Date: Sat, 25 Dec 2021 01:00:00 -0800
From: John Henry <niftyjhenry1988@gmail.com>
Subject: Growing Up Charlie Chapter 31 (Gay/Incest)

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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 31


"Where have you been?" Rick asked, almost demanded. Charlie began to
cry all over again. He had just come to terms with Justin touching him
sexually and now, his dad was mad and starting to yell at him. Realizing
his mistake, Rick moved quickly to his son and pulled Charlie into his
arms. "I'm so sorry, Little Man," he whispered. "I didn't mean to
sound mad. I was just worried. Will called and said you and Justin left a
while ago."


Charlie became painfully aware that he hadn't been hugged by his father
in ages, which only hurt him even more, especially since his dad used to
hug and hold him all the time before they moved to Washington. He
clutched Rick's shirt desperate for his father to not let go of him;
however, Rick gently pulled away, breaking Charlie's heart even more.


"Dinner's almost done," Ry softly said from behind their father.


Rick wiped the tears from Charlie's face and said to his boy, "Why don't
you get cleaned up, okay?" Ry looked worried as his baby brother went
upstairs.


Dinner was quiet. When asked about church, Charlie didn't say much. It
was clear that he was still upset, so nobody pressed him.


After dinner, Rick took his sons to a movie. Rick lifted the arm rest
between his seat and Charlie's, and wrapped his arm around the boy.
Charlie leaned his head against his dad's side and listened to the
strong, steady heartbeat inside. Ry lifted his armrest and put his hand
on Charlie's thigh, hoping to add his silent love to his brother, but
Charlie jumped and jerked his leg away. Charlie played it off as if Ry
hand scared him, but Ry suspected that wasn't the case; however, he let
it go and made a mental note to ask Charlie about it later.


Father and sons went to a small diner after the film and got some berry
pie for dessert. Charlie sheepishly asked if he could have his with ice
cream, and his son's timid tone wounded Rick even more. He knew his
relationship with Charlie was strained, but his son's behavior was making
him question his own awareness and the weight of the situation. He loved
Charlie as much as he loved his other boys. To Rick, ever since Charlie
started school, the boy seemed very independent and well adjusted;
however, the Charlie across from him seemed fragile and cracked, if not
broken. Rick began to wonder how much of it was his fault.


Charlie fell asleep in the backseat as they drove home. He was so
exhausted that he couldn't help it. Though the way home was short, he
managed to have a lengthy dream. He found himself in the basement room
where he had been to bible study. He looked around and saw that he was
sitting next to Justin and at the head of the room the teacher from
before. On the chalkboard behind her were the words, "All Fags go to
Hell."


Charlie tried getting out of his seat but a bar stopped his exit. He
looked desperately over at Justin. Justin, however, was suddenly naked
and jerking off. He had a blank expression and looked forward, repeating
the words on the board.


"I condemn you all to Hell," the teacher shrieked, pointing a yard
stick at them both.


"I didn't do anything wrong," Charlie shouted back, desperately trying
to extract himself from the desk.


"LIAR!" the teacher bellowed!


"I didn't! I swear!"


"LIAR!" Justin said, turning his empty, expressionless gaze upon the
frightened boy.


"Justin," Charlie called out. "You know I'm not lying."


"You made me have sex with you," Justin said in a flat, monotone.


"I did not!" It was Charlie's turn to yell. "You made me touch you. I
didn't want to, but you made me do it!"


"LIAR!" both Justin and the teacher shouted.


Giving up on Justin, Charlie turned his attention back to the bar holding
him in his seat. He looked down and saw that he was now naked. Freaked
out, Charlie demanded his clothes, but the others in the room only called
him a liar.


The room turned black and, just as quickly, Charlie found himself in a
familiar hallway. He was still naked and he felt his bare feet were
standing on something wet. He looked down and saw the floor was covered
in a red liquid with little streams that looked like the stuff that came
out of Justin's dick.


His eyes snapped forward as the all-too-familiar voice of the Pale Man
called out to him, beckoning him to walk down the hall. Charlie covered
his privates and made his way towards the door at the end, knowing that
he had no choice. Charlie looked to his right and saw the motionless body
of his eldest brother and saw the red liquid was flowing from Ry's head
and out into the rest of the house. In the distance, just above the words
of the Pale Man, Charlie could hear the gentle creaking of a rope rubbing
against brass in the living room.


Charlie went to push open the door at the end of the hall, but the wooden
barrier opened on its own. The room was sweltering yet he shivered but
not from being cold or nude. The Pale Man sat upon a basalt throne, his
staff in one hand and a skull in the other. Charlie couldn't see the Pale
Man's face but knew he was smiling a wicked, evil grin.


"Come here, boy," the Pale Man ordered. Charlie felt himself being
pulled towards the Pale Man by invisible strings. The Pale Man stood and
walked towards Charlie. "All fags go to Hell," he said. The Pale Man
lowered his staff and pointed at Charlie...


KABLAM!


Charlie's eyes flew open and he let out a blood curdling scream just
after a passing car's engine backfired. He tried moving away from the
vision of the Pale Man that was mixed with visions of his dad's car, but
he couldn't move. In his mind's eye, the Pale Man was magically holding
him, while in reality he was buckled in by his seat belt. Off in the very
distance, Charlie heard but didn't acknowledge Ry calling out for Rick to
pull over, nor did he feel the truck come to a stop along a curb.


Ry jumped out of the truck, forgetting to grab his crutch. He fell face
first, hitting his forehead on the concrete curb. He was slightly dazed
but shook it off. He pulled himself up and flung the door open. A
thrashing Charlie was being unbuckled by their dad, who was also trying
not to be hit by Charlie's flying fists. Ry pulled himself up into the
back seat and grabbed his baby brother from Rick.


Charlie looked at Ry and saw the trickle of blood on his brother's
forehead. Partially trapped in his dreamscape, Charlie saw Ry as the dead
12-year-old from the bedroom. He screamed and cried, trying to push Ry
away. Thinking quickly, Ry pulled Charlie back into his arms, held the
boy against him, and began to whisper in his ear the way Justin had
described months earlier. It took some time, but Charlie eventually
calmed down and passed out.


Rick drove home as fast as he dared. Ry stayed in the back seat. He
refused to let go of Charlie, as he cried on the boy's shoulder. As they
pulled into the driveway, Ry had managed to calm himself and allowed Rick
to carry Charlie upstairs. Rick stopped in the small hall and debated
where to put his son. He considered having the small boy sleep with him,
but chose to put Charlie in Ry's room.


Unlike his brother's, Ry's room was neat and tidy. Rick was in the
process of removing Charlie's shoes when Ry came into the room. "I can
finish that, Dad," Ry said, moving over to the bed.


"Okay," Rick said. He got a good look at his eldest child. The scratch
had stopped bleeding but was still very red and raw. He went into the
boys' bathroom and got the first aid kit. When he returned, Ry had
finished taking Charlie's clothes off, except for his brother's
underwear. Ry pulled the blankets over Charlie as Rick opened the small,
blue box. Ry began to take his clothes off, too, as he had also gotten
muddy and wet from his fall. Once Ry was in his boxers, Rick made his son
sit down, so he could tend to Ry's wound.


"Thank you for everything you've done for Charlie," Rick said, applying
an antibiotic ointment to Ry's forehead.


Ry flinched at the touch, and said, "Of course. He's my baby brother."


"I know, but you're also adopted, and I can't imagine it's easy for
you."


Ry gave his father an annoyed expression. "I don't ever think about
being adopted unless someone else brings it up. As far as I'm concerned,
you and Will are my birth parents, and I was kidnapped by those junkies
who raised me."


"So long as Will is the bitch, and I'm the butch," Rick chuckled. Ry
rolled his eyes at his dad's poor humor. "Anyway," Rick continued, "I
know I haven't been a good father lately, especially to Charlie. I could
make a million excuses for it, but there is no excuse that would mend
what's happened since we moved here."


"It's okay, Dad."


"No, it's not," Rick patiently said, putting a bandage over Ry's cut.
"I am trying to do better."


"I know. Tonight proved that." Ry looked over at Charlie who was curled
up in a tight ball. "You need to spend more time with him, and do it
without Brenda around. I know you don't think we have a say in who you
date, but we do if she's causing any of us grief or pain. It isn't a
matter of a personality conflict between her and Charlie. She's crossed a
lot of lines, Dad. I know Charlie hasn't been a saint, but she's an adult
and knows better."


Rick sighed and asked, "How did you get to be so smart?"


"I get it from my other dad," Ry joked.


"First Billy, now you," Rick groaned. Ry chuckled and stood up, and
father and son hugged each other. It was at that moment that Rick
realized that Ry was almost as tall as he was. "You're getting too
tall," he said, kissing his son on the cheek.


Ry kissed his dad in kind, let go and said, "That I get from you."


"I hope so," Rick said, "Billy and Will are short as hell. I need at
least one kid above five-foot-nine."


"I'm sure Charlie will be seven feet by the time he's my age. You and
Ronda are already tall enough. Good night, Dad."


"Good night, Ry. I love you," Rick said as he walked towards the door.


"I love you, too," Ry said, as he got into bed.


Rick turned around, walked over to Charlie and kissed his baby boy. He
stroked Charlie's hair and left the room, turning off the light and
closing the door behind him.


Ry moved himself up to Charlie, wrapped an arm around his brother and
whispered, "He's gone."


"I know," Charlie whispered back. He rolled over and buried his face
into Ry's hairy chest. "How did you know I was awake?"


"You weren't snoring," Ry said, rubbing Charlie's back.


"I hate my snoring," Charlie grumbled.


"So does everyone else, but we love you enough to put up with it." Ry
kissed Charlie's head, and felt Charlie twitch a little, which reminded
him of the theater. "Want to tell me what's bothering you?"


Charlie debated about what to tell Ry. Remembering that he wasn't allowed
to lie, Charlie offered, "I had another nightmare."


Ry hugged Charlie and said, "I know. It was a bad one, too."


Charlie only nodded. He didn't remember much about it, but what he did
remember scared him still. The Pale Man was more defined and terrifying
than before.


"How about before your dream? You came home and seemed upset."


"I thought I was in trouble," Charlie said, hoping to avoid the topic
of Justin.


Unfortunately, Ry felt Charlie's reluctance. "It seemed like a lot more
than that. Did something happen at David's? I saw the cut on your knee. I
don't think Dad saw it, though."


Realizing there was no point denying it, Charlie said, "My friend kissed
me again."


"Oh," Ry said, hoping to hide a bit of disappointment he felt. "I
thought you liked kissing David."


"I do," Charlie said, choosing not to correct Ry. "But we did stuff
that wasn't kissing." He fought to keep the memories of earlier out of
his head, as Ry continued to rub his back.


"What did you two do?" Ry said, becoming hyper aware of his growing
jealousy.


Charlie told Ry that "his friend" had touched him and asked Charlie to
touch him in return. When pressed, Charlie clarified that they touched
each others' penises. Charlie didn't offer any further details, nor did
Ry ask for any. Ry was too busy rationalizing his feelings to want to
hear more. He knew he was growing inappropriate feelings for Charlie and
thought he had them under control; however, hearing that Charlie was
becoming sexually active started to stir feelings within him that he
didn't like to admit, even to himself.


"So you didn't like what happened?" Ry asked, trying his hardest to
sound neutral.


"I don't know," was all Charlie could think of. He hadn't had much time
to process everything after leaving Justin's car. "It felt okay, I
guess."


"Him touching you, or you touching him?" Ry asked reflexively.


"Both, I think."


"I see," Ry said flatly.


"Are you mad at me?" Charlie asked, pain raising in his voice.


"What?" Ry asked, realizing too late that he had spoken out loud. "No!
No, no, no. No, Charlie, I am not mad at you at all. I'm sorry that came
out harsher than it should have. I didn't mean to sound like that." Ry
hugged his brother hoping to convey his love without crushing the boy.


"Ry, you're hurting me," Charlie struggled to say.


Ry broke his grip and apologized. "Please don't think I'd ever be mad at
you for experimenting or anything like that."


"Okay," Charlie said, hugging his brother, which was gently returned.


The brothers went back to cuddling. After a few minutes, Ry asked, "Do
you love David?"


Charlie's heart sank. Despite Ry's misunderstanding of the situation,
Charlie did love Justin, but he was more confused than ever. He knew he
couldn't think of what life would be like without the 17-year-old, who
had been his only support through some very tough times; however, he
didn't feel comfortable with what Justin was doing and wanting to do to
him. Charlie saw how much Justin had been hurt after what happened in the
car, and he hoped it would never happen again. "Yes," Charlie finally
answered.


"Well," Ry said, pushing down his own feelings, "If you two love each
other, then you shouldn't feel bad for what you did, and if you two liked
doing it, there's no reason why you two should stop. It's okay to like
boys, Charlie. Nobody around here will judge you for it."


"Okay," was all Charlie could say. He felt a little betrayed by Ry's
words, but he also knew that, if Ry knew the truth, he would try to beat
up Justin or worse.


"I love you, Charlie."


"I love you, too."


***Coming Soon, Chapter 32***