#seashell collection

"There is nothing you could take that I have not already lost."

Karl sighs, trying not to roll his eyes. It's a time of great distress for the toddler that is meant to be his fiance, he's sure.

"I can get you another cookie later," he promises and the teenage Quackity in the corner sneers, "Dramatic much?"

Four-year-old Sapnap sniffles.

Karl doesn't have a lot of patience for the seventeen-year-old version of his love, the one of two who should know better.

If he didn't know better, he'd almost say Quackity was feeling jealous.

Gods, this would be eons easier if neither remembered anything. As it is, they understand what's happening, but only to the extent their current age allows.

The little Sapnap had tearfully cried "fiances" over and over again, more than happy to have Quackity and Karl in the same room together for more than a minute.

Quackity, unfortunately, doesn't hold the same childish forgiveness. He glares at Karl like he's a villain and occasionally snaps at the toddler like he deserves to be yelled at before he can properly ride a bike.

"Please be nice to him," Karl says for the fourth time, "He's just a baby."

"No' baby," the baby complains, " Fia'ce ."

"I didn't agree to marry a baby," Quackity says dryly.

Sapnap sniffles. "No' marry?"

Tearily, he stares at Quackity like he's just said the world was ending.

"Of course I'm not marrying a baby ," Quackity says, "And grown-up you left me , so you can count me out on that one too."

"Left you?" Karl asks, says, "We didn't leave you, Quackity. You left us to go start Las Nevadas."

"You," he spits, "left me to go make your perfect little Kinoko Kingdom with Sapnap."

"We invited you," Karl says, eyes wide, "Quackity, I invited you."

"No, Karl," Quackity seethes, "You didn't ."

"I didn't?" Karl asks, something like horror in his throat. Gods, no wonder Quackity hated him.

"What?" Quackity asks, "Did you forget me?"

Karl inhales sharply.

He wouldn't, he wouldn't . And, yet, all of the evidence is here in front of him.

"Kar'?"

Little Sapnap is watching him, eyes wide and awfully concerned for a four-year-old. He shakes, knows that he's falling into familiar and forgotten pieces of himself.

"You actually forgot me," Quackity breathes disbelievingly. Tears well up in Karl's eyes.

"Forgettin' lots," baby Sapnap says quietly.

"Yeah?" Quackity asks, hurt and confused and angry, "Forgetting you ?"

"Think so," little Sapnap admits and Karl jolts.

"No," he swears, lies, "I didn't forget either of you, I won't ."

"It sounds like you already did," Quackity says, a little dead-sounding.

Baby Sapnap bites his lip. "Sick?" he asks tentatively.

Karl breathes.

"Sometimes," he admits, "Yeah. Sometimes."

Quackity purses his lips. "Why didn't you say something?"

"I can't," Karl says. He doesn't want to give them false hope. "Quackity, I can't . Don't ask me to, please, please, please don't ask me to."

"You don't trust us," Quackity accuses.

"No," Karl denies, "They won't let me--"

He shuts his mouth with a click, jaw snapping closed when his mind catches up with his mouth.

"Le'?" Baby Sapnap asks worriedly.

"It's not a big deal," Karl tries.

"You're forgetting your own fiance," Quackity points out. Fiance, singular. Karl tries to push the hurt down.

"Fia'ces," Sapnap says, stressing the plurality of the word.

"Right," Quackity agrees easily, "The point stands. If someone's hurting you, we can protect you."

"You can't fight this," Karl says tiredly, "Neither can I. Please don't push this."

Quackity sighs. "I'll leave it alone for now."

He bites his lip and his feathers ruffle slightly behind him. "You forgot to invite me to Kinoko Kingdom."

Karl nods. "I swear I thought I told you."