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Juliet didn’t know how long she stood there. The shock had taken control over her whole body and mind. The news of a possible relationship between two people who she had thought were barely even co-workers. Processing this information seemed to be inching along like a snail, slower if possible. This situation was nothing she had ever expected, they were complete opposites. Lassiter was determined to prove that Shawn was not a psychic in every way he could. She had thought that while Lassiter held quite the grudge against Shawn, he did hold a reluctant respect for the psychic. But that was all. Nothing more, nothing less. The possibility of them being not only friends but more? Never could have even crossed her mind. But the display that had just occurred in front of her proved otherwise. How long had this been going on? How serious were they? How did this happen? The questions whizzed through Juliet’s brain at lightning speed and none of them could she answer.
One question that kept bouncing around in her head, why hadn’t Lassiter told her? All her life and more importantly, all her career she had made sure that she was accepting of all. He couldn’t possibly think she wouldn’t accept, could he? Yes, he was one of the most private people she had ever met. And all the things she knew about him currently were coaxed out of him for days on end, with tactics she often used in the interrogation room.
Noise coming from the other side of the mirror finally broke her out of her thoughts. Lassiter got out of his chair with a sigh and straightened his tie before picking up all his documents and exiting the interrogation room. Her eyes followed his movements before he had dropped out of her sight. She quickly followed closely after him while maintaining her distance. She watched as he turned in his statement at the front desk and then headed over to his desk to finish up some last minute paperwork.. He never did stop working, which was one of the biggest reasons that led her to believe he wasn’t involved with anyone, let alone anyone at the precinct. She just couldn’t see it. The detective in her roared alive, she needed to know all the details. Knowing Lassiter he wouldn’t just tell her about his relationship, wouldn’t tell her about anything really. While she respected her partners privacy, especially after his birthday surprise party debacle, she felt since she had Lassiter back she had a right to know his loved ones. If Carlton even loved Shawn that is.
She approached Lassiter’s desk where he still sat doing his ever growing pile of paperwork.
“Hey Carlton… how are you?” She hesitantly greeted. She was being suspicious and she knew that. Lassiter slowly raised his eyes to her, his eyebrow raised.
“I’m good, O’Hara, why?” He asked slowly nodding his head along gingerly to convey his concern.
“No reason, just wanna know what’s going on with my partner!” She exclaimed, trying to act as normal as possible. He sighed and put his pen down on the desk, knowing this was about to be another one of O’Hara’s interrogations on his personal life. He leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest and prepared himself for the incoming questioning.
The silence dragged as she built up the courage and thought through how she was going to go about this.
“Sooooo… how’s the love life?” She innocently asked, trying to be nonchalant as she sat in the chair that sat beside Lassiter desk. Carlton’s eyes narrowed at his partner, this line of questioning wasn’t irregular in of itself. She was often wondering about the people in his life, especially a significant other. And while he knew she was harmless and just wanted to get to know him better he still found it difficult to mention to her that he and Shawn had been dating for a year now. How things are better than ever and he was beginning to think about asking Shawn to move in with him. They basically were already any, most of his closet consisted of Shawns things and it’s been more than a month since he’s gone home to an empty house. Carlton didn’t know why he hasn’t told O’Hara yet, he had used the excuse of it being sort of against the rules. But he knew he no longer cared about that, he stopped caring about that 3 months in when he realized that this relationship was something he would hold on to matter what. He just felt the need to keep what he and Shawn had between them, he didn’t want any outside sources to affect what they had.
“Nothing special, O’Hara, as usual, I don’t have any time to date.” He lied. The lying had gotten easier over time, much to his dismay. He didn’t like keeping things from his partner but once his relationship with Shawn got more and more important he was able to get past that part of the process.
“Alright, maybe I could set you up with a friend of mine, if you want?” Juliet suggested already knowing the negative answer coming.
“No, I think I’m okay O’Hara, thank you though.” He sighed, she was always trying to set him up and it made him nervous that one day she would set him up without asking for his permission. That would not end well, he would have to find some plausible explanation for it not going well, without somehow insulting her friend. Wanting to get out of this conservation as fast as possible he began packing up his things to go to the restaurant that he and Shawn had agreed they would meet up at earlier in the day.
“Alright, well O’Hara I have to go now, see you tomorrow morning.” He said and lifted his packed files and quickly double checked to make sure he wasn’t forgetting anything. He then made his way to the exit, unknowing of the new tail that was following him.
-🍍psych🍍-
The restaurant was bustling and noisy, but all of that was muted for the individuals near the back of the restaurant. They laughed with each other and they talked, most of it being done by the brown-haired man, dressed sloppily compared to the salt and peppered-hair man. They had long finished their meal and were just enjoying each other’s company at this point. The fact that just hours prior they were taking down one of the most prolific serial killers of their careers.
“O’Hara tried to set me up again tonight.” Lassiter said, knowing his romantic partner loved to see and hear about people trying to date or set him up. He found it hilarious that they even tried when Lassie’s heart belonged to himself.
“Oh? Again? At least she has your best intentions in mind, she just wants you to be happy, Lassieface, you should thank me for her, she wouldn’t be your partner if I hadn’t relieved your unsatisfactory relationship with Lucinda.” Shawn said, matter-of-factly. He smirked at his boyfriend, bringing up the first time they met.
“It wasn’t unsatisfactory Shawn, I liked her.” Lassiter said, knowing that his previous relationships including the one with Lucinda and his previous marriage didn’t even hold a candle to the relationship he had with Shawn.
The night went on as the conversation followed effortlessly between the two. There was never a dull moment when it came to Shawn Spencer after all. Unbeknownst to the couple, Detective Juliet O’Hara sat outside in her car, knowing she wouldn’t have been able to get a table without a reservation and without being spotted by two of the best detectives she’s ever met. So, she waited for them to exit the fancy restaurant while trying to see inside through the window at the same time.
After several hours of waiting there, the happy couple finally exited the building. Juliet was rewarded with her patience when she watched at his partner and her friend head down towards the pier for what she could assume was a late night walk. She exited her car and followed a safe distance behind that, which was difficult with the lack of people at the pier at this time of night.
Shawn and Lassiter were too wrapped up in their conversation to notice the skulking presence behind them.
“I’m sorry Lassie but The Mentalist is so much better than Criminal Minds, and that’s a fact.” Shawn argued, Criminal Minds had nothing over The Mentalist. While he might have been a little biased, he had more in common with The Mentalist, obviously.
Lassiter shook his head, a smile on his face, he knew he wouldn’t win this argument. There were things, he learned over time, that he would never be able to argue with Shawn about. As well as, things that he would just have to accept, like Shawn’s other half and his never-ending appetite. These things that he used to find slightly annoying he began to find endearing and very much like his significant other.
Lassiter stopped Shawn in his tracks by grabbing his hands and pulling him towards himself. Lassiter gripped the back of Shawns head and brought his own lips towards Shawn’s. The words seemed to melt in Shawn’s brain, Carlton always knew how to do that, how to calm all his thoughts and actions like it was easy. Which was just one of the things he loved about his Lassie, as sappy as Carlton would see that, he saw it the same way.
They pulled apart and movement over Carlton’s shoulder brought his eyes to glance over. He gasped.
“Jules?” Shawn exclaimed. Causing Lassiter to snap his head back to see his partner standing behind them, eyes wide. He immediately jumped away from Shawn in a panic, his eyes flashed over to Shawn with remorse in his eyes. Shawn matched his gaze with an understanding that seemed to be to old for the childish Shawn.
“It’s not what it looks like O’Hara.” Lassiter explained.
“Are you sure? Cause it looks like you guys are together, or something of the sort.” Juliet stated, raising her eyebrows. She didn’t look angry per se, more like impatient.
“I don’t mean that in a bad way of course, if you guys want to be together that doesn’t bother me, I just don’t know why you would keep this from me. I’m pretty sure I haven’t said anything to lead you to believe that I wouldn’t accept, if i have i would hope that you would have told me.” Juliet rambled on nervously. She had thought of many different ways that this encounter would go, so much so that it made her into a nervous for no reason.
“You know, I say we head back to Lassie’s, cut up a little pineapple, maybe get some smoothies on the way, make it an event.” Shawn piped up, trying to lighten the mood. Lassiter sighed, and rubbed a hand over his face in exasperation. He knew this was the time, this was the time everything was going to come to light. Or at least Juliet.
“Spencer, no, let’s just get this over with.” Lassiter swallowed. He knew that his partner would have absolutely no problem that he was in a relationship with a man. He was more worried about that the man he was in a relationship was Shawn. He had always thought that his partner had a small crush on the psychic. His continuous flirting often got him into situations like that. He just hoped that Juliet would be different.
“Yes, Spencer and I are in a relationship, we have been for a year, yes I still find Spencer insufferable, just now he’s more…” Lassiter trailed off.
“Sexy, hilarious, adorable, delicious, sexy.” Shawn quickly picked up.
“Tolerable.” Lassiter rolled his eyes, trying to stifle his smile.
Juliet watched the interaction between the two of them and wondered how she hadn’t seen it before. They had acted like this multiple times in front of her, like they weren’t even trying to hide it. While she was beginning to think that maybe something was going on between her and the psychic, she saw the chemistry the two had and knew that her partner held his heart. She could almost see the stars in Shawn’s eyes and the smile on Lassiter’s face was one of the biggest she had ever seen. They were meant to be together, and that was that.