Coming of Age -- Ending Two of Four is up!

Chapter 6. Read, love, review, thanks!
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Connor was swimming in a huge, seemingly endless body of water. It was painfully cold, like needles cutting into him, but his skin went dumb quickly and he soon could ignore it. The water was so clear and so still he could see the very bottom, which had to be at least a hundred feet below him. The bottom looked like a coral reef, so colorful and bright it hurt his eyes. There were huge, elegant fish, like super extended angelfish, the color of new snow flowing in and out of the caves and hollows in the reef. He’d dived down to look closer, and saw they weren’t fish at all, but a strange humanoid hybrid. They were strange and alien and beautiful, their smooth, mask like faces almost angelic. He could see no difference in male or female, if they had genders at all. They didn’t have tails, like he thought at first, but overly long, double kneed legs that ended up huge, fan like fins. As he got closer, he saw they were children, playing at some secret game, almost like hide and seek. They were so beautiful, so peaceful and innocent, that his chest hurt to watch them.

One of them turned its face upwards, and its huge, beautifully green eyes fixed on him. He began to swim towards him, and as it did, it changed. When it finally stopped in front of him, its legs kicking lazily, he realized he was staring at Jin. He reached out towards him, needing him closer. But when their fingers touched, everything went wrong. Jin screamed, the sound reverberating through the water like an earthquake. His back arched as if he were in terrible pain, and everything went black. The next thing he knew, he was kneeling naked on a frozen lake. The snow whipping across him stung his exposed body, and he bent his head. Beneath the surface, Jin stared up at him, blank faced and unmoving. His eyes were huge, empty and black.

Connor shot up in bed, panting, the blankets suffocating him. He flailed around until he found Jin’s smooth, cold shoulder with his fingers. Relief washed over him and he roughly pulled the boy against him. His heart was pounding. He shook Jin’s shoulder, and after a moment Jin’s eyes flickered open. For a second Connor thought they were black. But then Jin looked up at him and smiled, and they were the same brilliant teal as always.

Jin asked him something in his strange language, sliding an arm around Connor’s waist. Connor leaned down and kissed him, suddenly sure that if he didn’t prove to himself Jin was real, the boy would disappear. He deepened the kiss, pulling the blankets away until Jin was completely uncovered. Then he rolled on top of him, pushing his legs apart with his knees. Jin purred against his lips and put his arms around Connor’s shoulders. Connor slipped one hand between them, running his fingers along Jin’s cock. The boy under him squirmed a little, his legs opening wider and his hips lifting. Connor knew what Jin was trying to get him to do, and let his hand move down farther. He pulled his head back, breaking the kiss, and Jin opened his eyes. He smiled up at Connor and nodded. Connor smiled back, and after a moment’s hesitation, slid his middle finger inside of him. Jin moaned, his eyes sliding closed again. He pushed himself down against Connor’s hand, making a strange, urgent mewling sound, and Connor leaned down to kiss his throat. He worked his finger gently inside of Jin, then added another. Jin whimpered, but the sound wasn’t from pain. He pushed down again, hard, and glared up at Connor. He took the hint.

He removed his hand and leaned back, letting Jin adjust his legs until he was comfortable with the position. Jin was smiling again, a huge, ecstatic grin that seemed sort of out of place in the situation. Connor leaned down and ran his tongue along Jin’s bottom lip. Jin nipped at it, then ran his own tongue out along Connor’s. He reached down, grabbing Connor by the base of his cock, and positioned him in just the right spot. After another hesitation, during which Connor had time to wonder just how cold this was going to be on his most sensitive of places, he closed his eyes and pushed into Jin.

It was the strangest feeling. It was both freezing cold and almost painfully warm, and he couldn’t tell where one began and the other ended. The pressure around his cock was so intense he nearly came right there, without even moving. Jin began to hum, but this was different from his normal sex sounds. This was a low, rolling sort of sound, and it made Connor think of waves. Jin began to draw long, swirling patterns on Connor’s back with his nails, and as he did, he also began to rock. Connor moaned at the movement, reaching down to grab Jin by the hip to make him stop. It was too much feeling, and his overloaded mind was having trouble focusing. Instead of letting Connor stop him, Jin shifted his legs, and before Connor could react, Jin managed to flip them both, so that he was on top, without removing Connor from his body. It was an amazingly graceful movement, but Connor didn’t have time to appreciate it. Jin’s finger nails went from his shoulder blades to his chest, still drawing those swooping designs, and he once again began to rock against Connor. Connor groaned and closed his eyes. Jin’s humming resumed, that slow, waltzing sound that seemed to match his movements. From time to time his nails would dig into Connor’s chest, almost hard enough to draw blood. It should’ve hurt, but somehow the combination of the pain with the feeling Jin wrapped around him was so pleasurable, that the third time it happened, Connor lost it. He arched up into Jin’s body, grabbing the boy by the hips and pulling him down hard at the same time. Jin moaned loudly, his head snapping back. Connor pulled back, pushing Jin upwards, and then repeated the movement, pushing up into Jin as hard as he could. He rolled them over, hooking his arms under Jin’s knees, and thrust into him again. Jin’s head thrashed against the pillow, his hands clenching at the sheets beneath him. Connor lowered his head, pressing his mouth against the boy’s pulse, sucking and biting as he lost complete control of himself. The sounds coming out of Jin’s mouth just made it worse, and after a few more hard, quick strokes Connor groaned, bit down hard on Jin’s neck, and released inside of him. His hips kept moving of their own accord, but slower now, and he felt Jin shudder under him. He reached between them, and just the tiniest touch of his fingers against Jin’s cock brought Jin he own release. Connor winced at the painful temperature drop as his hand was coated, and sat up, slowly untangling himself from Jin.

Jin lay on his back, panting loudly, his eyes closed. He smiled lazily, and Connor leaned down to kiss him between his eyes. Jin seemed to slip into sleep instantly, and Connor laid back and watched him until he too fell asleep.
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Jin and Connor were sitting outside on the patio eating lunch, and Connor was beginning to wonder if Jin was going to make himself sick. He just couldn’t seem to stop eating today. From the moment they’d gone downstairs for breakfast, the silver haired boy had not stopped. Currently, he was working his way through a huge bowl of pasta salad, one of Addy’s specialties. He seemed to enjoy everything that he tried, but he blatantly refused to eat anything that was warm. Connor watched him carefully. Something was bothering him, he just couldn’t put his finger on it. There was just something different about Jin today, aside from his voracious appetite.

He was so absorbed in his study of the boy that he didn’t even hear his father come out onto the patio until he called a greeting. Connor turned, startled, and returned his father’s wave. William joined them at the table, smiling.

“How are we today?” he asked, looking directly at Jin. Connor frowned. “Have you two been… getting along?”

“We’re fine.” Connor said. “Everything’s just fine. How was your business trip?”

“Profitable.” He leaned over and tapped Connor’s cuff. “I see you’ve settled in nicely with each other. How has he been?”

“Jin.” Connor said flatly.

“I’m sorry?”

“His name is Jin. He’s doing great, Dad.”

“And you?” William leaned back on his chair, loosening his tie. “How have you been feeling lately? You look good.”

“I’m fine.” What was his father’s deal? He never asked Connor questions like that. Furthermore, this was the first time Connor could ever remember that he’d come out on the patio and sat down. It was strange, especially after a business trip.

“I’m glad to hear it. Listen…” he father folded his hands across his stomach and regarded his son carefully. “I’m going to be having someone come up later today to look you boys over. His name is Dr. Tarasov, he’s an associate of mine. He just wants to make sure you two are healthy.” He stood up. “I trust that won’t be a problem?” the tone he used to ask this was almost threatening, and Connor was suddenly sure something very bad was about to happen. He nodded anyway, knowing better than to pick a fight with his father. “Wonderful. He should arrive around five o’clock. You can meet me in my study.” He turned and went inside.

Connor scowled and looked at Jin. He’d stopped eating. He was staring out across the lawns, a look of intense concentration on his face. “Jin?” Connor reached over and touched his hand. “Are you okay?”

Jin slowly turned to look at him, and Connor realized what was so different about him today. It was his eyes. Connor suddenly felt sick and way too hot, like he’d contracted an immediate fever.

Jin’s eyes were deep, brilliant blue, nearly black, and his pupils had changed their shape entirely. Not the slightly pinched circles they’d been yesterday, but an almost four pointed star shape. Somehow even worse than that was the fact that the blue of his eyes had begun to spread into the whites. Long tendrils of his iris were spreading out like the tentacles of an octopus, some of them long enough to disappear under his eyelids.

Connor stood up from the table very slowly, his heart pounding. “Come inside.” He said quietly, and Jin stood obediently.

Once in the house, Connor immediately took him to his father’s study. But when he got to the door, he heard shouting. Frowning, he stopped and pressed an ear to the door.

“You have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.” William said, calmly enough. There was a pause, then the loud slap of something against the desk. “What is this?”

“Your files.” Quinn snapped. “Everything you had on your computer, in that thumb drive, at your office in the city. All of what you have about that… that thing you’ve chained Connor to.”

Another long pause. Finally, William asked, “What do you think you’re going to do, Quinn? Call the police? They won’t believe you.”

“No, not about this. But I know what you do, Dad. I know what your trade is.” Connor heard his father sigh. “You’re a fucking psychopath, do you realize that? You’re a liar and a thief. Everything we’ve lived here has been a lie, and I’m done with it.”

“Are you giving me an ultimatum?” His father asked, sounded amused.

“I’m telling you that it’s over. Lila’s already taken care of you. She’s already sent copies of everything we have on your little business transactions to the F.B.I. Her father has connections, you know. And when you’re gone, I’m going to get rid of that fucking thing.”

Connor heard a soft metal clink and turned. Jin was staring down the hallway, looking miserable. The cuff was open at his feet. Jin looked at Connor, and for a moment there was dead silence. Then Jin turned and ran. At the same time, the office door ripped open, and his brother barreled into him.

“Quinn? What the hell-“

“Come with me.” Quinn grabbed his older brother by the arm. “We need to go.” He turned and started hauling Connor towards the stairs. He had a backpack over his shoulder. It looked like his old boy scout pack.

“But, I can’t. Jin, he took the cuff off, he… he ran…”

“We don’t have time. You need to come with me, right now. Dad was planning on taking Jin away from you, that’s what the doctor was for. Come on!"

Connor let Quinn take him downstairs and out to his own car. “Drive.” Quinn told him, throwing him the keys. It didn’t even occur to Connor why Quinn would have a set. His entire brain had apparently decided to shut down, everything except his worry for Jin. His body was on autopilot, though, and he got in and started the car. He floored it, spraying pearly white gravel everywhere, and shot down the driveway.

“What the fuck is going on?” Connor asked his brother. “What were you and Dad-“

“I can’t explain yet, just fucking drive.”

“Where?”

“I’ll show you.”

“I don’t know, Quinn, I need to go back and find- FUCK!” he slammed on the brakes, hard, and the car fishtailed.

Jin was standing in the middle of the road. The car had stopped barely five feet in front of him. Quinn saw him and screamed. Connor jumped out of the car.

“Jin!” Connor ran around the front of the car and grabbed him. “Are you okay? What the hell happened? How did you-“ Jin was staring past his shoulder, through the windshield of the car. At Quinn. Very slowly, Connor turned and watched Quinn climb out of the car.

“Get away from it, Connor.” Quinn said. “Please. Just get away from it. You don’t know what it is.” He reached into the car and pulled out his backpack. “Just come over here and stand by me.”

“Quinn, what the hell has gotten into you? Have you gone insane?”

Quinn nodded. “I think I have, a little. And it’s that thing’s fault.” He unlatched the pack without taking his eyes off of Jin. They looked very much like two gunslingers in an old black and white movie, just waiting for the right time to draw. Quinn pulled out a folder and held it out in Connor’s direction. “You need to know what it is, what it’s done to you.”

Jin made a low, growling sound and dug his nails into Connor’s arm. He pulled at him, trying to get him to back away from the car. Connor looked from his brother to his lover, and in his heart the choice wasn’t that hard.

He turned and walked over to Quinn. His brother smiled, a huge, relieved grin that lit up his entire face. “Connor, thank you. I know that-“

Connor grabbed him by the shoulders and physically moved him away from the car. “I’m sorry.” He whispered. “Jin! Get in the car!”

“NO!” Quinn shoved Connor as hard as he could, and it was enough to knock him off balance. Then he threw himself as Jin as he ran past. They hit the side of the car and then fell to the ground in a pile of limbs, both of them kicking and punching at each other. Connor regained his balance and turned to watch Jin claw the side of Quinn’s face open with his nails. Quinn screamed, pulling away, and Jin used the movement to launch Quinn off of him. He jumped to his feet in one fluid movement. Quinn struggled up, the side of his face covered in blood. The folder he was holding ruffled open in the breeze and slid a foot or two, stopping when it hit Connor’s foot. He looked down, frowning.

The first thing he saw was the photograph that Lila had printed out the night before. His stomach lurched, and all he could think about was his dream. He looked up at Jin.

“It was real.” He said, and saw Jin’s face crumple into a look of complete misery. “What are you?”

Jin lunged towards him, catching him by the arms before he could back away. His pressed his mouth against Connor’s so hard Connor tasted his own blood. Something flashes across the backs of his eyes, like a memory he could almost remember, and for a moment he felt a cold, heavy pressure on his chest. Whatever the memory was, it left him with the feeling of complete bliss, of completion, and in his heart he knew Jin had shown him what he was losing.

Then Jin was gone, disappearing into the trees that lined the road.
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“I have to find him.”

Quinn glared at his brother. They’d driven to the hospital, where Quinn had gotten liquid stitched poured into the gashes on his face. They’d given him antibiotics and pain killers and sent them on their way.

Now they were in Lila’s bedroom. Quinn was half reclined on the bed, his face aching horribly. Lila was at the computer, and Connor was sprawled out on the floor. Much to Quinn and Lila’s discomfort, he’d cried hysterically for almost an hour, before finally going silent. This was the first time he’d spoken in hours.

“Connor, don’t you get it?” Lila turned to look at her ex. “That thing was using you. It was making you feel those things. You haven’t been in control of yourself. It was just-“

“Stop calling him an it!” Connor snarled, and she shut her mouth with a snap. “You don’t get it. I need him.” Quinn and Lila glanced at each other, both of them looking very worried. Connor went on, missing the look. “I don’t even care what he is. I need him.”

“You should care.” Quinn said, and Connor sat up, glowering at him. “That thing would’ve killed you.”

“Since when are you the fucking expert on a creature there is no record of?” Connor asked him, his voice rising in volume until he was screaming by the time he’d hit ‘no’. Quinn and Lila had filled him in on what they’d found out about Jin, which was nothing aside from what was in William’s files. Quinn had been through every supernatural, paranormal, and religious database he could find, and there was nothing like Jin in any of them. The closest thing was a mermaid, but that was just stupid.

“You don’t have to shout.” Lila said softly, and Connor shot her a murderous look. “We’re trying to help you, Connor.”

“Then help me find him.” He got to his feet and headed for the door.

“Where are you going?” Quinn asked, struggling to get off the bed. The pain killers didn’t help the agony in his face, but he certainly felt out of it otherwise.

“Are you fucking deaf?” Connor shot over his shoulder as he left.

Lila helped Quinn stand, but when she moved to go after Connor, he stopped her. “Just wait a bit. We’ll follow him in a minute. Let him get ahead of us. He’ll find the thing, I know he will. We’ll follow him, and when he does find it…”

“We’ll kill it.” Lila finished for him.