Title: Quarter Life Crisis (18/24)
author: PookaSeraph
pairing: Carlton/Shawn
rating: PG-13
disclaimer: Not mine, Never will be
summary: Carlton has his first dinner with Shawn as a 'free man'.

Previous Parts:
[One] | [Two] | [Three] | [Four] | [Five] | [Six] | [Seven] | [Eight]
[Nine] | [Ten] | [Eleven] | [Twelve] | [Thirteen] | [Fourteen] | [Fifteen] | [Sixteen]
[Seventeen]

Current Part:


Chapter 18:

Carlton had originally asked Shawn to go out to a restaurant in order to celebrate the finalization of his divorce, but Shawn had insisted he would be far more comfortable somewhere they could make out on top of the table. Carlton didn't push it, knowing Shawn was still feeling a little raw and over-exposed from his freak-out when he'd thought Carlton had been cheating on him.

Carlton wasn't pleased to have upset Shawn, but there was something about the level of panic he'd worked from Shawn that made Carlton realize how incredibly serious Shawn was about 'them'.

Instead Shawn had gone over to Carlton's. It was a milestone for Carlton. Starting today he didn't give a damn who knew he was in love with Shawn, because Shawn was a lovable guy.

Carlton had volunteered to cook for the occasion, but it actually wound up with Shawn instructed Carlton to keep him from burning things. The phone ringing was actually a welcome reprieve from the terrors of cooking.

"Lassiter," he answered, picking up the phone from the wall. Shawn took over the cooking seamlessly.

"Carlton, don't you know how to answer the phone without snapping?" Carlton smiled into the phone. His older sister, Kate, always had a way of channeling that 'maternal' sound.

"Kate, hi." Shawn's ears perked up, obviously curious. Mostly Shawn was just nosey. Carlton ran a hand under Shawn's shirt to tease at his stomach, trying to distract him from listening in on the conversation.

"Just thinking of you, I know we're heading into wedding anniversary time and wanted to make sure you were doing alright." Carlton blinked, it was already June and he hadn't even thought about it. He hadn't seen Sam in months and hadn't thought of her outside of the back and forth between lawyers as they finished the divorce negotiations.

"Oh ..." Carlton finally responded. "We actually ... we got divorced today."

"Carlton! Why didn't you call? I'm sorry, I know you were hoping that --" Carlton had to interrupt.

"Best for all involved." He'd tried to infuse this statement with some enthusiasm, to convince Kate he was ok. Shawn had decided to lightly nip and his neck, though, and it was too distracting.

"Carlton, you don't have to put on some stoic face. I know you're upset," Kate sounded genuinely worried and Carlton felt like an ass.

He covered the phone with a cupped hand and hissed at Shawn, "Cut that out!"

Shawn pouted and went to pour a glass of wine for himself.

"I'm not sure what you need me to say, Carlton. But at least you are home moping instead of out ..." Kate trailed off.

"I am not moping!" Carlton protested. Shawn snickered into his glass, enjoying Carlton's discomfort far too much. He sighed into the phone, clearly he needed to put his money where his mouth was. "I'll have you know I'm dating someone."

"Really?!" Almost forty year old women should not be capable of making that squeaking sound. It reminded him too much of O'Hara.

"No I figured making up a fake boyfriend would be so much easier than putting up with your legitimate concerns."

"BOYFRIEND?!" And dear God her voice got even higher.

Shawn snickering as he stood over the cooking range didn't help. Carlton was pretty sure he heard her from there.

"Yes, I'm dating a guy, his name is Shawn and he thinks your incredulity is particularly funny."

"He's over now?" Carlton cursed his honesty. He knew where this conversation would head now.

"Yes, he's cooking dinner. Actually, I was cooking dinner, but then you called."

"Can I talk to him?" Carlton winced and Shawn didn't even ask permission before he was grabbing the phone from Carlton and slouching against his kitchen cabinets.

"Actually, Carlton was burning dinner. Your call was all that saved the poor chicken cutlets from a fate worse than Emril."

Carlton tried to ignore the jab at his cooking and the slight fear at whatever Shawn was going to say to his sister. Carlton pushed the anxiety down, Shawn probably wouldn't say much that would be horribly embarrassing.

"Yes, 'Shawn', that's me." Shawn paused, clearly listening to Kate on the other end.

"We work together, I'm a private investigator." Well at least he hadn't said psychic.

"Eight months actually." Carlton was surprised to realize they really had been together almost eight months now. Another pause. "Yes he's a horrible brother and has no consideration for your curiosity about his personal life."

"You don't actually want me to tell you about our sex life do you?" And that was when Carlton decided that Kate had gotten enough from Shawn, grabbing the phone back. Shawn pouted cutely.

"I think that's enough." He'd spoken into the phone but looked Shawn straight in the eye when he said it, making it clear that went for him too.

"Oh, come on, Carlton! You drop this colossal bombshell that you're dating some guy and then expect me to drop it." She paused for a minute, probably considering how to next attack the question. "Is he cute?"

Carlton sighed. Shawn had his back to Carlton, but he wasn't naive enough to think that meant Shawn wasn't listening.

"He's adorable, and he knows it."

Shawn turned around and looked a little surprised at that. Carlton was glad to have Shawn off balance for a change.

"Since when do you date guys? Even if they are adorable."

Shawn had recovered from the shock of being called adorable and was now putting the finishing touches on the chicken Carlton had been trying to prepare.

Shawn pulled out tableware and began to plate the dinner. Shawn then decided to start dancing around while settling the table. Thankfully Carlton had gotten used to the antics and found them less distracting than he might have otherwise.

"Since Shawn, I guess."

Kate made one of those squeaking noises again. "That is so cute! I mean you seriously ... with him?"

"Did you try to ask Shawn that, too?" Carlton asked, exasperated. His sister had clearly gone off the deep end. "We've been dating eight months, draw your own conclusions."

"Is it ...?" Kate paused, at a loss for words. "Is it serious, the two of you?"

"I love him." Kate didn't say anything for a few moments. During the silence, Shawn came up and softly kissed Carlton. It took quite a bit of willpower for Carlton to remember he was on the phone with his sister and now was not an appropriate time to make out on the countertop.

"I love him, too, just so you know," Shawn said into the phone. Shawn nipped Carlton's bottom lip and headed back to getting dinner ready to eat.

"Could you hold on a second, Kate?" Carlton didn't even wait for her answer, he set the headset down on the table and stalked up to Shawn. He grabbed Shawn's hips, spinning him around and then pushed his lips hard to Shawn's. Shawn whimpered immediately and then began to grab at the back of Carlton's head and opened his mouth. Carlton pulled away again, heading back to the phone.

Shawn pouted and flopped down heavy into his chair.

"Anything else? Shawn and I were about to start dinner." It wasn't that Carlton didn't want to talk to Kate longer, and he was positive she would call back as soon as humanly possible to try to catch Carlton while Shawn was not around.

"Have you told mom?" Carlton winced. That certainly killed the pleasant buzz from Shawn pressed up against him.

"Not yet, I'm more scared of her than the Chief."

"Good luck, Carlton. I insist on meeting this 'Shawn' of yours as soon as humanly possible! Have a good evening." Her last phrase had been imbued with just enough innuendo to make Carlton slightly embarrassed.

"Goodnight, Kate." Carlton hung up the phone and slid into his seat across from Shawn. The younger man had dinner laid out and drinks poured.

"Is your mother going to kick my ass for corrupting you?" Shawn actually sounded genuinely worried.

"No." Shawn relaxed. "She's going to kick my ass for succumbing to temptation in the first place." Shawn looked slightly mopey now. "Hey, worry about that later. You, me, and slightly burned chicken piccata is where we are now."