Tell Me Whatâs On Your Mind
(Valentineâs Day Karlnap Ficlet)
Word Count: 2861
   The flirting between Karl and Sapnap had been going on for a long time now. Long enough that Sapnap had already come to a conclusion with his own sexuality, come out to his roommates, and figured out he has a crush on Karl. Well...at this point much more than a crush. Any conclusion to that was taking forever, though.
While he had been certain at the beginning of their friendship Karl must have feelings for him, that had faded more and more as he watched him be touchy with their other friends, flirty with their other friends...kissing their other friends. He wondered if Karl never kissing him as a joke meant he liked him or didn't like him. It must mean something? Too bad the meanings could only lead to those polar opposites in Sapnap's mind.
Sapnap was not planning on admitting his feelings to Karl. Karl seemed too forward and confident to him. Sapnap was sure if Karl wanted him, he would know. He would tell him. It had been so long. Sapnap was already learning how to be a friend silently in love. With Karl it could be easy. It could be enough. Sapnap was convinced he had everything he needed and could live without the rest.
He was looking forward to Karl coming over and hanging out at the Dream Team house tonight. They didn't have to start any content until tomorrow so they would get to just catch up and be together. He was alone in the living room waiting for Dream and George, who had just gone out shopping. Karl wasn't due to arrive for a few hours so he opted to just hang at the house alone to charge his social battery before all the chaos.
He switched back to discord a third time while scrolling Twitter. Karl hadn't responded to his message from earlier and it was bugging him a little. Not actually, but his brain just kept forcing him to check the message over and over and that is what was annoying him. He could never focus when he was thinking about Karl. He switched to discord again for the fourth timeâŚ
~~ding dong~~
The doorbell startled Sapnap out of his seat. His heart started racing immediately. He knew Dream and George wouldn't ring the doorbell. He knew Karl was on the other side of that door. He looked down at his outfit; anime hoodie, black sweatpants, and his Balenciaga hat. He fussed with the hem of his hoodie as he made his way to the door.
~~ding dong~~
"Alright alright!!!", Sapnap laughed as he pulled open the door. He stumbled back with a gasp as Karl leaped onto him, laughing as he held him up and hugged him back.
"Nick!", Karl mumbled happily into Sapnap's neck, clinging on for dear life.
"Karl.", Sapnap sighed. Relief and excitement were somehow competing within him. Karl's hugs. Nothing in the world like Karl's hugs. He always clung so desperately it made him feel strong, loved, and weak in his knees all at once.
"I missed you handsome.".
"I missed you!!!".
~â˘~
Karl was being weird, Sapnap decided. He kept catching these little side-looks. And he would open his mouth to speak, then close it. Sapnap isn't sure he has seen Karl be this shy before. It was...very adorable actually. Right away he had gotten a sense that Karl wanted to say something. It made sense, too. It was all a little too convenient. Karl had been messaging with him all morning and then had gone dead quiet when he had found out George and Dream had vacated the premises. Shortly after Karl's early arrival Sapnap had received a text from Dream telling him they would be running late. And now this shy behavior. Sapnap was starting to let his fantasies get ahold of him for sure.
"What is it?â. Karl's back stiffened at the words.
"Huh?", he said dumbly. The two were on the couch together flipping through YouTube videos on the TV. They hadnât found anything with how distracted they both were looking back and forth at each other.
"Huh?", Sapnap mocked playfully. He smirked proudly at the blush it earned him. "What has gotten into you Karl?", he leaned over and poked Karl's side. Karl squealed and shoved his hand away.
"It's nothing!". Karl's voice was a little higher than usual. Sapnap's eyes narrowed at him. Karl squirmed under the gaze and tried his best to focus on the TV.
Sapnap's plan formed in his head quickly. This was his favorite game, after all. He saw only W's coming out of this, too. He would get Karl to spit out whatever is on his mind and he would get to make Karl laugh. Which is his favorite sound in the entire world.
Now to play with his food first...
Sapnap sighed loudly and looked down at his hands. He wiggled his fingers slowly and turned them over and over as he pretended to inspect them.
"Stop that.". But, Karl was giggling. Sapnap pretended to crack his knuckles. "Don't", Karl warned. It was awfully cute how commanding he was trying to be through all of his giggles. Sapnap jerked his hands towards the nervous boy before pulling them back, laughing as Karl yelped and tried to clamber off the couch. Sapnap only grabbed his leg and dragged him back across the couch on his stomach. "Noooo!".
Karl wasn't fighting back in any real way. And Sapnap wasn't pinning him down either. They had been here before a hundred times. It was one of Sapnap's favorite things about Karl. There were days when tickling was normal. One of them would go for the other and they would laugh and try to get away. A bit of playful torture. Then, there were other days when it was almost like Karl was asking for it in any way besides just asking and any fighting back was impossibly weak. These were his favorite. A little chase or teasing and then he got to hear his favorite noise...
Karl's crazy high pitched cackling echoed against the walls around them as Sapnap roughly squeezed his shoulders right where they met his neck. He was starting out strong with his death spot. Well...he also really wanted to get whatever Karl was holding back out of him as soon as possible. Sapnap leaned down and murmured right against Karl's sensitive ear.
"Tell me what's on your miiiind.", Sapnap sang. Karl squealed and squirmed against the couch.
"Pleaseeee!!! It's nothing!", he cried out. Sapnap abandoned his shoulders and instead dug his fingers softly into the back of his ribcage. Karl scrunched up and let out a string of high pitched squeals before wheezing and falling back into his cute hysterical giggling. Sapnap loved how crazed he always sounded. He has been learning exactly how to pry each and every noise out of him. He squeezed both his soft sides to force some squeaks out of Karl. "It's nothing!!!", Karl gasped out. It sounded a little more desperate than Sapnap was expecting so he slowed down. He eyed the redness glowing at the tip of Karl's ears. Karl was a lot more flustered than usual.
He lifted up a bit and flipped Karl onto his back before straddling his waist. Karl quickly covered his face with both hands.
"Hey hey! Why are you blocking my view of your pretty face?". Karl only whined and squirmed. "Hey.", Sapnap said it softer. He wiggled his pointer fingers into both of Karl's armpits and Karl yelped and snapped his arms down to his sides. Sapnap was expecting his face to be red and happy. He was stunned at what he actually found. It was red...it was extremely red. But, Karl's eyes held a panic, and while some glee was definitely breaking through with the forced laughter he almost seemed to be in a sort of anguish. It halted any teasing that was about to fall from Sapnap's lips. He didn't know what to say as he tugged his fingers out of Karl's armpits.
Karl clasped his hands back over his face for a few seconds before peeking between his fingers as he realized something was wrong.
"Are you okay?", Sapnap finally got out. He cursed himself silently for taking so long.
"What? Yeah I...it tickles...um.", Karl sputtered, confused. Sapnap pressed his fingers through Karl's chocolate curls in an attempt to calm him. He was buying himself time to think of what to say.
"Did I misread the situation? Do you not want to be tickled right now?", Sapnap asked earnestly. Karl flushed and let slip a small choked gasp before covering his face again. He cringed and shoved his face into the couch.
"Oh god.". It was muffled and filled with embarrassment.
Sapnap and Karl had never actually addressed Karl's seemingly complicated relationship with tickling. Sapnap knew how to read him well enough so it was never needed.
Sapnap shifted nervously on top of Karl's waist.
"I'm sorry, I made you uncomfortable.", Sapnap's words were rushed as be moved to get off of him. Karl grabbed both of his hands and held him in place.
"No! Wait. Hold on. Gahhh. I need to collect myself. Please don't go.", Karl spewed. He looked wrecked. The heat was climbing down his neck. Sapnap settled back on top of him. He had never seen Karl so nervous. He played with his hands while Karl focused on his breathing. It went on like that for about a minute. Not excessively long, but long enough for Sapnap to run over every scenario in his own mind.
"You didn't do anything wrong. I promise. It's just...I do have something on my mind and I did really want to tell you.â, Karl covers his face with both hands for a moment before continuing, â I'm just really nervous. I thought I could get it out this way. I thought it would be easier. Like...you could get it out of me, for me. I realized that was stupid, but then you already knew something was up. I just don't want to mess this up...", he trailed off and cringed.
'Mess this up?', Sapnap thought. It echoed inside his head.
"Nothing could mess this up.", he assured firmly. Karl couldn't look at him. Sapnap's heart skipped a beat.
It was hitting him. The coincidences he found fishy were fishy. Karl wants to say something to him that he's afraid will change things. He couldn't stop the grin from creeping up on him. He observed the new shy version of his favorite person underneath him. Impossibly cute. He needed to let him off the hook.
"Maybe, I could get something off my chest first? And then you could?". Sapnap did his best to soften his grin to a sweet smile. Karl finally made eye contact again and it was like he was trying to get all the information out from the gaze alone. Sapnap shook his head. "Like, with my words. I'll tell you...a secret. Something I've been wanting to tell you. Is that okay? And then maybe if you're comfortable you can tell me yours?". Karl nodded. Sapnap hesitated only to consider his words. His feelings. He had a lot of them. They were intense. What's the best way to get that across?
He found Karl's hand and linked their fingers. He decided if he would do this he needed to just be completely honest and put it all out there. He leaned in and whispered into his ear.
"I am in love with you.".
Karl grabbed a fistful of Sapnap's hoodie and suddenly they were kissing. Sapnap nearly collapsed on him and soon it was a giggly and messy kiss. It was beautiful. It was everything. Sapnap dropped beside him on the couch and cupped Karl's face as he learned exactly how soft his lips were and exactly how his tongue tasted. He wrapped an arm around his waist and tugged him on top. He felt Karl's bat away his hat and tangle his fingers in his hair.
"I am in love with you, too.", Karl murmured breathlessly into the kiss.
~â˘~
Things moved very fast after that...with how fast they confessed exactly how long each had loved the other for. The first time feelings sparked. How many times they had wanted to confess.
   George and Dream walked right into the tears and soft kisses. It was sweet, but too sweet. A quick congratulations and an acknowledgment of the new relationship status and then they were gone again. Off to their separate rooms where they would no doubt be blowing up the private Dream Team discord about this. Sapnap would catch up with later.
   Boyfriends. Dating. Together. Partners. They had run through the list and agreed to all of them and more. The shyness was gone. They were both so excited to express all their feelings. Suddenly they were spilling it all. Karl admitted he loved being close to Sapnap so much sometimes he would annoy him into tickling him.
"I know silly.", Sapnap peppered his blushing face with little kisses. Sapnap let slip that he replayed compilations of Karl kissing their friends to try and work out what he could do to make it happen for himself. Karl cooled any embarrassment with his own playful kisses. No secrets between them. They cuddled in close on the couch and played with each others fingers and hair. Whispered about how they've always wanted to be like this. They were already used to being so physically affection that it was shocking how new it felt to push things just a little farther. Prolonged hand holding. Kisses starting to trail away from lips. Sapnap let out an embarassing squeak when Karl nipped softly at his ear. He huffed and held Karl away by his shoulders, smiling at him.
"Are you...tired?", Sapnap asked with his eyebrows thrown up. Karl giggled.
"A little. Maybe we could go to your room?". Sapnap laughed and pulled him off the couch, dragging him giddily to his room. His boyfriend was a mind reader.
   They cuddled together under the warm blankets of Sapnap's bed and traded sweet kisses.
"I can't believe this.", Sapnap whispered.
"What? That you tickle tortured me until I told you I loved you so you would stop?", Karl teased, poking Sapnap in the side under the covers. Sapnap gasped and yelped softly at the poke.
"That is not what happened!", Sapnap whisper-shouted. Karl kissed him to shut him up. "You're annoying.", Sapnap mumbled into the kiss. Karl pulled away and grinned at him. Sapnap recognized the look right away.
"No please!". Sapnap cowered, but laughter was pulled out of him as Karl's nimble fingers attacked his rib cage and sides with tickles. "Karl!", he cried out, shoving away the hands. He couldn't help his squealing as Karl only scooted closer and crawled his hands up his shirt, tickling at his bare tummy. One twist and Sapnap knew he was screwed. He hiccuped through his laughter as he pushed at the hands now trapped under his shirt tickling him. "Fuck!", he wailed as Karl explored everywhere under his shirt. His bellybutton and sides. He could feel him working his way up to his bare armpits and he squirmed desperately. "Please!! They'll hear us!!", he pled through his laughter.
"I'm just tickling him!", Karl called out. Sapnap flushed and buried his face in Karl's neck with a small peep.
"Oh my god.", he whined and clung to him. "I hate you.".
"No, you love me.", Karl coo'ed, squeezing once into Sapnap's side. He squealed into his neck. âLet me tickle my boyfriend!â. Karl slid his fingers along Sapnapâs bare sides, relishing in how he squirmed. This was his, all his. Sapnap giggled desperately into his neck.
When he couldnât take the tickles any longer, Sapnap nipped at Karl's neck playfully. He whimpered and melted almost instantly. Sapnap had never brought his mouth over here before, but with how sensitive Karl's neck was he had a lot of suspicions with what might happen if he nibbled there. With just three little teasing nibbles Karl had his hands out from under Sapnap's shirt and was desperately trying to tug him away from his neck with the worlds lightest pulls. His breath was quick and his neck was feeling warmer and warmer. Karl whined.
"I'm sensitive.", he sounded wrecked. Sapnap laughed as he let himself be pulled away and into more kisses. The connection between them growing stronger and deeper. Everything completely perfect. The way their lips were made for each other. Their hands wordlessly explored each other as they found new sensitivities everywhere.
                      ~â˘~
   Karl and Sapnap had been flirting with each other for a long time now. So long that things seemed like they would never change. Tonight was now the first of the rest of their lives, together. Love no longer unspoken. They shouted it from the rooftops. Proud to be with each other. Proud to be together and to fit so perfectly. It all made sense, it only made sense. Sapnap and Karl.











