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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"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."

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.

"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."

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."

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?"

"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.

"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."

He nodded, putting his coffee down to slide his arms around Raylan and just hold onto him tightly.

"If you have to go out to the field, be safe," he murmured. "I asked you to stop moonlighting so you wouldn't put yourself at more risk at work and now I wake you up twice a night," he said with a wry laugh.

Raylan wrapped the hand he'd been leaning on around Malcolm to hug him close, lips pressed into his hair. "I can handle it. At least here, in between the gettin' woken up, it's all a lot less pathetic."

The closest he'd come to yet in admitting his situation was kind of sad, no matter how he could deal with it.

"You make it all worth it. Plus, you bring a garden with you, who can argue with that?"

He laughed; the man had a point and a way of making it.

He looked up and gave him a tender, lingering kiss. "Take that with you today," he said as it broke.

"Mm," he hummed, smiling warmly at the sentiment. "I'll take two before I go, while you're at it. Enjoy your coffee. Let me get some down my gullet without distracting me with those big blue eyes of yours," he said, stealing another kiss before drawing back.

Edited 2020-09-04 23:40 (UTC)

Malcolm laughed and picked up his coffee, stepping to the side to lean on the counter across from him.

"I have to figure out where I'm buying the plants. I think I want to check if there are any dedicated garden centres around here before I buy them from the big box."

"Oh you'll find a nursery or two. People love to garden in this state and Lexington is the biggest town around." For all its comical smallness in comparison to some place like NYC. "Don't let 'em upsell you otherwise you might be fighting to grow an orchard out there."

"What if.... I let them sell me a sweet pepper plant to go with your tomato plant?" he asked with a mischievous look. "Oh, or jalapeno plant? Do you like spicy food?"

Raylan's features arched again along with a matching smile. "I do love me a pepper, spicy or otherwise. That would be okay. Saves a hellva lot on a grocery bill too."

He knew that money was literally the least of their problems but he couldn't help but want to pinch the pennies where they could. It added up.

"Once they grow," Malcolm agreed. He paused. "I'll have to google the best way to do that," he added thoughtfully. "We can have a whole vegetable garden in Miami. Good climate for it. And we'll have more room. Cucumber are nice. Or zucchini. Oh! Fruit. I think strawberries are supposed to be pretty easy."

"Next time we're out in Harlan, if it's spring, I'm gonna introduce you to honeysuckle. Best grown wild though," he answered, taking another sip of coffee before setting it down so he could button up his shirt. He opened his pants so he could tuck it all in and continued.

"We're gonna have some great smellin' land, I tell you what."

That made him look up sharply. "If we're buying the house, are we also buying the land?"

"For sure. The land is where all the value is," Malcolm said matter-of-factly. He'd never been much interested in real estate, but you absorbed some things when your mother owned half of New York.

Raylan nodded. That felt... right, somehow. For a poor family, the fact that they had land was the only thing they could have pride in, even if it didn't make them any money and was often a burden. Land was influence in his community and he didn't know if it would be the same way in Miami but it was how he'd head into that particular operation.

Finishing his tuck, Raylan did his pants back up and picked up his coffee cup again to empty it.

"I'm going to go brush my teeth and get my boots on. Then I'm comin' back for those kisses," he said with a finger in Malcolm's direction as he ambled off towards the bedroom.

Malcolm smiled and ducked his head before looked up at Raylan's departing form.

"I'll stay right here, then," he said. "So you can find me."

He sipped his coffee as he waited for him, setting his cup aside when it was empty and tidying up.

Teeth brushed, hair palmaded, tie and suit jacket found and put on, along with his boots, before Raylan walked back out, gun and badge on his hip. All he was missing was his hat, hung by the front door.

He came up to Malcolm with a smile, hand sliding around his waist as he bent to collect those kisses as promised. "Call me if you need anything okay? Otherwise, I'll see ya later tonight."

He nodded, leaning in to give him one more tight hug and a kiss before letting go.

"Take care of yourself," he said, following Raylan to the door. He'd stay in the doorway until Raylan got in the elevator.

Gathering his hat and keys, Raylan glanced back with a smile before heading out the door, into the hallway, and into the elevator.

It was his day to get coffee, as Rachel had not so subtly reminded him the day before and in an attempt to start the day off on a good note, Raylan wanted to make sure they couldn't hold that against him. If nothing else. Twenty minutes later and Raylan was walking into the office with 8 coffees with a short, "Morning. Brought the coffee," before setting the coffee down on Rachel's desk and stealing one.

Once the office knew there was half decent coffee, it was every man for himself.

Tim came over to grab one while Rachel snagged one of her own with a look over at Raylan, who was settling down at his desk.

"I'm surprised you're on time."

"Hmm?" Raylan hummed distractedly before turning his focus to her like he hadn't really heard.

"We had a bet goin' as to if you'd even come in today," Tim was happy to explain, the faint lift at the corners of his mouth the closest he came to a smile when he was giving Raylan shit. "I had twenty on you comin' in, but several hours late."

Rachel sat back in her chair and sipped her coffee as she eyed Raylan. "I bet you wouldn't come in at all."

Raylan huffed a self conscious smile that he glanced at his lap before rolling his face back up to them. "Does that mean I get the proceeds?"

"Nah, I do," Art said, coming out of his office. "Did you bring the coffee?"

All three of them pointed at the coffees in unison.

"Well good," Art continued with a little nasal breath of approval as he came over to collect his own. "I bet you'd come in with that innocent look on your face and try to act all casual like you do."

Raylan turned that exact face towards him. "I have no idea what you're talkin' about."

"Uh-huh," Art drawled. "You got somethin' pressin' or can I bend your ear a minute?"

Raylan shook his head and stood up, letting Art lead the way.

Malcolm made his way to the big box for supplies. He didn't head for a garden centre yet; he had to build the herb garden first and figure out where he was placing the colourful ceramic pot he bought for the tomato. He might not be able to manage the construction in one day; he had to force himself to focus on one thing at a time.

Raylan could guess what was coming. A full confrontation of not only how he did his job but how he let the people he went to bed with influence him and what the hell kind of phase was he going through.

"You want a drink?" Art offered conversationally as he shuffled back behind his desk and sat down.

"It's not even ten yet, I think I'm good."

"Good," Art declared with a grunt as he got settled and took a sip of his coffee, hooded eyes locked on Raylan. "You doin' okay?"

Raylan tilted his head a little, eyes squinting. "Look, Art, I know you got somethin' to say, so just.. come on out and say it instead of this pussyfootin' around." He hated this tension.

Art eyed him for a long second. "Okay," he said, nodding as he sat forward to prop his forearms on his desk. "You let that little guy from New York have a lotta range yesterday with that Jeremy kid. I've seen you stonewall and bully the Feebs down. If I wasn't mistaken, you have gone soft for someone... I need to know if that's gonna be a problem. Since Mr. Bright seems to find his way into more and more of our cases." His head tilted with the non question, almost daring Raylan to be stupid enough to tell him he was wrong.

Raylan almost literally chewed over the words as they came at him, jaw working overtime in its growing tightness. This was it; this was the bullet he had to bite. He needed to do this job, but if he had to choose, he would choose Malcolm over his badge. To hell with Boyd, if that's the way it had to be. No matter how much he really did want to see that man behind bars and out of the public for good.

It'd be better for everyone.

"We got the guy," he said evenly.

"Yeah, after a second stand-off where he demanded to see Malcolm and wanted to use you both to get outta here. Why was that, Raylan? What, you think he thought you were partners?"

"Wouldn't be outta the way for him to assume that, considerin'," Raylan argued with a pinch of his brows. "We got the guy, saved the kid, saved the cop. Exactly what is the problem? Inn't that what we're supposed to do?"

Art weighed that for a minute, face stone set in it's hooded brow of suspicion before sighing and leaning back again. "He does do good work," he admitted, begrudgingly.

"Are you sleepin' with him," Art asked, eyes narrowing a little more, but the tone was a familiar one to Raylan; a gently pointed question. "Because you seem to get around sometimes, and after Winona.." Art had watched more than a few set of eyes follow Raylan around over the years, not to mention the cases that Raylan had tainted with his sex life. He wouldn't blame Raylan for finding some affection, the age he was.

It was, ultimately, a fair question.

Raylan's jaw tightened and loosened as he took a breath, eyes dropping for a long moment into his lap before coming back up. "Is it gonna to matter?" This was where he assumed Art would say yes. That he was too attached, too close. That their relationship meant they shouldn't work together. Couldn't work together.

"Only so long as neither of you do somethin' stupid."

Raylan couldn't help but huff a laugh into his lap before lifting his eyebrows at one of his oldest friends that he hadn't grown up with. "Would I do somethin' like that?"

"Yes," Art said flatly.

Raylan chuckled and sighed as he set his coffee down and rubbed his face.

"You goin' to take him to Miami with you?"

"Yeah," Raylan said, shoulders slumping in something of relief. "Yeah, he's gonna come with me."

"He know about Willa and Winona?"

"Yeah. He's good with Willa and Winona.." Raylan winced. "Work in progress."

"I bet," Art replied with a faint lift of his eyebrows. "How'd she take it?"

"She blew up," he said, sitting back with a flop of his hand. "But she hasn't pulled any bullshit yet over it."

"You oughta get papers. You work in a court house Raylan, you've heard how these things go."

"I know," he said, reluctant to get into the details at all. "But we'll figure it out. We always do. Winona doesn't want me outta Willa's life; she'll learn to play nice."

Art snorted. "You got a lot to learn about bein' divorced."

Raylan bobbed his head in concession and a few beats of silence passed. "So are we good?"

Art let a few more moments go by as he thought about it. "Yeah. For now. Until you do somethin' to piss me off."

Raylan smirked. "I'll do my best to avoid that then."

Art nodded and sat forward again to gesture towards the door. "Now get out. Some of us got work to do."

Raylan fought the smile that threatened to spread and nodded, pushing to his feet before grabbing his coffee and heading towards the door.

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