Once Upon A Time In A Multiversal Nightmare Far Far Away.... (Village Wrap-up Post)

[conning]

A collection of tags and threads that participants wanted to play out, after I pulled Neal from The Village!

Idk I'll think of something more descriptive.

Comments

[conning]

Neal nods miserably, still staring at the tea, the idea of which now makes him faintly queasy. "He's--"

He almost, almost glances up at Malcolm's face, but he aborts the action half-way through. "When we were fighting, he... I didn't know, not really. But he pointed it out. He realized it was why I was so mad."

[abrightboy]

“He’s better at assessing people than he’s given credit for, though I think he likes it that way. Being underestimated.”

Malcolm reaches out and strokes his fingertips through Neal’s hair.

“Are you still mad at me?”

[conning]

He closes his eyes at the touch, whispering, "No," instead of shaking his head.

"I can't stay mad a you," he says, even quieter. "I just. Want you to be happy."

[abrightboy]

“Is that why you felt like coming home with me made you some sort of consolation prize? I don’t want to make you do something that makes you feel like you don’t matter. You matter. I want you to be happy. I don’t want you to think that you’re some sort of… second fiddle. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had. That’s everything. That means everything to me.”

[conning]

"I shouldn't have said that." His voice is still very, very quiet. "I didn't mean it, not really. I know you'd never..."

He squeezes his eyes shut tighter against tears. For a second he feels dizzy with sleeplessness, but that isn't what's important right now. "I still want to go with you. I don't want you to think... I wouldn't be happy if I did. I would."

[abrightboy]

Malcolm watches his face for a moment, then crawls closer and carefully wraps his arms around Neal's shoulders, hugging him tightly, burying his face in the artist's hair.

[conning]

He hangs on to the tea with one hand, his other going up to cling to Malcolm's arm. Not to pull it away. Just to hang on. He leans in against the embrace, eyes still shut tight.

"I love you," he says quietly. "I would love you even if I didn't feel..."

How can he even put it?

"I just love you," he says, more quietly.

[abrightboy]

"I love you, too," Malcolm murmurs back. "Maybe things would have been different if..." If Neal had snagged his heart in the kitchen that day? Hard to say. Malcolm had a crush on Raylan already but he also thought it would never come to anything. "If things were different."

[conning]

Neal almost makes a joke about how everyone else seemed to know about his crush before Malcolm, but he doesn't. It doesn't feel like it would hit the right note. And it hurts a little too much.

He turns his face to press against Malcolm's chest. "When--"

Neal stops. He doesn't want to screw things up, not more than he already has.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm presses a kiss into his hair.

"When what?"

[conning]

Neal bites his lip for a moment. "When we get out of here. When we get back to your New York. You think we might have a shot at..."

He shakes his head. "I don't care if we don't, I don't. I want to go with you either way."

[abrightboy]

Malcolm looks at him for a moment, then shifts and gives him a gentle kiss on his mouth.

"If we leave here and you come back to my New York with me, I think I would be a very lucky man if you'd have me."

[conning]

Neal leans forward as Malcolm starts to lean back, catching his mouth before he's out of reach. It's not passionate, but it is tender.

"When. When we leave. When we get to your New York."

[abrightboy]

"When we get to my New York. Together." He squeezes Neal's forearm as he sits back. "Drink your tea. You need to get there alive."