Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia.
It wasn't particularly noticeable. Your average run of the mill Asian restaurant with a nice Indian section added in for an unusual find. But once school got out at World Academy in New York City, all the students flocked there like it was God's gift to Earth.
This could be due to the fact that seven of the students were the sons and daughters of the family that owned the restaurant or maybe the food was just that good. Whatever reason as the first day of classes ended, the students piled up in the booths.
"Da~ze!Um-ma we're home!" Im Yong Soo shouted into the restaurant. The customers weren't yet his classmates but the regular crowd. A few new patrons seemed alarmed at the joyous voice but most of them weren't shocked at the owner's hyperenergetic son.
Tamanna sighed and shook her head tucking in a loose strand of her silky jet black hair into her bun. She gave a quick smile and ran out to greet her children. She pulled all of them into a tight bone crushing hug. "Namaste kidlets! Maataa missed you all so much! How was your first day of school?"
"It was good. I can you let us go now? We need to breathe. Or at least I need to." Mei said, struggling.
"I'm sorry! It feels like I haven't since you in forever! Who knew that six hours could feel so long!" Tamanna said releasing her children.
"It's OK. Everyone else is coming in. Do you and chichi need any help?"
"Thank you for the offer Kiku but you know you are not required to help. I think your father needs a little help but why don't you check in with him? I have to get these tables ready for everyone."
The children nodded and walked into the kitchen where their father had rice cooking in a frying pan. He looked up and grinned when he saw them, turning the stove off quickly and running towards them with his arms wide open. The children stood their ground ready for the impact.
"What is with this family and hugging? My hair could get ruined!" Mei cried.
"Ba if you don't need any help can we leave the kitchen? I have homework I need to do." Huong said
"What kind of homework would they give you on the first day aru?" Yao let go of his children and sighed.
"Some basic stuff and I like to get ahead."
"Your classmates are here!" Tamanna said opening the doors to the kitchen. "They're saving you guys seats and looking over the menu. Go socialize and have fun!" Tamanna pushed her kids out of the kitchen.
"It's hard to believe they're in high school." She took a tissue from Yao's hand.
"Most of them have been in high school for quite a while aru. It still gets to you doesn't it?" Yao asked putting his arms around his wife's waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. They were the same height but Yao was three centimeters shorter. Barely making a difference but at the same time making a quite significant one if looking at them up close.
Even though they were siblings the the Asian family didn't run with the same crowd. At World Academy everyone knew each other well but they had their fights in the cafeteria like any other school. Mei hanged out with cheerleaders and the popular girls, Kiku hanged out with the Europeans, Yong Soo was somewhat of a social butterfly but spend most of his time with the computer geeks, Hyung Soo, Huong and Henry were quiet types and Sittichai was Mr. Popularity.
"Hey Kiku." Sadiq Adnan slid down in the booth next to Kiku.
"Hello Sadiq-san."
"You're so polite. Sadiq is fine. Especially for a cutie like you." Sadiq winked and Kiku blushed a bright red. As Kiku opened his mouth to say something Hercules Karpusi sat down on the opposite side of the booth.
"Excuse me. I think I heard my name being called." Sadiq got up and watched along with Hercules as Kiku scurried into the kitchen.
"Kiku is something wrong?" Tamanna set down the tray of lo mein and alu gobi she was carrying and rushed over to her son.
"Nothing. I just wanted to help you. Really badly."
Tamanna looked at Kiku and sighed. "Well, if you really want to help bring this tray to Mei and the rest of her cheerleader friends. It's nice to see girls like them eating." If there was one thing Tamanna was renowned for it was for her ability to feed as many people as possible.
"Sure thing haha." Kiku took the tray from his mother and brought to the table on the right side of the restaurant in front of the window. Mei and Feliks seemed to be comparing first day of school outfits and the other girls, especially the freshmen, watched their captains in awe.
"Oh great! This looks totally yummy." Feliks squealed as the plates were sat down. Kiku winced. He wondered how Toris dealt with Feliks's voice everyday. That required some serious love. Mei studied her brother and looked over to the table where he was sitting. Sadiq and Hercules were in a heated discussion only stopping when her mother went over to take their order.
"It really does. Was Mama happy that we're eating?"
"Yes, quite excited actually. If you'll excuse me I have to get back to my table." Kiku shuffled staring down at his feet and went to the table where his friends Ludwig and Feliciano were waiting for him.
"Ve~Don't you love pasta in any form?" Feliciano said staring down at the pasta menu.
"I do enjoy udon." Kiku himself glanced at the menu even though he didn't need to.
"What can I get for you boys?" Tamanna flipped open to a new page in her notepad and removed her pen from her bun letting her hair fall down.
"I'll have the udon." Feliciano said and Tamanna smiled. He was so innocent and not innocent that it made Tamanna want to eat him up!
"I'll chicken korma." Ludwig handed the menu to Tamanna.
"I'll have poori." Kiku said with a sad sounding sigh.
"You don't want any of my vegetable samosa? You and Hercules used to devour those like the world was ending. Well, not really devour because you're much too polite for that but I couldn't make them fast enough."
"Ve~ I remember! You were always so embarrassed whenever you saw someone watching you eat like that."
"See? Listen to you're cute friend. He knows stuff even if he is dating the biggest stick in the mud in the world." Before Ludwig could have a chance to speak Tamanna was off to another table.
"You're mother certainly speaks her mind." Ludwig commented.
"Don't mind her. She has mood swings changing from a good Indian housewife to well insanity."
"Huong, don't you want to hang with your friends instead of sitting there studying for tests that haven't even started?"
"Ma, I enjoy studying and this way I can keep a close track of Yong Soo and that American boy." Huong looked over her mother's shoulder and to the jock table where 'that American boy' Alfred F. Jones was gesturing excitedly.
"I think it's sweet that Yong Soo has a crush on Alfred. I almost got them together last Valentine's Day with my kimchi burger."
"Alfred has a thing for Arthur. I think he has a thing for both of them. I think he has a thing for everyone. That little man whore."
"Huong, you're getting into overprotective older sister territory. Let your brother fall in love with anyone he likes. At least he isn't being all emo loner like Henry and Hyung Soo." Tamanna and Huong looked at the table where Hyung Soo and Henry were sitting being emo.
Huong suppressed a giggle. "True, look by the next week of school I promise you I'll be sitting a table surrounded by girls giggling just like Mei does."
"That's what I want to hear." Tamanna kissed her daughter on the forehead.
Tamanna was quickly on the move to where Peter Kirkland and Raivis Galante were sitting with the rest of (as Tamanna lovingly called them) commies. Peter Kirkland didn't come from a former Soviet Union country and he wasn't in high school like everyone else but he deserved to be here all the same. He was after all a seventh grader dating a high school freshman. A home schooled seventh grader dating a not home schooled high school freshman.
The rest of the commies were Toris Lorinaitis, Feliks' long suffering boyfriend, Ivan Bragniski, crazed, scary, Russian, Natalia, the crazed, scary, incestuous feeling for her brother, Belarusian, Eduard, the too smart for his own good, never going to get laid, nerd ,and Raivis, prime bullying material, underage alcoholic, and aspiring poet. There were in a way Tamanna's second favorite group. If she played favorites.
"Want can I get you? And Raivis unless you turned twenty-one overnight don't expect me to give you any alcohol. I don't think Peter would like it if you weren't at your best performance this night." Tamanna winked and Raivis flushed a lighter shade than his favorite shirt.
"I'll have some orange chicken." Peter said.
Tamanna took the menu from him and smiled. "I should have known. You've been a regular here for as long as you've been alive." Peter smiled back at her. It was true. His dads owned the Swedish-Finnish bakery next door to the restaurant.
"I'll have coconut soup." Ivan said with a smile that freaked the fuck out of Tamanna.
"I'll have whatever Brother is having." Natalia said with a cat like purr wrapping her hand around Ivan's big boned arm. Tamanna suppressed a laugh at Ivan's pained expression.
"Where's your sister?" Tamanna asked.
"She's still at work." Ivan replied. Yetkaterina, Ivan and Natalia's older sister worked as an intern in the UN. She often stopped during her lunch break and again when school got out.
"I'll just have a mango lassi." Raivis said with a bit of pink still on his cheeks.
"And what about you Eduard? Can I get you anything?"
"General Tso's chicken."
"Make that two." Toris said.
"OK then. Your order should be arriving shortly." Tamanna bowed and disappeared into the kitchen. She reappeared moments later carrying three trays in her arms. She dropped one tray off at Ludwig, Felicano, and Kiku's table, another at Hyung-Soo and Henry's table, and the last one at Hercules and Sadiq's table. They were still fighting. Tamanna sighed as she looked over the bustle and hustle of the place.
There wasn't any other restaurant in New York.
Author's Note: I got the inspiration to do this after seeing a fanart of Hong Kong and Taiwan. Hong Kong was holding a frying pan filled with rice and Taiwan was a waitress and I thought what's more Asian than a Chinese restaurant? Nothing! Please excuse my obvious Americanism.
I love the East Asian countries and the story started to form in my head. This is my first AU story ever so excuse my errors.
Translations:
Um-ma-Mom
Namaste-Hello
Maataa-Mother
Chichi- Father(only when referring to your own)
Ba-Dad
Haha-Mother(only when referring to your own)
OC's Introduced in this chapter:
Tamanna Wang-India
Hyung Soo Singh-Wang-North Korea
Names I used for pre-existing characters:
Mei Singh-Wang-Taiwan
Huong Singh-Wang-Vietnam
Sittichai Singh-Wang-Thailand
I made India and China a married couple because of BRIC. An economic acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, and China describing their economies(which are oft compared to one another and a possible alliance between the four countries).
I'm also aware that the title is Indian East Asia Café and its about a restaurant not a cafébut it sounds better. Sorry if it annoys any of you.