The Apocalypse [Dreamnotfound AU]

Stupid Mistakes

Tw: swearing, weapons, blood, zombies, mild anxiety

"Who fucking hurt you?" Quackity demands the second George is out of earshot. "I'll beat their ass."

Karl's smile wavers, even as he tries to keep it in place. "No one, dude. I'm fine."

Quackity gives him a look that says it won't be as easy to trick him as it was to trick George. Karl pushes a hand through his hair, then rubs his jaw, remembering how, only the night before, Nick's lips had traced the skin there.

Quackity's eyes widen. "No. Don't tell me it's that guy."

Karl feels jittery, like he always does when something's set him on edge. He drums his fingers against his leg, craving a soda despite the weirdness of his situation. "You're gonna have to be more specific, Q."

"That asshole in the ripped jeans and the bomber jacket! The guy who thinks he's cool cause he has a shotgun."

Karl snorts a laugh, despite himself. "Why is that so accurate?"

"What happened?" Q asks, and Karl's heart jolts at the question.

He's not entirely sure what happened, and that's what scares him the most. Maybe Sapnap had only been drunk, but he'd kissed him like he meant it, and then left just as suddenly. Karl knows enough about people to know that Sapnap is doing his best to avoid him. He just has no idea why.

So Karl just shrugs and hopes that Q won't press him. A second of silence passes and Quackity gives a long-suffering sigh. "Fine, don't tell me, dick. It'll just make me hate him more if I'm imagining the worst about him anyway."

Karl's finger drumming intensifies along with the rapid beating of his heart. Some instinct makes him want to contradict Quackity and defend Sapnap, but that's stupid. Maybe Sapnap deserves a bit of Q's anger.

Then, an evil smile spreads over Quackity's face. "How about I help you get your revenge?" Quackity says, putting on an accent halfway between his regular voice and a posh British person. An accent that always makes Karl laugh.

Now, giddy excitement fills him even though he knows it's not completely fair to Sapnap. Although, if he's being fair, Sapnap hasn't really been fair to him either. "I'm not even gonna lie, I'm so down," he says between giggles. "What should we do?"

Quackity rubs his hands together. "Oh, Karlos, I have so many ideas."

And he explains them. Each one worse than the next, yet Karl can't help but feel a shiver of satisfaction pass through him. After all, he's agreed to much worse before and he's never been all that good at controlling himself.

"Let's do it," he says, a grin spreading over his face.

Quackity's grin matches his. "Okay, okay, we have to make it convincing though. He might be a dumbass but he's not that much of a dumbass."

"Wow, Q, was that a compliment?" Karl asks and Quackity pulls a face at him.

Karl follows Quackity through the hall and down the stairwell. They peek their heads into the first floor, Quackity's broomstick pointed into the hall in case any zombies show up.

"Coast is clear," Karl says in his best Chad voice.

He and Quackity position themselves at the end of a hallway and lean against the wall, waiting for Sapnap.

Quackity had explained everything before. "So Techno wants to meet with George, Sapnap, and Bad today. Sapnap will be on his way there when we 'get attacked,'" Quackity says, making air quotes with his fingers. "That's when you scream for help and I show up to take out the zombies. Then, you're all like 'you're my hero' and Sapnap will get jealous."