youth ❀ karlnap

how would she find out?

hi there, i don't have much to update except that "angelfire" is now out and available to read! it's dnf and snf and, yes, although i have a whole plot line planned for that one, i think the inspiration for this one comes above all my other fics! it fluctuates though, so honestly if i were you i'd add angelfire to your library too because it's gonna be a banger someday!

anyways here's 4,000+ words :]

cw: mild transphobia/homophobia mentions, food and eating

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This house was crazy.

While Karl would usually run into his room and slam the door behind him to keep himself isolated, this house felt completely open. There wasn't even a bad energy in the air, even as Wilbur's parents lingered in the kitchen and his brother ran around with his friend in the living room among the others. Karl would just watch the two, amused, as they made laser noises and tackled each other in the middle of the floor. Sometimes the family dog would pass by and try and get in on the fun, and Karl would tense up and cling to Sapnap more. He didn't dislike dogs, per se, but he couldn't help but be a little afraid of them. He didn't interact with them often and they were usually too rowdy for his taste. Being at this house would be fine, but if he ever had the opportunity to have a dog of his own, he believed he would respectfully decline.

He wondered why Wilbur didn't invite them here sooner, because this place was awesome. The boy just looked sheepish in his spot, adjusting his glasses and pursuing his lips. He was still rather quiet, but smiled at whatever was going on around him. Karl could contemplate all he wanted but the only person who knew what was going on in Wilbur's head was Wilbur himself and whomever he decided to share the information with.

He was the most mysterious of the group, so Karl wondered if the rest of them felt the same as he did. He had considered himself an introvert for the longest time before he met these people, and then suddenly he found himself talking into the second dimension like it was his passion. It took a while for him to warm up, obviously, but when he finally did, he felt unstoppable. Socializing wasn't a chore anymore, it was a pleasure. Even if he met someone new the next day he'd think he wouldn't have any trouble striking up a conversation and making an effort to get to know them.

It was sad how repression and isolation could warp the personality of someone otherwise very sociable. Karl believed no one would like him if they knew the most important things about him, and that was fairly true almost all his life up until he started going to public school again. Now there was little standing in his way, and the worst treatment he got from his classmates were weird stares or whispers behind his back. He never let that affect him, though. He was aware that behind every corner, no matter how harmless and accepting it seemed, could hide people who would never make an effort to understand.

He didn't care, as long as he had his friend group supporting his feet as he walked. They managed to make scary situations feel okay, and make it known that mistreatment towards him was never Karl's fault.

He smiled as he watched his friends in action. George was one of those people he wouldn't expect to get hyperactive, but he did. When he first met the guy, he was all tensed up and shut off from everything, embarrassed to admit things, and quiet but calculated. He was the type to be doodling cute things in his notebook and then slam it the moment someone tried to look over his shoulder, but now he was coming out of his shell the more he lingered around the others.

Karl had to admit, though, George was only the craziest when he and Quackity were around. Since Karl and Quackity would sometimes rile each other up with their boundless energy, George often joined in, matching that energy perfectly. The others were more laid-back and kind of just witnessed their antics with playful snickers and raised eyebrows. Karl wouldn't have it any other way, though.