He had been waiting outside, bouncing on his heels, watching the different colors of countless Christmas lights reflecting on his hands and clothes.
"Shawn?"
"Detective O'Hara!" He beamed at her. "Merry Christmas!"
"What are you doing out here? It's getting cold!"
Shawn smiled briefly at the genuine concern and shrugged, bouncing a little more. "Ah, you know. Just the usual stuff. Walking the streets, following some random psychic leads... I rescued a puppy."
"You did? That's... great, Shawn." She looked at him for a moment, trying to figure out what he was doing here and then remembered how rude that was, given the observation she just made. "Oh, I'm sorry! Do you want to come in?"
"Ah... no." He shook his head. "It's been a long day and I gotta head back to my pop soon, it's just, we had this little disagreement about the eggnog and then I explained to him in a very calm and grown-up voice: Dad? Let us not becloud the merry days of Christmas warmth and gathering with crude and premature disputes!"
Juliet blinked.
Shawn looked at her. "... well, they may not have been the exact terms but in a nutshell? I decided to take a short walk and I was in the neighbourhood, so hey. Here I am." He grinned, waving at her. "Hi."
"I see." She frowned, because she didn't really see. "Hi."
Shawn was just about to open the conversation with an incredibly witty anecdote of his Christmas Lights Hanger times when all of a sudden three short little monsters came running out the door, yelling Auntie Julie, Auntie Juuuulie and stopping dead track at the sight of the stranger outside the house.
They looked.
Shawn looked.
They looked.
Shawn looked and knew he was doomed.
"Who’s that, Auntie Julie!"
"Look, they're under the mistletoe! He must be her boyfriend!"
"Auntie Julie has a boyfriend!"
"Gross!"
"You gotta kiss, Auntie Julie!"
"Gross!"
"Boys, boys!" Juliet started, embarrassed, trying to straighten things out but they were already back on their way inside, loudly proclaiming the singsong of Auntie Jules has a boyfriend.
Shawn had chuckled something about kids and gotta love them and secretly resolved to never have any. At all. Ever.
"I'm sorry about that..." she started, not really knowing where to put her hands. "You were looking for some quiet and..."
"Oh nonono, it's totally alright! Family. Sweet. The big bond of togetherness. Nothing more awesome than that!"
Silence followed and Shawn desperately tried to end it. This was getting out of hand. Moments weren't supposed to be this long or complicated, that's why they were moments, right, as in short. "So, is that a traditional Scottish game as well?"
"Excuse me?"
"The mistletoe."
"Oh. Oh, I, I don't know."
"Well. Neither do I."
You're not sincere he thought but Shawn didn't care about it, Shawn cared a great deal about it, Shawn decided that sincere was a broad term and this was just a Christmas tradition anyway. He was waiting for her to stop, to not lean in, like last time, he couldn't do it but at the same time could and wanted and that was all he needed.
He softly touched her lips, just touching at first, taking in how it felt before kissing her for real. He tried not to think which lead to even more thinking until his mind was buzzing with random trains of thoughts. Her lips were warm and he could feel the slight chill running down his back and whoever invented mistletoes deserved either to be shot or the Nobel prize, he wasn’t completely sure yet.
When he finally pulled back there was another moment that wasn't a moment because it was ridiculously long. They stood there, not looking at each other, secretly counting seconds. Or not.
Finally Shawn cleared his throat. "Yeah, well I. I'll go back to the eggnog then."
"Yes." She nodded. "And I. Uh. Will go inside and clear up this..."
I already said in IM but going to say again, this was perfect! It was that great balance of awkward and yet that lingering worry that they shouldn't be doing this PLUS he said "I rescued a puppy!" Angel is smiling in my head HEEE!
"Shawn?"
"Detective O'Hara!" He beamed at her. "Merry Christmas!"
"What are you doing out here? It's getting cold!"
Shawn smiled briefly at the genuine concern and shrugged, bouncing a little more. "Ah, you know. Just the usual stuff. Walking the streets, following some random psychic leads... I rescued a puppy."
"You did? That's... great, Shawn." She looked at him for a moment, trying to figure out what he was doing here and then remembered how rude that was, given the observation she just made. "Oh, I'm sorry! Do you want to come in?"
"Ah... no." He shook his head. "It's been a long day and I gotta head back to my pop soon, it's just, we had this little disagreement about the eggnog and then I explained to him in a very calm and grown-up voice: Dad? Let us not becloud the merry days of Christmas warmth and gathering with crude and premature disputes!"
Juliet blinked.
Shawn looked at her. "... well, they may not have been the exact terms but in a nutshell? I decided to take a short walk and I was in the neighbourhood, so hey. Here I am." He grinned, waving at her. "Hi."
"I see." She frowned, because she didn't really see. "Hi."
Shawn was just about to open the conversation with an incredibly witty anecdote of his Christmas Lights Hanger times when all of a sudden three short little monsters came running out the door, yelling Auntie Julie, Auntie Juuuulie and stopping dead track at the sight of the stranger outside the house.
They looked.
Shawn looked.
They looked.
Shawn looked and knew he was doomed.
"Who’s that, Auntie Julie!"
"Look, they're under the mistletoe! He must be her boyfriend!"
"Auntie Julie has a boyfriend!"
"Gross!"
"You gotta kiss, Auntie Julie!"
"Gross!"
"Boys, boys!" Juliet started, embarrassed, trying to straighten things out but they were already back on their way inside, loudly proclaiming the singsong of Auntie Jules has a boyfriend.
Shawn had chuckled something about kids and gotta love them and secretly resolved to never have any. At all. Ever.
"I'm sorry about that..." she started, not really knowing where to put her hands. "You were looking for some quiet and..."
"Oh nonono, it's totally alright! Family. Sweet. The big bond of togetherness. Nothing more awesome than that!"
Silence followed and Shawn desperately tried to end it. This was getting out of hand. Moments weren't supposed to be this long or complicated, that's why they were moments, right, as in short. "So, is that a traditional Scottish game as well?"
"Excuse me?"
"The mistletoe."
"Oh. Oh, I, I don't know."
"Well. Neither do I."
You're not sincere he thought but Shawn didn't care about it, Shawn cared a great deal about it, Shawn decided that sincere was a broad term and this was just a Christmas tradition anyway. He was waiting for her to stop, to not lean in, like last time, he couldn't do it but at the same time could and wanted and that was all he needed.
He softly touched her lips, just touching at first, taking in how it felt before kissing her for real. He tried not to think which lead to even more thinking until his mind was buzzing with random trains of thoughts. Her lips were warm and he could feel the slight chill running down his back and whoever invented mistletoes deserved either to be shot or the Nobel prize, he wasn’t completely sure yet.
When he finally pulled back there was another moment that wasn't a moment because it was ridiculously long. They stood there, not looking at each other, secretly counting seconds. Or not.
Finally Shawn cleared his throat. "Yeah, well I. I'll go back to the eggnog then."
"Yes." She nodded. "And I. Uh. Will go inside and clear up this..."
"Misunderstanding."
"Exactly. Misunderstanding. So. Goodnight, Shawn."
"Goodnight detective."
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