Archive of Our Own ^beta

Quackity sighed deeply as he slumped down in his chair as the door slammed shut. Sapnap smiled wearily from where he stood by the door and locked it quickly, to stop anyone from entering without permission. Quackity gave a strained smile back and straightened up slightly as his husband walked over.

“Well that couldn’t have gone worse.” Sapnap attempts to joke, though the withering glare Quackity throws at him is enough to make him slump slightly. The man who had just been in the office had been loud and demanded a refund from Quackity. Apparently he’d lost all his money and was now in-dept to some people you really don’t want to be in debt to. Not like Quackity cared, the man and everyone else in Las Nevada’s knew the rules. If you lost you lost. Quackity couldn’t change that.

Quackity didn’t really care for the groups of less than moral people who used his casinos as a meeting ground, as long as they paid and never made a scene then he didn’t care. And they didn’t mess with his workers. The casino had a few basic rules anyway. And somehow the man had broken nearly all of them.

“The night will be over soon, love. Then we can both have a nice long sle-“ Before Quackity could actually finish there was a knock on the door, followed by whoever was knocking shaking the golden handle rather violently. Sapnaps hands flew to the handle of his sword, a dark blade that shimmered with barley concealed flames, and Quackity stood from his seat.

“QUACKITY OPEN THE DOOR RIGHT NOW!” Puffy screamed from the other side. Quackity and Sapnap didn’t even pause before they were in front of the door and opening it to reveal the ex-pirate. 

Puffys hair, that was now usually in some kind of ponytail or braid that kept the rainbow curls out her eyes, was now messy and free, falling down her back in waves and curling around her horns. Her clothes were always messy and she seemed to have just woken up. But Quackity saw the dark circles under her eyes. (He pointedly ignored the blade that was concealed by her hair)

“Puffy are you ok?” Sapnap helped the ram hybrid stans when she fell over from exhaustion. Puffy shook her head and tried to explain, but her voice was croaky and unshed tears sparkled in her eyes. That’s what caught Quackity's attention.

Puffy hadn’t cried since Karls disappearance. 

“I-it’s Foolish he-I-“ Puffy paused and drew in a deep breath, pushing away from Sapnap as he looked at the two with what looked like a hopeful expression mixed in with pain. Quackity sucked in a breathe

“Foolish found Karl.” 

Sapnap remembered the days- no weeks after Karls disappearance. He had been acting strange and distant, even to his family and forgetting things. Then Sapnap woke up one day to find his things all gone or destroyed and Karl nowhere to be found. 

The panic was immediate and as soon as the rest of them were alerted it turned into a SMP wide hunt for their friend. Sapnap remembered Puffy searching for hours before Dream or Foolish dragged her to bed and forced her to rest. Remembered how even Techno and Phil joined in, the barely concealed worry Techno had around him.

He felt it was bittersweet, how that brought Quackity back to him. They sat for hours at night together going over their memories of the boy they love. 

A year later they all moved together. Left the SMP lands behind and all the hurt there and established ESME City. Everyone had their own district, Las Nevadas, Sleepy Inc, Snowchester and Prime Street. All together next to each other and working together to make a functional city that now, two years later held many people all going about their day.

But now, Karl was possibly here and Foolish found him . Sapnap couldn’t think of anything else as the pair followed Puffy down the backstairs, past casino workers who quickly dodged to the side to avoid their bosses and the ram hybrid.

They arrived outside Puffys house in no time with how fast the three went. Sapnap noted the cars parked in the driveway before Puffy opened the door and yelled,

“Sapnap and Quackity are here!” Before she had to rush into the kitchen at the sound of loud banging and- was that screaming? Looks like the bench trio are all here if the screams are anything to go by.

Foolish appeared and Sapnap had never seen the god look so tired before. He was in his human form, gold patches on his skin glistening in the warm glow of the house but even that couldn’t hide his exhaustion. Though he seemed somewhat happy.

“It’s definitely Karl. But please you two be careful, I know you two and if you rush him it won’t end well. Dream already did and it caused a panic attack on both ends.” Foolish’s voice was soft as he beckoned them upstairs. The house was small and quiet, no one would think this would be the home of Puffy and her two (-now possibly three) children with how loud Foolish and Dream could be. But it fit them well.

They stopped outside a door that Sapnap knew led to the spare room they had. Foolish stopped Quackity opening the door and looked at the two sadly.

“He doesn’t remember much at all. Not even from before his disappearance. So please don’t be mad if he can’t remember.” Foolish’s voice was soft but Sapnap could hear the hidden warning birdied underneath. Quackity nodded silently and Foolish stepped aside and made his way back to the stairs, probably to help Puffy deal with whatever was going on downstairs.

“Others will be here soon, we made the mistake of telling everyone.” Folkish half jokes before Quackity silently opened the door. Neither of there lovers had said anything to each other but they didn’t need to. They both knew what the other was thinking.

Inside the room was simple but Sapnap didn’t care, he only cared for the small figure sitting in the bed by the window. The figure was Karl, he could tell if it was Karl a mile away. Even with the large white strands mixing with brown, even if he looked unhealthily thin and small, even if he had purple patches on his skin. Sapnap could recognise his fiancé from miles away.

“Love…” Quackity whispered next to him and walked over to the boy in the bed, who turned at the new noise. Sapnap ignored the tug in his chest when he saw only the smallest hint of recognition in his eyes, which was gone in seconds when he looked at the two. Quackity sat next to him, ontop the swarm of blankets and gently took Karls hand in his own. Sapnap walked over quietly and sat behind Quackity, offering a comforting smile to the boy he loved and thought he lost forever.

Karl looked at the two and gently looked at the scarred hand that took his own sickly one, the one covered in bandages from-from.

He couldn’t remember. But he remembered one thing. He knew these two men.

They both wore suits but the first one wore a blue one along with suspenders underneath, though the large scar over his eye stood out more than the suspenders, and the one behind him wore a red one. They looked so familiar and he felt so safe near them.

None of them spoke. None of them wanted to break the tentative silence my peace they all found. Then if all finally clicked in Karl’s nearly broken mind.

“Quackity? Sapnap?”