#1.5 Source Of Comfort || BrightClarksonHammondMay (mpreg) ✔

2. Book Shopping to Cheer Him Up

Wrapping the blanket around himself, Malcolm sinks down into the couch, trying to get comfortable as he watches TV. He's bored. Very bored, and not only can't he get comfortable, his mood is just rather... low.

There's also nothing on TV that even remotely interests him right now, and he'd very much like to just be able to get some sleep now while he has the house to himself as Jeremy and Richard are off at the studio, recording some voice overs, he thinks, and James is off in the shed puttering around with one of his motorbikes. Or polishing and cleaning their many cars for reasons Malcolm doesn't quite understand except for James being a damn neat freak (or OCD as Jeremy and Richard like to joke, even though James has repeatedly stated that he doesn't have OCD).

He briefly considers getting up and going to see what James is doing in the shed, seeing as he's not going to be able to get comfortable anytime soon. But he decides against it. Doesn't feel like walking all the way outside to the shed. And if he's being honest, while he's very happy to just sit and listen to his beta explaining away the mechanisms of literally anything, and is happy to watch him fluff about with whatever he happens to be working on at any given time, he just doesn't find himself in the mood for any of that right now.

Maybe he'll change his mind later and go off outside to see whatever it is that James is up to. No doubt the older man will still be in there hours later. Because that's just how James May is. And Malcolm loves him for it.

And not even an hour later, just as he had expected, Malcolm starts to get bored of just lying around watching TV. Especially so as there's just nothing on that's interesting enough to watch, and he's just not in the mood to grab a book off the shelf to read.

So he gets up off the couch and goes to make his way outside to the shed to go see what James is up to, and to just sit out there and watch him, and to listen to him drone on about whatever. However, he doesn't get very far, as James makes his way through the open back door and over to him.

"Hey." Malcolm says, as he and James make a beeline for one another, and Malcolm sighs in content as James wraps his arms around him, not caring in the slightest that there's the faint lingering smell of petrol on James's clothes, and that he's not really the cleanest right now.

"Hey, little one." James says, kissing Malcolm on the top of his head. "You alright?"

Malcolm shrugs, letting James lead him back over to the couch where he pulls him down to sit on his lap. "Just bored, mostly, I think."

And a little gloomy, for reasons he's not sure of, but he doesn't mention that, figuring James can already guess that himself.

James hums, hands gliding up underneath Malcolm's shirt as he pulls him in closer. "You have any ideas in mind for what you want to do, then?"

Malcolm shakes his head, no. He doesn't have much of an idea of what he feels like doing. However, he does know that he's not currently in the mood to do anything sexual, if that's what James is hoping for as he runs his hands up and down his back softly.

"How about we go out for a bit of a drive then?" James suggests. "We could stop off at the bookstore, then get some food afterwards?"

Smiling, Malcolm nods. He likes the sound of that. Especially the food part, and book shopping. Even though he's already got plenty of books still to read, he's always up for going out to buy more. Especially since he's started to read a lot more now that he's essentially unemployed, and soon to be a stay at home parent.

And just going out for a drive to nowhere in particular with either of his three mates is always fun.

"Sounds good." He says, as the two of them get up, and head upstairs to get ready to go out.

******

"You know, considering who your father is, and all that he's done and put you through, I would've expected that you'd stay away from these types of books." James says, as he carries a basket full of books, mostly thrillers involving murders and serial killers.

Malcolm looks up at him, after setting two more into the basket. There's nothing judgy or negative about the comment James had made about his choice in books. And he supposes that James is probably right to have that assumption, most people would have that assumption, he guesses.

"Well, it's just the type of books I like." He says, going right back to looking through the shelves. "And since I'm barred from ever working in law enforcement again, this is the next best thing."

"Is it bad of me to say that I'm glad you're barred from all of that?" James asks. "Considering the stories Gil has told, Jezza, Rich, and me about all the danger you've gotten yourself into in the past..." He trails off, before sighing, watching Malcolm fondly. "Why must both my omegas be accident prone little midgets?"

Malcolm doesn't comment on that last remark, just smiles up at him innocently. Which causes James to smile fondly at him, pulling him in close and pressing a quick kiss on the top of his head, before letting him go back to picking out books off the shelf.

And as soon as he figures that he's picked out enough, and because it looks as though the basket is beginning to get a bit heavy for James to carry, the two of them make their way to the register to buy everything. The total cost of everything being a bit on the higher end of things, which Malcolm notes has James a little twitchy (even though they can definitely afford it all and more), but he doesn't protest, just pays for everything, before carrying both bags out to the car.

Honestly, Malcolm would've paid for it all himself, he's got more than enough money, but James had beaten him to it, and paid for it all. Much like he, Jeremy, and Richard tend to do when they take him out somewhere. And he's perfectly capable of carrying the bags out of the store to the car, he's not that pregnant, only nearly four months along, and he's not all that big yet, so he's still able to carry things. But once again, James had beaten him to it.

James, Jeremy, and Richard just love to spoil him, he's sure of it. Hell, they even bought him a car for his birthday. A brand new, beautiful sleek black Jaguar F Type, without him ever asking for one!

And admittedly, he's not really driven it much in the few months he's had it. In fact, he's kind of scared to if he's being honest. He doesn't want to wreck it, so it mostly just sits in their shed with all their other cars. Which, with the amount of cars his three mates have, and the amount of motorbikes James and Richard have, he's surprised there was still room in the shed for it. To be fair, they've got a rather large shed, but still... they might just have a little too many. He doesn't have enough fingers to list off how many cars the three of them have, while he himself only has two; the Jag, and a Mini Cooper - which is his everyday car for if he ever needs to go out somewhere and none of his mates are available to drive him anywhere.

"So... home now, or shall we park up somewhere, and you can start reading one of your new books?" James asks, after he's set the bags down in the boot of his BMW i3 and the two of them have gotten in.

"Food, then home?" Malcolm suggests, because honestly, he doubts that he'll be able to get very comfortable in the car to read. Nor does he think he'll be able to get comfortable somewhere outside to read, so home it is.

Well... home after they get food, of course, because he's hungry, and James promised to get food.

James smiles, leaning over to give him a quick kiss. "Sounds good." He says, before starting the car and driving out of the parking lot, and off to get food.

Once Malcolm has decided what he wants, and what he's craving most, that is....