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.

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[tinstar]

There was so much trust and belief in the eyes above him and Raylan couldn't find it in himself to argue. He wasn't the bad guy per say, just.. He didn't know. It had to stew.

"It's not you either then." But the argument in whole didn't sit right with him. Scapegoating some of the responsibility off onto a soul that would relish the attention of it, good or bad. It was giving Martin Whitly more credit than he deserved.

Raylan reached up to draw Malcolm down into a soft kiss. "He's not welcome in this bed either. You ready for some coffee?"

[abrightboy]

He smiled as the kiss broke, nodding and then kissing him one more time before getting up to turn and sit on the edge of the bed to look around for his shirt. A fresh bruise was blooming in a straight line across his back, a few inches below his shoulder blades. He spotted the shirt and picked it up, considered it for a moment before tossing it onto the little pile with his pants and the washcloth and padded over to the dresser to get a fresh set of both.

[tinstar]

Raylan pushed up onto his elbows as Malcolm sat on the edge of the bed, finally noticing the bruise across his back too. He followed Malcolm out of bed, stopping him when he got to the dresser with a soft touch.

"You've got another one here," he said, fingers drifting oh so gently under the line of bruise. "Don't do anything crazy with your back or yoga." Raylan pressed a kiss to Malcolm's shoulder before stepping to the side to pull out his own clean clothes, boxers and jeans.

He still had to go to work, after all.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm twisted in an attempt to see over his shoulder, but even he wasn't that flexible. He pulled on a clean pair of sweatpants. "What did I do?" he asked. "How did I manage that?"

He rummaged around to find a clean t-shirt and pulled that on too.

[tinstar]

"Slamin' yourself into the railing I'd imagine," he said as he stepped into his jeans and pulled out an undershirt to pull on, doing so as he padded towards the closet to pull out a working shirt.

"We're gonna start lockin' the terrace door too," he continued as he pulled the shirt on, leaving it open as he came past again, stopping to kiss Malcolm and head for the bedroom door.

"I'm going to start the coffee."

[abrightboy]

Malcolm trailed after the kiss just a moment before Raylan was heading to the kitchen.

He slipped into the bathroom and pulled up his shirt so he could look at his back in the mirror.

Hrm.

He looked more closely at his wrists. It would be obvious to anyone with minimal training that the marks were made by human hands. Long sleeves today. Especially if he went out to get supplies for the herb garden or to get a tea.

He wandered into the living room after freshening up, leaning over the island to watch Raylan work on the coffee.

"How...how are you feeling?" he asked.

[tinstar]

Raylan looked over his shoulder at the question while he sat the filled kettle on it's warmer and turned it on, busying his hands afterwards with scooping coffee into the press.

"You mean after last night? Tired, mostly," he admitted easily. "If nothin' too crazy happens today, I won't be sorry. Though I imagine I should expect to be given some shit for yesterday," he continued with a smirk as he turned to lean on the counter as the water beside him started bubbling.

"Where you think you're gonna start your day?"

[abrightboy]

"I wa..." He started to gesture towards the terrance, then paused as his brain caught up.

"Shit for yesterday?" he echoed, looking at Raylan with slightly wide eyes. "What? Why, because of last night?" How would anyone know about that? "What kind of shit?" He was babbling. Shut up, Bright.

[tinstar]

The sudden ramble of ideas is what made Raylan smile crookedly, not the slight panic on Malcolm's face, though that was hard to overlook.

"Because of yesterday. Probably good natured shit, but you never know. We mighta offended Art by goin' around his plan. Next time, by the way, they call the shots, not me." Well.. Most of the time. "Art's the boss."

[abrightboy]

"I know Art's the boss," he said. "But I don't think he objected." He frowned faintly, running back over the day in his head. "I don't remember him objecting; did he object?"

In New York and in the FBI, Malcolm Bright did what Malcolm Bright felt compelled to do and if someone in charge objected, they had to speak up.

Sometimes he listened.

He wrinkled his nose a little. "Did I get you in trouble?" he asked before Raylan could answer.

[tinstar]

"Nah, it won't be trouble," he assured, starting with the last question first as the kettle turned off and he turned to pour the hot water into the french press carefully. "But I imagine he'll have some questions." He set the kettle back down and looked over.

"I'm not gonna lie to him about it."

Art had objected but not loudly enough with a foot stomp - Raylan assumed it was to watch Malcolm work himself, instead of just having to read reports. Still, Raylan saying he wasn't going to lie meant there was no telling what mood he'd be in when he got home.

[abrightboy]

"I didn't lie to him about it," Malcolm said in agreement. "I didn't... volunteer any details and I tried to be vague, but only because it's your situation to gauge."

He paused and leaned forward a little. "You won't lose your job, right?"

[tinstar]

"You don't have to. He's a Marshal. The man can read bullshit a mile away. One day I'll tell you about the time Winona stole cash outta evidence and Art found out by virtue of lookin' at me too hard."

Raylan took a deep breath and shook his head. "I don't think so, no. Art.. wouldn't do that." He hoped. He prayed, anyway. He was nervous about it.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm scooted around the island and applied himself to Raylan's side, pressing his cheek to Raylan's shoulder. He could feel his unease but there was nothing he could offer to do anything about it.

"Stole money from evidence. Is that the 'actual theft' we have on her if she gives you a hard time about Willa?" Or, probably more accurately, about Malcolm.

[tinstar]

For once, it was Raylan that needed the hug and he took it willingly, wrapping that arm around Malcolm's shoulder with a gentle squeeze. A hug was plenty to offer.

"Yup. I mean, we put it back. We didn't get caught outright but.. Art knew. Mighta punched me over it. This won't be that bad." Can't be that bad, right? Raylan wanted to believe the idea that it didn't matter, but life had a way of fucking him over, and he couldn't dismiss the possibilities.

Figuring the coffee had steeped long enough, Raylan reached out with his free hand to press the plunger down in a slow, measured pace.

[abrightboy]

"...He punched you?" Malcolm clarified, looking up at him, his arm sliding across Raylan's stomach to grip his waist. "Then that was it about it?"

[tinstar]

"Mm," Raylan said, neither confirming nor denying except the pull of his face clearly declared it as a yes before he broke into a half grin with a huff of a chuckle. "No," he replied, eyebrows peaking with the word as he wrapped his now free hand around Malcolm to gently trap him in.

"He gave me shit work, closed me off on cases, stuck me with desk work. Basically until he decided what to do with me. Which was not kick me out of his office."

[abrightboy]

"You didn't do anything except stop her from stealing," Malcolm said with some consternation. He looked up again. "When I... ambiguously confirmed his guess about us, he didn't seem horrified or disgusted or even really surprised," he admitted.

[tinstar]

"Not.. quite," Raylan admitted with a wince. "But if he wasn't surprised then he's heard from the others. I'll sort it out. It'll be fine," he assured. Somehow, he'd find a way to make it okay.

"You wanna get us some cups or am I gonna get forced outta here with no coffee."

[abrightboy]

Malcolm's eyes widened slightly, and he untangled himself to turn and grab cups from the cupboard.

"No, no. Not after a night like that," he said quickly, reaching for the french press to pour.

"I thought you said Tim wouldn't say anything," he noted, pushing Raylan's cup towards him.

[tinstar]

"I also just said that he didn't have to. Tim is good. Art is better. Hell, they all knew three weeks before one of the first times Winona left this go around. Three weeks," he said as he took the cup. "Didn't say a damn word, any of 'em."

That was his biggest reference point.

"It'll be fine," he continued before taking a sip of his coffee. "This is my decided favorite, by the way."

[abrightboy]

Malcolm wasn't sure he quite understood what that covenant meant, so he'd defer to Raylan's expertise.

He looked up at the remark on the coffee. "These beans are from Hawaii," he said brightly. "I like it, too."

[tinstar]

It was complicated at best.

"More beaches huh? I must have a type." Stepping over, Raylan invited himself into Malcolm's space with a splayed hand and a slight lean, back against the counter. "Do you trust me?"

[abrightboy]

"I think you might be the only person I trust without a single reservation or doubt," Malcolm said in all seriousness, staying close to him, keeping his eyes on his face.

[tinstar]

"Then trust me with the office and Art, okay? I've been doin' this a long time, this livin' not a normal kinda life. And if he does take it some kinda way, hell. All the more chance to get us to Florida."