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Fenton and Gyro had been working on perfecting the time-tub to make it more functional, so the fiasco with Gyro getting stuck in the old West wouldn't happen again, but in the process of their experimenting in the lab, they'd both accidentally summoned three more Gyro's each from their own timeline.
One of the clone Gyro's eyes lit up when he saw Fenton beside the current canon Gyro and for a moment this Gyro mistakes this Fenton for his own.
"Fenton? You're alive?!"
The comment startled Fenton a bit as the clone Gyro hugged canon Fenton.
"U-um yes?" He sounded so very confused and the two Gyro including Fenton's canon Gyro looked on at the display.
"Oh, right," the clone Gyro's expression now changed. "I was just... surprised to see you again."
Time travel truly was a clusterfuck. A true paradox. "What do you mean? Don't you have a Fenton in your timeline? Universe?" God this was confusing. "Well, the pretense is had!" Had? But that meant....
"Mine died," The clone Gyro deadpanned.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Fenton comforted. Though it was definitely strange to be comforting someone over the death of your well...self. Though Fenton supposed this must happen a lot to the duck family.
Canon Gyro interrupted the two, "that's enough of that." One could assume he was perhaps jealous. Jealous of himself? Huh, how weird, damn did he hate time travel paradoxes.
"It's good your Fenton is still around," that Gyro commented. God the canon Gyro thinks he needs to number them off. Maybe that Gyro could be Gyro one, and the others Gyro two and three and so on for any that came after. "Why do you say that? Don't you have one of these in your timeline?" He gestured to Fenton. "Hey, I'm right here, you know!"
"Well, a few of the other, 'clones' as you keep calling us, certain circumstances happened in our various timelines. In one Gyro's, his Fenton becomes evil, and mine, well," This Gyro always found it a bit hard to talk about, considering he felt like it was his fault. "Mine died, in an explosion, the suit...overloaded, I told the damn idiot he was overworking it, that he was overworking himself! But did he listen? No, no of course not! All that, I'm Hero, I have to, it's my job, well what good was it if—" this Gyro had to stop talking because he hadn't really noticed he had started to tear up from having to talk about this and relive it as if it was his fault.
This Gyro blamed himself because it was his invention that killed someone, that killed Fenton, and he wishes he could of done something about it, and so he envied the canon Gyro who still had his Fenton and any other Gyro's that had theirs still. He's even thought of stealing one from a different timeline but it wouldn't be the same, every Fenton is different even if they had their similarities, it wouldn't be /his/ Fenton.
The canon Gyro only replied, "Oh. I'm sorry."
"Yea. So make sure to cherish your Fenton." The other Gyro put a hand on the canon ones shoulder, "because you never know, so keep an eye on him alright?"
Gyro was a bit confused at how this Gyro acted he was a lot different than him...more...caring outwardly he supposed. Canon Gyro deduced that this one might have had a closer relationship with his Fenton than he currently had with his, at the moment they were just friends and Gyro was still very much warming up to the idea of it all and still getting use to being a good friend to others, he'd improved a lot at least from how he previously was acting toward him and others though.
The next question from the Gyro he labeled "Gyro one" catches him off guard, "So are you dating yet?" Which caused the canon Gyro to stammer in disbelief, "Excuse me? Did you say dating me? Fenton and I? Why that's—" preposterous? They were just friends, barely even starting to become close to one another and Gyro had barely begun to adjust to having his once intern be on equal ground as him, and treating him significantly better than he had been in the past. It was a slow process at first, but the two made it to being friends from colleagues. The idea of them dating seemed so far off, it seemed silly.
Hell, Gyro was pretty sure he was interested in Gandra. After all they had gone on a 'date' not to long ago, or rather a ploy set up by, ugh, Mark Beaks, but regardless, it seemed it half qualified as one.
"No, I'm not dating Fenton," Canon Gyro says making sure Fenton is out of earshot for their conversation to continue.
"Oh well, you could be," the alternate universe Gyro proposed. The canon Gyro just shook his head in disbelief.
"Yea so make sure to cherish your Fenton though," the other Gyro told him.
"But we aren't even together."
"You could be though! There's many decisions that cause the outcome in timelines, you just have to make the right ones," the alternate Gyro informed him, "and besides, you don't have to be dating to cherish someone!"
"Well, that's right," Canon Gyro said, but the idea of caring about someone so much and losing them was terrifying. "Of course I'm right," the other Gyro went on, "I'm you."
"Couldn't you of gone back in your own time machine and saved yours?" Canon Gyro questions. "Tried, failed, so, so, many times over," alternate Gyro forces a laugh, "it kind of all ends the same but different each time." It was like certain timelines had their set outcomes already decided.
"In one timeline, Magica reigns still," the alternate Gyro tells the canon one.
"Oh that sounds awful."
"It is."
Gyro remembered fighting in that shadow war and being thrown into the water and breaking his arm upon hitting said water.
"Though, I wouldn't know, that's not my timeline, but I've seen it."
"Oh."
The two Gyro's chatted to each other while Fenton had to deal with the other two.
"Is Mark Beaks still alive in your timeline?" Fenton asks one of the Gyro's and one answers yes, unfortunately, and the other says no. The canon Gyro over hears the last part, a world without Mark Beaks? Sounds like a good timeline he laughs to himself.
"Well, I suppose we should get you all back to your own timelines." The 'clone' Gyro's nodded to each other and the one Gyro who had been talking to the canon Gyro thinks it was nice to see Fenton again even if it wasn't exactly his Fenton.
"Keep in mind what I said," the alternate Gyro tells the current before leaving in the timetub, before they all do, and canon Gyro is left with Fenton.
"What did that one mean by that?"
"Oh nothing! But it's clear we should be more careful."
"I'll say, but it was certainly interesting to see so many of you, Dr. Gearloose!"
"Mhmm," Gyro says, but before Fenton goes to clock out and head home he stops him. "Hey, Fenton?"
"Yes, Dr. Gearloose?"
"Do be more careful when you're out in that Gizmoduck suit, have a good rest of the night," Gyro says before turning back to the timetub. "I'll do my best not to worry you!" Worried? Ha, nonsense, he was just taking into consideration of what his other self told him. Worried. Ha.
Fenton smiles and turns to leave, "Don't overwork yourself too hard either, make sure you leave before 2am, you need rest too."
Alright, maybe Gyro was worried.
"Thanks, I'll try."
Gyro watched Fenton leave down the elevator.
God, today was certainly a night, seeing your own...well selves, certainly made things complicated. Gyro feels a small presence tapping upon him. Lil Bulb.
"I know, I know, go home, sleep. I should."
Not like he could with the thought of everything that happened today, but working himself to exhaustion wasn't a better substitute either. "Alright, let's go home." He takes Lil Bulb and places him upon his shoulder before taking the elevator and exiting the lab himself.
