Love Of Family (2024 Revision) - 10. Healing And Bonding

"How's your wound feeling, Levie," Linda asked as she pulled the Navigator into the spot where the Golden Eagle was parked earlier that day.

"It's a little bit sore, Mama," Levie said. He chuckled and added, "However, how it'll feel in the morning is what I'm dreading."

"Just follow your Uncle's instructions, keep it clean, and I'm sure it'll be healed in no time," Tom offered.

Greg and Brandon helped Levie out of the SUV.

"Are you three gonna be ok tonight," Linda asked as she held the screen door open while her husband unlocked the front door.

Greg smiled and kissed his parents. "We'll be fine, Mama," he responded.

"Levie?"

"Yes, Mama Linda?"

"If you're not in too much pain tomorrow, I'd love it if, either before or after lunch, you and I could walk around the complex's pond in the back and talk."

Levie stared into the woman's quivering, light blue eyes. In his heart, he felt the weight she carried from the pain of the past, and he knew that an unshakable, loving foundation was needed to stabilize the new and fragile relationship so it could flourish. "I'll make sure it happens, Mama," he said, opening his uninjured arm to give Linda his signature hug.

The matriarch gasped when the love-filled energy flowed into her body from the younger redhead, surrounding her heart. "Now I know why Greg raved about your hugs. There's nothing but pure love in them, and I can feel you don't hold anything back when giving them," she said, smiling.

Levie giggled and said, "My Bropops, Mam-Maw, Pap-Paw, Mom, and Dad all said that a hug is free and needs to be given out of unfiltered love."

Linda smiled as she softly kissed the slightly taller young man's cheek, then said, "That's amazingly insightful, and with truthful wisdom like that, it's understandable how you've grown up so loving and kind. I'm proud and thankful that you've opened your heart to this family and that your family has embraced our ours."

Tom, Brandon, and Greg held each other's hands as they watched the emotional scene with tears in their eyes, thankful that the healing process had begun. Before leaving, the parents hugged their three sons and said they'd see them the next day between noon and one o'clock for lunch.

The blonde and raven-haired brothers slipped their shoes off, then helped Levie remove his sneakers, after which Greg ushered his boyfriend to the sofa, sitting beside him.

Brandon went to the kitchen and returned with three opened brown bottles, "I know you can't drink alcohol right now, Lev. Here's a nonalcoholic beer so you don't feel left out," he said, handing the lone redhead an O'Doul's and giving his brother a Bud Lite before sitting on the sofa with Levie between himself and Greg.

Levie smiled when his mate gently pulled his head down onto his lap, and Brandon lifted his legs, laying them across his lap. He sighed when Greg stroked his hair, then softly giggled, squirming a bit as his toes flexed and scrunched when his newly acquired brother lightly ran his fingers along the soles of his sock-clad feet. "You two are gonna spoil me, aren't ya," he asked.

"As much as we can," Brandon replied. He leaned his head down and gently nibbled his brother's toes through the thin, multicolored socks.

Levie squealed, and his body wiggled as much as Greg's protective arms would let him. "You know you're both at the top of my tickle list," he playfully threatened.

"You, Levie Michael, are just too damn cute, my sweet Prince," Greg stated before leaning down and kissing his boyfriend.

"You're gonna have to heal some before you can make good on that, baby bro."

"That's why you're gonna be first, bro." Levie squirmed when his ankles were pinned between the older blonde's upper thighs. He was already giggling as his toes scrunched in an attempt to keep the only protection his feet had from being taken.

"Oh, these socks are getting removed," Brandon said, smirking.

The playful captor's index fingernail slowly and lightly slid back and forth across the toe pads. Airy, boyish giggles were the first reaction and were quickly followed by ten toes releasing their grip on the ankle socks just before they were pulled off. Greg slightly tightened his hold on his boyfriend's upper body to keep his injured arm from moving too much while the younger guys had their fun. Levie's feet twisted and turned, then flipped up and down when Brandon's fingers tickled his creamy pinkish bare soles, and for the next minute or two, the room filled with vibrant melodic laughter. The tickles ceased and changed to a relaxing and gentle foot massage.

"Are feet a fetish for you, like they are for me and Greg?"

The expression on their brother's face while he thought about the question had Greg and Levie giggling.

"I'm not sure, but I know I've always been fascinated by feet, and if they are available, that's the first spot I'll tickle. Greg and I have often played with each other's feet and even jerked ourselves off while watching a tickle flick. There's never been a guy in my life that I've wanted to sexually explore that with yet."

"Are you comfortable knowing Bran and I have jerked off together, babe? If not, we'll stop."

Levie looked between Greg and Brandon, then said, "I'm ok with it. Can I join you some of the time?" He smiled when he received a double-sided hug and a kiss on both cheeks.

"You can join in anytime, babe/bro," the brothers said.

"Lev, what's your preferred position, top or bottom," Greg asked after finishing his beer.

"Do you guys want to discuss this in private," Brandon asked.

Greg and Levie smiled and answered, "Not unless you're uncomfortable, Bran."

"I'm not sure yet. I know I'll never fuck anyone and won't willingly get fucked," Levie said.

The foster brothers looked at each other, then at their mate/brother. "Does that mean we'll never have intercourse," Greg asked. "It's totally ok if that's the case, Lev."

"No, that's not what I mean, my brave knight."

"I'm confused."

Brandon mulled over what Levie said in his mind. His eyes sparkled as he snapped his fingers and excitedly exclaimed, "I think I got it." He turned and gazed into his brother's eyes. "Greg, focus on the words Lev used, then think about other phrases that can mean the same thing."

Greg closed his eyes. It took a couple minutes to figure out what his boyfriend meant. He gasped, lightly smacked his forehead when he came up with what he thought was the answer and opened his eyes to the sight of his brother and mate giggling at his physical reaction. "You two are sooo gonna get tickled for laughing at me," he playfully threatened before leaning over and ruffling the red and blonde hair.

"Have you figured out what your man was saying, bro?"

"I think so," Greg answered as he turned and gently grasped Levie's hands. "You're saying we'll make love but never fuck, right." He and Brandon giggled when Levie became excited, boyishly smiled, and nodded.

"The Bropops told me that I can use any term I wanted to when describing sex with my partner, but that they have never once described their time together as simply having sex or fucking, that for them, intercourse is a magical and sacred physical display of their undying love for one another."

Neither Brandon nor Greg were dry-eyed after hearing the explanation.

"Holy shit, that's incredibly powerful," Greg softly said with his arms around Levie.

Brandon kissed his red-haired brother's cheek. "No wonder you're so amazing, Lev. Troy and Jaycen are definitely one of a kind."

The trio didn't want to separate, so they fell asleep in Greg's king-sized bed. Just after midnight, Brandon felt Levie thrashing and screaming Triton's name. He opened his eyes and instinctively wrapped his arms around the flailing redhead, using a soft, soothing tone, told him he was safe and everything was fine. Greg crawled back into bed, placed an old, well-worn puppy blanket over his boyfriend, and lightly stroked his hair as he settled down and returned to a peaceful sleep.

"Does he do that often," Brandon whispered.

"Sometimes," Greg responded. "Troy told me Lev has nightmares about not saving Triton from the mountain lion and that putting his puppy blanket over him usually helps to calm him."

"I never want to see Lev in such a terrified state again," Brandon softly admitted as he dried his tears and kissed Levie's forehead.

"I know, bro. I felt the tremors on the mattress when it started, and I hoped to get back before the worst hit him." He leaned over his boyfriend and kissed his brother's cheek. "Thank you for helping, Bran."

"Even though I just met Lev, I want to protect my brother from anything that might hurt him."

"You've got a heart as big as Levie, Bran."

Levie's internal alarm clock woke him when the first rays of dawn illuminated the sky. He stretched and yawned before noticing he was under his old blanket. He gently kissed his bed mates' cheeks before sliding to the foot of the bed and walking to the en suite bathroom. He grinned when he returned to the bed and saw Greg's right foot resting over Brandon's left foot and their arms wrapped around each other. His eyes shined with mischief as his index fingertip stroked across the balls of the vulnerable feet.

Brandon's toes twitched as he softly giggled and squirmed before groggily saying, "Bro, you're tickling my foot."

Greg's soft giggles flowed from him, and his toes scrunched. "I'm not tickling you, Bran, you're tickling me," he said.

The brothers opened their eyes, squealing like little boys when the tickling moved to their arches.

"Levie," they hollered.

Levie snickered and gave the ticklish duo his most innocent expression.

"Bro, the sun's not fully up yet," Brandon said as he gestured to the window.

"C'mon, get up, guys. I want to teach you how to make an incredibly amazing country breakfast," Levie said, shaking his mate's and brother's feet.

"We might as well get up, Bran. He's only gonna get cuter, and I don't know any viable defense against my angel's pout."

"Fine, but first, this needs to happen." Brandon crawled to the foot of the bed, got behind the playful redhead, and lightly tickled his sides.

Levie squealed and giggled as he tried to escape the blonde's ticklish retaliation. He happily sighed when Brandon's arms wrapped around him. "I love you, Bran," he said.

"Love ya too, Lev. C'mon, bro, let's look at that wound and change the dressing before you show us how to cook a country breakfast."

Greg walked into the bedroom from the bathroom, kissed the giggly guys, and told them he'd go start the coffee. When he reached the kitchen, he was so excited about learning to make breakfast from scratch that he called his parents, invited them over for breakfast, and asked if they'd mind spending the day as a family.

"Holy crap, it smells amazing in here," Tom stated as he helped Linda remove her sweater before taking his off and hanging them both in the closet.

Levie walked in from the kitchen, wearing a big smile. "Mornin', Mama and Papa," he said while hugging the new arrivals.

"How's your wound, Levie," Linda asked. "Have you changed the dressing yet?"

Greg and Brandon ran in, hugged their parents, and said they had to return to the food before anything burned or stuck to the pots.

Levie couldn't stop laughing at the shocked expressions on Linda's and Tom's faces. "Yes, Mama, Bran helped me clean and redress this morning before I taught them how to make a traditional country breakfast... Well, almost, since the eggs, milk, and meat came from a store. Not from the animals."

"Are you sure Greg and Brandon are safe by themselves in the kitchen and cooking," Tom warily asked.

"Sure, why shouldn't they be?"

"The last time those two tried making breakfast, it took two hours to clean the kitchen," Linda said.

Levie doubled over laughing. "How old were they?"

Linda and Tom looked at one another and chuckled as they said, "Fourteen and thirteen."

"Why don't you come and see for yourself how your kids are doing as cooks," Levie said as he led the couple into the kitchen.

Linda and Tom were pleasantly impressed when they saw a relatively clean kitchen with only used pots and pans on one counter top, waiting for their turn in the dishwasher.

"What have you done with our boys, the disastrous duo," Linda asked.

Levie shook his head and giggled. "They've been great to work with and have listened very well to the instructions. I taught them like Mam-Maw and Troypop taught me by having them do the work while I gave the directions. I showed them how to stir the gravy so it didn't stick or burn. Also, I did the seasoning, and since it's their first time, I measured the seasonings for them so they'd have a base amount to go by."

Greg and Brandon smiled when they saw the look of pride and sheer joy on their parents' faces.

"You three sure make an incredibly delicious breakfast," Tom commented after sipping his grape juice.

"These biscuits are so light and fluffy," Linda gushed.

Levie giggled and said, "Mam-Maw and I once had a biscuit bake-off to see whose biscuits were better."

"Who won," Greg asked.

"I'll bet it was Mam-Maw. That woman can cook her butt off," Brandon exclaimed.

Levie grinned before saying, "Actually, we tied, Pap-Paw, and the Bropops couldn't make a definitive decision. However, Mam-Maw usually asks me to make the biscuits for the family meals. She says that mine are fluffier than hers."

After eating, the family worked together, cleaning up the kitchen. When they finished, Linda asked Levie if he was up for their walk and smiled when he eagerly agreed. While walking, Levie shared some of his fondest memories of growing up on the ranch and had his walking companion in stitches. At times, both were gasping for breath from laughing so hard.

"Is this the first time you've been away from the ranch," Linda asked while sitting on a bench beside Levie.

"Yeah, it is. Yesterday was an emotional day for me, saying goodbye to my dads, Uncle Bill, and Triton."

"Who's Uncle Bill? I don't remember meeting him when I met everyone years ago."

"He's been there since just after Jayce was born. Jayce, Troy, and I call him Uncle Bill. He's the ranch foreman."

"Oh, the older gentleman who showed me around," Linda said when she mentally put a face with the name.

"I think I had a nightmare last night," Levie quietly admitted.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"I would if I could remember it. I think you'll have to ask Greg and Bran. I woke up with my old puppy blanket covering me, and that's the only reason I can think of for its being there."

"Sounds like it's very special to you," Linda said.

Levie smiled when he was pulled into a motherly embrace as Linda kissed his cheek. He cuddled into her comforting arms, feeling loved. "It is," he said. "My Bropops gave me the blanket when I was five." He chuckled, then continued, "Troypop told me that if I was good to the puppies, they'd always stay put on the blanket, keeping me safe and loving me, just like he and Jaycen love me."

Linda did the math in her head and realized how young his brothers were when they gave him the blanket. "They were only fifteen. I'm amazed they had those strong feelings for you and each other, being so young."

"I get that a lot," Levie said, chuckling. "Mama, I'm glad we've had this time together."

"I am too, Levie."

"Feel free to call me Lev if you'd like to."

"Lev, it is."