𝙇𝙀𝙈𝙊𝙉 𝘿𝙊𝙑𝙀 | karlnapity

Chapter Two

When Karl comes to, the first thing that strikes him is the smell.

There's a sharp stink of something in the air, and Karl doesn't identify it until he breathes in through his mouth. Oh, tobacco. Karl would be able to identify the taste of a cigarette if it were trapped in a tightly sealed prison. The brunette wrinkles his nose when he has a fleeting thought of how badly his lungs must be damaged from all the second-hand smoke he probably experienced because of Quackity. And because of Sapnap, he supposes, who always used to light his friend's cigarette with a wink and an attractive smirk.

Karl is certain he didn't remember that a few seconds ago. He almost wants to strain his mind to try and remember when on earth Sapnap lit Quackity's cigarette, but then he tells himself that thinking about Quackity too long might give him a brain tumor or something. It's just the type of resentful thing Quackity would do.

He feels the cold next, and he shivers. And then he feels the sharp pain of something digging into his spine. So finally, he opens his eyes. For some reason, he had expected it to be bright. Like he had expected someone to be shining a lamp into his eyes, ready for an interrogation.

Instead, it's muggy. And it takes a few blinks before Karl realizes he's in the middle of a very large bin. There's a material familiar almost framing his body—he's half sure it's called cardboard—and when he sits up in a slight daze he realizes the thing poking into his back was a pair of broken, white sunglasses.

Karl takes his surroundings in with furrowed brows, before realizing he doesn't really wish to be in this large bin anymore.

Through a lot of trial and error, getting his feet stuck in a pile of cans and core muscle strength he definitely doesn't have, Karl manages to flip his way out of the bin and land awkwardly on the concrete beneath.

He lets out a quiet groan as he lands on his elbow, but ultimately makes the decision he isn't going to spend his time in this alleyway crying over his funny bone of all the bones. He maneuvers until he's on his feet, and then immediately gasps when he finally takes in the rest of his surroundings.

It's night, but there's the brightest lights Karl has ever seen outside the alley he resides in. They hang from tall metal poles that cut through the dark. The two buildings next to him—probably once brick, but so covered in painted letters you wouldn't be able to tell—are tall, taller than Lmanberg's were anyway, and the few windows above him are boarded up.

However, going into the floor there's a different kind of windows, with metal bars in front of them instead of planks and neon purple light peeking through the translucent glass. He notices that the one nearest to him is slightly longer than the others, and scrutinizes it especially.

As Karl does more and more of these time traveling adventures, he has begun to notice that it is all very.. easy—for lack of a better word. He himself doesn't actually have to do much, he merely has to be present, crack a joke or two, look more into things others don't, etcetera etcetera.

Though nothing in life is ever easy, he supposes, as he remembers only a few nights ago—or, it was a few nights ago for him—where his fiance had gaped at the sight of him coming home like his presence in his own house was astonishing.

So when he sees a slightly longer window he understands that it is a hint: a clue as to where he goes in this bizarre new world.

Sure enough, one of the bricks near the window slides to the side with a loud "clack", making Karl jump and almost trip over himself. He straightens himself again, before leaning forward to squint as the kohl-lined eye peered up at him.

He recognises that pretty hazel colour..

"Password!" A voice demands through the wall.

He recognises that pretty voice..

Karl sits down on his knees fully as he finally realizes who it is. On the other side of this.. door-wall, is a Sapnap doppelganger.

Therefore, this should be easy: all of Sapnap's doppelgangers tend to be a bit of a huge simp for a certain time-traveling brunette.

"Oh I uh.." Karl giggles, letting his colourful jumper fall over his wrist until he has a sweater-paw, and then raising it to cover his face as he laughs. "I don't know it.. sorry!"

Sapnap-lookalike's eyes visibly soften. "I'm uh.." He clears his throat, voice more tender than before. "I'm not supposed to let you in if you don't know it."

Karl leans forward until his face is only a few inches from what he can now tell is actually a metal slider well-painted to look like a brick in dim lighting. "Really?" He pouts, "I was so hoping to get in..!"

The other looks conflicted. "Well.. I'm really not supposed to-"

Karl moves a slight bit more, and when he speaks he sounds completely sincere. "I promise to make it worth your while.."

874 words.