Shadow Mutation (Book Seven) [UNDER MAJOR EDITING]

Chapter 25: Learning Her Motives

"Casey, pass me that wrench," Eustace says, pointing to the correct tool without wavering his brown eyes from beneath the hood of the car he's currently working on.

Casey glances at the inner workings of the car, smirking lightly before he grabs the tool and hands it to the man. Harry flips through a comic book nearby, humming lightly to the music playing on their beat up stereo. Casey finds himself smiling again, loving the feel of the mechanics shop. It's so comfortable and familiar, plus Harry and Eustace make great conversationalists. Casey likes listening to Harry gush about the latest sports updates or Eustace mentioning other global news involving politics and social justice. Although Casey never pays attention to this sort of stuff in school, coming from these two it sounds interesting. They care so much about the world and the people in it.

The teen watches as Eustace fiddles around with the inner workings of the vintage Camaro, the man's blond hair tied back in the ponytail that Casey has come to recognize is his normal work hairstyle.

"So...Eustace, Harry, can I ask you guys something?" Casey asks, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Shoot and you may hit a bullseye, my friend," Harry responds, flicking one hoop earring lightly as he flips a page in his reading material.

"What the dork said," Eustace agrees, a teasing smirk falling across his young face.

"How'd you guys get all this going? I mean...it's awesome," Casey says, his face unable to remain neutral as his lips curl upwards again.

Harry glances up from his magazine, uncrossing his legs as he sits up a bit. He gestures towards his blond husband, waiting for him to continue. Eustace smirks wider as he places the wrench down, wiping oil off his knuckles.

"Ah, cars were always my thing," he says. "Harry and I met in high school, and when we both took some time off for college, I worked and scraped and saved. Once I got the money for it, I opened up this little place." He sighs wistfully before he rolls his shoulders. "I consider it the most manly aspect of myself, considering how Harry's the man in our relationship."

"Sports!" Harry whoops, purposely making his voice low and more stereotypically male.

Both men laugh at the action, making Casey laugh too. The teen brushes off his shirt as he leans against the Camaro, scuffing his shoe against the concrete floor.

"Yeah, I was just wondering. I'm still sorta figuring the whole...job thing out," he admits.

"What sort of things are you thinking about right now, kiddo?" Harry asks, his pale blue eyes growing more excited.

Casey flashes a gap-filled grin. "Professional hockey player or international bounty hunter."

He makes his fingers look like guns and pretends to shoot them. Eustace laughs, brushing his bangs out of his eyes.

"That's not a bad dream," he says. "I wanted to be a Mecha Warrior when I was really little. You know, like that one older cartoon?"

"Super Robo Mecha Force 5," Casey says. "My friends watch that all the time!"

"Your friends have excellent taste."

Casey smiles as he looks to Harry again, another question burning at the back of his mind. "So...what do you do for a living, Harry?"