empathicfault | PSL: Travels outside the Barge (w/Malcolm)

PSL: Travels outside the Barge (w/Malcolm)

Piloting their new ship is a little difficult. It takes reading the (somehow enclosed) manual back-to-front and learning the control panel, now situated in what looks like a little closet on the window side of the living room. It's in the new hallway that leads to the small courtyard, which Will intends to decorate once they get this one chore done first.

Thankfully, the majority of the controls are intuition-based, going off the person who puts their hand on a small orb on the panel. The rest, as it turns out, is tweaking. And luckily (or otherwise), no tweaking is necessary for their first flight.

They're heading to Will's home world.

But Will doesn't specify where, just a year later than he left. he inadvertently brings them to where he'd left. The door opens from a wall of Hannibal's cliffside home, and looks out onto the driveway. The Dragon's wings are still there, staining the cement. They overlook the grey day and the churning seaside.

Will finds himself stuck in the doorway, unsure whether he's compelled to walk out and remember or slam the door shut and take them elsewhere.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only | Expand All

“He had a hold on you already,” Malcolm says quietly. “What did you do when you lived here? Not FBI work,” he assumes.

That wasn't what Will had been thinking, but that was what it came down to, in the end.

Still, he's a little tripped up, looking up at his little fairytale house that he could've just kept, pretending he was someone- no, something- else for the rest of his life. He almost let it happen.

"Uh- no. No, I got as far away from that as I could. I worked part-time at an animal shelter near here- Molly does legal work for them and put in a good word. Otherwise, I'd take care of the house, pick up Wally from practices...that sort of thing."

“I… know we’re all supposed to want a particular picture of domestic life,” Malcolm concedes. “But… maybe you just weren’t designed to live in just one place. You were made on a houseboat. You’re built to be a nomad. Your vessel is your true home. Maybe you’ll have some ports you’ll make cozy because you want to stop there again and again. Like LA. But… it’s not your fault or hers that you couldn’t be something you’re not,” he points out softly. “Or that the messaging has always been so overpowering that you couldn’t know you weren’t that.”

Will watches Malcolm explain the nomad aspect to him, and his eyes practically glow with fondness. He pulls Malcolm into a hug and brushes his lips over Malcolm's cheek.

"You are such a kind man," he says. "You're right about the nomad aspect, of course. But it's the darkness she couldn't see past. The world I...thrive in."

He sees a white SUV peeking through the trees, on the driveway headed to the house. "And I'd love to go over nuances, but- later. I've stalled long enough. Wish me luck?"

He does like it when he manages to stumble into pleasing Will just by saying what naturally comes to his mind. He squeezes Will back tightly and smiles at the brush of his lips. He nods at ‘wish me luck’, smoothing out Will’s collar slightly, his hand sliding almost reluctantly away from the contact after a second.

“And if not, break a leg,” he jokes, but his unserious smile turns serious. “I love you,” he promises.

Will takes in a deep breath as Malcolm smooths his collar and gets him ready to go. He feels steadier with the support. "I love you," he returns with a grateful smile.

He squeezed Malcolm's shoulder before finally tearing himself away. He hikes up the hill and manages to make it to the driveway as Molly is still pulling groceries out. Malcolm's enhanced hearing picks them up- although no one would miss the way Molly shrieks in fear when Will offers to help her carry them in.

"Oh- god, Will. You're not-"

"I'm...no longer dead. But it's a long story and-"

She's hesitant to ask, but she does. She still sounds frightened. "Are- are you with him?"

"No. No, Hannibal's dead, Molly. I've been in...a different place. Oh-" He catches a grocery bag that's slumping in her hand. "You might need to sit down for this, Molls. We can stay on the porch?"

"No- ...no. Come in. Wally's not here. Grab that last bag on your way?"

They make their way inside, and it's another half an hour before they're coming out again. Molly looks pale but determined, and Will looks concerned. They both start walking down the hill, directly towards the tree their ship's placed on.

Malcolm is busy while Will is in the house. He’s had an idea for a housewarming gift for Will for a while, but now that they’re near a town, he can work on it.

When the main door of the ship opens, Malcolm is pulling shut the bathroom door and stepping into the entranceway, a smile ready to remind Will that there is always someone here that’s happy to see him.

It's a shame that their ship is soundproof, because then Malcolm would get to hear Molly tell Will that "Sure, it's weird, but it's just a door," and that it's not entirely unexplainable.

Will opens the front door for her, and suddenly Malcolm's greeted with his husband and Molly Graham. She's a shorter woman with dyed blonde hair and high cheek bones. Her general style is very much based on practicality. She's a get-it-done sort of person. And right now, her eyes are widening to saucers as she takes the place in.

Will would place a hand on her back to steady her, but he's very much avoiding touching Molly. He catches the smile on Malcolm's face and gives him an apologetic smile in return. "Hi, sorry. She wanted proof." Because of course she does. Will had been so worried about talking to her that he never got this far in his offer.

He gives Will what he hopes is a reassuring look before he looks at Molly and looks at him and then back again. Did he tell her he’s traveling with someone?

“No. Right. Of course. I would too! Hi! Nice to meet you. I’m Malcolm,” he tells her, offering his hand.

Meanwhile, Molly is looking at his other hand- the ring finger. "Oh, you're- uhm, Will's husband. Of course." She reaches up to shake his hand. "From the...afterlife rehab clinic."

Even she realizes that she's tripping over her words. But polite meetings as her worldview breaks apart wasn't on her schedule for today. "Sorry, I'm not usually-"

She's cut off by the sounds of barking from Winston and Buster, currently in the courtyard. Molly's face softens, and she's threatening to smile for the first time since Will approached her. "Of course you have dogs here."

The barking sets off baby yips from behind the bathroom door, which makes Malcolm wince - surprise ruined - but he tries to just carry on like there’s nothing to know.

“Well, he’s a dog guy. We have a bird, too. Do you want something to drink?”

Will, inevitably, hears the yips and his eyes widen a little. A smile slowly spreads across his face, regardless of how he tries to stifle it.

"No, no," Molly replies. "That's okay, I just- is that Buster and Winston? Can I see them?"

Will finally lets himself smile and nods at Malcolm. "They're in the courtyard, right?" He knows what Molly wants. To see the dogs, of course. But also to peek around the place and make sure it's not some sort of trick somehow. If she's going to commit to being relocated to a different universe- to taking her son with her- she has to know that this is real and not some sort of elaborate...something.

“Courtyard. Yes. That’s where all the dogs are,” Malcolm confirms, backing up as they walk until he is ‘casually’ leaning on the bathroom door until they’re past it.

“If she wants to see the bird or the snakes, that’s cool too. I’m going to make some tea,” he adds, peeling off in a different direction, towards the kitchen.

And Will’s nose might scent the wet dog food he is definitely not putting on a little plate while the kettle is heating up.

Will is so tempted to go open that bathroom door, but he's at a very touchy stage in this whole thing. So instead he guides Molly around, through the living room and down the hall to the courtyard. She tries to keep up polite conversation, even now. Will tries to tell her she doesn't need to, but she interrupts- this is how she's staying sane at the moment.

Further talk is interrupted by more barking as Will opens the door to the courtyard. Molly is very much the same as Will, when it comes to dogs. She immediately forgets that they're in a space that should not exist and homes in on Buster and Winston. It's about five minutes of pets and praises until she starts coming back to herself.

As they leave the courtyard, Molly's expression turns more serious. "I need time, Will. To think about this. We're rooted here, you know that."

"I know," he tells her. "And we can stay for a few days. We can even come back for you later. But the time difference is hard to predict, while we're on the Barge. The longer it is, the less reliable we'll be."

She nods, biting her lip. "Uh...okay. I'm going to go and think about it, then. And meet Wally. He's going to be back from practice soon."

"Ah- damn, I forgot to get a burner phone. We'll be traveling a few places while here. But I'll pin the number to the tree, okay? Just call it if you need me."

Will opens the door for her again, and after a couple of pleasantries (including an 'it was nice to meet you, Malcolm' from Molly), she exited. She still did a double take upon leaving, but tried to keep it to herself.

And Will heaves a heavy breath out, as if trying to expel all the things they talked about in one fell swoop. He smiles tiredly up at Malcolm. "Thank you. I think that went...better than it could've, certainly."

Malcolm is still less of a natural at initiating touch than Will is, but he’s getting more confident and as Will closes the door, he offers his arms.

“I don’t suppose you’re up for a little more excitement in the form of a semi-surprise in that you can probably already hear and smell it………” Malcolm muses, pressing a kiss to his jaw.

Will reaches for him immediately at the sight of the open arms, hugging Malcolm and immediately relaxing. It had been nerve-wracking inviting Molly in here- this is his safest place in all the worlds. But she had to see it for herself. And she and Wally might both be here if she goes for it.

At the mention of more excitement, Will grins. "As long as I'm the surprise-ee, I think my heart can take it. Please-" He pulls away enough for Malcolm to see the twinkle in the eye. "Show me?"

Malcolm grins and gives him one more kiss before letting go and running over to the bathroom.

He returns with a brown puppy with big blue eyes in his arms.

"I found him at the local shelter. He didn't even flinch at my scent!"

He piles the puppy into Will's arms as soon as he's close enough, then looks up at Will's face.

"I wanted to get you a housewarming gift, since we moved into our forever home."

Will is struck speechless for a moment, when it's not only a dog but a puppy. And Malcolm got him from the shelter (if it's 'local' it's the one Will worked at). "Oh, wow...hello, little guy. Welcome to your new home. You're not scared of us because everyone here are monsters, huh? We're just smellier ones."

He rubs the puppy's belly and the dog wriggles with delight. It's clear he wants to run, so Will puts him on the ground. The puppy skitters around on the floor with his awkward legs and contents himself with sniffing everything he can reach. "Malcolm, this is...I didn't get you anything. And usually I advise against surprise presents of pets, but-" He shakes his head and finally looks up to meet Malcolm's eyes. "This is really special. Thank you."

"I know a rescue isn't the same as a stray," Malcolm acknowledges. "And I'd never get a surprise pet for... literally anyone else... but.... you were worried about bringing any more of your dogs from home on this journey and I thought... you just need dogs that are part of this journey. Once we were on the journey." He grins. "You think he'll fit in?"

"Oh, I think so. We'll need to play with him more while he's a puppy, though. Buster's not going to be able to entirely keep up with him." He has crouched down on the floor to pet the pup while he says this. Said rescue then jumps up with his little unstable legs to try to lick Will's face. He quickly figures out the hands are much easier. No hesitation whatsoever.

"Okay, then. You're definitely a Franklin," he says in between a couple of laughs. He scritches behind the dog's ears and looks up to Malcolm. "You don't know, but you nailed it. This little guy's a Blue Lacy. Rare, beautiful breed- but they're high energy. Just like Jet, he probably got dumped at the shelter because he was starting to get too active. He'll be little terror when he's more mobile. You might've saved him from being passed around."

Malcolm laughs with delight as the dog tries to lick Will's face and hands. He blinks and looks pleased at Will's conclusion.

"I did? Oh good! Well, he'll have lots of places to run with us," he says happily.

He crouches down across from Will and reaches out to scritch the dog behind the ears. "Hi, Franklin," he says with a grin. He looks at Will. "The guy at the shelter was telling me that a puppy mill got busted out in the countryside and the healthy animals - or the animals they had nursed back to health - had just come available today. There were more choices than usual. But I just felt like... this one wanted to come with me," he explains, still smiling faintly. He's never felt really connected to a dog the way Will does, but this one still stood out somehow in a way he couldn't explain.

Oh, and this dog would probably love running around with them as wolves. With a lack of fear, even at this stage, will be so nice for later training.

As Malcolm explains how he got him, Will tips his head a little to the side. Something about his eyes change, like he's understanding something new. His grin softens into a pleased smile. "That'll happen sometimes, when a dog picks you. It means that this dog is yours just as much as he's mine."

"...I never had a dog before. But... we're building our family now, right? So... I guess... he's ours because it's time for that?" Malcolm supposes.

Will considers that. "...everything we do, every big decision we make, we're going to do it together from now on. So that rings true. But the fact of the matter is that you chose him for me, and he chose you for you. Huh, Franklin?"

The puppy, who has been trying to throw a toy in the air for himself, responds with a happy "bark!" Not that he knows what's going on, but the responsiveness is nice. Will takes pity on him and throws the toy and the pup stumbles happily towards his prize.

He looks up to Malcolm. "Are you okay with that? Anxious about owning a dog?"

He puts his hand on his stomach. “I don’t know if anxious is the right word. It doesn’t feel like that. It feels more like… when you told me. How you felt.” He pauses, thinks, then looks at Will warmly. “Maybe I’m still not used to being chosen for me and it still feels like a big responsibility.” He smiles softly. “I don’t want to let either of you down.”

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject