Posted this on Tumblr, but wanted it here too.

I came up with a College AU for these guys, based around their voice actors being roommates in College lol.

Consider this a Part 1.

Sorry if this is OOC in some way.

Benson knows Mordecai's awake. How? Because the light from his desk lamp's filtering underneath his door. Benson bundles the sheets in his hands as he lays on his back, staring at the ceiling with a sigh - it's been about 3 hours but the light hasn't moved nor switched off for even a moment, and Bensons eyes catch the clock to see it tick over to 2:06am. Groaning, he rubs his face and lets go of the sheets to sit up, throwing the covers off - it was 2 in the damn morning. Hell for all he knew, the guy could've crashed at his desk with a blank piece of paper stuck to his forehead.

Shaking the image from his mind, Benson frowns and steps onto the carpet, walking to his door then stopping outside Mordecai's. He raises a hand to knock then remembers his previous thought - it seemed more plausible the longer he settled on it. So with his hand holding the doorknob, he carefully turns it and pushes on the wood, slowly peeking his head round incase he really has passed out.

Thankfully he hasn't. He's sat at his desk, yes, but he's wide awake with his back to him, scribbling something onto a notepad. The light's covering the walls making Benson harshly blink and step more inside with his fingers curled round the doorway. He tries a small smile as goodebumps run up his arms, "Hey, Mordecai?"

His roommate jumps, spinning wildly round and it's then that Benson notices a cup of coffee next to him, some of it's contents spilling over the porcelain. Mordecai has dark rings round his eyes, with a pencil grasped between his fingers. Despite his clear exhaustion, he looks alive with a wide smile adorning his face.

"Hey Benson, what's up?"

Benson watches him go right back to the drawing/sketches/assignment/whatever but doesn't leave. He stays lingering in Mordecai's room, hesitating before gently padding up to his desk - he's wide awake now, no point in trying to get back to sleep. Not with Mordecai up and about anyway.

"Your um….your light was keeping me awake." He stops beside him and Mordecai only glances his way, his tongue sticking out in concentration.

"Oh is it? Sorry Benson, I've just been working on this drawing all night and I'm kind've in the moment you know?"

Bensons eyes flitter over his hair, how it's sticking everywhere with his fringe plastered to his forehead and he smiles in amusement. Wow what a mess, "What is it?"

Mordecai's face lights up, "It's a secret."

Benson clicks the roof of his mouth, "So I can't know what it is?"

"Nope."

"Huh." He watches him go to his work again before reaching over and snatching it up, holding it to his chest. Mordecai whips round, staring blankly at him and Benson laughs as he backs away, "Considering you're keeping me awake, I think I have the right to see this."

"Benson, wait-!"

He runs out the room, giggling like a maniac and Mordecai has no choice but to chase after him. Though animated, he doesn't have much energy to race round the apartment- but with what's in his roommates possession, he somehow finds this new burst and his feet pound against the carpet, "Give it back, Benson."

They're racing in the dark. The moonlight filters through the blinds but it's mostly dark with a little light to mark the way; luckily for them they pretty much know the place like the backs of their hands so it's easy to not trip over anything or knock any lamps onto the floor. However, one thing both forgot were the beer bottles littered on a small rug in the living room which Mordecai'd forgotten to pick up after his and Rigby's little party the previous night. And it's just Bensons luck to fall over them, landing face first into the floor. Mordecai stops dead, a few feet behind him with his figure bent over as his hands hold his knees, his breaths coming out in large pants. His chest's burning but that surely can't match with the rug burn Benson feels on his face. The drawing's lain right next to him but Mordecai's focuses's switched in a flash; he finally straightens when he manages to even his breathing out and walks over to his roommate, his expression creased in concern. He drops to his knees, looking at the bottles round him and winces with his hand on Bensons back as he says,

"Benson, you okay?"

Benson moans loudly, his muffled voice echoing through the apartment before he slowly raises his head. Mordecai can't see if he's hurt or not, but Bensons response to his question should've given him some sort of a clue. He gradually sits up, his palms pressed into the wool and his head down, Mordecai's hand slipping from his shirt.

"I'm sorry, I didn't-I was gonna pick the-"

Benson holds up a hand and Mordecai's words still in his throat. His roommate's quiet for another moment, the silence almost deafening for the both of them but it's cut when Benson sighs and gets on his knees before wincing and spreading his legs out in front of himself. Mordecai shifts next to him, his eyes trying to find his roommates but the guy's looking at his knees and Mordecai looks down to see the moonlight shining down on the scratched up skin, blood beginning to dot through. If Bensons knees looked like this then Mordecai didn't even want to go to his face.

"Oh…god Be-"

"-Mordecai please. If you're gonna help, get some bandages from the medicine cabinet."

His tone makes Mordecai comply immediately. It's bitten and Mordecai knows that all the happiness Benson felt prior'd left in an instant as soon as his face'd hit the carpet. No way would he forgive him for the bottles, not to mention how he'd left his light on for the guy to remain awake.

He weaves his way to the bathroom easily, the route mapped in his brain even though the light from the moon does show him the way. After gathering the equipment in lightning fashion, he shuts it with haste and makes a beeline back to the lounge where Benson's sat staring at his knees, the light far away from his face thank god.

Mordecai goes to his knees again, everything they need spilling from his arms. Benson turns his head but doesn't even say a thank you, just picks the cream up and twists the top off while Mordecai sits in the dark, in the quiet while he waits with his eyes on his roommates hair. Benson begins applying the cream but it stings and he draws a sharp breath, which Mordecai clearly hears and he reaches out.

"Here let me-"

"No. Mordecai thank you, but I got it."

Mordecai takes his hands away and lets him get on with it. He doesn't sound angry, just tired and he waits some more as Benson grabs the bandages, pasting them to the burns and he hears him hiss again

"Um…." Benson stills and Mordecai gathers up the rubbish as he continues, "How's your face?"

"I don't." He sighs again, "i don't know."

"Well, does it hurt? I mean you uh faceplanted on the ca-"

"Mordecai." Sharp. He closes up but Benson shakes his head, "Look, here's…" He leans forward and takes the scrunched up piece of paper in his hand, passing it over to his roommate. "your drawing back." He drops it in his palm, not looking his way at all. "I'm…" His voice's quiet now, "sorry for taking it."

Mordecai doesn't respond, instead pushes himself to stand and goes back to the bathroom to put everything in the cabinet. Going to the lounge, he's surprised to see Benson's vanished and chooses to go to his room, but lo and behold he's absent. It's only when he hears shuffling in his own room does he realise where the guy is and he can't help the smile as he heads into the familiar space. Benson's at his desk, looking at his sketches and he clears his throat prompting Benson to drop the book and whirl round, starting to go red at getting caught.

"Oh! Mordecai I…um I was just-"

"-It's okay."

The response makes Benson smile in relief and Mordecai walks towards him as he puts his fingertips on the cover, "They're really good." He meets his eyes, "i didn't realise how talented you are."

Mordecai blushes, "I like drawing. What else can I say?"

Benson looks back at the book, "Well I think you should pursue a career in this. You've got potential."

"Geez all that from a sketchbook?"

Benson snorts and punches him in the shoulder. Mordecai grins wickedly but when his gaze notes Bensons face, his expression falls, "Oh…Benson…your face…."

"What?" Benson goes straight to the small round mirror Mordecai keeps on his wall and almost screams. His skin's broken on his forehead, cheeks and chin, the exact same as on his knees but a little worse. He has burns all over his face, even small cuts on his eyelids and with Benson taking all this in, he suddenly lets out an agonised screech, "Quick, Mordecai go to the bathroom."

His heart pounding, Mordecai leads him to the bed then makes a mercy dash back to the cabinet for everything. He grabs the cotton balls and antiseptic this time as well as the other two from the previous injuries before heading back where Benson's holding his head, perched on the edge. He opens the disinfectant and pours a little onto a cotton bud, raising his hand to Benson's face

"I got this, alright. Just let me…."

His voice trails away as Benson reluctantly nods, allowing Mordecai to do what he needs to do. With Benson staring ahead at all the drawings his roommate has stuck to his wall, he gently dabs the bud on Bensons burns, his tongue out in total focus. Benson winces a couple times making Mordecai pause a few seconds before carrying on and he swallows, the quiet forcing him to hear his own thundering heartbeat from the run.

Once that's done, he unscrews the cap off the cream and takes a little on his fingertip, leaning up to apply it. With them so close, Benson can smell his aftershave and some hints of cinnamon on his breath from some new alcohol he'd been dying to try for weeks since it's release. His cheeks heat up but he doesn't push him away and just lets it happen, Mordecai's full concentration on fixing his roommate up.

Now for the bandages. He takes a few out the packet then picks them up one by one as he sticks them on the burns, Benson watching his every move. He's so careful, so noted, that it makes him wonder if he makes these same precisions with his drawing and if each stroke of the pen's accounted for. Mordecai lets out a long breath and drops to his knees, his eyes running over the bandages.

"There." He folds the bandage box closed and picks everything up, the buds between his fingers. He stands and takes them to the bin then goes to the bathroom while Benson moves off for the mirror. His fingertips brush the bandages, but there's hardly any pain anymore and it makes him smile a little. Right as he turns round, Mordecai comes back into the room and when he sees Benson at the mirror, he laughs, "How'd I do?"

"Pretty good, considering it was your fault for these in the first place."

Mordecai grins when he hears the smile in Bensons voice and ruffles his hair, "You're welcome. I'll pick those bottles up before I go to bed I promise."

Benson snorts but doesn't respond, his gaze roaming the desk to land on a scrunched up piece of paper which he quickly realises is Mordecai's drawing from earlier. Funny, he never got a chance to see what was on it and why Mordecai was so intent on having it back. Maybe it was an artist thing. Hell he didn't like people reading his sheet music

He walks to it, his hand taking the paper. But he doesn't unfurl it right away, taking the options into consideration. Looking up at Mordecai he nods to it, "Can I look at it?"

Mordecai shrugs one shoulder, "After all that's happened, I don't see why I'd say no."

Benson bites back a smile and unwraps the ball as if it were a small gift, until it's spread flat in front of him and what he sees has him stunned into silence. It's a drawing of himself at his drum set, his eyes closed as he gets into the moment. He's wearing a plaid shirt with jeans, each button and crease carefully drawn in with a very thin pencil and it throws Benson off for a second, his gaze drinking in every little detail; the hairs on his head, the lines on the knuckles, the wrinkles on his face. Finally he lowers the paper, his mouth open in absolute amazement and when he sees his reaction, Mordecai can't help but giggle and blush

"What?"

"Mordecai, this is…." He glances at it again, "Fucking incredible."

The swear makes Mordecai go redder and he's silent as Benson tries to find the right words, "This is what you were keeping from me?" Mordecai slowly nods and Benson shakes his head, "Jesus, you're so talented Mordecai I…" He can't even form a sentence without getting stuck halfway through. Words're completely failing him when he needs them most and all he can do is shake his head again, smoothing the paper out with Mordecai watching, "I meant it before when I said that you need to pursue a career in art. This's…a level so many artists aspire to be at." He lifts his head, shaking it in his hand, "Please tell me you'll do something with this gift."

Mordecai's lips bloom into a smile. He bites his lip, "Maybe."

"Maybe?!" He walks forward and takes his arms, "Don't say maybe, say yes! You're not wasting this!"

Mordecai laughs and Benson smiles, "So?"

He nods, rolling his eyes. "Alright, alright I won't waste this."

"Good!" Benson lets go almost jumping from excitement, but he stays on his feet, pointing a finger at him, "You better keep your promise."

"I will!" He holds up his hands and when Benson lowers his finger, he drops them, lowering his voice, "I will, trust me."

"Okay." He takes another look at the drawing before going round him and yawning, "I'm gonna head to bed. You don't mind if I take this with me do you?" He turns back at the doorway.

Mordecai laughs, "I did draw it for you, dude."

Benson snorts, "Oh, right of course." He takes his leave back to his room and Mordecai heads out into the lounge to pick up the alcohol bottles. Both of them know he always keeps his promises, no matter the task.