Sending Up Sparks

[musicalluna]

Title: Sending Up Sparks
Fandom: Psych
Author: MusicalLuna
Rating: T
Characters/Pairings: Shawn/Juliet
Genre: Humor, Fluff, Romance
Warnings: None
Complete: Yes
Summary: The Fourth of July brings out the camraderie in everyone--and the romance in a select few.
A/N: XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD I got a request from neveragain77 on fanfiction.net for a story involving "fireworks" and, several weeks after having been asked, it's finally complete! XDDDDD
And thank you to windscryer for being an awesome beta. :D YOU ROCK! XDDD
Disclaimer: The show doesn't belong to me. That should be clear, seeing as they would be dating if I had anything to say about it...

 

"You’re coming, Lassie. No excuses," Shawn said and he said it with such finality that Juliet didn’t doubt that the detective would be coming with them whether he liked it or not. This marked the second Fourth of July since they had met the private eye duo and Shawn seemed determined that the four of them spend the holiday together.

"Spencer, I spend the majority of my days doing everything in my power to avoid you. What on earth makes you think that I want to spend my Fourth of July watching you flirt with my partner and annoy your little sidekick?" Lassiter asked. He was oblivious to the blush he had raised on said partner’s cheeks.

Shawn, as usual, seemed unfazed by Lassiter’s lack of enthusiasm. "What makes me think you’d want to let loose and have a little fun, Lassie? Hm, well, let me see…oh, for starters, cheap, calorie-choked, all-American food—and I know how you like a fully loaded hot dog… Uh…oh, yeah, alcohol…and, what was my last example? Gus?"

Gus’ eyebrows rose and he said, "Uh, that would be his need to remove a certain stick for one night."

Shawn snapped his fingers. "Right! That’s it. An impromptu ‘stick out of the ass’ procedure. Of course. And how does that usually happen?" he said, ignoring the thunderous look on Lassiter’s face. He waved his hands. "By hanging out with your friends on a gorgeous July night watching a spectacular fireworks display over the bay. Yeah. I think that would do it." Gus nodded his agreement and Lassiter glowered at the both of them.

"You are not my friend, Spencer," he spat.

Shawn pursed his lips. "Okay, a little too fast. Co-workers then."

"I’m not going, and that’s final. Now leave me the hell alone," he growled.

"Oh, come on, Lassie!" Shawn said. "You and I both know you don’t want to go home alone, drink way too much, and fall asleep watching the fireworks on TV. Just come with us! It might not be fun, but you don’t have to talk to me, and it’s got to be better than sitting at home alone, right? Jules is tolerable company, isn’t she?"

The tendon in Lassiter’s jaw pulsed. Now Spencer was playing dirty. He couldn’t say no now, because that might imply that he didn’t like O’Hara and then he would have hurt her feelings and she would be miserable and… "Fine," he grit. "I’ll go."

"Awesome! You get to drive, because you have the roomiest car," he said and it was impossible not to notice the "subtle" fist bump between the two friends. Juliet looked pleased, so he supposed that was something.

Shawn grinned at him. "Lighten up, Lassie. This’ll be fun."

Lassiter sighed. Fat chance.

~ * * * ~

Guster managed to call shotgun first, though the fake psychic’s ten-seconds-too-late declaration lacked the enthusiasm of someone who truly wanted the coveted seat. The shit-eating grin on his face only solidified Lassiter’s perception that he had gotten exactly what he wanted as he slid into the backseat alongside Juliet. The junior detective rolled her eyes, half-smiling and he realized with a sigh that she wasn’t wholly opposed to the psychic’s quiet advances.

Shawn leaned toward Juliet and opened his mouth. Lassiter frowned, jerked the car into reverse, and hit the gas. There was an outcry as the other three occupants of the car were thrown forward, the wheels squealing against the blacktop. He stamped a foot on the break, jolting them again and Shawn exclaimed, "Jeez, Lassie! Did this become a bumper car in the last five seconds?"

Lassiter glowered at him in the rearview. "Just keep your hands to yourself, Spencer."

He was surprised when Shawn had the dignity to flush slightly, despite the grin that curled his lips. Guster snickered and said, "Looks like your brilliant plan didn't work so well, Shawn."

Shawn scoffed as though he had been deeply offended. "What on earth are you talking about Gus? How dare you accuse me of being anything less than a perfect gentleman! Jules, I would never—"

Lassiter snorted. "Gentleman my ass."

"You know that's right," Gus said and Lassiter couldn't help his mouth twitching in amusement. Guster wasn't so bad, when he wasn't teaming up with Spencer to drive him insane.

"A little loyalty would be nice, Gus. I'm just saying."

Juliet rolled her eyes, smiling. "You're all ridiculous, you know that?"

"Spencer is the definition of ridiculous."

"Better ridiculous than hardass, I think."

"I will turn this car around. Just keep talking Spencer."

"Shawn, don't. Not tonight. You talked him into this, now give him a break, okay?" Juliet said disapprovingly.

Shawn pursed his lips and held up his hands. "You're right. Sorry, Jules. Lassie—sorry. Let's have fun tonight, okay? Truce."

Lassiter sighed, grudgingly and deliberately loosening the tension in his jaw. "If you'll stop calling me that stupid nickname, at least for tonight, then we have a deal."

Shawn bit his lip, grimacing. "I'll try. I can't make any promises."

Lassiter sighed and rolled his eyes, but knew that was the best he was going to get. "Fine. Truce."

Juliet smiled. "That was very mature, guys, thank you."

"So what are we going to do first when we get there?" Gus asked. "Should we stake out a spot on the beach or—"

"Food," Shawn demanded. "I'm ravenous. Starved. I haven't had anything to eat since lunch yesterday."

"What?" Juliet exclaimed. "Shawn!"

"Jules, there's little time for eating when I'm fully tuned in to the spirit world."

Lassiter rolled his eyes, as did Gus and the latter muttered, "I wish you'd tune into the spirit world more often."

Shawn poked him in the back of the head. "Gus, you know how taxing it is for me when that happens. How could you say that? I need constant nutrition."

Gus let out a bark of derisive laughter. "I don't think candy, pretzels, Slurpees, or fruit pastries count as 'nutrition', Shawn."

Lassiter caught a glimpse of Shawn leaning over the middle seat again, whispering to Juliet, "I have low blood sugar." Like with much of what he said, it was impossible to tell whether or not he was lying, exaggerating, or telling the truth.

He was unable to comment, however, his attention pulled away by their arrival at the parking lot by the beach. Finding a space, when the beach had been busy since noon, and with the fireworks just a few hours away, was going to be a near impossibility. "Keep an eye out for an opening," he ordered.

~ * * * ~

"MMM…"

Gus made a face at his best friend. The noises he was making as he devoured the foot long hot dog in his hand bordered on obscene. If this was part of his plan to romance Juliet, then he was even more sorely lacking in that area than Gus had initially anticipated. He caught a glimpse of the looks on Lassiter and Juliet’s faces and jabbed an elbow into Shawn’s ribs. He coughed, gagging, and then swallowed hard, turning a glare on him.

"Gus! What the hell? Are you trying to kill me?"

"Shawn," he hissed, "If this is your idea of wooing a girl like Juliet, then you have serious issues that you need to work through first."

"What’s wrong with what I’m doing?" Shawn asked, offended.

Gus rolled his eyes. "You sound like you’re in some kind of two-bit dirty movie Shawn."

"What? Just because I’m enjoying my hot dog?"

Gus scowled. "Whatever Shawn. If you think that’s going to help your case, fine. Be my guest. Moan away." He backed off, but it was impossible not to notice as Shawn scarfed down the rest of the hot dog in virtual silence.

"He has no idea what he’s doing," Lassiter muttered. "No way O’Hara will give in to him."

Gus immediately switched into defensive mode. True or not, he was the only one allowed to say crap like that. "Hey, his heart is in the right place."

Lassiter snorted, taking a bite out of his hot dog. "I’m still not convinced this has anything to do with his heart."

Gus scoffed. "And what would you know about it?"

Lassiter’s glare was icy. "I was married, Guster."

Gus didn’t think it would be wise to remind him that the past tense didn’t help his case. Juliet might hurt him.

Lassiter didn’t seem to need words however, and his eyes narrowed. "What, are you telling me you actually think he’s in it for the meaningful relationship?"

Gus frowned, straightening his coat and glanced at Shawn out of the corner of his eye. He was walking alongside Juliet a few feet ahead of them, his hands tucked into his back pockets and his eyes fixed on the junior detective’s face. He looked back at Lassiter. "Let me put it this way, Detective. Why would it take him two years to make a move if all he wanted was something physical? Is Juliet suddenly giving off an ‘easy’ vibe? I seriously doubt it."

Lassiter glanced at the pair, frowning. "I don’t know, Guster, even if he is—"

"Guys, what are you doing all the way back there?" Juliet asked and Gus barely smothered a smile when he saw Shawn purse his lips ruefully.

Lassiter raised his eyebrows and his cup. "Just talking, O’Hara."

"How’s your hot dog, Lassi—" Shawn choked on the word, amending awkwardly, "Carlton."

It was a testament to how badly Shawn wanted to impress Juliet that he was even attempting to avoid calling Lassiter "Lassie".

And suddenly Gus realized that, since showing that first glimmer of interest, Shawn had been seriously pursuing Juliet. It wasn’t that he had suddenly realized he liked Juliet, no, it was that he finally felt ready to go after something that showed the potential for permanence. He had subtly, maybe even unconsciously, been dropping hints all this time that Juliet was more than just a co-worker, friend, or even a fling. He had been staking his claim. Gus couldn’t help it. He grinned.

Oh, he was going to get it when this was all over.

~ * * * ~

Juliet smiled, half listening as the three men around her talked and bickered lightheartedly. She wasn’t sure if it was just her, but it felt like the warm July evening, steeped with the cheerful buzz of a crowd who had spent a perfect day in an American paradise and lined with the sound of an upbeat band playing good song after good song, was getting to all of them and she was grateful to Shawn for having brought them all together here. It was like being back with her brothers again—two thirds brothers anyway. The other third…well, she wasn’t sure about him yet.

She still didn’t know if she trusted Shawn not to break her heart. Which was why, after he made a risqué comment that pushed things too far she pulled Gus and Lassiter back in—to provide a safeguard between them. Shawn’s regret was immediately evident. Unfortunately, it was impossible to tell if the motivation behind that regret was that he had messed up a chance to get one step closer to getting in her pants, or that he had messed up a chance to get one step closer to convincing her they should date.

She was starting to believe the latter though, because he was carefully respecting her boundaries, and every time she indicated that he had gone too far, he immediately adjusted his tactics and approach, carefully making sure that he didn’t repeat the mistake. She wouldn’t deny that she kind of liked watching Shawn struggling to keep his composure and prove himself. It was a different side of him. A more genuine side.

The sky above them, streaked with clouds, began to glow, pink and orange as the sun set and she smiled. The sunsets here reminded her of Miami, of home.

"Wow."

She turned at the sound of Shawn’s voice and realized that he had managed to separate them from Lassiter and Gus again and she smiled, ducking her head. He was good. "Beautiful, isn’t it?" she said.

"Yeah," he said. "Who needs fireworks when the sky itself is on fire?"

Juliet’s lingering resistance began to crumble.

~ * * * ~

Shawn smiled as the murmur of the crowd began to grow and swell in anticipation as nine o’clock approached. Tonight was going better than he could have imagined.

He glanced backward to catch a glimpse of Gus and Lassiter standing not far behind he and Juliet. Two or three beers had loosened the detective up considerably. Nursing another in his right hand, his left was stuffed casually in his pocket along with his tie, the top few buttons of his shirt undone. A faint smile graced his usually harsh features and he was saying mildly to Gus, "…when I was a kid. I loved this sort of thing. I haven’t been to see a fireworks show in years…"

Gus smiled in return and said, "I’ve only missed the fireworks once." He glanced at Shawn, who grinned when Lassiter’s eyes followed Gus’ gaze. "It was when I was thirteen. Shawn set off a bunch of fireworks early and we both wound up with a couple of second degree burns. We spent the night in the hospital being reamed out by Shawn’s dad."

Lassiter grinned and took another sip of his beer. "I would have paid good money to see that I think."

"Oh, it was a good show all right."

Shawn grinned as he turned his gaze back to Juliet, sitting beside him, shoeless, her bare toes squishing in the sand. Yeah, things were near perfect.

And he knew exactly what would make them perfect.

If he had ever felt anything in his life, he could feel that tonight was his chance with Juliet. Something in that comment he had made about the sunset had opened something within her, what or why though, he had no idea.

She was the only one out of the four of them who had bothered changing before they left the station and she looked, in his humble opinion, gorgeous. The shirt she was wearing was a rich blue thing that wrapped around her neck, leaving her shoulders, arms, and upper back bare and it was a little hard to focus with so much of her pale skin exposed. Fortunately, he preferred her mouth by a slight margin and that was probably close enough to her eyes not to get him in trouble.

He had to tear his eyes away when a rock version of "America the Beautiful" started, raising a tremendous cheer from the crowd gathered on the beach. That was when the sky exploded into sparkling color.

The fireworks were a bewildering array of colors, sizes and shapes and for several long minutes Shawn simply watched. The display reflected in the waves, warping, and it gave the appearance that the sparks and streams of color had taken over the entire horizon. Santa Barbara was infamous for its incredible show and this year was no disappointment.

The sky was glittering with gold and red, the smell of the smoke from the fireworks wafting over from the launch station on the beach, when Shawn peeled his gaze away from the display, peeking at Juliet from the corner of his eye. Her eyes were wide, sparkles of color reflecting in them and washing her face in the glow. She looked exquisite.

Her head turned slightly, her gaze locking with his and suddenly the bangs of the fireworks weren’t the only sound pounding in his ears. It felt like the launch pad had moved into his chest and each new firework was exploding against the interior of his ribcage.

It was now, or never.

Every thought fled, and he twisted, catching Juliet’s face between his hands, and pressing his lips to hers.

For a moment, he was pretty sure his heart had blown up in his chest. Then it resumed thudding painfully against his chest and he couldn’t tell if the colors he saw behind his eyelids were the fireworks or something else entirely. Juliet leaned into the kiss and the night instantly went from near perfection to perfection.

Small, thin fingers wound into the hair at the nape of his neck, sending electricity shooting down his spine and he couldn’t stop a grin from spreading across his face. Giddy didn’t even begin to describe the feeling shooting around inside him like a dozen white-hot pinballs. Juliet smiled against his mouth and his eyes opened, meeting hers again. He kissed her gently once, and then again, smoothing his thumb over her cheek and watching the light of the fireworks fall in her eyes.

Yep. This was perfection.