#baby tony
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tony-stark-ing · 1 year ago
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Tony and Maria 1970 WIP
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mistertonyward · 11 months ago
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phantomdoofer · 14 days ago
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THE CHILD HAS ARRIVED
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unwillingadventurer · 8 months ago
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Anthony Valentine in 'Vice Versa' 1953
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nnobodoodles · 9 months ago
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Straw Hat Redraws! 👒🏴‍☠️
It's not much, but I've been slowly trying to get back into drawing & figuring how to draw this silly bunch has been really relaxing! :')
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rebelmeg · 1 year ago
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Not Yet
by rebelmeg
Chapters: 1/16 Fandom: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Tony & Death, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Maria Stark & Tony Stark, Ana Jarvis & Edwin Jarvis & Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Happy Hogan & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Harley Keener & Tony Stark Characters: Tony Stark, Death - Character, Maria Stark, Edwin Jarvis, Ana Jarvis, James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Happy Hogan, Jarvis (Iron Man movies), Dummy (Iron Man movies), You (Iron Man movies), Harley Keener, Other Characters Mentioned Additional Tags: Near Death Experiences, Personification of Death, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Hurt Tony Stark, Tony Stark Has Issues, Child Neglect, Accidents, Explosions, Drug Abuse, Mugging, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon movie events, Depression, Tony's Metal Children, References to deleted scenes, Grief/Mourning, Canon Relationships, Afterlife, Hurt/Comfort Summary:
Tony Stark is a particular beloved of Death. There are so many times he returns to her throughout his long and difficult life, hurt and ready and sometimes even willing to finally die. But every time she tells her favorite soul the same thing.
"Not yet."
Notes:
Just to be clear, this isn't the same Death as in the Marvel Comics. This is my own twist on it, and I imagine her as a loving, benevolent, and compassionate being. Feel free to love her, because I do.
And as is my usual habit, these chapters are more bite-sized than meal-sized, but I'm hoping to post them pretty frequently over the next several days.
If you've got any questions or concerns about the tags, please feel free to ask!
Chapter One
Summary: Tony's life begins with Death.
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Notes: This chapter is for my @tonystarkbingo​ square R3 - grief
*TW for what appears to be a stillborn baby*
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wigglesdtuff · 2 months ago
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oh!
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luludeluluramblings · 1 month ago
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SugarBaby!Reader (Neglected!Bat!Sibling) x Tony Stark - Falling in Love
☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️
A/N: Someone wanted more fluff of this and I had thoughts about it last night. Tony isn’t my favorite, but I kinda wanted to challenge myself with this and see if I could try it writing some romance.
A/N: Smalltown!Reader is still coming. Pregnant!Reader will be getting a part 2 at some point. Might post another series, the one army dreamer inspired, because why not? Gonna have sooo many WIPs. But, maybe they’ll give y’all some delight.
Warnings: GN!Reader, Mentions of bedroom activities, fluffy, not edited, hardly anything Yandere. Intended to be
☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️
When you and Tony started dating it had been after he had wooed you at some gala. Something for a long forgotten charity. You had initially been hesitant, knowing his play boy reputation. The one so eerily similar to your father’s Brucie Wayne persona.
Still he was charming, good looking, and had convinced you that one night wouldn’t hurt.
And, it hadn’t. The next day when you were about to crawl out of bed and begin your walk of shame, he had dragged you back. Taking his time repeating the night before and with an encore.
By the time you had finally been allowed to leave the bed, your stomach had let out an embarrassing growl that made your cooling skin flush once more.
Of course, Tony wasn’t going to let anyone he spent such a good time with go hungry. Ordering the two of you room service and a giant spread of breakfast.
It’s in that moment things start to shift. You were a good lay for Tony. A young pretty little thing that was some of the best he had had in a while. (Due to him mellowing out with age, not that he’d ever admit that.) But, it’s the way you look at him, shyly and with such genuine gratitude just for him buying to brunch that makes him stop.
Not pause. Because pause means he’ll end up playing again. And, he’s fairly certain he’s done playing. Because, when you happily sit in his button down shirt, munching on the food he bought you, and listen to him talk about an old project (he wasn’t dumb enough to share anything new he’d been working on) with such bright eyes and enthusiasm he realizes this might be trouble for him. It’s even cuter because he knows you don’t understand a single thing he’s saying, but you’re trying. You’re trying so hard and it’s so cute.
It keeps going on like that. Passionate nights and slow talkative mornings that morph into date nights and fun trips and days lounging together. You’re still honestly convinced it could all end at any moment. Nothing good last in your life. And, despite how desperately you want this to last you know it probably won’t. Still you swear to hold on. To take everything he’ll offers. Even if it’s not much and he leaves you in the end. You’re going to appreciate how full and fulfilled her makes you feel.
For you, you fall in love slow and overtime. It a soft and startling realization when you realize you love Tony. You love him dearly and he could break your heart into a million pieces. But, it would be worth it.
You keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. Loving him and waiting for him. To leave.
For Tony, it’s similar. He spoils you he does. He loves the way you look at him when he does. But, as he unknowingly starts to settle, the realization that he’s not showing you off in public as much anymore and that he enjoys just being near even when there’s nothing to talk about hits him in the chest. And, in a Tony Stark like fashion, he spirals for a bit.
It causes him to spend three full days in his lab avoiding the world and his problems. Not sleeping, hardly eating, ignoring Jarvis.
When he finally does emerge, he’s covered in sweat and grease. He aches. He’s tired. He’s irritable. His fully expecting you to be mad he missed your fancy date he had planned. But, when he looks up at you and see’s that exact same grateful look in your eyes, it clicks. You give him that same look of gratitude and adoration every time he does something for you. He’s not doing anything other than being here with you. And, that’s enough for you. You’re in love with him, and he’s in love with you. And your willing to love him as his is and with what ever he gives.
Tony doesn’t confess though. To cliche. Instead he proposes. With no ring, no plan, and covered in grease. But, completely serious. It isn’t long until you understand he really means it, that he wants you for you and you’re leaping in his arms crying, yes. Yes. And the. You tell him to shower, because despite the love you feel and your happiness, he smells ripe.
He chases you around instead, before dragging you into the shower with him.
It isn’t until you both have a small private court house ceremony and he’s dragging you on to a luxury honeymoon that he leans over and confesses. Casually. Like it was a stray fact.
“Oh, hey, by the way, I love you.”
It makes you squawk that he has the audacity to do such a thing, but you lean into him and say it back.
“I love you, too… Silly old man.”
“Hey! That’s not what you were saying when I-“
☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️
You hadn’t even thought about you family with Tony. Hadn’t thought to invite them to the wedding. You did call Alfred as soon as you got back though. Telling him the good news with so much happiness that the old Bulter cried when the call ended. You had sounded radiant, and it broke his heart.
Broke his heart that no one in the family had seen just how beautiful your joy was and that they had never bothered to cause it.
☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️
Based off this ask.
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eriochromatic · 11 months ago
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Asked twt for some characters I haven't drawn before to do for this challenge, ended up with a pretty interesting spread!
Individual portraits underneath!
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hhhhunty · 8 months ago
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Seastone negates devil fruit abilities.
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abi7100 · 7 months ago
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Everytime Peter and Tony get into an argument whether big or small, Peter always mumbles an apology right before storming off. He didn't get the chance to apologize to Ben about their argument before he died, And he won't let that happen again. He Won't.
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whoa-myninja · 1 month ago
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I love this show with all my heart already. This is going to be everything we have ever wanted and more. 😭🥹
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soliloquent-stark · 1 year ago
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besides the well-known fact that tony stark's arc reactor literally powered his heart and symbolised his second chance at life, it's been not just alluded to but clearly stated by marvel from the very first iron man film that it represents his heart:
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this point is made very clear again when it's used to portray his death:
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of course they did this; they're such obvious metaphors that are easy to rely on for beautiful visual storytelling. they undoubtedly were aware of the potential for these scenes and carefully considered them since the beginning.
but you don't really get to use each of these moments more than once if you want them to matter, so they had to choose which one of tony's stories needed to be told through carefully picked parallels.
and who did they use them on?
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yup, that's right. steve rogers. steve, who literally ends their painful fight by breaking his heart.
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steve, whom tony literally hands his heart and says "here, take this" while he's devastated, disappointed, and at one of the lowest moments of his entire life.
so, platonic, romantic, alterous — the intricacies of his feelings don't even matter. they're only for tony to know.
but what we as an audience know, what we were explicitly told by marvel, is that the feelings tony had for steve were so strong that they were the equivalent of getting his heart actually shattered into pieces, and being reduced to offering your desperate, mourning heart on a platter as a way of saying "take it all, there's nothing left of me that you don't own now".
these were not accidents. we were meant to understand how profound his feelings were. so many things spiraled out of their falling out — the entire universe's faith was at stake as a result. tony was not indifferent to him. his problem was that he felt too much.
tony's achille's heel was always steve rogers, and that will forever be the backbone of the marvel universe.
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phantomdoofer · 14 days ago
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Tower Town, Chapter 28 - Amati
Peppino pushed open the doors to Noisette's Cafe. She'd finally settled on “Noisette's Sweeties” for the name. Appropriate, he thought.
He was a little surprised to see Noise there. He was in his yellow suit. Dressed for trouble, Peppino thought. The gremlin doesn't normally come in here when he's ‘on the clock.’ It was part of the agreement between Noise and Noisette - her cafe was “neutral ground,” just like Peppino's house and NTV.
Even so, Peppino expected him to cause trouble.
Noisette waved happily at him as he walked up to the counter. “Hiiii, Peppino! Congratulations on your new home!”
“Hey, Italian man,” Noise sneered. “Heard ya finally scraped enough together to get off yer couch.”
“Thank-a you, Noisette. And sì, I “finally scraped enough together,” Peppino said derisively, “thanks to Paolo.”
Noise crossed his arms and growled. He was the only one Paolo hadn't given some shares to.
“I think you're rich enough, Noise,” Paolo had said with a little smirk.
Peppino turned to Noisette. “Let me get-a a large coffee, extra sugar, and a dozen of those fruit-a-filled pastries.”
Noisette's eyes widened. “All right, Peppino. Are you buying for the whole pizzeria?”
Noise laughed and poked at Peppino's side. “Nah, hun, he's given up losin’ weight, can't ya tell? He's bigger alre-” he jabbed at the solid surface of the egg, and stopped. “What the hell?”
Peppino smirked and lifted his shirt up, revealing the egg. “This is why I closed the shop for a few days.” He explained what it was and how it worked.
Noisette's eyes were aglow. “Oh, Peppy, congratulations! I'm so happy for you!”
Peppino chuckled, scratching the back of his head. “Honestly, I've-a lost twenty pounds in three days! Gus has-a lost fifteen!” He patted the egg. “This little guy is quite-a the glutton!”
Noisette giggled. “Well, he's a growing boy, after all! Speaking of - do you know what it'll be?”
Peppino shrugged, grinning. “We'll-a know in about four days.”
She hopped up and down, clapping. “I'm so excited!”
Noise grumbled. “Yeah, fat boy's so special, cause he's got a kid on the way…”
Without missing a beat, Noisette swatted Noise so hard his hat spun around, blinding him. “Ah, shaddap, Noise! You know I said I wanted a kid years ago, but you were worried about your career…”
Peppino blinked, grinning at Noise's discomfort, but also genuinely concerned. “You know, Noise, you're well in-a pocket right now. It's-a not like you couldn't afford a child. Why don't you try for one?”
Noise snarled his fang-toothed grimace. “Don't start lecturin’ me, fat ass! When I want kids, we'll have ‘em!”
Noisette crossed her arms, frowning. “Aight, tough guy, put your money where yer mouth is. I want a kid. What's to say we get started?”
For a split second, Noise looked more terrified than Peppino had ever seen him. Then he scoffed. “Well, hun, if ya insist.”
Noisette held her hands beside her head, grinning happily. “It's a date!” One of her workers brought her Peppino's order, and he paid her for it. “Congrats again, Peppy! Let me know when the little paisano arrives!”
He smiled and waved. “Ovviamente, Noisette. Ciao!”
As he walked out through the door, chewing on a pastry, he thought about how hectic his life was about to be. He'd been reading testimonials online from new parents… and it was a little daunting. Lack of sleep is nothing new to me, but… the rest…
He was glad Giuseppe had agreed to take the bambino during the day. It was proving to be a group effort to raise the child and run two businesses at once.
Peppino muttered to himself. “It-a takes a village…”
~~~~
Gustavo stopped and leaned on the counter, wiping sweat from his brow and trying not to pant. Though it hadn't changed in size, the egg seemed to weigh a hundred pounds. How do women do this for nine months?? Of course, being half-gnome, it might be different - humans took nine months, gnomes ten, Ogres eleven, and so on… John had warned them to temper their expectations. “Mingles can turn out very different than their parents,” he'd said.
Peppino gently touched his shoulder. “Hand it over, amico. You're worn out, you should-a eat.”
Panting, Gus lifted his shirt and gently lifted the egg out, handing it to Peppino, who placed it in his own rig. Instantly Peppino seemed to wilt. “Mio Dio, is he made of-a iron?”
Gus leaned back, his back cracking loudly. “Feels like it.” He'd lost thirty pounds in a week; Peppino had lost forty, despite both of them doubling or even tripling their food intake. It's a good thing these things only take a week, it'd kill us if it took much longer! They'd weighed the egg that morning - twelve pounds, heavy for a human newborn, light for a gnome. Where's it all going? The kid should be as big as me already, for all the weight we've lost…
Peppino sighed. “At-a least I finally lost that-a weight the doctor wanted me to lose,” he muttered. He patted the egg. “Should-a be today, sometime.”
Gustavo looked around - the pizzeria was empty. The roads were clear; the blazing summer sun had seen to that. “Maybe we could just close up for the rest of the day…”
Peppino shook his head. “No. I'm not-a gonna crumble at-a the finish line.” He squared his shoulders, and absent-mindedly downed a pastry in one gulp. “They'll be here when they're here.”
Gus nodded wearily. “I'll be in the back, Pep, if you need me. I need some coffee.”
As the double doors wobbled with the gnome's passage, the front door jingled, and Vigi oozed in.
Peppino smiled wanly. “Vigi, long-a time no see! What's the occasion?”
“Just passin’ through, Peppino,” Vigi said. Then he smirked. “Also heard about this kid o’ yours. Congratulations.” He held out a gloved hand, and Peppino shook it.
Vigi oozed up on a stool. “No disrespect, Peppino, but you look like hell.”
Peppino slouched on the counter, adjusting the harness to not dig into his shoulder. “Ay, sceriffo, these last couple of-a days have been rough. The child is like a vampire. And weighs about as-a much as a car.”
Vigi laughed. “Sounds like yer gettin’ as much of the full pregnancy treatment as a man can get. When are they due?”
“Today,” Peppino muttered. “We've-a got everything set up: crib in-a my bedroom, bottles, diapers, the works. We just-a need a bambino to go with-a them.”
“You got a name picked out?” Vigi said, grinning.
Peppino smiled and waggled a finger. “We do, but no one will know until we-a know what the little bambino turns out to be. And even then… there's-a nothing saying that might not-a change.”
Vigi nodded. “Fair enough.” He slid back down. “Well, I think I'm gonna skip over an’ get some coffee. No rest fer th’ wicked. Let me know, Peppino.”
“Ovviamente,” Peppino said, waving as the cheeseslime left. He leaned his chin on his hand. Never expected everyone to be so… interested.
He felt the egg stir against his chest, and his energy levels dropped tremendously.
Something had changed… and he was pretty sure he knew what.
“Gustavo! Gustavooo! I think it's starting!”
Almost instantly Gustavo burst through the doors, followed closely by Brick and Brando. Brick ran up and gently sniffed at the egg, then nodded. “She says you're right, Pep,” Gustavo said.
Peppino felt his energy drop even more. “T-take it, please, amico,” he said. “I'm about to fall over…”
Gustavo took it… and immediately almost dropped it. “Porca miseria! I can't handle it, either…”
Brick immediately took the egg… then squealed as she felt her own energy drop. Quickly, she handed it to Brando.
“Hold on, what do I do-” he gasped as he felt the same draining effect, falling to one knee. He held the egg over his head with both hands. “Guh!” He stood, slowly, holding the egg in front of him, then planted his elbows on the counter, gritting his teeth.
The rest of them watched in wonder as the egg seemed to unravel… revealing a small child, drifting in the air. They started crying…
Both Peppino and Gustavo felt a tug in their heads. They reached out to grab the child…
As soon as their hands made contact, the baby stopped crying, making grumbling sounds.
Peppino conceded and let Gustavo hold the child. “Blankets,” Peppino said quickly. Suddenly he was holding blankets, and the air spun, shrieking, at the speed of his passage. The double doors had slammed into the walls so hard they'd lodged.
As Gustavo wrapped the baby up, Peppino winced. “Cazzo, that's gonna cost to fix…”
Gus clicked his tongue. “Pino, watch your mouth.” He grinned.
Peppino laughed a little.
Fake appeared behind him - the clone had been sleeping downstairs, and it had all happened too fast to alert them. “What’s allll the-” Then they saw the child, and smiled wide. “Ah. So, the child has arrived, sì? Is it a boy? Girl?”
Peppino gently lifted the blankets. “Oh, sicuramente un maschio.”
Brando, Fake, and Brick all huddled around Peppino and Gustavo. Peppino looked at the gnome. “Amore Mio,” he whispered. “Look. He's here.”
Gustavo tickled the little nose, and the boy opened his eyes… to reveal brilliant, sky-blue irises.
Peppino blinked. “Well, he’s-a got my eyes,” he chuckled.
Gustavo fingered the thick mop of deep red hair on the child's head. “It's even darker than mine,” he said wonderingly. Then he looked up at Peppino, proferring the child. “We can't keep calling him ‘him’ forever. Would you like to do the honors, Pep?”
Peppino held the boy up, who looked at him curiously. He's so awake already, he thought in wonder. He locked eyes with his son. “I name-a you Antonio Fabiano Spaghetti, Mio figlio. Nice-a to meet you at last.”
The others applauded, and Gus pulled out his phone. “Time to contact the authorities,” he said. “Gotta get my son registered.” He paused, one finger held over the screen. He grinned from ear to ear. “My son. My son.” He laughed out loud, tears in his eyes. He turned and dialed, hiding his tears from the others.
Fake held out a droopy finger, and the baby took it without hesitation. “He is not afraid,” they said.
Brando looked at the enraptured Peppino. “‘Antonio Fabiano’?”
Peppino didn't look away. “Antonio is-a my middle name, and it was-a my Papa's, too. It's an old-a name in our famiglia, according to Mama. And Fabiano is a respelling of Gustavo's father's-a name, Fabian. So he's-a named for both his Nonni.” He pulled the baby towards his face, tickling his face with his nose and mustache, and the baby giggled.
Peppino laughed in tandem, trying not to cry.
Vigi and Noisette burst through the door at that moment. “I was still across the road, Pep,” Vigi said hurriedly. “Damn, you timed that right, didn't ya?”
Noisette was hoping from foot to foot, literal hearts in her eyes. “Oh pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease can I hold them, Peppino?” The woman looked beside herself.
Peppino grinned. “Va bene, Noisette. Just-a be gentle, he is a newborn.”
The rabbit woman gently took the baby in her arms, squealing quietly. “Oooh, they're such a cutie, Peppino, Gus! What's their name?”
“Antonio,” Gus said.
“Tony!” Noisette said at full voice. Tony looked up at her, a look of consternation on his little face.
Everyone froze. Noisette could be a lot to take in, even for people who knew her. Please don't start wailing… Peppino thought.
Then the little boy giggled and reached out, squeezing her nose.
She was so excited it activated her powers, and it made a comical HONK, which made the baby laugh even harder.
The entire crew breathed a sigh of relief.
Vigi hung up his phone. “All right, I've got the wheels turnin’, but someone's got to come down an’ fill out th’ necessary paperwork.”
Gustavo stepped forward. “I'll do it, Vigi.”
Peppino shook his head. “No-no, Gus, I should-a do it-”
Gustavo put a firm hand on his partner's leg. “Peppino, fermare. You should stay here. It's your place, after all.” He gently stroked the boy's hair. “We'll have plenty of time to bond later.”
~~~~
Peppino rocked the fussy little baby to sleep, sighing with a mixture of happiness and exasperation. The baby had been born early that afternoon, and now, at 5 PM, he'd just finished his third bottle. Mio Dio bambino, you're bottomless! He sat in his old recliner, one of the few pieces he'd kept after the move, gently rocking back and forth.
Gus was puttering around the house, trying to do as much as he could before leaving. “Are you sure you'll be Ok, just you and the bambino, Pep? It's a lot of work…”
Peppino waved a hand. “You still have to take care of your own life, amico. One-a day soon, we'll be together forever. I'll-a be fine.”
The sound of a car door closing outside signaled the arrival of their guests. Peppino stood and grinned. “And besides, help has arrived.”
Gustavo opened the door, and slowly Margherita tottered in, followed by Giuseppe and Anita. Giuseppe looked about to jump out of his skin with excitement, but he let Margherita approach first.
Peppino bent so she could reach, and she gently caressed the boy’s tousled hair. “Ooohhh, figlio, he's perfetta. May I hold him?”
“Ovviamente, Mama,” Peppino said with a radiant smile. Carefully he transferred the baby to her arms; Tony never stirred. Margherita looked down with misty eyes. “Il mio primo nipote… I'm so proud of you, Peppino. And you too, Gustavo,” she said, turning to the gnome, who blushed. “Thank you again for helping my boy produce this piccolo miracolo.”
Giuseppe and Anita huddled around Margherita’s shoulders, eyeing the baby closely as he woke up. “He definitely inherited the family eyes,” Giuseppe said.
“And your nose,” Anita said lightly. “He's got quite the schnoz on him.”
Gustavo chuckled. “Well, he's half me, after all,” tweaking his own bulbous nose, “he was doomed on that front.”
As everyone laughed, Margherita leaned over, tears in her eyes. “Oh, he reminds me so much of you two. And your Papa. If only he could be here to see it,” she said wistfully.
Giuseppe and Peppino exchanged glances. They'd discussed their mutual encounter with their father's spirit during their respective brushes with death at length. “He is, Mama,” Giuseppe said quietly. “He knows.”
Peppino felt his heart clench at the thought.
Margherita nodded. “Infatti, I miei figli.”
Tony looked around, curious at all the new faces. Then he locked onto Giuseppe's face, then turned and looked at Peppino, obviously confused.
Everyone laughed. “Not even a day old and he's already that sharp!” Anita crowed. “You two have the poor boy confused!”
“Well, John did say Mingles can develop differently. Maybe he's farther along,” Giuseppe said. He playfully tickled the end of the baby's nose, while Peppino leaned over as well.
Tony looked back and forth between them, obviously trying to figure out why there were two of his Papa.
Gustavo looked up at Anita. “So, any prospects of another one on the way?” He said, waggling his eyebrows.
Anita laughed and slapped the gnome's shoulder. “Gus! We're not even married!” She looked over at Giuseppe, who was totally focused on playing with his nephew.
Margherita looked over at the younger woman, a devilish look in her eyes. “And why should that stop you, ragazza?”
Anita jerked back, blushing. “We'll see,” she said. She harrumphed and turned to her partner. “You said you're going to stay the night, Sepp?”
Giuseppe nodded. “Just for tonight. If I'm going to watch him so much, it'll be good for him to get used to me.”
Margherita nodded. “Pino, have you and Gus eaten yet?”
Peppino and Gustavo looked at each other - in all the fuss, they'd forgotten. “No, ma'am,” Gus said. “Kind of got lost in the hubbub there…”
The old lady smiled. “Let us see what we can cook up, then.” She turned to Gustavo. “Would you mind assisting me, genero?”
Gus nodded - while part of him resented, just a little, her preemption of their kitchen, he also appreciated what she was doing. “All right, ma'am. I'll follow your lead.”
Margherita waved peremptorily at the others. “Into the living room with you, giovani. Go, bond with the bambino. We'll take care of things here.”
Peppino, Giuseppe, and Anita looked at each other and laughed, then saluted. “As you command, Signora,” Peppino chuckled.
~~~~
Peppino leaned back, patting his belly. “Ah, Mama, you haven't-a lot your touch.”
Giuseppe groaned across from him. “Keep feeding me like that and I'll be looking even more like Pino, Mama.”
Anita poked him in the arm. “Shush, you. It won't hurt you to have a good feed every so often.” She turned to Margherita and grinned. “Thank you, ma'am. Not often I get a nice home-cooked meal.”
Margherita scowled at Giuseppe. “Figlio, are you not feeding your fidanzata properly?”
Peppino, Gus, and Anita laughed as Giuseppe held up his hands defensively. “Mama! It's not like that!”
Anita waved a hand. “It's really not, Mrs. Spaghetti.” She laid a hand on Giuseppe's arm. “I'm not always home to be fed, in my line of work. He makes sure I'm taken care of… when I'm here.”
“In more ways than one, I bet,” Margherita quipped.
Giuseppe went beet-red with embarrassment. “MAMA!”
The others roared with laughter. “Oh, non preoccuparti, ragazzo mio. Your fidanzata and I have talked at length. She's quite content, from what I hear.” She grinned at Giuseppe's stare. “What, do you think you sprang into being fully formed, like Athena? Your Papa and I had many content nights together, after all.” She winked. “If he hadn't been taken so young, you probably wouldn't have been an only child.”
Peppino slapped his brother on the arm. “Ah, Mama, andateci piano con lui! He's been stuck in the service too-a long! He never got to experience that side of-a life before!”
Giuseppe scowled. “Rub it in, why don't you…”
Anita smirked. “He's making up for lost time, don't worry,” she said.
Gus bounced Tony in his arms; the boy was taking yet another bottle. “I don't think gnome babies eat this much, normally. Mama said I was pretty fastidious. Was Peppino this bad, Margherita?”
Margherita shrugged. “He was quite the eater, it's true, but…” she reached over and stroked the boy's hair, “but this one is exceptional. Must be his unusual upbringing.”
They chatted amiably for an unmeasured time, simply enjoying each other's company. Gus handed Tony off to Peppino, who looked at his brother. “Do you want to hold him, fratello?”
After a brief look of mild panic, Giuseppe nodded, and Peppino gently laid the newborn in his brother's arms. Tony yawned and immediately snuggled down, falling asleep.
Giuseppe looked almost entranced. “He just… fell asleep.”
Margherita chuckled. “Giuseppe, you may be a different person… but, remember, you and Peppino are still fundamentally the same. Even more than “natural” brothers, you're just like him.” She stroked the baby's hair again. “Babies are comforted by familiar scents and sounds. Your heartbeat, your scent, are more or less the same as Peppino's. As far as the bambino is concerned, his Papa is holding him, right now.”
Giuseppe sat perfectly still, and Peppino laughed. “Relax, fratello. He won't bite.”
Giuseppe looked panicked. “I don't want to startle him.”
Peppino sat down, smiling. “If you do, it's all right. He'll have lots of chances to be startled, and happy, and sad, and…” Peppino trailed off, considering the weight of what laid ahead of them. “It's-a daunting. Knowing were-a responsible for his entire life.”
Margherita nodded. “It's a huge responsibility, to be sure, i miei figli. But all you can do, is the best you can.” She nodded. “That's all we did. All people throughout history, have done: the best they can.”
The baby slept peacefully as his family watched.
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unwillingadventurer · 2 years ago
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baby Anthony Valentine in The Girl on the Pier (1953) part 3
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kayvsdoodles · 3 months ago
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saw a nerd so beautiful i started crying
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