Title: Rain Like Ghosts
By: carolinecrane
Pairing: Jake/Mickey
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: PG
A/N: Written for onebedficathon, with many thanks to oh_mumble for the beta. All mistakes, of course, are my own.
Summary: Two working class heroes, one bed, and a narrow escape. Emotions really can't help but run over.

***

They'd been on the road awhile, and they'd slept in worse places than this. The back of the van, mostly, which explained the suspicious pains in Mickey's back. So an actual bed was an improvement on the usual, even if it meant bunking with Jake. He was pretty used to that, too, because it wasn't like they got to be choosy in their line of work.

Most days Mickey was okay with the choice he'd made. He missed Rose, sure, and Jackie and sometimes even the Doctor, right bastard though he could be when he wanted. Which was pretty much all the time, but he did seem to know…well, everything. So Mickey noticed the hole left by the Doctor, just like he noticed the hole where Rose used to be, back in that other universe where he'd never really belonged.

Noticed, but didn't regret staying behind, because at least in this universe he had a purpose. People wanted him here – needed him, even – people like his gran and Jake. Especially Jake, because that other him was long gone and if Mickey wasn't there to look after him, who else was going to do it?

So they looked after each other, and most days that was enough. But today had been different – more intense, more Cybermen to sort out and it was the first time since they teamed up that Mickey wasn't sure they'd make it out alive. If help hadn't arrived at the last minute they probably wouldn't have made it; they would have been dead, or worse, they would have been Cybermen. So it was lucky they weren't alone after all, and in the morning they were going to have to talk about organizing, or they'd never win this war.

The blokes who'd rescued them spoke mostly French, but they'd given Mickey and Jake a place to stay for the night, and they all seemed to be on the same side, so maybe they'd want to organize. Maybe they already were; just because he'd only been at this a few weeks didn't mean others weren't already ahead of him. He was still getting the hang of this whole 'alternate reality' thing, but there wasn't much that surprised him anymore.

Something else that didn't surprise him was the way Jake was sort of pressed against him, chest against Mickey's back and his arm resting between them, like he was thinking about pulling Mickey even closer but he wasn't brave enough to go through with it. And it wasn't like he didn't know there was something between Jake and that other him; he'd seen the way Jake looked at him sometimes, the way he flushed and turned away whenever Mickey caught him at it.

He knew, he'd just never done anything about it. Wasn't sure he wanted to, for one thing, because for awhile there was still Rose – the memory of her, anyway – and after that…well, he didn't like being a stand-in with Rose and he didn't want to be a stand-in in this reality, either. Being second best to the Doctor was one thing, but damned if he'd be second best to himself.

But aside from his gran, Jake was the closest thing to family he had now, and it seemed natural to shift until he was lying on his back in the narrow bed, one of Jake's legs sort of draped over his and sharing body heat. It was nice, sort of comforting to feel Jake's chest rise and fall against his side and know that they were okay, that they'd made it out alive and tomorrow they'd get up and go back to saving the world.

Jake shifted against him, somehow moving closer without touching any more than he had to. Like he was afraid what Mickey would say if he noticed how close they were. Like it would be possible for Mickey to miss it. And it was probably just as well the French blokes had given them a room of their own, because Jake's arm had landed on top of him somehow and his hand was pressed against Mickey's chest, heat radiating from his fingers and making Mickey feel in a way he hadn't for a long time.

"Thought you were dead," Jake murmured, voice catching on the words like he was still stuck in that moment, watching Mickey standing in the path of the Cybermen just before the wall exploded behind them and strange hands pulled them both to safety. Mickey knew he should tell Jake not to be daft, that he was all right and they both knew what they were in for when they set off for Paris. He knew he should say something, to stop this before it got started because the last thing they needed was another complication.

Only Jake sounded scared, like maybe it really did matter to him what happened to Mickey, and he couldn't think of anything to say to that. Instead he turned again, shifting until his mouth was barely an inch away from Jake's and there was still time to stop, still time to make up some excuse about needing a piss and then finding a couch or a bare bit of floor to sleep on. There was still time, still half an inch between them and then Jake surged forward or maybe Mickey did, but suddenly their lips were pressed together and Jake's hand slid up his chest to rest against his neck and there was no taking it back.

He didn't remember burying a hand in Jake's hair, didn't realize he'd pushed a knee between Jake's legs to press up until he heard a low, broken moan. Felt it against his mouth and pulled back, hand tightening in Jake's hair to hold him back when he surged forward to kiss Mickey again.

"I'm not him," Mickey heard himself say, and it wasn't the first time he'd said it, but it was the first time it had really mattered.

Jake tensed in his grip and for a second Mickey thought he might come to his senses and pull away, but instead he just shrugged and looked up at Mickey. "And I'm not her. I know who you are, Mickey, and I know who I want to be with."

He heard the question Jake didn't ask, the question he'd been asking himself since they joined up nearly two months ago. Up to now he didn't have an answer, but now…now he knew Jake wanted him and that he could count on that no matter what. "Yeah," he said, relaxing his grip just enough to let Jake lean in for another kiss, "I expect I do too."

***