Malcolm x Raylan: Cowboy Surprise

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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"You're gonna have to teach me how to make your tea," he said softly, eyes meeting Malcolm's. He wanted to know so he could bring Malcolm tea like he brought Raylan coffee. "And when you're most likely to take it. So I can bring you some while you're pouring over a file or something. That's my daydream."
If Malcolm was curious.
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"I like coffee in the morning," he said. "First thing in the morning. Herbal tea after that." He took a bite of rice. "Too much caffeine or caffeine too late in the day ramps my anxiety." He looked at Raylan. "I can show you how to make it after dinner. It's nice after dinner."
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But it only took a glance over to Malcolm's almost demurely small bite and careful attention that he paused to take a breath and consider not eating so ravenously.
"I wanna have a library wall somewhere. In Miami. To match your weapon wall in New York."
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He didn't expect anyone to eat like he did. He wished he didn't. He rather enjoyed how heartily Raylan dug into a meal. Malcolm gestured towards his lo mein when he paused. "Is it okay?"
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"Hm?" He glanced at the food and huffed a smile. "Yeah. Great. Of course, if I wake up tomorrow with food poisoning, I will retract that statement. You just kinda remind me that I should probably not eat as quickly as I do. Helen used to tell me it'd give me a stomachache but it never did."
His mother had told him the same thing but Raylan just.. couldn't talk about her that casually.
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"Why'd you order so many plates though?"
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"I don't know. I guess I figure you might want some variety. Or something later. Or something in the morning." He shrugged a shoulder. "I don't really keep food around. There should be something around, right?" He pointed towards the beef and broccoli with his fork. "And I am giving serious consideration to a piece of broccoli."
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"The kind that doesn't have to worry so much about it. And if I'm home, I'm not exactly a guest, now am I." If they were using Malcolm's logic.
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He pressed a kiss to Malcolm's neck before pulling back to lean on the barstool, one foot coming up to rest on the lower rung as he got his glass in hand.
"Don't think I didn't notice that beer that's still at the bottom of your fridge either."
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"Well I was hardly going to drink it without you," he said, but he was clearly delighted - to be held, that he noticed the beer, that he was leaving more clothes. What a perfect day.
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After a swig, Raylan picked up and finished eating what was in the container before dragging over the fortune cookies and tossing one towards Malcolm's plate as he opened the wrapping around his own.
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"I've never tried to eat one of these," he confessed, unwrapping it. "What are they like?"
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"Pretty bland and tasteless, you'll love it. But the fun part is the fortune inside." Raylan cracked his in half and pulled out the sheet of paper tucked inside.
"Your happiness is intertwined with your outlook on life.," he read, shaking his head slightly with a lift of his eyebrows as he tossed the paper on the island in front of them. "I don't know about that. I think I like your daily affirmations more, besides the fact they don't come with lucky numbers."
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"But it's true. You said it yourself: it's all about having the right perspective," he teased. He cracked his cookie the way Raylan did and pulled out the piece of paper. "A faithful friend is a strong defence. I can't argue with that," he said cheerfully, setting the paper down. He took a nibble of the cookie. "It tastes like... slightly sweet cardboard. But it's lighter than I was expecting."
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"They're a nice treat after some of the grease or heavy flavors that linger. Bit of fun after dinner. Are you going to eat anymore of anything?" The question came as Raylan started collecting and tossing his trash away - the purpose of it was only to know if he should start putting food up or not.
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He watched Raylan for a moment.
"...Are you glad you came?"
Sure, they had a good day out, but he'd also gotten knee deep in the Whitly family.
"Net positive so far?"
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That done, Raylan came back around to lean on the counter next to Malcolm with a reassuring lift of his features. "Even with your mother and sister and all of it. All I wanted was to be here with you and I am. What's not to be happy about?"
It wasn't chiding in the slightest, but Raylan was happy and saw no reason to keep it under his proverbial hat.
"Besides, there's no one out here who wants to kill me.. Yet. Less interruptions on my day to day life."
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"There might be a person or two that wants to kill me, but they won't dare come around if you're here," he said, leaning up to press a lingering kiss to his mouth.
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"I'm sure it'll only take one example. Considering how many people are still talkin' about Tommy Bucks." Even the Mafia down there. "Just can't let shit go," he huffed with a crook of his lips.
Raylan leaned down to close the scant distance and kiss him again. "Mm, you're only giving me two signals. Cuddling on the couch and watching TV, or going to bed with no intention to sleep for at least a half hour," he hummed."
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THAT ICON IS CHEATING
THAT ICON IS TRUTH
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