Date: Sat, 10 Mar 2012 12:21:10 -0500
From: mpseagle16@gmail.com
Subject: The Boys of Waverly Place Ch 6

AN: I'm gonna make this quick cause I've kept ya'll waiting way too long.

I wanna thank the hundreds (literally hundreds) of people who have been
emailing me non stop over the last several months trying to figure out what
the hell was going on with me and why I'd disappeared off the face of the
earth. The only reason I was able to pick myself up and begin writing again
was because of everyone kind words of encouragement.

Things got a little scary for a while. I was not doing well (physical
health wise) and had it not been for BloodyQueenMary's banter back and
forth with me while I was in the hospital, well, if nothing else, I
wouldn't have been able to look at my male nurses in the same way :)

She has been a true friend and helped me to get over some really rough
things.

Further, if anyone ever feels like they can't possibly go on anymore with
this life, please talk to someone. It can save you and all of your loved
ones a life of heart ache.


This chapter is dedicated to all of the cute male nurses at Del Ray medical
centre, as well as BloodyQueenMary, and everyone who has sent their support
during this time. 15 semi trucks full of cookies for everyone!

Now on with the show! (so much for making it quick)


Ch. 6

Justin Russo smiled into his pillow as he felt the first rays of morning
sunlight begin to filter in through his window, cascading in bright
yellow-orange arcs across his upper torso. He rolled over onto his back and
stretched out his arms, emitting a loud yawn. Then, he pressed his palms
into his face and began to rub his eyes forcefully, attempting to adjust
his vision to his now entirely too-bright room. He blinked several times as
his eyes finally became accustomed to their environment. Justin yawned
shamelessly once more, before turning to look at the digital clock on his
night stand.

`8:15...? Wow, I slept in!'

Justin had always been an early riser. He was used to getting up at 5:00 in
the morning on school days, so that he could triple check all the homework
he finished the night before. Even on the weekends, and during the summer,
for that matter, he never allowed himself to sleep in any later than
8:00. Ever since was a little kid, he always had this sneaking suspicion
that he was going to miss out on something really important if he slept in
too late.

As he grew older, the idea sort of stuck, and eventually turned into more
of a survival mechanism. If you grew up living in the same house as Alex
Russo, then you knew it was never safe to turn your back even for a moment
during the girl's waking hours. Justin had always felt bad for their little
brother, since Max had always been the last of the three to rise. And, as a
result, he'd fallen victim to Alex's pranks, jinx's, spells, and curses
more often than Justin cared to count.

The thought of his carefree, goofy younger brother brought the smile that
he had first awoken with back to his face. Justin felt himself relaxing
deeply into his fluffy mattress as he let out a sigh. He hadn't had such a
good night's rest in a very long time. Even though he had only slept about
five hours after the fiasco with Max, his sleep had been extraordinarily
restful, and now he had this overwhelmingly comfortable feeling that
everything was going to be okay.

Justin eventually pushed himself up into a sitting position, swinging his
legs over the side of the bed. He placed his feet firmly down onto the
warm, wood paneled floor, and then propelled himself up and out of bed. He
swayed slightly on the spot and then, once he caught his balance, he
reached his arms up over his head and stretched once more, arching his back
and flexing his tight abdominal muscles.

He picked up a pair of neatly folded pajama bottoms from the top of his
bureau before walking out of his room and into the long hallway. He quickly
stopped by the bathroom to relieve his bladder, and once he had finished,
he slipped his pants on, pulling the soft flannel material up so that they
were riding just below the waistband of his boxers. He flushed the toilet
and then left the bathroom, stopping outside of Max's door.

Justin wrapped his fingers around the cool brass handle and silently pushed
the door open. Max's room, as always, was quite dark. There was, however,
just enough sunlight peeking in through the heavy maroon curtains, drawn
across the large panoramic window opposite the doorway to illuminate Max's
peaceful form. He was still carefully tucked in under his white down
blanket, just as Justin had left him the night before.

Justin held his breath as he watched his brother sleep. He waited until he
could hear the gentle sound of Max steadily breathing in and out, before he
allowed the corners of his lips to turn up into a contented smile. Max
looked so serene and happy. His handsome boyish face was relaxed and his
lips were lightly pursed in a small pout as air passed back and forth
between them. It was almost impossible for Justin to believe that the same
peacefully sleeping, happy looking sixteen year old had made a serious
effort to hurt himself just hours before.

Justin bit his lip fiercely, attempting to rid himself of the terrible
memory. He knew, however, that he would never be able to forget the
horrible image of Max kneeling on the ground, tears streaming from his eyes
as a steady stream of blood trickled down his chest. He shook his head,
squeezing his eyes shut and then opening them again, forcing himself to
focus on Max's handsome, peaceful, worriless face.

`He's going to be okay.' Justin reassured himself.

Then, he quietly shut the boy's door and began to walk down the spiral
staircase and into the kitchen to make himself some breakfast. Three
minutes later, Justin sat down at the kitchen bar with a bowl of Captain
Crunch, half a grape fruit, and a glass of orange juice. He had just
finished sprinkling a very generous amount of sugar onto his grapefruit and
was about to dig into his cereal when he heard a muffled bang from
upstairs, followed by a hoarse, albeit high-pitched groan.

"Guess Alex is up." Justin said, smirking at his glass of orange
juice. `Early too.' He thought, glancing up at the microwave clock.

He soon heard footsteps padding less than elegantly down the stairs, and
then his sister's sleep addled form came into view. As per usual, for the
first thing in the morning, she looked like a total train wreck. She had
light bags under her tired drooping eyes, her pajama top was on backwards,
and her hair was completely disheveled.

"Good morning beautiful!" Justin beamed cheerfully as Alex plopped down
onto the bar stool next to him.

All she was able to manage was a fierce glare in Justin's direction before
she stole his orange juice and quickly drained it in several large
gulps. Then, very surprisingly, she let out a loud burp. Alex's hand shot
up to cover her mouth and she spun her head around scanning the room as if
to make sure that no one had witnessed her major faux pas.

"That was very lady like."

"Shut up Justin!" Alex bit at him. Then her gaze fell onto his Captain
Crunch.

Justin made to pull the bowl out of her reach, but the girls reflexes were
surprisingly tuned for someone who had just woken up, and she was soon
merrily munching away at her brother's breakfast. Justin gritted his teeth
and then sighed, knowing it would be pointless to attempt to fight with his
sister.

Alex always won... no matter what.

Instead, he fixed his Jaw before pulling out his wand, quickly summoning
another bowl of cereal and milk. The two eldest Russo siblings sat munching
away quietly for a few minutes before Alex's voice, now back to its usual
devious nature, broke the silence.

"So," she began, turning in her seat to stare down her brother, one eyebrow
cocked in morbid curiosity. "How's it goin'?"

Alex never just asked `how's it goin'.' The girl always had an ulterior
motive.

"Um... good?" Justin began hesitantly, leery of what direction Alex was
about to take the conversation in.

"Good?" Alex repeated back, clearly dissatisfied. "Good...? You left me
paralyzed on the floor last night after you and Maxie finished confessing
your undying love for each other! The last thing I saw was you storming up
the stairs chasing after him, and you're telling me that you're just good?"

"Yes?"

"So... nothing... happened?" Alex's eyebrow arched, if at all possible,
even more suggestively.

It took Justin's ridiculously naïve mind several seconds to understand
Alex's implication. Then, his face turned bright red, and he quickly rolled
his eyes.

"You know, you have a very twisted mind."

"Mmm... but I'm not the one in love with my brother..."

`Touché.' Justin thought as his face fell in defeat.

"Shh!" he cast a furtive look over his shoulder, half expecting his mom and
dad to be eavesdropping in on their conversation. "I'm not in love with
Max!" Justin hissed at her.

"Right..." Alex crossed her leg and turned back to her cereal, taking
another bite. "He's just been on your mind all the time lately, and you
totally turn into a hormonal teenage girl whenever you see him without a
shirt on. But you're not in love or anything..."

"I do not turn into a teenage girl whenever I see him without a shirt on!"

"Hey guys, what's up?" A soft voice mumbled quietly from across the room.

Justin and Alex turned their gaze toward the stairs to see Max slowly
making his way across the kitchen towards them. He was mirroring Justin,
wearing just a pair of long pajama bottoms. The oldest Russo boy couldn't
help a blush quickly rising to his face as he watched the muscles in Max's
lean torso ripple back and forth as he walked around the counter in front
of them and took up a seat next to their sister.

Alex started to choke on her cereal as she paused in mid laughter and began
to cough forcefully, attempting to dislodge the Crunch Berry that had
become caught in her throat.

"What's so funny?" Max asked, looking innocently back and forth between his
brother and sister.

"Nothing," Justin said forcefully, kicking Alex as hard as he could under
the table, causing the girl to yelp out loud, sending the aforementioned
Crunch Berry flying across the kitchen. "Alex just has a weird sense of
humour."

Max nodded in assent, his eyes distractedly following the trajectory of the
piece of cereal until it splattered against the front of the stove. Then he
turned to look at Justin and a small smile formed across his lips.

Justin felt butterflies beginning to dance around in his stomach again as
he shot Max a quick smile back before focusing his attention back on his
breakfast.

`Damn it, Alex is right! I do act like a teenage girl around him. I'm so
screwed...' Then another thought occurred to him.

"Hey, how did you break my spell Alex? You should have still been
immobilized on the ground where I left you last night."

Alex's face twisted up into a secretive grin. "Wouldn't you like to
know...?"

"What does `immobilized' mean?"

"Max, how old are you again?" Alex remarked sarcastically, rolling her eyes
at her little brother's air-headedness."

"Sixteen, I think." Max screwed his eyes up, furrowing his brow, deep in
thought.

"You had your wand, didn't you?" Justin went on, completely ignoring the
conversation between his younger siblings.

"It means," Alex went on, headless of Justin's last comment, "that our
brother, Mr. `I'm gonna be the family wizard', couldn't even manage to
successfully cast a simple spell on a poor, defenseless, innocent little
girl last night."

Max nodded his head in understanding, although his face still looked blank
and confused.

"Yeah, innocent my ass..." Justin muttered into his cereal.

"So, what's for breakfast?" Max changed the subject, his face brightening
cheerfully.

"Uh..." Alex looked down suggestively at her and Justin's cereal.

"Oh, cool. My favourite!" Max declared happily. Then, he reached across the
counter in front of Alex and stole Justin's bowl of Captain Crunch out from
under him, just as his brother was about to scoop out another spoon full.

"Really Max?!" Justin said in disbelief as his breakfast was stolen from
him for a second time that morning.

"Need that too." Max said, plucking the metal spoon out from Justin's hand.

"God, I taught him well." Alex remarked as she stole the rest of Justin's
grapefruit, taking the plate with her as she stood up from the
table. "Well, I'm going to leave you two losers for some much better
company."

"What, like your reflection?" Justin smirked back.

"Oooh!" Max said, bumping fists with Justin. "Burnnn!"

"You guys are sooo lame." Alex called over her shoulder as she began to
head back up the stairs. "I hope you realize that you're both going to die
alone and miserable." Her voice echoed down faintly from the third floor.

Justin and Max smirked at each other triumphantly. It was always an amazing
feeling whenever they could get a one up on Alex. They continued to smile,
peering deeply into each other's eyes, until Justin finally tore his gaze
away, feeling a warm flush traveling up his neck.

`God, why does he have to do this to me?!'

Justin chanced another glance up at Max from the corner of his eye. The boy
had finally returned his attention back to finishing the rest of his
cereal. His shaggy dark brown hair was slightly wild and sticking up at odd
places, creating an absolutely adorable look. Justin found himself
transfixed as he watched his little brother eat. Everything from the way
Max held his spoon, to the movement of his Adam's apple bobbing up and down
as he swallowed, were doing strange things to his brain.

`Am I actually starting to fall for my brother, or is this some new
infatuation?'

For the moment, however, Justin really didn't care about what the nature of
his feelings were. He was simply contented at just watching his brother
enjoy the rest of his breakfast.

Max must have sensed Justin's unwavering gaze on him, because he eventually
set down his spoon and turned his head to look back at the older boy, an
air of curiosity passing over his face.

"You alright, Justin?" Max asked, tilting his head to the side.

Justin shook his head, snapping himself out of his trance. He hated getting
caught staring at the handsome young man before him.

"Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking, that's all."

"What about?"

"Well..." Justin began tentatively, taking a deep breath. "I guess just
about everything that's been going on these last couple of days..."

Max raised an eyebrow in interest. "What, you mean like getting ready for
your Monster Hunter finals, or like what's been going on in the news and
stuff?"

Justin shook his head again, grinning broadly back at his little brother.

`God, how aloof can this boy be? Well... this is Max I'm talking about.'

He let out a small laugh, but allowed his face to take on a look of
sincerity.

"No, Maxie. I mean, everything that's been going on between you and
me... Especially last night."

"Oh." Max's face fell slightly, his eyes temporarily losing their shining
luster. "Justin, I'm so sorry for what I did last night! If you hadn't come
into my room when you did... I don't know what would have..."

"Maxie," Justin interrupted the boy before he could work himself up into a
fit. "You scared me so badly last night." He felt tears from the emotions
he had held at bay over the last 12 hours finally rising up. "When I saw
you with that knife in your hand... and all the blood... I didn't know... I
thought I was going to lose you."

Justin felt several hot tears finally spill over his eyes. "I was so
scared. It kills me that you were in so much pain Especially knowing that I
somehow caused part of..."

"Justin!" Max interjected seriously, getting up from his chair and walking
over to the older boy in order to stand face to face with him. "You never
caused any of this! I've just been having all these strange feeling lately,
and I just couldn't find a way to tell you."

"Max... You know I care about you, right?" Justin reached out and put a
hand on the boy's bare shoulder supportively.

Max's gaze shot to Justin's hand and then fell to the floor, a small
sheepish smile forming over his lips.

"Yeah, I know..." he whispered half heartedly.

"I'm serious, Maxie." Justin said, tightening his grip. "Look at me."

Max looked up, and Justin found himself totally becoming lost in his
brother's deep, chocolatey eyes.

"Ever since the first day you came home from the hospital and I made mom
let me hold you, I've cared about you so much."

A large smile slowly began to break over Max's face and his eyes sparkled
more intensely than ever.

"I know it's kinda lame, but I just want you to be happy. I've hated seeing
you so miserable over the last year. I love you Maxie, and I would do
anything... give up everything if it meant never having to see you suffer
again."

A brilliant light began to erupt behind Max's eyes, but then faded again
just as quickly, and his face fell once more. He mumbled something as he
stared down at his feet, but Justin wasn't able to make out anything the
boy said.

"What was that?"

Max looked up into his eyes briefly, and Justin realized that he had
started to cry. Max shook his head, averting his gaze back to the floor,
but spoke more clearly this time.

"Some things just aren't possible, Justin." His voice was dejected, weak,
and broken.

"How do you know that, Max?"

"Because!" Max shouted more forcefully than he had intended, his face
darkening bitterly. "Just because." His voice became calm once more. "I
know you and Alex and mom and dad all want me to be happy, but the one
thing that I want so badly is so messed up and twisted. It could never
happen because people would be so freaked out. Mom and dad would be so
upset. My friends would never talk to me again, and worst of all; and this
is the part that kills me... It will never happen because you don't..." Max
trailed off, his face hardening into icy stone, his eyes losing all of
their life. He exhaled sharply and turned to leave, but Justin caught him
by the upper arm and stood up before the younger boy could take another
step.

Justin pulled Max into his chest, wrapping his arms around the boy's naked
torso, hugging him tightly. At first, Max just stood there, his arms
hanging limply at his sides, but slowly Justin felt Max's warm hands
beginning to snake their way around his waist. They just stood there,
hugging for a long time, their firm bodies fitting perfectly against each
other. Justin gently ran the tips of his fingers up and down Max's toned
back, remembering how much the boy used to love the sensation when he was a
little kid. He felt Max arch into him in response to his ministrations, and
Justin's lips turned up into a small satisfied smile.

Then, Justin's hand traveled up to the nape of Max's neck where he took a
firm hold and then he bent down burying his face into his brother's dark
messy locks. He inhaled Max's scent, reveling in the combination of musk
and spice and shampoo that was truly and uniquely Max Russo. He placed a
gentle kiss on the crown of his brother's head and then pulled his face
back when he felt warm tears leaking onto his chest.

"What's wrong, Max?" Justin asked, looking into the boy's dark, glossy
eyes.

Max released a hand from Justin's waist in order to wipe the tears that
were now trailing wet splotchy streaks down his face. He shook his head,
looking up towards the ceiling in order to avoid Justin's gaze.

"Maxie," Justin whispered gently, cupping his brother's damp cheek, forcing
the boy to look into his eyes. "Tell me."

The shorter boy's bottom lip trembled, his Adam's apple quivering as a
small, silent sob wracked through him. "Justin," he started, but had to
stop himself so that he could take a few deep breaths in order to steady
his nerves. He leaned in close, pressing his lips against Justin's ears,
unable to bear looking into his brother's face any more.

"Justin... I... I want you so badly," he whispered as a fresh torrent of
tears began to stream from his eyes.

Justin felt his body begin to tremble involuntarily. The feeling of Max's
soft lips and warm breath against his sensitive ear was driving him crazy
with pleasure, but it was the boy's earth shattering confession that nearly
brought the older boy to his knees.

Max bit down gently on Justin's neck in order to stave a cry from ringing
out as another sob wracked through him.

Justin continued to hold onto his brother protectively, massaging his back
with one hand and running his longs fingers through Max's shaggy hair with
the other.

"I want you Justin," Max whispered again. "And I hate myself for it because
I never wanted you to find out. I knew things would become weird between
us. I... I wish we weren't brothers and that I was girl or something so
maybe you would like me the same way. But... I've been trying to deal with
the real world and it... it just hurts so badly." Max's body began to shake
violently, and Justin could only hold the boy tightly in his arms as more
muffled cries escaped his lips.

Justin's heart ached as Max fell apart in his arms. He loved his brother so
much and he couldn't bear to see the boy suffering.

"Maxie, I understand how you feel."

"No you don't, Justin!" Max insisted, leaning back to peer imploringly into
Justin's eyes. "You have Juliet. You've been in love with her since the
moment you met her, but the difference is she loves you back."

Justin made an effort to cut his brother off again but Max continued on,
working himself up even more.

"I've had these feelings for you for over a year. You don't know what it's
like to be around someone every day and to think about them like I think
about you all the time. To have dreams about them almost every night, but
every time I wake up I'm still alone. Do you know what you do to me every
time I see you like this?" Max gestured, running his fingers between
Justin's pecs, down his chiseled abs, to the waistband of his Calvin Klein
boxers.

A shiver ran down Justin's spine as goose bumps erupted in the wake of his
little brother's intimate touch. He found himself starting to grow hard and
moved his hips back a fraction of an inch so that Max wouldn't realize his
issue as well. Justin trailed his thumbs down the boy's toned sides and
then rested his hands on his brother's bony hips.

"Max," Justin felt his heart beginning to thud painfully in his chest. "I
have strong feelings for you, too. More than any brother should ever feel."

"Don't say that, Justin!" Max suddenly pushed the older boy back. "Don't
even try to make me feel better by saying crap like that."

"But I'm serious, Max!" Justin finally shouted, wrapping his arm back
around the boy's waist once more and pulling their torsos together
again. "I can't fake this!" he said, and then to drive home his point he
pressed his pelvis into Max.

Max's eyes shot open in shock, feeling Justin's throbbing erection barely
confined behind his boxers and flimsy pants pressing into him.

"Justin... w-what..." he began stammering.

"Max, just shut up for a second." Then Justin grinned broadly down at his
brother's extraordinarily attractive flushed face. "God you drive me
crazy... do you know that?" Finally, unable to resist the urge any longer,
Justin closed the distance between the two of them. Slowly, he brought his
face down level with Max's. He noticed his brother's eyes widen with shock,
which only made his smile broaden even more. Justin tilted Max's chin up
till they were eye to eye. He could feel Max's breath coming out ragged and
frantic, tickling his face.

"Maxie," Justin whispered as he gently ran the tip of his thumb over his
brother's bottom lip. "I want you too."

Max's mouth started to open as he tried to say something in response, but
Justin never gave him the chance. Slowly, he pressed his lips up against
Max's own soft, lightly chapped ones. Their eyes both became heavy and
fluttered closed as they drew their bodies more closely together. Justin
pulled Max into him and, with his free hand, tangled his fingers back in
the boy's shaggy hair as he began to apply more pressure to the kiss.

Max moaned in response and wrapped his arms more tightly around Justin's
waist, allowing his fingers to fall over the subtle curves of the older
boy's firm butt.

They continued to hold each other for several seconds, breathing in one
another's scent as their lips remained locked together in the most
intimate, tender kiss Justin had ever experienced. Finally, after the most
incredible few moments of his life, Justin broke the kiss, backing his face
up only a few inches to rest his forehead against Max's. His eyes slowly
opened back up and he found his little brother's face alight, happier than
he had ever seen the boy before.

"Oh... My... God! That was only the cutest thing I have ever seen in my
entire life!" Alex grinned giddily down at them from the spot where she had
been hiding at the top of the stairs. "Dang it! I should have taken a
picture with my phone!" she groaned. "Can you guys do that like one more
time, cause I think that we really need to capture this moment!"

Justin's face burned fiery hot and he felt Max suddenly jerk away from him,
his head hung in embarrassment. Neither boy, however, could stop grinning
like an idiot.



AN: (I like to talk... I'm a writer)

Very special thanks to everyone who reviewed since my last update!

"http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1375662/EnchantixFae" EnchantixFae,
"http://www.fanfiction.net/u/2968223/Bloody_Queen_Mary" Bloody Queen Mary,
"http://www.fanfiction.net/u/2875565/Sora_Ketashiba" Sora Ketashiba,
"http://www.fanfiction.net/u/2528680/WhiteLotus12" WhiteLotus12,
"http://www.fanfiction.net/u/3011483/Vampwolf13" Vampwolf13,
"http://www.fanfiction.net/u/2430518/Koga_Sukarama" Koga Sukarama, josh, kuressento268,
"http://www.fanfiction.net/u/3011483/Vampwolf13" Vampwolf13,
"http://www.fanfiction.net/u/947352/StormLongbottom" StormLongbottom, ash, drwhomaniac96,
"http://www.fanfiction.net/u/2723557/jmh1987" jmh1987,
"http://www.fanfiction.net/u/2941556/The_Terrible_Jester" The Terrible Jester,
"http://www.fanfiction.net/u/3446966/paige_drama_mama" paige.drama.mama, Evan.

You guys are amazing! You're my muse, and ya'll always make me do this
embarrassing happy dance every time my phone goes off in the middle of
class letting me know I have a new email/review.

A very very special thanks to all of my Nifty.org email reviewers as
well. Especially to Dwayne for being my spring board! I used to list
everyone's screen name as a way of saying thanks but I got yelled at pretty
good for that last time :( so you all know who you are... you're amazing,
and I'll try to personally email all of you back...

As for Ch. 7... It is in the brain works right now and in the process of
going on paper (so to speak). I have consulted with my Beta,
BloodyQueenMary, and have something really wicked in store for everyone :)
I love twists! Until next time, I love you all.

-michael