MHA #15, then #MHA 14, Saturday Morning

[pocketpretzels]

Last night had been pleasant, if excessively glittery. Following the dance, Watts and Steven had checked in to the hotel and-

... Promptly fallen asleep. What?

Now it was morning, though, and the first hints of consciousness were beginning to filter through Watts's mind.

"Mrrph," he rolled over, instinctively reaching for where Steven ought to be. Except there was nobody there. Still mostly asleep, Watts started to dismiss that as oh, well, clearly Steven woke up first and is over by the desk making terrible hotel coffee-

"Steven woke up first"? Yeah, no. Steven was even less of a morning person than Watts himself was. Something was definitely wrong. Starting with the fact that this wasn't a hotel room at all, but his old apartment. Now fully awake- and concerned- Watts got dressed and started to look around in an effort to figure out just what the hell had gone on here.

His first stop was his mobile phone on the nightstand, which looked... older? He squinted at it, and then sighed and grabbed his glasses (which unlike his actual current phone had survived the transition) and squinted at it again: 2022-07-30, read the date.

"Twenty years," he muttered. "Criminy." That would place them at- what, a few months after they'd both arrived in Fandom? Maybe a month after they'd started dating? The lack of decoration in his apartment more or less confirmed the timing. Though he still wanted to know where the hell Steven had ended up, if not with him.

First stop? Across the hall, to Steven and Marc's apartment. Muscle memory had him fishing out his keyring even though they'd not lived in Fandom for years, but of course the key wasn't on the ring: they wouldn't be exchanging those for some time yet. So, knocking it was.

[ooc: for thems that live there! that watts headed over to visit is fine for broadcast, details of conversation NFB please.]

Comments

[hasaknightjob]

Of course what had actually happened last night was that Llewellyn and Steven had gone home and, since Steven's flat was the first door they came to in the corridor, it only made sense for them to go in there first and -

... promptly fall asleep. What?

Thus it was still 2022 Steven who woke up that morning to find himself alone. He sat up, confused. The bathroom door was open so that ruled out Llewellyn being in there.

"Llew?" he called, in case Llewellyn had gone into the kitchen to start coffee or some such. When there was no reply Steven got out of bed, which was when he noticed that Llewellyn's clothes were nowhere to be seen either.

This got Steven worried. Perhaps Llewellyn hadn't been able to shake his discomfort at the idea of being discovered and had crept out during the night without waking Steven? Which Steven would understand, of course. He knew Llewellyn needed time. But surely Llewellyn would have left a note or -

Oh of course, a text. Steven went to check his phone only just then came a knock at the door. Then Steven felt silly twice over. After last time Llewellyn must have taken it upon himself to be a dear and gone out and gotten breakfast for them both. Steven abandoned his phone, unchecked, quickly threw on some sweats and a T-shirt, and went to the door. He was so certain it must be Llewellyn he didn't even check, opening it straight away.

"Morning y - " Steven stopped. Llewellyn looked different. "... you?"

[pocketpretzels]

Llewellyn looked different?

Steven looked different. Younger. Almost like-

"Oh, no."

[hasaknightjob]

Steven stepped back to allow Llewellyn to come inside without thinking about it. The reason why he wasn't thinking about it was that regardless of Llewellyn seeming older as a concept, he had facial hair. That took time to grow. Time Steven was completely unaware of.

"H-how - how long?" Steven asked. He didn't want to know but he had to know. "How much time?"

[pocketpretzels]

Twenty years, give or take, but Watts was well familiar with that question said in that particular tone, and besides that this time it was Fandom's fault entirely, so he absolutely wasn't going to lead with that.

"Why don't we sit down, hm?" he asked, already reaching for Steven's shoulder to guide him over to the couch.

[hasaknightjob]

In what was definitely an unusual gesture for any form of Steven that Llewellyn knew, Steven held up a hand to forestall any contact. He did step back towards the living room, however, because sitting down was probably wise regardless.

"How much time?" Steven snapped. Because he hadn't looked at his phone or even himself so if Lewellyn was older that meant Steven was older and he didn't know when that happened.

[pocketpretzels]

Watts sighed. Fandom had played its tricks on both of them (and Marc) over the last two decades, when they'd been living here and occasionally even after they'd left. But this Steven hadn't been here long enough to become accustomed to that. And this particular trick was a new one for both of them.

"It isn't what you think," he said, though he suspected Steven wouldn't hear that part. Likely he'd focus on the next bit. Which he didn't want to say, but there was naught to do now but rip off the metaphorical band-aid: "But it's been twenty years. For me." He somehow doubted those last two words would register completely either.

[hasaknightjob]

Steven heard the words, he did, but the only context he had for them was his life before Fandom. If Steven had lost time then of course it was twenty years for Llewellyn and not for him. Same as how for other people it had been days, or weeks. But never - twenty years?

"No. No no no no no - " Steven started breathing faster. He didn't make it to the couch, instead falling to his knees there on the floor. He pressed his hands to his head as though somehow that might keep the chaos of his thoughts inside. "No, no. I didn't. I can't - "

[pocketpretzels]

And this- this was exactly what Watts had wanted to avoid.

He followed him down to the floor, crouching close but not crowding. "Steven, darling, listen- you haven't lost any time," he pleaded, trying to head off what he was sure was coming.

[hasaknightjob]

It was a noble goal and would've worked in lesser circumstances. But this wasn't lesser circumstances. In less than a blink Marc had taken over. Which probably would've been easy for nearly anybody to tell given that the visible result was all signs of panic instantly disappearing to be replaced by Marc's harder, more assessing look.

The latter of which he was aiming at Watts. On the plus side, he was better equipped to handle these kinds of things than Steven was. "This some island bullshit?"

[pocketpretzels]

“Good morning, Marc,” Watts said, not missing a beat. “As always, your assessment is both succinct and accurate.”

[hasaknightjob]

Marc stood up and took stock of things. No sign of Steven in any reflections, which wasn't surprising. Steven felt as gone as he could be. Still Marc had to check. Next was everything around them. No changes. Even the fish were alive, with Marc's post-it to Steven still on the tank. On top of everything else, he didn't have Konshu in his ear bitching at him about things he needed to take care of.

Right. So all signs pointed to no changes on his end. Which left the person standing in front of him.

"What happened?" Marc asked. Meaning to Watts, in general, whatever. Look, Marc had dealt with five years of half the universe vanishing and then the day when they all came back. It took a lot more than an older looking Watts to throw him.

[pocketpretzels]

“We arrived on the island last night for what was supposed to be a reunion- Steven and I attended the dance last night, retired to the hotel, and then… I woke up in my former apartment. Alone. Twenty years in the past,” Watts explained. “I don’t know why or how beyond, as you say, ‘some island bullshit’.”

[hasaknightjob]

There were a few things to unpack there but Marc had priorities. "Wait, so where's current you? The guy who was here with Steven last night?"

Because if that Watts was in danger or missing, that was the next priority now that Steven was - well not taken care of, but safe for now.

[pocketpretzels]

“I’m- not sure,” Watts admitted. And really, this ought to bother him, but after years of Fandom’s weirdness, one couldn’t help but acclimate. “This is the first time this has happened, but there have been- similar- incidents. Generally after the weekend everyone affected is returned safe and sound.”

[hasaknightjob]

"Right. Wait here," Marc told him. He went into the bedroom and grabbed his phone from where Steven had left it. He quickly sent off a couple of texts, then dialed Watts's number as he walked back into the living room.

[pocketpretzels]

Watts’s mobile phone- his past self’s device, anyway- obligingly rang, and he fished it out of his suit pocket and hit the ‘answer call’ button, raising an eyebrow questioningly at Marc as he did so.

[hasaknightjob]

"That answers that," Marc said. He hung up, which was when he saw that Nell had texted him back. He quickly sent off a reply and then put his phone aside. "Looks like you're not the only one. No offense but this better wear off."

Marc didn't even want to think about what it was going to do to Steven if it didn't.

[pocketpretzels]

“No offense taken,” Watts said. “As much as I enjoyed my time here, I want to be able to return to my current life.” Not to mention his own version of Steven. And yes, even you, Marc.

[hasaknightjob]

Marc was going to reply when Liz called him back. He quickly checked in with her then returned his attention to the matter at hand.

"It's too damn early for a drink," he said, being generally annoyed at the universe about that one. There was still a lot to unpack here but he wasn't going to do it without something in his system, so he headed towards the kitchen. "Coffee?"

[pocketpretzels]

“Please,” Watts said, following Marc into the kitchen and pulling two mugs from the cupboard with the practiced ease of someone who’d spent a lot of time in this apartment over the mumblemumble number of years.

[hasaknightjob]

Marc definitely made note of that as he got a pot of coffee going. It led nicely into the other things that had been put on hold while he triaged. "Twenty years?"

Could Marc have added more words to that? Yes. Did he ever learn to do so? No.

[pocketpretzels]

That just meant it was familiar! Which was honestly kind of reassuring in a weird way.

"Twenty years," Watts echoed. "In which we've managed to build rather a nice life."

Yes, that 'we' meant himself and Steven. But also Marc- and someone else, actually- was included in that as well. Though that wasn't a bomb he wanted to drop right away. Maybe in a few minutes.

[hasaknightjob]

Coffee brewing, Marc started pulling out what was needed for bagels (Fandom based, so really "bagels" but what could you do?) and lox for breakfast. If Watts wanted something else - well he was familiar with the kitchen. He could go nuts.

And on the topic of why he was familiar with the kitchen, "Twenty years with Steven?" Because yes, Marc had clocked that detail but put it on the back burner until he could breathe.

[pocketpretzels]

... Yeah, Watts was just going to go straight for the (cold, sigh, thanks ever so for that, John Harvey Kellogg) cereal, rummaging around the fridge for the carton of non-dairy milk to accompany it.

"Yes," he replied. "Does that surprise you?"

[hasaknightjob]

"I'm wondering when I took you off probation," Marc replied, his comment more idle curiosity than accusation. Not that he'd ever told present day version of Watts he'd been on probation regarding Marc allowing him around Steven. But after their first (and to date only) meeting Marc felt it'd been heavily implied.