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Karl Jacobs had been going about his day, his normal routine of writing in his journal, reviewing his personal notes, and cleaning the house up.
He felt it before he saw it. The presence of another Karl, a Karl a few hours and a bad decision away from him, one that could have easily been him if he didn’t heed the words.
The Karls that came two in a row had taught him that.
He set down the dishes and sat on the kitchen table, staring at the other Karl as he did the same.
“It’s more of the same. Sap runs to George, who ends up going to Dream, and he tries to find you. Quack didn’t try to help either, but he didn’t go and tell anyone.” Other-Karl set his head in his hands, and Karl ignored the drip that fell onto the table.
He nodded. “I wish we could just explain it, and they’d understand for once.” The whisper came out in a hushed tone, loud in the still environment.
Honk, the stray cat they’d adopted, padded into the living room. She leapt onto Other-Karl’s lap, and he smiled and pet between the calico’s ears. She leapt off when another drop landing on her back, hurriedly licking her back to ensure that none had messed up her fur.
It was her second time witnessing the Correction. The first time he’d panicked, tried to put her into his bedroom, but she managed to escape and ended up comforting him as it was still rather shaking during the first couple times he saw it.
It hurt, knowing he could never tell Sapnap and Quackity about this. Never be honest about the truth of his adventures, of his failing memory, of seeing his friends die over and over again.
“I know. But hey, maybe after it’s all over and we defeat The Egg, figure out this Other Side and Inbetween stuff, fix our memory, y’know? Being a time traveler sucks when you can’t choose where to go.”
Karl nodded, but didn’t let out a peep. “I wonder if there was something we could do, to show them the truth. It obviously doesn’t go well, considering the—how many times has it been now? Over 100 since the engagement?” Other-Karl let out a smile and nodded.
The sludge of Other-Karl, which had spread larger as his hair and ears dripped, spread faster. The universe was correcting an anomaly.
Karl shut his eyes, ignoring the stench of burning flesh that always happened. Acid burns was what it could be closest compared to.
They had a while to talk, yesterday’s Karl had barely been able to warn him, his presence just enough to let him know that it was a bad idea.
Everytime, without fail, the universe would rid any evidence of the existence of any Karls other than him. The sludge was gone. The furniture was fine, and Karl stood up and moved to the dishes.
The hot water burned from when he had to melt some grease off a plate, but he didn’t feel it. He didn’t feel when the water became cold, lost in the blue of the world he always was after an anomaly was corrected.
He hadn’t even finished three dishes when the door burst open, a worried Sapnap and a shocked Quackity revealed.
“Karl, what in the world was that?!” Sapnap demanded as Quackity let out Spanish curses and rambled in his concern.
Karl blinked. He could’ve been sure no one was there…
It did save the problem of them having to be told.
He sighed, glancing for any signs of a Karl travelling back.
None. Perhaps he was the first in this situation, then. That’d be unique.
He’d be the one traveling back, wouldn’t he?
He let out a shaky breath and turned off the tap, stopping at the fridge before sitting down on the couch.
“That’s a Karl from the future warning me not to explain my time travelling powers to you because you end up doing something that ends up jeopardizing me and my mission.”
“Mi amor. ¿Que?” Quackity still was in shock, brain not switching languages before he spoke. At least it was the little Spanish he knew.
“I mean, I’m a time traveller, and I’m trying to stop The Egg. Other-Karl came back because at some point in the day I ended up telling you guys and, according to him, Sapnap runs to George, who goes to Dream. And then I’m assuming he tries to hunt me down.” He shrugged, taking a bite of the ice cream he’d brought over.
“I… What?” Sapnap stared at him. Karl shrugged and ate another bite of mint chocolate chip.
“I said, I’m a time traveller and every time I’ve tried to tell you guys something goes wrong. I’ll probably have to go back and warn someone not to explain it to you, but I’m tired of not telling you guys.”
“¿Donde está?” Quackity’s voice, which could normally control a room, was quiet now. A whisper, a shadow of his usual booming tone.
“The- The anomaly was corrected.” Karl glanced down at the melting sludge of ice cream near the bottom of his bowl, hating that it looked like his green sleeve. He forced it into the spoon and ate it.
“Karlos….” Quackity reached over and wrapped him in a hug.
Sapnap did the same and Karl let the dam break. He sobbed, clutching his fiancés back, Sapnap’s loose white shirt crumpled in his grip. Quackity’s duck wings wrapped around him, and he whispered a soothing song into his ear.
They went to bed, Karl half expecting to wake up to Tubbo’s eyes above him, or Dream’s sword at his throat.
Instead, it was just his fiancés snores he woke up to, and he let himself smile. Quackity didn’t get mad or leave him alone.
He was the Karl that wouldn’t have to travel back, he was the Karl who was open with his loved ones.
He was the Karl that made it out.
(Later, when he was called, he was able to tell his fiancés for once. When he returned, Sapnap was sitting in his library, looking at his stories. The current one was a copy of The Wild West. He was able to tell him about his latest adventure into a Greek legend, the budding hero Agata who left her husband at the Gods’ call.)