Tao-based thread with Shawn

[craftylildoodlepumpkin]

It's really nice out here, actually, secretly, she thinks. With all of those fresh peaches and roling hills and fields of sweet-smelling grass.

Some tiny part of Juliet - the part that's not utterly annoyed with Gus for falling for one of the cult members - sort of likes this town, the silence, the people. Even the annoying ones she's abandoned Shawn to while she enjoys the sweet freshness of the peaches she's taken.

Each bite is an orgy of flavor, and she's enjoying every moment of blue sky and fresh air she an eke out. It's going to take forever to get home, but right now the power of making Shawn squirm holds a little too much appeal.

Comments

[psyched_you_out]

And squirm he does.

"Good fruit, huh?"

[craftylildoodlepumpkin]

She smiles. "Really good." She'll just sit in the car and wait for you to extricate yourself Shawn. You kinda asked for the squirminess

[psyched_you_out]

"You're not mad about what happened back there, are you?"

Squirm, Shawn, squirm.

[craftylildoodlepumpkin]

"Do I look mad, Shawn?"

Innocent expression. Cheeks filled with peach.

[psyched_you_out]

"No. But that doesn't always mean you aren't."

He is (sort of) wise to your ways, Juliet.

[craftylildoodlepumpkin]

Is she supposed to LIKE it when you wash other women's underwear? "Well..." She swallows, takes another bite. "I'm proud of you for keeping Gus safe."

[psyched_you_out]

That was so NOT HIS FAULT.

"Yeah... I'm really starting to worry about him."

If his creepy flirting hadn't been enough cause, his easy assimilation into cult life certainly was.

[craftylildoodlepumpkin]

She nods. "Me too. Has he been acting a little..." she swallows again, raises an eyebrow. "Needier than usual?"

[psyched_you_out]

"I dunno if I'd call it needy. More... desperate?"

He feels kinda crappy for saying it, but it's true.

"I think he just really doesn't want to be alone any more."

[craftylildoodlepumpkin]

Now she seems to be truly concerned; a desperate Gus was bad, and liable to make even more foolish choices. "Have you heard how his dates went? He was so distracted the last time we talked I didn't ask." And it would have sounded weird for her TO ask - besides that, Gus was far more likely to open up to Shawn.

[psyched_you_out]

He shrugs. "Only heard about one so far. Seemed like they liked each other, but I'm not sure there's romance potential there."

[craftylildoodlepumpkin]

"But if they like each other, there might be something there. Maybe." She's suggest they need to hang out more, but that would require Gus moving into her apartment.

[psyched_you_out]

And Gus would probably say Shawn's already meddled in his love life more than enough, thanks.

"Yeah, maybe." He shrugs. "You know how he is."

[craftylildoodlepumpkin]

Juliet just wants everyone to be happy already, damn it. "I don't need to tell you to keep an eye on him." She rubs her eyes. "You guys have been taking some guy time together, right? So keep doing that."

[psyched_you_out]

"Will do."

It's not like he needs a reason to hang out with his best friend, but some more hanging out would do them both good.

[craftylildoodlepumpkin]

"I really do like Gus," she admits, tapping the steering wheel as the hit an intersection. "I don't think he knows I like him, but I do." Some part of Juliet knows she's Yoko-Onoing it up here, coming between a great duo on some level. "And you have to know the situation's bad when I'm worried about him." She used to see Gus as Shawn's caretaker.

[psyched_you_out]

He is, to a certain degree. Which is part of the problem, now that Shawn doesn't need quite as much looking after.

"I know you are. We'll get Frosties, watch some cartoons.... it'll be okay."

[craftylildoodlepumpkin]

She's not clingy - won't say 'don't forget to spend a little time with me'. So instead she just curls her fingers around his free hand. "I'll help, if you need me to." She shakes her head. "Gus, needing help..."

[psyched_you_out]

"Everyone needs some help sometimes."

It has to help, because he doesn't know what else to do.

"No offense, but I think we need this to be guy time."

Not for macho reasons, but for Shawn-and-Gus-are-codependent reasons.

[craftylildoodlepumpkin]

She shrugs. "I don't mind." Because whenever she hangs out with Gus and Shawn in a group, it usually ends up with Jules as the referee. "Annd when you need help you never admit it."

[psyched_you_out]

"I just think this is something we need to sort out ourselves."

Because while he's more than cool with Jules being the team mom sometimes, he does like to put on his Big Boy Pants every once in a while.

"And needing help and admitting you need help are two different things," he points out.

[craftylildoodlepumpkin]

"Riight," she teases. Then, as the light shifts across her face and they pull back to the coastal road that'll lead them home, Jules adds, "I think this might not even be something you can solve, Shawn."

[psyched_you_out]

He doesn't say anything, but there is clearly a "Don't remind me" look on his face.

[craftylildoodlepumpkin]

"If anyone can do it," she says, squeezing his hand, "it's you."

A few minutes pass by - and once they're off the highway, she takes a hand off the wheel and reaches for something.

"Here," she says, tossing him the unbitten fruit that had lain nestled against the inner part of her knee. "Have a peach."

[psyched_you_out]

He gives her hand a squeeze in return as he bites into the peach.

"Wow, these really are good."

[craftylildoodlepumpkin]

"They are." And Shawn deliberately brought her there to get them, taste them, because he knew how much she'd love it.

The hand gets another squeeze as her free one returns to the wheel to guide them home.