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Rain smashed down on his back, and Karl kept dragging himself through the mud with bloodied, torn fingers.
Everything hurt. He dimly remembered fingers wrapping in his hair from behind, saw the ground coming up at his face and felt the pain of his nose and cheekbone breaking. Honestly, he was pretty sure he was in shock, because all the pain was more of a dull ache than sharp, snapping fireworks of it across his body. Shaking, he raised his head and tried to move again. He rolled onto his back instead. Taking a breath, he closed his eyes for a moment and then pushed himself up.
Come on. You can do this. He told himself as he stumbled along. Everything in his mind thankfully kept him distracted from most of the pain. Eventually, in the distance, he watched as his house began to get closer and closer. Until suddenly he was standing on the steps.
They’re going to be mad, he realized dimly. Reaching up, eyes closed, he knocked on the door. His knuckles drifted down the dark wood after the second knock.
He heard footsteps, dimly, inside. Then, the door opened. His legs decided to give out, and he tipped forwards. “Karl!” Sapnap hissed, catching him. Wrapping his arms around Karl, Sapnap carefully pulled him inside. His arm brushed against the broken, throbbing ribs. Gasping, Karl winced. His eyes flooded with heat. Pain pulsed through his jaw and he almost started crying.
Carefully, Sapnap kicked the door closed and picked him up, His elbow caught under the break on Karl’s right knee. Crying out, he grabbed at Sapnap with bloodied, broken fingers.
“Ssh, ssh, I know, I know.” Delicately, Sapnap moved him to the couch. Set him down. Karl turned, kept the lacerations across his back from touching the cushions. “Quackity!” He called.
Stumbling out, Quackity rubbed at his eyes. His wings hadn’t been preened yet, still a bit messy from waking up. When his gaze fell on Karl, though, he suddenly sharpened and woke up. Straightened his back and shoulders. Wincing, Karl turned away.
“What do you want, Sapnap?” Quackity asked in a gentle tone.
“I need the medical kit. Now, please?” Sapnap asked, voice pitching up in a panic. Nodding, Quackity disappeared. Sapnap dropped down beside Karl, started stripping away his shirt, trousers, and shoes. “Oh, baby.” He whispered, wincing sympathetically as he found more of the worse injuries. “Karl, you need to stop this.” Sapnap whispered, kissing his forehead. Weakly, Karl grabbed onto his wrist, met his gaze.
“I don’t—I don’t have a choice. It won’t—it won’t let me stop.” Karl whispered. The words didn’t come out the same way. They were slurred out, he couldn’t form the words correctly. Of course he couldn’t, his jaw was probably broken. When he did, Sapnap’s expression changed and sobered a bit.
“Alright. Alright, okay.” Sapnap rubbed his shoulder, “We’ll figure this out, I promise. Okay?” Nodding, Karl sniffed, tears filling his eyes. “No, no, it’s okay. It’s okay, you’re alright.” Reaching over, Sapnap tried wiping the tears from Karl’s face, wincing when he brushed the dark red and purple bruises marring pale skin.
Quackity came back. He set the kit down on the table. Then, turning on his heel, he stalked out of the house and slammed the door behind him with his coat on. But as he moved, Karl had noticed something.
Quackity only had one ring on.
“Q-Quackity—“ He slurred out, wincing at the pain in his jaw. Gently, Sapnap pushed him back down.
“I know, I know, Karl.” Holding delicately to Karl’s jaw in a way that wouldn’t hurt, fingers heated just enough to relax the muscles, Sapnap kissed his forehead. “Ssh, ssh, I know. Hey, we have a potion in here, it’ll help you sleep. Do you want me to use it for now, just to help with the pain?”
Shaking, Karl nodded. Nodding, Sapnap pulled the potion and carefully helped him drink it. Then, he placed a hand on Karl’s cheek, supported his head and helped him lie down.
Eyes shutting, Karl let out a breath and then fell into the darkness.
+++
When Karl stirred, it was obvious that Quackity had yet to return.
On the other couch, Sapnap was sitting and staring down at something in his hands. Bouncing his knee. Which he only did when he was really nervous. Bandages wrapped around most of Karl’s body. His jaw felt better, wasn’t numb anymore. The lacerations across his chest, stomach, and back had been fixed. His bloody, torn, and broken fingers were now fixed. Three of his left fingers were taped together. He had bandages taped to his cheekbone on that same side, even up to above his eyebrow. He knew why—his eye socket had definitely been broken. So was his nose, which seemed to have been fixed by the potion. His knee, wrist, and leg had all been splinted, too, although from the feel they were just done that way for precaution.
“Sapnap?” Tipping his head over, Karl looked at Sapnap for a moment. Head jerking up, Sapnap looked over at him. His eyes softened again, and he made his way over to Karl. Dropped down beside him. As he moved, though, he could see Sapnap tucking something into his pocket. Looking down, Karl glanced up to meet Sapnap’s gaze.
“Where’s Quackity?” He asked in a low tone. Biting his lip, Sapnap looked away. “Sapnap. What happened?”
“He left. I don’t think he could handle it. But he’ll be back. I’m sure of it.” Sapnap reassured, sitting up and smiling at him. Blinking, Karl stared at him. Then, he leaned back onto the couch. Gentle fingers brushed through his hair. Sapnap leaned in again, kissed his cheek. “It’s not your fault, Karl.” Sniffing, Karl rubbed at his face. He opened his eyes and looked over. “Hey. He’s going to be okay. I promise.” Sniffing, Karl rolled onto his back. Reached over. Gentle, he grabbed onto Sapnap and pulled him closer. “Do you want me to curl up with you?”
“Please.” Karl mumbled. Nodding, Sapnap moved up next to him, and Karl pulled him closer. An arm settled around his waist and he let out a breath, closed his eyes. Sapnap was one of those people who was just naturally warm, so thankfully it was just…nice to curl up with him. For a long while, they just stayed there like that.
And then something split through Karl’s chest. Eyes snapping open, he shoved himself upright. Ignored the pain spurting through his wrist. Ignored Sapnap’s worried cry. Because something was wrong.
Something was wrong with Quackity.
There was a knock at their door. Stumbling to his feet, Karl forced himself across the living room. Ignored the pain in his hip as he smashed it against their third couch, the one for their friends. Bracing himself against the wall, he pulled the door open.
The first thing that processed was that it was Sam standing in front of him. Rain plastered the man’s hair to his face. He wasn’t wearing his defensive mask. The one that pulled up the stats of everyone and everything around him. The one that alerted him to anyone’s vitals in a moment, which he could then relay to Ponk in a moment’s time so that they could get medical attention. The one that Sam only took off a couple times that Karl remembered. It had only been at funerals.
It had only been at funerals.
Quackity was in Sam’s arms.
Quackity wasn’t moving.
Quackity wasn’t moving.
Shaking, Karl stepped back. Stared at Sam as Sapnap brushed by and then started talking. Words blurred together, but from the way Sapnap had to stumble back too, the way he sat down heavily on the stairs as Sam walked in with Quackity’s—with Quackity, Sam was with Quackity, there was no way that it was anything else than that Karl wouldn’t let that happen—
I can fix this, Karl realized. Slowly, he pushed himself to his feet. Walked to where Quackity had been set down and crouched by him. Leaning close, he touched Quackity’s shoulder, pressed his forehead to the still-damp cloth there. “I’ll fix this. I’m so sorry.” He whispered, words barely making it through his throat. Then, he pushed himself up again, let go of Quackity’s ice-cold and limp hand.
Taking a breath, he walked out the door into the rain.
+++
When he found the place it usually worked, he tried.
He tried and he tried and he tried. Tried to make the stupid vortex open. Tried to picture it, to summon it, to do anything that would bring it back. But it didn’t show up.
Rain pattered down around him. Picked up. “Come on. Come on!” Karl snapped, turning in a circle and swiping a hand through the rain. He’d seen Phil and Dream do it a couple times. Once he’d done it during a fight. It had to work. He’d done it before.
He’d done it before.
Sucking in another breath, Karl snapped. “Come on! Work!” He ordered. Panting, he kept trying to make it work. Once, he finally did. Finally saw the three-toned burst of light come from his fingers. But as soon as it did, as soon as the rain touched the fresh tendrils of light and energy, they sputtered out.
Dropping to his knees in the rain and the long grass, Karl slammed a fist into the ground. Screamed as loud as he could. “FUCK!” It wasn’t that short. It was a long, drawn out thing. Monstrous. Around him, the grass rippled and changed. Each blade started to brown, rapidly, then turn gray and crumble into dust. Within a few moments, the ground was nothing more than parched ash and dead twigs sticking from the ground to reach their spindly, broken arms to the dark storm clouds. The rain stopped.
“Karl.” Sapnap’s voice whispered. Looking up, wiping at his reddened, tear-struck eyes, Karl looked back at him. Slowly, he pushed himself to his feet. Behind him, there was a rush of wind. Bright, neon pink and electric blue and ice white light flooded Sapnap’s face. For a moment, Karl swore he could see his own silhouette against the dark circles of Sapnap’s eyes. Turning he glanced behind him. Looked at where the portal had formed. “Karl,” Sapnap began, voice cracking on the single syllable.
Turning, Karl looked back at him. Sapnap was crying. So was he. “I’m sorry.” He whispered. Then, he turned and ran towards the portal. Ignored the pain, felt his clothes be whipped dry by the arid wind rushing around him. His feet thudded against the ash, threw clouds of it into the air behind him.
“Karl! Karl, stop! Please!” Sapnap shouted. Without even having to glance behind him, Karl knew Sapnap was trying to run after him. Sniffing, he brushed more tears away as his clothes changed, the familiar comfort of his multicolored hoodie wrapping around his arms.
Stepping through the portal, Karl let the silence and bright white light rush around him as he entered the Time Between.