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"You have such pretty feathers, duckling."
Quackity clenches his eyes shut, feeling his back press into the hard wall. His legs stretch out in front of him and he desperately wants to kick the man infront of him, wanting to get as much space between them as he can. A hand runs itself through Quackity's feathers, stopping at some before moving along.
Theres a chuckle and then he feels a red, hot pain rush over him.
Quackity whimpers, letting a few tears slip out of his eyes and he opens them.
Schlatt is squatted beside him, one hand on his knee, another holding a blood coated feather. Quackity's feather.
"So pretty," Schlatt mumbles from beside him, examining the feather before tossing it behind him. It floats slowly before landing on the floor below it.
Schlatt turns his head to look at Quackity, and Quackity swears he feels his heart drop. Schlatt gives him a smile before turning his focus back to Quackity's wing, letting his fingers guide themselves through the yellow feathers. He plucks out a few more feathers, letting them pile on the ground and leaving Quackity bloodied and crying.
Schlatt stands up slowly, grabbing a bottle of alcohol Quackity doesn't care enough to learn the name of. He brings the bottle up to his lips, letting the rest of the liquid go into his mouth. He swallows, letting the bottle fall to the floor with a crash loud enough to make Quackity flinch.
Quackity looks at the glass, scooting away from it.
"You know I love you, right?"
Quackity quickly looks up, seeing Schlatt stare down at him. Quackity hesitates, nodding slowly.
"Use your words." Schlatt says, stepping closer and Quackity tries to move back, but the wall stops him. He gulps, "Yes."
"Good," Schlatt smiles, satisfied with the answer, "now clean up, will you?"
Before Quackity can answer, Schlatt is walking away, his hooves clicking the floor as he walks.
The door slams shut.
--
Quackity gasps, shooting up.
Panic floods his system, covering every inch of him and he can't breathe.
He lets the tears run down his face, letting himself hiccup and gasp, desperately trying to get air back into his lungs. His hands fumble around him, trying to find support.
Quackity feels something (someone?) beside him shift, sitting up and he freezes. He must have woken Schlatt.
Fuck.
The thing-- Schlatt, Quackity has decided-- says something Quackity can't decipher, unintelligible to his ears.
"I don't- I can't-" Words die in Quackity's throat and he throws the bedsheets off him, standing up and he moves as fast as he can, making his way to the first door he sees and he goes through it. It's the bathroom, he realises, the tile floor cold against his feet. He turns around and shuts the door, fumbling with the lock before he hears the click of the door being locked. He slides to the ground, his back against the door and he hears noises from the room behind it.
He closes his eyes, finally succumbing to his sobs, letting them wrack his body, his wings wrapping around him for protection.
--
It takes more than a couple minutes for him to calm down, for him to finally feel how tired he actually is.
Quackity stands, his legs wobble underneath him and he stumbles his way to the sink, his hands gripping onto the porcelain hard enough that his fingers start to go pale.
He looks up, staring at himself in the mirror. It's dark, the only light source being the moon light. He can tell how red his cheeks have gotten, the tear streaks slowly drying. His hair is a mess, going all sorts of ways now that its not covered by a beanie. In short, he looks awful. Quackity sniffs, wiping his eyes and he goes back to the door, unlocking it.
When he opens the door, Karl is there with Sapnap by his side. They both look worried sick and Quackity feels guilt swarm his body.
Karl doesn't get upset though, instead he gives Quackity a small smile, one that makes Quackity want to cry again, but he doesn't. He shuffles forward, wrapping his arms around Karl and he burrows his head in his chest. "I'm sorry." Quackity mumbles, his voice slightly cracking.
Karl hugs Quackity back just as tight, "It's okay," he whispers back and Quackity feels Sapnap join the hug too, his body providing a warmth that makes Quackity even sleepier.
"Bed?" Karl asks and Quackity nods, pulling away from the hug. He looks over at Sapnap who smiles in return, guiding him back to the bed.
Quackity gets in first, the other two following suit. They wrap their arms around him, snuggling him, and when Quackity falls asleep, the nightmare doesn't come back.