Psych - The Journey from Spencer to Shawn
Shawn is always running somewhere - to the precinct, to the crime scene, to his father’s, away from his father’s - but after this case, after running all over Santa Barbara to find the latest murder suspect only to get a bullet in the arm, and after being escorted to the hospital by an irate Irish detective, Shawn really doesn’t mind if he trudges home instead of running off at full tilt - the fact that he has said Irishman at his side making sure he makes it there safely and standing a little closer than necessary has nothing to do with it.
02.Waltz
“We don’t have balls,” Lassy says, and despite enjoying the unintentional double entendre, Shawn thinks it’s a bit of a shame because he’d love to see Lassiter in a tux, smirking confidently because he knows he looks damn good in formal wear, being forced into a dance with Shawn because of a conveniently timed “vision” about a “dead woman who just wanted one last dance” - he begins sending anonymous letters to Vick about formal events being good for cooperation the next day.
03.Wishes
Someone needs to weed outside the precinct because there are little white obstructions on every bit of ground that isn’t covered in bushes or concrete - not that Shawn really minds, though, because when Lassy catches him blowing seeds everywhere, even the normally stoic Lassyface can’t contain his smile, and Shawn thinks maybe his wishes will come true after all.
04.Wonder
Shawn’s first crush was on Kevin Arnold from The Wonder Years because he hadn’t gone through his bad boy phase yet - or his Winnie Cooper phase, for that matter - and when Lassiter has that slightly uncomfortable look because he wants so desperately to fit in but can’t quite figure out how, Shawn remembers why he fell for that “Aw, shucks” look in the first place.
05.Worry
He looks so pale, even more so than usual, and the doctors say that there’s a good chance that he’ll pull through, but Shawn can’t help but think that that still means that there’s a chance that he won’t and as he presses a kiss the Lassiter’s forehead, he prays it won’t be the last.
06.Whimsy
Carlton was never one to let himself drift into fancy - while the other kids were playing, he was inside studying because he knew there was no point in playing Cops and Robbers when he could be a real cop someday - but when Spencer comes in, waiving his arms and shaking his hips and getting as close to Lassy as humanly possible, Carlton finds himself getting lost in daydreams for the first time.
07.Waste/Wasteland
Shawn knows that Lassy knows that he’s not really a psychic, even if he has no way of proving it, and Shawn knows that Lassy has no clue why he would waste his obvious skill at investigation as a fake psychic instead of an actual detective - but Shawn also knows that real members of the Santa Barbara PD don’t get to manhandle the head detective and really, isn’t the tradeoff more than fair?
08.Whiskey and Rum
Carlton would have expected Spencer to smell like Piña Coladas or Mojitos, not aged Irish whiskey, but when the “psychic” looks up, the alcohol stripping away his normal barriers, Lassiter understands that tonight is a night for hard liquor and orders another for Spencer and one for himself before sitting down to listen to stories of a childhood with Henry Spencer as omnipotent ruler and the ensuing resentment - someone has to make sure he gets home safely, after all.
09.War
Carlton thinks it’s annoying that Spencer keeps popping up at his Civil War Reenactments; Shawn just thinks it’s a good opportunity to get some sun while marveling at the fact that Lassy actually manages to make that tuft of hair posing as a beard look sexy.
10.Weddings
Buzz looks dashing in his tux, Francine gorgeous in her gown, and the ceremony is absolutely beautiful and touching, but the moment Shawn will remember best is catching Lassy, mid-rant, mouth wide open, and slipping a piece of sweet, white cake between the detective’s lips: the deliciously shocked look on Lassy’s face and the feel of his mouth on Shawn’s fingers made the experience so much more soul satisfying than any sort of nuptials could be (no offence to Buzz.)
11.Birthday
The next year, Shawn gives Lassy the best present he can think of: he stays away from the precinct, distracting Jules while he’s at it, and arranges through one of his many connections to have a pizza and a six-pack of beer delivered when Lassy gets home - it would have been perfect if he’d just been able to restrain himself from making the pepperonis spell out “Happy Birthday, Lassyface.”
12.Blessing
Carlton did things the old-fashioned way when he got married - even going so far as to as her parents for their blessing; he occasionally wonders what Henry Spencer would say if he asked for permission to get involved with his son, then berates himself because those thoughts and dreams he keeps having about a certain psychic do not mean he wants any sort relationship with the man.
13.Bias
Shawn knows it’s stereotyping, but he really hopes it’s true that the Irish are hung like horses.
14.Burning
Carlton never liked Disco music, but Spencer is practically grinding up against him, the push of the crowd forcing him even closer than he usually is, and Carlton knows he should snap at him that they’re here at this glitter-infested place to look for a suspect, not to commit acts of debauchery on the dance floor, but all he can think is that he doesn’t remember The Trammps being this sexy.
15.Breathing
Lassy’s got him shoved up against a wall again and Shawn’s mind is anywhere but the lecture he’s getting - fluctuating between looking at Lassy’s lips, thinking about Lassy’s ass, and wondering if the desk over there would support them if he could convince Lassiter to make this conversation more horizontal - because Lassy is barely a breath away and he really wants to just close the distance and - but then Lassy’s pulled away and assumed that Shawn’s been properly chastised and Shawn has to run to the bathroom before heading off with Gus to disobey whatever it was he didn’t listen to.
16.Breaking
Carlton watches Spencer flirt with the skinny brunette and hears Guster tell O’Hara that this is the first actual girlfriend Shawn’s had in years and tries to bury the mysterious ache that’s building in his chest by snapping at the two of them for gossiping before immersing himself in paperwork.
17.Belief
There’s a thin line he walks, between the parochial schoolboy he once was and the trained killer his job sometimes forces him to be, and as he sits in the confessional and can’t quite bring himself to ask for forgiveness for the thoughts he’s been having about a certain psychic detective recently, he wonders whether he’s fallen off the line entirely.
18.Balloon
Carlton knows it’s Spencer sending them to him - the other man was unfortunately there during the last case, the one that was committed by an ex-circus employee and thus contained a fair amount of clowns, something Carlton’s been afraid of since he was eight, and balloons, something Carlton’s also avoided since he was eight in an order to keep clown-exposure at a minimum - but he can’t quite being himself to throw them out, and for the next month he doesn’t even mind having to stumble around his house because every inch of it is covered in balloon bouquets.
19.Balcony
Carlton’s not sure if he believes that O’Hara cancelled at last minute and Guster “promised to never step into another theatre after the ‘Twelfth Night incident,’” but it’s The Producers, and even if they are in the balcony at the Santa Barbara Community Theater, he’s always had a weakness for Mel Brooks (and not, as a tiny, apparently insane voice in his head claims, a weakness for a certain pineapple-loving psychic.)
20.Bane
He wants to ask if Lassy knows that just because the girl claimed to be a werewolf doesn’t mean her mouth is any more toxic than any other mouth, but he manages to bite it back and just watches the detective carefully dress the bite wound on his arm.
21.Quiet
Shawn likes to talk - when you talk, people take in the information that you give them, the information that you want to give them, and pay less attention to the information about yourself that you don’t want to give them - and he likes to talk to Lassy the most, knowing that his constant babbling is just enough to keep the normally brilliant detective one step behind, knowing that if he gives him even one second of peace and quiet, it’ll be “bye bye, cushy psychic detective job with a handsome Irish police officer” and “hello, three years of jail followed by a job where actual work is required and there are no hot, formerly-married, mint-hating detectives to shove you up against the wall.”
22.Quirks
Lassy adds two more spoonfuls of sugar to his already sucrose-filled coffee and Shawn, who is across the room pouring himself a cup of caffeine that he plans to leave untainted, thank you very much, wonders what the mixture of police-precinct-quality coffee and sugar will do to the taste of Lassy’s mouth - before, of course, the detective notices him staring and barks at him to stop staring off into space and stealing the station’s coffee and either go flail around like he’s paid to do, or, better yet, just leave and don’t come back.
23.Question
“Who is Dirty Henry?” the contestant answers, and as he and Spencer both groan at the stupidity, Carlton unconsciously starts to appreciate the younger man a little more.
24.Quarrel
He and his dad are fighting again - what’s new? - and when his dad segues from his irresponsibility in general - always a popular topic - to his lack of anything resembling a serious relationship - a rare, but always effective argument - Shawn just manages to bite back the comment that “it’s hard to get into a serious relationship when the guy you like would probably smack you and put you in the un-fun kind of handcuffs if you made a move” and then lets the rest of his dad’s ranting just roll over him because while he’s known he thinks Lassy is sexy, he certainly hadn’t thought it was to the point of wanting a “serious relationship.”
25.Quitting
Carlton found Brokeback Mountain to be contrived and predictable, but every time Spencer has a “psychic episode” and thrashes around, he finds himself minding less and less and his head keeps screaming, “I wish I knew how to quit you!” and Carlton thinks the movie got something right after all.
26.Jump
Shawn is used to just jumping into relationships - a loose term he used to describe any female he went on more than one date with - flirting and asking girls out on just a whim; so why, when the time finally comes, when Lassy has him shoved up against the wall again and the yelling has stopped and they are just inches apart and are both looking hesitant yet expectant - why, oh why can’t he make himself take that tiny move forward; why is an inch so much further than a leap?
27.Jester
He tries to laugh it off later - when he can’t manage to avoid him, that is - because he knows Lassy didn’t enjoy it - it was obvious, what with him standing there, stiff and silent, mouth firmly closed - and he wants to just forget that it ever happened, because he’s never felt this embarrassed - not even when Selma Alden left him naked and tied to his bed for his roommate to find - so he figures if he acts like it never happened, flirts with Jules and cracks some jokes, maybe Lassy will quit it with the intense looks and just forgive him already.
28.Jousting
Karen Vick never thought she’d actually miss the sound of bickering and squabbling, but after nine days straight without hearing one “Spencer!” or “But Lassyface!”, the “peace and quiet” is driving her crazy.
29.Jewel
Carlton is used to solving relationship problems by offering jewelry and/or flowers in apology and leaving it at that, but - aside from the fact that that method of communication lead to a separation and meetings with divorce lawyers - Carlton’s not sure what kind of gift would be appropriate to say “I’m sorry I froze up when we kissed, but I’ve never felt this way about a man before and you took me by surprise and can we please try it again?”
30.Just
Justice may be blind, but Carlton is not, and if Spencer doesn’t stop showing up wearing those ass-hugging jeans, Carlton’s going to shove him up against the wall and make the younger man respond to him again.
31.Smirk
A triumphant grin spreads across Lassy’s face as he cuffs the suspect and it takes every ounce of self-restraint Shawn has to remember what happened last time he jumped Lassiter and not pull the detective into an empty room.
32.Sorrow
Even though there hasn’t been a bit of love left in their relationship for a long time, Carlton can’t help but feel a pang of loss as he signs the final set of papers, making the divorce final; he also can’t stop the urge to call a certain psychic and tell him the news - maybe then he’d finally get the hint and make a move again.
33.Stupidity
As they embrace, bodies as close as possible barring the removal of clothing, Lassiter mutters as he places kisses along the younger man’s neck, that this all would have happened so much sooner if someone hadn’t been an idiot and given him more time to respond; and Shawn has just enough coherent thought left to agree wholeheartedly.
34.Serenade
Carlton knows that the last thing you should do after just getting out of a messy divorce is quickly get into another relationship - especially if it happens to be your first homosexual relationship ever and it happens to be with the man who comes by your office every day and annoys the hell out of you - but as he wakes in a very unfamiliar bed, to a very familiar voice singing about banana pancakes and thrusting a plate of said food in his hands before climbing in next to him, Carlton also knows that there’s nowhere else he’d rather be.
35.Sarcasm
Carlton insults Spencer’s idea on reflex, the acerbic comment out of his mouth before he even thinks about it, but while it’s the kind of thing that his wife would have ripped him a new one for, Spencer just smirks and gives one of his standard smart-ass replies.
36.Sordid
Carlton spends the entire car ride home complaining about the motor oil that the latest criminal decided to dump on them before going into custody, but when they get back to his apartment and Spencer pulls him into the shower, making sure to scrub every inch of his lover clean, Carlton just can’t bring himself to complain anymore.
37.Soliloquy
Spencer talks to the TV, everything from news anchors to show characters to annoying insurance-geckos, and no amount of cajoling or criticizing or pointing out that “they can’t hear you, you’re talking to yourself” will stop the younger man from his one-sided conversations.
38.Sojourn
Shawn’s never moved in with anyone before - because Pragmatic!Shawn always points out his track record and the fact that even when he has “good feelings” about a relationship, it rarely lasts more than a month - but it’s been a month - or more, if you count the years of intense looks and rather unsubtle flirting - and the “good feeling” is still there, and Pragmatic!Shawn is getting easier to quiet, and Shawn wonders when the right time to talk about this is - because he’s never had to, because he rarely does things the “right” way, because he has no idea what Lassy’s response will be - and then wonders if maybe he should at least wait until he’s told Gus.
39.Share
Shawn finds it slightly funny that Lassy’s willing to get dirty and sweaty with him, sticking certain parts of his anatomy into certain parts of Shawn (and vice versa), but he won’t let the younger man borrow his toothbrush.
40.Solitary
Really, Shawn should be paying attention to the TV - Gus will be pissed if he doesn’t return those Lost DVDs and he’s only on episode nine - but it’s hard to focus on the - admittedly smokin’ - Iraqi guy on screen when there’s an - even hotter - Irish guy there on his couch with him.
41.Nowhere
When Lassy complains about the trip, Shawn tells him that really, his need to visit every single Jamba Juice he knew of wouldn’t be that far fetched if they hadn’t built this new one out in the middle of nowhere.
42.Neutral
Gus doesn’t care as long as Shawn doesn’t provide him with details; Jules wants any details that Carlton will give her, even if she knows it’s a long shot; Vick stops them as they enter her office together and sternly says “don’t ask, don’t tell,” before giving a smile and telling Lassiter that whatever activity he’s taken up recently, he should stick with it, because he seems to be much more relaxed and less likely to take out his stress on an unsuspecting criminal lately.
43.Nuance
Neither of them has said anything even resembling “I love you” yet, but there’s something in the way Lassy drapes his body over him when they’re in bed together that has even Pragmatic!Shawn feeling quietly hopeful.
44.Near
Karen makes Burton Guster promise that he will never drag Shawn Spencer away from Santa Barbara for a week again - no matter who from the cast of Knight Rider is in Las Vegas for “only three days” - because it’s been months since she’s had to order Lassiter to go home and stop working and she would like to keep it that way.
45.Natural
Somewhere along the way, during the fights over personal space or the super-hot sex or the chocolate-chip waffles at three a.m. because Shawn just remembered he had a waffle iron, it just became natural to start calling each other Carlton and Shawn instead of Lassiter and Spencer - well, most of the time, anyway.
46.Horizon
The case has been solved and the murderer caught (on his yacht of all places,) and Shawn, being Shawn, can’t resist walking over to the fancy, old-fashioned, not-really-technologically-necessary-but-hey-I’m-rich-so-why-not ship’s wheel and saying “Now, bring me that horizon!”; he also can’t help laughing at the utterly bewildered look on Carlton’s face.
47.Valiant
Carlton’s not sure whether Shawn rushes headlong into danger out of bravery or stupidity; usually he thinks it’s the latter, and either way it always scares the shit out of him.
48.Virtuous
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Carlton hears his mother’s voice reminding him that moving in with someone before marriage cannot lead to anything but sin - however, the rest of his brain soon counters that since he’s been regularly having pre-marital sex, and with another man, no less, cohabitation should be the least of his worries.
49.Victory
Carlton is hesitant when Shawn invites him to play his favorite game, but how can you argue with a game once you learn that the first rule is that nobody loses at Naked Twister.
50.Defeat
Gus is 99.9% sure that Shawn’s new habit of pouting when he loses at videogames is just another Shawn-being-immature thing, but he has to ask -Shawn then grins and says something about losing Halo 3 competitions to Lassiter and the detective having a thing for lip-biting and Gus resolves to never show interest in any aspect of Shawn’s life again.
Quote: “All we see of someone at any moment is a snapshot of their life, there in riches or poverty, in joy or despair. Snapshots don't show the million decisions that led to that moment.” - Richard Bach
02.Waltz
“We don’t have balls,” Lassy says, and despite enjoying the unintentional double entendre, Shawn thinks it’s a bit of a shame because he’d love to see Lassiter in a tux, smirking confidently because he knows he looks damn good in formal wear, being forced into a dance with Shawn because of a conveniently timed “vision” about a “dead woman who just wanted one last dance” - he begins sending anonymous letters to Vick about formal events being good for cooperation the next day.
03.Wishes
Someone needs to weed outside the precinct because there are little white obstructions on every bit of ground that isn’t covered in bushes or concrete - not that Shawn really minds, though, because when Lassy catches him blowing seeds everywhere, even the normally stoic Lassyface can’t contain his smile, and Shawn thinks maybe his wishes will come true after all.
04.Wonder
Shawn’s first crush was on Kevin Arnold from The Wonder Years because he hadn’t gone through his bad boy phase yet - or his Winnie Cooper phase, for that matter - and when Lassiter has that slightly uncomfortable look because he wants so desperately to fit in but can’t quite figure out how, Shawn remembers why he fell for that “Aw, shucks” look in the first place.
05.Worry
He looks so pale, even more so than usual, and the doctors say that there’s a good chance that he’ll pull through, but Shawn can’t help but think that that still means that there’s a chance that he won’t and as he presses a kiss the Lassiter’s forehead, he prays it won’t be the last.
06.Whimsy
Carlton was never one to let himself drift into fancy - while the other kids were playing, he was inside studying because he knew there was no point in playing Cops and Robbers when he could be a real cop someday - but when Spencer comes in, waiving his arms and shaking his hips and getting as close to Lassy as humanly possible, Carlton finds himself getting lost in daydreams for the first time.
07.Waste/Wasteland
Shawn knows that Lassy knows that he’s not really a psychic, even if he has no way of proving it, and Shawn knows that Lassy has no clue why he would waste his obvious skill at investigation as a fake psychic instead of an actual detective - but Shawn also knows that real members of the Santa Barbara PD don’t get to manhandle the head detective and really, isn’t the tradeoff more than fair?
08.Whiskey and Rum
Carlton would have expected Spencer to smell like Piña Coladas or Mojitos, not aged Irish whiskey, but when the “psychic” looks up, the alcohol stripping away his normal barriers, Lassiter understands that tonight is a night for hard liquor and orders another for Spencer and one for himself before sitting down to listen to stories of a childhood with Henry Spencer as omnipotent ruler and the ensuing resentment - someone has to make sure he gets home safely, after all.
09.War
Carlton thinks it’s annoying that Spencer keeps popping up at his Civil War Reenactments; Shawn just thinks it’s a good opportunity to get some sun while marveling at the fact that Lassy actually manages to make that tuft of hair posing as a beard look sexy.
10.Weddings
Buzz looks dashing in his tux, Francine gorgeous in her gown, and the ceremony is absolutely beautiful and touching, but the moment Shawn will remember best is catching Lassy, mid-rant, mouth wide open, and slipping a piece of sweet, white cake between the detective’s lips: the deliciously shocked look on Lassy’s face and the feel of his mouth on Shawn’s fingers made the experience so much more soul satisfying than any sort of nuptials could be (no offence to Buzz.)
11.Birthday
The next year, Shawn gives Lassy the best present he can think of: he stays away from the precinct, distracting Jules while he’s at it, and arranges through one of his many connections to have a pizza and a six-pack of beer delivered when Lassy gets home - it would have been perfect if he’d just been able to restrain himself from making the pepperonis spell out “Happy Birthday, Lassyface.”
12.Blessing
Carlton did things the old-fashioned way when he got married - even going so far as to as her parents for their blessing; he occasionally wonders what Henry Spencer would say if he asked for permission to get involved with his son, then berates himself because those thoughts and dreams he keeps having about a certain psychic do not mean he wants any sort relationship with the man.
13.Bias
Shawn knows it’s stereotyping, but he really hopes it’s true that the Irish are hung like horses.
14.Burning
Carlton never liked Disco music, but Spencer is practically grinding up against him, the push of the crowd forcing him even closer than he usually is, and Carlton knows he should snap at him that they’re here at this glitter-infested place to look for a suspect, not to commit acts of debauchery on the dance floor, but all he can think is that he doesn’t remember The Trammps being this sexy.
15.Breathing
Lassy’s got him shoved up against a wall again and Shawn’s mind is anywhere but the lecture he’s getting - fluctuating between looking at Lassy’s lips, thinking about Lassy’s ass, and wondering if the desk over there would support them if he could convince Lassiter to make this conversation more horizontal - because Lassy is barely a breath away and he really wants to just close the distance and - but then Lassy’s pulled away and assumed that Shawn’s been properly chastised and Shawn has to run to the bathroom before heading off with Gus to disobey whatever it was he didn’t listen to.
16.Breaking
Carlton watches Spencer flirt with the skinny brunette and hears Guster tell O’Hara that this is the first actual girlfriend Shawn’s had in years and tries to bury the mysterious ache that’s building in his chest by snapping at the two of them for gossiping before immersing himself in paperwork.
17.Belief
There’s a thin line he walks, between the parochial schoolboy he once was and the trained killer his job sometimes forces him to be, and as he sits in the confessional and can’t quite bring himself to ask for forgiveness for the thoughts he’s been having about a certain psychic detective recently, he wonders whether he’s fallen off the line entirely.
18.Balloon
Carlton knows it’s Spencer sending them to him - the other man was unfortunately there during the last case, the one that was committed by an ex-circus employee and thus contained a fair amount of clowns, something Carlton’s been afraid of since he was eight, and balloons, something Carlton’s also avoided since he was eight in an order to keep clown-exposure at a minimum - but he can’t quite being himself to throw them out, and for the next month he doesn’t even mind having to stumble around his house because every inch of it is covered in balloon bouquets.
19.Balcony
Carlton’s not sure if he believes that O’Hara cancelled at last minute and Guster “promised to never step into another theatre after the ‘Twelfth Night incident,’” but it’s The Producers, and even if they are in the balcony at the Santa Barbara Community Theater, he’s always had a weakness for Mel Brooks (and not, as a tiny, apparently insane voice in his head claims, a weakness for a certain pineapple-loving psychic.)
20.Bane
He wants to ask if Lassy knows that just because the girl claimed to be a werewolf doesn’t mean her mouth is any more toxic than any other mouth, but he manages to bite it back and just watches the detective carefully dress the bite wound on his arm.
21.Quiet
Shawn likes to talk - when you talk, people take in the information that you give them, the information that you want to give them, and pay less attention to the information about yourself that you don’t want to give them - and he likes to talk to Lassy the most, knowing that his constant babbling is just enough to keep the normally brilliant detective one step behind, knowing that if he gives him even one second of peace and quiet, it’ll be “bye bye, cushy psychic detective job with a handsome Irish police officer” and “hello, three years of jail followed by a job where actual work is required and there are no hot, formerly-married, mint-hating detectives to shove you up against the wall.”
22.Quirks
Lassy adds two more spoonfuls of sugar to his already sucrose-filled coffee and Shawn, who is across the room pouring himself a cup of caffeine that he plans to leave untainted, thank you very much, wonders what the mixture of police-precinct-quality coffee and sugar will do to the taste of Lassy’s mouth - before, of course, the detective notices him staring and barks at him to stop staring off into space and stealing the station’s coffee and either go flail around like he’s paid to do, or, better yet, just leave and don’t come back.
23.Question
“Who is Dirty Henry?” the contestant answers, and as he and Spencer both groan at the stupidity, Carlton unconsciously starts to appreciate the younger man a little more.
24.Quarrel
He and his dad are fighting again - what’s new? - and when his dad segues from his irresponsibility in general - always a popular topic - to his lack of anything resembling a serious relationship - a rare, but always effective argument - Shawn just manages to bite back the comment that “it’s hard to get into a serious relationship when the guy you like would probably smack you and put you in the un-fun kind of handcuffs if you made a move” and then lets the rest of his dad’s ranting just roll over him because while he’s known he thinks Lassy is sexy, he certainly hadn’t thought it was to the point of wanting a “serious relationship.”
25.Quitting
Carlton found Brokeback Mountain to be contrived and predictable, but every time Spencer has a “psychic episode” and thrashes around, he finds himself minding less and less and his head keeps screaming, “I wish I knew how to quit you!” and Carlton thinks the movie got something right after all.
26.Jump
Shawn is used to just jumping into relationships - a loose term he used to describe any female he went on more than one date with - flirting and asking girls out on just a whim; so why, when the time finally comes, when Lassy has him shoved up against the wall again and the yelling has stopped and they are just inches apart and are both looking hesitant yet expectant - why, oh why can’t he make himself take that tiny move forward; why is an inch so much further than a leap?
27.Jester
He tries to laugh it off later - when he can’t manage to avoid him, that is - because he knows Lassy didn’t enjoy it - it was obvious, what with him standing there, stiff and silent, mouth firmly closed - and he wants to just forget that it ever happened, because he’s never felt this embarrassed - not even when Selma Alden left him naked and tied to his bed for his roommate to find - so he figures if he acts like it never happened, flirts with Jules and cracks some jokes, maybe Lassy will quit it with the intense looks and just forgive him already.
28.Jousting
Karen Vick never thought she’d actually miss the sound of bickering and squabbling, but after nine days straight without hearing one “Spencer!” or “But Lassyface!”, the “peace and quiet” is driving her crazy.
29.Jewel
Carlton is used to solving relationship problems by offering jewelry and/or flowers in apology and leaving it at that, but - aside from the fact that that method of communication lead to a separation and meetings with divorce lawyers - Carlton’s not sure what kind of gift would be appropriate to say “I’m sorry I froze up when we kissed, but I’ve never felt this way about a man before and you took me by surprise and can we please try it again?”
30.Just
Justice may be blind, but Carlton is not, and if Spencer doesn’t stop showing up wearing those ass-hugging jeans, Carlton’s going to shove him up against the wall and make the younger man respond to him again.
31.Smirk
A triumphant grin spreads across Lassy’s face as he cuffs the suspect and it takes every ounce of self-restraint Shawn has to remember what happened last time he jumped Lassiter and not pull the detective into an empty room.
32.Sorrow
Even though there hasn’t been a bit of love left in their relationship for a long time, Carlton can’t help but feel a pang of loss as he signs the final set of papers, making the divorce final; he also can’t stop the urge to call a certain psychic and tell him the news - maybe then he’d finally get the hint and make a move again.
33.Stupidity
As they embrace, bodies as close as possible barring the removal of clothing, Lassiter mutters as he places kisses along the younger man’s neck, that this all would have happened so much sooner if someone hadn’t been an idiot and given him more time to respond; and Shawn has just enough coherent thought left to agree wholeheartedly.
34.Serenade
Carlton knows that the last thing you should do after just getting out of a messy divorce is quickly get into another relationship - especially if it happens to be your first homosexual relationship ever and it happens to be with the man who comes by your office every day and annoys the hell out of you - but as he wakes in a very unfamiliar bed, to a very familiar voice singing about banana pancakes and thrusting a plate of said food in his hands before climbing in next to him, Carlton also knows that there’s nowhere else he’d rather be.
35.Sarcasm
Carlton insults Spencer’s idea on reflex, the acerbic comment out of his mouth before he even thinks about it, but while it’s the kind of thing that his wife would have ripped him a new one for, Spencer just smirks and gives one of his standard smart-ass replies.
36.Sordid
Carlton spends the entire car ride home complaining about the motor oil that the latest criminal decided to dump on them before going into custody, but when they get back to his apartment and Spencer pulls him into the shower, making sure to scrub every inch of his lover clean, Carlton just can’t bring himself to complain anymore.
37.Soliloquy
Spencer talks to the TV, everything from news anchors to show characters to annoying insurance-geckos, and no amount of cajoling or criticizing or pointing out that “they can’t hear you, you’re talking to yourself” will stop the younger man from his one-sided conversations.
38.Sojourn
Shawn’s never moved in with anyone before - because Pragmatic!Shawn always points out his track record and the fact that even when he has “good feelings” about a relationship, it rarely lasts more than a month - but it’s been a month - or more, if you count the years of intense looks and rather unsubtle flirting - and the “good feeling” is still there, and Pragmatic!Shawn is getting easier to quiet, and Shawn wonders when the right time to talk about this is - because he’s never had to, because he rarely does things the “right” way, because he has no idea what Lassy’s response will be - and then wonders if maybe he should at least wait until he’s told Gus.
39.Share
Shawn finds it slightly funny that Lassy’s willing to get dirty and sweaty with him, sticking certain parts of his anatomy into certain parts of Shawn (and vice versa), but he won’t let the younger man borrow his toothbrush.
40.Solitary
Really, Shawn should be paying attention to the TV - Gus will be pissed if he doesn’t return those Lost DVDs and he’s only on episode nine - but it’s hard to focus on the - admittedly smokin’ - Iraqi guy on screen when there’s an - even hotter - Irish guy there on his couch with him.
41.Nowhere
When Lassy complains about the trip, Shawn tells him that really, his need to visit every single Jamba Juice he knew of wouldn’t be that far fetched if they hadn’t built this new one out in the middle of nowhere.
42.Neutral
Gus doesn’t care as long as Shawn doesn’t provide him with details; Jules wants any details that Carlton will give her, even if she knows it’s a long shot; Vick stops them as they enter her office together and sternly says “don’t ask, don’t tell,” before giving a smile and telling Lassiter that whatever activity he’s taken up recently, he should stick with it, because he seems to be much more relaxed and less likely to take out his stress on an unsuspecting criminal lately.
43.Nuance
Neither of them has said anything even resembling “I love you” yet, but there’s something in the way Lassy drapes his body over him when they’re in bed together that has even Pragmatic!Shawn feeling quietly hopeful.
44.Near
Karen makes Burton Guster promise that he will never drag Shawn Spencer away from Santa Barbara for a week again - no matter who from the cast of Knight Rider is in Las Vegas for “only three days” - because it’s been months since she’s had to order Lassiter to go home and stop working and she would like to keep it that way.
45.Natural
Somewhere along the way, during the fights over personal space or the super-hot sex or the chocolate-chip waffles at three a.m. because Shawn just remembered he had a waffle iron, it just became natural to start calling each other Carlton and Shawn instead of Lassiter and Spencer - well, most of the time, anyway.
46.Horizon
The case has been solved and the murderer caught (on his yacht of all places,) and Shawn, being Shawn, can’t resist walking over to the fancy, old-fashioned, not-really-technologically-necessary-but-hey-I’m-rich-so-why-not ship’s wheel and saying “Now, bring me that horizon!”; he also can’t help laughing at the utterly bewildered look on Carlton’s face.
47.Valiant
Carlton’s not sure whether Shawn rushes headlong into danger out of bravery or stupidity; usually he thinks it’s the latter, and either way it always scares the shit out of him.
48.Virtuous
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Carlton hears his mother’s voice reminding him that moving in with someone before marriage cannot lead to anything but sin - however, the rest of his brain soon counters that since he’s been regularly having pre-marital sex, and with another man, no less, cohabitation should be the least of his worries.
49.Victory
Carlton is hesitant when Shawn invites him to play his favorite game, but how can you argue with a game once you learn that the first rule is that nobody loses at Naked Twister.
50.Defeat
Gus is 99.9% sure that Shawn’s new habit of pouting when he loses at videogames is just another Shawn-being-immature thing, but he has to ask -Shawn then grins and says something about losing Halo 3 competitions to Lassiter and the detective having a thing for lip-biting and Gus resolves to never show interest in any aspect of Shawn’s life again.
Quote: “All we see of someone at any moment is a snapshot of their life, there in riches or poverty, in joy or despair. Snapshots don't show the million decisions that led to that moment.” - Richard Bach