The Ticklish Brotherhood - 9. Discoveries

@chris191070 @Paladin @VBlew @Greg @akascrubber @BoyLove Hope you guys enjoy the promised excitement. 

Mikey, Anthony, and Aiden piled into the brunette's forest-green Nineteen-Ninety-Nine Ford Explorer.

"You've done a great job keeping this ride up, baby bro," Aiden said as he got comfortable in the tan leather front passenger seat."

"Thanks, Aid," Mikey said, blushing.

As the garage door opened, the Explorer's engine roared to life and then, a few seconds later, settled down to an almost silent purr.

"Dude, it's so quiet," Anthony commented, sticking his head out of the driver's side rear door window.

"That's thanks to the things Pappy, Gamma Cat, and Mama Pam taught us to do to keep a vehicle in prime condition," Mikey said as he shifted into reverse, backed out of the garage, then shifted into first gear and headed down the gravel driveway. "By the way, in the spirit of honest disclosure, I heard everything you guys said when I was in the bathroom," he said as they rounded the bend at the halfway mark.

Aiden and Anthony closed their eyes and momentarily hung their heads before saying, "We're so sorry, Mikey."

"Never gonna lie, it did hurt a little to know you two were planning on breaking your word to Kota, but the fact you didn't do that makes up for it."

"I promise, Baby Bro, Ant and I will do better at proving that we fully trust and love you and Kota."

"Yeah, Super Mikey, we'd never want to hurt you or our new brother on purpose."

"I know that. Bros, Kota, and I are so excited that you two are back and that Pappy and Mattie are coming tomorrow."

"We can't wait for them to meet Kota and Mickey," Aiden said.

The discussion died down when they crossed the road, and the old gravel crunched under the Explorer's tires as the SUV entered the driveway.

"What do you two want to do," Mikey asked as he stopped the vehicle and shifted into neutral while they thought of a plan for going forward.

Before Aiden or Anthony could utter a syllable, a thick fog appeared from nowhere, and the sky overhead instantly darkened with ominous storm clouds, making it look like midnight rather than two o'clock in the afternoon. The guys jumped when a sudden clap of thunder boomed overhead and shook the Explorer. Not even a second later, a blazing bolt of lightning cut through the darkness and struck inches from their vehicle.

"What the fuck is happening," Aiden asked as he and his brothers looked at the smoke billowing from the scorched ground.

Mikey looked down at the pendant, felt its ancient power, and saw the wolf's eyes softly glowing.

"Whoah," Aiden and Anthony said when they saw the brightening glow. "How are you making the eyes glow," Anthony asked.

"I'll have to ask Dakota. He said the pendant protects anyone close to whoever wears it, but only someone of his bloodline could unlock its full powers. I've only seen the eyes glow while he was wearing it." Mikey responded.

"Let's get out and look around, but I don't expect to see much with this fog," Anthony suggested.

"You ok with that, Mikey," Aiden asked with his hand on his brother's arm.

Mikey inhaled and yelped as his and the other two bodies jumped because of another earth-shaking thunderclap and sizzling lightning bolt strike that landed to their right. He closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, and said, "If we're gonna do this, let's be quick, and don't stray too far from me, or the pendant's magic won't protect you."

As soon as the brothers' sneaker-clad feet touched the ground after getting out of the vehicle, an even louder and much longer rolling clap of thunder boomed overhead, shaking the earth and rattling their very bones. Four lightning bolts, almost as bright as the sun, struck the dirt and gravel, forming a box of electricity around the young men as if purposefully thrown by Zeus. Despite the fear, Anthony, Mikey, and Aiden held hands, believing in themselves and the magical protection for their safety. The fog thickened as it formed ropes that wrapped around the men's ankles, keeping them pinned where they stood. Anthony cried out in pain because it felt as if his lungs were being burned to a crisp. Aiden suddenly couldn't breathe and felt like he was being buried alive. In their heads, they heard the words murderer and betrayer screamed over and over again.

"Who are you, and why are you attacking my brothers," Mikey screamed. His body suddenly writhed and fell to the ground in excruciatingly agonizing pain because it felt like his skin was being slashed and torn from his bones by some unseen animal's claws. Pushing past the unbearable torture, he tapped into the pendant's full power. His body glowed a brilliant white gold, and when he opened his eyes, he saw the anger-distorted faces of Jake and Rose Machiavelli in the fog, glaring at him and his brothers. He could hear their vicious, growling voices calling for the harshest and most horrifying death imaginable for him, the bringer of hope and light to Anthony, the murderer of their daughter. Returning the hatred-filled glare, Mikey hollered, "You have no power over us, and by the ancient power of the Great Spirit, I command you to leave me and my brothers alone."

Anthony and Aiden watched in amazement as Mikey brightly glowed with a holographic large, majestic, ethereal, howling wolf surrounding him like a force field. They stood, and each clasped one of their brother's hands, adding their inner strength and love to the effort. Their eyes widened in disbelief when the fog, thunder, and lightning slowly dissipated, and their bodies felt healthy again like nothing had ever happened.

"Thank you, Great Spirit, for protecting us," Mikey whispered. Sweat poured from his forehead, and he panted from the physical, mental, and emotional exertion. He looked at his brothers and said, "Let's get going. We'll need Kota's and Chaunaugh's help removing the darkness haunting this place." He and his brothers hugged and kissed each other before piling into the Explorer and heading home.

After they walked inside, Mikey pulled three small wine goblets down, then using a double shot glass for measurement, he poured Malibu into them and handed two goblets to his brothers, saying,

"Normally, I'd never do this until right before bed or just after dinner, but I thought we needed something to take the edge off."

Anthony and Aiden nodded in agreement as they clinked glasses, then closed their eyes and sipped the flavored Rum.

"What happened over there, Mikey," Aiden asked.

Mikey took a deep, calming breath before responding. "The property is haunted by very dark and malicious spirits. Part of the pendant's magic is to allow the wearer to see what or who is behind a supernatural attack. However, I don't know how I was able to tap into it because, like I said earlier, as far as I know, only someone who shares Dakota's bloodline can access its full strength."

"What did you see," Anthony asked.

"I saw the spirits of Grandpa Jake and Grandma Rose. I also heard them calling for the harshest and most horrifying death I could experience because to them, I'm even worse than you and Aiden." Tears fell from his eyes as his brothers wrapped their arms around him.

"Why do they consider you worse than us," Aiden softly asked.

Mikey swallowed the lump in his throat and said, "They said that I was the worst because I gave Anthony hope and returned the light to his eyes."

"I thought when they went to prison and eventually died, that would be the last of them," Anthony said. His body visibly shivered because of the traumatizing memories of the abuse from his late grandparents.

The brothers sat in comfortable, contemplative silence, holding each other and trying to process what they'd just experienced.

*****

"Auntie, are you sure?"

Chaunaugh Malloy's light, silvery blue eyes sparkled. The five-foot-six-inch tall woman ran her long fingers through the thick, shoulder-length curly locks of jet-black hair, smirked, and in her vibrant, thick Irish accent, asked, "My dear nephew Kotie, when have you ever known me to be wrong about DNA results."

Dakota chuckled and shook his head, saying, "Never, Auntie Chaunaugh. You've never made a mistake." He yelped and jumped when the older Irish woman grinned and pinched his left butt cheek.

"Don'cha be sassin' yer Auntie," Chaunaugh said with a playful giggle. "Yes, Kota, I'm sure about these results. You share the same Italian bloodline as Mikey. Before your parents died, they asked me to use DNA to determine their entire lineage for you and their future descendants. You've got the Giovelli bloodline from your maternal side, which I traced back to your maternal Great-Aunt Rose O'Shannon, who married Jake Machiavelli and took his name. I'm guessing she never knew her birth father belonged to the Giovelli family and possibly never met him because he was never listed on the birth certificate. Your Mom never met or even heard of her because Rose was already married before she was born."

"So, Mikey, Papa Bryan, and I are cousins, but not nearly close enough for me and Mikey's relationship and marriage to be incestuous in the eyes of the law."

"That's correct, Kota. Not that it would matter since you and Mikey aren't able to get pregnant."

"That's a relief. Now, what about Mickey's DNA?"

"Mickey is half Italian, Giovanni, to be exact. It's from his father's side and is the same as Mikey's and Adam's maternal genetics. I've determined them to be at least second or third-generation cousins."

"I'm thinking more third-generation because he and Adam are second-generation cousins to Anthony, Aiden, Jordan, and Jason Giovanni."

Chaunaugh and Dakota gasped as they closed their eyes, "Mikey," they said when their eyes opened.

"Auntie, please…"

"I will let the others know you had to leave when they get here, and you, be safe getting to our boy."
Dakota embraced his honorary aunt before running to his car. "I love you and am on my way, Angel Boy," he said to Mikey, using his telepathy.

"Kota," Mikey, Anthony, and Aiden said as they jumped up and tackled Dakota the second he walked into the house.

"Are you guys ok?"

Mikey's eyes sparkled as he and his husband embraced, sharing a love-filled kiss. "I've got some interesting things to tell you," they said before giggling with their brothers at the unified response.

Aiden returned from the kitchen with a double shot of Malibu in a wine goblet. "Here, Bro, we've already had one," he said while handing the goblet to his half-Cherokee brother.

"Thanks, Aid."

Dakota sat on the sofa, sipping the beverage with Mikey in his lap and his brothers on either side of them. He chuckled as his childlike husband giggled and squirmed when Anthony grinned while tickling his younger brother's sock-clad feet.

"Who wants to go first," Aiden asked.

"I guess I will," Dakota said.

"What the..." Mikey exclaimed in astonishment after hearing what Chaunaugh's findings were. "So, we're distant blood cousins?"

Aiden chuckled and asked, "Does anyone else hear the dueling banjos." He yelped and squealed when Dakota wrapped his muscular arm around his neck and squirmed while Mikey tickled his stomach. "Ok... I... Give... I'm... Sorry," he screeched after almost two minutes.

"Wow! You're both Giovelli's, that's cool," Anthony said.

"Auntie traced it to my maternal great aunt, a woman named Rose O'Shannon, and she married someone named Jake Machiavelli." He paused when Mikey, Aiden, and Anthony stared open-mouthed at him. "What?"

"Umm, I never told you about this, but Jake and Rose tried a couple times to kill Anthony, and on one attempt, they kidnapped me and tried to murder both of us."

Dakota's eyes widened as he listened to his husband's recollection.

Aiden said, "When we were across the street, the spirits of Jake and Rose tried to harm us, and Mikey, along with the magic of the pendant, kept us safe. He also said that he could see them in the fog and hear them because he accessed the full power of the pendant."

Anthony's mind was working overtime as he put the family connections together. Suddenly, his head jerked upwards, then gasped and said, "Bros, I just realized something." He giggled when his brothers moved in sync, and their heads turned to him. "Aiden, Jordan, Jason, and I are your cousins, Kota."

"Holy Shit, Antboy's right," Mikey exclaimed as the pieces fell into place for him.

"How so," Dakota asked in confusion.

"Your Great Aunt Rose is our maternal Grandmother, so that makes us your... second cousins," Aiden said when the light bulb went off in his head.

"I wonder why Pappy never mentioned being related to the Giovelli family," Anthony asked.

Aiden snapped his fingers and offered, "I vaguely remember him mentioning Dad and Mom weren't interested in the blood test results for anything past first cousins. Although, we can ask him tomorrow when he gets here. I know he's gonna be intrigued by this revelation."

"There's more," Dakota said. "Mickey's also biologically related to the Giovanni family."

"What?"

Dakota threw his head back, laughing at the response, then continued when his reaction subsided. "Our son, your nephew, is biologically your third cousin. Half of his bloodline is Giovanni. While driving, I called Papa Brad and confirmed that Mickey's Mom was involved with the Italian mob around the time of his birth. The identity of his birth father is still unknown."

"Personally, I'd rather it remain unknown," Mikey said. "At least until our boy's legally an adult."

"I agree, Baby Boy."

"Us too, Bros," Anthony and Aiden said.

Dakota's eyes sparkled, and he boyishly giggled as he said, "Umm, there's still more. I'm ninety-five percent sure Mickey and Raven have met my biological cousin. His name's Airen Playful Otter Blackhawk, I spoke with him over a video call, and he's at Chaunaugh's getting the DNA test." He paused and looked into Mikey's eyes. "Babe, he's Mama and Papa Baker's temporary foster son. We need to get him out of the system and placed with us so that we can help him meet and bond with his future dad. Auntie and I feel that you and I are meant to give Airen a stable home until that happens."

Mikey lovingly stroked his husband's cheek and said, "If he's your biological cousin, I'm all in, babe. I will love this boy and promise to help guide and protect him, even after he's with his forever dad."

"Babe, you never cease to make me proud of you. I love you, my beautiful warrior angel."

Anthony shook his head, then looked at his brothers and said, "Guys, you won't believe this."

"Bro, it can't be any stranger than what we've already seen and heard," Aiden said.

Anthony chuckled. "Guess you're right, Aid," he deeply inhaled and said, "Gamma Cat just told me Airen's my future son."