Dear Roommate Please Stop Being Hot [BL]-Chapter 299: Done Means Done

Wednesday morning, Luca woke up on the couch with a crick in his neck.

Noel was still beneath him, one arm draped across his back, breathing deep and even.

The comic book had fallen to the floor sometime during the night.

Luca extracted himself carefully, wincing as his spine protested.

Sleeping on the couch had seemed fine at the time. His body disagreed.

Noel stirred. "What time is it?"

"Seven thirty."

"We slept here all night?"

"Apparently."

"My back hurts."

"Same."

They migrated to the bedroom, crawled under the covers properly, and slept another two hours.

When Luca woke again, Noel was already up. The smell of coffee drifted from the kitchen.

His phone showed two missed messages.

Emily: Strategic Marketing exam is kicking my ass. Why did we think this major was a good idea?

George: because we were naive freshmen who thought business sounded important

Luca smiled, typed back: Two more days. We’re almost there.

He found Noel at the kitchen table with his Global Economics textbook, looking significantly less stressed than yesterday.

"Feeling better?" Luca asked.

"Yeah. Sleeping helped." Noel pushed a mug of coffee toward him. "Your exam’s at one, right?"

"Strategic Marketing. Should be fine. It’s mostly case studies and application."

"You studied enough?"

"I’ve been studying for four years. If I don’t know it by now, I’m screwed."

"Confident."

"Realistic."

Luca spent the morning reviewing his notes without urgency.

The material was familiar—market segmentation, competitive positioning, brand strategy.

He’d written papers on all of it, done group projects, sat through countless lectures.

At twelve thirty, he headed to campus.

The exam was exactly what he’d expected—three case studies, questions about strategic approaches, one essay comparing different marketing frameworks. He worked through it methodically, finished with twenty minutes to spare.

Emily was waiting outside when he emerged. "How was it?"

"Not terrible. You?"

"I think I did okay. Some of the case studies were tricky but I worked through them." She fell into step beside him. "One more for each of us, right?"

"Yeah. Friday morning for me."

"Same. Then we’re done."

They walked to the student center, found George already there with his laptop open, looking exhausted.

"Managerial Accounting tomorrow morning," he said without preamble. "I’m going to fail."

"You’re not going to fail," Emily said, dropping into a chair. "You literally got an A in that class."

"The exam is cumulative. There’s too much material."

"You’ve been studying all week."

"Not enough."

Luca pulled out his phone, scrolled through messages. Noel had texted: Done with exam. Coming home. Want anything?

He typed back: Just you.

The response came quickly: Sap.

Luca: Your sap.

Noel: Unfortunately.

"You’re smiling at your phone," Emily observed. "Gross."

"You’re just jealous."

"Absolutely I am. My love life is a disaster and you’re over here being domestic."

"Your love life isn’t a disaster. You’re just single."

"Same thing right now."

George looked up from his laptop. "Being single is underrated. No one’s judging how much time I spend studying."

"No one’s judging Luca and he’s in a relationship," Emily pointed out.

"Noel understands finals week. That’s different."

"Fair point."

They stayed at the student center for another hour, Emily and George studying while Luca scrolled through his phone. Eventually he headed home, found Noel on the couch with his International Development notes.

"How’d it go?" Noel asked.

"Good. Easy enough." Luca dropped his bag, sat beside him. "You stressed about Friday?"

"Not really. I know the material. Just need to get through it."

"We’re almost done."

"Two more days."

Two more days of exams. Then graduation week. Then everything changed.

Luca leaned into him, Noel’s arm coming around his shoulders automatically.

"After graduation," Luca said, "let’s take a week and do nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Absolutely nothing. Sleep late, order too much food, watch terrible movies. Just exist."

"That sounds perfect."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

They stayed like that, the afternoon stretching out quietly. No exams to stress about right now. Just this moment, this person, this comfortable silence.

Outside, the world kept moving. Inside, everything was still.

Thursday passed in a blur.

Luca had no exams, spent the day doing nothing productive.

Slept late, made breakfast, read half a book he’d been putting off for months.

Noel left for his exam at one, came back at four looking relieved.

"Done?" Luca asked.

"One more tomorrow. Then I’m finished."

"How’d it feel?"

"Good. Really good, actually. I knew most of it." Noel collapsed on the couch beside him. "What did you do all day?"

"Nothing. It was great."

"Sounds it."

They ordered dinner, ate while watching something mindless on TV. The apartment felt different now—lighter, less weighted with stress. The end was actually in sight.

George texted the group chat: survived accounting. one more to go. who’s still standing?

Emily: Me. Business Law tomorrow at two.

Luca: Capstone Seminar tomorrow morning. Then I’m done.

George: we’re really almost finished

Emily: Don’t jinx it.

George: im jinxing nothing. im manifesting SUCCESS

Emily: That’s not how jinxing works.

George: you dont know that

Luca smiled, set his phone down. Noel was reading something on his tablet. His hair was getting long, falling into his eyes when he leaned forward.

"You need a haircut," Luca observed.

"I know. Haven’t had time."

"Want me to do it?"

"Absolutely not."

"I could do a good job."

"You have no experience cutting hair."

"How hard can it be?"

"I’m not letting you practice on me." But Noel was smiling. "After graduation, I’ll get it cut properly."

"Your loss."

"My continued possession of even-length hair."

Friday morning arrived too fast.

Luca’s alarm went off at seven. His last exam—Capstone Seminar—was at nine.

Three hours of analyzing business cases, proposing solutions, demonstrating everything he’d learned over four years.

His stomach twisted. Not quite nerves, just awareness of finality. This was it. The last exam he’d ever take as an undergraduate.

"You okay?" Noel asked, still mostly asleep.

"Yeah. Just thinking."

"Don’t overthink. You know this."

"I know."

"Then trust yourself."

Luca got up, went through his morning routine. Coffee, toast, checking his bag three times to make sure he had everything.

Noel appeared in the kitchen, still in sleep clothes, hair sticking up. He crossed to Luca, wrapped arms around him from behind.

"You’ve got this," he said into Luca’s shoulder.

"I know."

"Say it like you mean it."

"I’ve got this."

"Better." Noel kissed his neck. "Go prove it."

The exam was comprehensive, exactly as advertised.

Five case studies spanning different business scenarios—failing retail company, tech startup seeking funding, international expansion strategy, crisis management, organizational restructuring.

Luca worked through each one systematically, applying frameworks and theories, proposing solutions, justifying his reasoning.

The material came easily, muscle memory from four years of training.

Three hours later, he turned in his exam packet.

Done.

Actually, completely, finally done.

He walked out of the exam hall into morning sunlight. Pulled out his phone, texted Noel: Finished.

The response came immediately: How do you feel?

Luca: Free.

Noel: Good. Come home.

Luca started walking, but his feet didn’t take him home. Instead, he wandered through campus, taking in everything with new eyes.

The quad where he’d spent countless afternoons. The library where he’d pulled all-nighters. The Business building where he’d sat through four years of lectures.

This place had been his whole world. In a week, he’d never be a student here again.

The thought was strange. Not sad, exactly. Just significant.

His phone buzzed. The group chat.

Emily: DONE. Officially finished with finals forever.

George: SAME. Never looking at another textbook.

Luca typed: Done here too.

Emily: WE DID IT

George: we actually did it

Emily: Celebratory drinks tonight?

George: absolutely

Luca: I’m in. Noel?

He switched chats, texted Noel directly: Group wants drinks tonight. You in?

Noel: What time?

Luca: Probably 8?

Noel: I’ll be done by then. My exam ends at 6.

Luca: Perfect.

He finally headed home, the afternoon sun warm on his face.

The apartment welcomed him with the cat demanding meows and the familiar smell of home.

He fed the cat, changed into comfortable clothes, collapsed on the couch.

He closed his eyes. Exhaustion was catching up now that the adrenaline had faded. Finals week was over. Just graduation left.

The door opened. Noel appeared, looking tired but satisfied.

"Done?" Luca asked, not moving from his spot on the couch.

"Done." Noel dropped his bag, crossed to the couch, practically fell on top of him. "Never. Taking. Another. Exam. Ever."

"How was it?"

"Fine. Good. Over." Noel’s face found its familiar spot in the curve of Luca’s shoulder, his breath a warm sigh against his neck. "We’re finished."

"We’re finished," Luca echoed, his voice a soft rumble in his chest.

He shifted, not to move away, but to gather Noel more fully against him.

One arm curled around Noel’s back, the other hand coming up to card gently through his hair.

Noel made a small, happy noise and melted, every muscle going lax.

He burrowed closer, his nose nudging Luca’s collarbone.

For a long moment, they just breathed. Luca’s fingers traced idle circles on the back of Noel’s t-shirt.

The afternoon light, golden and slow, pooled around them, dissolving time.

"You’re heavy," Luca murmured, not sounding bothered at all.

"You’re comfy," Noel mumbled into his shirt. His hand, which had been pinned between them, slipped under Luca’s arm to rest flat against his back, holding on.

They lay there, a tangled, contented knot. Luca’s chin came to rest on top of Noel’s head.

He could feel the steady thump-thump of Noel’s heartbeat against his own, syncing up in the quiet.

The world outside—the worry, the future, the relentless march of time—felt muffled and far away, softened by the shared warmth between them.

One week until everything changed.

But for now, this was more than enough. The quiet rhythm of breath, the solid comfort of being held, the simple, profound fact of being here, together, in a sunlit patch of couch.

They’d survived.

Together.