Chapter Text
the midday sunlight shines through the window as sapnap’s fingers type quickly, struggling to keep up with the movements in his brain. the essay is due in 15 minutes, and he’s wrapping up his conclusion when he hears dream holler a quick, “heading out!” in his direction as the front door swings shut. sapnap knows exactly where he’s heading, and rolls his eyes, letting out a short sigh before refocusing.
the two have lived in this apartment for over a year, spending their first two semesters of college together after dream’s gap year. they had adjusted well, they were best friends after all, and continued to grow closer the longer they spend together. everything was going great. emphasis on was .
george infiltrated sapnap’s comfort zone without warning, popping the bubble of familiarity he surrounded himself with. dream fell, hard. sapnap was happy for them, he really was, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t miss the times when it was just him and dream, two brothers leaning on each other. now, it was always two brothers and one brother’s annoying boyfriend who can never seem to spend more than a few hours without him. it's not that he dislikes george, they get along quite well. but sapnap can't help but feel left out when it's just the three of them.
maybe it wouldn’t have bothered sapnap as much if dream wasn’t the only person he hung out with. listen, he’s not a hermit, okay? he just likes to be by himself sometimes, and making friends in college is hard work, work he didn’t have time for. sure, there were acquaintances. there was callahan and alyssa, friends from his bio lab, and bad, who always seems to work his library shift the same time sapnap goes to study. all lovely people, they just never felt like anything more than classmates, and sapnap didn't know how to change that. he is, admittedly, a little lonely.
after alphabetizing his references page, sapnap uploads the document with three minutes to spare and pulls his laptop closed, sighing in relief. as he crosses the assignment off of his to do list, he’s faced with the last activity on his saturday afternoon checklist.
- practice for seminar!
though sapnap is a business-marketing major, he takes violin lessons through the university. it’s a requirement to keep his scholarship, a decent sum of money that he definitely can’t afford to lose. seminar is the biweekly performance that he has to give to his instructor and the other violin students, and he’s not looking forward to it. not only is it a huge part of his grade, but the other students are required to critique him, and even though he’s the only one in his studio that isn’t a music major, they don’t take it easy on him.
he drags a hand down his face and groans, he’s been putting this off. facing defeat, he heads to his bedroom. he changes out of his pajamas and into a pair of black sweats, a white hoodie, and a light jean jacket, running a hand through his hair before pulling on his white air force ones. grabbing his keys and his backpack, he leaves the apartment, locks the door behind him, and starts his trek to the music building.
as he walks, he hits shuffle on josh groban's artist profile on spotify, one of his favorite musicians. sapnap and his mom used to listen to his music together when he was a kid, and since then, the man's velvety voice always helped to calm him down. he hears the silky chorus of one of his favorite songs, and lets a soft smile bloom on his face.
you are the sun, i am the moon
you are the words, i am the tune
play me
he silently hopes his own sun will make it to him soon.
—
frustrated, sapnap angrily returns his violin case to his locker, shutting it and pushing the lock closed. his practice session went worse than expected. his seminar piece is difficult, much more difficult than his previous pieces, and there’s one line that kept tripping him up the entire hour he was practicing. needing a pick-me-up, he heads down the stairs to the basement of the building, where the vending machine is.
grabbing the blue monster from the machine, he turns to leave, running straight into another body. startled, he looks up, ready to take out his anger, but the words die on his tongue. he locks eyes with the most beautiful person he’s ever seen. fluffy brown hair, goofy smile, and gorgeous grey eyes stare right back at him, and his anger melts away.
“... hello?”
sapnap shakes himself from his daydream, realizing the boy has been talking to him.
“sorry, what?” he asks.
giggling, the boy responds, “i asked if you were alright.”
sapnap can feel his cheeks heating up. “yeah, yeah, i’m- i’m good, yeah,” he stutters out. the boy smiles and nods, moving to take his place in front of the vending machine, patting sapnap on the shoulder as he passes. it burns. before sapnap gathers the will to start walking, the boy speaks again.
“ahhh man, is that the last monster?”
“you can have it!” sapnap blurts. his eyes go wide and his cheeks turn pink once more. why did i say that??? he extends his hand, offering the drink to the stranger.
the boy looks surprised, his own cheeks tinted pink. “are you sure? i can just get something else...” he trails off. feeling bold, sapnap replies, “no, no. just tell me your name, and it’s yours.”
sapnap is satisfied when the blush on the boy’s cheeks deepens, and he stutters out, “oh- um, i- my name is karl. karl jacobs.”
“karl, huh? i like it,” he replies, “i’m nick. most people just call me sapnap, but either one is fine.”
karl chuckles and takes the drink from sapnap. “why have i never seen you around, nick?”
sapnap momentarily gets lost in the way karl says his name, but he regains his composure and quickly replies, “i try to avoid this place as much as i can.”
karl laughs at that. “i feel ya, man. practice rooms are like hell on earth.”
“what do you play?” sapnap asks.
“oh, i don’t. i’m in the choir,” karl replies. “what about you?”
“violin.”
“impressive,” karl nods, a soft smile on his face.
“more like boring,” sapnap chuckles, making eye contact.
karl meets his gaze, “you don’t seem boring to me,” he says. sapnap’s heartbeat quickens as he takes in karl’s features once again, noticing the small dimple in his left cheek formed from the smile planted on his face. he feels himself smile as well, and he’s sure that he’s blushing.
a loud ringtone startles them both out of their trance, karl cursing to himself upon realizing it’s his. he looks at his screen, hurriedly saying a quick, “nice to meet you, see you around!” before answering and heading the opposite direction as sapnap. he can pick out a couple of phrases, an “i’m on my way, sorry” and “i got distracted.”
to sapnap’s surprise, karl turns around and flashes him one last smile accompanied by a wave, then turns back and jogs around the corner.
for i've been lonely, in need of someone
but i don't know where, i don't know where
sapnap is left standing there, staring blankly at the place karl just was. he shakes his head, turns on his heel, and walks back to his apartment, caffeine forgotten and a song in his head.
—
a few days go by before sapnap sees karl again, though the boy’s been running through his mind nonstop. this time, it’s in the campus coffee shop a few buildings down from where they first met. dream’s been scolding sapnap about drinking too much monster, encouraging him to try better sources of caffeine. so here he is, ordering an iced caramel latte at george’s recommendation.
as he goes to put his card back into his wallet, he hears a familiar voice from behind him, “i’ll have whatever he’s having.”
sapnap whips his head around, and there he is. karl jacobs, looking right at him with the most adorable grin plastered on his face, giggling as sapnap’s cheeks heat up. coolly, he says, “get tired of stealing monsters from innocent violinists?”
“hey, last time i checked, you offered,” karl laughs. “plus, my roommate’s making me try healthier ways to satisfy the caffeine addiction. he thinks i’m gonna die of a heart attack or something.”
“no way, mine too,” sapnap smiles. “happy coincidence.”
“very happy,” karl nods. “you wanna sit together?”
sapnap nods as they fall into a comfortable silence, waiting for their drinks. he takes this opportunity to take in karl’s appearance once again. well-worn white converse, dark jeans cuffed at the ankles, dark green turtleneck underneath a white crew neck with a tiny frog embroidered over his heart, silver chains with rings to match. he looks good. really good.
before karl can catch him staring, their drinks are called. sapnap walks up to take them, giving the barista a quick thanks and flashing a smile. he turns to find karl sitting at a table in the corner, looking out the window, and makes his way over.
setting the drinks down and taking a seat, sapnap asks, “so, pretty boy, tell me more about you.”
karl flusters at the nickname, blushing and looking down. sapnap wants to take a mental screenshot. “what do you wanna know?” he asks.
“anything, really. start with the basics.”
“alright, well, i’m a film major. i’m a third year, i work camera crew for the production department, i’m in the SATB choir ensemble as a tenor,” he pauses, thinking. “i really like movies, and i play a lot of video games.”
sapnap smiles, teasing, “the SATB choir? isn’t that the top choir? you must be talented.”
“less talent, more work, i think,” karl chuckles. “the other day when i ran into you, i was actually headed to a tenor sectional. i was running late when alex called me, so sorry for leaving you hanging like that.”
“it’s alright. who’s alex?” sapnap asks, secretly hoping the mystery guy isn’t karl’s boyfriend.
“oh! he’s the tenor section leader, and also my best friend. we met through the choir our first year,” karl explains. “anyway, enough about me, tell me about you!”
“i’m a business-marketing major, i work in the mailroom. i play the violin, but not for any ensembles. i’m also on the intramural slow-pitch softball team with my roommate and his boyfriend, but we’re out of season right now,” sapnap explains. “i guess that’s pretty much it.”
karl smiles, and they drift into easy conversation. sapnap learns that karl’s roommate’s name is chris, and they live in the apartment building across the street from his and dream’s, the same one george lives in. chris is a secondary education major, same as dream, and sapnap makes a mental note to ask if dream knows him. alex is apparently an instrumental music education major, with a specialty in guitar and ukulele. karl tells him that alex has been teaching him how to play the ukulele, and promises him a song once he learns a good one. sapnap tells karl about dream and george as well, explaining that george is a computer science major and codes on the side for extra cash, then moving on to talk about the slow-pitch season and his position as catcher.
the conversation drifts comfortably from topic to topic, and before the boys know it, they’ve been sitting in the shop for three hours.
“well, i think it’s about that time,” sapnap laughs.
“yeah, i suppose it is,” karl says, scribbling on a napkin and handing it to sapnap. “here’s my number, maybe next time we see each other, it’ll be on purpose.”
with a goofy grin and a chuckle, sapnap replies, “yeah, i’d like that.”
—
“you like him,” dream says. “you’re not subtle.”
sapnap rolls his eyes yet again. it’s been a week since he first ran into karl, and after texting him every day nonstop, he figured it was time to tell dream. God help him.
“all i asked was if you knew chris, not trying to be psychoanalyzed here, dude.”
“but you totally do!” the blond boy practically screeches. “george, tell him i’m right.”
george looks up from his phone, sighing as he and sapnap share an exhausted look. “clay, you’re not helping. he’s finally making friends that are cooler than you, sue him for being excited,” he quips.
dream pouts, but doesn’t push further. that is until sapnap’s text tone goes off amidst the silence. his eyes widen, and he lunges for the cell phone, barely beating dream to it, clutching it to his chest and sprinting to his room.
“is that him?!” dream squeals as he chases after the dark haired boy. sapnap manages to shut and lock his door in the nick (haha see what i did there) of time. dream jiggles the handle, then gives up, shouting, “you better update me later!” through the door before pacing back to the living room.
sapnap chuckles, flopping down on his bed. taking a deep breath, he taps the notification from karl.
k: hey there nicholas
it’s just a silly nickname, but sapnap’s heart flutters just the same.
s: what’s up jacobs?
k: very bored :[ what r u doing rn?
s: a whole lotta nothin
k: perfect
k: meet me outside in 10
sapnap checks the time on his phone, 12:31 am. what on earth is he planning? he throws on a hoodie over his t shirt and sweats, quickly slipping on his checkered vans before checking his hair in the mirror. he leaves his bedroom as quietly as possible, trying to avoid dream’s endless questioning. he tiptoes past the living room, catching sight of dream and george cuddled on the couch, fast asleep, movie softly playing from the tv. he smiles at the sight before silently grabbing his keys and heading outside.
when he gets to the bottom of the stairs, karl is already waiting for him. sitting on a bench between the two apartment buildings, he beams when he sees sapnap. returning the smile, he gives karl a little wave, making his way to the bench.
“only eight minutes, i’m impressed,” karl teases. “must’ve been excited to see me.”
sapnap playfully rolls his eyes. “in your dreams, pretty boy.”
to his delight, karl flushes, giggling quietly as his cheeks heat up. sapnap scours his face, hoping to find that dimple again, but all he sees are the bags under karl’s eyes. his joking manner turns into concern, and before he realizes what he’s doing, he’s squatted down to karl’s eye level and his hand is cupping the other boy’s cheek, lightly running his thumb over the dark circles. karl immediately leans into the touch, cheeks darkening and eyes growing wider. when sapnap meets his gaze, all he can think to say is, “you need sleep, nimrod.”
karl let’s out a humorless laugh, his eyes falling shut as he rests his face in sapnap’s hand.
“i know, idiot, but i can’t. that’s kinda why i texted you,” he replies, opening one eye.
“i have an idea,” sapnap says, running a hand through karl’s hair before standing and brushing off his pants. he offers his hand to karl, who takes it and shyly intertwines their fingers, making sapnap blush.
sapnap leads karl onto the trail that passes their apartment buildings, and they fall into step, connected hands swinging between them. they make mindless conversation as sapnap follows the familiar route in his mind, and eventually slows to a stop at their destination.
they’re standing in a small riverside park, offering only a swing set and a seesaw, with picnic tables and benches scattered along the trail. sapnap suddenly feels nervous. this is his favorite spot. he found the place by accident after running from a fight he and dream had during the first couple months of living together, and since then it’s been his go-to place to clear his mind. bringing karl here was a big deal, and it makes sapnap a little worried that he didn’t think twice about it.
before he has the chance to overthink it, though, karl is yelling, “race ya!” as he takes off in a sprint towards the swings. sapnap immediately grins and chases after him, just barely catching up. they make it to the swing set and karl takes one, eyes bright and excited.
“push me!” he giggles, and sapnap playfully rolls his eyes, complying anyway.
of course i will, he realizes, there’s no way i could say no you.
and he’s right. there’s absolutely no way that sapnap can say no to karl. not when the bags under his eyes have seemingly disappeared, replaced by faint freckles dusting his pink cheeks. not when his eyes look like they hold their own galaxy, millions of stars twinkling in the light of the moon. not when his laughter feels contagious as giggles spill out of his mouth. not when his pretty smile has returned in full force, and sapnap can finally see that damn dimple again. not now, not ever. not when he’s this fucking perfect.
as karl’s swing slows, sapnap places a hand on the chain to stop him. karl is out of breath, still giggling as he beams up at the dark haired boy. he tries to stand up, stumbling as he loses his balance. sapnap catches him by the waist, grabbing his wrist and steadying him. they lock eyes, and sapnap becomes acutely aware of how close they are. faces inches apart, panted breaths mingling, flushed cheeks and wide eyes.
sapnap steals a glance at karl’s lips, pretty pink and parted in surprise. before he can psych himself out, he slowly leans in, closing the distance between them. karl melts into him, returning the kiss immediately with matching tenderness. his hand finds its way to sapnap’s hair, lightly tugging as sapnap’s grip around his waist tightens. their lips move in sync, and the world fades away.
song he sang to me, words that rang in me
warmed the night
and what was right, became me
when they part, they’re both out of breath and smiling like idiots. karl laughs and buries his face in sapnap’s neck, embarrassed. sapnap rubs circles on his back, mumbling into his hair, “that was nice.”
karl pulls back to look at sapnap, trying to hold in his laugh. “just nice?” he teases. sapnap giggles, retracting his arm from karl’s waist to intertwine their fingers again. “more than nice, dimwit.”
“so,” karl awkwardly starts, dragging out the vowel, “now we kinda have to have the labels talk.”
“okay,” sapnap chirps. “what would you like us to be?”
“i mean, i want to be your boyfriend but if that’s too fast you can tell me and we can go slo-”
his ramble is stopped in its tracks as sapnap leans over to give him a quick peck on the lips. “shut up, boyfriend.”