Don't leave me loving you [karlnap]

04

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. Look... 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?"