#♔ ⦙ in character ⇾ writing.

[chieflassie]

@spenried​   ⇾   sc.

“i’ve caught a serial killer before,”   there’s something haughty about the words,  machismo prompting him to square his shoulders as a quick amendment is made,   “helped catch one,  i mean,  it was a team effort,  of course,”

[chieflassie]

@cptncarter​   ⇾   sc.

“i’ve heard some pretty ABSURD things in my life,”   he’s dealt with a psychic,  for crying out loud,  and that’s more than enough,  isn’t it?   “but this?   this might just take the cake,”

[chieflassie]

@greghirs​   ⇾   sc.

“i don’t know what you’re guilty of,”   all he knows is that he’s sure it’s something,   “but innocent people don’t dodge questions like you’ve been doing for the last hour.  you know that,  right?”   a pause,   “what you don’t know is that i don’t respond well to people evading my questions,”

[chieflassie]

@cardiomyapathy​   ⇾   “She’s a dynamite bitch and she’s the best. She’s my hero.“

JOHN MULANEY,   accepting.

he’s not sure he likes this guy,   but whether that has anything to do with o’hara isn’t clear.  it’s that or the fact that as far as appearance goes,  anderson’s the spitting image of carlton’s father...  even if the behavior exhibited by the surgeon is anything but reminiscent of the great man his father had been.  that’s just where the problem could spring from:  the detective is truly just pissed off at the complicated feelings he’s experiencing   ❪  and oh,  how he wishes he weren’t  ❫.    

“hey,  pal,  watch your mouth.  that’s my partner you’re talking about,  and if you don’t speak about her more respectfully?  i won’t be happy,”   o’hara’s capable of taking care of herself...  he knows that,  she reminds him regularly,  and yet this protectiveness is something he just can’t seem to help,   “that said...  she is pretty damn remarkable.  i’m just saying,  it’s not hard to use language worthy of her.”   a pause,  as carlton squares his shoulders,   “if it’s a concept you struggle comprehending?  i’ve got ears everywhere,”  

[chieflassie]

@bannannie​​ said   ⟶   ‘  treat yo self. it’s the best day of the year!  ’

PARKS AND REC,   accepting.

“are you still talking?”  a vein of irritation runs beneath the words,  and his facial expression matches the tone perfectly    ❪  he’s had plenty of practice,  hasn’t he?  ❫,   “because i’m gonna be honest,  i stopped listening a while ago.  i have no clue what you’re talking about,  but it sounds pretty damn pointless to me,”

[chieflassie]

@lowkeymulti​   ⟶   ‘  if  it’s  all  in  my  head,  tell  me  now.  ’ juliet…👀✨

FOLKLORE  +  EVERMORE,   accepting.

the words catch him off guard,   brow furrows as carlton can feel his heart-rate increase.  this isn’t something he’d accounted for,  it’s not a possibility that’s crossed his mind...  not really.  it’s never been a legitimate option.  they’re partners  —  juliet’s the best partner he’s ever had,  and ruining that is a terrifying prospect.  

no,  no,  he’s lying.  he’s kidding himself.  it’s crossed his mind more times than he can count.  he’s become an expert at dismissing the idea that he might...  have feelings...  for juliet.  it isn’t as if it’d gone well the first time he’d fallen for a partner,  is it?  juliet has caught on,  and that complicates things.

in a split second,  though,  the possibility opens itself,  and he finds it difficult to process.  damn it.  this is an ultimatum...  or it feels like one,  at the very least,  and he’s never done well with ultimatums.  they prompt aggression,  and the fact that this one isn’t happens to be as jarring as anything.

he sits in silence,  heart in his throat,  as carlton struggles for words. they’ve never been his strong suit,  he’s never been the kind of person who’s been able to think things through before the words leave his mouth,  but now?  now he feels the weight of the importance of saying the right thing.  it rests heavily on his shoulders,  and after a while,  he blinks and takes a deep breath,  finally opening his mouth to speak.

“o’hara  —  juliet...  i...  uh,  i’m not great with words.”   the words are quiet,  far softer than his typical tone,  and he swallows hard then clears his throat awkwardly   ❪  why does it feel like the words are stuck?  like they’re refusing to leave his lips as he finds himself gripped by a fear that he wishes would just leave already  ❫.   

in one last attempt to make it easier to speak,  carlton loosens his tie before continuing,   “you know that.  i’m not spencer,  i can’t...  spin nonsense off the top of my head.  i’m no alleged psychic,  i’m just a detective...  just a man with a well-stocked emergency bunker and incredibly impressive skill as a marksman.”   in the most subtle of movements,  carlton finds himself glancing down,  then right back up,  expression serious as he allows a smile to briefly flicker across his lips,   “but you’re not crazy,  it’s not in your head.    i,  uh,  i really care about you,    and not always in a way that’s strictly professional.  you’re a remarkable woman,  juliet,  and it doesn’t matter if you don’t feel the same,  it really just feels...  it feels good to get this off my chest,”   

[chieflassie]

@bowvenger​   ⟶   🎁 for SPOTIFY UNWRAPPED,   accepting.

song #80:   no body, no crime - taylor swift

eyes roll as he spots the man approaching,   giving way to an expression that’s wholly unimpressed as carlton simply stares him down.  the silence that lingers between them is the sort he’s cultivated carefully:  it’s intended to be uncomfortable    ❪  and if silence doesn’t work?  he’s never been above yelling really,  really loudly  ❫.   

“i’ve told you before,  and i’ll say it again,”   this is just like the early days of spencer and guster all over again,  before he’d become — begrudgingly and unwillingly — endeared to the idiots    ❪  it’s nothing he’d ever tell them,  not in a thousand years  —  he’d rather go to coachella  ❫.    “no body,  no crime...  and i don’t deal with outside consultants trying to solve crimes without being asked.  i have my go-to people,  and you’re not one of them.”

[chieflassie]

@hisleisure​ said   ⟶   ‘  in  my  defense,  i  have  none.  ’

FOLKLORE + EVERMORE,   accepting.

eyes narrow as expression shifts to one of pure irritation.   it’s a subtle,  but important, change from the base contempt he’d previously displayed,  and if there were any official record being kept?  he’d want it noted.  in fact,  he’d insist upon it  —  oh wait,  there is.  and he will.    “i don’t know what sort of game you’re playing here,  despereaux,”   to those who don’t know him,  his tone may come off as aggressive and angry  —  but he hasn’t even gotten started yet.  ohhhh no,  not even close.   “i’ll have you know,  that doesn’t count as a confession,  you still need to say the actual words.  you’re not pulling one over on me,  pal,  you may have charmed spencer  —  but that doesn’t mean a damn thing to anyone with more than one working brain-cell.”