Chapter Text
Sapnap sat on his bed silently, staring at his hands. His shiny red nails were growing longer, and the nail polish over them was chipping, revealing the white underneath. He sat completely in his own thoughts, his phone dead on the nightstand behind him. He sighed and stood, picking up a long-sleeved shirt from the floor and slipping it over his bare torso. He did the same with a white T-shirt that had been next to it, flattening any wrinkles in it, and starting to walk out his bedroom door.
"Sap, honey, where are you going?"
"For a walk. Is that okay?"
"Sure, bud. Be back before dinner, please."
He nodded, putting on his shoes quickly and leaving. He walked for a long while, finding himself lost in a glowing forest of colors. Vibrant mushrooms and leaves lined the bottoms of trees. Sapnap had never seen this forest before. He looked around everywhere, enjoying the wonderful sights of it all. As he walked, he slowly began feeling a sensation he had never felt before. He had begun feeling cold. He continued, crossing his arms and rubbing them slightly for warmth. Not long later, he came up to a ledge. The other side wasn't far, it was about 5 inches across. But the other half was strange. It wasn't green and lush with flowers. It was covered in a white powdery substance. His eyes were wide as he walked further in, pausing when he saw a very clear human figure on the other side. He swallowed, taking a cautious step to the side. It was a boy, he figured he was probably around his age or maybe younger, but he was.. Well, he was beautiful. Fluffy, wispy brunet hair, gorgeous greyish-green eyes, pretty pink lips, and the most perfect body shape. What are you thinking? You have a girlfriend, freak-o. He shook his head a little, sitting down in front of a tree. Luckily, the boy hadn't noticed him yet.
"U-Uh.. Hi."
He watched the brunet's body jerk, clearly startled by Sapnap's voice. He snatched his earbud out of his ear, looking around frantically for a second before meeting Sapnap's eyes. He visibly relaxed, sighing softly as he set down his phone.
"Jeez, sorry. Hi-"
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you.
"It's fine. Who-.. Do I know you?"
"No, doubtful.. I'm Sapnap. It's nice to meet you."
"Karl... What are you doing on the warm side? Aren't you hot?" Karl's head tilted kind of like a confused puppy. Sapnap laughed nervously, looking around at the grass.
"Uh.. no?" He shrugged a little and Karl hummed. They sat in silence for a moment, but that was okay because Sapnap was busy scanning his outfit. A color-block hoodie and ripped jeans, white Converse and the cutest cat earrings Sapnap had ever seen.
"You like cats, huh?"
"Hm? Oh! Yeah! They're my favorite animals."
"Ehh, I'm more of a dog person." Sapnap countered with a smile. Karl gasped dramatically, clutching his chest and scoffing.
"Well, I never!" The brunet put on his best old-man voice and shook his head. "Oh dear me, dear me indeed..." Sapnap started to laugh, earning a quick giggle from Karl. God, even his voice was perfect. This led their chat to go on for a long time until Sapnap stopped.
"Okay, but what is that?" He pointed to the white on the ground beneath Karl.
"You mean the snow? You've... Never seen snow before?"
"...Snow?"
Karl's face turned to one of terror, color draining from his face. But it wasn't Sapnap he was afraid of, oh no.
"You're... You're Eldur."
"Yes..?"
"Shit, Sapnap, we cannot be seen together! I'm Xeo!" Sapnap hadn't even registered that, standing up quickly.
"Fuck... You're right. I'm so sorry, Karl- I hadn't even-"
"Don't-... Just don't. It isn't your fault." Sapnap sighed and looked around, watching Karl pick up his things and stand up. He quickly realized just how much taller than Karl he was. Eldur were always considered freakishly tall. Sapnap himself stood at a whopping 7'1.* He looked down at him, figuring he was probably around 5'11*, maybe 6'0. Electric orange met stormy grey and Sapnap frowned. Nobody was around for miles and this place was basically hidden. Sapnap fidgeted with his fingers.
"...Meet me here tomorrow, okay? 12:00. Don't be late." Karl whispered, slinging a messenger bag over his shoulder and smiling that gorgeous smile. "I'm really sorry for freaking out, I've never met... I've never met an Eldur."
His eyes lit up, a soft smile spreading across his face and he chuckled breathily. "I've never met any Xeo before, so ditto." Karl returned the smile, waving at him quickly.
"I'll see you tomorrow."
"Mhm, tomorrow."
As Sapnap walked away, he couldn't stop thinking about how happy he was. God, even his own girlfriend had never made him feel like this. Giddy and excited, like a teenage girl with her first crush. He felt guilty though, thinking these things about Karl when he knew fully well that he had a girlfriend. He shoved his hands in his pockets, walking slowly back home. It was starting to get dark, and to be honest, he had forgotten about his mother's condition. When he finally made it back, his mom was waiting for him in the corridor.
"Nicholas James Armstrong, where have you been!?" He cringed at his full name, shrugging a bit.
"I got lost in the forest." He lied a little too easily, but it's not like he was about to tell her all about Karl. Even just looking at each other could be a means for arrest.
"Where's your phone? I've been texting you!"
"It was dead so I left it." Her eyes narrowed into a glare
"I have half of a mind to ground you, Nicholas."
"I'm sorry!"
"God, what am I gonna do with you?"
"Mom..."
"You're almost an adult, Sap. You need to be more responsible."
"I know." Rubbing her temple, she sighed and shook her head.
"Are you hungry?"
"Not really."
"Alright, then shoo." She swatted at him and he smiled, running up the stairs and into his room. He quickly changed into a random t-shirt and shorts lying on the floor, sat on his beanbag chair, and pulled his phone off the charger. He scrolled through Eldaagram until his thumb hurt, and right before turning off his phone, he thought he saw Karl.
"Wha-" He opened it again, but the post he'd briefly seen was some other dude with brown hair. He sighed, rolling his eyes at his stupidity, setting his phone down for good on the nightstand and hunkering down beneath his sheets.