Run Rabbit Run [12/?]
Psych
Explicit
Carlton Lassiter/Shawn Spencer overall; a bit of Pierre Despereaux/Shawn Spencer
~39900 words (total so far)
When strange envelopes are delivered to Shawn and Carlton with instructions and threats, they have no choice but to run for their lives. But trusting a stranger to watch their backs is easier said than done.
They were on edge from the moment they passed the signs pointing towards Jacksonville. The air in the car - already warming from the Florida heat - became heavy with tension. Carlton couldn't stand it. As irritable as he already was, the odd silence from the other two was verging on unbearable. "As if they're going to know just instantly that we didn't make the turn off."
"They'll know," Despereaux replied from the passenger seat. Resigned, staring out at the scenery as it rolled by. "They've been tracking you."
Carlton gripped the steering wheel harder, sighed in frustration. "I hadn't noticed."
Then the silence fell again, and Carlton found himself checking the rearview mirror, making sure they hadn't accidentally left Shawn at the hotel. It wasn't like him to be quiet unless he was sleeping or thinking, though Carlton supposed he had enough reason to be doing the latter. When he had come back in the previous night, Shawn had barely said a word before going to bed.
He was laying down in the back seat, book held over his head, expression hidden by his hand and some pages. Carlton forced his eyes back to the road, shaking his head. He wouldn't let him kill them all because he'd been distracted by some teenager. Some intelligent, fun, brave teenager.
He sighed and shifted forward, his back hurting from the long days spent in the car. He couldn't stop himself from wondering. Carlton knew Shawn was upset with him, but it remained a mystery as much as any relationship ever had for him. If someone would just tell him, then it'd be easy to evaluate and respond. He glanced back up the mirror and found his eyes lingering on Shawn's injured leg stretched out across the seat. Then again, maybe not.
He forced his focus to the road again.
-----
They were finally getting out of Tampa traffic. It had been almost an hour of barely moving in the midday heat, sweat and tension making them all more miserable. Carlton had about had enough of it when they finally started moving faster. Shawn had rolled down his window at least half an hour ago, and he leaned back, sighing gratefully as air rushed into the car.
Carlton leaned slightly towards his own window. The breeze wasn't cool by any means, but it was better than being stifled in the dead heat of the car. Shawn caught his gaze in the rearview mirror and gave him a tentative smile. Carlton nodded and sped up, wanting to get as far away from the cars around them as soon as he could.
It was probably for the best that he did, or else Despereaux might not have noticed the car behind them, weaving through the traffic just as eagerly as they were. "Black coupe at our six, Carlton."
Carlton's eyes immediately picked it out. The windows were tinted dark, keeping him blind to the other occupants. "Shit," he said under his breath, stepping down on the gas. The car lurched forward and sped on.
"Might not be them," Shawn ventured, his eyes focused wholly on the car behind them.
"Might not be. But I'd rather be on the safe side and alive than anything else."
"How good of a driver are you?" Despereaux asked him quickly, and Carlton smiled grimly at him.
"Watch and learn."
He had excelled at the driving portions of his exams, proven to have a clear head even under duress. With lightning-fast reflexes that meant he could react to anything the road and other drivers threatened to throw at him. He only regretted not having his own sirens, but this way, they were just another group speeding down the highway. A little more subtle than flashing lights and screaming sirens but not by much.
"We should get off the main road. We can lose them in corners and down streets," Shawn said, but Carlton shook his head.
"They want us to run? We run. We'll hide when we have a better chance."
"He's right, though," Despereaux said evenly, his head turned so he could watch the car behind them. "And if we turn off, and they do as well, then we'll know for certain that it's them."
"What are the odds that someone else could get hurt if two cars go speeding down some small-town road?" Despereaux looked at him. "That they'll hurt someone else or that there'll be an accident?"
Despereaux hesitated, "Significant."
"Then we stay on the highway for now."
They broke free of the other cars, and sure enough, so did the black car. Carlton switched lanes, and it followed diligently. "They're gaining," Shawn observed, not sounding afraid or worried but resigned. Despereaux reached back, and Carlton kept himself from looking as he gently squeezed Shawn's knee.
"Shawn, sit up and put on your seatbelt." Shawn met his gaze defiantly in the mirror, scowling unhappily. Carlton growled, giving the car more gas, "Put your seatbelt on. Now."
There was another car ahead of them, and Carlton was gaining on them fast. The moment he heard Shawn's seatbelt click, he switched to the far lane and slammed on the brakes just as the black car got too close. Shawn and Despereaux both shouted at him, but he didn't hear. He let them shoot past and saw their brake lights flare up.
"Definitely them," Shawn said with a certainty that Carlton had learned to trust.
He raced towards the car, watching as Despereaux reached for the glovebox where he had been keeping his gun. "I can shoot," Shawn offered, but Carlton shook his head.
"The last thing we need are the authorities breathing down our neck. No one shoots unless we have to." He glanced at Despereaux who nodded, his firearm in hand. Part of him was aware that he shouldn't be thinking this clearly, but the rest was solely concerned with getting all three of them to safety.
They drew beside the black car, and Carlton found himself looking at the driver, a man he was becoming increasingly and uncomfortably familiar with. Yin smiled slightly at him, pretended to tip his hat, and then twisted the steering wheel harshly. Carlton swore as Yin rammed them, slamming on the brake. The car twisted back, tires screaming as Carlton fought to remain in control.
Yin was ahead of them, turning back to face them, and Carlton floored it, straightening out on the road. His heart pounded in his ears, drowning out Shawn and Despereaux, and he was past the point of caring. They were talking. They were alive. It was enough.
"Come on, come on, come on," he mumbled to himself, feeling the wobble of his car as he rushed past the black car again. It twisted towards them, scraping down the other side without any force behind it. He floored it, the engine roaring unhappily.
Despereaux's hand touched his shoulder, "Gas station. Next exit. We have to."
"It can take more," Carlton said automatically, eye sliding up to the rearview mirror. "We won't make Miami, but like hell are we going out that easy." He caught sight of Shawn's face, pale, eyes wide with fear as he watched the other car.
He saw an exit on the other side of the road after a few more miles and no sign of their pursuers, and Carlton yelled, "Hold on!"
He turned quickly onto the median, dry grass and dirt making it hard to gain any ground. The car jolted across the uneven terrain, and then they were back on asphalt. Horns screamed at them, but he pulled quickly into the traffic, crossing to the exit and flooring it up and out and down the road.
They pulled into a small secluded area with trees, and Carlton slammed the car into park once he was sure they were sufficiently hidden. His nerves and reflexes were still on high alert as he listened for the approach of the others. Carlton closed his eyes and breathed carefully, letting the tension flow out of him. "We need to get our stuff and get going," Despereaux said.
"On foot?"
"Not with Shawn's leg," Carlton said, reaching for his gun. Shawn made a noise of protest, but Carlton shook his head, "It'll be too slow-going."
"Then leave me."
Carlton turned to look at him, making sure he was meeting Shawn's eyes. "No." When Shawn glared, opened his mouth, and Carlton reiterated, "Hell no."
"I'm inclined to agree with him," Desperaux admitted.
"Then what happens when they catch up?" Shawn demanded, opening the car door.
"I spotted a sign for a gas station just up the road. Let me go and call the people from Miami and get help here as soon as we can." Despereaux slid out, standing up and listening for the sound of roaring engines. Carlton wasn't sure what was worse - that or the desolate silence that was their reality. They could be sneaking up, getting closer while keeping them unaware. "Stay here with him."
Carlton nodded, saying, "Hurry." Despereaux nodded with a grim smile and pulled himself up. After confirming the silence, he took off running through the trees and hopefully towards help.
They both got tentatively out of the car, and Carlton felt his entire body tense, ready to run or fight at a moment's notice. Shawn pulled himself out, moving stiffly on his injured leg. Carlton saw his hands shake as he leaned against the car, breathing in quick, terrified breaths as he looked towards the road, watching like a hawk.
"We're hidden at least," Carlton said, feeling useless.
Shawn didn't look at him. "Quick thinking and good driving. They would have caught up with us otherwise." He gave a dazed laugh, "They still could."
Carlton wanted to keep his distance, but Shawn's nervousness had him stepping closer. Unsure of how to offer even the most basic of comforts, he settled for leaning on the car against Shawn, hand touching his arm gently before falling to his own side. "They could, yes."
"I'm not ready to die," he said, his voice moving quickly, higher-pitched with panic. Carlton found himself gazing into widened, fear-filled eyes.
Carlton shook his head, "I'm not either." He reached out to touch again, as gentle as he could manage, not sure of how to make that panic fade but knowing desperately that he needed it to. "We're going to be fine," he lied, trying to reassure firmly. "They won't find us. Help will get here soon, and it's all going to be fine."
"And if it isn't?" Shawn's voice was so quiet, so afraid, and Carlton's fingers on his arm tightened. Ground him. Give him something else to focus on.
He faintly realized that their bodies were angled together, barely an inch or two apart, Shawn's head tilted up and eyes still searching Carlton's for something. The world seemed to slow down, and Carlton was suddenly aware of everything. The rise and fall of Shawn's body as he breathed, and the small movements of his lips as he tried to find words. Carlton himself had few. "Then it won't be."
That was the long and short of it. If things went badly, if Yin and Yang showed up, then there was a very for-real chance that this was the end of the line. There wasn't any Despereaux to talk their way out of it this time, and running and hiding seemed a pointless venture - the trees could only protect them so much.
Shawn seemed to make up his mind, his expression firming up, fiercely determined. He pushed forward and up, his lips pressing hard against Carlton's, hands grasping Carlton's back and pulling him down against him.
Carlton's response was immediate. One hand curved around Shawn's neck, drawing him close while the other on his arm hardened its grip, keeping him under control. He turned them both, pressed Shawn against the side of the car and kissed him hungrily. Fear and desperation fueled them, all thoughts gone except for the need to touch and be touched, to find some sort of safety from the terror all around them. They clung and kissed feverishly, lost to the sensations and the need to forget about everything else.
He realized distantly that this was a bad idea. Shawn was a teenager - practically a kid - and this tension between them wouldn't be solved by this. If they made it out - if they survived, if they lived to see the sunset, if tomorrow was an actuality, if their lives didn't end here in muggy Florida autumn, if, if, if - then they'd only have another problem to tackle.
"Shawn," he murmured disapprovingly, but he couldn't convince his body to join in the rebellion. His mind soon gave up too. Wife, life, job, future, past, none of it mattered when the end was right there and so very real. Even knowing it was selfish and irresponsible, he gave in, pressed himself against the smaller man beneath him and simply let himself feel until his lungs burned with a need for air.
He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against Shawn's, both of them panting for breath, still clinging to each other even as they began to calm down. Shawn's eyes flicked open, close, and Carlton swallowed dryly at his blown pupils, feeling the smile forming on the lips near his.
Shawn giggled suddenly, and Carlton soon found himself laughing, moving his head to stifle the helpless noises in Shawn's shoulder. They held onto each other for a long time, only moving apart when their laughter subsided. Carlton's hand held on last, slowly sliding down to touch Shawn's hand. Shawn grinned at him, his fingers curling around Carlton's before letting go. "That was interesting."
"That's one way of saying it." Carlton wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, drawing an offended gasp from Shawn. Shawn pushed him, feigning anger even as his smile refused to be completely wiped away. Carlton found himself smiling in return as he pushed gently back. And he thought there were definitely worse ways to end, if this was it. And if it wasn't, then maybe they'd still manage to be all right.
They eventually clambered up onto the hood of the car and leaned back, watching the clouds beyond the tops of the trees, waiting for fate to catch up with them one way or another.
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