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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"You're always looking, just not with your eyes," Eli waved off easily with his tone. He knew better than anyone else that Shannon was just as observant as those with eyesight, probably even more considering his other senses, and it never seemed like much of a disability to Eli. So he couldn't see, big deal. It didn't matter to Eli and he was never going to treat it as a weakness.

That made Eli lean against Shannon slightly, squeezing his hand back in response. If he didn't seem like he had a problem with this, then he was going to relax. Jay rolled his eyes at the response Shannon gave and sighed. "Don't have to trade vows for this, kid. Cross can explain it better to you later. For now, I'm just gonna get you your trainin' collar."

It was one of the things Shannon loved about Eli. About all of his friends, really, that they had all eventually learned (some faster than others) how he wasn't somehow lesser for lacking an input that they all knew so intimately. He was fine just the way he was, and didn't need anything more. "That would be feeling," he retorted.

When Eli leaned, Shannon gave a small tug to get him closer. There was no problem to be had, although they would certainly have to talk about it at some point to understand the actual expectations that came with such symbols of their relationship. They were busy right now, after all. "What, right now?" he asked. He refrained from mentioning how his comment had merely been a joke.

"For you, that'd be looking," he shot back easily. This was definitely something they've talked about before with the way Eli replied without missing a beat. It wasn't a serious discussion by any means and he let Shannon tug him closer, Eli taking advantage of the fact that he could show as much affection towards him without being cursed out or being though of as wrong.

"Of course right now," Jay responded as he moved away from Jackie and started to head back to the other room so he could get it. "Cross wanted a collar to take home immediately for you so you don't have to wait for me to work on the design on your formal. He sent the measurements over to me for your neck already so the only thing you have to worry 'bout is breakin' it in."

There was something comforting about being able to be without worrying about the perceptions of anyone around. It wasn't as though Shannon had lived through all of the same stigma and suppression that Eli had, but that nervousness had definitely rubbed off on him to a degree and it felt nice to have Eli so comfortable. "You'll have to be the one to contact Mr. Webster to tell him he needs to add a clause under 'looking' for me."

Shannon tilted his head as he followed Jay's movement out of the room, kept track of Jackie staying in the room, then turned toward Eli with something of a patiently amused look. "You measured my neck?" he asked. "When?"

"Obviously, I'm the master of the written word here, am I not?" He smiled as he took in being so close to Shannon. The best part of being able to be so close to Shannon was his warmth and even though Eli wasn't the sort of have problems temperature-wise outside of sleep, he still enjoyed being close and taking in the heat that radiated off of his boyfriend.

"When you weren't paying attention apparently," he said as he ran a finger lightly around his neck. "I can also judge the length pretty easy by just looking. Artist, you know. It wasn't much a problem for me to do it."

"But are you master of the English language?" It was a given, really. Eli not only spoke English, but every other language Shannon could probably think of. That was just how Eli worked; he knew a lot and wasn't content to rest on his laurels with that knowledge. Similar to Shannon, actually, only they had some notable differences in topics of interest.

Once again, he tilted his head when the hand came to his throat. It was allowing access, a gesture of appreciation and trust rather than something completely submissive... although perhaps such things weren't mutually exclusive. "When you say it like that," Shannon allowed. "I can do the same with my hands, so why not be able to do it with your eyes? So," he continued, "tell me about this training collar you've already picked out."

"I think you already know the answer to that," he replied with amusement. Eli might know a lot of languages, but English wasn't his first and he still had rare moments where he'd stumble over words when his emotions flared too high. Thankfully, that was something Shannon hasn't experienced often or that would be something to poke at.

At Shannon's head tilting, Eli bent down so that he could kiss his neck. It may have not meant to be submissive, but he was definitely taking it as such and acting accordingly. If Shannon had a problem with it, then he would say something. "I wanted something nice and simple for you, especially for your first collar. I think it'd be easier for you to know once you've got your hands on it."

"Yeah, you're right. They probably wouldn't let you write for a paper if you didn't at least know have the basics down." Shannon was aware of the stumbles, but he had honestly not chalked it up to some kind of ESL flub. He knew what being tired and stressed could be like, picking the wrong words or saying them completely wrong, and that must only be much more awkward with more than one language to choose from no matter which one was your first.

There was no protest at the movement, just a slight raising of his chin in tacit approval. It didn't matter how it was intended because Shannon was content with whatever forms of intimacy they felt safe in expressing. "Anything like the formal one you were telling me you wanted?" he asked, a smile starting to tease at his lips and suffuse his tone.

"You'd be surprised. There are some of my coworkers that I wonder can speak English." It was a joke, but sometimes Eli had to wonder about the supposed intelligence of the others who worked at the paper with him. Some of them really were idiots and Eli believed that some of them slept with people to get where they are today.

Since there's no protest, Eli kissed his neck again and runs a finger along his hairline as if to tease him. "Mmhm, it's pretty similar to the formal one, only this one can't be locked and doesn't have the designs on it. You'll like it, I'm sure."

Shannon had met a few of them over the course of his tenure as spokesperson for the police. Some of them were all right, but in general it seemed that Eli was easily the smartest person at the entire paper. He simply laughed at the answer and said, "Chicagoan English is a language unto itself."

Giving a soft mmm in his throat to rumble against Eli's lips, Shannon held himself still lest he lean into the touch and ended up being petted into goo in the middle of a fairly public area. He was usually okay with it when they were among friends and the like, but it had a different connotation right now that made him wary to reveal it. "Doesn't lock? Is that why it's a training collar?"

"You could say that," he responded with an amused chuckle. That wasn't where Eli was going with that, but he'd humor him on that for now. There were definitely other things he wanted to focus on for the moment.

Pulling his finger away from his hair, Eli hummed in approval at his response. He should be behaving, especially with how new to this Shannon was, but he couldn't help it. He was getting Shannon his first collar and he couldn't help but start to pull him into the proper mindset to wear it. "That's right. Locking implies permanence, which we haven't quite gotten to yet."

At that point, Jay walked back into the room, collar in hand. When he saw the two of them together, he just grinned widely and made his way over to them, holding out the collar for Eli to take, stepping back when he took it so that he could watch how the two of them were together.

"Here we go," Eli said as he pulled away from Shannon's neck and instead started putting the collar on him. "I want you to feel it out and see if it fits properly before we take it home with us, okay? So, what do you think?"

"Getting there," Shannon said reasonably. They were already in the process of making the formal collar which would imply the permanence. Only a few steps away from it now, and that was due to the time it would take to make it. Shannon didn't really mind the idea of having something locked onto him, stuck there but for the permission of Eli.

When the collar was placed and Eli stepped back, there was some silent contemplation. At first, Shannon simply felt how it was while being. It was a weight, nothing uncomfortable but always there. It was texture, light and snug against his skin while he was unmoving, soft with just enough yield. He reached up next to feel the outside and get a better idea of its shape and give. It smelled nice. Eli had put it there and he couldn't find anything wrong with it except for the foreignness that would eventually wear away.

"I like it," he concluded. With a sly grin, Shannon crouched down and shifted into a kneeling position. He let go of Lacey's harness and murmured a good girl, stay there Lace before he tipped his head up toward Eli. Even with the movement, the collar settled nicely against his throat. "What about you? How do I look?"

Seeing Shannon study the collar almost hypnotizes Eli, his focus all on him as he gets a better feel for the collar. This is something Eli's been imagining for almost as long as fantasizing about giving him a blowjob, so seeing him in a collar was definitely something he's enjoying and since initial responses suggest him not having a problem with it, then it's something they'll definitely be using from now on.

Shannon kneeling was incredibly unexpected and that almost threw Eli off before he grinned and bent down to hook his finger in the collar's ring and tug him closer into a kiss. That had better be a good enough answer because that's all he's really going to get before Eli finally speaks, his voice low enough so that only the two of them can hear. "I'm going to take you home and have my way with you. We're done shopping. Stand up so we can leave."

The grin didn't diminish when Eli came down to meet him, but it stuttered in pleased surprise at being pulled in. Shannon kissed back gratefully, definitely appreciating it for the answer that it was, and was about to comment when Eli spoke first. His voice told Shannon all that he needed to know and his smile softened; it wasn't enough to drop him down, but he was already looking forward to what would happen when they got out of there.

Obediently, Shannon extricated himself while picking up Lacey's harness once again. Being in public meant he couldn't let his guard down as much as he would have liked and he couldn't go further than a slight dip to his chin. Eli was definitely going to be leading here, no two ways around it. "Don't forget the bag," he said, voice soft but not quiet. No amount of obedience would truly wipe the teasing mentality from his mind.

That was the response he was expecting and he let go of the collar when he started to stand up, looking rather content that everything was going smoothly with trying out the new collar. He almost laughed at what Shannon was focused on and settled for an amused grin. "I wouldn't forget that," he said as he shook the bag slightly so that he could hear it.

Moving to Shannon's Lacey-free side and grabbing his hand, he smiled at Jay and Jackie, who were looking at them with fond amusement. Eli had already paid for the collar, so they didn't have to stay any longer than it took for them to leave. "Have fun boys," Jackie said cheerful as Eli nudged Shannon to head out the door. He wasn't going to answer him since they had better things to do.

As soon as the door opened and they walked out, Eli covered them with an illusion before teleporting the three of them to outside his apartment's front door, the illusion making them just fade into the crowd instead of showing them suddenly disappearing like they actually had. He dug for his keys quickly and unlocked the door as he spoke, his voice even despite his emotions starting to run high. "We're outside my front door. I wasn't going to waste time walking us back here when I could cheat."

Shannon twitched at Jackie's voice, head tilted toward them before Eli began to herd him out. It wasn't nervousness so much as a heightened awareness warring against the drop Eli wanted him to fall into. A natural response to being nudged down somewhere that wasn't quite safe. When they left, there was the sudden disorientation and drop in his gut that told him Eli had whisked him away as soon as he had felt it was safe to do so. He sucked in a breath, hand going tight around Eli's before he pulled it out and felt at the door frame next to him, took a deep breath of the air and its scent.

It was familiar. It was enough to let him start to place himself. Teleportation was incalculably disorienting; while Eli's announcement of their location helped, it really only settled him to personally recognize where they were. Ironically enough, Lacey was much more at ease with it than Shannon was thanks to Eli being overly worried about Lacey's reaction to being teleported in times of emergency or—in this case—impatience.

"Right," he said after a moment, hearing the door opening and bringing his hand back to his side. The collar was still there and he was dimly aware of it, but their relocation had turned his focus much further outward. "Looks that good, huh?"

Eli was definitely aware of how disorienting teleportation was for Shannon and his impatience was curbed by making sure Shannon was comfortable and aware of where he was. Stepping away, he let him take his time reorienting himself and figuring out where he was, squeezing his shoulder gently in apology.

"Sorry, you bring this sort of thing out in me," he said slightly sheepishly. He always got worked up when it came to Shannon, which meant he sometimes did a number of stupid and impulsive things. "Take your time, then we can go in and try this out. And you have no idea what it does to me seeing you in that collar."

Shannon leaned his head in the direction of the hand on his shoulder, but didn't pause much before he stepped inside and made his way to the rack where Eli tended to leave small things when he was coming inside the house. His hand swept over the surface, hooked around the edge of a hat that was more like a decoration than something to wear by this point, then let out a soft sigh. He smiled and turned toward Eli, bringing his free hand to tweak at the ring in the front almost in the same way his hands flexed when his mind was elsewhere.

"Not yet, anyway," he acknowledged. "Why don't you show me what it does to you?"

He took a moment to watch Shannon familiarize himself with the rack he knew that was there. That would definitely help out. When he saw him play with his collar a bit, Eli frowned and grabbed his hand gently, trying to keep it away from the collar for now. If he kept doing it, Eli was definitely going to tie his hands up to make him stop.

"Oh, I plan on showing you," Eli said with a smirk as he tugged on Shannon's hand to lead him further into the apartment and towards the room he wanted them to be in. He kept the bag at length so that Shannon wouldn't poke his nose in. "No dogs allowed though, so she'll have to stay out here while we go into the room."

If there was any sort of ulterior motive to messing with his collar other than just feeling it out, getting himself bound up was probably somewhere up on the list for Shannon. As it was, he made no motion to pull away and when they made it to the door, he set Lacey's harness down and made to remove it; it wouldn't be fair to leave her on the job when the two of them were going to go play.

Tipping his head in Eli's direction, Shannon said, "We've never been in here before." It was true. Shannon was intensely familiar with most parts of Eli's apartment, but some places had simply never been explored. That didn't mean Shannon wasn't aware that there was a room there, just that he'd never been inside and would soon have no idea what to expect. That was probably the point. With the harness off, Shannon gave Lacey some thorough petting and attention for a few moments before murmuring that she should make herself at home and go and explore. She knew the place just as well as Shannon did, but it always helped to let her know they weren't here for business. His hand caught in her collar for a moment, lightly twisting the band back and forth a few times before he finally stood back up. "We're good."

If there was one thing Eli wasn't going to interrupt, it was Shannon making sure Lacey knew she was off the job and aware that she could be a normal dog. He learned very quickly to not interrupt the two and wait for them to get done, which was exactly what he was doing now. When Shannon let him know when he was done, Eli finally responded to what Shannon had said before.

"I don't usually bring people into my dungeon unless I'm in this kind of relationship with them," he pointed out with no small amount of amusement. Leading him in, he shut the door behind him and then directed towards the bed, which he made him sit down on. "I'll give you the chance to explore in a minute, but first I need you to take off all your clothes."

Shannon didn't put up any kind of a fight to being led in. He was indeed curious about the surroundings and itching to get a better look at what sort of place Eli had reserved for scenes with previous subs (and Doms?) in his own home. There was something about the idea that made Shannon want to know every inch of the room, to understand what of himself Eli had put there with his toys and contraptions.

He raised a brow, attention seemingly elsewhere in the room as if he could determine what he was looking toward, and slowly said, "That's not what you said last time." Although he was a bit confused by the contradiction, he did start to work on removing his shirt; glasses came off first, folded up and set aside, and he tugged the hem of his tee loose once again to follow the instruction.

There was definitely a number of things for Shannon to investigate later, but right now it was time to undress. Eli was watching him carefully, his eyes all on the collar and how it moved on his neck whenever he moved his body. All he wanted in that moment was to see Shannon wearing his collar and only his collar, even if it was for a brief period of time. He was slotting himself back into the Dom mindset and with that came his large possessive streak.

"I'm aware of that, but I imagine you'd prefer your clothes to not be torn apart," he said easily as he reached forward and placed a hand on Shannon's chest once the shirt was gone. "This is what you do to me and this is only a preview of just how much that is."

Shannon huffed quietly in amusement at the hand there, letting the extra breath push his chest closer to Eli. The shirt was set aside in something between haphazard and coordinated while Shannon removed shoes and socks using nothing but his feet at the same time he undid his jeans. With deft hands, he took both waistbands and slid out of pants and boxers both before setting them aside in the same manner as his shirt.

"Clothes shopping is a pain." One hand went to rest lightly around the wrist of Eli's hand on his chest while the other came back up to the collar. Part of him knew it was about getting Eli's attention, while another, larger part was just trying to get used to the sensation. It was like wearing glasses all over again. It wasn't necessary, but was something he wanted to do, and it would take practice to adjust to something purely cosmetic and semi-permanent like that. "Previews are always the worst part. Why don't we move on to the show?"

Once Shannon was done taking everything off, Eli took a moment to take in the sight of his sub only wearing his collar. It was definitely a good look on him and one he'd love to enjoy for as long as possible, but he knew that Shannon hadn't dropped yet and he needed to pull him into the right mindset so that they would both truly enjoy this. He surged forward to kiss him, dropping the bag on the floor so that his other hand could reach up and grab his hair tightly.

"You're not the one in charge here," he said when he finally broke away from the kiss and pushed Shannon back so that he was laying on the bed. The hand on his chest moved to grab Shannon's hand that was playing with the collar and pulled it away. "We've got a few things to try out and if you behave, maybe we'll have enough time to go through everything."

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Blessed by light and burden of shadows. [ closed ]

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