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Mal went to school the next day, even though Rage was still in his bed. He wanted to stay with her, but when she'd kneed him in the balls after the 25th time she'd told him to go without her, Mal decided he should probably listen. Rage would likely have struck a critical blow next. Like removing his balls.
Just because he was in school didn't mean he had to like it. And Malachy proved that by slinking through the hallway, looking quite annoyed at the general world around him. Until Ardal Quinn rounded the corner and froze right in front of him, doing an amazing impersonation of a terrified kitty cat. Mal's eyes widened and then narrowed again because Ardal was just standing there with his mouth hanging slightly open. And then Mal did something that shocked both of them. He reached out and touched Ardal's chin, gently closing his mouth.
Mal realised what he'd done and his hand snapped back to his side in an instant, and Ardal lifted his own hand, fingers brushing the area where Mal had just touched him. It had been far more gentle than he had anticipated. He had always assumed that Mal didn't actually know how to be gentle.
Mal shifted uncomfortably and he decided he should probably say something, lest this incredibly awkward moment continue. "Hi." He said, and he congratulated himself on handling the situation well.
"Hi." Ardal replied, leaving nothing else to say.
Damn. Mal thought. Not so well handled after all. "Er..."
"You weren't here yesterday." Ardal observed quietly. "I uhm....you can borrow my history notes if you want." That was the only connection they shared after all. A history class that Malachy hardly ever attended.
"I don't give a wank about history." Mal hissed, but at the shocked look on Ardal's face, Mal stuttered, "er...but I could uhm...have a read. If you...if you wanted." For some strange reason, he didn't like that Ardal looked upset.
Ardal, who couldn't understand anyone not caring about school, didn't know how to respond to this. "Yeah. I mean, if you want. I colour-coded the dot points."
Instead of finding that horrifying and running in the opposite direction, as Mal would have with anyone else scholastically inclined, he smiled. In spite of himself, he found it rather charming that this shy boy in front of him colour-coded his dot points. "Don't tell me, you colour-coded them by country?"
"Era, actually." Ardal smiled. He liked talking about eras! "I'm sure it will all make sense if you've read the chapters." And he nodded excitedly.
"Chapters?"
"In the history text."
"History text?"
Ardal could see that this conversation was going to go nowhere quickly. "Uhm...they gave it to us at the beginning of the year?"
"Oh that! I think that got blowed all to hell..." Mal considered that. Yeah, he was pretty sure that had been in his backpack along with several incendiary devices when tragedy had struck. He'd lost an entire pack of cigarettes when he'd accidentally exploded that backpack. His history text was history.
"It got...?" Ardal shook his head. There were some things he didn't want to know. "Nevermind. I can photocopy a few of the chapters in the library during lunch. I can highlight them for you so you only have to read the important bits. Colour-coded of course. So they correspond with the notes."
"You're like smart and shit." Mal said with a nod. "You in to all of this?" Mal waved his hand around, indicating the general 'school' area.
Ardal turned red, but there was nothing in Mal's tone that indicated that he would be offended if Ardal was into all of 'this', so he nodded. "I like learning things. And I find history fascinating because humans seem to make the same mistakes over and over and people never learn. It's like...society advances around us, but we never do, you know?"
Mal was quite shocked that Ardal had spoken more than three words to him, as he had always seemed very shy. Apparently if you got him on the topic of history he didn't shut up. And in response to Ardal's question, he didn't really know and that made him feel stupid. So he shrugged. "I 'spose."
Ardal realised he had lost Mal somewhere around 'I like learning things' so he amended his approach once again. "I know it's not as exciting as...er...what you do." Immediately he turned red because maybe he wasn't supposed to know what Mal O'Reilly did!
Mal raised his eyebrows at that and he leaned up against the wall with his hands behind his neck. "Nothing is." He said with a smile. "I'm making a difference instead of just readin' about it. No offense to yourself intended."
"None taken." Ardal said truthfully. "I think it's safer if I just read it. I'm a bit spastic. I'd probably just screw up anything I tried to accomplish."
Mal grinned and he laughed. "'I can't serve the purposes of justice because I'm a bit spastic'. Classic. Hey, you want a fag?" Mal asked quickly.
"BWAH?!" Was Ardal's rather ineloquent response. And Mal was so shocked he simply held up his cigarettes with his eyes wide open. "Oh! Right! Okay." Ardal shrugged. "I've never smoked before."
"Come on. You might be late to your next class." Mal cautioned.
"It's just a class. Besides, I read the entire text book before the semester started, so I'll be okay." Ardal smiled. Mal was a nice guy when he wasn't trying to be tough for the benefit of Reagan or Francis. Ardal was rather enjoying his company despite the obvious differences between them. And Mal was enjoying the fact that Ardal wasn't as straight-laced as he came off at first glance.
"Good on ya." Mal smiled. "Follow me. You can show me your colour-codes, you wild thing, you." Ardal laughed and he nodded, pleased to do so.
Just because he was in school didn't mean he had to like it. And Malachy proved that by slinking through the hallway, looking quite annoyed at the general world around him. Until Ardal Quinn rounded the corner and froze right in front of him, doing an amazing impersonation of a terrified kitty cat. Mal's eyes widened and then narrowed again because Ardal was just standing there with his mouth hanging slightly open. And then Mal did something that shocked both of them. He reached out and touched Ardal's chin, gently closing his mouth.
Mal realised what he'd done and his hand snapped back to his side in an instant, and Ardal lifted his own hand, fingers brushing the area where Mal had just touched him. It had been far more gentle than he had anticipated. He had always assumed that Mal didn't actually know how to be gentle.
Mal shifted uncomfortably and he decided he should probably say something, lest this incredibly awkward moment continue. "Hi." He said, and he congratulated himself on handling the situation well.
"Hi." Ardal replied, leaving nothing else to say.
Damn. Mal thought. Not so well handled after all. "Er..."
"You weren't here yesterday." Ardal observed quietly. "I uhm....you can borrow my history notes if you want." That was the only connection they shared after all. A history class that Malachy hardly ever attended.
"I don't give a wank about history." Mal hissed, but at the shocked look on Ardal's face, Mal stuttered, "er...but I could uhm...have a read. If you...if you wanted." For some strange reason, he didn't like that Ardal looked upset.
Ardal, who couldn't understand anyone not caring about school, didn't know how to respond to this. "Yeah. I mean, if you want. I colour-coded the dot points."
Instead of finding that horrifying and running in the opposite direction, as Mal would have with anyone else scholastically inclined, he smiled. In spite of himself, he found it rather charming that this shy boy in front of him colour-coded his dot points. "Don't tell me, you colour-coded them by country?"
"Era, actually." Ardal smiled. He liked talking about eras! "I'm sure it will all make sense if you've read the chapters." And he nodded excitedly.
"Chapters?"
"In the history text."
"History text?"
Ardal could see that this conversation was going to go nowhere quickly. "Uhm...they gave it to us at the beginning of the year?"
"Oh that! I think that got blowed all to hell..." Mal considered that. Yeah, he was pretty sure that had been in his backpack along with several incendiary devices when tragedy had struck. He'd lost an entire pack of cigarettes when he'd accidentally exploded that backpack. His history text was history.
"It got...?" Ardal shook his head. There were some things he didn't want to know. "Nevermind. I can photocopy a few of the chapters in the library during lunch. I can highlight them for you so you only have to read the important bits. Colour-coded of course. So they correspond with the notes."
"You're like smart and shit." Mal said with a nod. "You in to all of this?" Mal waved his hand around, indicating the general 'school' area.
Ardal turned red, but there was nothing in Mal's tone that indicated that he would be offended if Ardal was into all of 'this', so he nodded. "I like learning things. And I find history fascinating because humans seem to make the same mistakes over and over and people never learn. It's like...society advances around us, but we never do, you know?"
Mal was quite shocked that Ardal had spoken more than three words to him, as he had always seemed very shy. Apparently if you got him on the topic of history he didn't shut up. And in response to Ardal's question, he didn't really know and that made him feel stupid. So he shrugged. "I 'spose."
Ardal realised he had lost Mal somewhere around 'I like learning things' so he amended his approach once again. "I know it's not as exciting as...er...what you do." Immediately he turned red because maybe he wasn't supposed to know what Mal O'Reilly did!
Mal raised his eyebrows at that and he leaned up against the wall with his hands behind his neck. "Nothing is." He said with a smile. "I'm making a difference instead of just readin' about it. No offense to yourself intended."
"None taken." Ardal said truthfully. "I think it's safer if I just read it. I'm a bit spastic. I'd probably just screw up anything I tried to accomplish."
Mal grinned and he laughed. "'I can't serve the purposes of justice because I'm a bit spastic'. Classic. Hey, you want a fag?" Mal asked quickly.
"BWAH?!" Was Ardal's rather ineloquent response. And Mal was so shocked he simply held up his cigarettes with his eyes wide open. "Oh! Right! Okay." Ardal shrugged. "I've never smoked before."
"Come on. You might be late to your next class." Mal cautioned.
"It's just a class. Besides, I read the entire text book before the semester started, so I'll be okay." Ardal smiled. Mal was a nice guy when he wasn't trying to be tough for the benefit of Reagan or Francis. Ardal was rather enjoying his company despite the obvious differences between them. And Mal was enjoying the fact that Ardal wasn't as straight-laced as he came off at first glance.
"Good on ya." Mal smiled. "Follow me. You can show me your colour-codes, you wild thing, you." Ardal laughed and he nodded, pleased to do so.
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