s t r e a m {SAPNAP}

- 25 -

SAPNAP POV
(OOOH haven't seen this in a while)
(! tw? use of weed lol ! )

(I don't know Sapnap's sisters names so ugh bear with me)

***

AUGUST 24TH

I stared at my phone after the Twitter thread ended. Everyday I would start off a conversation strong and then end it with an insult. Maybe that was why I hadn't had very many girlfriends before--I never knew how to flirt properly.

A notification came up that told me Alex was waiting for me to answer his discord call. I sighed and hit the button, hearing his voice come through almost staticky at first. My family wasn't home--I strutted down to the garage and lit a blunt. I wasn't an avid smoker, but as I inhaled, I felt much more relaxed.

"So, what the hell was that?" Alex said over speakerphone. "Look, dude, you're gonna get no where with her."

"Her birthday is in a few days," I mumble. "I'm driving out there to surprise her."

"Yeah, I know, but you talk to her like you're friends. You gotta like, ease into. Ok, ok, hear me out. Next time she streams, you call her, tell her to mute, and just say some flirty shit."

"Dude! No, I'm not doing that. If it totally fails, she'll hate me forever." I sigh. "Look, I'm just gonna play it safe. And who cares if we talk like we're friends? I mean, we are, aren't we? She's called me her best friend loads of times. That's gotta count for something."

"Uh-huh, and next thing you know you'll try to make a move and she'll best-friend-zone you. Literally everyone else can see that there's tension between you guys. Have you even read Vertigo? Like, there's Heatwaves for Clay and George, and there's Vertigo for you and Bee. And your chats aren't the only ones. I don't know how often you're in the boys chat but they're literally placing bets." Alex mentioned, almost condescendingly.

"I've seen the chats, but I thought y'all were just fucking around. Like obviously Clay and George aren't dating, but we all joke about it. Why is it any different with Bee and me?"

"George and Clay didn't meet for the first time on a dating app. The four of you may act exactly the same as one another and y'all might be fake-flirting the same way, but there's actually something there between you and her. And for some reason everyone can see it except for you. Hell, I bet if I messaged her right now, she'd tell me that she thinks there's something there."

"She won't answer," I say automatically. "She's working. And she's almost never on her phone at work, unless it's the end of her shift."

"You know her schedule! God, Nick, what's next?"

I suddenly remembered what he'd said earlier.

"Wait, what was that that you said about Vertigo? Is there a fanfiction about us?"

"Well, obviously, there's tons, but Vertigo has the hype of Heatwaves, and we both know you've read Heatwaves. I mean--I've read the Vertigo fic. I think it's on A03. Someone might've posted it somewhere else too. Geez, dude, how have you not heard of it? It's like really popular. It's like--fanart-based-on-the-fic-popular." Alex said carelessly.

"Wha--wait, why have you read a fanfiction about two of your best friends??"

"What, so it's not weird when it's George and Clay, but it's weird when it's you and Libby? Double standards much?"

"Okay, if I promise to read it, will you stop bugging me about it?" I finally groaned.

"See? You're already better than Clay--he still hasn't read Heatwaves. But...in his defense, pretty much all of us have read Vertigo. I think Tommy's read it to. You know what, I wouldn't doubt it if both of the story's were written by the same author."

"Christ, can you stop talking about the fact that all of my friends have read a story about my romantic relationship that doesn't even exist?" I exhaled and watched the smoke drift to the ceiling before dissipating.

"Fine, fine. But listen, you have to do what I said. Just hop on her stream, give her a call, say something flirty, and hang up. If she reacts badly just say that you were getting payback for whatever she said during that one stream a while back--when she said she'd crashed her car or whatever. There's literally no downside."

I finally agreed, although I regretted it. I guess he was right. There really was no downside.

She wasn't going to stream until tomorrow night. I swallowed my pride and searched up Vertigo on AO3--which I had made an account for specifically to read Heatwaves (NO, I do not know where those Harry Styles fanfictions came from)-- and begrudgingly started to read.

I noticed that whoever wrote the story had used a lot of things from our streams or the messages that we would post on Twitter. It was written in third person, I also noted.

I went back to my room and laid in my bed for what felt like hours, doing nothing but reading. It was embarrassing to see myself being portrayed in a way I hadn't considered portraying myself before.

I kept re-reading one key phrase.

"I forgave the world because it has you," it read. Bee had said that. I wondered if she believe it was true in the real world. I believed it. I forgave everything wrong that had happened in my life.

What was my problem?

I finished the book--although it wasn't over, the author hadn't updated it yet--and threw my phone to the side. Someone knocked on my door.

I hoped it was one of my sisters. They would know all about this kind of stuff, right?

I opened the door and stared at my younger sister.

"What?" I sounded almost annoyed with her. "Ugh, I didn't mean it like that."

"There's pizza on the stove," she said simply. I hadn't even heard my family come home. She started to walk away.

"Wait," I called after her. "I have a question."

I retreated back into my room and flopped onto my bed, Sofia taking her place in my chair.

"If this is about Bee, I have no idea how to help you. I've talked to her, she's nice, but this is your problem. You're going to meet her in a few days--all I'd suggest is not acting like a total loser. And hey," She stood. "maybe let her wear your hoodie. Girls love that kind of stuff."

I groaned as she left. I didn't bother going down for pizza.