A Ticklish Thriller (Revised) - 12. Mikey! Mikey! Mikey!

***Earlier that day***

Lance, Sean, & Will

Lance yawned as he unlocked the door to his shared apartment. "Hey, guys, I'm home." The brunet called out as he crossed the threshold. He stood by the door, toed his shoes off, then placed them by the others against the wall. Lance smiled when he noticed a pair of Will's shoes beside his and Sean's footwear. The twenty-year-old walked over to the fridge, got a bottle of strawberry-flavored water, and picked up the note on the counter addressed to him. "Hey, bro, I'm with Will. We're going to Daddy-Paul's to return his truck, then we're picking up some things from Red's apartment, and after that, we'll be home. Will doesn't want to stay by himself anymore. His roommate's in league with Janice, and he's not feeling too safe there. We're giving him a new home. Love ya, Sean." Lance giggled and pumped his fist in the air. "Yes!" After Will came to talk with him, then being kidnapped together, he really started liking the guy.

The brunet sighed as he flopped down on the sofa. He placed the water on the coffee table and stretched out on the piece of furniture. His toes wiggled and flexed inside the thin cotton socks decorated with the superman emblem. He turned on the TV and chose CSI NY. He was asleep before the episode was even halfway through.

Sean pulled into the complex's parking lot, followed by Will's Pontiac Firebird. He parked beside Lance's Ram, and Will parked on the other side of the Dodge. The two got out, and Sean helped the redhead with some of his things.

"Sean, are you sure about this? I mean, I can..."

Sean set the things down on the grass and stared at the redhead. "Will, you're no longer a bully or treated like shit. Lance and I want to help you feel better about yourself, and we want to help keep you safe." He paused and hugged Will. "You're our brother." He giggled. "And, if you get out of line or just for fun, we can tickle you." Sean grinned and wiggled his fingers between Will's ribs. Instantly, the redhead screeched and fell to his knees, bringing the tickling brunet down with him. The two young men rolled around and wrestled with each other. Finally, Will's fingers latched onto Sean's sides and kneaded the soft area above the college man's hips. Sean's tickle-induced laughter and cackles bounced off the buildings. His legs kicked the ground as he hollered his surrender.

"What the fuck are you doing, Parks? If you're here to..." Butch's threat was cut off by Sean jumping up and placing himself between Will's quaking body and the massive football hulk.

"Bro, thanks for having my back, but I'm fine. We were just playing around. Will's moving in with Lance and me." Sean paused and glanced back at the shaking redhead. "It's okay, Will. Butch isn't gonna hurt you. In fact, he's gonna be a great friend once the two of you work on mending fences."

"Bro, why's he acting like a puppy who's been kicked too many times?" Butch asked as he slowly approached the terrified redhead. Hed gently wrapped Will in a comforting embrace. "If Sean says you guys are bros, I got your back, Will."

"Butch, Janice, and her friends were torturing Will. That's why he acted the way he did. They used his fetish and ticklishness against him." Sean said as he wrapped his arm around Will's shoulders.

"Please, Butch, can you forgive me for what I did before?" Will hung his head and cried on Sean's shoulder.

Butch gasped as he watched the former bully breaking down and asking for forgiveness. The muscular jock nodded his head and lifted Will's head so he could gaze into the redhead's eyes. "I give you my word, Will. I'll stand up for you as long as you want and need me to. Just know that if you hurt Sean and Lance, I'm gonna make you regret it." He smiled and embraced Will's less muscular body.

Will nodded and returned the embrace, feeling more confident about the hulk. "I'm never hurting Lance and Sean, ever again. They're my brothers."

Sean and Will parted ways with Butch and entered the apartment. They toed off their shoes and brought Will's things into the second bedroom.

"Dude, I know I'm straight, but Lance's well... cute when he's asleep." Will softly said as he and Sean went to get a couple of flavored waters. He chuckled. "I love his socks."

Sean giggled. "You should see Lance when he's comfortable with you or around his brothers, and he curls up with his head in your lap." He smiled and gently kissed Lance's forehead. The brunet smirked and walked down to Lance's feet. "The socks are cool. The emblems on the soles actually land on some very ticklish spots on our bro's feet." He giggled.

Will got up and walked over to Sean. "Really?"

"Just watch." Sean snickered and started lightly scratching his index fingernails up and down the center of the Superman emblem on the middle of Lance's curved arches. He and Will smiled as the brunet softly giggled, and his feet wriggled and tried protecting one another. "C'mon, Lancer, Wakey wakey."

Lance squirmed and continued softly giggling. He loved waking up with tickles. The brunet worked hard not to show that he was awake. Lance wanted this to go on. He almost lost it when he felt fingers lightly tickle the ball part of his foot.

Sean smirked and moved his light tickled to the emblems on his brother's big toes. "Will, this is the best way to wake Lance."

Instantly the room filled with Lance's squeals and boyish giggles as he scrunched his toes and tried to break Sean's grip on his ankles. "Nope, Lance's not awake yet." He said between his giggles. Lance's body jumped, and his laughter reached a higher pitch as he felt Will’s fingers knead between his ribs and travel up to his pits. "Shit, Wiiiillllllll." Lance squealed. His legs pushed and pulled against Sean's grip as the brunet at his feet removed his socks and lightly strummed his nails up and down the bared soles. "Not the feeeeettttttt too." Lance screeched and cackled. "Okay, I give. I'm up." He yelled and giggled as he was wrapped in a double bear hug. Lance quickly grabbed Will in a chokehold, gave him a noogie, and tickled the redhead's side.

Will yelped as he fell into Lance's lap. He wriggled and boisterously laughed as he was tickled into hysterics. "Laaaannnnccceeeeee" He screeched. "Sean, help me." The college man's shrill laughter echoed through the apartment when the other brunet grabbed his ankles, removed his socks, and tickled his pale, wrinkled soles and toes. He writhed and tried to break both tickler's grip.

Lance giggled and started tickling Sean's sides and ribs. Sean instantly let go of Will and fell onto his brunet brother, hysterically laughing and squealing his pleas. After a minute, Lance ceased his tickle attack. Sean giggled and hugged the two guys, then went to get a drink.

"Welcome to the brotherhood, Will." Lance kissed Will's cheek and let the squirmy redhead go.

"That was fun." Will smiled and stayed sitting in his new brunet brother's lap. He cuddled into Lance's embrace. "Umm, Lance, I need to tell you something, and even though I had nothing to do with it, I hope you won't take it out on me and hate me." Will's tears dripped down his cheeks.

Sean walked over and sat beside Lance and Will. "Bro, it's bad." He wrapped his arm around Lance's shoulder and held Will's hand.

Will moved and sat between Lance and Sean. He looked at both guys and sighed. "Lance, there's a reason Janice chose to date you." He paused again. "She wanted to destroy Mikey and thought she could use you to get close enough."

Lance's eyes clouded over and darkened when he heard what Will said. "Go on."

Will shivered and gulped. He looked over at Sean when he felt the brunet's hand squeeze his hand, and he nodded. "It started two years ago. Janice tried asking Mikey out on a date. He turned her down and told her he was gay. Janice blew a gasket and stormed off. That's when she planned her revenge."

Lance's face got ashen, and the color drained from him. He started breathing heavier, and his eyes were like narrow slits.

Sean's eyes widened, and he placed his hand on Lance's shoulder. "Bro, please, breathe and listen to everything. Remember, it's not Will's doing."

Lance glared at the two men beside him but closed his eyes and nodded his head for Will to continue.

"Janice knew Steve. They used his connection to Daddy-Paul, as a way to get Steve close to Mikey and then beat him. And, the worst part, Steve wasn't even gay. The whole thing was for Janice's revenge, and Mikey was her initiation into that group. Her task was to seduce a gay man and either turn him or destroy him for his sexual deviancy. Steve was a member and her sponsor. Janice got cosmetic surgery to change her looks and then became a candy striper. She snuck into Mikey's hospital room and forced herself down on him, raping him in his sleep. Then she abused him and recorded the entire scene." He paused and wiped his eyes. "When she found out about you and your relation to Mikey, you became her next plan of attack."

"Can this be proven?" Lance asked through his soft sniffles.

"Yes, Janice has no idea, but I copied all her dirt onto hard drives. That girl's got tons of people in her pocket."

Lance got up and called his dad. "Dad, I just found out that Janice was behind Steve's getting involved with Mikey. She also raped Mikey in the hospital room while he was healing after Steve's attack... I asked the same thing, Will said there's proof... Sure thing, I'll have him email you and the parents... I love you too, Dad" He looked at Sean and Will. "Send the things you've collected to this email, please."

Will nodded and grabbed his laptop and the drive with the things about Mikey on it. Afterward, he stood and looked at Lance. "Lance, I can't apologize…"

Lance stopped Will by bringing him into a hug and kissing his cheek. "Bro, you've given us some answers." He paused and wiped his eyes. "Guys, this doesn't leave the room. Mikey's gonna have to be told, but I want to do that when I'm with my brothers. Sean and Will nodded, then the trio shared a group hug. Lance pulled back and looked at Will. "I'm still lost. Why didn't Janice move on to another target?"

"Mikey's honesty. He was just too honest, and since he was open about his ownership of Barefoot, being gay, his ticklishness, and everything else, there was nothing Janice could use to force him into her pocket."

Sean lightly scratched the side of his head. "How'd Steve get connected to Daddy-Paul?"

"Steve targeted Daddy-Paul for Janice's challenge. He posed as a novice bondage Master and worked his way into Daddy-Paul's trust."

Later that evening, Tony stopped by to take the guys to dinner. He'd just walked in when Sean came running into the room.

"Guys... Oh, hey, Papa Tony." He ran over and greeted the older man with a hug and kiss. "Umm, damn, what I wanted to tell Lance and Will is kinda..."

Tony chuckled and kissed Sean's forehead, then ruffled the young man's hair. "Sean, whatever it is, I'm sure I've seen it or heard about it before."

Lance and Will giggled at the antics. "Sean, what's up, bro?" Lance asked between his giggles.

Sean blushed and looked between the three men whose attention was focused on him. "Umm, well... I was kinda having some private time, to myself…"

"You were watching porn," Tony said with a smile.

"Y...yeah, Papa Tony." Sean nervously giggled. "Anyway, the guys in this clip look exactly like Adam and Jai."

The three other men looked at one another. "Son, what do you mean?" Tony asked.

"C'mon and see for yourself." Sean led the other guys into the room and turned the screen toward the three men.

Lance's and Tony's jaws dropped. "Dad…"

"They don't just look like Adam and Jai. That IS Adam and Jai. What the..." Tony immediately got on his phone and called the hotel. "Guys, raincheck on dinner. Lance..." Where's Lance?" Tony asked as he turned around.

"Get the lead out, Pop. I'm going to the car." Lance hollered. Once he and Tony were on the road, Lance picked up his phone and called his brothers.