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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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"Ma'am, I've been dating your son for roughly nine and a half months now. I do not care about your money or your servants, or your nice house," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand at the opulent surroundings. "Nor do I give much of any shit about how far back it is or how powerful you think you are. The Marshals service doesn't pay me nothin' and I have lived poorer than your privileged self can even imagine, so there is nothing here that I want except your son."
He leaned forward a little, moving the soup aside so that he could more freely rest a gesturing hand and forearm on her too nice table.
"I know this is hard for you to swallow, with all the plans you had for him, and I know that I am.. less than ideal a choice, I'll grant you that." If any protest came from Malcolm, he'd hold up a finger, gaze unmoving from Jessica. "Let me make it.. crystal clear. I'm datin' Malcolm because he is a delightfully empathic, kind and earnest man who is tryin' to drag himself above the shit line of his family - Completely Martin's fault and I'm happy to punch him out again if you want me too," he continued with a wave of his fingers.
Normally, he would have stopped there, but his back hairs were up and he didn't want this to linger any longer than it would with straight on attention.
"Now you can be happy for him, or you can sour it and your relationship with him because you refuse to let him out from under your thumb. That choice ain't got anything to do with me."
Right now, he was just the mediator.. or so he'd set it up to seem that way, if he could. Just the arbiter between her and the reality that faced her, no personal offence taken or meant.
He was untouchable.
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"I don't need protected, Mother," Malcolm interjected forcefully, clenching his hand into a fist. He looked at her with naked hurt. "Is it really completely inconceivable that someone could love me?"
Her expression softened, though she kept half a wary eye on Raylan. She reached out and covered Malcolm's clenched fist with her hand.
"Malcolm, it's not that I think they shouldn't. But you know what kind of complications living with you entails. It's not a question of your worth; it's a matter of what other people will put up with."
Malcolm pulled his hand out from under hers and looked at Raylan. "Can we go? I want to go."
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He looked over at Malcolm. "Yeah, that might be a good idea," he answered with another pointed glance towards Jessica as he pushed to his feet. "I know you love him and you're doin' your motherly duty, but I don't have to be your enemy. I want the same thing you do. His wellbeing." With a jerk of his leg to move his chair back, Raylan strode over to collect his hat and slip it on his head.
"Ainsley? Congratulations again. I look forward to seein' you on breakin' news. Sorry about this."
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Ainsley waved off the apology. "But I hope I'll see you next time you're in town. Maybe the three of us can have lunch," she said with a pointed look at her mother.
Malcolm practically burst into the street, doubling over for a moment before straightening up and tilting his head back, eyes squeezed shut, to take and release a deep breath.
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He took Ainsley's offer with a bob of his head before walking out after Malcolm and taking a deep breath as the door closed behind him and he caught up with Malcolm a few feet ahead.
"I'm sorry, darlin'. I tried to be polite, but I didn't see any reason to beat around the bush anymore. I know we weren't tryin' to broadcast it." He ran a hand up and down Malcolm's back before moving it around his waist, just being there for the moment.
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"Wrong and shortsighted, that's what it is." He pressed a kiss into Malcolm's hair before his embrace loosened a little. "It's bullshit. I love you, with no other agenda. And I'll fight with her about it as long as I need to until she understands. I'm not leaving you."
Not unless Malcolm was done with him and even that wasn't a sure thing. Raylan tended to hold on.
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"Do you think she just said that to... I don't know. Provoke a response?" He was grasping. He saw her face. She meant it. He could see she did. "She was telling the truth; she thinks she's protecting me," he admitted immediately.
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"She wanted to drive me away. Challenge me, like I don't know what I'm stepping into. And honestly, I might not know the full depth but it doesn't matter. You could tell me you see two headed aliens on the walls and I'd still be here."
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"Do you have to leave tonight?" he asked softly. "Or can you stay until morning?"
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It wasn't hard to step off the curb and summon a cab, letting Malcolm in before he slid in himself and slid a hand over Malcolm's thigh with a worried look over at him. he wasn't going anywhere.
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After a moment, he slid his hand over Raylan's on his leg and let his head fall back against the seat.
"Why is my family so exhausting?" he sighed.
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"I think she's had a lotta practice.... You told them you love me... Did you mean to do that?"
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"I didn't mean it to be.... some sort of revelation for them or anything. It kind of slipped out. But only because... that's just the way it is," he said softly, watching Raylan's face. "It's a fact. It's... part of my infrastructure."
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"You know what your mother said was bullshit, right? I'd say I'm sorry for losin' my temper but I'm not. Talkin' down to your kids is a real bad look, especially when she's tryin' to dismiss me."
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"I know. Intellectually. I know she's wrong. It's just...." He took a breath and laid his free hand on his chest. "It's hard to accept that the reason my mother thinks you don't love me is that she thinks I'm fundamentally... not lovable. That... was a bombshell I'm still trying to process." He stared out the front window for a moment, then looked at Raylan again. "That means every time she ever tried to set me up, she was trying to.... arrange some sort of... marriage of convenience? I guess?" He blew out a breath. "I don't know what to do with all that except... maybe take a page out of your book and just not... think about it right now."
end it after a cap off?
"Best I can guess, she was goin' for love over time, but arranged anythin' doesn't lead to a lotta happiness in my experience. There's always time to deal with shit later," he agreed with a nod. When it stings less.
"Let's get home. I don't know about you, but I need a drink and about 5 minutes of quiet."
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