Chapter Text
When Gabriel Reyes turned up at Overwatch College for the Extraordinarily Gifted and was told that he had been assigned a roommate, he was immediately apprehensive. People weren’t exactly his strong suit – just ask his band.
(Sorry, ex-band. Gabe was the only active member of Death Blossom left. Whatever. He’d find people who were better musicians anyway.)
And then when he found out his roommate was the student rep golden boy athlete Jack Morrison, Gabe immediately prepared himself to be stuck with a preppy, boozy jockhead. What he got was something completely different.
Jack was quiet, knew how to have a laugh and didn’t complain when Gabe practised his guitar. He also knew how to cook something beyond boiled eggs and ramen noodles, so that immediately put him in Gabe’s good books.
The fact that he was absolutely gorgeous with his mop of blonde hair and baby blue eyes was also something Gabe could appreciate. When something that attractive waltzes out of the shower at 7am with nothing but a towel around his waist, more than just Gabe’s sleep-addled brain suddenly found itself standing to attention.
All in all, Gabriel could have done worse.
But even the very best roommates weren’t perfect. They all had something wrong. Really, Gabriel should have seen this coming, the disappointment, the catch. Nothing was ever too good to be true. And Jack’s bad habit? The disgusting, horrible flaw that spoilt his whole good-boy-A-grade student image and reputation that everyone, including Gabe, had assigned to him?
He leaves the toilet seat up. Always.
Sure, it doesn’t sound too bad. But do you know how it feels to fall into a toilet ass-first at 2 in the fucking morning?
Gabriel does. He knows too damn well.
Once again, Gabriel has to pull himself out of the damn toilet and clean toilet water off his bare ass. The first time, it’d been funny and Gabe had suddenly understood why his mama had lost her shit whenever he left the seat up. Fifth time, though? Gabe was ready to stick Jack Morrison’s head in it and give him the biggest swirly of his short life.
Since he couldn’t do that, he decided to return the favour of now being wide awake at 2am. He set up his guitar, hooked up the amp at full blast, making sure the speaker was right next to his roommate’s stupid blonde head, and started shredding out the first few notes of Enter the Sandman.
“What the fuck?!” Jack demanded after he was started awake. His baby blue eyes glowered at Gabe, with promises of many painful punishments for disrupting his sleep.
Gabe couldn’t give a shit.
“The fuck is right?! This is the fifth time I’ve been woken up! The fifth time! Coz you can’t remember to just put down the damn toilet seat! It’s not damn hard!”
Jack gaped at him, “You put on a dramatic guitar show next to my head because you don’t bother to check before you sit down on a toilet?!”
“When you fucking know what it’s like to get toilet water splashed up your fucking ass when you need to take a midnight shit, THEN you can fucking complain!”
Jack sighed irritably, lying back down, “For fuck’s sake, Gabe, go the fuck to sleep.”
“Oh, no, no, asshole! Don’t you fucking go back to sleep! I’ve been fucking telling you about this for the past three months!”
And with a fiery look in his eyes, Jack swirled his head to Gabe and snarled, “If you aren’t fucking happy, Gabe, get a new roommate!”
Which is how Gabe found himself in the office of the Head of Student Relations. Miss Athena was always immaculate in her presentation, wearing dark suits and tying her mass of tightly curled red hair back into a professional bun. She raised an eyebrow over her glasses at Gabriel’s request.
“What particular reason do you have for no longer wishing to be roomed with Mr Morrison, Mr Reyes?”
Gabriel rubbed the back of his neck, “Look, the guy and I are just really different. I can’t take being woken up at 2am anymore.”
Miss Athena looked down at her tablet and, after what looked like a moment’s consideration, nodded, “Okay, Mr Reyes. This is highly unusual, but I believe this can be arranged.”
Gabriel blinked, “Really?”
She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes, “It’s always regrettable when rooming situations do not work out. However, you are not going to be compatible with everyone and we at Overwatch College attempt to cater to the best interests of the students. Your application is fortunate, for we have a new student starting in three days. If you are ready, we can move your belongings to Room 405.”
Gabriel hadn’t honestly thought he would get this far, but he wasn’t about to question it. He nodded, “Thank you, Miss. That would be great.”
Miss Athena nodded, “Then it is decided.”
She looked over at the nearby clock, “I’m afraid I have an appointment in twenty minutes. Come back at 1600 hours and I will have the keys for your new room ready.”
After being kicked out of her office, Gabriel discovered he had an unusual spring in his step as he headed off to History with Professor Reinhardt. He couldn’t wait to wipe the smug grin off the golden boy’s face when he walks in to see Gabriel half-way out the door and where he can tell him to stick it.
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Angela furrowed her brow as she watched her friend pick at his lasagne, “Jack, you aren’t eating.”
Jack looked up at her, surprised, “Um, sorry. Had a big lunch. Just haven’t got much of an appetite.”
Angela looked sceptical, an expression matched in her girlfriend. Fareeha’s lasagne was one of Jack’s favourite dishes – he would starve himself for the days he visits their dorm so that he can get two helpings. Fareeha plunked herself down next to Jack, dumping the tea towel she was holding on the table in front of them
“Spill, Morrison. What’s wrong?” Fareeha demanded.
The young athlete just shrugged, attempting to remain casual, “I’m all good. My roommate just moved, that’s all.”
Angela looked confused – Fareeha thought it was so cute how her nose scrunched up like that, she wanted to kiss it – and gestured at Jack with her fork, “Gabriel Reyes? That edgelord guitarist that drove away that whole ‘band’ he had coz he was a total dick to them?”
“Yeah.” Jack shrugged, “I know, it’s stupid. I just – he got annoyed coz I left the toilet seat up and – I dunno, I got angry and told him to find another roommate. I didn’t think he’d take me seriously. Now I don’t know who I’m gonna get as a new roommate.”
Angela picked up her now polished-clean plate and took it the kitchen, “Well, I can say that they cannot be as bad as him.”
“He wasn’t that bad. He was quiet most of the time.” Fareeha heard Jack mumbled to himself.
Fareeha looked at her girlfriend’s best friend closely. He was trying to look like he didn’t care. But his very full plate and slouched shoulders showed her what was really happening. She gave him a good natured shoulder shove.
“Hey, Morrison. You and me, let’s go for a few laps tomorrow morning. Loser buys the coffee.”
Jack smiled at her, letting Fareeha glimpse the usual happy man, “Yeah, sounds good. Get ready to get thrashed.”
Fareeha smiled and looked back to see Angela catch her eye, giving her a grateful smile for looking out for her friend. She ignored the blush coming up her neck and pulled out her phone as a distraction. Oh, she had a missed call from her mum.
“Be back soon, guys. Gotta make a call.”