Malcolm x Raylan: Cowboy Surprise

[tinstar]

Art was suspicious right off the bat when Raylan took a week off with the express note that his phone would be Out Of Order til the next Monday, but the Chief Marshal wasn't going to look gift horses in the mouth. Not when it suggested he'd have a few days of peace, until Raylan caved to turning his phone back on again. Still, he watched the younger Marshal walk out of the office and promised himself to check into the state of Harlan within 3 days to make sure that the place wasn't on fire. The smoke would reach him before he called, he was sure.

But Art didn't have much to worry about - Raylan had no plans on staying in the state for his vacation, beyond one day spent closing up Arlo's and securing it the best way he could before getting on a plane to New York City. He wanted to surprise Malcolm - it'd been near two months since they'd last seen each other and frankly, Raylan was tired of missing him. They'd called and texted, stayed in a fairly consistent, if odd houred, touch but it wasn't the same.

Once he landed, Raylan rented a car and navigated his way towards Malcolm's apartment, stopping to grab a bouquet of flowers. It was.. Extra, but Raylan didn't want to show up empty handed, just in case. Thirty minutes later, Malcolm's door buzzer was being hit, like Raylan was here to deliver something. Well, he was, but that was half the fun.

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[abrightboy]

Malcolm tipped his head forward to press his forehead to the mat, breathless in the aftermath of his orgasm and far from catching his breath as he matched Raylan's new rhythm, moving against him as he moved.

[tinstar]

To hell with yoga or axe throwing, this was still Raylan's favorite way to work up a sweat and he mindlessly moved faster, chasing his own ends. It only took a few minutes before he was gripping Malcolm's hip tightly, shuddering as he grunted, gracelessly unloading inside him. Raylan stayed where he was for half a beat and shuddered as his body demanded another, softer thrust before his grip relaxed, palm moving back over Malcolm's lower back while he took a second to just breathe.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm also took the time to just breathe, lifting his head after a moment to look back at Raylan before pulling away from him only so he could turn around and pull him down onto the mat, where he could curl up against his side.

"That was the hottest thing I've ever, ever experienced," he admitted unabashedly into Raylan's shoulder.

[tinstar]

Raylan shuddered again as Malcolm pulled away and was grateful for the second mat that he rolled them onto as he settled an arm around Malcolm's shoulder with a heavy, sated sigh. Malcolm was still warm, hot against his skin, and the admission made him grin.

"Were.. Did you want me to spank you?" It was sheepishly asked, the grin deeply evident in the tone. "Or have you just turned me into a dirty..er old man?"

[abrightboy]

Malcolm smiled broadly against Raylan's skin.

"I've never tried that, but, um... I think I'd like it." He lifted his head enough to look up at Raylan's face. "Dirty old man?" he questioned with a smirk. "Now am I a bad habit?" he teased.

[tinstar]

"You're workin' on bein' just as bad as drinkin' and swearin' in church," he replied, grin staying broad and accent a little heavier for his state of relaxation. "I think I might be additcted," he continued, lifting his head and an eyebrow as he looked down at Malcolm. "Because I also can't stop thinkin' about what it'd be like-" He rolled a little to position himself over Malcolm, errant bangs falling messily forward, "To strap you down in your restraints for nonsleepin' purposes."

[abrightboy]

Raylan's hair was sexy when it was at its most errant. Especially when he'd had a hand in making it errant. He reached up and threaded his fingers through it, pushing it back from his face to watch it fall forward again with satisfaction.

"I've never considered that, but..." He smiled. "It sounds fun."

Raylan touching him had yet to be anything but fantastic.

[tinstar]

"Next time the mood stikes, maybe," he hummed, all the metaphorically fuzzier for the hand through his hair. "I like gettin' to try all these new things." He hummed again and stole another kiss. "Includin' the yoga."

[abrightboy]

He smiled into the kiss.

"Maybe next time we'll try a sun salute. It won't have any complicated balance poses. I promise," he said, trailing his fingers along Raylan's shoulder.

[tinstar]

"You know I don't know what that is," he replied with a pull of his grin before he kissed Malcolm gently and shifting down enough to lay his head on Malcolm's shoulder to close his eyes.

After a moment, he spoke again, more softly this time. "I can't wait til we can get down to Miami. I want this and the smell of the ocean in the air." He took a deep breath and pushed up, pressing a kiss onto Malcolm's chest.

"Have you eaten breakfast?"

[abrightboy]

"I never thought much about the future until we started talking about Miami," Malcolm admitted, his fingers absently finding Raylan's hair again. "Now I can't stop."

At the question about breakfast, he shook his head. "What should we have?"

[tinstar]

That was the best news he'd heard all day, really.

"I want french toast and bacon," he asserted, suddenly very sure about that answer. "If you order it, I'll clean up."

Fair trade, since Malcolm was going to end up paying for it, right?

[abrightboy]

Very fair trade.

Before Raylan could get up, Malcolm grabbed his shoulder. "Raylan..."

His eyes wandered the features of Raylan's face a moment.

"I love you."

He hadn't been able to make words work when it came up before, but he wanted to say it.

[tinstar]

He had only just started to when Malcolm grabbed his shoulder, bringing his weight the inch back down to settle on him as Raylan watched Malcolm process.. something. When that something came out, Raylan melted a little, face spreading back into a soft blissfully happy smile.

"I don't think I'm ever gonna get used to how much I like hearin' that." Leaning down to steal one more soft but deep and lingering kiss before he pushed to his feet and held his hands down to help Malcolm to his.

[abrightboy]

After breakfast, where Malcolm had ordered french toast and bacon for Raylan and scrambled eggs for himself, he got them a taxi to Chelsea Piers, leading Raylan into the Field House, where they had large professional batting cages.

He'd never actually been there before, but he was looking forward to seeing Raylan bat again.

"This is supposed to be the best batting cage in New York," he said as they walked in.

[tinstar]

The breakfast was good and filling, and afterwards, Raylan changed into one of his long sleeved shirts that clung to his shoulders and got his hat, making sure his badge was tucked into his pocket to match the gun at his back that was hidden by his denim jacket.

The pier was taken in with an almost impressed lift of his eyebrows, an expression that stayed as they came into the batting cage area. He let out a low whistle.

"Not bad. Certainly beats out Miami's too and they're all about baseball. Now are they sayin' their the best, or are customers?" he asked with a finger extended. "That's difference."

It wasn't hard to see how they were set up and after renting a cage, Raylan led them to and into it, slipping his hat off to set it on the provided bench so he could shrug his jacket off.

"You gonna bat this time? We can take it easy on you, turn the delay on the machine up." He wanted to see Malcolm bat again, likely for the same reason even though he didn't know it.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm laughed lightly at himself.

"Don't go easy on me!" he protested. "I'll bat. Attempt to bat. A full speed." He paused. "Unless I take one in the face or something. Then you can turn the machine down."

He stayed out of the way, to the side, letting Raylan's experience gauge the rhythm of the place first.

[tinstar]

Raylan grinned and pointed at the protective gear in the corner next to where he was pulling a bat from. "You, helmet while you're batting. Just in case."

Of course, he walked away empty handed aside from the bat in his hand that he spun as he walked the paces away to the batting machine. They were all by and large the same, even the higher tech ones they had here were easy to figure out and Raylan's success was marked with the first of many air ripping thunk of a ball being launched. He spun the bat again, pleased to be here, doing this, as he ambled back towards the batting plate, ignoring the steady paced pitched balls flying past him.

"First rule of baseball is don't get hit," he teased as he stepped up.

He'd been playing baseball since he was small and he stepped up, bat at the ready. He didn't like the first pitch for timing and let it pass without swining before catching the next one with a crack of his bat. But batting cages wasn't about distance or where the ball went, it was for batting. Raylan let every other one pass him, littering the front of their batting mound with abandoned balls, until he'd hit about five. Then he stepped back and rolled his shoulders, one after another.

"Just remember, you don't have to hit all of 'em. C'mon and-" thunk "-Mind the balls when you're hopping to this side."

[abrightboy]

Malcolm put the helmet on as instructed, picking up a bat and giving it an experimental swing before carefully making his way over to the side Raylan was on, past whizzing balls.

He held the bat the way he'd watched Raylan do it. He missed the first one he swung at completely. He waited through two balls and swung at the next, just knicking it and sending it foul, straight up in the air. He raised his eyebrows as he watched it fall back down, another ball whizzing past, then looked at Raylan.

[tinstar]

He nodded with a crooked smile, one eye closing in a squinted half wink of encouragement. "You hit that one too low, so it went up not out. Do--" He gestured with a finger before saying fuck it and just stepping up behind Malcolm, sliding his hands over those on the bat.

Having a few extra inches was really very good for this.

"The only thing that's not moving is your front, weight bearing leg. It's like golf, at chest level." thunk. His words continued at Malcolm's ear. "I don't know what yoga breathing might apply but pull in when in it's coming."

The next ball that came, Raylan swung for them with a solid connect that went for left field. "There. Try again." He stepped back and propped his hands on his hips, watching again.

[abrightboy]

"Breathe in when it's coming?" he clarified. "And out when? When I swing or after I swing?"

[tinstar]

"Whatever feels best. Personally, I found my breath hitches. Holds as I hit and lets go afterwards. It's different for everyone." He was curious if the yoga would help or not.

[abrightboy]

"Okay, so after," he murmured to himself. "In when it comes, hold and then breathe out."

Instructions for himself.

He missed his next swing and his eyes narrowed a little in renewed focus. He connected with the next one. It was a grounder that skittered off just inside the foul line, but it was a good hit.

He looked at Raylan.

[tinstar]

Better than straight up and down and Raylan grinned at him. "Better! Your adjustments from here are slight, just mind your shoulder when it's fully extended. Push it too hard, you can do some nasty damage."

Which he felt a little silly saying to Malcolm Whitly, who knew more about the human anatomy details than he did by at least three and half miles, but he'd watched a shoulder tear out and it wasn't pretty. The damage it did wasn't pretty either and he'd hate himself if his childhood sports hobby got more dangerous than it already was.

"We'll slow the delay so that we waste less balls but I figure we got another 25 before we recollect and try again."

[abrightboy]

He knew how a shoulder could tear.

"Show me again; I want to see how you hold your shoulder."