Let's see what happens next, shall we? I forgot if Shawn can read lips in canon, but he does here.
(-)
"You like him, don't you?" He saw those words on Jules' lips and saw how Lassie's posture stiffened. He couldn't quite tell what the detective said in reply since he was facing his partner, but Juliet kept encouraging him to talk. Then the older man looked over at him, his eyes widened slightly, and he moved to block Shawn's view of Jules.
He smirked. Lassie was a clever boy. Then he winced as it pulled at the cut on his cheek the paramedic was bandaging shut. She assured him it wasn't that bad, but that it was wide enough that they had to put butterfly stitches on it. When Fallows had backhanded him, his ring had opened up the cut. It wasn't Shawn's fault the criminal was insecure about having his love for another man announced so clearly. The psychic worked with the cops, who were fairly notorious for discrimination, but if he ever got into a relationship with Lassie where the man didn't want to hide it, he wouldn't be ashamed of telling everyone and anyone about it.
He knew getting into a relationship would be hard enough, getting Lassie to trust him enough to enact his fantasies would be even harder, and that going public with a relationship would be the hardest of all.
It was disappointing when Lassie and Jules got into their car and left without saying goodbye. But he saw Juliet say, "Talk about Shawn," right before they got into the car, and that made him grin. And then wince again as it pulled on his cheek.
"What's so amusing?" Gus asked. He'd gotten off without a scratch.
"Jules seems to think Lassie likes me." It was so hard not to grin like an idiot.
Gus frowned. "While you thankfully didn't give details, you said your 'man-date' last night made you certain he was attracted to you."
Shawn rolled his eyes. "Sexual attraction and emotional attraction are different, and they don't always coincide."
"He's right," said the paramedic as she started putting up her supplies. They both looked at her. "You can be attracted to someone you hate. It happens." With no further comment, she picked up her bag and walked away.
"See, even the random paramedic gets it."
"Don't call people random, Shawn; it's demeaning." Gus was indignant about nothing, as usual.
"But I'm the star of my life."
"That's conceited. Don't think I won't hit you."
"You wouldn't hit an injured man!"
To contradict that statement, Gus punched his shoulder. Shawn stood and punched him back. A back and forth of weak blows to shoulders ensued until the chief walked up. "Gentleman! Can I ask you why you thought it would be a good idea to follow a potentially dangerous criminal?"
They stopped their fight and looked at her. "The spirits didn't think he'd spot me. They must be off their game today."
"I wasn't following the criminal; I was following Shawn. At a distance. Because he's going to get us both killed with his stupid ideas."
The chief sighed. "I don't even know why I asked. At least one of you has some sense. I'm hoping that will keep you from being in this situation in the future." She shook her head. "Though that's a faint hope. Just consider what would have happened if he had been satisfied with revenge on you two and didn't let you call Detective Lassiter to draw him and O'Hara in too." And she walked away.
They'd be dead. Shawn had only been a little scared, because he knew Lassie would come save the day, like he always did when Shawn was in trouble. And, yeah, that superhero-like reliability greatly appealed to the psychic. Much as he hated to admit it, he often got into situations where he was the "damsel in distress" and Lassie would come to his rescue.
"Hey, guys. I'm gonna take you back to the station for your statement," Buzz said as he approached them.
Something occurred to Shawn, and he said, "Sure, but can you wait a minute? I need to make a quick call."
"Of course, of course!" the officer said with that amiable cheer of his.
Pulling Gus out of earshot of Buzz, Shawn dialed Lassiter. "Spencer, if you're suspended upside-down from a beam, I'm leaving you there."
It took a lot of effort not to smile at that. "No, you wouldn't. But since Buzz wants to take our statements, I thought we should be clear on who shot Fallows. Gus and I can cover and say it was you, but I figured we should be on the same page as Jules and you, whatever we say."
There was a brief silence on the other end. Then: "Fallows will say it was you."
"Yeah, but he'll also say that you gave me your gun to do it, and that's a ridiculous story no one will believe. So if all four of us say it was you, it'll hold more weight."
"You're offering to give a false statement, you know." There was a warning in the detective's voice that the psychic didn't buy for a second.
"Of course. I don't want you to get into trouble for saving me, Lassie. Which, by the way, thanks for the rescue. I don't think I got to say it before you and Jules ran off."
Another, longer, pause. "Just tell the truth, Spencer. I can clear it up with Chief Vick without too much trouble. And in the future, don't ask an officer of the law if you should commit a crime."
"Next time just do it without checking first. I understand you loud and clear, Lassie. Bye!" Another uncomfortable pull as he tried to smile as he hung up.
"It's 'hear you loud and clear', Shawn," Gus said.
"I've heard it both ways."
"So what did he say?"
"Lassie wants us to be good boys and tell the truth. I kinda figured he'd say that, but I thought I should check and see for sure."
Gus snorted. "You wanted to score points by offering to lie for him."
"I would have if he wanted me to. And you would too. You have to admit, it isn't the most criminal thing we've ever done."
"And how do you think your new cop crush will feel about that?" Gus asked.
He knew Gus was trying to make him re-think his plans to woo Lassie, but Shawn was already determined. "Probably not good. But we'll figure it out." Because everything that had happened had only strengthened his resolve. He was more convinced than ever that the detective returned Shawn's feelings.
(-)
"So, will you admit it now that you know Shawn can't hear?" O'Hara asked as soon as they pulled away.
"I don't hate Spencer." He didn't want to volunteer more than that.
"Clearly. He asked you to a shooting range. Sounds like he wants to be friends with you."
"Maybe." He didn't want to use the word "man-date" and give her the wrong idea. Mentioning that they went to dinner would have the same effect.
"Carlton, you wouldn't just toss your gun to anyone. Hell, I'm a trained cop and your partner, and you'd take longer than that to decide to loan me your gun, even for a moment."
He didn't know what to say to that, and a long pause stretched between them until his phone rang. He barely glanced at the ID before he answered, he knew who it was. "Spencer, if you're suspended upside-down from a beam, I'm leaving you there."
"No, you wouldn't. But since Buzz wants to take our statements, I thought we should be clear on who shot Fallows. Gus and I can cover and say it was you, but I figured we should be on the same page as Jules and you, whatever we say."
Spencer wanted to keep Lassiter from getting into trouble. The consideration and desire to protect the detective made him feel warmer. His partner was mouthing at him to put it on speaker. There was a brief silent argument until he hit the speaker button. "Fallows will say it was you."
"Yeah, but he'll also say that you gave me your gun to do it, and that's a ridiculous story no one will believe. So if all four of us say it was you, it'll hold more weight."
O'Hara looked far too pleased to hear that. Lassiter wasn't quite as pleased when he considered the implications. "You're offering to give a false statement, you know."
"Of course. I don't want you to get into trouble for saving me, Lassie. Which, by the way, thanks for the rescue. I don't think I got to say it before you and Jules ran off."
Shawn was ready and willing to break the law to protect him. And then Carlton realized that was because the fake-psychic lied on formal statements all the time. He was also certain that Spencer broke the law a lot in his little investigations. Groaning internally, it really hit him that he'd fallen in love with a criminal. "Just tell the truth, Spencer. I can clear it up with Chief Vick without too much trouble. And in the future, don't ask an officer of the law if you should commit a crime."
"Next time just do it without checking first. I understand you loud and clear, Lassie. Bye!" Why did the idiot have to illustrate his revelation?
"That idiotic twerp. Who confesses the intent to commit a crime to a cop?"
O'Hara was grinning now, and it was a little creepy. "He trusts you. And you aren't telling the whole story about the gun range last night."
He was not admitting to getting hard from watching Spencer shoot. "What else should I say?"
"You said you went because he asked. Since you like him, that makes sense. But why did he ask you? Was it out of the blue?"
No, no, no, don't say it… "He took me to dinner first. Because I got him frozen yogurt a few days ago."
A small squeal escaped his partner, and he made sure to give her a look that made it clear he thought she'd lost her mind. Lassiter pulled into the parking lot near a local park. He did not want to be driving during this conversation; there'd be an accident.
"Carlton, do you realize what that means? Shawn took you on a date!" For someone who had hours ago confessed to liking the psychic, she was far too excited to talk about this.
"He said it was a 'man-date'. Like a play-date but more mature, none of the pressure of a romantic date. Spencer doesn't have that kind of interest in me; calm down." Because her excitement was giving him hope. His trust in his partner coaxed the truth from him, and O'Hara's people skills being better than his made him wonder if maybe she was right.
"Did he describe it that way? He definitely wants to date you, then."
That made no sense. "Being explicit about it being platonic means he's romantically interested in me? I think you need to rethink that conclusion."
"Of course that's what it means. He specified that the date wasn't putting pressure on you romantically. Why say that unless he's trying to make sure you enjoy yourself on what is clearly a real date? It's not a secret that you don't do well on dates. If he asked you out directly, you'd say no. And even if he somehow got you to say yes, you'd be too weirded out and anxious about a date with a guy, let alone Shawn, to relax and enjoy it."
"Stop it." He couldn't afford this, couldn't afford to get his hopes up. O'Hara's logic made sense, and he couldn't let that sway him. Spencer would never want to date him, especially not with all the other options available to him.
O'Hara shook her head. "I should have seen it sooner. Shawn is like a kid. Do you know how little boys treat the girls they like? They tease them and pull their hair and annoy the hell out of them to get attention from them because they don't know a better way to do it. Shawn has been metaphorically pulling your hair for years."
And that somehow made even more sense than the logic about the man-date. "He annoys everyone." Because he was breathing faster and his heart was pounding and he needed to stop this.
"I told you; you're the most important cop in the station when it comes to him. You know you're special, that he's singled you out specifically. No one gets his attention the way you do."
The detective got out of the car, unable to stand another word of it. He walked somewhat aimlessly into the grass as he heard O'Hara get out of the car behind him. "Carlton!" She caught up to him. "Shawn knows your history. And if this is how he's going about courting you, maybe he can be mature. Just…only when it comes to you."
His fantasy came back to haunt him, and he had to blink back tears. "You're the only thing I can take seriously." Hope hurt.
"Look, you don't have to believe me. You're a detective: look for clues and evidence the next time you go out with him. He did talk about taking you out again, didn't he?"
"Yes."
"To do what?"
He sighed. "He suggested ordering take-out and having a movie night."
"At whose place?"
"He didn't say."
His partner giggled. "Well, given that he lives in an old laundromat and you decorate with crime scene boards, that's a hell of a toss-up as far as which is a more romantic setting. By the way, where did you go on your first date?"
"It wasn't a date…McConnell's. And before you say anything, it was his idea, he loved that there were crayons on the tables, and he thought the dead clown story was hilarious!" Whoops, he hadn't meant to say all that.
Now she was laughing. "Oh my God, you two are perfect together. How did we miss this? That previously bad date idea had 'Shawn' written all over it in crayon."
"Stop laughing!" First she was encouraging him, now she was mocking him.
O'Hara stopped her laughter and had the decency to look apologetic. "I wasn't making fun of you. But it really is amazing that you two actually complement each other well."
Why had he started telling her anything again? Oh, right, that inexplicable charm she had that made him trust her without wanting to. Like Shawn, but lesser and different. "Look, O'Hara, I'm not pursuing anything."
"You won't have to; Shawn's doing all the pursuing for you. Look, let's head back and get a little paperwork done. I'm just saying the next time you and Shawn go out -or stay in- you should treat this as a theory and investigate. You're our best detective, Carlton; if you put that lens on it, I think you'll see things clearer." With that, she headed back to the car.
A theory. An investigation. He could do that. Talking with O'Hara was helpful after all.
(-)
"Detective Lassiter. A word." The chief's voice summoned him to her office where the Wonder Twits were standing. Here it went.
He walked in. "Yes, Chief?"
"According to the statements of these two, you gave your sidearm to Mr. Spencer."
"Yes. There was immediate danger, and he was facing it and could respond quicker."
"Is there some reason you didn't think giving Mr. Spencer a gun was a disastrous idea?"
Honesty was the best policy. "When we went to the shooting range together, I discovered he's almost as good as me."
Her eyebrows went up at that, and she looked between him and the psychic. "Really?" After another look back and forth, she frowned and asked, "Why did you go to a shooting range together?"
Before he could say anything, Spencer said, "That was all my doing, Chief." A small panic attack hit him until Shawn said, "I was teasing him about being a better shot than him. So I went to prove it and…" Shawn pouted, "he proved me wrong."
There were times when the idiot being a good liar was handy. He knew he shouldn't find lying to his commanding officer one of those times, but Lassiter really didn't want to tell the truth about that. But Spencer obviously knew he wouldn't lie, so he jumped in and did it for him.
"Well, please avoid it in the future; Mr. Spencer is not certified to use police-issued sidearms."
"For the record, I still have better hair," Shawn cut in.
The chief groaned. "Just get out, all of you."
That went better than expected. Much easier to stay out of trouble. And he knew the silver-tongued pest was the main reason. Speaking of… "Thanks, Spencer." He said it in a very low voice, not audible to anyone but the three of them as the idiots followed him to his desk.
The psychic tried to smile at him, but winced. "Ow!"
"If it hurts, don't smile." That was easy enough.
That made the twerp wince again as he tried to smile again. Thinking about it, smiling was almost like breathing for Spencer. "Then stop making me smile, Detective."
O'Hara walked up with the paperwork they needed to fill out just in time to hear that, of course. She shot Carlton a knowing grin and said, "I don't think that's possible, Shawn."
"Ow!" Apparently that comment had made him very happy. "That brings me to what I was going to say: I don't think we should do movie night."
He was not disappointed, his stomach was not sinking… "Okay."
"Yeah, at least not until this heals. As it is, it'd just be a night of agony and reopening my wound."
Lassiter fought down a smile of his own. Shawn didn't want to spend that time with him because it would make him smile too much. And saying that kind of thing seemed like evidence to support O'Hara's theory more than his. It wasn't the kind of thing you said to a friend. "That sounds sensible." He couldn't look at the pest when he was feeling that happy.
"So once it's healed, you get to be in charge of my rehab. Get those muscles back into shape."
Guster made a slight gagging noise and said, "Come on, Shawn. We can watch some sad movies about dogs."
As Shawn allowed himself to be steered away, he said, "But I get dehydrated!" Then he looked over his shoulder. "Bye, Lassie! Bye, Jules!"
When they left O'Hara said, "Okay, tell me that wasn't an adorable way to flirt with you."
"It wasn't an adorable way to flirt with me," he said, concentrating on his paperwork. She was so enthusiastic it was almost off-putting.
"Liar. He can't spend time with you because he'll smile too much. You're in charge of his smiling rehab. Come on, that's a really cute way to show his interest in you."
Loathe as he was to admit it, he had the same impression. That was more playfully affectionate than usual. "Maybe."
"I'm telling you: make Shawn your new case. You'll get it if you can look at it that way," O'Hara said, sounding exasperated. "You deserve to be happy, Carlton. Both of you do."
Would he make Shawn happy? Well, according to what the psychic had just said, he already did. Maybe…maybe this was actually real. Maybe he could have this. It was a dangerous idea. "We'll see how the 'case' turns out."
(-)
So, I'm accelerating the relationship a bit, because I know we only have so much time before my momentum on this slows. The trust part is going to still take longer, but I think they both can figure out the regular relationship at this point.