𝙇𝙀𝙈𝙊𝙉 𝘿𝙊𝙑𝙀 | karlnapity

Chapter Ten.

After its made clear that Sapnap isn't going to protest, Karl turns from their eye contact to stare at his shoes, clearly contemplating something in his head.

Sapnap decides to speak before he can think about it for too long, saying the only thing he can think of at that moment. "Please don't make me choose."

He only realizes he's trembling around Quackity when the noirette raises his arm to surround Sapnap's waist, squeezing him comfortingly. He hopes it's an apology for putting him in this position.

"I-" Karl looks forlorn at the scene in front of him, and he pulls the same thinking face Sapnap used to awe and kiss in adoration. "I didn't come here to accuse you of anything." He says delicately. "I only want... I have good intentions."

Quackity doesn't scoff at that like Sapnap expected him to, but he can feel how he shuffles in his grasp. Karl takes a deep breath, "I remember everything."

The shuffling stops.

"I remember being your fiance, and I remember the fight, and how.." His voice cracks.

"Stop." Quackity's voice is quiet. Karl continues.

"I remember sneaking into your window. I remember the proposal. I remember Mexican Lmanberg and El Rapids. I remember my death. I remember the rings. I remember your wings and how-"

"I said stop." This voice leaves no room for doubt.

"I love you." Karl says, finally stopping.

Quackity clenches his jaw, but steadies himself with a painful hand on Sapnap's arm and stands taller. "I am never going to forgive you." He says it in a tone that implies he's rehearsed it, like he was sitting in front of the mirror repeating the words. Like he knew that if he didn't, he would never be able to say them without the practice.

Karl blinks, watching him carefully. "Well then, good thing I'm not apologizing."

Quackity startles. "What?"

"I regret what I did. It was shitty and I wish I could take it back, but at that moment I believed everything I was saying. I was... angry, and hurt. But I think I would be betraying that side of me if I said sorry."

Sapnap stares at Karl, eyebrows furrowed. Everything he's saying makes sense, but that doesn't make it any less of a jerk move. The little hope he had for the brunette is slowly dwindling, and he pulls Quackity closer as he swallows the lump in his throat.

"What the fuck." Quackity's voice gets louder, and he flexes his fingers in his palm. "What the actual fuck?! Karl you're such a fucking asshole, you know that? You..." He seems to be about as lost for words as Sapnap is.

"You broke my heart." He spits eventually. "Hell, you broke his heart!" He gestures his head towards Sapnap. "Purposeful or not that's a shitty thing to do Karl, and you can't just expect to walk in-"

"I'm sorry." Quackity pauses at the eldest words, but they aren't aimed at him. Karl is apologising to Sapnap. "I never wanted you to get hurt. I'm sorry you got involved."

Sapnap can feel how his heart clenches at the pure audacity. He wants to envelope him in a hug so deadly that he chokes out the most sincere, sentimental apology known to mankind to Quackity. Because Prime knows he deserves it. He wants to show Karl the fancy bathtub and bed—because he knows how much he would love them—and he wants to brag about Quackity's cooking until his throat dies completely. Because Karl remembers. He finally knows how amazing and perfect Quackity is, how well he fits into their duo.

But he's still being an asshole.

Sapnap hates how calm Karl is being about this, how reactive Quackity is. He desperately wants this to be over. He wants to grab and shake them until all the awful mishaps are floating away from them in a gentle breeze: dangerously beautiful. But that's what he did with Dream, so instead he keeps quiet and hopes they'll be able to fix it among themselves. Maybe if he stays silent in the hole, he won't accidentally dig down trying to get back up.

"I hate you." Quackity's incredulous expression is gone, and with the way he stared at Karl one would think he had taken his heart right out of his chest and crushed it in his fist. Though metaphorically, Sapnap supposes Karl did with both of their hearts.

Karl doesn't pay attention to Quackity's harsh words, "do you forgive me, Sapnap?"

Quackity scoffs and throws his hands up in annoyed disbelief. Were Sapnap a better man he has no doubt he would be doing the same.

"What?" His voice comes out hoarse, but he's too overwhelmed to clear his throat.

"Do you forgive me?" Karl repeats.

Sapnap grits his teeth as his eyes dart between both his and Quackity's expectant expressions. "I think Quackity deserves an apology."

The noirette looks thankful for that, relaxing in Sapnap's grasp as much as one could in this situation, and turns to Karl with an anticipating look.

Karl watches Sapnap intently, not turning to Quackity. "Say you forgive me." His voice shakes for the first time in the interaction.

Sapnap exhales with a quiet laugh. "Karl, you-"

"Sapnap, I remembered everything like.. Half an hour ago? And my entire life feels like a lie. I mean.. Quackity meant almost everything to me, and I.. I forgot him, Sap. I can't trust my own mind, and if I can't trust that, what can I trust?" He takes a deep, shaky breath. "I know i've lost Quackity, I understand how badly I've fucked up, how he'll never be able to forgive me. But God.. I can't lose you too. Because if I don't have Q, and I don't have you, and I am only barely holding on to myself.. I have nothing."

When Karl stops his soliloquy, he retreats back into his own mind with a sniff, and the room goes silent. Sapnap can't look away from Karl's face, his mind whirring too quickly to keep up. He sighs softly. "Apologise to Quackity, Karl."

It hurts to say of course, it causes an ache in his heart that snakes through his organs and tugs on his lungs. But he refuses to be abandoned a third time around, and besides, Quackity needs Sapnap just as much as Sapnap needs Quackity. And this way, maybe everyone wins.

Karl's face falls. And it's like he's finally realized that there's no easy win to whatever game they're playing. He can't bat his eyelashes and twirl his hair anymore.

"No, I-"

"If you love him." Sapnap can't stop the shake in his words, and he can feel the astounded look Quackity is pinning the side of his face with. "If you love me. You'll do this. Prove to me that you..." He doesn't finish his sentence.

Karl stays silent.

1132 words.

the cliffhangers are real