FIC: Body Heat
Title: Body Heat
Author: moondragon25 (or moondragon23 on other sites)
Pairing: Shawn/Carlton
Rating: NC-17
Summary: During a camping trip, Shawn wanders off and gets lost in the woods. Lassiter is the one to find him and must do whatever he can to warm up a hypothermic Shawn. SLASH
Disclaimer: I don't own Psych. This is just for fun. I do own all original characters.
Notes: This story was inspired by a great oneshot written by Fear-The-Spork. It is chapter four under her collection Not Another Psych Oneshot! If you like Shules smut you should check it out. She is a very good writer.
You can find it here: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6542125/4/Not-Another-Psych-Oneshot
or search for it on fanfiction.net
There is a line in the original story where Juliet says Shawn is lucky Lassiter wasn't the one to find him in the woods. Of course, that got me thinking and being a Shassie fan I had to write this alternate version.
Enjoy!
“God dammit!”
Carlton cursed as he tripped over another half-rotting log. Looking at the hand he had used to catch himself on a nearby tree, he saw a long, shallow scrap slowly welling up with blood. “Great,” he muttered, adding it to the list of injuries he would be taking out of Spencer's hide once he found the annoying psychic.
He continued to struggle through the undergrowth as he thought of the disaster this trip had turned into. It had all started when Henry had invited him on a weekend camping trip. He wasn't really the outdoors type but Henry had promised some great fishing at the nearby lake and it would be a chance to get away from the dual headaches of work and Spencer Jr. He had plenty of vacation time (325 days to be exact) and the Chief had been pressing him lately to take some time off. It seemed like the perfect opportunity.
Things started going downhill before they even left the city. Henry called midweek to let him know he was dragging his son along on the trip. Something about father-son bonding and needing to teach him a lesson about blowing off promises. Whatever the reason, it meant he would be stuck with Spencer Jr. all weekend. He almost backed out right then, but thought maybe it wouldn't be too bad with Henry around to keep his son in line. Besides, Spencer was sure to bring Guster along; the two never went anywhere alone. He could still find some time to get away from everyone and spend some time by himself.
Of course, that was before he arrived Friday morning to find O'Hara had been invited along as well. Between Spencer and his nosy partner, he would be lucky to get a moment of peace. By then it was too late to back out, so he decided he would just have to endure this weekend the best he could.
Stepping over another log, his foot landed in a large puddle on the other side. Cursing, he hopped over to dry land before lifting his dripping foot from the water. He didn't have a change of shoes, so he would just have to deal with the wet footwear until he got back to civilization. In his head, he added a new pair of shoes to the list of items Spencer would have to replace after this weekend.
The first item was a new pair of pants. They had been sitting around the campfire that first night when Spencer lit his marshmallow on fire. Waving the stick around in an attempt to put it out, the sticky, flaming substance had flung off the stick and landed on his pant leg. After a bucket of water dumped on him by the quick thinking O'Hara, he ended up with a red patch on his skin and a hole in his favorite pair of jeans.
It didn't stop there. The next day Shawn insisted on coming fishing with him and Henry (though why he did when he clearly hated it was beyond him). He quickly grew bored and climbed a nearby tree. When he inevitably fell from it, he managed to land on Carlton's brand new fishing rod, snapping it in half. Thankfully, Guster had kept Spencer away from him for the rest of the day, letting his temper cool enough that he could control the desire to strangle Spencer the next time he saw him.
Things got worse that night. A rain storm moved in and the tent Spencer and Guster were sharing sprung a leak. Carlton was all for leaving them out in the rain, until Spencer suggested one of them could bunk with O'Hara. There was no way in hell he was letting either man sleep in the same tent as his partner, so he reluctantly agreed to house one of the idiots in his tent. Somehow, Spencer ended up with him while Guster bunked with Henry. He had a large air mattress which took up most of the free room in the tent, so he was forced to share it with the younger man, who thankfully still had his own relatively dry sleeping bag. He woke up to find Spencer lying half on top of him and his mattress flat as a pancake.
He took a deep breath as he remembered the feel of Spencer against him. He would be lying if he said a part of him hadn't enjoyed it. His feelings towards the psychic had been decidedly mixed as of late. He had been attracted to men before, but not for a long time and certainly not to one as annoying as this. He had hoped some time away from work and Spencer would help him sort out his feelings but by this morning he was just feeling even more confused.
Especially now that Spencer was missing.
After he had kicked Spencer out of his tent, the younger man had gotten dressed and gone off to sulk in the woods. No one had thought much of it at first until Spencer hadn't shown up for breakfast. Guster seemed concerned, but Henry said his son would come back once he was done making a scene.
Spencer still hadn't come back by the time everyone was done packing up and they were ready to go. By then O'Hara was getting concerned and even Henry was admitting this wasn't like his son. Carlton hid his feelings behind his usual anger and indifference, but he was just as worried as the rest of them at Spencer's disappearance. They had split up and searched the woods around their campsite. Twenty minutes later, no one had found any sign of the wayward psychic.
At that point Henry had broken them up into two teams. O'Hara and Guster stayed near the campsite, continuing the search and keeping an eye out in case Spencer wandered back. He and Henry searched further out. They were the two most able to help move an injured man, which was looking like the most likely scenario as to why Spencer wasn't back yet.
Everyone had received a radio to keep in contact and headed out. That was five hours ago and still no one had seen any sign of Spencer yet.
A light rain had started to fall, making the already saturated ground even slicker. It was getting dark as well, making it hard to see where he was walking. Looking back, he knew it was inevitable that he would slip on the wet leaves covering the forest floor.
As soon as he felt his foot start to slide, he threw his arms out, grabbing at anything that would help him keep his balance. The branch he grabbed bent under his weight, forcing him to take a few quick stumbling, sliding steps as he frantically tried to stay on his feet. His struggle ended when he fell hard against a tree, smashing his shoulder into the unyielding bark.
“Son of a bitch!” he hissed, clutching at his shoulder. It felt like someone had hit it with a fucking sledgehammer. He leaned forward against the tree, resting his head against the rough bark, as he waited for the pain to subside. Once it started to fade, he carefully eased the strap of his pack over his shoulder and dropped it to the ground. He slowly moved the joint, grimacing as the pain flared up again. Nothing seemed to be broken and he could still move his arm fully, though he was sure to end up with one helluva bruise.
Sighing he turned to pick up his backpack. His foot slipped out from under him and he fell back against the tree, crying out as he hit his shoulder again. He took a deep breath, prepared to curse out Spencer, the woods, and the universe in general, when a low moan made him pause. Looking down, he saw his foot had hit the outstretched leg of someone on the other side of the tree.
Keeping one hand on the tree to keep his balance, he carefully moved until he could see who it was. “Sweet Justice!” He dropped to his knees next to the still form of Shawn Spencer.
The younger man was sitting upright with his back against the tree, legs stretched out in front of him. His clothes were soaked through, his hair plastered to his skull. His skin was pale, with an unhealthy blue tinge to it and ice cold to the touch. His eyes were closed, the deepening shadows giving them a bruised appearance. If Carlton hadn't seen the slight rise and fall of his chest, he would have thought Spencer was dead.
He immediately reached out to check Spencer's pulse, sighing with relief when he found it slow but steady. Still, it took several not-so-gentle slaps to the face before he got a response from the younger man.
Spencer groaned, his eyes slowly fluttering open. “Lassie?” he asked, voice faint and raspy. “Why're you hitting me?”
Carlton frowned, not liking the way Spencer was slurring his words. “You fell asleep against a tree in the middle of the goddamn woods,” he said, worry adding an unintended sharpness to his words.
“A tree?” Spencer looked up, seeming surprised to see he was, in fact, leaning against a tree. “Why'd I do that?” he asked, looking back at Carlton. He shivered slightly and wrapped his arms around himself.
Carlton studied Spencer with growing concern. Spencer wasn't shivering nearly as much as he should be considering his damp clothes and the coolness of the air. Added to the mental confusion and Carlton suspected the younger man was in the beginning stages of hypothermia. He needed to warm Spencer up and quickly.
“Stay here.” Spencer nodded obediently as Carlton went to retrieve his backpack. Dropping it beside Spencer, the first thing he did was pull out the thermal blanket and wrap it around the shaking psychic.
“Tucking me in?” Spencer asked with a smirk. He yawned, eyelids drooping dangerously low.
Carlton patted him roughly on the cheek. “Hey, no sleeping.”
“But 'm tired,” Spencer whined.
“Tough.” Carlton pulled out the radio next. Henry had packed an awful lot of survival gear for the trip, more than Carlton thought they would need for one weekend. In addition to the radio, he had equipped each searcher with rope, several packs of freeze-dried food, extra water, a thermal blanket, a four-foot piece of plastic, and a mini first aid kit. All things that had seemed like a waste of space Friday morning but now were coming in handy.
He wondered if Henry had considered something like this would happen or was just naturally prepared for any situation. Then again, considering who it was he had just spent five hours searching for, maybe this type of planning just came from a close association with Shawn.
Carlton turned on the radio, tuning to the frequency Henry had told him to use. Nothing but static came through. He tried a few other frequencies, even going so far to walk a few feet in several directions to see if that helped, but whether it was the storm overhead or the mountains themselves he couldn't get a clear signal. Cursing, he dropped the useless hunk of plastic back into his pack. It looked like he and Spencer would be on their own for now.
There was a small clearing to their left that looked large enough to set up a tent in. He bent down and untied the tent from his pack. He had been reluctant to bring it along with him during the search, not liking the idea of carrying that much extra weight through the woods. Henry had insisted that he do so in case he got stranded in the woods overnight or if the coming storm forced him to take shelter. There was also the unspoken possibility that Shawn might not be able to walk out of the woods and whoever found him might have to wait for a rescue team. All three scenarios were coming into play now, so it was a good thing he had brought it along.
A quick glance at Spencer showed the man watching him with glazed eyes, though at least they were open. Carlton moved closer to him, snapping his fingers to get the man's attention. “I'm going to set up the tent. Do not move and do not go to sleep. Got it?” He waited until Spencer nodded slowly. “Do you need anything?” he asked in a slightly softer tone.
“Water,” Spencer said, licking his lips.
Carlton pulled a bottle out of his pack and passed it to him. Spencer almost dropped it, his hands were shaking so bad. After watching him fumble for a few moments trying to get it open, Carlton took pity on him. He opened the bottle and helped Spencer hold it steady long enough to swallow a few sips. “Thanks,” the younger man said gratefully.
Carlton nodded, putting the bottle down next to the psychic. He grabbed the tent and walked over to the clearing. He set up the tent as quickly as possible, glancing over frequently to make sure Spencer was still awake. When he was done, he grabbed his backpack and went inside. He pulled his sleeping back out of its waterproof cover and spread it out. He hung a flashlight from the dome of the night, clicking it on to give them some light. He took a moment to grab some aspirin out of the first aid kit to help ease the throbbing in his shoulder. Setting up the tent had not been kind to it. With everything set up, he returned to Spencer. “What'ch ya doing?” he asked as Carlton pulled the blanket off and set it aside.
“We need to get you in the tent.” Grabbing Spencer's arm, he attempted to get the younger man on his feet. After much struggling on both their parts, he finally got Spencer upright and leaning against the tree. One look told him Spencer wouldn't be able to cross the clearing on his own. Looping the man's arm around his good shoulder, he half carried the psychic over to the tent. He somehow managed to get them both inside and gently lowered him down next to the sleeping bag. He zipped up the opening and turned back to look at the shivering psychic as he thought about what he had to do next.
First responder training was mandatory for all cops but he had taken search and rescue and survival training as well. He knew as long as Spencer continued to wear those wet clothes, he would continue to lose body heat. Sighing in defeat, he crouched down next to Spencer and grabbed the edge of his shirt. “Lift your arms.”
“Why?” Spencer asked, looking at him stubbornly.
“We need to get you out of those wet clothes,” Carlton said, gritting his teeth at Spencer's smirk. “Now, lift your arms.”
“I always knew you wanted to see me naked,” Spencer said, lifting his arms and letting Carlton pull off his shirt. He shivered, the cool air causing goose bumps on his newly exposed skin.
“How about you just shut it and not make this anymore uncomfortable than it needs to be?” Carlton snapped, trying his best to avoid looking at the broad, surprisingly muscular, exposed chest before him. He moved his hands hesitantly to Spencer's belt. He unbuckled it and slipped it off as quickly as he could, refusing to look at the psychic's face. He moved down and removed his shoes and socks before moving back up to his waist. “Lift your hips.”
“You haven't even bought me dinner yet,” Spencer complained as Carlton removed his pants. His legs were as cold as the rest of him and Carlton tried not to dwell on the feeling of his skin beneath his hands. He was shivering harder now that he was nearly naked, which was a good sign. It meant his body was still fighting to warm itself and hadn't given up.
He unzipped the bag and held it open. “Get in.”
Spencer looked down at himself, than back up at Carlton. “Ar-Aren't you for-forgetting someth-thing?” he asked, his sly comment failing with his constant shivering.
Carlton could feel a blush forming on his cheeks anyway. There was no way in hell he was removing Spencer's boxers. “Shut up and get in the bag.”
Too cold now for any jokes, Spencer did as he was told. With minimal help he made it inside the bag. Carlton zipped it up, watching him for a moment. Spencer had curled into a tight ball on his side, shivering hard. The bag was helping, but it wouldn't be enough to get him out of danger. Carlton knew what he had to do.
“You better not remember any of this tomorrow,” he muttered as he quickly stripped off his own wet clothes. Shivering slightly in the cool air, he turned off the flashlight before he unzipped the bag and slipped inside.
Spencer jumped when Carlton brushed against him. “La-Lassie?” he asked in confusion.
“Relax,” Carlton said soothingly. Gingerly, he wrapped his arms around Spencer, trying not to flinch from his cold skin. Gradually, he felt the younger man's shaking slow as their body heat warmed up the bag.
Soon, Spencer's breathing evened out as he dropped off to sleep.
Carlton sighed, resting his head against Spencer's shoulder. He guessed it would be safe now to let go and put a bit of distance between them inside the bag. God knows he didn't want Spencer to wake up with his arms still wrapped around him. But he was very comfortable right now and unwilling to move. It had been a long time since he had been this close to someone and, despite the circumstance, he couldn't deny it felt good to have Spencer in his arms. Lying like this a little longer couldn't hurt.
The longer he lay there, the harder it was to keep his eyes open. Eventually he lost the battle, falling into a dreamless sleep.
The sound of rain falling against the roof of the tent was the first thing he heard. He sighed and borrowed his head deeper into the sleeping bag, too warm and comfortable to want to move just yet. He tightened his hold on the body next to him, wishing he could just stay here until the rain stopped. However, there was something he needed to do. He was looking for someone. . . he just couldn't remember who it was.
His eyes snapped open as memories of last night came flooding back. To his chagrin, he found himself still holding Spencer as the other man slept peacefully. Pushing away his mortification, he took a moment to examine the man.
He was looking much better than he had last night. His lips were no longer blue and color had returned to his face. Spencer's skin felt warm where it was in contact with his own, which he quickly realized was over a large portion of his body. He could feel himself becoming aroused by the close contact and tried to move away. Unfortunately, there was only so much room in a sleeping bag so he couldn't get far.
He heard a groan as his movements woke up his bed partner. Spencer's eyes opened and looked at Carlton in confusion. “Lassie?” He shifted in the bag and his eyes widened when he realized he was practically naked. “What's going on?”
“What do you remember?” Carlton asked carefully.
Spencer took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “I was wandering through the woods. I had fallen into a puddle; that plus the rain meant I was soaking wet.” He glanced around the tent, gaze landing on the sopping pile of clothes in the corner. He nodded slightly to himself before he continued. “I sat down a minute to take a break. Next thing I knew, someone was shaking me, telling me to wake up.” He frowned in concentration. “It's kind of blurry after that.”
“You were barely conscious when I found you,” Carlton said, remembering his panic when he had found the psychic. “You were in the beginning stages of hypothermia and needed help right away. It was getting late and starting to rain again, so I set up the tent and tried to get you warm.” He looked away, blushing slightly. “The best way to do that was to share body heat,” he said gruffly.
“Oh.” Spencer glanced down at Carlton's arms, which were still wrapped around him. The detective quickly pulled them back, putting some distance between them in the bag. “I don't suppose you have any dry clothes with you?” the younger man asked hopefully.
“There are some in my pack.” Carlton twisted around in the bag to get at the zipper. He pulled on it, but it didn't move. He pulled harder, shaking the bag with his efforts but it refused to budge. He cursed loudly and colorfully, wondering what he could have done in his life to warrant this level of bad luck.
“What's wrong?” Spencer asked.
Carlton sighed. “The zipper's stuck.”
“Seriously?”
“No, I'm making it up because I really want to remain trapped in here with you.” The words didn't come out nearly as sarcastically as he had planned. He cleared his throat and tugged on the zipper again. “Of course the damn thing is stuck.”
“Let me see.” Spencer leaned over him, trying to reach the zipper.
Carlton hissed in pain as the younger man bumped against his shoulder. “Be careful!” he snapped.
“Sorry.” Spencer shifted, still leaning over him but no longer pressing on his shoulder. His mostly naked body rubbed against him, renewing Carlton's erection.
Carlton pushed him back. “I've got it.”
“Lassie, I can help,” Spencer insisted. He was laying against Carlton's back and the close contact was doing nothing to help his concentration. Nor was the wiggling as Spencer fidgeted impatiently.
“Spencer, would you just keep still,” Carlton said desperately, trying to ignore the thrill he felt from the younger man's movements. “I said I've got it.”
“If you did we would be out already.” Spencer reached for the zipper again, pushing against his back and consequently pushing him forwards. He couldn't hold back a moan as his erection was pressed hard against the side of the sleeping bag.
He felt Spencer freeze behind him. “Lassie?”
“Just back off,” Carlton gasped. Spencer moved away from him as much as the bag would allow. He took a deep breath, waiting for Spencer to crack a joke or say something to make this whole thing even more embarrassing than it already was. However, Spencer stayed suspiciously quiet, remaining still on his side of the bag. Not sure how long this temporary peace would last, he examined the zipper, wanting to get out before the situation got any worse.
It looked like some of the sleeping bag had gotten caught when he had zipped them up last night. He pulled on the tab carefully, but couldn't get it past the fabric.
He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, um Lassie?” Spencer asked hesitantly.
“Not now,” he said, trying to pull the fabric from between the teeth of the zipper.
“There's something I need to say,” Spencer insisted.
“Later.” The fabric was stuck tight. He had a knife in his pants; if he could get to it maybe he could cut away the fabric enough to get the zipper open. Of course, his pants were lying on the other side of the tent, out of reach.
“Lassie,” Spencer said, shaking his shoulder gently.
“What?” he snapped, turning to face him. He had a split second to register the serious look on Spencer's face before the psychic kissed him. He froze in shock at the soft touch of the slightly chapped lips against his mouth. The kiss was brief, but enough to send a shiver down his spine.
Shawn pulled back and smiled at him. “Thank you for saving my life.”
It took several moments for Carlton's brain to catch up, during which time he just stared at Shawn. “What about O'Hara?” he asked, saying the first thing to pop into his head once he regained the power of speech.
“What about her?”
“You invited her along on this trip, right?”
Shawn snorted. “Only because Gus didn't have the guts to do it. They'd both be old and gray long before Gus had the courage to make the first move.”
“Guster and O'Hara?” Now that he thought about it, he had noticed Guster spending more time talking to his partner whenever he was at the station and he had been oddly attentive to O'Hara the entire weekend. She hadn't seemed opposed to the attention either. He supposed there were worse men his partner could be with.
Such as the one staring at him intently right now. “He's had a crush on her for months. I was just helping things along,” Shawn explained.
“So you have no interest in O'Hara?” Carlton asked, needing to be clear on this point.
“Nope, I'm all yours.” He grinned at Carlton. “Why do you think I agreed to go on this trip in the first place? It certainly wasn't to spend time with my dad.”
Before Carlton could respond to that statement, Shawn was kissing him again, moving so his body was pressed against his. This time he responded, reaching up to cup the back of Shawn's head and pull him closer, deepening the kiss. Shawn moaned, parting his lips and allowing Carlton's tongue to enter his mouth. He rolled them so he was on top, pinning Shawn down as he kissed him senseless. He could feel himself getting harder as he ran a hand lightly down Shawn's side. The younger man shivered at the contact, letting out a gasp. Judging by the obvious erection pressing against his thigh, Shawn was enjoying this just as much as he was.
“You sabotaged the tent,” Carlton said when they broke apart.
“You were ignoring my advances. I got desperate,” Shawn whispered as he once again closed the gap between their bodies. He kissed him, rolling them so Shawn was on top. Carlton hissed as his sore shoulder hit against the hard ground.
Shawn pulled away slightly. “Sorry.” He reached around, gently touching the large bump that had formed overnight. “How did you do that?”
“Fell into a tree,” Carlton admitted. “Luckily, it was the same one you were leaning against or I never would have found you.”
“Lucky me,” Shawn said with a grin. He leaned down and started kissing him again, making sure not to push on his bad shoulder this time.
The bag was started to heat up, becoming unbearably warm. Shawn broke away from where he was kissing the side of Carlton's neck and started tugging at the zipper. “We need to get this open.”
Carlton wholeheartedly agreed. He could feel the sweat slicking their two bodies and the tight bag did not give them much room to maneuver. “I have a knife in my pants.”
Shawn looked over to where Carlton's clothes were bunched up on the floor of the tent. “Sounds good. Follow my lead.” He rolled the bag until the were side by side, then started guiding Carlton around until they were facing the pants. Then he rolled them so Carlton was lying on top of Shawn. “Get up on your hands and knees.” Carlton did so as best he could with Shawn underneath him. “Have you ever moved across the floor in a sleeping bag before?” Shawn asked.
“When I was a kid,” Carlton said, remembering times camping out at Old Sonora.
“Since there are two of us in here, we'll use the caterpillar technique,” Shawn said. “Scrunch up then stretch out, got it?” Before Carlton could reply Shawn had folded his legs under him, pressing up against Carlton's chest and dragging the end of the bag forward. Then he was stretching out with the front of the bag gripped tightly in his hands, forcing Carlton to bend down with him. “That's it, keep going.”
They continued to move like this the few feet separating them from the clothes. By then Carlton was prepared to rip his way out of the bag with his bare hands if had to. Having Shawn pressing and rubbing against him like that was driving him crazy and if he didn't get some space things were going to end very quickly.
He fumbled with his pants before he pulled out his knife. Flicking it open, he cut along the zippered edge, too impatient to cut the fabric out of the jammed zipper. He closed the knife and rolled out of the bag, taking deep breaths as the cool air helped cool his ardor.
“That eager to get away from me?” Shawn asked.
Carlton looked over at him, relieved to see a playful smile on his face. “I just need a moment,” he said, turning his head to gaze up at the ceiling. A green blur of fabric passed by overhead. Turning, he saw a pair of green boxers lying next to him. He quickly flipped around to find Shawn crouched over the ruined sleeping bag, completely naked. “Still need a moment?” he asked innocently.
Carlton ran his eyes over Shawn's lithe body, settling on the part that explained why Shawn was so smugly confident all the time. “I'm good,” he said, quickly slipping his own boxers off and crawling back over to Shawn.
Shawn's eyes darted over him, lingering on the same areas he had before. “Looks like we're pretty evenly matched,” he said, looking back up into his eyes with a coy smile.
“Looks like it,” Carlton agreed. He pulled Shawn towards him, moaning softly as their bodies touched. His mouth found his, nibbling at the lips until his tongue was allowed entry. He pressed them more firmly together as he explored Shawn's mouth and his hands roamed over his body.
He felt Shawn take control, pushing him down until he was laying flat on his back. Shawn moved down Carlton's neck, nipping lightly with his teeth. He licked along his collarbone, then moved on to his chest. His tongue and hands joined forces, teasing his nipples and scratching along his sides until he was squirming under him.
He felt Shawn move lower and he couldn't help shifting his hips restlessly. At the same time, a seed of doubt entered his mind. His body wanted this, and most of his mind did as well, but a part of him couldn't help questioning if this was really a smart thing to do.
As Shawn leaned forward towards his cock, the thinking part of him gained control. He put out a hand to stop him. “What is this?” he asked.
“If you would let me continue, it will be two people have mind-blowing sex,” Shawn said. He leaned down again, whining in frustration when Carlton once again pushed him back. “Come on Lassie!”
“I don't want another one night stand,” Carlton frowned, hoping that wasn't where the situation was headed.
“It's not night and neither of us is standing, so I think we're good,” Shawn pointed out.
“I'm serious,” Carlton said, holding Shawn back at arms length. “Is this just about sex?”
Shawn sighed. “Right now, yes, it's about sex. How can it not be, with you laying there all hot and tempting like that?” He moved forward until he was hovering over Carlton, face to face. “Afterwards, well, first off we'll have to get out of these woods. Then we can get something to eat, because dude, I'm starving. After that. . .” He shrugged. “I'm not good at this relationship stuff, so you'll have to help me out from there.”
Carlton felt something relax inside him at the thought this wasn't just a one time thing. He pulled Shawn down toward him, kissing him intently. “Go ahead,” he whispered against his lips.
Shawn slid back down Carlton's body until he was once again facing his cock. This time Carlton didn't stop him when he leaned forward and gave the head a lick. He groaned as that lick was followed by another, than another, each one longer and moving further down the shaft. Shawn was very talented, his tongue doing things Carlton had never even imagined. Soon he had worked his way back up to the tip. He gasped when Shawn blew on it gently, a shudder running through his entire body. “Damn, your good.”
Shawn grinned up at him. “If you liked that, you'll love this.” He leaned forward, taking the end of his cock into his mouth. He then proceeded to give Carlton the best blowjob of his entire life. Between Shawn's mouth and his hands, not an inch of his cock was ever neglected. He moaned uncontrollably, his hips thrusting up to get more into that talented mouth.
He let out a strangled yelp as Shawn leaned forward, taking him down to the hilt. “Sweet Lady Justice!” he cried, struggling hard not to move and injure his partner.
Shawn chuckled, the vibration nearly sending him over the edge. He worked along his shaft a few times before he slowly pulled off his cock. “I want to try something else.” Carlton watched in confusion as Shawn crawled over to his pants and removed something from the pocket. He came back and handed Carlton a condom and a small bottle of lube.
It was clear what Shawn was asking, though why he had these items in his pocket remained to be seen. He looked up into Shawn's hopefully face, swallowing a sudden feeling of nervousness. “I've never done this before,” he admitted.
He hadn't slept with a guy in years, not since college, and then it had never progressed beyond a blowjob. He had suggested anal sex to Victoria once but she had been against it. It had never come up with Berry or any of the few other women he had slept with since.
“Don't worry, I'll walk you through it,” Shawn assured him. He moved back so he was straddling Carlton again. He took the condom and put it aside, then gestured to the bottle of lube. “Pour out a good amount and slick your fingers up real good.”
Carlton did as he was told, feeling the cool lubricant warm as he rubbed it around his fingers.
Shawn leaned forward until he was on his hands and knees over Carlton. “You're going to need to stretch me out if you want to get that big boy inside me. Start with one finger and work up from there. You'll know when.”
Carlton carefully reached a hand down, feeling for Shawn's entrance. They both jumped slightly when he found it. “Right there,” Shawn said, sighing as Carlton gently rubbed a finger over it. He felt it open slightly and slowly pushed his finger inside. He froze when Shawn let out a groan. “Keep going,” Shawn said, pushing back slightly. He let out a small whimper when his finger was fully inside. “Damn, your fingers are long.”
He slowly moved his finger around, pulling back and pushing in, stretching out the muscle. When he felt Shawn relax, he added a second finger, correctly interpreting the groan this time as a sound of pleasure. “Yeah, Lassie, that's good,” he said as Carlton pumped his fingers inside him.
As he adjusted his angle, he felt a small bump. Running his fingers over it caused Shawn to shiver. Pressing it had Shawn moaning loudly, dropping his head down onto Carlton's chest. The detective smiled. “You like that Shawn?” he asked, gently moving inside him.
“Yeah,” Shawn said breathlessly.
“You want me to do it again?” Carlton asked, pressing against that stop.
Shawn moaned, pushing back against his fingers. “God yes,” he hissed.
Carlton pressed it again, feeling Shawn tighten and shake around his fingers. The whole sight was incredible arousing and he wasn't sure how much longer he could wait. He quickly added a third finger, which Shawn eagerly took. He moved his fingers quicker, feeling the muscles relaxing faster this time.
One more press against his pleasure spot had Shawn tugging his hand impatiently out of him. “I can't wait anymore,” he said, grabbing the condom. He ripped it open and slipped it on Carlton, handing him the lube. “Get ready.”
Not sure how much he should use, he erred on the side of caution and liberally slicked himself up. Shawn had moved until he was straddling his hips again. He raised himself up as Carlton lined up with his entrance. “Ready?” Shawn asked. At Carlton's nod he slowly lowered himself down.
Carlton groaned as he felt himself enter the tight, hot heat of Shawn's ass. Shawn sunk down slowly, stopping after a few inches to rest. The detective could see the strain on Shawn's face as he held himself still, taking several deep breaths. “Are you ok?” he asked, reaching up to stroke the side of Shawn's face.
Shawn nodded. “Just haven't done this in awhile. I'll be okay in a minute.” Carlton ran his hand down Shawn's side, resting it on his hip. He rubbed soothing circles into the skin as he waited as patiently as he could for Shawn to be ready.
After a few minutes, Shawn started to move, slowly riding along his length. With every down stroke he took more of his cock inside him until he was sitting flush against Carlton's hips. He paused there, grinding down into Carlton's lap and causing him to moan loudly. “Now we can really get started,” Shawn said, breathing hard.
Shawn lifted himself up until he was squatting over him. Slowly, he started moving along Carlton's entire length, rising up until he almost popped out before sliding all the way back down. Carlton's hands moved to Shawn's hips, guiding him along. As Shawn picked up the pace, he started thrusting upwards on the down stroke, pushing himself deeper into his lover.
Shawn lowered himself until he was on his knees. He leaned forward, kissing Carlton as he rocked back and forth on his cock. The new position gave Carlton more control, as well as allowing him to hit new angles inside his lover. He searched around and after one particular hard thrust he felt Shawn clamp down hard on him as he cried out. “There, Lassie, right there!”
He tried to hit that spot on every thrust, feeling Shawn tighten wonderfully around him every time he did. His hands tightened on Shawn's hips as he thrust harder and harder. He saw Shawn grab his own cock and start stroking it in time with his thrusts. He let go of his hip with one hand and pushed Shawn's hand out of the way. “Allow me.”
Shawn looked down at Carlton, eyes wide with lust, as he took over. Within seconds his lover's eyes had closed, head thrown back as he moaned loudly. “I'm so close, Lassie. So close,” he muttered feverishly, dropping his head down to bite at his shoulder.
The unexpected spark of pain fueled Carlton to thrust harder, his own release coming on fast. He stroked Shawn quickly and firmly, determined to make his lover finish before him.
Shawn shuddered above him as he came, spraying his seed over Carlton's chest. He dropped forward but Carlton continued to thrust into him. The feeling of Shawn's muscles tightening around him was enough that soon after he was coming as well, moaning as he pulled Shawn tightly to him.
They both lay there panting, too tired to move at first. Eventually, Shawn raised his head and looked up at Carlton. “Are you sure you've never done that before. . . because that was amazing.”
Carlton smiled. “I have had sex before, just not with a guy.”
“It's not the same,” Shawn said, to which Carlton couldn't argue. He could feel a slight burn to his skin were Shawn's stubble had rubbed against it, something he certainly had never experienced with a woman.
Shawn lifted himself up, grimacing at the sticky mess between them. “Guess we need to clean up a bit.” He carefully stood up, letting Carlton slide out of him with a soft hiss. Grabbing his still damp t-shirt, he used it to clean up the mess on the both of them before throwing it to the side. He slid off Carlton's condom and tossed that towards the clothes as well before flopping down next to him. “There, that's better.”
Carlton yawned, the stressful night and early morning catching up with him. Shawn reached out and grabbed the edge of the sleeping bag, pulling it over them. “A nap sounds good,” he murmured, yawning himself as he curled into Carlton's side.
Carlton wanted to protest, but he could already feel himself drifting off. A nap sounded very good. Wrapping an arm around Shawn, he let himself fall asleep.
Carlton ran his hand gently along Shawn's back. The younger man's head was resting on his chest, nose nuzzled in his chest hair. His arm was wrapped around Carlton's waist, lightly tracing patterns along Carlton's side. He was humming softly, nothing Carlton recognized but it sounded light and upbeat.
He knew they needed to get up soon, let the others know where they were. Nobody else knew that Shawn was okay and they were probably worried about him, but he really didn't want this moment to end. It was so peaceful lying here with Shawn and he wanted to enjoy it as long as he could.
He felt Shawn sigh. “We should get up. Everyone's probably looking for us.”
Carlton looked down, seeing that Shawn was just as reluctant to move as he was. “It wouldn't hurt to lay here a little bit longer,” he said tentatively.
Shawn grinned. “I thought I was supposed to be the irresponsible one.”
Carlton grinned back. “You're bad tendencies are rubbing off on me.”
Shawn grinned turned wicked. “That's not the only thing.” He crawled forward to give Carlton a kiss.
“Lassiter!”
Both men started at the sound of Guster's voice. “Crap,” Shawn said, looking wide-eyed at Carlton. Already they could hear Guster rapidly approaching, having already spotted their tent. There was no time to grab their clothes; all Carlton could do was make sure the ripped sleeping bag was still covering them before Guster was opening the tent.
“Lassiter! Are you okay? Did you find - ?” Guster froze as he caught sight of the two men, very clearly naked and together in the sleeping bag looking at him with embarrassed mortification. His mouth moved but no sound came out as he stared at them with wide eyes.
“Gus, can you give us a minute?” Shawn asked.
Gus nodded slowly before retreating from the tent. Carlton thought he heard him mutter something about 'eye bleach' and 'scarred for life.'
“I guess that's one less person we have to tell,” Shawn said. He slipped out of the bag and started digging through Carlton's backpack, pulling out clothes for the two of them. “Here.” He tossed a pile on the bag next to Carlton. “Better put them on before someone else shows up for a free show.”
Carlton watched Shawn getting dressed, a million thoughts running around in his head. Earlier he had been glad Shawn wanted to try to continue this, turn it into something more than a one night stand. Now, the full implications of doing so were starting to hit him.
“Are you okay?”
Carlton looked up at Shawn standing above him, a concerned look on his face. “I'm fine.” He avoided looking at Shawn while he pulled on his clothes, still trying to sort through his thoughts. Once he was decent, he moved towards the entrance of the tent.
A hand on his arm stopped him. He turned to face a very worried looking Shawn. “Do you regret what happened?” he asked quietly.
Carlton shook his head. “No. I just - ” He glanced towards the entrance, outside of which waited Guster and soon everyone else, and back at Shawn. “It's going to change things.”
Shawn smiled, looking very relieved. “Change can be a good thing.” He reached out and took Carlton's hand. “Those that matter will accept us and we'll deal with the rest together.” He gave Carlton a quick peck on the cheek. “It'll all work out. Trust me.”
Once again, Shawn surprised him by getting right to the heart of what was bothering him. While he didn't have Shawn's optimism, he couldn't help hoping the other man was right.
They exited the tent hand in hand. Guster was across the clearing, looking out into the woods. He turned when he heard them approaching, eyes going straight to their joined hands. “The others should be here any minute,” he said and looked at Shawn questioningly.
Shawn patted his friend on the shoulder. “Thanks for the warning. And sorry you had to walk in on that.”
Gus shuddered. “Let's just never mention it again.” He glanced over at Carlton. “No offense.”
“I'll make sure we're more careful in the future,” Carlton promised.
Gus shot a look at Shawn. “Future?”
Shawn grinned. “You heard my boyfriend.” He wrapped an arm around Carlton's waist, pulling them close together.
Gus stared at them for a moment, then shook his head. “I hope you know what you're getting yourself into,” he told Carlton.
Carlton grinned down fondly at Shawn. “I have a pretty good idea.”
They heard the sound of someone crashing through the undergrowth. Carlton took a deep breath, feeling inexplicably nervous. “Relax,” Shawn said. He stepped away from Carlton, as Henry emerged from the trees, O'Hara right behind him. “Jeesh, dad, what happened to moving stealthily through the woods?” he asked, walking up to his father.
He noted the relief on Henry's face even as the two men started to argue. O'Hara threw herself at Shawn, wrapping him up in a tight hug. He hid a smirk as Guster tensed next to him, clearly not liking his partner paying so much attention to his best friend. Not that Carlton was entirely thrilled with it either.
Henry turned and waved Carlton and Guster over. “Thank you for finding my son,” he said to Carlton.
Carlton shrugged. “I just got lucky; I practically tripped over him.”
“Still, I hate to think what would have happened if you hadn't,” Henry said.
Shawn came up next to him and once again wrapped his arm around Carlton's waist. “Don't worry dad, my boyfriend would never let anything happen to me.”
O'Hara gasped, staring wide-eyed at the both of them. Henry looked at them for a long moment, then shook his head. “It's been a long day. Pack up and I'll meet you back at the truck.” Without another word, he turned and left the clearing.
Shawn didn't seem worried about his father's reaction. “He just needs time to get used to it,” he explained. “Since you set up the tent, I'll take it down.” He turned and started walking towards the tent. “Come on Gus.”
“I'm not touching anything inside that tent Shawn,” Gus protested even as he followed his friend. “I don't know what the two of you contaminated.”
Carlton sighed and turned to his partner. Still expecting her to be in shock, he was surprised by the smirk on her face. “So what exactly happened last night that would make Gus feel the tent was contaminated?” she asked.
Carlton felt his face starting to turn red. “I don't believe that is any of your business.”
O'Hara grinned widely. “You guys had sex, didn't you?”
He could feel the heat on his cheeks as he turned away, watching Shawn and Guster struggling to take down the tent. He shook his head as Shawn tripped on a pole, managing to collapse the tent down on both him and Guster. “Idiot.”
“But he's your idiot now,” O'Hara pointed out. She stood next to him as they watched the two men somehow manage to finish packing up the tent without further injury to themselves. “I'm glad.”
Carlton turned to look at her, surprised. “You are?”
She nodded. “It's about time you guys got together. You've been lusting after each other for months.”
Carlton snorted. “I have not.”
O'Hara just smiled and shook her head. “Sure partner, whatever you say.”
Shawn and Guster rejoined them, Guster carrying everything. O'Hara went to help him, but he waved her off. “I've got it,” he said, though he already sounded out of breath. “Let's go.”
O'Hara and Guster lead the way, his partner watching Guster carefully in case he needed help. Shawn and Carlton followed behind. “I think they'll make a good couple,” Carlton said, watching the interactions between the two.
Shawn reached out and grabbed Carlton's hand. “Not as good as us.”
Carlton smiled at his boyfriend as they walked through the woods towards the cars and home. This trip hadn't turned out so bad after all.
The flaming marshmallow incident is based on something that happened to my dad. Twice.
Author: moondragon25 (or moondragon23 on other sites)
Pairing: Shawn/Carlton
Rating: NC-17
Summary: During a camping trip, Shawn wanders off and gets lost in the woods. Lassiter is the one to find him and must do whatever he can to warm up a hypothermic Shawn. SLASH
Disclaimer: I don't own Psych. This is just for fun. I do own all original characters.
Notes: This story was inspired by a great oneshot written by Fear-The-Spork. It is chapter four under her collection Not Another Psych Oneshot! If you like Shules smut you should check it out. She is a very good writer.
You can find it here: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6542125/4/Not-Another-Psych-Oneshot
or search for it on fanfiction.net
There is a line in the original story where Juliet says Shawn is lucky Lassiter wasn't the one to find him in the woods. Of course, that got me thinking and being a Shassie fan I had to write this alternate version.
Enjoy!
“God dammit!”
Carlton cursed as he tripped over another half-rotting log. Looking at the hand he had used to catch himself on a nearby tree, he saw a long, shallow scrap slowly welling up with blood. “Great,” he muttered, adding it to the list of injuries he would be taking out of Spencer's hide once he found the annoying psychic.
He continued to struggle through the undergrowth as he thought of the disaster this trip had turned into. It had all started when Henry had invited him on a weekend camping trip. He wasn't really the outdoors type but Henry had promised some great fishing at the nearby lake and it would be a chance to get away from the dual headaches of work and Spencer Jr. He had plenty of vacation time (325 days to be exact) and the Chief had been pressing him lately to take some time off. It seemed like the perfect opportunity.
Things started going downhill before they even left the city. Henry called midweek to let him know he was dragging his son along on the trip. Something about father-son bonding and needing to teach him a lesson about blowing off promises. Whatever the reason, it meant he would be stuck with Spencer Jr. all weekend. He almost backed out right then, but thought maybe it wouldn't be too bad with Henry around to keep his son in line. Besides, Spencer was sure to bring Guster along; the two never went anywhere alone. He could still find some time to get away from everyone and spend some time by himself.
Of course, that was before he arrived Friday morning to find O'Hara had been invited along as well. Between Spencer and his nosy partner, he would be lucky to get a moment of peace. By then it was too late to back out, so he decided he would just have to endure this weekend the best he could.
Stepping over another log, his foot landed in a large puddle on the other side. Cursing, he hopped over to dry land before lifting his dripping foot from the water. He didn't have a change of shoes, so he would just have to deal with the wet footwear until he got back to civilization. In his head, he added a new pair of shoes to the list of items Spencer would have to replace after this weekend.
The first item was a new pair of pants. They had been sitting around the campfire that first night when Spencer lit his marshmallow on fire. Waving the stick around in an attempt to put it out, the sticky, flaming substance had flung off the stick and landed on his pant leg. After a bucket of water dumped on him by the quick thinking O'Hara, he ended up with a red patch on his skin and a hole in his favorite pair of jeans.
It didn't stop there. The next day Shawn insisted on coming fishing with him and Henry (though why he did when he clearly hated it was beyond him). He quickly grew bored and climbed a nearby tree. When he inevitably fell from it, he managed to land on Carlton's brand new fishing rod, snapping it in half. Thankfully, Guster had kept Spencer away from him for the rest of the day, letting his temper cool enough that he could control the desire to strangle Spencer the next time he saw him.
Things got worse that night. A rain storm moved in and the tent Spencer and Guster were sharing sprung a leak. Carlton was all for leaving them out in the rain, until Spencer suggested one of them could bunk with O'Hara. There was no way in hell he was letting either man sleep in the same tent as his partner, so he reluctantly agreed to house one of the idiots in his tent. Somehow, Spencer ended up with him while Guster bunked with Henry. He had a large air mattress which took up most of the free room in the tent, so he was forced to share it with the younger man, who thankfully still had his own relatively dry sleeping bag. He woke up to find Spencer lying half on top of him and his mattress flat as a pancake.
He took a deep breath as he remembered the feel of Spencer against him. He would be lying if he said a part of him hadn't enjoyed it. His feelings towards the psychic had been decidedly mixed as of late. He had been attracted to men before, but not for a long time and certainly not to one as annoying as this. He had hoped some time away from work and Spencer would help him sort out his feelings but by this morning he was just feeling even more confused.
Especially now that Spencer was missing.
After he had kicked Spencer out of his tent, the younger man had gotten dressed and gone off to sulk in the woods. No one had thought much of it at first until Spencer hadn't shown up for breakfast. Guster seemed concerned, but Henry said his son would come back once he was done making a scene.
Spencer still hadn't come back by the time everyone was done packing up and they were ready to go. By then O'Hara was getting concerned and even Henry was admitting this wasn't like his son. Carlton hid his feelings behind his usual anger and indifference, but he was just as worried as the rest of them at Spencer's disappearance. They had split up and searched the woods around their campsite. Twenty minutes later, no one had found any sign of the wayward psychic.
At that point Henry had broken them up into two teams. O'Hara and Guster stayed near the campsite, continuing the search and keeping an eye out in case Spencer wandered back. He and Henry searched further out. They were the two most able to help move an injured man, which was looking like the most likely scenario as to why Spencer wasn't back yet.
Everyone had received a radio to keep in contact and headed out. That was five hours ago and still no one had seen any sign of Spencer yet.
A light rain had started to fall, making the already saturated ground even slicker. It was getting dark as well, making it hard to see where he was walking. Looking back, he knew it was inevitable that he would slip on the wet leaves covering the forest floor.
As soon as he felt his foot start to slide, he threw his arms out, grabbing at anything that would help him keep his balance. The branch he grabbed bent under his weight, forcing him to take a few quick stumbling, sliding steps as he frantically tried to stay on his feet. His struggle ended when he fell hard against a tree, smashing his shoulder into the unyielding bark.
“Son of a bitch!” he hissed, clutching at his shoulder. It felt like someone had hit it with a fucking sledgehammer. He leaned forward against the tree, resting his head against the rough bark, as he waited for the pain to subside. Once it started to fade, he carefully eased the strap of his pack over his shoulder and dropped it to the ground. He slowly moved the joint, grimacing as the pain flared up again. Nothing seemed to be broken and he could still move his arm fully, though he was sure to end up with one helluva bruise.
Sighing he turned to pick up his backpack. His foot slipped out from under him and he fell back against the tree, crying out as he hit his shoulder again. He took a deep breath, prepared to curse out Spencer, the woods, and the universe in general, when a low moan made him pause. Looking down, he saw his foot had hit the outstretched leg of someone on the other side of the tree.
Keeping one hand on the tree to keep his balance, he carefully moved until he could see who it was. “Sweet Justice!” He dropped to his knees next to the still form of Shawn Spencer.
The younger man was sitting upright with his back against the tree, legs stretched out in front of him. His clothes were soaked through, his hair plastered to his skull. His skin was pale, with an unhealthy blue tinge to it and ice cold to the touch. His eyes were closed, the deepening shadows giving them a bruised appearance. If Carlton hadn't seen the slight rise and fall of his chest, he would have thought Spencer was dead.
He immediately reached out to check Spencer's pulse, sighing with relief when he found it slow but steady. Still, it took several not-so-gentle slaps to the face before he got a response from the younger man.
Spencer groaned, his eyes slowly fluttering open. “Lassie?” he asked, voice faint and raspy. “Why're you hitting me?”
Carlton frowned, not liking the way Spencer was slurring his words. “You fell asleep against a tree in the middle of the goddamn woods,” he said, worry adding an unintended sharpness to his words.
“A tree?” Spencer looked up, seeming surprised to see he was, in fact, leaning against a tree. “Why'd I do that?” he asked, looking back at Carlton. He shivered slightly and wrapped his arms around himself.
Carlton studied Spencer with growing concern. Spencer wasn't shivering nearly as much as he should be considering his damp clothes and the coolness of the air. Added to the mental confusion and Carlton suspected the younger man was in the beginning stages of hypothermia. He needed to warm Spencer up and quickly.
“Stay here.” Spencer nodded obediently as Carlton went to retrieve his backpack. Dropping it beside Spencer, the first thing he did was pull out the thermal blanket and wrap it around the shaking psychic.
“Tucking me in?” Spencer asked with a smirk. He yawned, eyelids drooping dangerously low.
Carlton patted him roughly on the cheek. “Hey, no sleeping.”
“But 'm tired,” Spencer whined.
“Tough.” Carlton pulled out the radio next. Henry had packed an awful lot of survival gear for the trip, more than Carlton thought they would need for one weekend. In addition to the radio, he had equipped each searcher with rope, several packs of freeze-dried food, extra water, a thermal blanket, a four-foot piece of plastic, and a mini first aid kit. All things that had seemed like a waste of space Friday morning but now were coming in handy.
He wondered if Henry had considered something like this would happen or was just naturally prepared for any situation. Then again, considering who it was he had just spent five hours searching for, maybe this type of planning just came from a close association with Shawn.
Carlton turned on the radio, tuning to the frequency Henry had told him to use. Nothing but static came through. He tried a few other frequencies, even going so far to walk a few feet in several directions to see if that helped, but whether it was the storm overhead or the mountains themselves he couldn't get a clear signal. Cursing, he dropped the useless hunk of plastic back into his pack. It looked like he and Spencer would be on their own for now.
There was a small clearing to their left that looked large enough to set up a tent in. He bent down and untied the tent from his pack. He had been reluctant to bring it along with him during the search, not liking the idea of carrying that much extra weight through the woods. Henry had insisted that he do so in case he got stranded in the woods overnight or if the coming storm forced him to take shelter. There was also the unspoken possibility that Shawn might not be able to walk out of the woods and whoever found him might have to wait for a rescue team. All three scenarios were coming into play now, so it was a good thing he had brought it along.
A quick glance at Spencer showed the man watching him with glazed eyes, though at least they were open. Carlton moved closer to him, snapping his fingers to get the man's attention. “I'm going to set up the tent. Do not move and do not go to sleep. Got it?” He waited until Spencer nodded slowly. “Do you need anything?” he asked in a slightly softer tone.
“Water,” Spencer said, licking his lips.
Carlton pulled a bottle out of his pack and passed it to him. Spencer almost dropped it, his hands were shaking so bad. After watching him fumble for a few moments trying to get it open, Carlton took pity on him. He opened the bottle and helped Spencer hold it steady long enough to swallow a few sips. “Thanks,” the younger man said gratefully.
Carlton nodded, putting the bottle down next to the psychic. He grabbed the tent and walked over to the clearing. He set up the tent as quickly as possible, glancing over frequently to make sure Spencer was still awake. When he was done, he grabbed his backpack and went inside. He pulled his sleeping back out of its waterproof cover and spread it out. He hung a flashlight from the dome of the night, clicking it on to give them some light. He took a moment to grab some aspirin out of the first aid kit to help ease the throbbing in his shoulder. Setting up the tent had not been kind to it. With everything set up, he returned to Spencer. “What'ch ya doing?” he asked as Carlton pulled the blanket off and set it aside.
“We need to get you in the tent.” Grabbing Spencer's arm, he attempted to get the younger man on his feet. After much struggling on both their parts, he finally got Spencer upright and leaning against the tree. One look told him Spencer wouldn't be able to cross the clearing on his own. Looping the man's arm around his good shoulder, he half carried the psychic over to the tent. He somehow managed to get them both inside and gently lowered him down next to the sleeping bag. He zipped up the opening and turned back to look at the shivering psychic as he thought about what he had to do next.
First responder training was mandatory for all cops but he had taken search and rescue and survival training as well. He knew as long as Spencer continued to wear those wet clothes, he would continue to lose body heat. Sighing in defeat, he crouched down next to Spencer and grabbed the edge of his shirt. “Lift your arms.”
“Why?” Spencer asked, looking at him stubbornly.
“We need to get you out of those wet clothes,” Carlton said, gritting his teeth at Spencer's smirk. “Now, lift your arms.”
“I always knew you wanted to see me naked,” Spencer said, lifting his arms and letting Carlton pull off his shirt. He shivered, the cool air causing goose bumps on his newly exposed skin.
“How about you just shut it and not make this anymore uncomfortable than it needs to be?” Carlton snapped, trying his best to avoid looking at the broad, surprisingly muscular, exposed chest before him. He moved his hands hesitantly to Spencer's belt. He unbuckled it and slipped it off as quickly as he could, refusing to look at the psychic's face. He moved down and removed his shoes and socks before moving back up to his waist. “Lift your hips.”
“You haven't even bought me dinner yet,” Spencer complained as Carlton removed his pants. His legs were as cold as the rest of him and Carlton tried not to dwell on the feeling of his skin beneath his hands. He was shivering harder now that he was nearly naked, which was a good sign. It meant his body was still fighting to warm itself and hadn't given up.
He unzipped the bag and held it open. “Get in.”
Spencer looked down at himself, than back up at Carlton. “Ar-Aren't you for-forgetting someth-thing?” he asked, his sly comment failing with his constant shivering.
Carlton could feel a blush forming on his cheeks anyway. There was no way in hell he was removing Spencer's boxers. “Shut up and get in the bag.”
Too cold now for any jokes, Spencer did as he was told. With minimal help he made it inside the bag. Carlton zipped it up, watching him for a moment. Spencer had curled into a tight ball on his side, shivering hard. The bag was helping, but it wouldn't be enough to get him out of danger. Carlton knew what he had to do.
“You better not remember any of this tomorrow,” he muttered as he quickly stripped off his own wet clothes. Shivering slightly in the cool air, he turned off the flashlight before he unzipped the bag and slipped inside.
Spencer jumped when Carlton brushed against him. “La-Lassie?” he asked in confusion.
“Relax,” Carlton said soothingly. Gingerly, he wrapped his arms around Spencer, trying not to flinch from his cold skin. Gradually, he felt the younger man's shaking slow as their body heat warmed up the bag.
Soon, Spencer's breathing evened out as he dropped off to sleep.
Carlton sighed, resting his head against Spencer's shoulder. He guessed it would be safe now to let go and put a bit of distance between them inside the bag. God knows he didn't want Spencer to wake up with his arms still wrapped around him. But he was very comfortable right now and unwilling to move. It had been a long time since he had been this close to someone and, despite the circumstance, he couldn't deny it felt good to have Spencer in his arms. Lying like this a little longer couldn't hurt.
The longer he lay there, the harder it was to keep his eyes open. Eventually he lost the battle, falling into a dreamless sleep.
The sound of rain falling against the roof of the tent was the first thing he heard. He sighed and borrowed his head deeper into the sleeping bag, too warm and comfortable to want to move just yet. He tightened his hold on the body next to him, wishing he could just stay here until the rain stopped. However, there was something he needed to do. He was looking for someone. . . he just couldn't remember who it was.
His eyes snapped open as memories of last night came flooding back. To his chagrin, he found himself still holding Spencer as the other man slept peacefully. Pushing away his mortification, he took a moment to examine the man.
He was looking much better than he had last night. His lips were no longer blue and color had returned to his face. Spencer's skin felt warm where it was in contact with his own, which he quickly realized was over a large portion of his body. He could feel himself becoming aroused by the close contact and tried to move away. Unfortunately, there was only so much room in a sleeping bag so he couldn't get far.
He heard a groan as his movements woke up his bed partner. Spencer's eyes opened and looked at Carlton in confusion. “Lassie?” He shifted in the bag and his eyes widened when he realized he was practically naked. “What's going on?”
“What do you remember?” Carlton asked carefully.
Spencer took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “I was wandering through the woods. I had fallen into a puddle; that plus the rain meant I was soaking wet.” He glanced around the tent, gaze landing on the sopping pile of clothes in the corner. He nodded slightly to himself before he continued. “I sat down a minute to take a break. Next thing I knew, someone was shaking me, telling me to wake up.” He frowned in concentration. “It's kind of blurry after that.”
“You were barely conscious when I found you,” Carlton said, remembering his panic when he had found the psychic. “You were in the beginning stages of hypothermia and needed help right away. It was getting late and starting to rain again, so I set up the tent and tried to get you warm.” He looked away, blushing slightly. “The best way to do that was to share body heat,” he said gruffly.
“Oh.” Spencer glanced down at Carlton's arms, which were still wrapped around him. The detective quickly pulled them back, putting some distance between them in the bag. “I don't suppose you have any dry clothes with you?” the younger man asked hopefully.
“There are some in my pack.” Carlton twisted around in the bag to get at the zipper. He pulled on it, but it didn't move. He pulled harder, shaking the bag with his efforts but it refused to budge. He cursed loudly and colorfully, wondering what he could have done in his life to warrant this level of bad luck.
“What's wrong?” Spencer asked.
Carlton sighed. “The zipper's stuck.”
“Seriously?”
“No, I'm making it up because I really want to remain trapped in here with you.” The words didn't come out nearly as sarcastically as he had planned. He cleared his throat and tugged on the zipper again. “Of course the damn thing is stuck.”
“Let me see.” Spencer leaned over him, trying to reach the zipper.
Carlton hissed in pain as the younger man bumped against his shoulder. “Be careful!” he snapped.
“Sorry.” Spencer shifted, still leaning over him but no longer pressing on his shoulder. His mostly naked body rubbed against him, renewing Carlton's erection.
Carlton pushed him back. “I've got it.”
“Lassie, I can help,” Spencer insisted. He was laying against Carlton's back and the close contact was doing nothing to help his concentration. Nor was the wiggling as Spencer fidgeted impatiently.
“Spencer, would you just keep still,” Carlton said desperately, trying to ignore the thrill he felt from the younger man's movements. “I said I've got it.”
“If you did we would be out already.” Spencer reached for the zipper again, pushing against his back and consequently pushing him forwards. He couldn't hold back a moan as his erection was pressed hard against the side of the sleeping bag.
He felt Spencer freeze behind him. “Lassie?”
“Just back off,” Carlton gasped. Spencer moved away from him as much as the bag would allow. He took a deep breath, waiting for Spencer to crack a joke or say something to make this whole thing even more embarrassing than it already was. However, Spencer stayed suspiciously quiet, remaining still on his side of the bag. Not sure how long this temporary peace would last, he examined the zipper, wanting to get out before the situation got any worse.
It looked like some of the sleeping bag had gotten caught when he had zipped them up last night. He pulled on the tab carefully, but couldn't get it past the fabric.
He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, um Lassie?” Spencer asked hesitantly.
“Not now,” he said, trying to pull the fabric from between the teeth of the zipper.
“There's something I need to say,” Spencer insisted.
“Later.” The fabric was stuck tight. He had a knife in his pants; if he could get to it maybe he could cut away the fabric enough to get the zipper open. Of course, his pants were lying on the other side of the tent, out of reach.
“Lassie,” Spencer said, shaking his shoulder gently.
“What?” he snapped, turning to face him. He had a split second to register the serious look on Spencer's face before the psychic kissed him. He froze in shock at the soft touch of the slightly chapped lips against his mouth. The kiss was brief, but enough to send a shiver down his spine.
Shawn pulled back and smiled at him. “Thank you for saving my life.”
It took several moments for Carlton's brain to catch up, during which time he just stared at Shawn. “What about O'Hara?” he asked, saying the first thing to pop into his head once he regained the power of speech.
“What about her?”
“You invited her along on this trip, right?”
Shawn snorted. “Only because Gus didn't have the guts to do it. They'd both be old and gray long before Gus had the courage to make the first move.”
“Guster and O'Hara?” Now that he thought about it, he had noticed Guster spending more time talking to his partner whenever he was at the station and he had been oddly attentive to O'Hara the entire weekend. She hadn't seemed opposed to the attention either. He supposed there were worse men his partner could be with.
Such as the one staring at him intently right now. “He's had a crush on her for months. I was just helping things along,” Shawn explained.
“So you have no interest in O'Hara?” Carlton asked, needing to be clear on this point.
“Nope, I'm all yours.” He grinned at Carlton. “Why do you think I agreed to go on this trip in the first place? It certainly wasn't to spend time with my dad.”
Before Carlton could respond to that statement, Shawn was kissing him again, moving so his body was pressed against his. This time he responded, reaching up to cup the back of Shawn's head and pull him closer, deepening the kiss. Shawn moaned, parting his lips and allowing Carlton's tongue to enter his mouth. He rolled them so he was on top, pinning Shawn down as he kissed him senseless. He could feel himself getting harder as he ran a hand lightly down Shawn's side. The younger man shivered at the contact, letting out a gasp. Judging by the obvious erection pressing against his thigh, Shawn was enjoying this just as much as he was.
“You sabotaged the tent,” Carlton said when they broke apart.
“You were ignoring my advances. I got desperate,” Shawn whispered as he once again closed the gap between their bodies. He kissed him, rolling them so Shawn was on top. Carlton hissed as his sore shoulder hit against the hard ground.
Shawn pulled away slightly. “Sorry.” He reached around, gently touching the large bump that had formed overnight. “How did you do that?”
“Fell into a tree,” Carlton admitted. “Luckily, it was the same one you were leaning against or I never would have found you.”
“Lucky me,” Shawn said with a grin. He leaned down and started kissing him again, making sure not to push on his bad shoulder this time.
The bag was started to heat up, becoming unbearably warm. Shawn broke away from where he was kissing the side of Carlton's neck and started tugging at the zipper. “We need to get this open.”
Carlton wholeheartedly agreed. He could feel the sweat slicking their two bodies and the tight bag did not give them much room to maneuver. “I have a knife in my pants.”
Shawn looked over to where Carlton's clothes were bunched up on the floor of the tent. “Sounds good. Follow my lead.” He rolled the bag until the were side by side, then started guiding Carlton around until they were facing the pants. Then he rolled them so Carlton was lying on top of Shawn. “Get up on your hands and knees.” Carlton did so as best he could with Shawn underneath him. “Have you ever moved across the floor in a sleeping bag before?” Shawn asked.
“When I was a kid,” Carlton said, remembering times camping out at Old Sonora.
“Since there are two of us in here, we'll use the caterpillar technique,” Shawn said. “Scrunch up then stretch out, got it?” Before Carlton could reply Shawn had folded his legs under him, pressing up against Carlton's chest and dragging the end of the bag forward. Then he was stretching out with the front of the bag gripped tightly in his hands, forcing Carlton to bend down with him. “That's it, keep going.”
They continued to move like this the few feet separating them from the clothes. By then Carlton was prepared to rip his way out of the bag with his bare hands if had to. Having Shawn pressing and rubbing against him like that was driving him crazy and if he didn't get some space things were going to end very quickly.
He fumbled with his pants before he pulled out his knife. Flicking it open, he cut along the zippered edge, too impatient to cut the fabric out of the jammed zipper. He closed the knife and rolled out of the bag, taking deep breaths as the cool air helped cool his ardor.
“That eager to get away from me?” Shawn asked.
Carlton looked over at him, relieved to see a playful smile on his face. “I just need a moment,” he said, turning his head to gaze up at the ceiling. A green blur of fabric passed by overhead. Turning, he saw a pair of green boxers lying next to him. He quickly flipped around to find Shawn crouched over the ruined sleeping bag, completely naked. “Still need a moment?” he asked innocently.
Carlton ran his eyes over Shawn's lithe body, settling on the part that explained why Shawn was so smugly confident all the time. “I'm good,” he said, quickly slipping his own boxers off and crawling back over to Shawn.
Shawn's eyes darted over him, lingering on the same areas he had before. “Looks like we're pretty evenly matched,” he said, looking back up into his eyes with a coy smile.
“Looks like it,” Carlton agreed. He pulled Shawn towards him, moaning softly as their bodies touched. His mouth found his, nibbling at the lips until his tongue was allowed entry. He pressed them more firmly together as he explored Shawn's mouth and his hands roamed over his body.
He felt Shawn take control, pushing him down until he was laying flat on his back. Shawn moved down Carlton's neck, nipping lightly with his teeth. He licked along his collarbone, then moved on to his chest. His tongue and hands joined forces, teasing his nipples and scratching along his sides until he was squirming under him.
He felt Shawn move lower and he couldn't help shifting his hips restlessly. At the same time, a seed of doubt entered his mind. His body wanted this, and most of his mind did as well, but a part of him couldn't help questioning if this was really a smart thing to do.
As Shawn leaned forward towards his cock, the thinking part of him gained control. He put out a hand to stop him. “What is this?” he asked.
“If you would let me continue, it will be two people have mind-blowing sex,” Shawn said. He leaned down again, whining in frustration when Carlton once again pushed him back. “Come on Lassie!”
“I don't want another one night stand,” Carlton frowned, hoping that wasn't where the situation was headed.
“It's not night and neither of us is standing, so I think we're good,” Shawn pointed out.
“I'm serious,” Carlton said, holding Shawn back at arms length. “Is this just about sex?”
Shawn sighed. “Right now, yes, it's about sex. How can it not be, with you laying there all hot and tempting like that?” He moved forward until he was hovering over Carlton, face to face. “Afterwards, well, first off we'll have to get out of these woods. Then we can get something to eat, because dude, I'm starving. After that. . .” He shrugged. “I'm not good at this relationship stuff, so you'll have to help me out from there.”
Carlton felt something relax inside him at the thought this wasn't just a one time thing. He pulled Shawn down toward him, kissing him intently. “Go ahead,” he whispered against his lips.
Shawn slid back down Carlton's body until he was once again facing his cock. This time Carlton didn't stop him when he leaned forward and gave the head a lick. He groaned as that lick was followed by another, than another, each one longer and moving further down the shaft. Shawn was very talented, his tongue doing things Carlton had never even imagined. Soon he had worked his way back up to the tip. He gasped when Shawn blew on it gently, a shudder running through his entire body. “Damn, your good.”
Shawn grinned up at him. “If you liked that, you'll love this.” He leaned forward, taking the end of his cock into his mouth. He then proceeded to give Carlton the best blowjob of his entire life. Between Shawn's mouth and his hands, not an inch of his cock was ever neglected. He moaned uncontrollably, his hips thrusting up to get more into that talented mouth.
He let out a strangled yelp as Shawn leaned forward, taking him down to the hilt. “Sweet Lady Justice!” he cried, struggling hard not to move and injure his partner.
Shawn chuckled, the vibration nearly sending him over the edge. He worked along his shaft a few times before he slowly pulled off his cock. “I want to try something else.” Carlton watched in confusion as Shawn crawled over to his pants and removed something from the pocket. He came back and handed Carlton a condom and a small bottle of lube.
It was clear what Shawn was asking, though why he had these items in his pocket remained to be seen. He looked up into Shawn's hopefully face, swallowing a sudden feeling of nervousness. “I've never done this before,” he admitted.
He hadn't slept with a guy in years, not since college, and then it had never progressed beyond a blowjob. He had suggested anal sex to Victoria once but she had been against it. It had never come up with Berry or any of the few other women he had slept with since.
“Don't worry, I'll walk you through it,” Shawn assured him. He moved back so he was straddling Carlton again. He took the condom and put it aside, then gestured to the bottle of lube. “Pour out a good amount and slick your fingers up real good.”
Carlton did as he was told, feeling the cool lubricant warm as he rubbed it around his fingers.
Shawn leaned forward until he was on his hands and knees over Carlton. “You're going to need to stretch me out if you want to get that big boy inside me. Start with one finger and work up from there. You'll know when.”
Carlton carefully reached a hand down, feeling for Shawn's entrance. They both jumped slightly when he found it. “Right there,” Shawn said, sighing as Carlton gently rubbed a finger over it. He felt it open slightly and slowly pushed his finger inside. He froze when Shawn let out a groan. “Keep going,” Shawn said, pushing back slightly. He let out a small whimper when his finger was fully inside. “Damn, your fingers are long.”
He slowly moved his finger around, pulling back and pushing in, stretching out the muscle. When he felt Shawn relax, he added a second finger, correctly interpreting the groan this time as a sound of pleasure. “Yeah, Lassie, that's good,” he said as Carlton pumped his fingers inside him.
As he adjusted his angle, he felt a small bump. Running his fingers over it caused Shawn to shiver. Pressing it had Shawn moaning loudly, dropping his head down onto Carlton's chest. The detective smiled. “You like that Shawn?” he asked, gently moving inside him.
“Yeah,” Shawn said breathlessly.
“You want me to do it again?” Carlton asked, pressing against that stop.
Shawn moaned, pushing back against his fingers. “God yes,” he hissed.
Carlton pressed it again, feeling Shawn tighten and shake around his fingers. The whole sight was incredible arousing and he wasn't sure how much longer he could wait. He quickly added a third finger, which Shawn eagerly took. He moved his fingers quicker, feeling the muscles relaxing faster this time.
One more press against his pleasure spot had Shawn tugging his hand impatiently out of him. “I can't wait anymore,” he said, grabbing the condom. He ripped it open and slipped it on Carlton, handing him the lube. “Get ready.”
Not sure how much he should use, he erred on the side of caution and liberally slicked himself up. Shawn had moved until he was straddling his hips again. He raised himself up as Carlton lined up with his entrance. “Ready?” Shawn asked. At Carlton's nod he slowly lowered himself down.
Carlton groaned as he felt himself enter the tight, hot heat of Shawn's ass. Shawn sunk down slowly, stopping after a few inches to rest. The detective could see the strain on Shawn's face as he held himself still, taking several deep breaths. “Are you ok?” he asked, reaching up to stroke the side of Shawn's face.
Shawn nodded. “Just haven't done this in awhile. I'll be okay in a minute.” Carlton ran his hand down Shawn's side, resting it on his hip. He rubbed soothing circles into the skin as he waited as patiently as he could for Shawn to be ready.
After a few minutes, Shawn started to move, slowly riding along his length. With every down stroke he took more of his cock inside him until he was sitting flush against Carlton's hips. He paused there, grinding down into Carlton's lap and causing him to moan loudly. “Now we can really get started,” Shawn said, breathing hard.
Shawn lifted himself up until he was squatting over him. Slowly, he started moving along Carlton's entire length, rising up until he almost popped out before sliding all the way back down. Carlton's hands moved to Shawn's hips, guiding him along. As Shawn picked up the pace, he started thrusting upwards on the down stroke, pushing himself deeper into his lover.
Shawn lowered himself until he was on his knees. He leaned forward, kissing Carlton as he rocked back and forth on his cock. The new position gave Carlton more control, as well as allowing him to hit new angles inside his lover. He searched around and after one particular hard thrust he felt Shawn clamp down hard on him as he cried out. “There, Lassie, right there!”
He tried to hit that spot on every thrust, feeling Shawn tighten wonderfully around him every time he did. His hands tightened on Shawn's hips as he thrust harder and harder. He saw Shawn grab his own cock and start stroking it in time with his thrusts. He let go of his hip with one hand and pushed Shawn's hand out of the way. “Allow me.”
Shawn looked down at Carlton, eyes wide with lust, as he took over. Within seconds his lover's eyes had closed, head thrown back as he moaned loudly. “I'm so close, Lassie. So close,” he muttered feverishly, dropping his head down to bite at his shoulder.
The unexpected spark of pain fueled Carlton to thrust harder, his own release coming on fast. He stroked Shawn quickly and firmly, determined to make his lover finish before him.
Shawn shuddered above him as he came, spraying his seed over Carlton's chest. He dropped forward but Carlton continued to thrust into him. The feeling of Shawn's muscles tightening around him was enough that soon after he was coming as well, moaning as he pulled Shawn tightly to him.
They both lay there panting, too tired to move at first. Eventually, Shawn raised his head and looked up at Carlton. “Are you sure you've never done that before. . . because that was amazing.”
Carlton smiled. “I have had sex before, just not with a guy.”
“It's not the same,” Shawn said, to which Carlton couldn't argue. He could feel a slight burn to his skin were Shawn's stubble had rubbed against it, something he certainly had never experienced with a woman.
Shawn lifted himself up, grimacing at the sticky mess between them. “Guess we need to clean up a bit.” He carefully stood up, letting Carlton slide out of him with a soft hiss. Grabbing his still damp t-shirt, he used it to clean up the mess on the both of them before throwing it to the side. He slid off Carlton's condom and tossed that towards the clothes as well before flopping down next to him. “There, that's better.”
Carlton yawned, the stressful night and early morning catching up with him. Shawn reached out and grabbed the edge of the sleeping bag, pulling it over them. “A nap sounds good,” he murmured, yawning himself as he curled into Carlton's side.
Carlton wanted to protest, but he could already feel himself drifting off. A nap sounded very good. Wrapping an arm around Shawn, he let himself fall asleep.
Carlton ran his hand gently along Shawn's back. The younger man's head was resting on his chest, nose nuzzled in his chest hair. His arm was wrapped around Carlton's waist, lightly tracing patterns along Carlton's side. He was humming softly, nothing Carlton recognized but it sounded light and upbeat.
He knew they needed to get up soon, let the others know where they were. Nobody else knew that Shawn was okay and they were probably worried about him, but he really didn't want this moment to end. It was so peaceful lying here with Shawn and he wanted to enjoy it as long as he could.
He felt Shawn sigh. “We should get up. Everyone's probably looking for us.”
Carlton looked down, seeing that Shawn was just as reluctant to move as he was. “It wouldn't hurt to lay here a little bit longer,” he said tentatively.
Shawn grinned. “I thought I was supposed to be the irresponsible one.”
Carlton grinned back. “You're bad tendencies are rubbing off on me.”
Shawn grinned turned wicked. “That's not the only thing.” He crawled forward to give Carlton a kiss.
“Lassiter!”
Both men started at the sound of Guster's voice. “Crap,” Shawn said, looking wide-eyed at Carlton. Already they could hear Guster rapidly approaching, having already spotted their tent. There was no time to grab their clothes; all Carlton could do was make sure the ripped sleeping bag was still covering them before Guster was opening the tent.
“Lassiter! Are you okay? Did you find - ?” Guster froze as he caught sight of the two men, very clearly naked and together in the sleeping bag looking at him with embarrassed mortification. His mouth moved but no sound came out as he stared at them with wide eyes.
“Gus, can you give us a minute?” Shawn asked.
Gus nodded slowly before retreating from the tent. Carlton thought he heard him mutter something about 'eye bleach' and 'scarred for life.'
“I guess that's one less person we have to tell,” Shawn said. He slipped out of the bag and started digging through Carlton's backpack, pulling out clothes for the two of them. “Here.” He tossed a pile on the bag next to Carlton. “Better put them on before someone else shows up for a free show.”
Carlton watched Shawn getting dressed, a million thoughts running around in his head. Earlier he had been glad Shawn wanted to try to continue this, turn it into something more than a one night stand. Now, the full implications of doing so were starting to hit him.
“Are you okay?”
Carlton looked up at Shawn standing above him, a concerned look on his face. “I'm fine.” He avoided looking at Shawn while he pulled on his clothes, still trying to sort through his thoughts. Once he was decent, he moved towards the entrance of the tent.
A hand on his arm stopped him. He turned to face a very worried looking Shawn. “Do you regret what happened?” he asked quietly.
Carlton shook his head. “No. I just - ” He glanced towards the entrance, outside of which waited Guster and soon everyone else, and back at Shawn. “It's going to change things.”
Shawn smiled, looking very relieved. “Change can be a good thing.” He reached out and took Carlton's hand. “Those that matter will accept us and we'll deal with the rest together.” He gave Carlton a quick peck on the cheek. “It'll all work out. Trust me.”
Once again, Shawn surprised him by getting right to the heart of what was bothering him. While he didn't have Shawn's optimism, he couldn't help hoping the other man was right.
They exited the tent hand in hand. Guster was across the clearing, looking out into the woods. He turned when he heard them approaching, eyes going straight to their joined hands. “The others should be here any minute,” he said and looked at Shawn questioningly.
Shawn patted his friend on the shoulder. “Thanks for the warning. And sorry you had to walk in on that.”
Gus shuddered. “Let's just never mention it again.” He glanced over at Carlton. “No offense.”
“I'll make sure we're more careful in the future,” Carlton promised.
Gus shot a look at Shawn. “Future?”
Shawn grinned. “You heard my boyfriend.” He wrapped an arm around Carlton's waist, pulling them close together.
Gus stared at them for a moment, then shook his head. “I hope you know what you're getting yourself into,” he told Carlton.
Carlton grinned down fondly at Shawn. “I have a pretty good idea.”
They heard the sound of someone crashing through the undergrowth. Carlton took a deep breath, feeling inexplicably nervous. “Relax,” Shawn said. He stepped away from Carlton, as Henry emerged from the trees, O'Hara right behind him. “Jeesh, dad, what happened to moving stealthily through the woods?” he asked, walking up to his father.
He noted the relief on Henry's face even as the two men started to argue. O'Hara threw herself at Shawn, wrapping him up in a tight hug. He hid a smirk as Guster tensed next to him, clearly not liking his partner paying so much attention to his best friend. Not that Carlton was entirely thrilled with it either.
Henry turned and waved Carlton and Guster over. “Thank you for finding my son,” he said to Carlton.
Carlton shrugged. “I just got lucky; I practically tripped over him.”
“Still, I hate to think what would have happened if you hadn't,” Henry said.
Shawn came up next to him and once again wrapped his arm around Carlton's waist. “Don't worry dad, my boyfriend would never let anything happen to me.”
O'Hara gasped, staring wide-eyed at the both of them. Henry looked at them for a long moment, then shook his head. “It's been a long day. Pack up and I'll meet you back at the truck.” Without another word, he turned and left the clearing.
Shawn didn't seem worried about his father's reaction. “He just needs time to get used to it,” he explained. “Since you set up the tent, I'll take it down.” He turned and started walking towards the tent. “Come on Gus.”
“I'm not touching anything inside that tent Shawn,” Gus protested even as he followed his friend. “I don't know what the two of you contaminated.”
Carlton sighed and turned to his partner. Still expecting her to be in shock, he was surprised by the smirk on her face. “So what exactly happened last night that would make Gus feel the tent was contaminated?” she asked.
Carlton felt his face starting to turn red. “I don't believe that is any of your business.”
O'Hara grinned widely. “You guys had sex, didn't you?”
He could feel the heat on his cheeks as he turned away, watching Shawn and Guster struggling to take down the tent. He shook his head as Shawn tripped on a pole, managing to collapse the tent down on both him and Guster. “Idiot.”
“But he's your idiot now,” O'Hara pointed out. She stood next to him as they watched the two men somehow manage to finish packing up the tent without further injury to themselves. “I'm glad.”
Carlton turned to look at her, surprised. “You are?”
She nodded. “It's about time you guys got together. You've been lusting after each other for months.”
Carlton snorted. “I have not.”
O'Hara just smiled and shook her head. “Sure partner, whatever you say.”
Shawn and Guster rejoined them, Guster carrying everything. O'Hara went to help him, but he waved her off. “I've got it,” he said, though he already sounded out of breath. “Let's go.”
O'Hara and Guster lead the way, his partner watching Guster carefully in case he needed help. Shawn and Carlton followed behind. “I think they'll make a good couple,” Carlton said, watching the interactions between the two.
Shawn reached out and grabbed Carlton's hand. “Not as good as us.”
Carlton smiled at his boyfriend as they walked through the woods towards the cars and home. This trip hadn't turned out so bad after all.
The flaming marshmallow incident is based on something that happened to my dad. Twice.