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an echoing laugh, a mocking smile.
sapnap couldn’t breathe. he couldn’t feel his limbs. he couldn’t move. he felt like he was drowning. he felt like he was swamped with no escape.
green flashed in front of his eyes and he heard whispered words. harsh words in his ears that he heard all too often.
”you’ll never be enough. not for me. not for anyone. you’re just a pawn in this stupid little game of life.”
sapnap gasped, heaving in air. he felt like all of his energy had been sucked out of him. he couldn’t see anything. it was pitch black
he sucked im harsh breaths, his lungs feeling burnt. he coughed harshly and looked around, bright colors dancing in front of his eyes.
suddenly all he could see was fire. fire everywhere. flames licked at sapnaps legs and the ravenette gasped.
he sucked in a panicked breath, coughing immediately. smoke, there was too much smoke. he couldn’t breathe again.
“this is your fault. you started this fire.”
sapnap let out a harsh sob and looked around himself desperately. there had to be some sort of escape. he didn’t see one.
he panicked, he needed to get out. a flame threatened to catch his pants on fire and he quickly stepped away. it was too hot, the heat blurring sapnaps vision.
he collapsed, feeling like the fire was swallowing him whole.
“sapnap!”
his eyes snapped open, tears blurring his vision. he shot up from where he was laying. he gasped. he let out a harsh sob. where was he?
a gentle hand came up to cup his cheek. sapnap flinched harshly and pulled away. he felt another cautious hand at his lower back, seemingly trying to sooth him.
he looked up at met gentle, warm brown eyes. he let out a relieved sob and desperately pressed into the touch of his fiance.
karl frowned and gently wiped tears off the smallers cheeks. he locked eyes with quackity over sapnaps shoulder, giving the other a worried look.
sapnap didn’t say anything, just learned into their touch and continued to let out rushed sobs. he seemed like he was still gasping for air, struggling to fill his lungs.
karl gently tilted the ravenettes face up, locking eyes with him.
”listen, hey. hey. breathe with me. breathe with me. okay? come on.” he gently slowed his breathe, making sure it was easy for sapnap to sync his breathing with.
it took them a minute but sapnaps breathing has finally slowed, as had the tears. he still looked frightened and upset but they had a start.
quackity hadn’t said anything, none of them had said much anyways. sapnap startled when a gently kiss was pressed to the side of his neck.
sapnap relaxed when he realized who it was.
he was safe. he was home. he was fine. he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to push out the harsh words that echoed in his head. words his ‘best friend’ had put there. he felt tears build up his eyes again and when he opened his eyes again karl was carefully watching him.
they never forced him to talk about, only gave him comfort and listened if he didn’t want to talk about it. he never did. he never let them know what had him so panicked.
karl could assume he knew. he knew how dream had treated his fiancé- how dream had treated all his friends at that.
it was quackity who spoke next.
”we’ve got you, big man. you’re okay, you’re safe.” sapnap nodded slowly and sunk into the others embrace.
they caged him in, pressing him right between them. they knew it helped. it grounded him.
touch, sapnap needed touch. sapnap needs reassure. to be told that he was needed and that they were there for him, not that they just had him around because they had to.
sapnap relaxed as long fingers carder through his ebony hair and gentle hesitant hands rubbed his sides and back in a calming manner.
he shivered and karl paused.
“are you cold?” sapnap chewed his lil slightly. he didn’t trust them voice not to break and falter so he just nodded slowly.
karl pulled away slowly and sapnap let out a distressed sound for a moment before quackity distracted him with a quick kiss to the cheek.
karl quickly tugged his hoodie off and then moved back to fiances. he gently offered the hoodie to sapnap who quickly took it. he pulled away from quackity gently to tug the hoodie on.
he melted into it and karl smiled fondly, pressing a kiss to sapnaps head.
karl laid back down and brought the other two boys with him. he gently moved them to tuck sapnaps head under his chin. sapnap happily curled himself around karl and quackity did the same to him.
sapnap relaxed at the warmth and comfort and let a small smile slip onto his lips.
”i love you, sappy.” karl spoke softly, pressing a small gentle kiss to sapnaps head.
sapnap hummed happily and mumbled something that sounded like a slurred ‘i love you too’ back.
”we love you so much.” sapnap giggled softly, it was rare for quackity to say i love you in a not joking way. sapnap knew the other found intimacy hard at times so it was always wonderful to hear him be serious about it for once.
sapnap hummed and pulled away from karl momentarily to peck quackitys lips then cuddled back into the other two.
they didn’t sleep, not really. sap never slept after nightmares. though he was content to just lay their in their warmth and comfort. their gentle touches and kisses luring him back into a peaceful daze.