A DNF Merman AU

Ex. Chapter 1

Hello! I missed you all a quite bit:) 

Here's a short karlnap chapter with some really soft fluff!

Thanks to @Unga_Bunga_ for this cute suggestion:)

I decided to add in some storm fluff because it makes me soft.

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Ex. Chapter 1

"Hey, Karl?" Sapnap says, turning to look down at the boy lying on his chest.

"Mm?"

The boys are on Nick's couch, cuddling under a fluffy blanket. In front of them, the television drones faintly, some movie completely forgotten in the peacefulness of the moment. Surrounded by the sounds of the quiet howls of the wind and the steady pitter patter of the rain on the roof, Nick cannot help but feel incredibly cozy. As a child, he had always loved stormy weather – drinking hot chocolate and wrapping himself in way too many blankets – and lying here with a sleepy Karl in his arms is somehow even better.

"You know those stories you told me about? The ones you write in your journal?" Sapnap asks, running his fingers through the boy's messy brown locks. "Do you think you would ever be willing to share them?"

"Oh?" Karl perks up excitedly. "I didn't think you'd be interested. They're nothing special."

"To me, everything you do is special."

"Nick! Stop!" Karl giggles, face turning red. "Maybe I'll read you one of them some time."

"I'd love that."

"But.... maybe not right now," he says, dropping his head back on Nick's chest. "I'm too comfy to move."

"Alright," Sap chuckles quietly, wrapping his arms tightly around Karl. Suddenly, the lights flicker once, twice, and then shut off completely. The boys are plunged into darkness. Karl groans.

"Fuck yeah!" Nick says, excitement clearly lacing his voice. "I love power outages!!"

Karl groans again. "But the TV!" he whines.

"Karl. We both know that neither of us were paying attention. Hell, you were almost asleep." Nick grins. "Let me get some candles. I'll be back."

He rolls out from underneath the grumbling boy, and then makes his way to his cupboard blindly, hands groping the walls as he searches for the cabinet's handle. Finding it, he rummages through it. His eyes have adjusted to the darkness a bit, so he is able to make out a box of matches in the shadows and a couple of scentless candles. As he tucks them underneath his arm, a different one catches his eye. It's a cedar scented one that Karl had given him as a present after claiming that he had a ridiculous amount of candles in his house. The boy had never really explained why.

Walking back, Sapnap hears a couple of sniffles coming from the couch.

"Karl?" he calls out questioningly, "you okay?"

"Y-yes," he stutters, voice shaking. Nick rushes over to meet him, letting the candles tumble onto the couch as he wraps his arms around the shivering boy.

"What's wrong"

"I'm s-scared of storms, and it was okay when you were here, but then you had to get up" he admits, choking back a sob.

"Oh baby," he murmurs gently, pulling the boy onto his lap. "It's okay. I'm here now"

Karl curls into his chest, hands gripping onto his shirt fiercely. Nick thumbs away the tears running down his cheek, pressing kisses onto the salty skin.

"Let me light the candles, and then I'll come hold you"

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It's a couple of days later that Karl finally pulls out his purple journal. The boys are lounging comfortably on Karl's bed, resting after a long day of swimming and fun at the beach.

"You ready?" the boy asks, adjusting his head to rest on Nick's lap and opening the journal.

"Of course!" Nick grins.

"Once upon a time..." Karl begins, and Sap watches the way his face lights up more and more with each word. He observes the way his eyes crinkle in mirth and his nose scrunches up with enthusiasm.

He tells the story of a beach adventure, of mysteries and pirate ships, and Sapnap loves every moment of it. Nick cannot help but grin when he notices just how much one of the characters resembles himself. Cute

Admiring Karl's adorable features, he reaches down and begins tracing a fingertip along his face, brushing across his eyebrows and trailing down the bridge of his nose. He thinks about how nervous the boy must be to share something so personal, how vulnerable he must feel right now. 

"Thank you, Karl," he whispers, before leaning over and kissing him gently on his perfect lips. 

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