𝙇𝙀𝙈𝙊𝙉 𝘿𝙊𝙑𝙀 | karlnapity

Chapter Sixteen.

• three hundred and thirty seven years in the future •

Despite how much he loves the two eyes boring into him, Karl can't say he's very comfortable under their serious expressions.

His purple nails make soft 'clink' sounds as they tap against the side of the still-full glass in his hold. Hes tempted to tap out a song or fun rhythm or something, but instead he gives into their expectant expressions and takes a deep breath.

"It's quite hard to explain.."

Both of the lookalike's are stood over him as he's sat on the same couch as before. After Karl had snapped out of his awed haze of staring at Quackity's doppleganger, and then promptly realised that Sapnap's was in one too—that awareness had brought a whole new level of understanding about the two characters before him—they had organised themselves to be looking at Karl through expectant eyes, asking who the fuck he was and why they should care.

(Or, at least, that's what Quackity's eyes said.)

"Take your time." Sapnap smiles at Karl reassuringly, looking at him like he's a wild animal that could take off at any moment.

Karl shuffles in his seat in quiet offence. He likes to think he's worth a slightly more refined expression than one used for a stray dog, thank you.

"I have- I've been having some... issues, lately." He begins, unsure of how to phrase the oncoming story without sounding like a psychopath.

Quackity, ever the problem solver, narrows his eyes. "What kind of issues?"

Karl breathes out, almost afraid to admit it. "Memory issues."

After a short, over-dramatic pause, he speaks again. "It got so bad that I forgot someone very important to me." Except he is so much more than that. So much more than "very important". He is everything. Karl hurts.

He makes eye contact with Quackity's lookalike, who's expression screams "and?". The noirette stays silently patient, however.

"He looks like you, like.. Alot. and sounds like you, and I guessing kissing you.." Karl trails off. "Made you remember him." Sapnap's lookalike finishes. Karl nods.

Quackity looks complatative. "Someone important to you." He muses, "a boyfriend?"

Karl shifts awkwardly in his seat. "We were engaged.. Actually." He decides not to mention his other fiance, unsure of the policy on polyamory in this timeline.

He thinks for a second. "Well I suppose.. I suppose we never properly broke off the engagement, because of.."

"You forgot him." Sapnap's lookalike finishes his sentence again, but instead of looking pitiful for Karl like before, he looks to be on the edge of horrified. After a moment he speaks again. "How do you forget your own fiance? And for so long?"

Karl decides lying too much would probably be counter-productive. Creating an entirely new scenario would be entirely futile, and would make the advice they may or may not give be completely useless.

He thinks about what to say. "Me and Q always travelled a lot, usually separately as our different.. Professions required different data. He had been gone for a good while working on a project for the both of us, but when he came home a few months ago... I threw him out and accused him of a thing that we have both put behind us, as it was the only thing i remembered about him." Karl swallows the lump in his throat, the guilt of his previous actions finally coming to him. "I accused him of murdering me."

He looks up to see the two lookalike's sharing a look he can't read, and when they turn back to him the expressions are almost entirely blank.

"Just." Sapnap's lookalike releases a breath of air and rubs his neck, glancing at Quackity one more time. "So we have this clear.. Your fiance left in order to do something for you, meanwhile you forgot him, and when he came back to his own home you threw him out without explanation and accused him of trying to murder you? Only remembering when kissing.. Boss, a whole-ass stranger?"