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“Do you think there’s people out there?” Karl lets his head fall back to the comfort of the beanbag, soft blue fabric pillowing around his curls as he sinks deeper into the clouds, floating gently through an unseen sky.
From this angle he can subtly stare at Sapnap’s side profile, see the way strands of his hair gently fall over his forehead, watch as his throat flexes around each hit of strawberry smoke, exhaling smoothly before glancing down at him.
“Dude this tastes like actual shit.”
“Uh dude literally shut up.” He can’t help but feel a heavy sense of darkness begin to form, feel as though he’s messed up somehow as if he’s responsible for the unpleasant taste of weed and strawberry that’s likely lingering in Sapnap’s mouth. Slowly he begins to sink below the clouds, a storm racing through his mind as he curls his legs closer to his body.
“I have another cart…”, he starts to fiddle with the rings adorning his fingers, “if you really hate it, we could try something else.”
Sapnap glances down again, eyes softening as he takes in Karl’s figure, “Nah, I'm just being annoying don’t worry about it.”
Karl bites his lip, nodding and looking away as lightning strikes at his heart; he feels the thunder rumble in his stomach and draws his body closer into itself. A jolt rushes through his body, confusion fogging up his thoughts before he realizes Sapnap’s fingers are prodding at his arm.
Turning his head, he’s met with the appearance of the sun, Sapnap’s smile, a bright star in the haze of darkness Karl was beginning to succumb to.
Sapnap’s arm curls around his shoulder, gently tugging his body closer until his head is tucked into the curve of his neck and just like that Karl is back above the clouds. Finally tethered as he floats higher and higher, drifting among the stars with Sapnap a steady presence beside him.
Softly, as he cards his fingers through the mess of curls on Karl’s head, Sapnap begins to speak, “Seriously it’s not like I’m some weed connoisseur, what do I know?”
Karl snorts, tucking his head further into Sapnap’s neck, feeling the shiver that runs through his body as his lips softly trace the freckles laid out before him.
“So uh what people were you talking about before?”
Lazily lifting his arm, Karl’s finger points towards the spots of colors and stars that twinkle on his ceiling courtesy of the galaxy light projector he had set up before they started to smoke. It was a recent purchase and yet it was already proving its worth as now he could sit and ask Sapnap nonsensical questions about space.
“You know out there, it’s like big, like really big-” Sapnap snorts, but Karl carries on regardless, he’s high he doesn’t have to sound logical, “-and I don’t know dude, just do you think there are people out there.”
Sapnap takes a second before replying seriously, “Maybe on Pluto.”
“Pluto.”
“Yeah it’s a dwarf planet right and Snow White has to live somewhere with all those fuckers.” Sapnap’s laugh pierces the air and Karl is almost too distracted by the beauty of the sound to comprehend what he just said.
“What the fuck did you just say?”
Sapnap begins to laugh harder and Karl can feel the vibrations as they roll through his chest, each wave sending him further out before Karl speaks again.
“You know who else would live on Pluto?”
The grin on Sapnap’s face never falters as he raises an eyebrow, curious for Karl’s response.
Stifling a laugh, Karl whispers, “M-mickey mouse” and dissolves into a fit of laughter. Adding on before Sapnap can interrupt again he continues, “You know cause it’s like Pluto and that’s the name of his dog, dude you said Pluto you’re a fucking mickey mouse streamer, make better content.”
“You’re such an idiot.”
“Someone’s in their Dream arc.” They share a knowing look before the sound of their laughs carry on, galaxies formed between each shaky breath.
Returning from their expedition, they settle back into the bean bag, Sapnap’s voice bright as he poses a question to Karl, “Speaking of space, do you- would you wanna know what constellation I think you’d be?”
“You know about the constellations?”
Surprise tinges Karl’s voice as he attempts to push himself up to question the man before Sapnap’s hand tightens around his waist, controlling his loose tether as he keeps him from floating too far.
“I have- I have layers, you know like an onion.” Sapnap nods sagely to himself as though he’s made some groundbreaking discovery.
“Alright Shrek relax, what constellation am I?”
“You’d be Lepus. It’s supposed to be a bunny-”
A shocked laugh breaks free before Karl can stop himself and Sapnap holds a single finger to his lips before exaggeratedly telling him to ‘Shhh’.
“As I was saying-” Karl laughs again, but Sapnap carries on, voice as sweet as a midnight lullaby, “The bunny was like hunted right and I mean you’re not being hunted, and you probably won’t be. Unless the purge happens.”
“I have to admit I don’t really know where I was going with that one, but listen you’d definitely be a rabbit okay.” Sapnap’s voice trails off, head leaning back as his eyes begin to trace the clusters of stars that glitter across the ceiling.
“You definitely just want to see me in bunny ears.”
Karl’s teasing comment flashes through the room like lightning, stealing Sapnap’s attention from the stars as he snaps his head down to look at him. A contemplative look passes over his face before a sinful smile emerges.
“And what if I did sweetheart?” Sapnap’s voice is stifling, Karl can hear the heat behind each word and he tampers down the whine that threatens to escape into the atmosphere without permission.
A different type of storm begins to roll through Karl’s body, heat flooding his veins as he gazes at Sapnap through dark, narrowed eyes. Trailing his lips along the smooth expanse of Sapnap’s neck, he flicks his tongue out, tastes hints of ginger and salt as a moan rumbles out of the man’s throat.
Smirking, Karl lifts himself from his sunken position and turns to place his legs around Sapnap. Barely feeling as his knees touchdown against the beanbag, he can’t help but think that this is what it means to feel weightless. Floating above Sapnap, whose hands have readjusted to a bruising grip on his waist, Karl thinks he must be in space because in that moment the man under him is ethereal, a collection of pink and orange shadows shading his face as he looks back at him with unbridled want.
Karl reaches his hand out and drags a ringed finger down Sapnap’s chest, wonders if he could paint bruises across the man’s skin, create new constellations for him to study as he matches his nail polish to each new star. He thinks he could create infinite combinations for Sapnap to learn so long as he stayed where he belonged, right in Karl’s atmosphere.
Careful not to crash as he enters Sapnap’s orbit, Karl softly bites his ear before whispering, his voice a soft caress as it trails through the stars, “I’m sorry I don’t fuck with mickey mouse streamers.”
Bursting into laughter, Karl rocks forward, a meteor crashing into Sapnap as he struggles for air, gasping as each breath is ripped from his lungs.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me dude.” Sapnap groans, hands dropping their hold on his waist as his head falls back. Karl’s giggle echoes throughout the space, loud and bright, though he can still hear Sapnap faintly cursing under his breath.
“D-Do you get it? ‘Cause you were talking about Pluto before, so you’re like, Sapnap you’re like literally a mickey mouse streamer!” Karl’s chest continues to shake, laughter slowly subsiding as he tugs at Sapnap’s hair til their eyes meet.
Shaking his head, a grin slowly works its way to Sapnap’s face before a wicked look enters his eyes, “If I’m mickey mouse, does that mean you’re my minnie?”
Karl’s mouth drops, an incredulous look taking over as Sapnap’s eyes crinkle with mirth. The silence lasts a second before thunderous laughter tumbles out of the pair. Reaching for each other, they continue to laugh until the tears have subsided, though their eyes still sparkle when they look back at each other.
“We’re really fucking high aren’t we,” Karl says through a smile.
“You know, for once I would have to say that you are correct.”
“Um dude, I’m literally always right, get wrecked?”
Rolling his eyes, Sapnap begins to shuffle further up the beanbag before repositioning Karl so that he’s sat on his lap, back cradled to his chest. Letting himself fall into the embrace, Karl closes his eyes as he feels Sapnap’s arms circle his waist, fingers slipping under the hem of his black sweater.
His touch is slow, each stroke across Karl’s lower stomach a shooting star meant just for him. The touches go on for could be a few minutes or possibly hours, Karl honestly couldn’t keep track anymore. The room is silent with the exception of the occasional hum from Sapnap as he sings along to whatever song he had stuck in his head for the night. He can feel the dopey grin that takes over his face as he blinks back to awareness.
Stretching slightly, he places a gentle kiss to Sapnap’s mouth, waits for the other to respond before smoothly sliding their lips together. The world tilts on its axis and Karl feels like he’s flying each time Sapnap leans forward to claim his mouth. Dancing through the cosmos, they work in tandem, Sapnap taking the lead as he spins Karl through the solar system.
Biting softly at Sapnap’s lip before pulling back, Karl can’t help but stare at the flush that’s risen on the other man’s face. Thumbing tenderly at faint hues of red, he tangles his other hand in Sapnap's, placing it between them.
“I don’t care what constellation I am, as long as you’re in the sky next to me.”
A peaceful silence settles, Karl gradually drifting back to his home among the clouds before a distant voice whispers from across the universe.
“Like those stars in Princess and the Frog?”
Cuddling into Sapnap’s warm embrace, Karl smiles and sighs, “Yeah, exactly like them.”