A DNF Merman AU

Chapter 10

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Chapter 10

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Ever since the day he introduced himself to Karl, the boys have been taking every chance they get to talk to each other. Sapnap sits in his lifeguard tower, waiting impatiently for his shift to end. It's been about two hours since he last looked at the time, so he picks up his phone to check it again and groans when he realizes that in reality, only ten minutes have passed. He leans back against the wall, lightly smacking his head into it out of frustration. "WHY" *smack* "IS" *smack* "TODAY" *smack* "SO" *smack* "SLOW!!" He sighs and looks back at the beach, accidentally making eye contact with a giggling Karl. Nick smiles and gives an awkward wave, but he freezes when he realizes that the boy's laughter must mean that he had witnessed his mini temper tantrum. Karl covers his mouth as his giggles get even louder. Finding this extremely cute, Nick begins to chuckle, too.

After like 7 years, Sap's shift FINALLY ends, and he makes his way over to Karl. He plops his body onto the sand next to him gracelessly and breaks into a huge grin.

"Hi!!" Karl says enthusiastically.

"Hey. What's up?" Nick replies, trying his best to be cool.

"Nothing much! How has your day been?"

"Pretty good. Just the usual. Saving people and all that. Exciting shit" Nick winks.

"Oh really," Karl giggles. "Because you seemed pretty bored a little while ago."

Sapnap hides his face in his hands. "I seriously can't believe you saw that," he says, groaning slightly. But, he doesn't wallow in self pity for too long. He replaces his embarrassment with a confident smirk. "You must've been watching me for a reaaaally long time for you to catch that."

Karl's face turns red as he stutters, "uhh I - it's not as bad as it looks! I swear! It was an accident!"

"I'm just joking, Karl! I was really looking forward to talking to you, too."

"You were?"

"Of course." Nick stands up, extending his hand down to the sitting boy. "Hey. You wanna get out of here?" Karl nods and takes his hand, allowing himself to be pulled to his feet. "Yeah. I'd like that, Nick."

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After a long day of racing and playing in the waves, Clay and George are sitting side by side on the surfboard. They are watching the sunset, enjoying each other's presence silently. Okay hmmm. Maybe "watching" isn't the correct word. They're pretending to watch the sunset, but that isn't the only view they're enjoying. They sneak glances at each other every few seconds. Sometimes, they'll accidentally look at the same time, and whenever this happens, they giggle and blush like two middle schoolers.

But how could Clay possibly be expected not to look at George? Clay had always found him to be pretty, but here, when his face is lit up by the last few rays of the perfect golden hour lighting, Dream cannot help but think that even the word "gorgeous" doesn't do his beauty justice. George slips his hand into Dream's, sighing in contentment. This is pretty normal for them by now, but Clay's heart still does a flip every time the merman squeezes back or draws little circles with his thumb.

Clay turns to look at him, and George follows suit, his face slightly upturned to compensate for the height difference. Clay nearly melts at the sight of George's pink cheeks, soft lips, and innocent expression. In the fading sunlight, he can see a few gold specks in his brown eyes. He looks like an angel, he thinks.

"Hi"

"Hi"

Clay smiles, turning back to watch the sun slip below the horizon. His heart almost explodes when the merman shifts towards him and rests his head on Dream's shoulder. Clay hesitates, then drapes an arm across George's shoulder, pulling him even closer. George hums happily in response, and curls into the boy's side. This is the closest they've ever been, and Clay thinks that he would probably suffocate in nerves if he wasn't so unbelievably happy right now. A sudden wave of courage washes over him, and he leans down to kiss the boy's head. The hair is thick but silky, and it smells of salt and something sweet. George remains silent, and Clay wonders if he messed up, until he feels George smile against his shoulder. Dream's heart squeezes painfully, and he prays that the merman can't hear his rapidly beating pulse.

Fuck! I think I'm falling for him.

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Little do they know, two other boys are sitting side by side, watching the exact same sunset. They are in the back of Nick's truck, separated by an empty pizza box and a couple of fluffy blankets. Karl looks down at his hands that fidget slightly on his lap, wishing he was brave enough to get rid of the distance between them. He sits criss cross applesauce, while Nick manspreads, taking up wayyyy more space than he needs to. Karl silently hopes that it was an attempt to decrease the space between them, but he cannot be sure. He still can't quite figure out how Nick feels about him. Is he just happy to meet a new friend? Or does he want more than that? Karl worries he won't ever find out. He's always been anxious, and never been one to make the first move. At least Karl is aware of his own feelings for Nick. How could he not be after watching a sunset with the most handsome and charismatic man he is ever seen? After laughing all afternoon at his stupidly hilarious jokes?

"Hey Karl?"

He turns his head to look at Nick, "yeah?"

"I've noticed that you bring a journal wherever you go. Can I ask what you write about in it?"

"Oh! Sure," Karl smiles. "I like to write stories about different times in history! I have fun imagining my favorite characters having a bunch of little adventures!"

"That's so cute, " Nick mumbles.

"What???"

"I said, 'that's so cool'"

"Oh, okay."

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A/N: I know it's cheesy, but something about four boys realizing that they're in love while watching the same sunset makes my heart happy.

ALSO, I went from 1k to 2k views in just 24 hours!!! POG!! Thank you for all your support:)