tinstar | 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've done plenty of that on your own without any help from me," he assured sharply. "And you've got no right to tell me what I am willin' to put up with."

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."

Malcolm was a little pale and moved towards the door almost in a daze while Raylan made the apologies, trusting he'd turn up somewhere beside him.

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.

This wasn't gonna happen again until Jessica made some adjustments to her attitude. He'd tried, he really had but her bullshit had gotten his hair up far too quickly.

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.

"Hm?" he said, taking one more breath before opening his eyes and looking at Raylan. "Oh. No. No, no. It's... that is not the problem; I'm glad it's out there. I... just." He pressed a palm to his own chest. "Anxiety attack. Sorry. I just... can't. Sometimes I just can't." He looked at Raylan. "My mother thinks literally nobody will ever really love me. What is that?"

Raylan stopped them on the sidewalk and pulled Malcolm into a tight hug.

"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.

Malcolm nodded up at him, wiping an errant tear from his face with the palm of his hand, leaning into Raylan's body like a plant leans towards the sun.

"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.

"She does but she's let her fears grow into the worst possible scenario without payin' attention to what is actually happenin' around her." Raylan had to meet Malcolm's eyes as he continued.

"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."

All true. Every word. God, Raylan was so blunt and steadfast. At the two-headed aliens remark, his earnest expression broke into a wavering, relieved smile.

"Do you have to leave tonight?" he asked softly. "Or can you stay until morning?"

"I can stay," he was happy to say. "Until about ten am tomorrow. No strings attached... Let's go home, hmm? I can't save you from all her dinners but I think I'm about done for the day."

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.

Malcolm's tension began to ease visibly as the taxi pulled away from the curb. To go home. With Raylan. To his arms. To kiss him breathless.

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.

Raylan was going to need a drink or three once they'd gotten home, but he kept that to himself, jaw still tight from the conversation he'd just left.

"I think she's had a lotta practice.... You told them you love me... Did you mean to do that?"

Malcolm rolled his head to the side to look at Raylan.

"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."

One eyebrow lifted a little as the rest of his face curled unevenly, however softly. He was infrastructure? Huh. He wasn't entirely sure how to process that and gave a softly blissful little smile before glancing at his lap and up out the front window, landing back over on Malcolm's features despite himself.

"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."

Malcolm nodded.

"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."

Raylan's hand in his tightened a little.

"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."

"That sounds... better," Malcolm agreed, settling against him for the rest of the ride.

Malcolm x Raylan: Cowboy Surprise

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end it after a cap off?

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