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Karl loved when Sapnap came to visit. They had more time now that George had moved to America, the worry about leaving Dream to his own devices less extreme with the new roommate occupying their time. While Sapnap never enjoyed flying, complaining to Karl every chance he got, he still came each time a Mr.Beast video or Pokemon competition was brought up. Maybe Karl hid a little behind his social connections to get more of Sapnap’s attention, but he knew how to mask his devious ways with a pretty smile. Jimmy caught on to the underlying reasons for requesting Sapnap’s involvement, but he was too good of a friend to call out blushing cheeks and avoidance eyes to push the topic.
“You’re here!” Karl didn’t hold back when throwing himself into Sapnap’s chest, wrapping his arms around the thicker neck to steady himself. If Sapnap minded, he didn’t show it, securing Karl’s waist between his forearms and pulling him closer. Knowing he was too flushed from a friendly connection, he buried his face into the little peek of curls from under Sapnap’s hat, voicing his protest with a whine when Sapnap tried to pull away.
“We’re in the airport, Karl. You can’t be giving the fans free info before we announce I’m here.”
“Because your three hours of Spotify activity won’t give it away,” he answered, pulling back once he composed himself.
Sapnap’s smile stayed small but pleased when looking up at him. “You’ve been watching what I’m listening to?”
“It’s all over my Twitter; your fans like to imagine what songs you dedicate to me.” He wondered, too, but kept the information behind closed lips when Sapnap laughed, choosing to switch subjects. “You ready to win some money?”
“Always,” Sapnap’s eyes flickered with the competitive blood running through his veins. Too smitten for his own good, Karl swallowed his confession of affection, forcing himself away from the hug and brushing his sleeves down the front of his sweater. When he looked up from the fake dust cleaning, Sapnap was already watching him, Karl twisting his fingers into the cuffs to hide his tremble.
“What?”
“Huh?”
“You’re staring at me,” Karl said, pressing his tongue to the back of his teeth from the sudden focus.
Sapnap’s gentle blink settled his rapid heartbeat, trying not to notice the steady hand still cupping his slender hip. “Oh, yeah. Think I’m a little jet lagged.”
“You’re so bad with planes.”
“It’s not my fault, you know how these get.” He tugged his left ear, then grimaced and moved his hand down to rub his jaw. “When’s the video shoot? Do we have time to head back and take a nap?”
“Whenever you ask for ‘naps’, it turns into half a day of sleep and you get super cranky when I wake you up.”
“Hey, that was one time.” Karl remembered it well, though he kept his mouth shut on the memory. The feel of Sapnap curling against his spine, and the sleepy lips that pressed unconsciously to the back of his neck while Sapnap slept, was a sensation he’d never forget. From the easy-going conversation after Karl re-arranged and shook him awake, Sapnap hadn’t remembered the snuggling. Karl kept silent on the matter, not wanting to shatter his warm perspective with the cold truth of reality.
“That’s just a lie,” he said instead, laughing at Sapnap’s eye-roll.
“Whatever. Either way, I need to find a soft pillow and fast. I’m tired cause Dream and George had me up late last night running some new mod for their video.”
The yawn that broke up the end of the explanation softened Karl’s teases, and he leaned in to run his painted nails along the wisps of hair along his neck. He added some pressure to his motions, scratching against the scalp. “Jimmy said we could have the day for ourselves, so don’t sweat it. I thought we could chill at my house, maybe do a little chatting stream, and then get some sushi.”
“All your sushi places suck around here,” Sapnap said, tilting his head into the gentle motions.
Karl hummed and increased the affection, though hid it with a high-volume laugh. “Just because it’s not the place you’re begging me to try in Florida—”
“Sue me for knowing good sushi and wanting to share it with my best friend.”
“Weird, why wouldn’t Dream know where to eat in his own state?”
Sapnap opened one eye from his head massage, scowling up at him. “You’re just trying to get me to say you’re my favorite.”
“What, are you saying I’m not?” He asked, giggling at his own mischief. When Sapnap grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand away, his pulse quickened, Karl quick to amend his reply. “Okay okay okay, I’m just kidding.”
“You’re so—” But Sapnap paused in his playful insult, eyes darting to Karl’s captured hand and head flopping to the side like a dog. “When did you get a tattoo?”
“Huh?” Thrown off at the question, Karl looked down to where the two dots sat across the bridge of his pointer finger, brain rolling back to the old memory. “Oh, this? I got it on a live stream with the Beast Crew right after I joined the SMP. I think it was in November a couple years ago? I can’t remember the exact date, but it’s been a while. You really never noticed the tattoo?”
“You always hold my hand when we’re this close,” Sapnap answered, still looking at the marked skin in awe. “I guess my thumb covered it or something.”
“Well, there you go. It wasn’t a big deal, barely even felt it.” Karl’s bold-faced lie fell from his lips with ease, praying Sapnap never saw the pathetic live stream. “You should get one sometime.”
“Pass,” was the immediate response, but Sapnap’s interest in his made Karl wonder if there was some intrigue in the procedure. “What’s the meaning behind them?”
“Something stupid,” Karl answered, chewing on his lower lip when a gentle swipe of Sapnap’s thumb rubbed against his tattoo. “I want my next one to mean more. Maybe something with Quackity from the SMP.”
Finally, Sapnap let go of his hand, shoving his own into his sweatshirt. “That’s lame. Don’t waste it on Quackity.”
“Well, who else would I do it with?” Poking the bear, Karl tapped his finger against his lower lip, tossing out a theatrical hum. “I mean, maybe George would be down for—”
“That’s it.” Karl squealed when an arm swiped under his shoulders and knees, lifting him off his feet. He kicked his feet out in a half-hearted protest when he was carried without a care toward the exit of the airport.
“Put me down!”
“Nope, you earned this for bringing up George over me.” He hated how the possessive tone in the grumble made his heart melt, his fake fighting falling away to enjoy being cradled in Sapnap’s care.
“You said you wouldn’t get one,” he replied, throwing one arm around Sapnap’s neck to better support himself when hiked up higher. Even with the backpack weighing him down, Sapnap didn’t show strain in his walk stepping through the automatic doors, and Karl didn’t fear being dropped when leaning into his chest.
“Not alone. But if you wanted to get one together, I’d at least have a talk.” Sapnap peered around the parking lot, missing Karl’s fond expression. “Where the hell is your car?”
“Keep going straight, I’m like five cars on the right.”
“Are you gonna walk on your own, or are you enjoying your free ride?”
Karl shrugged, but tightened his grip on Sapnap’s nape. “Why, do you like holding me?”
“I don’t know, maybe.”
The lack of an automatic denial made Karl blink, unsure how wide his eyes became from the new information. He wanted to laugh, to flip on his charm and tease the tenseness from Sapnap’s forearms. But hearing some sliver of hope that Sapnap liked carrying him, liked being close to Karl the same way he had during their cuddle session, made the words evaporate from his head. Though taller than his friend by a good amount, the moment made him feel small, a little more vulnerable in the bridal position.
Hesitant over how love-struck his tone would become if he spoke, Karl coughed to clear his throat before answering. “We should get going, then.”
“Yeah, sorry.” Then Sapnap was moving again, eyes lifted to find Karl’s car. “Have you thought about what you’d want?”
“Hm?”
“For your next tattoo.”
“Oh, not really. But I think it’d have to mean something this time around.”
“Well, obviously. It’s gonna be on your skin forever.” Sapnap pulled him up again when he’d slumped too low on his hips, Karl snickering at the little grunt that slipped from Sapnap’s chest.
“Where would you want to get it?” Karl asked, leaning his head back to catch the first glimpse of his license plate.
Sapnap’s quick answer proved the thought hadn’t left his head since Karl first offered it. “Shouldn’t it be the same place as yours, if we were getting matching things?”
“Oh, probably.” Karl popped out a squeak when his feet dropped back to the ground outside of his car, his butt bumping into the trunk. Leaning against the metal when Sapnap knelt down to tie his shoe, Karl curled his finger against his chin and sighed. “There’s so many choices with you; what about a Pokemon?”
“That’d be kind of big.”
He rolled his eyes and glanced at his tattoo hanging by his side, then moved his fingers to grab the brim of Sapnap’s hat and yanked it. “Okay, maybe something for Kinoko Kingdom?”
“Then George will try to get in on it. And don’t pull my hat.”
“But I like your hair,” Karl said, leading Sapnap’s head wherever he tugged on the brim. He grinned at the little pout after his hand was captured again, wondering if Sapnap noticed how often he warmed Karl’s palm with his own. “Will you take this off when we nap?”
“I guess.” Sapnap’s eyes lowered to the tattoo again, and Karl spread his thumb out to give him a better look at the simplistic design. “I think…maybe something a little more than this.”
“You seem to like the hand thing,” he offered, Sapnap nodding.
“I want it to be seen, even if it’s not super flashy. And it’d be kind of cool for fans and stuff to draw their versions of our tattoo.”
The mentioned ‘our’ had Karl’s mouth rolling out the offer before the haze of affection could clear for reason. “We could get rings.”
“What?” Sapnap’s head jerked back from the offer, and Karl’s face exploded while shaking his head.
“Uh, I meant tattooed ones! Though you look good with my real rings anyways.” Karl laughed and tried to pull his hand back, though Sapnap’s tightened grip kept him from separating. Trapped to face the mess he created, Karl pressed his other hand closer to his chin and spoke against the skin. “Fans would love it, you know? Since Quackity went and died on us in Las Nevadas, it’d be a little troll on him, too. And it’d be something for just the two of us; loyalty to our lore.”
“Lore, huh?” Sapnap asked, thumb pressed over his tattoo again.
Karl’s breath hitched before he nodded. “Make our engagement official and all, in case I canonically forget. Can’t take it off if it’s branded on me.”
“How would we even explain that to people outside of the DSMP?”
“We don’t really have to. It’s not like we really see each other much unless we’re at conventions or with friends. And, I mean, if we ever stopped talking… then it’d just be a poggers memory for you.”
Sapnap didn’t answer, his head lowered to hide the reaction to Karl’s offer. He didn’t like thinking about what would happen if their friendships from across the world fell apart. Karl would be sad falling out of touch with any of them, but he knew some held too much of his heart to lose them without giving up a piece of himself, as well. George, Dream, and Quackity were hands down some of the best people he’d gained from taking a chance joining the DSMP. Fomo made him reach out with no purpose anytime he felt one of them had strayed too far. But Sapnap… he was in charge of cradling his heart, even if he wasn’t aware of it. The ring tattoo, if he lost their connection, would weigh heavier than any metal or jewelry covering it in the future. But the pride he’d hold in the brand was too overwhelming to take the offer back.
Distracted by his own mental battle, Karl didn’t notice Sapnap moved until the bristle of his bread and chapped lips brushed his skin, re-marking the tattoo across his finger. The quiet touch, which had no right being as soft as Sapnap presented it, pulled a red hue to the top of his cheeks. His finger twitched under his lower lip, knots twisting like vines through his belly. But he couldn’t stop his stare from cementing on the reappearance of Sapnap’s scruffy face, stomach fluttering at the matching flush and avoidant gaze.
“What was that for?” He asked, mentally begging for Sapnap to meet his curious stare.
“I don’t know. Just curious how it felt, or… something.” Then Sapnap was back up on his feet, brushing past Karl to walk toward the passenger side of the car. “Can we get food? I haven’t eaten all morning.”
“Oh. Yeah, sure,” Karl answered, voice losing steam when Sapnap hurried to disappear into the car.
He forced his legs to carry his weight again, but he couldn’t take another step forward before looking back down at his marked hand. Peeking to make sure Sapanp wouldn’t be able to catch his movements in the rearview window, Karl moved into the blindspot, then lifted his tattoo to press against his own mouth. His eyes fluttered shut at the touch, knowing he was being ridiculous; Karl was well past his teenage years, and something so innocent shouldn’t have scattered his thoughts. But the warmth lingered even when he pushed his hand back to his side, letting out his held breath and moving toward the driver’s door.
If it was another memory he couldn’t talk about, Karl would cherish it the same as his tattoo.