Chapter 28

Already he could feel the powerful riptide trying to push him sideways, along the shore. Casey powered through it, silently grateful for his mutant half. He sliced beneath the breakers and drove himself through the strong current. A school of silver fish scattered at his approach, and he saw the baby reef shark from his periphery give chase a few yards away.

Good maybe that would keep it occupied. He wasn't terribly worried about the pup, but even a baby's teeth could give a nasty bite.

Bubbles swirled around his tail as his flipped it, turning slightly as he spotted the bright red and blue of Shawn's swim trunks. He legs were churning and his arms were flailing as he tried to tread water. Casey surfaced briefly for his own air before racing forward. His heart clenched as he watched the dark head sink below the surface, arms and legs obviously exhausted, before Shawn flailed again, fighting to keep from drowning.

Casey swam up behind him, wrapping an arm around the man's heaving chest.

Shawn jumped in shock, sputtering seawater, and struggled, apparently panicked by suddenly being entangled. Casey pulled Shawn's head back against his shoulder. His lips were right next to Shawn's neck, and he just wanted to kiss the pulsing throb, to soothe the man. "Shh, I've got you. Just relax. Breathe."

Shawn's exhausted body slumped against him as Casey swished his tail to keep them both afloat. He could feel Shawn's chest heaving under his arm and realized the man was crying.

"Fuck, I thought I--" Shawn gasped hoarsely as Casey started following the rip current along the shore until it was safer to head in.

"It's a rip current," Casey explained. "It travels along the shore, and you were fighting against it."

"Oh, shit, you mean like a riptide?"

"Yeah," Casey shrugged. He was just glad that he didn't have to face the man right now. If he could get Shawn safely to shore, maybe he could get away before he ever had to face those bright blue eyes looking at him with derision. With Shawn's damp hair on his shoulder and his rippling, muscular chest heaving under his arm, Casey found it hard to focus for a moment. His eyes swept down Shawn's powerful body floating in front of him, and his heart ached at the thought of never feeling it curled against him again.

He suddenly released his arm from around Shawn, causing the man to flounder in panic at the loss of the protective embrace. Casey floated, keeping his tail down, hoping Shawn hadn't noticed yet. He grabbed one of Shawn's arms as he turned, presenting his back to Shawn. "Hold onto my shoulders. I can swim faster this way."

Shawn had barely nodded before Casey turned completely away, the firm grip settling on Casey's shoulders reminding him briefly of the times Shawn had massaged those muscles with his strong, firm hands. Get a grip, Casey, he told himself. The man isn't yours anymore.

He flicked his tail, taking off through the water. He flinched briefly when he felt Shawn's legs skim against his tail. But the way the man jerked behind him at the feel of it told him everything. He was sure he could feel the man's horror seeping though the tightening grip on his shoulders.

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His limbs had begun to ache, cramping up as he fought to find the shore. But he never seemed to gain on it, and his 'rests' became more of a 'sink and scramble' back to the surface. His throat was sore and parched from the salty water, his stomach rebelling at the sickening taste. And he was sure he was going to drown.

Why the fuck had he come out here? He should have gone to Casey again. But it hurt that Casey continually ignored him. And now he'd never see the beautiful man again.

When something smooth slid around his chest, he jerked in panic, thinking some kind of eel or octopus might be grabbing him, hastening his demise. But then he was pulled against something solid, his head held up, and he realized that it was an arm that had him and a familiar voice was whispering in his ear.

Casey. He broke down, sobbing in relief as he relaxed against the other man. He vaguely heard himself babbling to Casey and something about being caught in a riptide. Shit. He'd heard about those. People could die because of them. He'd almost died because of it.

His mind briefly flashed with what he should have done--swum along shore instead of fighting it--but his brain hadn't been that focused in his panic. That's how it usually happened, he was sure. The panic of not being able to reach the shore had been overwhelming.

But Casey had him now, he wasn't sure how the man had known he was in trouble but he didn't care. His head rested on Casey's shoulder, floating, secure in the fact that Casey wouldn't let him drown. All he knew was that he was safe here, in Casey's arms. But when Casey abruptly let go, he panicked, flailing around to grab onto the other man. Casey forced Shawn's hand to his shoulder.

"Hold onto my shoulders. I can swim faster this way." Shawn briefly caught sight of Casey's gray eyes, nearly hidden behind the dripping blond strands, before Casey turned away from him.

The look he'd seen sent an aching pang through his chest. Did Casey hate him so much now that he wouldn't even look at him?

Then Casey took off, swimming just under the surface so Shawn could keep his head above the splashing waters. Shawn instinctively kicked trying to help and felt something slick brush against his legs, something that wasn't Casey's smooth skin, and he jerked in shock. He nearly swallowed another mouthful of water as he realized there was a sleek tail under him, powering them both forward. It was hard to see it with the water splashing in his face, but he could make out Casey's long, lean spine, melding near his hips into a sleek gray tail.

His tail. Shawn gaped, swallowing another mouthful of water. One of his hands slipped from Casey's shoulder as he coughed and he nearly let go with the other, but Casey slowed, and Shawn wrapped his whole arm over Casey's shoulder, his hand splaying against the man's chest.

"I'm f-fine," he sputtered, tightening his arm around Casey, afraid if he let go the man would disappear again like he had the night of the storm.

Casey sped up, and Shawn couldn't help but look back down through the turquoise waters to verify again what he was seeing. Even through the bubbling splash of the waters as Casey dragged Shawn's tired-ass body along, Shawn couldn't help but be mesmerized by the sleek blue-gray form. He shifted just enough to see the splay of triangular flukes at the end of Casey's tail flipping powerfully in the waters under him.

His free hand landed on Casey's hip, just above where his smooth skin melded into the bluish tail. Ignoring the water splashing in his face as much as he could, Shawn slipped his hand down, trailing fingers along Casey's hipbone. Casey jerked abruptly at his touch, and Shawn had to tighten his grip to keep from being flung off.

Shawn felt them turn sharply, heading now into shore. He was shocked when Casey twisted and jerked out from under him, and he found himself flailing with the loss of the man's solid body, the fear of drowning assailing him again.

But then strong arms wrapped around him again, dragging him further. Shawn sensed a change in the other man's movements, not as fluid and smooth and realized the powerful tail was gone when a leg kicked him in the thigh.

Casey seemed to be struggling more with Shawn's larger body now, but Shawn couldn't seem to figure out how to help other than to kick as best as he could. Shawn finally felt solid ground, well sand, in one of his flailing kicks and heaved a huge sigh of relief. He shifted in Casey's hold to let him know it was okay to release him, and he used what little strength he had left to drag himself to shore. He almost collapsed in the surf, but Casey hooked an arm under his armpit and dragged him further up onto land, far enough up that, even though water still splashed around his legs, it didn't reach his head.

He coughed some more before flopping onto his back in the sand, limbs splayed out in exhaustion. His chest heaved as his muscles tingled and it felt like tiny needles were piercing his skin. But he could live with that. Hell, he'd live with a knife poking him right now if it meant he was alive.

The cough and splash next to him drew his attention from his internal awe that he was still alive, and he shifted to see his savior. Casey.

His breath hitched at the sight of the beautiful, naked body that he'd missed so much the last couple of days. Finally, Casey was here, with him. Maybe they could finally--

What the fuck? Where--?

Shawn squinted and realized that Casey was struggling to get up, rolling away from him, and getting to his knees. Was he planning on disappearing again?

Oh, hell no! That wasn't happening. Shawn nearly had to drown to finally drag Casey from his self-imposed isolation. There was no way the man was escaping without explaining what the hell was going on.

Shawn wasn't sure where the energy came from, but he launched himself from the sand, tackling Casey's legs. The blond dropped heavily back to the sand, the air rushing out of his lungs in shock. In the moment Casey flipped to his back in shock, Shawn was able to crawl over him, pinning the man down with his own heavier weight.

"Get off me!" Casey shouted, attempting to throw Shawn off, never looking at him. Panic. Pure panic is what Shawn saw radiating from his love, and his heart clenched.

Shawn grabbed Casey's wrists and pinned them down next to his head. "Casey!" He tightened his grip to get the man's attention, water dripped from his hair into Casey's face, but the blond's eyes were squeezed shut as if the sight of Shawn was painful for him. "Casey! Look at me. Please."

When the stubborn man just shook his head and struggled to throw him off, Shawn slammed the man's wrists back down into to the sand, growling in frustration. "Why the hell not?"

Casey stilled suddenly under him, and Shawn was shocked to realize that the glistening drops at his temples weren't seawater but tears. "Please, Case," he begged.

"I-I can't. I don't want to see--" Casey's voice was little more than a hoarse whisper as he turned his head away from Shawn's scrutiny.

"See what, damn it?" Shawn frowned.

"You. Y-your-- I just want to remember your face before..."

"Goddamnit, Casey, you're not making any fucking sense! Before what?!"

"Before you saw... what...what I am," he hiccupped. "Please, just let me go. I can't... I don't want to see that look..."

And the utter pain that was in Casey's voice and etched on his face nearly broke Shawn. Shit, Shawn breathed as he realized what he was seeing. Casey thought Shawn was disgusted with him, that Shawn was repulsed by Casey's... whatever it was... his dolphin half.

He released Casey's wrists to cup the man's damp jaw, turning it up to face him, even though the eyes were still clamped shut. "Baby, I don't know what look you think you'll see, but I hope it's how much I love you..."

And he leaned down to kiss the salty lips of the man he adored.