"I don't." It's definitely more than friends with benefits. He's not sure he's ever had a relationship with anyone like this one, exactly, with the promise of no strings and the trust of something with a hundred of them. "And mine is, too. For the record. I'm not planning on hiding anything unless you want me to."
"No. No, I've done my time hidin' here. We're adults. You're not my inmate. I'm not ashamed anymore." Well. He was working on not being ashamed but sometimes it reared its head. It was always going to be a work in progress.
"It's okay." It was going to be okay. He was going to be okay. He hoped. "As much as I'd love to stand here with you, I think we got a meetin' we're supposed to be lookin' towards goin' to. You feelin' up for makin' that appearance?"
Raylan leans back a little and cups Neal's face with one hand, turning him up to look at him properly.
"Hey." Serious hazels flick back and forth between Neal's blues. "You're not alone. Speak up for yourself if you need to. No matter what's decided, we'll collectively figure it out."
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"It's okay." It was going to be okay. He was going to be okay. He hoped. "As much as I'd love to stand here with you, I think we got a meetin' we're supposed to be lookin' towards goin' to. You feelin' up for makin' that appearance?"
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It's not even about him. He doesn't need to be this anxious.
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"Hey." Serious hazels flick back and forth between Neal's blues. "You're not alone. Speak up for yourself if you need to. No matter what's decided, we'll collectively figure it out."
He bends and kisses Neal softly, firm but chaste.
"We'll talk later."