Title: Far More Strange Things
Day/Theme: August 27/ slightly out of character
Series: Psych
Character/Pairing: Shawn/Lassiter
Rating: PG-13

Notes: Written for the 31Days community on livejournal.

'Carlton.' He starts at his name being called, and turns to find Spencer peering at him hesitantly.

'What do you want, Spencer?' he refrains from glaring at the psychic, but the irritation and annoyance are clear in his voice.

'Uh, well, I was just wondering something...' and he lets the sentence trail off there, looking nervous, and so not like his confident, and cocky self. It intrigues Carlton, but more than that, it aggravates him (as does the whole person currently speaking to him).

'Out with it, Spencer, I don't have all day.'

Shawn's lips form intricate lip movements, but nothing vocal actually comes out of his mouth, and Carlton starts walking away, convinced that Shawn is just playing with him (the idiot probably views it as a funny hobby, or something, that cretin).

'Wait, I really need to talk to you,' the "cretin" walks after him, but Carlton doesn't acknowledge him. Ignoring him is what he finds to work the best.

Fortunately, he's on his way to Chief Vick's office for a meeting, so he derives gleeful satisfaction in slamming the Chief's door in Spencer's face.

Carlton is not one who someone might describe as "paranoid"- not that the job doesn't require at least some semblance of paranoid-like behavior. Hey, better to be paranoid, than dead- but the detective can't shake that strange sensation one gets when one knows they're being watched.

It's silly, and stupid. He can't prove he's being watched, as no one seems to be looking his way, and the chances of someone spying on him are pretty slim.

Although…he is a detective, and has acquired many enemies because of the aforementioned fact. Suddenly the whole world tilts on its axis, and Carlton looks surreptitiously around himself.

Not that this day is getting off to a good foot, but now his lunch is ruined, and subsequently, his whole day. Great.

On his way out of the SBPD, he runs into Gus in the parking lot.

He gives a little head tilt to acknowledge Gus' presence, and Gus does the same.

'Your friend is acting strange,' not sure why he even bothers to question the insanity that is Spencer, but he likes talking to Gus (he appears to be a fine, young man with a good head on his shoulders, well, for the most part).

Gus shakes his head confusedly. 'What? You mean even weirder than Shawn's normal level of weird?"

Carlton nods.

'It'll pass,' Gus says wisely.

Carlton gets in his car, and drives off, hoping Gus' prognostication to come true.

It doesn't.

The next day he spends part of the morning trying not to be disoriented. Unlike the previous day in which Shawn kept trailing after him, and generally just annoying him, today Shawn is nowhere to be seen. Correction: where Carlton appears, Shawn isn't to be seen.

He's happy about this fact because it means he can get to work without any distractions. His contentment, however, only lasts until mid-afternoon. Because then Lassiter suspects Shawn to be avoiding him. Several incidents happen throughout the day, when their paths cross, and when the psychic hightails it out of wherever he is when Carlton comes into view, that make him suspect this. It's rude, is what it is, the detective indignantly tells himself.

And that drives away what would've been a perfectly good day. Why would Spencer be avoiding him? He, of all people on this earth, should've been the one steering clear of Shawn, not the other way around.

This goes on for awhile, much to Lassiter's chagrin.

He wouldn't care so much (and he really doesn't, he tells himself) except for the fact that it's rude and nothing that Shawn would do without a good reason. So there must be a good reason why all of a sudden Shawn is avoiding him like a plague.

By the end of the week he gets his answer. By the end of the week, his whole world suddenly changes, and Lassiter is left disoriented once again (as he always is when he encounters the hurricane that is Shawn).

It's Friday, and he's finishing up a police report when Shawn plops down the chair across from his desk.

He doesn't look up, and Shawn doesn't say anything. He sure as hell isn't going to be the first one to start up a conversation, not that he's looking for one

But he is an impatient man, and can only take so much. 'Did you want something,' he asks coldly, making it clear by the tone of his voice that he doesn't want Spencer there.

'You know, Lassie, you could be a little nicer to people, well, mainly nicer to me. But yes, I actually did want something. How do you feel about Chinese?'

'Chinese what? I don't have anything against them as a race.'

'Chinese food,' Shawn amends.

Carlton glares at him suspiciously. 'What are you getting at, Spencer?'

Shawn only shrugs, and his face seems to state, 'What? I didn't say anything.'

Carlton goes back to writing up his police report, thinking, somewhat prematurely, that Spencer was now going to leave him alone.

'It's just, you wanna, I don't know, maybe, gooutwithmeforChinese?' The last part is said in a low voice, kind of fast and in a jumbled state that Carlton's head snaps up like a bobble head at the psychic across from him.

'What?'

Shawn takes a deep breath, and starts again, 'Do you want to go out with me for Chinese?' And Carlton would've found the pained look on Shawn's face amusing, except for the grave fact that, at that moment, he is getting asked out by a deranged delinquent. A male deranged delinquent. All right, a male deranged delinquent co-worker. But still, a male.

All Carlton can do for a full minute is look at Shawn with a horrified look on his face, 'No,' he finally says, as though that would've been painstakingly obvious to someone who claims to be a "psychic."

'Oh,' Shawn looks crestfallen and Carlton diverts his eyes because, contrary to popular opinion, he doesn't like being mean-spirited. Shawn hoists himself up quickly, and smiles brightly. "That's okay, it didn't mean anything really. So, see ya around, Lassie." And he power walks out of the building.

It's really ridiculous, Carlton contemplates, because one, he doesn't like Spencer that way, and two, it's kind of sudden. What kind of reaction could he have given that spared Spencer's feelings, misguided as they are? Really, he can't have said anything without leading him on and this is the best way to handle this kind of situation- straightforward.

Things are sure to be awkward as hell now, though.

to be continued...