Chapter 60: Chapter Sixty

Omniscient Narrative

Carlton looked at his family, trying to fight off a smile but it eventually found its way to his face.

As the meal progressed, Michael regaled the table with anecdotes from his art school days, where mischief often accompanied paint-splattered canvases. "And one time, I decided to use ketchup instead of paint for my installation!" he exclaimed, his hands out in a wait for a it way. "Let's just say it didn't end as well as I anticipated." He brought his hands up and bit and shrugged

The table erupted into laughter, imagery of an elaborate ketchup-laden installation weaving through their imaginations. Dylan quietly chimed in, supporting his partner's storytelling with a touch of humor that made even Von chuckle. "Though it was a way of creative thinking, I had no choice but to give him an F, not only because it was bad but because I had gone grocery shopping the day before " he playfully glared at Micheal making the light skin man grin widely at him. 

Von felt like he was floating on clouds, each passing moment revealing the acceptance and love that enveloped them, his eyes scanned the table, he loved what was happening. 

He smiled at his partners, his heart swelling with admiration for the way they seamlessly fit into his family's perfectly. Every laugh, each smile shared across the table painted a picture he never thought he would see. 

His eyes accidentally caught his father's, who only gave him a knowing smile and an approved nod, making him nod back with understanding. 

Later, as dessert was served, Emma-another cousin of theirs who arrived late- challenged Michael to a light-hearted art duel, where they each had to sketch what they thought best represented family. 

"And what do you both get from this" Ty asked he and von place the canvas on the stand(A/N: I forgot what it's called)

"Gloating?" She shrugged

"A month of free food from my restaurant" Hilary said making the two immediately look at her. 

"Deal" Emma yelled 

"Oh it's on" the light skin man challenged.

The air crackled with friendly competition, laughter filling the room as they both sketched furiously, 

"I've been learning art since I knew how to hold things in my hands, I think I'll win" Emma said as she resumed her work. 

"And I like free food, so I think I'll win" 

After a few minutes, close to an hour, while the others chat away.

Michael finally revealed a wildly exaggerated caricature of the whole family, complete with oversized heads and splashes of color, a testament to his playful spirit. The family awed as they stared at the work. 

Emma unveiled her pencil-rendered portrait, infused with delicate details that captured their familial bond in its most authentic form.

"Our judges will be Dylan and mom, seeing as they're the only certified artists here" Hillary said moving Dylan forward to look at the art works.

Dylan, shy but eager to chime in, added, "I think you both have managed to capture the essence of family beautifully, despite the differences in style. It's a collaborative masterpiece!"

"Booooo give us a real answer" Emma said making Micheal nod and point to her as if saying he agrees. But all Dylan did was roll his eye and stick to his words

"Aunt, what about you" Emma turned to Angela who was carefully judging the works. 

"Dylan is right, it's a fair competition but it's a tie" she shrugged.

"Are you serious right now?" Emma side eyed her aunt. Groaning she turned to the other family members 

"Vote please" 

"Micheal obviously" 

"You're only saying that because he's your man" she exclaimed 

"And? That's an issue because?" Von smirked, his eyes glaring back at Emma's. But all she did was scoff and give him the middle finger. 

"Emma"

"Yess" she cheered 

"I meant to say please move, you're obstructing the view" Ty said as he moved her aside

"I choose Micheal" he said making Micheal dab him up. 

"Micheal" Ashely said putting her tongue out at Emma who just looked flabbergasted.

"Uncle?" She said looking at him with puppy eyes. 

"Ughhh, don't do that" he shielded his eyes with his hand. 

"I choose you both" he said, not looking at either one of them.

Emma kissed her teeth in annoyance while Micheal cheered at being the clear winner. 

Emma stood there pouting while Micheal gave a celebratory dance. 

"Don't worry Emma, I'll take you for dinner" he winked at her, to which she turned around making Ty lift her up and down making her laugh and stop with her pouting.

.....

As the evening drew to a close, Von felt a profound sense of gratitude. Watching Michael and Dylan interact so effortlessly with his beloved family felt like a never ending promise. 

The dark skin man walked over to his father's study with him to have a father son conversation.

Meanwhile, 

Michael, was still buzzing from the lively dinner and the joyful energy of being accepted by Von's family, he found himself sitting on a plush armchair, his legs crossed casually. 

Opposite from him was Von's cousin, Ty,  Ty was a tall and slim man with low cut and an easy smile, he was playful, the complete opposite of Von and the same as Micheal , he was lounged against the back of a sofa. 

Beside Ty was Von's second oldest sister, Ashley, the female version of Von. 

"Have you heard any embarrassing stories about Von yet?" Ty asked with a devilish grin, leaning forward. "Because there are plenty to choose from."

"Now that you've said that, aunt Angela owes me a lot" he said scanning the large room for her but she was no where to be found, so was Hilary and Dylan and Von and his father. 

Ashley laughed, her eyes lighting up with the thought. "Oh, I have a couple for you alright! There was that one time he tried to impress our parents by making a gourmet dinner, only to completely burn the chicken and end up ordering takeout." She said 

Michael chuckled, the image of Von's typically confident demeanor faltering in a culinary disaster amusing him. Especially knowing the man can ACTUALLY cook, so that information left him speechless.

"My boyfriend, the confident cook, was a disaster at one point?" he teased, a playful glint in his eye. He was going to remind him with this if he comes for Dylan's cooking skills again. 

"You're lucky you didn't meet him sooner because if you had 16 year old Von cook for you, you would have regretted it," Ashley advised with mock seriousness. "Unless you want a surprise meal that includes charcoal as the main ingredient!" She said making the three of them laugh together 

Ty chimed in, "He was so desperate to impress both of our parents that he actually attempted to make a soufflé from scratch. It was like a science experiment gone wrong! When he took it out of the oven, it looked less like a soufflé and more like a pancake that had given up on life. We still bring it up at family dinners." 

"Good thing Hilary took him under her wing and taught him to cook"  

Michael leaned forward, entranced by the warmth of their laughter and the shared stories that painted a vivid picture of Von's childhood, of the boy who grew into the man he was today. "There's a part of him that must always be trying to impress," he mused. "Which is why I get surprised he chose to study medicine, he don't look like the doctor type, especially not with that attitude of his"

"Right???? Like I've been saying that for a while now," Ty started, settling comfortably into the conversation. "But one thing I learnt about Von growing up was that he was always one to care, whenever there was an issue, Von was always there to help out, even though he tried to separate from us, he still always found his way back. And he fell in love with medicine when he was younger, he always had this drive to help people who can't help themselves." Ty spoke, and Micheal noticed how well he spoke about Von, he loved his cousin and it shows. 

Ashley nodded, her laughter lingering. "He was also one to bring justice! I remember him arguing with a doctor when we went over to the hospital to visit nana, and there was this woman who kept pleading someone attend to her child but the nurses and doctors weren't paying her attention, Von legit started screaming at them all, threatening to sue and report the hospital and just like that, they immediately attended to her"

Michael's heart swelled, loving the way they spoke of Von with such fondness. "That sounds so like him. He's always so caring, though he hates to show it." A warm smile found its way to Micheal's face as his mind was clouded with Von. 

Ty lowered his voice conspiratorially, leaning closer to Michael. "There's a softness beneath that tough exterior. He used to sneak up on Ashley and me when we were playing outside and scare us half to death. He was one hell of a prankster, and whenever he went overboard,  he'd show up with ice cream to smooth things over. 'I only scare you for the laughs,' he'd say, and then suddenly he'd go all protective big brother on us, even though we're older than him. It's as if he's always been trying to find the balance between authority and fun."

'Is that why he became a Dom?' Micheal couldn't help but think, the way they spoke about him, he couldn't deny that that was how he was, he was very caring  and loved taking care of the people he loved, is that why he became a Dom or was that just a natural instinct. 

"I think that's why he has such a soft spot for kids," Ashley added thoughtfully, brushing her hair behind her ear. "He cares so much about the people he loves. Whenever we gathered for family events, he'd make sure to spend time with all the little ones that showed up , even though he was a teenager! He'd organize games, lead the chaos, and they all adored him." She said as she pointed over to the large glass window that showed Von and his father-who has left his study- playing outside his n the large garden with Hilary children, running around and having fun.

"Yeah," Michael replied, nodding appreciatively. "He has a way of connecting with people." He softly spoke as he watched his boyfriend laugh wholeheartedly with the children, seeing Von like this made his heart swell with pride and love. 

'I love him so much'