𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘵 || 𝐤𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐧𝐚𝐩

-·=»‡«=·- 𝕜𝕒𝕣𝕝 -·=»‡«=·-

      »❝party favor❞ —billie eilish

Karl watched as the cameras were set up around the baseball stadium. Game day. He was pumped up. After a quick hype session in the boy's locker room with Schlatt and Quackity, he knew it was going to be a good game.

Karl's eyes scanned the bleachers for Sapnap's face, but couldn't see him anywhere. He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. He's probably just late. When has he ever been on time for anything? He assured himself.

Despite that, Minx seemed skeptical, who was standing on the other side of the fence next to him. "Who the fuck are you looking for?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Err- my mom," Karl answered uncomfortably. It was partially true, sometimes his mom came to games, but he was really looking for Sapnap. He pinky promised.

Minx looked unconvinced, but she didn't mention anything else.

He's probably here, just lying low. He would never want to be seen here anyways. Karl decided to believe that before going into the game.

The familiar tune of the national anthem was played as Karl rested his hand on his heart, in line with the other boys. He would be lying if he said that he was thinking of America, because he wasn't. He hadn't been able to really think of much lately. All of his thoughts seem to go back to Sapnap.

Karl couldn't let that get to his head, though. It was game day. No thoughts, just the ball.

The game began and went on pretty slowly. Despite his eagerness to play, Karl kept getting distracted by looking towards the bleachers for Sapnap. Quackity would flash Karl a concerned look occasionally, but never actually said anything. Karl was grateful for that.

Sooner rather than later, Karl was up to bat. He was nervous, just like every game. He dug his heels in the dirt slightly when he stepped up to the plate. It was an anxious habit of his when he played. The pitcher looked mean, which only made Karl's stomach more uneasy as he got into position.

Before he knew it, the ball was hurtling towards Karl. It was a miss, he knew this, so he just left it to the catcher behind him. The second throw was right on, so Karl took a swing, and missed. Beads formed on his forehead. You're alright. You got this.

The pitcher readied himself before throwing once more. The ball was coming right for him again. Just swing, Karl reminded himself. So, he swung, and the ball came in contact with the bat with a pop. The crowd gasped as Karl took off, sprinting towards first base.

Karl heard Quackity screaming from the bench as he took off from first base towards second base. He glanced over to see Schlatt sprinting past home base as he continued booking it. His ears were ringing and his head was pounding with excitement.

"KEEP GOING KARL!"

Karl's coach kept shouting when he made it to third base. He could feel his heartbeat in his wrists when he took off from the final place, sprinting all the way home. He could practically feel the crowd's cheering rumbling in his chest as he flew past home, falling into Quackity's arms with the biggest grin on his face.

The cheering from the bleachers made the ringing in Karl's ears even louder. He was drowning in euphoria at the realization that he just made a home run. I really did that. He felt his teammate's hands patting his back and ruffling his hair, but only after a few moments could he actually hear what they're saying.

"....crazy, Karl!" George's voice faded into Karl's head and he gave George a slight nod.

"Atta boy, Karl!" Schlatt sounded like a proud father. 

"I could kiss you right now!" And of course, Quackity.

Karl wrapped his arms around all three of them and brought them into a group hug, relishing in the closeness and comfort of it all. The boys were clearly excited and proud, he felt his chest warm up at the thought.

Man, Karl really hoped Sapnap saw that.

The game went by really fast after that. It was an easy win for their school, 7-1. Although it was mostly other kids, most of the team thanked Karl for the win. It was a good feeling.

Yet even after the game, Karl headed out front to the entrance to see if Sapnap was there. He wasn't there, but Karl refused to believe that. He has to be here, he pinky promised, He reminded himself. So he stood out there for a bit.

10 minutes passed, there was no sign of him. Karl frowned but simply opened his phone and began to play some mobile games. He might just be waiting for everyone to clear out.

30 minutes passed, the last of the crowd had left the stadium. Quackity's mom arrived at the scene with her van and was offering the team a ride to their local pizzeria due to their win. Karl refused, he was waiting for somebody, but the rest of the team got on board.

An hour passed, no sign of Sapnap. Karl was sitting on the ground now, his knees pulled up to his chest. It was getting late, and cold, and he was tired of mobile games. But he knew Sapnap would come eventually. He pinky promised.

After two hours of waiting, the stadium lights turned off. A janitor was locking up the entrance when he turned to Karl and said, "Look, kid, I have no idea who you're waiting for, but they're not coming."

Karl looked up at the janitor. Of course. How could I be so stupid? He stood up and wiped the dirt off his pants. "Yeah, sorry," He replied.

The janitor seemed sympathetic. "You need a ride home, kid? I can call you an uber," He offered.

Karl shook his head. "I'm all good. I'll just... I'll just walk."

So that's what Karl did.

Alone, after game day, after his home run, he walked all the way home. Sure, his legs hurt. Sure, he had a headache. But the most painful thing for him was the sickness in his stomach.

He pinky promised.