Archive of Our Own

"I can't believe you got stuck with Harris, dude, I'm sorry," Danny hears Stiles say as he approaches their usual table in the back corner of the cafeteria.

Allison and Lydia look up with friendly smiles as Scott responds, "I know. It's not too late to drop, I just have to find three more hours to take instead or I lose my housing."

Stiles makes a pained noise. "But we worked so hard to get that room! Our fortress of solitude, man. They can't take that away!"

"You do know it's not solitude if there's two of you," Isaac points out, earning himself an elbow jab from Scott.

"We won't lose it. I can't afford to lose housing anyway."

"At least you guys don't have to room with a stranger again," Danny says darkly, picking at his dinner roll.

Allison makes a sympathetic noise. "Who did you wind up with?"

"He's rooming with one of the hot twins in our econ class," Lydia answers on Danny's behalf.

"Really? Are we calling them hot?" Stiles asks with a thick layer of doubt in his voice.

"I think they rack up a few more points than you, Stiles," Boyd chimes in, breaking out of his private conversation with Erica.

"Hey," Stiles says, brandishing his fork in Boyd's direction, "that's not what this is about. I dunno, I just think their heads are wrongly sized for their bodies."

"Their bodies are bigger than usual because they work out," Erica says. "You should try it sometime."

"The rooming situation is fine," Danny cuts in before this can escalate further. "But his friends are always around at the worst of times."

Scott makes a noise of agreement. "I know who you mean. I heard that Duke guy stole someone's backpack when he wouldn't give him the class notes. And Kali and Ennis are always--"

"--making fun of people," Danny finishes, "I know. They hang out in our room and do it sometimes. It's really uncomfortable."

"This is all Jackson's fault," Stiles says, and Danny feels the familiar desire to defend him. This time, though, he just nods as Stiles continues, "If he hadn't transferred out, you wouldn't have been stuck with a random."

"I just use my noise-canceling headphones as often as possible."

"We could fight back," Scott suggests. "Hang out there and bother them instead."

"Wear them down with video games and Cheeto breath, sure," Danny says with a smirk. "No, when I'm in my room I usually just want to sleep or get work done. I might have to switch to the library if it's always like this."

"The couch on the fifth floor is heaven for napping if you can snag it," Stiles says.

"I meant for studying."

"Sure."

"You'll probably both sleep better if you just do it together," Lydia suggests with a raise of her eyebrows before popping a grape into her mouth.

Danny rolls his eyes, but he's fighting off a laugh. "You know I'm seeing Bret."

"Still?" Lydia says with a wrinkled brow. "Okay, fine, don't make that face. I'm just saying, Ethan seems like he'd be an upgrade."

"How do you even know he's gay?" Danny mumbles absently. Not like he's thought about this once. Or twice. Or ever since he met the guy.

"Because I've been talking to his brother, Aiden," Lydia says simply. Allison, Erica, and Isaac all make noises of interest and demand to know more, but Danny tunes them out. It doesn't matter anyway. He and Bret have agreed to stay committed. To start fresh now that the summer's over. Having a hot, single roommate doesn't change that.

******

A few weeks pass, and Danny begrudgingly gets used to the distractions that come with trying to work in his room. He still prefers the comfort of sitting at his desk or on his bed to the relative quiet of the library, but some nights the trade-off really tests his patience.

Tonight is one of those nights.

Ethan is watching something on his laptop, no headphones but with the volume at least pitched low. Danny can only assume it's sports-related, because he's also absently bouncing a small basketball against the desk, the wall, the floor, and it's distracting as hell, even with noise-canceling headphones.

"Dude, seriously," Danny finally says, frustration bubbling over. He jerks his headphones down and fixes Ethan with an annoyed look. "I'm trying to study."

Ethan rolls his eyes, but he stops bouncing the ball. "Why are you always studying? You do realize it's Saturday night."

"It's Saturday afternoon," Danny argues, glancing at the clock in the corner of his screen. 5:45 is still afternoon. "And I'm meeting my boyfriend at a party at 8. I need to have this done before then."

Ethan tuts and tosses the ball one last time into the open drawer on his desk. "Whatever," he says, stretching up out of his chair. "I'm gonna go have some actual fun."

"Don't let me stop you," Danny mumbles under his breath once the door closes behind him. He's so grateful for the sudden quiet that he doesn't realize at first that he's switched over to YouTube, watching random pointless videos instead of studying.

Still, his focus is better overall now that Ethan's gone, and in and out of procrastination, he manages to get to the goal he'd set for himself just a little after 8.

He shoots a text off to Bret that he's on his way, and which frat was it again? He doesn't get a reply in the 15 minutes it takes him to get to greek row, so he sends the same question off to Stiles, who he knows is supposed to be there.

Stiles's response is almost immediate, PI KAPPA ALPHA in all caps, which tells him Stiles is already well on his way to enjoying the night. Sure enough, the second text that comes in tells him, THERE ARE LOTS OF YOT PEOPLE HERE, and then immediately after, the correction, HOT.

He finds Stiles first, mainly because he's hanging out near the kitchen where all the alcohol is.

"Man, how do you always look so good?" Stiles says with a pout when he sees him. He eyes Danny's shirt and then frowns down at his own.

"It's just a polo shirt," Danny says, privately flattered. Drunk Stiles is about ten times more friendly than regular Stiles, and Danny can appreciate that as long as he keeps his hands to himself. "You look fine. Stop fishing for compliments." He grabs a solo cup and fills it with cheap beer. "You seen Bret?"

"I think he's upstairs near the karaoke," Stiles says. He laughs at the face Danny pulls. "One of the reasons I'm down here."

"Have fun cruising," Danny says as he heads out, saluting him with his beer.

"Have fun getting laid," Stiles retorts, saluting right back.

Danny finds Bret just inside the second room, right next to the room with the karaoke. He doesn't realize it's him at first, though, because his lips are latched on to some random guy Danny's never seen before.

"Seriously?" Danny says, pitching his voice to a shout so he'll be heard over the karaoke. He feels something twist in the pit of his stomach as Bret pulls away from the guy, looking a little surprised, but unrepentant. "I was literally only fifteen minutes late."

Bret rolls his eyes, and Danny can see he's already well on his way to hammered. "C'mon, Danny. It's just fun," he says, grabbing the mystery guy's arm to prevent him from running away. Danny glowers at the guy, though, and his second attempt to flee is a success. "It's not like I'm hooking up with anyone. You know you're my first priority."

Danny curses under his breath. "I should be your only priority, Bret. I'm your boyfriend."

"Always with the labels," Bret says, shifting uncomfortably. "Can't we just enjoy it?"

Danny can only stare back for a second. When he feels like he can trust his voice, he says, "You said when we started this year that things were gonna be different."

"You always have to make such a big deal of everything," Bret says, darting a glance at the people hanging around nearby. He takes a step forward into Danny's space and hovers there, just barely not touching.

"Maybe I wouldn't have to if you knew how to keep it in your pants," Danny says. He sighs his disappointment and resigns himself to what he's about to do. "You know what, whatever. Have your fun. I won't tie you down anymore."

Bret's face brightens for a moment, his hand fitting comfortably around Danny's bicep. "Yeah," he says lazily. "I knew you'd come around. C'mon, let's get some more beer."

"No, Bret," Danny says, shaking him off. "I'm breaking up with you."

Bret's expression crumples just as easily, and Danny takes a deep breath, anticipating the defensive rant. For the first time, though, his most compelling argument does nothing to convince Danny, and even his proximity isn't really that distracting. He has the clarity that he's lacked before, that this night was a long time coming.

He passes the mystery guy on the way back downstairs and sends him back in Bret's direction. Better to get him distracted than have to deal with him trying to make amends. He looks for Stiles downstairs near the alcohol, but doesn't spot him until he rounds the corner and sees him deep in conversation with the scruffy junior Danny recognizes from intramural soccer. He gets a nod when Stiles sees him, but based on their body language, he decides not to go interrupt.

He pauses a long time in the room with the kegs and other drinks, considering for a moment what might happen if he lets himself get drunk. It's definitely a possibility. He's got people he could text to make sure he gets back okay.

He can't quite talk himself into it, though, so he winds up walking the long circuit out to the computer science building, fucking around in the computer lab for over an hour to keep his mind off things.

By the time he gets back to his dorm, he's exhausted. He knows he made the right decision in finally ending it with Bret, especially if the texts from Stiles from the party are any indication, but it doesn't make it any easier to go back to being single.

Just after scanning his card, though, he spots a cluster of people hanging out in the lounge that he knows all too well. He briefly considers pretending he forgot something and turning back, but too late, he's been spotted.

"Yo, Mahealani!" comes the slurred shout, too loud for the tiny lounge. Danny cringes inwardly. The only thing worse than running into Ethan and his asshole friends right now is running into the drunk version of Ethan and his asshole friends. It takes him a second to figure out that the call had come from Aiden, because Ethan is just peering back at him as if trying to figure something out. "Rushing back to get some extra credit done?" Aiden follows up with a laugh. Danny hates drunk people sometimes.

Ethan, his eyes still narrowed in contemplation, says, "I thought you were hooking up with your boyfriend tonight?" There's a playful "ooo" from Kali to go along with it, complete with a wide smile.

"We broke up," Danny says darkly, in no mood to deal with this right now. He pushes his way through the group without remorse and gets back to his room. He hears Duke make some pithy comment that gets the rest of them to laugh and is grateful that he can't make out the words.

Once Danny gets the door closed behind him, he isn't sure why he's so angry. He just is, and while the escape to the computer lab had been good for him to clear his head, now that he's had to deal with people again he just feels like something needs to happen.

He's still contemplating this when Ethan eases the door open and looks in on him.

"I'm really not in the mood to get teased right now, Ethan," Danny snaps, digging in his bag for his headphones.

Ethan nudges the door closed with his foot, still clutching his red solo cup. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay," he says.

Danny pauses in his search to look back at him, and Ethan looks entirely earnest. Danny blames that on the alcohol. He also blames that expression for what happens next.

He's across the room in three quick strides, acting completely on impulse as he grabs at Ethan's shirt and pulls him into a kiss.

Ethan utters a surprised hum and kind of stumbles forward from how hard Danny's grabbed him, but he quickly steadies himself and kisses back.

It's about this time that Danny's internal monologue of "this is profoundly stupid" finally catches up with him and he backs off, but Ethan sets his cup aside and moves into Danny to kiss him again, his tongue sweeping into Danny's mouth without reserve. Danny's internal monologue kind of goes quiet as Ethan twists to back him against the wall and snicks the lock over, maintaining the kiss all the while.

There's a tang of whatever fruity drink Ethan's been drinking as Danny wrestles his tongue against Ethan's. They maintain the kiss for a long time, hands roaming, until Ethan's hands still halfway through getting his belt undone.

"Is this okay?" Ethan asks, tilting his forehead against Danny's and pausing just to breathe for a moment.

"Yeah," Danny says right away, hands grappling to pick up where Ethan left off. Still, his conscience gets the better of him, especially when he spots that solo cup that Ethan had set aside. "What about you? Are you sure you're up for this?"

"Very much so," Ethan says with a laugh in his voice, pulling Danny forward by the hips so he can kiss him again.

They eventually land on Ethan's bed in a messy tangle of limbs, clothes only halfway discarded as they start rutting up against each other. It's carefree and good in the way that Danny hasn't felt in a while, and he lets himself get lost in the way that Ethan's hands feel on him, not afraid to be rough, but still gentle in the right places.

"No," Ethan says when Danny tries to sit up. "You've had a rough night. Let me."

It's heaven when Ethan fits his lips over Danny's cock, and Danny lets himself fall back against Ethan's pillows as he arches into that heat. Ethan makes perfect use of his hands, cupping his balls and teasing around his hole as he moves, then working over his length every time he pulls off. Danny can't help thinking it's one of the more thorough blowjobs he's ever received, especially when Ethan spends a solid minute focusing on the head of Danny's cock, teasing at the slit and sliding his tongue all the way around, sliding back down the length when it almost gets too much to bear.

Danny's encouraging noises start taking shape in words as he feels himself getting close. He mumbles things about keeping Ethan and how perfect his mouth is, and he just can't be embarrassed about it when his orgasm slams into him, his hips snapping with the force of it as Ethan continues to suck him, making Danny feel like he comes forever.

Ethan takes the time to ditch the rest of his clothes before he lets Danny jerk him off, murmuring appreciative things about Danny's body that he probably doesn't mean as he pushes into Danny's hand and comes against his hip.

A weird sort of thing happens in Danny's chest when Ethan grins back at him lazily from the pillow. He pushes the feeling aside though and focuses on kissing that lazy grin, savoring his post-orgasm haze and how good he feels at the moment.

The thought of trekking down the hall to the floor's showers is absolutely out of the question at the moment, so Danny grabs his undershirt from the floor and uses it to wipe himself off. "Shower in the morning," Danny tells Ethan, feeling sex-stupid but not quite caring.

"Mm, yeah," Ethan responds with a grin, tilting up just enough to kiss the curve of Danny's chin. "Sleep now."

Danny smiles and does what he's told.

******

Danny wakes up the next morning to find Ethan's hand on his hip and their foreheads pressed together. For a second, it's really fucking pleasant. Danny's sleepy mind absently thinks that he could get used to this, and he tilts his head in a bit and makes a contented noise.

His mind catches up, though, after a second, as he remembers that Ethan was drunk. That Danny had practically jumped on him and even though Ethan had clearly given consent, Danny hadn't bothered to find out how drunk he really was. And despite the consent, come on, it was clearly just situational. A warm and willing body. He feels like an idiot.

He takes all his stuff into the bathroom so that he can take his shower and leave without going back to the room. He feels pathetic even as he carries everything out, but he just can't face the thought of Ethan's regret and possible hangover.

Besides, he really needs to get some work done on his computer science project.

That excuse keeps him out of the room for the majority of the day, but around dinner time, he has to admit defeat and head back for his econ textbook, which he foolishly left in his room.

He's been going over scenarios all day for the next time he sees Ethan, most of which end in them parting amicably and, in some cases, even mutually agreeing to switch roommates, but he's still hoping against hope that he'll come back to an empty room.

No such luck. The smallest of mercies is that Ethan's got headphones on, so Danny's already half-packed everything he needs to bolt again when Ethan spots him.

"Danny," he says with some surprise, pulling out an earbud. "I haven't seen you all day."

"Yeah, it's been crazy," he says, absently stuffing all his textbooks into his messenger bag. Maybe he can live in the library; Stiles seemed pretty convinced about that couch. He can feel Ethan's eyes on him, and his face is burning, but Ethan's tone had clearly been casual. Dismissive. Danny just knows how desperate he'll wind up feeling, possibly looking, if he meets Ethan's eye right now. "Gotta get some work done for tomorrow," he says when he finally gets the last of his stuff and pulls the messenger bag onto his shoulder. "I'll see ya."

He looks up just in time to see Ethan turn back to his computer, waving a hand in the air as he pops the earbud back in. "Yeah, good luck with that."

Danny berates himself all the way to the library. In his mind, the conversation goes differently every time. "Yeah, it's been crazy, and by the way, we had sex last night. You may be too drunk to remember, but it was pretty fantastic, and I hate myself for thinking so."

Thousands of scenarios and not a single one he was brave enough to face.

******

Surprisingly, things with Ethan even out pretty quickly. Danny's head is still a mess because of it, part of him regretting what happened and another part wishing he hadn't let the opportunity pass by to talk about it. He's pretty convinced that Ethan doesn't remember it at all, which makes him really glad he hadn't brought it up.

He stops worrying about it so much as midterms approach a couple weeks later. He discovers that living in the library does not necessarily mean sleeping in the library, and he pushes a few deadlines to their limits, but he manages to get through everything before econ without a breakdown.

He's pretty sure he's got econ covered too, but he'd agreed to study with Stiles, so he's back in the library again, trying to ignore the steady tap of Stiles's pen as he reads through his notes.

"You're doing it again," Danny says calmly, flipping the page in his own book.

"Sorry," Stiles says, putting the pen down. "I think I need a break. It's too quiet. Don't you think?"

"It is strange to be in your presence this long with your mouth shut."

"Hilarious," Stiles says. "What's been up with you lately, by the way? You haven't been hanging out as much."

Danny shrugs. "Been focusing on classes."

"Everything good post-Bret?" Stiles asks, and his eyebrows shoot up when Danny hesitates to answer. "Hang on, you're not back together with him, are you?"

"No," Danny answers quickly, shaking his head. "Trust me, I learned my lesson there."

"Okay so, someone new then."

Danny sighs. "Not exactly."

"It's not me, is it?"

"Stiles, please," Danny deadpans.

"Good, because I'm kinda keeping my options open right now."

"I hooked up with my roommate," he says in a rush of breath, grateful for the excuse to finally tell someone.

"The wonder twin?" Stiles says incredulously. "Wow, uh. What was that like?"

"It was... really good, actually. Only I'm pretty sure he was too drunk to remember it."

Stiles's brow furrows. "Are you sure?"

Danny pauses. "I mean, not completely. Why?"

"We're talking about the nicer twin, right? The one who actually likes comic books and talks to other people like a normal person."

"Yeah," Danny says hesitantly, not sure where this is going.

"Yeah, he doesn't drink." Danny's face must betray his disbelief, because Stiles continues, "No, I know, all his friends go totally crazy, but they've been to a lot of the parties Scott and I have checked out, and Ethan always makes some fruity virgin drink. They all give him a hard time about it, but I'm pretty sure that's his thing."

Danny thinks back on that night, remembering the smell of alcohol and slurred words, but that was all out in the lounge with the others. Looking back, he may have completely misread the situation. "Huh."

"So, you and Ethan? Maybe something?"

Danny sighs and tries to focus on his textbook. "No, I dunno. Not yet."

"Maybe after midterms," Stiles says with a knowing smirk. Danny can't help but think yeah, maybe.

******

The next night, after a glorious, rejuvenating nap, Danny realizes he's done with midterms well in advance of all of his friends, which means he has the night entirely to himself. He props up his pillows in bed and pulls up Netflix on his computer, gearing up for a marathon.

He's halfway through his fourth episode of Arrested Development when there's sudden movement from Ethan out of the corner of his eye, and he has to remove his headphones to find out what's up.

"Dude, are you okay?" Danny asks, concerned, as Ethan appears to have faceplanted into his textbook.

"No, I'm not okay," comes the muffled response, and then Ethan picks up his head. He whirls around to face Danny and points an accusing finger in his direction. "Seriously, what is your secret?"

"I don't have a secret," Danny says calmly, ignoring how his mind jumps irrationally to his recent conversation with Stiles. "I'm an open book," he continues, moving as if to unpause his show.

"You're a fucking tease is what you are," Ethan says, and Danny is so glad he's partially turned away because he can feel a flush spreading across his cheeks. "I've seen you this past week, hanging out with your friends, and now with the Netflix. Grades are like ten times more important to you than they are to me, so you must have a secret."

"I study. It's not really a secret."

Ethan's eyes are a little bit crazy. Danny wonders if he should shoot off a quick email to alert others to his potential danger. "I have been studying. Nonstop. For three days. And even in the middle of each chapter I keep thinking of other chapters and things I haven't even looked through yet." He lets out a laugh that's slightly hysterical and continues, mostly to himself, "Oh god, I still have all those notes I got from Aiden that day I was out."

"Okay," Danny says even as Ethan starts digging through his pile of notes. He shuts his laptop and slides out of bed, knowing his Arrested Development marathon will be there when he gets back. "Just stop for a second. What do you have left that you haven't looked at yet?"

"I've got four chapters, one of which I haven't even read yet. I just know there's gonna be a fucking essay on that one. And then there's all the notes to go with those, and none of those are even in the book--"

"So four chapters in the book and four chapters of notes?" Danny asks and waits for Ethan's nod. "What time's the test?"

"Nine," Ethan answers miserably.

Danny nods and places his hands supportively on Ethan's shoulders. "It's not even one now," he rationalizes. "You could spend an hour on each of those and still have time to grab breakfast on your way to the test."

Ethan pauses in his frantic shuffling of notes, and Danny can feel him relax, just a little. "That's true," Ethan says, like that hadn't even occurred to him. "But what if I fall asleep?"

Danny squeezes at Ethan's shoulders a bit, encouraged by the way Ethan leans into the touch. "I'll stay up with you," he offers. "I don't have anything tomorrow morning. I can make sure you stay awake."

"Yeah?" Ethan says hopefully. "That'd be really cool of you."

Danny shrugs. "I'm not doing anything. And after the number of all-nighters I've pulled already this week, I probably wouldn't be able to fall asleep anyway."

He goes back to Netflix for a while after that, stopping between episodes to see how everything is coming.

At 3:30, he realizes that Taco Bell is still open for only thirty more minutes, so he shuts his laptop and offers to go pick up some food.

"I'm actually at a good stopping point," Ethan says, sticking his notebook in his book and closing it. "Mind if I come with you?"

Danny agrees, and they head out to his car. They're both at that state of exhaustion where everything seems ten times more hilarious, so when they see a guy lay down in the Taco Bell parking lot and attempt to make a snow angel when there is no snow, they laugh about it the whole drive home.

At just past six, Ethan makes a triumphant noise and declares he's done studying.

"You wanna try to get some sleep? I can make sure you get up."

"Nah," Ethan says, waving off the offer. "There's no way I'll wake up, and even if I do, I'll be useless. Better to just ride it out at this point."

"Sure," Danny agrees, because he's been there. "You wanna watch Arrested Development?"

"Yeah!" Ethan says before climbing into bed beside Danny as he makes room for him. Danny starts the episode over and unplugs his headphones, settling in beside Ethan. He's pleased to discover Ethan finds the show as hilarious as he does, even though Ethan doesn't know all the running jokes yet.

Danny's caught by a joke that hits him just right at some point, and he's laughing so hard his side hurts, and Ethan's right there with him until suddenly he isn't, and Danny stops just to see what's going on. When he turns, Ethan's eyes are intent on him, and before Danny can ask him what's wrong, Ethan leans over and kisses him.

Danny's surprise doesn't linger, and he kisses back almost immediately. His heart starts racing in his chest. He hadn't realized how much he'd been hoping for this until right now.

After a couple minutes, the angle starts getting to him, so he hauls Ethan over on top of him. Ethan makes a pleased noise and follows his lead, straddling Danny's hips as he leans in to resume making out. He manages to close and move the laptop - more than Danny had thought to do - before he moves back in and begins rolling his hips against Danny's, creating a nice friction.

At least, it's nice at first, until it's not quite nice enough. "God, now who's a fucking tease?" Danny says, grabbing at Ethan's ass to pull more of his weight down on him.

"It's still you," Ethan says, grinning happily before moving to kiss his way across Danny's neck. "You have no idea how much of a distraction you are."

Danny blushes, fighting a smile. "You should have made me leave the room."

"I don't care that much about my history midterm," Ethan quips, biting down on Danny's neck just hard enough to make him squirm, then soothing the spot with his tongue. He keeps licking and biting his way down, finally tugging at Danny's shirt and saying, "This is in my way."

"Everything's in my way," Danny retorts, flexing his fingers where they're currently resting on Ethan's ass.

"Fair enough," Ethan says and moves back long enough for both of them to strip.

Danny lets his eyes sweep hungrily over Ethan's body, and when he catches Ethan doing the same, his sleep-deprived mouth gets ahead of his brain and he says, "I've got a condom." Ethan raises his eyebrows, a smile spreading over his face. Danny blows out a breath, pushing forward to stay ahead of the embarrassment. "If you want to fuck me. I've got a condom."

Ethan's smile shifts from amused to wicked, and when he moves back in for another kiss, Danny can feel the shift in mood. They don't say much after that, just encouraging words in between encouraging noises, Danny practically begging for it when Ethan has three fingers thrusting in and out of him, Ethan sighing his name reverently as he pushes in for the first time.

Danny fights with himself as Ethan fucks him, part of him wanting to draw this out, but a bigger part loving the feeling of being filled. In the end, the noises Ethan makes as he encourages Danny to come before him win out, and Danny speeds the movement of his hand as Ethan's rhythm picks up. He shoots all over his own chest, his own shouts drowned out by Ethan's, and with a few more frantic thrusts, Ethan follows suit.

"Wow," Ethan says, slumping a bit against Danny. "That was… I'm gonna need a minute."

Danny has no argument with that. Instead he urges Ethan to shift a bit so he can kiss him properly, content to stay here as long as possible.

"I think my plan has backfired," Ethan says several long minutes later, after they've cleaned up. "After all that, I'm pretty sure I'm not gonna be able to get out of this bed at nine."

"After all that, you'd better go ace that exam. Besides, I fully intend to go to sleep as soon as nine o'clock hits."

Ethan picks up his head from where it's resting on Danny's chest. He smirks up at Danny and says, "Pretty sure beds work for sleeping, too."

Danny laughs and swats at him. "No, you're right. If we stay here, we're gonna fall asleep. C'mon, let's go get breakfast."

Breakfast is quiet, mostly because Ethan brings his notes and because the exhaustion is starting to catch up to Danny. He picks at the eggs on his plate while Ethan reviews everything, realizing that for the first time in a long time, his mind is blank. That could just be the sleep deprivation, though.

As they head back outside at 8:45, Danny wishes Ethan luck and talks himself out of kissing him goodbye.

"Thanks," Ethan says with a grin, turning to him and stepping closer. His kiss is light and sweet, and Danny smiles when he pulls away.

He's still smiling all the way back to the dorm, all the way until he falls asleep.

Unfortunately, his dreams aren't on the same track, and when he wakes up, he quickly loses the thread of some anxiety-filled monstrosity that his mind came up with. It takes him a second to get his bearings, but he eventually realizes it's dark out, and he's slept through the entire daylight portion of the day post-nine.

Next, he realizes that Ethan's not there, and though it's hard to tell for sure, it doesn't look like he's even been back.

Danny thinks about texting him, but it seems kind of silly when Ethan's bound to come back to the room eventually. Instead, he goes to the gym for a while before it closes for the night, just needing to do something besides lay around. He takes his time in the shower, but by the time he gets back to the room, there's still no sign of Ethan.

He's worrying for nothing, he's sure. His body's just a little jet lagged at the moment. Deciding that's his main problem, he gives in to his body's lingering sleepiness and goes back to sleep again.

******

He wakes up early the next morning, wired. Ethan's bed hasn't been slept in. He hasn't missed any texts from him.

He's starting to get a sinking feeling about it, but decides to stay busy today to keep his mind occupied.

He's doing great until he goes to lunch. He spots Kali and Ennis as soon as he walks in, but he has no interest in saying anything to them. Unfortunately, they spot him just as he's grabbing the last thing for his tray, inviting him to join them. Figuring there's no polite way to say no, Danny drops his tray down next to Kali.

They're in the middle of a conversation about a person that he doesn't know in a class that he hasn't taken, so at first Danny just concentrates on eating as fast as possible.

"So Danny," Kali says eventually with a twist of her lips. Danny feels that sinking feeling return. "We heard you had a nice little study session with our Ethan the other night."

Ennis snickers. "Oh yeah. Better be careful though, he used to be a member of a lot of study groups."

"Shut up, no he didn't," Kali retorts, and Danny wonders a bit distantly how this is his life. "No, he prefers to study one-on-one, isn't that right?"

"That's right, that's right," Ennis agrees. Danny realizes that for these two, anyone else around is just a prop. He has no idea why Ethan puts up with them. "Yeah, remember his poli sci final last year? That boy's got mad game when it comes to 'studying'."

"A one trick pony," Kali says, dismissive. She turns to Danny. "Don't feel bad though, everybody goes for it. It's fun, right?"

Danny's pretty sure this is a nightmare. He went to bed after one too many all-nighters and now he's living a nightmare.

He manages to shrug and say, "Sure," sounding way more confident than he feels. He takes two more bites and then decides he's done, even though they've already moved on to another topic. They barely notice him leaving, already into the next rant, but he still saves the panic until he can get outside.

God, how pathetic he must look to Ethan and his friends. Has he really let himself get into this? No wonder Ethan had stayed away for a day; he was probably afraid of Danny being too clingy. He certainly hadn't wasted any time telling his friends how easy his roommate was.

Ethan does eventually return to their room later that afternoon. When Danny hears his key in the lock, he pulls his laptop onto his lap, and when Ethan walks in, he doesn't even take his headphones off when he says, "Hey."

He keeps his eyes trained on his screen even when he sees Ethan pause in the doorway, but the pause doesn't last long.

"You finally catch up on sleep?" Ethan asks casually as he unpacks his backpack.

Danny pauses his show, but only pushes back the headphones a little. "Pretty much. I'm heading out to the Pike party with my friends later. Maybe if I drink enough it'll help me fall asleep at a reasonable hour."

As he watches the emotions play across Ethan's face, he wonders why he said that. He has no intention of drinking that much, if at all.

"Oh," Ethan says, seeming distracted. "Well that sounds fun. I wound up crashing in Aiden's room after my test. I swear, I sat down for like, a minute, and next thing I know it's nighttime."

Danny nods, because he knows exactly what he means. "How'd your test go?"

"Really good, I think," Ethan says, smiling. "Seriously, thanks for all your help."

Danny carefully looks away before waving a hand dismissively. "No problem. I'd do it for anyone."

Also a lie. He pushes his earpiece back over his ear and fixes his eyes to his screen, determined not to break in front of Ethan. He's going to play this cool even if it kills him, and once he gets over this initial shock, he'll just have to be sure never to let it happen again.

That conversation, painful as it was, seems to have done the trick. At least, Ethan doesn't seem any different than normal, though he's not around much and doesn't say much when he is.

It takes a few weeks before they seem to be completely cool with each other again, though Danny's pretty sure that's all on him. He still makes excuses when Ethan wants to hang out, but he doesn't imagine that changing during their time as roommates.

He doesn't think anyone has even noticed anything going on until Lydia drags him to dinner one night at the cafeteria.

"Okay, this pining over my boyfriend's lesser half has got to stop," she says once they find a table away from the masses.

"I'm not pining," Danny says, biting down on his retort that Ethan is not the lesser half. "And since when is he your boyfriend?"

"We're trying a thing," she says, dismissive. "Don't lie to me, Danny. I know when you lie."

"I'm not lying," he defends, adding the last part to his sandwich so he can use eating as an excuse not to talk. "It's not going to work."

Lydia rolls her eyes. "You're pining for him, he's pining for you. I know you've hooked up. What's left to work out?"

"Okay, he's definitely not pining for me."

Lydia raises her eyebrows. "Not according to Aiden. I'm pretty sure he would know."

Danny sighs. "Okay, fine. I'm really into him, okay? Even when he's watching his stupid sports streams on his laptop and doing stupid chants, I still want to make out with him."

"So where's the bad?"

"The bad is that he wants to be friends with benefits, and I've already crossed off the one rule there."

Lydia hums contemplatively as she munches on her salad. "He actually said he only wants to be friends?"

"Not exactly, but his friends made it pretty clear."

"Forget his friends. His friends are self-admitted assholes. They think it's part of their charm."

"That's ridiculous."

"That's what I said," Lydia says. "But the point still stands. If you want to go further, you've gotta say something."

"And then live with him for another half a year if he rejects me."

"There are ways around that," Lydia says. "And is that really worse than the alternative?"

Danny blows out a breath and stares down at his plate. She's got a point.

******

Despite Lydia's advice, Danny can't bring himself to say anything right away. They've just recently gotten back to the point where they're comfortable in each other's presence again. He doesn't want to risk that.

At least, he doesn't intend to risk it. And then he walks into the bathroom to take a shower one Friday afternoon just as Ethan is coming out of one of the stalls.

Danny's caught off guard, is all. He was thinking about something completely different and suddenly Ethan was there, towel only, and he can't really help but look.

Ethan is looking back, Danny realizes. He's a little thrown by Ethan's smirk until Ethan says, "Lucky me. Looks like this is one of those magical days when you're actually attracted to me."

Danny recognizes the challenge for what it is, meeting Ethan's eye. He swallows and ignores that small, doubtful voice in his head before saying, equally challenging, "As long as I haven't interrupted one of your other conquests."

Ethan arches an eyebrow, the only indication of his confusion, but he shifts forward another few inches, stiflingly close. "Jesus fuck, Mahealani," Ethan murmurs, leaning in with such intent that Danny's eyes slip closed in anticipation.

After a second of nothing, though, Danny's eyes open again to see Ethan watching him, waiting, letting Danny make that definitive move. This is his out. He'd been pretty convinced about ten minutes ago that he wasn't going to let this happen again without a conversation. But ten minutes ago he hadn't been able to feel Ethan's body heat just inches away, and he's maybe not as strong as he thought.

There's a squeak as someone in one of the other stalls starts to turn the water off, and Danny's eyes go wide about a half-second before Ethan matches his expression. "Fuck," Danny says eloquently, making a grab for Ethan's arm and dragging them into the stall, snapping the curtain shut just as the other one slides open.

They stay pressed together, breathing controlled as they listen to the clap of the other guy's flip flops until the door shuts behind him. When Danny looks up at Ethan again, they both burst out laughing at the same time.

"Wow, that was--"

"Yeah," Ethan agrees, his hand still resting easily on Danny's hip.

"--probably an overreaction."

"Pretty sure that was just Greenberg," Ethan says, and that just sets Danny off laughing again.

The moment effectively killed, Danny looks back at Ethan and finds with a gut-twisting sensation that he still wants, now more than ever. He sees the surprise register in Ethan's expression just before he brings their lips together, but Ethan doesn't waste any time responding in kind.

When Ethan's hand drifts down to the knot of Danny's towel, though, Danny reaches out to stop him. "Wait," he says, and then takes a deep breath to gear up for what he's about to say. "I don't think I can do this whole… 'friends with benefits' thing anymore."

"Yeah, okay," Ethan says, stepping back the slight amount the stall will allow him to, looking as if he was waiting for this to happen. Disappointment thrums through Danny at how quickly it all ended, without even an argument from Ethan, but this is probably for the best.

"Sorry," Danny says, eyes dropping down to the floor, letting out a shaky breath.

"Can I--" Ethan begins and then stops to clear his throat. "Can I just ask why?"

Danny hesitates, wishing he didn't have to have this conversation in a towel, stuffed into a single shower stall in the first floor bathroom. He also takes a second, if he's being honest, to enjoy the sight of Ethan letting himself be vulnerable. It doesn't happen much.

"I mean, I know I'm not smart," Ethan says, licking his lips and staring carefully at the floor. "Our friends don't exactly get along, but--"

"Hey, hold on," Danny interrupts, not sure where this conversation veered off course. "I'm not-- what do you think is happening here?"

"You're letting me down easy," Ethan says simply. "You're doing a pretty good job of it, don't get me wrong. I just think it'll be easier long term if you let me down a little harder. Just to let it sink in, y'know?"

"It has nothing to do with not being interested in you," Danny says carefully. "It's the opposite, really. I just-- can't do casual hookups. I know it's 'just fun' or whatever, but for me it's… I want something more, with you. And I know that's not what you signed up for, so. I'm giving you an out."

"Jeez," Ethan says, a laugh in his voice, "I've never seen someone so unhappy about the idea of liking me before."

This time their eyes meet, and Danny smirks to match Ethan's. "Yeah, trust me, I've been trying to fight it every step of the way."

"No kidding," Ethan says quietly, easing back into Danny's space. "You really wanna be with me?"

Danny swallows and nods. "If that's what you want."

"Of course it's what I want," Ethan says with a laugh. "Danny, I've been into you since I first moved into our room and you complained for an hour about your former best friend. I was really disappointed when you mentioned a boyfriend."

Danny licks his lips, giving into the temptation to reach out and touch with Ethan so close. "I was attracted to you too. I just couldn't think of you that way yet."

Ethan makes a frustrated noise, and before Danny can question him on it, he's pulled into a fierce kiss. "We have so much lost time to make up for," Ethan says, and this time when he goes for Danny's towel, Danny mirrors the action.

Under the hot spray of the shower, they come together easily, hands exploring what they never had time to explore before. Ethan moves forward with a hand over Danny's mouth when they hear someone come in, but his hand keeps moving teasingly slow over Danny's cock.

Danny bites at his hand to get him to move it, smiling at Ethan's outraged look and cupping a hand over his neck to pull him in for a kiss instead. When Ethan hums into the kiss, Danny pinches his side in retribution and stops his own movements over Ethan's cock.

The sound of the other person leaving the bathroom drifts across, and Ethan lets out a whine, hauling Danny closer.

Danny goes easily, laughing into Ethan's neck as he picks up where he left off. "We don't have to do this here, you know. We do have a room with a door that locks."

"You make a good point," Ethan says.

"Besides, I don't really trust the structure of this thing enough to let you fuck me in here, and that kind of goes against my plans."

Ethan swallows thickly. "Room. Now."

They make it back to the room without incident, and Ethan wastes no time pushing Danny back onto his bed. Once they're there, though, Ethan slows down. He kisses his way down Danny's chest, gentler than he's been before, then pauses to look up at Danny. "You're not gonna bail on me this time, right? When this is over, you'll stick around?"

Danny swallows. "I'm not going anywhere," he says sincerely. "And you, you're not gonna go crash elsewhere tonight, right?"

Ethan laughs lightly. "No," he promises. "No more running away."

"Good," Danny says, sitting up and working to flip them over. He kisses his way down the length of Ethan's body with less care than Ethan had paid, eager to pull those desperate sounds from his lips. When he takes the head of Ethan's cock into his mouth, Ethan delivers, making encouraging noises as he fists his hands into the sheets.

Ethan gets him back once they flip around again and he begins to work Danny open. Danny can't help the needy sounds and the desperate snap of his hips as Ethan works his fingers in and out.

Ethan just smiles at him, his eyes lidded. "God, I want to try everything with you," he says, leaning over to capture Danny's lips with his own. Danny shows him how on board he is with that by kissing back hungrily and continuing to push back against his fingers.

When Ethan repositions to line himself up, Danny takes his hand and holds it, maintaining eye contact until Ethan is fully seated inside him. He lets out a shaky breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and then nods, signaling Ethan to move.

This time, Danny lets himself give in to everything he's feeling, and from the half-formed sentences he's getting from Ethan, it's much the same for him. When Ethan's hand closes over his cock to jerk him off, Danny's first instinct is to tell him to wait, except he can't quite say it, because he feels like he's been waiting for this for weeks.

He rolls his hips experimentally as Ethan pushes in with one of his slow thrusts, and the effect it has on Ethan is amazing. His grip falters over Danny's cock, and Danny can see that he took him by surprise. He suddenly realizes that he can't wait to try riding him, only he doesn't realize he's said it out loud until Ethan curses loudly in his ear.

That image of Ethan, desperate and lustful, is enough to get Danny to the edge, and with a twist of Ethan's wrist, he's jerking up off the bed and riding out his orgasm. Ethan follows soon after, murmuring things about how much he loves this side of Danny as his rhythm slows and eventually stills.

"You know," Ethan says a little later, when they've moved on to the cuddling portion of the evening, "I'm glad we talked about this beforehand, because there's no way I'm letting you get out of this bed now."

"I am eventually going to need a shower," Danny points out.

"You already had a shower today," Ethan says, smiling wide.

"I also have class on Monday," Danny says, laughing.

Ethan heaves a huge, fake sigh. "Fine, I guess I can manage to let you go by Monday. But only on a trial basis."

Danny stops fighting his smile. "That's very generous of you," he says, leaning in to kiss him. "So is it alright if I call you my boyfriend?"

Ethan grins, delighted. "Definitely. Boyfriends. I'll update my Facebook status and everything."

"I dunno, that might require leaving the bed," Danny says, skimming his hand down Ethan's side.

"Good point," Ethan says, leaning into his touch. "I'll update it on Monday, then."

"Deal," Danny says, and starts working on round two.

THE END