Chapter Text
Shawn is buzzing with energy, he always is when he gets to grace the police station with his genius, show them what a real mind can do. Gus is following him a lot less enthusiastically as always but one day he’ll realise that following Shawn is a lot more interesting then that boring desk job of his.
“So why are we here again?” Gus asks him as though they don’t make their presence known at the station at least once a week.
“The Chief asked for me.” Shawn replies, waving at a few of the officers as he walks by.
“But what exactly did she ask?”
“Oh who knows, Gus.” Shawn turns around, walking backwards with arms wide and a wide smile on his face. “We’re probably here to solve some unsolvable case with my powerful psychic ability.” Gus rolls his eyes and Shawn spins back around. He spots Lassiter and Juliet chatting near there desks and can already sense the scowl on Lassiters face before he lays eyes on it but Shawn waves with a grin anyway just to let his presence be known and then Juliets hand is on the other detectives arm holding him back from what Shawn was sure would be another of their verbal fights, not that it matters, Shawn can get back to that once he can brag that he’s helping them with a new case.
It’s a good thing The Cheifs door is open because Shawn doesn’t fancy another lecture about coming in unannounced even after being asked to see her, he still does a half hearted knock on the frame as he swings into the room.
“Chief!” he announces happily as she glances up at him, Gus has the decency to look apologetic for entering the room without a formal invite but Shawn doesn’t see the point in wasting time if the outcome is the same.
“Mr Spencer, and Mr Guster.”
“Hello, Chief.” Gus says politely with a nod, closing the door behind them as she gestures towards it.
“So what’s the issue? What do you need us to solve? Is it on a Yacht? I’ve always wanted to solve a Yacht crime.” Shawn flops down into one of the chairs, impatiently waiting but excited to spend another day pretending to solve a case he’s already figured out within the first ten seconds.
“It’s more a personal matter.” The Chief responds, looking less than enthused to be having this conversation. “Are you sure you want Mr Guster here for this?”
“Anything you can say to me you can say in front of my associate.” Shawn remarks, wondering what personal case they might be needed on, he looks around the room but there’s nothing that hints he’s about to be given a job.
She clears her throat. “It’s about Carlton.”
“Lassiter? What about him? Does he need help busting some bad guys?”
“It’s about you and Carlton.” She reiterates in a way that implies she wishes she was talking about anything else.
It takes a minute for Shawns mind to catch up and then he realises it, the large folder on her desk probably full of HR policies. “Oh…” He gets out.
The Chief continues now she knows he’s up to speed. “You don’t technically work for us so we can’t transfer you the way we had to with his last partner but I don’t want your relationship to affect any cases.”
“Relationship..?” Gus mutters trying to get his slow brain to catch up.
“Chie-“ She holds up her hand to cut him off.
“Whatever the two of you get up to I don’t care but if it starts coming into the precinct I will put a stop to it are we clear?”
Shawn opens his mouth to try and make up an excuse, how she found out he’s not sure, it was a one time - well a few times - thing… That was currently ongoing. But him and Lassiter were a lot more subtle than him and his previous partner and no one in the precinct even knew about them.
“Are we clear, Mr Spencer?” She asks again in a tone that leaves no room for anything else.
“Crystal.” He says in a way that makes him feel he’s being told off by his dad again.
“You can both leave now.” She gestures to the door.
Shawn turns to look at it but Gus is already grabbing him and pushing him out. “I’m sorry about him.” He apologises on his behalf. “It won’t happen again.” He says as they pass the threshold, both of them fully aware that it will.
“Shawn, really?” Gus chides him as soon as they’re far enough away from the room.
“What?”
“You couldn’t just hook up with people outside of the precinct? You had to go for Lassiter?” Gus has known him long enough to know exactly that Shawn and consequences don’t ever connect in his mind so he feels as though the incoming lecture isn’t worth the time.
“He’s got that whole grumpy detective thing going on and you know how I am about uniforms.”
“Shawn.” Gus chastises him again as if his name was a full sentence.
“What’s up, Spencer, the Chief finally let you go?” Lassiter interrupts, arms crossed and a smug expression on his face, Juliet is besides him at least looking apologetic for her partners actions the same way he knows Gus does for him. Sometimes he thinks of Juliet and Gus as the unwilling witnesses to his and the detectives sparing matches, standing quietly by with apologies on both their faces unable to stop what was happening.
“Actually she was giving us a commendation.” Shawn lies without even thinking. “If you need any pointers let me know.”
“That’s the last thing I need from you.” Lassiter bites back, that frown that Shawn enjoys just as much as his smile back in place. It feels good to get under his skin, to know he can live in the detectives mind without even really having to try.
“And what would be the first thing?” It’s a little too flirty, a little too obvious, Lassiter cheeks colour ever so slightly and he can feel Gus staring at the back of his head.
“Ignore him.” Gus says to cover any tracks, remembering the conversation they just had with The Chief that Shawn has already chosen to ignore and file away under things that won’t affect him.
“Easily. We have real police work to be doing.” Lassiter gets out, falling back onto an easy excuse.
Gus starts pushing him away from the two detectives with a regretful smile but Shawn refuses to break eye contact and he at least manages to get one last quip in before Gus shoves him around the corner. “Let me know when you need help!” If Lassiter says anything back he doesn’t hear it because he’s forced out the door moments later.
“Shawn did you really drag me here, make me leave work early, cancel my route, just so I could hear about how you’re having inappropriate workplace relations?” He can tell Gus is annoyed, but Gus is annoyed at almost everything and Shawn has learnt to ignore that.
“I’m sure if we go around the block we’ll be asked back to solve some case, I give them an hour tops.”
“I’m not wasting more of my day on this.” Gus says as he starts to walk away back to his car
“C’mon Gus! It’ll be fun!”
“You know what won’t be fun? Loosing our stable police job because you have to go after a detective!” He’s still walking away so Shawn starts to follow after him, slower than Gus because he’s sure someone will come running out of the building to ask for their help any minute now.
“It’s fine we won’t loose anything.”
“You don’t know that!”
“You never trust me, why do you never trust me?”
“Get in the damn car.” Gus snaps at him and this time he does if only to continue the argument.
It’s silent for a while, too long in Shawns head. “I’m going to call Lassiter.” He says because part of him enjoys annoying the people around him.
“I will throw your phone into the ocean.” Gus stays instead but Shawn is already dialing and leaning out the window to avoid Gus’ reach.