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Shawn doesn’t particularly care if people don’t notice his strange talents. He’s worked hundreds of jobs over his lifetime. If people think he doesn’t have other talents than his whole psychic thing, that’s their fault. Especially because they have his records.
When he talks about his charcoal drawings, he’s not kidding. Gus used to tell him that he should go into the arts, as something. Anything. He picks up on those skills easily, so most fields weren’t out of reach and he needs something new often. Gus knows that. However, despite the different creation everytime, to make it a job means he won’t create what he wants. He’s stuck having someone tell him what to do. Which he hates. Which is why the psychic thing works so well. His brain is happy and he’s not bored.
Unfortunately, debriefs are boring.
Vick told him to take notes. It’s a high profile case, he’s looked at the file. Some super rich guy died. They think it’s murder, which it is. That much is obvious. However, there’s no reason for a big meeting where he has to take notes. Especially since he just remembers it anyway. (He thanks his mother for that as the meeting turns from a quick five minute thing with Gus, Lassie, and Jules, to a half hour meeting and still counting). So, to pass the time, he begins to draw. Things from his head, old memories or something he did that day. Small doodles with less detail. Just random things. Sometimes Gus hits him to make sure he at least looks like he’s listening. Which he is. He swears.
However, a long boring meeting is long and boring. This is what causes his eyes to wander away for a second. Enough for him to remember the detectives beside him. Jules was sitting, looking at the Chief, making a good side profile. But Shawn had done a few of those already. Lassie, however, was standing, slightly turned, but not to the side. A nice ¾ view. So he sits, drawing Lassie near the bottom of his notepad, looking up from time to time, just to let the Chief know he’s present.
Except. It doesn’t look right. Sure, it looks like Lassie, but something is off. That doesn’t happen often. So he looks again. He had said something about the old man and his family being weird. Which yeah. He's an old rich man with little money hoggers next to him. It sucks for them that he donated it all. Sucks for the killer too. Unless he runs the charity. Then good for him.
Shawn continues drawing Lassie, the lines getting messier and him getting more frustrated. He can see it in his head. He knows he can do it. He sneaks a look at Jules again and draws her in the top corner. She looks right. He can just see the thing she does with her hands when she’s nervous. Some type of fidget. His drawing is good and it looks like her. So why is Lassie’s off? His pen hits the corner of his paper pad. He can feel his face twist, which is a bad thing. As he knows that Jules said something about talking to the daughter and that he’ll have to say something. And he’s right. Vick asks about his opinion and he twists around, making strange noises before he asks about the financial states of the family without the guy’s inheritance. Something about the family seeming fine but them looking into it. He says that they should check the wife. He already knows that the wife’s business with her sister is failing. That’s not important though. He’s back to drawing, not Lassie. Not yet. He’ll go back to that later. He just draws fish. He used to work at an aquarium when he was in his 20s and had to give a bunch of boring speeches. Just like this boring meeting. However, the aquarium had sea turtles. They are much more interesting. Those guys were awesome. He draws the fishes and labels them, ignoring fishing fish. He gives no satisfaction to his father even if he’s not there. Not that he listened when he talked about pike or something.
He goes back to drawing Lassie.
Now he’s just angry. His fish look perfect. That’s fine. So why does Lassie look weird? Everything, every part of his memory is placed right. They look like they do in his head. They always do. So why can’t he get Lassie right?
Gus will scold him later, but now he’s sneaking looks at Lassie on and off, trying to get a live model. His memory is usually fine, but since Lassie seeks to ruin his life, he needs to actually look longer than a few seconds. This is risky though. Because he keeps looking, and it’s starting to look right, but Lassie keeps glaring at him everytime he does. He’s been caught, but being caught has never stopped him. So he continued, drawing the lines and watching the ink mark the paper. It took another half hour before the debrief was over. Mostly with Vick talking about how high profile it is. Which could be said in less than a minute.
“Ugh! Finally. Who needs meetings when you can get that all from the file?”
“Did you listen to anything Chief Vick said?”
“Of course, Gus! Something about a rich guy who died in a pool. It was probably the sister-in-law.”
“Really? You found the killer. Just like that?”
“Yeah. The business was failing, the wife would never, but the sister doesn’t have the same connections.”
“Are you planning on investigating at all?”
“Yes! And I need your help, Gus. So let’s be serious.”
“Okay. What do we do first?”
“Look at these drawings. What’s the difference between the one in the bottom corner and the one in the middle?”
“I knew you weren’t taking notes, but why are you drawing Lassiter?”
“Right angles, Gus. Now answer the question.”
“I don’t know. They both look like him. They’re good. Is something different?”
“Yes! But I’m not sure what.” Shawn stared down at his notepad, squinting at the drawings like they’d clear up.
“Okay, Shawn. Can we work on the case-”
“Spencer.” Shawn waved his hand flippantly at the man before turning the paper upside down. He scowled and cleared his throat. Shawn just ignored him and leaned against the wall.
“Hello, Lassiter.”
“Guster. Since Spencer is apparently busy. Why in the world was he staring at me during the meeting?”
“He was staring at you?”
“Of course you were unaware. Tell him to stop it. It’s weird.”
“You’re weird!”
“So now you’ll talk?”
“You’re a strange strange man with a strange haircut.”
“Shawn.”
“What the hell, Spencer!” Shawn never cared much for personal space, and there will never be a time when he will. So of course he was right in front of Lassiter in a second. Staring. Scanning. Trying to find the anomaly.
“What is it about you?”
“Excuse me?”
“What a strange man.” He turned around, “Gus! Let’s go and solve a crime!”
“Alright! But first we stop for chicken.”
“And smoothies.”
“Sweet.” The two fistbumped, leaving a very confused Lassiter behind in the station. If Lassiter noticed the ink stains and saw the many drawings, that was no one’s business. And if Shawn drew him more that night, that was no one’s business but his own. For some talents are hidden in the most obvious way.