The Sixth Sense but it's Karlnap

Hospital

cw talk of dead

"Is he alright? Is my boy okay?" Janette rushed her words, standing swiftly as a male in a long white coat strode towards her. The cleanliness of his attire was perhaps too calm for the agony inside her head, the neurons tearing themselves apart each second she was left in apprehension.

"I will assure you Karl is perfectly alright, but," He put out his hand, blocking Janette's way as she hastily tried to leave to find Karl, "but. We noticed various scars and cuts on Karl, and, Im sure its nothing to worry about, but by law we do have to ask a few questions."

Janette was sat at this point, looking up at the male with disbelief, "Are you telling me, you think I would hurt my own child?!"

"No-"

"Listen! Something happened to my boy today, something bad, and I want to find out what." She tried to stay calm, gripping her hands into fists as the monotone doctor continued to blabber, spitting - what in her mind was wrong, untrue and despicable - straight into ears, ears that were tired of people and statements.

---

Sapnap felt quite out of place in the small, clean room, everything spotlessly sterile; apart from him. His head was so wrapped around the current situation he'd even forgotten how he got to the building in the first place. Karl wasn't alright, and that was everything he knew. Mrs Jacobs was arguing with a man in a long, white coat, giving him a perfect chance to talk with Karl before she did. He stood in the bright white doorway, his hands stuffed timidly in his pockets as he looked towards the singular occupied bed in the room. The boy's straggly hair was recognisable from miles away, but the abscent glint of happiness in his tired eyes was not. Sapnap could detect his false content with his eyes closed.

"Hey muffin," Sapnap smiled sadly, taking a few small steps towards Karl's side. Karl was clutching the white blob in his hands, holding it so tight you might think it tried to run away. He opened his eyes cautiously, looking at Sapnap with fright before relaxing only a little. His eyes were red, almost bloodshot, tired and scared, half shut in fatigue as he forced a tiny, pained smile. Slowly, that smile faltered into a thin line as Sapnap sat on a chair beside him, his hands still stuffed loosely in his pockets and a frown forming on his lips. He gazed at Karl's sad features for a moment, opening his mouth to speak, but getting not even a word in.

"Don't ask me if I'm alright," he looked into Sapnap's eyes, his voice sore and croaky, "you already know I'm not, don't bother."

"I wasn't." Sapnap took a hand from his pocket, his coat rustling in the silent room, and placed it on Karl's bare wrist, his fingers trapping themselves between the boy's scarred skin and Dream's downy fabric. He felt goosebumps beneath his touch and noticed Karl's small shiver. Running his thumb over the scar tissue, he felt every bump and dip, all the soft and hard skin of old and new cuts; he kept his eyes trained on Karl's sorrowful face, fearing if he looked to his arm the tears he was fighting to bite back would fall. His chest was taught at the feeling beneath his fingers, his lungs squeezed by the guilt and sadness in his heart.

"Sapnap?"

"-yeah" He said lowly, his voice wavering a little too much.

"don't cry," Karl watched a silver drop trickle down his cheek, catching is his short, soft beard, "please."

He shifted close to the edge of the white-sheeted bed, placing his hand in Sapnap's brown curls as he brought him closer, just like Sapnap did for him. The coarse fabric of Karl's hospital robe scratched his face, its hard polyester making his tears roll down his chest, settling on the more absorbant bed. Karl's nails scrated carefully on the back of his head, slowly soothing his sorrow.

"I'm not, I'm ... not.." He sniffled, sitting back up to look on his patient. Karl wiped away the remaining tears staining his face and adjusted his panda hat, taking Sapnap's hand to further comfort him by holding it tightly, like he did with Dream all the time.

"You noticed before, didn't you?" To this, Sapnap nodded sadly, his gaze falling to the floor. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't..."

"Karl. Things happen, it's alright."

"No. Sapnap, things happen. But it always happens, they won't go away, i can't stop it.."

"You can, I'm here to do that." Karl looked at him with sympathy, shaking his head despondantly. He leaned against his headboard sadly, letting his tight hold fall from the other's hand.

"You can't."

"I can."

"You can't help me. No one can."

"Karl, please don't say that. I can always help you." Sapnap reached for his hand again, to which Karl quickly drew it away, not even reaching for Dream.

"You want to know the secret? Why I collapsed? Why the bruises are there? Why I'm afraid?" A tear rolled down his cheek as he looked into Sapnap's eyes, fear written all over his face in bold ink. "Sapnap... I see dead people."

He then pulled  Dream to his chest, breathing heavily and squeezing the blob, "Not still dead people.." He mumbled, tears falling into his mouth as he spoke, his body trembling with every breath, "walking around like regular people. They dont know they're dead. They're the ones that hurt me."

"Please believe me.."

"Karl, I-"

"Can you tell me a story, one with a happy ending..." Teary grey eyes locked with his own, yearning for some form of escape from his mind of dispair.

"Um," Sapnap started, his voice cracking as he spoke, "the-there once was a boy. His-his name was Karl a-and he... he.." He stopped for a moment, wanting Karl to suddenly smile and laugh like he had before, but the broken boy just stared back at him, tears filled with anguish in his beautiful grey eyes. Sapnap took in a deep breath before painfuly continuing, "he thought no one could help him, but I could. I-I could help him.."

"Does the story have a happy ending?" Karl asked, letting Sapnap hold his tired arm.

"...yeah"

"How does it end?" He said, closing his eyes as tears still silently flowed, interlinking his small fingers between the other's bigger, protective ones.

"I-I dont know.."

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