No One's Born Broken

[abrightboy]

For tinstar.



Gil came and went. Dani came and went. Ainsley came and then left with their mother, who refused to even hear him out about telling the truth. He stared through the window at the motionless man in the bed for some indeterminate amount of time, his hand clutching his phone in his pocket.

Finally he let his eyes leave the figure through the window and he took his phone out of his pocket. He stared at that for a long moment, then scrolled through his contacts until one name rolled onto the screen: Raylan Givens.

He looked through the window, then looked at the name. Then he pressed it.

Comments

[tinstar]

"Think so. Smells like it, anyway," Raylan murmured back, taking in the way Malcolm looked while he could, while his fingers were busy lathering and rinsing out the later a moment later. God, Malcolm was a pretty man.

"Conditioner," he continued just as softly, sliding a hand around Malcolm's waist as he turned them around in the shower before reaching past him for the bottle in question and popping it open.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm kept his eyes closed, let Raylan move him where he needed to be, smiling at the sound of his voice.

"Do you want the same one?" he asked.

[tinstar]

"Whatever one your hand falls to. They all remind me of you anyway." Filling his hands with a small amount, Raylan rubbed them together before working that into Malcolm's hair.

"You decide how I smell, darlin'" he invited with a little lift of his chin towards the selection.

[abrightboy]

His smile broadened.

"Is that what you're going to smell all day tomorrow?" he asked.

He'd have to pick something comforting.

"That's a big responsibility," he said lightly, still looking charmed and delighted.

[tinstar]

"Mmhmm," Raylan hummed as he slicked back Malcolm's hair and started rising his hands off, eyes always coming back to Malcolm's face when they could. "You've been doin' it well so far." His face split back into a grin. "Pretty sure you're a natural at it."

[abrightboy]

Malcolm swiped the bulk of water from his eyes, blinking against droplets as he opened them to see Raylan's grin.

Oh, his heart.

He had to press a kiss to that smile. And another.

Then he could peruse the bottles and choose one. Green tea and citrus.

He gently kicked one of the ones on the floor out of the way as he poured some in his palm, reaching up to thread it into Raylan's hair.

[tinstar]

"Those too," he continued as the second kiss was broken. If that's what he got for smiling, he'd be doing it a lot around him. Raylan took the chance while Malcolm was deciding to lean his head back and card a hand through his shorter hair, wetting it quickly.

Opting to enjoy the almost scalp massage that came with it, Raylan slid his hands around Malcolm's waist and kept them closer than strictly necessary. They could soap once his hair was setting in conditioner; for right now, Raylan was just soaking it up.

[abrightboy]

'Stocking up' was the phrase he'd taught Malcolm for that. It fit and it was in Malcolm's mind a lot in times like this, when they were going to be apart again soon.

"Well, it's definitely not practice in that case," he agreed with a self-deprecating laugh. A beat. "Actually... lately...." He looked up at him from under his eyelashes with a grin.

[tinstar]

Raylan grinned again, lifting his eyebrows a little. "Experience is the best teacher. And I am certified to teach," he said. "You're already on the honor roll, don't worry. Solid A+."

[abrightboy]

Malcolm laughed delightedly.

"I'm very honoured to make the roll," he said, moving him back into the spray, stepping with him, to wash out the shampoo, then stepping back with him to bring him out again. He reached for the complementary shampoo and realized it wasn't there. He glanced around and found it on the floor, having to step out of Raylan's grasp to retrieve it, but moving close to him again once he had it, squeezing it into his hand.

[tinstar]

Raylan stepped back as directed and closed his eyes as he leaned his head back, letting Malcolm rinse him clean and pull him forward again. His grin slipped back onto his features once it was safe to do so, and at Malcolm's glance around.

"I think our shower gel is down there too," he said with a pull of that grin as he stayed still, letting Malcolm work the conditioner in. "You'll have to get it, it's closer to you."

Well. He could get it himself but why would he rob himself of such a good view?

[abrightboy]

"I did also knock them down," he conceded as he left the conditioner to soak into Raylan's hair. "Fair's fair." He bent and picked up one, then made his way over to the other. "Though someone was contributing significantly to that lack of hand eye coordination," he teased with a grin as he bent to pick up the other before putting them both back on the shelf.

[tinstar]

"Watch it," he said, slapping Malcolm's ass. "I'll do it again. Happily," he added as gently took the shower gel and squirted some into his hands, setting it to the side so he could wash Malcolm as he reclaimed him into his arms.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm laughed as he was slapped and slid his arms around Raylan's neck.

"Is this where I sign up for a regular subscription of that?" he joked. "Or who can I talk to about that?"

[tinstar]

"Right here, management's door is always open," he declared as he soaped up Malcolm's back, hands coming around his waist to start moving up his stomach and chest, suds following Raylan's paths. "And I can tell you we've got a limited stock that can only go out to one buyer at a time, so you better act fast," he teased before dropping into a low squat to run his hands up and down Malcolm's legs one at a time.

He took this very seriously.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm's eyes followed Raylan down and, while he knew perfectly well what he was doing, he was still a little aroused at the sight, dammit.

"In that case, put me down for a lifetime supply immediately," he said.

[tinstar]

Raylan grinned up at him from below, his own brain drifting past similar passing thoughts as he studiously finished and stood back up. "We'll take down all the vacancy signs immediately," he replied as he turned Malcolm around into the water.

"Rinse."

[abrightboy]

Malcolm stepped in and rinsed, then stepped out and kissed Raylan as he took the bottle from his hand.

"Your turn," he murmured, squeezing gel into his hand before starting his task just as studiously as Raylan had done it to him. He looked up as his hands moved across Raylan's chest and down his stomach. "Tell me not to think about how soon this will be over," he said softly.

[tinstar]

Malcolm's kisses always left a softness over Raylan's face, and this one hadn't broken yet since he'd gotten home, but in the quiet, non heated moments, kisses made it even more obvious as he watched Malcolm wash him.

"Don't think about it. And if you've gotta, think about it like work. We'll go off to it. And we'll come home from it. You're just.. taking a little longer to make it home than I am," he offered back just as softly. "It'll be over before you know it."

[abrightboy]

He nodded, taking a breath before stepping closer to reach around Raylan's back with the soap, between his shoulderblades and down over his ass.

"Right. Just. Going to do my duty and then straight back home."

[tinstar]

Raylan hummed a suggestive kind of note as Malcolm soaped his ass, sliding his hands over Malcolm's shoulders to drape there lazily.

"And if you need remindin' that I'm still here waitin' for ya, I am happy to reiterate your very romantic fate. Few months, maybe more, we'll be breakin' our lease and moving down south. A whole life, right there for the havin'."

[abrightboy]

That definitely brought the smile back to his face. All of it: the sound Raylan made, his touch, the reminder.

"I can't believe it's so close," he said, crouching to run the suds over Raylan's legs just the way he'd done.

[tinstar]

Clearly, they both needed a blowjob judging by the lapping thought of Malcolm on his knees, looking up at him with his mouth full. Raylan tried to focus on the washing that was happening instead.

"Like baseball, just keep your eye on the ball," he managed, voice only fractionally huskier for the tease below him. "We'll make it, come hell or high water. Possibly both." Considering what their collective lives were like.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm would be thinking that thought on the way home, most likely. Or when he was trying to sleep the next night.

He got to his feet, his hand still sudsy as it slipped around the back of Raylan's neck while he leaned into a tender, lingering kiss.

"Since keeping my eye on the ball in this case is keeping my eye on you, that's a task I can handle."

[tinstar]

For all the rinsing Malcolm had done, the front of him was promptly resuded as Raylan pulled him against him so he could match that kiss the way he wanted to. Like they could stay here forever if they were sweet enough about it.

"Then we're all set."

It wouldn't make the morning easier but for now, it was a nice blanket to drape around their shoulders.

Turning them, Raylan stepped back into the water and let Malcolm start rinsing him off, helping by using the offcasting water to clean up the reapplication of soap their kiss had deposited.