Date: Mon, 22 Nov 2021 01:00:00 -0800 From: John Henry Subject: Growing Up Charlie Chapter 21 (Gay/Incest) DONATION: Nifty is a not-for-profit organization that heavily relies on our donations to keep the site free and accessible. Your donations pay for web hosting fees and other day-to-day activities for the wonderful staff of editors/publishers. You can donate on the website at http://donate.nifty.org/ Every little bit counts. DISCLAIMER: This story is a work of fiction, and contains explicit, sexual content involving adults over the age of 21 and minors under the age of 16, and scenes of incest involving step-parents/step-children. If viewing this material is illegal where you live, OR you're a minor under the age of 18, please stop reading this. If you're not sure about this legatilty, please stop reading until you have looked into your own, local laws. Any likeness or similarity between persons, places, products or concepts are purely coincidental. If you would like to leave any positive feedback, please let me know. Thank you. Chapter 21 Will had Billy bring his brothers back to Rick's after school on Monday. When the brothers entered the house, they noticed how clean it was. Rick kept a pretty tidy house, but with the boys gone, it was easier for him to keep the house better managed. Ry and Billy discussed how they were going to approach their adopted father. They decided that everyone would get their homework done before their dad got home, and the older boys would work on dinner, while Charlie did the laundry. Charlie wasn't very keen on the plan but gave into his brothers' pressure. Rick came home just after five. He looked very tired, but also very pleased to see his sons once more. He hugged each of them and praised them for the work they put in. Dinner was relatively quiet. Rick looked as if he was going to fall asleep at the table, and none of the boys wanted to talk about what happened with Charlie. Once they finished, Rick went to the couch and fell asleep instantly. Billy removed his secret lover's shoes and wrapped him in a nearby blanket. The boys went to their respective rooms and entertained themselves. Charlie chose to play video games by himself, since he had been away from his console for almost a week. He logged into his account and got online. He enjoyed playing a fantasy roleplaying game with a group from Australia. Before the accident, he used to play shooter games, but the gunfire triggered night terrors. He missed those games, but even thinking about them caused anxiety most of the time. He and his companions were about to enter a swamp fortress of the local hag, when there was a soft knock at his door. "Come in," he said, without taking his eyes from the screen. He quickly added, "No, Matt, I wasn't talking to you!" The door opened and Justin entered, closing the door behind him. He walked quietly towards Charlie, who was still very engrossed in his quest. Justin sat on the bed and watched the cute boy get wound up as his attacks barely landed. Occasionally, he stifled a chuckle as Charlie grew frustrated with his teammates. Charlie cried out, "What the hell, Ben?! Hags are weak against fire! Hit it with a fireball!! FIREBALL, Damn it! I don't care that you're 32! I'm 10 and can do a better job than you!" Charlie swore one final time before pulling off his headset and nearly throwing it. His party suffered a TPK (Total Party Kill), and they had to start all over without their hard earned equipment. Justin stood, walked to Charlie and wrapped his arms around his crush. Charlie jumped and almost screamed, having forgotten that someone came into his room. "It's only me," Justin said, tightly hugging Charlie. "When did you get here?" Charlie asked, trying to get out of Justin's embrace. "A few minutes ago." Justin said, letting go of Charlie. "Billy went to get dessert, and I offered to stay behind." "Why?" Charlie asked, already guessing the answer. "So I could see you, silly," Justin said. He leaned in and kissed Charlie on the lips. Charlie returned the kiss and was glad tongue wasn't involved. "I've missed you." "I missed you, too," Charlie lied. He had barely thought of Justin and was actually glad to not have seen him since Billy's birthday. Charlie still didn't know how he felt about Justin, and being in the older teen's arms and kissing him wasn't helping. "Good," Justin said, kissing Charlie again. "I just wanted to see you again," He said, standing upright. "Can I check on you later, when everyone has gone to bed?" Charlie didn't care for the implication he sensed, so he said, "I don't know. I've been having nightmares again, so Ry has been sleeping with me every night." "Oh," Justin said, sounding disappointed. "Well, maybe next time." With that, Justin kissed Charlie again before heading back to Billy's room. It was a tough sell, but Charlie managed to convince Ry to sleep with him again. Ry complained that he wanted to have his own bed for once, since Charlie's bed was smaller than his, but gave in, when Charlie lied and said that he played one of his shooter games, thinking it wouldn't bother him. Ry chastised him but agreed. Charlie was so relieved, he hugged Ry and kissed him on the cheek. Ry almost panicked and changed his mind. Ry didn't sleep well, as expected. Charlie was overly clingy through the night, which constantly kept his erection up. He considered masturbating to get it to go away, but he didn't want Charlie to wake up discovering it. He had blue balls since the night he dreamed of Charlie and Quentin, and was looking forward to relieving the mounting pressure. Charlie woke the next morning alone in his bed. He took a shower, making sure that Justin wasn't waiting to see him naked, and got dressed. He walked into the kitchen and found his brothers and Justin eating breakfast. Their dad had already left for work. Justin offered to take Charlie to school, but Charlie, fearing what might happen, blurted out that he wanted Billy to do it. Ry and Billy looked suspiciously at Charlie, who said that he wasn't ready and needed a few more minutes, so he was fine waiting for Billy. Billy rolled his eyes and agreed, while Ry internally questioned Charlie's reaction. Billy, annoyed, pulled up to the school. Charlie hugged his brother and thanked him, which threw Billy off. "You're going to have to catch the bus, you know," Billy said, as Charlie got out of the car. "I know," Charlie said, closing the door. He looked around and found David. David's face was slowly healing. The scratches on his face were mostly gone, but the bruising around his eye was still pretty bad looking. "Hey," David said, as Charlie approached. "My dad said I could stay the night Friday." "Shit," Charlie said, then quickly looked around to make sure there wasn't a teacher around. "I forgot to ask my dad." When David looked disappointed, Charlie hastily added, "But I'll definitely ask after school. My dad could barely stay awake because of his job." "Okay," David said, with a hint of skepticism. "Hi Charlie," Megan said, as she took her seat. Charlie blushed a little. Mrs. McGrady was back to her normal crankiness, which meant no fun activities. Charlie was , however, happy that Joey hadn't returned, though he knew the bully would be back in a few days. The classwork was difficult and Charlie struggled to concentrate on his work. At lunch, David helped him with understanding the math work. Again, Megan waved at Charlie, trying to get him to sit with her, but he ignored her and sat with David. Luckily, Mrs. McGrady played a movie after lunch. It was very old and from the National Park Service. It was about Yellowstone National Park, and Charlie couldn't get through it. He loved volcanoes and would often watch documentaries about them, especially Yellowstone, so when the movie failed to mention the caldera or that it was even a volcano (let alone one of the most dangerous super volcanoes on the planet), he tuned it out. He felt someone behind him tap him on the shoulder. Charlie jumped thinking it was Mrs. McGrady catching him not paying attention; however, it was a girl named Vicky. He looked around to make sure their teacher wasn't watching. Charlie saw Vicky trying to hand him a folded piece of paper and quickly took it. It was too dark to make out any of the writing, so he put it in his pocket instead. During recess, Charlie and David found their usual spot in the field. It was a cool, cloudy afternoon, with a cold breeze. Charlie recounted his failed attempt to kill the hag, while David thumbed through a comic book. David didn't have a computer, so he didn't understand most of what Charlie was talking about. "Hi Charlie," Megan said. She had removed herself from her group of girls, who were staring at her and Charlie, as if waiting to see a potential train wreck. "Hi?" Charlie said. First Jack and now her, Charlie thought, someone is trying to mess with me. "Have you read my note?" Megan asked with a hopeful smile. "Note?" Charlie replied confused. He then remembered the piece of paper Vicky gave him. Charlie pulled it out of his pocket and unfolded it. He nearly tore the paper in half, as it was folded up pretty good. Already uncomfortable, Charlie tried to read the note as fast as he could. The note explained that Megan liked him, had always liked him, and she wanted to know if he would be her boyfriend. Charlie's stomach lurched, as his anxiety kicked in. Memories of Justin being in love with him popped in and out of his head. Furthermore, if Charlie and Megan had been friends over the previous years, he might have considered it, but they hadn't ever had a conversation until that moment; in fact, she, like everyone else, seemed to go out of her way to avoid him. Resentment and fear bubbled to the surface. "No," Charlie blurted out. "What? Why?" Megan said, looking crestfallen. "You're only talking to me because I hit Joey, aren't you?" "No. That's not true," she said. "Really?" Charlie asked rhetorically. "You haven't said a word to me until now. Even when we had to do group projects, you ignored me." "I didn't. I swear," Megan said, as she started to tear up. "Then why are you talking to me now?" Charlie demanded. "Because." Megan said. "Because why?" "I don't know. Because." Charlie stood up and thrust the note at her. He looked at the group of girls nearby, many of whom were giggling, while the others looked horrified. Charlie wanted to yell at them. Tell them how mean they'd been to him. How bad they made him feel for four long years. How he even hated himself, because they ignored him. Instead, he looked at David and said, "Let's go somewhere else." "Okay," David said, getting his things. The rest of the school day was stressful. Charlie could feel the other kids, especially the girls, talking behind his back. It didn't help that Vicky kept kicking his chair to annoy him. Charlie was glad when school was over. He got on the bus and took the first empty seat he saw, not caring who might complain. Charlie kept his eyes forward in defiance as members of his class, including Jack Trapper, got on and made their way to the back of the bus. Jack sat behind Charlie. Once the bus started to move, he tapped Charlie on the shoulder and said, "Dude, what's your problem?" Charlie ignored him, but Jack kept tapping him till Charlie angrily looked back at the boy. "What?!" Charlie snapped. "What's your problem?" Jack repeated. "You made Megan cry." "So," Charlie said. He didn't know he made her cry, but he was so mad at how everyone had been treating him, he didn't care at that point. "What's your problem?" Jack asked again. "My problem," Charlie said, "is you and everyone like you. I hit Joey because he hit my friend and me, and all of a sudden you assholes decide to start talking to me after three years. Megan wouldn't talk to me until after that, and now, she wants to be my girlfriend. "You don't say anything to me until I come back to class and now, you want me to play with you. You're even talking to me! Why didn't you ask me in second or third grade, Jack? Why now?" Jack scoffed and said, "Whatever," and sat back in his seat. "What's your problem?" Charlie said mockingly. "Come on, Jack. Tell me! Or are you too scared?" "Fine," Jack said, a sneer growing on his face. "We didn't talk to you, because you're a loser. You weren't cool enough until you hit Joey. Nobody likes you...except that little pussy you hang out with." Jack looked at his friends who laughed. Fed up and pissed, Charlie punched Jack in the mouth. Jack's head bounced off the back of his seat and collided with Charlie's fist once more, as Charlie took a second swing. Once the initial shock wore off and Charlie was going for his fourth punch to Jack's face, Jack's friends jumped to action and tried to tackle Charlie. The other kids shouted, "Fight, fight, fight!" And, the bus driver pulled over to break up the skirmish. Jack was dazed from the blows he took to the face. As for Charlie, he was hit several times in the face and chest, but managed to punch and kick several of the boys who attacked him. Charlie was forced to sit near the driver until all the other kids were dropped off and he was taken back to the school to face Mr. Caldwell, who called Rick instead of Will. "I can't believe this!" Rick yelled at his son. "He called me a loser," Charlie said, trying to defend his actions, while holding an ice pack to his face. "I don't care what he called you," Rick barked. "You don't hit someone because they called you a name!" Rage over took Charlie and he shouted, "YOU HIT ME BECAUSE I CALLED YOUR GIRLFRIEND A NAME! HOW IS THAT ANY DIFFERENT?!" Rick got very quiet. Fear washed over him. He didn't know if Principal Caldwell would report him for abuse or not, which would put his sons' custody at risk, especially Ry's, since he didn't have any biological family left. "That's different," Rick tried to say as calmly as he could. "LIAR! IT'S NOT DIFFERENT, AND YOU KNOW IT!" Charlie bellowed. "Charlie," Mr. Caldwell said, in a quiet voice, hoping to defuse the situation, "we have rules here, and one of those rules is no fighting. It doesn't matter what someone else says, even if it hurts." Charlie started to hyperventilate, and he felt the ground give out from underneath him. Neither adult was able to grab him as he crumpled to the floor. Rick picked up his child and tried to use soothing words but nothing helped. Panic stricken, Rick called the only person he knew who could talk Charlie down. Justin arrived within a few minutes. He knew he was going to get in trouble for leaving in the middle of class, but Charlie was more important than geometry. Luckily, the high school was just over a mile from the elementary school. Justin rushed into the familiar looking hall and office. He let himself into the small room and pulled Charlie from his dad's arms. Justin whispered words only for Charlie. A few tears fell from his eyes as he buried his face in Charlie's neck. He rocked the boy and rubbed his back until Charlie's breath slowed and became more regular. Charlie came around and saw that he was in Justin's arms. His reservations about the teen were gone, as he knew Justin would never let anyone hurt him. If kissing Justin and being touched by the young man was the price he had to pay to be protected from his father, he was ready to pay it. Charlie wrapped his arms around Justin's neck and barely whispered, "I love you." Justin hugged Charlie tightly and whispered the words back. He stood, still holding Charlie, and asked what happened, as he only just noticed the marks and bruising on the 10-year-old's face. Justin pondered if Rick had hit him again, which brought up a rage in him that he had only felt for one other person in his life. Rick and Mr. Caldwell explained about the fight on the bus and how Charlie collapsed. Justin thought there was much more to the story, but decided to ask Charlie later. He went to set Charlie down, but Charlie wrapped his legs around Justin and whispered, "Don't let me go." Justin said he'd take Charlie home, as the adults began to talk about punishments for Charlie. Rick went to stroke Charlie's head, but Charlie pulled away, nearly hitting Justin in the face. He looked at Rick and said aloud, "I wish Uncle Will was my dad and not you." Justin ignored Rick's look of pain, as he carried Charlie out to his car. Justin took Charlie home as promised. He and the boy held hands the whole way to the house. Justin carried Charlie up to his room and they both laid down on the small bed. "I love you," Justin said, wiping the tears from Charlie's chubby cheeks. "I love you, too," Charlie said, hugging his bear, wishing the day would just end. Justin leaned in and kissed Charlie, who kissed him back. For the first time since they started, Charlie wasn't grossed out by the act, even when Justin slipped his tongue in Charlie's mouth. Justin held and kissed Charlie until he heard someone come through the front door. They said they loved each other one more time, just as the bedroom door opened. "We need to talk," Rick said. His tone was serious, but Justin picked up on the lingering pain Charlie's words caused. Normally, Justin would have had sympathy for Rick, but Charlie had told him everything. Having been bullied as a young child, he sided more with the boy he loved than the boy's father. Charlie sat up and looked bitterly at his father, hoping Rick would feel the hate he felt. Rick continued, "You've been suspended for three days, all in school. You've also been banned from the bus for two months, so you're going to have to stay at the school until Billy can pick you up. You're also grounded for rest for the rest of the week, which means no video games, no T.V., and no going to Will's. You're to come home, go to your room and only come out to eat, go to school, use the bathroom and do your chores. By the way, you'll be doing yours and your brothers' chores, too." Charlie said, desperately, "I wanted my friend David to stay the night Friday. He already has permission." "Maybe you should've thought about that before hitting those boys," Rick said defiantly. "Joey hit me first," Charlie said, just as defiant. "And Jack was being really mean and hurtful because I wouldn't play kickball with him, and because I told Megan I didn't want to be her boyfriend!" "Who's Megan?" Rick asked. "A girl from his class, who, like everyone else, has been ignoring him until he hit Joey," Justin said, as if Rick was slow witted. "Seriously, Mr. Barton, aren't you even listening to him?" "He never listens to me," Charlie said, burying his face into Justin's chest once more. "I--" Rick stammered. "These kids have treated him like a leper since you moved here. He only has one friend in that entire school, because the other kids will not talk to him or even acknowledge his existence. What's more," Justin added, "They're only being nice to him because he hit another kid. What does that say about them? Be honest with yourself, Mr. Barton: What would you have done in Charlie's shoes? And what kind of message does that send? You only exist to me after you hurt someone else? And, when you reject my selfish offer of 'friendship', I'm going to be verbally hostile to you? I mean no disrespect (which he most certainly did mean), by allowing them to win, you're being just as much of a bully to Charlie as they are. "You may have forgotten what it was like to be his age, but I haven't. I went to that school and was bullied there. And, from what I could tell, things haven't changed, either. Mr. Caldwell was my fifth grade teacher and he let kids bully me for being gay and different. He even watched a boy beat me up and did nothing to stop it." "I'm sorry that happened to you," Rick said. "I'm not the one you need to feel sorry for," Justin said, pointedly, cradling a still sobbing Charlie. "Charlie," Rick said. "I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry, Little Man. I've been doing this all wrong. Can you forgive me?" Charlie didn't respond. He wanted his dad to go away. He didn't believe anything Rick was saying, feeling like he had heard it all before with Brenda, with nothing ever changing. "Maybe you two can talk later," Justin suggested, with a not-so-subtle-hint of get the fuck away. Rick took the hint and left the room. "He's gone," Justin said to Charlie, as he kissed the boy on the cheek. Charlie didn't move but clung to Justin, as if he was the only person in the world. ***Coming Soon, Chapter 22***