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[empathicfault]

"Will Graham here. Leave a message."

[Open for text/audio/action/whatever.]

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[empathicfault]

Will pulls back enough to look Malcolm in the face, then leans forward to gently kiss him on the forehead, the cheek, the mouth. It's a reverent movement, to remind Malcolm how cherished he is.

"And I won't. I'm sorry you have to go through this again."

[abrightboy]

The tenderness of the gesture makes the tension in his frame ease tangibly. His fingers fidget absently at the seams of Will's shirt at his shoulder and his waist.

"Neal's been in a coma for a long time. I know it'll be okay even if it's just you and me left, but... I liked... having friends." His arms slip back around Will and he holds on tight. "But if I can only hold on to one thing that I've never had before, I'd choose this."

[empathicfault]

Malcolm's sense of loss is tangible to Will. He lets himself feel it for a moment, gently pressing his forehead against Malcolm's, letting the tears well up. One of these days, it'll be Will's turn. Shaw's in a coma right now, but the regularity of it makes it seem less worrying, somehow. It makes her less likely to disappear.

"You still have friends. And we will visit them, but...it's still a break. They're difficult to reach. And it still hurts...I don't think any of it is going to feel real until I'm free to go."

He doesn't apologize this time. It's just how it is. He leans into Malcolm and hugs him tightly. "The moment I graduate, we see how many places Iris is willing to take us. I've been making up a list."

[abrightboy]

Malcolm looks up at him with wide eyes.

He holds tight to their plans; they mean everything to him but... Will making a list is Will making it tangible in some small way.

"You made a list? What's on it?"

[empathicfault]

"Hmm...let's see. First, we're headed to our place on Lark's world, but after that..." He fishes his communicator out of his pocket and starts perusing it, finally opening a little notetaking function. "Raylan Givens in Miami. Aaron Stampler in Nie Huaisang's world." He points out the parenthesis and reads it out, "Chinese ghost magic?" before continuing.

"Francis Crozer on his world. Kikimora, Boiling Isles- watch out for the boiling rain. Johann in whatever world he's gone to- haven't checked into that yet. Kiryu Kazama on his world. Help Root and Shaw with the Machine whenever they go back. Visit Maggie whenever she goes back. Go on an adventure with Iris. Back 'home' to apologize to Molly. Spread the 'Good Word' wherever possible."

[abrightboy]

Malcolm listens raptly, tilting his head to look at the little screen. His eyes glisten a little by the time Will is done. He looks up at him again.

“You really, really thought about it. Like planning a really real trip.”