The Apocalypse [Dreamnotfound AU]

You're Alive

I'm back with the first chapter of 2022, let's go! Hope y'all enjoy <3

------------------------------------------------------------

Tw: swearing, zombies, weapons

Sapnap's eyes flutter open and a gasp echoes in his ears.

For a moment, between the blurriness of the world and the pain in his arm, he's not sure if the gasp came from him. Until a face appears above his, growing clearer and clearer. Karl swims into view, tears welling in his eyes and staining his cheeks.

"Nick!" he croaks, his voice hoarse, and he cups Sapnap's cheek with a hand. Sapnap leans into the warmth, remembering the dream world he'd been in and how Karl had been the one to bring him out of it. "You're awake. You're alive."

"Karl..." he starts, but someone interrupts him. A very loud, very annoying someone.

"Finally, asshole," Quackity says, also appearing above him. He frowns down at him. "Look who's being all dramatic about a little scratch."

Sapnap opens his mouth to retort but, before he can, Karl presses his lips to his.

Whatever he'd been planning to say to Quackity fades away, as he grabs onto Karl's arms, tugging him closer. His lips are soft and sweet and he realizes how much he'd missed touching him, how much the thought of never being able to again had scared him. The words that he wanted to say to Karl bubble up again. He pulls away from Karl, and rests his forehead against his.

Karl's wide blue-green eyes are still filled with tears, but he tries to blink them away and smile. And the words Sapnap's been planning to say dry up in his mouth again as he stares at Karl's beautiful face.

"You scared me," Karl whispers, clutching Sapnap's hand. "A lot. I thought you were gonna die."

Sapnap huffs out a quiet laugh. "Of course I wasn't gonna die, nimrod. I still have a bunch of zombies to kill. And a bunch of people to protect."

He gives Karl a shaky smile and the words that keep circling his thoughts tumble out. "I love you, Karl." Karl goes still, his grip tight on his hand, but Sapnap continues. "When I was unconscious I had this dream, and you were the person who brought me back to life. If it wasn't for you, I might have given up. And that's when I realized."

A smile tugs at Karl's lips, wide and infectious, and new tears well in his eyes. "Took you long enough," he says, sounding scarily like his dream version. "I love you too, nimrod. If you couldn't already tell."

Sapnap feels warmth bloom in his chest, replacing the nerves fluttering in his stomach, and he feels like he might never stop smiling. Until Karl swats him, hard, on the arm. "But you scared the shit out of me, dickwad. If you ever do that again, I'm literally leaving you for Quackity."

They both turn to look at Quackity, Karl smiling and Sapnap glaring. Quackity just crosses his arms. "Oh, now you remember I exist. Sorry, didn't want to intrude on all your pda."

"Shut up," Sapnap mutters, interlocking his fingers with Karl even though it hurts his arm.

His arm. Karl seems to realize the problem at the same time as him and his smile wavers. "We're still not in the clear then, huh?"

"Not until we find an antidote," Sapnap says. He scans his surroundings, taking in the gray roof of the school, near the area where he'd found Karl that one time he'd disappeared. "Techno said there's a cure for everything though," he adds, and then frowns as a thought comes to him. "Where is Techno? Where are the others?"