Karlnap Oneshots

#9

Phil explained everything. That the goddess of death, his wife, was coming for Karl. That she had realized his time had come, and this forest was her warning.

Karl looked down for a long time. "Thank you for telling me, Phil. Do you have an estimate of just how long I've got left?"

"A month." Phil said, "Karl, make me a promise. Promise that you will live these thirty days to their fullest. I have seen the way you sacrifice yourself. I know when you disappear off into different timelines in an attempt to help the future."

Phil let that sink into Karl's mind. Phil had known all along. It made him wonder who else knew.

"But," Phil continued, "spend all your time in the present. This timeline needs you too." He glanced down. "And... I'm sorry... you're too young for this, you had so much ahead of you. Please, with your remaining days, live your life to its fullest extent."

"...Phil..?" Karl trailed off.
"Yes?"
"Please... please... watch over Sapnap when I'm gone. That's all I ask of you. Of anyone."
Phil smiled bittersweetly, "of course."

Phil walked Karl back to his house. Sapnap was in the room near the door and looked up at Karl, concerned.

"What was up?" Sapnap asked as Phil closed the door.

Karl considered for a moment before smiling innocently. "Nothing, don't worry about it."

Karl spent the next thirty days with Sapnap and others that he cared for.

When the day came, Karl stayed by Sapnap's side faithfully. However, Sapnap still had no clue of what was to come.

"Hey... Sap?"
"Yeah?"
"We need to talk."

Karl leaded Sapnap out to the forest Phil had shown him and explained everything.

"No... no..." Sapnap mumbled when Karl finished, "please... don't leave me alone here. You still have two lives left."

Karl put his hand on his lover's cheek. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Please, you can hide from her. You don't have to die."

Karl smiled bittersweetly. "I wish I could, but death will find me eventually."

"You can! I know you can!" Sapnap bargained, tears staining his cheeks.

"Sapnap. I will do everything in my power to see you after death. If Wilbur became Ghostbur, then what's stopping me from becoming a ghost as well?"

Tears flowed down Sapnap's face. "It... it won't be the same."

"I know," Karl said, wiping Sapnap's tears, "but we'll make it work."

Sapnap opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by a woman's voice.

A woman dressed in a long black dress emerged from the woods. "Karl. It is your time."

She had kind, yet strong eyes.

"Please!" Spanap said, facing her.
"I am sorry, brave one, but I must. You will see him again soon, I promise."

Karl turned to Sapnap. He pressed their lips together one last time. "I promise you, I'll do everything I can to become a ghost."

Karl walked toward the woman. He was short in comparison to her, like a child following their mother into the dark.

"Goodbye, for now, my love," Karl said, joining the woman at the edge of the forest.

Sapnap watched as the love of his life was taken away from him. A tear ran down his cheek.

A few days later, Sapnap was sitting at the edge of Karl's favorite river, mourning the death of his lover.

A bright white light shone before him across the pond. The light faded and there stood Karl.

He was completely translucent and his body seemed to glow with an immortal light. He was a ghost.

"I told you I would be back."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's really late and I'm tired so I'm just gonna trust Grammarly and not proofread this.