Steven could barely contain his excitement. He grabbed his favorite hoodie, the pink one that Connie and Mom had gotten him for his birthday, and pulled it over his head. "Come on, Twoie, Dad! We're going to be late!" The kid ran to the tiny nook that initially only lead to the bathroom. Now, it had a small staircase that led to the basement. After dashing down the stairs, Steven knocked on the door at the bottom of the stairs before opening it. "Are you guys ready?" Twoie looked up from the couch in their dad's room. His older brother smiled and gestured for Steven to join him. Steven sat down beside him with a confused frown.
"I'm ready, Sunshine, but Dad is a different story." Twoie tried to contain his laughter as he pointed at their father. Greg was pacing back and forth in front of his closet, holding two shirts in each hand while several other shirts were strewn about the floor.
"They've seen me in the cherry sweater before, but this is important. I should wear something nicer. Should I wear the tux? No, too formal. Maybe a Hawaiian shirt? Nah, too casual. I can't go in my work clothes. Why don't I own any button-downs?" Steven and Twoie snickered at their dad's monologue. It seemed he was worried about the family dinner that the Maheswarans had invited them to. Finally deciding to help, Twoie walked over to the closet and dug through it.
"Here, Dad." He pulled out Greg's solid black t-shirt and tossed it to him. "This'll be fine." Greg smiled appreciatively at his eldest and pulled it on.
"Thanks, Two-ball." Steven grinned and ran over to them. Twoie and Greg chuckled as Steven grabbed them by the hands and tugged them towards the door.
"Come on! We're going to be late!" Steven burst outside, running for the van, while Greg grabbed his keys. The two eldest Universes made their way to the van, and everyone hopped in.
It didn't take them long to drive to the Maheswarans' house, and Steven could barely contain his excitement when they pulled up to the curb. Steven dashed to the door, dragging Twoie behind him. "Steven! They're not gonna disappear if we're a second late." Greg called out from behind them while following along at a slower pace.
Steven couldn't help it, though. This was their first family dinner with the whole family! Steven knew that Twoie was just as excited as he was, even though he didn't show it. He saw the stars in his older brother's eyes when they arrived. "I know, I'm just super excited! I've been waiting for this all week!" Twoie huffed fondly at Steven as he rang the doorbell. Steven spun on his heel and waited with starry eyes as he heard footsteps. This was it! The door opened, and Connie grinned at them as she invited them in.
"I'm so glad you guys are here! Dinner's almost ready, and Mom was starting to worry that you guys would be late." They all walked into the kitchen, where Priyanka and Doug were working together on preparing the dinner. At the sight of Twoie and Steven, Priyanka smiled and hugged them.
"It's so good to see you, boys!" Steven blushed in slight embarrassment as Dr. Maheswaran knelt and checked him over. "Connie told me all about the incident with that gem hunt, and I was worried. I almost drove to your house to check on you two." After a quick check-over, she turned to Twoie. "Thank goodness it turned out alright. You mentioned that Jasper managed to escape?" Twoie blushed lightly as Dr. Maheswaran fussed over him as well. Neither of them was used to anyone besides Pearl fussing over them. It was really nice.
"Mom. They're okay, I promise." Connie giggled as her mom finally stopped, satisfied that both boys were okay. Priyanka huffed fondly at her.
"Well, I just wanted to be sure. Didn't you want to show Steven that new book you got yesterday?" Connie's eyes lit up, and she grabbed Steven by the hand. They ran off to Connie's room, with Connie rambling about her book the whole way. Twoie and Greg laughed at how quickly Connie had left.
"Wow. She's gotten more outspoken ever since the hospital." Twoie was glad that Connie was more comfortable around her family. It took his Connie a lot longer to be that easy-going with her family.
Priyanka turned her focus to the food on the stove again. "Yes, and I have you two thank for that. Now, why don't you tell me about the renovations of the beach house? The rest of the changes are being built today, right?" Twoie smiled and started chatting about the new house design. Priyanka smiled fondly when Twoie started cutting ingredients as they talked.
While they continued making dinner, Greg followed Doug into the dining room. "I'm sorry we haven't been able to meet up before now." Doug smiled as he showed Greg a chair. "Do you want a drink? We've got coffee, tea, water?"
Greg let out a relieved sigh. "Actually, coffee sounds great right now." Doug smiled as he grabbed a full pot of coffee and poured two cups. They sat down at the table together. "I was so nervous about coming here." Greg rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Not for my sons; I know Twoie and Steven get along great with Priyanka and Connie. I want to make sure I don't mess this up for them." Greg sighed as he stared into his cup. The older man already knew of Twoie's and Steven's thoughts about Dr. Maheswaran. And the last thing he wanted to do was prevent them from having a mother figure in their lives.
"Well, now, from one father to another, I'm a bit nervous too." Doug chuckled as he stirred some cream in his coffee. He smiled fondly at Twoie and his wife, working together on some samosas. Priyanka had taken a step away from the food and was coaching Twoie on how to prepare it. "I've heard so much about your sons from Priyanka and Connie. I'm surprised it's taken me so long to meet them finally!" Greg chuckled, and they both took a drink of their coffee. "I think you guys were what we really needed to loosen up."
"And your wife was what I really needed to be stricter. I've learned a lot from her, and I'll probably learn more from you too." Greg gestured to the other man. "You have such a wonderful family. I think I'm starting to understand why this was something that Twoie and Steven really wanted."
Doug laughed into his hand. "Well, they've all been bonding for a while now. You know what?" Doug leaned over the table and smirked at him. "One day, I'll head down to your car wash as 'security detail,' and we can just spend the whole day chatting about whatever." He leaned back with an excited expression. "And maybe we can go fishing! We can bring the rest of the family and make a day out of it." The two laughed again and plotted ideas for other family get-togethers. Eventually, dinner was ready. Twoie called out for Steven and Connie from the bottom of the stairs, and they came racing down. Everyone helped bring the food to the table and dug in once all of the plates were set. While they were eating, Twoie was struck with how similar the night was to his dream so long ago. And as the rest of his family planned a fishing trip with a picnic, Twoie couldn't keep the warm smile off of his face. Their little family had grown.
Hours later, the group had cleaned up from dinner and were chatting in the living room. It was late, so the Universes decided it was time to head out. "Bring the gems with you next time, alright?" Priyanka pulled her boys into a hug, and the brothers nodded.
"They didn't come today because of the renovations, but they'll come next time for sure!" Steven smiled when Connie hugged them both goodbye as well.
"It was wonderful to get the chance to meet you two finally. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to let us know." Doug ruffled their hair. He nudged Greg on the side with his elbow. "And remember what I said about security detail." Priyanka rolled her eyes fondly at her husband's antics.
"Goodnight, mom! I'll see you on Sunday at that new café!" Twoie froze for a second but sighed in relief when Priyanka pulled him into another hug. Connie, Doug, and Greg grinned widely as Steven joined the hug.
"Goodnight, mom! Is it okay if I come with you guys this time?" Their mom chuckled softly. It wasn't often that Steven wanted to come to their café hang-outs. She had a feeling it was due to her newest title.
"Of course! You and Connie have always been invited to join us on Sunday. The invite goes for all of you as well." She sent a sly smirk to Greg and Doug. Priyanka had a feeling that their coffee days were about to have more family joining in.