Chapter Text
Quackity lay in his room, staring at the bunk above him. Although no-one else shared the room with him, the mattress sagged through the slats under the weight of his bags. The same thing he always did.
Schlatt always told him to hang up his clothes when they travelled together. Quackity found it pointless to take out clothes just to pack them up again in a few days, but he did as Schlatt said.
But Schlatt wasn't on the Titanic. Schlatt was in New York, probably conning his way into getting more votes by visiting Ellis Island or something. He wouldn't stink of alcohol at this time of day.
Quackity had always wanted a fairy tale romance. To be fair to himself, the stories his mother told him always had a working girl as the protagonist, who one day ran into a prince who saw her kindness and good will and swept her off her feet and was devoted to her and only her.
He knew the stories weren't real. He saw the glassy look in his mother's eyes when she thought he wasn't looking. And his mother was the kindest and most benevolent woman, and no prince came and rescued them when they most needed it.
So Quackity learnt the art of being backhanded. He stole, he lied, he let himself be used, and he used people. And it worked.
He couldn't save his mother, but he saved himself.
Quackity was selfish, but he met his prince through his selfishness.
The prince wasn't all that devoted, and never really swept Quackity off his feet like his mother always told, but he was just as dirty as Quackity was. He was the prince Quackity deserved.
Schlatt obviously saw it too. The voter fraud trick was one Quackity suggested. He negotiated the bribes in Schlatt's place. Quackity was the one who made his way into other politicians' houses to find blackmail.
He was... somewhat indifferent to it now.
He'd had a chance to redefine himself, and where had it got him? In Schlatt's pocket with a Wilbur Soot shaped blob always following behind him. If getting on the Titanic hadn't reminded him well enough, last night had.
He had been so sure that getting money would solve his problems when he was young. For a time it had, when he could put food on the table and keep the roof securely over his head. Then Quackity got greedy.
And high society wasn't all it was cracked up to be, was it? Even after Quackity got past the fact that everyone was probably inbred and were as oily as sardines, it still took him years to master the art of burying his heart as deep in his chest as he could and picking his words and lilt of voice just right before he came across Schlatt and all his money.
Quackity felt sick. He'd never been happy, and he didn't deserve happiness anymore.
But... he'd been euphoric spending time with Sapnap and Karl. He held his nerve around them, and he was as untroubled in their company as he had been for a while. They both reminded him of himself, and while that would usually be a bright red flag waving itself in figure of eights on loop in his mind, they managed to be better than alright.
There was no denying that he was already attracted to them.
It was a weird feeling, liking someone for more than just what they could offer him, and them entertaining him back without an expectation.
Which is exactly why it couldn't last.
Schlatt would be at the docks in New York, waiting for Quackity with a big slimy smile on his face that had too many teeth to be real, but the press would eat it up anyway. No amount of time spent with Sapnap or Karl would detract from the anguish he'd feel going back into Schlatt's arms.
So Quackity sighed again, pushing himself out of bed and began to search for clothes.
He was going to jump, and he was going to jump today.
"The... quick brown fox jumped over the slow lazy dog."
"Well done, Ranboo!" Karl commended, clapping his hands at the five year old kid. He looked about seven, with his height, but the way Ranboo looked up from the notebook, the small smile growing on his face showed of his childish naivety.
"Did I say it right?"
"You got it perfect! And that sentence has all the letters of the alphabet in it, so you can basically read all the letters now."
"Really?!"
"Really." Karl ruffled Ranboo's hair, which whipped around in the wind as they sat together on third class promenade, in the same bench as yesterday when Quackity had run up to them.
Karl hadn't seen Quackity yet today. He hadn't seen Sapnap either, and as much as he loved the jaunt to his room and any kisses that followed, both had neglected to plan any time to meet up again.
Karl assumed Sapnap would find Quackity first then come and find Karl like yesterday, but this time they knew not to look in first and second class spaces. As much as Karl liked to think he could, he couldn't sweet talk his way into sneaking into those spaces since he'd given Philza's clothes back when he'd woken up.
Although Karl would adore to see the second class library, he was pretty sure the two would have to stoop down to a third class life if they wanted to continue to meet up with him. Karl just hopes Sapnap won't refuse.
Quackity seemed like a tougher cookie to crack. Although he had ran across third class promenade yesterday, he'd run straight off again, and he didn't seem like the type of person to want to associate with a lower class other than on his own terms.
Karl could probably convince him.
Quackity was like a book locked shut in a restricted part of a library. Karl wanted desperately to see him open up, wanted to read him, discover his quirks, what made him smile, ask why he'd locked his heart away. He was a book Karl shouldn't have access too but hoped to worm far enough into Quackity's heart to get the key before the voyage was over.
Sapnap, on the other hand, had practically threw his heart at Karl from the moment they had properly met last night. Karl didn't think that's what the upper class usually did when meeting a new person, and he didn't think it was all that common to kiss new people goodnight either.
Sapnap was like a fine wine, Karl decided. He was dizzying and warm and Karl didn't get to drink nicee alcohol often, but he knew to savour it when he had it. He couldn't drain this cup though, not until New York swallowed Karl's life and a new adventure began. What would Sapnap do when they reached America, Karl wondered. What life drew Quackity to New York?
"Karl?"
Karl blinked, looking down at Ranboo, who was looking up with a pout.
"Were you even listening?" He whined.
"I'm sorry! I got distracted." Ranboo rolled his eyes, "You know that guy who ran over here yesterday? He invited me to a first class dinner."
Karl expected Ranboo to be interested in the food. Ranboo was pretty content with the cabin biscuits and fresh bread they were given at supper time, but Karl was under no pretense that Ranboo believed the first class would eat the same as them.
"My mom says that you 'like him'." Ranboo said instead.
Karl choked on his spit.
"Did she?"
"What does that even mean?"
"What, liking someone?"
"Well, I mean... what does it feel like with him?"
Karl lightly thwacked Ranboo with a grin, "Who said I actually do like him, huh?"
"My mom!" Ranboo giggled in a way only a child could.
"Doesn't mean it's true though!" Karl exclaimed, draping a hand over his head dramatically.
"Well, is it true?"
Karl grinned, glancing out of the side of his eye at Ranboo, "Yeah, it is."
"So what's it like?"
Karl stared out at the sea behind him for a second, at the ripples the Titanic caused as she cut through the waves, "...It's very loud. Ocean liners are usually really loud. There's so many people, all watching as they move around in this beautifully magnificent ship. And that's part of the appeal, right? The charming interiors, all lovingly put together, as if you were walking around a hotel and not a ship.
"But there's also all the people working hard to make the ship keep moving. You can't always see them, but they're the people who make the noise in the engine room."
"Can't they be quieter?" Ranboo spoke up, "The engine noise keeps me awake at night."
"They have to make the engine noise! It's how to ship keeps moving!" Karl laughed, "But Quackity and Sapnap - you haven't met him, but he's one of the first class people I met... at dinner, last night - they seem like the kind of people who would want to keep the ship working. And they don't mind if it's loud or quiet. It's not like anyt--"
"But you just said Sapnap's first class. He wouldn't be working."
"It's a metaphor Ranboo," The child stared back at Karl in blank confusion, "I'll teach it to you later. I just mean that I like them very much and I have hope they would want to make a relationship with me work too, until we make it to New York, you know?"
"Oh." Ranboo frowned, looking down at the book, "My mom and dad didn't really like each other very much. I don't think so, anyway. I can't really remember my dad very well. My mom says he dropped me when I was a baby."
"Oh."
"But it's okay! Once we get to America she says it'll all calm down," Ranboo perked up, "The quick brown fox jumped over the slow lazy dog!"
America, land of the free, Karl smiled sympathetically, writing down a new sentence for Ranboo to try. He only hoped the kid could stay free.
Sapnap woke up much later than he usually did, a smile gracing his lips as he remembered last night. He pushed himself up, ready to start the day and find Quackity and Karl, before he noticed Bad sitting at the table across from him, fully dressed and frowning as he watched Sapnap.
"Don't think I didn't notice how you left before I could catch you yesterday."
Sapnap groaned, resigning himself to fate as he slumped back in bed, watching Bad from the corner of his eye.
Bad looked tired, like he had purposefully woke up early to catch Sapnap. His eyes were bloodshot like he'd been crying, although Sapnap's not sure when he'd have found the time without waking Sapnap up.
"I'm sorry for leaving the night before last." Sapnap started eventually, "Although, if I hadn't have wandered off, I'm not sure Quackity would still be here."
"Right..." Bad's hands lay on the table, "I'm happy Quackity's still alive of course, it's a scary thought that someone could slip over the railings of this wonderful ship, but Sapnap..."
Sapnap doesn't look at Bad, staring at the wall in front of him instead. It's white wood had green patterning with golden borders. Sapnap followed a line of the pattern with a bitter taste on his tongue.
"You're not wearing your ring." He said instead.
Bad stood slowly, walking over to Sapnap and taking his face in his hands. Warm, soft hands, just like Sapnap's, and Sapnap did nothing to pull away.
"It's Skeppy's fault your head is so full of adventure," He muttered, bringing his forehead to Sapnap's, "I'm sorry."
Sapnap didn't know what Bad was apologising for. For the way he was brought up, for not wearing his ring, for the whole reason they were traveling to New York. It didn't matter.
"Can't we just..." A million thoughts ran through his head, but none of them reached his lips, "Can't Eryn take my place?"
"Eryn doesn't have your training," Bad pulled away, but kept Sapnap in his hands.
Sapnap looked down at the bed, messing with his hands, "Why me?"
Bad sighed, dragging his hands away from Sapnap's face, traipsing to the centre of the room where a painting of the RMS Olympic hung. He touched the frame, eyes clouding over before he turned back to Sapnap with a wry smile.
"Who else could pick a better owner for the Lab Diamond?"