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.

Comments

[abrightboy]

"When were you in Nicaragua?" Malcolm asked with great interest as they stepped outside, leading Raylan down the block towards the subway.

[tinstar]

"Few years back. With Tommy Bucks, actually. The dude I shot in Miami. We were chasing down a rival gunrunner and Tommy was technically our C.I. Pretty place, if you can overlook the crowds in the marketplaces. Wouldn't wanna go back - it still a little wild for my tastes. TNT tends to do that."

[abrightboy]

Oh.

"Where would you want to go, if you were traveling?" Malcolm asked curiously. He was interested in what sort of places interested Raylan.

[tinstar]

"Always wanted to see Cuba," he offered with a glance over. "Rio de Janeiro - I wanna see the big Christ statue one day. Wouldn't mind actually seeing Paris either."

He had places. "What about you? As I hear you've some great aversion to a good sunny beach," he teased softly.

[abrightboy]

"It's not an aversion to beaches," he said with a laugh. "I happen to have heard some very appealing things about a beach recently," he teased back. "I have an aversion to being forced on other people's idea of a vacation by literally everyone I know to some place in the middle of the South Pacific surrounded by strangers and palm trees and impersonal hotel decor when I'd rather stay home in my apartment surrounded by things I've carefully curated to help me feel calm," he pointed out emphatically. "It was only relaxing at all because I filled my entire suitcase with books and I tipped well enough that the room service lady took it upon herself to make me lemon jello."

[tinstar]

Raylan laughed softly as his hands found his pockets. "You would talk some sweet lady into makin' you jello. I'll admit, it is my idea of a vacation. But books can come onto the beach, there's no rule against it. Am I gonna have to enjoy the ocean alone?"

[abrightboy]

He huffed a self-deprecating smile and glanced down.

"Definitely not. If our spot on the beach has you in it, then there will be a carefully curated collection of at least one thing that makes me feel calm there," he admitted, glancing at Raylan sidelong. "I might even go in the water."

[tinstar]

Raylan looked over at him, grin slipping onto his face. "Please tell me you know how to swim."

[abrightboy]

Malcolm looked at him oddly. "Of course I know how to swim," he said matter-of-factly.

He'd had the best teachers money could buy.

"Though I prefer swimming pools. They're cleaner." He looked at Raylan. "Our house should have a swimming pool."

You couldn't swim laps as a morning exercise in the ocean.

[tinstar]

Raylan squinted his eyes at him, face full of amusement.

"Full of chemicals too. You don't think that's a little pretentious, havin' water next to.. water?"

[abrightboy]

Malcolm laughed. "You've seen my wall of antique weapons, right?" he teased. "Anyway, it's a rectangle of consistent size and depth. It's water with a different purpose than the other water. But it should have a view of the other water. Nice patio. It's not just... a hole full of water next to a really big hole full of water."

[tinstar]

Raylan laughed at the reply, eyebrows bobbing his concession above his grin.

"Safer too, if you're fond of back floating. I have a feelin' that I've lost any argument in this house thing already." He only minded a little but he'd get over it. He liked pools and Malcolm deserved to live in a place where he could have what he wanted without holding back because his boyfriend was raised poor.

"So long as we've got steps down to the beach. I'll warn you now, you give me the place and opportunity to do it comfortably, I will sunbathe naked." The sun did things to him, he didn't quite understand it but his experience told him Something was up.

[abrightboy]

"What? This is a discussion of mutual ticky-boxes."

He paused when Raylan explained his potential sunbathing ritual.

"Privacy fence: mandatory. Got it." He looked at Raylan sidelong, with interest. "Right on the sand like a turtle, or....?"

[tinstar]

"It is, with the pricetag blown gently into the wind. Please don't think I'm worryin' about it." He wasn't asking for a pool. But it was good that they were having these conversations now.

The stairs question pulled his grin back. "Or what? If we're on the beach, even if its the dunes, it's still in and on the sand."

[abrightboy]

"It will be reasonable," Malcolm promised, holding up his hands.

"I mean towel, blanket, air mattress....? Or just... right on the sand?" he replied with a grin. "I just want to know what percentage lizard you are," he teased.

[tinstar]

Oh. Raylan's head tipped back with genuine laughter. "What grade of lizard does folding lawn chair and flip flops get me?"

[abrightboy]

Malcolm looked Raylan dead in the face with the shiteating grin of someone who knew they were about to say something awesomely terrible.

"A lounge lizard," he declared triumphantly.

His expression shifted to something more pleasantly interested. "So - and I'm only asking out of academic curiosity - in this scenario, you're only wearing flipflops, is that correct?"

[tinstar]

"Oh jesus," Raylan swore, half hiding his laughter as he positioned his hat on his head. "I shoulda seen that one coming."

As Malcolm continued, Raylan looked over, face still curled in laughter. "Only flipflops is reserved for pool sunbathing. I don't enjoy the idea of a stray nut fallin' through those slats though, we might have to rethink the chairs."

[abrightboy]

"We have to get the kind with cushions," Malcolm said sagely. "Nobody wants any damage to come to the equipment."

He led the way down the stairs as they came to them.

[tinstar]

"My equipment is grateful," he replied, moving down the stairs smoothly. "On the beach, I'll be in shorts, thank you very much. With crabs and sand and god knows what else, equipment protection is important there too. We'll only need a half fence around one area, unless you get a better idea. Or not at all and I have some tan lines. Like a farmers tan, just elsewhere."

[abrightboy]

"Maybe I'll go hunting for these lines," Malcolm said. He stepped up to the machine and bought day passes, then led Raylan through the turnstiles with them, then towards the right platform.

"I don't really tan." His complexion was pale or burned and then pale again. "I'm probably best advised to be out there in no less than shorts and some sort of big hat."

[tinstar]

"Now you're teasin' me," he accused as he stepped up to watch the whole process from purchase to getting through the gates. He was looking forward to the first time that Malcolm took over and roamed up and down his body a little bit, so he was happy to have something to daydream about until then.

"And sunscreen. Even I follow that one. But I'd love to see you in one of those old lady gardening hats that's three and a half feet wide. Or we could get an umbrella for you to sit under. Save your sensitive shoulders."

[abrightboy]

"I don't want you to go back to Kentucky without anything to think about," Malcolm joked. He looked over. "Wow, I don't know. Which one's more manly?" he teased.

[tinstar]

"So kind," he said with a playful look. "Definitely the hat." He grinned with the squint of one eye as the train blew its horn from down the tunnel. "Manly hasn't ever been much my concern, and our builds respectively cover it pretty well."

[abrightboy]

"Yeah?" Malcolm glanced down. "Oh. Good for us."

An abundance of manliness wasn't something Malcolm had ever been accused of or, based on how his hair smelled, concerned about either. But Raylan definitely had an abundance of manliness whether he cultivated it or not, so Malcolm would take that as a compliment quite happily.

The train stopped and they boarded. Standing room only. Malcolm stuck close to Raylan.

"I've never barbequed," he noted. "You'll have to show me how. You can't have a patio without a barbeque, right?"