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maybe running away isn't the best solution

Summary:

after reading a bunch of mean comments about himself, Karl runs aways

Notes:

wowwwwww this is longer than i thought it would be! and it only too 2 days! yay me!

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

Karl’s not stupid, he knows the internet is the worst place to be because of all the internet trolls. It was an even worse place to be when he is regressed. 

 

Every little comment seemed to stab him like tiny knives. He helped film a video for Mr. Beast a few days prior and it had just come out. Sapnap specifically told him he couldn’t watch the new video when he was Little, with that same reason behind it, there may be some mean comments that would make Karl sad. He was more sensitive when he was Little. 

 

But Karl couldn’t help himself, he wanted to see the video, it had him, his best friend Chris, his best friend Chandler, and of course his bestest friend, Jimmy. Karl reached over to grab his tablet and clicked on Youtube, trying to find the video. He smiled brightly when he found it, clicking on it. 

 

It wasn’t a long video, maybe 10 minutes at most, and when Karl was done, he scrolled down to the comments, as much as his brain told him not to. There were a few people congratulating Mr. Beast on another great video, but as Karl scrolled down further, he saw the meanie comments about him. 

 

He was mostly unaffected by the mean comments when he was big, all of them were dumb and predictable anyway. His friends helped him realize he was worth more than what those.. those meanie heads! But obviously, Little Karl didn’t have that sort of self-reasurrance Big Karl has, so every little mean comments affects him, bad. 

 

As he scrolled and scrolled, the comments kept getting worse. Some were saying how he was just using his friends for money and fame, but then there were the extreme ones that went as far as to tell Karl to hurt himself. 

 

Karl whimpered and threw the tablet on the ground like it was hot lava. He looked around to see if anyone saw him. Karl made a split-second decision. He was going to run away. It’s not like anyone would care anyway, Karl just uses them, they should be relieved. 

 

The Little quietly went up to his room and packed some of his stuff in a tiny backpack. Sapnap was streaming, and Dream and George were spending the day out of the house, there was no one to stop his plan. He just had to figure out how to get out. 

 

Karl went back downstairs and grabbed Sapnap’s credit card. This is the last time, I promise, he thought. Grabbing the car keys, Karl left the house.

 

Karl knew it would be tough driving a car in his headspace, so he tried his hardest to get into an older headspace. Once that was achieved, Karl was off, to where he didn’t exactly know. 

 

--

 

A while later back at the house, Dream and George got home, confused as to why Sapnap’s car was gone. George went into the kitchen while Dream walked upstairs to Sapnap's room. The younger boy had just finished a stream when Dream knocked on the door. 

 

“Hey, I thought you guys weren’t here”, Dream said, standing in the doorway. “Your car’s not here.” The blood drained from Sapnap’s face. 

 

“What do you mean the car’s not here?”, he asked quickly. “Karl’s downstairs, right?” Dream hesitated before shaking his head. Sapnap stood up and ran past Dream to get downstairs, nearly tripping. “Karl!” He saw the screen-shattered tablet on the living room floor. “Karl! This isn’t a sick joke! Come out wherever you’re hiding!” 

 

“Nick!”, George exclaimed, grabbing Sapnap’s shoulders. “Calm down. He couldn’t have gone far, right?” Sapnap tried to take deep breaths, but couldn’t help but fear the worst for Karl. 

 

“We can go look for him, right, George?”, Dream asked, coming down the stairs. George nodded. “And you can stay here in case he comes back, okay?” Sapnap nodded. 

 

“Right”, he replied. “He loves us, if he ran away, he’ll come back.” George nodded. 

 

“That’s the right attitude”, he said. “Clay, let’s go.” Dream nodded and the two left again. After Dream and George left, Sapnap decided to call Karl’s phone, thinking that maybe he took it with him. He didn’t. He heard the ring from the living room. 

 

 --

 

Karl checked in at a local motel, using Sapnap’s real name and information because he did use Sapnap’s card. He did feel a tiny bit guilty, but then he shrugged it off and started to unpack his Little things. He knew it was safe to regress younger if he wanted to, but he just decided to take a nap. All that driving tired him out.

 

When Karl woke up, it was dark outside, and he was still Little, not a great combination. In that moment he felt scared and wanted his Daddy, then he remembered his Daddy didn’t want him anymore, Karl used his Daddy and his Dweam, and his Gogy! 

 

At least Karl had his favorite stuffed animal, a stuffed frog that his Daddy won him at the state fair. He really missed his Daddy. Karl fell asleep not long after that, with his thumb in his mouth and his frog tucked securely under his arms. 

 

--

 

Dream and George came home around midnight with no sign of Karl or Sapnap’s car.

 

“We tried looking at all his favorite places”, George stated, stretching a little. “We can’t find him anywhere.” Sapnap started to freak out again. 

 

“Listen, Nick”, Dream started to say. “I’m sure he’s safe for the night, he’s smart enough to find shelter in the dark, we’ll go out bright and early looking for him again.” Sapnap nodded slowly. 

 

“He’s smart”, he echoed Dream’s words. “I’m gonna go try and get some sleep.” Dream nodded. George followed Sapnap up and stairs and to his room, grateful to get some sleep after a stressful day, one where he remained Big the whole time, which he saw as an accomplishment. 

 

Sapnap was tossing and turning in his bed, unable to sleep due to the immense stress and fear he was feeling. It was about an hour later when Dream woke him up when he opened his bedroom door. 

 

“What the hell?”, Sapnap groaned. Dream came over to and leaned over him. 

 

“I was just thinking”, Dream started to say. “Don’t you have tracking on that car?” Sapnap eyes fluttered open completely, seemingly more awake. 

 

“Oh my god!”, he exclaimed, somewhat quietly. “I totally forgot about that!” Dream cringed slightly and turned around, expecting George to wake up because of all of the commotion, but he didn’t. 

 

“We’ll track it in the morning, okay?”, Dream asked. “I just thought about it and thought I should tell you. But seriously get some sleep, I heard you tossing and turning from down the hall.” Sapnap nodded and brought the covers back up to his chin. 

 

“Night”, he mumbled, turning his back to Dream as the older boy went back to his room. 

 

-- 

 

When Karl woke up, he was welcomed by the nice bright sun peeking through the blinds of the motel room, momentarily forgetting what happened the previous day. He left his family. The only real family he’s ever known. And he was still Little, which was a challenge. 

 

His stomach rumbled soon after, realizing that he didn’t eat anything since the previous morning. Scrambling out of bed and grabbing Sapnap’s credit card, he went out of the motel room to the vending machine down the hall. He bought a couple bags of chips and some candy, then went back to his room. 

 

--

 

“Did you get it?”, Dream asked, hopping on the counter. Sapnap sighed in relief as he looked on his phone, he looked up over at Dream and nodded. “Where is it?” 

 

“It’s at the.. motel”, Sapnap replied. “That’s about 15 miles from here, are we ready to go?” 

 

“George is still asleep, I feel bad waking him up”, Dream said. “But I guess I have to, Karl is more important than George’s beauty sleep.” He hopped off the counter and went upstairs, coming back a couple minutes later with George following him. “Let’s roll boys.” George groaned and let his head lean up against Dream’s chest, Dream laughed lightly. “You can take a tiny nap in the car.” George nodded and followed the other two boys out to the car. 

 

“Clay! Turn!”, Sapnap exclaimed, making George jump from the backseat and let out a tiny whine. “It’s right there! Are you blind?!” 

 

“I’m turning, Nicholas!”, Dream replied. “I see it!” George let out a loud grumble and tried to hide himself in his sweatshirt. 

 

As soon as the car stopped, Sapnap jumped out and ran to the office. 

 

“Hi, hello”, Sapnap started to tell the lady at the front desk. “I was wondering if there was a Karl Jacobs staying here?” The lady checked the check-ins and looked back up at Sapnap. 

 

“I’m sorry, sir, there doesn’t seem to be a Karl Jacobs staying here”, the lady replied. Sapnap tapped his foot nervously 

 

“W-what about a Nicholas Armstrong?”, he asked. Sapnap wasn’t dumb, he noticed his credit card was gone when Dream and George left to go find Karl the previous day. The lady checked again and nodded a little hesitantly. “What’s his room number?”

 

“I can’t give that information out without knowing your relationship with the guest”, the lady replied. Sapnap sighed, anxious to see his boy.

 

“He’s my boyfriend”, he said. The lady looked at her paper again before looking back up at Sapnap. 

 

“Room 105”, she replied. Sapnap nodded, saying a quick ‘thank you’ before bolting off to find the room. Sapnap found the room and knocked softly. 

 

“Karl?”, he asked. “I know you’re here, buddy, can you open the door for me?” From inside the room, Karl looked over at the door and squealed nervously, inching closer to the door. Sapnap waited a moment before the door opened and revealed Karl’s sad figure. He started crying as soon as he saw Sapnap. Sapnap engulfed him in a hug. “You’re okay, honey, no need to cry, you’re safe again.” 

 

“K-Kawl b-bad”, he sobbed. Sapnap shook his head softly. “Stowle da caw!” 

 

“I know, I know, honey”, Sapnap replied. “We don’t have to talk about this now, let’s get you packed up again and then we can head home, okay? Gogy and Dream are in the car and I’m pretty sure he’s Little.” Karl nodded and wiped his nose on his sleeve. 

 

“Ho’e”, he whispered. Sapnap helped Karl pack his stuff back up and the two headed back home in Sapnap’s car after telling Dream to just go ahead back home. Karl and him would have to have a conversation about what happened, but all in due time. 

Notes:

comments and requests make me happy!