#I did this two bc I did gordon and benny with the same request so I thought I'd do someone different!

[waitineedaname]

6 for some roommates??

6. Accidentally ending a phone call with your roommate with a casual ‘I love you’ seems like a very good reason to move out.

“I’m so sorry I can’t make it! It’s just- The flight got delayed, and now I’m going to miss my connecting flight, so I’m stuck in Chicago overnight, which means there’s no way I’ll be there in time, and-”

“Tommy!” Darnold could hear Tommy’s anxiety building through the phone and tried to cut it off before he could work himself up further. “It’s okay, really! It’s just a conference, nothin’ special.”

“Yeah, but-” Tommy’s voice took on a whine, “You’re presenting.”

“Anything I say at this presentation is guaranteed to be something you’ve heard before.” Darnold couldn’t help but smile fondly. “You let me infodump about this experiment to you every evening for the past several months, I’m surprised you wanted to come to the conference at all.”

Tommy’s huff was barely audible through Darnold’s phone speakers, but it was clear he was no longer on the brink of tears. “It’s not every day I get the chance to see my roommate present his- present the world’s first evil flavored drink!”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that.” Darnold covered his mouth, as if there was anyone in the hotel lobby who cared enough to listen. “Don’t tell anyone, Dr. Coolatta, but this is only the first in a long line of flavors I have planned!” Tommy obligingly let out a loud, fake gasp on the other end, as if he hadn’t been involved in the planning process from the beginning. “I know, it’s shocking. I understand if you want to sit down. But yeah, this sure as hell won’t be the last time I’ll be presenting, I’ll tell you that. Maybe next time, you’ll even be presenting alongside me!”

“I’d like that,” Tommy said with a slight laugh. “Alright. But! I’ll- I’ll be cheering you on the whole time! Just… from the plane! And, um, I’ll take you out for celebratory drinks when I get there.”

“You don’t gotta do that,” Darnold said, Southern politeness keeping him from taking the offer without protest.

“I’m going to,” Tommy’s retort came immediately, more than used to that polite instinct. “Okay, I- The plane seems to be boarding? So, I gotta- I should probably get going. Good luck, Darnold! See you soon!”

“Safe flight, Tommy. Love you, bye.” Darnold tapped the end call button, then stared at his reflection in his phone screen. Did… Did he just say that?

Okay. Calm down Dr. Pepper, he thought to himself. Think this through rationally. Freudian slips were something everyone did. It’s only logical that the level of intimacy and domesticity created by living with someone who was probably his best friend would result in some crossed wires, resulting in him accidentally saying “I love you.” No reason to think about it too much.

But… he couldn’t help but think about it too much. Because that wasn’t the whole story. The thing was, Tommy was a handsome guy. No shame in admitting that. He also understood Darnold in a way very few others had. Both of them being neurodivergent ace-spec scientists in their mid-thirties meant they got each other a lot better than most. Not only that, but also Tommy was just… a great person. He made Darnold laugh on a regular basis, and he was more kind and compassionate than Darnold thought possible, though that didn’t mean he couldn’t be sarcastic and snappish when he wanted to be. Darnold appreciated that complexity in him. Darnold appreciated a lot of things about Tommy, if he was being honest. He’d been avoiding thinking about it, but once he started, he couldn’t stop. There was no denying it at this point: over the course of their friendship and cohabitation, Darnold had been slowly but steadily falling deeply in love with Tommy Coolatta.

For Christ’s sake, he could not be dealing with this right now. Not when he would be presenting one of the biggest accomplishments of his career in an hour. He would just have to shove the past minute into a box in the corner of his brain and unpack it later.

Yeah, that didn’t work. His thoughts were buzzing the whole time he walked around the conference until his presentation, and he was jittery with nerves for a reason wholly unrelated to stage fright. It was a marvel he made it to the presentation at all. He avoided his phone like it was cursed, unable to bring himself to check and see if Tommy had texted him at all. For a single, unhinged second he fantasized about moving across the country, changing his name, and starting anew so he wouldn’t have to deal with his feelings, but he spent the next second internally smacking himself for that idea. No need for melodramatics.

His hands shook the whole time he presented his evil flavor, though he was proud to say his voice remained steady. It was a little easier to avoid thinking about anything else when he was presenting something he was so proud of. The audience was suitably impressed by his work, and every bout of dignified applause felt like the most raucous of cheers to Darnold. He couldn’t stop the smile on his face as he stepped off the presentation stage to allow them to set up for the next presenter. He was shaking hands with one of the scientists from the audience who was congratulating him on his work when he glanced to the back of the room and spotted Tommy.

Tommy, somehow immediately knowing Darnold had seen him, waved and grinned. Darnold bit back a laugh at how much he towered over everyone else around him. He excused himself and rushed to the back of the room.

“Tommy!” Darnold exclaimed. “I thought you weren’t gonna get in till tomorrow afternoon at the latest?”

“I, uh, I got in contact with my dad! He gave me a hand,” Tommy responded evasively. Knowing Tommy’s father, that could either mean he hired a private jet for him or he literally teleported him across the country. Darnold couldn’t bring himself to care about the details right now. “I’m glad I could catch your presentation! You did- You were amazing.”

“Well, gosh, it ain’t anything,” Darnold said, as if he wasn’t preening under the praise.

“Can I still take you out for those drinks?” Tommy asked, reaching for Darnold’s hand. Darnold’s heart warmed as he squeezed Tommy’s hand. Tommy wasn’t big on physical affection unless he initiated it, so Darnold cherished it whenever it happened.

“If you insist,” Darnold teased lightly.

“I do! And, uh, also…” Tommy trailed off, rubbing his thumb over Darnold’s hand, “I… was thinking about making it a date? If you like?”

Darnold’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? Like, an actual date?”

“Yeah! Is- Would that be okay?” Something vulnerable flickered through Tommy’s eyes, and Darnold was quick to brush it away.

“That would be more than okay.”

Tommy had this way of literally lighting up the room when he got happy, and this was no exception. Darnold pitied any of the scientists around them that weren’t used to it. “Great!” He said, already tugging Darnold towards the hall.

As they exchanged potion ideas over cocktails that evening, Darnold found himself feeling the happiest he’d been in a long time. Maybe an accidental love confession over the phone wasn’t that bad.