“Hello? Anybody here? I could use a sandwich” Justin Russo announced as he walked through the Waverly substation door. “Look who it is!” Max answered with a bright smile, walking around to embrace his older brother. “God, you’ve gotta stop growing” Justin said while sizing up the more masculine version of his kid brother. “You too” he joked back at Justin’s newly pumped up chest and arms. “You hungry?” Max asked. “I could eat…good to see you haven’t let the place go downhill” “Well I don’t have a wand to help me out but you know, I make it work” Max replied while fixing a sub and Justin checked out the backroom he used to work in. “How’s the private wizarding  sector treating you?” Max asked while passing him the sub. “I actually just got promoted so pretty well. And school’s going well?” “Yeah, I only have one more year thank God. Not that I’m not happy to see you but, why the surprise drop in?” the curious 20 year old asked. “Well, I was in the area this weekend…figured I’d check up on things.” 

“I know nobody thought I could handle the substation, it’s ok to say it” Max replied with his puppy dog expression. “I didn’t think that, man. I wanted to see you…” Justin assured. “I’m sorry…it’s just that you’re doing the genius wizard thing and I’m just…Max, plain old Max” “There’s nothing wrong with that! This place is better than ever and you should be proud” he cheered up with a smile. “Thanks…it’s crazy how fast four years goes by but business is good and thankfully people are still into sandwiches” the 20 year old manager answered, slightly embarrassed that he’d been so presumptuous. “Don’t sweat it; I’m just glad you’re doing alright. This sub is killer by the way! You have learned a few things” Justin assured while working on the meat lovers’ special. “I know you like Diet Pepsi, but we just have regular” Max added. “I got it” Justin added, waving his wand to make a bottle of his favorite soda appear. The youngest Russo watched with mild envy in his eyes at the casual magic he no longer had the luxury of while Justin devoured the meal he’d prepared. “Well, feel free to hang out here as long as you want. I’ve got some customers to see about. Are you coming by the house?” “Oh yeah. I’m staying the night so I’ll see you then” Justin answered before Max left to tend to his new patrons.

That night the Russo house was nearly empty but the oldest of the Wizarding family sat in the living room chair wearing a black tank and khaki joggers with his bare feet propped up on the ottoman while he watched videos on his phone. Around 10:30 Max finally made it home to find his brother lounging like he had never left, “What’s up, bro?” “Just hanging out, I bought a six pack if you want some. It’s in the fridge” Justin explained, his tan toes almost greeting Max as they wiggled in the air. “Oh, thanks. I could use one” “Rough night?” “Yeah, more of a rush than usual” Max answered before plopping down with his beer across the living room from Justin. He followed by kicking off his sneakers to relieve his tired feet and let them breathe through the black ankle socks, stretching out across the couch so their soles were almost facing each other.

Max could feel his brother’s eyes on him as he sipped the beer and began to feel a strange tension in the room between them. “So…do you have a girlfriend now?” Max spoke up. “…I’m seeing someone but it’s more casual than serious right now” Justin answered. “What’s her name?” “Trevor.” Max nearly choked mid-slurp at the answer. “…Trevor?” “Nothing to freak out about…I’m just not limiting myself; if I’m attracted to them, I listen to it” “Wow…that’s gotta keep things interesting” a naive Max replied with a light laugh. “You’re not wrong…but I’m not really here to talk about me, Max…I have a bit of a confession” Justin started.

“That doesn’t sound good” Max said as Justin sat more upright and cleared his throat before putting his feet flat on the carpeted floor. “You know part of my job is to monitor magical activity throughout the world and make sure nothing…fishy is happening” “Yeah…” “Last week I was notified of the use of dark magic…from this address.” Max didn’t say anything back to him, the anxious look of guilt slowly appearing on his face that Justin soon recognized. “…and you think it was me?” “I wanted to come here to ask you myself instead of another agent pursuing it. I told them I would handle it…” Max stood up from the couch with rigid body language. “How would I even get into dark magic?? I’m the only one of us who isn’t a wizard” “There have been instances in the past where former magical people tried to regain their abilities by delving into the dark side of wizardry, most commonly using one of the onyx pearls from the wizarding black market” Justin elaborated. “Justin…come on, you know me…” “You’re right which means I can tell when you’re hiding something and I can’t leave without the pearl” “Well, I hate to tell you but you might actually be wrong about something this time” Max replied sharply as he started toward the door but with a flick of Justin’s wrist, the door wouldn’t open.

“Justin, let me out!” Max demanded. “I don’t want to do this but I have to retrieve it, just give it to me” “Just because you’re older doesn’t mean you get to boss me around anymore” he spat back, prompting Justin to wave his wand with a light hitting Max. “What’d you do?? Heahehehey! WHhaaaht IIsTthHIISHAahoHAhoha?” he tried to figure out as tingling sensations started all over his body. “You’re not leaving me much of a choice” the buff wizard admitted as his little brother bubbled with forced giggles, gripping his sides and leaning against the wall. “AAohAoAhAohATTIICCKKLINNGGG???” “I know how ticklish you are; that’s always been pretty effective” Justin explained while Max writhed on the wall as the ghostly fingers dug into his stomach and ribs with no way for him to stop them. “AhahAaahaCCoomMeEoOHOoNN!!” he tried to reason through the laughter. “I’m sorry, Max…just tell me where the onyx is and I’ll make it stop” “HAAhAahAAHAAhAhhahaAANOOO!” he refused, now struggling on the floor as if two people had ambushed him with a full-blown tickle attack.

Justin had grown slightly crueler in the years since moving out of the Russo house but he figured this was the most harmless way to extract the forbidden pearl. He watched as Max tried to fight the sensations wrecking his torso but since that wasn’t enough to prompt a confession, he targeted one of his little brother’s worst spots. Justin suddenly altered the spell a little so the magic hands concentrated into Max’s bellybutton, swirling around in the tight navel. “AHAHHAAHHHH!! AHAHAHAHAHJuUUSSTTTIINN!!!!! AHAHAHSTTTOOOPPSTTOOPP!!” “You know how to end this, Max…I need the pearl” “AhAHAAHoHOhOHAAHAHAAAhHHhAAHANOOOAHaAAWWAAAAYYY!” Justin was impressed with Max’s resistance to the tickling, never being able to last very long at all when he would use it against him in the past. But despite holding out, the spell was seriously messing with the professional sandwich maker. He tried protecting his belly with his hands or trying to block it out mentally but the magic was too powerful over his defenseless body. Not only was he suffering through the tickling but Max was growing more frustrated by the minute at his brother for putting him through it. Some part of him was just as pissed that he was still so ticklish too; years of working out and putting on muscle could make him stronger but was useless against this type of attack.

“Are you gonna make me turn this up a notch?” Justin asked as Max laughed his head off. “AhAhAhAhAoHAHahahoOhAAHA SSTTOOOPppAHAHAHAHTTIICCKLLliIINGGGGMEEEE!!” “That’s not what I wanted to hear” Justin replied before using his developed skills to switch his technique, creating two glowing clamps to pin Max’s arms outstretched against the wall and making his shirt disappear. “What the hell?!?” Max questioned with a look of disbelief. “I don’t know what you’re using the pearl for, Max but my job is on the line…you have to give it up” “…you’re wasting your time…” “Fine, but you brought this on yourself” Justin added with a wave of his wand as a fine tipped feather materialized and began mercilessly teasing Max’s tan bellybutton with no way for the young New Yorker to fight back. “AHahhaOoHHHAAHAHOHAOHAHAHAHAAA! QQUIIITTTAHAHAHAHAHIITTTTT! GGEETTOOoUuTToOOFFMMMYYy BEELLYBUUUTTTOONNN!!” Max raged with increasingly wild laughter. “That always was your worst spot, Max” Justin commented with a slight smirk, humored by the sense of nostalgia the interrogation was producing despite the circumstances. “EEAaAAATTTAHaHAHAASSSHIIIITTT!” “Look who learned a dirty word” Just patronized with a chuckle, the feisty attitude encouraging Justin to add more to the already lively scene.

With the relentless feather dominating Max’s bellybutton and his muscles straining against the magic clamps to break free, Justin waved his brother’s ankle socks into oblivion and moved closer to his newest target. “AhahahahAHAhGGEETTAAhAHAAAWWAAY!!” “You wish” was all Justin said before landing another glowing magic clamp on his right ankle to keep it in place and picking up the left to wrap it in a headlock. A moment of horrified realization was all Max had before Justin let his fingers fly freely on the naked foot, instantly rocketing his laughter into new, tortured heights. “AhahAHAOAHHOHAOHAHAOHAAHAHAHA SSSHIIITTTTAHaHahAHHAAHACCCOMMEEONNNAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA JJUUUSSTTIIIINN!!” Max wailed with his head thrashing about and his arms jerking around as if he could yank himself out of the magical bondage.

“Good to see you’re ticklish as ever” Justin taunted while scribbling along the arch of Max’s supple foot. “FFuUUhuUCCkKYYoOUUU!!” “Haha, I can do this all night if that’s what you want” Justin laughingly answered with arrogant assurance before creating a stiff hairbrush out of thin air. Max’s eyes widened with new panic at the sight of it before the bristles landed on his captive sole, still fresh-out-of-his-shoes soft. The brush was far worse than young Max could’ve imagined as it scrubbed the bottom of his handsome foot in Justin’s clutches, like a thousand little tools wrapped in one all gunning to break him. “EEENOoOUUUGGHAhAHHAA! EEENOUUGGHHH!” “Is this you giving up?” Justin questioned after only a minute of using the vicious brush. “…you can’t…have it…” Max replied between deep breaths during the quick break. “Fine…” Justin replied, losing patience in his mission to retrieve the dark magic onyx pearl and he let out his frustrations on his brother. He used his trusty wand to add two more floating hands and four feathers onto his naked upper body. All ten fingers aggressively explored the hairy armpits while the feathers drilled into the supremely ticklish navel, teased his nipples, and danced along his neck for extra severity.

“AHahahAAAHAHAHHAHAAOHAOHAOAHAOOOHHMYYYGOOODDAhAHahaHAHAAAHAAA STTTOOOPPSSTTOOOPPPAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHaHAHAPPLLEEASEEEEHAHAHAHAHAAA IIITTTSSSTOOOOOMCCUUUUCCHH!!!" "Just say the magic words…” Justin added while scrubbing along the rosy balls of Max’s foot, wreaking pure havoc on the powerless lad’s body and mind. The enchanted feathers proved to be terribly destructive as well, tickling and annoying him in a particularly clever way on his hardening nipples, painfully vulnerable belly button, and wide-open neck. Those combined with the merciless hands digging around the insides and edges of his pits like they were in search of their own treasure made his temper rage while his laughter escalated, not to mention Justin tickling the absolute shit out of his bare foot only adding to the mounting insanity.

“AHAHAHAAALLRRIIIIGGHTTT AHAHAHAHAHAAALLRRIIIGGGHTTT!! HHoAhAJUUUUSSTTSSTTOOPPPP!!” Max finally let out amidst the ticklish insanity overwhelming him. Justin retracted the hairbrush, dropped the jeaned leg, and made the feathers/hands disappear before facing his brother. “So…where’s the pearl, dude?” The bound brunette looked back at Justin with a defeated look and sweat on his forehead, his chest going up and down to regain his composure. “…my pocket…” was all he said, prompting Justin to get closer and dig into the front pockets until he felt a round object. The seasoned wizard pulled out the rare pearl and Max whispered something to himself as his older brother studied it, too distracted to realize what was happening until it was too late.

The black pearl exploded in Justin’s hand and turned into a smoky substance that Max then absorbed, allowing him to break out of the glowing clamps on his wrists and leg. The vengeful Russo moved quickly to beat his brother to the punch, flinging his wand across the room and wrapping his brother from the shoulders to ankles in a tight material of some kind; mummifying the wizard to the coffee table on his back so he was immobile and defenseless. “Max! Let me go - now!” he demanded, struggling in the strong wrap. “Do you know how difficult it is to live with magic your whole life and then have to give it up while your brother and sister get to stay wizards?” he started, staring down at Justin. 

“You know that’s how it goes, I can’t help you didn’t win the tournament!” “I know that…and I tried to live a normal life but after a while I wanted magic of my own…then I heard about the onyx pearl. I saved up enough to buy one after a couple years and I’m still figuring out how it works but like you said, I’ve learned a few things” Max explained, hinting at the way he’d gotten one over on the more masterful wizard. “Let me out, Max…the pearl is influencing your judgment; this isn’t you!” Justin tried to enlighten. “I’ll admit, it brings out some of my darker qualities…vindictiveness for example” he replied before kneeling down in front of the slender bare feet sticking out from the wrap.

“Max! Come on!!” Justin shouted as panic spread across his face. Max answered with his mouth but chose actions over words as he stuck one set of the juicy toes past his lips and started sucking on them like his appetite had suddenly spiked. “OHhohohOHAAHWWHAATTAohAOhAAREhAHAAyOuUouUAHAhoahaoDDOoIINnG?” a shocked Justin asked with confused laughter. “I’ve always wanted to do this…” Max admitted as he slurped on the tasty, ticklish toes, rolling them around on his tongue and letting the salty flavor saturate his palate. Always the most knowledgeable of the siblings, Justin recalled how he’d read that the pearl lowered the inhibitions of whoever possessed it and he also remembered how in the years before moving out he’d suspected Max of having a thing for his feet. Both thoughts proved themselves right in that moment. 

Despite the way Justin used to casually go barefoot or even borderline show them off while he played his guitar or read a book, Max knew Justin ironically hated having his feet touched. It turned out he hated having them snacked on even more. “MaAAaXxXSSTtTtTOOOPP!” he yelled before the real reason to freak out came. The passionate slurping and sucking suddenly became nibbling all along the left set of toes, going back and forth like a beaver on the soft row. “AAAAAHHHHAAHAHaHAHAMMAAAXXXX AHAHAHAHAAHHAnONAoaoNOAAOOOOOAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAsSTTOOOPPPP!” Justin shrieked with ticklish disbelief, unable to hide how flummoxed and riled he was by the insane turn of events. He prided himself on being composed and smarter than any problem he’d face but having his toes sucked and nibbled on by his little brother and it tickling like pure hell was too much for even a wizard of his skill to overcome.

The wet, electric sensations were a form of tickling Justin had never experienced; odd yet brutal to toes as delicate as his. “This is too much fun…I’ve missed hanging out with my big bro” Max added as he waved his hand to take further advantage of his upper hand. The silent spell materialized a cotton swab, typically used for cleaning ears, and two feathers similar to the ones that had terrorized Max. The youngest Russo took advantage of the steady laughter pouring out of Justin and targeted the roof of his wide open mouth with the cotton swab, teasing across it with controlled drags back and forth while the feathers teased his exposed neck. 

“AAAHAhAhaahahAMMAAAAAAHAHahaHAAAHAHAHAHAAAAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAOOOHHOAHAOAHAHHAHAAA” Justin couldn’t even close his mouth fully thanks to the evil cotton swab exploiting a part of his body he didn’t realize could be tickled but the look on his face told Max just how hellish it was, his eyes full of ticklish suffering just as desired. Justin couldn’t help but realize how sadistic the pearl had made him but the dark magic only brought out things already inside you which puzzled the wizarding agent even further. With another silent enchantment to keep the swab tickling Jusitn’s mouth, Max soon started lathering the bottoms of both trapped feet as if he was an overly friendly dog, the stunning soles like soft taffy on his tongue. 

His tongue was impressively thorough on the delicious soles and when it began slithering between each toe, causing Justin’s high pitched laughter to shake the walls of the Russo living room. “You know, I like that trick you had earlier but I think it’d be better if we doubled it” Max announced as not one but two stiff-bristle hair brushes appeared in his hands. Justin poked his head up as much as he could to see what was heading his way and barely had enough time to clench his muscles to brace himself for the avalanche about to ruin him.

“OOOAHOAHAOHAHAOAHAOHAAGHH!! AohAOHAOhAOHNOO!! NOOOO!! AOHAOHAOhAOHAAMMMAAXXX!!!!” Justin lost his cool in a way he never had as the concentrated tickling ravaged his mouthwatering feet, conquering his savory soles with total domination while all he could do was laugh his pretty head off and pray he could think of a way out of the unbearable situation. The onyx pearl allowed the typically easy going former wizard to tap into the more wicked side of his personality, very apparent in how merciless he was tickling Justin as he used both oval-shaped brushes to scrub on the peachy pink soles with no restraint. 

“I’ll only stop if you swear to leave without the pearl and keep my secret” Max proposed while keeping the feathers and cotton swab paused mid-motion. “Max…you know…I can’t…it’s not good for you!” Justin tried to reason, eyeing the distance between the brush and his helpless bare feet like a finger on a bomb detonator. “It’s done more for me than being a regular wizard has” he answered rather coldly. “Max, please! Just stop…tickling me! Mercy!” Justin begged from the top of the tight black wrap. “If that’s what you really want” he seemingly obliged, vanishing the brushes, cotton swab, and feathers before leaning down to the pair of gorgeous feet once again.

The disappearance of any tickling tools gave Justin hope that he’d gotten through to Max but the corrupted wizard didn’t let him go, instead waving his hand again and gagging Justin with a solid piece of duct tape over his mouth. “MMphmPHMM!!” Justin whined before a tone of disgust began to taint his protest. “I added a little something extra too. Hope you don’t mind” Max pointed out with a devious grin as Justin had no choice but to have his mouth filled with the cheesy flavor of Max’s dirty socks in his mouth. “Now back to these feet…” Max announced with indulgent eyes as he knelt down to enjoy the delicious pair again until his dad opened the front door. 

“Max? Justin?? What’s going on??” “MMPhMMPHMM!!” Justin tried to call out for help but Max was too quick. “Wrong place, wrong time, pops” Max added before using his dark magic to subdue his father, leaving him next to Justin in an identical position on an identical coffee table. “MMphMM!!” Jerry tried to argue as he squirmed against the strict mummification. “Sorry, dad. Justin’s little visit home was more business than pleasure. I couldn’t have you helping him out” Max explained as Jerry watched on, confused by Max’s ability to use magic and what exactly he’d walked in on. 

“But since you’re here, I guess I could show you what me and Justin have been up to” Max explained with a flash of purple across his eyes from the onyx pearl before kneeling back down and waving his hand again to make Jerry’s sneakers and socks vanish. “MMPmmPHMMHPM!!” Justin and Jerry tried to assert with audible frustration but Max couldn’t be deterred. “Bon appetit” was all he said before magically tying their big toes together for easier control and indulging in all four bare feet. “MmpHMMPHMM!!!” the Russo men erupted with muffled laughter and shouts of disapproval but none of it stopped Max or his insatiable mouth, moving back and forth with enhanced speed to slurp up Jerry’s meaty soles one minute and nibble on Justin’s heel the next. Justin’s narrower feet jerked and kicked around as much as they could but couldn’t escape Max’s relentless tongue as he invaded between each of his toes, alternating between his and their dad’s juicier toes with greedy excitement while Jerry and Justin laughed their stomachs sore and their eyes watery. “I guess I should thank you for trying to take the pearl, Justin. The only thing better than a tasty pair of ticklish feet is two pairs of tasty ticklish feet” Max added before diving back in to munch, slurp, suck, and lick his brother and dad’s yummy wizard feet as long as he liked.