abrightboy | No One's Born Broken

He did not look convinced. "If you're sure." Raylan glanced around before glancing down, shoving the urge to kiss Malcolm goodby into one of his pockets.

"You'll let me know if you need anything, right? I'm not trapped - I can come pick you up some place if I need to."

Malcolm's smile was wider and warmer.

"I'll text you if I need rescued," he assured Raylan. "Or if I see something exciting. Or if I miss you too much to not."

That earned a pull of Raylan's lips and a brief, intense study of Malcolm's features before he nodded again and closed his town car door.

"Alright. I suppose I'll see you later then." Fidgeting with his keys for a second, Raylan turned around and slid in, turning the engine over so he could roll down his window. "If I don't hear from ya, I'll text you before I leave."

Wow, he.. really didn't want to go, but he had to.

Malcolm leaned down to look in the window at him.

"You'll hear from me, Deputy," Malcolm assured him lightly, his smile delighted and charmed. "But do that anyway."

Raylan nodded, face drawn a little too serious as he put the car in reverse and pulled out. There was some small part of him that worried that this was somehow going to be the last time he saw Malcolm. His gut didn't like it one bit.

But the feeling was one he had to chew on as he drove to work. It went much as he expected; all the parents in his office demanded some of Willa's attention, though Art was the worst of them all, and Raylan managed to pawn her off onto Art in exchange for him doing some paperwork. Art was already a grandfather - there was no stopping that softness. After getting some shit for not just taking the day off to spend with his daughter, Raylan finished up what he needed to, some near three hours later, and recollected her with a laugh.

He had a BBQ and a smol New Yorker he wanted to get back to.

After shooting off a text to said smol New Yorker, Raylan got him and his daughter back into the car and on the way home.

Malcolm walked in the direction he was pretty sure their apartment building was in, but he was wrong and he ended up in an unfamiliar neighbourhood. That didn't stop him from sending one short simple text at a point about an hour after Raylan drove away from him.

I couldn't not. I love you. Hope you're having fun. I'm lost, but it's for the best. See you soon. xxxooo

By the time he got Raylan's text, he'd found a taxi and made it home, but he'd turned the stereo on and was painting the bathroom to 70's soul music, so he didn't hear his phone beep. He didn't answer the text.

The text had brought a much needed smile to Raylan's face but something someone said distracted him away from answering it in any kind of time to be worth reading. Still, the words 'I'm lost' didn't do anything to help the feeling he'd left with, despite him repeating and reminding himself that Malcolm was a wholly capable human being.

He'd be fine.

Right?

So maybe Raylan sped a little on the way home, careful to not take it too far or hard - Willa was in the backseat after all, but everything in him was ready to call Winona to come take Willa so he could go find Malcolm.

The sound of music was a welcome break to his tension, though he couldn't help but lift his eyebrows above a curled smile at the music that greeted him. Instead of calling out, he got Willa settled, changed and laid in her playpen for some alone time so he could go and search out Malcolm.

When he found him, Raylan leaned his shoulder face against the outside door frame and grinned. "Hey Earth Wind and Fire. I like the color."

Malcolm looked over with a big grin at the sound of his voice, then looked up at the wall he was painting. "Yeah? I hoped you would." He looked over again. "I didn't hear you come in. Must have the music too loud. I hope the neighbours don't complain."

He set the paintbrush down in the tray and stepped over to give Raylan a kiss. "How did it go? Was everyone utterly charmed?" Of course they would be, his expression said.

"I could only just make it out in the hall, I'm sure they're fine," he defended before Malcolm stepped over to collect the kiss Raylan 100% had to give him, hand slinking around his waist.

"'Course they were. Cutest baby they've ever seen. I think she broke a world record on cute or something," he said with a smirk as he stole another kiss. "How did getting lost go? You had me worried there for a minute."

Malcolm smiled as that kiss broke, then raised his eyebrows. "Oh, no. It was fine. I went the wrong way, but I accidentally found a Lowes, so I thought... paint! And then the nice lady at the paint counter called me a cab."

Malcolm tugged at Raylan's lapels. "I can put this stuff away if you're ready to go. Finish it later."

"You walked around?" Not that Malcolm walking specifically was surprising, only that Raylan had fully expected him to call a cab as soon as he'd driven off. Raylan glanced at the bathroom and then looked back down at Malcolm before continuing.

"Yeah, I'm ready. The sooner we go, the sooner we get back and I can open a beer, take off my boots." The sooner he could hold and kiss Malcolm without reservation. "Art talked me into takin' tomorrow off," he mentioned, almost casually. "And I'll be givin Willa back sometime tomorrow mornin'."

"I'm trying to get the lay of the land," Malcolm said about the walking. He had to learn the city.

"Is that so?" he replied to Raylan's news, leaning into Raylan to steal another kiss before pulling away to gather up his paint and supplies. "So... almost a whole day to ourselves in our new place," he noted with a grin up at Raylan. "Sounds like - possibly - the best day ever." He glanced in the direction of Willa, even though there was a wall between them. "Not that she interferes at all. It's been really nice having her around."

"I mighta suggested that I'd have her til the end of the day." He mighta lied. Despite the fact that he followed the kiss for a fraction of an inch before Malcolm fully got away, he stayed leaned on the doorframe to watch.

"You only say that because you haven't been woken up by her yet," he teased. "She's cute, but havin' her here wasn't what I had in mind for our first night. Second night, maybe." But the first night was supposed to have been for them.

If he didn't know any better, he might think that Winona planned it out that way.

"That's kind of our lives, huh? Things not going quite to plan."

Once everything was closed up and tucked away in a corner by the toilet where they wouldn't get kicked or stub any toes, he got up and slid his arms around Raylan again.

"We'll have a first night alone first night tomorrow," he suggested, pressing one more kiss to Raylan's mouth.

"I guess it kinda is," he admitted, sounding like he didn't care much one way or the other. And he didn't. It could be as hard as it wanted to, he still wanted to try. To do this with Malcolm. To be with him.

Humming a note as he pushed off the wall to let Malcolm wrap his arms around him and be collected in return, Raylan smiled as he bent to meet that kiss. "Sounds like the best idea we've had all week."

He stole another kiss before starting to step backwards. "C'mon. Let's go do some shopping and have a barbeque."

Malcolm smiled broadly. This? This was the sort of life he'd always been told probably wouldn't be possible for him. It was an exciting adventure.

"Let me just grab my phone," he said, pausing at the stereo to shut off the music before snapping up his phone from the breakfast bar. "Oh, you texted," he noted, swiping the notification off the home screen. "...And my mother called. Well. That wellness check can wait," he said, swiping that notification off, too, and shoving the phone in his pocket.

He bent by the baby carrier. "Did you have a good time at the Marshal's office?" he asked, tickling Willa under the chin. He glanced around for the diaper bag and grabbed it as he stood up, so Raylan could take the baby in her seat.

Raylan got Willa back into her car seat after checking her diaper and lifted his eyebrows at Malcolm as he fetched and slid on his hat.

"I did. And you didn't text back after sayin' you were lost. I mighta broke the speed limit gettin' home too." And he wasn't sorry in the least. "But I agree that your mother can wait. Winona was enough; you deserve at least one day where you're not harassed."

Checking that he had everything, he watched with a smile as Malcolm tickled Willa's chin, earning a pleasant half laugh as she twisted and turned to avoid it, eyes following Malcolm as he rose until she couldn't see him anymore. Raylan picked up the car seat and led them down.

Once they were all strapped in and on the road, he continued. "She's not going to call back a million times, is she? I say turn it off now if that's the case."

Malcolm huffed a laugh.

"No. She knows when I'm ignoring her. Not that it was on purpose this time."

He didn't want to turn off his phone in case Gil needed anything.

"Though I may have done it on purpose, if I heard it ring."

He looked at Raylan. "So I know we need meat to have a barbeque, but what else are we looking for?" He wanted to help.

He bobbed his head in concession. "Fair enough."

"Well, depends on what we want with it. Corn on the cob is good. Potato salad tends to be a more classic choice. Something cool to go with the hot and all. Or somethin' like coleslaw." He glanced over. "Baked beans is another possibility, but I don't think you'll like those."

Malcolm considered the options. "I might be able to do some corn," he finally decided. "And we can get... whatever else you want." He did not want Raylan's meals to ever be limited to what he was up to eating.

"Beer. Definitely beer. But the corn will be plenty. Maybe a couple of dinner rolls too. They're always good to mop up some of the mess." Raylan wasn't going to limit his meal but he would shift things around to the cheapest option he could. He wasn't pressed for money, but he couldn't help old, common sense habits.

Waste for the sake of it was kind of disgusting.

They pulled into the grocery store and Raylan cut off the engine, sliding out to open the back door and get Willa out of her carseat, hefting her up onto his shoulder with a smile and a soft set of words to her before he lifted his eyes to find Malcolm. "Ready?"

Malcolm hesitated, pointing to the backseat. "Do we need the bag or... do we leave it here?" he asked.

Raylan huffed a breath. "She's not going to starve and I checked her diaper before we left. It's okay; we won't need anything from it." With a little tilt of his head, he started them off that way and got a cart, settling Willa down in the child provided seat. He was glad she was old enough to sit up on her own - it made things like this easier.

"Just don't let us leave without the jello."

"Right!"

He'd already forgotten about it.

He hadn't been in one of these big supermarkets since the last time he went with Raylan, before their last trip to Arlo's. He glanced around watchfully, taking it in, staying near Raylan's elbow as he navigated. He had some idea where things were.

Guiding them through, Raylan hit up the produce (for corn) and the nearby meat section for their chicken before they ambled off towards the sauces.

"We'll have to get charcoal too, unless it's a gas grill. I didn't think to check," he commented with a glance over.

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IS HE PAINTING IN HIS SUIT??

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