𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘵 || 𝐤𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐧𝐚𝐩

˜"*°•.˜"*°• 𝕤𝕒𝕡𝕟𝕒𝕡 •°*"˜.•°*"˜

      »❝daywalker!❞ —machine gun kelly, corpse 

Sapnap walked up the familiar driveway, opening the front door to his own house as he did every day after school. He was used to the routine, waking up, going to school, then coming back home to his personal shithole.

Except something was different today. When Sapnap entered the home, his older brother Dream was leaning against the wall with a big smirk on his face. Sapnap wanted to punch the grin off of his lips, but he couldn't. Dream could easily outpower him in a fight.

"Daddy's pissed at you," Dream said in a taunting tone. He was always so smug when he talked to Sapnap. It made him sick.

Sapnap kicked off his shoes. "Fuck off," He grumbled.

Dream just smirked and walked away.

On Sapnap's way up to his room, he knew he had to go through the living room, where his dad was most likely watching TV. If what Dream said was true, then Sapnap knew that the journey wasn't going to be pleasant.

Sapnap closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He then turned to enter the living room.

The scene was the same as always. Sapnap's father splayed out on the living room chair, a beer bottle in his hand as last week's football game replayed on the small TV screen. It was a sad sight. An unemployed father just basking in their family's debt.

Sapnap almost thought he was going to get away unnoticed as he crept behind his father's chair. The stairs were right ahead of him, if he could just-

"You still didn't get rid of the cat."

His father's tone was uncaring and made Sapnap halt in his steps. He knew that tone. He hated that tone.

"I don't have the cat," Sapnap replied coolly, trying to keep his voice steady. It seemed to be working so far. There was no way his father could possibly know. He usually never even cared to leave his chair.

His dad simply frowned. "Dream saw it in your room."

Sapnap winced at his words. "Fuck," He cursed under his breath.

Sapnap barely had time to compensate when a beer bottle hurled through the air in his direction. Barely ducking in time, the bottle shattered against the wall behind him.

"You fucking liar!" His dad shouted in pure anger as he stood up from the chair for the first time in weeks. "I should've known, you're fucking worthless to me," He spat.

Sapnap scrunched up his face as his father approached him. He stenched of alcohol. He wondered when the last time he showered was. "At least I actually give a shit," Sapnap snapped back.

"You fucking brat," His dad snarled. He suddenly launched forward, wrapping his hands around Sapnap's neck and pinning him against the wall.

Sapnap gripped at his father's grasp, kicking out and letting out a strangled noise as he struggled to breathe. His father was bigger and stronger than him in every physical way, he knew he didn't stand a chance.

Sometimes Sapnap wondered if his dad would end up killing him.

"You're fucking unlovable, you know that?" His father growled in his ear as his grip tightened. "Your mother never loved you, your brother never loved you, it's impossible."

Sapnap wanted to fight back. He wanted to spit venom in his father's ear and scream about how he's abandoned his own family for years. He wanted to thrash and claw and make his dad feel the amount of pain that he's endured due to his selfish ways. But he couldn't. His father's grip on his neck was too strong and all he could let out was a choked noise. 

Ringing began to pierce Sapnap's ears, but he could still hear enough to distinguish knocking at their front door. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Dream going to answer that.

"If not for you, I could be watching the game and having my fifth beer," His dad snapped.

Dream came back from the entryway. "Sapnap, there's a boy at the door that's here for you."

Their father narrowed his eyes before he let go of Sapnap's neck, causing him to fall onto the ground and wheeze for air. He coughed and coughed, choking up whatever saliva had clogged his throat from his father's abuse. He rubbed his neck and looked up at his dad, who just stared down at him in disappointment.

"You're just a waste of my energy," His dad muttered before heading back to his chair. "The cat better be gone by tomorrow."

Sapnap got to live another day.

Using the wall for support, Sapnap dragged himself from the floor and pushed himself towards the door. He rubbed his throat with a wince as he swung it open, revealing Karl's familiar face.

"Hey Sapnap," Karl greeted with a smile.

Sapnap scrunched up his face. "What do you want?" He asked tiredly.

Karl flashed him a grin. "I was invited to a party this Friday and I was wondering if you wanted to come with," He offered. "You're the first friend I made, after all."

Sapnap really couldn't deal with this right now. "I'm not going to a fucking party," He spat.

Karl flinched at the aggressive tone.

Sapnap sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sorry, I'm.. I'm not a party person, Karl. I wouldn't have fun," He repeated quietly.

Rubbing his arm, Karl shrugged. "It's okay," He assured Sapnap. "I can just go. If you change your mind though, it's at Ranboo's place."

Sapnap nodded and made a shoo gesture. "Alright, alright. Now go," He muttered.

Karl swallowed and left the doorway, allowing Sapnap to close the door and slump against the wall. Sapnap brought his elbow up to his mouth and coughed a couple of times, his throat still feeling awfully sore and used.

Sapnap passed through the living room once more, making his way up into his room and towards his dresser. Pulling out the bottom drawer, a small kitten sat comfortably within a bunch of soft clothing. "Hey Mars," Sapnap cooed at the animal, lifting it up into his arms. "It's time to let you go."

The kitten let out a small meow and burrowed itself in Sapnap's grasp. Sapnap couldn't help but smile a little at the cute action. He carried the cat all the way back through the house and out the front door, eventually setting it down in the grass.

With a deep breath, Sapnap stood up and began to head back inside.

A small distressed meow made Sapnap stop in his tracks. He turned back around and saw the cat giving him the cute kitten eyes.

Sapnap's heart swelled and he suddenly realized that he couldn't just let this cat go. It'll die. So, without thinking, he swiftly lifted the kitten back up into his arms and headed for the hoarded garage.

Knowing that nobody ever came into the garage anymore, due to his mom's excessive hoarding, he made a small space in the back corner just for the kitten to lay. He placed Mars down into a bunch of blankets stuffed in a box, giving the kitten a few pets before lightly setting the box cover on top.

Sapnap made sure to keep it loose and comfortable for the kitten before he left the garage. It felt nice to have something depend on him. It made him feel important.

And he would protect that cat with his life if he had to.