#tom holland x viet!reader

[afterglowparker]

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới

Pairing: Peter Parker x Vietnamese!Reader

Word Count: 1,967

Warnings: None!! It’s all fluff!! And you get to learn a bit more about the Vietnamese culture!

Summary: You share one of your favorite holidays with your boyfriend, Peter Parker.

A/N: I want to start off by saying: chúc mừng năm mới! In other words (English): happy new year! If you weren’t already aware, this past Tuesday we celebrated Vietnamese New Year/Chinese New Year/Lunar New Year. As today would technically be the third day of celebrating, it is for that reason I have decided to post today: it’s the day to celebrate with friends! I am so excited to share this piece with you, as the New Year is always one of my favorite times of the year. Additionally, I just never get to see Asian readers represented in fics! I hope you enjoy this piece!

*It is important for me to say that what I have written in this story is based off my own experiences and family traditions. Everyone celebrates the New Year in their own way; this will not be a perfect representation of all the families that celebrate this wonderful holiday!

**Also tumblr decided to try me and gave me trouble when I tried to post it the first time. It then deleted it. :’) So hopefully this still came out good.

“So this Tuesday is Tết, in other words, it’s Vietnamese New Year. It’s usually celebrated over three days, but my family just celebrates the first day. The other two are for extended family and friends, respectively, so to speak.”

You had been explaining the upcoming celebration, since Peter had been curious as to why your Mom had been baking up a storm in the kitchen when he arrived at your apartment to study for your upcoming biology test. Currently, you both were sat across from each other on your bed, textbooks and notes spread all around you, as you worked through the study guide. You were leaning against the headboard of your Queen sized bed as Peter was hunched over slightly, his legs crossed and his left elbow resting on his knee so he could support his head. He had been asking you questions for the past five minutes.

“But the Calendar says Chinese New Year?” Peter replied, confusion written across his face.

“Well, they’re celebrated on the same day. More than just the Chinese celebrate the New Year. Some people call it Lunar Year to be more inclusive of everyone celebrating. My family just prefers to call it Vietnamese New Year.”

Peter nodded along as you spoke and you could practically see the questions popping up behind his eyes in that busy mind of his.

“So why is your mom baking everything on a Saturday?”

“Well, it’s harder to get the entire family together on a Tuesday, what with work and all the cousins who are in school. It’s just easier to celebrate tomorrow. Plus, it’s Super Bowl Sunday, so the Uncles will have something to occupy themselves with.”

“That’s cool…what else does your family usually do to celebrate?”

“You certainly are inquisitive today,” you spoke with a soft smile on your lips, “I don’t know. The usual I guess. We eat food, drink, play games…the Uncles get the bros back together to be bros while all the Aunts talk about life and their kids. The cousins usually just go to a room and hangout. There’s also firecrackers. OH AND RED ENVELOPES. I don’t know how I almost forgot that, especially since that’s a pretty big thing for us. The younger kids in particular are big fans of them. ”

“Why?”

“Cuz they have money in them. In my family we receive the envelopes so long as we are going to school.”

“Oh, that’s actually really cool…” Peter trailed off. You turned the page in your textbook, thinking Peter was done with his inquiries, but as you went to ask him a question, he cut you off before you could speak. “Okay but does the envelope mean anything? Like specifically? Cuz you said red. Why can’t I get like…a blue envelope or something?”

Had anyone but Peter been asking you as many questions you might have been annoyed, but you also didn’t mind sharing about your culture.

“Well, red symbolizes good luck. The elders give the red envelopes to the younger kids as a way of wishing them well-wishes, so to speak, for the New Year. In return, we wish them well-wishes too. Y’know. They wish us a happy new year and for us to have wealth, health, good grades…We wish them a happy new year and health and happiness…stuff like that.”

“I like that.” Peter said, looking at you thoughtfully. You tapped the pen in your hand against your lips before speaking up again.

“Would you like to come with me to my Aunt’s house to celebrate the New Year with my family?”

Peter’s eyes lit up as he sat up, his back straightening from his hunched position.

“Really? You’d want me to come with?”

“Well, yeah. I was gonna ask before, but I wasn’t sure if you’d wanna go, what with it being a family event full of members of my family you’ve never met before. That can be a bit daunting. Plus my family can be overwhelming.” You finished with a laugh.

“Y/N, I would love to go with you. As long as you’re okay with that and so is your family, I want to celebrate with you! It’s part of your culture and part of who you are. And I love you. So I want to learn and be familiar with every single thing that makes you, you.”

The soft smile that had been present on your face through the duration of your conversation stretched to reach your eyes. Leaning forward, you gripped the collar of Peter’s grey pullover in your right hand, pulling him closer to place a kiss on his lips.

“Have I ever mentioned how much I love you?”

-

“Y/N, aren’t we gonna be late?” Peter questioned, looking at his phone with the hand that wasn’t wrapped around your shoulder, which showed him that it was already close to 2pm; you said the party was supposed to start then.

“Oh, no we’re fine. No one actually shows up on time. We’ll all probably be there around 3-3:30.”

“Really? That’s kinda late. Why don’t you guys just say the party is at that time then?”

“Cuz then no one would show up until like 4-4:30. It’s just the way my family is, Peter,” You glanced up at him and placed a kiss on his cheek, “don’t worry, we’re fine time-wise.”

-

True to your word, you were strolling up to your Aunt’s house, hand-in-hand, about an hour later. On your way to the door, Peter noticed a tree decorated with envelopes, which he promptly asked you to explain.

“Later, we are gonna get to choose an envelope from the tree. Just a little extra luck.”

Pausing before ringing the doorbell, you turned to speak to Peter.

“You ready to meet the rest of my obnoxious family?”

Peter smiled and brought your hand up to his lips, so he could press a kiss to your knuckles.

“Don’t worry, babe, your entire family is gonna love me,” Peter said feigning confidence, his act not as strong as he had hoped.

“You nervous?”

“Terrified.”

You squeezed his hand and leaned up on your toes to press a kiss to his cheek.

“Don’t worry, you’re right. They will.”

Turning back around, your rang the doorbell and soon enough, you were greeted by the face of one of your Aunts, who quickly opened the door and ushered Peter and you inside.

Immediately, Peter began to take his shoes off, remembering the unspoken rule you had in your own home, and took note of all of your family members crammed into the house. Peter remembered you mentioning you had a large family, but this was so much more than he imagined---a definite change from just May and him. You dragged Peter around the room, greeting your various family members, being sure to find your Grandma first. You bowed and gave your Grandma a hug while greeting her, as was tradition---Peter quick to follow your actions of bowing. You smiled, loving the effort he was making to be respectful and absorb the different aspects of your culture. Continuing through the room, you introduced the remaining family members to your boyfriend, who would give them an uneasy smile and try his best to make small talk. Your Aunts and cousins poked fun of him, as if he was family---they had quickly warmed up to him.

-

You had been explaining the different foods Peter pointed to, as he insisted on trying everything. So far you had worked your way through bánh hỏi, bún riêu, the pineapple buns, the egg custards, bánh bèo---at which point you explained to Peter what n��ớc chấm was. He was not fond of the idea.

“Fish sauce?! You just pour it on top?” His nose was slightly wrinkled and you laughed.

“Trust me, it tastes really good. You don’t even think about the fact that what your eating is covered in fish sauce.”

Your family always had a widespread of food, making sure that everyone would be full and happy on the joyous occasion.

“And what’s this?”

“Uh…chicken alfredo pasta from Costco?” You laughed as Peter’s face filled with a blush, “And before you ask, the tray that my mom brought is full of cupcakes, and the tray by the end of the table is barbecue chicken.”

Peter rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Laugh at me, I was just pointing to random things and didn’t think about it. Also everything up until this point has been Vietnamese food, so my brain was just on auto-pilot,” he picked up a piece of bread and took a bite, “and yes, I know this is bread,” his sentence slightly muffled due to the food in his mouth.

“Hey,” you said, snatching the bread from his hand, “this is NOT just bread. It’s better than that. I can’t explain it, this bread is just better than regular bread.”

Peter nodded his head as he swallowed.

“I actually understand what you mean.”

-

Peter was standing next to you, waiting for the next part of the party to happy, which you had excitedly informed his was the passing out of envelopes. As you received your first envelope, he watched you accept it with two hands and recite the words you told Peter were tradition. Much to his surprise, your Mom approached him next and handed him an envelope. Peter went to accept the envelope, only for your Mom to pull it away quickly.

“This envelope is for you,” she started, making Peter begin to sweat, “if you can properly wish me a happy new year.”

You started to laugh, as you figured your Mom would do this. She lived for moments like this! It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Peter viciously butchered the pronunciation of the saying---your entire family had heard him do so early as you tried to teach him. The tips of Peter’s ears began to burn as they turned red and he shakily said the four words.

“Ch-uc MuNG Num MuY.”

Certain letters were hit a little to hard and he added a sound here and there, but it was clear what he was trying to say and just how much effort he put into saying it. Lowering the envelope into Peter’s two awaiting hands, your Mom smiled fondly.

“Chúc Mừng Năm Mới, to you too, Peter.”

-

After the envelopes had been passed out (Peter received one from every single family member, same as you; he also had to shakily wish them all a happy new year) amongst the family, the day progressed into more fun. Your family played a couple of different games; in particular, Peter was fond of Bầu Cua, even if he wasn’t the best at it. He had won the jackpot in BINGO though, which he was very proud of. There had been a long line of firecrackers set off, which made your ears ring and Peter’s head throb due to his heightened senses, but he had enjoyed nonetheless; it was fun watching everyone rush out of the house to gather around and watch the event. Not to mention Peter got along swimmingly with your cousins, old and young. They wouldn’t say it to his face, but they also loved having him around.

You were back at Peter’s apartment now, laying on his bed and watching re-runs of your favorite show. Peter felt the smile that hadn’t left his face for the better half of the day widen, and he pressed a soft kiss to your hair. You shifted your head at the feeling, looking up at Peter.

“What?” You question, your expression matching his.

“Thank you for inviting me today, Y/N. I had a really great time.”

You placed a gentle kiss to Peter’s lips.

“Anytime. Happy New Year’s, Peter.”