Master Fic List TITLE: The World Will Pardon My Mush
RATING: PGish
CHARACTERS: Shawn/Carlton
WORD COUNT: 704
WARNINGS: Boy!kissing. Two bad words.
SUMMARY: For
psychflashfic's Challenge #2: Crush. Shawn, Carlton and an early morning confession.
AO3 Link Disclaimer: If I owned them, this would've been on-screen already. Title from one of those songs the Gershwin brothers wrote.
Author's Note: I thought I had another idea in mind when I saw this challenge, but when I sat down to write, this is what came out. It's fluffy (hence the title) and maybe slightly OOC (but I don't think by too much).
Written quickly and un-betaed...but I didn't spot any errors.
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Shawn’s eyes blinked open into his dimly lit bedroom. It was way too early for him to have woken naturally and he found himself frowning as he tried to figure out why exactly he was, indeed, awake. A ghost of a breath on the back of his neck made him turn his head.
Carlton was staring at him. They were close, nearly touching, but neither man moved to close the small distance. They simply blinked at one another for a long minute.
Shawn was mostly just surprised to find the other man next to him. Four months since the detective had first tumbled into his bed and, in all that time, Shawn had only ever woken alone. Quite frankly, the change in routine was a bit disconcerting.
“Hey,” he murmured, somewhat awkwardly. It’d been awhile since Shawn had had to do a Morning After.
“Hey,” Carlton replied. Shawn was trying to remember what was supposed to be said next (and by who) when Carlton shifted forward and kissed him softly.
Shawn blinked in surprise as Carlton resettled with his head on the same pillow as his, their foreheads nearly touching. Before they’d even begun their little…fling, Shawn had known Carlton Lassiter was not a cuddler. But here the man was, wrapping an arm around him as he pressed their bodies close. From what Shawn could tell, Carlton wasn’t even all that aroused, just…snuggling.
“I feel like a teenaged girl,” Carlton admitted quietly, seeming quite focused on the tip of Shawn’s nose. Shawn tried not to be too distracted by the hand rubbing light circles in the small of his back and instead forced himself to consider the statement.
“Having a crisis over which dress to wear to prom?” Shawn asked. He was only slightly disappointed when Carlton didn’t come back with one of his usual rejoinders.
“I think I have a crush on you,” he said instead. Shawn’s heart started thudding so loud in his chest he wouldn’t have heard anything else even if Carlton had elaborated. If Carlton was a female high schooler, Shawn was most definitely the awkward guy pining away in the back of her Chem class.
The detective finally met his eyes and Shawn stared for a long moment. This was Carlton: open, honest and (if Shawn guessed as correctly as he usually did) terrified.
“A crush, Lassie?” Shawn said, his tone forcibly as light and teasing as it ever was. “An honest-to-Gumby schoolgirl crush?” On the inside, most of Shawn’s brain had shut down; trying to process what the hell was going on.
Carlton held Shawn’s gaze.
“I’m not…” Carlton hesitated and finally his eyes dropped from Shawn’s. Shawn scooted just a bit closer as Carlton collected himself. “I’m tired of cold beds at three a.m.” For Carlton, that was downright poetic. Shawn kissed the end of his nose. Carlton met his gaze again and Shawn gave him an encouraging smile.
“I’d be honored if you wore my class pin, Carly Sue,” Shawn drawled. “And if you’d let me carry your books for you…”
“Oh for cryin’ out loud,” Carlton grumbled shifting away from Shawn. He’d rolled his eyes, but Shawn had seen the embarrassment that tinged the tips of his ears. And there was something that hinted at disappointment in how he slouched away.
“Hey wait,” Shawn said, grabbing onto Carlton’s arm. He pulled Carlton back to him, giving him a warm kiss. Carlton was watching him warily as their lips parted.
“I know I have a crush on you too,” Shawn told him gently. It only took a moment for Carlton’s face to split into a wide grin and he pounced on Shawn, making the younger man grunt in surprise.
“Does this mean I need to make room for tampons in the bathroom?” Shawn asked as Carlton’s lips moved away from his own several minutes later.
“Shawn…” Carlton growled low against Shawn’s throat. Shawn grinned and twisted, pinning the other man to the mattress. Carlton blinked up at him in surprise.
“Regret what you said?” Carlton gave him a sincere smile as he shook his head.
“I’m a stubborn bastard, remember?” Carlton whispered. Shawn smiled and kissed him.
“Won’t even argue with you this time, Lassie.”
/end