My Prompt Cards: Post Canon; Drama; Friends to Lovers
Jules can see it.
It wasn't until Shawn had joined her in San Francisco, after the wedding even, that she'd noticed, but she can see it now.
Shawn is in love with Lassiter and he probably has been for years.
She can see it in the way that his heart sinks after Gus has to remind him, again, that Lassie is in Santa Barbara, not here. Despite his perfectly eidetic memory, he seems to keep forgetting that. "Right! I was just testing you. You're doing great, Gus!" he shouts, clapping Gus on the back.
She can see it in the way he eagerly picks up the phone when it's time for them to talk again and they argue over cases and spend hours talking to one another. Shawn will ask about how Marlowe and Lily are doing and Lassie will ask about Gus and tell him about his dad, even though Shawn will never ask about him.
She can see how grateful he is about it either way.
She can see it in the way Shawn seems to ache, shoulders folding in, when he realizes that Lassie won't be able to talk today because of some case or another.
There was one time where Lassie wasn't able to talk to him for a good month and Jules watched as his heart broke and he wasn't as hungry.
She can see it etched in sorrow on his face when the call comes that Marlowe has died and she can see it when he drops everything to drive down to Santa Barbara to be there for him, despite being in the middle of an investigation.
She can't fault him either. She'd run to Lassie right now too if she could.
She almost certain about it when he left Gus at the crime scene and she had to drive him home, when Gus says that he's not going to follow, that clearly they'll need some time together.
Then Lassie takes some time off from work to get his mind off of Marlowe and he decides to visit San Francisco. Shawn is the first to offer a place for him to stay and Jules can't really argue about it.
She can see it when she comes home from work and they are sprawled out across the couch, Lassie's feet in Shawn's lap as they watch some cop movie— Dirty Harry, she remembers Shawn telling her at some point— and neither of them seem to see her walk in the door.
She sees it in the lunch dates and the laughing.
She sees it in how much happier he is to have Lassie back in his life, in person, the way he laughs harder and fidgets less. She can see it in the way that his smile reaches his eyes and the jokes come more natural.
She can see the change in him, in the both of them, and she understands.
Her heart breaks as she hands him the papers and watches the tears fall, watches the fury redden Lassie's face at the way Shawn seems to silently break.
She can see his hand clenched into a fist and his jaw clenched tightly, eyes blazing with fire/
Shawn's smile is small and weak and Lassie pulls Shawn into a hug, which he gratefully accepts.
She watches them and she sees their love for one another and how it's stayed strong despite their distance from one another.
She knows Shawn loves him and she knows they'll be fine.
She knows they'll all be fine.
