pink + white | karlnap

cuddling's my jam

based on sapnap's stream where karl called him out for coming into his room the night before after throwing up but then sapnap kept saying he wasn't "telling the whole story."

Karl wakes to a shadow in his doorway and a whiny voice to accompany it.

"Karl... I threw up..."

Sapnap's voice sounds so small, so needlessly scared, that it breaks through the haze of Karl's sleep-soaked mind. He tosses the blankets off his body, shivering at the late-night chill. A glance at his phone on the nightstand tells him it's 1:24a.m.

"Hey, it's okay, bud," Karl coos, stumbling out of the bed. "You threw up in the bed?"

Sapnap gives a timid nod.

"Alright. It's not a big deal, man, seriously. Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

Karl puts his hand on the small of Sap's back, guiding him gently down the hallway to the bathroom.

He flicks on the bathroom light, cringing at the sudden brightness. He turns on the tap, waiting for the water to warm. Sapnap is hovering awkwardly in the doorway, so Karl pulls him in by the wrist. He helps him out of his sweatshirt, dumping it in the corner of the room. "Hop up on the counter for me."

Sapnap obliges, pushing himself onto the countertop. Karl wets a washcloth and gently scrubs Sapnap's face. He rinses the cloth and starts again, dragging the rough fabric over trembling lips. "Do you still feel sick?"

Sapnap shakes his head. "Feel bad, but not sick."

Karl holds his hand to Sap's forehead. "You don't feel warm," he assures, grabbing another washcloth, dampening it and wiping the sweat from Sapnap's forehead. "Do you think it was something you ate?"

Sapnap just shrugs, clearly too exhausted to really respond. Karl bunches up the washcloth and leaves it on the counter, pulling some mouthwash out of the cabinet. "Swish, swish," he hums, pouring some into the cap and handing it to Sapnap.

"'M sorry," Sapnap mumbles, staring into the cup.

"For what?"

"Made a mess," Sap grumbles. "Woke you up. 'M being annoying."

"Hey," Karl starts, lifting Sap's chin, heart breaking at the tears shimmering in his eyes. "You. Are. Not. Annoying. You deserve to be cared for."

The ghost of a smile makes its way across Sapnap's face. He rinses with the mouthwash and hops off the counter.

Karl guides Sapnap back down the hall, sleep-mottled brain being jolted back to reality by the stench of the guest room. Karl leads Sapnap to the plush armchair in the corner of the room. "Why don't you sit down for a minute while I get you some fresh sheets, okay, bud?"

Karl bustles around, pulling the ruined sheets off the bed, balling them up, and tossing them in the laundry for Tomorrow-Karl to deal with. The laundry room is right next to Karl's bedroom, so he grabs a fresh sweater while he's there. It's just easier than rifling through Sapnap's luggage in the dark.

He grabs some old sheets from the closet, pulling them across the bed. He adds some clean blankets and pillows to make sure Sap will be warm and comfortable.

"Okay, bud, can you put your arms up for me?" Sapnap swings his arms lazily over his head and Karl slips the sweater over his head.

"Good job," he coos. "Let's get you back to bed now, okay?"

Karl grabs hold of Sapnap's hands, pulling his barely-conscious form up from the armchair and over toward the bed. Sapnap crawls under the blankets, grabbing a spare pillow to cuddle tightly.

"'M sorry," Sap mumbles, half asleep.

"I thought I already told you you had nothing to be sorry about, silly goose," Karl assures him. He tucks the blankets against his sides. "Things happen. People get sick. It's okay."

"Love you, Karl."

"I love you, too, Pandas." Karl brushes the hair from Sap's forehead, pressing a gentle kiss to damp skin. "Wake me up if you need anything else, okay, bud?"

"Mkay."

Karl is in the doorway, on his merry way back to his warm, welcoming bed, when he hears Sapnap call out for him.

"Karl?"

"Yeah?"

"You said you like to cuddle, right?"

A slow smile spreads across Karl's face. He turns to face Sapnap once more. "Yeah, bud. Cuddling's my jam."

Sapnap doesn't say anything else for a while, too embarrassed to admit what he really wants. Finally, he works up the courage to ask, "Will you cuddle with me?"

Karl doesn't even answer, just slides into the bed beside Sapnap, draping one arm across his waist and sliding the other beneath his neck, cradling Sap's head in his chest. He presses another soft kiss to Sapnap's forehead and trails his fingers through his short hair. And that's how they wake up, tangled up in each other, feeling loved and taken care of.

A/N:
hello! here's the first of many karlnap one shots to come! feel free to leave any suggestions or prompts :)