Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Speakers blast around the house, the green siding on the outside walls practically shaking. The frame is sturdy somehow, standing tall and still. The music reverberating around the open living room and kitchen is the reason, the illusion. The sound from the speakers makes it seem like the walls are shaking. As Karl walks closer to the house, past the multiple cars in the driveway, he notices the green house isn’t shaking. How could it? Why would it? Being such a big house, it ought to have thousands of dollars put into it to make its foundation and structure strong. Dream bought it, too. He bought it for him, for George, for Sapnap. Karl sucks in a deep breath at the thought of him. 

The music threatens to break down the front door. Karl hesitates to knock, afraid the glass of the door’s window may shatter if he dares to touch the wood. He gulps down a bubble in his throat and knocks on the front door. It takes around two minutes for the door to open. The back of someone appears, their dirty blond curls on full display as they face away from Karl. 

“Dream,” Karl greets. A genuine smile forms on his face as he waits for Dream to turn around. 

The dirty blond turns back around to face Karl. A wide smile spreads across his face. He motions Karl inside, grabs his wrists, then tugs him closer to speak. “Karl! Welcome! Sorry, the music is really loud!” he shouts, trying his best to make Karl hear him. 

Karl stares at Dream, their eyes locked onto each other as they interact. He laughs loudly, but the sound is suppressed by the speakers blasting music. He yells as well to respond, “Nice to have a house in the middle of nowhere, you can blast music whenever you want without complaints.”

“It has its virtues,” Dream agrees. He closes the door behind Karl and nudges Karl towards the kitchen. “Come on, it’s been a while,” he encourages. 

Karl walks over to George, who is in the kitchen. He passes people he doesn’t know, only around ten more people in the house, excluding them and Dream. George’s face lights up at the sight of Karl. His hands fly into the air, extending outwards as well in order to wrap his arms around Karl’s shoulders. 

“How long has it been? God, how have you been?” George asks, placing his hands on Karl’s shoulders once they pull away from their hug. 

Karl chuckles, his hand coming up to cover his mouth. He shakes his head before responding, “Last we hung out was like 2023, maybe early 2024? Not long, but also way too long. I guess it happens after a breakup.” 

“Right,” George says, his face falling. His smile turns into a thin line, but his eyes hold something else. There’s an emotion inside of them, one along with the sympathy.

It’s an emotion Karl can't quite place. The blue-eyed brunet laughs nervously. He looks between George and Dream before shrugging. A sigh escapes him as he speaks, “What? It’s okay. I’m okay. Where is Sapnap, anyway? Why isn’t he in his own house?” 

Right as George informs Karl “Sapnap doesn’t live here anymore,” Dream warns him that “he should be arriving shortly.” 

“Oh, oh. Okay,” Karl replies, turning around to look in the direction of the front door. He points at the living room and entryway before turning back around. Hesitantly, he asks, “I should leave, shouldn’t I? It’s been two years since we broke up. Is that enough time? Has enough time passed? Are we able to see each other again?” 

“That’s up to you, Karl. He broke up with you, remember?” Dream reminds him. He reaches behind George to grab a bottle of alcohol. 

At the sight of the bottle, George lights up. He takes the bottle from Dream and turns around, his engagement ring on full display with the motion. His head turns to look at Karl and he asks, “What will it be? Straight or something mixed?” 

“I’d be fine with a wine cooler, to be honest,” Karl answers. He eyes the living room before focusing fully onto George. 

“Nonsense, that’s barely anything. I’m making you something,” George tells him. He begins to pour bottles together into a cup and adds ice after. 

Dream sighs softly and pats both men on their shoulders. “Well, I’ll leave you two to it. Gotta thank everyone for coming. It’s more of a get-together than a bachelor party. I know George is trying to make it a party, though. Have fun, you two,” he says before walking off into the living room. 

 “Enjoy,” the British man says once he has finished Karl’s mixed drink. He hands it to the younger man and grins. 

Karl takes a sip and hums in delight. He watches George’s face change from happiness to fear. “What is it? What’s wrong? This is good, George. You did great. Make me my mixed drinks all of the time,” he reassures.

“I didn’t tell you one thing… one important thing,” George confesses. He winces, his hands coming up to Karl’s shoulders in order to keep him still. His eyes wander, looking to the right and past Karl. 

Karl laughs and turns around, despite George’s grip and force. The laugh dies on his lips at what he sees. Sapnap maneuvers through the guests with Dream, but he’s slower than normal. One of his hands is behind him until it pulls something- no, someone out into the space in front of him. Their hands stay locked, Sapnap leaning down slightly to tell the woman with him something. He points around them at specific people, informing her of who everyone is. When he gets to the people in the kitchen, he freezes. His sage green eyes lock onto Karl’s bright blue ones. Karl watches his lips move as they form his name. The woman turns and looks at Karl with a smile on her face, as if she’s fascinated by everyone around her. She waves when she notices Karl staring at them. He kindly waves back. 

“He has a girlfriend?” Karl questions, turning to face George. He scoffs loudly before asking another question, “You didn’t tell me that? You didn’t tell me he- m-my ex… has a girlfriend?”

“I’m sorry, I just never knew when would be a good time,” George apologizes. 

Karl forces a smile his way and shrugs. He motions towards the bottles of alcohol before shouting, “Let’s get this bachelor party started.”

Drinks kept coming. George and Karl ended up passing them out and even managed to start a game of cup pong in the dining room. Karl, after a few hours, was finally drunk enough to speak to Sapnap. 

He spots him in the living room as everyone crowds the dining table. Sapnap sits on the couch that faces the TV, his back to everyone else. Karl walks around the couch and sits down beside him without hesitation. 

“What’s her name?” the brunet asks quietly. The speakers have since been turned down. He moves his cup in a circle, swishing the liquid around. 

Sapnap doesn’t look at him when he answers, “Natalie.” 

Karl nods in response. He turns around slightly to look behind them. He doesn’t see her from where they’re sitting. “Does she know we're exes?” Karl asks another question. 

“Yes,” Sapnap answers honestly. 

Karl tries to control the bitterness in his voice as he speaks, “Oh, so she’s trusting. That’s good.”

“And I’m loyal,” Sapnap notes. He says it like he’s reminding Karl. He says it like he’s telling Karl they’re over for good. 

Karl chuckles, nodding. He takes a sip of his mixed drink to quiet his mind. It’s loud, screaming yeah, right. You’re loyal. Why break up with me, then? Karl stands up from the couch and begins to walk away. A hand on his wrist halts his steps. He turns slightly to look down at Sapnap. The younger man looks up at him and Karl wants to scream in his face at the sympathetic smile he holds. 

“I loved you, you know?” Sapnap informs. His sage green eyes are kind, holding a look that only Sapnap gives Karl. His smile disappears so he can add, “I loved you the way that you were.” 

Karl frowns with his entire face, his eyebrows furrowing and the corners of his lips curving downward. Sapnap removes the hand on Karl’s wrist and stares down, sage green eyes falling into focus on the liquid inside of his cup. The brunet walks away, away from the dining room, away from the living room. He walks all the way into the entryway and into Dream’s office. A sob builds in his chest and makes an attempt to escape. Hot tears start to fall down his freckled cheeks. He clamps a hand over his mouth once he hears George asking around for him. His heart breaks for a second time that night, once he hears Sapnap’s response. 

“I guess I made him leave.”

“You made him leave? How did you do that? He’s drunk, you know?” George questions. He sounds closer. 

“I spoke to him, I don’t know,” Sapnap answers. 

George scoffs and the noise sounds even closer. A hand lands on the doorknob and slides the wooden door open. The British man walks into the room and catches the sight of Karl in his peripheral vision. He closes the door behind him, ignoring the fact that Sapnap could be watching. He frowns, brown eyes softening as he takes in Karl. 

Karl smiles and shrugs. He walks into George’s arms soon after, surprised by the affection but taking the time to revel in it. “It’s okay, I’ve had my heart broken before,” Karl reassures. 

He’s had his heart broken before, by Sapnap, too. This time, though, the amber-haired man just watched it happen. 

Chapter Text

A shaky inhale followed by a loud exhale escapes Karl as he walks under the archway to enter the wedding venue. Once he’s inside of the modernized barn, he searches around him for George or Dream. He scans the crowd that waits for the ceremony to start. His hand comes up to his tie subconsciously and he begins to fiddle with it. He spots George’s mother first, followed by Sapnap and Natalie. His feet take him to George’s mother, but he stops in his tracks when Sapnap moves towards him. 

“Do you know where you’re needed?” Sapnap asks as he grabs Karl by the elbow, gentle enough to not wrinkle his suit. He looks into Karl’s bright blue eyes, but the older man avoids his gaze. 

Karl shakes his head. He gives Sapnap a once-over, taking in the image of him in a suit. Nervously, he replies aloud, “No.” 

“Follow me,” the amber-haired man orders, letting go of Karl’s elbow. He makes his way up the stairs to the loft with separate rooms. “George is in there,” Sapnap informs, motioning towards the second door. 

Karl takes a step forward to go around Sapnap. A hand grips his wrist this time, the same way they held it at the bachelor party. Karl stops in his tracks and their shoulders touch. 

“Are you ready for this?” Sapnap questions. 

Karl laughs softly, a genuine smile appearing on his lips. He collects himself and meets Sapnap’s gaze. Despite being taller, he feels smaller under Sapnap’s sage green eyes. “What? Being a best man? I’ve always been one, I’m actually one of the bestest men there is. George asked me during the bachelor party, but I still think I’m doing an amazing job. Is that what you mean?” he asks, keeping his tone lighthearted. 

Sapnap shakes his head slowly, but he keeps a light smile on his lips. He pauses for a moment before responding, “No… I, uh- forget it.” 

This time, Karl slips his hand around Sapnap’s cuff. His eyes narrow as he forces Sapnap to turn around. “Hey, what’s going on? What’s wrong?” he questions. 

“It’s just the- the change. There’s no going back. Who knows? Kids could be just around the corner,” Sapnap answers hesitantly. He swallows harshly like he’s trying to force more words down. 

“If that happens, you, as their best friend, should respect their decision. I don’t think that’ll happen, though, not so soon. What’s really going on? You can’t be stressing over their lives. What’s going on in yours?” Karl asks. He absentmindedly runs his thumb across the cuff, hard enough for Sapnap to feel. 

Sapnap pulls away, a shaky breath exiting out of his nose and mouth. The frown on his face deepens. He grabs the doorknob and apologizes, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t… I shouldn’t be dumping all of my problems onto you. I’m sorry, K. It won’t happen again.” 

Sapnap opens the door and walks in, Karl getting a glimpse of dirty blond curls inside of the room before the door shuts. The no, tell me, I love you and care for you dies on his lips. He walks over to the room at the end of the open hallway and sneaks in. 

“Hey, you ready?” Karl asks George. He speedwalks over to the British man and squeezes his shoulders. 

George grins, his brown eyes looking up at Karl through the mirror. He stands up from the ottoman, stares at himself in the full length mirror, then turns around to show Karl. George’s sister walks up to him and adds a flower to the chest pocket before sending him two thumbs-ups. 

Karl chuckles and steps closer to smooth out any creases. He moves back and admires George, then chuckles again. “I can’t believe you’re actually wearing white,” he comments. 

“I’m pure,” George jokes, turning his torso around to try and check his backside in the mirror. He moves and checks his sides next. 

“Sure you are,” Karl teases. 

George’s sister checks her phone. She smiles, her eyes meeting George’s. “It’s time,” she informs. 

Karl leaves first to walk down the aisle. Dream and the officiant walk together, Sapnap walks with George’s sister, and Karl walks with Dream’s older brother. The rest follow suit, and soon, George walks down the aisle with his father. 

Karl admires the moment. He watches George’s father take his hand and link their arms before they start down the aisle. He focuses on Dream’s reaction to George, and George’s response to walking down the aisle and to Dream. Karl’s surprised he even decided to be the one to walk last. He smiles when George’s father kisses his cheek and lets him go up to Dream and the officiant. As he watches George walk up, his blue eyes drift off. He watches Sapnap’s reaction to his best friends. 

Karl furrows his eyebrows at the look on the amber-haired man’s face. There’s nothing but happiness written across his features. The look confirms it then and there, there’s no problem with Dream and George. Sapnap has a more personal problem. Based on their talk earlier, this problem has to deal with change. 

The blue-eyed brunet focuses back onto Dream and George. The officiant starts, walking them through their established speech. Dream begins his vows. He promises George stability, as he has for the past nine years. He plans to grow with George and to love him even after death. His speech ends with a promise to move house eventually, one fit for them and the family they plan to have. Karl’s eyes are filled with tears as he looks back at Sapnap. There’s a weird frown-smile on Sapnap’s face. He holds back tears as George starts his own vows. George promises to cherish Dream for the parts he has never honored before, for his flaws, and for the pieces of him he already adores. He promises comfort and security, then makes everyone laugh with his “isle of Dream” joke. He ends his speech by reassuring the blond of his love for him. The officiant tells them to kiss and Karl’s blue eyes finally land back on the two men to watch the moment. 

The first dance happens soon after. Dream and George dance with ease, a tell-tale sign they took classes for this moment. Other people join them on the dance floor, but Karl stays in his seat until George drags him over when the music becomes upbeat. They dance until their stomachs growl and Dream announces that everyone can eat. Karl sits beside George at the long table. He eats slowly, his blue eyes watching anything and everyone around him. 

“Are you staying for the after party?” George asks Karl. He takes a bite of a meatball, pulling it off of a toothpick with his teeth and two fingers. 

Karl swallows down the bite of food in his mouth. He turns his head to look at them and sends Dream and George another smile. Nodding, he replies, “Yes, yeah. Of course.” 

They all fall into silence again, taking the time to enjoy their meals and live in the moment. Karl hears Sapnap excuse himself and he watches as the younger man stands up from the table and walks around it. He ends up at the table where Natalie sits. He leans down to whisper something in her ear, a smile present on his face as soon as he pulls away. Natalie’s jaw drops before a grin spreads across her features. Her brunette curls cascade down her back as she looks up at Sapnap. Karl zones in on her lips, yet somehow sees the sparkle in her blue eyes. He reads her lips as she asks Sapnap again you’ll let me move in? Sapnap nods his head eagerly and the two meet halfway, sharing a gentle kiss. He holds her sides like his life depends on it. 

“So, that after party?” the blue-eyed brunet starts, turning to face George. 

The after party happens after immediate family leaves. George whispers something to his husband and Dream slides the bartender a large tip. The music changes back to upbeat melodies and everyone gets onto the dance floor with a drink in their hand. Karl and George dance together wildly until Dream pulls his husband away. Karl steps away and watches everyone dance, his blue eyes mainly focused on Sapnap and Natalie. He chugs down his drink and gets another from the bar. George comes over after he stays at the bar a little while too long. 

“Hey, what’s up? Come dance,” the British man orders, grabbing Karl’s open hand. He tugs on the hand and Karl slides out of the chair and onto his feet. George starts walking over to the dance floor, but he stops when he notices Karl doesn’t move. “Did something happen?” he asks, concern etching into his features. 

Karl stares at the dance floor. He watches Sapnap twirl Natalie, which forces him to swallow the lump in his throat. A sigh escapes him, followed by a confession, “I’m moving here, to Florida… Eventually.” 

“What?” George asks. His eyebrows are furrowed, confusion filling his features. He laughs softly, cautiously. 

“Maybe I’ll go back to streaming and YouTube. I’ll move here to Florida when I can,” Karl informs, but it’s more like he’s making a game plan for himself. He nods, confirming it with himself. 

The older man tilts his head. “Are you doing this for yourself?” he questions. 

Karl chuckles. He answers honestly, “No. I’m doing it for him. One day, maybe he’ll invite me to live here. Maybe I'll do it myself and he’ll come back to me.”

“Karl,” George sighs. 

“I wonder, I always wonder. What if? What if he comes back to me? What if we end up together? He spoke to me today like we were okay. I wonder… Maybe he wonders, too,” the younger man says, trailing off on his fantasies and ideal world. 

George’s frown deepens. He tugs on Karl’s hand and calls his name again. 

Karl meets George’s dark brown eyes. He smiles a genuine smile, one like the smile he held upstairs with Sapnap. He reassures George, “Don’t worry about me. I’ll move to Florida one day. Whatever happens… I’ll be okay.” 

Chapter Text

Tires screech as they come to a stop. Karl puts the U-Haul in park before releasing the break. He opens the door and hops out of the vehicle, then moves to the back of the truck. After opening the sliding door, he lets out a deep sigh. There are boxes everywhere, piled almost to the ceiling of the U-Haul. He has his bed apart and leaned up against the side of the vehicle, his couch up against the pieces of the bed, and table and chairs near it. Everything is stacked safely, and if it was needed, Karl secured it by keeping it steady between other boxes or pieces of furniture. Karl walks from the truck, pulling his new set of keys out of his back pocket. He unlocks the front door and swings it open. One step inside and he takes a deep breath. This is new, this is different, but this is what Karl needs. He needs change. 

A lot has changed since Dream and George’s wedding, which was around a year and a few months ago. Karl has kept up with them, texting George almost on the daily to ensure he is caught up in the lives of Dream and George. George texts him for updates as well, but for some reason, Karl did not inform him of the moving day. 

Karl’s hair is longer than normal, the tight chestnut curls falling down to touch right at his upper back. The middle parts cover most of his ears and the top hides his eyebrows. He has glasses now, a pair he actually wears instead of going around with blurry vision. The frame is tortoiseshell and rounds the lenses. They suit him. When he stares at himself in the mirror with them on, he believes he looks pretty. 

The last major change is his feelings. Karl is, so he believes, completely over Sapnap. It’s been long enough and Sapnap has made no moves to come back to him. Anything could happen, but for now, there’s no reason for holding onto what is no longer here. They haven’t spoken to each other since the wedding, both not putting in the effort to fix their weird example of a relationship. Karl is okay, he’s over Sapnap, and he’s ready to move forward. He’s so ready, he moved to Florida. It doesn’t make sense. It seems like he’s still doing it for Sapnap, but Karl is doing this for Dream and George. He’s also mainly doing this for himself, of course. 

Karl admires the open floor plan of the house before pulling out his phone from another jean pocket. He sends George a quick text. 

hey! guess who is officially living in Florida? minus the need to move a ton of furniture and boxes…

He watches the text turn from delivered to read as he steps back outside. His head tilts up to look at the contents of the U-Haul. He could really use some help, and it’s not guaranteed Dream and George can help today. His head turns to look at the house on the left and he frowns when he sees no cars in the driveway. He looks to the right and sees two cars. 

do you need help moving? what’s your address? 

Karl reads the message from George. He shares his location with the British man before starting his walk over to the neighbor’s house. A smile forms on his face as he steps up to the door. He knocks and his phone chimes with a new text message. 

what are you doing at Sapnap’s house??

Karl’s eyebrows furrow at the message. He eyes the window to the right of the front door, but he’s unable to see anything due to the large burgundy curtains covering the glass. Another message comes through and Karl reads it immediately just as the front door opens. 

i do remember there being a sign in the yard beside his… oh no. i’m so sorry. run!!

“Hello?” a sweet voice asks. The owner of the voice stands inside of the house with the door halfway open. They’re cautious. 

Karl lifts his head from his phone and gasps quietly. At the sight of Natalie, Karl does want to run like George ordered him to. He doesn’t, though. He stands his ground and explains himself when he realizes she doesn’t recognize him. “Hi, sorry. I just moved in beside you and I was hoping to get some help with moving my things. It’s quite a lot, though. My friends might be on the way, so if you can’t help, that’s completely okay,” Karl explains, rambling slightly. 

A gentle smile appears on Natalie’s lips. She opens the door fully, allowing Karl to see who else is in the house. “We’ll be over to help you in just a bit,” she informs.

Karl nods, his bright blue eyes falling onto Sapnap. He stares at his backside and fights the frown that tries to curl the corners of his lips. His blue eyes meet Natalie’s again. Hers are slightly darker than his. He smiles but it doesn’t reach his eyes, unlike Natalie’s. She shuts the door and Karl walks back over to his house. He steps into the back of the U-Haul and waits, pretending to rearrange boxes in order to get a specific piece of furniture or box. His phone lights up with a new message from George. 

we’re on the way.

A short breath escapes Karl. He hears that sweet voice say something and he’s too far to decipher the words. Sapnap’s voice comes next, close enough for the older man to understand. 

“Did you even get their name?” Sapnap questions. 

Natalie shushes him after she giggles and hops onto the ramp of the U-Haul. She meets Karl’s eyes and introduces herself, “Hi, we’re here. I’m Natalie. This is-”

“Karl?” the amber-haired man asks, interrupting his girlfriend. He joins Natalie on the ramp, his eyebrows furrowing as he stares at Karl. His arms cross up against his chest. “Nat, that’s Karl, remember? You remember Karl? What are you doing here? Why are you moving into this house?” Sapnap questions. 

Karl chuckles nervously before explaining, “This is such a huge coincidence. I’ve been planning to move to Florida for a while. I found a house I liked online, one that was recently listed, and I was finally ready to move so I took the chance. I didn’t know you two lived here. I sent my location to George and he’s the one that said something. Natalie had already opened the door, I didn’t know what to do.”

“So you decided to act like you didn’t know her?” Sapnap questions, his tone sounding more stern and angry than normal. He shifts and it’s as if his arms cross even tighter. 

“What was I supposed to say? Hey, it’s Karl Jacobs, your-” Karl starts, but Natalie interrupts him. 

She laughs, holding her hands up in front of both Sapnap and Karl. “It’s okay,” she informs. 

Karl turns around and grabs a box. He gives it to Natalie after she holds out her hands for it. In a kind tone, he tells her, “They’re all labeled. Just place them wherever. I’ll deal with unpacking.”

“Play nice, you two,” she teases before making her way into the house. Her brunette curls blow behind her in the wind as she steps through the threshold. 

The two men fall into silence. Karl grabs another box and hands it over to Sapnap, then grabs one that he knows he doesn’t want Sapnap to see. It’s slightly larger than an average box with a ‘N’ written on it, the letter almost perfect due to Karl having used one of those thick black Sharpie markers. He hides the letter against his chest and faces Sapnap again. 

“Look, I’m sorry for being rude. It’s just… I didn’t expect to see you today. I didn’t expect to see you at all, ever. We haven’t spoken since the wedding,” the younger man apologizes. He adjusts the box in his hands and turns around. His feet don’t move. 

Karl sucks in a breath. He steps down the ramp to stand beside Sapnap. “Ni- Sapnap, it’s okay. We can, y’know, be civil. It hasn’t been too long, has it?” he asks. 

Sapnap hums in response as he steps off of the ramp and walks into the house. Karl furrows his eyebrows and follows after him, but he takes his box to the main bedroom. Everyone repeats their actions; they walk out of the house, grab a box from the U-Haul, then take it to its respective room. Once they have enough boxes out of the way, Sapnap suggests they move the pieces of the bed. Karl nods and slides it out so he can step behind it. The two lift the wooden frame and carry it down the ramp diagonally and into the house. Karl informs Sapnap where to step since the amber-haired man is walking backwards. They make it to the main bedroom and ease the bed frame onto the floor and up against a wall carefully. Sapnap wipes the sweat off of his hands on his shorts. He’s about to leave the room when something catches his sage green eyes. 

“What’s that? What’s in that box?” the younger man questions, pointing to the right. His finger lines up with a slightly larger than average box, the giant ‘N’ luring Sapnap in.

Karl laughs nervously. He steps over to the box and taps on the top of it, careful so it doesn’t somehow pop open. The corners of his lips threaten to curve downwards, but he manages to keep a smile on his face. “This is just a box of old shit,” he informs, tapping the top of it again. 

Sapnap’s eyebrows furrow and a chuckle escapes him. His arms cross against his chest and he cocks a hip. “There’s an ‘N’ written on it, though. What does that mean? Shouldn’t it be ‘O’ and an ‘S’ for ‘old shit’?” he notes. 

“I don’t remember what it stands for,” Karl lies, shrugging his shoulders. 

One of Sapnap’s eyebrows raises. He steps closer to Karl, closer to the box. His head tilts to the right slightly and he suggests, “Let’s look inside of it then.” 

“No need to do that. I’ve got all the unpacking covered. You and Natalie are safe from the disaster that is sure to come when I start unpacking,” the brunet reassures. He steps away from the box and Sapnap, making his way to the open door of the bedroom. When Sapnap doesn’t move, Karl warns him, “Nick.” 

Sapnap stands up straight, removing his hand that rested on top of the box. His eyes widen as he looks back at Karl, eyebrows furrowing after as he looks from the box to his ex-boyfriend. The way Karl said his name, his real name, confirmed it inside of the amber-haired man’s mind. The box is old shit, old shit of Sapnap’s that Karl still owns. It’s labeled after his real name. A slight frown appears on Sapnap’s face and an emotion fills inside of his sage green eyes, one that Karl can't decipher. He forces a smile and motions for Karl to walk out of the room. The two exit the house to see Dream and George pulling into the driveway. 

George steps out of the car and extends his arms out as if he’s telling them what a coincidence! Once he’s closer, he voices his thoughts, “What timeline are we in? Sapnap and Karl Jacobs hanging out again, I need to tweet about this.” 

“Yeah, right. Shut up, idiot. This is a major coincidence. Sapnap, once again, I’m so sorry,” Karl says, looking from George to the younger man. 

“He acted like he didn’t know Natalie,” Sapnap tells Dream and George after nodding at Karl. He pulls her hand in his and gives it a squeeze. 

Dream and George burst out into laughter. They clutch onto one another, hunching over as they laugh. George’s hand grips Dream’s shoulder tightly until he stands up straight. The two recover and apologize. 

Natalie speaks up instead, “It’s really okay, Karl. I would’ve been awkward in the situation, too. Not that that’s a bad thing, of course! I’m not judging you.” 

Karl laughs nervously and motions to the U-Haul truck. Everyone begins to move boxes. Dream and Sapnap get the couch first and take it into the house, then they all move the dining table while Natalie gets the chairs. Sapnap and Dream bring in the bed’s mattress, so Dream helps Karl put together his bed while George and Sapnap carry in the dresser. Once finished and all of the boxes are inside of the house in their respective places, Dream and George bid everyone goodbye. Sapnap and Natalie go next. Karl is left alone. 

He walks into his bedroom and picks up the box with an ‘N’ written on it. After placing it on his sheetless bed, he sits down beside it and opens the box up. On top of the several hoodies, sweatshirts, and a few stuffed animals lies a stack of photos. Karl picks the top one up and stares at it. It’s a picture of when the two made their relationship official. They’re cuddling in the photo, with Karl on Sapnap’s chest. Sapnap’s middle finger is up for the camera, Karl’s rings adorning his fingers. Karl’s grin is lopsided due to the sheer amount of happiness he felt in the moment, due to the sheer amount of happiness he felt with Sapnap. His head lifts up to look out the window on the right. Across the grass, there’s a single window in the view of Karl’s. 

It’s covered by another long burgundy curtain. It signifies privacy for both Sapnap and Natalie. Most importantly, though, it signifies distance. Karl will forever be at a distance, forced away and to never get insight into Sapnap’s present life. They’re separated, and Sapnap’s private life is no longer Karl’s business. 

Chapter Text

It starts with grocery shopping. 

Karl pushes his shopping cart up the aisle, searching for the desired pasta shell he craves. Once he finds the rigatoni shells, he grabs a duo pack and places it into the shopping cart. He moves up the aisle for sauce, carefully maneuvering his cart around an elderly lady to get to the variety of sauces. As he searches for the desired flavor he wants, the elderly lady steps over to him. 

“Excuse me, dear, could you help me find the pasta-roni?” she asks, pointing to the shelves where it should be stored. 

“Sure thing!” Karl answers, stepping over to where she pointed. He searches the shelves until he finds the box of pasta-roni on the shelf below the highest one. He offers it to her and says, “Here you go, ma’am.” 

“Oh, dear, thank you,” she tells him. She drops it into her shopping cart before pushing it away, out of the aisle and into the next.

Karl returns to his own shopping cart. He starts his search for sauce again. The sound of another shopping cart fills his ears, forcing him to look at the person due to anxiety. His eyebrows furrow immediately, although hidden by his thick chestnut curls. He addresses the person who just entered the aisle, “Sapnap?” 

Sapnap freezes, his sage green eyes jerking to the left to meet Karl’s bright blue ones. He forces a smile onto his face and points at the sauces. Softly, he asks, “Looking for a sauce?”

Karl nods and Sapnap hums. The two fall into a silence as Karl scans the shelves. He decides on the three different cheeses type of sauce. Before he walks off, Sapnap stops him. 

“So… the weather has been nice recently. What do you think?” the amber-haired man questions. He shifts his weight onto his other foot and adjusts his grip on the shopping cart. 

Karl chuckles, a soft smile tugging on the corners of his lips. Despite the terrible conversation starter, he answers him, “Yeah. It’s nice. Almost fall weather.”

“I see you’re in a sweater. It is getting to be pretty chilly. Climate change, am I right? Your sweater looks cozy,” Sapnap replies, almost falling into a ramble. His eyes scan down Karl’s cream-colored sweater before returning to his blue eyes. 

“It is,” the brunet responds. He runs a hand down his front across the sweater. After another moment of silence between the two, he offers a sweet smile and says, “We should best get going. I’ve got to unpack a lot of things still, and I don’t want to miss dinner. This pasta is calling my name.” 

Sapnap nods, pushing his shopping cart away. He turns around to tell Karl goodbye, “Well, enjoy your dinner. It was good seeing you, Karl.”

“You, too,” Karl says before walking away with his shopping cart. 

The next time is at home.

Karl is finally finished with packing. He hides the only unopened box in his bedroom closet, the one with the giant ‘N’ written on it. Collapsing onto his made bed, he sighs deeply. He’s finally finished, there’s nothing else to stress over. 

The doorbell sounds, echoing around the decorated house and filling his ears. Karl groans in defeat, not yet willing to get up since he just laid down. He gets up anyway and makes his way to the front door. Staring through the peephole, his jaw drops slightly at who is at his door. 

“Sapnap, what are you doing here?” Karl questions as soon as he opens the door. Without even thinking, he motions for the younger man to step through the threshold. 

Sapnap walks into the house and scans his surroundings. He notices a picture of Karl with Dream and George on a table beside the front door. There’s one of Karl with his family on a coat rack shelf above the table. Sapnap moves through the open area, inspecting each decoration as if he’s trying to understand who Karl is again. 

Finally, he asks, “No pictures of me, of us?” 

Eyebrows furrow under tight chestnut curls. Karl shakes his head, his curls bouncing with the movement, and points at the kitchen. When Sapnap walks into the other room, Karl questions, “What are you doing here, Sapnap? Come to critique my decorating skills?” 

Sapnap shakes his head gently as he stares down at the picture. The frame sits in front of a jester’s crown fern that is beside the microwave. In the frame lies a picture of Karl, Sapnap, and George. It’s of when they went to London at some point, the picture being of George’s leg on Karl’s thigh and Sapnap behind George with his arms wrapped around the British man’s waist. There’s no contact between Karl and Sapnap. 

“George is in this photo,” Sapnap tells him, pointing at the picture frame. His tone sounds hesitant or uncertain. He drops his hand and turns around, shoving his hands into his pockets. 

“Sapnap,” the brunet warns. His arms cross for a moment but then he decides to undo them. He huffs out a breath before asking, “What are you doing here, Sapnap?”

Sapnap glances at the picture frame again. He pulls his hands out of his pockets and motions to the backyard. “Natalie’s cousin’s son… we’re babysitting and he accidentally kicked a ball over into your yard. I am here to retrieve it,” he explains. 

Karl forces a smile and steps over to the backdoor. He opens it up and steps onto the back porch. Sapnap walks down the small amount of stairs and over to the bright red kickball. As he retrieves it, Karl’s blue eyes wander. They move to look into Sapnap’s backyard. Natalie stands in the backyard with a watering can. She waters pink and yellow flowers that look like they were planted by hand, yet somehow turned out perfect. Sapnap comes back over and stops at the bottom of the steps, but Karl’s bright blue eyes stay glued to the brunette. He examines her, his eyes scanning down her curls and across her profile. The words almost escape him: your new girl is my clone. 

Sapnap speaks up before Karl does voice his own thoughts, “You should add more photos of us.”

“What, and act like we’re good neighbors?” the older man scoffs. He forces his gaze off of Natalie to meet Sapnap’s sage green eyes. 

Sapnap looks up at him from the bottom of the small staircase. His skin shines in the sunlight, the ivory color presenting itself much more vibrantly. He looks smooth with little to no acne marks on his skin. His sage green eyes glow in the light. He walks up the short amount of steps and stops beside Karl. “You moved to Florida,” Sapnap replies, then walks back into the house. 

“What does that mean?” Karl asks, following Sapnap into the house and to the front door. His arms are crossed against his chest as he glares at the younger man. 

“Maybe we can get a gate for your fence, or we could take it down. It’s a nuisance, isn’t it? Who puts up a fence? We’re not even a gated community. Do you want the fence down? A gate? We can be good neighbors,” Sapnap tells him, almost falling into a ramble. He’s out of the front door and back at his house before Karl can respond. 

The last time is at home again, only a few days later.

Karl walks out of his front door and down the path that leads to the sidewalk. Rubbing one of his eyes, he turns and takes the few steps that lead to the mailboxes. His hand falls to open his mailbox and retrieve the one piece of mail in the mailbox. A voice startles him.

“Turned into good neighbors, haven’t we?” Sapnap asks, opening up his own mailbox. He glances up at Karl while looking sideways. 

The brunet chuckles softly, “We’ve barely interacted.” 

“Let me do yard work for you, then. You’ll have beautiful flowers to take care of in a few weeks,” Sapnap suggests. He closes his mailbox and shuts Karl’s as well since he forgot to do it himself. The mail goes forgotten as he turns to face Karl. 

“Do you mean the flowers your wife waters?” Karl questions. He shuffles through his mail absentmindedly. 

Sapnap laughs, the sound coming deep from his chest. Easily, he responds, “Wife? She’s not my wife.” 

“Fiancée, then,” Karl tests. He looks up from his stack of mail to meet Sapnap’s sage green eyes. 

The younger man’s eyebrows are furrowed. Still, he replies, “Natalie isn’t my fiancée, she’s my girlfriend.” 

“Right,” Karl chuckles dryly. He drops the hand holding the mail to his right side and waits for Sapnap to speak again. His mind wanders, his eyes scanning Sapnap's frame and stopping at his hands as if he’s checking if Sapnap is telling the truth or not. He gets an idea. 

A gentle laugh escapes Sapnap. He’s about to drop his hands down by his sides when Karl raises one of his own and places it on his right forearm. His sage green eyes stare at the pale, freckled hand before looking back up into bright blue eyes. 

“Do I have to pay you for the yard work?” the brunet asks innocently. It’s like there’s no secret plan he’s acting on. 

Sapnap shakes his head. He answers, “My work is free. Uh, I’ve gotta go. Deliver the mail and all.” 

“Right,” Karl mumbles. He lets go of Sapnap’s forearm and watches the younger man walk away and into his house. A frown forms on his lips. He stares at the slightly cracked sidewalk below his feet before lifting his left hand to stare at his palm. “But I touched you…” he whispers into the air. 

He touched him and received nothing in return. No smile, no I work at a rate of one cartoon per day, no sign of reconnection. 

“But I touched you,” Karl repeats, lifting his head to look at Sapnap’s house. He stares at the wooden front door and the long burgundy curtains that hang at the window. 

Both hide the inside of Sapnap’s house, or maybe, they hide the inside of Sapnap’s mind.

Chapter Text

Karl wakes up prepared for the day. He stretches in bed and swings his legs over to touch the floor with his feet. Once he’s up in bed, he puts all of his weight onto his feet and stands up. He grabs a change of clothes and moves to the en-suite bathroom to take a shower. His pajamas fall onto the floor after he takes them off and he turns on the warm shower water. He steps into the shower and cleans himself, scrubbing and rinsing until he feels better than before. Once he’s finished and both his hair and body are rinsed, he steps out of the shower and dries himself off with a towel. He’s careful with his hair when drying, but almost aggressive with the towel on his skin. He changes into a white button-up and black jeans, then picks up his dirty laundry and places them into the laundry basket. He’s out the door, out of the bedroom, and into the kitchen soon after that. 

He decides to make something simple for breakfast; just two waffles he puts in the toaster and some fried eggs. The toaster dings as the waffles pop up and Karl takes them carefully to move them onto a plate. He moves his eggs onto the plate as well, then digs into his meal. When he’s done, he puts his dishes in the dishwasher.

He walks into the living room and checks his cable box for the time. It’s almost noon, which is not the ideal time to stream. He has streamed a few times here and there, with his fans always cheering him on and celebrating him being back. A promise was made on one stream before he moved to Florida, a promise where he informed the audience that he would become a full-time streamer eventually. No one knows that time is now. He plans on streaming today, and maybe, Dream and George will join him one day or vice versa. 

A knock sounds on the front door right as Karl is about to sit down. His eyebrows furrow and he faces the door with confusion written on his face. There’s no package out for delivery for him, Dream and George aren’t impromptu visiting, and his other friends are still in North Carolina. Karl steps over to the door and looks through the peephole. His face scrunches up even more when he sees Sapnap through the fisheye glass. He opens the door slowly. 

“Hello? What are you doing here?” Karl questions. He makes an attempt to brush the slightly damp hairs out of his eyesight. Confusion rests on his face as he meets Sapnap’s sage green eyes. 

Sapnap lifts the few tools in his hands in order to show them to Karl. “I’m here to plant you a garden, like I said I would,” the younger man answers honestly. 

Karl’s eyebrows furrow even more. He steps aside and allows Sapnap to walk into the house. His voice falls quiet as he mumbles, “Okay…” 

Sapnap is in a white tank top and black basketball shorts. He looks comfortable and ready for the sun to beam down on him, warming his ivory skin so much it flushes it pink. His sage green eyes look into Karl’s bright blue eyes, fall down to his outfit, then focus on the backdoor. “I’ll get to work,” he informs, clearing his throat. 

“Wait, Sapnap,” Karl says, following the amber-haired man out of the backdoor. He pauses his movements at the top of the staircase while Sapnap walks down them. His blue eyes follow Sapnap as he steps into the middle of the yard and scans the area. Karl takes a step down the staircase. Slowly, he makes his way closer to Sapnap as he asks, “How… How long have you been into yard work? I didn’t know you garden or whatever. I mean, how do you know a bag of soil is needed? What am I missing?”

Sapnap chuckles softly. He moves his hands as he speaks, “Maybe two years? Natalie wanted a garden and I just educated myself. Now, look, we can lay some bricks as a divider for the yard and soil. I’ll have to go buy some, though. We could also use a tarp but I don’t have one of those either. What do you want to do?” 

Karl’s mouth falls agape, broken words escaping out past his lips as he tries to think. He breathes in quickly before responding, “You’re the master of gardens, I suppose.” 

“Damn right, I am,” Sapnap laughs wholeheartedly. 

The sound hits Karl in the gut. He imagines himself falling back, into the grass and possibly against the short staircase. He’d hit his head and Sapnap would rush him to the hospital. The younger man would stay forever until Karl is better. 

“Karl,” Sapnap calls. He snaps his fingers in front of Karl’s face. 

“Yeah, yes, what?” the brunet questions. He shifts his weight onto one foot and crosses his arms. 

A gentle smile rests on Sapnap’s lips. He watches Karl with easy eyes and says, “Do you want to come with me to Lowe’s?” 

Karl nods immediately. Sapnap nods in response and drops his tools onto the ground. He places a hand on Karl’s lower back to encourage him to step forward. The older man moves quickly. He walks up the stairs, goes through the house, puts on socks and shoes, and exits out of the front door. Thick eyebrows furrow when they exit the house. 

“You have no car?” Sapnap asks. He looks from the driveway to Karl with a small smile on his face. 

Karl shrugs. His response comes easily and is honest, “I’ve not bought one, no.” 

Sapnap motions to his own car with his head. The two get into the car and Sapnap starts the engine after sending a text to Natalie. He drives them to the closest Lowe’s while playing his own playlist. He quickly parks them and the two walk inside of the store. Sapnap moves with confidence and determination since he knows what he needs. He grabs a tarp, some planters, bricks, and a watering can for Karl. They go through checkout and Sapnap pays for the items, then they load the car and Sapnap drives them back. He parks in front of his house, the two pull out the tools from the trunk, and they walk back over to Karl’s house. 

“I’ll get to work,” the younger man tells Karl. 

Karl nods, but follows him out of the backdoor again. Sapnap looks behind him carefully before focusing back onto the ground in front of him. He puts on a pair of gloves and picks up his tools before getting to work. Karl watches him from the back porch. He watches the way his muscles flex and rest, stares at the sweat that drips down his face and back as the sun glares down on him, and most importantly, he watches Sapnap work. In his yard, in the afternoon, Sapnap works in Karl’s backyard. A smile threatens to spread across Karl’s face. 

Eventually, Karl moves into the house. He pours Sapnap a glass of water and brings it out to him, then rushes off back into the house just to watch from the window in the kitchen. When Sapnap’s finishing up, Karl spins around and faces the living room. Sapnap walks through the front door. 

“Fill this up,” Sapnap orders, offering Karl the blue watering can. 

Karl takes it and spins around again. He turns the water on cold and uses the spray faucet to fill up the watering can. Once he’s done, he turns the water off and faces Sapnap. 

“Go water your seeds,” Sapnap says, motioning to the backdoor with his head. He follows Karl out the backdoor and helps him with the watering can. When Karl is finished, Sapnap collects his tools and walks back through his house.

The two end up on the small front porch. 

Sapnap turns around with a soft smile on his face. He adjusts his grip on one of the tools and takes a step off of the porch. “We should do this again sometime,” he suggests. 

“What, you should come do yard work in my yard?” Karl asks, seeking clarification. He brushes the hair out of his eyes again and stands up straight. 

Sapnap laughs, the noise coming out easily and filled with happiness. He shakes his head as he responds, “No. I meant we should hang out.” 

“Oh, okay. Yeah, we should,” the brunet replies. 

“I’ll see you another time, then,” Sapnap declares. 

Karl nods. He waves and watches Sapnap walk off back over to his house. Natalie steps outside and Sapnap and her share a chaste kiss, one that serves as a greeting for each other. Karl walks back into his house as loneliness spreads throughout his entire body and mind. 

Chapter Text

Streaming has been going well for Karl. The fans welcome him back with excitement, donations, and subscriptions. He informs the audience of his now permanent status as a streamer and YouTuber and watches as the chat starts speeding by. Some doubt his permanent position and most cheer with bits and donations for him. 

“I’m not sure what we’re going to be doing today… I didn’t really have anything planned,” Karl confesses. He fidgets with a gold ring on his pointer finger as he waits for the chat to spam possible ideas. His bright blue eyes scan the chat on his second monitor. He tries reading every single one before suggesting, “Do we want a just chatting stream? Want to play catch up? Ask me anything.” 

The audience spams the chat, agreeing with his suggestion. Karl reads the chat and laughs, nodding his head. The donations start to come through. 

why is your setup different?

Karl hums in thought, debating in his mind on whether or not he should be honest. He settles on the half-truth answer, “I recently moved. Big changes are happening here! I promise, now that I am where I am, I’m going to be an active streamer. Maybe I’ll even do IRL streams.” 

house tour?

Karl looks up at his studio light. He bites on his bottom lip for a moment before responding, “Maybe! I’m not like Dream, though. I can't show everyone my personal space.” 

where did you move to?

“That’s a good question. Next question,” Karl laughs awkwardly. He grips the ring on his pointer finger again and spins it around. 

did you just mention dream?? it’s been forever since you all hung out

Karl’s eyes widen slightly at the donation. Another nervous laugh escapes him. He nods to agree and replies, “Yes, that’s true. I know it’s been a while since I’ve hung out with the Dream Team. I promise we’re all good. Work got in the way, that's all.” 

Another donation comes in about Dream. Karl answers it easily. Another follows, one that is like a punch to the gut for Karl. 

it’s been years, Karl. it’s rare for an interaction between you and the others. 

“That’s not…” Karl pauses. He sits in silence a moment until the chat starts speeding by again. Eyebrows furrow under tight chestnut curls. His bright blue eyes focus on the chat and make an attempt to read what they’re saying. “Hey, woah, what’s going on? Don’t make me put you all in slow mode,” Karl warns. 

The chat slows in less than a minute. Karl is greeted with one word, one name: Sapnap.  

“Why are you all saying ‘Sapnap’? What happened?” Karl questions. He focuses back on the chat to read what they’re saying. He finally gets his answer from one viewer: Sapnap is watching! Karl laughs nervously, “Oh… Sapnap is watching? I don’t see him.” 

A new donation comes through, one from Sapnap. i’m here, karl. 

The brunet laughs anxiously. A smile threatens to spread across his features. “Hi, Sapnap. Chat thinks we’re no longer friends. What do you have to say about this?” 

The donation is almost instant. let me come over. 

Karl laughs loudly, the noise breaking slightly due to how nervous he is. He shifts in his seat and his fingers move to his ring again. The gold band spins as he fidgets with it. He tries to turn it into a joke while providing Sapnap with an answer, “Sure, Sapnap… Come over.”

Sapnap leaves the stream soon after that. Karl changes the subject to future stream ideas. The chat sends donations about his whereabouts. They question Sapnap’s words, Karl’s response, and the new setup. Karl deflects each and every question. He’s about to suggest Roblox when a knock sounds on his front door. 

“I’ll be right back, chat,” the brunet tells the audience. He switches the screen to a be right back screen before getting up and exiting his recording room. Another knock sounds on the door and Karl opens it immediately without even looking out of the peephole. He laughs once he sees Sapnap. “What are you doing here?” he asks, moving out of the way so the younger man can step into the house. 

Sapnap chuckles and replies as if the answer is obvious, “I’m here for the stream, of course.” 

“Right… Are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean, it’s been years, Ni- Sapnap,” Karl reminds him. He closes the door behind Sapnap anyways like he’s already made a decision to let Sapnap join him. 

A frown appears on the amber-haired man’s lips. He shrugs before replying, “Yes, no… I don’t know. We’re good, right? You and me? We can bring back Karlnap.” 

“Not when you have a girlfriend,” Karl scoffs. He spins the ring on his pointer finger again, then turns around to walk in the direction of his recording room. 

“I meant platonically, Karl,” Sapnap sighs. He follows Karl into the hallway. 

Karl turns around quickly. His bright blue eyes meet Sapnap’s sage green ones. The words rush out of his mouth, “Okay, I guess we can tell them I moved to Florida. Any questions asked about us, or moving, or honestly anything, go to me. I answer them.” 

Sapnap salutes him and the two walk into the recording room. Karl sits down in his chair while Sapnap stands in a corner so he’s out of sight of the camera. Karl switches the screen back to show his face cam. 

“Hi, chat, I’m back,” Karl greets, waving at the camera. He sends Sapnap a glare when the younger man smiles at him. “Sorry for disappearing. Had a package I needed to sign for,” he lies. 

who are you looking at? a donation comes in. 

Karl chuckles and looks at Sapnap. He rolls his eyes and motions him over. 

“Oh, so now I’m a package?” Sapnap teases, stepping into the frame of the camera. He pulls up an extra chair Karl has and sits down in it. His knee knocks into Karl’s once he has adjusted his seat’s position. 

Karl side-eyes him. He lifts his hand up to mess with his hair. Sapnap touches his thigh with one finger to get his attention. Their eyes meet and they communicate without speaking. Karl knows he wants him to address the situation, to address what happened between them. He waits for a donation to come through. Several come in back to back. 

how is sapnap with you? 

did you two move in together? after everything?

how long have you two been talking again?

what happened?

are you in Florida?

Karl sucks in a shaky breath. He runs a hand through his hair again, but his ring gets caught in a curl. Sapnap is quick to help him. The amber-haired man separates the hair from the ring and slowly brings Karl’s hand back down. He gently pulls off the gold band and places it on his own finger. 

“Karl moved to Florida,” Sapnap finally informs the audience. He watches the chat carefully, spins the ring around on his finger, then adds, “The reason is not known to me.” 

Karl forces his blue eyes off of Sapnap’s hand. His ring is gone, now on Sapnap’s finger. His finger feels cold, but his hand feels warm where Sapnap held it. Karl looks back at the camera and manages to smile. He tries his best to sound normal as he confesses, “I needed change. I’ve been trying to find something good in my life. This, I think, is what I’ve needed.” 

Karl suggests Roblox, a game Sapnap hasn’t played in what feels like forever. They choose a shooting game and take turns playing it. Karl places fake bets and Sapnap laughs with his entire body. They answer questions about themselves and the past, leaving out as much detail as possible. It’s mostly half-truths, but it’s better than confessing to the audience that they were in love and then they broke up. Eventually, the stream comes to an end. The two bid their farewells and wave to the camera. Karl lets out a deep breath as soon as the stream cuts off. 

Silence falls over them, bathing them in comfort rather than awkwardness. Sapnap spins the gold band around his finger. Karl runs his hand through his hair. 

“This was good,” the brunet confesses. He leans back in his chair and lightly pushes his foot against the floor to spin his chair so he faces Sapnap. 

Sapnap hums, nodding his head to show that he agrees. He spins the ring again, and again, and again. Suddenly, he stops and looks up at Karl. A frown appears on his face. He sighs softly, “You know, I wonder… I always wonder, or uh, wondered… what it would be like if we were…” 

“Still together?” Karl offers. He meets Sapnap’s sage green eyes with his own blue ones and notices that his eyes look dull due to the frown on his face. 

Sapnap nods slowly. “We were happy, weren’t we?” he asks. 

A shaky breath gets sucked in by Karl. He frowns and answers, “I’d like to think that we were. I… I was happy.” 

“I’m happy,” Sapnap tells Karl, but maybe it’s more like he’s trying to convince himself. He quickly adds, “But I wonder, you know? I… I just-” 

“I know,” the older man replies. 

Sapnap sighs. The sound comes deep from within. It’s as if Karl can trace the origins of his sigh; he can hear the first breath shared between them, the sigh of relief to know that it’s the other, Karl can hear and see the moment they crashed into each other. He questions if they can share a moment together like this, if they can hang out in closed spaces, or if this is how it will always turn out: them watching their phantoms as they stumble back to the past. They can’t have this conversation. Sapnap belongs to Natalie, he doesn’t have a place here with Karl. 

“I don’t know if I’ll always wonder,” Sapnap confesses. He stands immediately after and walks out the door. 

The sound of the front door closing makes itself known in Karl’s ears. He looks down at his right hand to see his ring gone, stuck on the ghost of a lover. It hits him then, the fact that his ring isn’t lost. He knows its place. His ring rests around Sapnap’s finger. 

He wonders, Karl tells himself. A tear slips down his cheek. His heart breaks for another time, a time where he didn’t even know it was possible for his heart to break. 

His gold ring stays with Sapnap, a part of him having left with the younger man. 

His phantom moves back into him. His heart, again, filled with love for Sapnap.

Chapter Text

Sapnap doesn’t come back until a few days later. Karl opens the door to him and is honestly surprised. His bright blue eyes scan down Sapnap’s figure until they come to his hands. On Sapnap’s left hand, a gold band rests on his pointer finger. Karl’s ring, to be exact, is the one around Sapnap’s finger. 

“Hey, what are you doing here?” the brunet asks, allowing Sapnap to come inside of the house. He watches Sapnap take a step backwards instead. A frown forms on Karl’s face. “What’s wrong?” he adds. 

Sapnap shakes his head, a gigantic grin spreading across his face. He motions to the road before explaining himself, “I thought we could go update your license and buy you a car.” 

“What?” Karl laughs. 

“Yeah, I mean, you can’t take Ubers everywhere and Dream cannot be your personal chauffeur. He told me about driving you to the store,” Sapnap says. He steps off of the small front porch and motions for Karl to join him. 

Karl nods and holds up a finger to signal to him to wait. He leaves the door open as he puts on his shoes and grabs his keys and wallet. The door closes behind him and Sapnap pulls out his phone. 

“Okay, don’t laugh… but we’re taking an Uber. I want you to drive your new car home,” Sapnap informs, chuckling. 

An Uber soon pulls up in front of Karl’s house. The two men get inside of the vehicle and Sapnap tells the driver their destination. They arrive at the DMV and Sapnap walks in with Karl. They get their ticket and wait, and then Karl goes up to the counter alone to get a Florida license. He walks back over to Sapnap when he’s finished, holding up the license to show it off. Sapnap mimics the grin on Karl’s face. Sapnap orders another Uber and they wait outside for it to arrive. He tells the driver their destination and the person takes them to a car lot. 

“What kind of car do you want?” Sapnap asks Karl as soon as the doors of the vehicle close behind them. He walks around the vehicle to join Karl.

Karl hums in thought. He looks around the car lot to admire all of the vehicles. The Uber drives away from the two men. Sapnap pulls out his wallet as a way to tell Karl that he is paying for the car. 

Karl notices his wallet in his hands. His eyebrows furrow and he questions the younger man, “What are you doing?” 

Sapnap answers him easily, “I’m buying you a car. Let’s go inside and talk with someone about what you’re interested in. Do you want a Porsche like me?” 

Thin eyebrows furrow even deeper. Karl’s mouth falls agape slightly. He shakes his head softly as he tells Sapnap, “You’re not buying me a car, let alone a Porsche. That’s way too much money. I’ll just get a Nissan or something.” 

“Let’s go discuss with the workers. We’ll find you what you want,” Sapnap says. He places a hand on Karl’s lower back and presses it into him, encouraging him to move forward. 

“No Porsches. No fast, expensive cars,” Karl warns, stepping forward due to the hand on his back. 

The two walk into the building and find someone to talk to. Karl explains his wants and needs in a car, and the employee walks them out to the car lot to explore options. Nothing catches Karl’s eyes until he sees it. 

“Oh, my God, is that a 2005 Ford Thunderbird? I want that one!” the brunet exclaims. He squeals and rushes over to it, Sapnap and the employee following behind him slowly. 

“It’s discounted right now. Been here a while. We’re asking for twenty-two thousand,” the employee informs. They look between Karl and Sapnap as if they’re asking if Karl is certain. They finally voice it, “Are you sure you want this one? She’s old… In good shape, though.” 

Sapnap speaks up before Karl can question himself, “He’ll take it.”

“Let’s go fill out the paperwork, then,” the employee suggests, motioning for them to follow. 

The three walk back inside of the building and Karl fills out the paperwork. Sapnap pays for the car. The employee gives Karl the set of keys and walks out with them to take off the stickers. Once everything is settled, Sapnap and Karl get in.

“So… this is truly the car you wanted?” the amber-haired man asks. He stares at the interior of the car before rolling down his window to admire the pale blue shade of the vehicle. 

Karl nods and starts the engine. He giggles, “She’s like Sally from Cars.”

“Sure…” Sapnap mumbles, chuckling. 

Karl pulls them out of the car lot and onto the road. They spend the ride to Karl’s house discussing possible ways they can improve his new vehicle. They stop for gas, buy snacks as well, and then finally make it back to their street. Karl pulls them into his driveway easily. He turns off the engine and steps out, immediately making his way to the front door. Sapnap follows behind him. 

“I’m gonna call her Sally,” the older man informs, mainly speaking to himself. He lets Sapnap walk through the threshold and closes the door behind him, then spins around on his heel to face Sapnap. A soft smile forms on his lips. He sucks in a short breath before wrapping his arms around Sapnap’s neck. “Thank you,” he whispers into the crook of the younger man’s neck.  

Thick hands land on his lower back. Slowly, they move further and arms wrap fully around Karl’s back. Karl melts into the touch, sinking deeper into Sapnap’s chest. A breath passes by Karl’s ear, sending a shiver down the brunet’s spine. After a minute of holding each other, Karl pulls away slowly. Their faces are a foot apart. The corners of Karl’s lips threaten to curve up further. Sapnap’s face forms a half-smile with a slight hint of sadness in it. 

“What do you want to do?” Karl questions. He turns around again and walks into the section of the house that is the living room. After collapsing onto the couch, he leans forward and grabs the remote off of the coffee table. 

Sapnap laughs and joins him on the couch. He leans back into the cushions, his arms extending out to rest along the back of the couch. The right arm almost touches the back of Karl’s neck. “Looks like you’ve decided for us,” Sapnap chuckles. 

Karl shrugs his shoulders and turns on the TV. He searches for a show or Anime for them to watch before placing the remote back down onto the coffee table. Once he leans back, his neck touches Sapnap’s arm. Karl turns his head immediately to gauge Sapnap’s reaction. When he sees the soft smile on Sapnap’s lips, he leans further back. 

“I thought you would’ve never wanted to do this again, unless it was on stream,” Karl admits quietly. His blue eyes focus on the TV as some cartoon plays. 

Sapnap sighs, but the noise isn’t due to sadness or guilt. It’s a comfortable sigh. He informs, “I always want to do this with you, K.” 

The words that appear in Karl’s mind stay locked away. But how long will you feel that way? When will you want to step away? When will you leave me again? 

“Maybe we should talk about it,” Karl suggests. His voice almost breaks. 

Sapnap shakes his head, his hand dropping to rest across Karl’s shoulder. He pulls the brunet in, allowing Karl to rest against his side. Softly, he replies, “Not today.”

Karl nods slowly and sinks into Sapnap’s chest. His right hand lifts up to press against one of his pecs. He closes his eyes. “This… This doesn’t change anything,” he mumbles. 

“Why would it?” the younger man asks. He squeezes Karl against his side. 

Karl hums in response. His eyes stay closed and slowly, silence fills his ears. He’s asleep soon after. When he wakes up, Sapnap is gone. Karl checks his surroundings before pulling his phone out of his pocket. One message appears in his notifications. 

see you tomorrow? this is sapnap btw

The smile that spreads across Karl’s face is blinding. His hand comes up to his mouth and he bites down on his lower lip. A squeal escapes him. He types back a reply immediately. 

sorry for falling asleep. see you tomorrow! 

Another text comes through. 

can't wait :)

Karl’s heart melts.

Chapter Text

The two hanging out became routine. Sapnap was almost always at Karl’s house. 

Today, they’re streaming again. 

Karl walks back into the recording room after retrieving a few bottles of nail polish. He sits down in his chair beside Sapnap and looks him in the eyes. “Did you shit-talk me while I was gone?” Karl asks, glaring at Sapnap. 

Sapnap raises his hands in defense. He shakes his head quickly, points to the camera, then defends himself, “They were the ones talking! Donations were blowing up.” 

“What color do you want?” Karl asks, side-eyeing Sapnap before turning to face him fully. He holds up multiple bottles of nail polish to show them off to Sapnap. 

“Uh, black, duh,” Sapnap answers, pulling it out of the options. 

Karl places the other bottles down on his desk and takes the black nail polish from Sapnap. He shakes the bottle and smacks it with the palm of his hand before opening it. Sapnap drops his left hand onto the desk and adjusts the camera with his right. A donation comes through as soon as the camera captures Sapnap’s hand. 

Sapnap, are you still wearing Karl’s ring? 

Karl looks down at Sapnap’s hands immediately now that they both rest on the desk. He looks to the right at Sapnap, his blue eyes hidden by his lashes. His eyes watch Sapnap’s face as his mouth drops open slightly and his eyes widen. 

“I guess I forgot to give it back to him,” Sapnap notes. His features rest and he wiggles his fingers, the gold band shining in the light. 

Karl starts painting Sapnap’s nails. He starts slowly and carefully, lifting Sapnap’s fingers one at a time to paint them neatly. It’s delicate, the way Karl handles him. He paints vertical stripes with ease, coating Sapnap’s nails with the black polish until no plain nail is visible. Once he’s finished, he leans back as he closes the nail polish. 

“Leave them on the desk,” the older man orders. He waves a hand over Sapnap’s nails, then asks, “What do you think?”

Sapnap inspects his newly painted nails. He hums for a moment before responding, “I like them, they’re not for me, though.”

Karl gasps, “What? They look good on you! Right, chat?” 

The audience spams compliments. Karl giggles and starts on his own nails, fixing them up due to the areas where they chipped. His are a light blue, unlike Sapnap’s. Sapnap entertains the chat while Karl focuses on his technique. Once he’s finished, Sapnap suggests they answer questions. 

have you thought about giving the house tour? 

“Maybe I can put it in Minecraft like Dream did… what, a year ago? Sapnap, you can help me, right?” Karl asks. He purses his lips as he looks at Sapnap, who’s staring at the second monitor to watch what the chat says. 

Sapnap nods his head but the look on his face says otherwise. He wiggles his fingers again against the desk. “Sure…” he answers. 

The two share a wholehearted laugh. Another donation comes through. Are you two going to stream more often now that Karl is in Florida?  

“I’d like to think so,” Karl answers, nodding his head. He glances at Sapnap to watch him agree. 

They wait for another donation. Why wait three years to finally hang out again? 

A downcast expression falls across Karl’s features. He sucks in a breath and answers the question before Sapnap can, “Well, we’ve already explained that work got in the way. However, if I’m being honest, I think it’s also the distance. I think back then I could be friends with those who were far away. As life continued on, it became easier to just do work and spend my days with those closest to me. I, uh, I think I’m to blame for our lack of communication. I’m sorry… to everyone.” 

Sapnap leans forward and drops his hands. He touches Karl’s thigh with one finger, careful not to get any nail polish on his jeans in case his nails aren’t dry. His head tilts as he meets Karl’s bright blue eyes. Karl is unsure of if this is his way of telling him no, it’s not your fault or if it’s him saying not now, let’s not get into this. 

“I think we’re gonna go, chat,” Karl admits with a frown on his face. He waves to the camera and Sapnap joins him before he turns the stream off. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have answered that question,” Karl apologizes. 

Sapnap spins Karl around to face him and places both of his hands on Karl’s knees. He leans forward and his right thumb rubs the jean material over Karl’s knee. “Hey, there’s no need for that. They deserve an explanation. Hey, come on, look at me,” Sapnap soothes. 

Karl tilts his head up slowly until his blue eyes meet Sapnap’s sage green ones. His bottom lip pokes out and his eyes threaten to water. 

“Why don’t we go watch some cartoons?” Sapnap suggests. He stands up immediately and grabs Karl’s left wrist to pull him up. He leads Karl out of the door and into the living room. 

Sapnap turns on Adventure Time. He pulls Karl down with him as he sits on the couch. Karl falls into Sapnap’s chest easily. An arm wraps around Karl’s frame to squeeze the older man. Sapnap relaxes his arm and his hand slides down to hold Karl’s elbow. After a moment of Karl sitting there sulking in Sapnap’s arms, the amber-haired man gets an idea. His hand drops to Karl’s side and slowly, he starts wiggling his fingers. Soon, he digs them into Karl’s side and adds his other hand to tickle Karl. 

“Stop! Stop! Mercy!” Karl yells, a bubble of laughter erupting out of him. He falls backwards, his head landing on the armrest of the couch. His legs come up, somehow one of them moving around Sapnap so the younger man is between Karl’s thighs. 

Sapnap continues to tickle him. He laughs with him, the sound coming deep from his chest and throat. He doesn’t stop until Karl pleads mercy for a third time. His laughter halts as he realizes the position they’re in. Karl is under Sapnap, his hands tucked to his chest as he huffs out his breaths. Sapnap hovers over Karl in between his thighs. Their faces are less than a foot apart. Karl could break every rule, every moral, and lift his head and kiss Sapnap. 

The sound of ringing fills their ears. Someone has gone through Sapnap’s do not disturb. 

“Shit, sorry,” Sapnap curses. He sits up and pulls his phone out of his pocket to answer it. “Nat? Hey, what’s wrong?” he questions. 

Karl watches it happen, he watches Sapnap’s face fall and his thick eyebrows furrow. He wants to smooth out his brows for him, to pull him in and kiss him senseless. He remembers it’s Sapnap’s girlfriend on the other end of the call. 

“Baby, hey. Stop, calm down. I’ll be over immediately,” Sapnap reassures. He stands up quickly, leaving Karl on the couch. 

Karl sits up slowly as the outro of Adventure Time plays. He lifts a hand to his hair and leaves the other in his chest. “What’s wrong?” he asks. 

Sapnap sucks in a shaky breath. He spins the gold band around his finger, pulls it, then pushes it back on. Once he finally turns back around, he answers Karl quietly, “Natalie thinks she might be pregnant.” 

Karl physically recoils. He joins Sapnap in standing, but takes a few steps back. A scoff escapes him, “I knew this was too good to be true.” 

“What are you talking about?” Sapnap questions. A look of anger flashes over him. 

“This was unnecessary, should’ve let it stay buried. I knew… I shouldn’t have trusted this. Even if we had a chance at something, at this, at us again, you would leave before it could get serious. You were just going to leave again,” the brunet spits. He crosses his arms against his chest as tears build in his eyes. 

Sapnap’s head tilts in a way that shows he’s angry. He laughs dryly before responding, “My girlfriend thinks she’s pregnant, Karl.” 

“You led me on, Nick! You helped me with my garden, you played nice with me on stream and stole my ring, and not to mention, you fucking bought me a car!” Karl yells. He steps forward to press a finger against Sapnap’s chest. It quickly falls. “You get to go on with life like nothing happened. I am left here, stuck in 2023. Years pass me by and I am alone. No one comes close to you, Nick. You get everything…” Karl stops himself from speaking further. 

He doesn’t dare explain how lost he is without the other man. 

Karl drags his gaze off of the floor to look into Sapnap’s somber eyes. Sapnap pulls the gold band off of his pointer finger. He lifts Karl’s hand up with his left hand and drops the ring into the palm of Karl’s hand. 

“I can’t do this right now,” Sapnap whispers. The I’m sorry falls past his lips as he exits the house. 

It and the right now do not reach Karl’s ears. It’s 2023 and Sapnap has just left him after breaking his heart. 

No, the year is 2026 and Sapnap has just left him after shattering his heart. The chance at them a second time is lost with Sapnap, or perhaps, it was never there in the first place.

Chapter Text

Karl’s thumb scrolls through one of his social media apps. Tears stream down his rosy red cheeks as he stops on every single post about yesterday’s stream with Sapnap. Almost all of them say the same thing, minus the exception of a few hate posts against Karl. He reads one, scrolls past it, reads another, and the cycle continues. 

this reminds me of that stream from years ago! 

look at the way sapnap looks at karl!

they’re still so in love, your honor.

when will they stop this slow burn? end my suffering!

sapnap bit his lip like the last stream, he’s in love!

A sob escapes the brunet as he throws himself back into his stack of pillows. His body shakes, his shoulders lifting up just to fall dramatically. He buries his face into the top pillow and sobs into it until he can no longer breathe. Forcing his body up, he sits up in the bed and sniffles. His blue eyes that are filled with tears immediately look at the window that faces Sapnap’s house. Across the grass, Karl can see that window with more burgundy curtains. A sob builds up in Karl, but he picks up his phone and dials one of his contacts to force it down. 

“Hello?” George greets. There’s shuffling on his end of the phone, almost like he’s climbing out of bed himself. 

Karl sniffles, “Thank you for picking up. I need you, both of you. I, uh, something happened.” 

The tone of George’s voice changes to have concern within it. He’s much more serious, more serious than normal. His question is a way to gauge the severity of the situation, “What happened, Karl?” 

“Sapnap and I got into a fight. Has he told you two? Told Dream? I’m such an idiot, George. It’s all my fault, it has always been my fault,” Karl cries. He falls back into his pillows and holds a hand to his chest. The action somehow stops more sobs from escaping. 

“We’re on the way,” George tells him before hanging up the phone. 

Karl rolls over in his bed and sucks in a shaky breath. His entire chest lifts with it and then falls as if it’s running zig-zag. He closes his eyes and waits until Dream and George arrive. It’s not long until the two are walking into his bedroom. 

“Hey, Karl… we used the spare key you gave us,” Dream informs, his voice soft and just above a whisper. He sits down on the bed gently, careful not to roll Karl over with his weight. The bed dips anyways. 

Karl turns over in bed to face the other two men. His face is red in patches and tears are stained on his cheeks. A large frown rests on his lips. “Hey…” he greets. 

“Care to explain what happened, in detail?” George questions, stepping closer to the bed. His hand comes up to pet Karl’s head slowly. 

The blue-eyed brunet sits up with his eyes closed. He blows a breath out, his lips bouncing as the breath leaves past them. His eyes open again and he meets green eyes. He turns his head and looks up to look at George. The frown on his face deepens, but he explains the situation, “Sapnap was over. We streamed, it was good and he was so nice to me. The chat brought up the past and I explained what happened, but not the entire truth. We went into the living room because I was upset and thought I stepped on his boundaries or something. We were gonna watch a cartoon but he tickled me, and then he was on me… like he- he was hovering over me. We were so close, I could’ve kissed him, but then I thought about Natalie and- and she called! We got into a fight, I told him about how he’s leading me on. He’ll always leave me, always. He left after saying ‘I can’t do this.’ God, what am I gonna do?” 

Dream and George both let out a tense breath of air. George nudges Karl gently with his hands to get him to move, then sits down beside him in the bed. Dream places a hand on Karl’s knee to get his attention. 

“He really said that?” the blond asks. He squeezes Karl’s knee in an attempt to soothe him at the same time as asking the heartbreaking question. 

Karl nods and takes George’s right hand into his own. He plays with his fingers before dropping them with a dramatic sigh, “He… fuck, he had a ring of mine on. He took it off and gave it back to me in the worst way possible. It’s like he was confirming this is over between us, that I should just give up on the idea of us. Fuck, what if he sees your car? What if he thinks you’ve taken my side?” 

“No side has been taken, nor will one ever be taken. Sapnap hasn’t even spoken to us about the argument,” George reassures. He wraps an arm around Karl’s shoulders to comfort him. This is the most comfort George has ever given someone, it’s even more than when Dream and him were struggling with their feelings. 

Dream leans across George to grab the bedroom TV remote off of the nightstand. He turns the TV on, ignoring Karl and George’s questions. Soon, a music video starts to play. Please, Please, Please by Sabrina Carpenter starts to fill the room. Dream stands up from the bed and drops the remote onto the comforter. He offers a hand to Karl and motions for him to get up. 

“What are you doing?” Karl croaks. The downturned corners of his lips threaten to lift up. 

Dream laughs as Karl takes his hand. He pulls him up before he can protest. “We’re going to dance,” he answers. 

Dream spins Karl around and pulls him in. Their arms extend as they step away, then they tighten up as Dream pulls Karl in again. The blue-eyed brunet’s arms tuck in as Dream performs a move that curls him in. He pushes him away carefully before pulling him back in and dipping him. Karl laughs loudly, a giggle bubbling out of his chest and past his lips. He places a hand on his chest as he looks up at the blond. 

“You’re crazy! What if you dropped me?” Karl questions, laughing. 

“Like I would drop you!” Dream chuckles. He wraps his arms around Karl’s waist and lifts him up, then spins him around. 

George laughs, holding his hands up in the air to keep distance between Karl’s swinging legs and himself. He breathes gently as he says, “Woah, okay, let’s calm down. What else can we do?”

Dream sets Karl down. His eyes widen as he gets an idea. “Let’s go to a bar!” he suggests. 

“I don’t think drinking when sad is a good idea,” Karl sighs. He sinks back down onto the bed. 

“Drinking alone, maybe, but you’ll have George! Plus, you need to get your mind off of Sapnap. It’s going to take some time, but you never know what might happen while we’re there,” the blond encourages. He steps over to Karl’s closet and searches for an outfit for him to wear. Once he finds something, he offers the outfit to Karl. 

“Fine, get out,” Karl tells them. He grabs the hem of his shirt and threatens to lift it up. 

George rolls his eyes. “Meet us in the car,” he orders, dragging Dream out of the bedroom. 

Karl quickly changes, brushes his teeth, and puts on cologne and his shoes. He’s out the door as fast as possible and climbs into the backseat of Dream’s car. Dream drives them to the bar and as soon as they’re inside, he orders George and Karl drinks. Karl sips his slowly, asks for another once he’s finished, and then sips the next more eagerly. The cycle repeats until George asks him to dance. George, Karl, and Dream move onto the dance floor and dance together. Karl laughs, and laughs, and laughs until he feels sick to his stomach. He moves to a free table and rests his head on his hands. 

“Hey, what are you doing over here by yourself?” a random voice asks. The owner of the voice sits down in the booth in front of Karl. 

Karl lifts his head up to meet their green eyes. “If I’m being honest, I danced and laughed so hard, I made myself sick,” he admits. 

The person laughs before introducing themselves, “I’m Logan. You are?” 

“Karl,” the brunet replies. A soft smile forms on his face. 

Oh, how Dream was right.

Chapter Text

A hand caresses Karl’s cheek softly, the person’s thumb rubbing across his chin and lower lip. Logan licks his lips and leans in to kiss Karl. “Are you sure about this?” he asks once they pull away from each other. 

Karl sucks in a breath. The thought of Sapnap with Natalie passes through his mind. It forces itself inside of his brain, the image of him and her at the wedding. The way he held her—the way Sapnap used to hold Karl—is forever ingrained into his mind. Logan holds him the same way, with as much care and respect that the brunet deserves. 

“Yeah,” he breathes. He leans in again and connects their lips, allowing himself to get lost in Logan. 

The sun shines in Karl’s eyes, forcing him awake. He keeps his eyes shut, but rolls over in bed when he hears shuffling. His eyes open slowly in an attempt to regain his vision. A yawn escapes him as he sits up and stretches. He focuses on the dull noise before speaking, “Logan? Are you leaving?” 

“Yeah, my Uber is almost here. Sorry to up and abandon you,” Logan says, buttoning up his shirt. He grabs his phone from the nightstand and looks at Karl. 

“Let me walk you out,” Karl offers, sliding out of the bed. He slips on one of his silk pajama sets and follows Logan out of the room and out of the house. Karl stops him before he can walk off to the sidewalk. “Hey, I… wouldn’t be opposed to doing this again,” he confesses. 

Logan turns around to face the brunet. There’s a soft smile on his lips as he caresses Karl’s cheeks. He leans down and pecks his lips, then says, “You have my number. We exchanged them in the Uber on our way to your house.” 

“Okay,” Karl mumbles. He watches Logan walk away, get into the Uber, and disappear off down the street. He’s about to head back inside when he hears someone call after him. He spins on his heel to see Sapnap essentially stomping across the grass. “Hey, Sapnap,” Karl greets.

“Who the fuck was that?” Sapnap questions, crossing his arms against his chest. His hand looks bare with the lack of Karl’s ring. 

Karl tilts his chin up to seem confident. His eyebrows furrow slightly, his body reacting to Sapnap’s harsh tone. Anger takes over him to fight fire with fire. He responds immediately, “Why does it matter?”

“I’m curious to know as your friend, Karl. Who was that?” Sapnap spits, pointing in the direction of the Uber that is now long gone. He leans in and stands up on the tips of his toes to get into Karl’s face. 

“What would change if I told you the truth? What would change if I told you we were just hanging out?” the brunet asks. There’s a glare in his eyes, and his thin eyebrows are furrowed out of hurt and anger. His eyes start to water. 

Sapnap scoffs, “Nothing! Nothing would change. That’s the way it has to be.”

“Why? Why is that? You’ve led me on, Nick. I’m sick and tired of this. Make it stop,” Karl pleads. His voice travels from angry to hurt, ending off as if it’s a broken record. A tear slides down one of his freckled cheeks. 

Sapnap physically recoils due to the pain etched into Karl’s features. His demeanor shifts, his body relaxing slightly as he steps back. He focuses on Karl’s face, his sage green eyes scanning the brunet’s face as a way to decide his next action. His right hand twitches, itching to raise and caress Karl’s jaw. “What? Fuck, I don’t mean to… Karl,” he mumbles, his voice beginning to fail him. 

“How? Do you not take into account your own actions? Do you even know what goes on in your mind?” Karl spits. It’s as if his mouth has a mind of its own and it has chosen to reveal every truth known to mankind. It feeds Sapnap the answers without giving them to him.

This fails. Sapnap’s fists ball up at his sides. His head is aimed down at the ground, but his eyes look up through his lashes at Karl. He changes the subject, “Who was that, Karl?” 

“His name is Logan,” the older man answers honestly. He doesn’t know why he provides him with the answer, it would be best for him to leave Sapnap questioning it. It would keep the two of them from ruining what they have. Karl wipes the few tears off of his cheeks. 

“Did you two… damnit… did you?” Sapnap asks, throwing his head back as he frowns. He holds the top of his baseball cap with one hand until he moves his head back down to focus on Karl. His sage green eyes meet bright blue ones. 

Karl closes his eyes and sighs, “We did, but it doesn’t matter. Nothing matters!” 

Sapnap drops his head into his hands, his hat somehow staying on top of his head. He groans loudly again before raising his head to speak, “It does matter! It most likely mattered to Logan!”

“It was a hookup!” the brunet yells. He laughs after he speaks, the sound seemingly coming only from the top of his lungs. It’s dry but amused, an odd mixture of the two sounds that shouldn’t join together. The sound showcases the disbelief in his voice.

“You can say that until he’s crawling back into your bed,” Sapnap shouts, scoffing. He crosses his arms and takes a step closer, his hand twitching again. This time, it has the urge to poke Karl in the chest. 

Karl rolls his eyes and laughs dryly. He copies Sapnap’s pose, crossing his arms defensively. His mouth moves before his mind can catch up, “Why do you even care who I spend my time with? You might be a father, Sapnap!” 

The younger man’s entire face falls. He staggers backwards mentally, his arms dropping from his chest to rest by his sides. His face scrunches up after a moment as he begins to process Karl’s words. He holds a hand up and his lips move to let him speak, but nothing comes out. His hand falls. “Oh, fuck…” he whispers. 

“Sap- Nick, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to, it just-” Karl says, holding a hand up to his mouth as if it’ll change what was said or who said it. He reaches a hand up to grab him, but he stops himself before he can get too close. 

“Oh, fuck!” Sapnap curses before walking away. He rushes across the grass and essentially sprints back into his house. 

Karl stomps his foot before running into his own house and slamming the door. The loud noise sends pain through both of his ears. “Fuck!” he screams. 

They should’ve stopped while they were ahead. Karl knew if they kept going, something would ruin them. Karl would ruin them. He destroyed them. He said the words, he targeted Sapnap with what hurts. Karl pulls out his phone again and finds Logan’s contact. He hovers over the call button before deciding on a simple message. 

text me when you can! 

He quickly deletes it. 

“Fuck! Fuck you!” Karl shouts. 

He drops his phone onto the couch before moving to his bedroom. His feet take him directly to the closet. He kneels down and opens the box with the huge ‘N’ written on. After moving the pictures and a few stuffed animals aside, he finds a sweatshirt and a hoodie. He takes the warm brown sweatshirt out of the box, tugs off his silk pajama shirt, and pulls the brown sweatshirt over his head. It’s cold against his skin due to being in his closet, but the faint scents of vanilla and bergamot fill his nostrils. He sighs and looks into the mirror, remembering the time Sapnap wore this sweatshirt when they were out and about together. It was the time when they were a couple. Sapnap left the sweatshirt for Karl, mumbling something about I prefer you in my clothes any day because it means you’re mine. 

Oh, how he still is Sapnap’s. 

Chapter Text

A repetitive knocking sound awakens Karl from his sleep. Darkness surrounds the brunet, tightening its grip around his frame. It’s as if he’s choking, the darkness somehow reminding him of the events that happened earlier. His words, he hurt Sapnap. Karl sits up and turns on a lamp that sits on his bedside table. He feels sick due to the darkness melting away from him too slowly. There’s another loud knock at his front door that forces him out of the bed. He walks out of his bedroom and stands in the middle of the open floor, staring at the front door. A knock again. It’s the middle of the night and someone is knocking on his door. Karl should be afraid, yet a piece of him knows who’s on the other end. 

He has to make the choice of letting him go or ruining them further. It’s a choice he can’t make, yet one that he decides almost instantly. He steps closer and opens the wooden door, turning on his porch light at the same time as he opens the door. Sapnap stands on the other side of the threshold, his sage green eyes softer than what they usually are. They’re almost too soft. The way his eyebrows tilt, the softness in his eyes, and the frown on his face makes him resemble a puppy. Karl wants to wrap Sapnap in his arms and kiss away his pain. He wants to press a kiss to his eyebrows, to his eyelids, to the corners of his lips. He wants to fix everything. 

Sapnap’s eyes fall down to look at Karl’s sweatshirt, the hurt in them worsening and forcing tears to build up. He rewets his lips before pointing at the sweatshirt and asking, “Is that mine?” 

Karl’s mouth falls agape as he looks down at the warm brown sweatshirt. He tilts his head back up and meets Sapnap’s eyes. Slowly, he nods and answers him, “Y-Yeah, yes. This is yours.” 

One corner of Sapnap’s mouth curves upwards. He shifts from his right leg to his left leg, adjusting his weight to be fully on the other. “Uh, can I come in?” he asks, motioning inside of the dark house. 

“Yeah,” the brunet replies. He moves out of the way after flipping on the ceiling light. “So, uh, what are you doing here?” he asks once Sapnap is inside and the door is closed. 

Sapnap sucks in a deep breath. He walks into the area of the house that is the living room, Karl following suit. The two face each other, bright blue eyes meeting sage green ones in order to communicate before their mouths. Sapnap drops his gaze back onto the warm brown sweatshirt. 

“I can take it off, I can change,” Karl informs. He fidgets with the end of his sleeve. 

“No, it’s okay…” Sapnap tells him. He pulls his bottom lip to be under his top front teeth. His lips vibrate once he blows a breath out. He finally explains himself, “I’ve been hyping myself up for a few hours, trying to gain the courage to come over here and talk to you. I need to talk to you.” 

Karl’s heart sinks in his chest. His breath hitches before he questions, “Talk to me about what?” 

This is it, this is the moment runs through Karl’s mind. He knows it for certain, he’s gonna tell me it’s over for good between us. There will be no more us. 

“I’m not mad at you, I actually forgive you,” the younger man confesses. A frown stays written on his face, despite the positivity of his words. He takes a step closer. “I’m really not mad at you,” he reiterates. 

Karl’s head tilts to the side as Sapnap looks up, their eyes meeting once again. “You’re not mad at me,” he repeats Sapnap’s words with his own version. 

The hem of Karl’s—Sapnap’s—sweatshirt gets pinched between a pointer finger and thumb. Sapnap rubs the material carefully while Karl looks down at his hand. The brunet watches his hand slowly move up to grip onto the side, fingers inches away from pressing into Karl’s side. It doesn’t move any further. Karl looks up to analyze Sapnap’s features. 

“A few hours ago, Natalie got back from the doctor. She went alone because, you know, I don’t want people knowing about her. I’ve kept it up this long… Uh, that doesn’t matter. She came back from the doctor and told me that they tested her and it was a false positive, the one she took at home, I mean. They scanned her and it was negative at the doctor. Natalie isn’t pregnant,” Sapnap explains. His hand moves to press into Karl’s side. 

Karl rewets his lips quickly before asking, “S-So why… Why do you still look sad?” 

“Just come here,” Sapnap sighs, pulling Karl into him. 

Thick hands press against Karl’s lower back while long arms wrap around Sapnap’s neck. Sapnap’s arms are tight around him, tighter than they’ve ever been when they’ve hugged. Karl drops his head so it rests in the crook of Sapnap’s neck. His lips ghost across pale skin, a gentle breath exiting out of him and sending a shiver down Sapnap’s spine. Neither move for a solid minute or two, they simply exist in each other’s space. Karl pulls away to speak.

“Why were you so jealous?” he questions. He keeps his tone level in order to not ruin the moment. 

Sapnap winces. He takes a deep breath before responding, “I… I think I’m still, uh, protective of you. I don’t want you hooking up with people, it’s not safe and you don’t know them. Anything could happen. I guess… the stress of Natalie and the test just got to me. Everything was happening all at once. I couldn’t take it. I was the definition of exploding.” 

Karl chuckles softly. He moves to sit down on the couch, pulling Sapnap’s hand with him so they both sit down. “Can I ask you about something?” he asks. 

“You can always ask me anything,” Sapnap reassures. He adjusts his seating position so he faces Karl slightly, their knees lightly touching due to the new way he sits. 

“I hope that’s true…” Karl sighs. His hands come up to interact with one another, his thumb picking at the sides of the other one. He stops when a hand slides over them in order to stop his fidgeting. After a deep breath, he finally asks the question he’s been wondering for years, “Why did you break up with me?” 

Another deep breath is exhaled from Sapnap. He turns his head more and smiles softly as their eyes meet. Slowly, he answers the question, “If I’m being honest, K, I am afraid of change. I know I took a risk with Dream and it turned out good, and I moved out of that home to be alone. Natalie ended up helping with that. I think if I didn’t have her, I would’ve gone crazy. I- It’s all just so scary. We had so much pressure on us from society, we always will, and I never want one of us to get hurt. The truth is this: I was a coward who couldn’t live up to their wants and needs.”

“You’re not a coward,” Karl whispers. 

The mix of a smile and frown forms on Sapnap’s face before developing fully into a smile. He nods his head and whispers back, “Thank you.” 

Silence encompasses them for a moment. The two sit there with Sapnap’s hand over both of Karl’s. Nothing but their breathing fills the space. Sapnap rubs his thumb across the freckled skin of the back of Karl’s hand. 

“I need you to know that I’m sorry for breaking your heart a million times over,” the younger man says. He stops his thumb from moving and focuses fully onto Karl’s features. 

A soft smile appears on Karl’s lips. He falls sideways to rest his head on Sapnap’s shoulder. Sapnap moves his arm to wrap it around his frame. He squeezes him gently as a way to prove his words. 

“Are we okay?” Sapnap whispers. His other hand moves to hold Karl’s hands in case he gets the urge to pick at the sides of his nails again. 

The brunet presses a kiss to Sapnap’s bearded jawline. He sighs softly before confirming, “We’re okay.” 

Chapter Text

Karl finally sits back down in his chair and checks his other tabs on his PC. He notices people messaging one another in the chat as he double checks everything is still good to go. He unmutes his microphone and greets the chat. The chat flies by quickly as soon as Karl switches the screen to the camera. He waves enthusiastically. 

“Hi, chat!” he greets them again. There’s a bright grin planted on his face, the light that shines on him highlighting his eyes an almost pale gray shade. He drops his hands by his side and changes the screens so Five Nights at Freddy’s appears on the stream. “This is what we’re doing today!” he announces. 

A knock sounds on his recording room’s door. Karl quickly spins around in his chair. He turns back around with an exaggerated look of confusion etched into his features. “Huh, wait… am I forgetting something?” Karl asks the chat before standing up out of his chair. 

The brunet walks over to the door and opens it. Sapnap stands on the other end of the door with a faux frown on his face. Karl steps aside to show the stream who’s at the door, despite the entire chat already knowing who it is by their build and outfit. 

“Woah, chat! Look who’s here to play horror games with me!” Karl giggles. He moves back to his chair, Sapnap following suit after closing the door. 

“I can’t believe you’re getting me to do this again,” Sapnap groans as soon as he sits down. He moves his chair closer in order to play the game first. 

Karl allows him to take the keyboard and mouse from him. He places a hand on the younger man’s shoulder and leans in, watching the screen from over Sapnap’s broad shoulder. “Too scared you’ll piss yourself? It’s not even that scary,” Karl teases. 

Sapnap rolls his eyes and starts the game. It does start off easy. The character Sapnap plays as only dies once from Bonnie. When the noise happens, Karl jumps and almost knocks the headset off of Sapnap’s head. Sapnap beats the round on the second try, but then begins to struggle once Foxy joins the game. It becomes a cycle; Sapnap’s character dies from Foxy or Chica and Karl essentially jumps out of his seat due to the noise. 

The two giggle uncontrollably, Sapnap deeming Karl unable to play with or near since he doesn’t know how to handle a jumpscare. Karl takes the headset from Sapnap and changes the title of the stream. He switches the screen to Roblox Arsenal.

“What if I wanted to play first?” Sapnap questions, reaching for the headset again. 

“No, you’re hogging the PC!” Karl yells. He jerks away, leaning his head as far away from Sapnap as possible. He loads up the game and starts shooting opponents, moving back over to sit up straight so he can play the game normally. 

Sapnap reaches for the headset again, his face coming close to the side of Karl’s. A frown forms on his lips before morphing into a glare. “I could take that headset away. It’s not yours, it’s mine,” the amber-haired man threatens. 

Karl gasps in disbelief. He focuses on the game, but sends a look Sapnap’s way in order to check his actions. “It’s actually mine, and you wouldn’t dare,” he says, puffing up his chest.

“Oh, I think I would,” Sapnap tells him. He reaches for the headset again and sets off multiple events. 

Karl leans away again as Sapnap dives for the headset. Sapnap stands up so he can grab the headset better, but Karl keeps dodging his hands. The brunet screams about the headset until his roblox avatar dies in the game. Sapnap bursts into a fit of giggles, collapsing back into the chair while he holds his stomach. 

“I’ll take off your hat,” Karl threatens, but there’s no malice in his voice. He turns his head to look at Sapnap as he sits up in the chair. Leaning in, he lifts his hand up to act like he’s going to grab Sapnap’s hat. 

“Stop it, freak!” Sapnap laughs loudly, swatting Karl’s hand away with a gentle tap. He leans backwards to the best of his ability and presses down on his hat as a way to keep it on his head. 

The laugh that escapes Karl is exuberant. He slides off of his chair, falling into the floor as the bubbles of laughter leave his chest and lips. The sound comes deep from his chest. Sapnap stares at him with confusion, a few little laughs falling past his lips as well. He pulls Karl up so the older man can sit back down into the chair. 

Karl pushes his chair away so Sapnap can play. Once the game starts, they have another battle of who gets the headset. Sapnap ends up screaming once he dies, which results in the two men laughing together. Sapnap threatens to turn off the stream, followed by a threat of tickling him, and Karl finally pleads for mercy. They resume their game as normal, acting like nothing happened. 

Karl eventually gets bored and Sapnap gets tired. They wave at the screen and bid farewell before turning off the stream. Together, they walk into the living room to watch a movie. Sapnap collapses onto the couch before Karl does. The brunet grabs the TV remote and joins him, then searches for a random movie they both would like. As the movie starts, Karl side-eyes Sapnap. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” the younger man asks, turning his head to look at Karl. His head tilts slightly and a look of amusement forms on his face. 

Karl purses his lips as he debates asking his question. He sucks the inside of his cheek in and presses it between his molars. Once the choice is made, he lets go and asks, “Does Natalie like you being over here?”

Sapnap winces, inhaling a sharp breath. He looks away to focus on the TV, but nods his head. “Yeah, she’s okay with it,” he answers.

Karl furrows his eyebrows. He hums in thought before adding, “I would be upset if my boyfriend kept going over to his ex’s house. I mean, I know she’s trusting and I would trust my boyfriend, but I would be so jealous. Is she not the jealous type?” 

“No, she’s not the jealous type. She’s great…” Sapnap replies, shaking his head. He sinks into the couch’s cushions. 

Karl takes a deep breath and focuses back onto the movie. He tries his best to keep quiet, to watch the movie, but the urge to take Sapnap in his arms eats away at him. He sighs harshly. 

“What?” Sapnap asks, his head jerking to the left to look at Karl. It’s as if he starts analyzing the brunet, utilizing all of his people skills in order to figure out what’s wrong with him. 

“Come here?” Karl asks. He opens his arms and motions for Sapnap to come closer. 

Surprisingly, the amber-haired man moves and falls into his chest. Karl’s breath hitches as his arms wrap around Sapnap. The two sit there for a moment, Sapnap lying awkwardly on his side with his torso bent so he can rest on Karl’s chest. Karl pushes him up and adjusts his position so he’s laying on the couch. Sapnap falls back down and picks up his feet, almost copying Karl’s position. 

Karl’s hands roam. They start at Sapnap’s lower back and slowly rub their way up until one reaches Sapnap’s amber curls. He hesitantly lifts the baseball cap off of Sapnap’s head and places it on the coffee table. Slowly, he cards his fingers through the curls. Sapnap takes a deep breath and swallows harshly. Karl continues his movements. After a while, the two start to breathe in sync. Karl’s chest rises while Sapnap’s does and they fall together, the breath causing them to feel like they’re sinking into one another. 

Sapnap doesn’t miss the quickening heartbeat of Karl’s. He keeps his ear pressed against the older man’s chest and takes a deep breath, messing up their in-sync breathing. Another deep breath, then another, and then another. He stands abruptly, forcing Karl’s long fingers out of his amber curls. “I’ve got to go,” he announces. 

Karl watches him grab his baseball cap, place it over his head, and walk out of the front door. His hands tingle from the previous action. His heart aches for Sapnap to come back.

Chapter Text

The sound of a truck settling makes its way through Karl’s bedroom windows. Its axles creak as if they were a human exhaling a deep sigh. An actual sigh passes through Karl’s lips as he stirs in his bed. He rolls over onto his right side and yawns. His brain attempts to figure out the sound he heard, but he’s so sleepy. 

Two minutes pass of him essentially snoozing. His brain registers the sound to belong to a truck, causing confusion to fill his mind and features. He heard the sound because it’s coming from Sapnap and Natalie’s house, but it doesn’t make sense; Sapnap and Natalie do not own a truck. Karl sits up in bed immediately and reaches for his glasses that lie on the bedside table. He puts them on, blinking through the sleepydust and crust around his eyes in order to wake himself up fully. Now that he’s able to see, he looks out the window. The burgundy curtains are open, or perhaps they are missing entirely. 

Karl forces himself up and out of the bed. He almost trips over his comforter to get to the window. Looking out of the window at an angle, he can see the truck. It’s a U-Haul. 

The brunet’s heart sinks in his chest. He rushes over to his phone that’s plugged up to the charger, unplugs it, and unlocks it. A quick text is sent to Sapnap. 

why is there a u-haul in your driveway?

Sapnap responds after a minute.

i’ll explain everything later. sit tight.

Karl drops his phone onto his bed like he’s trying to distance himself from what’s going on, which doesn’t really help because he doesn’t know exactly what is happening. Sit tight, the order makes Karl laugh. How can he? He needs answers. 

After a few more minutes of staring out of the window, Karl gives up and decides to get ready for the day. He grabs a change of clothes and moves into his bathroom to take a shower and change. The water cascades down his body once he gets inside of the shower. He scrubs his body with a loofa, mumbling questions and statements he has for Sapnap the entire time he cleans himself. After rinsing off, he washes his hair. Once he’s fully clean, he steps out and dries off with a towel. He brushes his teeth after he’s dressed in the new set of clothes; the outfit is a simple sweater vest over a white button-up and black jeans. He adorns his fingers in a few rings, his wrist in a gold chain, and his neck in a dangly gold chain as well.  

Breakfast is the next task. Karl makes his way into the kitchen and pulls out the ingredients to cook pancakes. He measures everything and dumps it into a bowl, then mixes the mixture until it becomes the correct texture. Carefully, he pours some into a frying pan and starts cooking his pancakes. After a few minutes, he has three pancakes that are covered in butter and syrup. His plate is clean once he finishes eating at the island. He deposits his plate into the dishwasher and walks into the living room. 

Karl stares out the window in his living room as well. He’s determined to figure out what’s happening. When he gets no answers after looking at the U-Haul for three minutes, he moves and collapses onto his couch. He reaches for the remote mindlessly and presses the correct buttons due to habit and good memory. Some cartoon that is suggested for him starts playing on the TV. It’s not long until he’s dozing off. 

When he wakes up again, he adjusts his glasses so he can check the time on the cable box. An idea appears in his mind once he reads the time and knows it’s time for the mail to have come by. Karl stands up immediately, fixes his clothes, then walks out of the front door. He focuses on the sidewalk in front of him until he gets to the mailbox. As he opens the door to the mailbox, his eyes drift over to the left. He watches Natalie step out of the U-Haul, followed by Sapnap without a baseball hat. The amber-haired man is speaking to her and she does respond, but her features are filled with sorrow and confusion. Karl’s eyebrows furrow under his tight brown curls. He grabs his mail and hears the backdoor of the U-Haul shut. Quickly, he rushes back into his house. He ends up back at the living room window, his mail having been discarded onto the coffee table. 

Natalie climbs into the driver’s seat of the U-Haul while Sapnap stands at the door of it. She doesn’t yell at him, but it’s clear that the two are upset. Sapnap’s arms move as if he’s pleading, one of his hands coming up to the window of the driver’s side door to get Natalie’s attention. Karl cannot see Sapnap’s face due to him facing the U-Haul, but he is able to watch as Natalie turns in her seat after buckling up and a smile forms on her lips. She reaches through the window to press a hand against Sapnap’s cheek, and Karl watches her lips move as she tells Sapnap something. Sapnap nods and steps away from the U-Haul, then waves as Natalie starts driving off. Sapnap turns around with a hand on his head, then starts walking off in the direction of Karl’s house. The brunet jumps back from the window and grabs his mail. 

After a few knocks sound on the front door, Karl drops his mail again and stands up. He wipes his palms on his jeans and moves to the front door to open it. “Hey, what’s going on?” Karl questions as soon as he gets the door open. 

“Can I come in?” Sapnap asks instead of answering. He shoves his hands into his gym shorts as he waits for Karl to let him inside. 

“Of course,” Karl answers, moving out of the way. He watches Sapnap walk through the threshold and into the living room, then closes the door behind him. “Nick, what’s happening? I saw the U-Haul, I didn’t want to ask. It’s not my place,” his words start to ramble together as he steps over to Sapnap. 

Sapnap takes a deep breath. His hands stay in his gym shorts’ pockets. He stares at the floor and slowly lifts his gaze to meet Karl’s bright blue eyes. “Natalie moved out,” he answers. 

“What?” the brunet questions as if he misheard Sapnap. The answer rings loud in his ears. He refuses to ask his other question, the what does this mean? What about us? planting itself inside of his mind like a child that refuses to move. 

“She moved out. We weren’t going to work-” Sapnap starts, but Karl interrupts him. 

“You two were perfect together. You looked great together, and it appeared like you two trusted each other and had the right amount of similarities to be compatible. She was so nice, I thought you would’ve married her eventually and had kids down the line. What happened?” Karl questions. He lifts his hands to clutch them together in front of his abdomen. His pointer finger and thumb start spinning one of his gold rings that rests on the ring finger of his other hand. 

The younger man lifts his hands up to stop Karl’s spinning of his gold ring. He carefully slides his fingers under Karl’s, wraps them around the gold ring, and pulls it off of his ring finger. Holding the gold ring up, he provides an answer, “You. You happened.” 

A gasp escapes Karl before he apologizes, “What? I’m sorry for everything I said that day. I’m sorry for all of the streams, and if she got the wrong impression. I wasn’t trying to break you two up, I was just hurting. I didn’t mean to, I’m so sorry, Nick.”

“No, Karl. It’s nothing like that. I realized this, I…” Sapnap replies, stopping himself as he thinks. He slides the gold ring on his left ring finger before taking Karl’s hands into his. Slowly, he finishes, “Listen, I have always wondered if there was any second chance between us. When you showed up to that dual-bachelor party, my heart stopped. I had moved on, but there still was a part of me that needed you, in whatever way, shape, or form I could get. I would wonder how you felt, or what I could say to let you know we were okay. All of those moments where I’d break your heart, I was trying to do good. There was still a part of myself fighting for us. I still, to this day, wonder… I know we can’t, it’s too soon, but we can wonder, right? We can take our time and wonder.”

“I always wonder, too. I’ve gone mad thinking I’ll be stuck wondering forever. We can wonder, but we have to address everything. I mean, you give me mixed signals. Even with Natalie, I’m sure you didn’t mean to, but…” the older man’s voice trails off. He drops his head and feels Sapnap’s forehead with amber curls rest against his own. 

Sapnap sucks in a deep breath before exhaling slowly, “I’m so sorry. It’s the want to protect you, and the needs that I said before. I need you to know how I feel no matter what. I came at it in the wrong way and I broke your heart, so many times. If you let me, I’ll take the time to make it up to you. We can wonder together.” 

“Where do you plan on this going? What’s us going to be in the future?” Karl questions. He pulls away and lifts his head to meet sage green eyes. A deep breath leaves his lungs and nose. 

Sapnap raises a hand to push Karl’s glasses up on his nose gently. A soft smile forms on his lips. “Us in the future relies on you now. We can simply wonder until there’s a change,” he answers. 

“Are you ready for this?” Karl asks. He doesn’t question Sapnap’s feelings or perspective. There’s no love confession from one another, but he knows this is a step forward. 

“I’ll spend the rest of my life wondering, as long as it's about you,” the amber-haired man answers before pulling Karl into a hug. 

Chapter Text

Karl scans the street stand’s array of items, searching for decorations or antiques he can place around his house. He has been hearing about this flea market everywhere he goes, whether it be to an insurance company, the doctor for a check-up, or simply the grocery store. With every conversation behind him, someone would mention this flea market. He’s hoping he lucks out. 

He moves onto the next stall and notices a tea set. The jade green of it draws him in, the swirl of different shades and shine calling to him. His bright blue eyes stay locked onto the tea set as his mind conjures up places to put it and debates if he’d even use it. 

“It’s made out of celadon, it’s from China,” the owner of the stall informs Karl. They carefully grab a teacup and hold it in front of themselves to show Karl. 

Karl runs a finger down the side of the teacup. An involuntary smile forms on his face. “How much for the whole set?” he asks. 

“I’ve just dropped the price to sixty,” the owner answers. They pull the teacup away to place it back with its family. 

Karl pulls his wallet out and pulls out the cash he brought for the flea market. He offers sixty dollars to the owner of the stall and smiles when they accept it. They grab a box and bubble wrap from below their stall and box up the tea set. Once finished and the box is closed, they offer the box to Karl. He accepts it carefully and thanks them. 

Karl continues down the path, scanning the items around and on the stalls. He stops at a tarp full of furniture and admires what vintage pieces sit on the tarp. A figure appears beside him, their shoulder bumping straight into his left one. He grips the box in his hands tighter and pulls it closer to his chest. 

“What’d you get?” Sapnap questions, staring down at the box. He looks away from it to view the pieces of furniture. His right hand moves up to slide down Karl’s left arm. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know…” the brunet giggles. A shiver runs down his spine at Sapnap’s touch. “It’s a tea set. What have you found?” he asks in return.

Sapnap chuckles and turns his head to look at Karl. He answers with a compliment, “Someone pretty.” 

“Shut up,” Karl orders, but a rosy blush covers his cheeks. He focuses on a dark brown wooden rocking chair and feels Sapnap’s right shoulder leave his left one. Karl turns his head and watches him walk off before turning his attention back onto the different stalls. He finds a shoe stall and forces himself away, then debates buying some fruit from a vendor. The box stays clutched to his chest as he walks around.

Karl doesn’t find Sapnap until ten minutes later. The older man watches from afar, admiring Sapnap’s side profile as he talks to a person running the stall he stands at. Sapnap is definitely trying to haggle, but it appears he’s failing miserably. Karl completes the distance and joins him. His eyes lock onto the item Sapnap is trying to lower the price of. The box is illuminated by the sun, glitter sparkling in the light. The title of the box stands out, Pokémon written in yellow contrasting against a red box. 

“How much are you asking for this?” Karl asks the owner. He points at the unopened box full of Pokémon cards to clarify what he’s talking about. 

“Five-hundred,” the owner answers. 

Karl turns towards Sapnap and scoffs, “Sapnap, take the deal. I’ll pay half, come on.” 

“Fine,” the younger man responds, opening his wallet to pull out cash. He hands the money to the owner and watches Karl do the same before picking the box up. He holds it against his stomach before saying, “Let’s get out of here, please. I’m hungry.” 

“Only if I get the holographic dark Blastoise if it’s in there,” Karl replies. There’s a cheeky grin planted on his face. 

Sapnap laughs wholeheartedly and rolls his eyes. “You’re stupid,” he lies. 

Karl bites his own tongue to stop himself from speaking, the but you love me staying only in his mind. He doesn’t know if that’s true or not. 

Sapnap ends up driving them through a fast food place’s drive-thru before taking them back to their houses. He pulls the car into his own driveway and puts it into park. The two men get out and Karl rushes over to his house, yelling at Sapnap about being over in a bit. He joins Sapnap at his house soon after placing his tea set onto the dining table. 

When Karl steps into Sapnap’s house, he expects to see remnants of Natalie. However, it’s like she never lived here in the first place. The two at in the car, so Karl walks around the living room and kitchen while Sapnap uses the bathroom. He admires the pictures Sapnap has around the house and is surprised to see one of them with Dream and George at the wedding. When he walks into the kitchen, a picture frame that lies face-down catches his attention. He steps over to it and stares at it and the one beside it. A photo of the two of them sits in the frame that stands up, a photo where their bright smiles reflect their happiness in the moment they were together. Carefully, Karl picks up the frame that is face-down. In it sits a photo of Sapnap and Natalie. He places it back down as guilt fills him, building in his stomach and threatening him as it comes up his throat. 

“You ready to open this up?” Sapnap asks from the hallway. 

The brunet quickly walks back into the living room, his blue eyes meeting green ones. He nods his head to respond before sitting down on the blue couch. Opening the cards goes by in a blur due to Karl’s head spinning. He feels too guilty, his mind bouncing around one thought in his head: Karl Jacobs broke up a possible marriage. 

The two were never engaged nor were they ever married, but they were happy and Karl took that away. He is the reason they broke up, and Sapnap even admitted it the other day. You. You happened. Those were Sapnap’s words. Karl got in the way of a perfect couple. 

“Hey, where’d you go? What are you thinking about?” Sapnap questions, pushing the box away on the coffee table. He adjusts his position so he can rest a hand on Karl’s knee easily and the other on his right shoulder. His thumb moves, rubbing into Karl’s collarbone gently in an attempt to soothe him. 

Tears build up in Karl's eyes, blue eyes growing brighter as the whites of his eyes turn red and irritated. He closes his eyes and looks away from Sapnap, but forces his gaze back onto Sapnap when the amber-haired man leans in closer. The most recent question Sapnap asks falls on deaf ears, but he knows the question anyway. Karl answers in a whisper, “You were happy.” 

“Yes, but let me tell you something: I wasn't entirely happy with life. Nothing in my life was correct. The pieces were jumbled,” Sapnap replies softly. He wraps an arm around Karl’s shoulders and pulls him in, tucking Karl’s head under his chin. 

“What does that even mean?” Karl asks. He wipes a tear that runs down his left cheek. 

Sapnap chuckles and answers in a different way, “Okay… Let me put it this way: When Natalie moved out, she gave me one last request to make her happy. She ordered me to fix everything between us, as in me and you.” 

“Why would she say that? Why would she ask you to do that?” the older man questions. He lets out a quiet sob and pulls away from Sapnap to look him in the eyes. 

Sapnap winces, but a smile follows soon after. He takes a deep breath before answering honestly, “She asked me to do that because she knows I’m in love with you and she wants me to be my happiest self.” 

“What?” Karl gasps, blinking quickly as he stares into Sapnap’s sage green eyes. 

Sapnap lifts his hands to caress Karl’s jaw. His thumbs rub across Karl’s cheeks gently. He smiles softly as his eyes start to water. “I’m in love with you, Karl Jacobs,” he reiterates. 

Karl’s frown turns into a broken smile due to him feeling upset and happy at the same time. He asks again, “You’re what?” 

“I told you I’d wonder forever for you,” the younger man reminds. He pulls Karl in slightly before stopping himself. “Please, K, can I kiss you?” he asks. 

“Yes,” Karl breathes. 

Sapnap closes the distance between them. Their lips meet as if it’s the first time, or as if they’re coming home. Karl’s top lip rests between Sapnap’s lips until his bottom lip starts to feel cold. He lifts his head and changes the kiss, and this time, he presses all of himself into it. Sapnap gives back the perfect amount. 

Karl pulls away slowly to whisper, “You’re exceeding the speed limit on the time for us to wonder.” 

Sapnap rolls his eyes and presses another kiss to Karl’s lips. He sighs gently, “You could call it off now, but I touched you. That’s all that matters to me. I touched you. I’m a part of you now.” 

“How does that work?” Karl asks, although he knows how it works. He tried it a while ago when Sapnap was still with Natalie and they were good neighbors. He touched Sapnap’s arm as if it’d linger with Sapnap, as if it’d convince him into wanting another touch. The touch that travels to the heart and brings them back. 

“Touch and feeling work better than words in certain cases,” Sapnap answers. He leans in slowly, but Karl stops him. 

“What about now? I didn’t… I didn’t say it back, but I touched you. Did I touch you?” Karl questions, tilting his head to the side slightly. He leans in a little bit, leaving an inch between their lips. 

“You touched me years ago,” Sapnap replies. He closes the gap between them, connecting their lips in a passionate kiss. 

The kiss—a touch—that travels to the heart and lingers. It’s possible the touch will stay there forever, embedded into the lining of the heart or tucked safely into the muscle. The touch that somehow keeps the heart beating, even if it is a skip or up in speed.

Chapter Text

Karl whispers to himself as he checks his list. He finished with the produce, got prepared meals, and obtained ingredients for a few dishes he can make himself. What is left on his list is milk and shredded cheese. He lowers the list from his view and grabs ahold of the shopping cart’s handle, then pushes forward and starts walking in the direction of where his grocery items are. As he’s moving out of the aisle he’s on, another shopping cart comes into view and almost rams into his own.

“I thought I saw you here. I was walking past the checkout area to get to the toilet paper aisle and I thought I saw you down the cereal aisle. Hi,” Sapnap greets. He pulls his shopping cart back to allow Karl room to exit the aisle. 

“Hi, Sap,” Karl replies. He exits the aisle, placing them into an awkward position of Karl in front and Sapnap following behind him in order to keep the conversation going. 

Sapnap doesn’t struggle despite being behind Karl and his shopping cart separating them. He laughs before asking, “‘Sap’? You never call me that. Are you mad at me?” 

“What? No. That’s your nickname. I assume you prefer it over your real nickname,” the brunet responds. He pushes his shopping cart over to the milk and stops in front of the cold shelves of milk. 

Sapnap moves his own shopping cart to be near Karl’s, eliminating the space for people to walk. He steps behind Karl and hovers beside him, watching him search for the milk he wants. “That may be true, but not for you. You call me ‘Nick’ and I’m happy that you do. I only let you call me by my real name. No one else.”

Karl grabs a carton of milk and places it into his shopping cart before turning fully to face Sapnap. One corner of his lips turns upwards. He keeps his bright blue eyes locked onto Sapnap’s green ones. Slowly, he says, “Sap, I was just being considerate.” 

Sapnap groans and drops his head onto Karl’s shoulder. When he stands up straight again, he’s pouting. His eyebrows are angled down due to the sad puppy-dog look in his eyes. His voice comes out in almost a whisper as he frustratedly pleads, “Well, be considerate and call me ‘Nick.’”

“That’s no way to act, Nick. That’s quite rude, actually,” Karl playfully reprimands. 

Two hands come up to caress Karl’s jaw. Sapnap sighs softly, “I could kiss you right now.”

Karl slips out of his grasp and grabs his shopping cart to move it down the aisle to get shredded cheese. Sapnap follows him down the aisle, mumbling curses and remarks. He copies his previous actions and parks his shopping cart beside Karl’s in order to stand beside the older man. Karl picks out the shredded cheese he wants and tosses it into the shopping cart.

“Why won’t you let me kiss you?” Sapnap questions, crossing his arms against his chest. His bottom lip pokes out again as his face forms the sad puppy look. 

Karl shushes him before asking his own question, “Have you even finished shopping?” 

Sapnap shakes his head. He looks up and to the right as he thinks, placing a finger to his thumb to tap it on the surface a few times for dramatic effect. He gasps as he pretends to remember. “Oh, that’s right. I’m missing one thing: I want one pretty brunet with gorgeous blue eyes to be mine,” he answers. 

A wide smile forms on Karl's face, his two front teeth peeking out slightly due to how strong his smile is. He giggles, but his smile slowly falls. “You never know when fans are near,” he offers an answer to Sapnap’s question. 

“Just one. It’ll be quick,” the amber-haired man begs. 

Karl leans down to plant a kiss on Sapnap’s left cheek. He pulls back with a soft half-smile on his face. “That'll have to do,” he whispers. 

Sapnap moves onto his tiptoes and leans forward. Karl sighs, but makes no effort to move. Sapnap inches forward, but his name being loudly called forces him away from Karl and back onto his heels. Karl jerks away from the younger man. The two turn towards the two people calling both of their names now. 

Before they make it to them, Sapnap leans sideways. His mouth reaches Karl’s ear. “This is what doordash is for,” Sapnap whispers.

Karl elbows him playfully and a grin forms on his face. He greets the two people as soon as they are three feet away. 

“Hi, we’re big fans! We’ve been watching since 2020. We thought maybe one day we’d run into Sapnap due to the area, but we are excited to see you too, Karl. Can we get a photo?” the person on the left says. They pull out their phone and offer it to Karl, signaling for him to take the photo. 

Karl nods his head immediately. He accepts the phone and motions for everyone to come closer. An arm slinks around his waist, forcing him to look down. Sapnap sends him a reassuring smile and squeezes Karl’s side to inform him that the arm belongs to him. The two fans move to be in front of them. One of them offers a thumbs up to the camera just like Sapnap. Karl ensures everyone is ready before taking the photo. He hands the phone back and everyone exchanges their goodbyes. 

“Let’s go checkout,” Karl orders, turning around to face his shopping cart. He pushes it forward and Sapnap follows behind him. 

The two checkout at separate cash registers. Sapnap finishes first and waits for Karl. Together, they walk to Karl’s car. Sapnap helps him in putting his bags of groceries into the car. He pushes his shopping cart forward to walk away, but stops before he gets even a foot away. He looks at Karl, forcing the brunet’s blue eyes onto his green ones. 

“Are we in the clear?” Sapnap asks. 

Karl looks around them, searching for the fans from before. He fidgets with his keys as he scans the area. While nodding his head, he answers out loud, “I don’t see any fans. Why?”

Sapnap ensures his shopping cart won’t move before pushing Karl backwards. The older man’s lower half hits his 2005 Ford Thunderbird, forcing a gasp out of him. The gasp leaves his lips right before Sapnap’s mouth meets his. He places a hand on Sapnap’s clothed chest. The palm is flat against the material until he melts into the kiss, his fingers curling in to grip the material. Sapnap controls the kiss, only pulling away when the need to breathe is too strong. 

“Nick,” Karl gasps, “Anyone could’ve seen that.” 

Sapnap groans louder than in the store. He drops his head into Karl’s chest. “You’re killing me,” he informs, his voice muffled due to his face being pressed into the brunet’s chest. 

“Go home,” Karl orders. He picks up Sapnap’s tilted hat and places it onto his own head. 

Sapnap leans backwards to get a view of Karl in his hat. There’s a rosy red blush across Karl’s nose and cheeks that is visible due to the shadow the hat is creating with the sun. Sapnap lifts his hands, caresses Karl’s jaw, and plants a gentle kiss to Karl’s lips. 

“This is a sign,” Sapnap says softly. He walks away with his shopping cart right after.

Karl furrows his eyebrows and grips the brim of the hat. He adjusts the accessory before getting into his car. The drive home is silent, the only words he hears being that sentence repeating in his mind. He doesn’t know exactly what Sapnap means, and his brain continues to question it even as he unloads his groceries and puts them away. He places a pot filled with water onto the stovetop and turns the eye on for the water in the pot to boil. Collapsing onto the couch as the water boils, he pulls out his phone to scroll social media. 

One post catches his eye. He recognizes the photo, recognizes the people in it. He’s in the photo with three other people, and clear as day, there’s an arm wrapped around his waist in this photo. The caption stands out, despite the photo being quite large and the arm around his waist being visible. 

it’s not a fever dream, karlnap is back in the flesh!

Karl copies the link to the post and sends it to Sapnap. He stands, letting his hand fall to his side as he walks into his bedroom. His eyes wander to the window to check if he can see into Sapnap’s house, but at the sight of nothing, he focuses back on his task. He steps over to his closet and pulls out the box with an ‘N’ written on it. After opening it up, he pulls out one of the photos with him and Sapnap. A photo of when they were together and happy. He walks out of his bedroom and moves over to a random framed photo, then opens up the frame and replaces the photo with the one of him and Sapnap. 

His phone chimes with a text. He walks back into the kitchen and pulls his phone up to check the notification. 

One text from Sapnap. 

love hearing those words. karlnap is back. 

Karl texts back immediately. 

karlnap aren’t even official yet. 

Sapnap types back a response quickly. A smile forms on Karl’s face as he reads it.

that’s it: yet. just you wait and see.

Chapter Text

“Is everyone ready? I’m about to start the stream,” George asks, fiddling with the camera once more. He turns around slightly by only moving his torso. His dark brown eyes meet Dream’s where he holds back a smile before he looks at the other two men. 

Sapnap nods in response to George. His left arm is planted against Karl’s right arm, their sides touching as they stand and wait for the stream to start. Dream and George know nothing about their situation of flirting and kisses here and there. Still, they make no moves in separating themselves from one another. 

George turns to focus back on the camera. His finger hovers over the start button. “Last call. I need to hear you,” he orders. 

“Wait, let me get behind the camera. I want people to see me last. It’ll be a bigger surprise!” Karl says, walking away from Sapnap’s side. He moves to stand directly behind the camera. 

“Starting!” George shouts as he presses the button. He makes a surprised face with a smile before waving to the camera. “Hello! The beach stream is here! Look who else is here,” he greets the chat, tilting the camera to focus on both Dream and Sapnap. 

Dream and Sapnap both greet the chat in an energetic way. The two begin to ramble about activities they can do together while George reads and responds to chat. Karl admires his closest friends, his blue eyes mainly focusing on Sapnap. The amber-haired man glances at him as he speaks to Dream, and based off of the look on his face, he yearns for Karl to be a part of the stream already. 

“Oh… chat remembered we were having a special guest! Well, he couldn’t come!” George lies. A chuckle follows after and he motions Karl over to him. Once Karl is right beside him and in view of the stream, George beams as he exclaims, “It’s Karl Jacobs! Long time, right, chat?”

Karl greets the chat before George starts asking questions about what they all should do first. Answers from chat roll in on George’s phone, most of which suggest the arcade. Karl puts his hands together and pleads to Dream and Sapnap. They agree to it, eliciting a cheer out of Karl. George laughs and starts walking in the direction of the arcade. Sapnap steps over to Karl and places a hand on the blue-eyed brunet’s lower back. He presses his hand into him, forcing him to move forward. Karl turns his head to look at Sapnap and a smile appears on his face once he sees the soft smile on Sapnap’s face. Once Karl is two feet ahead, Sapnap finally lets go due to the distance. 

George mentions something about the staff as they walk in. Karl and Sapnap lag behind, discussing the distance they traveled for this beach. George spins around on his heel and points the camera at them. 

“Chat says you two ‘are not participating in the stream enough.’ That is the chat's words, not mine. Let’s play some games, shall we?” the British man asks. A wide grin is on his face as he stares the two of them down. 

Karl matches his grin and winks. “You wanna go against me in a dance battle, Gogy?” he questions, stepping away from Sapnap and over to George. 

George flips the camera around and pretends to think about it. He turns the camera back around to focus on Karl before sliding into frame beside him. He nods as he responds, “Oh, you’re on.” 

George holds the camera until they arrive at the Dance Revolution game machine. He orders Dream to work the camera and starts the machine before stepping onto it with Karl on the other side. The battle begins. The two brunets move their feet as best as they can, stepping on the arrows when they think is the correct time. Despite missing several and not receiving a perfect score, the two laugh loudly and try to push one another. Karl ends up winning by a few points more. George steps off of the pad and walks around to give Karl a handshake, resulting in Karl giggling and complimenting George’s skills. 

A hand lands on Karl’s waist. The blue-eyed brunet spins around to meet Sapnap’s gaze. 

“You did amazing,” Sapnap compliments. He squeezes Karl’s side, causing Karl to jerk away from him quickly. 

Karl glances at George, who has the camera focused on Dream as they converse about something. He focuses back on Sapnap and a goofy grin appears on his face. “Thanks, Nick,” he replies. 

“You don’t know how bad I want-” the amber-haired man starts, but George interrupts him by shoving the camera in his face.

“Sapnap, Dream wants to battle you in basketball,” the oldest man informs. 

Sapnap nods and forces a smile at the camera. He walks off in the direction of the basketball games, and the rest of the group follows behind him. Dream and Sapnap start their game against one another. Karl cheers for Sapnap while George quietly provides commentary on the game. Sapnap ends up winning the game and he even allows Karl to hug him in order to celebrate the win. George focuses the camera on the two before spinning it around to focus on himself and comment on the two hugging. The two separate immediately and Sapnap asks about food to change the subject. 

Once they decide on a restaurant, all four of them start walking in the direction of the place. Dream finds it for them by navigating with GPS on his phone, and George focuses the camera on himself and Sapnap and Karl since they’re behind him. Dream talks to a worker to get permission for the camera, and soon, they’re seated in a back corner of the restaurant where they can focus the camera on only themselves. 

Karl slides into the booth first as Dream does the same on the other side. He mindlessly leaves his right hand on the table. George rambles to the chat about what there is to eat, and Karl watches him with a soft smile on his face. Karl was close to Dream and George despite the time apart, but he never expected this again. He never expected to be with the Dream Team again having fun, and he certainly didn’t expect to be something with Sapnap again. 

A hand gently lands on top of Karl’s, forcing his blue eyes off of George and onto the person the hand belongs to. Sapnap leans in to whisper something, but Karl’s gaze falls onto the camera. He pulls his hand out from under Sapnap’s and grabs a menu. A slight frown appears on the amber-haired man’s face, but he reaches over Karl and grabs a menu as well. After they order, Karl moves his hand to squeeze Sapnap’s thigh. Sapnap’s hand comes down to rest over Karl’s. If the chat notices and says anything, George doesn’t bring it up. 

George is the first to leave after they pay. Dream follows behind him, attempting to make conversation with the British man. George rambles to chat until he gives in and speaks to Dream. Karl and Sapnap follow them out the door and down the pier. They encounter a few fans, who mainly ask for selfies. Dream makes small talk with them and Karl joins in. Once the fans are gone, George starts walking again. The camera is focused on everyone including himself as he walks down the pier, rambling about future stream ideas. He talks about Karl and agrees that Karl will have to join them more often. 

Karl speeds up his pace to chime in, mentioning his opinion on the matter. A hand grabs his wrist and pulls him back. 

“Woah, what do you need?” the blue-eyed brunet asks. He makes no effort to move away from Sapnap, nor does he try to free his wrist from Sapnap’s grip. 

George and Dream stop when they notice the two are no longer moving. The blond tells a joke to the chat, getting in the view of the camera and blocking Karl and Sapnap. George pushes him out of the way when the chat mentions him blocking the moment.

Sapnap lifts up on his tiptoes and leans into Karl’s right ear. His eyes catch the camera being on them, but it does not dissuade him. He whispers into Karl’s ear, “We should kiss on stream, right now.” 

Karl laughs anxiously as he turns around. Sapnap hovers behind him until he presses a hand to Karl’s lower back and moves him forward. The camera can see Karl’s expression entirely, can see the way his cheeks tint red and how he raises a hand to cover his smile. 

“We can’t do that,” Karl replies. He starts walking over to Dream and George, leaving Sapnap behind. 

Sapnap rushes over to Karl’s side. He grabs Karl’s bicep to turn the brunet. “Why not?” he asks. 

Karl rolls his eyes and turns back around, forcing the younger man’s hand to run down his arm. A shiver runs down his spine. “Don’t rush this, Nick, unless you’re truly ready,” he warns. 

A frown forms on Sapnap’s face, the corners of his lips tugging downward as his eyebrows furrow. Karl wants to kiss him senseless. 

“We have time,” Karl informs, stopping to face Sapnap fully again. He offers a gentle smile.

Sapnap sighs, “We’ve wasted so much already, though.” 

Karl reaches forward and grabs Sapnap’s hand. He gives it a soft squeeze. Quietly, he responds, “We’re here now. Let’s make the most of it.”

“Okay,” Sapnap whispers. 

The I love you stays deep inside his chest, but Karl can hear it nonetheless.

Chapter Text

“I’m gonna end the stream. I’m tired and pissed off. See you guys later. Bye,” Sapnap says softly, his voice loud from where it plays on Karl’s bedroom TV. He offers a small, quick wave before the stream cuts off. 

A frown forms on Karl’s face. He grabs the TV remote and travels to Netflix to search for a random movie or show he can put on to fall asleep to. After a minute of searching, he finds an animated movie he loves and starts it. He presses the volume button down a few times before rolling over onto his side and closing his eyes. His eyes open soon after that, when there’s a couple of knocks sounding on his front door. He grabs his phone for light as he gets out of bed, then shines the phone’s flashlight as he makes his way through the house. 

Another knock sounds on the door right before Karl opens it. Sapnap stands on his front porch without a hat, in a loose t-shirt and plaid pajama pants, and with dark eyes. There’s a fire burning in his sage green eyes, the heat from the Valorant stream lingering despite the overwhelming sleepy look lying in his eyes as well. He steps inside and closes the door behind himself before leaning onto his tiptoes to kiss Karl’s lips. Karl’s hand falls, the light from his phone’s flashlight now angled at their feet and the door. Sapnap pulls away and presses their foreheads together, resulting in amber curls mixing with chestnut ones. 

“Can we go to bed?” the younger man asks quietly. He tilts his head to kiss Karl again, then presses their foreheads together again and rubs Karl’s with his own like a cat would do. 

Karl nods against Sapnap’s forehead. After pulling away, he lifts his phone for light to shine it on Sapnap’s body. He grabs Sapnap’s hand with his free one before guiding him to the bedroom. The two climb into the bed together, Karl lying on the left side and Sapnap on the right. Sapnap lets out a deep breath as Karl rolls over to plug up his phone. Once the brunet is finished, Sapnap pulls Karl onto his chest. 

“I’m sorry you’re not immortal yet,” Karl whispers. He lifts his free hand up to caress Sapnap’s bearded jaw. His hand moves carefully as he rubs the facial hair across Sapnap’s jaw, and when he stops, he rubs his thumb across Sapnap’s cheek. 

Sapnap sighs softly, “I have bigger cares in the world, like you. I wanna make you happy.” 

“You do make me happy,” the older man responds. He moves his hand to Sapnap’s shoulder to lift himself up, adjusting his position so he’s more over Sapnap. His blue eyes lock onto Sapnap’s sage green ones. There’s a glint in his eyes as he softly says, “Nick, I do not regret a single thing that happened between us. What happened between us allowed you to grow as a person, and it allowed me to grow as a person. We’re in the now, where we’re comfortable and happy with where we’re at in life. I mean, if I’m being honest, if it weren’t for Natalie, you wouldn’t even be comfortable being with me and trying to kiss me in public.” 

“You were part of the reason, too. I do it all for you and myself. I’m following your every move,” Sapnap informs. He runs a hand across Karl’s shoulder before raising it to card his fingers through Karl’s chestnut curls. 

“You surpass each and every move I make. You go above and beyond. I never know what to expect,” Karl responds. A few giggles slip past his lips. Once his body settles, a gentle smile rests on his lips. 

Sapnap laughs softly, his chest rising a little to show his happiness as it exits him. The movement stops abruptly as he stares into Karl’s blue eyes. Quietly, he confesses, “You’re going to be the one I marry. It’s always been you, K.” 

A gasp escapes Karl as his eyebrows furrow slightly. Marriage has never been a topic between the two of them. Natalie changed him, he changed himself, or maybe the two together changed him completely. Karl swallows the saliva in his mouth. 

“You don’t have to say anything. I just needed-” Sapnap starts to explain, but Karl interrupts him. 

“I love you, too,” the brunet confesses. He watches Sapnap’s face light up, but he continues speaking, “I know you haven’t said it lately, ever since you first confessed. You were probably trying to phase it out or something while you waited for me to be ready. I am ready. I should’ve said it sooner, I’m sorry, but here it is now. I love you, Nick. I’m in love with you, and God, do I wanna marry you as well when the time comes.” 

The grin on Sapnap’s face continues to grow stronger. He chuckles before asking, “You’re not counting this as a proposal?” 

Karl rolls his eyes and scoffs, “Nicholas! We are not ready for that yet!” 

Sapnap laughs loudly and pulls Karl down. He peppers kisses across the older man’s face, moving from forehead to cheek and cheeks to chin. Once he comes to Karl’s lips, he freezes. 

“I’m in love with everything about you,” the amber-haired man whispers. His smile grows wider when Karl shivers in his arms. 

A smirk appears on Karl’s lips. “You wanna bet on that?” he asks, inching even closer to Sapnap’s lips. 

Sapnap rolls his eyes before closing the gap between them. Their lips meet easily. Sapnap takes Karl’s bottom lip between his lips and kisses the brunet like his life depends on it. Karl’s free hand falls down to rest against Sapnap’s chest, pressing further into his loose t-shirt when the younger man pulls him closer. 

“I’m never betting on anything that deals with you. I don’t want to lose, I don’t want to lose you,” Sapnap confesses during a moment they are apart. He watches a smile spread across Karl’s face right before the brunet leans down again to connect their lips again. 

Sapnap pushes into Karl and forces him onto his back. He hovers over Karl, pressing warm, gentle kisses onto his lips. After a while, his head drops down to Karl’s neck and his right hand slides under the silk pajama top. Karl’s hands climb up to his amber curls before moving to his bearded jaw in order to force his head back up to Karl’s face. Their lips meet again in a slow, passionate kiss. Sapnap’s hand roams Karl’s stomach, delicately traveling across the smooth surface until Karl exhales shakily. He removes his hand out from under the silk shirt and places it onto the left side of Karl’s face. Carefully, he runs a thumb across Karl’s cheek, down his jaw, and across his bottom lip. It’s not long until they connect again in a way that only belongs to them.

Chapter Text

When Karl wakes up, he’s laying on his left side. His right arm stretches out to grasp Sapnap, but the only contact his hand makes is with the comforter. He opens his eyes once he realizes Sapnap is missing. A frown etches itself into his features as he stands up and tugs on his silk pajama top. He slides on the matching pants after debating walking through the house without them. The brunet steps out of his bedroom and makes his way to the kitchen, stopping when he notices a figure out of the corner of his eye. 

“Nick?” Karl questions, lifting a hand to rub his eye. He realizes there is a lack of accessory on his face and his vision is much blurrier than usual. His glasses are sitting on his nightstand. “What are you doing?” he asks, looking Sapnap up and down. 

Sapnap’s sage green eyes are locked on a picture frame, one that sits on the mantle. He glances at Karl before looking back at the photo. His left hand lifts up to point a finger at the framed photo. Quietly, he answers, “You changed the photo that was in this frame. This is an old photo… an old photo of us. Why’d you change it to an old photo?” 

“Oh, Nick,” Karl whispers, stepping closer to Sapnap. He places a hand on Sapnap’s shoulder before sliding it down his bicep and resting it on his forearm. Carefully, he takes Sapnap’s hands into his own. He presses a gentle kiss to the younger man’s lips before speaking, “Don’t you remember last night? Were you too sleepy or something? Yes, there was an old us, and now there’s a now us. No matter what, there’s always been an us. If you want, we can take a new picture for that frame and I’ll get it printed.” 

Sapnap nudges his nose against Karl’s. He slowly leans his head down to rest their foreheads together, Karl easily complying and adjusting. His arms wrap around Karl’s back to pull him closer. “There’s no need for a new picture because you’re right. You're always right,” he informs. 

“Well, I don’t know about that. I’ve been wrong before,” Karl chuckles. He leans backwards to look into Sapnap’s eyes. “I forgot to ask- tell you something last night,” he confesses. 

“You forgot to ‘ask-tell’ me something?” Sapnap teases. He leans in to kiss Karl, but the brunet stops him by leaning further away. A frown forms on his face, his bottom lip poking out slightly to showcase his hurt. “Why won’t you kiss me now?” he questions. 

Karl laughs gently and snakes one of his hands in between their bodies to lift it up and boop Sapnap on the nose. There’s a bright smile on his face. He leans down and kisses Sapnap before pulling away again to inform, “We never made it official.” 

Sapnap’s eyes widen as his lips slowly close together. He pulls away from Karl, but leaves his arms wrapped around the older man’s waist. A giant smile slowly spreads out across his face. He moves forward quickly, dropping his head to nuzzle into Karl’s neck like a cat. “Karl Jacobs, what’s it going to be? Are you going to ask or tell me?” he questions, his voice slightly muffled due to his lips being close to Karl’s chest.

Karl giggles, squirming in Sapnap’s arms. His voice comes out light and breathy as he answers, “Neither.” 

Sapnap freezes and slowly leans away from Karl. His sage green eyes meet Karl’s bright blue ones. They send a message of come on. 

“Okay, I’m sorry. I was joking. I’ll… ask,” Karl tells Sapnap. He sends the younger man a sweet smile before leaning in to press a kiss to his forehead, then his cheeks, and ending on his lips. His voice is soft as he asks, “Nick… will you be my boyfriend again?” 

Sapnap cheers, picks Karl up, and spins the brunet around. He places Karl back down on his feet after complaints and worries from him. Once Karl is back down on the floor and steady, Sapnap pulls him in. Their lips collide until they can no longer breathe. 

“We need to eat breakfast,” the older man says after pulling away from Sapnap. He spins around on his heel and walks into the kitchen, then opens up the fridge. After scanning the contents of the fridge, he pulls out the ingredients to make eggs, sausage, and bacon. 

Sapnap joins him in the kitchen and retrieves the pans needed to fry everything. He sets them up on the stove and turns two eyes on. Karl steps over next to him, and together, the two start on breakfast. Sapnap starts frying the bacon while Karl begins cracking the eggs. 

“Now, I don’t want to scare you off, but I actually have something I need to tell you as well,” Sapnap tells Karl, gently nudging his hip into Karl’s. He glances at Karl with a small smile on his lips before returning his focus back to the bacon. 

A chuckle escapes past Karl’s lips. He sets the sausage aside and opens up the egg carton. “After everything we’ve been through, you think I’ll abandon you?” he asks, laughing softly. 

Sapnap pauses his movements, the tongs in his hand closed as he holds them in the air. He nods his head gently. He’s slightly quiet as he informs Karl, “Well, this is scary, what I’m about to say.”

“What is it, Nick?” the brunet questions, lifting an egg up out of the carton. He hovers the egg over the pan in front of him, ready to crack the egg gently. 

“I want to come out on stream about us, about our sexualities, about everything. Whatever you’re comfortable with telling the fans, I want to do that. I want people to know you’re mine for real and forever,” Sapnap confesses. 

The egg in Karl’s hand falls and lands in the pan. Karl pulls out the shells that are easy to grab before using another pair of tongs. Once he’s salvaged the egg, he looks at Sapnap. The younger man glances at him before chuckling. Karl sends him a glare. 

“I’m serious, though. I want to go public,” Sapnap reassures. He leaves the stove to retrieve plates for them, then continues frying the bacon. 

Karl’s mouth hangs open slightly in shock. He stares at Sapnap until the amber-haired man leans up and kisses him. His lips close together when Sapnap pulls away. He focuses back on the eggs, then quietly, he responds, “Okay.” 

“Okay? We can go public?” Sapnap asks as a grin grows on his face.

Karl nods eagerly and answers, “Yes, we can go public!” 

Sapnap cheers, drops the tongs, and pulls Karl into a hug while Karl stands facing the stove. He squeezes him, eliciting bubbly laughter out of the brunet. After he lets go, he leans up again and presses a kiss to Karl’s cheek. 

“We’re going to be public boyfriends! I can kiss you in public!” Sapnap exclaims, pressing another kiss to Karl’s cheek. He leans back to continue cooking, but a bright smile rests on his face. 

Karl laughs loudly before saying, "You're so in love with me.” 

Sapnap scoffs, “Is that a problem? We’re happy.” 

A giant grin forms on Karl’s face. He nods his head slowly and replies, “No. You’re right, we’re happy. Finally.”

Chapter Text

“Hi, chat,” Karl greets as soon as the chat of his stream starts to fill up with messages. He watches them scroll by before placing the chat into slow mode. His hands slide together so he can fidget with a ring on his left pointer finger. He reads a few messages before clarifying, “No, I think today will be a just chatting stream. Sapnap’s here, though.” 

His eyes focus on the chat, but the screen becomes blurry as his mind wanders away from the moment. The bright lights above and beside his camera glare at him, each one forcing him to feel exposed and vulnerable. He waits, staring at the slow flow of the chat as his breathing picks up. The door behind him opens and Sapnap steps into the room, causing Karl to turn around in his chair so he can look at him. Fear is etched into Karl’s features, painting him such a pale white that his freckles don’t even show. A smile spreads out across Sapnap’s face, one that puts Karl at ease. 

Sapnap pulls the other chair next to Karl’s and sits down in it. His right hand reaches over to grasp Karl’s and he interlocks their fingers, knocking Karl’s other hand away to stop the brunet’s fidgeting. He gives Karl’s hand one big squeeze. 

“Do we talk about other plans first or should we get on with it?” Karl questions, his voice quiet. He notices the mic still picked up his sentence despite his low volume by the way chat spams a bunch of questions. A donation comes through due to Karl having forgotten to turn them off. 

this seems serious…

Karl chuckles while Sapnap leans forward, letting go of Karl’s hand to turn off donations. One could mistake Sapnap for being mad from the way his eyebrows are pinched together and his lips are pressed in a thin line. He comes back to rest in the seat, then adjusts his posture. His hand finds Karl’s again. 

The tension in Sapnap’s features eases. He licks his lips and places his freehand on the top of his baseball cap. Slowly, as if he’s calculating problems and solutions in his mind, he informs the chat, “Okay, guys, we want to talk about something. This may be a short stream unless there are… questions.” 

“More so, confess something,” the older man adds, interrupting Sapnap’s train of thought. He adjusts his glasses by pushing them up his nose, then watches the chat start moving with questions about the confession and also mentions of Dream’s name. Karl finds his name in chat after the blond sends a message announcing his own confusion. 

“Yes, we're going to confess something,” Sapnap confirms, dropping his left hand from his hat. He turns his head to look at Karl and sends a message with his eyes: Are you ready for this?

A soft smile forms on Karl’s face. He tilts his head down before nodding gently. The two know one feeling, and it’s a truth driven by fate. This feeling, this fact, will carry on as long as they live because this truth is irreversible: As they stand by each other, they’re a powerful force. The two are unmoving, wielded in place and to each other like a chain that has rusted around a fence’s gate. Rust acts as a reminder for the sheer strength of nature, for the journey the two have taken to end up here. The material either turns brittle, or somehow, by sheer luck, proves to be indestructible. 

Sapnap removes his hand from Karl’s to run his fingers through chestnut curls. He carefully moves them out of the way, opening up the view for Karl to see just a little bit better. His mouth speaks before his mind as his hand slips down to Karl’s jaw. “Karl and I are together,” he confesses. 

Karl melts into his touch. Most of him craves to stay here with his cheek pressed into the palm of Sapnap’s hand. He’s safe here. When he’s looking into sage green eyes that belong to the only person he’s ever really loved like this, he knows they’ll be okay. He’s always known this, despite the moments where he believed it to be false. In the loft forever ago, when Dream and George were about to get married, their eyes connected then. Even with their distance, Sapnap revealed part of himself to Karl. Their first ever sign. 

There’s a small piece inside of him that dares to look at the chat. He’s prepared for anything, for the lying accusations, the baiting allegations, and even the kind comments. The reality of it all will be different, it has to be different. That’s what he’s not ready for: Reality.

The amber-haired man’s phone vibrates in his pocket. He moves away from Karl to pull out his phone. “It’s Dream,” he laughs before pressing and sliding the answer button.

“What?” Dream’s question is loud and easily recognizable after he’s put on speaker mode. He laughs and the noise makes the speakers crackle a little. “Why are you two baiting? We were with you two a few days ago! I didn’t… You two weren’t- What?”

Sapnap actually giggles. He moves the phone to be between him and Karl. His voice is filled with excitement and laughter as he responds, “That’s what happens when you’re trying to stay secret. We’re not baiting. I’ll kiss him right now on stream.” 

Relief spreads throughout Karl’s chest. Dream’s verbal presence eases the tension in the room. The brunet leans forward and places his hands on Sapnap’s phone. A blurry image of Dream and Sapnap together in attire that screams them is the call’s background. Karl wonders what the contact photo for himself in Sapnap’s phone is. 

“He’s just saying that for the camera,” Karl lies. He looks up at Sapnap through his lashes since he’s slouched over for the phone. A playful grin spreads across his face, his bottom lip getting pulled under his top set of teeth. 

“I knew it!” Dream yells through the phone’s speakers. 

Sapnap’s eyes narrow. The grip on his phone tightens. “I’ll turn off the camera and kiss you,” he announces, much louder than necessary. 

“But that wouldn’t prove anything because he can’t see,” Karl informs. He sits up slowly, his hands moving to the armrest on his left. They grip the cushioned armrest, his fingers wiggling as the rest of his body fights the urge to touch Sapnap. 

“Dream, watch the stream,” the younger man orders before setting his phone down on the desk. His entire body turns in his seat so he can face Karl. He swallows, unsure of how to go about this because they’re live for however many viewers Karl has. 

The faintest “fuck it” leaves Sapnap’s mouth before he leans forward and connects their lips. His right hand comes back to Karl’s jaw while the other pair of hands moves to the back of his neck. Fingers slide through his loose curls, threading carefully so as to not knock off the baseball cap on Sapnap’s head and to not accidentally pull. Their lips move easily, slotting together perfectly as if they were made for one another. Karl pulls away quickly with a gentle laugh. His hands fall down to his chest and he turns to the camera, reddened cheeks on full display. 

“Oh… Congrats! Fucking finally,” Dream says. He sucks in laughter as if he’s shocked and relieved at the same time. “These two have history, chat,” he informs. 

Two pairs of eyes, one set blue and the other sage green, widen due to Dream’s announcement. Still, smiles spread across their faces as they look into the camera and stare at the chat. 

“No questions. We’re going to go!” Karl squeaks, leaning forward to end the stream. 

Sapnap jerks forward, following Karl. He wraps an arm around the older man’s neck and pulls him in to press a kiss to his cheek. His voice is gentle, as if his words grew from the depths of his chest, perhaps in his heart chamber. He says the three sentences as if they’re a soothing breath, “One answer, but first: please, surround yourself with kindness and compassion. We’re in love. Give us peace.”

“Go freak out, bye!” Karl orders. He stands up from his chair and pretends to hug the camera. His finger moves and presses the end stream button soon after that. He turns to Sapnap before collapsing into his lap, strong arms wrapping around the brunet’s slender frame. 

“Peace,” Sapnap whispers. 

Finally, it’s all they’ll ever know.

Chapter Text

A deep breath leaves his lungs as soon as he looks himself in the mirror. His bright blue eyes glance over his white suit before looking left in the mirror to see who’s standing behind him. He can’t focus on the details too long because if he does, he’ll slip into a crack in the perfect sidewalk. The silk royal blue button up underneath his white blazer hugs him comfortably, serving as proof that he looks breathtaking. By the end of the night, he’ll reveal it to the public. He’ll reveal it to Sapnap. 

“Are you ready for this?” George asks from behind him. He tilts his head to the side as he stares at Karl, his dark brown eyes switching between his reflection in the mirror and his real body. 

Karl sucks in a breath as he places one hand over his chest. He attempts to fight the smile that creeps its way onto his face, but gives in. The corners of his lips turn up and his eyes move back onto his reflection. “I’ve been waiting for this day for… since I met him, I guess,” he answers easily. 

“Here are your vows,” Corry informs, stepping over and offering Karl a slip of paper. She sighs and meets his eyes once he turns to face her. Softly, she says, "You're not so little anymore. We are all so proud of you, and we’re happy that you’re happy.” 

“Come on,” George tells them. He walks over to the door and motions for the two to follow.

When the three get to where they need to be in order to wait for their cues, Karl and Corry’s dad are waiting on them. Sapnap’s waiting down the aisle with Dream behind him in line. Corry and Sean walk down the aisle after a few minutes of waiting. When it’s George’s time to walk, he turns around quickly and gives Karl and Thomas a bright smile before making his way down the aisle. He waves as he walks and stands in line on Karl’s side. Karl turns around to face his dad.

“Let’s go get you married,” Thomas whispers, pressing a kiss to Karl’s right cheek. He links their arms in a way so they can hold hands and walks Karl out. 

Karl’s eyes fall to the aisle covered in petals. Anxiety rushes through him until Thomas gives his hand a squeeze. His blue eyes float up. Sapnap stands at the end of the aisle with the officiant. There’s no smile on his face, but his eyes are soft as he stares at Karl. One of his hands moves to adjust his royal blue tie. He swallows, a quick smile appears on his face before dropping, and then it happens: The crack. Karl expected everything to fall apart when the crack happened, but no, not this. This crack… This crack shows Karl the depths of Sapnap’s mind. The grin across Sapnap’s face spreads so far it reaches Karl. Red floods through Karl’s cheeks and highlights his nose. This moment, the time where Karl walks down the aisle to Sapnap, will forever be engraved into both of their minds. 

Thomas presses a kiss to his cheek again before letting him go. Karl steps over to stand beside Sapnap and the two nod at the officiant. The speech begins and soon the officiant leads them into vows. Sapnap starts first. 

“Karl, when I first met you in person, I was unbelievably nervous. With every passing day, however, I fell into you. The day we met, you touched my soul in a way that made it so you became a part of me. I lost you once due to my own fears, but now I stand before you and I’m filled with confidence, happiness, and love. We’ve traveled through, around, and over obstacles to get here. I told you something once, but I must change my own words to tell the truth: I love you, you know? I love you the way that you are, and I always will,” Sapnap confesses, reading from a slightly wrinkled piece of paper. He folds it up and slides it into his suit pocket. When his sage green eyes meet Karl’s bright blue ones again, his gaze drops to the floor quickly. One of his fingers comes up to swipe at his eye. 

The brunet in front of him places his hand over Sapnap’s. In one smooth and gentle motion, he swipes away the tear that falls down Sapnap’s left cheek. He squeezes the younger man’s hand before pulling out his own slip of paper. He reads his vows, “Nick, you’ve always been a special thought in my mind, whether it be admiring my best friends, deciding my life goals, or questioning my future. We conquered any problem within our life, and now, even though I’ve been able to believe this for a while, I finally get to say… no more wondering. I once told George I was going to be okay, but I’m more than that. I’m overwhelmed with happiness in a positive way. No more stealing my rings because this one is yours for the lifetime we spend together. In this lifetime, and even the next, however many we get, I’ll spend them loving you.” 

The officiant talks them through the ring exchange and wraps up the speech, ending with the special announcement of their new labels. Sapnap wraps his right arm around Karl’s neck and pulls him down to connect their lips. A giggle escapes Karl and slips into Sapnap’s mouth, sending a warmth that spreads into the amber-haired man. When they pull away, Sapnap lifts his left hand to show the crowd his wedding band, but Karl reaches out and forces their hands together. The two laugh into another sweet kiss. 

They have cake and food soon after the ceremony. Karl takes his last bite of cake as he watches Dream and Sapnap walk off to converse with the guests or use the bathroom. Once they’re gone, that’s when George says it. 

“It’s always been you, you know?” the British man informs. He pushes his own plate away before leaning back in his chair. His cup gets lifted to his mouth so he can sip on it casually. 

Karl chuckles nervously. His eyebrows furrow, visible to those around him due to his recent haircut. Confused, he replies, “What do you mean? I don’t think that’s true. I mean… maybe.”

George hums before asking, “Do you remember before you were back together, when Natalie had that pregnancy scare?” 

A shaky breath leaves the younger man. He can feel the lump forming in his throat. This is a memory he craves to forget. Still, he continues. “You knew?” he questions. 

“Sapnap did eventually tell us about the argument. In fact, he broke down in Dream’s arms about it. He kept telling us it was over between you two, that there was no way he’d have you again. He told us he hurt you, and then he told us about Natalie’s ‘pregnancy’ and he cried harder. I had to get down on the floor with them and I tried wiping his tears, but he wouldn’t stop crying. He started mumbling sentences about loving you, staying for Natalie and the baby, and hating himself. Dream was terrified, and I admit, I was too. It felt like he was grieving, I mean… that boy has been a fool and has made mistakes, but he’s always loved you. He loved Natalie, but you? You were his hope, and that… that was everything,” George explains. His brown eyes glance up to watch Dream and Sapnap as they come back to the table. He offers Karl a gentle smile before changing the conversation, “Well, you locked him down. I thought it’d never be done!” 

Sapnap scoffs, “I’m marriage material! Right, dear husband?” 

“I believe you are,” Karl giggles, feeling light due to being breathless from George’s secret. He tilts his head up to hint at a kiss from Sapnap, who has yet to sit down. 

The smile on Sapnap’s face falls. His right hand moves to Karl’s cheek to caress his face. “Why are you crying?” he questions, wiping a single tear that falls from Karl’s eye. 

A soft smile forms on Karl’s face, and nothing but sweetness and love fill it and his eyes. “I’m just happy,” he answers, closing his eyes. 

Sapnap leans down and presses their lips together. He moves to sit down, despite not separating from Karl. Someone clears their throat in order to get their attention. Their eyes widen as they turn to look at the person on the other side of the table. 

“Nat? You came?” Sapnap asks, pulling Karl up with him. He guides the older man around the table so they can stand in front of Natalie. 

“I see you did as I requested. Thanks for the invite. I’m happy for you two. Congrats, by the way,” Natalie says, voice soft and sweet. Her blue eyes move from Sapnap to stare into Karl’s bright blue ones. A smile spreads across her face, and from how deep her smile lines are, one can tell her smile is genuine. 

Karl stares at her in shock. His mouth gapes like a fish, his lips moving in order to speak. Natalie stops him before he can voice a single word. 

“This is what I wanted, Karl. I’m so thankful you two have each other. I hope you two are forever happy. Thank you,” she reassures before walking off. 

Karl turns to Sapnap, but Dream steps over and speaks before either of them can. He informs them of the next event. Sapnap takes Karl’s hand and guides him through the tables and the moving people until they come to the dance floor. Sapnap lets go of Karl’s hand and moves into the center, then spins around and offers his hand out to Karl. A slow song starts playing and the two begin dancing. Sapnap leads Karl, he steps forward and Karl follows his steps. As the song comes to an end, the younger man spins Karl around before dipping him. Their lips crash together and Karl motions to the person in charge of the music. He quickly removes his blazer as the music changes to an upbeat song, hands the clothing item to George and motions for the guests to join them, and soon, his royal blue silk button up is on display for everyone. 

Sapnap tugs him forward and rests their foreheads together. “We’re matching,” he notes, referring to his tie and Karl’s shirt. 

The brunet kisses him senseless. 

As the night draws to a close and another slow song plays throughout the room, Sapnap and Karl dance in each other’s arms. Their foreheads touch along with their noses. A deep breath leaves Karl, and a similar one follows from Sapnap. 

The younger man inhales sharply before quietly saying, “I never asked… Why did you move to Florida in the first place? I’m thankful you did. I would’ve been a coward forever if you didn’t.”

Karl chuckles, “I thought you knew. You even mentioned me moving to Florida as if it was a clear sign. You know, stop messing around.”

“Tell me,” Sapnap whispers, “I need to know… I need to be certain.” 

“I did it for you. I did it for us,” Karl answers honestly. He tightens his grip around Sapnap’s neck. The rest of his sentence stays with him. I thought if I moved to Florida, you’d come back to me.

Sapnap laughs softly, the sound coming from deep within his chest. He presses a kiss to Karl’s cheek before double checking with a question, “So… it worked?”

“It worked,” the brunet confirms. He sucks in another breath, Sapnap’s cologne filling his nostrils and soothing him. Whatever insignificant fear within him leaves. “You came back to me,” he whispers.

A kiss gets pressed into Karl’s neck. He quietly reassures Karl, “I never truly left.”

Oh, how Karl knows, and that is everything.