They arrived late at Karl's place and unfortunately, they even woke up his mother.
Sapnap was finally sleeping upstairs, after the taller boy needed to stay with him in his bed, holding him so close so he would eventually stop shaking. Luckily he did stop shaking after a while and because Karl wasn't tired in any way anymore, he decided to stand up and get some water downstairs. He didn't know that he would meet his mother in the living room, wide awake just like him. "You're awake?", he asked.
His mother had a cup in her hands and simply sipped at it before she patted on the material of the sofa, a sign for Karl to sit down. He sat down and sighed, tilting his head back against the head of the sofa to rest his neck on it. His eyes closed slowly as he positioned himself comfortable.
"You're alright, honey?", his mother asked with slight concern in her voice.
"Yeah, I am fine", he mumbled.
"Do you want some hot chocolate?", the smoke of the hot chocolate cup was suddenly appearing in his view and he tilted his head back down and took another deep breath, smelling the delicious smell. Karl nodded before he carefully took the cup and led it towards his lips.
"How is Sapnap doing? I saw you took him upstairs, is he sleeping?".
The brunet stopped drinking as he figured out the curiosity in her voice. He arched and eyebrow and settled the cup down in his lap, still carefully to not spill the hot liquid. "Yeah, he is sleeping".
His mother noticed his hesitation.
"You don't need to tell me anything about your guys relationship, I can practically smell that it's something different between you two, bu-" - "What do you mean? Something different?", Karl interrupted her, his curiosity growing as well.
"Oh, I didn't mean anything bad, sweetheart. I meant... you guys are a couple right?".
It was such a simple question that caught the brunet off of guard. He slightly bit dow on his bottom lip and sighed quietly. "I don't know?", the statement came off as a question, something that somehow made his mother smile softly.
"Alright", she scooted a little bit closer to him, the soft smile still on her face.
Karl frowned and titled his head . "What are you doing now? Is this gonna be a therapist session?", he joked.
"Maybe", she lifted the blanket up and slipped even closer to him, letting the blanket fall on both of them again.
"So you two aren't a couple?", her first question and he already didn't know an answer to that.
"I guess not. Neither of us asked if we want to...date", Karl answered and for some reason, he cringed at the last word.
"You're acting like a child right now, stop it", his mother jokingly slapped his arm and laughed.
"And you're acting like you're about to do a couple session with me and Sapnap".
"Thought you guys weren't a couple?".
"We aren't!".
The brunet buried his head down in his hands and sighed for the 100th time this evening.
"Are you tired, honey?", her voice was more quiet again and they stopped joking, talking more serious now.
"No, no. I'm fine", he answered.
"You don't need to talk to me about... whatever you two are. It's fine", her hand was fondly running up and down on his back and Karl felt himself growing more comfortable. He leaned himself down into her arms and cuddled himself up against her side.
"It's just complicated", he mumbles.
"Well... do you like him?", her other hand was now running softly through his long hair.
Karl didn't need to think long about an answer to that question.
"Yeah".
"Why is it complicated then?".
"I don't think that he actually wants something serious with me... or anyone? I don't know", he finally enunciates and it broke something inside of him.
His mother was silent for a second before she started speaking again: "What makes you think like that?".
The taller boy tried to focus on the steady movements in his hair, to stop himself from drifting off into his running wild thoughts.
"He's not ready. He told me that a while ago", he croaks, his voice just above a whisper.
"You said it. A while ago. Did you two had a talk after that? I mean, maybe he's ready now and actually - ", she sat up a little bit and Karl did as well, facing her mother with another curios look. "I don't think he feels nothing for you, sweetheart. You guys harmonize so well together and from the way he looks at you, at the dinner a few weeks ago or even a few hours ago, he looks at you with such sparkling eyes".
The brunet bit down on his lip and wiped his hands across his face. "I-I don't think...", his voice was so quiet and he cut himself off with a deep breath.
The gate opened with a squeak. The path behind it was, just as described so beautiful and welcoming. The birds were chirping and the sunshine was warm on his skin.
He quickly stumbled back and opened his eyes.
"I w- won't... he will come up to me when he's ready".
And with that, he quickly stood up and almost sprinted upstairs.
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Karl had laid down next to Sapnap an hour ago, still he was awake and staring holes into the ceiling. The smaller boy had swung an arm around him and had cuddled himself up against his side, slightly tickling Karl's arm with his soft hair. While lost in his thoughts, the brunet started running his hand through the brown hair.
Suddenly, Sapnap buried his head more down into the chest underneath his head and he mumbled something into it. Karl looked down on him, not sure if he had actually heard something. But when the smaller boy tilted his head up and looked at him with tired eyes, he realized that he did hear something. "You're awake?", he asked and Sapnap nodded slightly.
"Now I am. Have you even been sleeping?", his voice sounded tired and the taller boy nearly didn't heard him.
"Not yet, I've been just...", it was like a reflex because whenever he didn't want to talk about anything, he started to bury his head down in Sapnap's hair, absorbing the familiar smell.
"It must be important to you if you can't sleep because of it", Sapnap mumbled, still sounding tired but clearly louder this time.
"Well, it's about you so it's obviously important", Karl found himself saying.
He closed his eyes with a sigh slipping through his lips after he had said that. Now he couldn't get out of this, no he really couldn't because the smaller boy was already sitting himself up a little bit. He had a frown on his face. "About me? Ok, now I want to know". He scooted closer to him and a slight smile was planted on his face.
"I don't think you want to talk about that now, Sap".
If he wouldn't look pathetic doing it, he would definitely be biting his nails at that moment. His heart sinked down into his stomach as the face of the smaller boy in front of him dropped, realization hitting him.
"Oh", was the only thing he said.
Karl only nodded knowingly, knowing that he wouldn't be ready to talk about them yet and still he was somewhat disappointed. Luckily he didn't had entered the path of hope, luckily he had stepped back because now he's not on the dark path, no, he's exactly where he was before.
Nowhere. Nowhere, but at least Sapnap is with him there.
"My mother was just talking to me about it b-but I told her that I don't want to push you and I don't! And I am sorry for even bringin-".
"Karl it's okay".
"And I know that you'd come up to me when you're ready a-".
"Karl", a smile peeked up on Sapnap's lips.
"I am so sorry, please don't be m-".
Lips crashed on Karls and his long and unnecessary speech was finally interrupted. Sapnap's hands were cupping the taller boy's face and he slowly pulled him closer to himself until his body fell back on the bed. He giggled slightly into his mouth and the brunet pulled away a little bit, just enough to hear his words: "So you're not mad?".
"How could I ever be mad at you, my little one?".
Even though he didn't stepped a single step onto the light blooming path, his body was blooming with such feelings at that moment.
"I-I like you so much", he breathed and placed his forehead down against Sapnap's.
"I... like you too", the smaller boy said, causing Karl to giggle with oh so much happiness.
He connected their lips in another desperate kiss and now his hands were cupping the other boy's face, pulling him more up. Sapnap's hands were resting on the brunet's waist, his grip tightening as he rolled them over the bed, the smaller boy now hovering above Karl. A second went by where Sapnap was just looking at the brunet, at the beautiful face of him before he finally pressed his lips onto his again. His tongue drove slowly over Karl's lip and he opened them instantly, his grip tightening as well as their kiss deepened even more. Their breaths were heavy as they separated and the smaller boy gave Karl the opportunity to catch it, while he was slowly kissing down his jaw towards his neck. His hands were sliding up and down on the brunet's side while he was still caressing his neck, feeling a hand crawling up in his hair.
It was a moment like this, that would shut down all their thoughts and both of them were happy that they were able to do that at such a moment.
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Hey, thank you for reading chapter twenty seven! I hope you like it :D Stay healthy & ily <3
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