#rotp ficlet 2: electric boogaloo

[rotp-on-ao3]

Bury Me, Bury Me: Part 2

Category: M/M

Fandom: Psych

Pairings: Pre Shassie, Shassie

Characters: Shawn Spencer, Carlton "Lassie" Lassiter, Lucienne Allera, Burton "Gus" Guster, Henry Spencer, Juliet O'Hara (Mentioned), Karen Vick (Mentioned)

Warnings: Mentions of Child Abuse, Coarse Language, Idiots to Lovers, They do in fact be Lovers in this part

Summary: ...Shawn confronts his father once more.

Height Notes: Shawn, 5'9"; Carlton, 6'1"; Lucienne, 5'5"; Gus, 5'10"; Henry, 5'11"

Note Notes: This turned out a little differently than I intended. I like it this way, however.

~~~~~

Carlton didn't think he could be so happy dating someone, but here he was; a couple of months into dating Shawn, the hyper-observant barista. Shawn was funny and loving, but above all that... He was understanding. He understood that sometimes, Carlton couldn't help when he had to work late for a case. That they couldn't always meet up just to be together.

This, however, wasn't one of those times. Here he was, at the Cafe that Shawn worked, spending his boyfriend's break, joking a familiar argument... With a weird, almost misplaced feeling of dread.

"No way you got that off the file." Shawn leaned in close to rub their noses together, smiling cheekily. It would've been an actual kiss, but Shawn had been drinking one of those mint monstrosities.

"Well, I either got it from the file... Or! You concede to the fact that I'm psychic!" Carlton rolled his eyes good-naturedly, leaning to gently bump their noses together. The older man was about to refute when the jingle of the bells and the approaching clack of heels interrupted. They pulled away from each other to see who it was.

"Shawn! I need a hug!" Carlton was briefly confused how a grown woman with over a decade of professional experience could sound like a whiny child, before noticing the genuinely distressed expression on her face. Shawn was already up out of his seat, gathering her in his arms. He'd likely clocked the distress as well. Sweet Lady Justice, his boyfriend could be so sweet.

"...'ll be okay. Hey, come sit with us. Tell us what's going on. No, we're not mad. We're very concerned. It takes a lot to distress you." The head detective zoned back in to hear Shawn leading his oldest friend to their table. It was a good plan. They'll figure it out. (Even though the dread he'd been feeling got worse.)

Lucienne took a couple of deep breaths as she sat, face flushed beyond her make-up. She smiled gratefully as Shawn placed a water in front of her. Carlton hadn't even noticed he'd disappeared to get it. Carlton steeled himself and gently coaxed their friend, "Alright, Luce. Tell us what happened in your own time."

Nodding, Lucienne closed her eyes, inhaled and held it for a few seconds before exhaling. Opening her eyes, she spoke calmly, "I must preface my story with divulging the kind of cases I prosecute. It is pertinent, I promise.

Along with the general crimes cases, I specifically request the cases that deal with abuse. I want to make sure that we aren't prosecuting innocent people and that actual abusers get put away for a long, long time." Clearing her throat, Lucienne took a sip of her water.

"I've seen the statistics on how often abuse is reported. A lot of abuse flies under the radar," Shawn stated quietly. Carlton could hear that his boyfriend's voice was tight, as if emotions were trying to strangle it. The older two nodded.

"Unfortunately, a lot of it isn't prosecuted under the law. A lot of abuse, especially that of which is done by parents, flies under because everyone can brush it off as 'concerned parents'. It's bullshit." Carlton growled at the thought. He'd hated seeing his over-achieving peers in school, knowing they had parents pushing them. Hated knowing- and subsequently being proven right- that they'd be burnt and strung out before graduating high school. Lucienne sighed sadly, pursing her lips.

"So, I'm sure it'll come as no surprise that in the decade of taking on those cases, I've picked up the subtleties that they use to misdirect any scrutiny." Looking up, Lucienne blinked a touch too rapid for Carlton's taste. "I thought I'd heard it all by now... But I was so wrong…

This retired detective... He was visiting some of my colleagues and one of them asked about his kid. He blustered a bit about how 'You know kids these days? Soon as they turn 18, they fly the coop' and 'I get a postcard every once in a while'." Even so the head detective knew it was coming, he still shivered when he heard his best friend's cold laughter. "Yeah right. I could tell, he hadn't got shit from his kid. If one looked at him close enough, they could tell he's had no contact. His expression was open with laughter, but looking at his eyes…

You could see that he resented my colleague for asking. His stance became openly hostile. The idiots that I work with just laughed, not knowing the danger they were in."

Huffing out a breath, Lucienne sat back. With that movement, Carlton finally noticed that Shawn was doing an impressive impression of a statue. He almost cursed himself for not noticing, but stopped himself as it wasn't the time. He gestured for the woman to continue.

"I would've just written him off as a jackass, if another colleague hadn't pushed for more." Biting her lip, Lucienne nodded once- seemingly to herself. "Then he was all, 'Oh, you know how he was. Always was a wild child. Honestly, I'm not sure what he's up to. Probably for the best. I tried my best, but I'm not sure that night in lockup helped straighten him out.' He might as well have said, 'I abused my child to the point that he committed a crime to get away from me'! And then! My colleagues just laughed! What the hell!?"

Carlton grabbed his friend's hand before she could do any damage, holding it a firm grip. She was getting distressed all over again. Catching her mossy eyes, the Irish-descended made exaggerated breathing motions. The attorney gave a jerky nod and breathed in deeply. Breathing out, she frowned; sadness colouring her gaze. "Gambles. What I wouldn't give to hunt down that kid to hug...."

"... Did... Uh. Did you catch the name of the guy?" Carlton flicked his gaze to his boyfriend... And did a double take. The younger man had no colour to his face. Which didn't track much with what he knew of Shawn. Usually, when the topic veers towards abuse, Shawn was all righteous fury and anger. Choice words and catty responses. Something about this has him spooked.

Lucienne took a moment to respond, gazing at her hands. Clicking her tongue, she answered, "Unfortunately, no. I don't think anyway. Might've been an 'h' sound as I left, but honestly could've been anything. Mm. Sorry." Lucienne pursed her lips, gazing at the younger man thoughtfully. "Why do you ask?"

Carlton watched, enraptured as Shawn tried to smile. If Carlton had to guess... But what did it mean?

"Heh. Just figured with my job, I could've done some subtle investigating to help you find the kid." It was obvious that it was a ruse when Shawn suddenly pulled out his phone. "Oh! Sorry, guys. Gotta take this."

The Irishman frowned thoughtfully as he stared after the younger man. Perhaps, he'll get the answer to the multitude of questions swirling around his head later...

~~~~~

“I know what you said on the phone, but explain it to me again.” Burton Guster was the best of friend a barista could ask for. Allowing his distressed friend to pace in his office, door closed, and vent.

"Gus, that's just it! I don't know! All I know is that one minute, I'm having a fun little date with my extremely hot boyfriend, the next... Our mutual, equally hot lawyer friend shows up talking potentially about Henry." Shawn took a frustrated breath. He knew he should calm down. Gus didn't deserve his ire. He just can't with the thought of Henry Spencer being back in Santa Barbara. "She's distressed. I'm distressed. I'm sure I worried Carlton!"

(A pause. A beat. Horror.)

"Oh god! What if I've ruined things with him?!" Shawn stopped his pacing, frozen at the thought that the best thing that's happened since he came back, imploding. Panic setting in, his legs gave out. Falling into a crouch, the brunette let his head sink into his hands.

Gus knew he shouldn't. His friend was in crisis. A hilariously unnecessary crisis. He shouldn't. The deliciously dark skinned man tried to cover his laugh with a cough.

That snapped Shawn out of his internal spiralling. His expression went from horror to hilariously offended. "Gus! I'm having a very valid croissant here and you're over there laughing at me?! Unbelievable!"

Unable to hide his laughter, Gus snarked back, "First of all, you mean 'crisis' and no you haven't heard it both ways. Secondly, it absolutely isn't valid! If the Head Detective of the SBPD hasn't fled from just your personality alone by now, he isn't going to just because you got a little weird when faced with the potential threat of Henry. Come on, son."

Falling from his crouch to just being sprawled on the floor, Shawn released a relieved snort. "Have so. And I guess you're right. I can be a little much."

Clicking his tongue, Gus smirked. "You know that's right."

~~~~~

Later that night, Shawn received a text that had him smiling bright.

=> Chief is making me take the day off and it just so happens to correspond with yours. Do you want to meet for lunch?

~~~~~

Ah, the boardwalk. A wonderful date spot. Sand, surf, and eccentric swimwear. The Californian sun was in full effect.

(Though one should note that it was noticeably cooler than usual, but only to Californians. If you asked a Seattlite, they'd wonder what the hell you meant because it was still scorching.)

Which is what had Carlton contemplating as he parked his beloved Crown Victoria. Did he bring his suit jacket or not?

They agreed that lunch and a walk around the boardwalk would make for a good date, though it had the detective a little on edge. The openness of it would rankle him and keep him on alert, but he hoped his romantic partner would distract him enough that it wouldn't be such a bust. (The worry of a criminal catching wind of his civilian partner and using them against him, always lurked in the back of his mind. Had been there when he was with Victoria. It was there now, taunting him about Shawn.)

Checking his watch, the dark haired man cursed, grabbing his jacket out of habit, and stepped out of his vehicle. Locking the door on autopilot, he then stared at the damned fabric he held loosely in hand.

(Unbeknownst to him, Shawn was sneaking up to startle his boyfriend, when he changed tracks.)

As he stared at the suit jacket- facing, once more, the dilemma of what to do with it-, it suddenly wasn't in his grip any longer. Sufficiently startled, his blue gaze shot to the culprit who was a couple of yards ahead already. The jacket wrapped around the miscreant's shoulders like a cape, the detective ran off after, shouting, "Shawn! Get back here, you imp!"

~~~~~

(After several minutes of chase, bewildering the poor beach goers, Carlton caught up with the younger man. When Shawn turned to face his detective, it nearly punched the air from the Irishman's lungs. Shawn was breathtaking; flushed with exertion, a wide and carefree smile, and hazel eyes sparkling with mischief. A possessive thrill crawled down Carlton's spine at seeing the barista wrapped in his jacket, though he'd examine that later.)

~~~~~

(Shawn wasn't too sure why he got away with holding onto the suit jacket, but he'd take it. It smelled faintly of the older man's cologne... Which smelled tropical with a hint of pineapple. It made him smile.)

~~~~~

"...and I swear, if Dobson keeps hounding me about getting a date, I will shoot him." Shawn laughed, knowing his boyfriend was only partially joking.

"Aw! You haven't told him about our sorbet love affair?" The younger man couldn't help but tease, bringing the detective to a halt conversationally.

"Did you mean sordid?" Carlton frowned in confusion.

"I've heard it both ways." Amused annoyance replaced confusion.

"You haven't and I'm not telling that idiot anything. O'Hara knows and that's all that matters." A beat. A pause. "And Chief Vick and HR..."

Shawn swept in front of his detective boyfriend, bringing their walk to a stop as the young brunette looked Carlton in the eye. The older man was at least mildly embarrassed, if the light colouring dusting his cheeks and ears were anything to go by. Shawn brought his hands up to clutch the suit jacket around his shoulders tighter to his body, as he stuttered out, "... you... You told your bosses about us?"

Carlton looked off towards the beach, his blush darkening. "It just seemed practical with my job being what it is and this relationship going the way it is..."

Shawn was stunned. This was a big step for the detective. He'd told his bosses, 'I have someone who I would consider NoK/my emergency contact.' He said, 'I see this relationship holding strong.' And that filled Shawn with a sense of hope. He smiled warmly at the older man and opened his mouth to say something, when another voice interrupted.

"Shawn? Is that you?"

The couple startled, turning to stare bewildered- and horrified in the brunette's case- at the interloper. There, a couple of yards away, stood Henry Spencer, in all his balding and gaudy hawaiian shirt glory.

Shawn took a small step closer to the detective, unconsciously trying to hide further in his boyfriend's suit jacket. This was not how he thought he'd see Henry again. (He would've preferred to never see Henry again, but he felt it would've been more likely he'd run into him during a grocery run.) His throat felt dry as he tried to answer.

"H... hmm. Hey... Dad."

~~~~~

If Carlton were to be honest,- and he usually was- he'd say that this lunch date was going well. At least it was.

They were walking along the boardwalk, teasing and joking. He'd finally told Shawn how he saw their relationship. (That'd been taken well, if the sweet smile on the younger man's face he caught from his peripherals meant anything.) It was going well.

So, of course his former superior was ruining it! ...by calling out to the shorter man?

"H... hmm. Hey... Dad." 

Taking his eyes off Henry, his bewildered gaze took in Shawn. Shawn, who had moved slightly closer. Who was horrified, but hiding it really well.

Realisation flooded the older man. What kept Shawn from telling him his last name, even after all this time. His steadfast aversion to other cops and the precinct itself. How Chief Vick recognised his boyfriend's cell number. The whys in which he was cagey about talks of commitment. (It'd been hell to learn that he could've missed out on knowing this brilliant man. That Shawn would've been out of town long before he met Lucienne, if he hadn't felt tired of the constant moving.) Hell! Knowing what he did about the older Spencer, he wouldn't be surprised if he were the reason for his lover's malapropism.

But the realisation that chilled the detective to the bone, was the recent contrast in reactions to the topic of abuse. Running Lucienne's words over-

“This retired detective... He was visiting some of my colleagues and one of them asked about his kid. He blustered a bit about how 'You know kids these days? Soon as they turn 18, they fly the coop' and 'I get a postcard every once in a while'.”

If one looked at him close enough, they could tell he's had no contact. His expression was open with laughter, but looking at his eyes...

“...written him off as a jackass, if…”

“Then he was all, ‘Oh, you know how he was. Always was a wild child. Honestly, I'm not sure what he's up to. Probably for the best. I tried my best, but I'm not sure that night in lockup helped straighten him out.’…”

-and he remembered the night mentioned with this new context. He remembered the shaggy haired teen that he was ordered to book but fumbled. Remembered how taken he was when fury-laced hazel eyes locked with his own stunned blue. He felt instant attraction due to the abject defiance written on the teen’s face as his superior pulled him away.

Remembering that night, with at least a hint of the context filled him with anger. A boiling rage to know that this man still held power over his imp in some way.

"What... Uh. What brings you to the boardwalk?" The question snapped Carlton to the moment, causing him to shift closer to his paramour. Glancing back at Henry, the current detective felt the rage flare to his face. How dare this man.

The balding man seemed to go to answer, but hesitated in the face of Carlton's anger. After a few minutes of silence, Henry decided the track in which he wanted to speak. "... Enjoying the weather... What. What brings you and Head Detective Lassiter?"

A hand on his arm stopped whatever remark the older man had. A glance to his partner had Carlton backing down, his temper cooling. Shawn had kept his gaze locked on his father, horror mostly gone. In its place, the abject defiance that Carlton fell for. The detective kept his focus on Shawn. (And if he happened to snub Henry in the process? Oops.)

"Oh, you know. The weather, potential crime, and nunya." The Irishman almost chuckled. Of course the younger man would pull out a childish remark in some regard. Though he almost twitched for the gun he didn't have on him with Henry's response.

"Potential crime? Is it yours? Are you disturbing Lassiter for some twisted amusement?" Since he kept his focus on Shawn, the dark haired man got to watch as the defiance got overshadowed by a breath-taking rage. It was chilling in its beauty.

"First of all, how the fuck dare you? That juvenile decision was the only crime I committed. And you know why I did it. Second! If I am disturbing the Head Detective, that still falls under nunya. It doesn't involve you. It doesn't concern you.

And if you're worried about how it would reflect on you? Well. He didn't know we were related until now. Congrats." Carlton had to admit that a sneer did nothing for the younger man's features and he wanted nothing more than to smooth it from Shawn's face. "And third, it was a joke. You know, that thing people do because they have a sense of humour?"

Turning towards Shawn fully, Carlton had to hide his laughter. Coincidentally, turning caused the brunette's hand to slide down his arm. Catching the younger man's hand, Carlton gave it a reassuring squeeze and held it firmly. With a smile, Carlton's head dipped down to whisper in Shawn's ear, "Do you want me to call someone to book him for harassment?"

Shawn's lips twitched, breaking the sneer. Speaking at the same volume he had been, Shawn said, "No. Honestly, let's just go. This conversation wouldn't go anywhere productive, judging by what Henry latched onto with all I said."

Carlton gave a tug on the hand he held and turned to start walking away, ignoring the older Spencer.

~~~~~

(Later, Carlton would pull Shawn to sit with him in the backseat of the Crown Vic, holding him close.

Later, as he was being held, Shawn would tell Carlton everything in stops and starts.

Later, neither would mention the other's red-rimmed eyes as they parted ways with the promise to see the other that night.

Later, they would agree that they should hold a get-together at the Cafe so that Lucienne, Gus, and Carlton's work partner O'Hara can meet one another.

Later, Shawn would realise that he wasn't as alone as he was at 18.

But that was later. A future to look forward to.)