diversified | Blessed by light and burden of shadows. [ closed ]

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Blessed by light and burden of shadows. [ closed ]

WHO Shannon Vaughn (

privatematter), Eli Delacroix (

aspectional).
WHAT Eli is an idiot; Shannon is curious. How exactly does D/s go down when you're not to the Having Sex stage in the relationship yet?
WHEN Late 1990. Seven months after Jumpscapades.
WHERE Shannon's place.

Shannon was anxious. Not in a bad way, but the anticipatory way that everyone got when something new and exciting was going up and there was no way it could go badly, but predicting the end outcome was almost impossible. It was a great feeling, but one that left Shannon feeling like a teen heading out to prom instead of a grown man getting ready to have fun with his boyfriend and potentially make some hilariously heartfelt gestures to express his trust in Eli. That was probably something he didn't do enough in general, actually.

Breakfast had been something simple. Pancakes, fresh cut fruit and sausage. Eli had come over pretty early to get ready, talking over the generalities of what they were going to do while the specifics were to wait for after they were done. Well, now they were done and sitting on the couch, and Shannon's leg was jiggling even under the hand he had placed on his knee to keep himself still. Lacey had wandered off after breakfast, stomach filled with her own food and presumably was napping on the foot of the bed in Shannon's room. Probably for the better, really.

"So," he said, ignoring the obvious tell he was giving off. If Eli took it for misapprehension, then Shannon was going to definitely lean over and smack him. "Where do we start?"

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That was one mystery solved, but suddenly Shannon couldn't find himself caring that the she in front of him was actually a he. It was, in fact, entirely trivial when placed against the concern some stranger had that Shannon would hurt or had already hurt Eli in the past. While he couldn't deny that his continued friendship with Eli despite knowing of his crush probably wasn't the healthiest nor kindest course of actions, there was a definite line to be drawn. Shannon was not one lick like those other versions of himself that had nearly picked Eli apart and he wouldn't stand for being unintentionally placed on the same pedestal.

"I would never, could never, hurt Eli," Shannon said, his voice dropping into an almost-painfully neutral tone. Part of him understood that this was a friend of Eli's, just trying to look out for the kid that he knew, but Jackie walked into the oven fully intending to play with fire. Shannon was more than capable of complying with the request for more heat. "Your business is his well-being, but it is not your business to take his love life into your own hands. Especially not behind his back. Don't you ever try to imply that I would hurt him, either. I am not like that," he insisted, voice turning fervent although he worked as best he could to keep the volume down. Shannon would voluntarily give up his own existence before putting anyone in danger, Eli most of all. There was no question to that, and it raised his hackles that somehow it wasn't the most obvious thing in the world: water was wet, the earth revolved around the sun, and Shannon Vaughn would not harm Eli Delacroix. "I will never be like that."

If Shannon thought that this response would make Jackie back off or think twice about his methods, then he thought wrong. There was a short pause before Jackie laughed at what he said, not at all bothered by his words. If there was one thing Shannon was going to learn before the day was done, it was that it took a lot to mess with an old drag queen and make her crumble before someone.

"Now that's what I wanted to hear. With you, I don't have to worry about him," he said, his tone more like a gentle mother's more than anything. "He's been through a lot, more than you probably realize, and I don't want him to go through anything like that ever again. Keep that fire directed at anyone who wants to hurt him and you'll be fine."

It wasn't so much a matter of making Jackie back off as the fact that Shannon had truly been set off by the idea of doing anything to bring harm to Eli. He had never even considered it before Eli's adventures out into the other universes, but now it was just completely abhorrent. He had been faced with the reality of someone out there sharing his soul trying to destroy Eli for his own gains and that... that would never be acceptable.

Shannon started to shake his head, rolled his eyes for the benefit of the one watching, and then gave a fairly wry look. "That has to be the most cliché technique ever." Considering Shannon's work affiliations, he should have seen it coming. Then again, there was something to be said for appealing to emotions rather than someone's logical senses. "Thanks, but no thanks. I don't need advice on how to keep my loved ones safe. Are we done? Can we move on to the stories now?"

"It may be a cliche, boy, but it still worked, didn't it?" Yeah, he's amused by the fact that he was able to trick Shannon into that. At least he's now aware that he and Eli have something in common and that's letting their emotions dictate things for them.

"If you want stories, I can definitely provide," he said with a grin. Since Eli was out of the room, Jackie could share any story he wanted, but he was definitely going to start with one related to the topic previously on hand: collars. "You know about your boyfriend's collar. He wasn't given that by any of his Doms."

"That's the worst part," Shannon grumbled. There was no way he was going to mention it even in oblique to his partners or they would laugh their asses off at him falling for something so simple. That was what he got for staying in the habit of leaping before he looked. Still, that didn't mean everyone else had to get the laugh on him.

Slowly nodding, Shannon said, "Okay. I figured that much since I probably would have heard about the guy who gave him a collar even if it wasn't really in this kind of context." That much wasn't hard to surmise, especially for someone whose job was to analyze things and not take it all for granted... when he wasn't filing paperwork for lazy cops, anyway. If Eli had been collared by someone way back when, that meant they would have been someone very large in Eli's life and Eli didn't seem the sort to separate someone that important from the rest of his affairs. "What does that mean?"

"I won't tell anyone," he said honestly. He could tell that Shannon didn't like being tricked like that and since Shannon was Eli's boyfriend, Jackie wasn't going to let it on that he was able to trick him so easily. Eli would get upset if he didn't keep it quiet and that wouldn't be good at all.

"Mmhm, that's right. He was never good at separating these things. When he fell for you, all the girls and I would hear about is you, how smart and handsome and straight." At straight, Jackie mimicked the annoyed whine that Eli had definitely said it in to him in the past. "Well, this is the best part of the whole thing. When he was starting out in the scene, he was a sub and since he was so caught up on you, he didn't want to take a permanent Dom. But your boyfriend is gorgeous and well trained, so he definitely would have been a catch to any Dom who wanted a new sub. He was getting plenty of offers and frustrated because he didn't want one, so what he did was go up to my Jaybird and ordered a formal collar for himself, which is what he's getting for you. Every night he'd be at a scene club, he'd put that collar on and all the Doms would stay away because they thought the kid was taken, but they never realized that he collared himself."

As Shannon listened, he brought a hand up to cover his mouth to cover both his grimace and his grin. His straightness was a continued point of interest in their relationship, but there was no need to bring all of that up right now and he got the impression Jackie wouldn't care how they got to where they were or under what circumstances. As long as Eli was happy.

Some laughter escaped at the mimicry, mostly because Shannon could almost hear it himself. He eventually shook his head and moved his hand away to show his definite amusement at how Eli had turned things around. "Why am I not surprised?" he asked aloud. Of course everyone wanted Eli—how could they not?—but the measure Eli had taken to get them off his trail was elegant in its simplicity and hilarious in the hindsight. "That is so Eli. Let's be glad I'm the sub first or I'd probably step onto all this without a damn clue what it meant."

"You know him too well to be surprised by his antics," Jackie said with no small amount of amusement. He was glad to see that the two of them really seemed to know each other despite how long it took them to be together. After all, they had been friends first and that wouldn't just disappear because they were dating now.

"Eli wouldn't let you stumble as his Dom. He's been learning about this since he became legal and been teaching not long afterwards. Out of everyone he's ever taught, he'd make sure you're comfortable and know what to do before letting you Dom him." There was a pause for a moment as he thought about something. "Has he told you about the art he does with his subs?"

Shannon nodded in fond agreement. Friendship was an excellent foundation for a romantic relationship, and neither of them were discounting all of that time they had known each other beforehand. "Good thing I've got such a great teacher. I can learn by doing, too," he said. "Or... well, being done to."

That sounded more than familiar and Shannon tilted his head as he tried to dig for what it was reminding him about. "Using his subs as canvases?" That was it. And there was a good reason it wasn't so clear in his mind: that had been shortly before Matheus had made his entrance and everything in his brain turned to scrambled eggs. He grimaced slightly, then tried to change his mental tracks back to the topic at hand. "He mentioned it, but we didn't really get the chance to talk too much. What about it?"

"He's always enjoyed the hands on approach when it comes to teaching." Jackie had to stop to grin and check out Shannon for a moment. Oh yes, he was sure Eli would have so much fun 'teaching' Shannon how to Dom properly, not to mention teaching him how to sub, if he knew Eli well enough, which he does.

"Yes, that's it. He's very famous in the BDSM scene due to him painting his subs and making them into artwork and during the time he's been gone, his following has only grown. It's even started to spread in popularity among Chicago's gay community." There was definitely pride in his voice. Eli had no idea how popular it had become in his time away and if he knew, he'd probably disappear again just to wait for it to die down so that he could share with Shannon what he did. "He might make you into one of his canvases. When he was active, he was always picky about who he would choose for it, but you're the one he's always loved. I'd be surprised if he didn't ask you."

"As long as there's no written test," Shannon said cheekily. He stretched an arm out above him, his whole body following the motion, able to read the pause better than most people might assume. He wasn't trying to lure Jackie in or do anything but show off, because while he wasn't really gay, Shannon really didn't mind being checked out by an appreciative party — not to mention he was still an asshole and loved to show off.

Looking speculative, he let his hand come back down and rested his chin in his hand. It didn't surprise him that Eli's initiative to do something special had caught on; anything Eli did was from the heart, and that had to resonate with other people hoping to show the same sort of passion. He just couldn't figure out how Eli would react to his work actually gaining momentum on its own. "It was more or less already asked," Shannon said with an acknowledging tilt of his head. "Though I doubt we'll be getting to it quite yet. Got a bunch of other stuff to mess with first. Speaking of that... you didn't happen to catch a look inside that bag Eli was carrying, did you?"

"Oh honey, Eli's tests are always more...practical." Even though Jackie was enjoying the view, he seemed firmly stuck in the thought of look but don't touch. Shannon was Eli's and unless he got both of their permission, he was going to not even think about Shannon in any other way than Eli's highly attractive boyfriend.

"Like learning about bondage and collars? From what I saw, you're definitely in for an interesting evening." He sounded very amused by that, having seen a little of what Eli had bought, but he wasn't going to tell Shannon what was in there if Eli wasn't going to tell him. It wasn't going to be his fault that the surprise was ruined. "Honey, I know Eli more than I know you and I'm definitely not going to get on his bad side by ruining the surprise he has for you with the new toys he's got to try out."

Head tilted to the side, Shannon surmised, "But there are tests." That was good to know. Not that he doubted he would ace them should the time come, Shannon liked knowing that at some point there would be an expectation to show off everything he had learned so far. It was sure to be interesting, and Shannon was determined to come out of it with flying colors. What helped most was to think of it as another game, much the same as trying to discern the shopping bag's mysterious contents, where playing was just as important as winning.

"Can't blame a guy for trying." He chuckled softly, shrugging wide and free with his answer. It also helped him get a better read on Jackie without being nearly so obvious or old-fashioned. Conversation with a bit of intent mixed right in. "Don't be disappointed if we don't tell you how it goes," Shannon added. Much as he appreciated the candidness of the conversation so far, some things were just private and he was going to put that line in the sand before they got too far.

He couldn't help but laugh. "Of course there are tests. He won't tell when something is one until afterwards, but he does have them," Jackie explained to him. Eli was always testing and making sure that they were learning when he was trying to teach, especially when it came to something like this. He wanted to make sure his partner knew what he was doing before they moved on.

"I would've thought less if you didn't. Always be curious or it won't be any fun." Which was true especially when it came to Eli and his few scattered relationships. Curiosity meant that Shannon cares and that's something he likes proof of so he can stop thinking it isn't real. "That's up to you two. If you do, I'll be happy to hear the details. If not, then oh well. We'll find something else to talk about."

"So I've probably passed a few already," Shannon mused. Eli wouldn't consider moving on to pain play and all these toys unless he felt they were at a more comfortable point than when they started. Of course there was natural progression, but that probably took longer than a couple of weeks to really come to fruition. Shannon didn't mind if they were moving fast, as long as Eli didn't think they were moving too fast. It was as if they were making up for the lost time of knowing each other and never taking advantage of what was right in front of them.

Adjusting his glasses, Shannon paused before he removed them and started to clean them on the hem of his shirt. He couldn't tell when they got dirty, but it tended to ruin the illusion if he let them get too smudged and still wore them around while pretending to see through the glass. "Curiosity's my middle name. I mean, if you know where I work, that should be obvious. Or do we not talk about that, mixing business and pleasure?"

"I'm sure you have considering what I saw in that bag." Jackie might not be planning to tell Shannon exactly what's in the bag, but that doesn't mean he can't tease him about what was in there.

"Usually, they don't mix, but with you and Eli, they've bled over quite a bit. That boyfriend of yours wouldn't shut up about you and how you work for the cops. He's right proud of you, you know." And all of it is true. Eli had been telling the drag queens that he had befriended at the club about the one he couldn't have, the handsome not quite a cop that helped out the police and kept at least two idiot cops in line. The girls had been amused by his love of Shannon and at least once had tried to find out how handsome Eli's mysterious crush was by ending up in the many precincts in the Chicago area to find him.

Shannon gave what he hoped was a rather amused, petulant look for the comment. "Now you're just doing all that on purpose," he said with mock accusation. "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to tease the disabled?"

There was a moment of amused silence, a slight redness to Shannon's cheeks. It was almost difficult being so adored and cared about, as if there would have to be some kind of a catch, or the love would be disappointed if he didn't do his best. Whenever he felt like that, Shannon just reminded himself that he would not be—was not—disappointed whenever Eli hit rough patches because he was still Eli. If that was how he saw it from his own end, then he assumed it was the same on Eli's side. "Well, he probably should be," Shannon said with easily-drawn bravado. "Getting into the boy's club took a while. Then again, at least I waited until I was of legal drinking age to try and get in." Eli hadn't even waited that long to jump feet-first into the world of journalism and had come out swimming.

"Only if they can't defend themselves," Jackie said easily, sounding incredibly amused. It was obvious that he approved of Shannon and wouldn't be saying anything to Eli about disliking him. "Since you can, you're not safe from teasing, boy."

He couldn't help but smile at Shannon's reaction. It was obvious that he wasn't used to that sort of affection from a loved one, but Jackie knew that he'd get used to Eli's natural state of being if he hadn't started to already. Before he could say anything, Eli walked back into the room with Jay, grinning wildly.

"What's this about the legal drinking age? If you're making fun of me, I'll have you know I've been over twenty-one for a couple years now," Eli said cheerfully as he walked over to Shannon, placed a hand on his arm and kissed him.

"I get the feeling nobody is safe from teasing," Shannon said. That much was true, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with that. Jackie seemed like good enough of a person, one who definitely was strong enough to have taken care of Eli way back when, although Shannon was still a little bit sour to being tricked earlier. He would get over it.

Even before Eli spoke up, Shannon tilted his head in Eli's direction to meet the kiss. The longer they spent together, the easier it was for Shannon to hone in and pick up on Eli's unique dispersion of body heat, which tended to hit him about the same time as the sound of his stride. It was almost comforting to be so tuned into Eli. "You say that like I wasn't there for that." Even if Shannon hadn't been part of the main celebration, he had definitely taken Eli out and bought him one of his first legal beers back then. "But, no. Just water cooler talk. Is this Jay?" he asked, turning toward the other new presence in the room.

"Oh you have no idea, boy." Considering Jackie was a drag queen and drag queens both took no shit from anyone and were brutally honest when the need arose (and even when it didn't), teasing was definitely something he had no problems both dishing out and taking. He knew when somebody could handle it and when they couldn't thanks to years of experience.

"Hey, I remember that, but you know how people think I'm younger than I am. Besides, you can't forget that you're a bit of a cradle robber. Or a cougar," Eli said with a grin. Normally, the age difference wasn't something that was usually brought up when it came to their relationship issues. Sexuality was much higher on the list to the point where their gap didn't even make the list.

"That'd be me," Jay responded with a slight drawl as Jackie made her way over to his man, arm wrapping around his. He didn't seem to mind his partner dressed as a woman, his attention all on Shannon as he studied him. "Damn, Cross, if that phoenix motif isn't fitting for your boyfriend. He's definitely hot enough for it to work."

"Nah, it's only cradle-robbing if the difference is bigger than ten years," Shannon said sagely. Not that he actually had any idea if there was a line to be drawn, but it sounded good enough. He wasn't bothered by the fact that Eli was younger than him in practical terms (hundreds of years spent essentially in stasis really didn't count), because he had other memories and thoughts and experiences floating around in that head of his. It didn't make Eli into those other people, but Shannon imagined it provided a lot of perspective that contributed to everything that made Eli who he was. It helped that Shannon himself could meet Eli halfway back in the mature adult department. "Nine is fair game."

Jay's comment earned a pleased grin from Shannon while he wrapped his arm around Eli's side. Praise for his looks was never going to go out of style, especially not when people bothered getting creative with it. "How do you plan on fitting a phoenix on a strip, anyway?" Trying to imagine how such a pattern would work on the surface area of a collar wasn't exactly panning out. He was curious what kind of techniques Jay had in store for intricate things like that, and he figured an actual introduction was probably unnecessary in light of the things Jackie had told him.

"Do you know that for a fact? Should I be worried about you trading me in for a younger model?" The tone was obviously teasing and while he had his doubts about their relationship, he knew it was never about age with them. It also helped that Eli was nearly three hundred years by that point, even if he was mentally younger due to never aging until Marcus found him.

"We're not talkin' 'bout a dog collar here," Jay started to explain, gesturing for Eli to help him with it. Eli placed his hand on Shannon's neck, his fingers curling around the curve. "Feel how thick Cross' hand is? That's about how much I've got to work with on the formal collar you're gonna be gettin' later. What you're gettin' today is a collar without the designs since he ordered you two, one trainin' and one formal."

"I do, in fact," Shannon said with a grin and a very knowing tone. "It's right there in the police handbook. 'Course, they never translated that thing into braille..." Really, age was one of the few things Shannon didn't worry about in a partner. Maturity was a must, but some young things in their twenties could be more mature than someone in their fifties just by dint of life experiences and personality. Age was generally just a number, no matter how hilarious it was to freak people out when Shannon introduced himself as eight years old.

His head tilted back automatically when Eli reached upward. He felt at the width of the hand against his throat and considered. That was probably enough to fit some sort of design on it, something that would be discernible without constricting the ability to move his head. "Training?" he echoed. "How is that different?"

"I'll have to read that some time when you're not looking. Need to make sure you're not just stringing me along." It was nice for them to be able to flirt like this in the open and not be judged, knowing it was a rare chance that he was getting right now. Both Jackie and Jay seemed amused by the conversation and were smiling at them.

"Engagement ring, boy," Jay said and Eli pulled his hand away like it was on fire. He didn't want Jay to word it like that and glared at him to get him to say it a different way. Unfortunately, Jay wasn't going to back down and crossed his arms. "Don't give me that look, Cross. It's the truth. Formal collar's the wedding ring itself, but trainin' collar's for showin' you're goin' steady. "

Before he could respond, Shannon merely had to laugh. "I'm never looking, Eli." Sometimes he didn't comment on using technically-inappropriate turns of phrase since they were all part of regular vocabulary and public consciousness. Other times... Shannon just couldn't resist poking fun.

At the reaction, Shannon quickly reached out for the hand and attempted to lace his fingers with Eli's so that he could give a gentle squeeze. "All right," he said, notably not freaking out about it. If he hadn't had the conversation with Jackie only a few minutes earlier, it would probably be a different story while his brain caught up with his mouth. "Makes sense. Don't have to say I do yet or anything, do I?"

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Blessed by light and burden of shadows. [ closed ]

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