Chapter 17
Strengthening The Bond
 

After putting his things in his room, Lance donned a sweatshirt, sweat pants, and dark blue sneakers decorated with silver snowflakes. He then joined his older brothers downstairs in the kitchen. Mikey was in a light blue jogging suit, with his body camera charged and ready for use. Dakota wore a pair of grey jogging shorts and a Bugs Bunny tee shirt.

Lance walked up to the older pair, quickly kneaded his fingers between each man's ribcage, and said, "You boys ready to get your old asses kicked?"

Mikey and Dakota jumped, and their bodies wriggled as they rapidly tried to dislodge the younger tickler's ten digits from their ticklish spots. The trio's elder's robust laughter mixed and mingled with the younger men's slightly higher-pitched tones.

"Oh, you're sooo going down, baby bro," Mikey said with a playful growl. His eyes fixed on his giggling brother.

Lance rolled his eyes and blew a raspberry at the other two brunets. "Yeah, yeah, whatever, big bro. Don't choke on the snow I kick in your face when you watch my sexy ass fly past ya."

The young taunter yelped and squirmed when Dakota's muscled arms wrapped around his waist, lifted him off the floor, and threw him over his shoulder.

"Hey, ya big ape, put me down," the twenty-year-old childishly squealed as his fists playfully pounded the older man's back, and his legs kicked against the broad chest.

"Pale face boy speak big for one so little," Dakota said. The half-Cherokee chuckled as he and Mikey tickled Lance's bucking sides and behind his knees.

The house was filled with tickle-induced squeals and laughter from the trapped young man.

Mikey giggled and said, "Pale face little brother need reminding of his ticklish situation." The younger of the tickling duo moved his tickle attack to the helpless prey's armpit hollows and blew raspberries on his neck.

Lance was momentarily incapable of coherent speech. All that came from his open mouth was lost in the hysterical cackles. Finally, Mikey and Dakota took pity on their brother and ceased the playful attack. Lance's giggles continued to flow as he panted. He was gently placed on the kitchen island's counter. Dakota firmly rubbed his back and shoulders while Mikey got him a cold bottled water. His brothers ensured he didn't choke as he sipped from the plastic spout. When he calmed down, Lance looked at his older brothers, smiled, then hugged and kissed them.

"That was freakin' fun as fuckin' hell," the brunet excitedly exclaimed.

"Lancelot Arthur Knight, language," Mikey stated in a mock stern tone as he shook his index finger at his giggly brother.

"Damn, I fuckin' LOVE this family," Dakota said as he wrapped the younger men in a hug and kissed their cheeks.

"Language," Mikey and Lance said in unison as they returned the affection. The boisterous trio continued their playful banter and taunting as they left the house for their run.

For all his jovial boasting and hijinx, Lance finished in second place. Mikey was first, with Dakota finishing a second or two after his younger brother. The young men walked inside the house, stripped down to their underwear, and barefoot, they walked upstairs, where the trio shared a fun and ticklish shower.

An hour and a half later, Mikey was in the kitchen, fixing breakfast. Once the biscuits were in the oven and the timer was set, he stood against the doorway and smiled. Lance and Dakota were on the sofa, watching the news. The younger of the pair lay in the fetal position with his head in his older brother's lap. Mikey wiped the tears from his eyes, then quickly pulled his phone from his pocket and snapped some pictures, which he sent to the family. Not wanting to disturb his mate and brother's bonding time, he returned to the kitchen to finish making their food.

Lance turned his head, looked at the older man, and said, "I can see why Mikey always feels so safe with you. You've got this strong, love-filled protective feeling that radiates from your body."

Dakota smiled as he looked down at Lance and lightly stroked his hair. "As long as I'm able, I'll always be here to love and protect my sweet angel boy and my brothers.

Lance leaned his head up and kissed Dakota's chin. "Thank you, Kota. I hope you know that's a two-way street. We'll always be here for you, no matter what. You're the perfect addition to our family," he said.

"That means a lot, baby brother," Dakota said, with tears in his eyes.

Lance could feel a tinge of sadness mingling with the happiness in the room. He closed his eyes and gently clasped Dakota's hands. "You've never really talked about anyone in your family other than your parents," he softly said. "Is there a reason why?"

Tears welled in his eyes as Dakota mulled over the statement and question. He gazed out the window at the falling snow and deeply inhaled. "My family isn't like yours at all," he responded in a low tone. "I...I've never met anyone from either side of my family. Both sides shunned my parents because they fell in love."

Lance had to blink a couple times because of the tears stinging his eyes. He sat up, moved onto Dakota's lap, and wrapped the muscular man in a vice-like bear hug. "I'm so sorry, Kota. I can't even begin to imagine how that feels. Knowing you've got family you've never met and who won't have anything to do with you because of your parent's love for one another."

Dakota leaned his head down and kissed his emotional brother's head as he returned the hug. "Shh, it's okay, sweet brother. I've gotten used to it. Besides, I can't miss what I never had."

"Well, you'll definitely never have to feel abandoned or shunned again, my brave warrior," Mikey stated. The brunet giggled because his sudden presence made his mate and brother jump two feet off the sofa. "Are you boys ready to eat?" He asked as he kissed and embraced Dakota and Lance.

Lance giggled and said, "If you made it, I'm eating,"

Dakota brightly smiled and nodded his head in agreement.

Mikey turned towards the kitchen and yelped as he was grabbed from behind. He squirmed, giggled, and tried getting free before he was pulled back and over the furniture's arm. "Hey, no fair teaming up on poor, defenseless Mikey," the brunet squealed as he got pinned beneath his brother and mate.

"Oh, it's totally fair, baby boy," Dakota said as he smirked and lightly tickled along the edges of the shorter man's armpit hollows.

Mikey's high-pitched giggles flowed like a rushing river from his lips. His body wriggled side to side, and his legs pumped back and forth as he attempted to escape his playful captors.

"It's also a necessity, big bro," Lance exclaimed as he straddled his brother's animated legs. He giggled as he licked his pinky finger, then twisted it back and forth along the cavernous walls of Mikey's innie belly button.

The result of the youngest brunet's tactic was like getting shocked for Mikey. His body bucked, his midsection arched, and his head flew back and forth as his boisterous laughter bounced off the walls. His toes scrunched and uncurled inside the thin rainbow snowflake-decorated socks on his feet.

The trio's noise was so loud that Adam and Jai were allowed to enter the kitchen totally undetected. The soon-to-be-married pair giggled as they watched the scene. After a minute or two, when Mikey squealed his protest to tickly raspberries, the guys made their presence known. Adam's fingers latched onto, and wiggled between Dakota's ribs, then traveled up to the older man's pit hollows. Jai pulled his baby brother to the floor, pinned him facedown, and pulled the candy cane socks from his flailing feet.

Dakota fell off the couch in a fit of cackles, with Adam following him and trapping his writhing, muscle-toned body. Lance's upper body bucked. He squirmed side to side, screeching and wildly laughing as his soft, bare soles were treated to an unescapable ticklish assault. While his ticklers were being tickled into oblivion, Mikey got up, went to the kitchen, and began setting the table. Once he finished, he grinned and jumped into the pile of limbs. He started blindly tickling anything his fingers came in contact with. Finally, the five tired and sweaty young men called a unified truce. They got to their feet, shared a group hug, and walked into the dining room. All except for Mikey, who went through the room and into the kitchen, followed by Dakota. Adam, Jai, and Lance sat at the table. The trio cracked up laughing when the oldest brunet returned, with Mikey standing in the doorway, slapping his palm with a wooden spoon.

Dakota pouted and glared at his younger brothers as he gently rubbed his reddening knuckles. "Damn, at least one of you could've told me about Mikey secretly being a nun," he paused and blew on his sore hand.

Lance shook his head as his body quaked from laughing. Half a minute later, he patted Dakota's shoulder. Then he said, "sorry, big bro, but we've all experienced the wrath of Mikey when you're in the kitchen on the first morning of our celebration of brotherly love."

Dakota giggled. "I'm sooo making you guys pay for that," he said with a playful growl.

"Kota, Mikey does this ritual every year," Jai said as he sipped his grape juice.

"Our mystery-loving brother never tells us the biscuit-shaped theme he comes up with. He loves seeing our reaction as we see what's under the covered plate he gives us," Adam said as he reached over and lightly noogied the half-Indian.

"Arrgh, hey, nooo fair, baby bro," Dakota childishly squealed. "Miiikkkeeeeyyyy, Adam's noogieing me," he hollered.

"Tattle tail," Adam replied.

Mikey shook his head and boyishly giggled as he rolled covered plates out to the dining room on a dual-shelf cart. "Adam, don't make me send you to the corner, again," he said as he placed the food in front of the guys and kissed each one's cheek. Finally, he set his plate on the table, then stood at the head, with Dakota to his right and Lance to his left.

One by one, the others stood and grasped their brother's hands. Dakota was intrigued and excited by everything he'd been experiencing. Mikey looked around the table at his family and smiled as he let the tears drip freely down his cheeks. He took a breath and began to speak. "Guys, this is, by far, the most trying month we've been through. It's also been the most amazing. Our family has grown and adopted my soulmate, Dakota. I'm grateful to my three brothers for showing him the love and acceptance we were raised with. I love, treasure, and rely on each of you gathered here," he paused to get control of his emotions. "Since it's Kota's first time, I'll explain why we do this. We take this opportunity to tell and show each other what we mean to one another. It also lets us vent any unresolved issues or baggage of any kind. That way, we don't carry them into the new year." Everyone raised a glass and toasted their time together. Alright, guys, let's eat. I'm fuckin' starved," Mikey pronounced.

"Mikey, language," Adam, Jai, Dakota, and Lance hollered in unison before the table roared with laughter.

Everyone's eyes, but Mikey's, lit up when they uncovered the plates and saw their biscuits in the shape of their birth signs. Mikey's eyes lit up, watching the faces of his tablemates. Once breakfast was finished, everyone helped clean up the mess.

Later that morning, Adam approached his younger birth brother. He smiled, wrapped his arms around Mikey's chest, kissed the side of his head, and laid his chin on the shorter man's shoulder.

Mikey sighed happily and melted into his older brother's comforting embrace. "Ya want to choose the first activity of the day?" Mikey asked as he reached behind him and tickled his brother's sides.

"Yyyeehheeeesssss," Adam responded between his giggles. He squirmed but managed to keep hold of his tickler.

Mikey nodded and let out a midrange wolf whistle, getting the other three men's attention. "Guys, Adam wants to choose the first activity we're gonna enjoy."

Adam grinned as he gazed into the eyes of his brothers and mate. "Target practice with the bows and arrows," he said. A smile crossed his face when the other men became excited and offered high fives.

Mikey held Dakota's hand as they followed their brothers to the garage. "I love you, Kota," he whispered.

"Love ya too, sweet angel boy," Dakota responded before he kissed his man's hand.

"So, who shoots first?" Lance asked after everyone gathered in the heated shooting and target range with their bows and arrows.

Jai smirked and said, "I nominate Kota."

Dakota displayed a mock, hurt expression and vocal tone as he said, "It's the Cherokee blood, isn't it."  He could only hold the giggles back for a couple of seconds before they bubbled to the surface of his throat and sprang from his lips.

Mikey patted his mate's back and said, "Go on, brave warrior. Show us pale faces how it's done." He jumped back and wriggled like a worm when Dakota's fingers kneaded his sides just above his hips. "Let’s all go at once," the giggling brunet said after he kissed Dakota's soft lips.

The young men got into position, raised their bows, took aim, and let the arrows fly into their targets. They high-fived and congratulated each other for their effort. Mikey's and Adam's mark was just off center of the bullseye. Lance's and Jai's mark was in the circle outside of the bullseye. There were no surprises except for Dakota. His shot didn't even hit close to where the blended brothers thought it should be. Mikey, Adam, Jai, and Lance were flabbergasted as to why their eldest's mark was close to the edge of the paper target.

Adam glared at Dakota and said, "Alright, Kota, come here. Let's talk."

Mikey, Lance, and Jai giggled when Dakota gave them an innocent puppy expression and pointed at himself.

Adam nodded and motioned with his index finger for the half-Irishman to approach. As soon as the other brunet was within reach, Adam grabbed his arm, moved quickly to trap the taller man in a headlock, then pulled him to the floor on his back.

Dakota was shocked at how easily he'd been trapped. His legs kicked and squirmed until Jai jumped onto them, thus ensuring he wasn't going anywhere.

"Now, here's what's gonna happen," Adam paused as he got Dakota's arms trapped under his knees. "We know you've got to be a better shot than that to be on the force," he paused again, leaned closer to his new brother's face, and grinned.

"Bro, ya need to brush your teeth 'cause your breath is rank," Dakota chuckled at his juvenile response to the situation. His brother's giggles joined his.

"Oh, you're sooo gonna regret that, Kota," Adam said as he cracked his knuckles. "Now, you're gonna answer truthfully. Did you miss the target on purpose, or are you that bad with a bow and arrow?"

The half-Cherokee man's toes wiggled inside the pair of ankle socks and shoes covering his feet. Inside he was dying to know what would happen if he wasn't truthful.

"Just a fair warning, brave warrior," Mikey said. He playfully tweaked his mate's nose, giggled, and quickly moved his hand away when Dakota growled and acted like he was gonna bite his fingers. "If you don't answer, you'll be tickled for three minutes," Mikey licked his lips, then leaned down and slowly licked up and down Dakota's cheeks with the broad of his tongue.

"I ain't sayin' nothin' white men, not till my lawyer gets here," Dakota said. “I’m a smart Cherokee,” he punctuated his statement with a blown raspberry at the guys surrounding him.

Adam nodded to Jai, who untied, then removed his trapped brother's shoes and socks. Lance pulled a pouch from his pocket, emptied the contents into his hand, and attached them to his fingers.

Dakota's eyes widened when he saw the guitar picks glued to thin metal bands. "Oh, fuck," he said as his toes curled and uncurled, and his soft pale arches wrinkled and smoothed out.

Jai had a vice-like grip on Dakota's ankles to keep them stationary. Then, with no warning, the pointed ends of the picks attached to Lance's fingers wreaked havoc on the older man's defenseless soles. The alternate tactics of slow strokes on one foot, then rapid strokes for the other, forced boisterous cackles and laughter from the ticklish cop.

Dakota's head rolled from side to side as he used all his muscles and tried to pull free. He was so focused on the thin plastic wafers that he didn't notice his toes being pulled back. Suddenly, he felt the feather end of an arrow saw back and forth between each of his plump toes. This, combined with the addition of fingers kneading his inner thighs, made the elder brunet's laughter become an octave higher. Finally, Adam's warm lips blowing raspberries turned the shrill shrieks into silent gasps.

Mikey signaled the end of the tickling. He walked over to the mini fridge, pulled out a bottle of water, and handed it to Jai. Adam helped Dakota sit up while Jai held the plastic spout to his lips so he could safely sip the cold liquid.

Dakota panted and eagerly accepted the drink and assistance from the guys. When he'd recovered enough, the tickled man looked each of his companions in the eyes. "That was freaking amazing. I've never experienced anything like that before. I loved it," he paused. "Pale face brothers sleep with one eye open in fear of ticklish Cherokee justice," he giggled and glared at Mikey. "Especially, pale face ticklish angel boy."

Mikey smiled as he placed his mate's big feet in his lap, firmly massaged the pink soles, and kissed every toe. Despite the attempt not to tickle him, Dakota's toes twitched, and he softly giggled when he felt the loving kisses.

"So, big bro. Did you miss the target on purpose?" Lance asked just before he dissolved into a boyish fit of giggles when Adam and Jai launched a tickle attack on his sides and knees. The twenty-year-old male's body writhed and squirmed as his high-pitched squeals filled the enclosed carport.

Dakota sighed and closed his eyes as he melted into his mate's warm embrace. "Yeah, I did," he sheepishly said.

Adam slid over to his brothers. He lifted Dakota's chin and stared into his eyes. "Dakota Nickolas Buckingham, don't you ever do that again," the brunet firmly stated. "Not doing your best at any given time is the quickest way to lose respect in this family," he softened his tone. "I'm only saying that cause we love you and want you to be the best Dakota you can be."

Dakota was overcome with the love that poured from the men around him. Salty tears streamed down his pink cheeks. "I give my sacred promise that I'll never throw any challenge again. I love you all too much to disrespect my mate and brothers." He giggled and said, “Damn, I fuckin’ love this family,” He kissed Mikey, Lance, Jai, and Adam as they shared a group hug.

To be continued...