Title: Staying Safe
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Will LaMontagne/Ethan Delacroix
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Rating: PG-13
Table: 1drabble
Prompt: 1, Clouds
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Will LaMontagne or Ethan Delacroix, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Ethan stood up from the piano, taking a bow, and looked around.

Yes, that man was still there, sitting in a corner booth. His gaze was fixed on Ethan, staring at him hungrily, as though he was undressing him with those eyes.

Ethan shivered, hastily directing his own gaze away from the man. It made him feel uncomfortable to know that someone was watching him like that; not for the first time tonight, he wished that Will was here, that he could point the man out to his boyfriend.

Will would talk to him, be .... well, persuasive, and tell him in no uncertain terms that Ethan was taken. Not only that, but taken by an officer of the law.

Ethan was sure that would make the man back off quickly.

He sighed softly, shaking his head as he went to the bar to get a drink. He always went easy on the liquor when he was performing, but tonight, he felt the need for a whiskey.

Still, it wouldn't be a good idea to have one. He didn't want to be hazy, especially not when he was walking home after work. No, maybe that wasn't a good idea tonight, not with that man watching. He would call a cab, and make sure that it was here before he went out to get into it.

He wasn't going to take any chances with his own safety. He didn't want to become another statistic, just another crime scene in New Orleans.

That would break Will's heart, to lose him in that way. He had to be more careful with himself, if only for the sake of the man he loved.

Not only that, but he didn't particularly want to die at the hands of some stalker, Ethan thought with a wry smile. And that man at the corner table definitely looked like one of those, with his obvious interest. He had to be wary, keep himself vigilant the whole time he was here.

He should tell his boss about that man; Larry wouldn't want it known that his bar offered a safe haven for dangerous people. The man would probably be thrown out.

This wasn't the kind of place that invited trouble.

He'd keep quiet for now, but if he was still being watched at the end of the evening, he would definitely talk to a few people at work about the problem.

Why did dark clouds like this have to roll in and obscure his bright vision of the future? Ethan thought, his brows drawing together as he glanced at the strange man again. He was still being watched; that enigmatic gaze was hungrier than ever.

The thought that he could have a stalker, one who had no qualms about being right out there in plain sight, made him shiver with apprehension.

Yes, he'd have to be more than a little careful if he wanted to stay safe.

***