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

[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?"

[tinstar]

Raylan took the chance to slip an arm half around Malcolm as the train started moving, one hand holding them steady on the top rail. It was packed, to his perspective, anyway, what was a loose hand around him going to hurt?

"You've never barbequed?" Raylan scoffed. "Considering all of what you don't normally eat, I shouldn't be surprised. We're gonna have to take care of that as soon as possible. Mine isn't as good as you'll get up in places like Nobles holler but I've always felt mine at the very least stands up to it for a few bites. It's the only way to break in a patio. Might even spring for a smoker, but I'll have to find friends to help eat it...

How do you feel about Poker Nights?"

[abrightboy]

"Well, I've also never had a patio. I'm very excited about all of this," he said, his eyes absolutely alight with it.

And with that hand around him. It was a tiny gesture and it was also everything.

"Poker is a psychological battle of wits more than a card game," Malcolm informed him. In other words, he was intrigued by Poker Night. "Though I've barely played it, I do know the rules and I've played people.... like, a lot."

HES GONNA TURN INTO TIMMY O MAKING DRINKS IN THAT VIDEO

[tinstar]

Raylan chuckled, both pleased and amused at how much enjoyment Malcolm was getting out of this.

"You're going to be my secret weapon once I find people to play with. And until then, we can get a lotta work outta that patio." His cheeks almost hurt from the amount of grinning he was doing, but he loved it. "Put in a small bar, a place to store ice.."

[abrightboy]

Malcolm looked at him as he realized something.

"Oh my god, we're going to have to make friends." A beat. "I'm not usually helpful for that."

He didn't look worried, though. Raylan was very personable.

[tinstar]

"Trick is to start with the neighbours," he supplied with a knowing wink and slow nod. "Over the fence conversation will get us a lot of movement. Just don't be mad at me if I interrupt you to save us from something. If we're gonna be living next to people for the rest of our lives, might not want to irritate them too soon."

They'd be fine.

[abrightboy]

"Maybe I just... won't talk to them until after you talk to them," Malcolm said in all seriousness.

People did find him irritating. Especially at first.

[tinstar]

"You'll be fine once the sun and the sand soaks in," he assured with a brush of his thumb and a sure nod of his head. "We're not gonna be handing out welcome baskets or introducing ourselves to everyone on the block like that. The point of Miami is to take it easy, after all."

[abrightboy]

He laughed.

"I'll be fine? Like. By normal person standards? I'm not sure the sun works like that," he teased, grinning down at the floor.

[tinstar]

"Sure it is," he teased with a little pull of his head, grin broadening. "Maybe not by normal people standards fine but your standard fine. I'm sure there's some study out there about being outside lowering anxiety or something."