified.

“Was it with this hand you choked her to death? God, this stupid bint couldn’t shut up! How many times she drugged me, and put me to sleep, because I was “too attention seeking.” He screamed at the top of his lungs. Bucky stared at him with an unreadable expression. Tony may have lost his got damn mind, and he didn’t care at all. He strutted to the elevator facing them.

“Do you hear that Howard, you “made me” Tony cackled. “I’d blow your grave, if it wouldn’t give you satisfaction”. As he entered the elevator, belly cramped by his laugh, he yelled through his tears. “Burn to hell Howard and Maria! Burn…”

   TEAM CAP 

“What the hell was that?” Clint said in shock.

“Stark lost his goddamn mind, that’s what it was,” Natasha replied faintly surprised, which said something.

Bruce was the only one not saying anything. Tony’s act had reminded him of…himself. But, no…Howard could have never abused him. Bruce shook his head clearing his mind. No, Tony just acting as a spoiled child. A very insulting one.

“Should we go check on him?” Bruce asked with mixed feelings. Tony had the chance to have parents providing for them and he literally wish them hell. The Hulk pushed his walls. Bruce took a few deep breaths. Tiny tin man sad, Hulk repeated in his head. Bruce didn’t even try to explain the situation, Hulk wouldn’t understand the situation.

Bruce put his head in his hands. He could feel the headache creeping.

“No.” Stave said categorically. He had his Captain voice. “I don’t know who this man was, but I’m...” His voice broke. “...disgusted by this behavior. It was not our sweet Bambi,” Steve finished lamely.

Silence.

“I guess Natasha; you were right in your report on him,” Bucky commented defeated.

“And I was starting to believe that I had been mistaken,” she reflected disappointed.

“What are you doing to do?” Clint asked tired.

“What do you mean?” Bruce answered, head still down.

“Are you going to bench him? Because I don’t trust someone who could say that and act like a maniac. And what about your relationship? I know it’s not our business, but we are family. A fucked-up one, but still.”

Steve looked at Bucky and sighed. Bucky had this faraway look in his eyes. His left-hand twitching next to him. Whatever he’d say, he’d not be able to get out of the loop Tony had pushed him in. Steve massaged his own temples.

“Is it how you all feel?”.

Everyone raised their hand, even Bucky.

“Ok. He’s benched. I’ll tell him tonight at the dinner. As for our relationship…” He took a deep breath. “If we can’t trust him to have our backs on missions…” He left the rest unsaid.

“We’re coming with you!” Clint declared out of the sudden. The rest followed slowly, still under the effect of Tony’s outburst. “Give us 10 to change and we’ll meet you at the Quinjet or the car?”

“Quinjet. It’s quicker that way. They were buried upstate.” Steve answered quickly, as Bucky fled. Steve followed him worried. He waved at the rest of the group and entered the elevator, next to his lover.

“Do you think he is…ok? He looked like he’d do something crazy. And that laugh…” Bucky’s all body trembled.

Steve hugged him and kissed the crown of his head. Bucky went lax in his embrace. He sniffed a few times as Steve murmured sweet nonsense to his ears. It opened the gate for their tears. Steve didn’t want to end their relationship. Tony had been his home in this century, helping him and proving him wrong from left to right. But…he had to be strong for Bucky and, most importantly, the team. He resisted the need to go to the workshop, pounding on the tainted windows, and confront Tony.

It must be a big misunderstanding. It had to be.

Please Howard and Maria, forgive Tony, he found himself praying silently. He himself had wished for his dad to survive the war and his mom to see him become a man. Please God, let it be a big misunderstanding.

If Tony apologized tonight, Steve would take him back, no judgements. He’d be benched for a couple of days, but Steve would hold to him for as long he’d let him. The pain in his heart matched the distress in Bucky’s eyes.

“You know him, he probably is working to cool down. Anyway JARVIS is here to help him if he needs anything.”

“I would have never thought he’d blown up like that. I read the psychological report of Natasha but dismissed it. Tony had forgiven me and given me a new arm. He even went into a relationship with us. How couldn’t we that side of him?”

Steve shrugged. When he thought about it, Tony had never been particularly keen on talking about his parents. Jarvis and Ana, ok. At first, even Steve had thought they were his godparents, not the butler and his wife. And when Bucky told stories about Howard, Tony tended to shy away and changed the subject. Steve was now frowning. Something dark and ugly woke up in the pit of his mind.

“Well, I don’t know. At first, I thought he never liked talking about them because he missed them, but after what we’ve just witnessed, I’d say he really hates them.”

“Do you think they could have been more than distant parents? He said stuff about his mom drugging him and his dad being a monster. But Howard had never been like that, right Steve?” Bucky asked, guilt pouring in his voice.

Steve heard the rest of his questions loud and clear. Were we so blind that we inflicted emotional pain to our lover? And the most important, what if it was true? Steve couldn’t reconcile the image of Howard, sweet and joyful Howard, and the one from Tony’s memories. If Steve…he swallowed with difficulty. If he were to believe Tony, and a big part of him already did, because Tony had never seen so raw, begging for them to believe him through his rage, Steve would set the entire cemetery on fire.

So, he hugged Bucky tightly and tried to reassure him.

“Sweetheart, no. Don’t do that. You can’t guilt yourself for that. Even blinded by his anger, Tony didn’t blame you for their death. He was angry and lashed out. He would have done the same or worse if it was me.” Steve refused to talk about the thanks for their murder. What the hell, Tony! Steve thought anger flaring in his chest. It wasn’t fair for Bucky, his sweet love he shouldn’t have to relive his worst moments. They survived the Depression, war, ice/Hydra and they were still together. Has everything been a sham? They had given their life for a better future, putting their lives in their friends’ hands, who were supposed to hold the peace torch, when Steve and the other soldiers couldn’t anymore.

But, it also explained why Tony was so jagged, his control issues, lack of trust, insecurities, big mouth…

It wasn’t fair for him too, their Bambi…Steve contained his tears. The mere thought of little Tony being afraid, unsafe (Drugged, he said) and sad, made him sick and furious. 

Steve deflated. 

No, Howard couldn’t…he hadn’t…

“He thanked me…” Bucky said broken. He pushed Steve, bending and heaving. Steve massaged his neck slowly.

“He didn’t mean it, Babe. He wanted to rile us up. You’ve seen how hysterical he was…”

It took a few minutes for Bucky to come back to himself, and even then, his face had a greenish undertone. A fit despite the serum.

“JARVIS, could you tell us if Tony is not okay, please?”

The AI took a few moments to reply.

“Yes, Sergeant Barnes.”

Bucky nodded silently, while Steve cringed. What a fucking day.

   POST CIVIL WAR

Tony woke up at the sound of an alarm. He groaned and covered his head.

“Sir, the others are already here. They have prepared dinner and request your presence.”

“What are the odd I could charm my way out of this trap?” Tony asked sarcastically.

“Slim to none. Emphasis on the none.”

Tony laughed and stood up. His left eye was blurry, but alas, he didn’t have the time to fix it, as well as his hand, which gave him hell. Stark men are made of iron, he said out loud to give him more strength.

The voice of mammina replied full of wit. “Oh, really? I don’t know about the Stark men but my little Tesorio is made of love. No one can take love away from you. It makes you fly, melt, explode, you feel invincible. Once you love, Tonio, you could rule the world, and bend any types of iron. I love you, my Luce. I’m proud of you, no matter what.”

Tony wiped his tears. I hope you are still proud of me. As he entered the elevator, his phone rang. One of his little brothers.

“What do you want Darius?” Tony asked upfront.

“Listen, listen. Go on, talk to him” Darius replied in a hush tone.

“’Onc’ ‘Ony! Onc’ ‘Ony!”

Tony cooed and felt his inside melt. His baby nephew, Anthony, was just a few months old and already a beam of joy in his life. He had more pictures than he dared to admit. Sue him, his nephew was the cutest, with his little dimples and crooked smile. But then again, his other niece and nephew had him wrapped around their chubby fingers.

“Hello big boy, Oncle Tony is so proud of you!” He cooed in his “I’m going to melt inside and have cavities” voice.

“Do you imagine our surprise when his first words were ‘Ony and then Onc’ Ony’. I swear to God, we won’t invite you anymore. That’s the third baby doing that stuff. Are you sure you don’t have any magic, bro?”

Tony laughed through his happy tears.

“I guess I have some magic left from mammina”.

“True, true”, he conceded. “Are you still coming for the commemoration?”

“Of course! I have never missed one and wouldn’t dare. I don’t want mammina to haunt me and whoop my ass.” Tony joked.

“Pfff. She’d never do that. You were always her favorite, didn’t know why. We knew she worked for a white and rich family (Tony rolled his eyes amused), and then we saw your scrawny ass and lost puppy eyes. Couldn’t resist this kid who needed to be our protector, even though, he was pocket size.”

“Hey! Although I liked the beginning of your story, the wording could be better. I never was pocketsize; we call it fun size.” He pouted.

“Who? The members of your “fun size” group”.

Tony grunted. Darius laughed and bid him goodbye in a hurry. Apparently, his nephew had taken his diaper off and was smearing poop on the white walls. Tony’s laugh resonated in the stilled elevator. J’ opened the doors as he placed the phone in his pocket.

The sight in front of him made him frown. He prepared himself to stay calm and have a mature conclusion to their arguments like he’d seen with his siblings. Mammina’s advice about love was about to come handy. They at least deserve the truth and some apologies. Hearing them talk about his parents so fondly had made him angry, jealous, then sad. Why was he not enough? Could he have done better, be a more obedient child… no. He wouldn’t go there. He had to stay clear-headed.

 Steve and Bucky had changed clothes. They were now wearing hoodies and joggings. Their comfort clothes. Like him. He had found Steve’s hoodie and Bucky’s jogging, in one of his private stashes. He would deny taken them and some other of their items because it soothed him.

This was going to be long. He took a deep breath as he walked towards the kitchen. The rest of the team were standing up around the table.

Steve went on Tony’s left and Bucky next to Steve. Tony stared at them sadly. The fluffy conversation with Darius seemed like years ago.

“You had fun on the phone,” Clint noticed calmly. Almost too much. It was such a 180 with his jerk personality.

“It’s not every day that you nephew’s first words are “Onc’ Ony”. Well, the two others did the same. So, I was kinda happy.”

“Lying Stark? You don’t have no family left,” Natasha accused him, eyes narrowed.

“So, family is only the people from your blood, got it.” Tony replied without showing any annoyance. He took his phone, scrolled down a few family pictures and showed them one, where his papà was still alive. Before cancer took him.

He introduced each member, referring them as his baby brothers or older ones. His finger trembled as he reached the head of the family. Mammina and Papà. A little Tony could be seen standing proudly next to two smaller kids.

“It was my mammina.” He explained softly. “She was the best woman in the world. She took care of me when I got kidnapped. She was always here to help me, heal me. She built me.” He threw a glance at Bucky, who was frowning.

“Kidnapping?” Bruce asked in disbelief.

“Tony…Why would they kidnap you?” Steve asked, as skeptical as Bruce.

“I’m a genius. I was the one proofing Howard’s blueprint. By the age of 7, I had improved one of his Jericho. But people kidnapped me because of money. They thought Howard would pay them. He never did. (Tony raised a hand to cut the protestations.) J’ will send you all the medical reports and police ones. He will also forward my file from CPS. I know it’s hard to believe it. He was your friend and never showed his other side. When you both went down, he died too. He became…” Tony choked on his words.

“How can we believe you, when you were so maniac, this afternoon? You hurt Bucky and used his guilt to make a point.” Natasha asked, arms crossed.

“If you don’t believe the official papers, you should ask Coulson and Fury. They won’t lie to you.”

“What?” Bruce blurted.

“What do you mean?” Bucky asked concerned.

“I don’t have the envy, nor the will to go through the verbal and physical abuse of my parents. Coulson and Fury were there to retrieve me from Shield office after each kidnapping. They couldn’t do anything because my dad financed the entire organization,” Tony explained bitter. “Call me selfish but this woman and this man (he showed mammina and papà), were my real parents and those are my brothers and sisters, grandparents…They are MY family. They chose me when my real parents didn’t.”

The room grew silent. Tony tap his left eye and groaned in pain.

“Are you okay, Tony?” Bruce inquired, with a certain unease.

He waved at Bruce, brushing his concern. Gosh, it itched. Fuck it, they already knew too much already. With his right index, he pressed firmly his temple and with his thumb pressed the corner of his eye. He felt the prosthetic pop out, disconnecting from the electronical socket linked to his brain. After all these times, he still felt proud of himself. He had succeeded in something his dad could have never. 

Everyone can create a missile Howard, but it takes a genius to create something so complex connected to the brain.

“Tony!”

Bruce’s voice bloomed in the room.

“The fuck!” Clint swore.

“Bambi?”

Tony finally paid attention to his surroundings. The lack of pressure on his socket almost made him come. If only he had his cotton swab and alcohol. He gritted his teeth to recede his pleasure. It wasn’t the right time to be distracted.

He turned blindly on his left and bumped against a wall. A human one. Tony raised his head and met Steve’s blurry ones.

“We are so sorry Tony. We didn’t know. It certainly explained why you didn’t want to talk about them.”

Tony frowned. They believed him, like that.

“Don’t you want to read the files, before trusting me?” He asked with a small voice.

Bucky shook his head.

“No, Doll. If you want, you’ll talk to us about it, but we won’t read anything. We trust you. Like you trusted me with my issues.”

Tony was left speechless. He had expected screams, fat tears and a few blows. It was anticlimactic at best. He tried to remember what Darius had told him about reconciliation. Now was his time to “apologize”.

“Ok. Ok. I have some apologies to say.” He held his hand to stop them, from interrupting him. “I should have talked to you frankly. If we had discussed about them, none of that would have happened. I should have understood that the people they were with you and with me were totally different. You’ve known them as your friends. And you wanted to visit your friends and not them as my parents.”

“That’s stupid, Bambi, and you know it. If we’d known what they did to you, we would have been pissed, and maybe broke a tombstone or two.”

“Steve!” Tony screamed flabbergasted. He glanced at Bucky who shrugged smugly.

“I told you he was a little punk.”

Steve didn’t even resent this affirmation. He was smirking (SMIRKING) proudly.

“So…you are okay?”

Clint looked so out of it. Natasha didn’t look like she really believed Tony. As if pulling his own eye wasn’t proof enough.

“What Clint meant, is that we still don’t trust you, Stark. And we had decided to bench you.”.

Tony step back, eye going from each of them to stop on Steve’s pleading ones.

“What?”

“We weren’t sur you were ok. What you said without context scared us.”

Tony’s left hand flew to his neck as a reassuring gesture. He massaged the place under his jaw. Bucky made a strangled noise, making him stop.

“I’m sorry, Bucky. I should have never done that and sorry for thanking you. Even though, I am still relieved they are dead. I wished it wouldn’t have been by your hands.” Tony apologized ashamed; face pinched in a pained grimace. He sighed deeply. “I understand all of your concern and I…would stay out until you deem me worthy.”

Bucky surged forward pushing a frozen Steve. He grabbed Tony’s face, pressing their foreheads together.

“You. Are. Not. Worthless” Bucky said through clenched teeth. “I don’t care what Howard or Maria said to you, but you are definitely not worthless.” Tony couldn’t avert his eyes and felt compelled to spill more truths, Howards truths.

“You should keep Cap’s name out of your mouth, Boy. He was worth ten of you.” He mumbled eyes now closed. He couldn’t handle to see the pity in those baby blue.

Steve gasped audibly. Bucky’s hand gripped tightly his face, pleading him to stop.

“Cap and Sarge were never slacking; you should take example on them…not that you’d be able to reach their level, anyway.”

Bucky’s breath hitched. Tony felt two additional arms around him.

“You may be a genius, but you still couldn’t free yourself. What are you, 9? 10? You’re old enough to get away from these clowns. Kidnapping? I call it attention seeking.”

Bucky stepped away, breathing loudly. You have done it, Tones, they are going to leave you. They’ll see that you are not good enough and leave you, he thought darkly.

“Buck!”

“Bruce”

Tony opened his eyes just in time to witness Bucky breaking his kitchen counter and Bruce’s departure. Clint and Natasha went after Bruce, leaving them all alone. What the hell just happened! Steve walked carefully to Bucky. He looked wildly around him, in defensive posture. Steve’s hands were raised in front of him.

“Bucky, everything is ok. There is no threat.”

“Tony,” he replied miserably before breaking down. He sobbed in Steve’s arms, eyes locked on Tony. He raised an arm to make it come. Anthony E. Stark would have deflected and made a run for it, then hid in his workshop, but Tesorio raised by his fierce mama sucked it up and approached. Steve let go of Bucky and embraced them both, crushing them both into his chest.

Tony hissed in pain. Steve backed away.

“What is wrong? Did we hurt you?”

Tony shook his head. His right wrist was, again, acting up. He should have never slept on it. He massaged his wrist firmly and waited for a little whirling sound.

           Immediately, the servos in the socket released the prosthetic. Tony moaned as the pinched nerve in his human upper wrist relaxed. He held his right hand with his flesh one, as he kept massaging the injured one.

“J’, pull up the blueprint for the latest version of Dub 4 and add a note to look for any rust. And also contact Dr. Cho, for my usual appointment.”

“Done, Sir.”

“Thanks.”

Still in his thought, it took him more time to notice the heavy silence. 

Oh. 

Steve was again in his personal space, Bucky on his right. They both eyed  him with awe and sadness.

“I was 7, my third kidnapping. They wanted me to build something or were mad at my dad for not coming nor paying them. Knowing I was a genius they had the brilliant idea to extract my eye. I was unconscious. I guess.” Tony explained while massaging under the eye pocket. “The hand came before I went to MIT. I had already won multiple engineering /robotic prizes. They had wanted me to build a missile, the first one. Guess Obediah was already dealing under the table. When I didn’t want, they severed my hand. I was conscious.” Tony stated numb. He hated thinking of his past defenseless self. He wished he could hug and protect his younger self.

Bucky pushed Steve aside and scooped Tony in his arms. He squealed but didn’t try to escape for once. Steve followed them briskly.

Once in their room, Bucky laid him in the middle of the bed and hugged him. Sweet nonsense pouring out of his mouth. Tony tried to ask Steve for help, but he joined them and did the same. Tony closed his eyes, fighting his weaker side.

Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.

His persona broke piece by piece.

“I want my mammina,” he cried loudly, tears rolling down his cheeks. He missed her warmth, her smile, her scent. She should have been here instead of him. He destroyed so many lives building weapons while she was killed by them. Mammina, forgive me, please, he prayed in his heart.

“We know, Doll”

“We are sorry, Bambi”

“We’ll make it up for you”

“We love you”

Bucky’s strong body in front of him prevented him from curling on himself. He placed his head his heart, as Steve pressed his body in his back.

Soft kisses made him relaxed. She used to do that when he had nightmares, kissing his demons away.

“I ‘ove you, too” He confessed softly.

“Tell us about them, your family.”

When I was 3, I met this nurse. She was…

   Notes: Two baby siblings one his Kareem, Ahmaud.

Two older brothers Darius, Joseph

One older sister Janice

Mother masterrliiiisssstt ✨✨✨🐱‍🏍

[starchild--27]

15 Questions Tag

thank you so much @loser-dot-com for tagging me ^^

i ... can’t really think of anybody to tag rn. please, excuse me, it’s shortly after midnight xD so i just won’t tag anybody this time.

1. It’s your birthday! What did you ask for and did you receive it?

i usually have no idea what presents to ask for so i always say i want cake and money - it works out everytime ^-^

2. What was the last song or album you listened to?

the soundtrack to Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain <3

3. What is your go to snack when you’re hungry or bored?

depending on my mood either fruit, something very sweet and unhealthy or something salty and unhealthy xD

4. What is your morning routine?

these days it’s just waking up whenever my body tells me to and having breakfast with my family. during school days it used to be waking up at 5:30am, getting up a 6, washing up, dressing, pack my stuff for school (yes i was the kid who never did it the night before), preparing a snack for school, having breakfast withmy sister, a 10 minute rest before putting on shoes and a jacket on cold days at 6:30 to walk to the bus stop at 6:35 so i wouldn’t miss the bus at 6:40. but i’ll never need that routine again so.... another piece of useless information xD

5. What mythical/cryptid creature would you be?

fairy, i’m pretty sure of that. even though my sister said i’d make a pretty decent vampire too not long ago.

6. How do you interact with somebody that you don’t like?

i am very shy irl and barely have to deal with people i don’t like often, simply bc i don’t have to deal with people a lot. but i would never show my dislike of somebody, at least not on purpose. i am pretty sure i am just as awkward and shy but polite as with anybody else who doesn’t heppen to be my family or one of my close friends.  

7. How do you define a toxic person?

i think the easiest way to put it is: somebody who makes another person small or feel bad only for them to feel superior. that’s at least the kind of toxicity i have experienced myself. i am sure there are more than only one way of being toxic but i think in the end it always comes back to this.

8. Have you ever been to a concert or fan meet type of event? If not, would you want to?

i’ve been to several concerts and i had the chance to meet some more or less famous musicians too. they are not huge, not even where i live, but they have steady concerts and albums/projects coming, so i’ll count them in here. but as previously mentioned, i am super shy and never know what to say in these situations, so it’s difficult. if i had the chance i think i would use it and meet other celebrities but i’d feel uncomfortable and wouldn’t be super-sad if i didn’t get the chance xD 

9. Do you believe in astrology? Why or why not?

i think i would if my horoscope would fit me, which it absolutely doesn’t xD i don’t judge anybody who believes in it tho, i personally find it very interesting and love to read astrology posts for fun without looking for a deeper meaning for myself in it. but it’s always sweet if i read about people who do ^^

10. If you had only one sense (hearing, touch, sight, etc.), what would you want?

hearing. i wouldn’t surive without the presence of music and i am certainly no Beethoven.

11. Who is your favorite celebrity or idol?

well, i guess it’s all of EXO

12. If you could talk to your favorite celebrity(s) for a limited time, what would you tell them?

how proud i am of them bc business is tough for them - even if they chose that way for themselves, there are things not a single person, well-known or not, rich or not, should have to deal with. i would tell them, that they make me very happy with what they do, that their music inspires and touches me, that they helped me to overcome hard times again and again. that i wish only the best for them and that they have the all opportunities needed to pursue their dreams further (which is basically what i would tell anybody, who i know i probably won’t meet again)

13. I’m taking you out on a date and it’s your choice. Where are we going?

a place the two of us can enjoy together, where nobody feels bored and we can leisurely talk and get to know each other. only for the selfish reason of me needing a loose atmosphere to warm up to somebody and begin to have a decent conversation lol

14. Do you like sweet or savory foods?

now it’s both, haha. but i used to like sweet food more when i was younger.

15. Do you have any band merchandise or merchandise from any of your favourite artists? If so, what?

i do. i have albums from my favourite musicians, posters and a couple of band shirts. i also have that EXO-SC luggage tag that came with the “What A Life” album (it’s on my backpack) and some fanart articles from one of my favourite exo fanartists (mardyart on instagram and also on twitter if i remember correctly, in case anyone doesn’t know her and wants to check her stuff out ^-^)

[jbeverywhere]

Easter in Poland

Ok, so if I wrote about Christmas (<-link) I should write about Easter as well. Second big holiday in Poland with many traditions!

And to remind, those traditions are in my family, in my little village and probably many of them are not known in the other parts of Poland ;) I won’t be surprise, but the main idea is the same ;) 

Easter doesn’t mean only one weekend. The beginning is much earlier. I wrote already about Fat Thursday (<- link) - is last Thursday before Lent. So we can say we start from Fat Thursday eating as much pączki as possible. Then on Tuesday there is like last night before Lent so last night of parties etc, we call it Ostatki. I think it’s quite popular to party that night (but remember only till midnight because then is Ash Wednesday).

Ash Wednesday - first day of Lent, we go to church and the priest puts on our heads a little bit of ash (from palms from the previous year). Ash means disability of human life, fleetingness (przemijalność), mortality and also purification, revival. This day we can eat only 3 times (2 light meals and one heavy) and without meat. During 40 days of Lent you can try to be better human, like e.g. stop drinking alcohol, stop eating sweets, etc, like you make your own challenge.

So now we have 40 days of Lent. Are they different days than others during the year? Yes. It’s like schools together with parishes organize days of reflection. There are like 1-3 days off but students should go to the church and listen to special sermons. Some priests (or others) can do it really well, but not all… And there are different ones, for children (with games, questions, stories), for teenagers, for students, for adults, about their “problems” etc. Some people like to do it even more intensive so for example you can go to monastery for few days to spend them with your thoughts, reflections. Why all of this? To start being better human, it’s like New Year’s resolutions. Because Easter is about revival.

Droga Krzyżowa - Way of the Cross - it’s a lenten service (english is strange xD), which takes like ~30 min. Every church has those 14 stations of Jesus way with the cross to Golgotha. And this can be done really well, really heartbreakingly but depends of the church and involved people.

The example from the village next to mine:

It’s like in the theater. When I was like 10-15 years old I used to take part in those performances ;)

Gorzkie Żale - Lenten Lamentations - another lenten service (every week) where are sung special prayers.

Palm Sunday - one Sunday before Easter. In polish palm is palma xD The day before (or days) we are preparing at least one palm for the house/family. Mostly it’s for children so when we were younger we had even 3 palms in my house. Now just one ;) The original one should be prepared from twigs of willow (or others) but you should put at the end some twigs with willow catkins (it’s the symbol of spring). Ok, so we have the base. That’s all? Of course no! It should be colorful! With maaaaany flowers. So we make flowers from tissue papers. Look:

So beautiful! There are many techniques, we even learn them in the school. And then you put also ribbons and voilà!

Why? In remembrance of Jesus arrival to Jerusalem. We prepare those palms, take them to church to sacrifice them. There are even competitions who has the biggest palm (like really really long ones - hard to suit in the church!) or the most beautiful palm.

What do we do with them next? We keep them till Easter, then I’ll tell what is next.

Some my childhood photos. Notice the difference of the weather. One year during Easter there is snow, another so sunny beautiful day.

One week before in the small city next to my village there is a market of handmade eater things. Women from my village were selling this:

Palm Sunday starts Holy Week.

Holy Thursday - normal working day but in the evening we go to the church to the Mass of the Lord's Supper (Msza Wieczerzy Pańskiej). It inaugurates the Easter Triduum (3 days to recall passion and death). The Mass doesn't finish like normal, is like cut. The Blessed Sacrament is taken to the altar of repose (ciemnica). And then there is time to keep vigil and prey there. Like suddenly the silence everywhere.

Good Friday - in many countries is a day off, in Poland not yet.

The only day during the year when there is not any mass. It's passion and crucifixion of Jesus. There aren’t any bells or music.

The Blessed Sacrament is taken to the tomb and then the firemen stand there to keep guard. They change ie every 30 min. It’s like a choreography. I’m always impressed, they stand like rocks, no moves, no smiles, true guards. This I’ve never done as a firewoman but read more.

During the day you can eat only 3 times (2 lights meals, one heavy) and without meat.

Holy Saturday - and here we start traditions! So in my family in the morning just after breakfast we are painting the eggs! Yes! I love it :D You can buy in the shops some special colors, markers, etc or you can use natural staffs to paint your eggs. There are many different ways to do it, you learn it from your parents, grandparents and also in school.

drapanki - you scrabble the shell of the egg, of course with some sense, beautiful picture.

kraszanki - you boil the egg in the natural dye, like onion - brown, beetroot - pink, etc

pisanki - you draw something on the egg (using wax and some niddle) and then you put it to the dye

oklejanki - you stick something to the egg, like some material - lace, etc

nalepianki - you stick some paper decorations

and much more...

Credits to Ruda! It took her ~2h for 1 egg!!! WOW szacuneczek!

-> Inspiration <-

My mum started to crochet “eggs”, just look:

Do you want to order? ;)

But why we do it? We prepare full basket of food which we will eat the next day for the breakfast (and later because there is a lot). Each thing in the Easter Basket has a meaning.

lamb - not the animal, calm down. It should be baked bread in the form of lamb but in my house we use sugar lamb (which we buy days before from Caritas) or butter lamb - a fundamental symbol of Jesus

bread - it’s like foundation, it symbolizes Jesus body

egg - triumph of life over death

salt - life-giving mineral, catharsis

cooked-meats - health, fertility and wealth

cheese - friendship between human and the nature (oscypek hej!)

horseradish - strength and lustiness

cake - special biscuit cake called: babka, symbol of abilities and perfection  

That’s the base, but you put there also what you want for that special breakfast. So in my family we put - oranges! I don’t know why xD I think it’s because it was something special in Poland in the past so to make the basket really special they put oranges and we keep the tradition. Also butter (for the bread) and the best - chocolate bunnies and eggs <3 mmm my favorite! Especially when you challenged yourself for 40 days without sweets then this breakfast is very special.

Basket should be made of wicker, decorated with the white napkin and the lace, with some twigs of boxwood.

So we have the basket ready, what is next? We go to church (yes I know, again) and there is food blessing. It’s a short ceremony, after that you can stay longer and adorate the cross or just you can come back during the day to do it.

Aaaaand! I did it in Valencia too! I mean, I prepared the basket and with Fede we went to polish parish to sacrifice it. Good girls :D My parents were so proud of me :D

Aaaand from childhood xDD

Those clothes <3

That day is also a day to cook and prepare a lot of food for Sunday and Monday, and of course last cleaning to have “perfect house to welcome Jesus”. We even sometimes laugh that before Easter there is like a total cleaning in all polish houses.

Then in the evening (depends on the church, but should be late - after the sunset) there is Resurrection. In the past (like 10 years ago) it was on Sunday before the sunrise. But they changed to Saturday night. So it’s a big celebration because Jesus resurrected. So you should dress pretty elegant. As a fire brigade we all meet dress in elegant uniforms to go to the church together and stand in the front the whole mass. Almost always I’m standing with our banner 😎 Then at the end there is procession, 3 rounds around church singing about Jesus resurrection and being happy.

After the mass as a fire brigade we go to our fire house to eat together easter food (eggs and sausages) and spend time together. I like this tradition :) 

Easter Sunday - the day of happiness, food, food and food. The day when the whole family sits together and eat big breakfast. All food which was sacrificed the day before. You take the “scented-so-good” basket and put it on the table, all eggs, bread, sausages, chocolates - it’s time!

And Valencia 2019:

In my home we use to drink cacao and/or chicory coffee that morning. That breakfast it’s very unique. And after it you are sooooo fuuuuuull. To remind - 40 days of lent, less food, less sweets. So now explosiooooon. Just after 12:00 my mom’s sister comes with her family to have lunch together. So more food. The soup should be żurek z kiełbasą (sour rye soup with the sausage).

credits: https://gotujmy.pl/zurek-kujawskii,przepisy-zury-przepis,230935.html

But in my home only my parents would eat it so we have rosół which is the best of the best :D

And the second dish schabowe and more meat :D For the dessert there are some special easter cakes:

babka - we put it to the basket

makowiec - poppy seed cake - this one depends which part of Poland, for me it’s christmas cake, for others easter

mazurek - wikipedia - with all the decorations, but to be honest I’ve never made it and it’s not a cake which you can find in my family table.

And you think we finish eating? No way. We just clean the table after the lunch and we put food “to snack on”, drinks, cakes ;) 

click to see the gif ->

Easter Sunday night is also special. At least for us from Moszczenica ;) It’s a night of fire (we say that we burn Judas) and a night of jokes. What? We meet (cousins, neighbors) and we make a bonfire - it’s to say goodbye to winter, hello to spring.

We drink and we dance, it’s a great outside party (like 5-10 degrees xDD).

And when the village, the rest is sleeping we go! We go to our uncles, neighbors to change something, like block the front door with some big planter, move the car, wrap a car with a stretch foil, just move things, to make the morning a little harder BUT still using brain and not being bad ones. For example, the road was blocked :D 

In the Monday morning you can hear many gossips. But shhhhh nobody knows! 🤫🤭😇

Easter Monday - Wet Monday - Śmigus-dyngus - this day we split the water on each other :D “I don’t care, I love it”. Why? The tradition was really old,and has changed. In the past it was like that: the boys hit (like a little bit) the girls with pussy (xD) willow branches and now we use only the water and the war is on the both sides. The gender doesn’t matter. In the past it was a little bit about “love” but now it’s just fun. When Easter is late, like the end of April and that day is sunny... wow! Then in the villages you can not be dry. Amazing day! And when Easter is in March and it’s so cold then yes... we still do it xD but more in the houses and praying that mom will understand xD With my uncle I have always a good fight. In the past I threw water over him from the window when he was outside he he ! :D But last year he was prepared as well and he knew... Also his method was to take me to the bath, too strong to fight... I could just scream but everybody was laughing so don’t expect any help that day. Sounds crazy no? But it’s really nice. And yes, villages, in the cities don’t try to split the water on a stranger.

Also that day my father (the man of the family) takes the palm from Palm Sunday, split it to many parts and takes each of it to different part of the house and places which belong to that house, like fields, forests, etc. It’s kind of protection from bad things (fires, droughts, etc). But it’s my father and he does it on Monday because his father did it on Monday as well. In my village you do it normally on Sunday. 

So this is our polish Easter, especially in Moszczenica ;)

[straykidsinspace]

messages across the galaxies ✧ woochan space au

↠ group: stray kids ↠ pairing: woochan, side pairing: changjin ↠ genre: space!au, sci-fi, romance, a lot of angst ↠ word count: 1.7k ↠ part: 1/5 (moodboard)

↳ @brandipandii i hope this is worth the wait and that you had an amazing christmas and new year ^^

“Take my hand you idiot…”

Chan’s voice was bordering on exasperated, face a mess of red and pink hues as he blushed and bashfully turned away. It was his final hours on this planet and he wasn’t going to let his nerves get the best of him, not this time, or at least that was what he wanted to believe. The man in front of him was not nearly as flustered, expression seemingly passive and Chan wondered whether he had been too harsh blurting out the words only seconds earlier.

That was when their fingers entwined, lacing together like a ribbon and being tied securely in place, Chan had never felt so complete.

And then it all ended.

Two years had gone since that day, the day when Chan had been set against flying to the outer reaches of the cosmos, but the boy had had no choice. He had trained for years, almost a decade, to be able to fly through galaxies and soar beyond the boundaries of the naked eye, but it had not been his choice. Had Chan been able to decide his own fate his feet would’ve stayed firmly rooted to the ground, writing music and living a quiet life, not one of a coveted celebrity.

“The explorer of our times” They had called him, before Chan had even stepped foot in the rocket, the expectations had weighed him down like a blanket of shouting opinions and criticisms. You either loved him or hated him said one interviewer, another had noted that he was nervous and not fit for the job. But his screaming fan base had only deafened and hurt him more than they had realised. It was not their fault, being a space explorer was no easy feat and he should’ve realised the consequences.

Now it was all too late, he’d lost everything before he could save it and the planet was millions of light years away, awaiting his return when there was no hope of even that now.

Everything had gone wrong.

So, so wrong.

“Cadet nine, please make your way to the central bay for routine checks thank you.”

Chan woke up in a cold sweat at the voice, having been drifting between the realms of consciousness and not for hours on end. He hadn’t slept well since arriving on the new hangar, supposedly being used to take him home but he knew different. It was all false hope, they had been stranded in space for at least seven months - Chan did not know the exact date but it had been long enough - however the leaders of their crew had not wanted to worry them, carrying on as normal and they would do for as long as they possibly could. Until someone stepped forward and spoke of the real situation, everything would be normal, normal was now all that Chan knew.

Dragging himself from the warm confines of his bed, Chan began to get ready, his uniform was completely black in colour, head to toe in midnight shades, matching his hair which had started to uncomfortably curl around his features, he should probably ask someone to cut it - maybe Hyunjin would help him? Shaking his head of the random thoughts, the man walked towards his mirror, noticing the ever growing bags under his eyes and sighing, trudging out the door of his room and down the industrial, narrow corridors of Hanger A67.

The central bay was as blunt and as plain as it sounded, in the heart of the ship it was filled with equipment and supplies - now running dangerously low. Chan only visited here when he was told to, and sometimes not even then, the room was claustrophobic and Chan could almost feel the breath being sucked from his lungs as he stood there that chilly morning, obviously the heater was finally giving up on them.

“Cadet nine, did you sleep well?”

“What do you think Changbin?”

The jokingly serious tone of his best friend always managed to lighten up his mood slightly, the younger had a sense of unparalleled wit and appeared to be the only person in the room who was actually happy today. Everyone else was sullen - who wouldn’t be after being awoken at 6am on a Saturday - but there was no room for slackers in space. Their captain often jeered at them with the threat of flushing them into a black hole if they were tardy, safe to say it worked.

“Alright cadets, prepare for routine checks!” The booming tone of their leaders voice sent everyone into autopilot, hands tucked carefully behind their backs as they looked ahead, scared to do so much as blink. The captain went by the name of Jaebum, a cold and calculating man, a cliche if ever Chan had met one and he constantly wished to make their lives orderly, something of his own personal chess game.

“Cadet nine, look here.” Jaebum scoffed as Chan followed his order, hair swishing and falling over his eyes.

“Get that stupid hair cut today, you’re on cleaning duty with Cadet 2.” Chan heard Changbin groan from beside him, of course today of all days he was on cleaning duty. Chan enjoyed almost any other job but cleaning? That was like servants work, but the hangar didn’t have those so he had to put up with the task at hand.

Jaebum dismissed the two of them quickly enough so they could get started, it was a known fact that cleaning duty over ran into dinner and lunch was guaranteed to be missed. So the sooner they began the sooner they could not die of starvation - not that it mattered, Chan knew it’d happen for real soon enough. Changbin rounded a corner into the supply cupboard, finding their other friend Hyunjin, sorting through boxes of needles and threads, a large hole in his shirt being the culprit for the boy’s distress.

“Oh h-hey guys!” Hyunjin reached up to wave before rubbing his reddening eyes, had he been crying? Again? Chan always knew that Hyunjin was probably one of the weaker cadets, he was amazingly smart and had the best style of the entire crew but the boy cried at everything and couldn’t carry a paint jar by himself.

“And before you say anything, I’m fine, its just dusty. I totally didn’t throw a tantrum cause there’s no decent thread.” The boy whined and grumbled, back turned to Changbin and Chan as he carried on sorting through everything.

“Are you sure Hyunjin? We can always help- I mean, okay, let’s go!” Changbin chirped as he remembered what job they were doing that day, quickly going to grab some brooms and cleaning products, bundling it in their arms and bidding farewell to Hyunjin. Chan pretended to ignore his best friends flushed cheeks as he took several last glances at Hyunjin, shrugging it off with a grin. At least he had some blackmail material now.

It wasn’t long before the two of them found a problem.

Changbin had done nothing more than trip over his broom when they had been cleaning in the infirmary bay and he’d gone splaying into what they’d both thought to be a locked door. Apparently, it was anything but that.

The door gave a resounding crack, heads peering out of other rooms to see what the commotion was but Chan quickly shooed them away, going to help his friend. Changbin had looked worse but the smaller man was definitely disgruntled, laying on top of the door with a grim expression. Complaining about his fate and doing cleaning duty being the worst thing in the world (quickly correcting himself to universe soon after), Changbin rose to his feet to inspect what had happened exactly. The locked door had come clean off its hinges, rusty and rotted after months of disrepair, within the room itself Chan could see nothing except lights blinking from the outside of the hangar ship, a small porthole showing the vast nothingness of space.

Taking a few steps inside, by passing an annoyed Changbin, he bent down in front of what appeared to be a desk, fingers lightly running over the dusty surface as he felt his nose twitch at the smell, it was old, everything was old. Chan knew that some parts of the hangar were older than others, in disrepair and left to corrode away to nothing but they’d been show all of those rooms so they could avoid them; all except for this one.

“Hey, what’s that?” Changbin’s voice rung out as Chan was brought out of his reverie, looking at where the younger was pointing; it appeared to be a large metal box, thin and retro looking, as if it were meant for a time long before their own.

“I’m not sure.” Chan grabbed his torch from his back pocket, bringing it up to the object and looking curiously at the parts that held it together. “Maybe just a sort of safe or prototype for something they built in previous missions on here?” The man’s answer was logical, Changbin nodding in response as the two of them settled before the box, prodding it but to no avail.

“Cadets! Get back to work before your snacking privileges get taken away. And yes, I am mean enough to carry out that threat!” Jaebum shouted not a moment too soon, tearing his gaze away from the box, Chan scrambled to his feet.

“I’m going to take it, y’know, for ‘research’ and stuff.” Chan cleared his throat, Changbin only eyeing him suspiciously before picking up the box, metal cold in hands. It was surprisingly heavy, he noted, holding it beneath his arm as he hurried out the room. Excusing himself momentarily, Chan rushed towards his quarters and placed the box on his desk, lining it up next to his pencils and small book collection.

“Cadet nine what the hell did I say?” Jaebum shouted as the man appeared back in the hallway, arm raised in a salute within an instant.

“That I should get back to work or have my snack privileges taken away.”

“Exactly, have fun without biscuits and cake for a week.” And with that, the captain stalked away, Chan left standing in the hall, sighing wearily and grabbing his broom once again.

[thevalerierenee]

Love is in the Air (Valentine’s Day)

[02/14/19]

Thursday

      With there being only 10 minutes left until midnight, I want to quickly write this post so that it is up on the same day that it discusses, haha! But it probably won’t happen because I have a ton to say. Well, today started off a bit bumpy.

      I could not wake up this morning at all and then my bother woke me up to show me what our parents set up in the kitchen for Valentine’s Day. There was a pink plastic tablecloth, two balloons tied to the kitchen chairs, Hershey kisses spread across the table, and various small gifts for my brother and I. I received a $10 Chick Fil A gift card, a 3-pack of my favorite gum, and a huuuuge bag of may favorite thing to snack on - sunflower seeds!! I remember one of the things my brother received was a huuuuuge bag of sour patch kids with gigantic sour patch kids inside, haha! I was running a bit late but everything was going alright. 

      Then, my boyfriend came to pick me up and he is the sweetest guy ever!!!!!!! I love him so so much. Tomorrow is our 2 year anniversary and I am super excited! Anyways, he picked me up this morning and had a stuffed bear strapped into the passengers seat with a heart-shaped box of chocolates and a card with the sweetest poem written inside. I am so grateful and lucky to have him in my life! 

      After we finally arrived to school and the bell rung, I went to talk to my con law teacher about my group’s presentation for today. It was a huge mess because my friend told me she was sick and wouldn’t be there but then she told me she would and I told my teacher what I knew. But then my friend emailed the teacher, making me sound like a liar (unintentionally). After all the drama, we ended up presenting today and it went well - we got an A!! The only issue was the font size, ugh! But its okay, nothing you can do about it now! 

      After school I had guard practice in the evening. Before leaving I took a nap for as much time as I could squeeze in. It was so nice having my window open with fresh air coming inside. Today’s weather was my favorite type of weather. Fresh, crisp air with birds chirping and not too bright out but not gloomy either - it was perfect. I would call today the perfect Valentine’s Day. 

      Guard practice went well today, too. We all gave our hearts out today in preparation for this weekend’s huge guard competition. At the end, our coaches gave us some lindor chocolates - which were amazing. All in all, today went pretty well. I can’t wait for tomorrow as it seems like it will be a pretty easy day, and I’ll get to celebrate my two year anniversary with the guy I love! Other than that, there isn’t much else to say. 

      Oh, it was also really nice when I came home because I talked to my dad for a bit and then my brother, dad, and I were all talking and laughing and playing around. It was a really fun and sweet time because I don’t spend much time with them anymore, or always get along with them. We all had our fun sides out tonight and I really appreciated that time. Well, it’s time to say good night because I am super exhausted, hungry, and tired but I am trying to end the night strong. Happy Valentines Day and I will see you tomorrow! <3 

[butternutrisotto]

How It Feels to be in NY

“Jadi, gimana rasanya New York?”

Itu adalah satu hal yang saya tanyakan ke diri saya sendiri saat pertama kali ke NY. Kota yang nggak pernah sepi (sekalipun saya kesana saat pandemi), bunyi klakson mobil dimana-mana, aroma sedap lamb over rice di setiap sudut persimpangan jalan, lampu kota yang menyala, dan orang-orangnya. Yes, the one thing I love about NY is just the people. They are so fashionable. They never out of style. It feels like when you know nothing about fashion and once you’re in New York, you just need to look around you. Everyone feels like a model. That’s why I love the people there, karena memang di setiap sudut jalan selalu ada aja inspirasinya untuk tampil beda.

Di New York, saya nggak pernah takut untuk kemana-mana sendirian. Meskipun untuk pertama kali saya kesana bareng teman saya (sembari merayakan ulang tahun saya yang ke 21, God is just really good tho :”)), saya pun banyak mempelajari how to survive in this city, once you’re a tourist. Gimana caranya pesan uber atau lyft, cara pesan hotel, cara baca maps (ga cuma di New York aja sih, dimana pun juga saya masih ga seberapa bisa baca maps hahahaha :D) yang bikin kita super hati-hati biar nggak kesasar, dan yang paling menarik adalah cara naik subway! Seriously, the last thing is just super tricky karena saya nyasar bolak-balik naik subway. Melelahkan sih karena harus baca google maps, what’s the next train, bacain the next stopnya dimana, isi ulang Metrocard tapi menurut saya disitulah serunya. Dan yang paling menyenangkan adalah nggak ada yang kenal saya selama di NY karena memang kotanya rame banget.

Let’s just not forget to say thank you to my wonderful Filipino friend Tara who went there with me. Everything I did with her was super memorable. Thank you thank you thank you! :)

I have been dreaming to go to NY since I was a kid, because I watched Home Alone 2: Lost in NY and I told myself that I had to go there someday. That’s the reason why I really wanna go to see Rockefeller Center. And once I arrived in US, I finally could say, “I made it!” I visited some places where they did the scene for Kevin McCallister in New York. Before I went there, I asked my chef to give me five days off and he (finally) approved it. Cause I prepared a lot of things for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and NYE and I probably had one day off and I also worked 12 hours a day. I thought that I deserved to go to NY for celebrating my 21st birthday. I just can’t believe this year, I went to NY twice in my whole life. Iya, karena New York semenyenangkan itu.

But the second time I went to NY, I decided to sightsee alone - without anybody. I just believed that I could make it happen, to go around alone. If something happened, I just need to ask the police officer from NYPD or even worse I could call 911. You know what? I made it (again). I could go to a place I’ve been wanting with myself. Even if I had to go to Koreatown alone. I just wish (my forever wish) that my good friend Felise could have been there with me in New York. I enjoyed every single things that I did there, such as bought a smoothie (I love the smoothie they made from Flatiron Building - and it’s also cheap tho!), tried some foods I’ve never tried before (lamb over rice is now favorite food and I’m planning to buy that once I’m going to New York again), rode a subway from Manhattan to Queens alone to meet Indonesian people and I bought Indonesian snacks too from a small store there, and I also went to Chelsea Market (based of recommendation from my friend) and a park near Manhattan & Brooklyn Bridge (the picture you see when you read this post lol). It was just a magical moment and the best things I’ve ever done this year.

New York has taught me how to get to know myself, even better, getting closer to myself. What I want, what I like, what I don’t like, everything. I’d love to see those skyscraper buildings from The Edge (even from my hotel room too), I’d love to walk around the Central Park, I’d love to eat lamb over rice as my dinner and my breakfast, I’d love to ride a subway alone, I’d love to buy a burger from Shake Shack as my snack in midnight, I’d love everything from New York. I couldn’t agree more with Taylor Swift’s lyric who says…

“…The lights are so bright but they never blind me…”

[everythingsproutingnew]

Day 2/3 of my Journey

Yesterday, I started my day with a 32oz lemon water. It seems like this should be a non-negotiable because otherwise, I feel thirsty, or even dehydrated when I don't. I drank 1L of Green Machine, a smoothie from one of my fave smoothie places... though I did notice that after that I started to bloat and fart a lot! They mixrd bananas and pineapples into it, and based on proper food combo, that's not ideal. I had a bowl of pineapples for breakfast and didn't get any better. (Though I just want to add, those are very yummy pineapples!)

For my mid-morning snack, I had an 8oz cacao nice cream- made from frozen bananas, raw cacao, pure vanilla extract and a little mappe syrup, topped off with chia seeds, strawberries and kiwi! Yum! That was pretty delish-- I made for my daughter and my husband, and they loved it lot!

However, i noticed that i was seriously craving for something savory/ salty. I didn't know what to eat so I chose to order falafel pita wraps!😬😬😬😬

I know that this was one of my decisions: not to buy, and to be 100% raw this holy week, but lo & behold, I gave in to my craving!!!!

This thing about craving, how do I master this Lord??

Anyway, I told myself that I wouldn't eat cooked food after that...

But I crashed in the afternoon and felt extremely sleepy! I chose to drink iced coffee to perk me up! After that, I worked out and felt super tired. Probably dehydrated....

After I've meal prepped for my family, I had to try the organic chicken curry that smelled so tasty! I couldn't eat the chicken and ended up eating adlai with curry sauce and salad. It didn't stop there, though! Nearing midnight, I decided to eat my 2nd raw falafel!!!!!! Ay tush tush!

Day 3

Today will not be a long post.

To keep it short, my kids and I went to my parents's house because my 1st denture will be attached to my mouth! Needless to say, I had to eat what they prepared! I brought my coldpressed carrot-ginger-lemon juice, but my dad said they had the sweet chicken tocino cooked for me, so I ate it all, with dilis and brown rice. 😭 lunch was supposed to be salad, but they had prepared eggplant omelet and sauteed pechay for me! I had hoped that dinner will be raw, but lo and behold, my brother prepared spinach pesto pasta for me!!!! Who can reject all these preparations??? On top of that, Ate Pina, our ever-loyal cook/helper/yaya/launderer, cooked her famous biko!!!!! I had eaten 1.5 slices! Wow. Wow. Triple Wow.

That's not the clincher though... I had consumed a whole stale-tasting potao fries with artificial BBQ powder, along with a 100%-laden with white sugar milk tea with fake milk, and lots of sweet toppings! Oh caramia! My daughter had asked if we could order these, for our spending time, and I chosr to give in. Not that we shouldn't spend time... but... BIG BUT. Read below👇

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Okay, now to apply compassion...

Since I refuse to beat myself up:

1st off, because of all these things, I was reflecting on keeping my diet 50% raw and 50% cooked. Why? Because I am a social being. I can't let me relationships suffer just because I want to be stickler to my raw vegan diet. Being Filipino means knowing how to relate with others, esp family! And our culture is HUGE on eating! Fiestas, celebrations!! How can I possibly be an extremist while I still live in this human body?!

Second, the main reason why I easily gave in, was lack of planning and preparation. I simply did not plan what to eat today, so I was left with the options in front of me, prepared by someone else.

Third, habit. Breaking a habit takes time, self-control, patience, perseverance. Humans are creatures of habit. And my default choice is what I've gotten used to, the past 34 years! If I am really going to switch to this lifestyle, gradually doing so is a must.

⭐⭐⭐

This leads me back to the question, why raw vegan?

I had to think about this really hard. It seems so extreme, so out of this world! Yet thr benefits are undeniable! Making the switch during the pandemic seems the most viable thing to do! The energy I crave, thr mental clarity I so desire, the amazing variety of fruits I have yet to discover, and the immense creativity I can do in the kitchen! Most of all, to honor this body, this sacred temple of the Spirit of God, means to take care of it. To nurture it, to feed it only the best.

So now what? Where do I go from here?

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Bottom line of my reflections today is all about CHOICES. to be an adult, to evolve, to fulfill my Godgiven mission, I need to make a choice, regardless of how I feel.

[cheollies]

Anniversary (Jihoon)

Synopsis: According to everyone else, apparently anniversaries were a pretty big thing to forget about. 

Genre: Fluff ft short suggestive content at the end

A/N: For my Jihoon stan who’s had a rough week. I hope you enjoy this. 

Everything seemed normal today according to Jihoon. He woke up with his right arm stiff because he let you use it as a pillow. He brushed his teeth with you, drank a cup of coffee you had brewed for him, let you force him to sit down and eat breakfast because you knew he wouldn’t eat the rest of the day. While leaving for the door, he let his lips land themselves onto your forehead. It was sweet and simple, although he didn’t kiss you on the lips often, forehead kisses made your heart flutter just as much. “I don’t know if I’ll come home tonight but I’ll text you.” You nodded, leaning on the nearest wall, “that’s alright.” you pointed a finger accusingly at him, “Lee Jihoon don’t forget to eat. I’ll hit you if Chan tells me you didn’t eat.” Jihoon chuckled at your action. Something he loved about you was how no matter how much his work took his time, no matter how much he was forced to move around, to be in new settings, you were always one of the constant ones in his life. “I will. I will.” He stood at the door for a moment, thinking. Eyes gazing over your figure still dressed in your sleepwear. Your lips smiled at him and he wondered when the last time he kissed them was. “You’re gonna be late.” you sang, “Seungcheol will be mad.” Jihoon jumped a bit, a sheepish smile taking over his face, “Yeah that’s right. I’ll see you when I can.” he closed the door behind him, a regretful sigh left his mouth, “I should have kissed her.” He entered the building with thoughts of music crowding his mind. Jihoon was mentally mapping out the song in his head when he opened the practice room doors. He was greeted with 12 sparkling eyes looking at him. Jihoon tried his best to ignore the weird gazes of his members. He’s delt with weirder situations, like when Seokmin brought in a hoard of kids he got from who knows where. After two hours of nonstop dancing, the sweat flew in various directions as Jihoon plopped himself onto the floor. He was digging in his coat for his cell phone but instead continued to grab empty air. “Ah Dammit.” “What’s wrong.” Seungcheol took a seat next to him. “I forgot my phone.” Seungcheol nodded and then it happened, those sparkingly and hopeful eyes appeared in Seungcheol. Jihoon had enough, “Why. Why are you all looking at me like I’m some protagonist in a romance movie.” “Well because aren’t you kinda?” Seungcheol asked. Jihoon continued to look bewildered. “Don’t you know what today is?” Jihoon thought for a moment. It wasn’t a member’s birthday. He’s was pretty sure it wasn’t his birthday neither yours, “um, Saturday.” “Oh my god.” everyone gasped. Confused more than ever, Jihoon glanced around as the others stayed stunned, “what. What what?” “Anniversary Jihoon!!!!!” Mingyu shouted. Anniversary? Jihoon’s expression remained confused. Seungcheol turned to him, “This is just like last year. I swear its like you didn’t learn. Its been two years Jihoon. You know. Y/N?” “What?” Seungcheol pinched the bridge of his nose, “its your two year anniversary with Y/N.” Jihoon remained blank. Two years he thought. Had it really been two years already. Jihoon looked back at the males and shrugged, “so?” “So??” Soonyoung chirped up, “I forgot my one year anniversary and you know what happened, I slept on the couch for a week.” The rest nodded in agreement. “One time.” Seungcheol spoke, “I forgot it was our three year and she totally flipped out at me. I got her flowers at 11pm and she threw them back at me. She gave me the silent treatment for 3 days.” Others agreed in unison. “But she didn’t seem mad in the morning.” Jihoon wondered. Jeonghan leaned forward, “That’s how it always is. She probably thinks you’re gonna plan some grand surprise for her.” Jihoon shook his head, “I told her I probably wouldn’t be home.” “Wow.” Jun butted in, “You just dug a deeper hole for yourself.” Another chorus of nods filled the room. Would you really be mad, he wondered. Jihoon continued his day normally. The others continued giving Jihoon warnings but he brushed them off, he knew you wouldn’t be that mad. “You never know.” Jeonghan singed as he exited Jihoon’s studio. The thought began to gnaw at him. It especially did when he realized Chan hadn’t bugged him to see if he ate so he could report it to you. Just as Jihoon opened the door to his studio he ran into Hansol. “Hey have you seen Chan?” “Chan?” Hansol shrugged, “I think he said something about going home because he was tired.” Jihoon paniced, that meant you didn’t talk to Chan. Were you ignoring him now? Were you mad at him so you didn’t tell Chan to check up on him? “Oh yeah, I got some lyrics, can you look at them.” Hansol opened the document on his phone, when he looked up, he saw Jihoon’s figure leaving down the hallway, “Hyung!!” Jihoon waved a hand, “Text it to me. I’ll be back later.” Jihoon glanced over at the taxi’s clock. 11:15pm. He had the cab stop at the nearest convienant store by your apartment. Jihoon thanked the lord the store sold flowers, he picked a bouquet of roses also stuffing various of your favorite snacks onto the counter. His foot tapped impatiently in the elevator. Other residents glanced in confusion at the odd combinations of flowers and junk food. As soon as the doors opened he flung out. His hands shaking as he entered the pin. Jihoon opened the door, he prepared for the worst as he walked in. Silence. Jihoon entered furthur and further until he entered the living room. He let out a breath of relief, you laid sprawled on the couch, headphones blasting music, with your cell in close proximity to your face. You turned your head, finally catching his figure. You ripped the headphones off, a grin plastering your face. “What are you doing here? I thought you were working.” A laugh escaped your lips when you saw the flowers and snacks, “What’s all that.” “I’m sorry.” jihoon spoke hurriedly, “I’m so sorry I forgot about our two year anniversary. I’m so selfish, I only thought about work and didn’t know. The others were telling me about how their girlfriends got mad and I didn’t know if you would so I came here with roses and snacks and please forgive me.” You sat speechless. The words rolled off his tongue quickly and you took a moment to process them, “wait. Its our two year anniversary?” Jihoon froze. He really wasn’t expecting this, “yes?” he spoke slowly. You nodded, “ahhh I guess I’m sorry too then. I didn’t realize it. I mean its just an anniversary Jihoon. We don’t need to celebrate every year.” You stood up, taking the flowers from his hands, “but its cute that you went through the trouble of getting these at night.” Jihoon flushed. He watched your figure carry the roses, finding an empty vase to put them in. Jihoon dropped the bag of snacks. You squeaked as he wrapped his arms around you from behind. “You’re such a cool girlfriend.” You rolled your eyes laughing. When you had neatly placed the flowers in the vase, Jihoon spun you around. “I’m sorry.” He placed his forehead onto yours. “For what? Its just an anniversary” Jihoon shook his head, “not that. I feel like a shitty boyfriend because I forget things like this.” A smile graced your lips, “Hey. Lee Jihoon. If you’re a shitty boyfriend then at least you’re my shitty boyfriend. Anniversaries are meaningless, who cares if we’ve been together for two years.” you placed a hand onto his cheek, “all I care is if my shitty boyfriend ate today.” Jihoon laughed. He pulled you close, lips hovering over yours, his breath taken away as he felt the warmth of your lips. He had forgotten how much he loved them. Jihoon applied more pressure, suddenly backing you up to the kitchen counter. Your hands found themselves tangled in his hair, pulling them softly when you felt his fingers graze the skin of your ribs under your shirt. Buzz. You and Jihoon pulled away, with slight uneven breaths. Slight confusion in both of you were present, who would be at your door at almost midnight. You followed him to the door. He opened it wide and you were greeted with 12 screaming voices. “HAPPY 2 YEAR ANNIVERSARY!” Jihoon slammed the door in their faces, grumbling, “GO HOME!”

[instantdeerlover]

NYC’s New Restaurant Openings (9) added to Google Docs

NYC’s New Restaurant Openings (9)

If you tried to keep track of every brand new restaurant in New York City, you might go a little bit crazy. So just read this list instead. These are the new restaurant openings that seem like they have the most potential - although keep in mind, for the ones we haven’t tried, we make no promises. Go forth and be a pioneer.

Editor’s Note 6/30: All restaurants listed below are currently open for carryout, delivery, or outdoor dining.

JULY  Sushi Lab $$$$ 132 W 47th St

Sushi Lab, the hotel restaurant in Midtown with a relatively affordable omakase, isn’t new. But, Sushi Lab, the rooftop restaurant with a la carte options and omakase sets, is new and looks like a great place to bring someone you don’t plan on ghosting anytime soon. Before you make any big plans, you’ll need to reserve one of the socially-distanced outdoor tables, or a few seats at the chef’s counter, on the restaurant’s website.

Finback Brewery $$$$ 545 President St

If beer with notes of orange pith sounds like something you’d be into, you probably already know that you can find it at Finback Brewery in Queens. We’re just here to tell you that this brewery opened a new taproom in Gowanus with outdoor sidewalk seating. You can stop by starting at noon, Tuesday through Saturday to make a final decision on whether or not to make your Zoom name “Orange Pith” sometime in the near future.

 Emmeline Zhao Silver Apricot $$$$ 20 Cornelia St

The rolled scallion puffs from Silver Apricot look like a good enough reason to try this new upscale Chinese spot in the West Village on their own. But if dishes like poached arctic char, skirt steak, and black sesame panna cotta also sound good to you, they’re all available for takeout, delivery, and outdoor dining, Tuesday through Saturday from 4:30 to 9pm.

Green Garden Buffet $$$$ 332 E 9th St

There’s a new pay-by-weight buffet in the East Village where you can pick up healthy-ish French dishes like baked sweet potatoes and samosas from Chad. Green Garden Buffet is open from 11am to 11pm daily, so if you decide you want something other than the usual ‘nachos larger than your head’ order after 9pm, keep this spot in mind.

 Pupusas Ridgewood $$$$ 71-20 Fresh Pond Rd

We don’t want any trouble, but it’s likely that you’re not eating enough pupusas right now. The good news is you can change that by ordering lunch or dinner from this new, woman-owned, Salvadoran restaurant on Fresh Pond Road in Ridgewood. Whether you want cheese and squash, revueltas, or chicharron in your pupusas, this spot has them all available for takeout, delivery, and outdoor dining right now.

Tradisyon $$$$ 792 9th Ave

For dishes like squid adobo, sisig, and lumpia outdoors, try Tradisyon in Hell’s Kitchen. This new Filipino spot is open every day except Sunday, and if you’d rather order a few dishes for lunch or dinner at home, their entire menu is also available for takeout and delivery.

 Maki Kosaka Maki Kosaka $$$$ 55 W 19th St

If a romantic relationship with high quality sushi is the only one you’re willing to fully commit to right now, Maki Kosaka in Flatiron might be of interest. Nothing on its menu of sushi and hand roll combination sets costs more than $50. And if you want to know more about the onigiri fillings like yellowtail, snow crab, and spicy salmon offered here, you can check them all out on their website.

 Blume Blume $$$$ 1652 Second Avenue

Blume is a new outdoor wine bar on the Upper East Side, located behind Schaller’s Stube Sausage Bar. There are only 20 tables here and they’re all painted gold with pink chairs tucked underneath them, which makes this place look like the one baby shower we might actually want to be at. So if you’re in the mood to try some Austrian wine and snack on charcuterie plates, cheese boards, sandwiches, and sorbets give this spot a try.

Village Square Pizza $$$$ 118 Christopher St

Every once and a while, it’s good to switch up your pizza order. And since Village Square Pizza is opening a second location in the West Village this week (July 15th), you can swap your usual pepperoni and sausage pie for a few grandma slices topped with things like mozzarella, tomato sauce, and pesto.

 Travis W Keyes Photography Ampia $$$$ 100 Broad St Fl 2

Ampia is a new rooftop Italian spot that has a few two-top tables inside individual greenhouses that you can reserve for lunch or dinner. The Fidi restaurant serves a bunch of seafood-filled paninis, a few pastas, and some small plates like calamari and grilled octopus. And if the greenhouses are booked, you can always eat at one of their socially-distant outdoor tables.

Brooklyn Noosh $$$$ 988 Atlantic Ave

Whenever you’re ready to check ‘eating Flaming Hot Cheeto-coated wings’ off your bucket list, head to Brooklyn Noosh in Bed-Stuy. It’s a new outdoor spot surrounded by tall trees and string lights, with a menu that also includes some of the more classic wing flavors like buffalo and BBQ, a burger, and a few different meat kabobs. If you’d rather order takeout, you’ll find their online menu here.

The Good Batch Creamery $$$$ 995 Fulton St

The people behind The Good Batch Bakery in Clinton Hill are opening this new ice cream shop right across the street this week (July 15th). To celebrate, they’re offering a free scoop of ice cream to anyone who registers using this link, between now and Friday, July 17th. The flavors here include cookies, cakes, and other sweets from the original bakery.

Baylander Steel Beach $$$$ West 132nd Street

This new restaurant on an aircraft carrier near the West Harlem Piers is run by the same team behind Prohibition on the UWS. And since it’s an aircraft carrier, you can drink cocktails on its massive top deck while eating lobster rolls and wondering when the engineers working on the simulation you call your life will fix all of the glitches. Check out Baylander Steel Beach’s website for more details on their hours.

JUNE Dante West Village $$$$ 551 Hudson St

A new cocktail bar from the team behind beloved Greenwich Village Italian spot Dante just opened for outdoor dining on Hudson St. In addition to negronis and other cocktails from the original location, Dante West Village is offering a bunch of specialty martinis, spritzes, and dishes like roast chicken from 3pm to 11pm, Wednesday through Sunday.

Pulkies $$$$ 428 W 16th St

There’s a new Jewish BBQ spot that just opened in Chelsea Market and the dishes on their menu are a blend of Southern cuisine and things you’d find at a classic New York deli. From chilled borscht gazpacho and pastrami turkey breast to honey butter cornbread and brisket, you can order a bunch of entrees and sides for takeout and delivery on Pulkies’ website.

Kokomo $$$$ 65 Kent Ave

Kokomo is a Caribbean spot in Williamsburg where you can get pastas, flatbreads, and more topped with things like jerk chicken and oxtail. This black-owned restaurant opened in late June, offering delivery, takeout, and dine-in service on their outdoor patio. For more information on specials and updates, check out their Instagram.

The Beer Garage $$$$ 148 5th Avenue

The Beer Garage in Park Slope seems like a great spot to send someone who misses the feeling of sitting at a bar with a tall glass of beer. There are a few outdoor bar stools where you can order drafts, wine, oysters, and clams. And if you stop by this beer bar between June 29 and July 5th for its opening week, you’ll get 25% off your entire bill.

Magdalene $$$$ 524 Lorimer Street

Like many restaurants on this list, Magdalene first opened in February and has since reopened for takeout, delivery, and outdoor dining. This Lebanese spot in Williamsburg has mezze like babaganoush, edamame hummus, and more, plus entrees like a falafel fried chicken sandwich and huge shrimp caesar salad that you can eat on their back patio. While you’re at it, be sure to take advantage of their natural wine selection - they’re offering 20% to 30% off every bottle right now.

Merchants NY $$$$ 190 7th Ave

Chelsea has a new American restaurant with sidewalk seating, that’s open for every day from 3pm to midnight. So if you’re looking for a spot to sit down for a spicy fried chicken sandwich and a spiked lemonade after 8pm this summer, try Merchants.

Dame $$$$ 85 MacDougal Street

The next time you’re in the mood for fish and chips, disco fries with curry sauce, or a parfait with earl grey meringue, try this new English restaurant’s pop up in the West Village. After halting their West Village restaurant opening, Dame has opened a temporary spot with outdoor seating, and all proceeds benefit organizations like the NAACP and Harlem Grown. Stop by Dame’s summer pop up from 5 to 10pm on Tuesday through Friday or 1 to 10pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Sami & Susu $$$$ 279 Grand St

Here are just a few things you can expect from this new Mediterranean spot in Williamsburg: grilled shrimp pitas, rolled bourekas, ratatouille, and bottles of sparkling wine with labels designed by people who apparently love hand drawings, symmetry and pastel colors. Opened in June, Sami and Susu is currently offering delivery, takeout, and limited outdoor dining in the old Marajuca space on Grand Street from 12 to 9pm daily.

Santo Brúklin $$$$ 548 Court St

Now that the backyard is open at this new Brazilian restaurant in Carroll Gardens, you can eat steak sandwiches, pão de queijo (cheese bread), and brigadeiros (fudge balls), while contemplating why you didn’t rent that apartment 250 square foot apartment with the nice back patio after all. They’re open from 4pm daily and since they’ll be starting weekend brunch service on July 4th, you should follow their Instagram for menu updates.

Forsythia $$$$ 104 East 7th Street

It would be strange if this new pasta spot in the East Village didn’t have picnic kits with bread, cheese, and cured meats since they’re located within a few blocks of Tompkins Square Park. But since they do, you can pick one up the next time you’re in the area, or go for one of their Italian dinner kits, which they say will only take 20 mins to prepare at home. Forsythia is offering these kits for pick up and delivery right now and their Instagram is the best place to check for updates on their rotating three-course menu options.

Pineapple Club $$$$ 509 E 6th St

There are many things you could do to remind yourself that it’s summer. But ordering a mezcal ginger margarita, an oyster platter, or a plate of fried jerk chicken on the turf-covered outdoor patio at this new tiki bar in the East Village will probably be one of the more memorable options. Pineapple Club is open from 3 to 9pm daily, and if you’d like to make an outdoor dining reservation here, call 212-697-8600.

Rothschild TLV $$$$ 1129 Lexington Ave

If you’re looking for a new Kosher spot to try while taking in the outdoors, Rothschild TLV is an upscale option on the UES where you’ll find things like a short rib flatbread, lamb shank, or a piece of fish on the menu. They’re taking reservations for patio seating over the phone at 917-341-4169, but if you’d rather get takeout, you can place your order online.

MAY The Bun Hut $$$$ 178 Stanton St

Since May, this new Caribbean spot on the LES has been making Chinese bao buns filled with things like coconut shrimp, oxtail, and jerk chicken. It’s a new black-owned restaurant that you can support by ordering takeout and delivery online, and if you do it soon you’ll get 20% off their entire menu. Head to The Bun Hut’s website for more on their dishes, like chicken roti and coconut tarts.

Soothr $$$$ 204 E 13th St

Soothr opened its doors In May, serving Thai dishes like chicken khao soi, roasted duck with jade noodles, and massaman potato curry. And ever since then, the food photos from this East Village spot have made us want to leave everything we know about “picnic food” behind and push for Thai noodles the next time we’re picking up something to eat in a park. If you want to do the same, they’re open for pickup and delivery from 12 to 9pm daily.

High Low $$$$ 295 Wyckoff Ave

For beer, wine, coffee, and pastries near the Bushwick and Ridgewood border, try this new all-day bar. Since May, they’ve served things like sugar doughnuts filled with sour cherry lime leaf jam and a bunch of other pastries that sound like something you’d find in a bakery that’s core mission is to excite you with orgasmic menu titles. So if you need to stock your bar cart and load up on baked goods, you can do both at High Low, which is only open for takeout.

Tamam $$$$ 1106 Lexington Ave

The UES has a new vegan Middle Eastern spot that serves falafel bowls, pita, and shawarma filled with things like roasted cauliflower and crispy eggplant. And if you want to pick up an order from Tanam, which is just below E 79th on Lexington Ave, you can do it any weekday from 12 to 7pm. The restaurant is delivery-only on weekends.

Pizza Collective $$$$ 2060 Broadway

We’re not sure what’s better, the fact that you can pick up a slice of pizza with speck and toasted walnuts from this new shop on the UWS or the fact that the spot’s website looks like a relic from the Y2K era. Right now, Pizza Collective has a few outdoor tables where you can order a carbonara square slice or a calabrese pie, but you can also just order takeout and delivery online.

Haizea $$$$ 142 Sullivan St

This new Basque spot has a few sidewalk tables where you can eat an Iberico sandwich, spanish omelette, or grilled octopus in Soho right now, but since they’re also doing takeout and delivery from 12 to 8pm daily, you can enjoy all of these dishes from the comfort of your apartment. Recently, Haizea announced it’s offering brunch service from 11am to 5pm on Sunday and if you want more updates on what’ll be on the menu, check out their Instagram.

Sofia's of Little Italy $$$$ 143 Mulberry St

Since March, Sofia’s has been selling DIY meal kits for pasta, sourdough starter, and a bunch of other Italian options for an easy dinner at home. But now that their LES restaurant space is open, you can enjoy things like tuna and watermelon crudo, sourdough margherita pizza, and a glass or two from their extensive natural wine list on their garden patio from 5 to 10pm, Wednesday through Sunday.

Shinn East $$$$ 119 E 7th St

Like us, you’ve probably been craving some great sushi. So the fact that this new East Village spot has a good-looking 12-piece sushi omakase that costs $45 and is available for takeout right now will probably excite you. They’ve also got eel unagi, akami tuna, and other seafood boxes that you can order online, from 12 to 8pm daily.

Claudy's Kitchen $$$$ 5981 Broadway

Previously an empanada delivery-only spot, Claudy’s opened a restaurant on West 242nd Street in the Bronx, with a menu of Peruvian-style roast chicken dinners, ceviche, lomo saltado empanadas, flan, and more. This new spot sits right across the street from Van Cortlandt Park, so if you’re looking for somewhere to grab food for a picnic, this is a great place to try.

APRIL Saigon Social $ $ $ $ Vietnamese  in  Lower East Side $$$$ 172 Orchard St

After years of doing pop-ups around the city, Saigon Social has officially opened its own location on a sunny corner of the Lower East Side (formerly Mission Taqueria). They’re currently offering a rotating takeout and delivery menu of Vietnamese dishes, like a bowl of chicken pho, a banh mi burger with oxtail gravy, pork ribs, and so much more. Check their Instagram for updates.

Rangoon $$$$ 500 Prospect Pl

Rangoon is a Burmese spot that you might remember from its years of doing pop ups around the city. After briefly opening a new Crown Heights restaurant in March, the team pivoted their menu toward takeout and delivery. For dishes like tea leaf salad, coconut chicken noodle soup, or prawn curry, call 917-442-0100 or place your order online.

Niko's Souvlaki Handmade $$$$ 1933 Ditmars Blvd

New Greek food in Astoria might not sound like earth shattering news, but the juicy-looking meats covered in lemon juice and tzatziki sauce on Nikos Souvlaki’s Instagram have us contemplating a big shift in our weekly diet. And since this place is still doing takeout and delivery, along with dine-service on their outdoor patio, you can join us in whatever way makes you comfortable.

Kings Kolache $$$$ 321 Starr St

This new Bushwick spot specializes in Czech kolaches, which are fruit dough pastries filled with things like apricot preserves, blueberry, and sweet cream cheese. Along with the classics, Kings Kolache serves them Texas-style with things like candied jalapeno and bacon inside. If you want to get your hands on one, or try one of their good-looking breakfast tacos, Kings Kolache opens at 8am daily for takeout and delivery.

Winner $$$$ 367 7th Ave

Whether you’re looking to pick up a freshly baked sourdough croissant for breakfast, a BLT on ciabatta for lunch, or a roasted chicken with butterball potatoes for dinner, this bakery in Park Slope has you covered. Winner does it all from 9am to 6pm daily, and you can pre-order your takeout by emailing info@winner.nyc. And if you want to know more about their friends and family weekly meal series, you can read more here.

Public Display Of Affection $$$$ 669 Union St

This new pizza place in Park Slope is offering wood-fired sourdough pies for takeout, plus a bunch of other things you’ll probably want to eat like breakfast burritos, chicken wings with chili jam, and crispy Cameroonian croquettes. You can order online or you can text the restaurant at 718-635-1678 to schedule your pick up.

Dr. Clark $$$$ 104 Bayard St

The people behind The Izakaya in the East Village have opened another Japanese spot during quarantine, and its dishes like lamb curry, cold ramen noodle salad, and Hokkaido-style fried chicken all look promising. Dr. Clark is currently offering delivery, takeout, and limited outdoor seating on Bayard Street in Chinatown.

Public Village $$$$ 23 Essex St

For Sichuan dishes like chili oil dumplings, dan dan noodles, and grilled noodle wraps with sausage and cheese, try Public Village. Since March, this Chinatown spot has been offering a rotating menu of dishes for takeout and delivery, so be sure to check their Instagram to stay up to date on specials like their spicy beef jerky. You can order takeout or delivery from Public Village from 11:00am to 8:00pm daily.

March Karazishi Botan $$$$ 255 Smith St

One of the original chefs from Ippudo has opened his own walk-in only Japanese spot in Cobble Hill. Karazishi Botan is a narrow, brick-walled room with about ten bar seats and a menu of just three ramen options, including less common ingredients like oxtail, lemon broth, and pork bone.

American Brass $$$$ Center Blvd & 49th Ave, 2-01 50th Ave

This huge, bright waterfront restaurant in Long Island City serves seafood towers, steak frites, and pig-shaped charcuterie boards covered in American ham and cheeses that look good enough to make this Queens spot a go-to for dinner in the neighborhood.

Omar's Mediterranean Cuisine $ $ $ $ Mediterranean ,  Middle Eastern  in  Midtown East $$$$ 154 E 55th St

If you spend a lot of time in the East 50s, you’ll be happy to hear that Omar’s - the Lebanase counter-service spot with incredible chicken shawarma - has reopened in the same space on East 55th Street. And if you’re new to the area, you might want to break up with your go-to healthy bowl place and start getting meat platters with tabbouleh, hummus, and eggplant salad for lunch here.

Loulou $$$$ 176 8th Ave

If you want to feel like you’re at a mountain wedding while you eat a duck leg or steak frites for dinner, try Loulou, a new French spot in Chelsea. And if you’re looking for somewhere dark to get cocktails, take the stairs down to the underground speakeasy.

Ama $$$$ 37-06 36th St

We love an all-day spot just as much as the next chronically hungry busy body, but Ama’s looks especially nice. This huge Long Island City restaurant feels like an upscale diner with cement floors and fiddle leaf fig trees where you’ll want to spend hours eating piles of fried chicken, and dim sum-style seafood dishes like poke, oysters, and clams that are pushed around the room on a service cart.

Good Bar $$$$ 1 Bedford Ave

The team behind Good Room, one of the best bars where you can dance in NYC, have opened a new cocktail bar in Greenpoint where you can listen to someone’s vinyl collection. There are also cheeseburgers, fried chicken sandwiches and beer on the menu in a room with a colorful mural that opens at 5pm every day.

Ras Plant $$$$ 739 Franklin Ave

Ras Plant is a vegan Ethiopian spot on Franklin Ave in Crown Heights where you can eat things like red lentils, beets, collard greens, and potatoes all wrapped up in a mound of injera for lunch, dinner, or weekend brunch. Whenever you try the food here, we recommend sitting as close as you can to the colorful graffiti mural that runs along the back of the casual dining room.

 Skin Contact $ $ $ $ Lower East Side $$$$ 76 Orchard St

A narrow, candlelit natural wine bar has opened on the LES. It’s from the family behind Chamber Street Wines, so you can expect this place to be packed from the long bar up-front to the small tables in the back.

Bohemien Bar $$$$ 97 Atlantic Ave

If listening to vinyl through floor-to-ceiling speakers while drinking an Old Fashioned at a marble-top counter sounds like a good time to you, try Bohemien Bar. It’s a shiny new Brooklyn Heights spot where you can eat snacks like chicken sliders and duck confit tacos.

Spicy Moon $$$$ 66 W 3rd St

The original location of Spicy Moon is one the best places to have a vegetarian birthday dinner in the city. And now that there’s a new West Village location of this vegetarian Szechuan spot where you’ll find a similar menu involving Beyond Beef dan dan noodles and dry pot with tofu.

Nakaji $$$$ 48 Bowery

Nakaji is a new omakase sushi spot in Chinatown from a chef who used to work at Sushi Inoue. To eat here, you’ll have to find the hidden entrance at the intersection of Bowery and Elizabeth Street, ring the unmarked door bell, take a seat at the modern sushi counter, and order either 12 pieces for $165, or the same omakase, plus sashimi and appetizers for $195. There is also a cocktail bar at the front of the restaurant called Bar at Nakaji, where you can order la carte sushi or a $30 cocktail omakase.

East Hae $$$$ 98 N 6th St

East Hae is a Korean bar that’s attached to the Urban Outfitters in Williamsburg. Before you stop reading, you should know that this place has decent-looking bar food like grilled octopus skewers, scallion pancakes, bulgogi burgers, and katsu sandwiches. Plus Happy Hour goes till 8pm, when you can get half-off of all skewers, wings, and cocktails.

Thyme Bar $$$$ 20 W 23rd Street

This new cocktail bar in Flatiron is in an underground cellar where you might be tempted to order a whiskey neat even if you’ve never ordered whiskey in your life. If you decide to go into full hibernation mode down here, there are a handful of snacks, in addition to a full bar menu.

Kuih Cafe $$$$ 46 Eldridge St

You’ll mostly find pastries like pineapple tarts and kuih serimuka (steamed, glutinous, layer cake) at this casual new Malaysian cafe in Chinatown. But if you want something more substantial for lunch, there’s also a plate of nasi lemak (coconut rice topped with fried anchovies, peanuts, cucumbers, and hard-boiled eggs) on the menu.

Gatsu Gatsu $$$$ 196 Smith St

Cocktails on fire, pork buns, vegetable gyozas, and tonkatsu ramen are all things you can expect from this Japanese izakaya in Cobble Hill. So if you’re looking for a dimly lit, brick-walled room to decompress after work in the area, this place is open at 5pm, Wednesday to Sunday.

Nisi NYC $$$$ 250 W 47th St

One of the chefs who used to cook at Anassa Taverna has opened his own Mediterranean spot in the Theater District. Starting at 11am every day, you can get a mezze spread or some shrimp paella at this two-floor, sit-down spot on W 47th Street.

The Izakaya $$$$ 215 E 4th St

The Izakaya has an unassuming name, impressive Japanese small plates, and now, a second East Village location that looks like what would happen if a merchandiser from Anthropologie designed the inside of an underground bunker. You’ll find some of the same dishes from the original spot at this new location, plus new ones like BBQ duck wrapped in eggplant and jalapeno fried chicken.

february Barbuto $$$$ 113 Horatio St

Barbuto is back in the West Village, along with its popular roast chicken. It’s right around the corner from its original location, and it seems like nothing has changed, except there are no garage doors.

Sushi on Jones x Don Wagyu $$$$ 600 11th Ave

There’s a new sushi spot in Gotham West Market that looks like it could become one of the best restaurants in Hell’s Kitchen. It’s run in part by the Sushi on Jones team, who are serving a la carte and omakase sushi. And if you’re craving a beef katsu sandwich, you can order one during your omakase experience or from the takeout window run by Don Wagyu.

Thai Diner $ $ $ $ Diner ,  Thai  in  Nolita $$$$ 186 Mott St

Lower Manhattan has a cool new diner to get excited about, this time from the people behind Uncle Boons. Thai Diner is currently serving Thai breakfast and lunch until 4pm every day, including a dish with five nouns we like a lot: Thai tea babka French Toast. No need to freak out if you don’t spend daytime hours near Nolita - they’re extending dinner hours soon.

We checked out Thai Diner and added it to our Hit List.

Hakata Zen $$$$ 31 St Marks Place

After a 12-month closure, this Japanese hot pot place just reopened on St. Marks. Hakata Zen specializes in motsunabe hot pot - a red or white broth typically made with intestine, chives, cabbage, and tofu.

Top Thai $$$$ 55 Carmine St

The West Village has very few casual Thai spots in the neighborhood. So if you live in the area, take note of Top Thai Vintage on Carmine Street.

Factory Tamal East Village $$$$ 63 E. 4th Street

If you spend time on the LES, it’s possible you’ve been meaning to check out Factory Tamal for a while now (or you go every other Sunday morning for breakfast sandwiches and tamales). Consider their new second location in the East Village a further incentive to get involved with a chipotle chicken tamale.

Indika House $$$$ 943 Broadway

Indika House is a casual Indian restaurant in Bed-Stuy, right across from the Myrtle Broadway subway station. The menu seems pretty straightforward (full of dishes like biryani and vindaloo), and we can only describe the walls as having a similar aesthetic to the Rainbow Road level in Mario Kart.

Citizens Of Soho $$$$ 201 Lafayette Street

Did anyone ask for a new place to get charred broccoli bowls and lattes in Soho? Likely not. But if you work or live in the area, this location of an Australian cafe chain is here for your light meal needs.

& Sons $ $ $ $ Wine Bar  in  Prospect Lefferts Gardens $$$$ 447 Rogers Ave

If you’re into wine and charcuterie, you’ll probably want to become a regular at this new Prospect Lefferts Gardens wine bar, which specializes in American country ham. It’s owned by an ex-sommelier from The French Laundry in Napa Valley who also used to run the beverage program at Per Se, which is to say, you should expect to learn more about great wine (and ham) in this tiny, brick-walled room on Rogers Ave. Just keep in mind that, for now, & Sons is only open Thursday through Sunday.

Bar Camillo $$$$ 333 Tompkins Ave

The people behind Locanda Vini & Olii and Camillo, two solid neighborhood Italian spots in Brooklyn, just opened a third spot in Bed-Stuy where you can drink negronis and eat Italian food. They specialize in Roman-style pizza called pinsas, but you can also order things like baked cacio e pepe and beef short ribs here.

Dashi Brooklyn $$$$ 119 Ingraham St.

Eat outdoors at Smorgasburg all winter if you want to. But first, you should know that the team behind a couple of regular vendors at the weekly food fair (including a fried chicken truck and a pho bar), just opened an all-day Japanese comfort food place in East Williamsburg. To no one’s surprise, you can find a fried chicken sandwich and pho on the menu, but there are also some donburi rice dishes, sandwiches, and avocado toast served with an optional $6 slab of hanger steak.

Rome To Brooklyn Pizza $$$$ 755 Grand St

There’s a new slice shop in Williamsburg where you can get toppings like blueberry and pancetta, or pear and gorgonzola on your pizza. And if you’re looking for a sit-down lunch or dinner, you can grab a seat at one of the two-tops inside and think about adding a rosemary focaccia panini, hellboy panzerotti (essentially a fried calzone from the heel of Italy’s boot), or a beef-filled arancini to your order.

Strings Ramen $$$$ 188 2nd Ave

Our good friends at The Infatuation Chicago love Strings Ramen, so we’re happy to see that the first NYC location of this counter-service spot just opened in the East Village. In this small dining room on 2nd Avenue, you can get things like duck ramen in pork bone broth for lunch, dinner, or just before you go into hibernation for the next three months.

Da Toscano $ $ $ $ Italian  in  Greenwich Village $$$$ 24 Minetta Ln

The Italian spot Perla in Greenwich Village was an all-time Infatuation favorite until it tragically closed several years ago. Now, the team behind Perla is back in the same space with their new restaurant Da Toscano. You can expect to eat unusual dishes like octopus carpaccio, veal parm, and a giant porchetta chop wrapped in pork belly here.

Quality Bistro $ $ $ $ French  in  Midtown $$$$ 120 W 55th St

The people behind Quality Eats, a chain of steakhouses trapped in cool restaurant bodies, just opened a huge new French brasserie in Midtown. Quality Bistro has a few luxury hotel lobby-sized dining rooms where you can eat steak frites and stare at hundreds of framed bird photos lining the walls.

We checked out Quality Bistro and added it to our Hit List.

Taqueria Al Pastor $ $ $ $ Tacos  in  Brooklyn ,  Bushwick $$$$ 128 Wyckoff Ave

Taqueria Al Pastor is a new counter-service Mexican spot with a meat spit in the kitchen, which makes us confident that they’re serious about tacos. This small Bushwick restaurant has only a few counter seats, but the al pastor tacos served with hand-made corn or flour tortillas seem good enough to eat standing up.

We checked out Taqueria Al Pastor and added it to our Brooklyn Hit List.

Paisley $$$$ 429 Greenwich St

If you’re looking for a new place to have a business meal in Tribeca, this new upscale Indian restaurant could be a solid option. The chef at Paisley used to cook at Tamarind, another upscale Indian spot that’s just a few blocks away, where we like the fish curry and paneer lababdar.

January Bar Goto Niban $$$$ 474 Bergen St

The team behind Bar Goto, where we go when we want to pretend we’re at a tiny bar in Tokyo for a few hours, just opened a new, slightly-larger bar in Park Slope. The new location has different bar snacks and Japanese-inspired cocktails than the original, but you can get their incredible miso wings in this dimly-lit, wood-covered room near Barclays Center.

Kissaki $$$$ 319 Bowery

Kissaki is an upscale omakase sushi spot with a colorful space on Bowery. For $160, you get 12 pieces of nigiri plus four small plates.

Two Wheels $$$$ 426 Amsterdam Ave

Two Wheels is a new counter-service Vietnamese spot on the UWS where you can get pho, banh mi, and vermicelli noodles in a white brick-walled room that looks like a mini Sweetgreen. It’s open from 11am to 10pm and (unlike when you add too many premium toppings at its salad chain doppelgänger), nothing on the menu costs more than $15.

Sushi Ishikawa West $$$$ 207 W 80th St

The UES location of Sushi Ishikawa made it into our guide to Where To Eat Omakase Sushi In NYC For Under $100, but the second location from the same team is slightly more expensive. This new UWS Japanese spot offers a 15-piece sushi omakase option for $125 or a 16-piece option for $155.

Kettl Tea $$$$ 348 Bowery

If the green tea packets from your office cabinet aren’t keeping you awake anymore, you can get the strong stuff, straight from Japan, at Kettl in Noho. This is the second NYC tea shop from the Kettl team, but it’s the first to offer things like a four-course green tea tasting, tea-based gelato, and hot tea from a to-go window on Bowery.

Somtum Der $$$$ 380 Van Brunt St

Somtum Der is one of the best Thai spots in the East Village and now that the people behind it have opened a second location in Red Hook, we’re hoping we can say the same for this South Brooklyn neighborhood.

Izakaya Toribar $$$$ 164 E 56th St

This new Japanese izakaya on E 56th Street in Midtown East looks like a good spot to eat things like skewered eggplant, pork belly, and short rib on a causal weeknight. And if you also want to get drinks with your snacks here, Izakaya Toribar has a long sake list and some good-looking cocktails.

Casa del Toro $$$$ 626 10th Ave Ph B

There’s a new Mexican restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen that looks like the dimly-lit lair of someone whose goal in life is to take over the world by way of a five for $20 taco deal. You’ll find this and dishes like queso fundido and elote on the menu at this casual sit-down spot on 10th Ave.

Dun Huang Miss Noodles $$$$ 531 Myrtle Ave

If you’re a fan of noodle soups and wall art involving majestic wildlife, this new Lanzhou noodle house in Clinton Hill could become your go-to for a casual weeknight dinner in the neighborhood. Dun Huang Miss Noodles serves good-looking bowls of hand-pulled noodles in a small room with red leather booths and a deer mural that could be a film still from Pocahontas.

Eleni’s $$$$ 226 3rd Ave

Eleni’s is a new, all-white, Greek restaurant in Gramercy that’s decorated with rope chandeliers, sailboat murals, and small (definitely artificial) olive trees. If you’re looking to eat seafood dishes like lobster pasta or octopus with a group in the area, this spot might be a good fit.

Ms. Ohho $ $ $ $ Korean  in  Greenpoint $$$$ 146 Nassau Ave

If you’re looking for a Brooklyn coffee shop that also serves good food, try Ms. Ohho. This new Korean counter-service spot in Greenpoint is only a few blocks from the Nassau Ave G stop and the menu has things like japchae, bibimbap, and kimchi stew.

We checked out Ms. Ohho and added it to our Brooklyn Hit List.

Sanpoutei $$$$ 92 2nd Ave

If you’re the kind of person who prefers your ramen served on the saltier side, you’ll probably like Sanpoutei. This casual ramen place has several locations across Asia and specializes in soy sauce-based broth. Now that it’s open on 2nd Avenue in the East Village, you can come here for lunch or dinner in the neighborhood.

Sushi By Bou $$$$ 218 Newark Ave

We’re fans of the $50, 12-piece omakase at Sushi by Bou in Flatiron, so it’s comforting to know that a new location just opened in Jersey City. It looks like a strong contender for our new guide to The Best Restaurants in Jersey City.

Sally's $ $ $ $ Chinese ,  Caribbean  in  Bedford-Stuyvesant ,  Brooklyn $$$$ 151 Tompkins Ave

If you like Sally Roots, you’ll probably be into Sally’s, a new Caribbean spot in Bed-Stuy from the same people. It looks like a good spot to drink tiki cocktails and eat things like curry crab rangoons and jerk pork bowls for dinner - and like Sally Roots, nothing on the menu costs over $20.

Jiang Diner $ $ $ $ Chinese  in  East Village $$$$ 309 E 5th St

Jiang Diner just moved to a new location around the corner from its original spot in the East Village. Unlike the first version of this Chinese restaurant, the new place is counter-service, so it’s a good option if you’re looking for some quick congee in the area.

Peoples Wine $ $ $ $ Wine Bar  in  Lower East Side $$$$ 115 Delancey St

A new natural wine bar from the team behind Contra and Wildair has opened inside of The Market Line (a big food court on the LES that also just opened a few months ago). Peoples Wine seems like a good spot to drink and learn about wine or just snack on things like lobster pasta and cream puffs. Plus, if you like something you drank at the bar, you can buy one to take home.

Ernesto's $ $ $ $ Spanish ,  French  in  Lower East Side ,  Two Bridges $$$$ 259 E Broadway

A chef who used to cook at Frenchette has opened his own upscale Basque restaurant on the LES - it has exposed brick walls, leather chairs, and a chandelier that looks like a map of the solar system. Dishes like grilled Iberico ham, lamb-stuffed peppers, and monkfish with clams and salsa verde look promising.

We checked out Ernesto’s and added it to our Hit List.

Tiki Chick $$$$ 517 Amsterdam Ave

Tiki Chick is a new bar on the Upper West Side from the team behind Jacob’s Pickles and it looks like a strong contender for our guide to 15 Uptown Spots That Feel Like Downtown Spots. If you’re looking for a place near W 86th St. to meet someone who you might take on a tropical honeymoon in the future, consider getting mai tais here.

Boca Santa $ $ $ $ Mexican  in  Bedford-Stuyvesant ,  Brooklyn $$$$ 480 Madison St

This plant-covered Mexican spot in Bed-Stuy looks like a convenient and affordable way to eat things that you’d otherwise have to fly over 2,000 miles to try. Plus, all of the vegetarian-friendly Mexican dishes here, including dishes like chicharron and butternut squash quesadillas, cost less than $15.

Alison $$$$ 1651 Lexington Ave

Alison is a neighborhood restaurant in East Harlem where we’ll probably eat some oysters and a burger alone at the bar on a Tuesday night. There are also some good-looking pancakes and a smoked salmon croissant available here during weekend brunch.

Anassa Taverna $$$$ 28-10 Astoria Blvd

Anassa, a Greek spot that works well for a Last-Minute Group Dinner in Midtown East, has opened a second restaurant in Astoria, which looks like it might also work well for a spontaneous dinner in the neighborhood.

via The Infatuation Feed https://www.theinfatuation.com/new-york/guides/new-nyc-restaurants-openings Nhà hàng Hương Sen chuyên buffet hải sản cao cấp✅ Tổ chức tiệc cưới✅ Hội nghị, hội thảo✅ Tiệc lưu động✅ Sự kiện mang tầm cỡ quốc gia 52 Phố Miếu Đầm, Mễ Trì, Nam Từ Liêm, Hà Nội http://huongsen.vn/ 0904988999 http://huongsen.vn/to-chuc-tiec-hoi-nghi/ https://trello.com/userhuongsen

Created July 21, 2020 at 01:42AM /huong sen View Google Doc Nhà hàng Hương Sen chuyên buffet hải sản cao cấp✅ Tổ chức tiệc cưới✅ Hội nghị, hội thảo✅ Tiệc lưu động✅ Sự kiện mang tầm cỡ quốc gia 52 Phố Miếu Đầm, Mễ Trì, Nam Từ Liêm, Hà Nội http://huongsen.vn/ 0904988999 http://huongsen.vn/to-chuc-tiec-hoi-nghi/ https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xa6sRugRZk4MDSyctcqusGYBv1lXYkrF