(i'm worried) it will always be you

Chapter 4 - Wonderful, but nonfunctional

Friday, March 9th, 2018.

Junior year. Friday before spring break, Raleigh-Durham International airport.

"We're not going to make it."

"Relax, dad. We're going to get there with plenty of time to spare." Quackity scoffed in response to Dream's panic. Dream had been stressed about their flight since he lost the vote of whether they should leave Friday night or Saturday morning.

Sapnap, for once, didn't mind the bickering. He wasn't blaring his music in his headphones to drown out conversations he didn't want to be included in. He wasn't even wearing his perpetual scowl.

Things just felt, well, good.

The semester had a rocky start- not getting into one of the classes he needed, failing his first exam (he got an 87/100, but that was considered failing in his dad's eyes), and his first off-campus apartment had a mouse problem.

There was also the fact Karl had a boyfriend.

That wasn't necessarily, like, a bad thing, it was just a bit unexpected. Not that it was any of Sapnap's business. Plus, it was nice seeing how happy Josh made Karl.

Sort of.

Sapnap had definitely distanced himself from any interactions with their friend group as a whole, seeing that Josh was essentially glued to Karl's side. He blamed his absence on his upper-level courses having a heavy workload and his friends didn't question him further about his sudden disappearances.

But that didn't matter, because things were good now.

He was back with Cleo, and honestly, he hadn't felt this comfortable in their relationship since before the first cheating scandal freshman year. Sapnap had been making an effort to be more patient with her, more understanding, and it had been working in his favor.

Sapnap had a girlfriend who almost seemed to overcompensate with sexual favors to show her thanks for him taking her back, his grades were doing better, and he stopped fixating on how some other guy got to make Karl smile everyday.

"I can't wait to see our room, puppy." Cleo whispered in his ear. Unpleasant goosebumps raised on Sapnap's neck, but it was an improvement from the shiver the nickname used to send down the entirety of his spine.

"We do get our own room, right?" Sapnap called out from his and Cleo's spot in the backseat, one of her legs draped over his lap, and his hand on her inner thigh.

"I was going to make you room with Sylvee and Hannah, you know, to deter you guys from fucking in my parents' house, but I figured that would just be cruel for them to deal with. So, yes, you nasties have your own room." Quackity yelled over his shoulder, making everyone in the car (besides Cleo) laugh.

"I don't get why Alexis has to be so vulgar all the time." She said just to Sapnap, rolling her eyes. Sapnap bit his tongue, reminding himself that they were all just overtired from their full day of classes, followed by rushing to get everything packed to go.

"Quackity, Cleo. Or at least 'Alex'. No one calls him by his full first name." Sapnap answered at the same volume.

"I'm not calling a grown ass man 'Quackity'." She grumbled, slinging Sapnap's arm around herself.

"This grown ass man is letting you stay, for free, at his parents' beach house. Do you even know how much it would've cost us to rent a place half the size? Please, just... play nice." Sapnap asked, turning her face towards his.

She looked up at him with those big brown eyes. It was amazing how innocent they could look when she wanted, since Sapnap of all people knew the types of thoughts she had behind them.