Dear Roommate Please Stop Being Hot [BL]-Chapter 194: Morning Routines

The city stretched quiet beneath them, a thousand windows glowing soft against the night.

Luca leaned back against the railing, still warm from Noel’s embrace, his grin lazy but unshakable.

Noel hadn’t stepped away—he hovered close, arms crossed now, gaze trained more on Luca than the skyline.

"You’re going to be impossible tomorrow," Noel said suddenly, voice dry.

Luca tilted his head. "Impossible? Me?"

"At the internship." Noel’s mouth tugged at the corner, almost a smile. "I can already picture it. You, pretending to be serious. Trying to act professional."

"Excuse you," Luca shot back, a hand to his chest. "I can be very serious. Stone-cold serious. People will bow before my commitment and work ethic."

"Mm." Noel’s hum was skeptical, deliberate. "You lasted five minutes folding laundry before turning it into a performance." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"That was strategy," Luca countered, grinning wider. "Keep morale high, keep you entertained. If I’m boring, you’ll ditch me."

Noel shook his head, the faintest shadow of laughter slipping out. "You’re exhausting."

"But you like it," Luca said, softer now, his grin easing into something steadier.

Noel’s eyes lingered, quiet for a beat too long before he admitted, "Yeah. I do."

The air between them shifted—still easy, still light, but threaded with something deeper.

Noel reached out, brushing his fingers over Luca’s wrist, a small touch that carried more weight than words. "Don’t mess this up tomorrow."

"For the internship?" Luca asked, lifting a brow.

"For us," Noel corrected, his gaze steady.

Luca’s breath hitched, but he nodded once. "Promise."

They stayed like that a little longer, the hum of the city below and the stars above folding them into a rare kind of stillness.

Eventually, Noel tugged lightly at Luca’s hand. "Come on."

Inside, the apartment felt hushed, as if the walls themselves had learned their secret.

They slipped into the bedroom with little said—shoes abandoned, lights dimmed.

Noel lay down first, sliding under the sheets, and Luca followed without hesitation, curling close.

Noel shifted onto his side, arm slipping easily around Luca’s waist.

Luca pressed closer, head tucked under his chin, their breaths falling into rhythm.

"You’re warm," Luca murmured, half a tease, half a sigh.

"You’re noisy," Noel returned, though his hold only tightened.

"Still keeping me, though," Luca whispered against his chest.

"Still keeping you," Noel said, quiet but firm.

The last thing Luca remembered before sleep pulled him under was the steady beat of Noel’s heart against his cheek, a rhythm more certain than anything waiting for them tomorrow.

The night slipped quietly into dreams too sweet to last, until morning broke them open with its sharp insistence.

The alarm buzzed against the nightstand, sharp and merciless, shattering the fragile hush of morning.

Luca groaned first, rolling onto his stomach and burying his face in the pillow.

"Make it stop," he mumbled.

Noel reached over, silencing it with a single tap.

He stayed sitting up for a moment, stretching once before glancing down at the lump beside him. "You said you’d wake up early."

"I lied," Luca’s voice was muffled by cotton.

"You’re starting an internship, not skipping class," Noel said, tugging the blanket down just enough to see Luca’s hair sticking up in every direction. "Get up."

Luca cracked one eye open, squinting at him. "You don’t look rushed. Why should I?"

"Because one of us knows how to be on time."

With a dramatic sigh, Luca pushed himself up, hair falling into his face. "Fine. But only because I can’t let you out-serious me on our first day."

Noel arched a brow. "You think that’s possible?"

"Watch me," Luca shot back, though his voice was still groggy. He swung his legs off the bed and stood, stretching with a small wince. "Okay, maybe not watch me yet. Give me five minutes to look alive."

Noel shook his head, standing too. "You’ve got twenty. That’s all."

As Luca shuffled toward the bathroom, he paused at the door and turned, grin tugging at his lips despite the sleep still in his eyes. "Hey, Noel?"

"What."

"You nervous?"

Noel paused, his expression unreadable for a beat. "No."

Luca smirked knowingly. "Liar. I can tell. Your voice gets all... flat. Flatter than usual."

"Go shower," Noel replied, but the faintest color brushed his ears.

When Luca disappeared into the bathroom, the sound of running water soon filling the quiet, Noel stood for a moment longer in the bedroom.

His gaze caught on the phone Luca had left on the nightstand—the lock screen glowing faintly with the photo of them, sun and moon pressed close.

For just a second, his expression softened, something almost unguarded flickering across his face.

Then he exhaled, steadying himself, and turned away.

By the time Luca returned, towel draped around his shoulders, Noel had already laid out their clothes neatly across the bed.

"You’re spoiling me," Luca teased, ruffling his damp hair. "Gonna make me think you like me or something."

"Just hurry up," Noel said, but his hand lingered a second too long when he passed Luca his shirt.

Luca tugged the shirt over his head, still damp around the edges, his hair dripping onto the fabric. "I’m gonna look like I lost a fight with a showerhead."

"You always do," Noel deadpanned, folding his own tie with careful precision.

Luca pressed a hand to his chest as though wounded. "Wow. On our first day, and you’re already sabotaging my confidence?"

Noel gave him a flat look, but his lips twitched. "If your confidence is that fragile, the internship’s going to eat you alive."

"Not fragile," Luca argued, fumbling with his tie. "Just... selectively bruisable."

He tugged at the knot, clearly making a mess of it.

Noel sighed, stepping closer. "Here. You’re going to strangle yourself."

Luca lifted his chin obediently, grinning as Noel straightened the fabric with swift, practiced motions. "You’ve done this before."

"Every day for years," Noel replied simply, his fingers brushing Luca’s collarbone before he stepped back.

"That’s unfair," Luca muttered. "You’ve got, like, a head start in looking like a real adult."

"You say that as if you aren’t twenty-two."

"Yeah, but you’re the type who came out of the womb with a business plan," Luca shot back. "Me? I’m just trying not to trip on my shoelaces."

Noel adjusted his own cuffs with a sharp tug. "Then stay close to me. Try not to get lost."

For a moment, the teasing thinned into something quieter.

Luca’s smile softened, crooked at the edges. "You’ll watch out for me?"

Noel’s gaze flicked to him, steady and unreadable, before he nodded once. "Of course."

The words sat between them heavier than either expected.

Luca blinked, then forced a grin, breaking the moment before it swallowed them both. "Good. Then when I mess up, I’ll just blame you."

Noel snorted, slipping into his jacket. "Try it. See how far that gets you."

Luca bent down to grab his shoes when a hand caught his wrist.

He looked up, startled, and found Noel closer than expected.

Before he could speak, Noel leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss against his mouth—brief, steady, but enough to leave Luca’s pulse stumbling.

The world seemed to tilt, leaving Luca chasing air like it had been stolen with that kiss.

"Do your best today," Noel murmured, voice low against his lips.

Luca made a small sound in his throat, half groan, half plea, leaning forward as though chasing more. "That’s... unfair," he muttered, eyes still half-closed.

But Noel had already stepped back, expression unreadable as he turned toward the door. "Kitchen. Breakfast."

Luca exhaled, running a hand down his face, hopelessly smiling. "You’re going to kill me one of these days."

By the time he followed, Noel was already at the stove, sliding plates across the counter.

The smell of toast and coffee filled the small space.

"You’re spoiling me again," Luca teased, dropping into a chair. "Shouldn’t I be the one cooking for us?"

Noel glanced at him. "After yesterday? God forbid."

Luca pressed a hand over his heart, feigning offense. "Excuse me? That omelette was... creative."

"It was salt with a side of eggs," Noel corrected dryly, setting down his own mug.

Luca snorted, reaching for his plate. "Fine. Harsh Next time. I’ll redeem myself. I’ll make something so good you’ll beg me to cook forever."

"At least taste it before you serve it," Noel said, sipping his coffee with infuriating calm.

Luca leaned across the table, grin tugging at his lips. "Admit it, though. You liked the effort."

Noel’s eyes flicked up, steady and unreadable for a long beat. Then, softer than Luca expected: "Yes."

For all the teasing, Luca could see it—the care tucked beneath Noel’s calm, surfacing in gestures more than words.

That single word silenced Luca for a moment, warmth blooming in his chest before he quickly covered it with a grin. "Then you’re stuck with me."

Noel shook his head but didn’t argue.

Luca took his first bite, humming dramatically as though Noel had served him a five-star meal. "Mmm. Perfection. Maybe you should quit the internship and just cook for me every morning."

"You’d starve," Noel replied without missing a beat, buttering another slice of toast.

"Please, with skills like this? I’d never complain." Luca leaned forward, chin resting in his palm as he studied Noel with shameless fondness. "You even cut the fruit. Who are you?"

Noel slid the small plate of sliced apples closer to him, refusing to look up. "Eat. You’ll need the energy."

"See?" Luca said softly, a smile tugging at his lips. "This is what I mean. You act all serious, but you do things like this."

Noel finally met his gaze, a faint crease between his brows as though caught off guard. "Like what?"

"Like you care," Luca said simply.

For a moment, silence filled the air, broken only by the faint tick of the kitchen clock and the low hum of the refrigerator.

Noel’s hand stilled around his mug, then he set it down gently, almost too carefully.

"You’re reading too much into it," he said at last.

Luca tilted his head, grin widening. "Am I?"

Noel’s lips pressed together, but instead of answering, he reached over and straightened Luca’s collar, fingers brushing against the hollow of his throat in a gesture too natural, too intimate to argue with.

Luca’s grin softened into something quieter. "You just proved my point."

Noel didn’t answer, but his hand lingered for a second longer before pulling back.

Luca, utterly charmed, leaned back in his chair with a contented sigh. "If this is how mornings are going to be, I don’t even care how stressful the internship gets."

"You should care," Noel muttered, but there was no sharpness behind it.

Just the faintest curve of something close to a smile.

Luca speared a piece of apple with his fork and held it out across the table. "Say ah."

Noel gave him a flat look. "I can feed myself."

"Not the point," Luca countered, wiggling the fork stubbornly. "Come on. Don’t make me chase you around the table."

With a sigh that sounded heavier than it was, Noel leaned forward, the brush of his mouth against the fork more intimate than it had any right to be. "You’re impossible."

"And yet," Luca said, eyes glinting, "you didn’t say no."

Noel shook his head, but there was a quiet pink at the tips of his ears.

He reached for his coffee again, using the cup as both shield and excuse.

"Mm." Luca leaned back in his chair, satisfied. "See, you’re secretly soft. Like, ridiculously soft. Just... wrapped up in this big serious packaging."

"Stop analyzing me."

"Not analyzing. Admiring." Luca’s voice lowered playfully. "Big difference."

The words landed heavier than he meant them to, sitting between them with a weight neither reached to brush aside.

Noel’s hand stilled halfway to his plate, his expression unreadable, though his shoulders shifted like something inside him had caught.

For a long beat, neither of them spoke.

The sunlight slipped further across the table, glinting off the rim of their mugs, washing the kitchen in a slow, golden quiet.

Then Luca leaned forward again, breaking the silence with a grin too bright to be ignored. "So, final question: omelette or no omelette tomorrow?"

"No," Noel said immediately.

"Harsh," Luca laughed. "It wasn’t that salty."

Noel’s gaze flicked toward him, steady but softened now, the corner of his mouth tugging upward just barely. "It was."

Luca pressed a hand to his chest, mock-wounded. "You wound me, chef."

"You’ll live."

The banter rolled easy, but beneath it, their closeness thrummed—the morning stretching golden and slow, as if time itself conspired to belong only to them.