Mike Heck was half-way through making his usual ham sandwich when the front door opened and he already knew who was home within seconds. “Man, I told you she would’ve gone out with me if that beef-head Ryan Neal hadn’t asked her out first” Axl Heck complained with Sean and Darrin in tow. “Dad? What are you doing home??” Axl asked with a surprised look. “They shut the quarry down for a few days, remember? The better question is, why are you home?” Mike challenged. “Oh, Mrs. Schaeffer let us out of 4th period early” Axl assured. “Is that right, Sean?” Mike questioned. “Oh uhh…well” Sean stuttered before Axel interrupted him. “Come on, man! Alright, we skipped 4th period. It was stupid quiz day and I forgot to study” Axl admitted.

“I guess I should be surprised but here I am…not surprised” Mike answered. “Thanks for being cool with it, Mr. Heck” Darrin chimed in. “I didn’t say that” “Oh…right” Darrin backtracked before Mike started putting the stuff for his sandwich back in the fridge. The cocky 18 year old brushed off getting caught and kicked his shoes off to let his socked-feet breathe before plopping down on the couch with his friends. But Mike came walking into the living room moments later and stopped in his tracks at finding the gang of seniors occupying the couch. “Alright, boys, you’re gonna have to find somewhere else to hang out. Sandwiches go best with TV” Mike announced and Sean and Darrin hopped up but Axl didn’t.

“Axl…” Mike pressed as he waited for a vacant seat. “Dad, come on, we just wanna watch TV; it’s too hot to hang out outside and my room’s too small for all of us” Axl insisted. “You know, me and my dad wrestle sometimes when we want to settle an argument. Whoever wins gets the say so” Sean added. “Yeah, come on, dad, wrestle me for the couch” Axl challenged as he stood up and stretched a little to prepare himself. “I’m not wrestling you for anything; it’s my couch and my TV, now find somewhere else to go” Mike doubled down and started toward the couch but Axl wouldn’t back down, instead wrapping his arms around Mike’s waist to try and take him down.

“You don’t wanna do this” Mike warned as calmly as ever while his mouthy son tried to show off in front of his friends. “Come on, Axl! You’ve got this!” Darrin cheered. “Go for the legs!” Sean coached from the sidelines. But before Axl could try any kind of strategic move, Mike sat down his sandwich and wrapped his giant hands around Axl’s sides before squeezing up and down just a little and watching Axl go crazy. “AhAHANnOoHA! WhhAathHeEhhEELL?!” Axl became a floundering fish and stood up to try and force Mike off but couldn’t. “I told you you didn’t want to do this” Mike reminded as Axl danced in place in the monster grip squeezing up and down his slim sides.

“SSTtOOAohOOPpiIITT!! DDOOnnNTTTBbbEEWWEEiIiRRdDD!” Axl argued with a forced, goofy smile but he couldn’t escape Mike’s hold and quickly lost even more control when his dad’s longer fingers shot up into his pits. “AhAhAAhDDaAAADD!!” Axl exploded and jerked around like a human rag doll with the brutal fingers digging around in his pits but he couldn’t stop them or get away. “Oh man, Mr. Heck is totally owning him!” Sean pointed out as he and Darrin laughed at the rare scene. “NnOoOHHeEE’SSSnNNoOOoTT! SSHhUUuTTuUPPP!” Axl disputed but Mike just started tickling even harder. “Oh no?” he challenged while Axl did his best to grab his dad’s wrists and force his way free but Mike was determined to prove a point.

Axl’s laughter spiraled to humiliating heights and his face grew red with emasculation as he struggled to retreat from the fight he’d started, a side of him neither Sean nor Darrin had ever seen but the arrogant jock wasn’t about to play defense longer than he had to. Suddenly, Axl jumped up a little and wrapped his arm around his dad’s neck, trying to force a headlock. “Yeah! What now?!” Axl challenged with a look of triumph toward his boys but Mike simply reached down and locked a claw hand around his knee and quickly undermined Axl’s attempt to turn the tables. “NNOOOohAOha!! NNoOOTTFfAAIIiRR!!” Axl whined as if tickling was against the rules. “You started this, Axl, don’t be mad at me” Mike pointed out as the arm around his neck had no choice but to loosen up from the powerhouse knee squeezes and Axl soon lost his balance with just one sturdy leg.

“Dude!” Sean and Darrin laughed, watching the hilarious fight in awe as Axl tried to get to his feet but Mike grabbed the right leg of his jeans and hoisted it up in the air until he could execute his own headlock around the ankle. “Dad, NO!” Axl shouted with sudden fear in his eyes while desperately trying to kick free but he couldn’t stop Mike from unleashing on the captive socked foot. “AHAhANNOAoHAohAOANNOO!! aOhAOHASSTTOhOhOHOP!!” Axl roared louder than Darrin or Sean knew he could and as he lost it on the living room floor, a tornado of thrashing and bucking and swinging arms as Mike simply spidered all over the pungent 9 ½.

“DDAAHAADDcCoOOMmEEOoNNN!!!” Axl tried to convince as if he was going to combust, reaching out to try and pry the arm off or at least distract him for a second but nothing worked. “Wearing yourself out down there?” Mike taunted with a steady flurry of fingers dancing up and down the narrow foot in his clutches. “JJuUuSSTTSSstTTohOOPP OOKKK!?!” Axl protested like he could feel his ego deflating by the second but a new, petrified feeling consumed his body when he felt Mike grab the gray toe of his crew sock and yank it clean off with one pull, leaving his foot totally unprotected.

Axl looked up toward the headlock in a moment of disbelief before Mike returned to finish what he’d started with the same overwhelming dominance. “AAHAHAH!! NNOOOOAOHAOHA!! DDAAADDDDsSSTTTOhOHHPPP!! PPLLLEEAASSEE!!” Axl begged before he could stop himself and tried throwing a remote and pillow at his dad to fight back but Mike wasn’t even a little fazed. The balls and heel of his foot were almost bright pink while the arch was flat and incredibly pale in contrast, his whole sole surprisingly soft for how often he went barefoot and as Sean and Darrin were finding out, insanely ticklish.

“I think he’s done for, man” Sean pointed out. “GGuUyYySShhHEElLLPPMmEEOoUUUUTT!!” Axl shouted with ticklish misery on the floor in front of them but Mike just gave them a quick look and it was enough to scare them into staying out of it. “Smart” was all Mike said before Axl tried to kick the back of his knees with his free leg and it almost worked, getting his attention and a raised eyebrow look but it didn’t take him down. “You really wanna make this worse on yourself?” Mike questioned before proving he’d been holding back as he let his short nails join the party and claw down Axl’s trapped foot all the way from his toes. “AAHOAOHWwhHAAATtHhEEHHEELL?!” “No swearing!” Mike reprimanded and started going faster to punish the outburst, forcing Axl into wild hysterics until he was letting out shrieks and squeals that he’d rather get beat up than let Darrin and Sean hear.

Axl’s foot writhed in Mike’s arm as he turned into the Tasmanian Devil on the floor but Mike couldn’t be shaken, raking and scratching down the length of the velvet sole over and over. Axl couldn’t do anything but laugh like a lunatic and hope his dad would get tired of tickling him soon but his violent thrashing around soon paid off when he managed to kick his leg free. “YES!” was all Axl said as he squirmed away for sanctuary to spare what was left of his pride but Mike wasn’t done with him yet. He kneeled down and grabbed one of Axl’s arms to flip him on his back before bending that arm over his head and holding his wrist to keep it in place before pinning the other arm down with his knee so Axl was totally defenseless.

“Dad – STOP! You win, alright?! Just chill out!” Axl tried to persuade without sounding too defeated. “Hey, boys if you still wanna jump in, I’ll show you something” Mike offered and Sean and Darrin were too intrigued to say no. “GUYS! What are you doing?!” “We’re just having some fun, man” Sean assured with a humored smile as they knelt next to Mike who was keeping Axl in place. “See, with his arm up over his head like this and the other one stuck over here, it leaves him wide open. You can go for the armpits, the stomach, the sides, or the ribs and there’s nothing he can do about it” Mike laid out before proving his point with a single finger suddenly rapid-firing all over Axl’s ribs.

“AAHAHADDAAADD!! AHoAhoAohCCOOmMEEOoOnNNNSSTTOhOhOPP!!” Axl argued through another wave of forced laughter and Darrin and Sean couldn’t help but laugh along at the demonstration. “Man, you weren’t kidding” Darrin pointed out as Mike randomly poked between each of the perfectly exposed ribs and Axl fumed with ticklish anger. “Go ahead, Sean, have at him” Mike invited as he pulled away from the ribs and Axl gave Sean a death glare, “Sean, I swear to God, man! Don’t!” “Go ahead, he’s all yours” Mike assured and Sean couldn’t hide his excitement before convincing himself it was ok to tickle Axl.

“AAhAHAhoDDAAmMMIiiTTSSEEAANN!” Axl erupted with fiery laughter as he tried to get free and Sean let loose on his stomach with both hands. “There ya go” Mike encouraged as he watched Sean’s strong football hands knead into the pale belly while Axl only got madder and madder. “See, if you have a buddy with you, like Darrin, he can get another spot while you’re up here” Mike pointed out, getting Darrin’s attention. “Really?” “Go for it” Mike insisted and Darrin wasn’t nearly as reluctant as Sean, quickly moving down to sit across Axl’s ankles and ripping the last sock off before launching onto his buddy’s incredibly smooth feet.

“NNOOOAohAOhAOHAO!!! GGGEETToOOOFFF!! GGEEETTOoOOOFFF!!” Axl totally freaked as he shook in place and his legs kicked but Darrin was too heavy to escape. His eager fingers soon found their favorite spot to be Axl’s slender toes and Sean continued jabbing all over his stomach and even getting his bellybutton while Mike teased his ears and neck. “So the next time I say I’m gonna sit on the couch and watch TV you say…” Mike asked. “HAAOHAOKOOKKK!! IIIsSSAAAYyOoOKKK!!” Axl answered with borderline scream laughter from the gang tickling. “Good, I’m glad we understand each other better” Mike answered with what Axl assumed would be the conclusion of the whole thing but none of them showed any sign of letting him go.

“AALLiIiRRGghHTTGGUUYySS SSTToHOHOHOPP!!” “You can’t start a fight and then decide when it’s over just because you’re losing” Mike countered. “I never knew Axl was so ticklish…hopefully he’s not too mad when he gets up” Sean added. “I wouldn’t worry about that but if he is, now you know how to take him down a peg if you ever need to” Mike pointed out as he teased Axl’s ears, Sean dominated his belly, and Darrin had a complete blast tickling his stupid-ticklish feet. Axl the football star and high school king was 100% screwed in the most embarrassing, infuriating way he could think of and judging from the smiles on his friends’ faces, this wouldn’t be the last time.