actions speak louder than words {karlnap}

chapter 35

CW// the use of the word "h0" (idk if it should be a TW per se but it is now)

(Nick POV)

"Wait, what?"

"Alex doesn't want to be romantically involved with me anymore," Karl repeats.

I snort. "So you've been broken up with," I joke.

He rolls his eyes. "Thanks for the sympathy."

"You're welcome."

"And technically, no I haven't, because we were never 'official'," he points out. "We'd only kissed twice."

I hum boredly. "Two times too ma-"

"Nick, I swear to god," he says. "I told you several times, you could have-"

"-said I was uncomfortable, I know," I say. "But I wasn't, I promise. I just like bugging you." I give him a wide grin. He gives a weak one back. "Are you okay though?"

He shrugs. "I mean, it was a shock," he mutters. "But we're still friends, so I think we'll be okay." He smiles, and I know he's telling the truth.

He'll be fine.

We'll be fine.

~~

Karl picks up almost instantly. 

"Guess what day it is?" I ask. 

He's already smiling. "I don't know, Nicholas," he says. "You tell me."

I smile. "January 19th," I say. "We officially met a year ago today!" 

He props up his phone to clap. "A year already!" 

"What's a year?" I hear Alex ask in the background. 

"Nick and I met a year ago today," Karl says. 

Alex gasps, and he suddenly appears in frame. "Yo! Congrats!" he says. "Hey Nick."

I bro-nod him. "Hey Alex."

"I suppose Karl told you?" he asks. 

I nod. "About time," I joke. 

He narrows his eyes. "Nick," Karl groans. "Why do you do this?"

I giggle. "Aw, Alex knows I'm joking," I say. "Right?"

He nods, giving me a grin. "Don't worry," he says. "I know it's just jokes."

Karl looks like he doesn't believe either of us. 

Honestly it's hard to believe it's been a year already. I remember the day we met like it was yesterday. But no; 365 days later, and now we're here. It's crazy, but I couldn't ask for anything more. 

~~

This may be a good idea, but it also may be a bad idea.

I, for one, think it's terrific.

Dream does not.

"What if he's busy?" he asks.

I give him a look. "He always tells me if he has plans, for whatever reason," I say. "He'd have told me."

He crosses his arms. "What about Alex?" he asks. 

"What about him?"

Dream scoffs. "You're kidding."

I stand up straight and frown. I have no idea what he's on about.

Dream sighs. "Okay, I don't know if you know or not, but it was so ridiculously clear to me that Alex was into Karl," he says, sympathy laced in his tone.