The Road Home

[abrightboy]

Raylan's loose ends had been tied in Kentucky and Malcolm's were as tantalizingly close as they'd ever been. He and Raylan made the trip to New York with the intent of discovering the fate of the girl in the box, so they could head down to Miami without... baggage.

They would have to start with the revelation Jessica and Ainsley had made to Malcolm right before Raylan was shot, sending Malcolm back to Kentucky: that Eve had infiltrated the Whitly family to learn more about the Surgeon's victims.

Malcolm let them into the New York loft - a space he considered theirs now, more than his, since they decided they might weather the hurricane season there after moving to Miami - smiling as Sunshine tweeted greetings. Once the door was shut behind Raylan, he opened the door of her cage. Ainsley would have fed her diligently, but nobody would have let her out to fly. Sunshine took off across the loft and Malcolm grinned, watching her go.

He looked at Raylan. "We can still bring her with us when we leave, right?"

Comments

[abrightboy]

"Seven o'clock," Malcolm told him. "And you can drink at any intervals you see fit, but she actually wants to make sure that you're in one piece. You'll recall getting shot in the face?" he pointed out. It was a lot easier to be flip about it now that the danger had passed. "I told you she likes you," he said with a smirk.

[tinstar]

Raylan scoffed a laugh, face turning down briefly before looking over at him. "Several inches away from my face, thank you very much." He studied Malcolm's face. "You really think so?" There was a hint of reserved relief; he didn't want Jessica to dislike him. He shook his head.

"Well, I guess we'll see won't we. It a full affair? Ainsley and all?"

[abrightboy]

"She didn't mention, but I don't see her missing it. She texted me to check on you a few times while you were recovering," Malcolm told him. "Do you want some tea or do you want to start with scotch in light of this information?" he asked with a cheeky look as he took the kettle off the stove.

[tinstar]

"Scotch please, I think I've earned it after that drive," he requested, running a hand through his hair and still feeling the echo of the stitches that were there. The way the scar changed the feel of it as he pushed his hair back.

"Suppose I oughta shower and put on a fresh shirt before we go too, but I'm sure there's time for that.... You gonna be okay facing Eve?" He wanted a gauge of how wound up Malcolm was about it; he knew this was important and not just because of Miami.

[abrightboy]

"Lots of time," he assured, taking down one mug and then a crystal tumbler and the bottle of scotch.

He looked over at the question.

"I don't know. She might slam the door in my face rather than talk to me. I'm not sure how called out she's feeling by Ainsley or how much she's still scared of me after... the date from hell. I'm mostly concerned about not getting to talk about it at all and losing the lead."

[tinstar]

"I'm sure you can talk her into talkin', even if it's through a door. If she really cares enough, if she's really intent on gettin' her answers, she'll talk to you. You know how to push buttons; I don't think you're gettin' out without answers."

This all told Raylan what his role was in this, in more detail. He was there to support Malcolm, not a strongman, or the law.

"And if, for some reason, you need me to step out.. I can do that too." Whatever was needed in the moment. "But that'll be tomorrow." He gave Malcolm a warm smile. "Next few hours are just for us. Any ideas on what you wanna bring down to Miami?"

That was a better subject.

[abrightboy]

He very highly doubted that he would want Raylan to step out. Raylan was his rock and this was going to be hard. But he was right: if she wanted answers as badly as he did, she could set everything else aside.

He brightened when Raylan mentioned Miami.

"My weapons, for sure. I don't think we'll need any of the furniture from here, but I might take some more of my clothes."

Some more because a good amount of them were in Kentucky already, and everything in Kentucky was going to Miami.

The parakeet fluttered over him and landed in front of him.

"And Sunshine, of course." He looked at her. "I didn't forget you," he assured her.

[tinstar]

Raylan smiled, shifting over so he could slid an arm over Malcolm's shoulder.

"I really feel like we're almost there. Like we're just a few weeks away from startin' that chapter." And he couldn't be happier. "One thing at a time." But his eye was clearly on the prize. He pressed a kiss into Malcolm's hair and stepped over to uncork the scotch bottle and pour into the crystal tumbler.

"I want to maybe build her a little aviary. A place where she can fly around out in the sun like a real bird."

[abrightboy]

Malcolm looked at him with something like wonder, which blossomed into a broad smile.

"I'd love that. I hate keeping her in that tiny cage, but I had just moved and then... I didn't know how long I was going to stay here. It's portable."

He turned and leaned up to press a kiss to Raylan's mouth.

"That's the best idea ever."

[tinstar]

He loved Malcolm and so loved his pets and the devotion and simple joy that Sunshine brought him was a simple kind of joy that Raylan found himself missing.

"Well, we'll keep the portable for travel." But Miami was going to be their home. He smiled as Malcolm came over and collected his kiss, one arm moving back around his shoulders. "She deserves more room to move around. Some real sun and fresh air. Does everyone some good."

[abrightboy]

Malcolm nodded his agreement enthusiastically. "Fresh air. I'm not sure she'll know what to do with it," he laughed. "Oh! We can use the little cage to have her at the wedding," he said, a sudden idea that came to mind. He paused, thinking about it, then looked up at Raylan. "Is that dumb?" Did people invite their emotional support animals to their weddings?

[tinstar]

Raylan chuckled. "No, but she might not know what's goin' on. Just there for the air. If you're okay with that.." He was happy to have her set up as a guest.

"She deserves just as much fresh air as you've got," he noted with a smile towards Malcolm. "Told you that you deserve some happiness." Was Malcolm going to tell him that he was leaving now? He doubted it.

"I might watch some useless TV til it's time to leave, enjoy this scotch. You gonna join me?"

[abrightboy]

On the contrary, Malcolm smiled sweetly up at him when he said he deserved happiness. Raylan brought that happiness. Raylan had invited him to have it every day.

He nodded at the invitation, slipping reluctantly from Raylan's arms to finish making his tea, wrapping both hands around the warmth of the mug as he followed him to the couch.

"It'll take some time to plan the wedding after we find the house. There's still a lot of time to iron out details. But I like that I can see the shape of it."

[tinstar]

"I'm more focused on the house than I am the wedding. That's gotta come first." He couldn't let his excitement get ahead of himself. Grabbing up the remote, Raylan started clicking through channels aimlessly, enjoying Malcolm's weight against him.

This was the happiest he'd been. Half their shit was in the rearview and they were workin' on the rest.

"Though I won't say that the wedding doesn't tend to haunt my thoughts a lot. I can't believe we're having it barefoot on a beach." But he was grinning stupidly while he said it, elated beyond words.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm's grin spread to match.

"Our wedding is going to very much be our wedding and not... society's perfect picture of a wedding," he said, snuggling into Raylan's side, resting his head on his shoulder. "That's what I want: something we do for us. Our promise to each other."

And maybe he was stupidly happy about the idea of something he never dared to consider for himself before. He'd been conditioned to believe he was fundamentally unmarriable for his whole adult life.

His grin barely faded when it reemerged. "But I'm really excited to find the house, too."

[tinstar]

"We'll need to get a good photographer." He wanted pictures they could pour over later in life.

Settling the channel on some ballgame that was being replayed, Raylan turned his focus down to Malcolm's face, turning the tumbler in his hand on his knee. "I'm excited to watch you find the house."

Watching Malcolm be happy and happily tear through real estate agents seemed like it oughta be sports in its own right.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm laughed lightly. "I have a very specific list; if the house isn't on the market, I may have to will it into existence," he joked. "And I won't let them take us for a ride on the price, either."

[tinstar]

"I have no doubts that you and your bank account can absolutely will it into existence," he said with a soft laugh of his own. "And I don't mind doin' a little work to help that price tag. It'll keep me busy. Let me build a shed or something."

[abrightboy]

He looked up, excited. "Can I help?" he asked. "I built a crooked herb garden."

[tinstar]

"Well, it'll be your shed too so really, I kinda expect you to," he said, grinning properly. "Wouldn't be as much fun without you, anyway."

[abrightboy]

Malcolm smiled down at Raylan's knees as he let his head rest against his shoulder again.

"You did start our relationship by trying to make me handy," he teased. "I feel like this is a natural culmination. Maybe we can build a pergola, too."

[tinstar]

"Maybe I just instinctively knew I liked watchin' you work.... Should I even ask what that is?"

[abrightboy]

"It's like a sun shade. Sort of four legs with crossbeams. Then you can put a cover over top or not. I was thinking for by the pool."

Because there would be a pool. Swimming laps in the morning sounded like a great addition to his exercise routine.

"So there'd be somewhere shady to sit or set food out. Willa will want to have pool parties when she gets older. That's something kids do, right?" When they have friends.

[tinstar]

"Far as I've been told," Raylan said with a nod of agreement at the question.

"We can do a perugala, if you have plans for it so I know what we're doin'.. You're a little excited to host a party there, aren't you?" Specifically, something Willa-centric, but Raylan had a feeling that Malcolm was going to enjoy being a dad. Even if he didn't know that's the job he was signing up for.

[abrightboy]

"I want it to be an option," he said. "For our wedding reception. For family barbeques. For Willa and her friends."

He hesitated, then looked up at Raylan.

"I've never really had... " He wasn't sure what word to put in there. "Anyone to do that stuff with." He bit his lip, his brow creasing slightly. "I hope it's as fun as it sounds."

Malcolm wasn't even considering the word 'dad' for his role in Willa's life, though he didn't consider the word 'dad' for the role Gil played in his life, either. And Gil was arguably more a dad to him than his own father had been. He could possibly come around to it, once he was more comfortable. He'd only met Willa once. He was largely pleased that he had managed to be helpful and hadn't damaged her.