The Ticklish Brotherhood - 11. Family Bonding Time

"What," Tony almost hollered in disbelief. For the past hour, Aiden, Anthony, and Mikey brought him up to speed on what they'd discovered.

The sound of the alarm let the household know someone just entered the drive, and about seven minutes later, the Bakers walked into the living room.

"Tony, Mattie, it's so nice to see the two of you," Walt exclaimed as he and his wife hugged and kissed them.

"Flo, Walt, I can't thank you enough for taking in my new grandson," Tony said.

Everyone found a place to sit, and while the older adults got caught up on what was going on in each other’s lives, Mikey and Anthony walked into the kitchen to get everyone something to drink.

"Daddies," Mickey and Airen asked.

"Yes," Mikey and Anthony responded.

Everyone else giggled because the two pairs spoke in unison.

"Is it okay if Airen and I go outside and play," Mickey asked.

"Sure," Mikey responded after seeing Anthony nodding. "Stay in the backyard, and don't go near the water. We don't know if Airen can swim, and it's too cold to be in the lake."

"Thank you," the boys said as they smiled and hugged their respective dads before switching to hug their uncles.

"Oh, before you go," Flo said. "Here's your Mommy's family tree diary."

Airen smiled and kissed the older woman after she handed him the spiral notebook. He turned to Mikey and asked, "Unkie Mikey, would you please keep this and give it to Unkie Kotie?"

Mikey smiled as he kissed Airen’s cheek and ruffled the boy's hair before taking the book.

"I'll make sure he gets it, baby boy."

Airen wrapped his arms around his uncle.

"It's okay if you look at it before Unkie Kotie does. Mommy and Grandma said they worked on it for him and told me to give it to either of you if something ever happened to them."

Mikey gasped and asked, "They knew about me?"

Airen nodded and said, "There's a letter in part of the diary, I never read it."

"Hey boys, would you like it if Uncle Mattie and I joined you outside," Aiden asked.

Mickey and Airen whispered to each other before they turned and said, "Last one outside's a rotten egg."

"Hey, no fair," Aiden and Mattie exclaimed as they rushed to put their shoes and jackets on. The husbands giggled when they found the giggly boys at the back door waiting for them.

Everyone else giggled when they heard the youths squeal and laugh with declarations of the unfairness of being tickled.

"We also brought some clothes for Airen, just in case he wants to spend the weekend with you so he can get to know his family."

Anthony smiled as he dried the tears from his eyes, then hugged and kissed the older couple.

Flo and Walt stayed a few minutes longer before saying they were heading home.

"So, Mikey?"

"Yeah, Pappy."

"I'm intrigued by the revelation that Rose is related to you and Dakota."

"Honestly, I am too, Pappy."

"What's her relation?"

"She's our cousin and Kota's aunt."

"Interesting. What about Mickey," Tony asked.

Anthony giggled as he pulled his brother into a ticklish brotherly hug and said, "Mickey's like Mikey was at his age, only he's got blonde hair."

"Mickey's half Italian, more specifically, Giovanni, and is a maternal cousin," Mikey said after the giggles subsided.

"Really? I wonder which of our family is the father."

"Kota called Mickey's only known biological grandfather, and he verified that Mickey's mom was involved with the Italian mob when she became pregnant. None of us knows who Mickey's father is, and regardless of him being a Giovanni, Aiden, Ant, Kota, and I agree to leave things as they are. When Mickey turns eighteen, he can decide whether or not to find his father."

"I think that's a wise choice. After all, we don't know what that side of the family is capable of," Tony offered. "Does Airen share the Giovelli DNA?"

"No, he's Kota's paternal cousin, so he's got the Cherokee bloodline."

"Well, Dakota, Mickey, and Airen need to be added to the family trust," Tony said, smiling.

"By the way, who's Mickey's grandfather," Anthony asked.

Mikey grinned and said, "You remember the nice judge who asked to see your puppy face at Rose and Jake's trial?"

"Yeah...That's Mickey's grandfather?"

Tony whistled and said, "I remember him. Didn't he run for President two years ago?"

Mikey giggled and replied, "Yeppers, and after losing the election, he semi-retired from the bench and is now a fill-in for any judge who's out. He's presiding over family court because Mama Pam's on vacation with the rest of the parental unit and will most likely be the one to rule on Airen's adoption."

"What game do the Junior Imps want to play?"

"Unkie Aiden, why do you call us Junior Imps?"

"Well, Pappy always called your daddies and uncles Imps because you're our nephews, and the next generation of our brotherhood, you and your brothers are the Junior Imps."

"Oh," the young boys replied in unison.

Mickey's eyes sparkled as he asked, "Can we play "find, capture, and tickle the flag?"

"What's that game," Airen asked. "It sounds like fun."

Mattie and Aiden chuckled as they sat on the steps, cuddling the giggly boys on their laps.

"It's a game Daddy and Uncle Ant created when they were around my age," Mickey said. "It's capture the flag with a ticklish twist. The flag is a person who hides, and he can run when someone tries capturing him."

"When the flag is captured, they can be tickled. If they escape, the game continues, and if they don't, the game ends," Mattie said.

Aiden giggled and added, "Despite creating the game, your Daddies weren't good at being the flags. Mikey always giggled, giving himself away, and if Anthony was close enough to hear him, he would start giggling."

Mattie chuckled and said, "Your uncles Adam and Jayce were the same when they were the flags. Adam always got caught because of his clumsiness, and if Jason heard him giggling, he'd giggle too."

Mickey and Airen giggled as they listened.

"Mattie, I think history's gonna repeat itself because these adorable Junior Imps are just as giggly as their daddies."

Dakota opened the front door and smiled when he heard Mikey's unmistakable giggling mixed with what he guessed was Anthony's similar laughter. He walked into the living room and chuckled when he saw his husband and Anthony on the floor, squirming and laughing like crazy as Tony tickled their feet and kept them pinned.

"Kota, help," Mikey and Anthony squealed between their laughter.

"So, you're my other new grandson," Tony said as he released the giggling brothers and stood up with open arms. "If you'd like to, you can call me Pappy."

Dakota walked over and embraced the older man. Tears filled his eyes when he felt the uninhibited love flowing between Tony and himself. "I'd love to call you Pappy," he said.

Anthony and Mikey held each other as they watched the pair.

Tony smirked and tickled Dakota's sides while keeping the younger man in his embrace. Instantly, the room filled with the raven-haired male's boisterous laughter as he squirmed and struggled to get free.

"No fair, Pappy," Dakota squealed.

"Well, I guess that answers my question of you being as ticklish as my other grandchildren."

Dakota managed to escape, then swept the older man off his feet and pounced on top of him before he could retaliate. "Time to see if my new Pappy's ticklish," he said.

Tony chuckled and replied, "Good luck trying, kiddo. The only ones who know where I'm ticklish are my late wife, Cat, and my twin brother, Ben."

Dakota looked up at his husband and brother, who agreed with their grandfather's statement.

"Although, those two Imps constantly had me on the verge of giggling when they tried tickling me," Tony admitted.

Dakota chuckled as he kept the struggling man pinned. "Pale-faced Pappy's never been tickled by the brave Cherokee tickle warrior," he said.

Tony stopped struggling and said, "Even the brave Cherokee tickle warrior can't make his strong Pappy giggle from tickles."

"Hey, what's happening," Mattie asked when he entered the room followed by his husband and nephews.

"Daddy, Unkie Kotie," Mickey and Airen hollered as they ran over and tackled Dakota.

"Pappy tickled Kota, and after getting pinned, he's agreed to let him try and find his tickle spots," Anthony said.

"We're pulling for ya, Kota," Aiden said.

"You're sooo getting tickled, Aid," Tony playfully threatened.

"Daddy's one of the best ticklers, I think he'll find your spots, Great Pappy," Mickey said.

Dakota's eyes sparkled as he grinned and said, "I think this should be a brotherhood activity. Mattie and Mikey, can you please pin Pappy's upper legs down? Anthony and Aiden, would you hold his wrists over his head and pull his shirt up to his chest? Mickey and Airen, please lay across your Great Pappy's ankles."

Tony pretended to struggle but loved seeing his boys working together as they followed the instructions. Throughout his life, he'd only allowed himself to be completely vulnerable with two people, Catherine and Ben, especially when it came to being tickled. Tony loved playful tickling, both giving and receiving. It's just that after his son and daughter-in-law died, leaving him and Cat with custody of their four beautiful boys, he felt the need to be a physically strong role model for their kids. He also loved the challenge of pretending he wasn't ticklish because it gave the boys a fun game.

Dakota straddled the older man's ribs and paused for a couple minutes so that he could physically assess the family elder. Tony's blue eyes sparkled with playfulness, love, and mischief, just like his grandsons and great-grandsons. Looking deeper, he could see the pain of lost loved ones and the knowledge he'd gained from his many years on this planet. He bowed his head in respect to the older man under him, saying, "Thank you, Pappy, for helping to mold my angelic husband and his brothers into the brave, strong, and most importantly, loving men they are today."

"You and the rest of my grand kids, present and future, are the legacy I'm proudest of." Tony's eyes sparkled with mischief as he grinned, saying, "Now, let's see if my half-Cherokee grandson can find my tickle spots.

"Pappy, please close your eyes and relax," Dakota said in a calming and soothing tone.

Dakota closed his eyes after his request was granted. Next, he moved his fingertips along Tony's bare midsection with a touch so light that he barely touched the older man's skin. No one spoke a word as the men slowly inhaled and exhaled. Aiden, Mattie, Anthony, and Mikey kept their eyes glued to their grandfather's body, waiting for any hint of a ticklish reaction. Slowly, the lightly tanned pair of hands glided up and down the taut, unblemished, and unwrinkled white skin.

For the next five minutes, the oldest Giovanni male remained calm and enjoyed the gentle massage his new grandson treated him to. That is until the fingers remained stationary and lightly massaged back and forth at the bottom edge of Tony's rib cage. His body suddenly jerked and squirmed, and before he could think of stopping them, soft, boyish, and airy giggles floated from his parted lips.

"Hey, Pappy's giggling and squirming," Anthony excitedly said.

"Oh, yeah, that's my brave Warrior," Mikey proudly stated.

Dakota grinned and said, "Junior Imps, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to remove those socks and lightly tickle your Great Pappy's bare feet and toes until his tickle gene is reactivated. Aiden and I will hold his ankles while your daddies hold his wrists."

"Wait, my feet aren't ticklish."

Dakota knelt at the elder's chest and giggled as he kissed his new grandfather's nose.

"Pappy, now that you've relaxed and let yourself feel and fully enjoy the healing power of loving tickles, you'll find that you're way more ticklish than even you realize and in spots that never tickled you before."

"You are sooo going down, my beautiful Cherokee tickle warrior grandson," Tony playfully threatened as he giggled and kissed Dakota's cheek.

"I love you, Pappy."

"Love ya more, Kota."

Tony laid back down and closed his eyes as his adult grandsons pinned his wrists and ankles, and his great-grandsons removed his socks. His plump Dum-Dum lollipop-like toes wiggled and curled, making the soft, pinkish soles wrinkle. Mickey and Airen smiled at each other, and then the oldest of the duo counted down, starting at three. When he got to one, their slender fingers danced and slid along the pair of size twelve soles. Unlike before, it only took a few seconds before Tony's six-foot-two frame squirmed as much as his boys' inescapable hold allowed, and the boyish giggling and squeals immediately followed the physical reaction. After a couple minutes of tickling, the Italian male's body began to softly glow as his aging process reversed itself, making him look and feel like a man in his early to mid-forties.

Mattie looked at his family, smiled, and said, "Well, it's official. Kota, Mickey, and Airen belong to our family, and Kota's the perfect husband for our Super Mikey."

"Imps and Junior Imps," Aiden said, "let's give Pappy the biggest group hug and most loving cheek kisses we can give."

After the family hug, Mikey got up, grabbed his phone, and made dinner reservations at the new steak house in town. Next, he released a mid range wolf whistle and said, "Alright, Pappy, Imps, and Junior Imps, we need to get showered and nicely dressed for dinner."

"Mikey, we need to do something first," Anthony said.

Before anyone could say anything else, Aiden and Dakota tackled the younger brunette, pinned him down, signaled for the group tickle attack to commence, and filled the house with Mikey's shrieking laughter and unbelievable threats of atomic ticklish retaliation as he wriggled and writhed.

When they returned from dinner, the family paired up for sleeping arrangements. Mickey and Airen were in Mickey's room, Pappy and Dakota were in a guest room, Mattie and Aiden were in another guest room, and Mikey and Anthony were in Mikey's bedroom.

"No fair, Pappy."

Tony chuckled as he lightly tickled Dakota's feet. He kept his newest giggling adult grandson's wiggling and squirming muscular body pinned, face down on the queen-sized mattress, with his knees bent so that the younger man's bare soles were facing his chin.

"You asked for it, my ticklish, brave warrior boy."

Dakota continued giggling after he was released and lovingly held in the older Giovanni male's strong embrace.

"Thank you for accepting me, Pappy," Dakota said as tears welled in his eyes, and he added, "Will you promise to let yourself be lovingly tickled from now on? None of us want to lose you, and you need to stay young and healthy to watch your great-grand kids grow up."

Tony tightened his embrace, kissed Dakota's cheek, and lightly smoothed the dark locks of thick hair.

"Yes, my sweet boy. I will make and keep that promise."