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Malcolm sets his crazy glue and moss aside and gets up from his little craft table to careen into Will for a hug before turning to look at the terrarium.

"Aren't they beautiful? I rescued them from Sebastian. He was going to cook them and serve them in the dining hall." He looks up at Will. "I gave him the jar of eyes for them."

Will hugs him tight, turning only when Malcolm does. He keeps his arms around Malcolm's shoulders. "They're really beautiful. I'll be sad about the eyes going-" That's (mostly) a joke. "-but that's a good trade. I'm so glad you've got snakes again."

He kisses the side of Malcolm's head. "Have you named them yet? Have any ideas?"

Malcolm smiles when Will kisses him. “I haven’t yet.” He looks at Will again. “They live in marshlands. I’m making them a habitat. We have to see their personalities for a few days to name them,” he says, peering back into the tank.

"That's a good idea. That's how it works with my dogs- I wait until the name just...sort of happens. Wasn't sure if it was the same with snakes."

Will peers a little closer. They're currently wrapped together in something of a loose ball, probably sleeping. "Once they're awake, I'll have to memorize their patterns so I can tell them apart. I can help you with the habitat? If you'd like." He looks back towards the living room.

“I’d love that,” Malcolm says earnestly, moving back towards to coffee table as long as it doesn’t dislodge Will from his side. “OH!” he says suddenly, and he does step out of Will’s space to run over to the kitchen island and grab a rolled up piece off the counter before running back to slide into the crook of Will’s shoulder while handing him the paper. “Kiryu got me a tattoo design from the Japanese tattoo master that did his. Look,” he enthuses, gesturing to it. On the paper is a definite serpent, in red, with sharp scales, coiling and writhing… with the head of a man. “He says it’s called the Torch Dragon. It’s a Chinese god.”

Will raises an eyebrow as Malcolm heads over the island. Realization dawns on him as he unrolls it and Malcolm explains. The amount of detail on this thing is ridiculous, and it's not even fully colored. "Oh, Malcolm...this is..."

He remembers running across the 'Torch Dragon' while he was doing previous research. He remembers it brought day and night, like a lot of older gods. "It's perfect for you," he breathes out. A snake that brings light- of course it is. He licks his lips, still looking somewhat stricken. "And it's gorgeous. Where- where are you going to put it?"

"I don't know; I wanted to brainstorm it with you," Malcolm enthuses. "Kiryu said they use its name as a word for 'bright', even." He tilts his head to look up at Will. "Kiryu has his tattoo on his back. But. Like. His whole back. I don't think I want it... that big."

"Yeah," Will agrees. "Plus that tattoo placement's intended to show off to others. I think you'd probably want to be able to see yours, right? A reminder of what you represent, a grounding tool?"

He's smiling as he looks over Malcolm's body. "So arms or legs? I imagine this artist could scale the detailing so it's as big or as small as you'd like." After all, he can see the craft in the detailing.

“Oh, good thought. Um… well… I almost always wear long pants, in that case. Even to bed. Um.” He gives Will a coy smile. “Except for certain circumstances. So probably an arm, though….”

Will looks over Malcolm's arms and a slow smile comes to his face. "How about..."

He takes the design and carefully drapes it over the shoulder. "The head could go here-" In the front, where Malcolm can see it. "-and it comes over the shoulder, and wraps around your arm. Maybe ending here?" he adds, brushing over Malcolm's bicep down towards the elbow. "Maybe that's too big?"

He hopes not, because Will likes looking at Malcolm's shoulders and would like more legitimate reasons to do so.

“No! I don’t want it to be… small either. That’s perfect! Because you’ll be able to even see some of it if I’m wearing a t-shirt. I wear t-shirts all the time,” he exclaims with a grin. “I love it. It’s going to look so cool, like it crawled up my arm.” He looks up at Will. “Do… you think you’ll like it? It won’t be weird or… off-putting?”

Will is so pleased that Malcolm likes the idea. "Not at all. It might be a little strange for you, at first, because you're not used to seeing it. But it's a part of you, that god that brings light when you open your eyes. That breathes summer."

Will leans in and kisses Malcolm's cheek from his side. "I see it every day, and you'll have a beautiful reminder that's who you are. To me and to others."

Malcolm lights up like Will summoned it. He turns so he can slide his arms up around Will’s neck, leaning up to kiss him properly.

“I love you so much. I want to get Kiryu’s master that designed it to do it, but he’s in Japan. Kiryu said I can get anyone to do it. I wonder if there’ll be anyone at the next port that could do this kind of work.”

Will kisses Malcolm back with enthusiasm, hugging him close.

"I love you, too. And-" Okay, this next part's probably going to be a hard sell and he knows it. "-you should go with Kiryu to his artist. It's...a masterpiece, and he'll know how to adapt it. Kiryu can talk him through what you want, too. This is an important enough occasion to risk it, I think."

Malcolm’s expression creases with his telltale signs of distress.

“Go… to Kiryu’s? Without you?”

"Yeah. With Kiryu, for this." Will rubs Malcolm's shoulders. "You can come right back, but- I think it should be done by the original artist. It'll be the level of quality you and your body deserve." That is, the best. "This is important, I think, for you. And you should have it done right. And you should know that I'll come find you if I have to." He looks directly into Malcolm's eyes so he can see the sincerity of it, the steely determination in Will to do so.

"But I don't think I will. It's really unlikely anything will happen." Less unlikely than one of them disappearing off the Barge some day, but he doesn't want Malcolm to refocus on that.

Malcolm holds that gaze, his fingers fidgeting absently and anxiously in the fabric of Will’s shirt.

Considering it, he nods slowly.

“Okay. Okay, I’ll go. But. Just one time. I can’t… um. I can’t risk this. But you’re right. It’s important. I just… wish you could be there when he’s doing it. I guess… I guess it’ll be a surprise for you when I get back.”

Will breaks into a small, pleased smile, and he leans in to kiss Malcolm gently. "It will. And I know it's scary, but I think it'll be done right this way. And we will be fine."

He reaches up for Malolm's hand on his shirt and gently traces over Malcolm's knuckles with the pads of his fingers. "Besides, you'd have to leave the Barge to make sure it's permanent, anyway. Ports don't count. At least that's what the vast amount of experimentation Shaw's done says. So this trip will take care of that, too."

"You mean for getting killed? Ooooh maybe even for healing, right? We have to be careful anyway because we wouldn't be wolves anymore if we die."

He blinks that fascinating tangent away and looks up at Will's face again.

"I would really like to get the master to do it. Kiryu said it's a great honour. He doesn't do just anybody that wants it."

Will blanks for a moment, hearing about the wolf situation. Malcolm's right, he'd lose that state if he died. That's...upsetting, but Will has done his level best to make sure it doesn't happen. And Malcolm should be fine once he makes this trip...he thinks.

He's distracted by Malcolm's next thought, because it's what he had been focusing on before, anyway. He smiles, knowingly. "You know Kiryu had a very high rank in the Yakuza. I'm betting even most in his clan wouldn't be able to get this guy. And he's not in the habit of hyperbole. So yeah, I think it is a great honor. I'm glad you're going to go."

He'll have to think up some ways to make it a little easier on Malcolm, in the meantime, being away from the Barge. From Will.

“I did… I did know that Kiryu respected me. Even in mediation, at times when I felt like… like he found Shaw’s point of view easier to relate to or understand, I knew he respected me. I just… this is a lot of respect. A lot. For me. It seems like it would be disrespectful to not respond by going and having it done properly. Plus he invited me to meet his family,” Malcolm explains eagerly.

"Did he?" Will asks with a grin. "I've got the feeling that it's grown quite a bit with his time on the Barge. You'll have to tell me about everyone you meet," he adds, as if Malcolm won't detail every minutiae when he returns.

"He does respect you, you know. Because even if he doesn't know how your mind thinks, he knows how hard you're trying. And how much you genuinely, passionately care about people. That counts for a lot, with the right people." Will smiles at Malcolm, all dazzling adoration. Maybe he's projecting a little about what Kiryu thinks, but he thinks he's on track there. And he also feels so very, genuinely lucky.

“He always gave me a chance. Even when most people wouldn’t,” Malcolm concedes with a soft smile.

He studies Will’s face for a moment.

“Maybe… maybe a few days away from the Barge will be good for my head,” he says hesitantly, like sticking his toe in the water. Away from the Barge is fine, but… Will. Will is still tethered to the Barge. “People go and come back all the time, right? Oh! How about… if Iris knows exactly where I am, if I’m not back by the fourth day, you send her to come and get me?”

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