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The flame started out small; as barely a flicker of light on the grass. However, it only took mere seconds for the sparking ember to grow into a roaring blaze, licking up tree trunks and catching onto the oak leaves above.
Sapnap watched the scene unfolding before him with a grin, the oranges and reds of the fire reflecting back into his wild eyes. The fire was untamed, utterly restless as it gradually spread throughout the forest, leaving no tree untouched, no blade of grass unburned. This had been his doing, and the moral implications of burning an entire forest to the ground didn’t sway him.
The fireborn didn’t have long to admire his work, however, before George and Dream were yelling his name in between hysteric bursts of laughter, scrambling towards the edges of L’Manburg’s walls. Sapnap knew he needed to leave, needed to follow them quickly before the small population of L’Manburg caught on to what had happened, and who was to blame. Still, he allowed himself just a second or two more of basking in the heat of the flames before he retreated, a sinister grin painted across his face.
As soon as the trio had escaped L’Manburg’s confines, Sapnap could hear the furious cries of Wilbur and Tommy from a distance away. Dream and George were still coughing slightly from the smoke as they ran, but Sapnap was accustomed to it. He had lived in, breathed in smoke, since he was a child.
After a few minutes of running, the three climbed up a nice hill that overlooked L’Manburg, making sure it was a safe enough distance away that none of them would be seen. Sapnap watched as trails of dark smoke rose from the burning forest and blended into the clouds.
“That was--” Dream panted, gasped, “That was fucking insane.”
Sapnap laughed, his broad shoulders shaking with the force of it. George snickered as he removed his diamond helmet, dropping down to sit in the grass. His brown hair was plastered against his pale forehead, and his dark glasses sat slightly crooked on his nose.
“Dude, they’re gonna fucking regret messing with us,” Sapnap said with a grin, clapping Dream on the shoulder. “Just you wait--after today, they’re gonna be showing us white flags.”
Dream chuckled a little, managing to catch his breath as he glanced up at Sapnap, his mask still securely attached to his head. The crude clay smiley face beamed back at him.
“I don’t know. They’re stubborn, and British.”
“Yeah, well, they don’t exactly have the high ground, do they?” Sapnap gestured towards L’Manburg, which was sitting on a lower hill below them. The men laughed, but within the crevices of L’Manburg’s walls, the seeds of war were planted.
----------------------------------------------------
Sapnap awoke gradually, the remains of a distant dream slowly slipping from his mind as he stirred back to consciousness. He shifted beneath the crimson sheets of his bed, letting out a yawn against his own will as he felt sunlight against his eyelids.
Groggily, Sapnap slung an arm over to the empty spot beside him, pawing around the blankets for the familiar warmth of his fiancé. To his disappointment, though, he found himself alone.
Sapnap huffed slightly, turning back over on his side as he tucked his face back into the blankets. Karl was usually an early riser, and rarely slept in to indulge Sapnap’s need for cuddles. The fireborn knew he was busy, but there was hardly ever a moment where his lover wasn’t shuffling around in his bookshelves or going on oddly spontaneous trips for hours at a time. Sapnap had attempted previously to ask Karl about these trips, but it was usually futile to get anything out of him as to where he’d been.
Just earlier that week, Sapnap had attempted to question his fiancé after he’d returned from one of these spur-of-the-moment adventures, but Karl had simply dismissed him, saying that he’d just wanted a few hours to himself. Sapnap would always be close to protesting, but all Karl had to do was give him an apologetic kiss on the cheek, and the fireborn would become putty in his hands.
Speaking of kisses, Sapnap was beginning to really want one right about now. He blinked his eyes open, no longer able to hide from the sunlight pouring in through their shared bedroom window. He figured that he’d get up, find Karl, get his fair share of morning kisses, and then perhaps they’d do more renovations on their kingdom.
As Sapnap lifted himself from his bed, he stretched his back leisurely, sighing in satisfaction at the loud cracks it produced. After he’d managed to crack a few more joints in his body, he stood and departed the bedroom, making his way out to the kitchen.
The mushroom cottage he shared with Karl wasn’t anything particularly fancy; if anything it was quite small and modest. However, Sapnap liked it that way. Karl had said that as long as he had enough space for his books, he didn’t mind how big the place was.
George, the only other resident of Kinoko Kingdom, had a slightly bigger house, a little ways away from their own. Karl had cheerily offered George a room in theirs (despite Sapnap’s internal groaning at the prospect), but luckily George seemed to pick up on the fact that he would be a consistent third-wheel to Karl and Sapnap, and opted out of the offer.
Sapnap distractedly wandered about their small kitchen, rummaging in chests and barrels for any ideas on what to make him and Karl for breakfast. Karl typically ate like a bird, so Sapnap resorted to making him something small, a few baked potatoes. For himself, he began to cook up some porkchop and mushroom soup.
Over the sound of the porkchop roasting in the furnace, Sapnap perked up at the sound of creaking floorboards behind him. A smile spread across his face, and he waited for Karl’s arms to wind their way around his waist, as they usually did in the mornings. However, he was instead met with George’s voice behind him.
“Hey, Sapnap.”
Sapnap turned abruptly, disappointment settling in his chest at the sight of George in place of his lover. George was idly munching on some cooked chicken, expression neutral behind his darkened glasses. Sapnap sighed slightly, turning back to the furnace.
“Hey, George. Have you seen Karl?”
“Not since yesterday.”
Sapnap gazed out of their small kitchen window, watching the clouds pass over a pale blue sky. His eyes furrowed into an involuntary frown.
“Why is he always running off?” Sapnap said aloud, moreso to himself than George. George shrugged behind him, grabbing one of the cooked potatoes off Karl’s abandoned plate and bringing it to his mouth.
“He’s Karl. He’s just weird like that.”
Sapnap turned to face his friend, jaw tight. “He’s not weird .”
George didn’t answer for a moment, simply taking in Sapnap’s expression before he finally spoke.
“Have you tried asking him about it?”
“He never gives me a straight answer.” Sapnap leaned against the wooden countertop, lips pursed. “It’s like he doesn’t even remember where he’s been half the time.”
George nodded, but Sapnap could tell he didn’t really care. Sapnap huffed, finally retrieving his pork from the furnace and placing it beside his soup.
“Whatever. He’ll turn up; I just have to look for him.”
George grabbed another potato before he departed, giving a half-hearted wave as a goodbye. Sapnap watched him go, wondering why he even came in the first place.
Finishing off the last of his pork, Sapnap haphazardly threw together a sack of travel items for his journey across the server and rose to his feet, grabbing his netherite helmet and boots on the way out.
The mushroom soup was left untouched.
----------------------------------------------------
Sapnap cringed as he gingerly stepped over a crimson vine, knowing he was now entering the heart of the SMP.
The center of the server had become completely overrun with the damn things, and no matter how much anyone tried to keep them at bay, they seemed to always grow back twice as strong.
He strode down the prime path, narrowly avoiding tripping over another tangled red root. As Sapnap walked, he was sure to keep a careful eye out for Karl, but felt somewhat discouraged, as he had anticipated finding him much sooner.
The fireborn almost didn’t pick up on the sight of his second fiancé, a distance away from him near the Big Innit Hotel. His lips curled into a grin, and he was careful to keep his footsteps as quiet as possible as he snuck up behind the other man.
“Oh, Quackity,” Sapnap crooned.
Quackity was briefly startled, whipping around as his hand inched towards his axe. However, once he took in the sight of his lover, he seemed to force himself to relax a fraction. A small smile flickered onto his face, and he lowered his hand from his axe sheepishly.
“Hi, Sapnap.”
Sapnap chuckled a little, mentally dismissing the man’s tension as simply an exaggerated response to being snuck up on. He stepped forward and pulled Quackity into an embrace, feeling himself immediately melting into it.
Quackity allowed Sapnap’s arms to snake around him, finding slight comfort in his lover’s embrace as he reluctantly hugged him back.
After the hug lasted a few beats too long, Quackity seemed to pick up on his fiancé’s extra clinginess and pulled back slightly, a bit of concern in his eyes.
“You good, Sapnap?”
Sapnap smiled tiredly, tucking a stray piece of Quackity’s dark hair beneath the frayed edge of his beanie.
“I’m fine. I just...I woke up alone this morning. I’m looking for Karl.”
Quackity’s brow furrowed, his hands tensing on Sapnap’s shoulders.
“Did you guys have a fight?”
Sapnap shook his head, pulling Quackity back against his chest.
“No, nothing like that. Karl just runs off on his own a lot.”
Quackity tightened his lips, his shoulders wrought with tension, but he allowed Sapnap to continue holding him. The fireborn barely noticed as he began to zone off, familiar worries about his stubborn fiancé resurfacing in his mind. Quackity served to pull him out of his thoughts, however.
“Well, I’ve just been busy doing business, you know how it is,” Quackity said, brushing off his suit as he finally stepped back from the embrace. Sapnap’s eyes flickered down to his lover’s chest, finally noting the new outfit he adorned. It was a white undershirt, complete with a red tie and brown suspenders attached to brown slacks.
“Yeah?” Sapnap raised an eyebrow, a playful smile on his face. “What kind of business?”
A shutter seemed to fall behind Quackity’s eyes at the question. His smile wavered for a moment, but within seconds, it was maintained.
“Oh, it’s not a big deal, really. Just--boring business stuff.” Quackity eyed Sapnap carefully as he spoke next.
“I was kind of considering visiting Dream.”
Sapnap stilled, his heart stuttering at the mention of his former best friend. He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he looked away. Familiar pain and feelings of abandonment bubbled to the surface of his psyche, and he struggled to keep them at bay. Not right now.
“That’d be nice,” he found himself saying blankly.
The two of them were silent for a moment, and the air between them suddenly grew thick with something unresolved, and tense. Sapnap noted the way Quackity had suddenly begun fiddling with his suit sleeves. He stepped closer to him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.
“You know...shit’s been hard. If you’re stressed with work, or just need to unwind, you can stay with us. There’s plenty of room over in our Kingdom for you to stay...if you want.”
Quackity’s eyes flitted across Sapnap’s face, and for a second, he almost appeared to be considering it. However, the shutter came down again, quicker this time.
“I’m good,” he mumbled. Quackity took a larger step back from Sapnap, allowing the man’s calloused hand to slip off his shoulder.
Sapnap felt a protest rising on his tongue, but when he saw Quackity’s expression--when he saw the way it had become guarded, and closed off--he allowed himself to back down.
“Okay,” Sapnap said softly.
Quackity tugged at his collar, avoiding Sapnap’s eyes as he pretended to check the time on the non-existent watch on his wrist.
“Oh, I should--probably get going. You know. Stuff to do.”
Sapnap nodded mutely, feeling more dejected than he had any right to. If Quackity noticed this, he didn’t comment on it.
“I love you,” Sapnap offered, his voice lilting upwards in what almost resembled a plea. A small, almost sad smile flickered across Quackity’s face in response, but he didn’t return the sentiment.
“See you, Sapnap,” Quackity said softly, stepping backwards from his fiancé.
Sapnap watched him go, feeling something ugly and cold festering within him. Old fears, old nightmares, began to unfold in his mind as he stood in utter solitude.
From a distance, a certain nether demon observed him, eyes empty and unchanged.
----------------------------------------------------
A small fireborn child shook slightly beneath the cloak of night’s darkness, arms curled into a self-hug as a feeble attempt to comfort himself. Sapnap had attempted to quell his soft cries, not wanting to risk waking his adoptive father and brother.
However, BadBoyHalo was never one to be inattentive to his loved ones, and so he was quickly able to pick up on Sapnap’s quiet sniffles, even across their small campsite.
“Sappy?”
Sapnap tensed up, his quiet hiccups ceasing immediately as a familiar, comforting voice broke the silence. He tucked his head deeper into his knees, not wanting to look at his father out of embarrassment, and shame.
“Sapnap, are you alright?”
Sapnap felt a clawed hand begin to card through his untamed hair, and he felt himself softening his defenses, almost against his own will. He reluctantly leaned into the touch, still keeping his eyes closed tight as he raised his head slightly from his knees.
Sapnap heard a startled inhale of concern from above him, knowing that his father had most likely seen the tear tracks on his cheeks. Before he knew it, he’d been swept into the nether demon’s arms.
“Oh, Sapnap,” Bad murmured above him, his tone soft and painfully gentle as he held his son against his chest, tiny in comparison to himself. Sapnap opened his eyes, his lower lip wobbling as he allowed himself to curl up into his father’s embrace. He remained silent, and simply continued to cry quietly into Bad’s chest.
From across their small campsite, Sapnap could hear George snoring soundly, blissfully unaware of anything outside of his own dreams. It made Sapnap feel even more isolated.
Suddenly, Sapnap felt Bad’s wings unfurl and drape protectively around them both, and a wave of unconditional love seemed to pass over him. He clung to his father like a baby monkey, not wanting to risk parting from the warmth and comfort he provided. Bad allowed him to, simply stroking his hair as the night crickets chirped around them in the marsh.
Eventually, Sapnap lifted his head slightly from Bad’s chest, gazing up at him with still-teary eyes. Bad smiled sadly down at him, wiping a tear aside with the dull edge of one of his claws.
“What’s wrong, pandas? Was it another nightmare?”
Sapnap lowered his eyes, feeling foolish as he nodded. Bad hummed sympathetically above him, no judgement in his tone. Sapnap almost felt foolish for feeling foolish.
“What happened?” Bad asked.
Sapnap hid his face again, shaking slightly as he recalled the horrific visions from his slumber. He allowed the rhythmic caresses from Bad’s claws to calm him, finally able to articulate his thoughts.
“It was like last time,” mumbled Sapnap, fingers flexing and unflexing into the fabric of Bad’s hood. “I was alone, and...scared. George was gone. And you weren’t there. You…”
Sapnap took a shaky breath.
“You left me.”
Bad’s eyes furrowed, his features distraught. “Sappy…”
“I-I felt like you all hated me,” Sapnap hiccuped, gripping his father tighter. “I--I was alone, and I couldn’t--I couldn’t find you, and--”
“Shhhh, Sapnap,” Bad said quietly, bringing Sapnap closer to his chest again as his shuddering sobs resumed, “Breathe. It’s alright.”
It took a few moments for Sapnap to calm down again, Bad continuing to pet his hair and whisper soothing words to him. Eventually, however, the subtle smoke trails rising from Sapnap’s hair seemed to dissipate, and the child once again untensed in Bad’s arms, his tears receding.
“Sapnap,” Bad finally said, using a single claw to gently tilt his foster son’s head up to face him. “Do you remember what I always tell you, after you have a nightmare like this one?”
Sapnap’s nose crinkled in thought for a moment, before his eyes lit up.
“Yeah! Um...something about me never being alone?”
Bad chuckled slightly, adjusting their position so that Sapnap was sitting on his knee rather than curled into his chest. He looked down at his child, this child of fire and brimstone and smoke, and he felt his heart stutter in just how much he loved him.
“I always tell you,” Bad began softly, “that you will never be alone. Nobody is ever going to leave you again, not while I’m here to protect you. You, and your brother.”
George shifted in his sleep, letting out a particularly unflattering snore, and Bad and Sapnap both giggled.
Sapnap looked up at his father, the last of his laughter receding, and a smile replaced the formerly distraught expression on his face.
“Do you promise?”
Bad smiled wider, before pulling Sapnap tight against him in a hug.
“I promise.”