Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Karl followed Quackity to the front gate of his house, looking up at it with wide eyes. He was more than aware that his new boyfriend was well off for being barely out of grad school, but the house was still more than he was expecting. A nice apartment without roommates? Sure. Even that seemed slightly outlandish to Karl, considering he was older than Quackity and still had three roommates, but he’d believe it. But a full house to himself just seemed absurd.

It wasn’t the nicest house on the street; the yard was on the smaller side, the dark blue paint was chipping in some places, and there was a crack in the stone stairs leading to the front door. But it was still a house, and it wasn’t run down, and there were even blooming flowers in a planter on the porch. Karl blinked at the house then looked at his boyfriend, barely 25 years old.

Quackity wasn’t that much younger than Karl, only two years or so, but his short stature made him seem smaller than he was. He made up for it with the way he carried himself, always wearing a bright grin with glinting white teeth that verged on slightly too sharp. The large scar running up his face helped the illusion of him being older than he was, a jagged pale line down his lightly tanned face. The scar from his lips to his left eye, one Karl knew was glass. It matched Quackity’s other eye perfectly, a deep warm brown. His hair was longer than Karl would’ve assumed lawyers were allowed to keep it, mostly hidden underneath the navy beanie he wore. Karl had only rarely seen his boyfriend without one in the time they had been dating, even more consistent to Quackity’s attire than his loose button up shirts and windbreakers.

“The divorce lawyer gig really pays well, huh?” he joked, tilting his head to the side, and Quackity burst into laughter. He turned back to Karl, pausing on the first step of the house, and cupped his cheek, pulling him closer. Right. This was the end of the date. Karl was supposed to kiss him goodbye and then head off.

But Karl wasn’t great at thinking before speaking and he really did not think this was his boyfriend’s house. Why in the world would Quackity prefer going to his apartment if he had the reign of a full house? It wasn’t adding up. So instead of saying goodbye after kissing him, he blurted out, “can I use your bathroom, by the way?”

Quackity froze, paling just enough to be noticeable. Karl stifled the smile creeping across his face. Caught in the lie-

“Yeah, that’s fine, but I uh- I swear I was gonna tell you this but- Okay, you know how I’m like… a widow?”

What?

“Uh. Yes,” Karl said slowly, nodding. If Quackity wasn’t actually a widower and was just cheating, he was going to lose his mind. “You’ve mentioned it once because I asked what the ring you have on the necklace was.”

“Mhm.” Quackity’s hand drifted up to touch his chest - presumably where said ring hung underneath his shirt. “Well- We were married for a few years, so- he was older than we are- I have a step-son.”

Karl blinked. What?

“It’s not- it’s not something you’d ever have to help me with. I’m fine as a single dad. Obviously, I’m managing fine.” Quackity waved his hand at the house dismissively, though clear worry was now creeping across his face at Karl’s blank reaction. “But his son, he was really attached to me so I fought for custody when his dad passed. The kid’s a big part of my life but I know that like… scares people off on first dates. So I didn’t wanna say anything until we were more serious. If- if that’s not okay or if you can’t handle that, then this can be our last date. That’s okay.”

Quackity took the last few steps up the stairs to lean against the front door, putting on a brave face and looking back at Karl. Idly, he wondered if that was the poker face Quackity put on for court, then shook his head as he realized he hadn’t said anything for the last minute.

“That’s- I don’t- Quackity, that’s completely fine! It’s okay, I get it.” Karl waved his hands reassuringly, giving his boyfriend a soft smile even as he fumbled through a response, and Quackity’s posture relaxed. Not entirely, but enough to be noticeable, which Karl took as a victory. “I mean, you’ve met my tag-along already. If you have to deal with me having another boyfriend, then it’d be unfair for me to not give you a shot for having a son.”

Karl liked Quackity a lot. He was attractive and funny and gave out compliments liberally. He got along well enough with Sapnap and was fine with polyamory and the memory issues and the asexual thing. He was the full package, genuinely. That did not mean Karl was fully prepared to meet a small child that Quackity was taking care of, but that was fine! Karl liked kids and if things developed into moving in together, well, Sapnap loved and was fantastic with children. Unbidden, Karl’s brain conjured up the image of Quackity handing off a small toddler to Sapnap to cradle close, and a bright smile formed on his face. Okay, so this was sudden, but that was fine.

“Okay. So then yeah, you can use my bathroom, but you’ll probably run into Tubbo on the way, as a heads up.” Quackity gave him a goofy smile, clearly trying to hide the sheer relief at Karl not turning on his heel and leaving. Karl stepped up the steps after him, placing a hand next to his head against the door and leaning in for another kiss. His boyfriend giggled and indulged him, pulling him close for a moment before shoving him off. “Dude, you are going to piss yourself if you keep distracting me from letting you in.”

“Well, stop looking so hot then,” Karl teased in return, shuffling back as the door swung open. Quackity ducked inside without hesitation, leaving Karl alone for a moment. He took a slow breath, steeling himself, then entered the house.

The inside was just as nice as the outside, warm with soft yellow walls. There were signs of wear around; the stairs to the second floor were lighter in the center from the varnish being worn down, there was a pile of shoes left abandoned by the door (Karl politely toed off his own), and there was a small dent in the wall where it seemed the front doorknob slammed into it too hard. But it was nice. It looked like a family home. Quackity turned the corner through an archway Karl couldn’t quite see around yet, following the echoing sounds of peppy music.

“Tubbo! Have you done your homework?”

Okay, so it wasn’t a toddler. Homework. Elementary school, then? Karl could help with history lessons, he had always been good at that. He went to school for it, after all. The music cut out and someone cleared his throat.

“Uhhh… Hey, Quackity, welcome home. Do you like this Lego recreation of the city of Tokyo?” came a distinctly teenage voice. Karl froze from where he had almost reached the archway, pausing before he could take that last step.

“Tubbo, I told you that you had to get your homework done before I got back.” Well, Karl had to hand it to Quackity. He had the disappointed dad voice down well enough that even Karl winced at that. There was a beat of silence.

“Well- I- it’s not my fault! They make these assignments so fucking hard for no reason, and they must know it’s so much easier to just pay someone else to do it! Besides, Tommy wanted to call me, and I can’t do homework while talking to Tommy, he’s so distracting! And Ranboo said that he could help me with it in first period and- and you weren’t there to help me with it, and you know I need help with some stuff, so really it’s your fault and you’re not my real dad anyways! So fuck off!” There was the sound of stomping feet and before Karl could even process that rant, a teen boy was whirling around the corner and running straight into him. They both let out yelps of surprise, stepping back and blinking at each other.

The teen didn’t look like Quackity, which made sense but somehow Karl was still taken off guard. Mousy brown hair, wide dark blue eyes with deep eyebags that dug a pit into his fair skin, and small, even smaller than Quackity, the boy - Tubbo - was wearing a deep frown that made him look all the more tired. He wore a green button up and baggy blue jeans, the knee of the jeans torn open to show bare skin. He had a blue bandaid on his cheek, a bee sticker stuck onto the pad in the center.

“I… uh… hi,” Karl greeted feebly. The boy - Tubbo - stared at him for a moment, expression melding from teenage angst into a sweet charming smile.

“Big Q, you didn’t tell me we had company! Hi, I’m Tubbo! You’re Karl, right? Quackity really likes you. He says your boyfriend is hot. Polyamory seems so confusing, by the way. Anyways, I have to do homework now before I get yelled at! Bye!” Tubbo shook his hand frantically then slipped past him, thundering up the stairs. There was a slam of a door and Quackity slowly exited the living room, rolling his eyes.

“So you’ve met Tubbo. I swear he’s not nearly as awful as he acts, he just likes being dramatic when he knows he’s in trouble. Fourteen-year-olds are like that. Or maybe just mine is.” Despite the eye roll, he wore a fond grin, glancing up at the stairs. It was a sweet expression and Karl was tempted to melt on the spot but-

Fourteen. Tubbo was fourteen. Karl did mental math for a moment, still reeling from the fast-paced argument and introduction. Twenty-five minus fourteen.

“How old was your husband if your step-son is only eleven years younger than you?”

Quackity went bright red at the question, looking away. “He- that’s- let me show you the bathroom, alright?”

He spun on his heel, walking further into the house, and Karl followed with a giggle. The living room was obviously a Tubbo dominated space - a video game console was hooked up to the TV next to a pile of loose Legos. A laptop was left open on the floor, opened to some 24/7 music stream on YouTube. The aforementioned Tokyo set was on the coffee table next to an energy drink can and a discarded plate of crumbs. A couple of completed Lego sets lined the mantle along with a row of photos, including a recent-looking school portrait and a dopey drawing that must have been from Tubbo as a much younger child. It was a charming display of family orientation that Karl wouldn’t have expected from his boyfriend. Quackity had always had strong metropolitan city vibes that seemed foreign in this cozy home. It was a nice contrast, though. Sweet, even.

Quackity scooped up the plate and drink can as they passed, walking to the kitchen. It wasn’t much neater than the living room, cooking supplies scattered across the counters and bread left out of the bread box. There weren’t a pile of dirty dishes in the sink though, and the trash can wasn’t overfilling, so Karl couldn’t judge. He nodded at a door along the wall, open just enough to reveal a bathroom sink and mirror. Karl gave him a grin and headed in.

When he completed his business, Quackity was still waiting outside, fidgeting with something in the fridge.

“Do you want like, a drink? I can make coffee. We got orange juice. Lots of energy drinks because Tubs is addicted to them.” Quackity had already pulled out a white Monster can, shaking it at Karl like it was a dog treat. He gave a bright grin and bounded closer, grabbing it and cracking it open with a satisfying fizz.

“Your kid’s got good taste, then,” Karl chirped, slurping at the drink with no hesitation. Quackity blushed and closed the fridge, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Uh, actually- Tubbo doesn’t drink Monster, I bought those because you said you liked them. Figured I’d try it out. They’re pretty good.” He gave an awkward laugh, shrugging, and Karl felt something in his chest flutter.

“You bought an energy drink just because I said I liked it?” Karl let out a delighted giggle, shaking the drink around to cause the liquid to swish. Quackity flushed a deeper red and Karl pressed closer, nuzzling into him and resting his head on his shoulder. “That’s so cute. You’re adorable.”

“Shut up,” Quackity grumbled, raising a hand to thread his fingers through Karl’s hair. He twisted his head to the side, rubbing his cheek against the top of Karl’s head. They were still for a moment, Karl still swishing the drink side to side and just enjoying the warmth of Quackity against his side. “Uh… are you like… really okay about Tubbo? I- I’m really glad that you’re handling this well, I like you a lot, but I know kids are like… a commitment. Not that you have to get involved with him at all, no more than you’d want to, but-”

“Babe. It’s fine.” Karl lifted his head off of his boyfriend’s shoulder to make eye contact with him, giving him a bright smile. Quackity’s hand slipped down from his hair to rest on the junction between his neck and his shoulder. “Seriously, I wouldn’t lie and say I’m fine with it. It’s… a lot to take in, I’ll be honest. It’s not something I was ready for, I guess? Or- not not ready for, just didn’t expect, but it’s fine! I’m not running out on you or anything, I promise. I’m down to try this out.”

The shorter man looked at him warily for a moment, unsure, then his posture relaxed and he pulled Karl closer for a kiss. Karl smiled into it, raising his free hand to cup Quackity’s cheek.

“If that changes, it’s fine. I promise it’s fine if you don’t wanna deal with it,” Quackity murmured when he pulled away. “Don’t feel, like, trapped or anything. Tubbo’s my responsibility and I can handle him myself, for real.”

“Quackity-” Karl started protesting again, then bit his tongue. He sighed then pecked him on the cheek, taking a step back and sipping his drink. “Okay, I understand. Do you want me to like, not talk to Tubbo? Are you a total helicopter parent? It’s fine if you are, you can like, tape him off away in his room like a crime scene I guess, but he seems sweet-”

“Oh my God, no, you can talk to Tubbo.” Quackity broke from his serious attitude, giving a laugh and shaking his head. “You’re so annoying. No, I don’t mind. I just, like… I’d prefer you not get too involved if that makes sense? In case this whole uh, relationship doesn’t work out. He’s already got… issues that we’re working on. I don’t wanna be that parent that drags a million different step-parent figures into their kids’ lives and ruins their psyche or whatever.”

“Yeah, no, of course. That makes total sense.” Karl gave him a thumbs up. “Listen, everything is totally up to you. Just know that I’m down to do as much or as little as you need. Can we sit down, by the way? You can watch me chug this whole can but I gotta be sitting to do it.”

Quackity scoffed. “If you spill that shit on my couch, I’m making you clean it.”

Karl managed to down the drink in all of ten seconds without spilling it or spitting it up everywhere, a feat that Quackity nodded approvingly at. After a while of bantering and quips about Karl’s ability to swallow, they ended up comfortably curled up next to each other, Karl resting against the couch’s armrest and Quackity resting his head on his chest. He ran his fingers up and down Quackity’s arm, listening as his breathing slowed down to an almost sleeping even pace. He smiled fondly at the sight of his boyfriend dozing off, enjoying the quiet.

A flash of a green shirt caught his eye and he glanced up, making eye contact with Tubbo who hovered in the archway. Karl raised a hand to wave and Quackity stirred, glancing over and rubbing his eyes.

“Hey, Tubbo. What’s up? Did you make dinner while I was out? I can prepare something now if you need.” He pushed himself up, Karl pouting at the loss of warmth. Tubbo shook his head quickly, waving his hands.

“No, I ate! I just uh, needed some help with my homework, if that’s alright.” He seemed sheepish but Quackity just gave him a bright smile, getting up and shaking his legs awake.

“It’s always alright, don’t stress. Here, I’ll say goodbye to Karl and you go get your stuff ready for me to look at. I’ll be up in a minute.” Quackity gestured at him and Tubbo gave a thumbs up before ducking out of the living room. His steps up the stairs were softer now and Quackity turned back to Karl. “Alright, duty calls. Get the fuck out of my house.”

Karl laughed loudly, letting Quackity pull him off the couch and towards the door. He stopped for a moment to give the other one last kiss good night then headed out of the house, humming a song under his breath to himself as he walked to his car. He shot one last look back at the unassuming house, song trailing off as he caught movement in the upper story window. A yellow curtain pulled aside to reveal Tubbo’s grin, waving at him excitedly before glancing back into the room and moving away. Karl huffed in amusement, starting the car and pulling his eyes away from the house. If all went well with Quackity, he’d have plenty of time to spend there regardless.

Chapter Text

It was a while before Karl ended up at Quackity’s house again. Karl didn’t process most of the details that Quackity threw at him over the phone call - Tubbo at a sleepover with someone named Tommy (didn’t Tubbo mention him?), house empty for the night, blah blah. All he really needed was to be told ‘come over’ and he came running like a loyal pet dog. He was easy like that. His brain flashed to that recent TikTok trend of ‘golden retriever boyfriend’ that George kept pointedly showing to the rest of the apartment but he shook away the thought before walking up to the house.

“Karl, baby!” Quackity excitedly pulled him down for a kiss as soon as the door swung open, walking backward as he did so until he could close the door behind them. He crowded Karl against it, snickering at the bright red color of his cheeks, and began pressing more kisses along them. Once again, Karl was thinking about dogboys. Quackity was a bit too sly and elusive at times for a dogboy, though. He was more like one of those cats who became clingy after a while with a new owner. Wait, he had said something to him.

“Hey cutie,” Karl finally thought to say in return, nudging the other away from him so he could kick off his shoes. “House to ourselves tonight, huh?”

“Yeah! I gotta pick Tubbo up tomorrow but he and Tommy will probably be asleep until noon, so you’ll have time to vacate.” Quackity grinned wolfishly. “Plenty of time to do other things too… like cuddling.”

“Mhm. Cuddling in a God-fearing way on top of blankets with our clothes on,” Karl teased.

“Whatever you’re comfortable with. You take the reins on the whole physical intimacy thing,” Quackity said and Karl smiled, stepping closer to him and grabbing his face. He pulled him into a long kiss, humming happily when the other returned the kiss and rocking his weight back a bit. Quackity nipped his bottom lip as he pulled away, light and playful. “Like that, that’s cool. Glad you’re okay with that.”

‘That’ ended up being a solid summary of the night, the two having a few flutes of wine each (the flutes seemed fancier than glasses so Karl insisted) before ending up in Quackity’s king-sized bed. Quackity slid his hands underneath Karl’s usual colorful hoodie, pushing it off slowly with his shirt to reveal a chest mostly clear except for a few scattered hickeys near his collarbones. Karl’s breath caught in his throat at the hungry look in Quackity’s eyes as he traced a finger over one hickey, humming quietly.

“Is this free game then?” he asked, voice dropping. “If not or we’re not close enough yet, that’s fine.”

“Go for it,” Karl said, still breathless from the deep kiss Quackity had given him before pushing off his sweatshirt. “If you cover up Sap’s he might get mad though.”

“Challenge accepted.” Quackity snickered and rested a hand against Karl’s neck, holding him steady as he ducked to press light kisses along his collarbones. He made his way along to the bruise he had touched before, licking the spot and making Karl shiver. He squirmed, Quackity’s hand moving to his shoulder and pressing down to keep him still, and gasped when his boyfriend nipped the spot and started sucking. He darkened the bruise just enough to be obvious, pulling back and blowing on the sensitive spot to get Karl to jolt. “How’s that doing it for you?”

“If this is how you intend on pissing my boyfriend off, I might have to reconsider my goal to make you guys get along,” Karl responded, adjusting his arms to wrap around Quackity’s shoulders. “You can honk me up as long as it’s not visible with a button up on. I can do the same for you if you want.”

His boyfriend snorted at the word ‘honk’, giving him a slightly disbelieving look. “Just keep in mind that I usually leave my top two buttons undone, failing couples don’t like to see that I’m getting more than them usually.” Quackity leaned down, back to work.

Once they had gotten their fill of kissing and biting at each other - and man, did that make Karl feel like a teenager again at the ripe age of 27 - Quackity stole Karl’s hoodie and pulled over his laptop to turn on a sitcom he had been watching. He promptly passed out against Karl’s now shirt-covered chest. Karl watched for a while longer before closing the laptop and following suit, rolling his boyfriend over so that he could spoon him and find a comfortable position to lay down. He nuzzled into his hair, feeling a thrilled trill in his chest at being able to see it and let himself be lulled to sleep.

Waking up at what must have been around 3 am wasn’t part of their plans for the night. Karl let out a low groan at the sound of Quackity’s phone ringing and the feeling of him stirring in his arms. The shorter man shoved Karl’s arms off him groggily and groped for the phone, looking at the screen for a moment. He seemed to suddenly snap awake, fumbling out of the bed and accepting the call.

“Hey Phil, what’s up?” His voice was a poorly put on cool, already seeming to get ready to head out as he struggled to pull on his hat one-handed. He winced at something and Karl rolled out of bed to take the hat, pulling it on for him and sweeping his bangs into it. Karl could barely hear the voice of a man talking on the other side of the call, his words illegible. Quackity asked, “Is it broken or just hurts, do you think?”

Karl’s eyes went wide and he mouthed ‘what?’ Quackity heaved a silent sigh and mouthed ‘teen boys’ back, a smirk trying to cover the clear worry in his expression.

“Okay, awesome, no hospital trip for me tonight. Yeah, I’ll ask him in the morning to make sure it’s really alright. Tell Tommy it’s not his fault, Tubbo is prone to climbing things even without his help.” Quackity paused again and nodded. “Okay, fine, it’s your son, I won’t stop you from yelling at him. Yeah, I’ll be right there soon. Thank you, Phil, I’m sorry my kid is an accident-prone disaster.”

There was audible laughter on the other end and then the line went dead. Quackity groaned, leaning forward to press his face into Karl’s shoulder.

“I’ll explain once I’m back but I really gotta go get Tubbo. You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to, but can you flick on the lights in the living room and kitchen for me? Don’t wanna trip over Legos and shit when I’m back.” He pulled back and shoved his phone into his pocket, walking to the closet to slip on a pair of sneakers. Karl hummed affirmatively and Quackity threw him a grateful smile before heading out, still wearing his hoodie.

Karl stood still until he could hear Quackity’s car pull out of the driveway, processing the quick phone call. Tubbo had… fallen out of something and gotten injured in the early hours of the morning? Well, as Quackity mouthed, that did definitely seem like a teen boy thing to do. Worrying nonetheless. He chewed his lip for a moment and pushed himself to do as he was told, heading out to the kitchen and flicking switches as he went. Soon, most of the house was blazing bright as Karl turned on every light he could think of and he stood unsurely in the living room, looking at the mantle.

Tubbo’s Tokyo set replaced one of the previous Lego sets, sitting pretty next to a matching London skyline. His eyes drifted to the photos, looking over the faces there.

Most of them were Tubbo, as was expected from any family home with a single child. Tubbo as a young child, Tubbo’s school portrait he noticed last time, Tubbo at a school fair, Tubbo with a tall man that shared his bright grin. Karl zeroed in on this portrait. It was from when Tubbo was young, pressing almost shyly into the side of, presumably, his father. The man cut an imposing figure despite the child clinging to him and the cheery smile, standing straight in a white button-up and black suit pants. The top two buttons were left undone, revealing a cross necklace against his chest. More notably than all of that, he had coarse hair on his face, forming mutton chops along his jaw and a sparse beard on his chin. The bottom of the image had a caption written in neat cursive: J. Schlatt and T. Schlatt.

He wasn’t exactly what Karl would deem as attractive, though he was never into older men so that might’ve been why. And this man - Schlatt, Quackity always just called him Schlatt - did look older. Older than Karl by a few years and this photo was taken while Tubbo still looked like he was in single digits. Karl’s brow furrowed as he tried to do mental math, eyes moving along to the next photo.

Quackity was in this one, younger than he was now. Probably 19 or 20 by the university shirt he was wearing. He beamed widely while sitting in a boat, curled up against Schlatt’s side. Schlatt seemed less than amused, almost pouting at the camera with a baseball cap covering his hair. The two seemed to be on some sort of boating trip on a wooded lake, a cooler of beer by Schlatt’s feet. Karl couldn’t see most of the boat from the photo, but the flooring was neat and the seats were upholstered with light-colored leather. A pretty nice boat, then. Karl moved on to the next photo, almost reaching the end of the mantle.

Quackity was the only one in this photo and it looked like it was a printed-out Snapchat, which was a bit bizarre but it was cute, so who was Karl to complain. He held up his hand over his mouth, mostly hiding the blush and bright smile on his face in favor of showing off an impressive engagement ring. The Snapchat seemed to be addressed to Schlatt, as the caption read, ‘BABE WHAT THE HELL YES CALL ME!!!’ Most of the room Quackity was in wasn’t visible but it seemed to be a typical college dorm room from the off-white wall and barely in frame loft bed.

The last photo of the mantle seemed to be the most recent, a photo of all three of them from New Year a few years ago by the ‘Hello, 2019!’ banner on the wall. Quackity had his hands on Tubbo’s shoulders from behind him, both of them laughing their heads off, while Schlatt watched them with a fond expression on the couch. The decorations dotted around and the people milling in the background seemed to indicate it was taken at a busy party but it was still recognizable as the living room he was in. Karl glanced back behind him at the couch, moving until he could find the exact angle the photo was taken at. He stared for a moment, trying to visualize the party bustling around him, and he gave a fond grin.

He heard the sound of the front door rustling and he shuffled back to the mantle, trying to not look like he was just grinning into space like an idiot. His eyes landed on the photo of Schlatt and Quackity on the boat again, hovering there for a moment. He glanced over faux casually as Quackity bustled into the room, pulling along a limping and teary-eyed Tubbo.

“Oh, hey Karl. I didn’t think you’d stay.” Quackity blinked, pushing Tubbo lightly to sit down on the couch.

“You’re wearing my hoodie and I need it tomorrow so,” Karl offered and Quackity glanced down with a laugh. He shook his head, whacking Karl’s back affectionately as he hurried to the kitchen. Karl glanced back at Tubbo who was staring at him. Staring at his collarbone, actually. Karl felt his cheeks go red and he pulled his shirt up to cover any visible bruises.

“Between the love bites and him borrowing your hoodie, you two look like horny 16-year-olds. Fucking disgusting, innit,” Tubbo droned in a flat voice and Karl spluttered. “Aren’t you in your 30s?”

“I- I’m 27,” Karl said weakly and Quackity chose then to walk out of the kitchen, wearing a blush that matched Karl’s.

“Tubbo, shut up and stop swearing.” He walked over and offered him a water bottle and an ice pack. “Are you sure you don’t want any Advil, kid? That leg has got to hurt like a bitch.”

“Quackity, shut up and stop swearing,” Tubbo copied with a smirk, rubbing the tears out of his eyes before taking the offered supplies. “I hate pills. I’ll be fine. Can I go to bed?”

“Of course. You should’ve been in bed in the first place, not climbing trees in the middle of the fucking night.” Quackity rolled his eyes and Tubbo rolled his eyes right back, standing unsteadily. Quackity watched him like a hawk as he made his way to and up the stairs, deflating tiredly once his stepson was out of sight. “Sorry, he gets sassy when he’s upset.”

“It’s fine, I don’t mind. We do sort of look like horny high schoolers, he’s not wrong.” Karl shrugged and Quackity laughed, shaking his head. “What happened?”

“Oh, him and Tommy wanted to climb trees but Tommy’s dad said no. So they waited until it was dark and Phil was in bed to do it.” Quackity heaved a sigh, rubbing his temples and leaning into Karl. “Tubbo fell off one of the limbs while climbing and landed straight on his leg. It’s not broken, just badly bruised as far as we could tell, but still. Super stupid of him.”

“Sounds like a teenager,” Karl said and Quackity groaned.

“Tell me about it. Honestly, Tubbo is handling this with grace, I think Tommy was crying harder than he was when I got there. He was convinced he somehow permanently broke his best friend or something.”

“Also sounds like a teenager.”

“Yeah, for real.” Quackity remained leaned against Karl, pressing his head into his shoulder. After a long moment, he dragged his eyes up to follow Karl’s gaze towards the mantle. “Looking at my college photos, hmmm? I was cuter then than I am now, that was my 20th birthday.”

“While I like younger guys, I prefer actual adults to college students, so I’d say you’re cuter now,” Karl said and his boyfriend snickered, resting his chin on his shoulder. “You were really young when you were seeing Schlatt.”

“Oh, for sure. Stupid decision that somehow worked out. He was uh… 31 in that, I think?” Quackity clicked his tongue as he thought, staring at the photo idly. He reached up and turned Karl’s head to look at the next photo with the engagement ring. “That one was a bit before my 22nd birthday. Schlatt bought me a bunch of gifts for no reason and I couldn’t figure out why and I told him I had to go home early to study for finals. I didn’t get why he was so upset that I was going home before opening them, then I got to the ring after doing my assignments and realized. Schlatt was ready to kill me over not seeing my reaction in person, I swear, but he loved that photo.”

“That’s cute,” Karl said quietly, staring at Quackity’s expression out of the corner of his eye. He looked fond, staring at the photos with an almost painful wistfulness. There was an odd conflicted feeling in Karl’s chest. Reason pointed out that Schlatt was clearly too old for Quackity when they met. His heart pointed out that his boyfriend’s face read something like the lovesickness Karl associated with Sapnap’s parents, married longer than Karl had known them and still disgustingly in love. “You miss him a lot, huh?”

“Yeah, I do. We fought like hell constantly, but…” Quackity trailed off with a sigh, eyes sliding shut. “Is it shitty to talk to your boyfriend about missing your husband?”

“Well, it’s not like you guys divorced or anything. He passed away. You didn’t get much choice there in losing him.” Karl hummed. “Besides, I’m polyamorous. I’m not much into jealousy anyways.”

“That’s fair. Thank you. Yeah, I do miss him a lot. I don’t… if he was still alive, I don’t think we would still be together, honestly. Or if we were, it wouldn’t be happily. But absence makes the heart grow fond and all.” Quackity was quiet and Karl held his tongue, wondering if he would say anymore. Quackity never said much about his marriage to Schlatt, always keeping his words brief or just skipping over the topic entirely. The photos on the mantle showed a blissful time, a contrast to Quackity’s more bittersweet words, and Karl could hardly choke down curious questions.

How did they meet? Why did they date, why did they get married? What did they argue about? How did Schlatt even pass away? The entirety of Schlatt was a mystery to Karl, just scraps laying around this well-loved house to pick up and examine to try and put together a larger picture.

They were still for another moment then his boyfriend sighed, standing up straight and tangling their fingers together. “Let’s get back to sleep, alright?”

“Sure thing.” Karl squeezed Quackity’s hand, giving him a soft smile, and made sure to flick the light off as he was pulled back to bed. He followed Quackity through the door, letting him push him down against the mattress and giggling when he pressed kisses along his neck.

“Shhh, we have company in the next room now,” Quackity hissed playfully, putting his hand over Karl’s mouth. He pulled a face and jerked his hand away with a gag. “Did you just lick me?”

“I put my mouth all over your neck and chest but I lick your palm and suddenly that’s too far,” Karl replied, sarcasm heavy in his voice. “Weren’t we sleeping?”

“I’m waiting for something,” Quackity said vaguely, wiping his hand on his sweatpants and grabbing Karl’s wrists. He pinned them above his head with a smirk, looking the other over. “I like you looking like this anyways.”

Karl flushed bright red. “What are you waiting for?”

Before he could respond, there was a quick knock on the door. Quackity waved at it as if to say ‘that’. “Coming, Tubbo!”

He rolled off Karl, throwing a blanket over him as if they were about to sleep and not once again acting like teenagers with their first partners. He pulled off his beanie, dropping it to the floor as he got to the door. Tubbo stood there awkwardly, leaning in a bit to look at Karl, who waved back just as awkward.

“Uh. Can I have those painkillers after all?”

“Yeah, of course.” Quackity glanced back at Karl with a knowing smirk and he bit down a giggle, cuddling into the bed. By the time Quackity ushered Tubbo to bed and came back, Karl was dead asleep, snoring softly under the covers.

Chapter Text

The next several months passed without Karl seeing Tubbo much except in passing. He helped him with history homework once, putting his bachelor’s degree to use for the first time in what felt like years. Tubbo invited him to watch a school play he was in, but Quackity ended up taking him home pretty quickly afterwards because he had an upset stomach. Karl and Sapnap had dozed off throughout most the play anyways, so he was grateful to not have to talk to Tubbo about it. Karl and his roommates ran into the stepdad-son duo at the grocery store once, both Karl and Quackity surprised by the fact that Tubbo ran at George and gave him a hug. Apparently George’s friend Wilbur was Tommy’s older brother. Go figure, small world. For the most part though, Quackity kept Karl separate from Tubbo, and that was fine. He understood his boyfriend’s reasoning and he saw Quackity plenty, so he would live. Karl wasn’t dying to be a dad anyways, he was still young, despite his mother’s frequent less-than-subtle comments about adoption centers in the area.

So he was surprised when Quackity asked him if he’d go on a camping trip with him, Tubbo, and Tommy’s family. Three days at a lakeside campsite a few hours out of town with a plus one for Sapnap, to celebrate the teens letting out for summer break. He talked it over with Sapnap before eagerly agreeing, packing a little less than necessary and driving out to Quackity’s house to carpool with him and the kid.

“You have everything?” Sapnap asked, leaning over the passenger seat to look at Quackity and Tubbo. The teen boy was already slumped in his seat, texting someone on his phone and just giving an absent-minded nod. Quackity huffed, giving Sapnap a grin before gently pinching Tubbo’s ear to get him to look up.

“Everything should be all set, yeah! Thank you guys for driving us.”

“Ow, ow, Big Q, my ear, ow!”

“I am not pinching you that hard, Tubbo. Say thank you.”

“Uuugh,” Tubbo groaned, then popped into what Karl privately considered Tubbo’s customer service face. “Thank you Karl and Sapnap for driving us, thank you so much, we totally couldn’t have gone on our own. Quackity totally couldn’t have driven us but didn’t just because he wants to hit on you both for several hours in front of me, his innocent only child.”

“Okay, alright, I get it, go back to texting Tommy,” Quackity said, blushing red as Sapnap burst out laughing. Karl giggled along with him, pulling out from the driveway and following the GPS directions that Quackity had plugged into his phone. “How are you guys doing, by the way? Ever been camping before?”

“I used to go camping with my dad a lot as a kid, yeah. Less so when he got married because my step-dad doesn’t really like going outside, but I’ve always liked it.” Sapnap was still twisted back in his seat and Karl tutted.

“You like setting campfires, not camping. Sit straight, that’s dangerous when we’re moving.” Sapnap sighed at Karl’s words, dropping back into his seat in favor of just looking over his shoulder.

“You have a step-dad?” Tubbo asked, looking up from his phone again, and Sapnap nodded.

“Yeah, they got married when I was like, 15. His name’s Skeppy, he’s alright. I kind of gave him hell for most of my teenage years but he forgave me for it. I think. Probably.” Sapnap scratched at his chin, wearing an embarrassed face at Karl’s snicker, and Tubbo slid forward in his seat to hear Sapnap better.

“That’s cool. What was it like to suddenly have two dads? Was it weird? I never found it too weird but people would be funny about it. I was like, ten though, I wasn’t cognizant yet.”

“That was barely four years ago,” Quackity pointed out. Tubbo ignored him.

“Well, I was adopted, so I think my parenting situation was always a bit weird.” Sapnap thought for a moment before turning back to Tubbo and starting to spout off a story. Karl sighed softly and glanced up in the rearview mirror, making eye contact with Quackity. He gave him a smile and thumbs up and Karl returned the expression, returning his eyes to the road.

Sapnap and Tubbo dominated most of the car ride’s conversation, something that was honestly odd for both of them, but Karl was just glad they got along so well. Tubbo latched onto his side as soon as they got out of the car, listening a bit too intently to Sapnap’s story about setting his kitchen on fire at 17, and Quackity cast a wary glance at them. Karl giggled, nudging him to help with unloading the car.

“Tubbo seems to like Sapnap,” he chirped, pulling out a cooler and handing it to Quackity. He took it and put it to the side, beginning to stack sleeping bags on it as Karl pulled out one tent.

“Yeah, definitely. It’s sweet. If Tubbo starts doing anything like any of the stories he’s told, I’m kicking Sapnap’s ass though.” Quackity rolled his eyes and Karl laughed louder. They continued unloading the trunk, Quackity crawling in a bit to grab one fold-up chair from the back.

“I don’t think you have to worry about that much. Sapnap like, genuinely hated Skeppy as a teenager. Tubbo adores you. They’re different situations,” Karl reassured him, slamming the trunk shut once they got everything in a pile. Sapnap glanced back at the sound, giving Karl a wide grin and walking over to grab stuff. “Hey Sappy. Have you seen Phil’s family yet?”

“TOMMY!”

“TUBBO!”

“I think Tubbo found them,” Quackity deadpanned at the screaming and Sapnap laughed, wrapping an arm around Karl’s shoulder.

He pulled Sapnap in for a kiss, pushing the two tents they brought into his arms as he did so, then shoved him in the direction of the other family. “Go ask Phil where to put these, babe.”

“Got it!” Sapnap tugged him into another kiss, ruffled his hair, then padded back off towards where Tubbo was talking loudly with a taller blonde teen.

Between the five adults present - Phil had brought Wilbur, since he lived at home and knew Karl and Sapnap - the set up went fairly smoothly, though with little help from either of the young teens. Tubbo and Tommy were more than content to run amok among the trees, yelling at each other and at Wilbur, who indulged them a bit too much with yelling back at them. Phil reached up a hand to rub at his head, clearly feeling a headache coming on already, and Quackity patted him on the shoulder comfortingly.

“Hey, Tommy, Tubbo!” Quackity called out and the two turned back to him, pausing in their shouting for a moment. “Let’s go get the boat out on the lake, alright?”

“Fuck yes!” Tommy crowed, bouncing on his heels and launching himself back down the road towards Phil’s car. Tubbo followed after him just as quickly, both of them set on the boat hitched up behind the Minecrafts’ car, and Quackity trailed behind them slowly. Phil gave a weary but grateful sigh, sitting down in a camping chair and waving for Wilbur to go with them.

Sapnap turned to Karl, opening his mouth, and Karl rolled his eyes. “You can go too babe, I’ll stay here with Phil.” Sapnap beamed, pecking him on the cheek before running after Wilbur. Karl grinned, sitting down in his own chair around the fire pit and turning to Phil.

“Don’t feel like going out with the other kids?” Phil asked, tone light-hearted, and Karl groaned.

“I’m too tired after driving us all here, I’d just collapse on the beach. Or into the water. I’m not here trying to traumatize everyone by getting chopped up by the boat motor,” Karl whined, still wearing a grin regardless. Phil let out a painfully loud laugh at that, leaning forward and clutching at the bucket hat on his head. Karl’s expression grew at his joke’s approval, relaxing back in his chair.

He was more anxious about meeting Phil than he really should’ve been, honestly, but Quackity obviously looked up to the man a lot from how much he talked about him. To an extent, it was just because Tubbo and Tommy were attached at hip and so Phil was always around as well, but still. Quackity talked about Phil like he was God’s gift to parenting. Karl knew this was far from true from his few conversations with Wilbur, but if his boyfriend looked up to this man, then he wanted approval from him.

Well, Karl wanted approval from everyone, but especially Phil at the moment.

“Do you guys go camping a lot in the summer?” Karl asked after a brief moment of silence, fidgeting with the sweatshirt tied around his waist. “You all seem really familiar with this area.”

“Oh, yeah, we’ve been going since the boys were just little guys,” Phil agreed, reclining in his chair and resting one leg over the other. “Schlatt and I met at a single fathers group and started spending time together from there. Ah, you don’t mind me mentioning Schlatt, do you? No ex jealousy here?”

“No, it’s fine! I don’t mind at all. So you’ve known Tubbo longer than Quackity has?” Somehow, Karl had never bothered to think about Tubbo’s life pre-Quackity. He never brought up his mother and barely even brought up Schlatt, though that seemed more due to it being a recent wound. Losing a father didn’t get better overnight, funny that.

“Yep. When I first met Quackity, I didn’t think he’d be sticking around, honestly. Him and Schlatt never stopped going at it as soon as Tubbo was out of earshot, it was like they had to constantly be having a row.” Phil chuckled with an eye roll and Karl jolted to sit up straight, curiosity flicking in his eyes.

“Really?”

“Yeah, it was ridiculous. They weren’t terribly serious arguments, mind you, but it was constant.” Phil huffed, rubbing his temple just thinking about it. “Gave me a damn headache.”

“So they didn’t really get along? Why’d they get married then?” Karl leaned forward, eyebrows raising, and Phil shrugged.

“I’m not gonna pretend to understand their whole deal, but they did love each other. They were both just very hotheaded. I think fighting was a type of flirting for them, I was just glad Quackity didn’t let Schlatt bait him into arguments much in front of the boys.” Phil adjusted his hat. “Can you grab me a beer from the cooler, mate?”

“Sure thing,” Karl agreed, hopping to his feet and walking around the fire pit. The pit was empty for now, a stack of logs Phil had brought sitting next to it for when it got dark. The cooler was across the small campsite they were renting out and Karl grabbed a bottle of beer from it, tossing it back to Phil. He caught it fumblingly, letting out a hiss of frustration. “Sorry!”

“It’s fine, you’re good.” Phil waved him off and Karl grabbed a Monster for himself before returning to his seat. “Not a drinking guy?”

“Not really, unless it’s socially. I wanna wait til it’s darker out, I guess.” Karl sprawled in his seat, picking at the tab of his Monster can as he tried to think of how to casually ask more about Schlatt. He didn’t want to seem pushy or overly curious but Phil seemed like the only guy around willing to talk about Schlatt and well… Karl was overly curious. He finally fully popped his Monster, chewing on his lip. “So. Schlatt was hotheaded? Quackity and Tubbo don’t really talk about him much, all I really know about him is what he looks like. Ah, looked.”

Well, that was less subtle than he was hoping for. Phil blinked at him then scratched his chin thoughtfully.

“Well, hotheaded is… definitely a good way to describe Schlatt. He honestly wasn’t nice to many people besides Tubbo, Tommy most of the time and uh… well, he was nice to kids, when he felt like it. I was sorta surprised when Quackity introduced me to you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I was under the impression that Quackity’s type was ‘asshole’.” Phil snickered, sipping his drink. “I’m sure you have your sassy moments but Schlatt didn’t know how to turn it off. He was real funny though. Captivating, really. When he walked into a room, everyone paid attention. Tubbo hated it because then people would look at him too. Now Quackity does the same thing to him. Probably why they clicked so much, they both liked attention and making people laugh.” He paused, then added, “and being mean.”

Karl snorted at that, nodding in agreement. Sounded accurate to his boyfriend. He swished his drink and fell back on his usual method for changing the topic. “Wanna watch me chug this?”

In theory, the tent set up was simple. Quackity brought a tent for him and Tubbo. Karl and Sapnap were sharing the other one they brought. Phil had his own tent, and Wilbur and Tommy were sharing the last one. In practice, it was more complicated.

“But Tommy and I wanna have the same tent!” Tubbo whined, leaning against his best friend. It was just getting dark out and the group sat around the campfire, occasionally tossing in sticks to keep the flames going. “Come ooon, Quackity, can’t he sleep with us?”

“If you two sleep in the same tent, neither of you will ever sleep. I’m not dealing with that,” Quackity pointed out with a grin and the two teens turned to Wilbur.

“Wiiilbur, can’t Tubbo stay in our tent?” It was Tommy’s turn to whine, making puppy dog eyes at his older brother. Wilbur winced, looking at Phil for help, and he sighed.

“Wil can sleep in my tent and you two can share if you really want to. You can’t be too loud though, alright?”

Both teens cheered and Karl giggled, leaning against Sapnap’s shoulder. He turned to look at Quackity, about to make a snide remark about the two being clingy, then paused when he saw the apprehensive look on his boyfriend’s face. His brow furrowed and he nudged Quackity, pouting at him in concern.

“What, babe?” Quackity asked and Karl shrugged off Sapnap to lean in close to Quackity, responding in a private tone.

“You seem worried, are you alright?” He reached a hand up to rub at his back gently, lips flicking up into a smile when Quackity leaned into the touch. He kept his voice low enough that only they and Sapnap, who was looking over curiously, could hear.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Quackity responded after a moment, voice at the same volume. “I just… don’t like sleeping alone on camping trips, I guess. Feels unsafe. This campsite is super secure though, I’ll be fine.”

Karl blinked at the shorter man’s quiet confession, pausing for a moment. He looked back at Sapnap, both of them clearly having the same idea in mind. Karl tilted his head. Sapnap nodded approvingly. Karl turned back to Quackity.

“You can share our tent with us, if you’d want. It’s big enough and neither of us would mind.” Karl gave Quackity a bright grin and Sapnap gave a softer smile and a thumbs up. Quackity blushed light pink, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Oh, well, uh, only if you’re sure.”

“Of course!” Sapnap chirped a bit too loudly, drawing Tommy and Tubbo’s attention. The two looked over, analyzing the three for only a moment before inserting themselves into the conversation.

“I reckon you three are gonna share a tent then,” Tubbo said, waggling his finger at them like a scolding parent. Quackity squawked, indignant, but he pressed on. “Maybe with Sapnap around, Karl and Q will finally be able to keep their hands off each other. Hmph.”

“Fun experiment, can they go one hour without kissing,” Tommy agreed, waving his hands around dramatically. “My bet is on no!”

“And Phil was worried about Tommy and Tubbo making too much noise,” Wilbur mused, wearing a sly smirk, and quickly threw his hands up in the air when both Tommy and Karl started spluttering at him. “Because they argue a lot! The three of them argue a lot, playfully, is what I mean!”

“Oh yeah, I’m sure Wilbur, that’s what you meant after me and Tubbo saying they’re gonna kiss!”

Phil exhaustedly began shepherding the teens to bed, giving the three men an apologetic wave. Wilbur stayed out a little longer with them, mostly watching the fire, before shoving the open six pack towards them and heading to bed himself. He gave a wink that made Sapnap flush bright red and Karl giggled, pinching his cheek.

“Don’t look so excited, Sap, you know you’re not getting anything tonight.”

“Well, I could change that,” Quackity cut in, wearing a teasing smirk as he tipped back his drink. Sapnap began to stammer and Karl clapped his hands over his mouth to muffle his laughter, leaning back and nearly tipping over the chair he sat on. “Do you guys wanna put out the fire and talk in the tent instead of out here? I’m sick of the bugs.”

“Sounds good to me,” Karl agreed, hopping to his feet and dragging Sapnap up after him. “Sappy, baby, do you wanna put out the fire for us?”

“You make me do everything,” Sapnap whined and Karl sighed, rolling his eyes.

“Fine. I can do it then, you two go ahead.” He waved his hands at the two, shooing them along as he grabbed the water bucket. As if Karl had any idea how to properly put out a fire, but now he had to get back at Sapnap, so he’d have to make do. He gently poured the water over the dying fire and dropped the bucket to the side, kicking out the few embers still smoldering in the pit. He took a moment to shift through the coals with a stick, assessing if it was all dead, when Quackity emerged from his tent. He was now wearing pajamas, a thermal shirt that clung to his frame with duck patterned pants, and Karl gave a low whistle. Quackity blinked at him, disgruntled.

“I don’t look that good.”

“You always look good,” Karl said with a wink and Quackity huffed, walking over to link their arms.

“The fire is gone babe, stop fussing over it. Let’s get to bed.” He dragged him away towards Karl and Sapnap’s tent, scratching at the door in lieu of knocking. Sapnap unzipped the tent and blinked up at them, pulling back to give them more room to clamber in.

“Hey Karl, thought you got lost out there or something.”

“I wanted to make sure the fire was fully out!” Karl huffed, crawling into the tent behind Quackity, and brandished the beer Wilbur had given them. “Who’s ready to get tipsy at 1am in the woods?”

“Change into PJs first, baby,” Sapnap said, taking the six pack out of his hands and taking a bottle. Quackity raised the one he was already drinking earlier, tapping it against Sapnap’s, and they both tilted their heads back. Karl pouted at being left out, digging through his bag and changing with his back turned to the others.

Karl and Sapnap’s tent wasn’t too large, but it fit the three of them well enough. Quackity dragged in his sleeping bag to rest next to their couple’s one and they all sat huddled together on them, sipping on their beer and talking about whatever came to mind. Karl’s head lulled onto Sapnap’s shoulder, listening as Quackity explained how he met Schlatt.

“I feel like people looked at the two of us and thought we must have met in some wild way, but we really didn’t. I was just out at a bar with a fake ID because I was 19. I was about to leave because I could only afford two drinks, and he stopped me and bought me two more rounds. Then he found out I was too young to drink, laughed his ass off at me, and offered to drive me back to my dorm.”

“And you let him?” Sapnap asked in disbelief and Quackity laughed.

“Oh, fuck no, he looked like a creep. He paid for a taxi for me instead. I did give him my number though and we started texting constantly. At first I was just kind of leading him on so he’d buy me stuff, but he was actually kinda charming.” Quackity hummed in thought, playing with his beer bottle for a moment. “Tubbo always says that I’m lying and we met on a sugar baby dating site. I’m pretty sure half his friends and teachers think that’s true. Fucking mortifying but also so funny I don’t have the heart to correct him.”

“I mean, that doesn’t sound fully inaccurate,” Sapnap joked and Quackity rolled his eyes.

“Oh yeah, no, kid is too smart for his own good. Just wish he had enough respect to not go around calling me a gold digger.”

There was a brief moment as Karl processed the conversation before he nearly choked on his drink, swallowing it down hard. He coughed harshly, startling both of his boyfriends before he managed to say, “oh my God, you married Schlatt for his money.”

Quackity looked at him as if he was stupid. Fondly, but definitely as if Karl was stupid. “Well, I had to pay for college somehow. I did like him, I just probably wouldn’t have married him before grad school if he wasn’t so willing to pay for my tuition.” He huffed with a playful roll of his eyes. “We had a rushed engagement. Here’s a fun tip: if you want a wedding to go well, give yourself like, six months of planning and preparation, not two. I think he was paranoid I would change my mind.”

Karl stared at him long enough for Sapnap to start giggling at his dumbstruck expression. A lot of different things were clicking in his head suddenly, evidently ages late, considering Sapnap who barely knew Quackity had already picked up on this fact.

“I just- You- You loved him, though.”

“Well, yeah. I definitely used dudes for money in college but I wouldn’t marry just any of them. The money just… helped.” Quackity waved his hand dismissively, going back to drinking his beer. “Like I said. If he didn’t have money, I would’ve told him no and we would’ve waited until after grad school. Or more likely, I would’ve gotten sick of him and dumped him before then. Schlatt kinda sucked, we argued constantly.”

Karl sipped his beer, processing for another moment, when the camping lantern they were sat around flickered out. Sapnap let out a small yelp and Quackity snickered, though his hand had instinctively swung out and latched onto Karl’s wrist at the sudden darkness. Karl blinked, unfazed.

“Baby bear?”

“You only call me that when you’re mad,” Sapnap interrupted.

“Baby bear, did you change out the batteries in the lamp or did you leave the same batteries in that have been in there for over a year now?”

“Why didn’t you change them yourself, pet?” Sapnap said back after a beat of silence.

Karl groaned. “You only call me that when you’re mad!”

“Why do you two have passive aggressive pet names?” Quackity grumbled, fumbling around and turning on his phone light. Karl winced back at the sudden light. “I’ll go get some new batteries from the car.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure Karl has a passive aggressive pet name picked out for you already.” Sapnap grabbed his sneakers from where they sat by the doorway, tugging them on. “Karl, give us your keys.”

“Yeah, I do,” he admitted, scooting over to grab his keys and put on his own shoes. “Please don’t leave me alone in this tent while you two wander off, it’s honking creepy out here.”

“Awww, we won’t, no worries mi novio,” Quackity cooed, half teasing and half genuine as he unzipped the tent. He laced up his boots from where they sat just outside the tent then lead the way, phone light trained on the ground as the three of them trekked out into the dark.

Despite what he said, Karl wasn’t particularly afraid of the dark. He had a bad habit of taking walks in the middle of the night, one he developed around 17, so he had plenty of time to adjust to the feeling of walking alone at night. Glancing at Sapnap and Quackity - or what little he could see of them in the darkness, at least - he got the sense this wasn’t the same for them. Quackity startled easily at the odd animal noises and snaps of twigs off in the trees, their light source jerking around whenever he heard something unexpected. Sapnap pressed himself against Karl’s side as soon as they stepped out of the tent, winding his arm tightly around Karl’s waist in a way that could pass as protective… if he wasn’t just as jumpy as Quackity. Karl snorted, tugging Sapnap forward so he could lace his fingers through Quackity’s reassuringly, and began to hum quietly.

“Are you humming the Adventure Time theme?” Quackity whispered, glancing back at him disbelievingly.

“Yeah,” Karl replied, at full volume because they were in the woods and not the library he worked at. Not that he spoke softly at the library either, but that was always an accident. Usually. Sometimes.

“You gotta be quiet, babe, other campsites are nearby,” Sapnap scolded, voice just as quiet as Quackity, and Karl let out a huff.

“I’m not any louder than a squirrel running through the bushes is!” Regardless, he lowered his voice, pouting for just a moment before he set to humming again.

It wasn’t too long before they all reached the car, Karl pressing the ‘unlock’ button so the area was flooded by the car light. Quackity let out a less than subtle sigh of relief and pulled away to pop the trunk, digging through the supplies they left there for spare batteries. Karl leaned against the car, opening his arms for Sapnap to fall into, nuzzling into his neck. He let out a happy hum at his boyfriend’s warmth, clinging to him.

“Are you two gonna make out instead of helping me find the batteries?” Quackity asked and Sapnap laughed.

“Don’t complain or else we just might,” Sapnap taunted and Karl let out a giggle, rolling his eyes. Sapnap started kissing up his neck teasingly and he squirmed, causing Sapnap to lean back a bit. “How about it, sweetheart?”

“Uh, not really feeling that touchy tonight,” Karl said honestly and Sapnap smiled, pulling back more to give him breathing room.

“Your batteries aren’t fucking back here, dude,” Quackity cut in. “It’s cold, can we look from inside the car?”

“Sure thing, babe,” Karl chirped and Sapnap stepped away so Karl could get into the driver’s seat. He turned the car on so that the heater ran, Quackity and Sapnap climbing into the back seat so they could lean over the seats and dig through the back. Karl left the keys in the ignition and pulled himself to sit on the center console, watching his boyfriends’ backs as they searched.

Sometimes, Karl found it easier to enjoy the human body when it was from a distance. Part of the asexual thing, for him anyways. He was pretty sure not all aces felt the way he did, where everything seemed to be in flux and his comfort shifted day to day. With previous partners, it was seen as an annoyance, but it was easier with Sapnap, who always gave him the space he needed with a smile. From how things had been so far, it was just as easy with Quackity. Not having to force himself out of his own comfort zone was reassuring, something he honestly wasn’t used to.

Sapnap let out a soft cheer, startling Karl out of his thoughts, and pulled back with a pack of batteries, glancing back at Karl.

“Are you crying?” Sapnap asked and he blinked in surprise, raising a hand to touch his cheek. Quackity jerked back and whipped around at that, eyes wide, and Karl winced.

“Uh, sorry. It’s happy tears I think, don’t worry.”

“That desperate for the batteries, huh?” Quackity said teasingly, concern clear in the knit of his brow, and Karl laughed. The sound was wet, unable to ignore the fact that he was crying now that it was brought up to him. Maybe he shouldn’t have been fully surprised; he was always more emotional after drinking.

“Yeah, sure. I just…” Karl trailed off then swallowed, clearing his throat. “I really love and appreciate both of you, you know?”

Quackity seemed taken off guard, blinking, but Sapnap let out a long ‘aww’ and knelt in front of the console to pull Karl into a tight hug. Karl buried his face into Sapnap’s shoulder, giggling as his boyfriend stroked his hair. Another hand was set hesitantly on his shoulder and he peered up at Quackity, lifting one hand to gesture him closer. Quackity sighed and scooted over, joining the hug, and Karl beamed widely. He squeezed his eyes shut, nestling his head where their shoulders pressed together, and let his boyfriends’ love wash over him.

Later in the night, all of them had consumed significantly more alcohol, finishing off the six pack and breaking into the cooler for another few rounds. Sapnap passed out first, curled up on top of the sleeping bag with his head resting against Karl’s thigh. The tent was dark, only illuminated by Quackity’s phone screen as he scrolled through some social media app. Karl’s phone was face down on the blanket draped over Sapnap and over his and Quackity’s laps, softly playing a lo-fi playlist that Karl turned on.

Karl ran one hand through Sapnap’s hair repetitively, the other nursing his final drink of the night. Him and Quackity had quieted down after Sapnap slipped off into sleep, just drinking together and listening to the music.

“Hey, uh, Karl,” Quackity said, breaking the silence, and Karl looked over at him curiously. “Earlier you said that you uh…”

A beat went by, and he prompted, “that I what?”

“That you love me?” Quackity continued in a questioning tone, looking at him shyly. Karl didn’t often see his boyfriend like this, vulnerable and soft. Quackity wasn’t exactly made of sharp edges, but he carried himself with brash confidence. He was the life of the party, quick with a joke or a jab, even bordering on defensive at times. He didn’t do vulnerable very often and it melted Karl’s heart. The anxious gleam in his eyes reminded Karl of the night he met Tubbo, Quackity looking at him like this might make or break their relationship.

“Yeah, I did. Is… is that alright? I don’t wanna say it too soon but it was all I was really feeling at the moment.” Karl gave him a small smile, playing with his beer bottle nervously. He tilted his head back, downing the rest of the drink, and he could feel Quackity’s eyes watching the movement of his neck.

“Yes, yeah, it’s more than alright.” Quackity swallowed, scooting closer to Karl and pressing their sides together. Karl tossed his bottle to their feet before looping an arm over his shoulders, cramming them as close together as he could without pulling Quackity into his lap. “I love you too. I really didn’t think I would ever find someone I could be serious about again after Schlatt, but you defied all my expectations. I can never express that enough. I love you so so much, babe.”

Quackity’s voice was choked up, as if he was on the verge of tears, and Karl’s brain stalled. Without much thought, his hand drifted up from Quackity’s shoulder to pull off his beanie and start running his fingers through his dark hair, guiding his head onto Karl’s shoulder. His boyfriend nuzzled into his shirt, hiding his face.

“I love you, I love you, I love you,” Karl whispered once his brain kicked back into action, voice soft as Quackity whined into his shoulder. “What’s up with you? You alright?”

“I dunno,” Quackity said, unclear which question he was answering. Maybe both of them. Karl tightened his grip. “I don’t drink much nowadays, must be hitting me kinda hard. Just ignore the tears.”

“Sweetheart…” Karl tilted his head to rest on the top of Quackity’s head. He pressed light kisses to his hair. “You’re allowed to cry, you know.”

“I know, it’s just something I’m not used to. Does that make sense? I’m not used to being like, allowed to cry.” Quackity hummed in thought and Karl could feel him relax as he kept pecking kisses against his head. “Not that- not that anyone like, banned me from crying, but- I dunno. I always have to be strong so Tubbo knows he isn’t a burden on me. I have to keep this calm and cool facade at work so that clients trust me and so I’m seen as professional. Schlatt wasn’t exactly warm and cozy and now he’s gone anyways, so it’s not like I can go to him.”

Quackity waved his hands in the air, trying to articulate his point, and Karl gave an encouraging ‘mhm?’.

“I used to be such a crybaby as a kid, you know. I would bawl my eyes out at the drop of a hat. Sad tears, happy tears, mad tears. Waterworks constantly. And I can cry on command too, so I’d do it for bits. It was even a running joke with my college friends.” Karl genuinely couldn’t picture that, despite hearing this fact before. He had seen Quackity’s eyes gleam with wetness before, even demanded he cry alligator tears once to prove himself, but never full tears. “I don’t really know when I stopped being like that. It was after meeting Schlatt, I think.”

“He didn’t like you crying?” Karl prompted. Quackity shrugged.

“He- like I said. Not a warm and cozy guy. He could be affectionate, sure, but he was always super weird about tears, he could only ever really be reassuring to Tubbo.” He sighed. Karl could feel him shift, tilting his head so his face was no longer pressed against Karl’s shoulder, and he noticed the dampness against his shirt. “Honestly, he was never the most affectionate. Physically he was, I guess, he was always touching me. I understood that he loved me, I didn’t mind, it’s just a far departure to date you. You’re more verbal than he ever was, it takes me off guard sometimes.”

“In a good way?” Karl asked hesitantly and Quackity pulled back enough to meet his gaze. He leaned forward and gently grabbed Karl’s cheek, prompting him to lean in as well and kiss him.

“In a good way.”