Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Karl was drunk out of his mind.  

Quackity had come barrelling into Karl, Sapnap and him’s shared apartment with tears streaming down his face and a letter of rejection from his dream job in his hand. So, Karl did what he did best and made Sapnap dress up in that suit Quackity thought looked really good on him, made Quackity wear that cashmere sweater with the designer coat Karl’s mom bought him (don’t question it) and wore the fanciest thing he could find, and the three of them went out to get shitfaced.

First, of course, they wined and dined, all at Karl’s expense (which he would regret later) and let Quackity know he was hot shit. Because there was no better way to cheer anyone up then to buy them a really fancy dinner and then get drunk. Karl had it down to a science.

Listen, it was morally grey of Karl to use Quackity’s sadness as an excuse to make Karl’s all consuming crush on Quackity a little more obvious, but Quackity was sad, and Karl would hand sow every star in the universe to the sky if it meant he smiled. So, yeah, he would blur the lines of platonic-roommate-ness to make Quackity feel better. He did the same for Sapnap when he got an 80 on his midterm (it’s a good grade to anyone other than Sapnap).

Now, the three were stumbling home in the dark, smelling vaguely of fruit and not-so-vaguely of alcohol, and Karl was trying really hard not to kiss Quackity so he looked away from him and was met with Sapnap’s face and it was the same problem all over again but he couldn’t kiss Sapnap either. Karl sighed.

“You good dude?” Sapnap asked, voice slurred and a little too quiet, or a little too loud? Karl couldn't tell; his brain wasn’t working.

“Yes. I will not be good if you guys let go of me. ‘M gonna fall.” Karl said. He felt hazy. And warm. Sapnap was warm. Quackity laughed maniacally at what Karl said, but Karl wasn’t sure why. He liked Quackity’s laugh, though, so he said the sentence again. Quackity didn’t laugh that time. Karl started tearing up.

“‘M sorry you didn’t get accepted, Q.” Sapnap said, Karl couldn’t will himself to look up but he was sure Sapnap was looking Quackity in the eye.

He heard Quackity exhale in good nature, it sounded too sober. Karl grumbled in annoyance.

“It’s- I’ll get over it eventually.” Quackity said.

“But you're not over it right now, Q. And you don’t deserve to be sad. Ever. I will kiss you.” Karl said, pulling his head up to look at Quackity. He laughed again, Quackity laughed a lot when he was drunk; he laughed a lot all the time, actually. Karl loved him.

“ What?!” Quackity exclaimed between laughs. Sapnap chuckled too. Karl, yet again, did not understand.

He put his head back down and forced all his energy into walking.

“Have either of you checked the mail recently?” Sapnap asked.

“Nop.” Karl said, and he never realised how weird ‘nope’ sounded without the e before that.

“Nop.” Quackity parroted, the two delved into a fit of giggles and Sapnap had to carry the weight of two rather than one.

Sapnap made a noise of agreement and hauled the two of his roommates into the entrance of their apartment building, Quacktiy made his keys appear and they made it into the lobby somehow. Karl closed his eyes and grubmled about how bright it was, Quackity did the same.

“Copycat.” Karl said, looking at him. Quackity laughed. Score. 

Sapnap pulled Karl and Quackity along the tile floors to their mailbox, barely batting an eye at the added weight.

“So strong, Sap.” Karl slurred as they reached the mailbox for their apartment, Sapnap just laughed. Karl wasn’t sure why they kept laughing when he was obviously telling the truth.

Sapnap used the key and opened the mailbox and raised his eyebrows when he saw a letter, he made a noise of surprise and squinted in that way he did sometimes where his nose scrunched up and Karl just stared at him and sighed because there was nothing in the entire world that was cuter than that. 

“I think this is from the government?” Sapnap said like he was trying really hard to focus. Quackity laughed hysterically again.

“I paid my taxes this year?” Karl said, confused. 

“Let’s just get back home before we read it.” Quackity said. Sapnap nodded very slowly, like he was acutely aware of every muscle in his body and the three made their way to the elevator. Karl’s heart fluttered whenever they called it their home. It was something that happened rarely, it was always ‘the apartment’ or ‘there’ none of the three really ever called it their home. Karl smiled to himself as they rode the elevator; a mantra of ‘home’s playing in his head.

Sapnap unlocked the door and helped Karl and Quackity take off their coats. Once done, Karl dragged Quackity with him unceremoniously to the couch. The few metres to the living room felt like miles and the two practically spilled across the couch when they made it. Karl held Quackity close to him despite the couch being too small and Karl not actually being made of liquid. His bones hurt. 

Sapnap sighed and sat on the floor at the foot of the couch to open the letter. Karl groaned in complaint.

“ Nooo Sapnap come cuddle.” Karl complained, Quackity made a noise of agreement.

“There is absolutely no room on that couch you nimrod.” Sapnap said. Karl coaxed Quackity off him and guided his roommates to his room. Karl struggled with the doorhandle and started tearing up again when Quackity decided to help him open it. Karl smiled at him and almost kissed him again. Stop Karl. A reasonable voice in his head said. He nodded, and Quackity gave him a confused look but didn’t question it.

“My bed is plenty big.” Karl stated as he walked into his room and walked towards his bed which was a mess of stuffed animals and blankets. He then proceeded to miscalculate the distance and fell onto the floor.

He started crying again.

Sapnap scooped him up very carefully and dropped him onto the bed. All of Sapnap’s movements were incredibly slow and precise, he seemed to be the most reasonable drunk of the three. 

“Join me.” Karl said as tears still streamed down his face. He couldn’t really stop them.

Quackity crawled next to Karl and Karl resisted the urge to hold him so close he could never escape for about two seconds before he did exactly that. Sapnap sighed and joined the two, making it so that Karl was in between them, a similar formation as the one they walked home in. 

“You happy?” Sapnap asked, his voice close to Karls ear, and it was definitely too quiet this time. Karl got chills.

“So happy.” He said, and Quackity hummed in agreement.

“Read th’ letter.” Quackity grumbled, already half asleep.

“ Application for common law marriage ” Sapnap read.

“What?” Karl said, dazed. Quackity laughed.

Sapnap stayed silent for a few minutes as he read the letter.

“Guys it says if we each sign here we can get married by common law.” Sapnap said, surprised.

Quackity laughed again.

“That'd be so funny.” Quackity said.

“If we were married?” Karl asked, getting defensive. “Why would it be funny if we were married? I’d- I want to marry you.” Karl said, sitting up from his laying position and glaring at Quackity. He started crying again. Quackity did not laugh this time.

“You want to marry me?” Quackity asked, also sitting up. Tears sprung into his eyes and soon both of them were crying.

“Yes- yes i want to marry you, Quackity I’ve been- It’s not funny, don’t joke like that I really want to marry you.” Karl was in hysterics at this point, sobbing uncontrollably and he was starting to blame it less and less on his drunkenness.

“I want to marry you too.” Quackity said.

“You- you do?” Karl asked, grabbing Quackity’s elbows and leaning towards him, his smile was so wide it hurt. Quackity just nodded in response and Karl turned to Sapnap.

“Marry me, Sapnap.” Karl said.

“I love you.” Sapnap said back. He looked at Quackity with a silent question and Quackity nodded yes. Sapnap never cried when drunk but he was crying too and they all signed the form and had a celebratory glass of wine and put it in the mailbox outside of their apartment and went back to Karl’s room and cried and laughed because they were getting married. Karl had wanted nothing more than that ever since he had first laid eyes on Quackity and Sapnap in their first year of university. He’d wanted nothing more but to marry them even before he knew them, because they were the only people he’d ever loved in this way and he’d waited his whole life for something like this.

They went to bed cuddled together, with tears in their eyes and only one star in the sky; Karl needed to sow them, but he would have time, all the time in the world for his fiancés.

—--

Here’s the thing about Karl, Sapnap, and Quackity:

They never remember things after they get drunk.

They’ve only gotten this shitfaced a handful of times, Karl is very responsible with his drinking habits and Sapnap doesn’t like alcohol all that much, so the three of them rarely drink. 

So Karl wakes up like this: Quackity between his arms, him between Sapnap’s, they are all in their fanciest clothes and they all reek. Karl refuses to move because he has no recollection of why the three of them decided to get cuddled up like this but he will not complain. 

He looks down at Quackity and sees he is also awake, just staring at Karl with his chin resting on his chest.

“Oh.” Quackity says; caught in the act.

“Oh.” Karl parrots.

But neither of them move.

Sapnap snores into Karl’s ear. It tickles. Karl giggles. Quackity watches him giggle with strange fascination. 

Neither of them move.

“Do you remember last night?” Karl asks, moving one of his arms that’s wrapped around Quackity to brush a strand of hair off his face. His scar is much more apparent in the sunlight. Karl thinks there has never been anything more beautiful than Quackity.

“Nope.” Quackity says, popping the ‘p’. Karl looks down at him and smiles.

“Thanks for that, though.” Quackity says, shuffling up in Karl’s arms so they are face to face.

“For what?” Karl asks.

“For trying to make me feel better.” Quackity says. Karl really wants to kiss him.

“Did it work?” Karl asks, Sapnap moves a bit in his sleep and Karl giggles at the feeling of his stubble on his neck.

“Yeah. Like a charm.” Quackity says, moving his head ever so slightly closer to Karl’s. They share a pillow, and it feels like all Karl can see are his eyes. Karl realises he’d be okay if that’s all he ever saw.

Karl smiles at him. 

“I’d do anything for you, you know that.” Karl decides on saying. And the words fall out of his mouth in a way that’s too fond and too true to be platonic. And he knows Quackity probably knows a lot more than he lets on, and Karl has loved him for five years and it would be impossible for him not to know. And Karl hates himself for making it so obvious and he hates Quackity for not just rejecting him already and he hates the fact he was doomed from the start.

Quackity just smiles in that way he did sometimes, the one Karl only saw in moments like this; where he’d give the world for Quackity and destroy it for him all in the same breath. 

“I’d die for you.” Quackity said, strangely earnest, as that’s how he’s affectionate. Karl could recall quite a few times where Quackity had said that; but never like that. Never with vanilla laced into his being and the freshness of strawberries grown in the backyard in his voice. It was the kind of tone that was only acceptable for the delicacy of early mornings. In the kind of tone Karl could never forgive himself for hearing because it made him love Quackity a million times more.

“Live for me please, baby” And it’s an omission that slips from his tongue like molasses in his veins, like syrup and sweetness and slow regret that sticks to every corner of your mind. 

Quackity just looks at him and looks at him with that smile on his face and with that line Karl had just tread across in his hand and in his other hand is the stars and the moon and Karl’s fragile heart.

“Okay.” Quackity says, softly, delicately. And in that moment the sun hits him just right and Karl feels that all is good in the world even if all is bad and Karl wants to kiss him.

Sapnap grumbles into Karl’s ear and is halfway to the land of the living. Karl turns slightly to look at him. An unspoken benefit of doing so is looking away from Quackity and that smile; the sun that seems to have favourites.

Sapnap is not much better to look at. He’s beautiful and he needs to shave and Karl can see his eyes opening ever so slightly and does not want to confront the small truth that he chose to stay and so he turns around and closes his eyes and wills his heart to stop beating so fast. 

Sapnap grumbles in his ear again. All of Karl’s attempts to slow his heart have failed.

Sapnap is pulled slowly into consciousness and seems to realise Karl is between his arms a few beats later than he should have.

“Karl.” Sapnap states and Karl is putty in that man's hands so he turns to face him.

“Sapnap.” He says. Sapnap looks at him, shining in the early morning. 

“We got drunk.” Sapnap says, half awake, but still the smartest of the three of them. Karl loves him as he squints his eyes in confusion and his arms tighten protectively around him.

“Yes.” Karl agrees. Sapnap stares. Lots of staring was occurring this morning.

“You're in my arms.” Sapnap states. Maybe he is a bit less smart.

“Yes.” Karl agrees. 

“Do you… Want to leave?” Sapnap asks. Karl pretends to think for a moment.

“No, not particularly.” He says, and it’s an easier omission than before, rather than an unspoken one. A small truth that might have been better unsaid. Karl doesn’t let himself regret it. He wants to stay by Sapnap’s side till the earth is scorched red.

“Okay. I don’t want you to leave, either.” Sapnap says. And it’s too early to think about this, it’s too early to think about how Sapnap moves his head to the crook of Karl’s neck and he can feel his inhuman warmth through his sweater.

Karl hums, content. Quackity hums. Karl closes his eyes and goes back to sleep, praying he will never wake alone again.

—--

He wakes alone.

Someone was cooking something in the kitchen and he didn’t have to guess to know it was Sapnap, Quackity could be heard plucking at his guitar but it was louder than usual. Karl made a pitiful noise of defeat before opening his eyes and realising he was not totally alone.

“Quackity, hi.” Karl said, the aforementioned man was sitting at Karl’s computer with a beanie on, his hair uncombed and sticking out in every direction underneath it; wearing sweatpants and a hoodie that had been Karls a few years ago but Quackity had adopted. 

“Karl, hi.” His smile was teasing. Quacktiy was beautiful. Karl stared at him, enamoured by Quackity in his space with his guitar and with his clothes-that-weren’t-really-his-anymore.

“You gonna get up, handsome?” Quackity asked, wheeling Karl’s chair over to his bed, Quackity leaned over his guitar and pinched Karl’s cheek.

“No.” Karl said stubbornly. “You left me, I’m so betrayed.” and there was that line he was dangerously close to.

“ I did ?! No, no Karl, it was all Sapnap’s idea.” Quackity said, still leaned in close to Karl, who half-sat up in intrigue.

“ Noo…” Karl whispered.

“ Yes, Karl, he said ‘ I have to go make breakfast otherwise my sweet angel Karl will starve!’ And, so of course I asked if he would let me watch-”

“Because it’s hot when he cooks” The two said in unison.

Quackity nodded and continued.

“He just looked at me disapprovingly this time; he didn’t even make a single noise of complaint! So Karl, you gotta believe when I weighed the pros and cons. ‘N seeing my man Sapnap cook is like- way more pros.” Quackity said, Karl nodded in agreement.

Karl sat up and tried his best not to get too in Quackity’s space.

“So why’d you stop?” Karl asked. Any sane person would not pass up the opportunity to watch Sapnap cook. 

“Wolf whistled too many times. He told me to leave.” Quackity pouted. 

“Hey, man, he doesn't know what he’s missing. I love it when you objectify me.” Karl patted Quackity on the back solemnly to communicate his understanding.

Quackity smiled at Karl and nodded solemnly, like he knew Karl had his back no matter what.

“I knew I could count on you baby.” And that was new. Well, it was new as of that morning, Karl supposed. Karl short circuited. He was racking his brain to remember how Quackity reacted and he couldn’t remember and he definitely looked stupid but ohmygod-

“Ya hear that, Sapnap?!” Quackity exclaimed. “Karl loves when I objectify him.” 

“Oh, boo!” Sapnap yelled in response. Their downstairs neighbour banged the floor with a broom.

“Sorry!” All three of them yelled, which probably did more harm than good.

—-

None of them really talked about that day after that, which was fair enough. It wasn’t like they had never cuddled before, but it definitely had never been that . And, the real root of the issue appeared in their mailbox two weeks later. 

Karl was walking out of the apartment building to pick Quackity up from one of his friends houses (yes, Karl was the designated Able To Drive roommate.) when he remembered it had been a hot minute since any of the three had checked the mail, he wasn’t particularly bothered by this fact until he realized Quackity had ordered something weeks ago and if Karl brought it to him he’d get to see Quackity smile in that little way he did sometimes, so Karl decided it best to check. (Just in case). 

He hummed to himself as he exited the grey of the elevator (don’t tell Sapnap he didn’t take the stairs) and inspected the lobby of the building, he turned the corner to a smaller junction of the main floor and absently wondered where the janitor had been in the past few weeks. The tiled floors of the apartment’s entrance were shiny and pristine, (it was the first time they’d been like that in months). He whisked his key into the mailbox and pulled out a few spare letters and Quackity’s package. He smiled to himself when he saw it and just tried to picture the beauty of Quackity as he opened whatever it was he ordered. As he scanned the letters for anything interesting he paused.

‘ Letter of verification’ He read.

“What?” He said under his breath and realised that it was from the… Government? Just as he was about to open the letter out of sheer curiosity, his phone started blaring Quackity’s favourite song. Karl groaned, picking up.

“Hey, Q. Sorry I’m on my way I was just checking the mailbox-” Karl started.

“Don’t worry, Karl. Just get over here already. Wilbur is getting weird.” 

“Did you guys let him drink?” Karl asked, picking up his pace and body slamming the door out of the building to open it. 

“Yes? He’s a grown man, we can't stop him!” 

“Yeah, you’re right, I’ll be there in ten.” Karl said, scanning the street for the car. 

Quackity yelled at someone in his proximity and then breathed heavily into his phone’s mic.

“Please hurry, angelcakes. I can’t do this alone.” Quackity whispered with a sense of urgency that was only partially for the bit. Karl scoffed at the stupid term of endearment and unlocked the car.

“I’m on my way, darling.” 

Quackity was silent. Karl’s response was his cue to hang up. Why was Quackity silent?

“Oh.” He said, Karl paused as he was putting the keys in the ignition.

“Oh?” He whispered, fearing for his life for no apparent reason.

“My heart- just did a thing.” Quackity said.

“I-” Karl said. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Quackity asked.

“I mean- the- what kind of thing?” Karl asked. And there that line was; that line that Karl knew he should stop approaching, those feelings he should stop feeling, those thoughts he should stop having. Karl should stop doing this, stop treading along despite the pain because his morbid curiosity begs him to do otherwise. With every tilt of the head, every breath he took Karl desperately wanted more. And he hated it. He was so foolish, he was so gross, why did he keep doing this? Karl simultaneously thanks every star in the sky and curses them for the fact he ever talked to Sapnap and Quackity. Because at first he thought maybe their friendship would blossom into something more, and then they tread too far down that path and he desperately willed his feelings to go away; but he was in too deep. He signed his will the day he saw Quackity’s smile and he chose his coffin the day he heard Sapnap’s voice and he could never ever stop loving them even if his puny heart exploded and he breathed the last breath his lungs could find.

Searching, searching . Karl sat in the driver's seat of the car with his keys in the ignition as he waited for an answer from Quackity; hoping with every molecule in his skin that Quackity would say the words Karl had been searching for for so long. Searching, searching as the seconds drained together and created a slow, slow ebbing away of Karl’s strength as he waited to hear all those words he’d been searching for. 

But did he want them here? After so long, did he want to hear those words that would break his heart with his key in the ignition on his way to Quackity so he could bring him home and look him in the eye and tell him he loved him despite the fact he would get rejected? Did he really want those words?

“Nevermind. Bye.” Karl said, nearly tripping over his words due to the sheer speed and force at which they left his mouth. He hung up, his heart beating faster than it ever had before. He had found his answer, all those years ago when he had sat on the porch of some fraternity and watched Quackity watch Sapnap and Sapnap watch Quackity. He had found it that day, when he had seen the stars glimmer just a little lighter and fall from the sky despite his feverish, desperate sowing, despite his pleas to keep it together.

Because the stars do not stay in the sky if they do not want to, no matter how strong the thread holding them together.

(Because Quackity loved Sapnap, and Sapnap loved Quackity, and Karl loved them both more than he had ever loved the simple things, despite them being the simple things he had been searching for.)

Chapter Text

Karl parked in front of Quackity’s friend's house and swallowed his heartbreak before exiting the car and approaching the door. Karl was almost envious of the fact that a fellow collegian owned a house until he realised that more space meant less shared space, and there was literally nothing he loved more in the entire world than sharing space with Sapnap and Quackity; having small pieces of himself become theirs by letting their lives intertwine with their belongings. Karl couldn't bear to live in a house where he would have to be any farther away from them. He could hardly live with the fact that every molecule of their bodies were not sown together. (and maybe that was something that had surpassed love, and Karl thought it poetic rather than devastating.)

Karl knocked on the door and nearly jumped out of his skin when Quackity opened it immediately.

“I’ve been waiting for you!” Quackity exclaimed angrily.

“Sorry!” Karl responded.

“Quackity can your boyfriend give me a ride?” A drunken voice called. Quackity flipped them off. Karl wasn't sure if it was because they asked for a ride or implied Karl was his boyfriend.

Quackity closed the door and nudged past Karl, his stubborn footsteps making noise against the slightly-wet pavement from a night of rain.

“You’re not gonna deny the fact I’m your boyfriend?” Karl asked, teasing, because he couldn’t help himself and also because he was an idiot.

Quackity turned around to face Karl, still angry for whatever reason.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” He replied with enough attitude to make someone want to curl up into a ball and never leave their room, but Karl had just been feeling that way over much less (see: the paragraph above) so he was unphased. 

He clambered into the driver's seat and saw Quackity staring confused at the same letter Karl had stopped on before.

“What’s this?” Quackity asked as Karl did up his seatbelt. 

“I was wondering the same thing. Also I’m pretty sure that hoodie you ordered forever ago arrived.” Karl said, nudging the larger box on Quackity’s lap. All of Quackity’s stubborn anger melted away at that and Karl let himself enjoy the bliss of Quackity’s smile before he decided he should start driving home.

He was stopped at a red light when Quackity’s fascination with his package had disappeared and he was back to the letter.

“What the fuck does the government want?” Quackity asked, eyeing it and then Karl.

“You remember filing the letter with me! Sapnap’s brother helped me with the math! I paid them!” Karl responded as the light turned green.

“Okay, okay. I believe you.” Quackity said, opening the letter.

He scanned the letter with shock and Karl was trying to side eye the letter and drive at the same time which was probably a bad idea-

“We got married?!” Quackity yelled, making Karl swerve, and both of them scream. And then Karl got a grip and parked haphazardly and turned to Quackity and screamed again.

“ WHAT! ” Karl exclaimed. Quackity looked at him with a mirrored wide eyed-expression as he read and reread the letter.

“I- There- There’s a common law marriage inspector coming next Wednesday!? To make sure we are in an actual romantic relationship!? I- Can- Karl i think I’m going to pass out- ” Quackity said before (you’d never guess) passing out. 

" QUACKITY?!" Karl screamed.

—--

Karl, Sapnap and Quackity were sat around their dining room table, staring at the letter as if it had offended them.

"What do we do?" Sapnap asked, the three had been sitting in silence ever since Karl explained what happened and Quackity read the letter in full to them. Realistically, Karl knew what they should do, send another letter denying the claim and make it so the inspector didn't come and waste their time, but Karl didn't know why Quackity and Sapnap weren't saying that.

Listen, Karl would give his left kidney to marry them, so he wasn't exactly offended by the idea of it, but they should be. Because Quzcktiy and Sapnap did not have romantic feelings for Karl, so why weren't they acting like it?

"Good question;" Quackity responded "But I pose you: how did this happen?"

"Well the date of application is that night we got drunk so that explains part of it." Karl said. His roommates nodded but didn't seem satisfied. Neither was Karl. What was happening?

“Okay, let me just think for a second.” Sapnap said, gesturing with his hands and glaring at the table with an expression of solemn concentration.

“We got drunk, presumably went to our mailbox and read the letter, were coherent enough to read the document, comprehend it partially because we signed it in all the right places. And I- this might be a leap of faith here but like- soberly you guys wouldn’t want to marry me. Correct?” Sapnap asked, looking up to spare Karl and Quackity nervous glances. He definitely wanted to say something. Why wasn’t anyone saying anything? Karl was confused. Why did things keep getting more confusing?

“It’s- listen, that doesn’t matter. I know enough about common law marriage to know that the inspector will come and realise we totally aren’t in love or whatever so, let’s just wait until then and not sweat it. Okay?” Quackity said, his words seemed simple enough but he had an edge about him. Karl swore he looked as nervous as a man about to enter the world's largest Tesco (he’d been there once, there were so many british people. Karl shivers at just the thought of it.)

Quackity stood up rather abruptly and left. Karl watched him go, he closed the door to his room in a halfhearted slam. Karl felt like there were a million butterflies jumping around his skin and he wanted them back in his stomach. 

“I guess he’s right.” Sapnap said, looking at Karl for approval and got a blank stare in return. Sapnap seemed to deem it satisfactory before standing up and retreating to his own room.

Karls thoughts swirled around him like the last few pieces of cereal left in the excess amount of milk you don’t want to drink because you don’t like milk but you have to drink milk because it’s good for your bones and some things in life are hard to deal with but you have to suck it up and-

Karl could not deal with this though, that’s the thing. He could not deal with someone else coming in and telling him what he knew to be true, Karl could not deal with an inspector coming in and telling him he was pitiful because he loved the two men he could never, ever have no matter what and Karl was foolish . He was stupid and he hated his past self for signing that document and he hated his current self for still loving Quacktiy and Sapnap despite everything.

Karl sighed, and hunched over onto the table, he flattened his face into the hardwood as if it gave him a semblance of comfort but really it just hurt. Karl sighed again, for good measure, and hoped whatever miserable god was toying with him would give up already.

He just had to make it through Wednesday

(and until time ended so he could stop loving these fools)

—-

It was not Wednesday.

Karl heard a knock on the door and pulled the teabag out of Quackity’s cup as to not make it too strong, he yelled a halfhearted ‘ Coming!’ to the direction of the door and threw out the teabag, eyeing the fridge. He considered putting milk in the tea before opening the door but decided against it.

“Turn the TV down, hun.” He said to Sapnap as he passed the door to his room and walked towards the apartment’s entrance. Sapnap complied and Karl smiled to himself as he looked through the peephole. It was a Tuesday morning and Quackity was just waking up, Sapnap had been up for around 3 hours and Karl two. Karl was surprised to see their landlord and suddenly felt incredibly underdressed in his pyjamas and reading glasses.

“Hi.” Karl said, tentatively as he opened the door. 

His landlord gave Karl a look and then looked to someone outside the door frame, and subsequently Karl’s line of sight. Karl scrunched up his eyebrows, giving her a look of confusion as she spared the person a worried glance again. 

“May I?” She asked him, but also asked the person next to her. Karl nodded and opened the door more, and she signalled him to close it behind her as she stepped in.

This was… weird.

“Karl.” She said sternly.

“What?” He asked, confused.

“You paid your-” 

“ Yes!” he interrupted. 

She nodded solemnly.

“Okay, then I can’t help you. It’s some government guy.” She said, patting him on the shoulder in solidarity and opened the door.

“Come in.” She told the person and-

“It’s not Wednesday.” Karl said as a tall man entered their home.

“I know. I came early to ensure you're not falsifying anything.” He said.

“I- you were supposed to come on Wednesday to make sure we weren’t falsifying anything! And about that-” Karl started, but the man put his finger up to interrupt him.

“Where are your partners?” the man asked.

“I-” Karl said, but thought of what Quackity said and decided not to deny it. This guy was coming to see that they weren’t falsifying a romantic relationship, Karl wouldn’t have to say they were lying about it for him to see that. They obviously weren’t dating.

“Sapnap!” Karl called. Sapnap grunted in response and wheeled his chair out of his room so he could look at Karl, his eyes widened when he saw the tall man beside him. Sapnap’s room's door was right across from the entrance, so he couldn’t shy away. The man had already seen him.

“Um.” He said, getting off his chair so he could leave his room and approached the two.

“I was under the impression there were three of you.” The man said sternly, and Karl nearly made a very terrified noise.

“I- he’s asleep I’ll wake him up.” Karl said leaving Sapnap to fend for himself. He looked at Sapnap and shrugged as he was glared daggers at by the other man. Karl was very afraid of the inspector man, and he was also very in love. The entire situation called for disaster.

Karl toed his way into Quackity’s room and was surprised to see him more or less awake.

“Q- the uh, the inspector guy’s here.” Karl said, gently.

Quackity just looked at him and blinked very slowly. 

“Q, you gotta get up.” Karl said, coming closer to Quackity and brushing some of his messy hair off his face.

“I’m tired. They're not supposed to be here yet. Not wednesday.” Quackity said, rolling over in his mass of quilts and hugging Karl’s torso. Quackity’s bed was surprisingly high off his floor, for some reason. He insisted that it was tall enough that he needed a stool to get up. Sapnap made a joke about Quackity sleeping in a bunk bed and it hit too close to home so they decided not to ask about it anymore.

Karl carded his fingers through Quackity’s mess of hair as Quackity nuzzled into Karl’s shirt.

“Q, I’m gonna have to pour water on you if you don’t get up.” Karl said, gently. He really was the worst person to wake anyone up. Quackity said Karl coaxed him into sleep rather than waking almost every time he attempted. Maybe Sapnap should have gone to wake him.

Quackity didn’t make any move to wake up, Karl sighed and tried to shimmy out of his embrace. 

“ Quackity you need to get up.” Karl said, voice still gentle but much firmer than before. Quackity sighed and rolled off Karl, nodding sleepily.

“ Fiiiine. ” He grumbled. Karl laughed.

Quackity shuffled out of bed and Karl handed him a beanie which he took gratefully. They then approached the door.

Sapnap was just standing with the inspector staring at the wall across from him as if it had personally offended him.

“Here- here he is.” Karl said, gesturing at Quackity who was slung across Karl, still half asleep.

The inspector looked at Karl and Quackity, paused, and then wrote something down.

“Okay.” He said, then gestured to Sapnap. “Show me around.” 

Sapnap jumped a bit but then complied, taking the man through the living room, the man made Sapnap pause before they left it and entered Karl’s room.

“Are you guys in this room frequently?” The man asked, Sapnap looked at him, confused.

“I…. sometimes? We only really go in here for movie nights or game nights and then if someone’s chilling on the couch there’s usually at least one other person out here.” He said. The inspector took note of it. The three of them gave each other confused looks.

“Okay. Next room.” The inspector said, and Karl took over. He showed the man his room and wasn’t really sure what was supposed to be of interest so he just pointed out all the figures he had and told the man about what shows they were from. The inspector actually seemed interested in this, and took note of the name of one of the shows on a separate piece of paper that wasn't the relationship evaluation. Karl opened his wardrobe to show the guy the shirt he had for that same show.

“It was a gift from Q, isn’t it like- super cool?” Karl said, the man nodded.

“Limited edition. Q said he was gonna wait to give it to me for my birthday but he gave it to me anyways on some random Thursday. Seriously one of the best days of my life.” Karl said earnestly.

“Not the day you met me but the day I got you that geeky ass shirt?” Quackity said, offended.

“I said one of! ” Karl replied. The man seemed to get back on track and took note of that. 

“So you get gifts often?” The man asked. Karl stopped and thought for a second. 

“From Q, yeah, pretty often.” Karl replied. The man smiled and wrote something down. Karl’s heart did a thing because he’d never seen the man smile before and he was kinda beautiful.

“ Dude. ” Karl said to him. “You should be a model.” 

“Really?” The man said, genuinely flattered.

“Yea! You’ve got a great smile dude, did you have braces?” Karl asked.

“No, actually.” He replied.

“ Seriously!? Your teeth are perfect!” Karl exclaimed.

“Yeah, I didn’t have wisdom teeth either.” The man replied.

“You were born to model, man. I actually have a friend who has a clothing brand and he’s looking for-” Karl started.

“Karl, while I appreciate your ability to flatter the socks off anyone. I really want to make breakfast.” Sapnap said, smiling at Karl with a tired fondness.

“Right, sorry. I’ll give you his email later.” Karl said, looking at the inspector, who nodded.

They left Karl’s room after the inspector asked about Karl’s bed and why it was so big. Karl made an offhanded joke that it was for when they all slept in his bed. The inspector wrote that down.

They then entered Sapnap's room, the inspector was much less sociable towards Sapnap compared to Karl but made note of the sheer lack of clothes he had due to Karl and Quackity stealing them. Karl wasn’t sure why that was all that interesting, like, sure, he stole Sapnap’s clothes because he was madly in love with him and was comforted by his very scent, but Quackity stole Karl’s clothes all the time and wasn’t in love with him at all. 

It could be platonic!!

They entered Quackity’s room and didn’t stay in it long due to Quackity’s obvious shame at its state of messiness and Sapnap’s overprotective urge to never, ever make him feel even a miniscule droplet of sadness.

“We were gonna help him clean tonight.” Sapnap said, ushering the inspector out of Quackity’s room and comforting Quackity despite the fact he was only mildly uncomfortable and would be just fine with the inspector in his room.

Quackity rolled his eyes fondly and whispered something along the lines of ‘you didn’t have to’ to Sapnap. The inspector wrote something down. Karl was going to jump out of his skin.

They gave the inspector the rest of the tour, and Karl said things he didn’t think were noteworthy and was proven otherwise.

“What’s so romantic about them being my lockscreen?” Karl asked, the inspector just laughed.

Eventually, the tour came to an end, and the four were all in the doorway, watching the man put on his shoes. Karl wasn’t sure what to say or do, he wasn’t really sure of anything.

"Listen, I'm technically not supposed to say this but… you guys are cute. I'll submit this form along with your application and you should be good to go in about a month. Congrats, boys." The man said. Karl froze.

"What?" Quackity said.

"You guys are obviously in love, so I'm submitting your form, congrats! You're married (through common law)!" 

" Wh- " Quackity said again, before he was interrupted.

"You- you think we're together? Romantically?" Sapnap asked.

"Ye-yes? It's my job to see if people are together romantically and you guys are like the prime example of it. I guess you must be really happy because you all seem so surprised but if your relationship is supposed to be a secret around people I'm sorry to tell you it's obvious." 

“No way.” Quackity said. The inspector stared at him.

“You guys are so in love with each other it’s nearly pitiful.” He laughed, obviously misinterpreting Quackity’s utter shock as surprise about the… marriage? 

“Sir, are you totally sure about this?” Karl asked, staring at the inspector with intensity he didn’t know he had.

“Yup! It seems like a big commitment, but I’m sure you guys are ready for the real deal (i mean marriage)” He said (they all knew what he meant) “but I get it, it’s not for everyone. This is way less messy for if things end, but I’ve seen a lot of couples and I really don't think you guys’ll end anytime soon.” He said gleefully.

“How… How can you tell?” Sapnap asked, his voice sounded like a single grain of sand in a desert, he was obviously fighting some kind of demon just to summon the courage to speak.

“Well, it’s my job to notice the little things.” The inspector said, winking. Winking. Like an evil devil who had no idea what he had just done. He winked like a freak who didn’t know he had ruined everything and that Karl was going to die very, very soon and it would be all his doing.

The inspector took the silence as his cue to leave, he nodded and waved, then left, thanking Karl discreetly for the modelling recommendation.

They all stared at the door, as if it would reopen and the man would reappear and tell Karl he was delusional, and crazy, and hopeless. Karl kind of hoped that it was all a dream and he would soon wake up. It didn’t make sense. There was no way. 

"We're- your- we love each other?" Karl asked, turning to face his… Roommates? Future husbands?

“I.” Sapnap said. Quackity just glanced at the both of them nervously.

Karl’s stomach felt like it was tied up in knots like the shoelaces of his shoes, he felt like he was stumbling about and desperately trying to make sense of the new world he’d been put in. There was no way Quackity and Sapnap loved him, or wanted to be with him romantically. 

… Right?

Karl had been given a new pair of glasses, be they rose colored or not, he had an option. Did he decide to see things that way? Did he decide to find hope in the longing touches and the weird jokes and the constant banter? Or did he decide to swallow himself from the inside out and keep living like this? Could he keep living like this?

“The guy- maybe he was just delusional.” Quackity said, much faster paced than usual.

“It’s- yeah, yeah maybe he thought we would be a cute couple and like projected onto us.” Sapnap said. It was then Karl’s turn. He knew it was his turn to agree. To brush it off. To wake up tomorrow and forget it ever happened despite his insistence, despite Karl’s forced obliviousness. Maybe it was time to let go of it- maybe if he took that leap of faith and just tried he could-

“Anyways, that was weird. I’m going to my room.” Quacktiy said, turning on his heel and going towards his room much faster than necessary.

“Yeah, bye.” Sapnap said, giving Karl a friendly pat on the shoulder and leaving to his own respective room.

Karl was in a familiar place, experiencing a familiar feeling. 

There was absolutely no way he was about to confess to them and they just left. There was literally no way that was legal. 

“I- I was gonna say something!” Karl called to closed doors.

Chapter Text

They don't talk about it.

Karl received a letter in the mail they all read that confirmed their marriage and they are married and nothing changed and they don't discuss it despite it being something they definitely should discuss.

They were all sat around the table, Sapnap scrolling on his phone, Quackity gnawing on some bread that looked way too disfigured to not have been fully eaten, and Karl was just sitting there, sweating buckets because they were married? And… nothing changed.

They had sat in a similar formation a week prior when Karl had received and read the letter, he had worried so greatly about the outcome of that conversation and nothing came of it. Not a single thing. Karl wondered if there was any good in the world anymore. He seriously doubted it.

“Weird weather, eh?” Sapnap asked, not looking up from his phone.

“Mh.” Quackity agreed through a mouthful of bread and he was still on his first slice. How was he not done?

Karl nodded even though they couldn’t see him. They were married and they were talking about the weather? And Sapnap and Quackity didn’t care? They didn’t care at all and Karl-

The kettle whined, Karl stood up so stiffly and mechanically he felt he could have been replaced by a wooden puppet. He felt tense even though nothing was tense and Sapnap was talking about the weather for christ’s sake. 

“Anyone want tea?” Karl asked, walking like a robot because he cared so much and Quackity and Sapnap didn’t care at all and he felt stupid for caring because they weren’t even ‘officially’ married but Quackity liked Sapnap and Sapnap liked Quackity and Karl bet they wished he would just go away. 

No one answered his question, not even with a no. It worried Karl even more, despite the fact they had already had tea that day. Karl fussed with his teabag and turned to throw it away since it was done steeping, but paused as he was met with the unimpressed face of Quackity.

“Jesus!” Karl jumped, dropping the wet teabag onto the floor and gripping onto the counter as Quackity picked it up and threw it away.

“You all good, Sugar?” Quackity asked, that familiar teasing lilt in his voice that both comforted Karl and made him fear what Quackity was about to say at the same time.

“Um. Kinda?” Karl said. Quackity didn’t look very surprised.

“Okay.” Quackity said, looking at Karl suspiciously. 

“Want a hug or something? You seriously look like death.” Quackity said, casually. Karl didn’t know how he had the ability to be casual when it felt like everything was happening all at once and that the sky would fall down if he wasn’t looking. Speaking of which, Karl turned to look out the window to make sure it was still there. It was. He exhaled in relief. Quackity kept staring at him.

“I just-” want to kiss you “- want a nap to be honest.” Karl said. Quackity smiled at him, softly, and if he were a butterfly Karl would not ever dare even look at him because his beauty was so fragile and elegant he was afraid he would be too transfixed to do anything else for the remainder of his life.

“Okay, let’s take you to bed then.” Quackity said as he stepped closer to Karl and wrapped his hands around Karl’s, gently. Karl didnt know what he’d done to deserve the soft morning light of Quackity but he would take it with gratefulness no matter the day or the hour or the cost to his ever draining mental stability. Quackity turned and led Karl to his room as if Karl didn’t live there; and Quackity then led him to his bed as if Karl couldn’t easily locate it from the doorway. Quackity then had the nerve to ask Karl if he could stay with him as if he didn’t know Karl would rather die than be without him.

Quackity laid with Karl, wrapping his arms around him and letting Karl nuzzle into him, delicately and carefully, as if Karl was already a butterfly in Quackity’s mind. Karl allowed himself the short fantasy of pretending they were really married, that Quackity really did love him back. He allowed himself to pretend for just a moment; it was like cotton candy disappearing on his tongue and pancakes in the fridge saved as leftovers, it was the top of the ferris wheel, the moment before looking down, but when you finally do everything is worth it for just one moment, and that split second before you descend to the ground makes up for everything. Because for one second, he wasn’t afraid of anything. Because he was in the arms of one of the men he loved more than anything and there were very few things that could make that moment better (all of those things being if Sapnap were there).

“I love you.” Karl whispered as he dozed off. And his sleep was almost interrupted by how greatly Quackity tensed up in response, but he was halfway gone and fell asleep almost immediately after.

—--

All of a sudden Quackity was being weird.

Karl thought he would appreciate it, someone else being jittery and nervous due to their marriage? But he didn’t. Karl didn’t like it when Quackity was freaking out on a normal day, but with the added stakes it was just too much. 

To be fair, Quackity had only started being weird after their nap, so he’d only lived with a stressed Quackity for about an hour and a half. But Quackity didn’t ever get nervous and it was freaking Karl out.

“You good Q?” Karl asked after Quackity had been pacing around the living room for far too long for Karl to find it bearable anymore. 

“Yes, yes. Is there anything you’d want to say to reassure me?” Quackity said, stopping dead in his tracks and staring at Karl intensely.

“.... I?” Karl said, brows furrowed in confusion.

“It’s- If I was unsure if you still liked me or not. What would you say?” Quackity asked, unblinking.

“I… Still like  you?” Karl ask-stated.

“Uhm. Okay and what if you more than liked me?” Quackity asked.

“I… More than like you?” Karl asked.

“ Ugh. You're no help.” Quackity said, stomping off to his room. Karl just sat on the couch in disbelief.

He took it back, this was worse than none of them talking about it, this was way, way worse.

—--

“Hey Karl.~” Quackity cooed one morning. 

Karl opened his eyes, squinting the sleep out of them to no avail.

“Q?” He said, sleepily.

“I made you breakfast~” Quackity said, voice in a soft whisper.

“Oh, thanks.” Karl said, readjusting his head and trying to go back to sleep.

“ Hey!” Quackity said, offended. 

“Whaat?” Karl asked, sitting up and staring at Quackity groggily.

“Aren’t you gonna eat it!?” Quackity asked, offended, he shoved the plate of food in Karl’s face to let Karl get a good whiff and- yep that was not edible.

“Um. Q, no offense but we both know you can’t cook.” Karl replied, still half asleep. Quackity made an offended noise before simmering down.

“Just try it! ” Quackity pleaded.

“Okay.” Karl complied, taking a small bite and trying very, very hard not to spit it out. 

He shot Quackity a watery smile after finishing the bite.

“Delicious.” He said, sounding unassured.

“Thanks.” Quackity said, puffing up his chest and looking at Karl with puppy dog eyes.

“Got anything to say to me to thank me?” Quackity asked, blinking sweetly in an attempt to coerce Karl.

“Um. I-” Karl was trying really hard to think of something that wasn’t insulting. “I love-” Karl said, swallowing the spit in his mouth in an attempt to rid himself of the disgusting taste. Quackity beamed at him, and he seemed more excited for Karl’s response to the food than Karl had ever seen him.

“I loved it.” Karl said, trying very hard to smile. Quackity paused, stared at Karl with nothing but contempt and then groaned, leaving.

Karl took a moment to be confused before running for a glass of water to wash the taste out of his mouth.

—--

Karl hummed along to the song he was listening to as he walked towards his bus stop. It was surprisingly chilly that particular morning, especially considering that it was technically spring. Karl made a noise of disagreement about the gross weather when he heard something strange. 

“Karl!” Quackity called, Karl stopped and turned towards him, pulling out his earbud. Karl was on his way to his bus stop to get to work, and Quackity was barrelling down the street in his pajamas towards him.

“Q? What? It’s- Is it bring your roommate to work day or something? Why’re you up? And you don’t have a jacket! Qua-” 

“ Shut up! ” Quackity said urgently, staring into Karl’s eyes with intensity.

“...Okay?” Karl said, Quackity nodded.

“You and me are going out to dinner tonight.” Quackity said, the cold of the early morning making his cheeks flushed. On any other occasion, this invite would’ve made Karl’s heart soar, but presently, it just made him a bit afraid.

“You’re scaring me, dude.” Karl said, sheepishly.

“Wh- Okay firstly, dude? Get over yourself; I thought I was your baby .” Quackity said, exaggerating the baby. Karl regretted everything ever for a moment. “Secondly, there’s nothing to be scared of. It’s going to be great. And before you ask, I just want to treat you to dinner, okay? We’ll give our househusband a break.” Quackity said, Karl took a few seconds to process and just kind of looked at Quackity with his mouth agape. He closed it when he fully understood.

“Um. Okay. Sorry.” Karl said, Quackity put his hands on his hips and tilted his head with his eyebrow raised like a teacher trying to out-sass the class clown.

“Right. Sorry, baby.” Karl said. Quacktiy nodded, pleased.

“I- I don’t have a choice, yes?” Karl asked.

“As if you’d ever pass up an opportunity to be with me.” Quackity said in the self-assured way he said things when he was joking. But it was true and Karl kind of hated him for that for a second before nodding. Quackity laughed and turned to get back to the apartment. Karl tsked and pulled off his jacket, he grabbed Quackity by the shoulder and handed it to him. 

“You’re gonna freeze.” Karl said, pinching Quackity’s cheek and dropping the jacket into his hands.

“Are you kidding me? You’ll freeze!” Quackity said, aghast.

“Yeah, but-” i love you “Y’know… I’m the chivalrous one.” Karl said, teasing, Quackity stuck out his tongue and put Karl’s jacket on haphazardly.

“Yeah, sure. Whatever.” Quackity said. Karl rolled his eyes and gave Quackity a wave before continuing on his way to his bus stop.

“See ya tonight!” Quackity yelled. Karl laughed.

“See you tonight.” He called back.

—

Karl arrived home from work to find Quackity in his room sorting through his wardrobe.

“Um?” He said, placing his satchel down and padding across the carpet to stand next to Quackity. 

“I picked out an outfit for you.” Quackity said, turning to look at Karl proudly. This was not something entirely foreign, they would rummage through each other's wardrobes all the time, but Quackity’s weird mood mixed with Karl’s weird mood mixed with their marriage? Was enough for Karl to deem this strange.

“Okay…Thanks?” Karl said, unsure. Quackity just smiled at him, his eyes turning into crescent moons.

“You’re welcome.” He said, standing there, facing Karl.

“Are you gonna leave so I can change, then? Or…” Karl asked, raising his eyebrows. Quackity just stood there smiling at him. 

“Do you really want me to?” Quackity asked. Karl laughed in response.

“I mean…” He said, which made Quackity laugh, which made everything in the entire world okay because there were very few things more beautiful than him. 

“Nah, I’ll get out of your hair.” Quackity said, exhaling and leaving, all while shaking his head fondly.

Karl laid out the clothes Quackity had handed him and was about to start getting dressed when he heard a soft knock on his already open door.

“Yeah, Sap?” Karl said, because Sapnap was the only one of his roommates to knock. 

“You, uh, you and Quackity going somewhere tonight?” Sapnap asked, Karl turned to face him, about to respond with a highly inappropriate joke when he noticed the trepidation on Sapnap’s face and softened.

“Yeah, you good, hun?” Karl asked, stepping towards the doorway where Sapnap was standing. Sapnap nodded.

“Just, uh, stressed. You know.” Sapnap said, forcing a smile that was so frail it worried Karl.

“Hey, yeah. Of course. You wanna talk when we get back? You seem so tired.” Karl said, worry etched into every part of his being. He opened his arms, inviting Sapnap to give him a hug if he wanted, and was surprised at the rate in which Sapnap collided into him.

“Oh, honey. I’m so sorry.” Karl whispered, unsure of what he was sorry for but just praying those words would dampen some of the burden Sapnap felt. Sapnap nodded into his shoulder and Karl squeezed him playfully.

“You’ll be okay for a while, yeah? I promise I’ll be back and we can talk.” Karl said, feeling Sapnap’s forehead to check for a fever.

“Karl, stop worrying I’m not sick. Go have fun with Q.” Sapnap said, huffing out a laugh and looking at Karl earnestly.

“I’ll miss you.” Sapnap said as an afterthought. Karl smiled at him.

“I’ll miss you too.”

They smiled at each other for a moment before Karl remembered he had to get dressed, Sapnap seemed to remember too and shuffled out of the doorway, Karl closed the door behind him and sighed. He was wrong, maybe they weren’t talking about it but there was something up with his roommates and maybe he was the only one with sense enough to know that they should talk about it.

—-

“You ready?” Quackity asked, opening the door in response to Karl’s nod. 

Quackity had picked out something oddly fancy, reminiscent of the night they went out for drinks and- got married - and Karl diverted that train of thought very quickly.

Quackity was dressed to the nines himself as well and Karl was very concerned they were going somewhere that would suck up some of the money the two of them were supposed to fork over for rent.

Quackity led Karl through the building and silently guided him to the parking lot. Stopping in front of Karl’s car (that they all drove and had keys to).

“I’ll drive.” Quackity said, smiling at Karl.

“Where- Where are we going?” Karl asked as Quackity clicked the unlock button. 

“It’s a surprise.” Quackity said, smiling at Karl with honey laced into his being. “Get in the car.” He added as he clambered in.

“Okay.” Karl laughed, unsure of what else to say.

The two drove in relative silence, Quackity seemed stressed out for whatever reason and Karl didn’t want to ask why in fear of jumping the gun. Maybe Quacktiy was bringing him to the restaurant without Sapnap to reject him politely, and maybe Sapnap was so nervous about it because of exactly that. Karl decided he was better off not worrying too much, he exhaled shakily, glanced over at Quackity who was gripping on to the wheel for dear life good god - and decided that he would let Quackity be in control of his inevitable rejection.

Karl zoned out for the rest of the car ride and flurried back to consciousness when Quackity announced they had arrived.

“You good?” Quackity asked as Karl stared at the restaurant.

“Yeah, it’s just… I haven’t been here in ages, Q, isn’t it too expensive?” Karl felt bad, Quackity had taken Karl to his favorite restaurant to reject him. It made him feel sick. Karl wanted to tell Quackity that he didn’t need to treat him nicely to do whatever he was going to do but at the same time they’d driven all that way and… It really was Karl’s favorite restaurant.

“It’s fine, Karl. I’ve been saving up to treat you to something for a while.” Quackity said as Karl unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door to leave the car. He paused with his hand on the handle.

“What? Why?” Karl asked. Quackity…. Wasn’t going to reject him?

“Because-” Silence. “You’re a really awesome guy.” Quackity said, waving his hand at Karl dismissively before exiting the car. Karl stared at the empty driver's seat where Quackity used to be curiously before leaving the car himself.

Karl followed Quackity into the restaurant and Quackity led him to a table near the window that overlooked the downtown area. Karl sighed wistfully.

“This is great.” He said. He was very pleased. “How did you manage to get my favorite spot in the whole place?” Karl asked, curious. He wasn’t sure this restaurant even took reservations.

“I dunno, you could tell me how much you appreciate the gesture, though.” Quackity said, coyly, setting down his menu and looking at Karl with a satisfied grin. Karl loved him so much he felt as though he was going to explode.

“Thank you, Quackity.” I love you “I appreciate it.” Karl said, Quackity stared at him very intensely for a second, Karl swore he saw his eye twitch, before averting back to normal.

“Wha?” Karl asked, now worried that Quackity had been replaced by an android.

“Sorry. Haha.” Quackity said, confirming Karl’s android suspicions before looking back at his menu with a crazed look.

Karl was now horrified.

—-

They ordered a hefty amount of food and Karl was on the verge of jumping for joy when his food arrived. 

“ God. ” He said in between a mouthful of food. “This shit is so good.” He took another huge bite of his alfredo and tried his very best not to pass out and die due to pure bliss. Quackity laughed, looking at Karl for a beat too long with a bit too much fondness before returning to his food. Karl would tell Quackity he loved him if he was any weaker of a man. 

Quackity ate patiently and Karl scarfed down every piece of food put in front of him, which made Quackity laugh, which made Karl love him more.

“You done?” Quackity asked with laughter in his voice when he noticed Karl was halfway to napping in his chair. Karl nodded in response.

“Thanks for taking me here, Q. I seriously can’t thank you enough.” Karl said. Usually the three of them didn’t have the funds or time to go out to eat a lot, so having a designated moment to do so was really nice. 

“Thank me by telling me you love me.” Quackity muttered with a flash of annoyance as he stood up, putting on his jacket.

“What?” Karl asked, unsure of what he said past ‘thank me’ “I couldn't hear you.” 

“Nothing.” Quackity said, flashing him a tight-lipped smile and trotting off to go pay.

“Hey, we’re splitting the bill, right?” Karl asked, scrambling to keep up with him.

“Nope. All on me.” Quackity said, smiling at Karl with sweetness that would forever be unmatched. It made Karl feel like he was made of glue. He nearly melted to the floor.

“I- are you sure?” Karl said, regaining his composure and following Quackity to the till.

“Seriously, babe. Let me” Quackity said and Karl was glue all over again.

“I lo- thanks so much, Q.” Karl said, standing at his side while they waited in line. Quackity’s whole body twitched and Karl swore he heard him growl. 

“What the fu-” Karl was about to say, before Quackity angled his head to face Karl and looked up at him.

“No worries.” Quackity said, his face was horrendously red and Karl swore Quackity looked as though he was suppressing as much anger as he had felt the day his teacher gave him a 50 for forgetting to write his essay in Times New Roman. Karl shut up when he saw that, the words dying in his throat. Because- what?

—---

Quackity decided that after supper it was a call for an impromptu walk on the boardwalk, Karl agreed wholeheartedly because whatever happened Quackity needed to calm the hell down. 

It truly was beautiful. Karl loved the lake in the middle of the city despite the fact it was a) ugly and b) inconvenient. He remembered telling Quackity that years ago, he smiled to himself. Quackity had remembered.

The weather was lovely, despite the fact it was very close to being freezing, and despite the chill of the late spring night, Karl was warm enough. Quackity was the human equivalent of a heater and walked in stride next to Karl. The sun had set and the moon accompanied them on their stroll near the lake. A brisk wind blew some cold towards them and Karl shivered for a moment before focusing more on Quackity’s warmth that was radiating beside him. 

“This is so lovely.” Karl said, content, and also desperately willing himself to focus on anything other than the desperate urge to hold Quackity’s hand

“Are you serious, Karl Jacobs ?! ” Quackity seethed. Turning to face Karl with nothing but anger on his face. 

“Wha-” Karl said, but Quackity stormed away from him.

“What!? Q?!” Karl called, speed walking so he could catch up with him.

“Q?” Karl yelled, utterly confused. Quackity turned on his heel, opening his mouth to lecture Karl before he slipped, somehow. Quackity flailed his arms in a circle-like motion in a futile and cartoonish attempt to regain his balance before slipping off the boardwalk and into the lake. Karl reacted a beat too late and his attempt to grab Quackity to stop him was proven effortless. 

“Q!” Karl yelled at the dark of the water in the aftermath of Quackity’s tumble. He took a deep breath before diving in behind him without a second thought. The water was absolutely freezing but Karl didn’t allow himself to be bothered by it. He emerged from the water and took a breath, about to yell for Quackity when he realized they were face to face.

“Oh. Q.” Karl said, treading water with his eyes wide and stinging from the water. Quackity’s dark hair was stuck to his head and he looked like an especially unimpressed wet dog.

“Try and touch the ground.” Quackity said, hair drenched and covering his face. He sounded like he was one breath from exhaustion.

“Oh!” Karl exclaimed when he realized his feet could touch the bottom.

“It’s- It’s not deep.” Karl said, looking at the lake as if he could see through the pitch black water and then looking at Quackity, feeling a bit foolish.

“Yeah. And I can swim.” Quackity laughed, pushing his bangs out of his eyes. Karl laughed along with him.

“You just dove in headfirst without even thinking.” Quackity said, looking at Karl with a kind of fondness that was quizzical, like he wanted to figure him out. 

“Yeah.” Karl breathed. Quackity waded towards him, putting his hands on the sides of Karl’s arms. His hair was long enough that it melted into his neck and looked like he was part of the pitch black water surrounding them. Quackity was dimly illuminated but his eyes managed to capture the little light they had in the night and Quackity shone, even in the pitch black murkiness of the lake. 

“You don’t think much, do you?” Quacktiy teased, and his smile acted as a lightsource for Karl.

“No.” Karl agreed, laughing slightly and breathily. The two laughed quietly together, gentle like a butterfly landing on a leaf.

“Wanna know something stupid?” Quackity asked, Karl nodded. Quackity smiled gingerly, he was like winter and snowfall, and he was as gentle as the light mixed into his eyes; he was the light that guided wayward Karl back home, always. 

“This whole night and these past few days I’ve been trying to get you to tell me you love me.” Quackity said, unashamed and gentle, an afterthought. And Karl should have been afraid, but Quackity was cotton candy melting on his tongue and he was at the top of the ferris wheel; for once not fearing ever coming down.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Karl said, and the water was cold around him but Quackity’s hands stayed firmly planted on his arms and he could feel the touch so carefully on his soul, he could feel the mark making of Quackity in every corner of his brain and he’d given up thinking and fretting and yearning for something out of reach when it was right in front of him.

“Yeah.” Quackity breathed, looking into Karl’s eyes as if they contained every star in the sky. “Painfully so.” He said, smiling like daisies and sunflowers; so close Karl could reach out and touch him. Karl stepped closer, his shoe shifting uncomfortably in the water, Quackity stayed in place, smiling at him.

“Are you trying to kiss me, Karl Jacobs?” Quackity teased, he glided his hands up Karl’s arms, and wrapped his arms around Karl’s neck, holding him in a halfhearted embrace, but within it contained Karl’s fragile, beating heart and Quackity's strong, fretting one. For a second they beat in tandem.

“Yes. Absolutely I am.” Karl replied, smiling down at Quackity, who smiled back. And he was diamonds and snowfall and early mornings, he was gentle like the wind carrying in a cool breeze on the summer days that are just too hot to bear. He was the air asking Karl to fly; begging him to touch the stars. 

“Then kiss me.” Quackity whispered, and that was all Karl needed to hear before doing exactly that. Karl pressed into Quackity and felt flowers bloom at his fingertips, felt the world light up with the beauty of Quackity and he smiled into the kiss as Quackity did the same. They pulled apart much too soon for Karl’s liking due to the fact they were both laughing. Soft in the dim light of streetlamps, gentle as Karl brushed some of Quackity’s soaking wet hair out of his face, earnest as Quackity pushed himself up to meet Karl halfway and kiss him again. It was springtime all around as Karl melted into Quackity and Quackity melted into him. Karl and Quackity stayed intertwined despite the freezing water of the lake and the impending colds they would have to nurse, Karl stayed with his lips locked onto Quackity’s despite the cold air becoming unbearable. They fit together, Quackity’s face in Karl’s hands and Quackity’s arms wrapped around Karl’s neck and the gentle tiptoeing of their lips against one another; it worked. It was bliss as Karl smiled into Quackity’s kiss once again and he felt Quackity’s shaky exhale on his face.

“I love you, in case you were wondering.” Quackity whispered after they pulled apart, faces still inches apart and breaths mingling.

“I wasn’t.” Karl said, smiling like the sunset; and Quackity met him in the moonrise.

Chapter Text

Quackity and Karl got home much later than expected, between the dizzying glee of realizing that the insurmountable amount of love Karl had for Quackity was returned, and then of course the pit stops they made along the way (read: Quackity pulled over every few blocks just to kiss Karl senseless) the twenty minute drive somehow stretched into an hour, but it was the best goddamn hour of his life. Karl and Quackity also spent a large portion of the car ride absolutely bitching about each other's obliviousness. It was teasing, and also aggravating, to realize that both of them had been dropping hints for so long and that Quackity had been in love with Karl for four of the five Karl had been in love with him. Which made the pair come to the reasonable conclusion that they were idiots. Just a little bit. They were also soaked, which was an order of business that needed to be attended to.

Quackity unlocked the door quietly and the pair entered the apartment, Karl toed off one of his shoes and was struggling to pull off the next one, he sighed and put his foot down rather than struggle with it in the air, he was about to bend down, ready to manually undo his laces which his shoes would probably prefer when he met eyes with Quackity. 

“What?” Karl asked, whispering. 

“You’re so cute.” Quackity said, ruffling Karl’s hair. Karl smiled.

“Says you .” Karl said. Sure, the correct order of business was to take off his disgustingly moist shoe. But Quackity was pretty. So pretty. They both giggle-whispered and Karl took Quackity’s hand in his own.

“I love you.” Karl said, lacing their fingers together and leaning down to rest his face in the crook of Quackity’s neck with the weight of his head on Quackity’s shoulder. Karl pressed a soft, chaste kiss to Quackity’s neck and Quackity sighed, squeezing Karl’s hand before using his other hand to cup Karl’s face and coax Karl off him.

“I love you, too.” Quackity said, smiling at Karl. Karl just leaned in and kissed him again, soft and undemanding. Quackity kissed him back with the same languid feeling, they melted into each other. Karl was ecstatic, he was kissing the man he loved in their shared apartment with their shared rent and their shared future and they were married…. And they were married! Karl pulled away from Quackity with a speed he did not know he was able to accomplish, and was about to tell Quackity that they should probably talk about that when his thoughts were interrupted by the unmistakable creak of Sapnap’s bedroom door opening.

“Karl? Quackity?” Sapnap called, voice tired and small. Quackity and Karl jumped away from each other in response to the reminder that other people existed.

“ Shit, Q. I- we didn’t really plan this out.” Karl whispered. Quackity just stared at Karl, eyes wide; Karl’s mind was racing a mile a minute and obviously Quackity’s was, too.

“I- Uh, Sap we actually fell into the lake and are like- super wet right now so we’re gonna shower then we can talk, okay?” Karl said, loud enough that Sapnap could hear as he didn’t break eye contact with Quackity.

“You what!? ” Sapnap exclaimed, barreling out of his room and rushing towards Karl and Quackity.

Sapnap stared at the two of them with such worry that Karl felt his heart break, Sapnap grabbed onto Karl’s sleeve and made a horrified face.

“Karl! You’re wet!” He exclaimed, and it was so endearing. He had no business being that endearing.

“I’ll go start warming the water. Quackity first because he has that exam on Monday and he can’t get sick.” Sapnap said, scuttering off to the bathroom. Karl and Quackity just stared at each other before laughing. 

“Our househusband.” Quackity said, and it felt like a punch in the gut despite it being an inside joke since they moved in together. Because, technically , he was their husband. Karl nodded.

“I’m uh. I’ll go change, gimme your clothes when you’re done so I can do a load of laundry.” Karl said. Quackity raised an eyebrow, about to make a highly inappropriate joke before seemingly realizing something.

“Karl, honey, don’t do laundry tonight, it’s so late and you have work tomorrow.” Quackity said, worry laced into his expression.

“It’s okay, Q. It’ll take like an hour max and then I’ll go to bed, and Sap’ll probably keep me company.” Karl said, nevermind about Sapnap being a househusband, Quackity fret just as much as him.

“Alright, but please don’t stay up too late, you know it’s not healthy.” Quackity said, stepping closer to Karl and tucking some of his hair behind his ear before chastely kissing him.

“I’ll do everything in my power not to.” Karl said, smiling at Quackity, who smiled back.

“Go change.” Quackity said, looking at Karl in the dimlight of their entryway, only illuminated collaterally from the bathroom light being on. He looked at Karl with such fondness, with such love , that it made Karl’s heart ache. How long had he missed those wayward glances that contained every piece of Quackity in them? Teasing during the car ride aside, in the light of the place they had created together, Karl just felt like an idiot. 

“I’m sorry it took me so long.” Karl whispered, staring at Quackity, Quackity with the pretty face and the pretty scar and the pretty smile, Quackity who Karl would do anything for, Quackity who was impatient but wise, Quackity who had his heart, who was his everything. Quackity who loved him (by some miracle) too.

Quackity just smiled a bit sadly.

“Let’s just be happy, Karl.” Quackity said, tucking some of Karl’s hair behind his ear (how he managed to find loose strands so constantly was beyond Karl) ((read: Karl had very messy hair)). Karl was then reminded just how wet it was. He felt kind of gross. 

“We deserve it. You deserve it. I’m just happy it happened.” Quackity said, resting his hand on Karl’s cheek and stroking it fondly.

“Me too. God I’m over the moon.” Karl said, smiling. 

Quackity just looked at him with the kind of fondness that you could only look at someone with if you’d known them for as long as and as intimately as Quackity knew Karl. Quackity pressed a quick kiss to his cheek before walking towards the bathroom, which, now that Karl was aware of his surroundings and not just the overwhelming love he had for Quackity, he could hear the hot water running and Sapnap’s frantic ramblings to himself. Karl laughed and shook his head.

Househusband. Both jokingly and… In reality... They should probably talk about that.

—--

Quackity finished up with his shower and Karl was soon after, Sapnap had set a timer so they could have the same amount of hot water and made them both tea, insistently checking their temperatures and scuttling about the apartment frantically. 

Quackity just laughed at him and accepted all the worried affection Sapnap gave him, Karl did the same when it was his turn.

“Okay, Sap. While I appreciate the worry, Quackity needs to get to bed and we have laundry to do.” Karl said after the thermometer was out of his mouth and Sapnap deemed his temperature healthy enough.

“Yeah. Okay.” Sapnap said, sighing. “You two are seriously lucky youre cute otherwise you’d be in major dog shit right now.” Sapnap lectured, Quacktiy just smiled and pinched his cheek as he stood up from the couch.

“Night, hot stuff.” Quackity said to Sapnap. 

“Sleep well, Shnookums. ” Sapnap said exaggeratedly, Karl responded by making loud kissing noises. 

“You’re a perv, Karl.” Sapnap said, kicking his shin.

“Yeah, you’d pay to see us kiss.” Quackity said, tone disgusted, but his teasing smile said otherwise. Karl just raised his eyebrows in response.

“You know I would.” He said, nodding. Which made both Quackity and Sapnap laugh. Victory.

“Actually, Karl, you wanna bring the laundry basket to my room so you can get to that?” Quackity asked, giving Karl a look that said they needed to talk.

“Sure thing. Meet you at the laundry room, Sap?” Karl asked, Sapnap nodded and Karl turned to get the basket from his room.

When he entered Quackity’s room to collect his clothes, Quackity closed the door behind him, threw his wet clothes into the bin, and then ushered Karl to his bed to sit.

“I’m in love with Sapnap.” Quackity said the moment Karl sat down, staring at him with such intensity that Karl felt his skin crawl.

“I- Me too?” Karl said. Quackity let out a sigh of relief.

“Yeah. I could tell.” Quackity said, to which Karl guffawed.

“Says you! That one time he couldn’t find his favorite shirt so he just walked around shirtless you literally drooled! ” Karl said. 

“Fuck off! Did you see his tits?!” Quackity said, and Karl couldn’t really deny that. Sapnap was kind of a smokeshow.

“Wait, so do you wanna do the polyamory thing?” Karl asked. Quackity contemplated then nodded.

“If he does. And y’all are probably gonna have a chat so feel free to tell him that we are madly in love and he’s welcome to join or whatever. Cool?” Quackity said.

“Cool.” Karl said, leaning over and kissing Quackity on the cheek before picking up the laundry basket and leaving.

“Sleep well, love!” Karl called. Quackity just made a noise of agreement in response.

—----

Karl stepped into the laundry room and saw Sapnap sitting on his phone, scrolling idly.

“Karl!” He said when he noticed his arrival. Karl smiled in response.

“You ready to absolutely crush some laundry big boy?” Karl asked, teasing. Sapnap laughed.

“Always.” He replied.

The laundry was in the machine rather quickly, and Sapnap had taken to sitting on top of the dryer that was across from the machine working at their laundry. The laundry room of their apartment building was impossibly small, so much so that when Karl jumped to sit on top of the laundry machine across from Sapnap he accidentally hit his leg on Sapnap’s.

“How is it possible for someone to be so clumsy?” Sapnap asked, tilting his head and giving Karl a self assured look. The kind that was teasing and borderline cocky. The kind that made Karl really, really, want to kiss him.

“Shut up.” Karl said, smiling. Sapnap mirrored his smile. Karl felt he had achieved world peace whenever Sapnap looked at him like that .

“So,” Sapnap started. “Our talk.” 

“Our talk.” Karl parroted, wanting Sapnap to lead the conversation.

"When the inspector guy said we were basically dating… Do you think he meant that?" Sapnap asked, suddenly looking away from Karl in faux interest in the room around them. Karl didn’t believe he could possibly be interested in the detergent pods behind him but whatever eased Sapnap’s nerves.

"I - yeah, I think he meant it." Karl said, treading carefully.

"It's- okay but what I'm asking is-" Sapnaps fingers were knit together and he managed a half hearted shrug. He was in his pajamas, basically, his white off brand supreme hoodie and black sweatpants, his hair was long and messy. Karl smiled to himself at Sapnaps apparent shyness, and the fact that he totally had a type. Boys with semi-long black hair and a tendency to be too oblivious for their own good would be the death of him (omitting the fact he had no right to criticize their obliviousness). 

"What I'm asking is do you believe it- that we’re.... Dating." Sapnap said, shrugging again as he flushed ever so slightly. Karl wanted to give him every star in the sky. 

"Do you?" Karl challenged, crossing his arms and giving Sapnap a look that was more teasing than anything. Really, he was giving Sapnap an out, Karl loved Sapnap’s awkwardness, really, he was so cute it hurt his heart, but he also recognized it came from a place of insecurity and maybe Sapnap wasn't ready for this conversation yet. Sapnap paused, flushing ever so slightly darker, and, yeah , maybe that was another reason he did it.

"I- well, not exactly. But I want to." Sapnap said, suddenly determined and earnest. "I want to love you in the real way, not just- not just jokes or speculation. I want to actually be with you. Not just through a common law marriage we don’t discuss. I- I want to like- actually date you." Sapnap said, staring Karl in the eye with his characteristic determination, and his earnesty combined with his forwardness made Karl feel as though he was floating. The way in which he loved Sapnap was so different to the way he loved Quackity, but it was so wonderful nonetheless, not one love was better than the other, just different. Quackity’s endless quips and playful earnesty compared to Sapnaps laughing remarks and shy, but solid affections. Karl could bathe in the intense gaze of Sapnap all day, and know he was being seen. Whereas Quackity wouldn't let him stay still, desperate to uncover every secret and nook Karl's smile held. 

Karl smiled, feeling shy all of a sudden. He felt like silk under Sapnap’s gaze, treasured and beautiful. It was strange how Sapnap had the ability to turn him into a grade schooler with a crush.

"I want to be with you, too." Karl said, and Sapnap smiled, like really smiled, canines in view and eyes shining like the sun. He was the rock on which Karl stood. 

"Yeah?" Sapnap said, more like whispered, enamored by the sight of Karl and only Karl, and it should have been scary, sitting there and being looked at like he was something worth searching for, and it should have been scary that in the course of a night Karl had successfully ruined both the friendships he'd spent five years building, but Sapnap was all Karl could see in that moment. The harsh light of the shitty laundry room illuminating him in a way that was too hard and angled for his tender softness, but he was stunning nonetheless.

“Yeah.” Karl agreed, smiling. He looked at Sapnap and saw a man he could fall in love with over and over again, a man he did fall in love with over and over again. Karl fell more and more in love every moment he spent with Sapnap. “And you should talk to Quackity.” Karl said, pointedly looking anywhere but Sapnap as to not ruin the surprise.

“Are-are you and Quackity a thing?” Sapnap asked, Karl just tilted his head and smiled. Sapnap gasped. 

“ No way! No fucking way- ” Sapnap exclaimed, looking at Karl like he didn’t know what timeline he was living in.

“I know.” Karl said, reassuringly. As much as he liked to laugh at Sapnap’s antics, again, he understood them. Sapnap just kept staring at him, eyes wide.

“And he- he likes me?” Sapnap asked, incredulous. Karl just looked away innocently.

“Can’t confirm nor deny. But you had to know ‘cause like- are you good with the whole polyamory thing?” Karl asked.

“ Am I good with it? ” Sapnap asked, incredulous yet again, “I’m overjoyed!” Sapnap said, wiggling happily, he did so much that the dryer shook and he made a sheepish face before stopping. Karl laughed at him fondly.

“You are so cute.” Karl said, smiling at Sapnap.

“I’m the rugged one. You’re cute.” Sapnap said, making Karl giggle.

“Why thank you, sir.” He said, batting his eyelashes. Sapnap laughed in response. His laugh was everything Karl ever thought of. He couldn’t think when he heard that laugh sneak out from those lips and when that laugh crinkled those eyes. Sapnap was just That guy. That guy that Karl couldn’t help but look at, couldn’t help but love. Loving Sapnap was easy, it came as easily as the rain falling from the sky and sun peeking out after a hard day. It came as easily as smiling; Quackity the laughter following close behind.

"So, what're you gonna do now that you know I’m totally head over heels for you?" Karl teased, tilting his head to the side and staring at Sapnap quizzically. Sapnap huffed out a laugh and shook his head, showing Karl that show stopping smile again.

"Obviously there is an order of business we must comply with. It means you have to move out pronto. It's just not moral to live with each other before marriage." Sapnap joked.

"Need I remind you we are married?" Karl said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh. That." Sapnap said, Karl laughed.

"That." Karl parroted.

"It's- do you still want to be?" Sapnap asked, looking at Karl with his eyes that were impossibly blue. Karl couldn’t understand how anyone could be so pretty.

“I- to be honest, I don’t know. Can we talk about it later? Like with Q?” Karl asked, Sapnap sighed and nodded.

“As long as you swear that we actually do end up talking about it.” Sapnap said. Karl nodded to that, too. He nearly jumped when the washing machine he was sitting on rang out, signaling the fact their laundry was done.

"Oh." Karl said, hopping off the machine and Sapnap pulled his legs to his chest so that Karl could throw the clothes into the dryer and Karl found it so endearing it physically hurt him.

"Hello handsome." Karl said in lieu of greeting as he stood up from tossing in the laundry and was met with Sapnaps surprised face. Sapnap smiled and rolled his eyes as he resumed his previous sitting position and Karl was caged by Sapnap, his legs on either side of him .

"Hello." Sapnap responded, moving his arms  around Karl's neck, slowly so he could pull away at any time. Because that was just Sapnap’s way. Sapnap’s infuriatingly caring way. 

"You come here often?" Karl teased and Sapnap rolled his eyes in response.

"Youre so fucking corny." Sapnap said, smiling with fond exasperation.

"You should kiss it off me." Karl said, smiling.

"What?" Sapnap laughed, ringing out above the soft hum of the machines around them.

"What I mean is- You should kiss me. If you want to." Karl said, smiling like an idiot. He felt stupid, but not in a demeaning way, just stupidly in love, he supposed.

"I do want to." Sapnap said, moving his hand to rest on Karl's cheek as he traced loving lines onto his face.

"I want you to, too." Karl said just for the sake of saying something, which made Sapnap laugh again. God he was beautiful.

Sapnap leaned down, gently, carefully, patiently; stopping when Karl could feel his breath on his lips.

"Are you sure?" Sapnap asked, looking into Karl's eyes with such certainty, such truth, like if Karl said the word Sapnap would bend backwards for him and do a backflip. Which Karl would pay to see.

"Absolutely." Karl said, willing himself to be patient because that's the way Sapnap always was, patient and sure and untempted despite his tendency to be hot headed. He was fierce with his care and gentle with his assurances.

Sapnap closed the distance, at first it was a gentle brush of the lips before Karl pushed back into him, unafraid of the rejection Sapnap always seemed to fear. It was chaste and it was sweet and Karl felt as though he could taste dandelions on his lips.

As Sapnap pulled away Karl planted his hand on the dryer’s lid beside him and kissed him again. This time with the uncareful, the erratic, the unkempt love and assurance he kept within himself, he kissed Sapnap to convey his messiness, Karl's imperfections, his breaking down and building up but with the one sureness that Sapnap was what he needed in his life; with the knowledge that despite Karl’s messiness Sapnap would love him a thousand times over. Karl hoped to convey the fact that he loved Sapnap despite his messiness too, despite his impulsivity and inability to always be there. Karl kissed him with the assurance of a man on his deathbed and all the fierceness Karl could muster. 

"You're amazing Sap." Karl whispered as he pulled away, Sapnap slightly out of breath, all smiles and soft giggles in the afterglow.

"I have been told I was a good kisser before." Sapnap said after a minute, teasing and smiley and Karl tried very hard not to kiss him again but (news flash!) He failed.

—---

Sapnap and Karl walked into the apartment quietly and sighed in relief when the telltale sounds of Quackity’s snores weren’t interrupted by their entrance.

“You good to sleep alone tonight?” Sapnap asked, Karl turned to look at him and raised his eyebrow.

“What?” Karl asked.

“Well.. y’know you like… fell into a lake you must be scared, right?” Sapnap said, looking at a cocky smile that made Karl’s heart Do A Thing. Karl’s brain lagged for a minute before he realised how stupid and endearing Sapnap was being. He swallowed a laugh but failed to suppress his smile.

“Yeah, I’m really terrified of the lake that me and Q made out in.” Karl said, puffing out his lower lip in an exaggerated pout. Sapnap paused for a second before his eyes widened astronomically.

“You fell into the lake because you were making out?!” Sapnap said in a whisper-shout.

“Wh- No! You fucking pervert! We fell into the lake and then- ” 

“You stayed in the lake even though you could have gotten sick?!” Sapnap asked.

“Quackity’s a smokeshow of course I stayed in the lake Sap are you crazy?” Karl replied.

“It’s- okay, yeah, that makes sense.” Sapnap agreed. “But you made out in a lake and it wasn’t the first thing you told me?!” Sapnap said, looking at Karl offended.

“It’s- You were making sure we weren’t sick! And you seemed so scared earlier, are you seriously telling me after the fretting you’ve been doing that you would have wanted to have heard about that first?” Karl asked.

“Yes?!” Sapnap replied, Karl just looked at him, exasperated.

“You are actually insane. You know that?” Karl said, smiling at Sapnap. Sapnap just laughed.

“Now I don’t have a cheap excuse to ask you to cuddle with me. It’s ‘Makeout Lake’ now. Not ‘very scary lake Sapnap’s big, strong arms can protect me from’.” Sapnap said, huffing out a sigh. Karl laughed again and Sapnap looked at him with a fondness that was practically tangible.

“You’re beautiful, you know that?” Sapnap said.

“That’s a great way to get me to cuddle with you, handsome.” Karl said, batting his eyelashes teasingly.

“I’m serious.” Sapnap said, smiling at Karl and wrapping his arm around Karl’s waist and pulling him closer to Sapnap. He rubbed his nose into Karl’s cheek teasingly before pressing a kiss to it. Karl giggled, softly.

“You’re such a sucker. How did I not see this before?” Karl said, giggling more as Sapnap peppered kisses all around the side of his face. 

“Cuddle with me.” Sapnap insisted and kept peppering kisses to Karl’s face. Karl would make a joke about his persuasion, his evil tricks in an attempt to woo Karl, but Karl felt like a sunflower in the sun; he ate up all the attention Sapnap gave him and he would have dropped everything and moved to Costa Rica if it meant he could cuddle with Sapnap. He couldn’t even find it in himself to pretend to be begrudged.

“Of course.” Karl said, exclaiming with glee as Sapnap picked him up bridal style and brought Karl to his room.

Bridal style. They were mar-

Karl banished all serious thoughts and thought only of Sapnap as he was dropped onto the bed rather unceremoniously and quickly engulfed by blankets and Sapnap. Karl laid on his back and Sapnap’s face was very soon in the crook of Karl’s neck, the aforementioned man had his arm around Karl’s waist and their legs intertwined before Karl could make a noise of faux annoyance at being dropped. Karl snaked his arm under Sapnap and wrapped it around Sapnap’s waist, pulling him ever so slightly closer. Sapnap giggled into his neck. Everything smelt of Sapnap, his signature woodsy cologne’s scent in absolutely every square inch of the room. Karl felt consumed by the smell, but to be fair, that was just Sapnap. His eyes that saw every part of a person, his smile that made Karl’s heart explode, his comforting words that were everything a person ever needed to hear, Sapnap was all consuming in the way that he was just- everything. He was everything to Karl.

“Did I tell you I love you?” Karl asked, Sapnap laughed into his neck again. It was the best feeling in the entire world.

“No. That was your first time.” Sapnap said, shaking his head and pressing a kiss to Karl’s neck.

“Oh. Sorry. I- do you want me to do it again?” Karl asked, which made Sapnap laugh even more.

“Okay.” Sapnap said.

“I love you in a way I’ve never loved anything before.” Karl said, staring at the glow in the dark stars on Sapnap’s ceiling. Sapnap sighed contently into his neck.

“I love you so loudly.” Sapnap said.

“Yeah?” Karl replied.

“Yeah.”

“Is it loud right now?” Karl asked.

“Very loud.” Sapnap said, moving his head from Karl’s neck and laying it on the pillow, Karl turned to face him.

“How loud?” Karl asked in a whisper, Sapnap smiled, exasperated, his eyes crinkled at the sides like a million waves were spilling across his face.

“Loudest thing you could ever hear” Sapnap said, smiling, Karl smiled back.

“Not the loudest in the whole world?” Karl joked, shaking his head as if he was offended.

“The world’s much bigger than just you or I.” Sapnap said fondly.

“Sometimes it doesn’t feel like that.” Karl professed, turning to stare at the ceiling. He felt like he was dripping wax at the edges, like he was fraying from reality and into some world where only he, Sapnap and Quackity existed. Sapnap was like the early morning dew as he poked Karl’s cheek, silently asking him to look at him. Sapnap was a hummingbird on a leaf as he gazed at Karl with such intensity, such genuine fondness that Karl swore he couldn’t breathe. Karl’s candle wax edges solidified under Sapnap’s watery gaze, the flame went out and Karl stood as still as time under his stare. Because Sapnap had the funny ability to make Karl zip right back to where he should be. Had the funny ability of not only stopping him from evaporating but piercing him back together, despite the fact that evaporating wasn’t so bad in the first place.

“It’s- I spent so long looking for you and you’re right here.” Sapnap said, smiling at Karl and looking at him with such fondness that it should have been illegal. Karl swore in his heart he had to outlaw that look right now. 

“I’m here.” Karl said, sitting up slightly and moving so his face was above Sapnap’s.

“You’re here.” Sapnap smiled, genuine, glowing, he was all Karl could see before he closed his eyes and kissed him. Sapnap kissed him like he was running out of air; or rather, like Karl was the first breath of air he’d had in weeks, he kept a firm hand on Karl’s cheek that stopped him from drifting away, almost as if Sapnap was afraid he would. Because Sapnap was that kind of man. He was honest and giving and contemplative, he did everything as if it was the last thing he would do and he loved like he couldn’t ever give enough. He loved Karl like mountains kissing the rain as it came down and Karl loved him as the rain falling down, desperately trying to plummet towards him as fast as he could. Sapnap was a desperate man and Karl a calamitous one; both so consumed by love that it manifested into mountains beyond their own comprehension. Karl smiled as he pulled away and shifted his weight so he was laying on top of Sapnap. 

“I’ll always be here.” Karl said, nuzzling into his chest.

“How can you even promise that?” Sapnap laughed, incredulous.

“Easily.” Karl said.

Chapter Text

Karl woke up to the sound of laughter in the kitchen. He sighed into the pillow and made a pitiful noise when he noticed Sapnap’s absence, though the realization took him longer than he would like to admit. 

He sat up, attempting to rub the sleep from his eyes; which proved futile, he was on the verge of making another noise of complaint before he heard a distinct laugh and the familiar mingling of laughter in the kitchen. 

Oh?

He sat up and shook his head, trying to bring himself to the land of the waking, he pushed the sheets off of him and reveled in the sight of Sapnap’s room in the dim daylight, it was a rare sight and one he treasured, especially as it was a reminder that last night was real. He admired the room before sneaking out of it and holding his breath.

Realistically, he didn’t need to be nosy, he lived there, and Sapnap and Quackity told Karl basically everything, and vice versa. They had what their friends joked about being a ‘symbiotic relationship’, so he could step into the kitchen and see or hear whatever he wanted and have it explained to him.

But also… Literally everything ever had happened the previous night, Karl had felt like he was driving on the highway with the windows down. It was exhilarating in the way the wind nipped at his skin yet horrifying in the way that it felt as though if he went a theoretical kilometer per hour faster he would fly out of the car into another plane of existence entirely. 

Needless to say, it was a rush of all the emotions he had kept inside of himself for an agonizing amount of time muddled into happiness and freedom; but it was fast, so fast. And he worried, absently, now, where his love was under the scrutiny of harsh daylight, if he’d made the right decision. Not for lack of loving the decisions he made, but he worried more for Sapnap, who was a chronic overthinker, and Quackity, who was hasty and lacked hesitance. What if a good night’s sleep had made them come to regret it? What if they decided they didn’t like each other and Karl might have to choose between them? What if-

“I love you.” Quackity said, soft, intimate. Sapnap chuckled in response, and then promptly stopped chuckling and Karl didn’t have to be a genius to know why. 

So, maybe his worries were all for naught, but still, regrets could happen, right? He just had to handle it graciously, with open arms and forgiving smiles. Just in case. 

“The food’s gonna burn.” Sapnap said, voice quiet and gruff from its disuse in the morning. It made Karl’s heart do A Thing. 

“Let it.” Quackity said. 

“It’s for Karl . We can’t burn it if we’re being good husbands and making him breakfast.” Sapnap said.

Husbands? His husbands making him breakfast. And the way Sapnap said it didn’t sound like it was a consolation breakfast, ‘ sorry, we regret marrying you breakfast ’ this was like, boyfriends breakfast. Karl tried not to squeal and snuck back into Sapnap’s bedroom, to lie down.

One word rang on repeat in his head as he fell back asleep to await whatever surprise Sapnap and Quackity were preparing. The cadence and tone and gentle clarity in which Sapnap said ‘ husbands ’. 

Husbands. Husbands. Husbands. Husbands. Husbands. Hus-

—--

Karl woke up to a soft kiss to his temple and a fond giggle in response as he preened at the contact. A dip of weight in the bed on one side and then a warm body on his other. 

“Wakey wakey~” Quackity cooed into Karl’s ear, which made Karl laugh so hard due to the way his skin tickled and the cheesiness of the line that he woke up almost immediately.

“You’re corny.” Karl said, turning his head on the pillow to face where Quackity was sitting above the covers, his elbow rested on the pillow next to Karl’s head and he was half laying down. He stared down at Karl with a smile that rivaled the sun and fondness that felt like honey coating his skin under his stare.

“You like it.” Quackity stated, looking down at Karl and placing his hand on his cheek before pressing a kiss onto the space between his eyebrows. 

“I love it.” Karl said, giggling as Quackity peppered kisses all over his face. Quackity eventually relented, deciding to just stare at Karl lovingly again, and it made Karl feel strangely bittersweet due to the lack of kisses (bad) and the undivided attention Quackity gave him (good). 

“Goodmorning, my love.” Sapnap said, stealing Karl’s attention and pressing a kiss to the side of his lips.

“It is indeed a good morning.” Karl said, making the two of them laugh. Karl felt dizzy and exuberant and a bunch of words he couldn’t define or find but they all meant good or great or just any synonym for any word with any sort of positive connotation; he was feeling that.

“We made you breakfast.” Sapnap said, voice barely above a whisper because he was infuriatingly kind and didn’t want to hurt Karl’s ears in the morning. (something Karl had admitted after a late night years ago that Sapnap stuck by)

“Bring it in here and cuddle with me.” Karl declared. Quackity shrugged, and relented his uncommitted sitting position; pulling the covers over himself and laying down next to Karl. Quackity let Karl wrap himself around him in a bone crushing embrace. Sapnap sighed, exasperated, grumbled about not consenting to them eating in his bed, and complied, going to the kitchen to bring the food in there anyways. 

Karl clapped his hands and exclaimed with glee as Sapnap brought in the tray, Quackity catcalled him and Sapnap just looked mildly annoyed and then laughed, putting the tray on Karl’s lap and leaning over him to kiss Quackity. Karl’s heart fluttered almost as much as it did when Sapnap actually kissed him when he kissed Quackity. Because they all loved each other, somehow, and they were all married, somehow. (Except their marriage wasn’t somehow; it was a document signed while they were all drunk and off their rockers).

He sung his praises of Sapnap’s cooking and praised Quackity, too, despite the fact Karl knew Quackity had probably only helped by looking pretty. They all ate in relative silence and Karl just drank up the attention he was given, and the attention Quackity and Sapnap gave each other. It was so strangely invigorating to do the same things they always did except it was different this time because they were in love and they knew it. It was different this time because Karl could just ask and Sapnap would let him hold his hand, he could just ask and Quackity would kiss him. He didn’t worry or hope his heart was beating too loud or have to pine so desperately and pitifully, he just lived, they just worked .

“So, we’re all together then?” Karl said casually as Sapnap was collecting dishes and (much to the dismay of Karl and Quackity) leaving their cuddle session.

Sapnap paused for a second, almost dropping a plate, before giving Karl a look. 

“I’d say so.” Quackity said, nodding and oozing nonchalance. Sapnap, on Karl’s other side, was not.

“You’d want to?” Sapnap finally said, Karl resisted the urge to laugh at him and nodded.

“Okay. Yeah.” Sapnap said, a smile growing on his face. “Yeah.” He repeated, more firm. Karl did laugh that time before pulling him in for a kiss and doing the same with Quackity.

“Cool.” Karl said.

“Cool.” Quackity agreed.

“Cool.” Sapnap parroted, the three just looked at each other for a second before Sapnap continued carrying the dishes out and brought them to the kitchen.

“Cool.” Karl said a second time, just to say something while the idea formed in his head, when he grasped the concept this was very much real. Quackity laughed, shaking his head fondly and intertwining their fingers.

“Love you.” Quackity said.

“Love you, too.” Karl replied, resting his head on top of Quackity’s. Because he could say that now, he could admit that, now.  

“In the spirit of discussing things,” Sapnap said as he entered the room again, scooting back into the bed. Rather than being on the other side of Karl he sat across from him, nearly crushing his toes so he could make eye contact with Karl and Quackity.

“Yeah?” Quackity said, keeping his head resting on Karl’s shoulder. 

“Well… Quackity and I discussed it a bit but… The marriage thing. Are we okay with it?” Sapnap asked. He obviously felt some way about it, because he seemed slightly jittery, he was nervous beyond his usual realm of it.

“Um.” Karl said. To be honest, he wasn’t really sure. It didn’t feel real. On one hand, all it really was was the legal combining of all their possessions, it wasn’t real marriage, and one day he would like to be ‘ real married ’ to Sapnap and Quackity, and on the other hand, it was kinda… funny? 

“To be honest, I don’t really… care? Which seems bad. But I dunno, it’s a funny story. We got married before we even realized we liked each other.” Karl decided on saying.

“Yeah, I said kinda the same thing. Like, it doesn’t really change much except make our taxes easier, and one day, I’d like to actually get married.” Quackity said.

“So… What? That’s it we are just like- technically married until we actually get married?” Sapnap asked.

“Yeah.” Karl shrugged. “Unless you don’t want to, of course.” 

“No- I- yeah, it’s funny. Plus I called you guys my husbands anyways it’s not really gonna change anything.” Sapnap said, smiling. Quackity laughed in response.

“We seriously suck. We’re like, actually the worst.” He said in between laughs, and Karl couldn’t help but agree.

—----

Sapnap and Quackity laid on the couch as Karl was just finishing up an order of books for the library when he realized something. Sapnap was letting Karl use his actually good PC and Karl almost kicked the computer cabinet over when he realized. He ripped Sapnap’s clunky headphones off his head after pausing his music and almost tripped on his way out of the doorway.

“We need to go on a honeymoon!” Karl declared. Quackity sat up, removing his head from Sapnap’s lap and Sapnap just turned his head to look at him.

“What? No we don’t-” Quackity started.

“We do! ” Karl insisted. Quackity just rolled his eyes fondly and was about to deny again before Sapnap did it for him.

“Us and what money are going on a honeymoon?” Sapnap said, looking at Karl with fond exasperation.

“Oh.” Karl said. He hadn’t thought about that. Karl worked at a library and Sapnap was a mechanic so money came and went. Quackity was still going to be in school for another 2 years, so they weren’t exactly rich. They weren’t exactly middle class either. They were… somewhere.

“Okay. Well. We still need to go on a honeymoon!! It’s the rite of passage, marriage- honeymoon! It’s important!” Karl insisted. Quackity rolled his eyes but didn’t hide his smile.

“We’ll go on a honeymoon when we actually get married.” Quackity said, placing his head back in Sapnap’s lap.

“We technically are actually married!” Karl countered. Sapnap smiled at Karl like he was made of stars.

“We can still go on a honeymoon, Q. It could just be less big and official. Like a honeymoon date.” Sapnap said, looking down at Quackity and then back at Karl, tilting his head and raising his eyebrow as if to ask Karl if that was okay. Sapnap, the king of compromises.

“Yeah!” Karl said, unable to contain his excitement.

“Karl, love of my life, my dearest, I spent all my cash for the next month on going to dinner with you and Sapnap spent his on PC repairs, I don’t want you to have to fork up all your money for the next 3 months just so we can do something nice for our honeymoon. ” Quackity said, because he was reasonable. And it made sense, really. But Karl was a hopeless romantic and would do absolutely anything to make his boyfriend-husbands happy.

“Then we can just go to Mcdonalds or something!” He concluded. Quackity laughed before sitting up again and nodding at him.

“We’ll go to Mcdonalds for our super-official-and-meaningful honeymoon.” Quackity complied, still slightly sarcastic but smiling at Karl with an indescribably amount of fondness nonetheless. Karl loved him like the sunrise and sunset.

“Honeymoon activities start at 5:00” Karl said, going back into Sapnap’s room to finish his work.

—-

The honeymoon activities had commenced.  

Karl summoned Sapnap and Quackity at 5:00 on the dot and the three of them left the apartment building with their hands intertwined. Karl had every intention to make this the most professional honeymoon ever despite the very honeymoon being anything but that. He opened doors for Sapnap and Quackity and designated himself as chauffeur (as a gentleman would).

They all clambered into the car and Karl put on some music, humming along to it as he drove. Both Quackity and Sapnap were in the backseat and Karl couldn’t stop stealing glances at them in the mirror as he drove. He also couldn’t stop smiling. His cheeks hurt and all they were doing was going to a cheap fast food restaurant, but he was just so undeniably happy. So happy it made his skin tingle and his heart flutter. So happy he felt like he may explode or jump fast enough that he broke through the atoms of the earth. 

Karl pulled into the drive through and they ordered fairly quickly, he made a show of paying for the three of them and it made Sapnap and Quackity laugh so hard they couldn’t breathe. 

“It wasn’t even that funny” Karl said, because he was self aware, as he stifled a laugh of his own. He grabbed their food and passed the bags back to his boyfriend-husbands. Quackity just laughed in response.

“Where are we gonna eat?” Sapnap asked, trying to scout out a good area for them to have their Super Official Honeymoon Dinner.

“I dunno, to be honest. I didn’t think that far ahead.” Karl said. 

“Picnic?” Quackity suggested.

“I didn’t bring a blanket or anything, that's like, the opposite of classy.” Karl said, making a left out of the parking lot.

“Oh yeah, and Mcdonalds is really classy.” Quackity teased. 

“It’s our honeymoon, be nice to me.” Karl pouted and as he stopped at a redlight Quackity threw himself across the car and into the passenger's seat to give Karl a kiss on the cheek.

“That better?” Quackity asked, doing up his seatbelt as the light turned green. Karl took a moment to think on it before beaming and sparing a glance at him.

“Absolutely. So much better.” Karl said, and Quackity just smiled at him and Karl hadn’t stopped smiling the entire time they’d been in the car so of course he smiled back.

“How about we just eat in the car near the lake or something?” Sapnap suggested. “Like we get a good view and park and just eat.” 

“Sure.” Karl agreed and Quackity nodded along with him.

They pulled up to an area overlooking the lake and Karl hummed happily at the view. It was a parking lot to some record store that was totally and completely empty. Quackity kept eyeing the store, though, so they would probably take a look there after dinner and before heading home. It was fairly private, and super pretty. The sun reflected on the water pleasantly and Karl (as stated earlier) loved the lake.

Karl and Quackity wordlessly reclined the seats so that all the seats in the car were in a square U shape. Sapnap sat in the middle of the back seats, Karl in the driver's seat and Quackity still in the passengers.

They each found their respective meal and got to eating as Quackity and Sapnap discussed the probability of some scientific anomaly Karl didn’t have half the mind to understand but he listened anyway. Karl added in a few points that Sapnap shook his head fondly at and redefined so Karl could understand better. Karl really only did it because he wanted to contribute and thought it was really cute when Sapnap would take his time to explain things, not once getting annoyed.

Eventually, Quackity caught on to Karl’s plot to make Sapnap explain literally anything to him because his intelligence was undeniably attractive and joined in too. Sapnap caught on too soon after Quackity pretended not to know how to calculate the Hubble Constant.

“Q, we literally talked about that yesterday. You reexplained it to me when I got it wrong.” Sapnap said, and Quackity made a noise of defeat.

“I ruined it.” Quackity said, pouting as he looked at Karl.

“It’s okay, Q. It was fun while it lasted.” Karl said, opening his arms and letting Quackity scoot onto his seat for consolation hugs, patting his back dramatically. 

“You two are so weird.” Sapnap said, smiling crookedly at them.

“You are smart and it’s hot. You should go back to school and be an astro-engineer or whatever those guys are called.” Karl said.

“No way. School is way too expensive and I would be a lame ass engineer.” Sapnap said, which made Karl roll his eyes.

“You would be a cool, rugged engineer.” Quackity said, to which Karl grabbed his heart and sighed dramatically to in lieu of response.

“Just imagine… All the money he’d make… All the mansplaining he’d do…” Karl sighed again, and Quackity joined him. Sapnap paused for a second before laughing at them.

“I’m not rugged enough as a mechanic?” Sapnap said.

“You’re plenty rugged, we all know this.” Karl responded, which seemed to satisfy Sapnap.

“Maybe we should just find a rich guy to indoctrinate into our polycule and have him sign a common law marriage form while inebriated. Then we’d be set.” Quackity said, voice ever so slightly muffled due to the fact his head was shoved into Karl’s sweater.

“Yes. Good idea.” Karl agreed, which made Sapnap laugh.

“Wow. So in order to make sure we stay exclusive I have to make more money? That’s what I’m hearing?” Sapnap asked.

“No. We can just stay exclusive.” Karl said, Quackity nodded into his sweater.

“But it’d be cool to have a rich guy pay off all our debt.” Quackity said, which all of them agreed to.

“ You’re our rich guy.” Sapnap said to Quackity.

“When I get out of school. I promise I’ll be the best damn rich guy you’ve ever seen. I’ll- I’ll work my way up the law firm and then I’ll run for president and no one will be able to see me coming.” Quackity said, strangely earnest despite the tone of the conversation. Karl was about to counter and tell Quackity that literally everyone knew he wanted to go into politics, before he decided he’d rather not let any insecurities fester inside of him.

“You know we’re joking, right? You- we don’t need a rich guy to solve our problems, I’m happy to help you out financially.” Karl said, nudging Quackity,  which forced him to look Karl in the eye. 

“Yeah, I know. I’m happy you do. Both of you. But really, one day I’ll pull us all out of our crippling debt and we’ll- we’ll buy a house. A real fancy one on the West side of town.” Quackity said, smiling at Karl and Sapnap.

“The west side of town is full of snobs.” Karl protested. “We should live in one of the houses near the lake so we can walk by it every morning.” 

“Yeah? And what happens when the street erodes?” Quackity challenged.

“Okay, then how about in one of those gated communities just out of town? We could get chickens and have a little farm?” Sapnap suggested.

“I like the sound of that. Fresh eggs for breakfast and all that pretty forest around.” Karl said, wistfully.

“Those houses are huge, we could all have our own little workspaces and stuff, too. But we’d have to start saving up.” Quackity said, and it was phrased like a question but he said it like a statement. Like it was already happening. Like he was already sure they would do it, and Karl knew he was. He knew Quackity was sure and Sapnap was sure, and Karl was sure too. This is what they wanted.

“And on our real honeymoon we’ll go to Scotland and visit the lake where the Loch Ness monster lives.” Karl said, which made Sapnap laugh fondly and Quackity lean into him a little more. 

“You know we can just like, go to Scotland sometime when money is less tight. It doesn’t have to be our honeymoon.” Sapnap said, with a smile on his face.

“But it would be so cool! And I bet no one else-” Karl started, before Quackity put his hand on his mouth and shook his head.

“We’ll just go to Scotland. Don’t ruin our honeymoon.” Quackity said. And his eyes were so brown and so beautiful and he was right there in Karl’s arms. They would see the Loch Ness monster another time, then. But he would keep bringing it up again if it meant Quackity would smile like that.

“Okay.” Karl agreed.

Because loving them was dizziness and dandelions, and no matter how careful Karl was to not get rejected he dove in head first with everything he was anyway, he rolled his window down and stuck his hand out, high fiving the air in the highway, he looked into their eyes and made small declarations of his love every single day. Because loving Sapnap was the fire that kept his heart in the hearth and loving Quackity was the fuel that kept him going; his light in the morning and the smell of coffee in the afternoon. They were his lifesource, but really, they were much more than that, they were much more than the gravity that held him to the ground, much more than the home he searched for. They were the kindlings in his soul, the things that he breathed for.

And the poet's might even say that was something beyond love. But Karl thought it beautiful rather than damning. Karl thought there was nothing better than the taste of honey in his brain when Quackity smiled and the hot summer warmth of Sapnaps eyes.

And Karl knew that the first date the three of them had together probably wasn't the time to be discussing their future, but he'd waited five years for it. He'd waited five years just to entertain the thought they could have something, so he spared himself the internal lecture about being reasonable, and suddenly the ‘one day’ was attainable. Quackity would graduate, Sapnap would find a more stable job, Karl would own the library (his manager was old), and they would have a house, just on the edge of town, with chickens and a dog and maybe a cat. Upstairs would be Quackity’s office and in the garage Sapnap’s studio. It would get cold in the winter and the well might freeze up, and it would be blazing in the summer and they'd have farmers tans from tending to their garden. Matching rings on each of their fingers, two each, and on the walls would be pictures of them on their travels, curled up at home, in the garden, anywhere. It would be so undeniably theirs. The house would be filled with the tender kind of love that Karl would lose sleep over, not due to fretting but due to nights spent laughing together and quiet whispers of devotion into pillows, from dates that dripped into sunsets and nights spent stargazing.

But for now, they had their little apartment, and Karl wouldn't trade it for the world. The future could take as long as it needed. Karl was happy right then, in the car, in the lake, in a laundry room; anywhere. Anywhere they were.