Stealth. (FtM Karl)

Clip

"Dude, how are you not boiling alive right now?" George whines, gesturing to Karl in one of his more lightly-coloured sweaters.

"Not sure." He answered in short, a programmed response which he used to use in his old home, the memories associated with the response making him internally cringe as he remembered his previous living situation.

"Bro, I'm literally going to melt and I'm wearing short sleeves!" He complained, faking a son like whine to exaggerate the annoyance he felt towards the weather.

"Sucks to be you." Karl teased.

"Woah. The betraya- shit." The shorter brunette covered his mouth in shock, looking in the exact same direction as Karl.
Neither had announced that they had both spotted Sapnap and Dream in the distance, but both had witnessed the accident that took place right in the centre of the collage outdoors area.

They weren't close enough to hear the snapping of the mask that hit the floor, nor could they even see it that well, but it was definitely implied and confirmed by the many whispers and comments that immediately erupted around them.

Dreams face.
Revealed to any college student present in the area at the time.
All of them interested, knowing Dream for being perceived as a popular student.
The mask sadly lay on the floor, snapped three possibly four pieces after coming into contact with the gravel floor.

Karl looked away, partially out of politeness but mostly out of habit. It honestly felt illegal for him to see Dreams face when he was so used to the mask he wore to cover it all.

George, no matter how much he adored the boys face, stared only due to the shock, fear and sympathy that overflowed within him.

Eyes.
Eyes were everywhere.
All with different reactions.

It felt so much longer than it actually was. But Dream immediately reacted to the lack of facial coverage and pulled his hood up over his head. He was so glad he wore a hoodie today.
He pulled the strings so tight he felt his fingers sting, probably leaving future white and pink dents in his fingers.

Before Sapnap could even react, Dream had ran.
He ran home.
His peers had seen his face, he could only imagine the rumours that would spread.
But he didn't want to. His fight, flight or freeze had kicked in and he wasn't about to freeze up in a situation like that.

He exited the college.
He ran straight to the place he felt most safe, and that was always going to be home.
Home.
Nobody would be home.
Alone, secluded, peaceful.

He kept a tight grip on his hoodie strings, leaving enough room for at least one eye to be able to see out of the hole in the hood.

That was his last mask.
The original.
The last one that broke was a replica, created with nicer materials, Bad had gotten it for him.
The one that just broke? That was the original, he didn't even have enough time to pick up the pieces he was in such a hurry to escape. Perhaps he could've repaired it?
Maybe. But he knew smaller lost fragments would leave a more prominent crack down his mask.

He fumbled for his keys frantically before finally managing to open the door and slip inside the house. The empty, unoccupied home.

Now that the cost was clear, his body took it upon itself to finally release the built up fear and stress; emotions he had been raised to think of as weakness, emotions he never dared reveal to another human being.

That is, anyone except Sapnap and George.

Growing up with Sapnap, it was harder to hide. But with George? He just never felt the need to hide from him.

The teens limbs started to shake, and tears started to well up in his eyes. He couldn't will them to stop, to go away; he still decided to try and ignore it though.
He walked up the stairs and locked himself in the bathroom.