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Karl was a man on a mission. He clutched the letter tighter in his hand, tilting his wrist and taking note to spread his fingers ever so carefully that the wax seal of the Nether kingdom - specifically, the personal seal of the Crown Prince - could be seen by anyone who glanced his way. The boy scurried along the longest possible route he could've taken, taking care to stomp loudly on sticks and brush his free hand through the bushes; anything to simultaneously draw attention to himself while making it seem as if he was trying to be incognito.
And so far, it had worked. Karl had seen at least three pairs of eyes on him, two from the guards at the Nether camp and one from the wounded solider at the End camp. A chill ran up his spine at the memory of haunted eyes boring into his, intrigued by his presence - curiosity mixed with heaps of loathing, hatred, and rage. Sure, the End and the Nether kingdoms were currently at a military stalemate and had called for a temporary - keyword: temporary - ceasefire to try and settle things as diplomatically as possible but scrambling through the foreign End campsite was something Karl was not comfortable with in the slightest.
Finally, finally, he'd made it to his destination. With his heart straining against the confines of his ribcage, Karl pressed forward, resolutely ignoring the bead of sweat steadily dripping down the side of his face.
"Halt." There was the sharp shing! of a sword being unsheathed, and the brown-haired man froze instinctively at the sound. Something pointy prodded at his chest once, not forceful enough to do any harm.
Karl finally looked up from the ground beneath his feet and was met with twin glares, filled with such scorn that he bit back the urge to just shrink back and scurry on back to the safety of his own camp. He pinched himself once, twice, thrice. "I, uh, have a letter for the prince."
There was a show of feathers as both guards puffed up, spreading their wings open to create a physical barrier to prevent Karl from proceeding forward. "No one enters the prince's tent."
"Prince Quackity is expecting me." The brown-haired boy insisted, subconsciously clenching his fists. "I have the responsibility to pass a letter to him and discuss something with him on behalf of-."
"If your Lord has anything to say to the prince, tell him to say it during the peace conference. Your mere presence here is unprofessional and off-putting." The guard sneered. "You better run along before we're forced to remove yo-"
A voice cut him off, calm and monotonous, yet slightly amused. "Let him in." Then again, almost as an afterthought, the person from inside the tent added, "The both of you are dismissed for the night."
Both guards froze, their expressions acting as dead giveaways to how they felt about everything. But nevertheless, they nodded, tucking their wings back in dutifully and bowing at the tent despite the fact that the prince inside wouldn't have seen them either way. Then, with a final glare aimed directly at Karl, they sheathed their swords and stormed off, too well-trained to do anything else and risk disobeying their prince. Karl watched them go, intrigued by how vastly different these soldiers were from the ones he was used to seeing in the Nether - warriors who treated Crown Prince Sapnap differently from how they had treated Prince Quackity; fighters who treated Sapnap more like a brother-in-arms rather than a noble figure, countless ranks above them. Then again, Karl supposed Sapnap had trained with them since young, fighting earnestly to be as good as the soldiers who had dedicated their whole lives to keeping the royal family safe. There was a reason why the Netherborns had always joked that Sapnap would've wormed his way into the castle as a knight if he hadn't been born into the royal family, after all.
"Aren't you coming in?" Quackity's voice was bored, bordering on the edge of annoyance, and Karl steeled himself one last time before pushing through the entrance of the tent, shuffling inside.
From all the rumours about the prince, Karl had expected to see a rigid figure, decked out in armour with a pair of dark wings protruding out his back like some mutated shadow. Instead, he'd came face to face with a person no older than him, lounging on his sleeping mattress, all stretched out without a care in the world. A worn-out beanie claimed residence atop his mess of a hair, covering his eyebrows and hiding a part of the ugly scar that marred his left side, running vertically down from his eye to his cheek. And perhaps what startled Karl the most was the very, very noticeable lack of black wings.
Instead, golden feathers littered the area around them.
The prince scoffed, clearly noticing Karl's suddenly slack expression. "What, haven't seen an avian before?" It was a rhetorical question, duh, considering that for the better part of the decade, Karl had been caught in a war between avians and Netherborns - so yes, he'd seen an avian before.
"I've seen many of them, actually." Karl chirped back before he could've gotten the chance to get a good hold of his tongue. "They didn't have feathers as pretty as yours, though."
At that, Quackity straightened out, pulling his wings closer to himself, almost as if he was self-conscious of them. Pink dusted his cheeks, so faint that Karl might've thought it was a trick of the light if he was someone oblivious to the tiniest details. (As a matter of face, he was not someone who tended to overlook tiny details.) "We don't talk about each other's wings here," Quackity bit off curtly. "It's considered rude and impolite. Our wings are sensitive, sacred; though I'm sure your people already know all about it."
Karl deflated. "Right, sorry, I- uh, sorry."
Impatient to get things over and done with, Quackity sighed, leaning forward to peer at the boy before him. "Is that the supposed love letter?" The prince asked, eyeing the flimsy piece of parchment in the valet's grip. At Karl's nod, he sighed, stretching a handout. With the letter safely delivered to Quackity's awaiting hand, the valet shrank back, thoroughly exhausted from his midnight journey into enemy territory. The prince scoffed, breaking the wax seal. "Who even thought of this Romeo and Juliet puppy love shit?"
The valet flushed. "Uh, I did, Your Highness." His heart thudded painfully at the sideway glance the prince shot him. "I'd thought it would be faster to get a peace treaty signed if members from each royal family... fancied each other."
Quackity made a noncommittal hum, eyes skimming across the contents of the letter (which Karl knew for a fact said Fuck you, turd because he had been present when Sapnap angrily scribbled it out and had even advised against writing such a crass message) before unceremoniously tearing it in half, letting both halves catch fire from a candle flame. "Touching," his voice was clipped, void of emotion.
The prince fumbled around for his own letter. "Here." He continued, sighing heavily as he placed his own correspondence back in the safety of Karl's hands. "Let's hope your plan works for all our sakes- uh, what was your name again?"
"Karl."
"Karl," Quackity tested the name on his tongue, pondering on it before nodding his head decisively. He repeated his previous sentence, "Well then, let's hope your plan works for all of our sakes, Karl." And with a lazy wave of his hand, Karl was dismissed, scurrying in the cover of the night back towards his home base, once again doing as much as he could to garner as much attention before slipping into the safety of Sapnap's tent.
"Karl!" The Netherborn was more than happy to see his valet again. "What took you so long? Did they give you trouble? Was the Turd being a jerk?"
The boy widened his eyes, shaking his head frantically as he delivered the letter into Sapnap's unnaturally warm hands. "No! No, of course not, Your Highness. I took a longer route so as to capture more attention, that's all."
Sapnap grunted, nodding once to show he'd paid attention to Karl in lieu of actual words. His eyes scanned the paper, furrowing with every word he read until soon enough, the valet could spot steam rising from the prince's head. Karl had almost questioned why either of them even bothered reading what was inside the letters, considering neither of them even had remote feelings of attraction towards each other - or well, just feelings towards each other in general, apart from the obvious disdain and loathing.
The valet held himself back from acting on his urge to ask, biting on the inside of his cheek hard enough to draw blood. Perhaps if they were several years younger, he would've dared to ask Sapnap such a casual question like that. As it was, they were no longer innocent school children. Both of them had a role to play and responsibilities to fulfil - Sapnap was the Crown Prince of the Nether, a handsome young bachelor who was key to making allies either through courtship or brute force, and Karl was merely his valet, his servant, forced to wait on his ever need and carry out his every order. They were of different classes, different standards, different worlds despite standing less than five feet apart from each other. (Oh, the irony.)
And as if Sapnap knew what he was thinking, the Netherborn looked towards Karl and offered him a small, sad smile.
Karl returned a grim grin of his own. His heart twisted painfully, mourning something he'd never had to begin with.
~
"Turd." Sapnap greeted, hissing the word out as if it had personally offended him. From his spot, Karl threw the Crown Prince an exasperated look.
Quackity, for his part, looked unbothered atop his own steed, a beautiful stallion by the name of Ossium. "Teapot." The Prince of the End rebutted, and Karl had to bite back a laugh at the almost-accurate description of Sapnap. Before the crown prince could think of a good comeback, Quackity spoke again, dismounting from his horse and allowing the valet to retrieve the reins from him. "So, what are we here for?"
"To make out and elope," the Netherborn sneered, rolling his eyes exaggeratedly as he swung off his own steed. "What the fuck do you think we're here for?"
Golden wings bristled angrily as Quackity seethed.
"Hey, hey," Karl rushed out, stepping closer to both royals. After all, he only came to make sure none of them went for each other's throats - good Lord, having one prince kill another would definitely be a catalyst for another major war and heaven knows no one needed that. "I've asked both of you here to keep up the façade. We're somewhere around the middle ground between both camps and it's highly likely someone would spot the both of you hanging out together." Karl held both reigns loosely. "There's some dense undergrowth there - it'll make it more believable that both of you are trying to be discreet."
"What about you?"
Quackity beat Sapnap to asking after Karl and the Netherborn scowled at no one in particular.
The valet's heart pounded at the sight of both of the nobles' attention of him - blue eyes so dark they appeared black and black eyes that sparkled with something that Karl couldn't quite place. "I'll be here with the horses, Your Highness."
"What?" Sapnap squawked, raising a hand to brush his bangs out of his eyes. "Come with us, Karl."
"I need to make it look as if I came to make sure no one found out about the both of you," the valet explained patiently, biting back the urge to smile as Ossium nosed at his hair curiously. "It'll only be for an hour. After that, we're good to go."
Quackity let out an irritated sigh, pivoting on his left leg and practically storming off in the direction of the undergrowth, golden wings flapping once in annoyance. "Fine. Let's get this over with, I don't want to be here any longer than necessary."
Sapnap growled back, following his lead. "You say that as if I want to spend time with you, of all people."
Karl huffed, somewhat entertained, as he watched the duo disappear from his view, keeping tabs on them purely based off their loud bickering before it was silent once again, both princes too angered to continue their fight. His heart flipped. "I'm screwed, huh?" The valet asked no one in particular, running his hand down Ossium's nose and letting Sapnap's steed nose at his side for any hidden treats. "Hopelessly pining for people way above me," he mused, leaning against a lone tree, just outside the skirts of the forest.
Half an hour later, after mindlessly picking at his fingernails and watching the horses interact with each other, Karl perked up to sounds coming from the undergrowth. Sounds that weren't arguing but... laughter? The brown-haired valet, curiosity piqued, stood straighter, craning his neck in the princes' general direction. There was the distinctly noticeable sound of Sapnap's giggles and an unfamiliarly infectious noise, a glorious cackle of sorts that pulled a short burst of laughter from Karl's own mouth.
His lips subconsciously stretched into a big grin as the laughter grew, warming his heart in tandem with their loudness. Good God, Karl would do anything to be the catalyst for those laughs again.
~
It wasn't long before the rumour really took off, burning its way through both camps like a wild forest fire, an unstoppable force. Between Karl's "discreet" trips to and from both camps and the consistent excursions to the small forest between their campgrounds, the valet was slightly surprised that such talk hadn't started sooner. Gossip of the two princes' tryst flew from every corner of both camps and people talked about how unfortunate it was that the princes were separated by a battlefield, born to opposing families, so close to each other yet so far.
Crown Prince Sapnap and Prince Quackity became known as the star-crossed lovers.
And they acted exactly like that too. Karl had been minutely surprised when Sapnap had waved somewhat shyly to Quackity at the beginning of the peace conference, without prompting from Karl. The valet was even more shocked at the brilliant grin the avian shot the prince. He stayed stock-still from his place beside the King of the Nether's valet, tracking the interaction with overly attentive eyes. Were they merely putting up a show, or were they really starting to take a liking to each other?
For majority of the discussion, Karl could only stare at both princes, switching in between gawking at their not-so-discrete glances towards each other and blinking cluelessly at their odd exchange. On one hand, Karl was elated that both nobles could finally get along and was ecstatic that they were finally on good terms; but on the other hand, the valet - for some unthinkable reason - felt lonely, left out, forgotten. Which, what? He had no reason to feel any of those; he was a servant, and they were royalty. They had no obligation to him.
The valet next to him nudged Karl with his elbow, effectively snapping him back to present time. He looked up just in time to catch one of the king's words.
"I suppose you've heard of... whatever's going on between my son and yours?" Philza questioned, majestic black wings furling and unfurling from behind him.
"Why, yes!" Bad grinned, ever the King to look on the bright side of things and focus on the positives. "I find it quite adorable."
"Then, I suppose a peace treaty is in order, considering how it's been presented to the court."
Badboyhalo frowned slightly, tail flicking left and right. "Right, yes - it would be dumb to simply ignore this opportunity. However, I'm reluctant to sign my only son over to yours this quickly. Sapnap's the next in line for the throne and he's important to the entire Nether Kingdom."
Karl watched as Quackity and Sapnap glanced at each other hesitantly.
Prince Wilbur, who had been sitting quietly through the meeting thus far, bristled at the implication, speaking up for the first time. "Pardon me, Your Majesty, but my younger brother is important to our kingdom as well. Whether he's the heir of the throne or not has no say in his undisputed value to our country."
"Of course, Crown Prince, I had no intention of dismissing Prince Quackity like that. I apologise if it came out that way." Bad hummed, looking at Skeppy. The partners seemed to share a silent conversation before the king broke away, turning to address the court. "While I am excited that my son has found love, I believe that a courtship is in order - just to make sure this isn't some one-off, puppy love thing."
"I agree." Philza nodded. "However, it'll be too much of a hassle should both princes return back to their homes, considering the journey they have to embark on just to see each other."
"Your Majesties," a small voice spoke up, belonging to a kind looking man, wearing simple clothes. "If both of you don't mind, the Overworld would be more than delighted to host both princes. Consider us as a neutral ground." The President of the Overworld said kindly, acting as mediator during the conflict.
Philza shifted in his seat, uncomfortable with the idea of leaving his son alone in foreign land. But ever the diplomat and never one to pass up the option of peace, the winged-man nodded. "Quackity, pack your things." Then, with an amused smile, he turned to his son. "You're going on that vacation you've been wanting since you learned how to fly."
~
Of course, as Sapnap's loyal valet, Karl was sent to the Overworld along with him. Currently, he was alone, busy setting aside their baggage in the humble village house loaned to them, arranging their bags in a way that made it easy to access.
"Karl, was it?"
The valet let out an embarrassingly high-pitched squeak, jumping as he turned around quickly at the unfamiliar voice.
"My apologies, I didn't mean to startle you." Wilbur's black eyes gleamed. "I came here for a quick chat."
Karl blinked dumbly once before jumping into action, pulling out a chair for the noble before him. "Of course! How may I help you, Your Highness?"
Wilbur waved away the offer to sit, claiming that he'd leave after saying his piece. "I love Quackity dearly, Karl - he might be adopted, but that doesn't change the fact that he is my brother." Oh... 'kay? "And precisely because he's my brother, I am aware that he's already been through way too much trauma for someone his age. Quackity may seem like a cold, scheming man but I assure you that he has a heart that's more than capable of being broken."
"O-of course, Your Highness." Karl whispered out, fully understanding what Wilbur was going for. After all, the same could be said for Sapnap - Karl's been with him long enough to know that deep down under all his battle scars and snide exterior, the crown prince was just like him, young and eager to see the world for himself, to feel and experience things that were once all just fantasy. And because he'd felt the need to stand up for his own prince, Karl added, "The same goes for Prince Sapnap."
"Good, then; glad to see we're on the same page." Wilbur squinted, scrutinising him. "The Crown Prince must be lucky to have a servant as loyal as you - attendants with your attitude and faithfulness are hard to come by these days."
The valet released an exhale, his lungs burning after having held his breath out of anxiety for the majority of Wilbur's monologue. "Thank you, Your Highness. He means... he means a lot to me." And so does Quackity. Karl's heart raced at the confession, and he hesitantly let his eyes dart up to the crown prince across from him, scanning for a reaction. When he found none, he let an inward sigh of relief.
"Well, that's all from me, Karl." Wilbur said, allowing the tiniest of smiles to grace his lips. "Thank you for your time." Wordlessly, Karl bowed out of habit as the crown prince took his leave, closing the wooden door behind him.
Alone, Karl let his thoughts consume him, the feelings he'd tried so hard to ignore bubbling up to the surface from that one meagre exchange, swarming him and buzzing around his head like a mosquito he couldn't get rid of. He was enamoured of Sapnap, had feelings for him that ran way deeper than a platonic kind of adoration, that part he had known for a long time coming. But why was it that he felt the same towards Quackity?
~
Sapnap and Quackity were falling in love.
Karl knew it - he saw it in their eyes whenever they so much as glanced at each other; he saw it when they they'd play footsies with each other at mealtimes; he saw it in the way the entire world around them seemed to disappear whenever they were together. Both princes were wrapped around each other, thoroughly enamoured by each other's presence, blissfully existing in their little bubble. And through all this, Karl was left on the outside, helplessly looking in.
The valet often reasoned with himself that he was being obnoxious, that he was in no place to even entertain the idea of being noticed by the two royalties he served - after all, they were of different positions. Yet that didn't stop him from feeling every prick of jealousy whenever he gazed at Sapnap or Quackity, only to find them lost in each other's eyes; didn't stop him from wishing he'd been born into a better-off family, where perhaps he'd lead the life of a humble merchant's son, oblivious to the internal happenings of the two warring kingdoms and their little peace treaty out of love. Ignorance was bliss, wasn't it?
It seemed like he wasn't particularly good at hiding his feelings though, least of all from Sapnap, the man he'd literally grown up with. The crown prince had begun to talk to Karl even more than usual (as if they didn't talk enough already), had tried to involve the brown-haired man as much as possible, even going as far as to invite him to his and Quackity's weekly hunting sessions, which had been limited to the nobles themselves and experienced healers, just in case something unexpected happened. And with every effort made by Sapnap to include Karl, the latter found himself withdrawing from his company more and more, afraid to indulge in his wants and accidentally overstep his boundaries. Sure, he'd continued to dutifully carry out his role as the prince's valet, but he'd come up with the most ludicrous excuses to skip out on "additional bonding activities".
Sapnap, for his part, hadn't pushed Karl. Instead, he'd only solemnly nod and retreat back to his own lavish quarters, his shoulders falling in disappointment, echoing the well-hidden pain and slight betrayal in his eyes. Quackity, on the other hand, Karl had a harder time rejecting. It wasn't to say that he was more attracted to the winged prince, per se; it was just... harder to say no to the prince of an opposing kingdom. The last thing he'd want was to start another conflict because of his reluctance to join the prince, especially since the latter had no entourage of his own and had only brought along two guards with him to the Overworld, who'd honestly serve as better statues to admire rather than companions to talk to (in Karl's humble opinion, at least).
And it was solely because of this - and definitely not because Karl was physically pained by the fact that he kept rejecting the people of his adorations - that the valet finally agreed to go on a hunt with Sapnap and Quackity. He strolled behind the nobles, looking around curiously at the birch trees littering the area, a sight he wasn't used to after spending majority of his life in the Nether.
Sapnap echoed his sentiments. "It's not something we see every day, huh Karl?" The crown prince asked, amused.
Karl responded dutifully. "No, Your Highness."
Golden wings stretched out as Quackity excitedly pointed to a bee, lazily buzzing about its tree. "I don't think we've explored this part of the forest before,"
"We came two weeks ago." Sapnap scoffed, though it was clear he'd meant no harm.
"No we didn't!"
"We did!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
The hunting party remained quiet, letting the couple bicker about. The medics exchanged entertained, somewhat fond grins with each other, and Karl forced his lips into a matching smile, resolutely ignoring the wave of pain coursing through him. Stupid, foolish boy. You're in no position to be upset about it. They found love and you're gonna' be happy for them; it's your duty as a valet and frie-
"Karl? Did you hear what I said?"
The brown-haired boy jumped slightly, looking up at Quackity, who'd stopped to give him an indescribable look. Embarrassed to have zoned out, the valet shook his head. "My apologies, Your Highness."
Quackity hummed, shaking his head as he gestured towards Karl. "It's alright. Sapnap said he'd go and scout for some animals first. Would you like to take a stroll with me for the time being?"
The valet's cheeks reddened at the offer, but who was Karl to deny Quackity his simple request
~
Fifteen minutes of wandering around an unfamiliar forest led the young prince to a small clearing in the woods, surrounded by trees and the chirping of birds. Karl remained behind him, standing at a forty-five degree angle to his right. The medics had gone off with Sapnap and they were alone. Just Karl and Quackity, Quackity and Karl; servant and master, master and servant - nothing more, nothing less.
"C'mere, Karl." A wave of Quackity's hand prompted the valet to move from his spot, coming to a halt beside the prince.
A single drop of water landed squarely on Karl's shoulder, followed by another on his nose, then another on the fold of Quackity's right wing. It was starting to drizzle, and for a man in his early twenties, Karl shouldn't be this excited about the sudden change in weather. He held his hand, still held tightly next to his body, palm out, catching the few raindrops that happened to fall in that exact position.
"It's raining." The prince observed, huge wings unfurling as if to imitate what Karl had been doing with his hand, catching as many raindrops as he could on golden feathers.
The valet paused, looking away from his palms to Quackity. "Yes, Your Highness."
"Do you get rain in the Nether?"
Karl's eyebrows furrowed. Honestly, he was surprised Sapnap hadn't told him everything there was to know about their home yet. "No, Your Highness. There isn't water for rain in the Nether."
"It doesn't rain in the End too - water hurts the Endermen." After a pause, Quackity grinned, childishly sticking his tongue to catch a raindrop on it, much like how a child would try to catch a snowflake on their tongue. "I like the rain. It's fun," he decided. "I wanna' fly in the rain one day. We fly all the time in the End to get from place to place since the void makes up, like, majority of the End, but we've never flown in the rain before because water hurts the Endermen and all that. It'll be interesting to see how aerodynamic my wings will be with water present."
The valet remained silent, listening intently to the prince's rather cute rambling.
Then, as if their conversation hadn't happened at all, Quackity changed the subject to something... less casual. Something more serious.
"Do you like Sapnap, Karl?"
"P-pardon?"
Quackity's wings folded themselves back in and he turned to properly face Karl. "Do you like Sapnap?"
Karl balked, flushing. Something deep inside him told him the prince wasn't referring to mere affection and platonic love. "I... uh..." He fumbled, wringing his hands together. Eventually, he settled for, "I can't, Your Highness."
Black eyes regarded him with warmth. "Why not, Karl?"
Is he being serious? "I'm merely his servant, Your Highness, it would be improper for me to like him. And... you're with hi-"
"But I like you too."
Oh.
Quackity shrugged, repeating the sentence again at the look of complete confusion full on display on the brown-haired valet's face. He remained impassive and kept a dry monotonous voice, as if he had been merely talking about the weather, though his nonchalance was given away by the faintest pink dusting his cheeks and the slight, almost nervous, twitch of his wings. "I like you."
At Karl's silence, the prince continued. "Sapnap likes you too, I can tell - from what we've told each other, anyway. He speaks very highly of you; fondly, even. Sometimes I think he feels guilty for liking both of us, sometimes I feel guilty for liking both of you at the same time - having more than one partner isn't widely advertised in the End and I'd assume it's the same in the Nether."
What was going on? The valet swallowed tensely, shifting his weight from one foot to another. "With all due respect, Your Highness, I shouldn't..." He struggled to find the right words to convey himself. "You're princes, nobles, and I'm just another servant."
If Quackity and Sapnap had any common traits, it would be their stubbornness. "I don't get it - why do our statuses matter? I like you, Sapnap likes you. Why can't we just... all like each other?" Sincerity oozed out from the prince's innocent question, and Karl's heart strained against the confines of his ribcage. Captured by the captivating allure of Quackity's open gaze, the brown-haired man could only stare back at him, looking into the window of his soul.
Too long. He was looking for too long and Karl knew it. Their little staring contest should've ended eons ago, but neither of them had summoned the willpower to snip the thread tying them together. If Karl was to break eye contact now and look away, the severity of their situation would crash onto them, crushing them, leaving them in an awkward silence that would likely never be resolved.
Quackity's lips parted ever-so-slightly, and Karl chased the movement with his eyes, grateful to have something to pull him away from the prince's own. However, staring at his mouth didn't exactly help either, and Karl found himself blushing once more. "I-"
"There you guys are!" Sapnap's voice cut across the both of them, effectively breaking the spell they were under. Karl and Quackity jumped apart, the latter observing the former and welcoming Sapnap with a warm grin while the former continued to fumble about, clearly flustered. "Aw man, you guys leaving me out?"
"Sap! We, uh-"
"Did you call him Sap?" Quackity gaped, mirth dancing in his eyes.
Karl froze, his childhood nickname for the crown prince accidentally tumbling out of his mouth in a moment of folly. The Netherborn huffed, rolling his eyes playfully. "Karl used to call me that when we were kids. Stopped saying after I was named crown prince, though."
"I'm sorry, Your Highness!" The valet squeaked out. By now, Karl was positive his face had been redder than it had ever been before. "It just slipped out, I'm so sorry-"
"I like the nickname, Karl. It's fine." Warmth seeped through his words.
"Oh."
Quackity snorted, leaning against the half-Blaze hybrid, one wing curling protectively over his side. "Cute." The display of affection looked so intimate that Karl had the fleeting idea to avert his gaze, but to put it simply, he couldn't - he was locked on to the movement and no amount of screaming his brain did could pull his eyes away from the pair of royals before him.
"So, did Q talk to you?"
Karl could only nod, currently incapable of speech.
The avian tsked playfully at Sapnap, elbowing his side. "I told you we'd break his brain. Look at his confused face, that poor boy."
"I offered to be the one to talk to him," the Netherborn scoffed, slapping Quackity's elbow away as much as he could without leaving the avian's half embrace.
"Yeah, but you see him every day, I just wanted some alone time with Karlos." Then, as if struck by a sudden revelation Quackity snorted. "You've got to learn how to share now, Sap. Especially since you didn't have siblings to teach you the art of sharing."
Sapnap, for his part, took the avian's words seriously. "I'm willing to learn," he shrugged, his eyes remaining on Karl's slightly trembling frame. "Karl?"
The valet peeked up at the princes through the mess of hair falling onto his face. "You're... serious about this? Like, it isn't a... joke or anything?"
Both princes nodded.
"B-but think of the scandal! Both of you might get defamed for letting a servant join your relationship; what would the people thin- what would you family think?"
From a distance, thunder clapped loudly.
"Relax, Karl." Quackity's wings came up to form a temporary shelter over all three of them, hiding them from the pelting rain.
"That part might be tricky," the crown prince sighed out, shuffling closer to his valet. "We might have to keep our three-way relationship hidden first, just let the public eye see it as me and Quackity, but we'll go public once I take over Dad's throne. It'll be hard on you, Karl, and unfair to you, but... maybe...?"
"Karl, we want you with us."
"Ideally, not as a servant." Sapnap voiced out. "With lots of kissing and cuddling" he added as an afterthought.
Quackity grinned. "Having more than one partner in a relationship isn't often seen in our societies but we'll be the living example that such a relationship can work out! Something little kids can look up to."
"So, what'd ya say, Karl?"
The valet mulled over their words, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. Then, shyly, Karl looked up from the ground, a small smile gracing his face. "I want to be with both of you, too."
Sapnap and Quackity shot him twin grins, and Karl swooned helplessly, his legs turning to jelly at the open faces on both princes, conveying nothing but love and adoration. The brown-haired man would've face-planted onto the grass, too, if it wasn't for a single strong arm enveloping his left side in a tight hug, squishing him together with another warm body. A laugh he'd come to recognise over the events of the past month rang out from beside him as gold feathers momentarily obscured his view before unfurling and coming to rest behind his back, a constant reassuring pressure that he wasn't alone.
Warmer-than-average lips pressed a shy kiss to his cheek and Karl giggled, loud and infectious and full of so much love that it made his heart hurt. The constant laughter surrounding him began to crescendo and Karl found himself sinking into their warm embrace, his eyes closed in pure bliss.
Yeah, he was pretty sure he'd want to be with them for the rest of his life too.