tinstar | Malcolm x Raylan: Cowboy Surprise

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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Malcolm huffed a small laugh down towards his lap, distractedly wringing his hands.

After a moment, he looked over. "Are you really all right?" he asked quietly. "Because you seem... not so much. And if I didn't upset you, then something did."

"I'm fine," he assured, knowing full well that Malcolm's spider senses would still pick up. "I'll be better once we get home."

Raylan pulled into the farmers market and cut the engine.

"Let's go raid their beans."

Malcolm got out of the car and walked into the market beside Raylan, sticking close to his elbow as he looked around at all the stalls with their produce.

"This is a lot different than the farmer's market I used to go to in DC."

More rustic. He liked it.

"We need green and yellow," he said. "Oh! We can probably get other ingredients here." He pulled out his phone and pulled up the recipe. "Fresh oregano. Garlic. Red onion." He looked at Raylan to gauge his whether he thought that was a good idea and just his overall mood and enthusiasm for the task.

He kept his eyes moving as they ambled about, unable to stop himself for scanning for danger, but when they fell on Malcolm, there was no denying the softness that curled into his smile.

"DC is almost all federals, so that doesn't surprise me. We've got more farms and closer to the city."

At the listing, Raylan started scanning again. "Well, I see a lotta green but I think I've spotted at least those last two. You might be all your own on the beans though. We might have to ask."

Malcolm smiled broadly.

"I think between me and a US Marshal, we can hunt down some beans," he teased, glancing around at the stalls. "Let's try down here," he said, veering off, but not fast enough that Raylan got away from him at all. He couldn't touch him the way he wanted to, but he could stay in his space.

"I see some," he said as they got close to the end of that row. "How much do you think we need?"

"Tax payers dollars at work," Raylan joked as he veered with him, just as eager to keep him in his space as Malcolm was to be there.

"I dunno. How much does the recipe make? Between you and me, whatever it suggests should be enough. I'd be more worried about everything evens out in the bowl than having too much."

Was.. was he going to get to watch Malcolm eat two things in one meal? He was considerably excited by the possibility.

He was going to try to eat two things.

He pulled the recipe up on his phone again and checked the amounts, then asked the woman at the booth for that much. Her eyes kept straying to Raylan and she smiled at him as she weighed out the beans.

Raylan hung around his elbow, eyes moving lazily over the produce before the weight of her eyes drew his up. He smiled, like he always did, warm as a summer's day in all his wrinkles and thanked her with a passing nod of his head as Malcolm collected their beans.

"I think that's our next stop," he said, with a finger towards a cart down the way. "Lotta greens. They're bound to have what you're lookin' for."

The woman might have eyes for him and she wouldn't be alone in the world, but his eyes were currently taken, and had they been in a more progressive place where he felt comfortable, he would have slid an arm around Malcolm.

People looked at Raylan. Of course they did. He was striking. A little part of Malcolm felt triumphant every time Raylan gave them a pleasant smile and then walked away with him.

He looked over the cart Raylan had scouted out, picking up some oregano and then picking up some parsley and some dill because they smelled good and he figured he'd find something to use them in for the next day. The cart also had the garlic and onions, so he grabbed those two before looking over at Raylan. "I think that's everything."

"Then let's go home. I'm ready to not be out in public," he admitted as he stuck his hands in his pockets to keep them out of trouble.

Malcolm was just as striking and Raylan was sure that wasn't biased at all.

Leading them back to the car, Raylan slid in and got them home with only the briefest stop at the liquor store. Today had been too long to not. Once they were home, Raylan let out a breath that half bore the tension he'd been holding in his shoulder as he hung his hat on the rack with a half breathed "Jesus" before heading to the kitchen.

"Do you know how long you're staying this time?"

He shook his head, following Raylan into the kitchen with the bags of food, setting them on the counter before moving the rest of the way around the island to slide his arms around Raylan's waist from behind, pressing his cheek to the nape of his neck.

"Until someone calls me with a compelling reason to go to New York," he murmured. "I'm here now, unless I have to be there."

Having gotten the meat, they were set up for a pretty nice meal, all in all but Raylan had to take a few minutes before that was even thought of. He wasn't exactly hungry. But the sudden weight and warmth of Malcolm around him was a welcome distraction from his stress and he slid one hand over his arm, squeezing gently.

"Turn off your phone. Just for tonight," he asked, head tilting a little to send his voice more over his shoulder. "And maybe tomorrow."

Gently, Raylan turned around so he could settle his hand on the side of Malcolm's neck. "Just so we can have us for a night or two without havin' to share it with someone else."

Malcolm held Raylan's gaze while he wordlessly pulled his phone out of his pocket, turned it off and dropped it on the counter. With both hands free, he reached up to slide his arms around Raylan's neck, leaning in to kiss him with all the pent up need of the day.

God, he need that. That all commanding pull that Malcolm gave off being sated by them melding together and Raylan's arms wrapped around Malcolm, fighting to get under his jacket to feel the shape of him under his fancy, expensive clothes. It wasn't a chaste or quick kiss, but when it broke, Raylan pressed his forehead against Malcolm's, eyes staying closed until he started speaking.

"I missed you," he murmured, taking a breath before he pulled back to see him clearly. "And I'll figure out Art. Don't be sorry you came."

"I love working with you. Thank you for taking me," he said softly.

But if it drew too much attention to them, he understood if he couldn't work with the Marshals again.

He searched Raylan's face. There was still some lingering tension there. "I missed you, too," he said. "You're really okay?"

"I'll be fine. Just let me decompress a little. It's been a long day. I promise," he reassured, stealing another deep heartfelt kiss.

"You want a drink?"

If there was a place for Malcolm to help, Raylan wouldn't tell him no. If everyone knew already, there'd be a point in time where not going was just as silly.

"I could drink a drink," Malcolm told him, sliding his hands down over his shoulders to rest at his chest. "You know. If it helps you unwind..." He started tugging Raylan's tie loose. "Willa isn't here today...."

Raylan's smile curled as Malcolm got more suggestive and his eyes drifted down to those talented hands tugging his tie open before coming back up to met his.

"No she is not," he rumbled as one hand moved to slide up and start unbuttoning the waistcoat that hid Malcolm's deceptively build frame. "Meat needs to come up to room temp anyway," he continued before stealing Malcolm's kiss up in a lazier, slow burning kind of exploration.

They didn't have anyone expecting them. They didn't have anything but dinner on the agenda, and Raylan missed the feeling of Malcolm against him, passively or otherwise.

When the kiss broke he grinned, tugging Raylan's tie out of his collar and tossing it across the counter.

"Meat has to be room temperature; I didn't know that."

He started working open his buttons.

"Good thing there's a lot of apartment to break in," he noted, looking up from the buttons to watch Raylan's face from under his lashes.

"Mm," he hummed, face full of softness and love as he tugged Malcolm's shirt free to start on those buttons himself. He kind of liked the idea of them being half dressed and somehow all naked all at the same time.

"Cold meat gets shocked with the heat. Contracts all the bits." Raylan glanced at the apartment behind him with a grin.

"I kinda wanna start with the couch," he admitted with a sly look down at Malcolm.

"There's never been a situation where contracted bits is good," Malcolm acknowledged, pushing his shirt off his shoulders to leave him in his undershirt.

He started backing towards the couch as he unbuckled Raylan's belt. "The couch is big enough to provide options," he promised.

Raylan discarded his shirt with a hum as he let Malcolm tug him forward while his hands moved up to start pulling Malcolm's tie loose and open so he could get to the last button. "Oh," he sounded suddenly, face taking to surprise before he put his hands over Malcolm's and looked at him from under his brow.

"Don't.. move.. I'll be right back."

Darting away, Raylan scurried into the bedroom, hastily pulled off his boots, hopping with the last as he made his way to the dresser to grab a very important bottle before striding back into the living room and pitching it onto the couch with a victorious grin.

"There. Now neither of us has to scramble off for it," he breathed, an errant bit of his bangs falling forward as he reached for Malcolm again, eager to enjoy the skin he just uncovered.

Malcolm was vaguely confused for just a moment when Raylan suddenly stopped, but worked it out when he darted into the bedroom.

When he came back, he was greeted by a broad grin.

"Good thinking. I'd say 'I like where your head is at' but I actually want to get it over there," he teased, with a tilt of his own head towards the couch. He tugged Raylan there by his open belt, not moving so fast that Raylan couldn't reach him easily. He wanted those hands to enjoy the skin they uncovered too.

Malcolm toed his shoes off as they went and when they reached the couch, he pushed Raylan's jeans and boxers down so they could be easily kicked away, undecided as to whether he wanted to peel that undershirt off or not.

Still grinning, Raylan followed Malcolm's direction, working the belt of his very fine trousers open. There was no chance to get them peeled off, not with the way Malcolm was slipping away from him to push down his pants in one mostly smooth motion that made Raylan chuckle as he stepped out of them, kicked them away and fell back to sit on the couch, fingers catching and pulling Malcolm forward by his waist-band.

"Got plenty of time to get it where ever you want, darlin'," he purred as he lifted his face up to smile crookedly at him as Raylan's fingers worked his buttons and zipper open.

Malcolm shed them once they were undone and climbed into Raylan's lap, a knee on each side of his hips to give him a very thorough kiss, sliding his own hips forward just a bit for a little friction.

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