Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Nick was in the mood, the mood for getting high and kissing, maybe a little bit for sex too, when he pulled out his phone. He had to admit that when he thought about it, he had an even greater desire for all things at the same time. And it was very easy to do. After all, he had been seeing a very pretty brunette for some time now, whom he met at a party where he shared his joint with her and they cuddled in the corner of the room for half the night. Karla was really pretty. Out of Nick's league pretty. Even Dream gave her a longer look than he should have, for which George literally kicked his shin so hard that the blond had a cramp. Punz, on the other hand, went straight to whistling at Nick, who was escorting the girl to the exit door after their night together. So yes, Karla was a really hot piece, and Nick somehow managed to get her and have sex with her whenever he wanted. Karla was willing, he was delighted, and everyone was happy.

So it wasn't anything strange for him to pull out his phone to write a message while sitting with Clay, who was making sandwiches.

Nick: wanna get stoned&make out like crazy? come to mine asap im waiting pretty

“And then my mom said she wouldn't send me any extra cash this month because she doesn't want to support my addiction, which is insane because I certainly don’t have an addiction” Dream finished his story, Nick was somewhat distracted by it.

“Oh yeah? That sucks” he muttered, clicking on the slot to choose the recipient of his message.

k..

“She'll send it to you anyway, you know your mom always ends up helping you with your stupid nerdy stuff” Nick added calmly.

ka..

“This isn't stupid stuff. It's an technology fair. It'll be cool” the blond guy protested.

kar..

Nick quickly clicked on the first number that appeared and sent the message without thinking, just to look at one of his roommates.

"You're such a nerd, oh my God. Get some bitches," Nick asked pointedly, putting his locked phone on the counter and grabbing a sandwich.

"Hey! Make your own" Clay grumbled, still unhappy. "And you get some. I have a boyfriend, thank you very much."

"Yeah, and you're going to the fair with him. You're such nerds," Nick laughed. "When are you going to start coding something together again? It sounds like a romantic date."

"Get lost. Just because for you a romantic date consists of getting high and mid-tier sex doesn't mean it's our problem," the guy said.

"For one, these aren't dates. For two, my sex is never mid-tier," Nick assured him, offended. "You're mid-tier, you asshole."

"These aren't dates? Yeah, keep living in denial. Punz saw you two kissing in front of the chemistry department the other day," Clay said meaningfully. "And you went for coffee together."

"No, we just happened to run into each other at the café," he corrected him. "It would just be weird if we completely ignored each other."

"Mhm, you're so into her it makes me sick," his friend laughed shortly. "And she's into you too. You're literally a couple, you just don't want to make it official."

"Shut up, it's not like such a chick would actually want to date me," Nick said, shrugging, and Clay sighed dramatically.

"She's literally here at least once a week, walking around half-naked like she owns the place, and you're telling me she wouldn't want to be with you? I don't know what she sees in such a dumbass like you, but somehow you managed" the blonde laughed. "Don't think about it too much."

"I'm not," Nick snapped shortly and looked at his phone. "But she'll probably come today."

"Ew" his roommate replied.

"Luke went to a party, I needed someone to smoke with," he shrugged carelessly.

"Maybe I'll just go to George's instead," he muttered. "It sounds safer. But please go to your room."

"Don't make me remind you of how George and you--"

"I didn't ask you to," Dream cut him off with a deadpan expression. "I'm going to George's."

"Have a nice visit. Don’t do anything nasty" Nick joked, winking at his friend.

After that, they both went to their rooms. Dream finished his sandwiches and got ready to leave, and Nick twisted the remnants of the weed he still had into a joint.

He was already skilled at it, so it didn't take him long to gently grind it up and finish the perfect joint when he heard the door slam, presumably indicating that Dream had actually left the apartment. Sapnap smiled to himself, happy that they wouldn't have to be as quiet as usual. He rolled up two more joints and only then moved to the living room, turning on music to drown out the silence around him. Now he just needed someone to keep him company. Nick knew it could take a while before she appeared. However, she usually seemed to show up within an hour of his message. Nick, therefore, without much interest, just lit up one joint and decided to prepare himself and relax a bit. He wasn't in a hurry, giving himself time for each puff and sat with his head resting on a pillow, finally feeling light and good. Just the thought that he would feel a little better soon sent a shiver down his spine. It was a mesmerizing feeling, waiting for something like this.

That's why the doorbell was a heavenly sound for him.

Nick stopped in front of the mirror in the hallway and adjusted his hair a bit, but quickly abandoned the idea. After all, his hair was about to be completely destroyed by the other person's hands in a moment.

Nick smiled as he opened the door. However, he was about to be surprised.

Because on the other side, it wasn't the beautiful brunette with long hair, but none other than...

"Karl?" Nick muttered disoriented.

Jacobs stood in a very shy pose. He held his hands and his embarrassed gaze shifted to the floor for a moment.

“Hey Nick”

Karl was wearing white pants, a white turtleneck, and a soft sweater in thick violet stripes with a tiny moon on his chest. He looked like he really wanted to impress. Sapnap wanted to know what he was doing here and why he was blushing like crazy looking at him.

"Uhm," Karl muttered and giggled, rubbing one hand on his neck and shyly tucking his hair behind his ear. He was really nervous. Nick noticed his pastel-colored nails, each one in a different color. "So... I never- um, never smoked weed before."

Nick blinked, still not understanding what was going on. "Okay? Do you want to?"

Maybe he came to Nick because he knew he would know who would sell him some herb?

Karl bit his lip, his cheeks taking on a deeper shade of red. Nick could even smell his sweet perfume from the distance they were at.

"Well, I thought we could just go straight to making out," he said with a gentle smile, looking straight into Nick's eyes, who wanted to shout, ‘what?!’ "And I also think you're very pretty. I know I'm a bit... stressed, but I really can't believe you like me too."

Nick was so shocked that he regretted smoking that joint before. He should have had a clear mind to process this kind of information.

"You like me?" Nick mumbled, still staring at the boy. He felt like a fish out of water.

"Well... yeah. I wouldn't have come from the other side of town just to reject you. I was just really surprised by your message, but... but it's the best thing that could have happened, really," he said with a slightly more confident tone. "Can I come in?"

"Uhm, yeah," Nick whispered, finally stepping away from the door so Karl could come inside.

Sapnap didn't understand any of this. What message? And how come he didn't realize that his friend had a crush on him?

The younger one led Karl a bit further inside and offered him to sit in the living room, which he gladly did, wrinkling his nose at the ubiquitous smell of weed.

"Would you like something to drink?" Nick asked gently, needing to escape for a moment. "I don't know, maybe water, we also have apple juice, Pepsi, Fanta, Dr. Pepper?"

"Fanta will be fine," he replied with a radiant smile, sitting on the couch and getting more comfortable.

Nick disappeared within a second, and as soon as he stood in the kitchen, he grabbed his phone. He went to his recent messages, and oh my god. He really sent a message to Karl, asking him to come for a wild make-out session. And Karl actually came to do it. This is the end.

The boy immediately opened a chat with Dream, checking twice to make sure he was messaging the right person.

Nick: SOS FUCKING SOS

Nick: Please come back home and save me quickly!!!!!! I'll pay you, please help

He didn't wait for a response. He quickly grabbed a can of soda from the fridge and headed to the living room, where Karl was waiting for him with a pillow pressed against his stomach and one leg on the couch.

"Sorry it took so long. I couldn't find the soda," Nick said awkwardly, handing him the can, which Karl took, touching his fingers in the process, and Sapnap wasn't stupid, he knew he did it on purpose.

"Don't worry about it, sit down. This is probably a little stressful for both of us," Karl admitted and chuckled, running his finger over the edge of the can.

"Yeah, no shit," Nick muttered, swallowing and sitting at a safe distance. "I definitely didn't expect to see you behind the door."

"To be honest, I was a little surprised that you were so direct, but I think it suits you, in principle. You're always so brave and confident. Besides... who would refuse you?" Karl looked at him, causing the brunette to force a smile. He wanted to disappear.

"Definitely a lot of people," Sapnap replied, again causing the quiet laughter of the brunette. His finger still wandered around the round edge.

"Well, those would be people who really can't see how amazing you are. Not everyone has good taste," the man shrugged calmly.

"Thank you?" Nick's uncertainty could be heard from miles away.

"I don't think I've seen you so stressed," Karl noted. "You shouldn't be so tense. I told you I didn't come to reject you."

Oh if Karl only knew.

"I just really didn't expect you to come," Nick replied.

"I don't think I was that subtle that you couldn't notice the huge crush I've had on you since forever," the boy said, taking a deep breath and pulling out a can. "Could you open it? I don't want to ruin my nails."

So Nick fulfilled his request, feeling weak at the confession. He wasn't sure how he could have noticed his crush. He never did anything- well, looking back, he couldn’t help but notice some small things. Like maybe the fact that Karl really liked spending cosmic amounts of time skating with him and always seemed to be available when he wanted to do that, and maybe he taught him how to do an ollie, and even once put a unicorn band-aid on his scraped knee, but it was just for fun. Nick always brushed it off as just friendly gestures. It was just as purely friendly when they went to 7/11 to buy something to drink and then sat on the curb watching the sunset and talking about nothing in particular, Nick sipping on his zero-calorie cola and Karl with a white Monster in his hand.

So okay, maybe Nick was blind, but he always thought of them as purely skatepark friends who sometimes spent too much time together because they could talk for hours. But Nick got along just as well with Dream and he never ended up crushing on him.

"Thank you," Karl said softly, taking the can and taking a small sip. "So, uh.."

"Did you really have a crush on me all this time?" Nick blurted out, not even wanting to know what the other was trying to get at.

"Well, you could say that. When I first saw you, of course, I thought you were completely handsome, but- but I didn't think at the time that someone so pretty could have such a great character. But as soon as you introduced yourself and asked for help.. well, you know. I fell for you."

"Uh, okay," he murmured, feeling his cheeks warming up.

"Mhm, but I always thought you knew..," he muttered, putting the can on the table and leaning gracefully. Nick watched him so carefully that he felt like he was about to come off as a psychopath. "And that I wouldn't really stand a chance, so I never admitted it. I wasn't even sure if guys were an option for you, you know, always doing all the typical things that straight guys do, who would rather push me out of their way."

Maybe because Nick was never interested in guys in his life and was always pretty sure of his sexuality. He never ruled out that if there was an option, he might be tempted and try it out, but he always ended up with girls, so he was almost certain he was straight.

"But how could I have guessed? What straight guy wears rolled-up pants?" Karl threw a meaningful look. "But I didn't want to judge you so superficially because you give off a bisexual vibe."

What the actual fuck?

"I should have asked earlier. Maybe we would have already passed that first stressful moment of confessing our feelings," Karl chuckled.

"So, about that message from me..."

"Don't worry that it was so direct," Karl interrupted. "It's actually quite... cute."

Nick wanted to die.

"Maybe even... hot" Jacobs admitted, causing a fire to ignite on the younger boy's face. "Oh my God, I can't believe you, of all people, are blushing like this. You literally sent me that message knowing I would see it."

"Well. I guess I'm shy," Nick muttered evasively and suddenly felt a hand on his. Karl's long fingers awkwardly grasped his and he moved a bit closer.

"You don't have to be with me," he reassured him slowly. "It's okay if you don't want it to be too...committing right away. Maybe we should really start with a nice date, but... if you want to start from making out like crazy then I don't see anything against it."

Nick felt his heart pounding and Karl moved closer to him again, albeit slightly.

"Do you want to go on a date?" Nick muttered, slightly shocked.

"Uh, and you?" Karl replied, evidently stressed.

Both were silent.

"We can start with what you suggested in the message," Karl finally reassured gently, and he seemed to lean in, so Nick immediately turned his head.

"It's stuffy in here. Maybe I'll open the window," he blurted out and got up from the couch.

Karl returned to his previous position, his face even redder than a moment ago. Nick could barely open the window.

"Does it bother you that it smells like weed in here?" Nick asked, looking at Karl uncertainly, who held the pillow tighter than before.

"No, it's fine," Karl reassured him with a sweet smile. "You often smell like it. I'm used to it."

They stared at each other for a few more long moments.

"Are you going to stand on the other side of the room like that?" Karl finally asked with a slight amusement. "I won't bite you... yet."

"Karl, I literally had no idea you had that in you," Nick admitted seriously, to which Karl buried his face in his hands, his sweater sleeves creeping up.

"Your presence brings out the silly side of me," he muttered, looking at Nick through his fingers. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Nick replied. "Just... oh my god."

"Yeah, right?" Karl chuckled, and it was a really cute sound, but Nick couldn't stop feeling stressed, and his head wasn't in the best condition.

Nick returned to the couch and scratched his cheek, staring at Karl, who looked completely different than usual. This time, he could see his blush, his slightly glassy eyes, and his dreamy smile. He looked so delicate, as if he was admiring something beautiful. And he was looking at him. Nick felt his breath begin to falter.

"It's new for both of us, don't worry," Karl assured him, trying to bring comfort to the other as if he wasn't experiencing arrhythmia himself. Nevertheless, Jacobs moved closer to him again and reached out tentatively to his hair, brushing it behind his ear and licking his lips, parting them slightly.

Nick could almost feel how impatient he was becoming. He knew what it was like to restrain oneself from touching someone they liked.

"You're so..." Karl murmured very slowly, his hand still in the same place. "So pretty. I've imagined a million times what it would be like if I could..." His hand moved a bit lower, lying flat on his neck, brushing against his hair and playing with the ends. Nick felt trapped. "You have a very fast heartbeat, you know?" Karl smiled when he whispered those words to the boy. "If I knew I had this effect on you, I would have done something about it long ago. It should be illegal for you to steal my heart so easily and live in my head rent-free."

"Oh-uh-"

Nick wasn't even able to form coherent words. His throat was getting dry.

"Can I kiss you? Please," the way Karl said it sounded even more illegal. Nick had no defense against such pleading words. Especially when it came from Karl, who could convince him to do anything without exception.

They stared into each other's eyes up close, and Nick was already on the verge. He was about to open his mouth to say yes when the apartment door chaotically began to open.

"Oh my God, Clay, don't panic," George's muffled voice sounded, and both Nick and Karl moved away from each other embarrassed.

"Sapnap?" Dream called out, heavy footsteps of his friend could be heard. "Sap- oh."

Clay froze, seeing that in the living room with his friend, who sent him some strange messages and then didn't answer any calls, was another boy with red cheeks who looked embarrassed and turned away.

"Hi," the blushing boy muttered.

Clay knew who he was. He often came to hang out with Nick and go skating. Karl Jacobs, 24 years old, Nick's new best friend who couldn't stop talking about how amazing and chill he was.

"Hi," Dream replied, looking at Nick, wanting to murder him for rushing to the alarm when nothing was really happening. However, Nick looked panicked and looked at him with relief.

"Dream, George," Sapnap said, looking at the two.

"Did- did we interrupt something?" Davidson asked uncertainly, staring at how Karl and Nick looked at each other.

"No, no," Nick assured them at the same time Karl was about to confirm.

"That's good," Clay muttered, not entirely convinced, and looked at George, who just poked him in the back meaningfully.

"Um, don't worry, maybe we'll finish in your room?" Karl asked uncertainly, looking at Nick.

"Karl, I'm really sorry, I completely forgot I promised them I'd go out with them," Nick blurted out, trying to sound convincing.

"Oh.. well," he muttered and looked at the two who still stood awkwardly, looking at them. "No problem," he assured and smiled at Nick. "You don't have to apologize. I know what it's like to have a weak memory. Really."

"Uh, yeah, sorry," Nick seemed even more awkward than before.

"Um, we'll wait for you to say goodbye, Nick," George said and smiled uncertainly, looking at Karl, who looked lost.

"I'll walk you to the exit," Nick said, looking apologetically at Karl.

The two got up from the couch and headed towards the hallway.

"Bye, Karl, it was nice to see you," George said at the end, waving towards him.

"You too, have fun whatever you're planning to do," he wished them and after that they lost sight of them.

Nick was alone with Karl again, but the other guys were still around and their whispers could be heard, although it was impossible to understand what they were saying.

"Hey, I'm really sorry it turned out this way," Nick muttered, still seeing sadness on Karl's face.

"Well, I was hoping the meeting would last longer" Jacobs smiled shyly, "I'm still glad it happened at all. But you know, next time try to make sure no one interrupts us?"

"I'm sorry about them, sometimes they drag me to weird parties because they don't have any other friends," Nick whispered, as if trying to show how much it wasn't his fault. Jacobs chuckled.

"Oh yeah? Look at you being such a good friend and hanging out with them," he murmured with a certain tenderness. Nick wanted to sink into the ground. "Well, we'll get back to what we were interrupted next time."

"Hah," Nick muttered. "Totally."

"Have fun being their chaperone," Karl wished him.

"And you get home safely," Sapnap replied, still not wanting him to have an accident on the way back. "Text me when you get home?"

"As always," he nodded and leaned down, placing a shy kiss on his cheek. "I won't be offended if you send me another message as soon as possible."

This left Nick in a state of complete suspension with red cheeks and shame beyond measure.

"Mhm, see you later," he said goodbye with a trembling voice, which only brought an even bigger smile to Karl's face as he crossed the threshold.

When he finally closed the door behind him, he needed several seconds leaning against the wall to arrange in his head what had actually happened.

When he returned to the living room, George and Clay were still waiting. They now stood closer to the couch.

"Dude, what the hell just happened?" Dream asked seriously, but in response, Nick shook his head and hit his forehead against the wall. "Sapnap? Why did you send me an emergency text and why did you lie to Karl?"

"Because I'm a stupid piece of shit," he muttered with closed eyes. "Literally kill me. I don't want to live anymore."

"Did Karl do something?" George asked, not knowing whether he should start laughing already. "Why was he even here? Weren't you supposed to be on a date?"

"No. It was me. I'm such an idiot, oh my god," Sapnap replied. "Because I didn't look closely at who I was sending the message to. And instead of Karla, I wrote to Karl."

"Oh no," Clay muttered. "You didn't send him an invitation to-"

"Oh my god!" George exclaimed and started laughing. "He came on the invitation?!"

"No shot... right?" Dream asked, looking at the shattered Nick, who looked at him murderously. "But did you tell him?"

"Dude, how was I supposed to tell him?" Nick asked. "I got like a half-hour confession about how much he's always liked me. I thought I was gonna die."

"Nick! You should have told him," Dream laughed. "Oh my god."

"He thinks I'm completely crazy about him and that I admitted my feelings for him through a message, how was I supposed to tell him that I- hate my life."

"Okay, but what now?" George asked pointedly.

"What do you mean, what now? I never plan on showing my face to him again," Nick replied seriously. "I won't risk him trying to kiss me again."

"He tried to kiss you?" Davidson giggled excitedly. "Did he do it?"

"He tried, luckily you guys stopped him," Nick muttered, embarrassed and blushing again. "No way am I ever looking him in the eyes after what he said to me. Nuh uh. No way."

"What did he say to you?" Clay made a slightly horrified face, but his curiosity was eating him up inside.

"I'm not repeating it," Nick assured them. "Like- holy shit. I want to sink into the ground. I never thought such words would come out of Karl's mouth."

"What!" Clay exclaimed and he and George started laughing. "Oh my god, I wish I could see that."

"I'm going to cry, this is the worst day of my life," Nick informed them, walking towards his room.

The couple left the suffering boy alone.

Nick couldn't sleep, thinking about how much he just messed up one of his best friendships he had made in recent years.

---

Nick's secret wasn't really a secret. The very next day, it turned out that Luke had already been informed of what had happened and the four of them sat awkwardly at the dining table. Nick only gave them murderous glances when one of them tried to speak up.

"Are we hitting the skatepark today?" Punz asked playfully.

"I'll shove a skateboard up your ass," Nick replied instantly, and his phone made a sound indicating a new message.

"What will your boyfriend think if you don't show up at the skatepark as usual?" the blonde guy laughed.

"He'll think you're avoiding him," Clay chirped in, trying to join in the teasing of their friend.

"And he'll be right," Nick replied. "Because I am."

"That's a pretty shitty move on your part," George admitted as Nick unlocked his screen to check the notification.

Karl: Good morning, maybe we can find a place today where no one will bother us? I still want to finish our conversation;)

"Is that Karl?" George asked, almost immediately glancing at his friend's phone and clicking the notification that appeared on the screen.

"George! Now he knows I've read it, you idiot!" Nick snapped at him.

"No way," George chuckled and looked at the message from the previous day where Nick had invited him over. "Oh my god, Nick, do you really send people messages like that? Ew! Poor Karl."

"Shut up, I hate you guys," Nick muttered sadly and started typing.

Nick: Hey, I have a hangover, probably won't make it to the skatepark today.

Three dots appeared immediately. Nick, with George still attached to his shoulder, was waiting to see how the situation would develop.

Karl: Oh, that sucks, but I understand. Is everything okay though? Unless your friends really got you so wasted last night? (:

Nick: I could die at any moment, be prepared.

Karl: Stopppp, I wanted to buy you flowers for a date, not a funeral.

“Nope," Nick said instantly as he saw it, and George opened his mouth in both shock and amusement.

"I didn't know Karl Jacobs could be that smooth," Davidson admitted. "Wow Sapnap, our bi-king."

"Shut up," he requested. "Karl will eventually give up. He's not stupid. He'll catch on."

"Isn't it easier to just tell him?" Dream suggested amused. "Because right now, you're giving him hope."

"Are you crazy? How am I supposed to break the heart of someone like Karl? That would be the biggest dick move in the world," Nick said seriously. "He'd probably start crying and everything. No chance. I'm not going to talk to him, even if I have to die."

"Poor Karl," George remarked. "He really is such a sweet angel."

"Plus, everyone loves him. You'd probably be completely hated by everyone we skate with," Punz admitted. "It's the first rule, be nice to Karl."

"Not at all," Nick muttered.

"Yeah, it's an unwritten rule. Everyone loves Karl, man," the blond said, amused. "It's your end, sorry. Look for a new skatepark because we won't be welcome there anymore."

"Or you can always accept the flowers and go for what you suggested in yesterday's message," George suggested, amused.

There wasn't even a one percent chance that was going to happen.

---

Excuses over the weekend were still okay, but when Nick started coming up with more and more stupid ones during the week, Karl finally realized that something was not right. So when he saw Punz at the skate park on Thursday, he couldn't help approaching him. On the one hand, he felt really stupid asking the blond anything, but he saw Nick every day because they lived together so he definitely knew what was going on.

"Uhm, hey Luke, could I have a word with you?" he asked very uncertainly.

"Sure, Karl, what's up?" the man replied casually.

"In private," Karl specified, embarrassed.

"Sure, I'll leave you guys to it," Sam said when he realized it was directed at him.

The two were alone and moved to the side to not stand in the way and disturb others skating.

"I know this probably sounds stupid, but is everything okay with Nick?" Karl asked shyly, looking at the tips of his vans that Nick painted with a marker to create a checkerboard similar to the one on his skateboard.

"Um... yeah?" Luke replied uncertainly, clearly not privy to his friend's version of why he avoids Karl.

"It's stupid, but I'm really worried. You're his friend and all... is it because of me? Did I do something that he suddenly is actively avoiding me?" Jacobs asked sadly. "You can tell me, I won't be mad. I just want to know how I can fix it. I didn't mean to do anything wrong..."

"What? Karl, it's definitely not because of you," Luke said. "You're like good friends," he emphasized.

"I know, but I just can't seem to catch him and all. I know he comes to the skatepark, but he's never there when I come," he muttered. "So... I feel like it's because of me."

"Oh, come on. You could never do anything wrong," Luke assured him.

"Are you sure?" he repeated with those sad eyes, and Punz wanted to escape the scene, now knowing what Nick meant when he said he couldn't break this boy's heart.

"You know how Nick is, always has his head in the clouds. Especially these past few days," Luke said, causing Karl to furrow his brow slightly.

"Past few days?" he asked uncertainly.

"Mhm, he's completely in a different world, lost his ability to think and is daydreaming, so you have to forgive him a little," Punz tried to calm him down.

"Oh," that elicited a chuckle from Karl. "Well, okay. I might even have an idea why. But if you say he's so distracted with everything then that's okay."

Luke opened his mouth but closed it just as quickly, realizing that Karl took it in a completely different way than intended.

"Take him to the skatepark sometime soon," Karl suggested. "It's a bit quiet here without his constant chatter that his talking about how he’s better than others."

"I'll definitely pass it on to him," Punz assured, scratching his neck.

"Thank you, Luke. You're really sweet," Karl smiled innocently.

"No problem, Karl," he nodded calmly.

---

"Never again," Punz said bluntly when he entered the apartment and found Nick in the kitchen with Dream, both holding a slice of pizza they had ordered. "You're the biggest jerk in the world."

"It wasn't me who used your shampoo," Sapnap assured him casually.

"Quiet!" Clay snapped, sending him a betrayed look.

"Why the hell are you using my shampoo, Dream?" Luke asked, distracted. "I mean, no. Sap, you idiot. Guess who was waiting for you at the skatepark again today?"

"Yikes," Clay muttered meaningfully as Nick's smile disappeared from his face.

"So what?" he grumbled unhappily. "He's also there to skate, not just wait for me. The skatepark is public, let him spend time wherever he wants."

"But because of you, idiot, I had to talk to him," Luke said seriously. "And I had to lie to his face when he asked me why you're avoiding him. And what he did wrong."

"And what did you tell him?" Nick asked, squinting his eyes. "Punz..."

"What was I supposed to say? Certainly not the truth. I made up that you've been busy lately or something. But I don't want to lie anymore. Just tell him straight up," Luke said seriously. "The longer you drag this out, the worse it will be for him."

"Karl will kill me. I accidentally made him confess his feelings to me," Nick said seriously. "I wouldn't want to know if I were him."

"Well, just tell him that you're not ready for anything and that's it," Dream said calmly. "He'll understand."

"That's right. Don't make it like it’s some impossible task," Punz pointed out.

"Ugh, okay. I'll go tomorrow and tell him everything," Nick said.

"Good, because he asked me to tell you that he misses you or some shit," Luke muttered, taking a piece of pizza from the box.

"Hey! You didn't pay for that," Clay protested.

"That's the tax for the psychological damage of being a messenger between Karl and Nick. Plus, you owe me for the shampoo!"

---

Nick felt like he was about to vomit from stress. His hands were shaking as he walked alongside Punz towards the skatepark. Blondie had to be right next to him, making sure his friend didn't run back to their apartment.

Karl was there when they arrived and waved from the other end, where he stood with Chris and Chandler, talking. Nick waved back, trying to relax, but couldn't.

"Good luck," Punz muttered to him, patting him on the back a little harder than he needed to, for which Nick only gave him a murderous look. "It's your fault, you could have seen through your horny idiocy."

Luke was right and Nick knew it was going to be really rude, but he had to tell Karl it wouldn't work out.

Jacobs met him halfway on his board, lifting it up with practiced ease a few meters from Nick.

"Hey, Nick," he said in his sweet voice, smiling at him as he always did. Maybe Sapnap really was blind not to see how Karl's face always seemed to lit up at the sight of him. It will be even worse when he’ll broke his heart in a minute.

"Hey, Jacobs," Nick greeted him, also sending him a slight smile as they stood facing each other. "What's up, skater boy?"

"Everything's good now that you're here," he replied, his cheeks slightly red as he shyly nibbled on his lip. Yeah, Nick was definitely blind before.

The gentle sun made the boy's eyes brighter, making them greener than usual and looked like they had a great depth in them.

"You've been really busy lately" Karl murmured. "Since last Friday, to be precise."

"Yeah, sorry. We need to talk," Nick admitted, looking at one of the boys passing by them. "Uh... maybe not in front of everyone?"

"Are you ashamed to talk to me in front of others?" Karl asked playfully, smiling a little more.

"No. Just... it's not something I want anyone to overhear" he explained instantly.

"I was just kidding. Come on, I know where nobody will disturb us," Karl assured him and almost naturally reached out to take Nick's hand to pull him towards that place.

Sapnap looked at their joined hands in panic and only found Punz's gaze for a moment, who seemed just as disoriented.

Karl pulled Nick behind one of the big ramps, far from anyone else's curious eyes. They only heard the skateboard wheels in the background, but no one was in sight. Sapnap leaned his back against the ramp and looked at Karl, who still smiled innocently.

"No one will hear us here," he assured him.

Nick knew that because sometimes, the two of them would hide in that place to talk. For example, that one time when Karl was sad because someone was making fun of his painted nails. Nick wanted to fight anyone who even thought they had the right to think anything negative about Karl.

Jacobs' nails still had the same colors as when he came to Nick with the unfortunate news. However, they were slightly chipped now. Karl said that scraping off the polish helped him with stress and anxiety because it prevented him from biting his cuticles. Nick had to admit that Karl always had well-groomed hands. Not that he was looking. Karl just liked to be tactile with everyone. Like now, when Karl leaned his skateboard against the ramp and his hand wrapped gently around Nick's wrist.

"So?" Karl asked softly.

"We need to talk," muttered the shorter one, looking up at the boy's face.

"You've been a bit in the clouds lately," Karl said quietly, as if someone could still hear them even though they were hiding from prying eyes. As if they were sharing a secret.

"I have been a bit," Nick admitted. "And it was a dick move that I didn't come to the skatepark or agree to meet you."

Karl clicked his tongue and turned his head to the side, slightly amused. He looked a bit like an observing puppy.

"I can't be mad at you, besides, I can understand. I was a bit disconnected from life too," he admitted very softly and looked meaningfully at Nick's lips. "But you're here now, so we can finish what was interrupted."

"I have to tell you something, Karl," the boy admitted.

"Mhm, and I finally have to do it because I've been thinking about your lips since last Friday," he replied shortly and leaned in, placing his lips on his. Just like that.

Nick wanted to back away, but there was a wall behind him, so it gave Karl a false impression that he could get closer, pushing his head back to have better access to his lips.

Sapnap was only human, and Karl had such soft lips, and his hand on his wrist moved up slightly, lifting the sleeve of his sweatshirt and sending a shiver through his body because it was so inappropriate.

They were like two forbidden lovers, hiding from the eyes of others. And Karl smelled as sweet as fresh fruit on a sunny day. Nick wasn't the romantic type, but kissing Karl was like biting into a ripe peach. Soft, sweet, and so utterly satisfying he wanted more with every bite.

And Nick loved peaches.

The skateboard held by the younger one fell to the concrete floor with a squeak that startled Karl, who pulled back slightly to look towards the sound with wide eyes and just smiled. After that, his head returned to its previous position, and he looked closely at Nick. His lips now already in the shade of fresh raspberries. Nick was so hungry, so when the skater leaned in again, their lips slowly began to work against each other again. Their eyes closed.

Sapnap couldn't help himself. It was too nice for his hands not to seek something to hold onto. And that it happened to be his friend's waistband didn't matter.

He knew he should stop it. He should completely halt it before this kiss turned into something inappropriate.

So eventually Nick did find the remnants of his dignity and sanity because they were there for a different reason. However, even though kissing behind the ramps seemed to be the best pastime at the moment, he knew he had to be honest with Karl. He moved the boy’s lips from him, slightly pushing him backwards.

And if Karl looked like an angel before, now Nick couldn't describe him at all. His lips still glistening from the kiss, in a more reddish color than usual, his eyes with a spark of energy and his pupils dilated more than usual.

"Karl, we can't," Nick muttered, his voice so weak he had to clear his throat in embarrassment, looking down at the ground.

"No one can see us," Karl whispered, his mouth close to Nick's skin. Nick felt his breath and wanted to curl up into a ball right then and there. "Are you afraid someone will see us?" he murmured.

"That's not it," Nick mumbled. "Don't be silly. I don't care if someone feels bad because they see two guys kissing."

"Yeah, but do you care if someone sees that one of them is you?" Karl asked worriedly.

"No," Nick answered seriously, looking at Karl again, who had moved his head slightly so they wouldn't have to look at each other from a strange angle. "Since when do I care about other people's opinions?"

"I don't know... I just wanted to make sure I didn't do anything wrong," Karl admitted, licking his lips. Nick's breath caught in his throat at the sight. "I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable."

"You never do, do you?" Nick smiled gently, not even noticing that his hands were still at Karl's sides.

“I like when people feel safe in my presence,” Karl admitted softly and smiled wildly again. "I like you a lot too, Nick."

Oh no.

"Karl, there's been a little misunderstanding," Sapnap mumbled. "About that message... it wasn't supposed to be like that."

Karl blinked slowly; his hands flat on Nick's shoulders.

"You get high before sending it, didn't you?" he replied softly. "I could tell when I got there."

"Um, no. I was okay then," Nick muttered, embarrassed.

"Oh, so you consciously decided to invite me to make out on your couch instead of just telling me you like me too?" Karl laughed softly. "You have an interesting approach. But it seems to work."

"No, it's about something completely different," Nick said, sighing because he didn't know how to tell him. Clay's words came to mind. "It won't work."

"You mean... us?" Karl's eyebrows drew dangerously close together. "What are you saying?"

"We shouldn't get into anything until it's not too late. We can still be friends, right?" Nick muttered, feeling a heaviness in his stomach.

"I don't understand," Karl admitted honestly. "What does that mean? We both... like each other, right? Unless you don't like me after all?"

"I like you!" Nick assured him instantly. As a friend, he wanted to add.

"Then I don't know what the problem is at all?" Jacobs muttered, disoriented. "And why are you still holding me if it's not going to work out?" he pointed out and Nick immediately took his hands off him.

"I have... unfinished business," Nick lied.

"But..." he muttered and moved away from the boy, breaking any contact between them. "But you can take care of it, right? I'll wait for you. Whatever it is, I'm sure it can be taken care of."

"I wouldn't feel right holding you back in any way," Nick admitted. "We can be just friends, Karl."

"What? Don't even joke like that," he replied breathlessly. "How could I just be your friend after kissing you? You don't seem to realize how good you are at this."

Nick wanted to die. His knees went weak. No one had ever said anything like that to him before.

"You too," Nick admitted, embarrassed, looking into the gray eyes shyly.

“Stop. You can't” he whispered, blushing even more. “It's enough for me to think about it for the next month. I'd like to take you on a date, Nick, because with just one look, you give me butterflies in my stomach, and I really don't want to forget about it.”

Sapnap didn't know what to say.

"Please don't dismiss me right away," Karl begged softly, his hand finding Nick's again and interlocking their fingers. The younger man allowed it, too electrified with the feeling to pull away. "Just give me a chance. I'll show you that it can work. I'm not asking you to be my boyfriend right away... just let me try to convince you?"

Nick opened his mouth, closing it several times.

"I promise I won't serenade you under your window," Karl whispered with a mischievous smile. Nick exhaled through his nose in amusement. "No commitments... just let me try?"

"It's not like I could stop you even if I wanted to," Nick admitted quietly, feeling knots in his stomach. "There's no law that says you can't hit on me."

"Oh, I plan to hit on you so hard that you'll be speechless," Karl promised, lightly squeezing his hand. "Just... finish your things in the meantime, okay?"

"Okay," Nick mumbled, feeling his cheeks flush.

"Can I kiss you again and pretend for a little while longer that you didn't say the worst sentence in the history of the world?" Karl asked uncertainly.

"The worst sentence?" Nick furrowed his brows.

"Let's just be friends," Karl said very meaningfully. "There can't be anything worse."

"Oh, sorry," Nick mumbled. "I just didn't want it to be weird between us later. I like you, so n-"

"Yeah, I know you like me," Karl smiled wider. "I hate your unresolved issues, you know? You better deal with them by tomorrow."

"It's not that simple," Nick murmured softly.

"Yeah, I know, but-" he cut himself off, raising his other hand to the younger man's face and grabbing his chin, rubbing his thumb in a circle before carefully trailing it along Nick's bottom lip. "I really don't know how you expect me not to be obsessed with those lips.."

Nick was a person who loved words of praise. And somehow, Karl always managed to say the right things. No one would have expected him, of all people, to be able to so hypnotize a person with a simple innocent touch, look, and a few words.

"You're so pretty, Nick," he whispered to him gently. "You deserve to be kissed all the time. To be appreciated."

"Are you trying to convince me with compliments so you can kiss me?" Nick asked weakly, causing amusement to spread across the older man's face.

"I don't know, does it work?" he asked softly.

"Find out," Nick whispered, completely defeated.

He wanted to be pressed against the ramp again and he wanted those soft lips.

"Right now, I'm thinking you didn't come here to go skateboarding at all," Karl whispered, leaning in towards Nick's lips and giving them a gentle brush. Nick followed him almost thirstily as the pressure from Karl's mouth disappeared.

So maybe Nick initiated the next kiss, but it was Karl who asked for it, right? Friends sometimes kiss each other. Girls kiss all the time and no one ever takes it seriously. What's different about guys doing it?

This time Karl allowed himself to explore new territories. After Nick pulled him close, he placed his hand on his shoulder, squeezing it from time to time, as his tongue finally met with the younger boy's. It was an experience for Nick. Maybe not his first kiss with a guy, as he had done stupid things during party challenges. But the first one that made him never want to stop. Karl fit perfectly into what he liked, as if he wanted to make a joke out of him. He responded with enthusiasm to every move Nick made and matched it with the same level of playfulness. As if to say, you're not the only one who can do this. It made Nick feel bubbly inside.

They only pulled away from each other after a louder shout from someone who probably did something cool on their board. They had to catch their breath.

"Yeah, try telling me about being just friends again and I'll literally throw you off the ramp," Karl whispered with amusement and a certain degree of confidence. His hand still held onto the wide sleeve of Nick's hoodie.

"You're..."

"Your favorite boy?" Karl smiled and innocently kissed his cheek. "I hope so. I would even go skate with you now, but I think you kind of knocked me off my feet."

"It happens that I have such influence on others," Nick replied with a damn sense of satisfaction and had no intention of admitting that his knees weren't working as they should.

Karl shook his head amused. "What did I expect? Yes, you do that to people, Nick. I won't argue with that."

"We should go now," Nick finally said. "Luke's probably looking for me."

"Mhm, okay. I'll stay a bit longer. You know... going out together from hidden places can sometimes be ambiguous," he smiled. "Someone might think we were kissing," he whispered conspiratorially, as if he were talking about some juicy gossip.

"You are a menace," Nick replied, somewhat shocked. Karl had never been so direct before.

"Well, you clearly have a bad influence on me," he shrugged carelessly. "What will you do about it?"

"I'll go now," Nick muttered.

"Okay," Karl smiled, but only moved his hands to interlace them behind Nick's neck. "So go.”

“It's a bit difficult when you're holding me like this," the green-eyed boy admitted.

"I'm sure," Karl murmured and once again gave him a short kiss on his lips. "I'll text you. Just don't ignore me this time around, okay?"

"Don't be weird and maybe I'll think about it," Nick promised.

"We'll see what mood I'm in," Karl laughed, but finally let go of the younger boy and even adjusted his hoodie, as if making sure that there were no signs of what they were doing.

"Bye, Karl," Nick said.

"Your board," Karl reminded him with even greater amusement, looking at the completely disoriented Nick, who only blushed and grabbed the skateboard from the ground before disappearing from their secret spot at an almost accelerated pace.

Nick knew it didn't go as it should have. He might even consider that he completely messed up breaking Karl's heart. His own heart was pounding like crazy, and he just wanted to leave the place as quickly as possible, to hide safely in his bed.

"How did it go?" Punz asked, almost immediately approaching his friend who looked a bit like a madman. "You disappeared for a long time. Where's Karl?"

"I don't know, somewhere," Nick muttered quietly. "I'm heading home. It was very...energy-consuming."

"Yeah, breaking someone’s heart is never easy, we can go for a beer," the blond only suggested. He just wanted to cheer his friend up.

"I think I'd rather go lie down. A lot has happened," he replied, not even intending to explain the mistakes in Luke’s understanding of the situation.

So Luke, being a good friend, went with him home and they still had one beer each from the fridge with Clay, who joined them with his water bottle. However, Nick was more absent than he had been all week. But it wasn't his fault at all. Who gave Karl the right to be so good? Nick couldn't free himself from thoughts of his lips. The same ones that set the pace of their kiss and played with Sapnap in the worst way.

The brunette lay in his bed, unable to even wrap himself in a therapeutic burrito because it was too warm. So he lay a little sprawled out like a starfish, only with one leg bent at the knee around his duvet, and wanted to scream in frustration. Because friendship with Karl was so easy and effortless. They got along so well and Nick had never had anyone so willing to waste time and hang out with him. And now when he closed his eyes, all he could imagine were Karl's hands on his shoulders and neck, his lips kissing him with one goal, without any hesitation or reservation. Maybe Karl always thought about it when he hung out with him before this whole misunderstanding. This thought stirred a stupid feeling inside Nick and he wanted to somehow forget about it even more. Karl knew that Sapnap thought it was a bad idea, that he had other things that clashed with it, and even if he could turn his legs into cotton, it didn't mean that Nick wanted to give him false hope. He couldn't stop Karl from anything, he just had to not respond to his flirtations and Karl would eventually understand that he wouldn't find anything beyond friendship in their relationship. Because ultimately, being good at kissing wasn't a sufficient indicator for Nick to magically fall in love.

His phone made the sound of a new message. Sapnap picked it up from his chest, unlocking it with Face ID, and mindlessly opened the message.

Karl: I hate you for how good it was.

Nick wanted to cry as three more dots appeared in the chat.

Karl: I can't stop thinking about those kisses. Your lips are really becoming my new favorite part of you

Nick: What was it before?

He stared at his phone, trying to calm his racing heart. It wasn't the appropriate response to this kind of message from a friend, but the fact that Karl was now on the other side of town and couldn't shake off thoughts of what happened behind the ramps gave him more to imagine.

Karl: Would you like to know, huh? ;) I don't know if I can share such secrets.

Nick: Just admit that you can't choose because I'm so handsome.

There was nothing wrong with that, right? Nick always joked like that. Not just with Karl, but with all his friends. Maybe not in this case, when the other side actively wanted to initiate something more.

Karl: You're a very handsome guy indeed, Nick.

Karl: And you have very nice eyes.

Karl: And thank you for sending that back then, because I was embarrassed and probably would have never admitted it to you 😳

Nick: Shut up, you're like the bravest person I know, you can even go and tell the staff they messed up your order, that's like a chad move

Karl: I can fix your orders all you want

Nick: That would have to involve us going to eat together

Karl: Yeah, almost like a date, huh? ;))

Nick: I'm not going on a date with you

Karl: Well, I tried 😣 Wyd

Nick: Nothing, I'm trying to sleep, but it's so hot and my thoughts won't shut off

Karl: What are you so invasively thinking about? Share with the class

Nick: Nothing in particular, tbh.

Karl: >:(

Karl: And I know you're thinking about what we did behind the ramps today, Nick. Don't pretend you didn't like it

Nick: That doesn't mean I should’ve agree to it in the first place

Karl: We didn't do anything wrong

Karl: And I definitely want to do nothing wrong again

Karl: And then maybe three more times just to be sure my calculations are correct.

Nick: Calculations?

Karl: Calculations that I'm totally infatuated with you.

Nick pressed the phone to his chest, not even attempting to stop the embarrassment that filled him and the knot in his stomach at the message. His body was reacting in the wrong way. He shouldn't.

Karl: I'll leave you with that for now. I'll be trying to sleep too, not sure if I can though. You should really wear a warning sign that says you're highly addictive.

Nick: Goodnight.

Karl: Goodnight;)

Nick couldn't sleep because the knowledge that Karl, with those red lips and flawless skin, was thinking about him at the same time he was thinking about Karl caused the most tumultuous feelings in him.

---

The next day, Nick still distracted, sat on a bench in front of the computer science department, waiting for Clay to finish his class because he promised to go to the gym with him. Sapnap regretted it because he wanted to be there already and be able to distract his thoughts from those stupid imaginations, as it was neither healthy nor normal to fixate on anything like that.

Nick froze in place when he suddenly felt hands covering his vision, knowing his luck it was someone he didn't want to see, someone like Karl.

"Guess who," a melodious voice spoke near his ear, and Sapnap grabbed the person's wrists behind him with slight relief.

"I don't know, I have so many female friends that it could be really anyone," Nick joked, and removed the hands from his face, allowing the girl to embrace him from behind and plant a kiss on his cheek.

"So many? I'm jealous," the girl replied. "Is that why you forgot about me lately?"

"Karla, how could I forget about my favorite brunette with a K?" he answered with a smile. It was simple, their banter and conversations.

Karla let go of him to walk around the bench and sit next to the boy. "So what's been up with you?" she asked calmly.

"I was just busy," he replied, shrugging. "Why, did you miss me?"

"You certainly can wish," she muttered and looked at his bag. "So, did the boys finally kick you out, and now you're homeless?"

"It depends if you're offering me your bed," he retorted confidently, looking at her meaningfully. That's what he needed. Something to distract him from thinking.

"You have a more comfortable mattress," she admitted and smiled satisfied. "So I'd rather you not be kicked out yet."

"My mattress and I invite you," he replied. "I'm going to the gym with Clay now, but I should be free tonight if you want to come over."

"Sounds good," she confirmed loosely and looked at the people coming out of the building in crowds. Dream stood in front of the two a moment later with a questioning expression. "Hey, Clay."

"Hey, Karla," he greeted slightly awkwardly.

"Alright, I won't bother you. Go to the gym," she smiled at Nick, leaning down to give him a kiss on the cheek. "See you later."

"Yeah, later. Text me before," he just asked and the girl quickly gathered herself and left them.

"Karla's coming today," Nick informed calmly, standing up from the bench and grabbing his bag.

"This time you didn't risk writing?" Dream joked, for which Nick immediately pushed him aside. "I deserved it. But it's funny."

"I hope karma finds you and you have very unsatisfactory sex with George," Sapnap told him meaningfully, and the blond just laughed amusedly.

"I'll let you know all the details, don't worry," Dream promised, throwing his arm over his shoulders.

So when Karla arrived at the boys' apartment that evening, no one was really surprised, considering it a return to normalcy. Nick closed himself off with her in his room, and the rest just pretended they had no idea what they were doing.

"We'll start the movie if you want to watch," Dream said casually when Nick appeared in the kitchen, looking for something to snack on because he had become hungry.

"Hm, cool, I'll see what Karla thinks," he replied, returning to the room and asking the girl if she wanted to join, because it would be rude to leave her alone or kick her out for a stupid Netflix movie.

Luckily, Karla readily agreed and wearing only her usual shorts, which had already taken their place on Nick's shelf next to her spare underwear, and Sap’s t-shirt, she came to the living room, settling comfortably with the boy who threw a blanket over her, knowing that she was always cold. The girl allowed him to embrace her, and they started watching the movie. It happened quite often. Karla was already known enough by Nick's roommates that it wasn't cosmically weird. It was casual because Karla was a cool girl who didn't mind when Punz sometimes made a comment about how some actress was hot, and Clay immediately googled her entire discography. Nick liked having company nearby, even if 95% of the time Karla spend on her phone, never even slightly interested in the boys' movie choices. It was usually like this evening - she started texting on her phone, scrolling Instagram in total silence until she finally reached the end of all the stories and then locked her phone, snuggling closer to Nick and falling asleep until the end of the movie. Later, he would wake her up, and with cute reflections of the boy's shirt on her face, she would smile, and they would go to the room, have sex again, and then be too tired to do anything else but go to sleep.

This time it was the same, and after their second round, Karla fell asleep before Nick managed to get back to bed after disposing of the condom and freshening up after sex. Sapnap put on his boxers and sat on the corner of the bed, seeing that his long-abandoned phone had lit up with a new notification. He had a few unread messages, three from Karl at different times.

Karl: good evening

Karl: I don't know if it's more likely that you're sleeping or at a party

Karl: just text me back tomorrow so I know you're alive

Sapnap sighed quietly and looked at Karla sleeping peacefully on her stomach. She looked really calm, and he smiled.

Nick: sorry, I was watching a movie with the boys and didn't have my phone with me

To Nick's surprise, three dots appeared on the screen, indicating that Karl was replying to him. Even though it was a little past midnight.

Karl: oh okay, I thought you had a social life outside of your two Siamese twin roommates

Nick: wtf Karl why do you hate my roommates

Karl: actually, I really like them, I just wanted to be mean and see how it suits me

Nick: /neg

Karl: that's the most gen z thing I could see after midnight

Nick: I probably interrupted you watching TikTok

Karl: true true

Karl: keep spitting facts king

Nick: you're predictable

Karl: yeah, and I have about 10 tiktoks saved that will make you snort in amusement and two that will actually make you laugh out loud

Karl: you're welcome <3

Nick: oh, how could I survive without knowing the latest TikTok trends

Karl: Really, you're welcome, I know I'm saving your life

Nick: king shit

Karl: exactly

Nick: you can send them, I'll watch in the morning tho, I'm tired af and about to go to bed

Karl: yeah, yeah, I saw those gym pics on Clay's story

Karl: don't flex on normal ppl bitch

Nick: bruh

Nick: (insert opening music from you)

Karl: don't 'bruh' me, I'm not your bro dude

Nick: dudeeee

Karl: btw you kinda cute with those muscles

Nick: yeah, I'm going, goodnight

Karl: but u r

Nick: thx ig

Karl: npnp

Karl: sweet dreams, handsome

Nick: u should go to sleep too

Karl: nah I'm gonna listen to jack harlow like a stupid freak i am and think about ur cute muscles

Nick: Ur a freak

Karl: i know, thanks<3 been working on it since 1998

Nick: jack harlow slaps tho

Karl: you know what else slaps? ass that he wants to see

Nick: ...

Nick: i actually hate you sm this hurts

Karl: <3 you know what else hurts?

Nick: ...what

Karl: ass after being slapped

Nick: gn

Karl: :D

Karl: goodnight handsome guy

Nick: goodnight jack harlow's stan

Sapnap fell asleep with a strange feeling inside and the awareness that Karl finds his muscles cute. How can muscles be cute? Nick definitely had a lot to learn.

---

Mornings also seemed to have their own routine when Karla visited Nick. Sometimes they would have sex, but usually the girl was too tired and just took a shower, with Nick following suit right after. The girl felt comfortable enough to occasionally make breakfast for the both of them. Sometimes she even stayed in the kitchen when one of the other boys was also awake, to have a short conversation.

This time they had some peace and quiet. Nick found her sitting at the table in the dining room and hugged her from behind, giving her a kiss on the top of her head.

"Good morning again," he murmured in his still-low voice. "Did you eat?"

"Hmm, I was thinking maybe we could go out for breakfast?" she suggested. "We haven't gone anywhere in a while."

"Well, I guess," he muttered, not very interested, and straightened up, knowing that in such a case he wouldn't get any longer sessions of kissing like he had dreamed of after seeing Karl's messages that morning. "We'll have to get dressed fast, though. I'm starving."

They returned to the room to dress in something more appropriate. Karla also stole one of Nick's sweatshirts with a satisfied smile.

"You look good," Nick admitted, immediately pulling her towards him and leaning down slightly so they could connect their lips in a kiss, but the girl pulled away from him before he could deepen it.

"My lips will be all chapped if you keep kissing me like that, silly," she told him. "Have you discovered a new passion or is this some competition with Luke?"

"New hobby," he shrugged carelessly, because really, what else was he supposed to say? Sorry, I just can't forget how I made out with some guy at the skate park. Funny story, really. Karla definitely wouldn't laugh at that.

So instead, Nick decided to leave her alone and then they went out for breakfast at some trendy place Karla had read about on Instagram. Sapnap thought their breakfast was quite nice. The food wasn't too bad either, although the place seemed more concerned with appearance than taste, and the prices weren't exactly low either. But Nick decided that sometimes you have to do something for yourself, and even paid for Karla, who smiled sweetly at him and thanked him, promising that next time she would pay. Nick knew she wouldn’t because that's just how he was raised by his parents. A guy always pays for the girl, as culture demands. He had no problem with that or with the fact that the girl put her hand on his thigh as he drove her back to her apartment later.

He said goodbye to her with such a long kiss that the girl just laughed, pushed him away, and wiped her lipstick off his lips with a tissue.

"Don't miss me too much," she said to him as a farewell.

After that, Nick returned to his apartment, where he found both of his roommates and George, who had come over while he was gone.

"Where were you wandering?" Davidson asked right away with a stupid smile.

"Karla wanted to have breakfast in town, so I gave her a ride after," he replied completely casually, looking at his phone, where he had a message waiting for him.

Karl: Good morning, have you watched my very funny tiktoks yet?

Nick: Nope, I'll get to it in a sec dw

"Dates in the morning are for losers," Punz decided.

"Yeah, who wants to go out for breakfast?" George agreed.

"It's not a date," Nick pointed out seriously, looking at them. "How many times do I have to tell you guys?"

"Totally," George snorted. "Clay and I are going to the technology fair today, by the way."

"Nerdy," Sapnap scoffed, sitting next to Punz. "And you guys make fun of me for going out for breakfast. Ew."

"People in relationships just have weird habits," Luke said.

"Mhm, maybe that's true," Clay admitted without much interest.

Nick started watching the TikToks that Karl had sent him the night before, and George leaned over to look at his screen. They were actually quite funny, and even George thought so, recognizing two of them from his own algorithm.

Nick: gg pretty good

Karl: a little more appreciation is required

Nick: good TikToks dude

Karl: what does it take to earn some appreciation for my algorithm?

Karl: are you going to the skatepark today?

Sapnap felt like he might be walking into a lion's den. He wasn't sure he wouldn't do anything stupid.

Nick: I'll see, depends on how busy I am with school stuff, what about you?

Karl: welp, I was hoping you'd say yes or no and then I'd copy your answer

Nick: oh don't wait for me then, I probably won't come

Karl: alright, so I guess you're giving me a chance to be a super cool guy this afternoon

Nick: yeah? what are you going to do?

Karl: rewatch Total Drama Island

Karl: I'm already halfway through season 3 :D

Nick: gwen is hot

Karl: no way, gwen is giving off your vibe then

Nick: you're a dumbass

Karl: I'm not, apologize

Nick: not gonna

Karl: I'm gonna cry then

Nick: how is that supposed to convince me?

Karl: ugh, you're so hard to convince

Nick: and you're a crybaby

Karl: I can just be a baby for you

"Don't grin at your phone, it's unhealthy," Dream told him.

"Yeah, not in front of us," Punz added.

"I'm not smiling," Nick lied, putting on a neutral expression. "Besides, go away. I can do what I want."

"Sure, sure. You like Karla. We know," they said.

Nick didn't say a word to deny it.

"Hey, Punz, wanna go skate today?" Nick asked calmly instead.

"Aren't you afraid of running into your little admirer?" the blond asked amused.

"He won't be there," Nick assured him. "I'm sure of it. So we can go for a bit."

"Sweet."

And even though he knew Karl wouldn't be there, he still looked around from time to time, searching for that brown hair storm.

---

Next time Nick showed up at the skatepark it was Tuesday. He was always a little late after class, but his group usually stayed longer, so he never ended up alone. He knew Punz was there too, as per his messages and the short ‘btw karl is here too’ message. Nick had no intention of running away from the boy. It's not like Karl was going to attack him in the middle of the skate park, or that he wouldn't be able to resist making another bad decision. Nick hoped the older boy had come to terms with himself and wouldn't try anything stupid. After all, they had spent the entire Sunday and Monday texting each other normally. Karl hadn't implied anything about his lips again, and Nick wasn't trying to justify why he thought about the boy so much.

So yes, Nick definitely thought nothing would happen. Everything was in the past and all the fuss had been forgotten. That's why even if he pulled up to the group that was talking among themselves, his heart raced a little when he saw Jacobs, suspended on Chris's shoulder, looking at his phone, it didn't mean anything.

Luke, Chris, Karl, Nolan, James, and Paul were sitting on the concrete floor, except Karl, who used his skateboard as a seat, moving back and forth. His ADHD was getting on his nerves, and Nick always found it quite amusing how much he had to do at the same time to focus on something serious.

Karl only noticed him when he heard him high-fiving James, who happened to be the closest.

"God, I thought you weren't coming," said Paul, amused.

"Why? Didn't Luke, my pigeon, tell you I was coming?" He laughed lightly and patted his buddy on the head. "I wanted to stop by the store for something to drink, but I'm here. What's this meeting for?"

"For no reason," Nolan shrugged calmly.

Karl stared ostentatiously at Nick and smiled for a millisecond when Nick looked at him.

He looked comfortable. His hoodies always looked soft, and they usually were. But Sapnap's gaze went more towards Karl's lips, and Karl definitely knew it, because he licked them innocently. His lips curved into a pleased smile.

"Did you buy me an energy drink?" Luke asked casually, pulling Nick out of his slight daze.

"I did," he mumbled and took off his backpack to hand his friend the can he asked for.

Karl watched his every move. Nick felt silly when he pulled out his bottle of peach iced tea, trying not to think about how Karl tasted like a peach picked on a sunny day. Nope. Nick definitely didn't have a problem.

“Can I have some? I like peaches," said Karl innocently, seeing what Nick was holding in his hands.

Luke gave him a look, mentally conveying to him not to be awkward.

"Don't drink it all," Sapnap said, unscrewing the bottle and handing it to the boy without much thought.

"Well…" James said, trying to appear less amused than he was and he looked observantly between the two.

Karl took a sip, screwed the cap back on, and handed the bottle back to its owner and then he returned to hanging on Chris.

"So, what was with all the sneaking around you two?" James asked, to which Nolan only shook his head amusedly.

"You mean Thursday?" Paul asked, looking at his friend questioningly.

"Yeah, obviously," James said. "Come on, I want to know all the news."

"What news?" Nick raised his eyebrows, unscrewing the bottle in his hands and taking a sip.

"I don't know, you tell us,” he muttered suggestively, looking at Karl. "Come on, it was suspicious as fuck."

"Why do you care about their rendezvous, man? It's not like it's the first time," Chris said suggestively.

"Well, I don't know, I think the fact that you guys have been looking at each other differently since then is pretty telling," James said, shrugging. "Karl, you wouldn't lie to us. Tell us what's going on between you two."

Jacobs bit his lip.

"Yeah, they're totally boyfriends," Paul joked.

"You guys are idiots," Nick muttered and tilted the tea bottle again.

"Well, you know, we're not," Karl said confidently all of a sudden. "But I'm actively working on it."

Nick choked on his drink and just in time put his hand to his mouth to avoid spitting on anyone, because what the hell. James let out a long laugh, causing Nick to blush and look at Karl with wide eyes. Everyone seemed to take it as the best thing they had heard in a long time. Including Punz, who was in shock, staring between the two, wanting to burst out laughing but holding back.

"What did you say?" Nick asked in total shock. This is a dream, right? Karl didn't tell their friends that-

"That I'm working on making you my boyfriend," Karl repeated shamelessly, still smiling innocently.

"And that's called tea," James commented happily, then looked at Nick who was still shocked by the confession.

"Peach iced tea," Karl joked, pointing to the drink in Sapnap's hand.

"What the fuck," the student muttered under his breath. "I was just here to skate."

Paul stood up and patted Nick on the back. "And you're leaving with a love confession. Congratulations, man. I call dibs on our ramp."

The group started to disperse, only Karl waited for him. Nick wanted to die.

"You're cute when you're embarrassed," he whispered in Nick's ear.

Yep, Nick definitely didn't expect this.

"What are you--" Nick muttered, looking at Karl, who shrugged as if he hadn't done anything wrong and looked again at his mouth. "Karl..."

"Uh, yes?" he asked, chuckling slightly, as if just coming out of a daze. "What did you say? Because I was thinking about what we could do behind those ramps."

"No," Nick snapped. "Stop. This shouldn't have happened, Karl. I know it was-- it was nice, but..."

"More than nice," he decided, hugging his skateboard, pressing it to himself. "What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Karl, please," Nick muttered, feeling his legs weaken under the taller boy's gaze.

"What are you asking me?" he asked deeply, leaning slightly towards him.

"Hey, stop flirting already, you'll have time for that later," Nolan called out to them.

"We're friends, Karl," Nick reminded him, before moving away from the boy who still didn't seem very concerned about his words.

Sapnap left the skate park earlier than everyone else that day, barely even waiting for Punz, whom he definitely wanted to outpace to spare himself his comments after what had happened.

But as soon as they got into the apartment and Nick almost kicked Luke for immediately asking "so when is the first date?" after closing the door.

"I'll literally punch you so hard your balls will come out of your mouth," Nick growled, almost tripping over George's shoes left in the hallway. "What the fuck is wrong with you guys? Can't you even put your shoes aside?!"

"Jesus, what happened that you're yelling like this?" at that moment, Clay's blond head emerged from his room with a bewildered look on his face.

"Nick is having a crisis," Luke laughed, for which Sapnap immediately pushed him to hit the wall. "Come on, calm down. It's not my fault you can't handle anything, okay?"

"Fuck off," he said seriously. "I don't know why anyone even started the topic."

"What happened?" Clay asked, stepping out into the hallway and seeing Luke's big smile. Even George appeared to listen to the new drama.

Nick pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head and tightened the strings.

"Don't ask," he replied dramatically and walked through the hallway to open the door to his room.

"Karl," Luke laughed, feeling the amusement start to flow again.

"Really fucking funny," Nick said, looking at him and grabbing the first object within reach by his door to throw at the laughing Punz.

"What about Karl? Was it awkward?" George asked with a slight smile, looking between the boys.

"One of our friends joked and asked where they disappeared together last time," Punz started, and began to laugh again.

"Seriously, shut up," Nick warned him, looking at him annoyed.

"And he asked if they were together," he laughed. "And- and.. and Karl-"

"Don't tell me he said yes," Clay muttered in shock.

"He said no. Because we're not you dumb fucks," Nick snapped, still standing halfway in the hallway and halfway in his room.

"He said he's working on it," Luke informed them meaningfully and started laughing again. "And then they stood there for like five minutes, intensely eye-fucking each other, but Nick doesn't want to say what Karl told him."

"You're the one eye-fucking, you sick fuck!" Nick yelled and threw another object at Luke.

"Dude, I've never seen anyone shamelessly stare at your ass for so long before," he said seriously, and then everyone except Nick started laughing.

"What did he tell you?" George asked through laughter.

"Nothing," Nick muttered, wanting to hide in his room, his cheeks starting to turn red.

"Did he ask you out?" George's tone was quiet.

Nick tightened his grip on the doorknob.

"No," he replied. Technically speaking, no, although he didn't know if ‘what are you doing tomorrow?’ implied that.

"Don't lie," George grumbled, and a quiet sound of a new message rang out.

Nick prayed as he pulled his phone out of his pocket that he wouldn't see anything more nerve-wracking.

Karl: I'm sorry if I went overboard today, but you really turned my world upside down. You have no right to show up and look so good when you don't want me to react.

Karl: And your tea was good, I'm sure you taste wonderful now.

Nick's eyes widened, not knowing what he had just read and almost dropped his phone.

"Karl messaged!" George squealed.

"If anyone laughs again, I'll kill you in your sleep," Nick warned immediately. "It's not fucking funny."

As it was not funny at all, Nick felt a tightness in his stomach seeing these messages. And then he heard another new message sound.

Karl: If you want me to rate it, I'm still around, I can come over~

Nick turned even redder and before his friends could attack him more, he locked himself in his room. His heart started beating like crazy with stress again because what kind of messages were these?

Nick: You shouldn't say that ever.

Karl: But it's all true.

Karl: You're so hot that I lose my mind when I see you

Nick: You shouldn't.

Karl: Tell me why not?

Karl: Could it be that you can't stop thinking about me either?

Nick didn't respond anymore. Karl could easily guess the answer to that question by himself.

---

Nick wasn't sure if he was seeing things when he spotted the slightly chaotic storm of long locks in the store. He was at the supermarket because it was his turn to do the groceries and none of his roommates wanted to help. So there he was, at Walmart, not feeling up to a confrontation in the beverage aisle with anyone, especially if it was the person he suspected it might be. That person being Karl. And it was Karl, because Nick knew him too well not to recognize him from afar within seconds.

However, the universe wasn't very kind to him on this Wednesday, because at the moment he realized who was reading the label of some juice, the same person looked in his direction, as someone knocked something off a shelf behind him.

Jacobs smiled the moment he saw him and started waving, not even thinking for a second whether to approach him or not. His legs almost automatically moved towards Nick, who gripped the handle of his cart a little tighter.

"Nick, nice to see you, what a coincidence," Karl said with his melodic voice and chuckled foolishly. "I guess the universe wanted to tell us something."

Nick remained silent for a few seconds, staring at Karl who was almost flying with joy.

"I'm tired," he answered him shortly.

"Yeah, I’m good too, thanks for asking," Karl said with a slight grimace.

"Sorry. Hey... today's not really the day I want to hear about how the stars are aligning for us or anything," Nick muttered.

"Oh- something happened?" Karl asked, this time with concern on his face.

"I had a bad day," he shrugged, leaning a little on the cart. "And how about you? Why were you reading the label solemnly like the Bible?"

"I'm wondering if I'll turn orange if I drink carrot juice," he said to him in a slightly more subdued voice, fitting more to Nick's mood. Nick always liked how Karl could read people. He could make everyone feel comfortable in his company. Sapnap was no exception.

"You shouldn't turn orange from just one bottle of juice," Armstrong assured him. "At least, I don't think so. I've never turned orange from carrots."

"I have once," Karl admitted with a silly face, adding drama to his story. "I was obsessed with those baby carrots. They were so sweet that I couldn't stop eating them. I put them in everything and ended up looking... like someone I won't mention because I would have to express myself very rudely."

Nick smiled slightly at the thought of a boy with orange skin. "Don't laugh," Karl whispered conspiratorially. "It was traumatic. I'm scared of the color orange now."

"You're exaggerating," Nick decided, smiling even more.

"Have you ever seen me in an orange sweater?" he muttered, looking at him meaningfully. "Exactly. It's a very serious fear."

"So, you're scared of orange juice too?" Nick raised an eyebrow.

"I drink it with my eyes closed or from non-transparent containers," Karl nodded. "I'm a freak, Nick. Didn't you know?"

"I did, but I didn't think it was that bad," he chuckled softly.

"Yeah, let's not talk about it. Someone might hear us. I don't want people to know, because then they'll find out why I don't eat Cheetos and someone will have an advantage over me," Karl said, a smile playing on his face. "Can I join you?"

"Sure," Nick agreed, feeling a certain comfort from the man's attitude as he walked alongside him at a safe distance and relative quietness.

"So... why did you have a bad day?" Karl asked, watching as Nick put a six-pack of mineral water into the cart. "Do you often buy water at the store?"

"Always," Nick replied shortly. "It's nothing big, I'm just tired and had a difficult class to which I have to do some stupidly hard project."

"That's a lot of plastic," Karl said seriously. "College can suck sometimes. Sometimes I feel like dropping out."

"Aren't you finishing this year?" Nick asked, confused.

"Yeah, but I'm still looking for a reason to drop out," he shrugged. "I don't like it."

"It would be a shame to leave after all this time," Nick assured him, turning into another aisle, Karl trailing along with one hand on the cart.

"Is it a group project?" Karl asked, changing the subject calmly.

"Nah, I have to do it myself," he answered with a sigh. "I don't know, maybe it won't be as bad once I figure out what I'm supposed to do. But for now, I'm not feeling very optimistic."

"College slash neg," Karl said with a slight smile, looking at the younger man amused.

"Slash srs," Nick added, also smiling at him. "And did you come here just to buy one juice?"

"I'm out for a walk," he shrugged carelessly. "I felt like drinking something, so I came in here."

"On a walk?" Nick frowned.

"Mhm," he nodded. "Don't you like going for walks?"

"I don't know, I don't really like solitary walks. I like to talk, then I don't pay attention to how far I've walked," he said casually, putting the dishwashing cubes into the cart.

"Yeah, I don't have anyone to walk with, so I don't really have a choice," Karl replied somewhat sadly. "But I put on some music so I can daydream and walk until my legs start to hurt."

Nick murmured calmly and comfortable silence fell between them again. Karl interrupted it once, when he suggested Nick try the apple-scented liquid soap, claiming it smelled so good he wanted to eat it. Later, they had a short discussion about whether penne pasta was better than farfalle one. It ended with both of them stubbornly sticking to their choices.

After that, they went to the checkout. Karl helped Nick put all of his purchases on the conveyor belt.

"Thanks," Nick said and reached for his juice. "I'll buy it for you, give it here."

"Forget it, I'll buy it myself," Karl assured him.

"But I want to buy it for you," Nick shrugged, so Jacobs finally put it on the conveyor belt. "I want to see you turn into a carrot."

"You're sabotaging my life," Karl muttered to him, pretending to be unhappy.

"I sabotage myself even, so don't feel special," Nick shrugged.

Karl didn't say anything else. He also helped pack the groceries with a slight grimace as Nick used plastic bags.

"You can use paper bags," Karl muttered to him.

"Yeah, but they're more expensive," Nick shrugged carelessly. "Plus, they won't hold the weight of most things."

"There are also tote bags," Karl replied seriously. "You can use them until they fall apart. You should get one for yourself."

"Yeah, I don't think so," Nick muttered. "Do you want a ride home?"

"You're tired, better go back to your place. I'll take a walk," Karl assured him.

"Forget it. You're a bit on the other side of town," Nick observed seriously. "And you'd probably get home very late."

"I'm not afraid of the dark," Karl muttered and smiled slightly at the shorter man.

"But I'm afraid that someone will attack you and torture you, forcing you to eat carrots," Nick replied, trying to joke.

"You're giving me new fears," Karl admitted amused. "Are you sure it won't be a problem?"

“Ugh, come on already, Jacobs” Nick shook his head. “You're acting like I've never given you a ride before.”

“I care about your well-being” muttered Karl, displeased.

They made their way to the car quickly, and Nick plugged his phone into the AUX to play music in the background. Karl just took a sip of his juice, and they spent the next 15 minutes driving through the city in complete silence.

Nick pulled up in front of the building where Karl lived and looked at the guy who twisted the cap off his juice bottle. It was only then that Sapnap noticed the orange stain above Karl's lips.

"Good juice?" he asked with a small smile, restraining himself from grinning foolishly.

"Yeah, want a sip or something?" Karl offered enthusiastically.

"No, no. I believe you," Nick assured him and sighed, pointing at his own lips. "You have a moustache."

"What?" Karl furrowed his brow. "I shaved this morning."

Nick chuckled lightly, touched by Karl's obliviousness, and reached out to wipe his cupid's bow with his thumb.

"You have orange moustache. You drink like an iPad kid," he teased and licked his thumb, feeling the sweetness on his tongue. Karl turned as red as a ripe tomato.

"I do not," he muttered, frowning, and trying to look menacing. "I can handle my drink."

"You can," Nick agreed, looking at him. "Just sometimes, you're a little reckless."

"I just like carrot juice," Karl muttered.

"That's okay," Nick assured him, staring at him. "I'll buy you some next time I'm going to the skate park, so you don't drink my tea."

"I took a sip," he replied, looking him in the eyes. "And you let me. It's entirely your fault."

"Probably," Nick nodded.

"And buy me a Monster while you're at it... I don't want to be orange," Karl muttered.

"Okay," Nick agreed. "Thanks for helping with the shopping."

"Thanks for the juice and the ride," Karl replied, preparing to leave, but he turned back to Nick, looking at him leaning casually against the steering wheel.

"It was really nice to see you," he said quickly, leaning in and before Nick could react, he kissed his cheek.

After that, Karl jumped out of the car, not giving Nick time to react. Not that he had any ready-made response, as he was taken aback for a few seconds and only ran his hand over his cheek, where a slightly wet mark remained, suppressing the smile that wanted to spread across his face.

Nick dismissed the bubbling feeling in his stomach as hunger and drove away from Karl's apartment, convincing himself that he didn't want Karl to kiss him on the lips instead of the cheek.

---

Nick stood with Karla; their hands intertwined for some unexplained reason. The girl simply didn't let go of him when they stopped, and Sapnap didn't see anything wrong with it. They were waiting for Karla's friend to join them on their way to a party. Nick wasn't even sure if he wanted to go to the event, to be honest, but Karla had begged him for ten minutes and he eventually gave in. Maybe he just needed to unwind because the situation with Karl had him a little scared. It brought out new things in him and Nick wasn't sure if it was his realization that he wasn't as straight as he thought (no shit, Sherlock, you think about kissing this guy 90% of the time). So Sapnap finally needed to chill out, smoke, and end the night with someone who could replace his fantasies and let him kiss until his mind finally shut off from consciousness.

The party was quite nice. Karla kept him close to her the whole time, and it seemed like he couldn't go anywhere without her. That's how they ended up locked together in the bathroom, kissing like the world was ending.

"Come to my place for the night," she mumbled then, and Nick thought it was a great idea. His mind wasn't working so well anymore, and he was only driven by the desire of his body.

And if, in a hot moment of his carelessness, instead of her name, he mumbled ‘Karl’ instead, it wasn't that deep. His desire just ate the letter. Who thinks about letters when fucking a hot girl? Certainly not Nick.

Because he wasn't thinking about any other lips.

---

Nick came to the skate park by himself on Saturday. He didn't even ask his roommate if he wanted to join. It was relatively early, so there were no people from his group except for him. No friends, no peers. Some kids had the numerical advantage and, unfortunately, they were probably better at skating than him. Not that he intended to admit it, but he felt a little outclassed in skills, so he ended up sitting on one of the ramps, where he helped a kid make a good drop. And he watched as the kid got better and better. It took Nick a week to master it.

"What did that kid do to make you stare at him like that?" suddenly came a question from the side, and Nick jumped in fright before looking at the newcomer. "Did I scare you?"

"I was lost in thought," he muttered, feeling a kind of peace that someone familiar had finally shown up. "Hey, Karl."

"Hey," he smiled sweetly, then reached out his hand. "Help me a little here.”

Nick just nodded and watched as Karl made a light run to climb a slightly higher ramp. Nick had to catch him anyway and pull him up so that he could sit down next to him with a quiet sigh. Their legs touched. Karl's knee pressed against Nick's thigh, but only because they couldn't occupy half the ramp. It was definitely not that deep.

Sapnap sighed. Because really, most things weren't deep, except for his stupid ideas. As if he had never sat with Karl like this before. Jacobs could sometimes even stretch out along the ramp with his head on his thighs when they talked late into the night and no one else was in the park. Nick just panicked at any little touch, as if he was going to catch something. But Karl's words were still fresh in his mind, burning where their bodies touched in the most innocent way in the world.

"So why are you staring at the kid? Did he run over your fingers or something?" Karl joked, because if someone had run over his fingers on the board, he would already be in the hospital.

"After two tries, he got the hang of going down the ramp well," he murmured softly. "I feel incompetent next to a twelve-year-old."

"Yikes," Karl winced. "Don't worry. You'll achieve that mystical level someday too."

"You're an idiot," Nick muttered and they both chuckled softly.

Sapnap leaned back against the side railings, and Karl watched him carefully, playing with his fingers.

"Luke isn't coming?" he asked, biting his lip.

"I don't know, I didn't really ask him," Nick admitted calmly. "I just wanted to skate. Clear my head a bit. I've had a lot on my mind lately."

"Still not in a good mood?" Karl murmured, sounding disappointed.

"It's whatever," he replied, looking at Karl's fingers intertwining. "Is that a new color?"

Jacobs, seeing where he was looking, spread his hands, resting them on the younger man's thigh to show off his manicure in all its glory. He smiled proudly, also admiring it himself.

"Do you like it?" he asked, pleased.

"Mhm, they're cool," Nick admitted honestly. Nails painted in any style suited Karl. Without them, he seemed almost incomplete.

"My friend did them," he said excitedly, raising his hands from Nick's thigh quickly to bend his thumbs and show them up close. "Look at this! She painted dinosaurs on my thumbs. How cool is that, right?"

Tiny, green creatures with smiles looked cheerfully at Nick, who couldn't help but smile himself.

"Cute," he decided, nodding his head.

"Really?" Karl's eyes lit up, looking into Nick's eyes, and he had to change his sitting position again, resting his hands on Nick's thigh again, lightly squeezing it.

"Really," he laughed lightly. "You're squirming like a worm."

"Get lost, I have ADHD on my side," he snorted, though he definitely didn't mean it in a negative way.

"Excuses," he decided, but let Karl lean his whole bent leg against his thigh. The boy sat almost opposite of him, and they were definitely too close. It reminded him a bit of that evening on the couch in the apartment when Karl said how much he liked him.

"Why are you quiet?" Jacobs asked softly, noticing that the younger man was staring at him a bit. "Do you like me so much that you're speechless?"

Nick shrugged in internal laughter.

"I have nothing to say," he replied gently.

"Surely there would be something," the boy decided, poking him in the chest with his finger. "Or... you can just keep looking. Alright. Don't disturb yourself."

"You should go to the hairdresser," Nick finally muttered. "Your hair is getting too long. Unless you want to grow it out."

"I don't think I would look good with long hair," Karl admitted, pushing his bangs to the side. "I need to take care of them a bit."

"Mm," Nick muttered, relaxing a bit more. "Why did you come so early today?"

"I always come early," Karl replied, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I like knowing that I didn't come too late and miss the chance to spend more time with you."

"You never said that" Nick replied, looking at Karl's face, which was almost glowing in the sun.

"Yeah, I never admitted that I liked you," Karl replied meaningfully. "When you think about it, it's quite easy to connect the dots."

"Karl" Nick sighed.

"What?" he replied, imitating Nick's tone. "Why are you so afraid to acknowledge that someone might think you're...you know."

"I’m what?" Nick raised his eyebrows, intrigued.

"I don't know- boyfriend material or something," Karl mumbled, feeling embarrassed. "You're okay with many things. It's not just me who's interested in you, so..."

"But you're different," Nick pointed out, his heart racing again. "Besides, why do you keep saying that? I haven't forgotten, you know?"

"Just- maybe if I annoy you enough, you'll finally answer my question about what you're doing tomorrow instead of changing the subject," Karl replied nonchalantly. "Like...I don't really care about not making a fool of myself anymore since I was somehow able to tell you how much I like you."

"Why do you want to know so badly what I'm doing tomorrow?" Nick asked.

"Oh, come on," Karl groaned, looking at him with narrowed eyes. "Don't pretend you don't know. Oh my god. You really made it your mission to make me say all the obvious things out loud? So Nick, you won't believe it, but I wanted to go somewhere with you because I think you're really cool and very handsome too... and I think we could have a good time. And before you say anything, yes, it's called a date. I want to go on a date with you, Nick. You wanted it yourself. Don't turn away now because you brought this on yourself."

"I told you it was a mistake," Sapnap muttered.

"You're calling me a mistake?" Karl raised his eyebrows meaningfully.

"No. I'm calling us a mistake" Sapnap clarified. "It's my fault, but you really shouldn't waste your time on me."

"I'll waste my time on whatever I like," Karl assured him confidently. "And as it happens, I really, really like you."

Nick fell silent again.

"Okay," Karl sighed. "Maybe let's approach this differently. We could also meet up not for a date. Just... you've been avoiding me since those... kisses."

"I'm sorry, I think I just needed some space," Nick muttered, embarrassed. "To think about it."

"So you did think about it," Karl noted with a smile, somehow his hand found its way to Nick's side. He simply placed it there, not doing anything more.

"I did," Nick whispered, blushing slightly. "And I feel like an idiot because I gave you hope."

"Ughhh, I feel like tearing you apart," Karl muttered suggestively, still keeping his voice relatively low. His hand tightened on Nick's side. "You have no idea how much it meant to me that you gave me hope. I felt like an idiot hiding everything from you. Like I was using our friendship to make you like me more."

"I don't feel used," Nick assured him, his fingers playing with a loose thread from Karl's pants, nervously touching his leg. It was almost stupid how much they were both seeking some physical contact with each other. "I think I used you more, to be honest."

"Nick, I know offering sex as the first line of admitting you have a crush on me isn't very conventional, but- I wouldn't have come that day if I didn't want to," he said seriously. Nick felt a sinking feeling at the thought of what Karl wanted to do. "I know you don't want it to be awkward between us as much as I do. But you also need to relax a little. I won't do anything without your consent."

"How am I supposed to relax when you're around?!" Nick asked a bit more aggressively than he intended. "I can't relax when you're- when- ugh!"

"When I'm what?" Karl couldn't help but smile and leaned in slightly towards the younger boy. "Don't you like when I'm around anymore? I can leave."

"The thing is, I like it," he replied with a sigh. "But I can't say no to you."

"So, I'll ask again. What are you doing tomorrow?" Karl asked very slowly, his hand pressing into the boy's side. "Because I bought a new pack of Pokémon cards, and it would be nice to open it with someone who knows the difference between Blastoise and Charmander."

Nick shook his head. "Come on, we did that before," the boy remarked. "As friends. I swear it'll be just opening cards with no ulterior motives. Just agree. It's the Team Rocket edition~"

"I hate you," Nick muttered. "I still have empty packets from the last pack."

Karl let out a joyful sound of victory and leaned in to peck the younger boy on the cheek. "Oh, sorry, I got excited," he chuckled, embarrassed.

"It's whatever," Nick muttered. "What time do you want to meet?"

"I can come to yours," Karl said happily. "Whatever works for you. I'm free tomorrow from 12pm. I'll come after work, okay?"

Nick nodded, agreeing to his terms. "It's not a date," he muttered under his breath to make everything clear from the start.

"Yeah, yeah. Do you want to go for some frozen yogurt? I don't think others will show up for a while," Karl suggested.

"You're so entitled, aren’t you?" Armstrong said jokingly. "But okay. One strawberry yogurt for the gentleman."

Karl was the first to get up and reached out with his hand to help Nick get up as if nothing had happened. "The last one in the shop stinks," Karl said, and before Nick could realize it, he was already speeding through the entire skate park on his board.

Sapnap chased after him, and even though both of them had red cheeks from their little chase, something between them was different. It wasn't the same as before. The two friends sitting in an empty parking lot by some random beauty salon. Now, every time they looked at each other, something inside them boiled and emanated from them for miles.

---

The doorbell rang in the apartment. Nick immediately headed towards the entrance. He had been impatiently waiting for Karl since noon. He was excited about the prospect of new cards, not because he would see Karl. Because it was just a meeting without any ulterior motives. Nick didn't even think he should wear something other than sweatpants. Karl wouldn't mind, right?

Nick put on his favourite jeans and a white undershirt that had just been washed, anyway.

"Hey," Karl smiled when he saw Nick at the door. He had a paper bag with the name of the café where he worked and a box of Pokémon cards, as he promised.

Nick smiled back and let him in, looking at Karl and his grandpa-like green sweater and turquoise pants. He looked in a way that made Nick think of the word ‘cozy’.

"I brought us something good," Karl said, lifting the bag slightly and handing it to Nick.

Sapnap took the bag uncertainly and looked inside.

"Um... so where's your room?" Jacobs asked, a little embarrassed by Nick's silence. Younger immediately looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"The living room is empty," Nick quickly replied.

"I know where the living room is," he assured him and headed in that direction. "We won't disturb your roommates?"

"We won't," Nick assured him. "Besides... you asked about my room in a very suspicious way."

"Not at all," Karl laughed, his cheeks turning red. "It's you who are thinking of one thing since such an idea came to your mind right away."

"I'm two steps ahead of you," Nick replied. "I'm preventing stupid ideas from popping up in your head."

"Okay, I won't have any now in the living room after you suggested it," Karl continued joking and even winked at him. "First, we can eat, and then open cards? I don't want to get them dirty."

"Okay, I'll take care of it. Do you want something to drink?" Sapnap asked gently, heading towards the kitchen. Karl followed him like a shadow, standing in the doorway and watching as the younger one put the cake, he brought on two plates.

"What are my choices?" he asked a little teasingly.

"I don’t know, what would you like to have?" Nick replied casually, taking out one spoon from the cabinet.

The silence made Nick look towards Karl, who was grinning foolishly.

"You?" he asked, slightly weaker than he intended.

"Karl!" Nick responded with a high-pitched voice, blushing violently.

"I'm sorry, I'll be careful so that no one hears anything," he assured him with a smile.

"They aren't here," Nick said shortly, which made Karl a bit more alert.

"Oh" he replied. “Oh”

"That doesn't mean anything," Nick said seriously.

"Do you have any apple juice?" Karl asked innocently and bit his lips.

Nick went to the fridge, opening it and looking at the drink supplies.

"We have grape and cherry juice," he said, looking at Karl over his shoulder.

"I'll have cherry," he smiled sweetly.

So Nick took the whole carton and two empty glasses.

The two sat in the living room on the floor facing the couch, already preparing to open the package.

They ate the cake Karl brought and Nick started a conversation about the older’s job. That's how they spent the first half hour. On casual chatting and eating delicious chocolate cake.

Karl only occasionally made some teasing comments to him. And even attempted to persuade Nick to deal with a piece of cake that he allegedly got on his face with the younger’s lips.

Nick wiped it off with a tissue and threw it at his forehead, causing Karl to burst into long, happy laughter.

When they finished with the cake and their talk, they went to wash their hands and clean up the place where they were going to open the cards, soon making it into a competition to see who would draw the best cards.

Clay entered the apartment quietly and immediately saw the shoes that stood out from the rest in the hallway. They were more elegant, not like the rest of the sporty ones.

"Slow down, please," a male voice echoed.

"I'm being careful," Nick replied with weird tone in his voice.

Dream closed the front door and slowly took off his shoes because it was not possible that his friend was doing something with that guy. And not just any guy, but Karl Jacobs, who had confessed his love for him a few weeks earlier.

"Perfect," Jacobs said, and his laughter echoed. "Where are you wandering with those fingers? You're crazy."

"Don't pretend to be so innocent," Nick replied confidently.

Clay felt ashamed that he didn't slam the door loudly, but on the other hand, Nick had traumatized him and George once. He could repay him the same way.

"First rule, Nick!" he said loudly, announcing his presence.

"Dear God!" Jacobs exclaimed in terror, jumping at the sound of Dream’s voice.

“What's wrong with you, Dream?" Sapnap's voice echoed, and Clay peeked behind the wall to see two people sitting on the floor with Pokémon cards in their hands. "Why are you sneaking around like a thief?"

"Oh, that sounded weird," he admitted, embarrassed. "Hey, Karl. Sorry."

"Hi, Clay," Jacobs muttered and waved uncertainly. "We're opening new packs."

"I see," he replied, smiling innocently at the two struggling for a place at the table with sorted cards. "Looks like you're having a good time."

"I don't consider your opinion on Pokémon cards important," Nick assured him meaningfully.

"We're having a good time," Karl said at the same time.

"Yeah, that too," Nick agreed.

"Mhm, opening cards together on a Sunday afternoon, nice," Clay chuckled amused.

"Yeah, a pretty nice date by my standards," Karl fired back with a smile, adjusting the card in the foil.

"What!" Nick and Clay said in unison.

"It's not a date," Sapnap added, looking at Karl seriously. "It's not a date."

"Oh, yeah, yeah. Totally not a date," Karl nodded. "A pretty nice non-date by my standards," he said completely casually, not even lifting his gaze from the next pack he pulled out of the box. He looked at Nick only when he tore open the wrapper. "It could be a date if you weren't so stubborn."

"Oh, wow" Clay muttered, impressed more by Karl's self-confidence than shocked that something like that was said to his friend. "So, are you two finally..."

"No" Nick said immediately, looking angrily at the blond.

"Not yet," Karl said evenly with him, trying to hold back a smile as Sapnap nudged him.

Clay stopped in his tracks again, watching as Karl showed Nick a card.

"Slugma nuts," they said in unison, starting to laugh.

"Jinx," Nick muttered, shaking his head.

"Give me a kiss- oops, not that," Karl muttered, showing no remorse.

"If you want a card, Clay, you can choose something cool," Karl said, leaving Nick in a daze as he stared at him in shock.

"Uh, thank you, but I think I'll leave you guys," the blonde said with a smile. "You guys have some kisses to make up for or something. Don't make me interrupt you. Nick, I'm enforcing rule one on you for the next two hours. Enjoy... opening cards."

Nick, shocked that his friend had also betrayed him, just wanted to sink into the ground in embarrassment.

"What's rule one?" Jacobs whispered, although Dream had already shut himself in his room.

"Karl! What was that?" Nick asked pointedly, looking at the smirking man.

"What?" he smiled. "I was just telling the truth. Would you be ashamed to admit that you're on a date with me even to your friend?"

"No, but we're not on a date," he said with a sigh. "How is it that every time you want to embarrass me, you can be so smooth?"

"How is it that every time you look at me, you can be so handsome?" Karl replied instantly, looking at him suspiciously.

"Karl!" he murmured meaningfully.

"Nick!" he chuckled in response and pinched him gently on the side. "So, what about that kiss?"

"Shut up," Nick couldn't help but smile as Karl grinned at him from up close.

"You shut me up," Karl challenged him and pouted, but seeing that it didn't work, he sighed softly. "Okay, what's the first rule?"

"I'm not telling you" he decided. "Let's focus on Pokémons."

"But you only have two hours to use its repeal," Karl noticed excitedly. "What is it?"

"I'm not telling you" Nick assured him meaningfully.

Karl took a deep breath and covered his mouth with both hands. "No way! Is it the rule I'm thinking of?"

"I don't know what you're thinking of and I don't want to know," Nick replied.

"What's the rule? Otherwise, I'll think it's some really sick habit you have. Like a balloon fetish or something," Jacobs said seriously.

"I don't have a balloon fetish," Nick grimaced.

"Then what's the rule?" Karl asked seriously.

"No sex in common areas where someone can walk in unannounced," Nick replied instantly.

"Oh. Like in the living room?" Karl raised his eyebrows, his smile sly and devilish.

"Yes."

"Well, what are you waiting for? We only have two hours, take off your clothes," Karl said, grabbing the hem of his sweater and starting to lift it, to which Nick immediately grabbed his hands to stop him. Jacobs immediately started giggling.

"Karl, what are you doing?" he muttered.

"I wasn't serious!" he murmured to him. "It was just a joke, Nick. Don't worry, I'm not going to bed with you on the first date."

"This is not a date!" he said loudly.

"Even more so!" Karl laughed, moving a little closer to the younger boy. "I'm stopping now, I promise. I'll be very nice until the end of the box. I'm just joking, you know how silly I can be."

“I know but- sometimes I have a feeling that you could really do something like that” Nick admitted with a sigh. Karl leaned in to nudge him with his elbow.

"You wish," he said with a playful smirk. "But you know, if you ask me then maybe, I'm pretty good at listening."

Nick blushed at that moment.

"Oh my god, you have such dirty thoughts when it comes to me," Karl said with a smile. "It flatters me though."

"You'll end up in hell," Nick muttered, having to turn away, but Karl very meaningfully caught his chin so he had to look at him again.

"I am the reason why the hell is so hot," he said with complete confidence. "Besides, you've said a million times that you like fire. It's a match made in heaven- or in hell."

"A match.. like a match, because of the fire," Nick whispered, his voice barely audible.

"Hey, actually. Good one," Karl said with a pleased smile, moving away to a safe distance from Nick and returning to his cards.

"No way! Holo Charizard ?!" Karl shouted so loudly that Nick thought he would go deaf for a moment, but instead he realized the message and let out a cry of disbelief.

"Watch out for it!"

"Oh my god, it's beautiful!"

"That's the most epic pack in the world!"

"True?!"

In the rush of emotions and euphoria, Karl hugged Nick and he responded by laughing and forgetting about everything else.

"Nick, I'm going to frame it," Karl said excitedly.

"You better do it, because it's the most beautiful card in the world."

And so they pulled out the wonderful card. They didn't have as much luck with the rest, but that one Charizard still looked great.

"Okay, I'm gonna go, don't want to overstay my welcome, or you'll never invite me again," Karl joked, putting the cards back in the box.

"You're always invited. I don't throw away my friends," Nick said.

"Yeah, friends. But I'm not just your friend, so you can throw me away," Karl joked. "Will you walk me to the door?"

"You're an idiot, of course," he assured him.

So he actually walked him out, even hugged him tightly when they said goodbye in front of the elevator. Karl quickly kissed his cheek and promised to text him when he got home.

Nick felt a happy mood after they parted ways and returned to his apartment. The feeling that people always had after spending a great time. Sapnap started cleaning, pretending not to see Dream, who was waiting for him to tell him something meaningful.

That's when Nick saw the holo Charizard card on the table. It was the moment he decided to dial Karl's number, thinking wishfully he hadn't left yet.

"You miss me that much? It's only been like 3 minutes," Karl laughed.

"You left Charizard behind," Nick said calmly, still wearing a slight smile. "But I don't think you've left yet, so come back. Or I can bring it down for you."

"Nah," he muttered. "I think it's too late. You'll have to take care of it for me," the man declared, and Nick turned the card over in his hand uncertainly.

"Did you already leave?" Nick asked, frowning in surprise.

"Maybe," he replied, and the sound of him getting into a car could be heard. "Or maybe not. Take care of it for me. Maybe it should take its place on the card shelf in your room you were talking about earlier."

"I'll just bring it to you," Nick replied, disoriented.

"It's too valuable to be carried around thoughtlessly like that. Take care of it, I'll come get it eventually," he assured. "Let it stay with you for now. I trust you won't destroy it."

"But it's holo."

"And you're Nick, and you love fire, so you'll get along," he joked.

"Okay, okay," Nick muttered, smiling a little more sincerely. "I'll try not to rip it. Go already, you're stupid and looking for excuses to come back."

"Mhm, I'll be visiting my Charizard constantly," Karl promised. "So it's better that there are no traces of fingerprints on it."

Nick grinned foolishly and thought it could be the best present he had ever received, even if it wasn't really for him to keep forever. But he knew he would appreciate even those few days when the card would be standing on his shelf in the room.

---

There seemed to be no end to the jokes about Nick's “date”. Clay thought it was really wonderful that Karl was so direct about what he wanted, even though Nick assured him that he had made it very clear that nothing would ever happen between them. Well, maybe he didn't use those exact words. It might be an exaggeration, because it would suggest that Nick didn't spend hours thinking about how Jacob's flirty attitude was actually really charming. Because it was, and Sapnap knew that if he used it on someone else, everyone in his path would probably melt. Not that Nick didn't do that... I mean... of course he didn't melt.

Karla pulled away from him when he kissed her harder in anger that his mind was wandering to Karl, whose stupid Pokémon card was on the shelf in Sapnap's room.

"Hey, don't be so harsh," she pleaded, looking at him somewhat uncertainly.

"Oh yeah, sorry," he muttered with a slight embarrassment. "I got carried away."

After that, they returned to a calmer pace. Although Nick wanted more. He was vibrating with the desire to do something more exciting. They got high and everything felt a hundred times better. Nick screamed internally because he still wanted more. A lot more. He wanted to push Karla or have her push him... that would be hot. He wanted them to go from gentle edges to sharp ones and wanted to touch every inch of her body. He wanted to leave a mark on her neck. He wanted her thighs to wrap around his head so tightly that he couldn't breathe.

"Nick" the embarrassed girl chuckled. Did he say that out loud? "I'm not going to sit on your face. That's awkward."

"You're killing me," the boy muttered, gently tugging at her thongs and lifting her, changing their position so she was under him.

It wouldn't be awkward. Nick thought it would be scorching hot. His body burned at the thought, but he couldn't force the girl to do something she didn't feel comfortable with. So instead, he just lowered himself, placing heated kisses along her chest and stomach, playing with her belly button piercing for a moment before reaching the line of lingerie he definitely wanted to get rid of as soon as possible. His fingers tingled, and Nick groaned softly as he finally pressed his mouth between the girl's legs.

Nick was usually quiet. He suppressed any strange noises because he knew guys were typically quiet. Plus, Karla wasn't the biggest fan of loud sex either. She liked to have music playing in the background to mask some of the wet noises, and she tried to keep her moans under control, covering her mouth when something threatened to escape her throat. Usually, it was because when they had sex, they weren't alone in the apartment, and it was nighttime, so they didn't want to wake their roommates. But sometimes, on days like this when they had the apartment to themselves, they were high out of their minds and giving each other more pleasure than they could imagine was possible, Nick wanted to hear something more. He loved Karla's muffled moans, of course, but he wanted more. He was thirsty.

So his muscular arms wrapped around her thighs, and he pressed her harder against his face, eliciting a surprised squeak from her. He wanted to eat her whole.

"Oh my God, did a sex demon possess you today?" Karla whispered after they were lying exhausted next to each other in bed.

"I don't know, I think I’m just too high" he muttered evasively, looking at her and her slightly smudged mascara. "But was it good?"

"With you, it's always the best," she assured him with a smile and moved closer to him, snuggling into his hot body. Nick wrapped his arm around her and sighed, staring at the ceiling.

He wondered if Karl would agree to choke him with his thighs.

---

Nick felt embarrassed that he remembered in detail very precise thoughts about Karl's thighs. Especially when the next day at the skatepark, the boy showed up in shorts. Not enough to reveal his thighs, but enough to make Nick blush even before Jacobs could notice him.

"What's wrong with you?" Luke asked, as if worried that his friend would faint from lack of oxygen. "Karl hasn't spoken yet."

"It's not because of him, idiot," Nick muttered seriously.

"I know, but I like to annoy you," he reassured him, pleased. "Don't blush like a teenager. You look like you're about to die."

Maybe Nick was actually dying - from total embarrassment, as his head was spinning with thoughts about Karl's thighs. He imagined that Karl probably had more strength in his thighs than Karla did. Would Nick be able to hold him like a girl? Did he have enough strength to prolong the moment of elation and make him beg for a break?

Yeah, Nick shouldn't be thinking of something like that in public.

Sapnap cleared his throat, making himself even redder.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jacobs asked, approaching to greet the boys that arrived, especially Nick.

"Y-yeah," he mumbled, feeling like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Do you need water or something? You look a little-" Karl stopped, looking at Nick's red face. "Come on, you need to sit down."

"Yeah, man, you look sick" James admitted, looking concerned.

Karl didn't even hesitate for a moment when he grabbed his arm and probably wanted to help him walk towards the nearest bench.

"Stop it, I'm fine," Nick said, taking his hand away instantly. "I can sit down myself."

"I'll take care of him," Jacobs said, looking at the boys who nodded.

"If anything happens, just shout," Luke said calmly, knowing that Nick would actually be safe in Karl's hands.

That was a very bad decision. Nick sat down on the bench and even took Karl's water to not be super suspicious, but after that, the older boy sat next to him and his shorts rolled up a bit, revealing more skin, causing Nick to choke on his water silently.

"Nick, are you okay?" Karl looked disoriented for a while and glanced at his thighs, twisting slightly. Nick looked away. "What's wrong?"

"Sorry. I just think I had a bad trip or something. I think I smoked too much yesterday or something. I haven't done it in a long time, maybe that's why."

Karl sighed and gently rubbed Nick's arm, almost tenderly.

"You could have stayed home and rested instead of coming here” Karl decided, continuing to massage his arm with very little force.

Nick wanted sharp and hard edges.

"I'm fine," Nick muttered seriously.

"If you wanted to see me so badly, you could have just texted me. I would have come to visit you," Karl said, smiling charmingly at him. Nick looked at him intensely. He could really do something foolish if Karl came to visit him, and he had such thoughts. Like checking if Karl would agree to-

"It's okay," he assured, turning his head. "Thanks for the water. I feel better now."

"Are you sure?" Karl asked, not entirely convinced, his hand moving from Nick's arm to his shoulder and ending up at the back of his neck. His fingers tangled slightly in his hair. "Take it easy, you should still sit for a bit. I'll watch over you because I don't want to have your death on my conscience. It would be a great loss to the world. I'm not ready to experience that."

Nick took a deep breath again and closed his eyes on the exhale, which calmed him down a bit. He opened his eyes and looked back at Karl's legs. Their thighs were so close that they almost touched.

Nick had to resist the temptation to place his hand on them.

"Are you really feeling better now?" Karl asked, still watching as Nick tried to calm down.

"Let's say so," he muttered, so Karl grabbed one of his hands with his free hand and held him gently for support.

Jacobs moved their hands to his thigh. Nick felt his skin burning. It wasn't good.

"Breathe deeply," Karl advised in a gentle voice. "Take a deep breath and a long exhale."

Nick looked at their hands as if it were the last thing in the world.

"Weed messed up my brain," Nick suddenly said and pulled his hand away, then moved away from Karl a bit.

"I'm not going to eat you," Karl said. "I'm just worried. I didn't want it to seem like I was using this as an excuse to touch you or something."

"That's not it," Nick muttered, handing the water bottle back to Karl. "I don't think like that. I know you would never do anything weird. I think."

"Do you need me to walk you home?" Karl asked shyly.

"Fuck no," Nick replied too quickly and decisively.

"Um... what?" Karl whispered, disoriented, and looked back at his thighs as if searching for an answer. "Am I not qualified to walk you home?"

"It doesn't matter," Armstrong replied and they looked into each other's eyes. "I'm not telling you anyway."

"Okay? You're extra weird today" he decided but smiled and his hand returned to the back of his neck. "I like your weirdness, luckily for you."

Nick just wanted to spend a calm day at the skatepark. It wasn't his fault that he had stupid thoughts and his strange fascination with thighs was born the night before. It was entirely Karl's fault for seeming to know how Nick would react to his stupid legs.

---

The next day, Nick choked on water so badly that he coughed for a good two minutes. Jacobs was late for their usual meeting time, but when he appeared, he was wearing even shorter shorts than the day before. They were loose, their ends rolled up, exposing more skin. They ended about five centimeters above the knee.

Karl approached him with a sly look and a satisfied grin on his face. The thing was that Karl didn't usually show off too much and liked clothes that weren't tight. That's why he often wore sweaters and bigger shirts. His pants were usually looser too. Once in a while, he wore more fitted pants, but Nick definitely didn't see him do it that often. In comparison, Nick practically wore shorts non-stop.

"Hey Nick, is there a problem?" Karl said, pleased, standing in front of him with a board hugged to his body, as he often did.

"What problem?" Nick replied, pretending to be completely calm and cleared his throat one last time.

"I understand, I understand," Karl nodded innocently, then began to bend down.

Nick watched as he squatted to tie his shoe better. His legs were tense in the right places, and Nick should definitely call Karla because of how unhealthy he was getting over a piece of skin. Like he was some kind of pervert who had seen a piece of ankle.

After that, Karl stood up, deliberately brushing against Nick and grabbing his wrist as if he needed to support himself to stand up. Sapnap knew that he was taking full advantage of the situation, and Karl's mysterious smile confirmed it one hundred percent.

"Do you want to say something?" he asked expectantly.

"No," Nick pretended to be uninterested in the worst possible way.

How did he get from an obsession with lips to drooling and comparing other people's thighs?

"Too bad. Your loss," Karl said mysteriously. "You look better today, just a little distracted I think."

"You just got here, you don't know that" Nick decided seriously. "Everything's fine with me, in case you wanted to know."

"I'm sure," he nodded with a smile of amusement. "You wouldn't be ashamed to admit anything, right?"

"N-what would I have to be ashamed of?" Sapnap snorted, rolling his eyes.

"Nothing," Karl confirmed and straightened out the crease on the young man's undershirt. "Definitely nothing to be ashamed of around me."

Yes, Nick definitely needed to make a phone call to Karla as quickly as possible.

---

There wasn't even any questioning when Nick showed up at the skatepark a few days later. Karl knew. There was no way he couldn't. It was an attack on Nick, who had been trying to purge any thoughts of thighs from his mind for the past few days. Clay had literally told him he was acting like a lunatic when Nick asked George which thighs he preferred: big or slim (George later told him the meatier the better. It was an opinion which Clay supposed to never find out about for some reason).

However, Nick never expected to show up at the skatepark and see Karl Jacobs in incredibly tight shorts, a pale pink tank top with some print on it, and a beige, oversized shirt that seemed to only serve as a cover for his obvious attack on Nick, who almost started drooling. His socks reached halfway up his calves.

Thank god Punz didn't come with him. Oh my God, Nick wouldn't hear the end of how he was rendered motionless for a few seconds.

When he approached the boys, they were all so focused on Karl that they didn't even notice him coming.

"Damn, dude, you're smooth as hell," Paul said, his hand sliding up Jacobs' thigh, who giggled.

Nick couldn't even see it from afar. Up close, it was obvious. Karl had shaved legs. Two pale pink bandaids stuck to his skin.

"It's a pretty nice feeling," Karl said sincerely, looking at his extended leg forward so everyone could watch. "I understand now what girls mean when they say there's nothing better than the feeling of shaving their legs and getting into fresh sheets."

"I'd feel naked without hair on my legs," James said amused.

"That's definitely a new thing, but I think I'm starting to like it," Karl said with a smile.

"What are you guys doing?" Nick asked, feeling very awkward as two different hands were touching Jacobs. Not that he was jealous, but why did Karl let them touch him so freely?

"Oh, hey Nick," Karl greeted with a sweet smile.

The guys took their hands off, as if caught doing something wrong.

"We're just checking out Karl’s legs. He shaved them and wanted to show off," Nolan chuckled.

"Cool," muttered Nick, fighting the urge to look down again.

"Seriously, touch them, man. That's funky," James commented, pointing to the guy's legs in tight shorts.

"What's so strange about it?" Nick replied, pretending to be uninterested.

"I don't know, just..." James shrugged.

"You can touch them, your hand won't fall off," Karl said with a laugh, extending his leg a little more towards him, pulling the shorts tighter around his thighs. Nick had an actual excuse to stare now, but he still felt incredibly awkward.

"I know what shaved legs look like compared to you guys, so..." Nick said instead, looking at the fascinated trio around Karl.

"Have you ever shaved your legs?" Paul asked in surprise.

"No. But as we can clearly see compared to you guys, I've touched women in my life," Nick commented confidently, doing everything to convince the rest that he was the only one who didn't lose his head, when in reality his brain was melting and all the cogs couldn't keep up. If his brain were a machine, steam would probably be coming out of it now, because it was a complete overload of every system Nick had.

"You're an idiot," James sighed in dissatisfaction, and Karl immediately withdrew his foot. "That's different."

"How can two legs be different?" he shrugged.

"Because one is Karl's," Paul said as if it were obvious.

Oh, Nick was more aware of it than he should have been.

"Okay, so maybe a man's shaved leg is different. If that's what you think," he replied evasively, then looked at Karl, who seemed to dislike his comments and appeared somewhat embarrassed. "Uhm, do we want to actually skate or delve into the mysteries of leg shaving? Touch the grass sometimes guys."

The boys immediately got moving, complaining that they weren't weird at all because they had watched their friend, and one by one they started to scatter in different directions.

Nick allowed them to do so with great enthusiasm. He only stopped Karl, grabbing the back of his shirt.

"What do you want?" the boy asked, freezing in place.

"You did it on purpose" Nick more stated than asked.

"I don't understand you" Jacobs muttered, still standing with his back to the younger one. "Do you have a problem with me wanting to shave my legs? You didn't have to be so rude."

"I didn't say a word about having a problem with it" Nick said, feeling his heart beat a little faster than it should, and his eyes focused on the older boy's legs. "The most important thing is that you like it. Who cares about others' opinions?"

"I do," Karl grumbled, turning around to look at Nick. "Your opinion matters to me."

"Haven't you heard enough compliments from the others already?" he asked uncertainly, still focused on the boy's fair skin thighs.

"I don't care about other people's compliments. I want to know if you like it," Karl replied firmly, and Nick sighed, biting his lip for a moment.

"I think objectively you look good," he said softly, looking at the older man's face. "But shaving your legs is more of a preference than looking good."

"Hmm, I prefer to look good for you, definitely," Karl said a little quieter. "So I was right."

"About what? That shaved legs don't bother me?" Nick replied, pretending to be an idiot.

"And yes, I did it on purpose" Karl confirmed Nick's words from a moment ago. Sapnap swallowed nervously. "You're not as subtle as you think. You know when you stare at my legs when I’m on my skateboard."

"I don't stare at anyone's legs" he whispered, feeling his cheeks turning red.

"It's okay. I like it when you look at me. I can wear shorts more often if you want," he said softly, his face getting closer to Nick's, who had to retreat slightly because his heart couldn't take it. Karl didn't say he would dress in any particular way for him. "And you can touch them if you wan- oh," Karl suddenly frowned and reached out to pull the boy's hoodie a little, revealing his neck, where there was a small bitemark. Barely visible, but enough for Karl to notice it.

Jacobs let out a quiet, dismissive snort. He let go of Nick's hoodie, who looked at his face, expecting sadness or anger, but instead saw determination. "Yeah, a few lovebites would look even better on my thighs if you did them," Karl said, and the blush on Nick’s face grew stronger.

Karl grabbed his hoodie again, pulling him a little closer. "And someone didn't try very hard, that bite is pretty weak. I barely saw it" he commented meaningfully. "I can fix it if you want."

“Learn how to properly shave your legs first. Band-aids don't look so attractive," Nick replied, pushing himself away from Karl with difficulty in breathing. He had to say something so as not to come off as a complete loser. Karl had too much power over him in those shorts and was well aware of it.

Nick really tried to clear his thoughts completely, but Karl's comment about the possibility to give him hickeys on his thighs, which he was a bit obsessed with, made it difficult.

He tried not to look in the boy's direction, nor at how his shirt flowed, revealing everything as he rode at high speed. Nick didn't need another problem, really. He didn't need to think about anything anymore. What he needed was to get rid of these intrusive thoughts.

The boys were leaving one after another. Nick needed a little more exercise. If he called Karla for another day in a row, she'd probably think he was crazy. Plus, she wouldn't let him give her hickeys even on her thighs. She liked skirts too much to allow such a thing. She didn't want people to see. Nick definitely should go home and stand under a cold shower, or things could end up very awkward.

Then he saw that Karl was still at the skatepark. A moment after he almost threw his board to the ground. Jacobs and his outrageously long legs. The older boy looked at him with a gentle smile on his face. He leaned against the side of one of the ramps, hugging his board tightly. Nick frowned and, pretending to be composed, rode up to the boy in shorts.

"I thought you went home with Nolan?" he asked in a questioning tone, as Karl bit his lower lip, trying to restrain his smile.

"Nolan left, I wanted to watch some thunderous thighs," he answered happily. Nick had never heard anyone use such an adjective to describe any body part. "You know, I'm not ashamed to say I like something. I told you yesterday, Nick... you don't have to be ashamed of anything in front of me."

Nick could see that Karl was breathing deeper than usual, looking at him attentively.

"I like looking at legs, okay? Satisfied? Is that what you wanted to hear?" Nick responded, slightly annoyed. "You didn't have to do...all of this just to hear me say that."

"Come on, really?" Karl raised an eyebrow, as if enticing Nick to say more.

"I just like legs. Not just yours. I look at other people's legs too" he clarified, trying to get out of the trap set up specifically for him.

"Okay," Karl replied, leaning loosely against the ramp. "I didn't think it would affect you that much. I wasn't sure if it wasn’t just my imagination."

"I don't know what else you want to hear," Nick muttered. "Because... if I'm being honest, it's hard for me to think about anything when you look like that."

"If I knew that shorts were enough to make you weak in the knees, I would have been wearing them for a long time" Karl said, delighted. Nick shook his head and tried to walk away, but Karl stopped him, grabbing his wrist. "Do you really think band-aids are unattractive?"

Nick let out a frustrated groan.

"Karl" he said seriously.

"Please, tell me. I want to hear" he murmured lowly.

"Your legs look so damn good that I can't think straight, and you're asking me if band-aids bother me?" Nick asked incredulously. Karl's grip on his wrist tightened slightly. "No, I don't think they're unattractive."

"Do you want to touch them?" he asked with a trembling voice. “My legs, I mean.”

"Oh my God, Jacobs," Nick muttered, feeling himself giving in to the fact that Karl was pulling him towards him.

Nick let go of his board, allowing it to move slightly to the side. Karl immediately discarded his board, which helplessly hit the ground.

Sapnap's hands found the taller man's hips, pressing him against the ramp.

"Did you do this just so everyone would touch you?" Nick asked, looking into Karl's grey eyes, which sparkled with excitement.

"I only wanted you to touch me," he replied gently. "I wanted to look good for you, Nick."

"We're friends," Nick muttered, his hand sliding lower along the seam of Karl's tight shorts. "You shouldn't do things like this for friends. You shouldn't do it for anyone."

"Mhm," Karl murmured softly, placing his hand on top of Nick's, which was almost at the end of his shorts. "We're friends. But I really want to destroy our friendship."

Nick swallowed, feeling Karl's hand pushing his own lower onto his bare skin. Sapnap felt the velvety texture of Jacobs' thigh, and his breath was caught in his throat. He literally wanted to fall to his knees and worship those legs for the rest of his life.

For the first few seconds, Karl had to guide his hand, but eventually, Nick tasted a little bit of the forbidden fruit and spread his fingers wide, squeezing tightly, eliciting a surprised grunt from Karl, and his thigh surrendered, rising slightly as if begging Nick for more.

"They're really smooth," Nick muttered, still looking into Karl's eyes. His hand travelled in a small circle until it reached the back, and the man hooked his fingertips on the edge of Karl's shorts. "Please, stop teasing me. You don't have to wear shorts like these. I already know how nice your legs are."

Karl's cheeks turned red when Nick's thumb slipped beneath the fabric a little.

"Do you have anything on under them, Jacobs?" he asked softly, looking down because it was definitely too much to process. "You know what? Don't answer. I don't need another thing to worry about. I already have to walk you home."

"You're coming with me?" Karl asked in surprise, probably imagining a million things at once.

"Just to walk you," Nick muttered meaningfully. "Do you think I'm the only one who thinks your legs are amazing?"

"You don't want other people looking?" he asked, smiling, his hands finding their way to Nick's neck.

"I don't want anyone doing something stupid to you, idiot," Nick muttered seriously. "I won't stop anyone from looking. After all, you dressed up so that people would stare. Don't complain that they do."

"As long as you're looking as well" Karl assured him, pressing his leg towards Nick's touch.

"Just go back to your regular pants, Karl" Nick murmured. "Please."

"Ask nicely" Karl replied slowly, looking pleased and licking his lips. "Because I'm currently convinced that I'll never wear long pants again in your company."

"Karl, you're doing very annoying things to me," Nick muttered seriously, squeezing his soft thigh in his hand again. He liked how he could actually catch something compared to when he was touching Karla, who was slim enough that practically the only thing you could grab on her thighs was skin.

"Ask nicely, at least that's what I deserve for how good I look for you today," Karl decided.

"Better than good," Nick murmured, still with a rapidly beating heart. One of Karl's hands pulled him closer, wrapping around his neck. "You're just fishing for compliments. I saw how much you liked it when the others complimented you."

“So tell me more about how good I look. Simple” he shrugged, their faces getting closer together.

“Jesus! Get a fucking room!” a disgusted voice echoed and the two looked to the side, where some teenager was staring straight at them.

Nick had never moved away from anyone so quickly. Karl made a face and smiled apologetically at the kid, but he was already ignoring them.

“I live closer” Nick said embarrassedly. “Come on, I'll give you a car ride. I won't skate through the whole city.”

Karl took a deep breath and bent down to pick up their skateboards, feeling Sapnap's burning gaze on him.

“No, you know what? Never mind. Let's go. I need to get you as far away from me as possible” Nick decided completely seriously, and Karl just chuckled, handing him the skateboard.

“Okay” Karl agreed lightly with a smile. “Lead the way, I'm not sure if I remember it correctly.”

Nick looked at him for a few seconds too long.

“Okay, okay... you can’t be staring at my ass. What if you fall off the skateboard?” he chuckled, locking his gaze.

“Sure, it's better for you to stare at mine instead” he replied shortly and shook his head.

“Yeah, well, you have a really nice cake right there” the boy shrugged. “Come on, let's go. We don't need more depraved people noticing our behaviour.”

So they went, and Nick only calmed down halfway through the journey, when his heart stopped pounding like crazy and he realized how fucked up it was. He let himself go to a place where people could see them enough that someone had noticed.

“Wait here, okay? I'll be back with the car keys” Nick said when they arrived in front of the building where he lived.

“Mhm, whatever you say” Karl smiled at him, although there was a glimmer of hope for an invitation.

Nick was like a storm. He didn't even wait for the elevator. He ran up to the 4th floor, to his apartment, ran through the hallway, and grabbed the keys from his room, completely ignoring Clay's question about whether anything had happened.

Karl stood by his car patiently, waiting exactly as Nick had asked him to.

"Get in, it's getting late, I'm sure you have important things to do," he muttered.

The two got into the car and Nick swallowed, seeing those milky thighs within his reach.

He had to control himself. He started the car and pulled out of the parking space, ready to hit the road. He knew exactly how to get to Karl's place. The radio turned on automatically, but it played softly enough that Nick could hear every deep breath the boy took in the passenger seat. He was too aware of his presence and his legs, which were nervously flailing about.

So when they stopped at a traffic lights, the two were able to look into each other's eyes, and Karl nervously chuckled.

"We can't do things like this. It was stupid," said Nick.

"Yeah, a little, but I like doing stupid things with you," Karl murmured softly. "It's fun. Did you have a bad time?"

"No," Nick whispered defeatedly, glancing briefly at the boy's thighs, remembering what it felt like to hold his hand on them.

"Just touch them" Karl said, sounding like he was begging Nick to do it. "Come on, I won't break if you touch me."

"But I might," Nick admitted as one hand actually ran along Karl's thigh, causing him to murmur contentedly and grab Nick's hand, pressing it against himself.

"Green," he whispered with a smile to Nick.

The boy started driving, but he didn't take his hand away. It was a bit impossible, because Karl held onto it as if he was afraid Nick would back away. His legs were spread a little wider apart.

Jacobs loved how the younger boy's hand looked against his thigh. It was an addictive sight to the point where he lost track of time and realized they were at his house when Nick slipped his hand away to turn the key in the ignition and pull the handbrake.

"So..." Karl began shyly, reaching for Nick's hand again. "We can finish what we were doing."

"Don’t you have anything to do?" mumbled Nick, embarrassed. "Some work for classes, maybe?"

"No," chuckled Jacobs softly. "Okay. I'm not pushing. Just threw out a suggestion. Thank you for driving me."

"Anytime," assured the boy and they looked at each other again. Karl leaned in and pecked his cheek.

"I hope I gave you something to think about for the next few days," teased Jacobs. "You definitely gave me something to think about."

"It's starting to feel like torture, I think," muttered Nick.

"Mhm, you'll have something to ponder next time someone gives you such a lame hickey," he said shortly. "Well, I'll go now. Bye, Nick."

"Bye."

Karl got out and headed straight for the entrance, turning only for a moment to wink and wave.

Nick felt so fucked up. There was no point in denying that he wanted to do more. To kiss him, maybe even lock both of them in a room and see where it would go. Karl wanted that too. There were only green lights here. The catch was that Karl wanted more out of it, while Nick was only driven by desire. Karl actually felt something for him, and Nick couldn't break his heart even more, because Karl could pretend to be open to something more casual, but Sapnap knew him a little too well. Karl was an emotional guy who attached himself to people at breakneck speed and didn't handle it well when others were jerks to him. Nick would rather die than let himself hurt Karl for his own curiosity and to satisfy his own urges. He had to protect Karl from himself.

---

The day after the incident, Nick found himself being high again. It was easier that way. But this time, he didn't invite anyone. As he lay in his bed, his mind raced with a barrage of memories and emotions, threatening to consume him. In a desperate attempt to escape the chaos of his mind, he delved deeper into the fog of his drug-induced high, hoping to forget everything for a while.

However, Karl seemed to sense his desire to disconnect and started calling him.

"Hello?" Nick muttered calmly, his eyes closed as he rolled onto his stomach, snuggling up to one of the pillows.

"Hey Nick, am I bothering you?" he asked gently.

"Hmm nope," Nick murmured. "I'm just lying down, resting."

"Are you going to skatepark today?" he asked slowly. The words echoed funny in Nick's head.

"Nah, I'm high," he whispered into the phone and chuckled stupidly.

"Oh... right," the other sighed. "That makes sense. You'd better stay home then. It's dangerous to wander around in that state."

"Why did you want to know?" Nick asked softly. "Do you want to wear those stupid shorts again?"

"Uhm..." Karl seemed unsure. "No. I mean... maybe. I don't know. I just wanted to know if I should come too."

"I'm not going back there until I get over the embarrassment of someone calling us out. We must have been really out of control," Nick admitted with a slightly subdued voice.

"Yeah, a little," he agreed. "Um... Nick?"

"What's up?"

"Do you really think my shorts are stupid?" he asked, embarrassed.

"Yeah... stupidly hot. Nothing should have that much power over me," he whispered into the phone. "It's embarrassing. Don't use it against me, okay? Your thighs- ugh, God."

Nick felt his stomach twist, slowly filling with warmth.

"What about my thighs?" he asked slowly.

"I don't know. I can't explain it. They're just insanely wonderful," he confessed, knowing he couldn't say the part about wanting to die with them around his face. "You have really attractive legs."

"Is that-- you're not going to ask me for pictures of my feet, right?" he asked, slightly panicked, and Nick started laughing into his pillow.

"Ew, no," he assured him. "I'm not a foot fetishist at all."

"Okay, that's a relief," he giggled on the other end. "Because I'm not either."

"Just your legs looked really good yesterday," Nick finally admitted honestly. "I can't stop thinking about them. You've awakened something in me that I didn't know existed until recently."

"Oh, that's- that's nice," Karl replied, feeling embarrassed. "You know, freshly shaved legs are really sensitive. I can't stop thinking about how you touched them."

"Fuck," muttered Nick, his mind immediately wandering into forbidden territory.

"You even left me some small bruises with your fingers," Karl said, and Nick couldn't help but sigh.

"Did it hurt? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do anything wrong," Sapnap muttered, cuddling up closer to his pillow.

"No, no. Oh dear God, Nick... I can't stop looking at them," Karl confessed, feeling embarrassed. "I only saw them in the mirror, because they're more on the back, but- I love them."

"Of course you do," Nick sighed. "God, Karl, what are you doing to me?"

"And what are you doing to me?" Karl bounced back at him. "I still feel your hands on me. You know how much I would give for you to grab my thighs again? To press me against the wall like that? To finally kiss me again?"

Nick made a choked sound and bit his hand. He felt the longing deep within her, a hunger that burned like a flame was building up step by step with every word that Karl said to him.

"You’d like that, wouldn’t you?" Karl murmured suggestively, and Nick closed his eyes, trying not to pay attention to the fact that he was starting to have a certain problem between his legs. "You can do it. You still have the green light, you know?"

The more he tried to resist, the stronger it grew, until it became an ache that he could no longer ignore. It was a tension that built within him, coiled tightly like a spring waiting to be released. He felt the pull of it in every fiber of his being, a force that threatened to overwhelm him.

"You can't say shit like that and think it's okay," Nick said with difficulty. "Because you're affecting me more than you should be."

"It's mutual," Karl replied. Nick could hear him moving around.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his heart pounding in his chest.

"I'm getting out of bed," Karl told him simply. "My feet are a little cold. I want to put on some socks."

"You always have nice socks," Nick muttered stupidly, trying to maybe focus on something other than the burning feeling within him. "I like it when you wear two different ones."

"I've told you so many times that they're not different. It's one set, they match," the guy pointed out. Nick listened as something closed and waited in silence. "Okay, done. My feet should be safe from frostbite now."

"I think you should invest in some knee-high socks," Nick blurted out. He didn’t even know where this came from. He said it in spur of the moment and because of being high, he didn’t have any filter.

"W-what? You mean-- oh," Karl stuttered and then began to understand. "You want to see me in knee-high socks?"

"I just think you'd look good in them," he whispered. "It seems like you like pretty things. That's all."

"Have you thought about me in knee-high socks?" he asked and his tone was uncharacteristically serious. The way he spoke those words, so quietly and deliberately, made Nick’s heart skip a beat. He felt a flush of heat rise to his cheeks, unsure of how to respond.

"Well... now I am" Nick admitted, swallowing audibly. "How you'd look in them and with bruises from my fingers."

"I could... wear something like that," Karl decided after a moment of complete silence on his end. "If you really think I'd look good."

"You look good in everything," he murmured suggestively, pushing his hips forward to feel some friction. His hips pressing against the bed with a subtle yet undeniable force, made his heart race with anticipation. It was as if he was daring himself to give in to his desires, to let go of all inhibitions and surrender to the heat that burned deep inside. "So good. Oh God- I shouldn't be telling you this, should I?"

"No, it's okay. You can tell me" reassured the boy more interested in his words.

"You'll use it against me," Nick said seriously.

"I would never use it against you in a bad way. You can trust me," Karl assured him softly.

"Sure. I know it's stupid and probably laughable. I'm sorry," he said.

"I would never laugh at what you like," Karl said firmly. "If you want, I can tell you about my little interest. Something I like so much about you... because I don't think you've noticed."

"What is it?" Nick was really curious. And curiosity is the first step to hell.

"Your hands," he answered weakly.

Sapnap opened his eyes to look at his free hand.

"What about my hands?" he asked, disoriented.

"Not just your hands. Your arms... they make me feel thing" Karl admitted so innocently that Nick breathed a sigh feeling a shiver down his spine. "When I see your muscular arms and those bulging veins. You look like you could crush me without even trying. I like how careless you are and you don't even notice when you leave bruises on me. And I like how you can still be gentle, like when you open cards. So careful. That's why you definitely weren't the only one who had a good time with my legs yesterday. I had a good time with your hands on them too."

Nick bent his legs a little, giving himself a better angle to rub against the mattress. He was already almost fully hard. He felt his length pulsing neglected.

As Nick adjusted his position, he couldn't help but marvel at the sensations coursing through his body. His breathing grew heavier, his chest rising and falling with each ragged breath. The room was quiet, the only sound the rustling of sheets as he shifted on the bed. With each movement, his pleasure grew, the friction against the mattress sending electric shocks through his body. He closed his eyes, surrendering to the moment, his mind consumed by the sensations that enveloped him. The world around him faded away, leaving only the intense pleasure that he felt building within.

"Fuck Karl, is that why you like it when I wear tank tops? You said I look good in them," he whispered sultry.

"Yeah, I'm selfish. I wanted to see more," he admitted. "But I didn't want to tell you before. I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable, that I have obsessive thoughts about what you could do with those hands."

He really needed to roll over onto his back. Nick's body was alive with desire, every inch of him tingling with an urgent need that he couldn't ignore. He shifted restlessly, the sweatpants clinging to his skin like a second layer. His hand automatically drifted down to the bulge in his sweatpants, feeling the heat and hardness pulsing beneath the fabric. It was a need that demanded attention, a hunger that couldn't be ignored. Nick closed his eyes and thought about how he didn't feel anything under Karl's shorts the day before. His fingers traced the outline of his length, feeling the smoothness of the fabric against his skin. He could feel the blood rushing to his head, his heart pounding in his chest with each passing moment.

"Nick?" Karl asked uncertainly. He must’ve heard Sapnap tossing in his sheets.

"I'm here," he murmured softly and almost out of breath. "Sorry, I just... I want to touch you, but I can't."

"Yeah silly, we're far away from each other," he chuckled softly. "You must really be tripping hard, huh?"

"Mhm, but I wish you were next to me" Nick muttered softly, biting on his lip a little.

"Me too," Karl sighed. "You have no idea how much I’d want that. You could leave more marks on me."

"I would," Nick assured him sounding almost possessive. "You look so good in purple. My god, you definitely look good with those bruises."

"Uhm...do you want to see?" he asked shyly. "I could take a picture."

"Please don't, I could set it as my lockscreen" he muttered and with a deep flush of embarrassment coloring his cheeks, he tentatively slipped his hand beneath the waistband of his boxer material. He was well-practiced in the art of silently enjoying pleasure, but there was still a faint twinge of shame that accompanied the act.

"I wouldn't mind," Karl hummed. "But okay, I'll spare you the trouble."

"You are my trouble, so you're not doing a great job," Nick admitted, smiling to himself as his fingers traced the outline of his length, feeling the heat and hardness that pulsed within. The sensation was electric, sending shivers down his spine. He tried to keep his breathing even, his movements subtle and controlled, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention.

"Hmm, troubles always seemed to be more associated with you," Karl chuckled, and it was an angelic sound. "Besides, if I'm your trouble, get ready for a very troublesome life because I'm not going anywhere."

"Okay," Nick murmured lowly.

"Would you miss me if I was gone?" he asked, and Sapnap could almost imagine him sitting and twirling his hair around his finger.

"Very much," he replied instantly, his breath being more ragged than he wanted to admit. "I don't know if I ever want to lose you. You're too precious."

"You say that again and I'll think twice about not visiting you again," Karl muttered.

"Yeah? And what would you do?" Nick asked, his thoughts completely clouded with desire.

"I don't know. Kiss you... or to be more precise - kiss you until I couldn't feel my lips," he said flirtatiously. "Does that sound good?"

"I'd kiss you dumb" Nick muttered, his voice slightly hoarse. It made Karl let out a long heavy breath.

"I’d like that” he murmured softly and shyly. "You sound really hot when you say things like that."

"When I tell you my secrets?" Nick asked, because it was true. No one else knew.

"Yes. I like it when you're direct" he confirmed. "It gives me the courage to be the same. You give me butterflies just by talking on the phone."

"You make me hot because of that," Nick muttered and bit down hard on his lip, trying to suppress a loud moan that threatened to escape his throat.

"Nick, can I ask you something and promise me you'll be honest?" the boy asked uncertainly.

"Ye-ah," he mumbled.

"What are you doing now?" the question was quiet and uncertain. It was a vulnerable tone, one that made Nick want to wrap his arms around the other boy and reassure him.

"I'm lying in bed," Nick's own voice was evasive as he responded, not wanting to reveal too much about his current state.

"I know, but what are you doing?" this time Karl sounded determined as he probed for more information.

"Why do you want to know?" Nick asked, stopping his movements and just basking in warm feeling of his hand on his length not doing anything other then just being there.

He could feel his body tensing up a bit, his breath catching in his throat as he waited for the other boy's response. The air was thick with tension, with the unspoken desire that lay between them.

"Because I'm not sure if it would be very wrong if I... you know" Nick's heart was racing as he listened to Karl's hesitant whisper. There was a sense of urgency in the other boy's voice, a desire that was barely contained. "It's not really ethical, right? You're high... I probably shouldn't-"

"Do you want my permission to touch yourself?" Nick asked. He could feel the heat rising to his cheeks once again as he spoke, the words feeling forbidden and exciting all at once.

"No. I just- do you- you know- touching yourself? I hear your breath, but... but I don't know why it's so loud."

There was something about the way Karl's voice sounded, so innocent yet so full of curiosity, that made his breath catch in his throat. He knew that he shouldn't encourage Karl, that it was wrong to indulge in these desires, but there was a part of him that wanted to let go and give in to the temptation.

"You know everything's five times better after smoking weed, right?" Nick murmured softly. "Every touch feels so good. Sometimes I wish I could be high all the time, to feel it non-stop."

"That doesn't answer my question," Karl accurately noted.

"Jacobs, I think it answers a lot of questions," Nick assured him. "Just touch yourself if you need to."

"Oh dear god," he muttered. "I just wanted to know if you'll be at the skatepark and now- Nick, you're killing me. You literally breaking me as we speak.”

“Yes? Do you want to tell me more about it?” he asked alluringly, resuming his slow hand movements under his briefs.

Karl let out a soft moan only adding fuel to Nick’s already scorching desire. His words must’ve be as compelling as was the older’s to him.

Nick closed his eyes, letting his imagination run wild. He could picture Karl’s hand moving slowly, teasingly, over his own body, mirroring the movements of his own hand. He felt a surge of pleasure as he imagined Jacobs’ hand on him instead of his own, and he couldn't help but let out a little moan as well.

Karl's voice was low and hesitant, filled with uncertainty as he spoke, "You're high, I feel like I'm using you." He paused for a moment, thinking about the situation. "Maybe we should hang up?" he suggested.

"And if you hang up, you won't think about me anymore?" cunning Nick asked.

"I always think about you," Karl replied without hesitation. His voice had a hint of longing in it, and Nick knew he had to push a little more.

"Do you think about my hands?" Nick asked with a hint of seduction in his voice. "Can you imagine them touching you?"

Karl let out another quiet moan, and Nick could tell that he was feeling the effects of the conversation. His own breathing became heavier as he continued to touch himself.

"Nick, you make me want to scream," he muttered. "Your hands would be so good, I'm sure. You could touch my legs as much as you want. I think that could be enough for me."

He continued his slow, deliberate movements, his hand working in a rhythm that matched the rapid beat of his heart. He could hear Karl's breaths becoming more and more ragged.

Nick pulled his sweats down a bit more, giving himself more room and immediately speeding up his movements.

"Oh my God, I can hear- oh fuck" Karl's voice was lower and sounded so good that Nick clenched his abdominal muscles in satisfaction.

He could tell that Karl was turned on too - the way his voice had dropped an octave and the way he was breathing heavily were clear signs. Nick grinned, feeling a sense of power wash over him. He was the one who was making Karl feel this way, who was driving him to the brink of madness with desire.

His body was buzzing with pleasure as he continued to stroke himself, his hand moving faster and faster. The sound of Karl's voice only added to the intensity of the moment. He leaned back against the pillows, his eyes closed as he savoured the sensation.

He wanted to savor the moment, to make it last as long as possible. "You like that?" he asked, his voice low and husky.

“Mhpf- fuck, Nick. Fuck” Karl's reply was almost incoherent - just a string of expletives that only served to heighten Nick's arousal.

"Since when do you use such words?" Nick asked slowly. "I don't think I need to kiss you to make you lose your mind." There was so much confidence in his voice that Karl let out a little whimper.

"It's hotter than it should be," Karl admitted breathlessly. "Nick, if only I was with you... I would never let you out of the bedroom."

"Have you always had such dirty mouth?" Nick asked, feeling dizzy from the overload of sensations. The room was filled with the sound of his heavy breathing and the rustling of clothing as Sapnap’s hands continued to work feverishly.

"That's not all these lips can do," he said playfully and moaned. Nick thought he might die. "God, I need you so much, Nick." Karl said, his voice filled with desperation. Sapnap could feel his own desire building to the brim.

"Fuck, baby, keep talking like that and I think I might go crazy," Nick whispered and heard a prolonged moan in response.

"You don't know what you're doing," Jacobs desperately muttered.

"I have no idea," Nick agreed. "But I fucking love it, so let's keep going."

Karl's moans grew louder, the pleasure building inside him with every passing moment. "God, I never even fantasized about what you're saying," he whimpered. "About what we're doing."

"Mhm, what did you fantasize about?" Nick asked, his words dripping with anticipation.

"I even had a few dreams about you, you know... I always woke up so hard," Karl admitted. Nick felt that his end was approaching rapidly. It was beyond the imagination of both boys. "I wanted you to be there and help me."

"You sound like such a wreck, what the fuck," Nick muttered, unable to believe how much control he had over Karl's body and mind. "How the hell are you even real?"

“You're the one that made me like that”

Nick's imagination ran wild as he pictured Karl's soft, smooth thighs wrapped around him. The thought alone made his head spin. "Your thighs would look so good wrapped around me," Nick couldn’t help but mutter and let his mind wander to new territories. "Oh my god, Karl, have you ever thought about how hot you would look in a skirt? How could I touch you without taking anything off?"

"Jesus," Karl cried out, and more sweet moans spilled from his lips. He was lost in his own pleasure. "Your hands under my skirt... Nick, I think I could die."

Nick could feel himself getting lost in the moment, his fingers moving faster as his thoughts ran wild with desire. He could picture Karl's perfect body, draped in a flowing skirt that left little to the imagination. It was almost too much to handle, but he couldn't bring himself to stop. Not now. Not when Karl was moaning his name like this.

"Yeah, me too," he whispered, his voice thick with desire. "Oh god, Karl, I'm so close. You sound so good."

Sapnap's heart raced as he heard the wet sounds on the other end of the line, knowing that Karl was matching his own pace. He pulled the phone closer to his ear, feeling as though he was right there with him. The whole situation was incredibly hot for both.

"This is all your fault," Karl responded with low, husky tone, pulling a moan from Nick. "You know how to set me off so well. One word from you and I can't think. You turn me into mush. I just want to kiss you and never think about anything else. I want to sit on you and watch your eyes roll back when you come."

Nick's mind was ablaze with lust, and he could hardly form a coherent thought. "Fuck" Nick muttered, desecrated by the image. "Yes. That would be so hot."

"You're hot," he replied, groaning again. "I want to do everything with you that you can imagine and more. My god, Nick, I've never felt this attracted to anyone before."

Sapnap was lost in the moment, the sounds of Karl's pleasure filling him with an intoxicating desire. He longed to be there with him, to feel his touch, to hear his sweet moans in person. It was a feeling he had never experienced before, a feeling that made him crave Karl more than anything in the world.

Nick's breath hitched as Karl's moans became more desperate and needy. He could feel himself getting closer and closer to the edge with every passing second. "I'd give you everything you want and need," Nick promised, his breath quickening again. "I would take care of you so well, Karl."

Karl's response was immediate, a breathy "Yes, yes, please~” that sent shivers down Nick's spine. He could barely contain himself at the sound of Karl's voice, the way it dripped with desire and want. That was all it took to push Sapnap over the edge. He wasn't sure he'd ever heard more prurient moans in his life.

He couldn't hold back any longer, and with a low growl on his lips, he came hard, never stopping the stimulation for even a moment. The pleasure washed over him in waves, leaving him gasping for breath and clinging to the phone as if it were a lifeline.

"Oh my god, that was so hot," Karl said lightly, the sound of his voice bringing Nick back to reality. Nick responded with a tired grunt, too lost in the aftermath of his orgasm to form coherent words.

"Yeah? You know what would be even better? If I could hear you," Nick said, slowly leaving his cock alone, not wanting to overstimulate himself. He longed to hear Karl's voice, to hear the other man moan and gasp with pleasure as Nick brought him to the brink of ecstasy.

"Jesus, Nick," Karl moaned.

Nick couldn't help but smile smugly at Karl's response. He loved hearing the effect his words had on him.

"You really blow me away, Karl. You're so sexy in your confidence," Nick said quietly, his voice low. He could hear Karl's labored breaths on the other end of the phone, and it only spurred him on. "Every time I see you, I want to drag you behind the ramp. Your mouth makes me boil on the inside. I want to feel it everywhere and then do the same to you."

Karl was getting louder and louder.

"You want that, don't you? Of course you do. You're so eager," he muttered. "You have no shame when we talk. It's so sexy. You're sexy. I would eat you up if I could."

Karl came embarrassingly quickly and loudly, moaning Nick's name and it sounded like a sin. Sapnap deemed it the sexiest thing in the world.

They breathed deeply for several more minutes.

"Nick?" Karl whispered eventually a little hesitant.

“Yeah?”

"I thought you fell asleep," he replied quietly, almost afraid to break the silence.

"No, not yet. But I think I'll get some sleep," he decided. "I'm tired."

"That was crazy," Jacobs remarked, still in disbelief of what had just happened between them and Nick let out a soft chuckle, feeling lingering effects of the high.

"Yeah, it was," he agreed. "I'm a little sad that I'm so high, though."

"You said that touch feels nicer when you are" Karl whispered, confused.

"Oh yeah, it's awesome. I feel like I'm vibrating all over, but-" he admitted softly, "I'd rather remember it. Maybe I won't get post-high amnesia. We'll see tomorrow."

"So you're telling me you probably won't remember me moaning your name on the phone?" Karl asked quietly. "That's...not the worst thing in the world."

"Are you kidding? It was heavenly" Nick said seriously. "God, I wish you'd say my name like that all the time."

"You're insane," Karl murmured, embarrassed by the compliment. "I'm not gonna moan in your ear for no reason."

"Mhm, so I have to earn it?" Nick joked, his tone actually a little sleepy.

"Maybe," Jacobs muttered, laughing softly. "Or you could just turn me into a mess again. I wouldn't mind that."

"Sure, but I need to rest," he told him, grinning stupidly to himself. "I'm a useless mess under the influence."

"Do you need a lullaby to sleep?" Karl chuckled endeared by the softer side of Nick.

"Yes, please," he murmured contentedly. "Or a story. You always tell good stories."

"Alright, then let me tell you the story of two boys who met one day at a skate park and couldn't live without each other ever since," he said, perhaps settling more comfortably on his bed.

"No way...were their names Nick and Karl?" Sapnap asked with an embarrassingly large smile as he rolled back onto his stomach.

"Don't be ridiculous. Their names were Nate and Kyle," Karl replied, giggling. "I wouldn't be telling you about us."

And so Nick listened happily as Karl came up with the most ridiculous story. It was almost as nice as cuddling after sex, and maybe it was their aftercare in a sense, since they couldn't do much over the phone, but they both definitely liked it a little too much. Karl's voice was soothing and melodic, and Nick found himself drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

---

Nick woke up in the middle of the night with his phone next to his face, still showing the ongoing call with Karl.

06:23:02 - that was the time on the display when Nick clicked the red button to hung up. Presumably, Karl fell asleep just like he did.

Nick was too tired to deeply think about what had happened. He pushed away all thoughts, turned over to the other side, and went back to sleep.

It was only in the morning that he allowed himself to realize that he was really so high out of his mind that he had a fucking phone sex. Nick had never done that before. Sure, he had texted and sent pictures with a few people before, but he had never done it through audio. And the fact that he did it with Karl of all people. With Karl, who moaned his name as if he was all he needed. With Karl, whose moans were his new hobby. With Karl, who said that his hands deprived him of rational thinking.

The shame persisted for so long that it lingered into the morning as he stepped into the shower and as the water cascaded over him, he couldn't help but replay the sounds of their phone call in his head, feeling himself grow aroused all over again. He knew it was wrong, but he couldn't help it.

He had time for self-reproach later, and they definitely caught up with him harder than they should have.

He was stoned, but he wasn't clueless. Nick really needed to get himself together before he ruined not only himself but also Karl. And not in a good way. He had to make sure he didn't let things get too intense between them.

Nick couldn't focus on anything, his mind kept wandering back to the phone call. He wanted to text something to Karl a thousand times, but backing out of his decision every time. Should he apologize? He wasn't particularly sorry that he experienced something so awesome and mind-blowing. Maybe he should send thanks and then also apologize? That would be too conflicting. Just a thank you? That could suggest he wanted a repeat.

Nick decided that pretending that nothing had happened would be the best solution in this chaos. So when Karl texted him while he was heating up leftover food in the microwave, he had to play indifferent and reply trying to sound as casual as possible.

Karl: Hey, hey.

Nick: Hi, what's up?

Karl: Nothing much, are you busy?

Nick: It depends on why you're asking. If you want me to do something productive, then yes, but if you want to recommend a new anime to me, then no.

Karl: lol

Karl: I was just wondering if you're home and if you have any guests over.

Nick: 🤨

Nick: Okay...

Karl: I just wanted to come by and get the card...

Nick: Well, I could have gotten attached to it.

Karl: Literally or figuratively?

Nick: I like that you're considering the option that I might actually not want to give you the card back

Karl: I would feel very offended if you didn't carry it everywhere and show it to every person you meet.

Nick: Like you with your silly Minecraft convention coin?

Karl: That's the most valuable thing I own, you know.

Nick: People carry condoms in their wallets, not a piece of metal from a tournament.

Karl: I think it might have better contraceptive efficacy, to be honest.

Nick: Bruh

Nick: I'm home, you can come over, Minecraft weirdo.

Karl: 😣 I just know that someday you /will/ want me to show it to you

Nick: I think I can live without it

Karl: smh

Nick: you /neg

Karl: !!! I’m gonna fight you

Nick: lmao, bring it on, you coward

Karl: ...in a video game :(

Nick: loser

Karl: I hardly know her.

Nick: Oh, what a comedy genius u r, Karl Jacobs.

Karl: :D

Karl: Wait... that was sarcastic, wasn't it? D:

Nick: Get your ass here already, dummy.

Karl: D: The shade.

Karl: Give me half an hour, I just finished work

Karl: You know since some of us actually work, unlike you, lazybones.

Nick finished his lunch and almost as soon as he put the plate in the dishwasher, the doorbell rang, pulling Punz away from his work and he looked away from his laptop.

"I'll get it," Nick said casually, taking a sip of water from his glass.

"Don't be too loud," Luke muttered without much interest, returning to typing at a dizzying pace, as if he really knew what he should include in the report he was preparing for one of his classes.

Nick had to take a deep breath before opening the door, because damn, he had to look in eyes of guy with whom he had a very uncensored conversation the day before and had to mask that he knew what happened.

The sight of a smiling Jacobs instantly made a strong knot form in his stomach.

"Hey there" he greeted gently, and Nick let him in without hesitation, looking curiously at the two tote bags in his hands.

"Should I be concerned? Are you moving in or something, that you brought so many things?" Nick asked, slightly disoriented, locking the door behind the older boy.

“Wow, first you don't show respect for my mc coin, and now you're complaining that I brought gifts" Karl sighed dramatically and walked through the hallway in just his socks, as if he felt at home. Nick smiled slightly when he noticed that one sock was brown and the other was yellow.

"Gifts? Am I in some humanitarian aid program that I don't know about?" Nick asked, following him with curiosity as he watched the boy walk into the kitchen.

"Hey Punz," Karl greeted Nick’s roommate overly enthusiastically.

"Oh, Karl?" the blond looked disoriented and looked at Nick, who shrugged. "Hi."

Karl laid both bags on the kitchen counter and smiled at Nick. "I stole from my workplace," he said honestly and reached into one of the bags, pulling out two boxes.

This brought Nick closer to see what was inside. "Muffins," he murmured with a smile.

"Yeah, but you guys should share. They're not just for you," he said with a sweet smile. "Luke, have some. I feel like Nick might eat them all, so before he gets to the second box, take one and defend yourself."

"Yeah, that's sick. Thanks, Karl," the blond replied with a satisfied smile.

"Okay, but Dream doesn't have to know," Nick said, looking at Punz, who nodded in agreement.

"What don't I have to know, you dicks?" Clay's voice rang out almost instantly, and he appeared at the entrance to the kitchen from the hallway. His hair was wet, and he wasn't wearing any shirt. "Oh, hey Karl."

"I brought muffins. Have some" Jacobs said, pleased, pointing to the boxes on the counter.

"Traitor," Nick muttered to him, but he slid the box so that his friend could get to the sweets.

"This is awesome" Dream commented happily. "Thanks, Karl. You're the best."

Nick looked at the boy and shook his head helplessly, as if to say, ‘You're not at all’ and Karl just smiled even wider and moved his hands to the other bag.

"And I brought you a water filter jug because I'm disgusted by how much plastic you produce in this apartment" Karl said seriously, pulling out a literal box with a brand-new water filter jug like it was nothing.

“What the fuck?" muttered Nick in disbelief, unsure of how to react to Karl's sudden display of eco-consciousness.

"You literally have no right to speak. You guys have plastic everywhere. How haven't you bought it yourselves yet?" replied Karl seriously. "Firstly, it's good for the planet, and secondly, you won't spend as much money because you can drink tap water."

Nick was taken aback by Karl's sudden interest in their plastic usage. "How do you even know how much plastic we produce?" asked Nick, even more disoriented. "And what difference does it make--"

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," he cut him off with a slight grimace on his face.

"Uh, thanks Karl. We'll give you the money back" Clay said, looking at the man standing there.

"What? No, no. Consider it a gift. I have more of these, I get discounts” he shrugged. "Just save the turtles."

"My God, Karl, in this economy, you'll soon turn out to be one of those crazy ‘what’s your zodiac sign’ person" Nick replied, amused, looking at him intently, leaning on the counter.

"Is there anything wrong with astrology?" asked Jacobs, disoriented. "Excellent example of Pisces we have here." He added with amused smile.

Nick furrowed his brow. "How did you know?"

"Because I'm a medium" he replied crazily with a soft laugh, looking at Clay, who burst out laughing. "Pisces don't excel in intelligence."

"Hey.." muttered Nick.

"What other red flags, besides caring about the environment and knowing that Pisces are born in March, will you find out about me today?" he raised his eyebrow teasingly. There was a mischievous glint in his eye.

"I don't think caring about the environment is a bad thing," Nick replied immediately. "Oh my God, shut up. You're twisting everything."

Karl picked up his two bags, still with a smile on his face.

"Come get your Pokémon card you weirdo" Nick grumbled. "Because in no time, you will be also tarot and crystal girly."

Karl bit his lip, walking politely towards the corridor behind the younger boy.

"I've never actually experienced serious tarot reading, if that makes you feel better," the man said melodically as Nick grabbed the doorknob to his room and looked at him unconvincingly.

"I'll start to believe that you've made reading for someone," he replied.

"Nah, but..." the boy reached into his pocket and after a moment pulled out a little baby pinkish stone. It was smooth and had a beautiful shine to it that caught the light just right.

"You're fucking with me," Nick said immediately. "Is that a crystal?"

"Yeah, pretty, isn't it? I wanted to make it into a necklace or something, but for now I just carry it in my pocket," Karl boasted.

"Holy shit," Nick muttered. "Okay, I don't accept your interests anymore. I could live with the coin, but a... magical stone? No way."

"Why are you prejudiced against crystals? I sense negative energy here," the boy said seriously. "Maybe I should buy you a black tourmaline for protection."

"Why do you carry a stone with you?" he asked, eyeing it suspiciously. "Also, now I don't know if I want to give Charizard back."

Karl laughed light-heartedly at Nick's teasing. "You're stupid," he joked. "Now open the door, because I will consider bringing you some moonstones."

"My ex-girlfriend was like that. She would give me some weird love stones or something. If I find out later that you left me a pink quartz under my pillow, I might kill you," Nick threatened with playful attitude.

Karl shook his head, amused. "First of all, it's kunzite," he corrected. "And second of all, damn, who hurt her?"

"Don't leave it anywhere," Nick warned, opening the door to his room.

"Are you crazy? That's my calming stone. You'd have to beat me up for me to ever let you even hold it" he assured him and looked around Nick's room with interest.

"Why do you need a calming stone? Are you afraid to meet up with me?" Nick muttered, feeling that the vision of something like that filled him with a very dissatisfied feeling.

"No, silly, it's just good energy for work. Clients are assholes" he commented, looking around the boy's bedroom. It was relatively tidy with several photos attached to the cork board above the desk and some shelves with figurines and manga collection. Several more unusual Pokémon cards, among which was his Charizard. Nothing extraordinary.

Nick closed the door slowly behind them, feeling slightly awkward as Jacobs looked at his private life, playing with his stupid crystal, and then Karl looked intensely at the made bed. Nick begged him not to say anything weird because he didn't know if he could handle it.

The atmosphere became a bit dense, and Nick could feel the tension in the air. He cleared his throat, hoping to break the silence. Finally, Karl looked straight into Nick's green eyes, who was still leaning against the door. Nick couldn't help but feel a bit unnerved by the intensity of Karl's gaze.

"You talk in your sleep, did you know?" Karl said, breaking the silence. Nick blinked, feeling caught off guard by the sudden comment.

"What?" the younger furrowed his brows, trying to process what Karl had just said.

"You were talking about someone coming in July," Karl replied calmly, observing the boy closely.

"I don't remember what I dreamed about," he admitted quietly.

"So you remember that we were talking?" Karl asked directly, his eyes still fixed on Nick's face. Nick felt a shiver run down his spine at the intensity of Karl's gaze.

"Um...I woke up in the middle of the night, and the phone showed that we were connected for 6 hours, so I guess we must have talked and fallen asleep or something," he answered uncertainly, trying so hard not to act suspicious.

Karl took a few steps very slowly and then sat at the foot of the bed.

"Sit down, you're standing by the door like you want to escape," Karl said slowly, patting the spot next to him lightly.

So Nick, not wanting to arouse any suspicion, actually sat down next to him.

"Did I say something stupid? I was completely out of it," Nick said, trying to justify himself.

"You said...a lot of different things," Karl admitted, his eyes locking ono Nick’s. The younger one felt a little flush coming through him. "Do you remember anything?"

"And should I remember something important?" he asked, looking at Karl anxiously, when the other shrugged and leaned his hands on the mattress. "So, deducing from your reaction, I said something stupid."

"No" Karl reassured him easily, looking at him with a slight smile. "Don't worry that you don't remember. Everyone forgets confessing undying love and asking for pictures of feet."

"I've never done anything like that!" Nick thundered instantly, but the other boy didn't even flinch at his outburst.

"How do you know? You don't remember," Karl smirked. "Unless it did enlighten you."

"B-b-because I would never want pictures of anyone's feet" Nick muttered, turning his head in embarrassment.

"Well, maybe you’re underestimating stoned version of you" Karl continued stubbornly. "Do you think Luke and Clay would like to know that you're into feet?"

He cleared his throat nervously and spoke up. "Look, I don't remember what I said, but I'm sure it wasn't anything like that. You're just trying to mess with me."

Karl raised an eyebrow, still looking at Nick intently. "Am I, though? Maybe you just don't want to admit it to yourself."

"Stop lying," Nick mumbled, feeling more and more uncomfortable.

"I'm not lying," Karl insisted.

"I know you're lying, okay?" Nick sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. "I remember."

"I know, I could see it in your panicked eyes," Karl assured him. "Any insight on it?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Nick decided, feeling overwhelmed. "Can we just forget about it?"

"I was hoping you would," Karl sighed and flopped back onto Nick's bed with a quiet thud. "But then again, I also wanted you to remember. I'm sorry for taking advantage of your state like that."

Sapnap looked over to where the boy lay on the mattress with his hands above his head. On the same bed where Nick, less than 24 hours ago, was jerking off to his moans.

"You didn't take advantage of me," Nick said calmly. "Don't make yourself out to be some predator. We both wanted it. It happened now we can forget about it."

Karl shifted his bright eyes to him and bit the inside of his cheek. "I liked it" he said, making Nick feel his heart stupidly race as if preparing for something exciting. "And you?"

"It was okay," Nick muttered evasively. "But if you came here with some expectations... you might as well just leave."

"Nah, I came to give you a filter jug," he replied with a slight smirk. "Promise me you'll use it?"

"I'll try," Nick nodded in response, watching as Karl's hand slid across the bed curiously. He couldn't help but notice how the light played off of the other boy's face, casting shadows in the contours of his features.

"I have Egyptian cotton sheets."

"What's that?" Sapnap asked, his voice laced with confusion.

"It's just regular bedding, but more expensive," he shrugged amusedly. "And it's very soft."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Nick asked still in slightly confused. "Do you hate my sheets?"

"You can afford more than just plaid sheets, Nick," he chuckled, and the two started laughing.

"Oh, be quiet, Mr. Exclusive" Nick snorted, adjusting his sitting position. “I don't need sheets from Egypt to sleep comfortable.”

Karl chuckled amused. "You'll touch it someday and understand."

"I have no intention of ever touching your bedding," Sapnap assured him, shaking his head. "That's a weak approach to inviting me to your bed."

"Why should I invite you to mine when we're already in yours?" he raised his eyebrows suggestively. The younger immediately punched him lightly in the thigh. "But Egyptian cotton is really great and supposedly has therapeutic effects. I also have silk pillows. I don't sleep on them too often because I slide off too much, but I have them."

"You must really like sleeping to spend so much unnecessary money on it," Nick commented.

"Yes," he confirmed. "I like to feel comfortable in bed. Without any underlying meanings, although... not that I like to feel bad when it comes to- you know."

"Wow, you're really unpredictable" Nick observed sarcastically.

"And you give off pillow princess vibes" Karl teased, immediately receiving a quizzical look from Nick.

"What's that? Sleeping beauty? Is it because I fell asleep during your stupid story yesterday?" he raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, sleeping beauty. Exactly," Karl chuckled, covering his face. "And my story wasn't stupid."

"Yeah, yeah. Kyle. You made us sound like we're part of some fraternity," an amused Sapnap pointed out. "There's no hope for you, Jacobs."

"Okay, but listen. Did I tell you that I write stories? More like short stories."

"What? Really?"

"Yes! Okay, so now listen carefully because I'm a writer and if you disagree then your opinion is wrong. So I have this journal..."

---

Nick still believed that spending time with Karl was easy. He liked his calm aura that lingered in the room where they sat and talked for so long that they completely forgot that time doesn't stand still.

Now Nick was pouring water from their new filtering jug, which stood on the kitchen counter, a day after Karl brought it. Sapnap wasn't even sure which of his roommates filled it, but he didn't really care.

"Karl stayed for a long time," Clay said to him the next morning, trying to learn more about the nature of that visit.

"Yeah, he started talking about some books and I couldn't stop him," Nick shrugged. He didn't really mind. Listening to Karl and his opinions on various things was cool because you never knew if he would surprise others with something unexpected. And he always made sure that Nick, even when not in the topic, could participate in the conversation. Sapnap loved being friends with Karl precisely for that.

"So... you and Karl," Dream muttered meaningfully, to which Sapnap looked at the blond in a second.

"There's no me and Karl. Don't assume things, okay?" Armstrong replied. "We just talked. We're still friends and everything."

"So his active convincing you to go on a date with him is over?" Dream asked with a slight smile.

"Fuck no," Nick laughed. "He doesn't take no for an answer. He's stubborn."

"But he gave us the jug, so that's nice," the happy blond said. "I like him. He's sweet."

"Yeah, all Jacobs," Nick shrugged nonchalantly. "He's a good friend and a great guy overall."

"And has really bad taste," Clay added, nudging his best friend with his elbow.

"I hate you," Nick laughed, knowing he was just joking. "You'll get banned from using the jug. And George will find out that you're a pissbaby."

"I would like to remind you that you swore eternal secrecy about that incident," Dream said seriously.

"I could have lied."

Everything was pretty calm. Karl didn't mention their strange phone call and Nick felt safe, drinking filtered water, even sending a picture to Jacobs as proof that they were really using his gift.

Karla came the next day with Nick after they had been at a party.

Sapnap found her in the morning pouring a new portion of water into the jug. Nick's sheets no longer smelled of Karl's fruity scent, now they smelled of sex and good fun, and Karla's astronomically expensive perfumes. Everything was in its place.

---

But everything wasn't really in its place because Nick was still haunted by obsessive thoughts, and now he knew what Karl's moans sounded like, which made the whole situation ten times more difficult. And Karl still flirted with him and jokingly invited him to see his Egyptian cotton sheets and collection of pretty crystals, which stood alongside DVD boxes with all the episodes of Survivor on his shelf. Nick got a handful pictures of those from the older boy.

So Sapnap could’ve had a very hot dream where Karl kissed him as if the world was ending, and Nick wondered, if the bruises on his thighs had already faded, a bit too intensely. It was only a few days, but Jacobs said they weren't that bad. Nick dreamed of leaving something better, which led to imagining those shorts and feeling the milky skin under his fingers. It produced a warm feeling in his lower abdomen, and Nick tried his best to ignore his growing problem.

He went on Instagram in search of distraction, and he found it, but only for a brief moment. He watched a few Insta stories, and then the universe decided to slap him in the face with it’s full force.

"Fuck," he muttered, looking at the picture on his phone.

It was a selfie in the mirror. Karl took many of them, and they could often be seen on his Instagram story. But never in this version. The photo was in the story for ‘close friends’. Nick felt his heart beating hard in his chest because it shouldn't be okay to post such pictures.

Karl looked like a dream. His pants, looking like the kind that suburban moms usually wear, were low on his hips. What really caught Nick's attention, however, was the crop top that barely covered Karl's torso, leaving his stomach exposed. Karl's hand was woven through his chocolate locks, lifting the crop top even higher and offering a tantalizing glimpse of his toned midsection. His stomach stretched gracefully, and even with a wide cardigan draped over his shoulders, Nick still saw exactly how Karl seemed never-ending. How his skin looked as if it was created for worship.

However heavenly it was, it didn't help in any way with Nick's pressing problem. Moreover, it made it worse, and Sapnap spent another few minutes looking at the story with the picture.

Despite knowing it was wrong, he couldn't stop himself from touching himself. His other hand was in his pants, and he was stroking himself to the picture of Karl, feeling himself getting harder by the second. It was an overwhelming feeling, and he didn't know how to control it. The picture was only making it worse, and he couldn't look away. The way Karl's skin looked in the picture, how the light was hitting his body, and the seductive expression on his face was driving Nick crazy. He couldn't resist any longer and continued to pleasure himself, his mind still consumed by Karl's beauty.

Nick decided to quickly take a screenshot of the story and indulge in his embarrassing desire, which he couldn't resist. The boy didn't even have time to open it in the gallery because a new notification came down from the top of the screen. Karl sent him a message with a photo in which only his face and a piece of some door were visible. His mouth was covered with his hand, as if expressing total shock and disbelief. His nails were painted pink and white, and his eyes were brighter than in real life. Nick swallowed and had to reply now that he had opened the message and Karl surely saw the notification that it had been read.

Nick: Nice nails?

His hand still worked slowly along the length, completely unaware that Nick was about to have a breakdown.

Karl: I can't believe it

Nick: that I like the color of your nails?

Karl: no!!

Karl: You took a screenshot of my insta story

Nick froze. There was no way, right?

Nick: what photo?

Karl: Instagram shows that someone took a screenshot, you know that?

Nick: I didn't do anything.

There was no way. It could have been anyone, Instagram showed that someone took a screenshot, but it didn't show who. He was safe.

Nick: it could have been anyone lol

Karl: No, it was you.

Nick: How do you know for sure?

After that text, Nick's phone started ringing violently, and he didn't have much choice. He had to defend his innocence, even if in the end he was guilty. Karl didn’t have to know that.

Karl's voice came through the phone, laced with amusement and accusation "You took a screenshot of my photo," Karl said. "There's no discussion about it."

"I didn't" Nick muttered, feeling his cheeks getting hot. He was glad the other guy couldn't see him like that.

"Nick, I know you did it. You're the only person who could have seen that photo," Karl replied, giggling stupidly. "And you obviously took a screenshot."

"How am I the only person--"

"You're the only one in my close friends" he said softly. Nick could almost see him biting his lips, delighted.

"Jesus fucking Christ" Sapnap muttered defeatedly. "Ugh! I hate you. Seriously?"

"Seriously," he confirmed slowly, his voice tinged with amusement. "I didn't want to send the photo directly to you, so... I thought this could be a good way."

"That's so wrong, Karl," Nick muttered, completely embarrassed that he got caught red-handed. "It was an accidental screenshot?" he tried to preserve at least some dignity.

"You would've confessed right away if it was" Karl decided confidently and chuckled again. "Do you like something in that photo in particular?"

"We're not having this conversation over the phone again," Nick stubbornly assured him.

"Oh, you'd rather I come over?" he flirted not so innocently at all.

"No" he grumbled. "I meant that I won't do something like that with you again. We're friends, we shouldn't ruin that just because you took a sexy photo."

"Do you think it's sexy?" Karl asked softly. "Is that why you wanted to keep it? As a memento?"

And Nick should have definitely hung up when Karl's voice became dangerously interested.

"Would you like more photos?" the older one asked almost shyly. "I can... try to take more."

"Karl" Nick pleaded. "You'll be my end. Please, let's not do this again."

“It's just a photo, Nick, no harm done to anyone," Karl stated confidently. "But okay, I won't force you. If you want, you can ask me for anything, you know.”

"You look really good in that crop top" Nick said softly without really thinking about the consequences. "But if I ever see you wearing it at the skate park, I might have a heart attack."

Karl chuckled. "I think I would be willing to risk it. I have new shorts... I think they would look good with that crop top."

"I guess you went shopping," Nick observed.

"I did," Karl confirmed. "I wanted to spice up my wardrobe a bit."

Nick swallowed.

"You're not going to ask what I bought?" Karl laughed carelessly.

"No."

"Okay, I understand. So you never want to see me in my yoga pants," he drawled. "Did you know I practice yoga? I'm pretty good at all those poses. It makes me more flexible."

"I hate you so much" Nick whispered, his head filled with images of the worst kind.

"Mhm, okay, I understand. Have fun with my photo," Karl chuckled. "I'll be thinking of you too."

"I won't-"

"Your loss," he interrupted Nick. "I will. So, bye."

After that, Karl hung up, and Nick felt a tightness in his gut. That photo was exclusively taken for him. Karl went to great measures to look good for Nick.

Yeah, Nick was definitely screwed.

---

Luckily, Karl seemed to want to spare his friend, and when they met again at the skate park, he was covered as usual. Nick couldn't help but look at him more intensely though. Until he received a message from Karla asking where he was because she had left her phone charger at his place and was on a desperate mission to get it back. Nick replied that he was at the skate park and somehow the girl showed up shortly after.

Karl immediately noticed Nick approaching a girl, hugging her with one hand in greeting and starting to talk to her.

"Jealousy doesn't look good on you," Chris said with amusement. "Don't stare like that, they'll notice."

"They should" the unhappy boy muttered.

Meanwhile, Nick, exchanging a few words of greeting with Karla, completely disregarded that he was within a few meters of the two people that messed with his life more and more these days.

"Yeah, my phone is about to die, and I need it," Karla said nonchalantly. "So, could you come with me, please?"

"I had good flow today," he muttered. "What if I gave you the keys?"

"Then I'd have to come back and give them back to you," she observed amusedly. "Please, Nick?" Karla whined with a little pout.

"Sure, you don't have to ask," he reassured her calmly and smiled warmly. "I just have to grab my stuff."

"You're the best," she said, smiling radiantly at the boy who just rode a few meters towards where their group's backpacks were thrown. He pulled out his and whistled, calling for Punz.

"I'm outta here" he called to him, pointing at Karla, who smiled softly.

"Okay," he replied and gave him a thumbs up, almost completely ignoring the situation, too busy with his own affairs.

After that, Nick rode towards Karla again, who was standing with her arms crossed on her chest, watching him slalom on the board. The boy raised his eyebrows at her, causing her to laugh.

"You're not as funny as you think," she said jokingly, poking his arm with one finger, to which he dramatically pretended to fall off his board.

"Wow, you could have killed me!" he pointed out, lifting the board off the ground. "You're terrible. Who would give you the charger back if I dropped dead?"

"I'm pretty sure Luke or Clay would be happy to help you out" she laughed and leaned slightly on his free arm.

"I don't want them to help with anything related to such a pretty girl" he murmured charmingly, and she squeezed his forearm, sliding one hand into his and intertwining their fingers.

Karl didn't see them holding hands, but he still felt uneasy. Nick didn't even say goodbye to him. What was that all about? He never left without a stupid farewell, even if there was some weird tension between them.

Karl did a very natural thing and approached Punz, who looked at him questioningly from the very start.

"Who's that girl?" he asked point-blank.

"What girl?" the blond asked, looking around as if looking for the person he was talking about.

"The one Nick wandered off with" he muttered significantly, hoping that his discontent could be heard in his voice.

"Oh, that girl” Luke nodded and made a slightly awkward face. "That's... you know. His..."

Karl felt dryness in his mouth.

"His what?" he frowned.

"Uh, actually... I don't know," he answered casually. "You should ask Sap."

"That doesn't help me," Jacobs sighed significantly. "If she's his girlfriend, you can tell me. I'd rather know if I have competition."

"And you two... haven't just gone back to being friends?" Luke asked, confused.

"Why, did Nick say something?" Karl raised his eyebrows suspiciously.

"And he should have?" Luke narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"I don't know, I'm just trying to feel out the situation. You're his friend" Karl muttered with a displeased expression.

"So are you," he replied immediately.

"But I'm trying to get out of the friendzone," he said significantly. "And because of that Nick doesn't tell me everything."

"Nick doesn't tell anyone everything," the blond remarked accurately.

“So, she's not his girlfriend?” he asked with a slightly calmer heart.

"You're trying to date him and you never asked if he had one?" Luke laughed. "You're both hopeless."

"What does that even mean?" Karl asked, confused.

"Nothing. You're both a mess, but I'm not getting involved," he said, setting a boundary. "I'm not taking anyone's side or anything. Your issues are between you guys."

"What's her name?" Karl asked anyway.

"Ask him, man," Luke laughed. "I'm not saying anything. You're friends. You can talk about it."

"Yeah, but he left and I want to know so I can find her socials and check if she's prettier than me in photos or something" he muttered sadly.

"That doesn't convince me. Just talk to him" the man shrugged.

"Ugh, okay."

The only problem was that for the next three hours after Karl sent the message saying: ‘let's talk’ Nick completely ignored him. He didn't even read his message.

Nick only noticed the text when he returned from the bathroom after taking a shower. Retrieving the charger may have taken a little longer than intended, but now Karla had gone home and he could finally see the message that was waiting for him for a while.

Karl: let's talk

Nick: okay, hi, what's up?

Karl: took u long enough 💀

Nick: I was busy sorry

Karl: what were you doing?

Nick: working out

Which was a lie, but after all, sex could be considered a kind of physical activity so he didn’t technically lied.

The boy got up from his bed and walked towards the kitchen, ignoring Luke, who looked at him unambiguously.

"Karl is jealous," he said with serious tone, and only then did Nick look at him, disoriented. "It seems you didn't tell him you have a girlfriend."

"I don't have a girlfriend," Nick replied, almost mechanically. "Did he say something?"

"I didn't know what to tell him, so I told him to talk to you if he wants to know more detailes" he shrugged. "He said he wants to know his competition. That doesn't sound like someone who gave up."

Nick sighed dramatically.

"Yeah... he's still trying," Nick admitted, exhausted. "I mean... I can't stop him."

Or rather, he doesn't want to.

"I don't know, man. It's pretty funny, but it's dragging on for too long, don’t you think?" Punz noticed. "Maybe talk to him and try to explain without causing drama that you're not interested."

The problem was that Nick kind of was. He was kind of extremely interested.

"Or go on a date with him. One or the other," Luke decided.

Karl: Did you exercise with the girl who came to pick you up at the skatepark today?

Nick: a little bird told me you were jealous.

Karl: Well, it's one thing to see hickeys on your neck, and another to see the person who gave them to you.

Nick: I don't have hickeys on my neck.

Karl: You had them once.

Nick: just one

Karl: One too many.

Nick: So, you're jealous?

Karl: Of course, I'm jealous. r u  kidding??

Nick: Friends shouldn't be jealous of each other.

Karl: friends my ass

Karl: how many other pictures of your friends do you jerk off to at night?

Nick turned red in the moment, forgetting why he came to the kitchen in the first place, and quickly headed back to his room, seeking privacy where no one could see him being embarrassed.

Nick: That was a low blow.

Karl: Intentional.

Nick: That's why I kept telling you that we need to get it together, Karl.

Karl: I don't want to get it together. I want to go out for a nice date with you and be able to tell you how good you look while there is one shake with two straws between us

Nick: We've been through this.

Karl: No, we haven't. Yours ‘we’re better as friends’ is not a sufficient argument.

Nick: What do I have to say to make you finally back off?

Karl: I don't know if anything will make me back off atp

Karl: You gave me too much material that convinces me that we need to do something about this.

Karl: Aren't you tired of this unresolved energy between us?

Karl: We like each other, and I don't think it makes sense to deny that after what happened between us

Nick: It's not as simple as you think

Karl: I hate it when you say that...

Karl: Fine

Karl: Then let me know when it becomes simple.

Nick fell onto his bed and squeezed his eyes shut tightly. This is where being a horny idiot put him. Now Sapnap was simultaneously experiencing an existential, sexual, and probably ultimately-losing-his-friend crisis.