#brooklyn wine cellar

[titleelovessomerhalder]

Mid-sized modern travertine floor wine cellar design with racks for storage

[howardazaria]

Contemporary Wine Cellar - Medium Mid-sized modern wine cellar design with travertine flooring and storage racks

[jamiegardner]

New York Wine Cellar Mid-sized modern travertine floor wine cellar design with racks for storage

[kennadeek]

Medium - Wine Cellar Mid-sized, modern wine cellar with travertine flooring and storage racks

[deepdarkdungeondubstep]

Medium Wine Cellar in New York Mid-sized trendy terra-cotta tile wine cellar photo with display racks

[nwbeerguide]

Alewife Brewing announces upcoming events during NYC Beer Week 2023.

Press Release

Queens, NY...Alewife Brewing celebrates NYC Beer Week 2023 with an eclectic array of events, from the Opening Bash at Industry City along the scenic waterfront of Sunset Park, Brooklyn (Sat., Feb. 25, 12:30pm), heavy metal night at Bierwax Brooklyn (Feb. 28), to commemorating rock photographer Bob Gruen at Fool's Gold (March 1), and a special craft beer and artisanal cheese tasting with Fromagère Kristen Carbone at Alewife Brewing (March 1). Alewife features its unique and innovative beers including: Sunnyside Blonde Ale, Death to Ego Hazy IPA, Queens Blvd Double IPA, Thousand Stars German-Style Pilsner, 7 Line Amber, Mind Mist NE/Hazy IPA, Tripping on the Forest Floor Brown Ale, I Dream In Mango & Pineapple Fruited Sour IPA, Motueka Prophecy Cold IPA, and Altered State Double IPA.

Saturday, Feb. 25 is the biggest night in craft beer in New York City as 40 NYC Guild Member Breweries unite with more than 35 guest breweries at the Opening Bash at Building 8 in Industry City (LINK). Metal Night at Bierwax Brooklyn brings together Alewife Brewing with KCBC, Fifth Hammer, and Singlecut (556 Vanderbilt Ave, Brooklyn, NY; Feb. 28). Alewife Brewing and Talea Brewing celebrate rock photographer Bob Gruen at Fool's Gold (145 E Houston St, NYC; March 1).

On Wednesday, March 1, the brewers at Alewife Brewing collaborate with Fromagere Kristen Carbone for a special NYC Beer Week tasting event at their beloved brewery (41-11 39th Street, Queens, NY) featuring four exceptional cheeses perfectly paired with seasonal selections from Alewife Brewing. Carbone begins the cheese and craft beer pairing with a 101 intro the cheese education with an epic pairing journey to follow filled with fun and funk! Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite.

Kristen Carbone is a Fromagere, Curd Nerd and Cheese Enthusiast who has over 6 years of experience in the plating, pairing, and tasting of cheese. From the cellars of Beecher's to the case at Casellula, her time in cheese has built on the solid foundation of tried-and-true pairings and expanded to the weird and the wonderful. For more info about Kristen Carbone, please visit: https://youmebrie.com.

Alewife Brewing’s expansive taproom features 18 Alewife beers on tap plus bottles and cans of saisons, lagers, IPAs, and stouts for on-premise enjoyment and to-go orders. The German beer hall vibe has classic arcade games, pinball, basketball, Street Fighter, corn hole, darts, a pool table, and a selection of kids’ games. Beer lovers can nosh on delicious artisanal items from a curated charcuterie and cheese menu, Fishwife tinned fish, snacks, and free popcorn. The huge outdoor area is perfect for spring, summer and autumn months.

For more information about Alewife Brewing, please visit: alewife.beer/alewife instagram.com/alewifebrewing

###

About Alewife Brewing Alewife Brewing is a small batch brewery located in the heart of the Sunnyside section of Queens, NY. We focus on brewing traditional and innovative styles of beer, using only the finest ingredients. Our goal is to provide a unique and enjoyable drinking experience for all who visit our taproom.

Alewife Brewing has fallen in love with the stories of ancient times and the roles women had in society. The peace they emulated through their beliefs and love towards nature and all species has inspired us to capture their magic in our beers and on our 16 oz. can labels. The latest historical findings suggest that wine was not the oldest elixir, but in fact, beer mixed with psychedelic substances used in shamanistic ceremonies dating back much further. Gathered and formulated, the Alewives were the makers of both spiritual and medicinal potions.

Through our journeys thus far in life, we’ve developed a deep love for ancient elixirs while brewing and traveling to learn ancient and modern techniques for exceptional beers brewed at our new home in Sunnyside, Queens.

Don't worry, it's just beer we make, no special additions!

[lboogie1906]

Amar’e Stoudemire (November 16, 1982) is a basketball player coach, actor, and entrepreneur born in Lake Wales, Florida. After a successful career in the NBA, he moved to Israel to explore his Jewish identity.

He was born to Hazell and Carrie (née Palmorn) Stoudemire. The couple divorced when he was young. His mother did agricultural work. His father died of a heart attack when he was 12, and his mother served prison time for petty theft and forgery.

He did not start playing organized basketball until he was 14. Due to his moves, he missed his entire junior year of basketball and only played two full seasons.

In his senior year, he averaged 29.1 points, 15 rebounds, 6.1 blocked shots, and 2.1 steals per game and was selected to play in the 2002 McDonald’s All-American Game at Madison Square Garden. He was named Florida’s Mr. Basketball, and listed as the #1 high school player in the nation. He was selected in the first round of the NBA draft.

Stoudemire played for the Phoenix Suns, the New York Knicks, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Miami Heat. He was the NBA Rookie of the Year, made six appearances in the NBA All-Star Game, and was named to the All-NBA Team five times.

After retiring from the NBA, he played with Hapoel Jerusalem, which he co-owns. He helped Hapoel Jerusalem win the Israeli Basketball League Cup. He won the championship with Maccabi Tel Aviv and was named the Israeli Basketball Premier League Finals MVP.

He served as a player development assistant for the Brooklyn Nets. He had numerous business ventures including a clothing line, a record label named Hypocalypto, and an Israeli kosher wine label called Stoudemire Cellars.

He has four children with his ex-wife, Alexis Welch. He converted to Judaism in 2020.

He has many acting credits, and appearances on Law & Order: SVU, Entourage, Sesame Street, and The Mindy Project. He had a role in MacGruber and appeared in New Year’s Eve. His movie credits include Trainwreck.

He authored a series of middle-grade chapter books called STAT: Standing Tall And Talented. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[niccib28]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Tiger Tippler Wine Bottle Holder, New In Box, DWK Corp, White Cub, Rare, Novelty.

[mirayaslan]

HOME SWEET HOME TASK001 - MIRAY ASLAN

Miray lives in a 4 bed condo in Brooklyn heights (2 bed now technically bc she turned one into a closet and one into a kids play room) Additional features include a balcony and a wine cellar.

Most of the house is light and airy with whites, pinks and creams but her bedroom, bathroom and closet are a lot darker and a lot more miray's vibe. She really only has the rest of the house so light for her daughter.

[xtruss]

One of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Final Projects, Modeled After His Guggenheim Design, Sells for $6 Million

The Architect Briefly Stayed in the Connecticut Home While Overseeing the Construction of the Museum.

— By Lee Carter | January 26, 2024 | News.ArtNet.Com

Tirranna, located in New Canaan, Connecticut, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Photo: Udor Photography.

A Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home in the town of New Canaan, Connecticut, has sold for $6 million—25 percent below its asking price—to an undisclosed buyer. Called Tirranna, the 7,000-square-foot estate, built in 1955, is one of the famed architect’s largest residential projects, and one of his last.

Most recently selling for $4.8 million in 2018, Tirranna is among the higher-priced Frank Lloyd Wright properties on record, as well as one of the most expensive properties sold in New Canaan in the last year. It is one of a handful of Wright properties to enter the market recently, which also includes the Mrs. Clinton Walker House in California, his only oceanfront home.

Interior view of Tirranna, featuring Philippine mahogany paneling and Cherokee-red flooring. Photo: Udor Photography. Courtesy of Coldwell Banker Global Luxury.

Tirranna was listed by Coldwell Banker Global Luxury’s Albert Safdie and Marsha Charles, who closed on the property January 22. “It was a rare honor to represent Tirranna,” they said, “a true gem of mid-century architectural history that will continue to provide a Zen-like experience blending nature and comfort to its latest inhabitants.”

Though small in size, the idyllic town of New Canaan became a hotbed of architectural experimentation in the 20th century. It’s estimated that, between 1948 and 1973, upwards of 100 Modernist homes were built in the area by architectural greats who included Marcel Breuer (creator of the Whitney Museum of American Art on the Upper East Side), John M. Johansen, and Eliot Noyes. They were part of the Harvard Five, a group of architects who settled in New Canaan in the 1940s after graduating from the university’s design department. Philip Johnson’s famed Glass House, too, calls New Canaan home. Like Wright, they all emphasized simplicity, functionality, and honesty of materials.

Tirranna gets its name from an Australian Aboriginal word meaning “running waters,” referring to a nearby stream and recalling the architect’s most iconic residential project, Fallingwater in Pennsylvania. The classic Usonian abode features seven bedrooms, eight and a half bathrooms, and a wine cellar converted from a bomb shelter. Tirranna’s interior features Philippine mahogany paneling, Cherokee-red Colorundum concrete flooring, and a clerestory for an abundance of natural light. The architect also provided large windows that look out onto nature. In 1958, an observatory was added above the master bedroom.

Exterior curved patio and circular pool. Photo: Udor Photography. Courtesy of Coldwell Banker Global Luxury.

The land immediately surrounding the home was transformed into gardens by horticulturist Frank Okamura and landscape architect Charles Middeleer. Okamura is credited with reviving the bonsai tradition in America through his decades-long work at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and his book The Art of Bonsai. A greenhouse, circular pool, tennis court, barn, playhouse, and a one-room guesthouse can also be found on the grounds.

Wright himself briefly stayed in the home while overseeing the construction of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum some 40 miles away in Manhattan. With its semicircular style, Tirranna mirrors the spiral concrete ramp that makes the Guggenheim one of the most recognizable pieces of architecture in the city. The greenhouse of Tirranna was even built using scalloped-glass windows left over from the Guggenheim project.

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York (Manhattan, New York City), New York, Under Construction (ca. 1950s). Photo: Charles Phelps Cushing/ClassicStock/Getty Images

The circular windows used in Tirranna’s greenhouse were left over from the Guggenheim project. Photo: Udor Photography. Courtesy of Coldwell Banker Global Luxury.

[voleuri]

Contemporary Wine Cellar

[querida-cinderela]

Wine Cellar - Medium

[hometoursandotherstuff]

Remember 58 Joralemon St., Brooklyn, New York City, the townhouse with the fake façade that was turned into a creepy subway vent? Well, the home next door is for sale for $6M. I always wondered what it was like to live next to this creepy building.

BTW, Now you can "explore" the house at 58 Joralemon Street, one of Brooklyn's great mysteries, in a Myst-like desktop game. It was created by a neighbor.       https://58joralemon.vercel.app

If you’re standing facing 58 Joralemon, it’s the house to the left at 60 Joralemon St. So, let’s have a look.

Typical townhouse entrance. (I wonder if you hear the subway going by underneath.) Built in 1845 and on the market for the 1st time in 30 years, the 4-story townhouse features 4 marble working fireplaces, original pocket doors, original pine floors, antique chandeliers and wall sconces, and original ceiling medallions brushed with 14K gold.

The stately 19th-century townhouse has the necessary modern upgrades covered, and its historic interiors have been preserved.

On the parlor level are the home’s formal living and dining rooms.

The home’s layout has remained faithful to the way 19th-century townhouses were arranged.

Clean and ageless farmhouse kitchen with a built-in dining nook and a breakfast bar. Details like custom cabinetry, felt-lined utensil drawers, a SubZero wine fridge, and a second dishwasher make entertaining effortless.

A butler’s pantry with a dumbwaiter can ferry dishes between the two floors.

A cozy den/media room.

In keeping with its decorative period style, the home’s current owners had each of the four bedrooms hand-stenciled by artist Emma Tapley.

The primary suite occupies the entire 3rd floor, with a dressing room, his-and-hers closets, a study, and a marble-clad en-suite bath.

On the fourth floor are three more bedrooms and another full bath.

Just outside the kitchen is a landscaped patio spans the width of the townhouse plus that of its neighbor; apparently, a subway vent has no use for an urban oasis.

The unfinished cellar is ideal for storage and has a side-by-side washer-dryer and utility sink. I wonder where the train and all that is, in relation to the basement.

https://www.6sqft.com/this-6m-brooklyn-heights-house-has-historic-interiors-and-a-secret-subway-tunnel-next-door/

[rabbitcruiser]

National Gardening Day 

National Gardening Day on April 14 is the perfect time for gardeners and would-be gardeners to pick up a shovel and some seeds and kick-off a beautiful year of homegrown bounty.

Whether you want to grow vegetables, fruit, flowers, houseplants, or anything in between, National Gardening Day celebrates a satisfying pastime that you will enjoy for decades. Growing your own food also lets you provide fresh and natural nourishment for your family for a fraction of grocery store prices.

National Gardening Day is a call to action to get out and grow flower or vegetable gardens regardless of whether you plant in the ground, in containers, in straw bales or a square foot gardening box.

HOW TO OBSERVE There are many ways that you can observe National Gardening Day including:

Find the right book, guide or resource for your needs at Cool Springs Press, county extension service, the local bookstore or library.

Sign up for a gardening course in your area, or find a Square Foot Gardening course with a Square Foot Gardening Certified Instructor.

Look for a community garden in your area.

Organize a seed and perennial plant swap with neighbors and friends.

Join a garden club. There isn’t one near? Start one!

Visit your local nursery or garden center—you will be amazed and excited by all the beautiful options

Visit Quarto Homes on Facebook and Instagram for more gardening information

HISTORY Cool Springs Press, an imprint of The Quarto Group, founded National Gardening Day on April 14 to celebrate gardening and to encourage home gardeners and students to learn more about how to garden.

The Registrar at National Day Calendar proclaimed National Gardening Day to be observed annually in 2018.

Source

[blueiscoool]

A $14 Million Solar-Powered Brooklyn Home With the Perks of an LA Mansion

With its pool, rooftop kitchen, outdoor shower and more, this contemporary home is like a slice of California in the heart of New York.

These days, eco-friendliness is an amenity on par with the usual suspects such as garages, pools and big balconies. Fortunately, at a new listing in Brooklyn, you get all of the above—if you’ve got $14 million sitting around.

The home is located in Red Hook, so it’s far away from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan proper. It’s 6,000 square feet altogether and has a generous six bedrooms and five bathrooms, but the residence’s layout is what makes it really stand out. Although it’s in New York, its indoor-outdoor floor plan is reminiscent of the open-air mansions of Los Angeles. The main living room and dining room, for instance, open onto a deck with a 40-foot lap pool and outdoor shower.

It’s a space that feels contemporary too: There’s a floating staircase leading to the second level, the floors are walnut and the doors and walls that border the outdoor spaces are all glass. The kitchen, meanwhile, is kitted out with Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances as well as a walk-in pantry and a wine cellar.

The home runs entirely on solar power, so it’s great for those looking to cut down on their carbon footprint. On the second level, the mezzanine overlooks the great room below, a space that can double as a home theater.

Up one more flight of stairs is the top level, which can function as a full-floor primary suite or an additional entertainment space. The space opens up to a large wood roof deck with a vegetable garden, outdoor kitchen and dining area for enjoying a meal alfresco, along with a separate indoor sitting room. The floor is travertine, and just off the bedroom, there’s a walk-in closet and en suite bathroom.

Oh, and if you’ve got a car—which you should, as Red Hook is a bit remote —the home has a garage downstairs. If you’re the eco-conscious sort who’s shelling out on the home for its solar perks, it’s a great spot to keep an electric auto or two.

By Helena Madden.

[otp-holic]

The one place (where something happened) (A03)

“In your life there are a few places, or maybe only the one place, where something happened, and then there are all the other places.” Alice Munro. (or the one where they receive a letter from a familiar name and we go into 4Ks of fluff around a lost afternoon in France)

4K. Lamely explicit at one point. Fanfic + Pictures Inside. Trigger for FLUFF as the main plot. Part of the Never let us lose what we have gained series (AO3)

This was supposed to be a manip with 200 words of bantering and it's now 4Ks of fluff with a few pictures. I've decided to leave them inside the cut because I feel they work better with its context there. I'm sorry for the hassle, but I really hope you give this a chance... unless you have cavities, only like fics with amazing plots or are allergic to shameless fluff.

Please do not repost the pictures, I know this is futile, but… I try :)

DAGUERROTYPE, France 1944 Private Collection.

Steve is cooling down from his very early run, enjoying the feeling of the pink sunrise looming over the awakening Brooklyn streets as he walks the last couple of blocks on the way home, when his phone beeps.

“Check your actual mailbox, we dropped something for you there. I think you should appreciate us making it old-fashioned just for you, grandpas!”

Steve smiles at Sam’s text and as soon as he arrives at their building he snaps a picture of the very common and flat envelope with “Barnes&Rogers” scribbled on top of a Stark Logo, to send along his response.

“Nice try, but this is inaccurate. A letter would have never made its way to us without an address or stamp. We’ll send you a proper thank you card to show you how it’s done.”

He can’t help but chuckle at his own joke rereading the text while he opens the door, and when he looks up from his phone and into the kitchen, he is received by a sleepy Bucky looking at the coffee machine like he looks at Steve during their most soft and embarrassingly cheesy moments.

“You love that thing more than you love me, confess it.”

“In the mornings? Yes. I don’t even like you in the mornings most of the time,” he answers matter of factly. “Want some?”

Steve playfully wiggles an eyebrow.

“No way. Your sweaty self is tempting, but coffee smells better. I might join you in the shower later.” Bucky offers him one of the two cups he has poured and he notices the envelope Steve is holding. “What is that?”

“We’ve got mail!” He hands it to Bucky. “I have no idea what's on it, but Sam texted me to say they had something delivered to our mailbox and there it was. Open it.”

Bucky leaves the cup on the counter, face sparked with a curiosity that makes him look twenty-one (and Steve weak on the knees), and goes for it.

The content is a bit underwhelming at first glance: Another envelope, white, no Stark logo, but topped with a bright green post-it with a note on Pepper’s script.

“This got to me via PR. We analyzed it and checked with the source (no peeking, I swear) and it seems legit. With that return address, it’s likely to arouse your interest. Love, P.”

Bucky tears off the post-it and the letter is revealed to be addressed to Steve Rogers at the Stark Tower, but it is when they turn it around when everything goes still for a second.

The return address is some street in Marseille, but what has Steve’s mouth dry and Bucky’s hand trembling just a bit is the combination of the place and the name written on top: Emmanuelle Jaques Dernier.

“Boom?”, Bucky says, trying to cut through their heavy hearts and taking Steve’s hand. It’s a terrible terrible joke, but Dernier would have loved it and he grins.

“That’s a terrible terrible joke,” Steve verbalizes, “but I think at least we’ve reached the same conclusion.”

“Elementary, my dear Steve,” Bucky answers as he opens the second envelope, only to reveal a folded letter and yet another envelope. “It’s a fucking vault of paper!”

Steve takes the letter from him, unfolds it, and quickly scans it (normal office paper, printed, hand-signed) before he starts reading it out loud to Bucky’s undivided attention.

“Dear Mr. Rogers,

My name is Emmanuelle Dernier and I am the great-grandson of Jaques Dernier of the Howling Commandos.

First, let me tell you that we all in our family grew up with amazing stories and praise for you, Sergeant Barnes, and the rest of the team. I never got to meet my great-grandfather or any of them (you), but I’ve always felt like I did.

In fact, that’s the ultimate reason behind this letter: I ached to honor him and I’ve been putting in order all his remaining letters, pictures, and memories so they don’t get lost forever, and there are many things I’m discovering through this journey. So many pictures and tiny details… and amongst them, you and the rest of the Commandos appear at the most random and memorable moments. Nothing that’s going to make it into history books, more like the stories my grandpa used to share with us over and over again, those important tidbits that make him more human.

Anyway, I was going through the pictures he kept when I came across some war photos that didn’t seem to match the 40s timeframe. Typical daguerreotypes from the 20s in a very bad state, probably taken with a camera from the era in 1944 and developed on a later date by somebody who clearly didn’t master the technique.

They were in a very bad state and hidden inside an envelope that said “Terribly drunk soldiers in France making idiots of ourselves in unique and creative ways. Fun evening, horrible hangover. About 20 miles west of the Maginot Line. Autumn ‘44”. I’m attaching a photocopy of that, I hope you can understand my decision to keep the original.

After restoring the daguerreotypes with some experts, all I got were five very bad pictures with silhouettes of people apparently having fun…. but there was one that got a lot better in the cleaning process that feels important somehow. I’m sending the original, as well as the restored version I got.

I, of course, don’t have the whole context, but I hope it brings back a good memory. My great-grandpa might be in the picture, but I don’t think this one belongs to my family or to a museum.

Thank you for your service, I really hope this letter finds its way to you.

E.Dernier.”

“I can’t believe… Steve, most days I’m convinced that day and that place are a figment of my imagination,” Bucky smiles, remembering. “When I think of a moment of pure joy during the war, I think about that afternoon in France, and it always feels unreal. A bubble of air and laughter while we were so surrounded by death.”

Steve nods, reminiscing about that warm and humid September morning when they arrived at yet another abandoned and destroyed little village, this one about twenty miles west of the Maginot Line. They had orders to lie low and wait for twenty-four hours before they started the maneuver to wipe another Hydra base off the map, and that little town was perfect for that.

Among bomb debris and fallen walls, they found one small building miraculously standing next to the remains of the church, so they decided to set camp under a roof for a change since the weather was being a little flickery with the rain, and they had the rare luxury of time.

The inside of the tiny house was as unusual as the outside: nothing was destroyed beyond being dusty and worn by time, and everything they found (furniture, kitchenware, and even fabrics) belonged more to Steve and Bucky’s early childhoods than to 1944, a living museum frozen in time.

Only it was not a museum, but the parish house left untouched and non-raided: old-fashioned clothes, outdated church books, yellowing clergy collars, and, of course, the wine cellar. Oh, that wine cellar… the havoc it unleashed.

“I remember the absolute excitement when Falsworth found all those bottles of old unscathed mass wine from the parish,” Steve brings his memory to words, looking at Bucky, “I’m still a little convinced that we are going to hell for drinking them.”

“Not for that, probably, but it was a wonder nobody died on the spot of wine poisoning, it tasted like sweet vinegar, ugh.”

“But it did his part, right? Took our minds off things; got us drunk, bold and silly.” Steve answers.

“Apparently not all of us,” Bucky says very seriously, looking at Steve.

“Technicalities… I got drunk by proxy. Seeing you all so happy made me giddy and tipsy, too.”

“I came and went… I remember being a little surprised at the clarity of my thoughts at some moments there when some of the guys were basically drooling on the floor. Now I understand, of course.”

Steve squeezes his hand, not much to be said there.

They were already way too drunk by the early afternoon, drinking to the sound of a sudden rainstorm pouring outside. All of them scattered across the small dusty living room and its adjoining kitchen while they went through all the bottles of wine they had been able to find. Cheering for the foregone priest every time somebody raised a glass, and laughing as if there were no ruins or war on the other side; just silly men (boys, really) laughing their hearts out.

“Earth to Steve… I don’t know about you, but I’m dying to see what the hell that envelope is hiding. Especially now that we know about its time stamp.”

“I’m sorry, me too! Gabe drunkenly handling that old camera and those glass plaques the way he did? I’m honestly impressed that he was able to take any pictures at all,” he muses. “Shit, is it weird that I’m nervous?”

“I’m gonna save us the bantering because I’m nervous, too,” Bucky answers in all sincerity. “Truth is, Steve, I remember everything about that day.”

It’s a new admission, a newly opened door for them because for some reason, they have never talked about that peaceful surreal afternoon, and Steve nods in recognition as he silently goes for the envelope one-handed, not wanting to let go of Bucky’s hand because his surface is way cooler than his wrenching insides. Maybe the picture is an overexposed french wall but maybe…

The photo he extracts from the envelope is clearly the original and damaged one Emmanuelle specified in his letter. Anybody else looking at it would see nothing beyond Dernier’s blurry profile, but since Steve and Bucky were there when this was taken, they know exactly what moment Steve is holding in his hand.

“Buck,…” is all Steve can say, struck by the blurry keepsake.

Later in the afternoon when they had already consumed most of the wine and there was not a single coherent thought left in the room, one of the guys took the parish books and besottedly announced that there was a wedding set for today… thirty years ago. Alcohol fueled a goofy idea that escalated at the speed of light, with Morita saying they were going to a wedding because they deserved a celebration, Dernier confessing that he had once considered becoming a priest, and Dum-dum bringing out all the old fashioned clothes from the wardrobe and deciding they were getting nice and clean for the festivities.

“That’s clearly Dernier in the picture killing it in his priest role, right?” Bucky says, half smiling and interrupting Steve’s thoughts. “You know, I went all-in with that fake wedding party. I was laughing to tears when I saw you put on that ridiculously long and ill-fitting jacket from the 10s, feeling weightless and silly for the first time since sailing off, and God knows we all deserved that. And it was all safe and light-hearted until fucking Morita decided you had to be the groom, and...”

“Were you jealous because I won the dashing groom competition?”

Steve’s attempt at a joke is weak, but there’s truth behind it: Morita chose Steve as the groom (“Cap, you are the most dashing and the least drunk”) to a chorus of excited voices cheering for him. Somebody else, most likely Dum-Dum, chose the rest of the roles (Sarge, best man duty; Jones, camera; Morita, keep the wine flowing; the rest of you, misbehave!) and in the blink of an eye, they were all going outside laughing under a light rain, and about to celebrate Steve’s fictional wedding to nobody.

“How could I be jealous?” Bucky cuts in. “Do you remember all you said to me that afternoon? During World War II and in front of a battalion of men?”

“I was drunk.”

“Fuck you!” Bucky disentangles his hand from Steve’s to use both of them to hold Steve’s face and kiss him with violence. “Tell me. Do you remember what you said?”

As if he could ever forget. He can recall every step he took from the house to the makeshift wedding spot amidst the trees where his best man (looking dapper even in that ludicrous jacket) was laughing along Dernier. He can still smell the petrichor, can still sense the blush coloring his cheeks while hoping nobody noticed and can still hear the beating of his heart when Bucky handed him a battered umbrella (“You don’t deserve to get rained on your wedding day, punk”) and a fucking ring made out his shoelaces (“You’ll have to buy something a little more permanent.”). And then…

“Dernier started the ceremony and he wanted to know if I had somebody in mind and I said ‘of course’.” He replays, his voice barely a whisper. “I said I’d had my eyes on a brown-haired Brooklynite since before I could remember. I said that I was pretty sure those blue eyes were set on mine too and that hopefully those eyes would be set enough to want to marry me even if I had never dared to ask.”

He’s been holding Bucky’s gaze the whole time, and he’s far from over yet, but he needs to fucking breathe before he goes on. Neither of them has moved a muscle for the past minute.

“Then he asked me to repeat the wedding vows after him and…”

“And you said Buck, right?”, Bucky interrupts, voice winded. “You fucking whispered I take you, Buck, as my lawful wedded husband till the end of the line. I heard, Steve. Even if the rest of the world didn’t, I did. But you never said anything, so I always deemed it impossible, a product of the corniest nook of my mind trying to outweigh all those bad things, because not even you could be as bold, reckless, and mushy as to do that,…it’s my fucking fault, I should have known better!”

“Not completely reckless, pal. I was scared shitless as I said those words, but what else could I do? You were right by my side about to put a ring on my finger as my “best man”, everyone, including you, supposedly drunk past recollection, and everybody else too far away to hear my whispers. It was such an easy choice in the end because truth should always win over fear. And those vows were. The truth.”

“You have always been too honest for your own good, Rogers,” Bucky is breathless and exasperated and goes for his mouth again, bringing in all he (they) couldn’t in 1944. “You destroyed me, Steve. My knees were as weak as a teenager’s in front of his first crush. I wanted to kiss you so badly when I heard you say all that there in the open… and I couldn’t even acknowledge it.”

“I know. And for what it's worth, I really thought you didn’t remember.”

It is too much. Is it normal to feel this much? Steve would blame it on the serum enhancements, but he was already overwhelmed at 16, so that’s clearly not the answer.

He craves, no, he needs touching, grounding, closer. Bucky. There’s too much space between them even if they are back to kissing like they would have that day in 44, and at any other time if their own lives wouldn’t have stolen those moments from them.

“It happened.” Bucky whimpers, biting on Steve’s lip who abandons his own stool to straddle him, both of them gasping in sync at the feeling of their cocks, hard against each other’s through their soft pants.

Bucky soon ups the stakes by carding his metal hand through Steve’s hair pulling his head backwards to help himself into that spot on his neck.

“Same two moles as when you were tiny, as when we were at that war... Your cute vampire bite. Favorite spot.” He licks on them with the tip of his tongue. Steve growls on cue and Bucky giggles. “Favorite chain reaction.”

“Buck, you cheater, you know what that does to me!” Steve cries out followed by Bucky’s evil chuckle.”Bed, couch, countertop,…I don’t care, but naked. Now. Stained pants due to heavy petting are too much of a trip down memory lane for me. Let me keep a bit of my dignity.”

Steve stands up liberating Bucky from his grip but aching at the loss of contact.

They are naked and making out in the middle of the kitchen in no time; Bucky steadily pushing him against the refrigerator while fiercely grinding against his crotch.

“Hey, ‘teve,” Bucky pants. “The way this is going, it’s my dignity now that's at risk. I don’t think I can make it further than the floor before I come.”

Steve groans into his mouth just at the thought and they start sliding to the floor the best they can until he’s a human blanket moving over Bucky. With no lube at hand, and no time, that’s their best option.

They kiss and kiss and kiss, his hands not leaving Bucky’s sweaty hair. Bucky’s hands on his ass, forcing their groins closer with one while he (almost absently) plays around his hole with the other, driving Steve crazy in the process. Dicks left to do their own thing through pressure and friction. Everything is working. And fast.

“Oh, fuck!” Bucky exclaims “Can you promise me all this stuff with the letter was real and not a long-con plan to assure your fragile masculinity that I love you more than I love that espresso machine?”

That. That silly unfunny excuse of a joke that screams Bucky all over is what pushes Steve all the way over the edge. He fucking laughs as he comes making absolutely embarrassing sounds, pressing their foreheads and noses together until it hurts, and shaking from head to toe without stoping his pressure on the stupid and smug man under him. His lover. His partner. His unofficial husband. His best friend.

His Buck.

“There’s still too much blood in your brain if you can play that dirty,” Steve states, placing one hand between them grabbing Bucky’s hard cock. “Let’s see if I can do anything about it.”

“Your hand, usually so helpful, but I was already following you after that sound you make when you come and laugh at the same time, shit, it always goes straight to my dick, I’m,…” he keeps talking with difficulty between breaths and moans until he leaves his speech unfinished coming all over Steve’s fist.

They kiss on the lips breathing into each other before Steve rolls over. They are sticky and panting in silence, spread on their kitchen’s floor, Steve’s shoulders crushed between Bucky’s and the dishwasher. Domestic bliss at its most literal.

One lavish fuck and two showers later they reemerge into the kitchen in search of something to eat: Bucky is in charge of the food today, while Steve cleans the mess they left a couple of hours ago.

He’s decluttering the counter when their damaged picture laying there puts a smile on his face but also reminds him of the restored version presumably still waiting inside the disregarded letter, so he grabs the envelope to retrieve its contents: one photocopy (from Dernier’s original writing), and the promised photo.

And it is restored. Everything is clear where it was blurry before: Dernier (so deep into his priest impersonation that he’s not even looking at them), the trees, the battered umbrella, the ridiculous jackets… and them.

“You had the nerve to call me reckless and mushy, Buck?” Steve laughs as he stares at the picture where a very young Bucky is about to put a ring on his finger with the least subtle lovestruck expression he’s ever seen (“and it’s for you”, his brain proudly reminds him) “Wow, you might as well be kissing me there, anything would be more subtle than this!”

“Don’t shame me, you punk, especially not when you were the one responsible for breaking my brain back then!” Bucky answers coming from behind and stealing the picture from his hands to scrutinize it. Goofy grin and raging blush quickly taking over his face. “But you’re one to talk, Cap. You are gazing at that shoelace’s ring as if I were handing you a diamond tiara!”

Steve laughs softly at that and moves his right hand to his pocket, feeling the weight of the little compass he had retrieved earlier from one of his drawers. He used to carry it with him everywhere for comfort, but he has a better option now.

“Didn't you know that shoelaces are forever?” He asks, taking the compass out of his pocket and holding it in both hands as he opens it, nudging Bucky with his elbow to get his attention.

Bucky is confused for an instant while he looks at his young face staring at them from inside the little box. Of course he knew that (he made fun of Steve for days and days) but Steve detects the change in his expression when he notices the other thing.

“Wow, you gigantic sap,” Bucky says, taking the compass out of his hands to double-check he is seeing what he thinks he’s seeing. “You saved my shoelace.”

He had. While they were all celebrating his wedding under the rain dancing to no music, he quietly slipped the little string off his finger and tied it to the most secure place he had back then.

“It’s not a shoelace, you jerk, it’s a symbol. A declaration.” He laughs, stealing the compass back to safely pocket it again.

“You are delusional,” Bucky snorts, kissing the top of his head. But he’s widely smiling and lost in thought as he goes back to their sandwiches.

Steve stays on the spot enjoying the peace in their silent companionship, his focus on the latest news showing up on his phone, the text he’s writing to Sam and the comforting sounds of Bucky moving around the kitchen.

“You might have married me, but I never actually married you.” Bucky blurts out of the blue a bit later, sitting by his side as he hands him a plate with a sandwich and some grilled greens on it. “Do you want mayo with that?”

“Uh?” Steve forgets all about the news and the text and looks at Bucky in confusion.

“Mayo, do you want some?” Bucky repeats nonchalantly.

“No mayo, thank you; but I was actually more interested in the other part, you know, that thing about marriage?”

Bucky looks him in the eye: earnest, blushing and with the same look of smug adoration he had on the picture.

“Oh, that part.” He jokes. “You apparently married me in 1944, but I never married you back. And I would like to.”

“Marry me?” Steve asks and Bucky visibly nods.

“I’m sorry for throwing the idea at you like this, books tell me I'm supposed to have candles, music, and a ring, but you showed me that restored picture and I couldn't stop thinking about it, about proof,” Bucky speaks uncharacteristically slow and very softly, voice trembling here and there while he claps his hand with Steve’s finger by finger for reassurance and as a distraction. “A single photo had the power to transform a moment that existed just as a made-up happy place inside my mind into something tangible and real. Something that would be tangible and real for anybody getting a hold on it and looking at our stupid faces.”

“So stealthy,” Steve says, and they both laugh together.

“Proof, Steve. I was slicing tomatoes and thinking how there’s so much evidence, thousands of files! out there proving that all the stuff that fuels my nightmares were real, but nothing solid about this. Us.” Bucky stops for a moment collecting his thoughts, still smiling even with the heavy subject he just dropped into the mix. “Sorry, I believe I put more time into these sandwiches than into thinking this all the way through so I’m…”

“Take your time, we’ve gone from mayo to marriage to nightmares in five minutes so don’t worry, you have me hooked here.”

Steve makes Bucky laugh again as he intended, and he feels their calloused laced fingers immediately squeezing closer.

“It’s stupid because it doesn’t change anything for us but,.. I don’t fucking know, Steve, I think that picture has messed up with my mind! I instantly found comfort in the idea of people finding facts beyond the nightmares now or in the future. An easy to understand, universal and oversimplified proof of how much I loved you and how much I was loved in return.” Bucky takes a breath and stares at him sporting a million-watt smile. “Marrying you,… I would really love that. And for real this time.”

“Ok, Buck.” Steve instantly replies, eagerness winning over thoughtful and heartfelt declarations. He tightens the grip on their joined hands to drive them to his lips and seals the easiest answer he’s ever had to give.

And it's done!Sorry for the cavities, for going on with the fic when it should have ended and for ending it where it might have had to keep going. It was painful and fun. I'm free!