Dear Roommate Please Stop Being Hot [BL]
Chapter 123: Something Starting

Chapter 123: Something Starting

Outside the exam hall they found a bench just under the sun spilling through the trees overhead, casting soft shadows over the concrete.

Emily dropped down first, exhaling as if she’d been holding her breath since the first question.

Luca flopped beside her, legs stretched out, head tilted back toward the sky. "I feel like I just ran a marathon with a pen."

George chuckled and leaned against the bench arm, sipping water from his bottle. "You looked like you were going to pass out mid-sentence."

Luca groaned. "She was breathing down my neck, George. I swear I saw her soul leave her body and float above me."

Emily smirked, picking at the strap of her bag. "Kessler does that. She gives ’villain origin story’ every semester."

A few students passed them, laughing loudly, their voices echoing across the campus. The tension of exams was slowly cracking, letting in light again.

Emily glanced around, then squinted toward the building next door. "Noel’s not out yet?"

Luca shook his head, not even opening his eyes. "Two papers today."

Emily blinked. "Two?"

"Yeah." Luca adjusted his position, voice soft. "They merged the missed class from the strike week."

"Your boyfriend’s getting roasted in there," George said, slipping down onto the edge of the bench with a tired sigh. "Last day and they’re frying his brain."

Luca gave a lazy grin. "He’s probably sitting there questioning every life choice."

Emily chuckled. "He better come out alive. I need a photo of you two with your ’We Survived Finals’ faces."

Luca finally opened his eyes and glanced at the hall across from them. "He’ll survive. Barely."

George leaned back, folding his arms. "Let’s just hope he doesn’t start crying mid-paper. I heard someone already tried to walk out."

Emily covered a laugh. "Stop."

They all went quiet for a moment.

Just birds in the trees. Distant footsteps. The low hum of students finally breathing again.

The war was nearly over.

The hall was colder than it looked.

Noel sat two rows from the front, his back straight, pen poised, eyes scanning the question paper that had just been handed out.

His second exam of the day. No break in between. Just a refill of water and a quick stretch before sitting again.

The first line of the question blurred slightly. He blinked hard, forcing focus.

Cost variance analysis... decision-making model...

He exhaled quietly, lips pressed in a firm line. His hand moved, steady but slower than usual.

The numbers were fine—he could do the math with his eyes closed—but his brain lagged, each formula dragging behind his thoughts like wet clothes on a line.

In the silence, pens scratched and chairs creaked.

A few seats ahead, someone dropped a calculator. Noel didn’t look up.

His own page was half full already, working through the steps with clean structure. His answers were sound. Thoughtful.

But the weight behind his eyes wouldn’t lift.His lids fluttered, a warning flicker. He blinked hard, pushing the fatigue down, clinging to the edge of clarity.

Noel never crammed. Never panicked. But this... this felt like pushing through fog.

He glanced at the clock. Thirty-five minutes left.

He leaned forward slightly, knuckles pressing against his temple for just a breath of a pause, then dove back in.

Just finish. That was the only goal now.

The final page flipped shut with a soft sigh of paper.

Noel dropped his pen gently and sat back. His gaze lingered on the answer sheet—rows of neat writing, diagrams boxed in tight lines. It was done. At last.

But he didn’t move.

His fingers remained curled around the edge of the desk, knuckles pale. Around him, chairs scraped. Backpacks zipped.

The rustle of freedom. Students behind him were already on their feet, talking in low, excited voices as they filed out.

Still, Noel sat.

His body wasn’t tired—his mind was. That quiet kind of tired that didn’t beg for sleep, just stillness. A breath. He took one.

Then he rose, slow and composed, slinging his bag across his shoulder. As he walked out of the hall, the heat outside hit him like a breath he forgot to take.

"Two papers back-to-back, man," a boy behind him groaned. "I swear my brain just melted."

"You wrote till the last second," another laughed. "Respect."

"...thank God that’s over—"

"I literally guessed question four."

Noel descended the steps in measured paces, one hand brushing the rail.

From ahead, he caught a faint murmur.

"The internship form’s out," someone said, casually but loud enough to carry. A group of students stood near the wall across the courtyard, motioning toward the admin board.

"Already?" another asked, eyebrows raised. "They posted it before the last exam?"

"Yeah, but don’t even bother now," someone else replied. "It’ll be a warzone. We’ll check after lunch."

Noel’s ears picked it up, but he didn’t turn his head. He kept walking.

Internship form... already? His thoughts drifted toward it, but not far. One hurdle at a time.

His fingers tugged the strap of his bag higher on his shoulder as he stepped into the courtyard, sunlight glinting against the soft layer of sweat at his temple.

Now... he just had to find the others.

"There he is!" George’s voice rang out before Noel even crossed the courtyard. "The legend returns."

Luca’s head snapped toward the sound.

His face lit up the second he spotted Noel walking across the lawn.

There was something about the way Noel moved—slow but steady, like someone who’d just fought through a storm and come out on the other side.

Luca was already on his feet.

He didn’t run. But he didn’t wait either. By the time Noel reached the bench, Luca had made space beside him and was holding out a chilled bottle of lemon soda, beads of condensation sliding down the sides like tiny trails of relief.

"For the survivor," Luca said with a crooked smile.

Noel blinked, lips twitching. "You bought this?"

"You look like you just came back from war," Luca replied softly. "Hydrate."

George chuckled behind them. "Two exams back-to-back, and he still looks like he could take a third."

Emily stretched her legs out, groaning. "Or maybe he’s just too tired to even complain."

Noel took the bottle. The coldness kissed his fingers, pulling a quiet sigh from his chest. He opened it, took a long sip, and let his eyes fall shut for a beat.

Then a small nod.

Approval.

Luca leaned in, just slightly. "How bad?"

Noel hummed. "Second one was a little mean."

George raised a brow. "Was that... a full sentence? He is alive."

Luca grinned and nudged his thigh gently against Noel’s. "You did well. You’re here. And it’s over."

Noel breathed out again, a little deeper this time.

Then, with a quiet ease, he leaned his head against Luca’s shoulder—just for a moment.

Luca glanced at him sideways. "I hated not being in there with you."

Noel gave a small smile. "You were here. That’s enough."

The sun kept rising.

But in that small space, on that old bench, everything felt still.

Emily sat back, scrolling through her phone with lazy fingers, her brows occasionally twitching as she squinted at the screen.

"It’s really over," George said, almost like he didn’t believe it yet.

"Yeah," Luca murmured, his voice soft.

Noel leaned back, his head tipped toward the sky for a second before speaking. "Oh—right. I heard someone say the placement list’s out."

Emily’s head snapped up. "It is. Someone just posted it in the group."

She tapped fast, then held her phone closer. "Ugh, the picture’s blurry. Why do people always take photos like they’re running from the police?"

George leaned over. "Can you zoom?"

"I’m trying! But it’s pixelated like an old video game. I can’t even see my own name."

Luca laughed softly. "Maybe that’s for the best. Let reality wait a bit."

Emily frowned slightly. "I didn’t even think about internships yet. My brain’s still in survival mode."

George stood and stretched, arms above his head. "Let’s go check it out later. It’ll be crowded now anyway."

Noel ran a hand through his hair, still nursing the last of the soda. "Later’s good."

Emily slipped her phone into her tote bag and leaned back with a sigh. "Five minutes of peace first. I earned that."

George added, "At least we get two weeks break, before the internship."

They all nodded.

For now, the world could wait.

Emily suddenly straightened, pulling her phone back out like she’d just remembered something vital.

"Okay, no one move," she said, unlocking the screen. "We need a survivor selfie."

Luca groaned, already covering half his face with a hand. "Do we, though?"

"Yes," Emily snapped. "For documentation. We fought, we survived. Posterity needs proof."

George leaned in from behind the bench, flashing a peace sign. "Make sure my jawline looks heroic."

"You don’t have a jawline," Noel said under his breath.

George gasped. "Betrayed. By my own people."

Emily angled the phone high. "Noel, you better lean in, don’t ruin this with your mysterious aura."

Noel gave a tired blink but shifted closer, one arm draped lazily on the back of the bench behind Luca.

Luca sighed and gave a small, crooked smile just as the shutter clicked.

"Perfect," Emily declared, checking the photo. "We look tragic and beautiful."

Luca peeked at it. "We look exhausted."

"Exactly. That’s the aesthetic."

They burst into soft laughter, something easy and light settling between them, like a weight had lifted without any of them realizing how heavy it had been.

As the laughter faded, Noel looked out at the trees. "Feels like something’s starting now, not ending."