Chapter Text
They had to leave his body at some point, Quackity knew that. If they didn't, Sapnap would never respawn if he did have a life left. But he just didn't want to go yet, because what if he didn't have any left? What if this sad, cold body in Karl's arms was the last he'd ever see of his fiancee?
He wondered if Karl even remembered the life system. It was some unspoken truth of the world. You had to know someone to know if death was permanent. Even if he didn't remember, maybe that's for the best. He wouldn't have to live with the hope that he might come back.
The rain kept going, and thunder clapped across the sky at random intervals. It was a storm, obviously. Quackity didn't know why he didn't realise up in the skyscraper.
Karl sat up slowly, reluctantly, but even as he sat Sapnap down he still held his hand. Quackity watched as Karl stared down at him. His hair was glowing again, that bright light just signifying how distraught he truly was.
"...I'm so sorry, Karl."
Karl slowly looked up at Quackity. Even Quackity pegged himself for that odd choice of words, but it's what he felt. He felt sorry for blaming Karl this whole time, sorry for not getting here quicker, sorry for letting that bastard Dream escape.
Karl just nodded. "I am too. I could've been quicker."
"You're not to blame."
"I don't think you are either, though," Karl said earnestly. Quackity just lowered his head again, tears that only just faded threatening to spill again.
It's been an hour. The rain hasn't stopped, and they haven't moved. Quackity couldn't stop replaying those final moments in his head.
His final words. His bedroom…
His bedroom.
Quackity lifted his head and looked back at Sapnap's face, eyes closed and face lax. Not frozen in pain, nor fear; it's like he knew it would be alright.
But it wasn't alright. Did they fail him?
Either way, Quackity took a breath and said, "He- Sapnap, he told me something. Before he…"
Karl just nodded, letting him go on.
"He said there was something in his room for you. I think, maybe we could bring him there. Put him to rest. And we can find what's there for you," Quackity offered. Karl looked down at Sapnap, his thumb dragging over the back of the cold hand in his grasp. When he didn't reply, Quackity sighed.
"I know… I know that I'm not anything to you, and I… I suppose I understand that."
Karl looked back at him.
"But I don't want you to not see this just because I'm here with you. If you still don't trust me, that's alright. I'll just help you put him to bed, and then I'll tell you where it is. If you don't want to ever see me again…"
He gave Karl a grimace that was meant to be a smile.
"Then you never will."
Karl didn't reply, and that hurt more than his fears being confirmed ever could. But then Karl placed Sapnap's hand over his bloodstained chest and wiped his eyes.
"I think you were something to us. Once." Karl said quietly. "I just don't know what that was."
Then Karl, with shaking arms, heaved himself to his knees, then his feet. He walked slowly, pained, to Sapnap's head and hooked his arms under Sapnap's shoulders.
"I know where his room is. If you get his feet, we can bring him there. It isn't far."
Quackity was still for a moment, but then he nodded, getting to his feet and taking Sapnap's lower half.
"Lead the way, Karl."
Sapnap's bedroom wasn't huge. Quackity didn't remember any differently. He never needed a big bedroom, because honestly he only slept there. He was always out doing something. His bedroom was just where he slept. It was only big when the three of them all slept in it together.
Quackity and Karl moved in time, Karl opening the door slowly and beckoning Quackity inside.
The bed had been made. Which was funny to Quackity, he never usually made their bed. Karl did.
"Did you make his bed?" He asked quietly.
"No, I don't think I did," Karl replied just as softly. Quackity just nodded in understanding. Neither of them could truly know.
They walked over slowly, loafers and boots clacking against the dark oak floors. Or maybe it's spruce? Quackity needs to brush up on his tree names.
Slowly, given the go-ahead from Karl, they set Sapnap down slowly. The bleeding had slowed to almost a complete stop, so hopefully his now pristine bed clothes will remain that way. His hands were still on his chest, his eyes closed peacefully.
Karl reached down and pulled the blanket out from under him, proceeding to drape it over him. He tucked it in around Sapnap and then, once he was in the bed properly, reached up to his face and brushed a lock of hair out of his eyes. It was tender, yet bittersweet.
Karl stepped back and stood beside Quackity, tears gracing his eyes again. Quackity wasn't far off. Karl looked up at him, sighing.
"You said there's something here for me..?"
"Yeah. He said it's under his pillow."
His response was short and simple. It was all Karl had asked, and all he wanted to know. Karl thanked him with a nod and walked over to the bed again, shifting Sapnap's body to reach under his pillow.
As promised, an envelope was set under the pillow. Karl pulled it out and stared at it.
"You were right," he said softly, almost as if he didn't believe it. "I didn't… know this was here."
"I don't know why Sapnap told me, and not you. If I hadn't turned up…" Quackity sighed, shrugging. "But it's your letter, Karl. If you want to read it in peace, I can leave."
Karl didn't reply for a minute, looking between the letter and Quackity as if he was choosing between lovers (well.) but eventually, he broke the seal on the envelope.
"Maybe you should stay. If- if he told you it was here and not me, maybe you're meant to see it too," Karl reasoned. Quackity nearly sighed in relief. He didn't want to pressure Karl either way, especially when he was basically a stranger, but not knowing what that letter was might have killed him.
…Metaphor in poor taste.
Karl walked over again slowly, holding the letter in his left hand and holding out the other side to Quackity, who took it in his right. The letter was in between them, and they could both read it. And that they did.
"Karl, and hopefully Quackity,
If you're reading this, I guess my time's up. I lost two of my lives quite a while ago, and I was going to lose the third sooner or later. I just hope that I told one of you where this is so that my last words aren't… I don't know, gagging on my own blood? Sorry, that's graphic.
I just have some last messages that I thought would be better written down. Karl, first.
I'm so sorry I have to leave, darling. I know things are hard enough already, with how everything's been going. But you're gonna be alright, okay? George (mushroom) and Tina (daisy) will help you keep Kinoko running.
If you see Dream (poison ivy) anywhere nearby, you call someone. Anyone except Punz (dandelion). People will help you if you need it.
I know you've been struggling to remember things. That's okay, you're not bad for forgetting some things. I'm gonna leave some notes here for you, in case you need them.
Kinoko Kingdom: home, you are here
Las Nevadas: rose's home, go there first if you need help
George: mushroom, blue shirt, sleeps a lot. good friend
Tina: daisy, pink overalls, cat. new friend, happy to help
Punz: dandelion. white hoodie, blond hair. be careful with him
Dream: poison ivy. green fucker. keep away from kinoko.
Quackity: rose, black hair, facial scar :( very kind, very close to us
Flowers: we use flowers to help you remember.
Right, I'm gonna tell you about Quackity. I know you might not remember everything about him, and that's alright. I'm gonna try to help though.
Quackity is… our closest friend. No, he was more, really. You and I are engaged, of course, but Quackity was engaged to us too. He loves us so much, and you love him too. So do I, obviously. I know you don't remember him, but you can trust him. It was just unfortunate that we happened to drift apart, but I know he still cares about us. Somewhere deep down.
If you can, talk to him. Maybe, I don't know, get to know each other again? Maybe it'll be good for you both.
And speaking of, Quackity.
I'm so sorry you couldn't come with us to Kinoko. It fucking kills me every day that I might've been the reason you felt you had to leave. I hope that you know it wasn't you. I still love you.
That's hard to write. But it's true. I hope I got to see you again before you have to see this letter. As of now, your last visit to Kinoko was it.
But we'll see each other again some day, right? I'm sure that if there's some afterlife past limbo, I get to spend it with you two. Karl has his memory and you don't have that scar you hate. We'll be happy, right? Yeah.
Until then, you'll have to hang in there. Stay safe for me, alright? I want to see you again, but not too soon. Live your life safely. Don't go doing something you'll regret.
And just like I told Karl, try to get to know him again. Obviously I can't force you two to interact past my time, but I can encourage it right? Just… keep an eye out for each other.
I'll see you again someday, and I can't wait. Well, I can. I will. It'll just be a long time without you guys.
Mi alma, mi amor.
Firmado, tu vida.
By the time they had finished reading, Quackity had to hand the letter to Karl to dry his eye. Karl just stared at the page for a minute, trying to take it all in.
Once Quackity had regained his composure, he took a breath and looked at Karl.
"You should stick this up somewhere," he said quietly. "So you can check the information on there whenever you need."
Karl nodded wordlessly, setting it aside and looking back at Quackity.
"Rose," he said, almost as if reassuring himself. Quackity nodded.
"That's me, apparently."
Why had they chosen him to be a rose? George and Dream he could understand, George has a whole thing about mushrooms, and Dream is a poison on this fucking server, but what makes Quackity a rose?
He would've asked, but judging by the surprise in Karl's voice clearly Karl didn't remember setting that nickname either.
Karl took a breath and walked back over to Sapnap. He leaned down and slowly, softly, pressed a kiss to Sapnap's temple. His hair shimmered softly, not with the heart wrenching grief from before, but with something kinder. Nothing like acceptance, but something along those lines.
When he was done, he turned away and Quackity could see on his face that he was thinking.
"Let's… let's leave. Sapnap has to go," Karl told him, stepping outside the room. Quackity nodded, giving Sapnap one more look. Would he ever see him again?
He stepped outside the room.
No, he wouldn't.
"Alright, well… I guess you probably want me to leave now."
The rain had eased ever so slightly. The storm was beginning to pass, leaving hazy rain in its wake. Karl stood with Quackity outside the kingdom as Quackity steeled himself to go back home. No, not home. To Las Nevadas, that empty casino of a country that hasn't been home since he left his fiancees.
It was going to be so empty. He knew it already. It always was, even before Purpled left and Charlie was taken away from him, but now that one of the loves of his life had been killed by that green bastard…
Maybe he wouldn't go straight home. A little manhunting couldn't hurt.
But before Quackity could turn and leave, Karl caught his arm. One sleeve was still torn off from his futile attempts to save Sapnap's life.
"Wait."
Karl ran off into the forest, leaving Quackity standing out in the rain. After about a minute he returned, something encapsulated in his hand.
He held out his closed hands, beckoning for Quackity to do the same. Quackity held out one hand warily, but let his guard down when it was placed in his hand.
A mushroom.
"A Kinoko mushroom," Karl clarified. "From his part of the forest. So you have something of his with you. I know… he meant a lot to you."
'Not just him,' Quackity thought, but he didn't want to confuse Karl any further than he may already be.
"Thank you," he whispered instead, voice weak. He just nodded.
Quackity couldn't tell if he should leave or not. Usually he was an excellent people reader, being a gambler and all, but when it's someone like Karl… he just couldn't.
But before he could try to leave again, Karl spoke.
"I'm going to fix this."
"...What?"
"I-I think I can fix this. I'm going to. Just… tell George and Tina I'll be out for a while," Karl told him, a new determination behind his gaze. His hair pulsed with what could only be that belief that he could fix whatever he was going to fix.
Did he think he could bring Sapnap back? Only Dream had that information, and Quackity refused to let him near Dream.
"Just- if you do, don't go near dream. Er- poison ivy." He said. Karl nodded.
"I won't."
Quackity nodded.
"So…" he began. Karl stepped back, giving him a sad little wave.
"See you soon… Quackity?"
Quackity found it in him to smile and wave back.
"See you soon."
When Quackity went looking for Karl the next day, the kingdom was empty.
And the next day. And the next.
And the next.
- fin -