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The thing that made Michael love Gabriel so much was that he was never serious. He was always cracking jokes and making those stupid little faces that usually just made Michael roll his eyes and shake his head.
It all started during the “Peer Orientation Program” (or POPs for short). As a Junior, Michael was the group leader for two dozen Freshmen for half a dozen days. It wasn’t something that he was really looking forward to but he knew it would be something he could put down on his resume for leadership experience on that one percent chance that his father didn’t let him take over the corporation when he was ready. It definitely wasn’t how he wanted to spend the last few days before school started but he had his future to think about. There were plans in the works and even Michael’s habit to take himself so seriously to the point that it alienates people couldn’t get in the way of that.
And that’s when Gabriel came in. He was the short, loud mouth with what appeared to be an oral fixation who questioned everything just for the sake of ruffling Michael’s feathers. And, boy, did he know how to ruffle Michael’s feathers. Between the challenging of his authority, his constant need to “get back” at the two football players in their group whenever they made fun of or picked on someone and the nicknames- God, the nicknames- Michael was ready to quit. And that’s just because he had already tried to switch groups and no one dared to do so once they learned Gabriel was in his.
But he soldiered on. His father wouldn’t tolerate him giving up and, if Michael was anything, he was a good son.
He made a breakthrough with the Freshman on the final day of orientation. The group was heading to the convocation ceremony and Michael flat out begged for Gabriel to behave. It was going to be a long day filled with speeches and traditions like bag pipes being played at the beginning, in the middle and at the end and pins being handed out to every single one of the twenty-six hundred Freshmen. Michael had the patience of a saint but even all of this would wear on him.
But none of that mattered. He had to make a good impression on the faculty and administration that would be there… not to mention his father was the keynote speaker for it all. He would be watching vigilantly as always, no doubt. There was too much at stake here and so he didn’t even hesitate to plead with Gabriel, offering him whatever he wanted in exchange for him being on his best behavior.
“Anything, you say?” Gabriel asked with a grin on his face.
Michael huffed and shook his head. “Yes, Gabriel. Anything.”
Gabriel clicked his tongue. “You got yourself a deal.”
The Junior didn’t learn until after the fact that he’d made a deal to go out the next night to a party and try to have fun. What neither of them realized was that Michael was handsy when he was drunk. Gabriel had no problem with it, though. In fact, he encouraged it and got to find out what it’s like hooking up with an RA who has a dorm room the size of an apartment to himself.
Much to Gabriel’s assigned roommate’s relief, the Freshman all but moved into Michael’s room permanently by the second week of school. And it all worked out well. Gabriel would spend half an hour just trying to get Michael to smile in a way he never had seen before. Usually his head was in Michael’s lap while the Junior’s hands played with his hair. Then Michael would spend two hours trying to get Gabriel to focus on doing his work and stop trying to coax him into doing other thing by playing with that spot right at the base of his neck that did things to Michael. Things that Gabriel knew would make Michael want to pick him up, take him to the bedroom and procrastinate in possibly the best way possible.
That’s how things were for them. Michael’s edges were softened. Gabriel was taught that a little structure in ones life never hurt anybody. There were fights from time to time but they were never anything serious. That’s because Gabriel was never serious. And Michael loved him for it.