nathan mulligan

‘‘You’re not boring, you just know what you prefer.’‘ He scrunched up his nose when the other said they should hang out sometimes and listen to music… ‘‘Isn’t it exactly what we’re about to do?’‘ Mal wasn’t going to give him his number so easily, and he smiled at how casual Nathan tried to make it sounds,

“wow. that’s a nice way of putting it. erm, thanks.” he smiles. and then he clears his throat. “oh, er, right. well, i meant, other than right now. we should hang out again. after. we don’t have to listen to music though. i mean, we can, or we can do something else. it doesn’t matter much to me.” nate takes a deep breath. “just tell me to shut up at any time, and i will.” 

‘‘well if you’re asking what i’m listening when I work, radiohead and bowie are definitely on top of that list. the weeknd, too, for some reasons…’‘ he shrugged at the thought of it. ‘‘It depends of my mood. do you always listen to the same spotify playlist? I sometimes go from Vivaldi to Lady Gaga, seriously.’‘

“yeah,” he answers sheepishly. “i’m pretty boring like that.” a nervous chuckle. nathan inhales and exhales slowly. “we should hang out and listen to music or something sometime. i can give you my number, if you want..”

‘‘I’m just shocked some people are truly doing homework around here,’‘ he teased back, nudging lightly the other male as he walked by his side. ‘‘– can I ask a definition of classic rock? Like… Bowie, or Metallica? It can be vague sometimes…’‘

nathan chuckles as well, nudging him back. “definitely bowie,” is his reply. “what about you? what do your top songs on spotify look like?”

‘‘Mal. I mean, It’s Malachy Khan, but my mother is the only one using my full name and it usually means she’s pissed off–’‘ He smirked at him, hinting that he could pretty much go by mal, kai, khan, or anything in between.

‘‘what kind of music are you into?’‘ he wanted to make sure the other male wouldn’t be bored out of his mind.

“gotcha. mal it is.” unless he was being naughty. whoa, nathan really had to control his not-so-pg thoughts. 

“music?” nate takes a moment to think over his answer. “i’m a fan of classic rock and piano instrumental, mostly for when i’m doing homework.” he lets out a dry laugh. “kinda lame, i know.”

‘‘I can’t remember the last time I’ve made out with a handsome jock underneath the bleachers – we really don’t have to go too far,’‘ he joked, as he got up and straightened out. It’s only after he cracked his neck that he walked away from where he’s been sitting all this time. ‘‘I don’t have a place in mind, but my friend is on the radio in ten minutes,’‘ he confirmed by looked down at his watches. ‘‘We can go to the main room and chill for a while?’‘

‘‘–what’s your name, again?’‘

“huh, what an original idea,” nathan chuckles, looking away for a brief moment until he felt the heat on his cheeks subside. “sure that sounds good.”

“nathan. nathan mulligan. and yours is?”

‘’I was talking about ballet, expositions… things like that, don’t give me bad intentions,’’ Mal replied, chuckle bobbin’ from his lips. ‘’‘there are jackasses everywhere, I can’t even blame it on sports…’‘ He teased him with a small grin. Slightly leaning forwards, Malachy tried to concentrate on the game but his mind was anywhere but there. ‘‘Wanna go somewhere else?’‘

“whatever,” nate states with a playful roll of his eyes.  “i s’pose you’re right.” nathan licks his lips as he thinks over his answer. he made a promise to himself to go with the flow (or try to, at least) a bit more this year. “yeah, sure.” he wasn’t really watching the game much anyways. “where do you have in mind?”

‘‘Trust me you wouldn’t like it. I can barely walk without being out of breath,’‘ he replied with a chuckle; being a little more dramatic than necessary. ‘‘Maybe I should stop smoking,’‘ he murmured, mainly to himself, with a cheeky smile. Mal got rid of what was left of the cigarette he was currently smoking – letting it fall under the bleachers. 

‘‘Well, jock, you should stop by my dorm sometimes and I’ll show you the wonders you’re missing when you’re warming up on the field,’‘ he smirked at him, head turned to have a better look at nathan. ‘‘What’s up with your coach?’‘

“that’d be smart,” he states matter-of-factly. “and it’ll help you stop littering in the meantime.” nathan bumps the other boy’s shoulder. 

“oh, is that so?” is his flirty reply before he can stop himself. nathan clears his throat, attempting to cover up his blush again by stuffing his mouth with another few nachos. he chews slowly, stalling the reply. “he’s just a jackass. nothing out of the ordinary.”

‘’isn’t soccer all about running miles on an extremely large field, in order to kick a ball a few times during the match? far superior, right,’‘ he teased him with a small smirk tugging at his lips. 

‘‘I thanks soccer for david beckham’s underwear adds,’‘ Mal added, slightly raising his hands in an innocent fashion. ‘‘don’t you think it would be best to force you to attend an art show, or a concert, once a month?’‘

nathan narrows his eyes briefly at the other boy. he then softens up when he realizes mal’s just teasing him. “i’d like to see you try playing it, tough guy.”

 “yeah, most people do,” nate answers rather lamely, dropping his gaze to his nachos and praying that mal didn’t catch the pink tint to his cheeks. he wouldn’t admit openly that he, too, enjoyed the david beckham ads especially when he was heated and couldn’t sleep at night. “yeah, i guess. but it’s sports.” he shrugs. “just because we’re in a fancy school doesn’t mean the coaches have any more class.” it was a rather rude comment, but it was true. his soccer coach could be a bit of a dick sometimes, and the only thing he cared about was the game. it’s no wonder he was divorced and rarely got to see his kids.