shannonteverius | Recent Entries

Darkness was encroaching as Shannon and Felix made their way back home from dinner at the dome. The meal had been something of an adventure, which was becoming the norm here in this strange land. Shannon kept close to Felix as they walked. He would feel better once they were inside the house they were staying in for the time being. He hesitated to call the place home. Home was London, but as long as Felix was with him he could live anywhere he had to.

As they neared the building he noticed a box on their doorstep. He stopped walking, unsure if it was safe to move closer to it.

"What is that?" he asked, gesturing to the mysterious package.

Shannon was in the mood for something special. Felix wouldn't begrudge him a little romance for one evening. So before his lover returned home from work, he went out and purchased a multitude of thick, white candles. For dinner he stopped by one of their favorite restaurants and ordered take out. Back home, he set the candles on every available surface of their living room, making sure to remove any stray books of Felix's and return them safely to Felix's library. Then he set the coffee table with dinner on fancy plates that they ordinarily never used. He opened a bottle of wine to breathe and put it on ice. For music he selected something soft and wordless, good for setting the mood but easily lost to the background. Finally, it was time to prepare the most important detail for his setup: himself.

He selected his custom reproduction of a 1930's Charvet robe. The original had been gold, but he'd had the tailor make it in a deep red instead. Clothed in the gown and nothing else he lounged on the couch, positioning himself so he could clearly be seen from the doorway. Now all he needed was for Felix to come home.

Shannon had heard about Hannibal. He hadn't cared too much for the man, their first encounter had rubbed him the wrong way, but he hadn't wished him harm. Hannibal has also been dating Alcuin, and that was the part that mattered.

Shannon was sure his friend had to be hurting. If it had been him, a simple phone call would not have been enough. Instead, he purchased a very good bottle of wine and made his way to Alcuin's.

When his friend opened the door he held up his purchase and said, "I come bearing gifts."

Tonight was the night.

Shannon took a deep breath and turned to do another circuit of the living room. All of the lights in the apartment were off and he avoided the furniture mostly out of habit. He held a wide ribbon of fabric in his hands which he bunched and straightened repeatedly as he paced.

There were moments when he wondered if he really could follow through with this plan. He suddenly felt like he would forget what to do once Felix came home. That's when he'd go to the computer and realize that, yes, he did know what he was doing. Then he'd wonder if Felix would like it. That was the worst doubt of all.

Time ticked by at a snail's pace and Shannon's mind kept up its torrent of worries until he heard the jiggle of a key in the lock. His breath caught in a gasp. Here we go.

He moved to stand by the door where he wouldn't be seen by Felix when his lover entered. The door opened, and before Felix could reach for the light switch he ordered, "Stop."

Shannon had had a wonderful day. Any reluctance for attending the African festival had been easily swayed by trying new things and, best of all, walking around in public while openly holding Felix's hand.

He was smiling as they arrived home and could still feel a faint tingle on his tongue from one of their more adventurous food indulgences. As the door closed behind them, he turned, taking hold of Felix's collar, and pulled him down for a kiss. The sensation and strange flavors mingled deliciously with the familiar taste of his lover.

"Join me in the shower?" he asked when their lips parted.

After Shannon's brief conversation with Alcuin...

On the way to the Mirador Shannon had had plenty of time to work himself up from a simmering anger to a full on hurricane. The tension around him hummed, like lightning on water, except this storm wasn't safely on the horizon. It was quickly approaching Felix's front door. No one who passed Shannon thought to utter a word as he walked to his lover's apartment. Yet, when he stood in front of the door and knocked, his expression smoothed and when the door opened his smile was almost seductive.

"Felix," he purred, placing a hand on the man's chest and pushing forward. "May I come in?"

Felix still hadn't come home. Even though Shannon's closet could take up more than half a bedroom, the other half seemed so empty without Felix's books in it. Any time he'd thought of redecorating he ended up not touching a thing. He couldn't bear to take up Felix's space without the man around to complain about it.

Yet another evening of not wanting to be home drove Shannon out for a stroll. It was a pleasant, spring night and the streets were bustling with people. He merged into the crowd, welcoming the noise and company.

He didn't have a destination in mind, so when he stopped for a moment and found himself outside of a bar he considered going in for a drink. He didn't go to bars often, but he'd been here a time or two before with Felix. Of course, it was different now and the idea of drinking alone felt pathetic. Still, one drink wouldn't hurt and it would give him time to think about where he wanted to go next. It was much to early to return to an empty bed.

Inside, he took a seat on at stool at the middle of the bar. Just because he was drinking alone didn't mean he had to look pitiful while doing it. He ordered a glass of wine and settled in while the bartender fetched his drink.

Hotch had called with news for Shannon and they had both agreed the news should be given in person, privately. Shannon had suggested meeting at his apartment. They couldn't get more private than that.

Once their plans were set he called Felix to let him know what was going on. They hadn't spoken much about Hotch's investigation. Shannon was sure Felix was still unhappy with the fact he had told the FBI agent about the situation at all, but he deserved to know about Aaron's progress if he wanted to.

Phone calls made, he became restless waiting for the men to arrive. He set up the kettle for tea - living alone he'd learned to do that much. If anyone wanted coffee they would have to get it themselves.

Without anything else to do, he sat down to wait.

Felix was gone. The shock hadn't worn off when Shannon went to bed and he woke up fully expecting to see his lover in the room with him, but the apartment was cold and empty. In the living room the incriminating evidence still lay on the table. He cleaned the ash of the burned flyer but he couldn't make himself touch the photographs. Not wanting to be alone in the place that was theirs, he quickly dressed and left the building.

As he walked to a nearby coffee shop, he had a sudden urge for company. While waiting on the line he dialed Hotch's number.

Shannon was practically glowing as he breezed into the apartment complex, collected the mail and made his way up to the apartment he shared with Felix. Inside, he dropped his shopping bags in the bedroom, the mail on the table and set about brewing a pot of coffee. Contrary to popular belief, living away from home where the only staff they had was a cleaning lady who came once a week had made Shannon partially self-sufficient. Partially.

While waiting for the coffee, he flipped through the mail. Most of the correspondence was uninteresting and therefore tossed aside. A few were for Felix and those were set on the counter for his lover to find, but at the back of the pile was a larger envelope neatly addressed to him. There was no return address on the package and he wondered who sent it as he reached for the letter opener. Reaching in, he withdrew what looked to be a small stack of photos and a piece of paper. The subject in the first photo made him drop the contents onto the table as if bitten. They fanned out in a glossy array giving him further unwanted glimpses of the boy in them.

Shannon was unable to look away though he wanted to. The boy in the photos was young, almost too young and he was very much naked. He had long red hair and a lithe body. It was plain to see that the sender intended for Shannon to assume the photos were of his lover. The idea enraged him. How dare they try to manipulate him by threatening Felix in such a disgusting manner? Sickened, he collected the photos, planning to burn them as soon as he could light a fire, but there were too many of them. The boy had been photographed in an array of compromising positions, each one more vulgar than the last. Shannon felt his stomach churn as he tried to stuff them haphazardly back into the envelope. One of the photos feel free and he leaned down to shove it back with the others but as his eyes fell on the photo, he froze.

All of the photos displayed as much of the boy as possible, but this was the first that had managed to catch the boy's eyes straight on and Shannon was looking into the unmistakable mismatched gaze of his lover. The blood drained from his face and he ran to the bathroom to empty his stomach. He couldn't believe it. He knew Felix had had lovers before him, the man couldn't give such pleasure without some experience, but he had always assumed this was in the past and forgotten. The thought of someone else touching his Felix was unimaginable and he wanted it to stay that way, but here was undeniable proof that Felix had not only had other lovers but he had gained his experience much earlier than Shannon had considered. In addition, he'd been photographed while doing it!

He returned to the living room almost cautiously. The damning picture lay on the floor as if it were an innocent piece of paper. He avoided it and finally turned his attention to the paper that had come with the photos. It would most likely be a blackmail letter of some sort, he was sure. He was wrong. The paper had clearly been printed off of the internet and it was an advertisement for- Shannon swallowed, unable to look at it any more, but when he closed his eyes he saw the youth with Felix's eyes. He wanted to empty his stomach again but there was nothing left in it. Defeated, he sank into a chair.

He didn't know how long he sat at the table. At some point he picked the stray picture up from the floor and placed it on top of the pile. He was still staring at it when he heard Felix's key in the lock. He looked up, wondering what he would say to his lover, how he would even begin to ask for an explanation. He was still searching for the words as Felix walked in and saw him.

Sunlight filtered into the bedroom, dancing over the sleeping blond in the bed and making his golden hair shine. The scene was picturesque, like a fairy tale before the spell of sleep was broken. Even the sleeper was resistant to the pull of morning but eventually he stretched and admitted defeat. His body felt rested and he smiled, enjoying the feeling.

A few delicious aches in his movements brought his thoughts back to the previous evening and he remembered the stranger, Thomas, and what they had done together. Never in his life would he have imagined being in a bed with two men. It had been novel and fun but it was so unlike him. Felix seemed to have enjoyed it though.

Thoughts of his lover made Shannon reach out, searching for the man who should be sleeping beside him but the space was empty, the sheets cool. With a start his eyes flew open and he searched the room for Felix, finally exhaling when he saw him sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Good morning," he said.

The curtain remained closed and the lights brightened signalling that it was time for intermission. Shannon suggested they stretch their legs and find a drink at the bar.

"Is it everything you hoped so far?" he asked Alcuin as they slowly traveled with the crush toward the Royal Opera Houses' restaurants and bars.

Shannon kept his distance from Felix for the ride home from the charity fundraiser, his gaze purposefully out the window and his attention seemingly far away but, in truth, every inch of him was tuned to his lover. Any traces of anger had dissipated to be replaced by a fine tuned anticipation. He savored the sensation all the while fighting the temptation to even look at Felix for fear he would not be able to control himself once he did.

Once inside the house the door was closed and locked and his overcoat hung up neatly. Shannon's gaze went to the bedroom door which looked infinitely far away before he looked back at his lover. The taller man was so close and looking perfectly undressable. Shannon couldn't help reaching out, his fingers sliding under the silky fabric of Felix's tie. His skin tingled as he pulled Felix closer for a kiss. One kiss was all he planned, just one, before they could move to the bedroom for the rest, but then their lips met and any plans were forgotten for the sweet touch of Felix's lips against his own. His grip on the tie tightened and he stepped closer, the respectful distance between them vanishing. Propriety could go jump in a lake.