PSYCH: It's Not Goodbye If You Don't Say It (PG), Gen.
When Gus leaves for college, Shawn leaves at the same time. The only difference is that Gus had weeks of long goodbyes and two going away parties, while no one even knew Shawn was leaving until he was gone.
(note: written for the pre-series challenge on psychflashfic)
When Gus first met Shawn in kindergarten, Shawn convinced him that he was an exchange student from Tibet. He claimed the monks had all sent him away because he talked too much. Gus had believed him the same way he still half-believed all of the crazy lies that Shawn told: it was more fun that way.
x x x x x x
When Gus leaves for college, Shawn leaves at the same time. The only difference is that Gus had weeks of long goodbyes and two going away parties, while no one even knew Shawn was leaving until he was gone.
His first week of college is spent mostly fielding phone calls from his parents and from Henry. It makes sense they think he knows something. Whenever Shawn goes missing, wherever Gus is tends to be the best first place to look.
The only problem is that the last time Gus saw Shawn he was bright and happy and giving him a salute, supposedly driving his motorcycle home, though from all accounts he never got there. Henry tells him that Shawn only took the clothes on his back. Henry still thinks he's planning on coming back, but Gus knows Shawn too well. If he'd only been doing this for the effect he would have packed.
Three days later he gets a phone call from Shawn, like nothing's wrong at all. "Hey, how's college?" he asks.
"How's college?" Gus yells. "My college life thus far has consisted only of freaking out because you've gone missing. Where are you, Shawn?"
"Wow, 'thus far'?" Shawn echoes. "I think college is having a better effect on you than you realize. You sound snobbier already."
"Shawn, I'm not even kidding," Gus tells him. "You tell me where you are right now or I will come and I will find you."
"That would be scarier coming from pretty much anyone else," Shawn says. "A twelve-year-old girl, even. You couldn't even find Waldo in third grade."
"You need to let that go," Gus snaps. "I only couldn't find him because you'd colored in a mustache on every single Waldo in the book."
Shawn laughs. "I forgot about that," he says, sounding impressed with himself. "That took me all recess."
"Stop-stop distracting me," Gus says. "Just tell me where you are."
"I'll tell you this much," Shawn says. "If my dad calls, I'm with my mother."
"You don't think he'd just call her and find out you're not?" Gus demands.
"No, he wouldn't call her," Shawn says. "He's scared to face her. So the best way to keep him from doing something crazy like reporting me missing is to tell him I'm there. I know you've got a thing about lying, but this is better for everyone."
"How exactly?" Gus snaps. "Where are you going to go?"
"It's not the destination, Gus, it's the journey," Shawn says. "Your guess is as good as mine where I'm going to end up."
Gus sits down on his bed as it starts to sink in that there will be no seeing Shawn on the weekends, no seeing him when he goes home for Christmas, no seeing him at all. "You should come back," Gus says, but he knows it's useless, even before he hears himself say it.
"To what? To work at Suncoast Video and live with Henry? We'd kill each other," Shawn says. "Honestly I'm surprised we lasted as long as we did."
"You could have gotten into any college you wanted," Gus protests.
"Well, yeah, but I didn't want any of them," Shawn says. "College is your thing, Gus."
"And what's your thing?" Gus asks.
"I'm still looking for mine," Shawn tells him. "Now, let's rehearse, repeat after me: oh, hi, Henry, why yes, I did hear from Shawn, he's staying with his mother, he says hi, he promises to write."
"You're not going to write him," Gus says.
"So I'm improvising, use your imagination," Shawn says. "I'll send him a postcard or something. You too."
"Oh, that's big of you, where will you find the time?" Gus demands. "Come home, Shawn."
"Why do you want me to?" Shawn asks. "You're not even there."
"Then come here," Gus says.
"When I said I didn't want to go to college, I kind of meant that to mean yours, too," Shawn says. "Anyway I think it's going to be good for you to be away from me for awhile."
"Don't say that," Gus says.
"What? I just meant that I'm so charming and brilliant I've been overshadowing you," Shawn says wryly. "Now it's your time to shine."
"Yeah, right," Gus says. "Just be careful, Shawn. I want you to call me, once a week, at least, you got it? If you don't I'm going to tell Henry you're not at your mother's and he's going to come looking for you."
"Yeah, okay, fine, but let me leave you with a little advice, don't get a 4.0," Shawn tells him. "Get a B once and awhile. Live a little."
"Words of wisdom, from Shawn Spencer," Gus says. "You should write a book."
"That's on my list," Shawn says. "Right above lion tamer and right below professional bungee jumper. Actually, I think it's time for me to get started on crossing things off, and also I'm out of quarters and the payphone is about to-"
"Shawn!" Gus shouts. "Shawn, you said you were going to be careful!"
The dial-tone is the only answer. Gus tries the redial but no one answers.
Henry calls again later that night. Gus breaks out into a sweat but he lies just like Shawn asked him to. He knows it's for the best.
After all, Shawn's the one that taught him how much better some lies are than the truth. So he knows he owes him just this one in return.
x x x x x x
Three weeks later Gus gets a postcard in the mail from Tibet. All it says is: Still looking. Also, I think I'm kind of psychic. Monks really do think I talk too much.
And even as his heart aches, Gus realizes Shawn is going to be just fine.
It's the rest of the world he should be worrying about.
(note: written for the pre-series challenge on psychflashfic)
When Gus first met Shawn in kindergarten, Shawn convinced him that he was an exchange student from Tibet. He claimed the monks had all sent him away because he talked too much. Gus had believed him the same way he still half-believed all of the crazy lies that Shawn told: it was more fun that way.
x x x x x x
When Gus leaves for college, Shawn leaves at the same time. The only difference is that Gus had weeks of long goodbyes and two going away parties, while no one even knew Shawn was leaving until he was gone.
His first week of college is spent mostly fielding phone calls from his parents and from Henry. It makes sense they think he knows something. Whenever Shawn goes missing, wherever Gus is tends to be the best first place to look.
The only problem is that the last time Gus saw Shawn he was bright and happy and giving him a salute, supposedly driving his motorcycle home, though from all accounts he never got there. Henry tells him that Shawn only took the clothes on his back. Henry still thinks he's planning on coming back, but Gus knows Shawn too well. If he'd only been doing this for the effect he would have packed.
Three days later he gets a phone call from Shawn, like nothing's wrong at all. "Hey, how's college?" he asks.
"How's college?" Gus yells. "My college life thus far has consisted only of freaking out because you've gone missing. Where are you, Shawn?"
"Wow, 'thus far'?" Shawn echoes. "I think college is having a better effect on you than you realize. You sound snobbier already."
"Shawn, I'm not even kidding," Gus tells him. "You tell me where you are right now or I will come and I will find you."
"That would be scarier coming from pretty much anyone else," Shawn says. "A twelve-year-old girl, even. You couldn't even find Waldo in third grade."
"You need to let that go," Gus snaps. "I only couldn't find him because you'd colored in a mustache on every single Waldo in the book."
Shawn laughs. "I forgot about that," he says, sounding impressed with himself. "That took me all recess."
"Stop-stop distracting me," Gus says. "Just tell me where you are."
"I'll tell you this much," Shawn says. "If my dad calls, I'm with my mother."
"You don't think he'd just call her and find out you're not?" Gus demands.
"No, he wouldn't call her," Shawn says. "He's scared to face her. So the best way to keep him from doing something crazy like reporting me missing is to tell him I'm there. I know you've got a thing about lying, but this is better for everyone."
"How exactly?" Gus snaps. "Where are you going to go?"
"It's not the destination, Gus, it's the journey," Shawn says. "Your guess is as good as mine where I'm going to end up."
Gus sits down on his bed as it starts to sink in that there will be no seeing Shawn on the weekends, no seeing him when he goes home for Christmas, no seeing him at all. "You should come back," Gus says, but he knows it's useless, even before he hears himself say it.
"To what? To work at Suncoast Video and live with Henry? We'd kill each other," Shawn says. "Honestly I'm surprised we lasted as long as we did."
"You could have gotten into any college you wanted," Gus protests.
"Well, yeah, but I didn't want any of them," Shawn says. "College is your thing, Gus."
"And what's your thing?" Gus asks.
"I'm still looking for mine," Shawn tells him. "Now, let's rehearse, repeat after me: oh, hi, Henry, why yes, I did hear from Shawn, he's staying with his mother, he says hi, he promises to write."
"You're not going to write him," Gus says.
"So I'm improvising, use your imagination," Shawn says. "I'll send him a postcard or something. You too."
"Oh, that's big of you, where will you find the time?" Gus demands. "Come home, Shawn."
"Why do you want me to?" Shawn asks. "You're not even there."
"Then come here," Gus says.
"When I said I didn't want to go to college, I kind of meant that to mean yours, too," Shawn says. "Anyway I think it's going to be good for you to be away from me for awhile."
"Don't say that," Gus says.
"What? I just meant that I'm so charming and brilliant I've been overshadowing you," Shawn says wryly. "Now it's your time to shine."
"Yeah, right," Gus says. "Just be careful, Shawn. I want you to call me, once a week, at least, you got it? If you don't I'm going to tell Henry you're not at your mother's and he's going to come looking for you."
"Yeah, okay, fine, but let me leave you with a little advice, don't get a 4.0," Shawn tells him. "Get a B once and awhile. Live a little."
"Words of wisdom, from Shawn Spencer," Gus says. "You should write a book."
"That's on my list," Shawn says. "Right above lion tamer and right below professional bungee jumper. Actually, I think it's time for me to get started on crossing things off, and also I'm out of quarters and the payphone is about to-"
"Shawn!" Gus shouts. "Shawn, you said you were going to be careful!"
The dial-tone is the only answer. Gus tries the redial but no one answers.
Henry calls again later that night. Gus breaks out into a sweat but he lies just like Shawn asked him to. He knows it's for the best.
After all, Shawn's the one that taught him how much better some lies are than the truth. So he knows he owes him just this one in return.
x x x x x x
Three weeks later Gus gets a postcard in the mail from Tibet. All it says is: Still looking. Also, I think I'm kind of psychic. Monks really do think I talk too much.
And even as his heart aches, Gus realizes Shawn is going to be just fine.
It's the rest of the world he should be worrying about.