Quick steps on ashy ground, hidden away from the rest of the world.

That was what Karl was used to when he would meet the man he loved most in his life, but today the odds begged to differ.

Tonight there was the grand ball.

A ceremony in which Sapnap of Halo, prince of the Nether, would find his flame amongst the daughters of all known kingdoms as they gathered from far and wide.

He sat on the steps outside of the palace, awaiting one last hidden meeting with this man that had turned his world upside down and had taken his heart hostage with his love. One last time, before he would find his way into duty and Karl would never meet his eye again.

A tear ran down his cheek, as his heart cracked and broke into more and more pieces as the time went by, until it was fully shattered, laying to feet on the dirty ground.

He remembered the gentle kisses and empty promises of eternal love, the strong arms wrapping around him to protect and show love, the passion in their sin and the admiration in their gazes.

And then he remembered the last time he saw Sapnap, the prince, the future king.

Remembered how their had cried for their love and how Sapnap had apologized for making all those promises, he knew he couldn't keep.

He cried by himself this time with no shoulder to lean on, with no one to share his desperate need for fairness in this world.

When suddenly someone stood in front of him. He looked up, weakly and with his next sob he met the eyes of his loved.

The prince bowed and held him a hand.

He was trembling and so was Karl when he took the hand, almost as if he expected it to be a mere illusion.

Btw the hand was real, warm and firmly hold holding his. "Do you trust me?", Sapnap asked and Karl looked at him and nodded.

"With my life" "Then, please. Follow me"

He lead Karl up the steps of the palace, through the grand entrance and fear boiled under Karls skin. He held Sapnaps hand tighter. "Are they going to kill me?", he asked, voice shaking and breathless and Sapnap stopped dead in his tracks.

And in these golden and red halls of elegance and royalty, a place Karl knew he didn't belong, Sapnap looked at him with tears in his eyes and said: "No, I promise, I will keep you safe. You're always safe with me" "Okay", Karl said, similarly tense and then Sapnap kissed his temple.

"I love you. I, truly and forever, love you.", he declared and Karl sobbed, quickly wiping away the tears and composing himself.

"I love you too, so much there are no world to describe and no star big enough to show the greatness of my love."

Sapnap held him his arm and Karl held onto it, as they proceeded into the ballroom.

The doors swung open, the orchestra played a great entrance tune and on top of the stairs, for everyone to see and hear Sapnap loudly and despite fear, proudly declared: "I greatly appreciate the effort of traveling to our kingdom, but your efforts were in vain. I already possess the love that makes me the greatest and happiest I've ever been in my life. I possess what you have tried to make me find already and that in such purity and sincerity, I can not describe it. I already found the man that made my head spin, that made my heart race and that made me whole"

Karl looked at him in shock, lips slightly parted with surprise as all the guests gasped in unison.

"And as I already found this perfect, magnificent fire that makes me burn in the outmost marvelous way, I do not please to search much longer.", he turned to Karl and reached into his pocket. At the same time he took off his crown and let it drop to the ground, tumbling down the stairs, followed by his sash that neatly kept all his medallions.

"What are you doing?", Karl asked quietly, heart beating so loud he could barely hear his own words as he spoke.

"I stand by you and by our love, that I will never be willing to give up, no matter how afraid I might be", he went down on one knee and held up a delicate, golden ring with two orange and a purple stone embedded in it and louder for everyone to hear he continued, "Karl Jacobs, will you do me the honour and marry me?"

Karls legs gave out, falling onto the ground in front of Sapnap, sobbing in relief and surprise. He nodded. "Yes, I want to marry you.", he cried, letting himself be pulled into the strong arms that had always made him feel safe, "A million times yes, I do"

Sapnap gently caressed his cheeks with his hands, wiping away the tears and then he whispered: "You will never have to fear about being alone as long as I breath, you will never have to fear about the sincerity of my love as long as my heart beats and you will never have to fear about being helpless as long as blood runs through my veins. I promise."

With those words he pushed the ring onto Karls finger and kissed his hand.

"I love you", Karl whispered and as he kissed him a slow applause erupted, more and more people joining in, until the entire ballroom drowned the room in applause and cheers. Suddenly someone way mightier then all of them joined as well. The king.

Sapnaps father.

But Sapnap didn't budge, didn't turn to look.

He only had eyes for Karl, his love, his heart.

"A commoner? Are you sure, son?", King Halo asked and Sapnap nodded, smiled helplessly. "He's the most wonderful person I've ever met, so true and sincere and gorgeous from the inside and out. I want to marry him and only him and I would chose like this in every lifetime.", he said without lifting his gaze off of Karl, yet so loud and firm that there was no doubt in his voice.

"And he is your flame?" "Yes, father. He is and now stop these questions. I will marry him with or without your blessings. As a royal or a commoner. He is my equal and I am his and I am willing to sacrifice the throne for him and everything that comes along with it." "Then so be it. You will marry.", the king said and raised his hand to make Sapnaps crown float, magic parting it into two and shaping it into two exactly equally crafted crowns. Surrounded by a red light they slowly landed on their heads.

"You have my blessing and you will marry as royals. Welcome in the family, Karl."

Karl looked over, felt like blacking out and helplessly held onto Sapnap to keep him grounded as he tried to choke out words, yet miserably failing.

Sapnap bowed to the guests and his father, before carefully picking up Karl and carrying him out and away from this overwhelming new world, into his chambers.

"Are you feeling okay? My darling?", Sapnap asked and Karl didn't know.

He opened his mouth, closed it again and then he just silently hugged Sapnap.

"I'm so incredibly sorry to have overwhelmed you like this, darling", Sapnap apologized, kissing his head, "But I couldn't just stay silent and marry someone I don't love and leave you behind. My heart is all yours, forever and in every lifetime and I'm so happy that you want to marry me"

Karl sat on his lap and for a long while he just held Sapnaps face in his hands and looked him in the eyes.

It felt intimate and Karl loved the feeling of being with him, being this deeply connected.

"I'm so speechless and so grateful and so in love with you, I-", he stopped to find more words, but his mind didn't yet let him say everything that raced through his thoughts, as it was all still too fast, to clouded to grasp a single thing from this mountain of thoughts. He sighed and smiled. "You never fail to make me speechless. I- I will try to find the right words, when... when I can, just know I love you. I love you with all of my heart and soul and I'm proud to be yours and I'm proud that you're mine. I love you.", he whispered and Sapnap teared up with a smile on his lips, before he kissed him.

Slow and passionate and full of admiration.

Sapnap leaned his forehead against Karls and whispered: "I love you too, so deeply I never want to let you go again and care for you every day of my life, devoting my existence to your happiness. Karl Jacobs, you're perfect."