The Swan

Chapter 10 (Karl)

!!!TW!!! PANIC ATTACK PLS BE SAFE!!!

Quackity and Sapnap picked up on Karl's off mood when he came in after babysitting. Before they could say anything though, the taller had gone into the bathroom. The other two shared a worried glance. They decided to wait.

When 10 minutes passed, Karl still hadn't come out of the bathroom. Sapnap and Quackity decided to check on him. The ravenet knocked. No response, just the sound of shuffling. Sapnap was behind him and decided to call out.

"Karl? Can we come in?" the brunet asked softly, but loud enough for it to get through the door. Nothing, just shuffling. Quackity furrowed his eyebrows in worry and opened the bathroom door cautiously.

The sight broke their hearts.

Karl was curled up in front of the toilet, shaking violently. There were muted sniffs and choked back sobs. His hands were balled up in the fabric of the hoodie he was wearing. He looked so broken and vulnerable.

The two boys approached their curled up lover and softly started to comfort him. Quackity had a hand rubbing circles on his back while he placed his other hand on one of the balled fists. Sapnap was massaging his scalp with one hand and resting the other on his knee. They spoke softly and patiently tried to get him to calm down. When they saw his face, they were even more heartbroken. His eyes were red and puffy, his whole face was red, tears rolled down his cheeks, some snot was also leaking from his nostril.

They both enveloped him in a hug. Karl buried his face in their arms and clutched both of their shirts. He shook and cried in their arms as he progressively got himself to calm down by syncing his breathing with both Sapnap and Quackity. He hugged them tighter even when he stopped crying.

Sapnap led Karl to the bed while Quackity fetched two boxes of tissues, a grocery bag to put used tissues in, and an ice pack with a towel around it to help ground Karl better. Sapnap was rubbing circles on his back while Quackity caressed his arm.

Once he'd calmed down, they gave him a few minutes before they started asking any questions.

"Do you wanna talk about it, bubs?" Quackity asked softly. Karl nodded and held up one finger to tell them that he needed a moment. He blew his nose and breathed in and out.

"Whenever you want to, sunshine," Sapnap reassured with a soft smile.

Karl returned it with a weak smile before he started, "My parents want me to come back home."

"Why's that?" Quackity asked in a low voice.

"According to them, I am not living successfully and I should live with them again to learn to get a better job and actually do something with my life," Karl explained.

"But you're doing something you love right? You make good money off of what you do, and you enjoy it. I'd call that success," Sapnap thought aloud.

"Yeah, no. It's not something they want me to do," Karl stated.

"And? They shouldn't control what you can and can't do..." Sapnap trailed off.

"They're my mom and dad. I need to listen to them right? I always have to. Mom and dad want me to come home. I need to come home. Mom and dad want me to get a successful job. I need to get a successful job," Karl's voice croaked as he was on the verge of tears again.

"No, no, sweetheart. You're an independent human. You're an adult and you can make your own decisions. Mom and dad don't get a say in whatever you want to do unless it directly involves them," Quackity explained while running a hand through Karl's hair.

Karl broke down again and started crying. His chest felt so contracted he thought he might stop breathing. It hurts. It always does. Why? Why can't it just stop?