Chapter 17

Martin eyed his nephew warily. Something seemed off with him lately, but he couldn't figure out what it was. There was almost a quiet rebellion brewing in the boy. He couldn't quite put his finger on what was causing that feeling though. Was it the intensity with which Casey sometimes met his gaze, something the boy rarely ever did? Was it the way he'd make dinner but disappear as quickly as possible to his room? It wasn't like Casey to not attempt to connect with him in some way. The boy had always craved Thomas's attention, and after Thomas died, he'd often tried to find that in Martin. Some days Martin felt more obliging than others, but most of the time, he found it useful to withhold any semblance of affection until he needed to use the boy.

But now, it was almost as if Casey thought he didn't need him anymore. But that couldn't be possible. He'd always made sure that Casey had to rely on him for everything, even companionship. He'd ensured that Casey knew he wouldn't survive without Martin's help.

So what the hell was going on? The boy hadn't even asked to swim longer in the open ocean when they'd gone pearl hunting a couple days ago. Instead, Martin noticed that Casey had spent an unprecedented amount of time in the tank at night the last couple weeks.

He stared at the sun-kissed skin of his nephew's bare back as the boy fixed a cup of coffee and grabbed a banana. Martin sipped his own steaming cup of java, contemplating the odd mix of complacency and insolence. It was almost as if Casey were toeing the line that Martin had drawn when he'd demanded Casey stay inside and out of sight with the appearance of that Shawn guy, but was in the mean time biding his time for something more.

What that 'more' was Martin couldn't figure out.

Martin cleared his throat loudly, smirking when it caused Casey to jump. Good, maybe the boy still knew his place in this household. "Casey," he began but waited for the boy to turn to face him, "I've noticed that you've taken to using your tank more recently."

There was a flash of something in those smoky gray eyes, but he didn't know what it meant. "Yes, sir," Casey stated, and Martin couldn't help but feel like the 'sir' slid oily off his nephew's tongue--another moment of that odd mix of submission and defiance.

"You've never cared much for the tank before, why now?" he pressed.

Casey's lips thinned and his grip tightened on his mug. "You're the one who confined me to the house, berated me for shifting in the ocean, even if it was before dawn. You'd think you'd be happy I was using the tank and not complaining."

Martin gritted his teeth at the tone in his nephew's voice. Yes, he was definitely pushing the point of defiance, and that irk Martin to no end. Martin narrowed his eyes at the boy, irritated that Casey managed to hold his gaze for several seconds before finally averting his eyes.

"I see," he finally said. "Maybe I've been too harsh. This neighbor of ours has had me on edge, I admit. But I'm just worried about you," he said as gently as he could.

Usually that tone had any irritation Casey might have dissolving under the boy's need to feel loved. He'd often been able to get the boy back under his domain with a few words that implied he was only looking out for the boy. But today, it was different. Today, Casey didn't look like he believed it.

Fuck, that couldn't be good. If Casey ever thought that he didn't need Martin's help anymore, then his plans could be ruined.

He rose from the table, crossing to where Casey was leaning against the counter. "Casey," he began softly, keeping his voice gentle. Then he played one of his aces that he was sure the boy couldn't ignore. "Son," he amended, and he relished the faltering of Casey's demeanor. "You know I care for you. I know I've never been very good at showing it. Not even when Thomas was alive," he added, and he was rewarded with the glistening gaze of those soft eyes looking up at him hopefully.

Yes, he still had the boy.

"If you really need to shift in the ocean, wake me and I'll go with you in the early morning, to keep you safe. And next full moon, I promise to let you use the cove instead of the tank."

"Really?" Casey asked, and Martin could see that the boy was desperately wanting to believe every word he said. That was what Martin had been counting on.

"Yes, of course," Martin said as he brushed a hand over the boy's cheek, watching the hope of a sliver of love wash across the boy's beautiful features.

It was that hope that he could exploit. The boy's guilt was another, but that was for another day. As for himself, he wasn't going to let love get in the way ever again. He'd allowed that to happen once, and it had nearly destroyed him.

"Here, I'm sure you could use a bit of sun before I have to leave," Martin stated. "Let's finish our coffee on the deck."

A small frown marred Casey's face, but he nodded and finished fixing his coffee. Martin picked up his own cup and his tablet and headed out onto the deck. He settled in the padded deck chair before his nephew followed him out and sat in the second chair.

Figuring he needed to keep up appearances of concern, Martin stared out over the ocean. From the height of the deck over the small cliff, it was easy to see into the crystal turquoise waters. From here, they could see the reef as well as some of the larger fish and sea turtles. There were no dolphins today, but they could see the long dark shape of the reef shark that sometimes scoured just off shore for easy meals.

"You need to be careful out there," Martin stated. "It looks like that reef shark is hanging around more often."

Casey nodded. "I've seen it a few times. I wonder if it's a female. She could be looking to give birth in the shallower waters."

"Could be," Martin agreed. "In that case, you'll need to be even more careful if you go out in the mornings. If she does deliver young, they might hang around a bit."

Casey shrugged. "They tend to stay away from me. I think I look like a dolphin or something."

"Guess that makes sense, considering how you were engineered," Martin stated, taking a sip of his coffee. He didn't miss way Casey's body went rigid. Martin smiled into his cup. It didn't hurt to remind the boy of his origins every once in a while, especially if he was thinking he could survive without Martin.

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Shawn grinned up at Casey. His head was resting on the back of the couch, his body practically boneless. He gave one last lick at the now very sensitive cock softening in front of him.

Casey jerked as the sensation ricocheted through him. "Shit!"

Shawn just smirked, climbing up to press kisses along the heaving ribcage until he reached Casey's neck. He carefully kissed along the collarbone, avoiding the thick silver chain around his neck.

He had a moment again of wondering if Casey kept the chain from his Uncle Thomas on out of love or guilt. After broaching the subject about it before and releasing the dam of guilt that Casey had built (he hadn't meant to cause Casey so much emotional turmoil), but it seemed as if the man just held on to so much guilt over the death of his uncle. Shawn had tried to convince him otherwise, but he wasn't sure how much Casey believed him.

Maybe he'd bring it up later, when Casey wasn't mindless in the afterglow of his first blowjob.

"So, what do you think?" Shawn asked huskily. "As good as you thought it would be?"

Casey barely managed to roll his head in Shawn's direction. "Oh, hell, even after seeing it in videos, I never expected it to be like that."

"Baby, nothing is better than the real thing," Shawn growled against Casey's throat. "I love the way you taste, so salty and sweet."

He could sense Casey's embarrassment before Casey even shifted. So he climbed up and straddled Casey's lap before he could move, and he grabbed Casey's face in his hands. "You were beautiful, Case. You don't need to hide from me. I know what you're feeling. I've been there too. And I'm just excited to be your first."

The flush over Casey's cheeks was adorable, and Shawn could see the indecision in his eyes as to what to do next. Casey obviously thought he should reciprocate, but Shawn wasn't sure he was quite ready. While they'd done a lot of kissing and touching, they'd only jerked each other off a couple of times so far.

Today, when Casey had arrived, he'd seemed oddly tense. Casey only said that his uncle was acting weird this morning but didn't explain much more than that. Shawn noticed that Casey was clinging to him more today, and that made him wonder just what the hell Martin had said or done. Casey worried his bottom lip, looking like he wanted to say more, but couldn't.

Shawn had found himself sitting on the floor in front of Casey, attempting to soothe his nerves by offering a foot massage. Casey had slowly relaxed back into the couch, and while he didn't divulge whatever was on his mind, he did allow Shawn to slowly work the massage up his calves and thighs, and eventually higher.

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Shit, when Shawn's hot mouth had engulfed him, he'd almost come right then.

He'd been worried about Martin's attitude this morning. It wasn't like the man to be, well... it wasn't affectionate... but congenial, maybe? For a while, Casey actually believed that Martin was trying to tell him that he really did care for him, in his own way.

But then he'd brought up the fact that Casey wasn't human--that he was just an experiment. It wasn't that Casey didn't know that--he'd always known, well, at least since he was about seven or eight, that he was the result of a genetic experiment. He'd always had dreams about a different place where he'd lived before here, and Thomas and Martin had eventually told him the truth when he'd wanted to know why he could shift and they couldn't. It also explained why they often took blood samples and did tests as he was growing up.

So it wasn't knowing he was a mutant that bothered him so much, it was his uncle reminding him that he was just an anomaly, a thing that needed to be tested and observed constantly for changes. Both of his uncles had always been worried about the stability of his genes, whether the shifting would cause his body to deteriorate faster given the strain on his bones and muscles.

It was why he couldn't leave. Martin was the only one who knew who he was and whether or not his body would continue to thrive or not. He didn't feel like he was going to fall apart, but Martin constantly seemed worried about it, always doing tests and taking blood and other samples. Casey often wondered what the results were, but Martin never shared and Casey couldn't read them. So he just figured if it was becoming a problem, his uncle would tell him. Maybe. Wouldn't he? Or would he just keep taking samples and recording his demise? If he couldn't do anything about it, maybe his uncle wouldn't say anything to spare him the anxiety of knowing he was dying?

Shit. Now, he was wondering if he was dying. Damn it. He didn't feel like it. But would he feel the changes, or would they be so subtle that he wouldn't notice?

His brain had run amok after his uncle's off-handed comment. He was suddenly anxious again about things that he thought that he'd accepted long ago. He couldn't change how things were, so why should he worry about it.

But now there was Shawn. And he'd been thinking about his future. A possible future with Shawn. Maybe his fears were surfacing again because he had considered telling Shawn about his 'dysfunction.' As much as he was worried about what Shawn might think, he was getting to the point where he wanted Shawn to know everything. He hated keeping his mer side so contained and secret. And he was terrified that Shawn would find out accidently and be even more freaked out. Maybe if he told him, broke it to him gently....

Oh, hell! Casey had gasped as Shawn's massaging of his feet and legs suddenly morphed into a moist heat engulfing his semi-hard cock, breaking him from his thoughts.

After that, Casey couldn't remember what he'd been thinking about.

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Casey couldn't believe that Shawn had done that. He'd dreamed about it, certainly. Hell, he'd dreamed about even more, but he wasn't sure if or when they might progress farther than hand jobs. But hell, that was... fucking awesome.

But now he was embarrassed, and worried, that maybe Shawn had done it expecting that Casey would return the favor. And it wasn't that he didn't want to try, but he was nervous that he wouldn't do it right. Would Shawn find him too clumsy and inadequate? Shit, if Shawn didn't like it, would he decide Casey wasn't worth his time anymore?

"Stop thinking," Shawn's voice invaded his thoughts with a smile.

Casey focused on the hands holding onto him, on the blue eyes piercing his heart, and he relaxed. "I just... I want to..."

Shawn was smirking and shaking his head. "No, not right now."

Casey stared at him incredulously. He was turning him down? "You don't want me to--?"

"I do, but not right now," Shawn said softly. "This was just for you. I wanted to make you feel good, to forget whatever it was that was putting that frown on your face."

Casey chuckled. "Well, you certainly managed that."

"Good," Shawn smirked, pressing a quick kiss to Casey's lips as he stood and patted Casey's thigh. "Now, let's go for a run. I need to expend some energy."

Casey wasn't sure if he could move yet as Shawn disappeared into the kitchen for a couple bottles of water. "You know, I could help relieve some of that energy in other ways."

Shawn quirked his lips. "Maybe later, after I build up a bit more sexual frustration by staring at your ass while we run."

"What makes you think you'll get to stare at my ass? Maybe I'll be the one staring at yours," Casey shot back with a grin as he took one of the bottles of water.

"Fine, we'll take turns staring at each other's asses," Shawn conceded. "Now let's go."

For the next half hour, they spent the time making laps back and forth along the shore. Casey enjoyed having someone to compete with, since he'd never had anyone to run with before--hell, to do anything with really, since Thomas died. It was fun and energizing to sprint after Shawn, sometimes catching him before taking off again and becoming the prey.

Finally, they waded into the surf briefly to cool off. Casey made sure they didn't wander too far in since he wasn't sure if the prowling reef shark had decided to retreat back to open waters or not.

Shawn started walking down the beach, taking Casey's hand. Shawn brought their hands to his lips and kissed the back of Casey's hand before smiling and walking on. Casey felt his heart flutter at the oddly intimate gesture.

They walked in silence for a few minutes before Casey's thoughts started to run rampant again. "Shawn," Casey began hesitantly, "how much longer are you planning on staying here?"

Shawn's hand tightened on his, and Casey glanced over at him, worried about the answer. He didn't want to think about it, but when he'd thought about telling Shawn his secret, about falling in love with Shawn, it had occurred to him that maybe Shawn wasn't planning on hanging around. Shawn had told him when they'd first met that he was here just to escape public scrutiny for a bit. Didn't that mean he was planning on heading back at some point, maybe sometime soon?