[karlnap] loving is easy

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Sapnap's POV

i lug my final bag into the trunk of my car and yank down the latch, securing all my luggage. my heart thumps against my rib cage as i climb into my short car, adjusting to the mass behind me.

Craft said that we should share the same vehicle, for the purposes of our makeshift relationship.

so as i plop myself down into the drivers seat, i catch a glance from Karl beside me, in casual clothes. he raps his fingers on the armrest anxiously.

i've only ever seen Karl in street clothes a couple times, mostly while drunk. when the precinct would meet at some bar or restaurant, everyone would be in their comfy clothes, enough to sleep in if we were to crash before changing that night.

Karl always wears these big, thick sweaters that were rough under my hands if i were to touch him when i was tipsy. and these loose, baggy ripped jeans that would sway with his hips. he would dance with me sometimes, let me run my fingers over him as he giggled and twirled with me. he was always a mix of heat and colour and glimmering smiles and fashion.

he's wearing those pants now. the baggy ripped jeans that i liked so much. and a button up hawaiian t-shirt.

my car's fairly rotten, but the wheels have always caught on smooth road. we sail down 5th Avenue and right into a knot of traffic.

Karl shifts in his seat and faces me with his shoulders. i look at him and quirk an eyebrow.

"okay, Nick- Sapnap. we're undercover. we're a couple. practice saying couple-y things." he says to me, a drop of eagerness behind his words.

"oh. alright. okay. baby, nice ass. sugarlips-"

he giggles and smacks my arm lightly. "no!! be serious, this is serious." he clears his throat and waits for me again.

i drum my fingers on the leather of the steering wheel and draw a breath through my nose. when i turn to Karl, his brown eyes bore into mine.

"i love you, Karl."

he grins slightly, for just a second, as pinpoints of blush blossom across his cheeks, like i meant what i said. "i love you too, Sapnap."

~~~

the apartment's nice, i've gotta say. it takes me and Karl almost half an hour to finish dragging our storage into the building, but once we've settled and taken off the plastics from the furniture, the place is huge.

Karl stands slightly in front of me, digging through some box and pulling out something small. he grins back at me and skips over like a child on the fresh, smooth hardwood floors.

he's like a light in this cushioned area. the walls are a deep, lush blue, and fancy, carved wood lanterns hang from the walls everywhere. even the couches, tables and TV is dark and rich. but Karl is light, breezy, new. he's orange and yellow and purple, he's pale and thin and tall and shaggy, but clean and scented.

he's standing in front of me now.

"Sapnap, take this. i picked it up from a jeweler a little uptown, Captain paid for me. i got it- you don't have to, if you'd like, but i think it would be easier if we were engaged."

he pries open the box and spins it to me. the inside is cushioned velvet, a pure white, and sunk into the middle is a strongly banded engagement ring. it's got three or four different sized sapphires dotting the top.

my mind tingles as it tries to stretch around what i've gotten myself into.

"how much did this cost you?" i mutter, my eyes glued to the ring.

"oh, like, 2,000 dollars. Captain covered it, though."

i feel a grin tug at my lips. my mind delves into the different directions this could all go. why did Karl even buy an engagement ring? it seems a little far if he didn't feel nothing for me.

i take it from his hands and snap the lid shut, tucking it into my pocket. "i'll propose in a fun way. this'll be fun."

i turn away from Jacobs, hooking one of my boxes for the kitchen under my fingers and pulling it up to my chest. the connected kitchen is huge, too, with an entire island and barstools. i set the box on the counter and sigh.

"i'll go set up our room," Karl chirps, grabbing a box as well and starting down the hall. "and don't make the proposal all sappy and serious!! i'll cry!!"

i snort.

~~~

"wanna order pizza for dinner?" i say, my question muffled by my mouthful of granola bar.

Karl wrinkles the bridge of his nose at me. "it's our first night. you don't wanna cook or anything?"

"who the fuck cooks, man?" 

"me! i do!"

i give him a skeptical glance and signal at the barren cupboards. "hmm?"

Karl sighs. "i'll order pepperoni and garlic sticks."

thirty minutes later, after just scrolling mindlessly through snapchat stories and tiktok, the buzzer by the door rings. Karl springs up from his messy position on the couch and jogs to the door, slipping through and hurtling himself down the stairs.

~~~

he sits across from me at the dinner table, humming to himself as he picks a burnt piece of dough from his slice of pizza. his movement is mesmerizing; Karl flows, gracefully, as he does absolutely anything.

the lighting is terrible, the meal cost $40, and he's got a crumb in his hair. but i'll propose to him with the ring that our boss paid for and he picked.

"yo. Jacobs. wanna get married?" i ask, sliding the open ring box across the table to him. he stops it with his hand and rolls his eyes animatedly.

"not unless you do it right." Karl slides it back.

i sigh and stand up, the legs of my chair whining against the floor. he turns in his chair to face me and folds his hands in his lap neatly.

i can't believe i'm doing this, i think reluctantly as i drop to one knee. Karl grins and claps his hands.

"Karl Kinoko Jacobs, will you make me the happiest man on Earth by marrying me?" i whisper, just enough for him to hear.

his grin closes into a line, his cheeks dimpled. "yes. of course."

there's a moment in time where everything freezes warmly. time fuzzes around the edges, locking us in a single breath of air, as we share a look.

and then it breaks, and we're free, and we're back in our cold, new, fake apartment with dark walls and bright lights.

Karl chuckles beneath his breath and looks down from my stare. i take the ring from the case and hold his smooth hand in my own, donning the sapphire ring onto his finger.

i sit back down and try to adjust again.

"Karl? why's your last name Kinoko?"

he tilts his head and furrows his eyebrows. "my parents said it was some country they went to a long time ago. i don't know."

and then we finished our dinner.

[A/N: this is messy woooooo]