imaginary | karlnap

eighteen

after brief introductions, dr. soot sat down and the appointment began. 

"so karl, how old are you?" 

he looked at the doctor as if he asked the stupidest question in the book. he opened his mouth to make a mouthy remark, but decided against his judgment and went with the answer he expected.

"i'm seventeen." 

"how is everything at home?"

"fine."

"how about school? is everything going good?"

"it's fine."

karl's responses were short and full of distaste that someone was so into his personal life. something that he always tried to keep to himself when it came to telling people outside of his family. 

"alright karl, it says here that you still have an imaginary friend at this age," dr. soot said as he flipped through karl's file, "i hate to break it to you kid, but people don't have imaginary friends at your age. so today, we're gonna figure out what's going on."

"okay," karl simply said, finishing the statement in his head, it's gonna be a waste of your time though.

"what's your friends name?"

"his name is nick, but i call him sapnap," karl told him, leaning back on the couch, trying his best to relax the tension that built up in his body, waiting for this whole thing to begin.

"can you see him right now? where is he if you can?" 

"yes i can see him. he's sitting next to me on the couch."

"what is he wearing?" dr. soot questioned, his pen already busy writing down everything that seemed important to diagnosing karl, though there was no diagnosis necessary. 

karl turned to look at nick, seeing him in the same clothes he's always worn, ever since karl was a kid.

"he's wearing um, a black hoodie, dark blue jeans, and a pair of black tennis shoes. his hair is smoothed back and to the right, exposing his forehead," karl commented, stuttering over his words slightly. 

a small hum was heard as a pen furiously wrote over pages before dr. soot looked up at the male with sympathetic eyes. karl could already tell that he had a diagnosis in mind, but he needed to further his thinking with more evidence from karl, even if he had to pry it out of him.

"how does he make you feel?" 

"huh?"

"you heard me," dr. soot said, his tone different, more monotone and cool. the one that a manipulator would use to get their way.

"uh, he makes me really happy, though we've had our arguments. he's been there for me ever since i was a kid and everything has become normal."

"normal how?"

there it was. the manipulator voice once again. 

"it's like he's real i guess. he always knows how to help me feel better. he knows me better than myself," karl said, his voice soft and vulnerable as nick looked at him, his heart hurting at the compliment he was given. 

it was nick's fault karl was in this mess, and this time, he doesn't know how to get karl out of it. 

"alright, that's all i need for your diagnosis. i'll be back in a few with the results," dr. soot told everyone in the room, his tone all cheerful and bright, before he left. the door shut behind him with a soft thud, leaving karl alone with his mom.

"we'll finally get to the bottom of this, thank goodness," his mother stated, relief flooding her voice, causing karl's head to snap in her direction. 

"his diagnosis is gonna be a lie, god mom, i'm not a child anymore!" karl exclaimed, already annoyed with her. 

"honey, you're still hooked on the fact that nick's real?" 

"he is mom. you just don't believe me."

"he's not-"

"mom, maybe he's here for a reason. i was alone for all of my childhood because you and dad were too busy being up in sean and cory's business, not even bothering to talk to me or even spare me a good job," karl exclaimed, coming close to coming unglued. 

"honey, it wasn't like-"

"yes it was! no matter how hard you deny it! you like cory and sean more, i get it i'm the middle kid, though you guys don't have to make it painfully obvious!" karl retorted, his voice beginning to raise up out of anger. the anger he had bottled up from his childhood. 

"i get it you hate me, but now isn't the time to make up for it, especially when i turn eighteen in little less than half a year. i would have much rather kept our relationship on bad terms," karl kept on going, telling his mother whatever came to his mind next, "i don't need the petty apology or you trying to interject in on my life when i have been perfectly fine since sapnap came into my life."

she looked over at her son, her expression aghast with disappointment mixed in with it. she never thought that he would ever tell her such things. she rested her hand over her heart, trying her hardest to keep her tears from spilling out of her glassy eyes. 

"and i'm not gonna make him leave."

– ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ –

merry christmas and happy holidays everyone!! i hope everyone has a wonderful holiday this year! though this chapter isn't christmas related, i wanted to get one out for you guys to enjoy as i begin to write the next couple of chapters. i'm hoping to bump up this story's chapter update to two a day instead of one. 

love you all :)