Work Text:
"You should tell him," O'Hara announced abruptly, firmly laying a completed report on the desk.
They had been trying to work on their reports for the last half-hour, and they hadn't spoken once in that time.
Carlton blinked and reluctantly removed his gaze from where Spencer was talking with Guster. "What are you talking about, O'Hara?" he asked, pulling out a new manilla envelope full of paperwork. He kept one eye on Spencer as he pretended to do his work.
O'Hara wore an incredulous look when he looked away from Spencer a second time and glanced at her. She scoffed at him, then leaned forward and grinned.
Carlton braced himself-she was wearing her gossiping face. "Carlton," she whispered excitedly as he reached for his coffee and tried to look busy, "when are you going to tell Shawn you like him?"
Shawn looked over as if he heard his name, and Carlton choked on his coffee, spilling some in his lap. Juliet looked immediately contrite and passed him handfuls of napkins to help dry his shirt-sleeve. She even kept Shawn from coming over, which Carlton was grateful for even though he wouldn't admit it-that he liked Shawn or that she did him a favor just now.
"I'm so sorry," Juliet apologized, but she didn't look as sorry as she probably should be for spilling scalding coffee on him, and her eyes brightened once more as she picked up where she left off. "So?" she prodded, wriggling her eyebrows.
Carlton grumbled and shoved his face more deeply into his reports, ignoring her by sheer force of will. Juliet huffed at him.
"You know," Juliet said slyly after a moment's silence, "you should make your move soon... Like, right now."
Carlton scowled at her. "O'Hara, that is completely impractical. We are in the workplace and-" He would have continued a very impassioned rant about all the reasons why he couldn't ask Shawn out (without realizing he had just admitted to Juliet that he liked Shawn), but Juliet had gripped his jaw in her hand and redirected his gaze towards Shawn and Gus-and the new guest who'd joined them.
It was one of the newbies, a transfer named Will Jenkins. Carlton narrowed his eyes, but tried not to show the jealousy he felt as Shawn laughed at Jenkins' jokes, and Jenkins smiled winningly back at him.
"I didn't know they were friends." Carlton tried for unaffected. Juliet was unimpressed.
Jenkins threw an arm over Shawn's shoulder, and Shawn tried to shake it off. Carlton's eye twitched as Jenkins merely tossed his arm back in place.
"Maybe they're more than friends?" Juliet asked as Jenkins led Shawn away from Gus, whispering to him privately. Carlton shifted in his seat. Shawn leaned closer to Jenkins to whisper something in Jenkins ear, which Jenkins laughed at heartily. Shawn frowned at Jenkins.
"He's not getting anywhere with Shawn," Carlton informed O'Hara smugly as Shawn once again shook off Jenkin's arm. Shawn never shook off Carlton's arm.
"At least he's doing something." Juliet looked Carlton in the eye. "Even if Shawn says no to Jenkins, at least Jenkins had a shot that Shawn would say yes because he asked."
"Shawn never would have said yes, O'Hara, Jenkins is practically sexually harassing him."
And then Carlton snapped his pencil in half as Jenkins slapped Shawn on the ass.
Stomping towards Jenkins, rage palpable, Carlton grabbed Jenkins by the scruff of his neck. Shawn was trying to play it off as a joke, but Carlton was not having it. He'd seen Shawn's discomfort.
"Jenkins," Carlton growled, hands squeezing tight on his shoulders. "You might want to rethink what you've just done and where you're going... to the Chief's office, for instance."
"What, is he your boyfriend?" Jenkins grumbled. Carlton not so gently pushed him towards the Chief's office.
"He's a person." Carlton's hands balled into fists.
Juliet took over and made sure Jenkins faced the Chief. When Carlton finally looked over, Shawn was staring at him, amused.
Carlton scowled at him. "What's so funny? That guy just-"
"Slapped me on the ass, yes." Shawn was grinning now. Carlton frowned at him. "You defended me. You just went white-knight on me, Carly."
Carlton shook his head and took a step back. "No, I was just-"
"Defending my honor." Shawn winked at him. "It's okay, Lassie, I don't have any honor." Carlton opened his mouth to deny that, but Shawn shushed him. "It was very gentlemanly of you, Carlton."
As if to prove his appreciation, Shawn smiled at him for the rest of the day, calling him his "white knight" while Carlton blushed and stuttered and felt a little proud of himself.