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Sunday 10:32 PM
A knock on the dorm room door breaks Mickey’s concentration and he blinks as he drags his attention away from his textbook for the first time in hours. He had a huge midterm tomorrow, and maybe if he ignored the knock, he could get back to cramming.
knock knock knock
Apparently he’s out of luck. Mickey groans as he stands up from his desk, his bones cracking from the movement. The knocking continues until Mickey finally swings his door open.
On the other side stands Ian Gallagher, his neighbor and one time group project partner from last year.
“Hey, man,” Ian greets, waving at Mickey awkwardly with his backpack slung over his shoulder. Mickey simply blinks at the greeting, unsure what Ian could possibly want at this time on a Sunday night.
Ian clears his throat. “My roommate invited his girlfriend over and they were starting to get a little too frisky for my liking,” Ian explains, shifting from side to side on the balls of his feet before continuing, “I was wondering if I could hang out here for awhile or at least until the coast is clear?”
Mickey is taken aback by the request. sure he and Ian had gotten along well while working together last year, but they were nowhere near friends.
“Don’t you have a brother who lives around here?” Mickey asks, shocking both him and Ian with the question. How he remembers that small amount information from last year is beyond him.
Ian shrugs, though he looks intrigued by Mickey’s remembrance and question. “He’s off campus and I don’t really feel like waiting on the bus at this time of night,” Ian tells Mickey, peering over Mickey’s shoulder and glancing into the dorm room. He must notice the scattered textbooks and notes all over the room because he backs away slightly.
“Oh shit, I’m interrupting you, aren’t I? I just really don’t want to haul my ass all the way to the library and back." Ian mumbles the last part, but Mickey can still understand him.
He starts to roll his eyes at Ian's attempt to guilt trip Mickey into letting him stay, but Ian was already turning away.
“Have a good night. I’m sorry I bothered you.”
Mickey snorts at Ian's pathetic wave to him.
“Gallagher, get your ass in here," he calls to the slow moving Ian. Ian turns around in a flash and is already in Mickey’s room before Mickey can finish the command.
“You have a single room?” Ian asks, taking in Mickey’s room. It’s a fucking mess, almost as though five people live there instead of just Mickey.
“My roommate moved out after the first week and they never assigned me anyone else, Mickey says, kicking some of his shit under the bed in an attempt to discreetly clean the place up.
“Did you scare him off?” Ian questions. “I’d kill to have a single room. I like Matty and all, but he can be fucking annoying.”
“Are you sure you’re not the annoying one?” Mickey replies, sending Ian a significant look as he sits back down at his desk, not ready to get back to studying but knowing he must if he wants to pass.
“Oh right. I’m just going to sit here and study. You won’t even know I’m here.”
Ian throws himself down on the other empty bed and pulls out his own work. He gestures to his mouth as if he was licking his lips with a key.
Mickey is skeptical but returned to his own textbook. He is barely three pages in when Ian speaks up again.
“What are you reading?”
“I thought you were going to sit there and be quiet,” Mickey grumbles, his minimal amount of concentration nearly shot at the simple question.
“I have shitty concentration,” Ian says, mirroring Mickey’s own thoughts. He scoots closer to the desk and peers over at Mickey’s notes. “Is that for Rudd’s class?”
“Yeah. It’s kind of kicking my ass,” Mickey admits. He wasn’t the best student in the world, but he was decent enough to never have failed a class. Unfortunately, Rudd’s class might change that.
Ian hums in agreement. “I took that last semester. I can help you out if you want; I’m pretty sure I have all of my old tests somewhere.”
Mickey instantly looks over at Ian in shock, already nodding his head at the offer.
Ian dumps the contents of his backpack out on top of the empty bed, papers, folders, and pens spilling out everywhere. He shuffles through the mess, crying triumphantly when he comes across a crumpled up packet of papers.
“Why do you still have these?” Mickey says, almost in wonder, as he snatches the old tests and quizzes out of Ian’s hands.
“I thought they might come in handy some day. Apparently I was right,” Ian says cockily. He's beaming at Mickey like he knows he just scored major points with him.
“You were fucking right,” Mickey mumbles distractedly, already scanning the documents to find the answers to the questions he’s been stumped on for hours. Everything instantly becomes clearer as he deciphers the problems in front of him.
“Do you think he uses the same tests every semester?” Mickey asks, hoping his luck would continue to get better and better.
Ian shrugs. “I got these same tests from my brother who got them from someone a year above him.”
Mickey feels instantly relieved, the bane of his semester shrinking down to the size of an ant. “Oh thank fuck, man. I’ve been stressed about this test for weeks.”
“Good thing my roommate sexiled me, huh?” Ian asks, throwing a wink in Mickey’s direction.
What a good thing indeed.
------------
Wednesday 9:14 pm
Mickey runs into Ian in the hallway standing outside Mickey’s dorm room door, his hand raised as if to knock.
“Hey,” Mickey says as he approaches his door and Ian.
Ian jumps slightly at Mickey’s sudden appearance but smiles at him brightly.
“Damn, you get back from class late,” Ian points out glancing down at his watch. "I would die if I had to stay out later than five."
“I stopped by the library and then grabbed a sandwich at the bodega,” Mickey tells him. He pulls his keys out of his pocket, eyeing Ian skeptically as he opens the door and lets himself into his dorm room. He drops his bag on the bed and turns around to find Ian still standing in the hallway outside of his door.
“What are you doing, Gallagher?” Mickey asks Ian, who looks like he's waiting for an invitation into the room.
Ian points into the direction of his own room and makes a face. “If you listen closely enough, I think you can hear my roommate’s girlfriend’s moaning.”
Mickey scowls at the thought. “Again? I’m pretty sure you can go tell an R.A. or something at this point.”
Ian waves off the suggestion and tentatively makes his way into Mickey’s room, shutting the door behind him. “It’s not that bad.”
“Maybe I’m the one who needs to go talk to an R.A; Tell them that I have a new, unexpected roommate," Mickey groans, flipping Ian off as he lays back in bed and stares at the ceiling.
“You know you like hanging out with me,” Ian teases, but Mickey can hear the slight question in his tone.
“That’s only because you are helping me pass this semester. What do you have for me today, Gallagher?” He turns and looks at Ian, stretching his hand out and making a grabby motion at the other boy.
Ian smiles back at him, reaching behind him to dig through his backpack. He pulls out a bag of cookies and passes them to Mickey, who graciously accepts the treats.
“So you passed your test?” Ian asks knowingly, throwing Mickey a thumbs up.
Mickey digs through the folder on his desk and hands Ian the paper he received at his last class, the paper that proudly displays his A+.
“If only you had the answers to all of my other classes.”
"I think you're supposed to actually learn something in college, though,"
"Name one thing you've learned here," Mickey challenges.
Ian’s eyes light up. "I learned how to play poker."
" That's educational," Mickey snarks, flipping into his side to face Ian.
Ian opens up his backpack and pulls out a deck of cards. "You'd be surprised."
"For fucks sake, what else do you have in that bag, Mary Poppins?"
Ian laughs loudly and starts to shuffle the cards. "Put up or shut up, Mick."
Mickey puts up and wins.
------------
Friday 3:03 AM
Growing up in the South Side, Mickey was used to people showing up at his house drunk off their asses at all hours of the night. Fortunately though, that sort of thing slowed down once he left for college.
Until tonight at least.
Mickey almost believes he's dreaming all of the annoying knocks until he is dragged out of the last remnants of sleep to find himself still in his small dorm room bed.
The knocking, probably better described as banging, persists are Mickey drags himself out of the comfort of his bed. He throws open the door and Ian all but tumbles into the room, tripping over Mickey and sprawling out onto the floor. Mickey can't help but stare in shock as Ian giggles at his feet.
“What the fuck?” Mickey hisses, and the only response he gets is even more laughter. “Are you drunk?” Mickey asks instead, pulling Ian further into the room so he can shut the door behind him.
“Just a little,” Ian replies, holding up his fingers to indicate how drunk he may or may not be. His response is more slur than words.
“Do you know what time it is?” Mickey asks sharply, kicking at Ian in frustration.
“I can’t tell time right now. The room is spinning.” Ian giggles turn into a burp which makes him laugh even more.
“I bet your own room isn’t spinning,” Mickey grumbles as he moves away from Ian to lay back down in bed.
“Can’t go there right now. Matty and Clara are doing the boom boom," Ian tells him in a loud voice that he probably thinks is quiet.
Mickey sits up slightly. “Did you just say boom boom?”
Ian makes crude hand gestures as he starts to chant ‘boom boom boom boom’ from his spot on the floor.
“Fine, you can stay here again as long as you shut the fuck up," Mickey warns.
“Yoooouuuuuuu likkeeeeee meeeeeeee,” Ian sings as he pulls himself off of the floor and into the empty bed on the other side of the room.
"Not at this moment," Mickey mutters. He digs his head deeper into the pillow, trying to escape Ian's horrible singing.
"Yes you dooooooo," Ian sings again, his voice cracking as he draws out the words.
Mickey can't help but snicker and smile at the idiot. He tries to muffle it with the pillow, but he's unsuccessful.
"I heard that laugh. I knew it," Ian tells him triumphantly. "You like me." His speech starts to trail off and Mickey can tell that Ian is fading fast.
"How often does your roommate need to bang his girlfriend?" Mickey asks anyway, curiosity getting the best of him. "Maybe you should try exiling him sometime."
"Need someone to fuck," Ian says sleepily. "Want to help me out with that, Mick?"
Mickey sits straight up, shock running through his body. He wonders if he is imagining the innuendo or if he's just really tired. "Huh?"
"You like me, I like you. We can make it happen, captain." Ian lets out a snore at the end, and Mickey knows that he is finally asleep.
Mickey doesn't fall asleep for awhile though.
------------
Friday 7:26 pm
Mickey thinks about Ian's comments all day. Did Ian mean what Mickey thinks he meant? How should Mickey interpret the comments?
He hadn't gotten the chance to ask Ian about it this morning because when he woke up, Ian was gone, a thank you note taking Ian's place on the bed.
So instead, he stews on it all day and has no idea what to do or think.
Thankfully, someone decides to help him out. for the fourth time that week (and the second time that day), Ian is standing on the other side of the door when Mickey opens it. This time though, he's armed with two boxes of pizza.
"Hey, Mick," Ian greets. He looks unsure of himself, and Mickey wonders if he remembers last night and has been stewing all day as well.
"Hi." Mickey's voice breaks on the simple word and he curses himself and his nerves.
"I'm here to apologize." Ian thrusts the boxes of pizza into Mickey's hands to back up his statement. "I shouldn't have barged in like that last night. I don't remember much, but pretty sure I was a fucking mess."
Mickey doesn't know whether he feels relieved or disappointed at the fact that Ian doesn't seem to remember his comments.
He motions for Ian to come into the room, and Ian beams at the invitation.
"I have even more stuff in order to make it up to you." Ian pulls a laptop out of his bag and sets it up on the floor. "I borrowed my brother's laptop and I figured we could use his girlfriend's Netflix account in order to watch shitty movies." He digs even further into his bag and pulls out a six pack of beer.
"You didn't have to do all of this," Mickey tells him, taking in all of Ian's offerings. "It wasn't that big of a deal. You had nowhere else to go."
A flash of guilt crosses Ian's face, but it's gone before Mickey can really process it. Ian waves off Mickey's concerns and drags the pillows and blankets off of the beds in order to make a pallet on the floor. He pats the spot next to him, indicating that Mickey should join him.
Though Mickey felt a little awkward at first, still unsure how to feel in this moment, the easiness of hanging out with Isn quickly takes over, and soon they are both making jokes about the movie and each other.
Ian's an even bigger dork than Mickey could ever have even imagined, and Mickey finds himself smiling at him constantly. Ian always returns the smile -
Until a part of the movie hits a little too close to home.
Mickey watches as the guy in the movie drunkenly confesses his undying love to a girl only to pass out two seconds later. Mickey glances over at Ian, who has also gone quiet.
However, it doesn't take long for Ian to snap.
"I have a confession," Ian blurts out, turning to face Mickey completely. "My roommate's-" Ian cuts himself off and starts over. " I remember coming onto you last night."
Mickey sits up straighter on the blanket. "Huh?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Ian insists. His eyes are pleading and he looks nervous at the same time.
Mickey can only really nod his head in response, unsure what to say.
"Everyone always says that life is nothing like dumb romantic comedies, but I guess in this case it is," Ian lamely jokes as he motions between them and the movie.
"You told me you really like me," Mickey states. He wants to talk about what else Ian said, but he figures this is a good place to start.
"I do," Ian replies simply. Before Mickey can respond though, Ian leans forward and presses his lips to Mickey's.
The spark within Mickey is instantaneous, and Mickey finds himself returning the kiss without much thought. He leans in closer to Ian, obtaining a better angle and pressing their lips harder together.
Ian's hands move up to hold Mickey's face. The grease on Ian's fingers from the pizza should probably gross Mickey out but in this moment he doesn't mind.
Mickey reciprocates the kiss and bites gently at Ian's lips until Ian opens his mouth slightly.
The kiss only grows from there, and it seems like forever before they both pull away panting.
Ian smiles at Mickey, slightly out of breath.
"I have another confession," He says into the small space between them. "My room-"
Mickey cuts him off by pressing his lips to Ian's once again.
They don't talk for awhile after that.
------------
Saturday 9:06 am
A knock on the door once again drags Mickey out of a good sleep. He tries to nudge Ian next to him, to tell him to answer the door, but finds the space next to him empty.
Mickey moans tiredly and his body is stiff as he pulls himself off of the hard floor. He throws on a pair of boxers then shuffles over to the door and yanks it open.
Of course, Ian is standing on the other side.
"Good morning!" Ian cries cheerfully, leaning down to peck Mickey on the cheek as he walked passed him.
Mickey feels his face grow warm. "Where did you go?" He mumbles, trying to ignore the flutter in his stomach.
"You gotta get up early if you want the good breakfast tacos from the dining hall." Ian sits down at the desk and unwraps his food, taking a big bite and moaning appreciatively. "I didn't know what kind you like, but I figured you weren't picky."
Mickey nods in agreement and slides the other desk chair closer to Ian so he can sit and eat with him.
They eat together in silence, enjoying the first food they've had since last night.
Weirdly enough, it's Mickey who breaks the silence first.
"So... last night...." He starts.
"And early this morning," Ian adds, elbowing Mickey in the side gently.
Mickey blushes again, at a loss for words.
Ian helps him out. "I meant what I said last night. I really like you and I have since last semester."
"How come you never said anything?" Mickey wonders out loud.
This time, Ian blushes.
"After the project was over, I didn't really know how to keep talking to you nor did I know if you wanted to keep talking at all. And then summer started." He stops his explanation, but Mickey understands.
Mickey nudges Ian in the side until he finally looks up at Mickey.
“You could have to talked to me. I’m pretty sure i had just as big of a schoolgirl crush on you too.”
Ian’s nervousness gives way to a broad, bright smile. He says nothing about Mickey’s confession, instead leaning in to kiss Mickey.
Things progress quickly, and they soon find themselves together on the bed.
Ian gently pushes Mickey down, flat on his back, and climbs on top of him, pressing Mickey into the mattress. While still kissing the hell out of Mickey, Ian sweeps his hand up Mickey’s thigh until he is reaching inside of Mickey’s boxers to stroke him.
Mickey stutters Ian’s name into their kiss, loving the feeling of Ian wrapped around him everywhere. Ian pulls away from the kiss to trail his lips down Mickey’s body, nipping softly at Mickey’s neck, chest, and tummy until he reaches the waistband of Mickey’s boxers. He quickly divests mickey of the clothing and leans down to take the head of Mickey’s cock into this mouth.
Mickey arches off the bed in response, reaching a hand out to run through Ian’s hair and ground himself. Ian hums around him in response, and the vibrations send Mickey spiraling towards the edge even more. Ian moves further down the length of Mickey’s cock, using his hand to make up the difference while running his tongue up the underside.
Mickey feels better than he’s he felt and lets out a loud, broken moan to show it.
Not long after, Mickey pulls on Ian’s hair in warning, knowing he is not going to last much longer. Ian stays right where he is though, and Mickey soon splinters apart.
After somewhat catching his breath, Mickey has just enough sense to help Ian along, though it doesn’t take much. He drags Ian up into a sloppy kiss, reaching down to knock Ian’s hand away and take a hold of Ian himself. Mickey grips Ian and jerks tight and fast, Ian groaning into his neck at the movements.
It’s not long before Ian is biting down on Mickey’s neck and coming over Mickey’s hand. Afterward, Ian drops all of his weight against Mickey, and Mickey doesn’t mind one bit.
“I really like you, too,” Mickey says into the quiet of the dorm room. “As if that wasn’t completely obvious at this point.”
He feels Ian smile into his shoulder and he wraps his arms tighter around him.
What a good morning indeed.
------------
Sunday 10:08 am
The next morning, it’s not Ian standing on the other side of the door when Mickey opens it, it’s Ian’s roommate.
Mickey eyes Matty warily. “Hey…” He says, not sure what the guy could want.
Matty looks like he wants to be anywhere but outside Mickey’s room, but he speaks up anyway. “I know college is all about being free and doing whatever you want and finding yourself, but can you and whoever the fuck you’re fucking please keep it down. Y’all have been going at it like rabbits all weekend.”
Mickey rears back in shock. “Huh?”
“These walls aren’t that thick, man. I can hear almost everything going on in here,” Matty explains, his face turning red with embarrassment.
Mickey is able to retain enough sense about him to respond. “That’s funny coming from you.” He almost laughs at Matty’s confused face. “You’re the one who’s kicked Ian out of his room almost every night this week just so you can bang your girlfriend.”
Matty starts to look even more confused. “Bang my girlfriend? Clara has been out of town since Monday. She won’t be back until Wednesday.”
Matty rolls his eyes at Mickey’s own dumbfounded look and leaves Mickey to his thoughts. Before Mickey can close the door though, Ian shows up from his morning run.
“What was Matty doing here?” Ian asks, still panting from his exercise.
Mickey blinks away his thoughts, turning to study ian carefully.
“To tell us to keep it down.” Mickey wants to laugh when Ian’s jaw drops but he keeps going, “and to mention that his girlfriend has been out of town all week.”
If possible, Ian’s jaw drops even more. Mickey gives Ian the time he needs to catch up, and it’s not long before the other man is talking over himself in order to explain.
“I saw you in the hallway a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to talk to you, but I didn’t know how,” Ian tells him, talking fast and with a lot of hand gestures. “And then on Sunday, Matty asked if he could have the room for the night and I said okay. Everything I told you that night was true. I didn’t want to trek all the way to Lip’s, so I took a chance and knocked on your door.”
Ian takes a deep breath but quickly returns to babbling.
“The next time was just me being a chicken. I really just wanted to hang out with you, but I felt like I needed an excuse.”
Mickey starts to speak up, but Ian powers on. “I tried to tell you on Friday, but I came out and told you I liked you instead… and well, you know the rest.”
Ian finally stops pacing long enough to look at Mickey. “You probably think I’m a creep.”
Mickey is thinking a lot of things in this moment, but Ian being a creep isn’t one of them. He moves closer to Ian and smirks up at him.
“I think you’re a dork.”
“The dorkiest,” Ian confirms, jutting out his bottom lip and pouting.
Mickey leans up and kisses the pout right off of Ian’s face and doesn’t stop kissing him.
Thankfully, neither needs an excuse to talk to each other anymore, and Mickey doesn’t have a roommate of his own to awkwardly exile.