Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The beginning had been hard. Especially on the Captain. Having to get used to being alive in a world where had merely been a spectator of for the last 75 years. But once he’d woken up in the hospital, with William sleeping next to him in a chair- holding his hand, and he felt his heart beat steadily in his chest for the first time in decades, he decided that it didn’t matter how out of the loop he was. He was alive. His heart was beating, his warm breath clouded the cool morning air upon stepping outside the clammy hospital, he could feel the pain any time he’d accidentally walk into a wall face-first because he kept forgetting he couldn’t do that anymore without suffering the consequences.

He was currently sitting on the side of his bed at Button house, a bed he’d spent to many years on, but never had the chance to actually use. It was simply amazing, sleeping. Sleeping as a ghosts was empty, full of nothing. But sleeping when he was alive… The dreams, the nightmares, the kind of dreams he’d immediately forget after waking up. He’d forgotten the joy of it. The blissfulness of sleeping, totally at ease, forgetting your troubles and joys for a few hours a night to simply exist, to reset for the next day. It was something he didn’t know he lacked as a ghost, never being able to mentally separate the days anymore with a good night’s sleep.

He fumbled with the buttons of his shirt, one that William had bought for him in town while he was still in the hospital.
“I know what it’s like to not have your own wardrobe.” He’d said with a wink as he’d handed Theo the clothes. William knew his taste well, it was simple button-ups, with neat trousers and on cold days maybe a sweatervest.  The shirt was incredibly soft, but the buttons were tiny, and his hands still shook slightly as he tried to button them.

He still felt weak, and incredibly tired. According to the doctors he’d slept for nearly 20 hours- a fact he found baffling. Surely if he’d slept that long he wouldn’t feel this tired. He rubbed his hands together, for what must have been the millionth time that morning, just because he could. Because he could feel the feather-light touch of his hands pressing against each other- it pleased him to no end.

William had been talking to the doctor for what felt like hours, but eventually managed to return with a plastic bag in his hands. He shot Theo one of his dazzling smiles, lifting the bag to emphasize it.

“Got your antibiotics! The doctor said to take them twice a day for two weeks.” He said, setting the plastic bag down on the foot end of the bed. Theo sat up, looking at the bag. “Ah, thank you, William.” He replied, falling silent shortly after. William sat down on the bed next to Theo, looking at him with concerned eyes.

“How are you feeling, Theo?” He asked, putting a hand on the other man’s knee. Theo regarded it for a moment, before putting his own hand over it, squeezing comfortingly.

“It’s… strange.” He settled on. William’s eyebrows raised slightly, his eyes growing concerned.
“Not strange in a bad way I hope.” He asked, without it being a question at all. The Captain quickly shook his head, giving the other man a reassuring smile.

“No, no of course not. It’s just… it’s been such a long time since I was alive. I’m afraid I’ve quite forgotten how to live.” He said, not managing to hold back a chuckle at the back of his throat. William smiled along with him, grabbing his hand and bringing it up to his face, and placing a soft kiss there- making Theo blush furiously.

“I do suspect we’ll need some identification soon.” Theo said, trying to take his mind of the spot on his hand where he could still feel Williams lips pressing into it. William nodded, holding up his phone.

“I’ve already asked Mike, his friend Obi is quite good with things like that apparently. He should be able to get us some identification soon. The Captain nodded, looking at his shoes. He still had some questions though, maybe this was his best chance to ask them.,

“I say- William.” He said, getting the other man’s attention instantly.
“I’ve been wondering… how did you know it would work?” Theo asked. He’d been wondering it ever since he’d woken up in the hospital. It was one of the most disorientating sensations of his life, but he’d never managed to find out just what happened.

The other man’s reply was short and fast. “I didn’t.”

Theo’s face must have given away his confusion, because William bit his lip- a gesture that almost made Theo blush in itself- and leaned into Theo, burying his face in his shoulder. He had never thought about it, but he’d never been able to smell him before. But he smelled wonderful. Like fresh air after a humid summer day, the faintest smell of gunpowder and cinnamon- like home.

“Well, I’ve told you about George before. He told me that when you meet yourself in any point in time, the universe tries to rectify the situation, by… basically merging the most recent version of yourself with the past version of yourself. So that means the consciousness of the future self gets sucked into the past self’s body. So, when you told me about… you know. I had the idea to bring your past self to the future and let you two merge. And to be honest- I didn’t know if it was going to work. But I figured I owed it to you to try.” He explained.

The Captain nodded, taking it in. The entire story made very little sense to him, and if he hadn’t stared his past self in the face a few days before, he might have started to doubt the other man’s sanity. (No he wouldn’t, who was he kidding?)

He was glad to know what happened, but he had to be honest with himself and say that it didn’t really have to matter. He was alive, he and William were together, and they would be ready for the world…

Well… at least as soon as Obi got them their ID’s, that is.

Chapter Text

Theo had been in the hospital for a few days, so he’d slowly had the chance to get used to the fact that other people could now both see and touch him. But despite the few days he’d had to get back into his way of life, it was still a shock when he walked towards the doors of Button house- William sharp on his heels- and he found both Alison and Mike staring at him with open mouth, an astonished group of ghosts behind them. For a moment, neither couple quite knew how to start a conversation, but then Alison smiled brightly, and stuck out her hand in a faux-formal way.

“Welcome, dear sir, to Button house.” She said, opening the door a little wider to let them in. Mike followed suit, a welcoming smile appearing on his face, as he held out his hand in way of a greeting. Theo grabbed it hesitantly, always having been a little awkward meeting new people. It was even more awkward because he’d already known Mike for two years, and the man had no idea who he was.

“Nice to finally formally meet you man.” Mike said as the Captain grabbed his hand, shaking it shortly before pulling the hand towards him and throwing his arms around the former ghost warmly. Theo manoeuvred his arms around to awkwardly pat the man’s back, not really used to touching- let alone hugging- anyone.

William was there then, greeting Mike happily, and as soon as the man had released Theo he grabbed Theo’s free hand- an action that instantly dissolved the awkwardness. Mike and Alison led the pair inside, letting Theo put his things back in his room, before gathering back in the kitchen for a well-deserved cup of tea.

The Captain had his hands wrapped around the cup, letting the hot water warm- almost burn his fingers. It was uncomfortable, but he still wouldn’t let go. It was marvellous to be able to feel it again, and so as William and Alison were happily chatting away, he stared at his cup of tea- deep in thought. He wasn’t used to being part of the conversation anyway, being much more comfortable being a quiet observer. But Mike didn’t seem to get the hint, because once he spotted the Captain sitting silently at the kitchen table, he scooted over and leaned in.

“They seem to get along well.” He said, gesturing towards William and Alison, who hadn’t even noticed Mike had moved away from them, so deeply had they been discussing the Musical Annie. The Captain nodded, not quite knowing how to reply, but after a moment of thought finally landing on; “They both have a wonderful way with people.”

“Yeah-“ Mike agreed. “That’s why she should handle the guests. She has way better people skills. I’ll handle the chores and the finances. Not that I’m particularly great at those, but hey- I can’t let her do everything.” He continued, giving a little laugh at the end.
“Yes, I quite agree.” The Captain replied, not knowing what else to say. He was hopelessly out of practise in these kinds of social situations. Small talk had never been his strong suit, he preferred to get right to the point. And years of being isolated as an invisible ghost had done little to aid that. Still, Mike didn’t seem deterred, because he once again leaned back in and continued to talk.

“You know, I gotta say it’s really nice finally meeting you man. I can’t tell you how much I’ve wanted to meet you guys-well I mean the others.” He said. The Captain gave him a small smile, his train of thought broken. His heart skipped a beat halfway through the sentence as he’d realised the man had actually been talking to him, and not somebody next to him.

“Well yes, actually. I saw the rituals.” Theo replied, and watched as Mike visibly cringed and scrounged his nose.
Oh… maybe he shouldn’t have brought that up, he supposed it  would be strange to tell someone you had been watching them while they were unaware of it. He hadn’t realised how strange it must all be for Mike, being aware of a bunch of strangers living in your home who know your every move, but you’re not able to see them. He was incredibly glad he was still able to see and hear his friends- because although he could murder some of them sometimes, they had nonetheless become a little family to him. A family Mike had no idea he was a part of. Theo cleared his throat, once again trying to lift the awkward atmosphere.

“I won’t tell Alison, don’t worry Michael.” He added hurriedly, giving the other man a smile and a small wink. He watched as Mike let out a small laugh, wiping his sweaty hands on his trousers.
“Thanks mate. Appreciate it. But I have the sneaking suspicion she already knows.” He replied. The Captain couldn’t help but laugh out loud, thinking of the way all the ghosts had been watching him perform various rituals and make potions, only to immediately tell Alison the second she got home. But he wouldn’t want to burden the good man with the knowledge- so he shook his head.

“Don’t worry, we never told her.” He added, and watched as Mike visibly relaxed. He put a hand on Theo’s shoulder and squeezed it lightly. “Thanks man, you’re a real one.” He said. The Captain could only try to hold in his laugh. But the Mike’s face fell, seeming to realise something else.

“Tell me…”He began awkwardly.
“You didn’t see the thing with the cream… right?” He asked, cautiously. The Captain pursed his lips.
“What cream?” He asked, keeping his face straight. He saw Mike relax again, waving his hand dismissively saying; “Nah it’s all good mate, forget it.” with an embarrassed laugh.

Theo didn’t have the heart to tell him he knew exactly what cream he was talking about.

Chapter Text

Williams hand was clammy inside Theo’s. He was subconsciously bouncing from one leg to the other, standing on the corner of the small street, just out of sight of the barred house with the familiar bright blue door, looking at the woman who was bouncing a little boy up and down her knee. A soldier came out of the house, carrying a large bag, the sun beating down on his hat and long overcoat. Even from where they were both standing they could see the sweat starting to form on his brow from the heat. He didn’t seem to notice however, since he dropped the bag in the garden and embraced the little boy, smiling brightly as the boy demanded to be lifted.

“He’s an active lad.” Theo remarked, looking at Stephen with a small smile. William hummed in agreement, looking at his past self spoiling his nephew silly as his sister looked off with a tired smile. He’d never noticed it before- his past self had never been blissfully unaware of the troubles Maude had been facing. She really had been a rock in the Davidson family. A little girl from the neighbouring house ran outside then- a girl he now recognised as Anne, dragging Stephen off to play in her back garden, leaving Maude and William alone.

“I remember this conversation.” William said, looking at the two siblings in the garden. Even from here he could see himself tense up at Maude’s words. “I told her about Africa.” He continued, feeling Theo put a hand on his shoulder in comfort. It was hard to watch the two people in the garden- watching as their lives were falling apart, but not being able to tell them that things will turn around eventually. It was heart-breaking, watching Maude shake off the comforting words William tried to give her, her shoulders shaking with tears unshed. Even from where they were standing on the other side of the street, it sent shivers down William’s spine.

They solemnly watched as William eventually checked his watch and grabbed his bag- patting his pockets for the train tickets he’d buried there that morning. He hugged his sister, and peeked around the house to see if he could spot his nephew anywhere. After a few seconds he shrugged and turned around, waving one last time to his sister before walking off, bag over his shoulder.

“This was the last time she ever saw me.” William stated, watching himself leave. Maude waved him off, continuing to stand in the garden until her brother was out of sight, and eventually returning inside, leaving the door open so Stephen could find his was back inside eventually.

“This was the last time we ever saw each other, and neither of us knew.” William said again. The Captain wrapped his arm around his waist pulling him close and resting his chin on the man’s shoulder as he hummed.
“Well, that’s what we’re here for, right?” He replied with a soft smile. He felt William nod next to him.

“Yes.” He said, patting the pocket of his uniform, feeling the lump in his coat sitting comfortably where he’d left it. They’d planned it out for a few days. William would go back in time, purchase something of high value for little money, and then bring it along. They’d settled on a bar of gold, something that- after the end of the war, would only increase in value. William had picked this day specifically, wanting to make up for the way in which he and his sister parted unknowingly. He wanted to give her more closure- he needed more closure.

They waited until past William had left the block, and then came out of their hiding spot. They’d both gotten their uniforms out of the back of the closet. It had been strangely nostalgic, trying them back on. Neither of them had worn their uniforms in over 6 months. William walked over to the house, his heart hammering in his chest as he crossed the little gate in front of the house. He glanced back at the Captain, who was standing at the gate, ushering him to continue. He took a breath to calm his nerves and knocked on the- still open- door.

“Just come in Stephen, you don’t have to knock darling.” Maude yelled from inside. William paused for a second, hesitating.
“It’s me, Maude.” He eventually called back. There was a silence from inside, before he heard a door open in the corridor, and Maude came to the door, a little bit of flour on her face.

The frown she wore on her face replaced itself with a smile as soon as she saw her brother.
“William! I thought you needed to catch your train. Didn’t it go at half past?” She asked, checking her wristwatch.
“Ah! Yes…” William said, stumbling over his words a bit in his nerves.  “I’m afraid I was mistaken about the time of departure. I was fifteen minutes early- but I’d realised I’d forgotten something, which is why-“ He said, burying his hand in his pocket, fishing out the bar of gold and grabbing her hand. “I came back to give you this. ” He said, gently placing the bar into her hand as she stared at him with wide eyes.

“William, this must be worth a fortune! What on earth-“ She said, pushing it back towards him, but William refused it, taking a step back to avoid her trying to put it back on him.

“It’s my salary form the past few months. My CO advised me to keep it like this, instead of in the bank. These are unstable times as you know, so I’ve been meaning to stash this somewhere safe.” He said, interrupting her. But she kept shaking her head.

“I can’t William, what if there’s a break-in here? I can’t be responsible for this amount of money- I’d never forgive myself if I lost your money.” She said sincerely.
“Consider it yours then.” He replied simply.
“William, stop it.”
“I’m serious! Look, Button house is not the safest place to store valuable items like this, there’s very little privacy. I really need your help with this Maude.” He argued. But she was having none of it.
“No. If you insist on leaving it here I will do my best to keep it safe, but it’s still your money.” She said. William could scream in frustration. That was his sister alright. But this Maude, the woman standing before him right now would have no idea how much she’d need it in the future. Or maybe she did. Either way he admired her strength.

“Alright, fine. But Maude, I want you to promise me something. Should I… not return-“ He started, before she cut him off; “No, Will- don’t talk like that.” Tears starting to form in her eyes at the thought, but refusing to let them fall. He pulled a piece of paper out of the pocket of his trousers and pointed at the date on it.
“No, no. Listen to me. Should anything happen to me… I want you to keep it, and sell the gold on this date exactly. Not a single day earlier or later.” He said, giving her a serious look and pressing the paper into her hands.

But she was shaking her head, clutching the bar with an emotionless look on her face. William realised with a start that it would be the last thing he’d ever give her. She’d never be able to sell the last thing her brother ever gave her. He wouldn’t do it if the roles were reversed. He needed something. He patted his coats, feeling his heart jump as he felt the pocket watch he’d stuffed in there ages ago. He’d bought it from his first ever army pay check. He smiled a little as he fished it out of his pocket and dangled it in front of Maude. Hopefully she would feel less guilty selling the gold if

“This too.” He says, handing it to her. She took it, dumbfounded.
“Will… You need this.” She said softly. William gave her a sad smile, stepping closer and pulling her into a hug, burying his face into her shoulder. “I’ll be fine without it, I’m no good at telling the time anyway apparently.” He joked. Maude laughed, a twinkle to her voice he hasn’t heard in a while. It made his heart clench. They stood there for what felt like hours, just embracing each other.

“Listen Maude. I want you to know that no matter what happens, I will always love you, and I will always be with you. You will always be my little sister. I’m supposed to take care of you, you know. I promised mother and father.” He said, pausing a second as tears threatened to spill over.

“But I’m being one hundred percent serious when I say that if something were to happen to me… The date on the note- a man I know says it’ll be the best time to sell. So sell it for me, okay? And should I not return I want you to have the money, and enjoy it. Do you understand, Maude?” He said, grabbing her wrists tightly, hoping to convince her. She nodded eventually, still uneasy with the topic of him not coming back.

“I understand, William. But I don’t want you to think like that. You’re going to be fine.” She said, enveloping him in another embrace, wrapping her arms around his waist and squeezing tightly. He sighed as he stepped away, taking one last long look at her. She spoke up before he could say anything else.

“You have to be fine, and you will return to me. I won’t accept it if you don’t.” She said firmly, using the voice she usually only reserved for Stephen or their childhood dog Rover. William pressed his lips together, the knowledge of the future hanging heavily over his head. But he nodded anyway.

“I promise.” He said simply.

Maude nodded, and watched him walk back down the path to the gate, where the Captain was waiting for him. She hadn’t even noticed the other soldier standing at the foot of the garden, but gave him a stern look as she did.

“You take care of him, mister.” She said sternly, and Theo could only nod as he saw her teary face.
William looked back one last time at the end of the path, facing his sister.

“Goodbye, William.” She said. And it felt like a farewell.
“See you later, Maude.” He replied. And it felt like a promise.

He’d broken his promise. He’d gone off, left her his savings, and despite promising to return, he never would. Maude should be furious with him, but the loss of her brother would be overshadowed by a war that would only continue to get worse and worse. Years passed, and they scraped by, the seasons changing and time passing- getting closer and closer to the date William had given her. The war eventually ended, and her husband returned to her. When the world had calmed down, she finally felt like she could too. They tried for another baby, but lost it halfway through, and only then did she allow herself to mourn. Mourn her baby, mourn her brother, mourn her parents. It haunted her, especially in the first few years. A few times she thought she’d spot him from the corner of her eye, but when she turned her head to look, there would be nobody there. Of course he wasn’t there. She didn’t know why her mind kept playing tricks on her, but nonetheless it did.

Life did get easier, after a while- though they continued to struggle with money after the war. William had been right, banks had collapsed, and thousands of people had lost their savings. William’s bar had sat beneath a lose floorboard under her bed for years, the date he’d given her stuffed into her wallet. When the date finally came, she dutifully retrieved it from beneath the floorboards, bringing it all the way over to the bank. She knew it had been worth a bit of money, but the price of gold was at an all-time high that day, and as the teller revealed her check she had to do her best to hold in her tears.

Stepping outside, she checked the time on an ancient pocket watch, that she carried with her everywhere she went. The bright sun illuminating her face, she spotted him again- from the corner of her eye. She turned, this time staring him right in the face. She stood still, watching him shoot her a bright smile and a nod. William! She wanted to scream- wanted to run across the road, wanted it to be real. But the sun blinded her, and she blinked against the bright rays. When she opened her eyes again, he was gone. But it had been enough. He’d promised her he would never leave her, and although it didn’t always feel like it, she chose to believe he had… In his own way. And it would be enough for her for now. Life needed to go on. She clutched the pocket watch, pressing it to her chest, and sighed- leaving the steps of the bank and making her way towards the bus.

She returned home, in shock. She found her husband sitting on the couch, hands in his hair as he was going through their gas bill for the month. She sat down next to him, pulling out the cheque numbly. “Paul…” She began. Her husband turned to her, and then followed her gaze to the cheque.

“You know how we talked of the potential of the future of electronics?” Paul nodded, scooting a little closer and going a deadly pale colour as he saw the numbers on the cheque.  Maude continued, looking him in the eye with a serious look in her eyes.

“How about we buy the shop across the street?”

Chapter Text

“It’s beautiful!” William cried, feeling like he couldn’t take in all sights fast enough. They had just gotten off the train, and were currently standing on a busy intersection in the middle of the largest cities in France; Paris.

Cars were zipping past them at an alarming rate, the streets filled with inhabitants of the city, tourists and businessmen- all exploring the city in their own way. The tall buildings loomed over them, temporarily shielding them from the intense French summer sun that was shone down on them. It was a beautiful day, but the Captain was already done with it. The people had been rude on the train, the people had been rude on the station, and any shop they’d visited today, you guessed it: the people had been rude. Plus, it was incredibly hot. The summers never were this hot back home, and he’d never really had the chance to really visit France before outside of the war.

The pair has started to move down the crowded streets, getting lost among the crowd as they excitedly chattered away about the old buildings, the people, the fashion (something neither of them had ever really gotten used to, but had done their best to adapt to anyway), and the food.

They had dinner in a small restaurant in near Rue Ruelle, it was a small restaurant- crowded by locals who’d brought their entire families out to dinner. They’d squeezed into their seats, and both had enjoyed the best chicken with crème fraiche. After dessert, which consisted of Panna Cotta for Theo and home-made Chocolate cake for William, they made their way outside, and started walking along the streets again. The sun had set by now, and although they had expected the city to be calmer now, it seemed it had only gotten more crowded.

“Where do all these people come from?” William joked, looking around.
“Yes, there must be something special going on nearby.” Captain replied, looking around in wonder. He’d not even finished saying it when he spotted a big structure to his left, hidden behind a patch of trees and bushes. He pointed his finger in its direction and gave William a pointed look.

“Ah, that might be why.” He said, dumbly. William could only let out a laugh as he spotted it too- the Eiffel tower.

Its massive size made it instantly recognisable, and even though it was dark- the entire structure had been lit up by thousands of lights, that were sparkling into the night. Bright spotlights were pointing at it, lighting it up from the bottom.

“I’m surprised it survived the war to be honest. Must have been an easy target. The steel must have been valuable as well.” William said, staring at it with wonder. Cap nodded in agreement, pursing his lips.

“I actually served here for a bit towards the end. I think it was ordered to be torn down at one point, but they never… got around to it.” He replied, halting himself on the patch of grass overlooking the massive structure. William let out a small ‘huh’ in wonder and took Theo’s hand, standing next to him. William had opened the wine and poured two glasses, that he had produced out of his bag. They sat close together in comfortable silence for a few minutes, shoulders tentatively touching- enjoying the view.

“This is quite a lovely spot, don’t you think Teddy? We should sit down. I’ve still got the wine from that deli.” William said, pulling out said wine from his messenger bag. (it had been a gift from Alison for his birthday.) Theo followed his example, letting himself fall back onto the soft grass with a content sigh. They sat together like that, for what felt like hours. Every so often the light would shimmer on and off, like stars on a cloudless night. The Captain couldn’t tear his gaze off it as he let out a breath.

“It’s stunning.” He said. William turning his head to look at Theo, seeing the way his eyes smiled with indescribable happiness as his gaze was glued to the Eiffel Tower. He couldn’t help but smile as his heart soared. “Yeah… you are.” He said, watching as Theo finally turned towards him at the words. A steady blush had crept up onto his face, a small thing Havers hadn’t known he missed when the Captain was still a ghosts- but he wouldn’t have it any other way, Teddy’s blush was adorable.

When they locked eyes it was as if the world around them fell away. In that moment it was just the two of them, sitting on that patch of grass in front of the Eiffel tower, both happy to be in each other’s presence. Theo’s breath hitched in his throat as William continued to look at him, refusing to back down. Lost in the moment, they moved closer- almost without meaning to, but oh- so glad they were. His heart was beating wildly in his chest as William came closer and closer. And then his lips were on Theo’s. Soft at first, hesitant- but then firm, more comfortable. It was simply blissful, pretending for one moment that they were alone on the world, the sounds of the bustling streets falling on deaf ears, the only thing they focused on was each other. Williams hand had moved up to his jaw, and when he finally pulled back, looking Theo back in his eyes- eyes that were full of love and adoration- it steadily remained there for a few seconds longer. Theo gently leaned into it, not wanting him to let go.

He couldn’t help break eye-contact though, as he realised they’d just kissed in public. His eyes shot around wildly, expecting people to be gawking at them in disgust and hate. But there was nobody doing anything like it. They were walking by, minding their own business, nobody being the least bit disturbed by the fact that two men had been kissing in public only moments before. It was something Theo still had to get used to. William followed the nervous flicker of his eyes, before settling back on his face.

“I’m sorry, was this not the right timing?” He asked softly, removing his hand from Theo’s jaw quickly. But Theo jumped a little, shaking his head firmly.

“No! No, no- Will. This… I’m- it was great. I’m… I just expected-“ He stammered, trying to convey all of his conflicting feelings at once, and failing miserably at expressing any of them. But William seemed to understand anyway, because he shot Theo a gentle smile and grabbed his hand.

“I understand. I still haven’t gotten totally used to it either. It’s still strange to me that people care as little as they do now. If you’d rather not… in public-” He explained, but the Theo cut him off, his face panicked.

“Absolutely not- I mean yes. I liked it, very much so in fact. I could never be ashamed of showing everybody how much I love you. I wouldn’t mind kissing you in public again.” He said with a small laugh, trying to reassure the other man of his feelings, and succeeding a bit better at it this time. William couldn’t repress the smile that grew on his face as he did so, and he leaned back in again, more determined this time.

“Good. Me neither.” He whispered, pressing his lips back onto Theo’s.

Chapter Text

“Are you really wearing that?” William asked, a small smirk on his lips as he is buttons up his own shirt. They were currently getting ready for something Alison had called ‘Pride’, something neither of them had ever heard of, but something that Alison had seemed determined to bring them to. It was all the way over in London, but they had Alison’s car today, so it was only about an hour’s drive.

Theo looked up from where he was fixing his white dress shirt and gave William a frown.
“What’s wrong with it?” He asked, almost offended that William would underestimate the value of a good white dress shirt.

“Well, Alison said to dress colourfully! That’s just what you normally wear.” He pointed out, gesturing towards himself as an example. He had a mismatched outfit, colours clashing left and right in a way that would be unacceptable in any social setting- but Alison had loved it when he’d shown it to her the day before. (“It’s perfect!” She’d squealed.)

“Come on Teddy. This is our chance to shine! Besides, didn’t we talk about adapting to modern fashion more? We’ll both need to get out of our comfort zones.” He said, going through their wardrobe. They spent a considerable amount of time buying clothes after Cap got out of the hospital, going from store to store and building a new wardrobe for the both of them. But their old-fashioned taste hadn’t quite been left by the wayside. Their closet was more formal than anything, a remnant of their strict army dress that they didn’t quite manage to shake yet. But lately they’d been noticing their clothing had more in common with the grandpas hobbling down the street than it did with people their own age- a fact that had hit William especially hard.

He’d always loved dressing fashionably, especially before the war. He kept up with the trends when he could, and always tried to look up-to-date, but now he seemed to be hopelessly out of time. So, they’d agreed to give modern fashion more of chance. William was excited about this. Theo, less so. He’d tried on a pair of jeans once, and though they were horribly uncomfortable- they had been much, much too tight. He had removed them after less than five minutes.

Today, standing before their closet- William grabbed him a pair of jeans and he held his breath. William caught the discomfort on his face apparently, and gave a small chuckle.

“Don’t worry love, these are not the skinny type. Just try them on? If it doesn’t work you can always put on something else.” He said, holding up the jeans towards Cap. Captain pressed his lips together, and after a moment of hesitation accepted the trousers and warily gave them a glance. The smile on William’s face and the twinkle in his eyes alone made it worth it to Theo to at least try them on.

“I’ll wait downstairs and get us a cup of tea then.” He said, walking towards the door and turning around one last time to give Theo a mischievous glance just as the other man was pulling his trousers down, before opening the door and slipping out of the room entirely.

Theo dressed himself, finding the trousers not half as bas as the previous pair he’d tried. Still not very comfortable, but he supposed he could live with hem for today at least. Especially if it made Havers as happy as it seemed to do earlier. He shrugged of the white button-up shirt as well, opting for another shirt that William had been raving about earlier. It was a soft fabric black t-shirt with long sleeves, and there was a small rainbow embroidered just where his breast pocket would have been. The fit was loose, and Theo was happy to notice it wasn’t too ‘out there’.

He softly made his way down the stairs, where he found William talking to the other ghosts- in particular Thomas, who had was gesturing urgently at the man. He caught a few words of their conversation as he approached.

“No, no- I’m just saying… the world would hugely benefit from having my work, you know… be a part of it.” Thomas said, in that dramatic tone that was all too familiar to Cap. William seemed hesitant, especially so as he noticed Captain approaching. He gives Thomas a short nod as he starts to turn around towards Cap, wanting to meet him halfway. “We’ll talk about this later, Thomas, if that’s alright.” He replies as he does so.

William gives Cap a warm smile as he grabs his coat off the chair he’d draped it over earlier as Thomas raises his voice behind them, saying: “So you’ll think about it?”

William doesn’t turn around as he links his arm with Theo and starts to walk towards the door, where Alison and Mike are already waiting for them.

“I’ll think about it!”

As they step into the early afternoon, the sun warming their faces from the crisp autumn air, Cap gives William a confused look. “What did Thorne want now? If he’s too much I can-“ He started, before William raised a hand to stop him, shaking his head. “It’s fine, Teddy. He just wants to put his work out there a little more, and since Alison’s so busy these days he’s had to think of another way to do it.”

“What? By using you? I do hope he knows you’re not… wait, are you going to do it?”

William hesitates a bit, shrugging his shoulders as he put on his seatbelt and watching Alison start the engine.

“Do you reckon we should get our driver’s permits anytime soon?” He replied instead.

Cap was silent for a second, pondering the situation.

“Perhaps.” He simply replied.

The ride to London was, as usual, not the longest. They managed to get there in just a little over thirty minutes. As Mike and Alison found a parking space, William turned to Captain with an excited smile.

“Right, guys, so. We’re a bit out from the city centre so it’s about a ten minute walk for the parade.” Alison said, turning around in her seat. “You’ve both got your phones right?”  She asked, smiling happily as the two men showed her their telephones. “Great, just in case anything happens or we get separated.” She said, just as Mike finally found a parking spot and parked the car.
“You guys ready?” she asked, an excited smile on her lips.

They had not gotten out of the car or the dull music form the parade already told them where to go. The chatter and excitement of hundreds of people was apparent form streets away. When they rounded the corner coming from Soho into piccadilly, the square was absolutely crowded beyond belief. The street had been closed off, and a huge parade was in the process of coming through the street. There were floats, balloons, and people waving colourful flags everywhere. The group found a spot along the fence that a little down the square, Captain and Havers looking their eyes out over the sheer amount of people celebrating. At this point they knew it was accepted these days, but to see people not only accept, but actively celebrate a thing that used to be a death sentence was still unfathomable to them. Group by group walked down the street- first came a random group of women, waving what Alison informed them was a Lesbian flag. Then a group of men, waving what seemed to be a blue variant of the previous flag.

As the group moved down, smiling and kissing and dancing- Captain couldn’t keep himself  from smiling. He snuck a glance at William, taking in as the man stands next to him with the same goofy grin he himself has. As if he could feel Theo’s gaze on him, William turned around, catching Theo’s eye. He smiled even brighter, pausing a moment before sneaking his arm around the Captain and pulling him a little closer in front of him, putting his chin on Theo’s shoulder.

“Good lord. Are those-“ Captain says suddenly, as his eyes land on the next group of people to walk down the parade.

“They’re drag queens” Alison replied, looking past the person in front of her to get a glimpse of the queens. “They’re men who dress like women.”

Captain nodded, looking back. “Well we had those, back in the day.” He said, sneaking a glance over his shoulder to William. William nodded, his chin bopping up and down on Cap’s shoulder.

“Do you remember Private Martins?” William asked. Then, before waiting for an answer from Cap he turned to Alison and Mike. The loss of the man’s chin on his shoulder made Cap almost want to reach out and put it right back. “He used to host fashion shows from Mrs. Button’s old dresses to cheer up the recruits. It may not be as glamorous as those ladies but it did work. We always used to joke he was a little too familiar with the practise.” Havers explained, smiling at the memory.

Captain, still staring at the parade- gave a small chuckle. “It is a shame he could never convince you Havers. I bet you would have looked just splendid in that one blue dress with the tiny dots.”

To that William let out that delightful laugh of his, tipping his head back a little as he did so. He then wrapped his arm back around Cap’s middle and put his chin once again on the other man’s shoulder, and in a hushed tone whispered in Cap’s ear.

“He did convince me, Theo.”

Chapter Text

The store was bright, empty, and to the two men standing in the middle of it- utterly baffling. The employee in the back of the shop was staring at them intently, wondering what the two grown men looking absolutely bewildered were doing there. The men- who upon further inspection were a former Captain and his ex-lieutenant, were in fact there for a reason.

To get telephones.

One of the goals both men had set after the Captain came back to life was adapting to modern life. But both Alison and Mike had insisted on the fact that you could absolutely not do that without one of those devices. To be honest though, Theo still had a hard time believing that they could be telephones at all. He’d seen Alison and Mike use them on numerous occasions, and even Havers had picked an older model up for a while. Looking over his boyfriend’s shoulder was already tough enough, and he didn’t even have to operate the thing then.

But here they were regardless, standing in the massive Apple shop, looking like a pair of lost puppies. Theo could not help but breathe a small sigh of relief when an employee finally came up to them, their bewildered faces probably having tipped her off that they were definitely not ‘just browsing’. She gave them a sweet smile as she approached them, with Havers turning to her and returning the smile.

“Good morning! Can I help you both with anything today?” She said cheerfully.  Havers gave a small chuckle, evidently having the same thought as the captain when he replies.

“Oh dear, do we look that lost?”

The girl laughed, turning towards the display beside her. “What sort of phone are you looking for?”
Havers mused, letting his gaze pass over the many, many different phones on display, finally answering:
“We won’t need the newest model. Just a reliable older model would suit us perfectly fine.”.
Though they had managed to get some money in the bank (mainly through a smart little investment Havers had done while he was visiting the beautiful year of 1983), the prices of the phones were insanely high, and even though both men knew that money had deflated over the years, they still had to keep their brain from exploding any time they went grocery shopping. Buying a telephone that was over 600 pounds was quite the mental hurdle.

The girl began her sales pitch, but as far as the Captain was concerned she hadn’t needed to. The look of absolute excitement on William’s face as soon as she handed him a test model had been more than enough to convince Theo.

***

Alison and Mike are huddled together on the couch, watching some anime series that Mike had been obsessed with lately, when Alison’s phone starts going crazy. Not really that into the series anyway, she grabs it from the coffee table and checks out the messages. It’s an unknown number.

+44 40 56 12 42: *message deleted*

+44 40 56 12 42: *message deleted*

+44 40 56 12 42: *message deleted*

+44 40 56 12 42:  Good lord.

+44 40 56 12 42: *message deleted*

+44 40 56 12 42: Dear Alison, I hope you are well. I have finally gotten a smart telephone. Although I can’t really see how it would be considered smart, as the little voice inside has nearly called 999 two separate times, both for ungrounded reasons- and I have so far not been able to make this thing to what I want it to do once. But I digress. How is Michael doing? And the others? William and I shall plan to visit you at Button House sometime next week to 'catch up'. I hope to hear back from you soon. 

Yours,

Theodore
(Captain)

+44 40 56 12 42: fewpkdm

Captain: Oh for the love of

Alison smirks as she puts down her phone again. Of course that would be Captain. She looks over at Mike, who is still concentrated on the telly. “Hey Mike.” She says, bumping her shoulder into his softly to get his attention. When he turns his head to look at her questioningly she grins.

“Remember that time you taught your nan to use that Iphone?”

He nods, faking a shiver as he pulls a grimace. “I thought my mind was gonna freaking explode. I swear- if she’d asked me one more time who she was calling when she was putting in her passcode I woulda lost it. Took all of the patience I had to teach her to text a simple ‘hello’.”

Alison smiles at the memory, unable to surpress a giggle as she shows him Cap’s messages.

“Well you better start conserving that patience, because I have a feeling you might need to do it again soon.”

Chapter Text

“Are you absolutely sure you’re ready. Theo?” William said, concern clearly lacing his voice. They were sat in the front seats of a newer model Nissan, about to start Cap's 'first' driving lesson, and the way Theo was staring at the buttons on the dashboard was like he seemed to think he would need to man a space shuttle. “What do they need all these things for? Why is there a screen? Won’t that blind you at night?” Captain asked, shooting the questions at the other man rapidly, who had- frankly no idea himself. William was only on his ninth driving lesson himself, and he’d just gone to shifting by himself. Honestly the driving was no problem for him. Obviously he’d had his license for years back during the 40’s, but during the war he hadn’t had much time to drive around, and after arriving at Button House in 2019 the cars had all seemed so complicated and fast that he’d never had the courage to try again. He supposed Theo would be feeling the same. 

Speaking of Theo, looking as lost as he did, almost got William feeling sorry for the man as they waited for the instructor to come back from her little office in the parking lot of the driving school. It was a bleak day in mid-November, and the clouds looked as though they might release eternal hell on the inhabitants of Guildford. But, Captain being the ever determined man that he was, had not been deterred by the weather forecast.

“I wouldn’t worry Theo. Driving itself has not changed. It may take some getting used to, but you’ll figure it out as you go along. Besides, Diane is such a sweetheart. She has the patience of a saint.” William replied. Diane, their instructor, was a sweet woman of middle age. She’d started off as William’s instructor, but then when Theo had wanted to get back into driving too, found a space in her busy schedule to fit him in as well. When Theo didn’t reply, William tried again.

“Come on, Cap! You were the best driver at Button House! I remember that one time where the squad-“
“Yes but what if I can’t? All the technology… And cars these days are so fast. How will I be aware of my surroundings when it all goes by so fast?” He interrupted. William pressed his lips together as he’s silent for a moment.

“Give yourself some credit, Theo. It’s not that different from before. All the technology… it will come later. For now it’s just important to get back into it. You’ll get used to it.” William grabbed Theo’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as he looked him in the eyes.

“We’ll get used to it.” He continues. To which the Captain nods shortly, spotting the door to the driving school opening behind Havers and Diane coming into view. A few seconds later the door opens and William turns around. Smiling up as Diane shoots a surprised smile back.

“William! How nice to see you.” She says, watching him climb out of her seat in the car. He greets her in response, but the Captain has already returned his attention to the dashboard, looking at all the different buttons and handles with a blank stare. Eventually he sees Diane climb into the car and he hears the car door shut a second later. He turns his head and Diane smiles at him warmly, organising her folders inside another, bigger folder. “Right” She mumbles as she fishes her keys out of her purse and hands them to Cap.

“I think we should do a lap around the parking lot first. See what work we have in store for us. You mentioned you’ve had a permit before?”

Captain nodded, adding “I have. But it was a while ago… Cars have changed quite a bit since then.”

Diane gave a small laugh at this, huffing. “You tell me. I used to have to put cassette tapes in my car when I wanted to listen to music. How far we’ve come, huh?” She said. Captain could not help but grin at the irony of that. He put in the key, turning it slightly until the engine gave a dull roar.

“In fact, let me put on a little music! Always seems to help the nerves.” Diane said, tapping away at the dreaded screen in the middle of the car. “What kind of music do you like?” She asked. Captain really didn’t care that much, but answered honestly. “I used to listen to Cole Porter. Back in the day.”

Diane’s eyes softened as a fond smile crept onto her face. “My father used to listen to Cole Porter. I love that.” She remarked. She started tapping a few things and within a dozen seconds the cheery tunes of Cole Porter filled the car. Captain was grateful for the music, because they helped him take his mind of his nerves- especially as Diane gives him the go-ahead to start driving. He shoots one last glance at Havers, who upon noticing him gives him a smile and a thumbs up- and then Diane shifts, and the car starts rolling.

As Captain climbs out of the car, his knuckles still white from gripping the steering wheel as tightly as he did. The lesson had gone well, at one point Diane had let him shift gears too. He drove more confidently than he would have thought of himself. It wasn’t faultless however- he still had to get used to the fact he’d needed to check his mirrors after every single move. Also the seatbelt being mandatory he supposed was a good thing- but comfortable it certainly was not. His knees are still a bit wobbly as he spots William on the other side of the road, giving him a wide smile.

“Theo!” he called out, walking across when it was safe to. Captain instantly found himself relaxing a bit as William approached him. “I saw you park there! That was splendid! I knew you’d not forgotten.” He said, gesturing back towards the car, where Diane was still rummaging through Cap’s papers frantically.

“Thank you, William. Yes I suppose it went rather well.” He replied.

He did not have the heart to tell William that Diane had graciously offered to take over the wheel for the parking- that he had half a mind to gratefully accept the offer, and he had absolutely nothing to do with that perfect parallel park.

Nope, that would just have to stay between him, Diane, and that piece of spacecraft calling itself a Nissan.

Chapter Text

As anyone who has ever been searching to buy a house will tell you, it is not an easy task. And it is certainly not a cheap one either. Once again the former military men had had their socks knocked off by the prices of the houses in and around London, and had quickly decided that living in London might not be for them anyway. Outside of the ridiculously high cost of living in the city, it was also very much a fast-paced way of modern life that neither of them were quite sure they were suited for yet. The hustle and bustle of the big city could sometimes be quite much, and though they both loved the city dearly, they felt like a quieter life would suit them much, much better at this time of their life.

Captain was nervous about going to look for houses for all of two reasons.

Reason 1 was that they would of course be looking for a house… away from Button house. This was to captain not a big problem in itself, in fact- he had been the one to make the suggestion. But after years and years of staying in a house with eight other people, he’d grown used to there always being someone around. It wasn’t so much the moving into the new house, but it was the moving out of the old house that he couldn’t seem stop getting a bit slightly emotional over.

Reason 2 was, that being an official couple in want of a residence, they would of course be looking for a house… together. William had been the best partner Theo could have ever asked for, but somewhere in the back of his mind he had doubts about moving in with another man. What would the neighbours think? What would they talk about all day? Would they truly be happy together, settled into their own lives- completely separate from the life he’d spent at Button house for the last 80-odd years? Would William not tire of him?

William Havers, on the other side of the car, was behind the wheel- having a bit of a panic of his own. He had been waiting for Theo to be ready to move on from Button house for a few months now, wanting nothing more to have the man for himself. It was selfish, he knew- taking the man away from the family he’d spent so long developing bonds with. But he’d also realised it might have been a positive thing for Captain to start his own life back up again. He was no longer a ghost at any rate, and it would do nobody any good if he’d continue to act like one. Captain had fully stood behind the statement when he’d brought it up, and then suggested they should go out looking for a small house of their own.

But the thing was, they’d spent so long browsing the papers, the internet (the correct operation of which was a major victory to them), and even the local realtor had not been able to find anything that fit their criteria anywhere near Horsley. William then, about two weeks ago, had been laying on the bed next to Theo, when he’d sat up with a gasp. He’d remembered one particular instance of his travels, one that had refused to stop clinging to the back of his mind. One of salty air, a small house with a large front yard and an older him with a face that seemed far less troubled than he'd seen on himself in a long, long time.

He could of course, forget that memory… to try and make a completely new future for them altogether.

But... what harm could it do to look around?

William, with a grin, had turned to Theo and whispered: “What do you think of Brighton?”

That was how they ended up here, in the car, on their way to the sixth open house of the week. Though William had gotten a quite a good look around him when he ended up in the future, he had yet to recognise anything from it in the present. They’d viewed five houses around Brighton so far, and none of them had been the small house with the amazing yard he’d seen in his future. But to be completely honest with himself, he’d nearly forgotten what the house had even looked like. He remembers the big and lush garden framing wide windows, walls of a small house covered in Ivy. Theo hadn’t been very enthusiastic about any of them either. Arriving at the last place, he could already tell that this was not the same house at all. He was almost ready to give up the search and ask Theo if they should just go home, when they spotted their realtor’s red Kia Rio park across the street from them. He supposed it would be rude to just drive off now, when they’d made her come all this way. They parked the car and quickly got out when they saw their realtor get out of her own car- a young but ambitious, warm woman whose smile was always as bright as that twinkle in her eye when she got to talking about the properties she was selling.

“There you are!” She welcomed them with a bright smile, before continuing on.
“You are lucky, this one isn’t even officially on the market yet! It’s still being made ready for official open houses, which is why it isn’t in the best shape yet. But from the things you both told me this could be exactly what you’re looking for, so I made some arrangements for you.” She began. She started explaining about the house almost right away, opening the gate and leading them onto the cracked paved driveway leading up to the house. The lawn that spread on either side of the asphalt was either in very dire need of some rain, or already dead, a few brave poppies stubbornly clinging on to life here and there. If William was honest, it was a bit of a pathetic sight. Captain didn’t seem to notice the neglected garden, instead focussing on the house itself.

“And as you can see this neighbourhood is absolutely excellent. It’s very close to the sea, so in the summer you’ll practically have the beach as your backyard!” The realtor was blabbing on about the house, and how it was an older property that had not been renovated in a while. “But I suppose that builds character, doesn’t it?” she jokes, jamming the key into the front door, opening it. It groaned as it did so, its hinges obviously in need of some oil or grease. The hallway was small, but not overly so. The wallpaper was hideous, and the dresser pressed against the side of the hall was covered in a thick layer of dust. Needless to say, the first impression on William was not great- along with the fact that this once again looked nothing like the house he saw in the future, made him doubtful this was going to go anywhere. But as William glanced the Captain’s way, the other man glancing past the woman into the living room beyond the open hallway door, the look on his face already told him everything he needed to know.

Theo had already absolutely fallen in love with this house.

They were lead into the living room, a spacious room with a big but uncomfortable looking sofa, and a solid wooden coffee table that underneath the grime could potentially be quite nice. But Theo wasn’t looking at the furniture, he was looking around wildly, taking in as much as he could. “Look at the size of this room! And the windows! Look at the way the light falls into the room. Absolutely magnificent. And look!” He says, barely containing his excitement. “The roof has original support beams, how beautiful would they look should we paint the ceiling white and leave the beams bare.”

He was right though, looking around the living room. The massive windows, that almost stretched from floor to ceiling, with a glass door in the middle leading to the backyard, a backyard that was practically bordering the beach. In the distance he could see the sea, its waves lapping softly at the shore. The front windows, not as big as the back ones, but still stretching over halfway down the wall, let in the bright late July sunbeams, its light illuminating the tiny dust particles dancing in the air around them. If William would be willing to set aside his itchy nose for a second, he’d almost say they made it look like the entire room was sparkling.

William followed Captain as he moved on to the kitchen. The cabinets were old, but according to the realtor ‘only needed a good clean’. And sure, he’d heard that before in one or two of the other houses, but once he saw the kitchen his mouth dropped. He’d always been a fan of cooking, and had been meaning to get back into it as a passive hobby. However the modern kitchens had been the bane of his existence for the last few months. He could not for the life of him work out how to correctly cook on an electric stove. This kitchen however, was an absolutely gorgeous late thirties styled kitchen, along with a black and flowery decorated gas oven, a matching gas stove and the exterior of an older refrigerator- where they had very cleverly hidden a newer fridge inside. Havers might be a fan of the older appliances, but he’d quickly learned refrigerators had come a very long way since the nineteen fourties, and he was not sure he could ever go back to those.

This kitchen, along with it’s white marble countertop and the small black cabinets, was already his favourite place in any of the houses they’d seen so far. Captain seemed to be in awe as well, opening the oven and cabinets to inspect their storage space.

They’d toured the whole house like that, finding most rooms in fairly good condition compared to the living room. It had three bedrooms, one bathroom and two toilets. They were all styled horribly old-fashioned, but Captain and Havers were probably the only two people who would not mind the older style as much. The realtor ended the tour at the backdoor, opening it and stepping out into the backyard, which wrapped around the entire house and connected to the front lawn. The grass here was equally as dead as the grass in the front, but at the back of the garden William spotted a surprisingly well-maintained greenhouse. He pointed it out to the lady, and she smiled. “Oh yes! The previous owner used to love gardening. The entire backyard would be filled with flowers during the spring and summer. The entire neighbourhood would walk past to take a look at them! He’d had the greenhouse built a few years ago to continue his hobby during the harsh winter month.” She informed them with a fond smile on her face.

“I actually love gardening as well. I used to work in a flower shop.” Havers replies smoothly, quickly involving the woman in a conversation about different kinds of flowers, while Captain went back inside to inspect the wood on those beams again.

Nearly an hour later the couple stood outside on the curb again, the realtor closing the front gate to the garden back up. As she gets up from the low gate she shoots them both a smile. “It was lovely to see you again. And I must say, I don’t think I’ve seen either of you this interested in any of the previous houses I showed you. I personally think this one could be a perfect match for you. Should you want a second viewing, or perhaps another property…” she said, tapping her phone. “you know how to reach me.” She paused for a second, smiling knowingly as she took in how both men took one last glance towards the house before she turned around and left. “Although something tells me you won’t need to.” She said to herself once she was out of earshot.

William had decided right there, that it didn’t matter what house he’d seen in his future. The only thing that mattered was that Theo, and by extension him- had instantly connected to the house. None of the other houses had seemed as perfect to them as this one had, despite it needing some extra love and a personal touch here and there.

Not even a week later they’d completed the purchase.

A month later they received the key.

It was eight months after that their entire garden was overflowing with colourful flowers, Ivy starting to climb its way onto the sides of the house, sneakily framing the windows on the front.

A year after that they’d gotten a dog- which they'd aptly called Barry Jr- and life to them could not have been more perfect.

It wasn’t until almost twelve years later when he pulled his recently painted green front door closed after him (rather a bit too harshly, as he had tended to do for the past fourteen years), carrying a bag that held a regency costume dress and his coat he hadn’t had time to put on, just answering a phone call from ‘Teddy’, that turned out to be his daughter on his husband’s phone, that he got that all-encompassing feeling of déja vu. During the last fourteen years he’d travelled a lot, so the feeling wasn’t a new thing to him. But he’d learned a lot over the years, both within his relationship with Teddy and about his abilities.

He’d learned how to accurately jump to specific points, both in the future AND the past. He’d practised sending other people back into the past with a single touch - even learning that he could put up a ‘mental shield’ as he’d like to call it, to stop himself from merging with his past self for just a few minutes. (that one took a lot of trial and error- not the most pleasant few months of his life, but incredibly worth it.) That feeling of déjà vu would usually subside within a few seconds, however today it only got stronger as he made his way down their (no longer paved) path down to the road where his car was parked.

‘Dad! Are you listening to me? You’re going to be late! Can’t you go by bike? Maybe it’ll be faster! I really need that costume…’ His daughter’s voice pressed through the speaker.

“Yes Darling, I know. But I still don’t think it’s a good idea…” He replied, he’d never been one for bikes. He still had a scar on the inside of his lip from that time he took the bike to the flower shop from Button House and he fell flat on his face.

“Okay… well, can you please hurry? I’m really nervous…” His daughter’s voice rang again. His heart swelled. This was her first performance with the theatre club at school, and in their hurry to get to rehearsals on time, they’d totally forgotten her costume at home. He’d rushed back to get it while Theo stayed with her.

“Yes I’ll hurry… Well it’s only a ten minute drive. Don’t worry, I’ll be on time.”

“This isn’t going to be like last year’s flash mob right?”

“No this is not like last year. I was there, remember?” He said, finally reaching the gate again as he fished his car keys out of his pocket. .  I always find a way to be on ti-” Right at that moment he turned around, and he knew exactly what that feeling of déjà vu would not leave him alone. He froze in his tracks, as he stared right into the face of himself. Himself… from 15 years ago. God… where had the time gone? His younger self’s face was smooth, his hair not nearly as gray, and not a single wrinkle in sight. And he did not look like he was having a fun time travelling around for fun. In fact, William knew exactly what his younger self was doing there. He’d never forgotten that night. How could he? It was the night his life changed forever- in the most wonderful way.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the voice of his daughter again.

“Dad? Are you still there?”

“I’ll call you back.” Was the only thing he could manage to force out before he put his phone down and hung up the call. They both stood frozen for a moment, staring at each other. He’d forgotten. How could he have forgotten this moment? This had been one of the most important moments of his life! Of course he’d known it was coming… but how was he to know it would be so soon? Reality really did hit when you least expected it, who would have thought?

Glancing at the time, that was getting dangerously close to the start of his daughter’s play, he decided to break the all-encompassing silence.

“What are you doing here?” He asked, in a hushed tone. He gently nudged his past self around the corner of his brick fence wall, behind a big bush and most importantly- out of sight of his neighbours. He supposed it would look very strange to be seen talking to someone who looks exactly like yourself but nearly fifteen years younger. He exhaled heavily, still unable to wrap his head around it. He just hadn’t been expecting this to happen today.

“God I should have remembered. How could I forget? I’ve lived through this. Good lord-” He says out loud without even thinking about it, realising that is exactly what his older self had said fifteen years ago, when he had been the one standing on the other side of this conversation.

William remembers this moment so well. Their entire interaction was engraved into his memory like the vows that were engraved on the inside of his wedding ring. He remembers thinking that older him had both seemed like a man that had his life together, and also a bit of a prick. But standing before his younger self, he had to do his best to hold in his smirk. It was easy to play it cool now, knowing the way things were going to end. He had the fortune of knowing that everything was going to turn out better than anyone had ever hoped, so for present him there were absolutely no stakes to this situation. For his past self however, who at this point had squeezed his eyes shut rather tightly in an attempt to stop himself from merging, this was still a vital and very tense moment of his life.

When his past self finally opened his eyes, after noticing no merge of any sort was happening, he opened his mouth too, whispering a soft:  “H-how…”.

All he could give the man was a sheepish grin as he rubbed his neck (a nervous habit he’d picked up over the years).

“Well… I mean if you travel a lot you tend to forget the details… It’s not really that unco-“
“No, I meant how did we not… you know.” His younger self asked hesitantly.
“Oh! Merge! Yes! Good question, can’t answer. Spoilers I’m afraid. ” He replied quickly. He was enjoying this. He remembers it frustrating him to no end for years after this conversation- trying to figure out how to do it. Truth was, he couldn’t really explain even if he wanted to. Not with the time they had. It was something he had to figure out on his own, just like his younger self would come to do, in time.

“What do you mean? How is that possible? George said… and spoilers? Wait, what date is it?” William asked, clearly confused as all hell, but trying to keep it together.
“Ah, well. George doesn’t know everything apparently. And it’s December 10th, 2028.” He replied, checking the time again subtely.
“2028?! Wha-“ His younger self began, his voice rising subconsciously. William held out a hand, gesturing for the younger man to quiet down.
“Shh! Don’t want my entire street to know about this… incident.” He said, again in a hushed tone- stealing a glance back towards his house- and then his neighbour’s house.
“You live here?!” Younger William replied, checking out their home in disbelief.
“Yes! No!” God! He doesn’t remember getting the impression that his older self fumbled through this conversation this bad. “Look! I’ve already said too much. You need to leave.” He finally managed to finish, ushering his other self onto the street, where he would have more space to do what he was his older self still grateful for to this day.
“I’ll drop you off myself if I need to. I know where you were going anyhow.”

“No, I can handle it...” Younger William replied, despite them both knowing that was a mountain of a lie.
“...Probably. But about this merging thing-” he continued, before William cut him off.

“No! No more spoilers.” He said, getting nervous that maybe he’d revealed too much already. Had this been what his older self had said? Or had he said something else? His mind had suddenly gone completely blank. He decided it didn’t matter now anyway, he just needed the younger man gone. They both had important places to be.

“You’re going to have to find out for yourself. I had to, the me before me had to, you’ll get to- we’re all pricks. Now please leave. I have a play to attend that is starting in…” He paused to shove his bag and coat up his arm to see his watch. He could have checked his phone for convenience, since it was right there in his hand, but this was much more dramatic, don’t you think?  “Twenty minutes. So goodbye, good luck and safe travels.” He said, bringing his finger over to William’s shoulder in one steady sweep, and doing what he had been practising for a few years now, sending someone else through time. To a specific time in this case. December 11^th, 1945. He watched as the younger man disappeared in that signature swirl- in not even the span of half a second, and he was once again alone. 

He silently wished his younger self good luck with a heavy sigh of relief- though he knew he wouldn’t really need it, and with a content smile grabbed his keys again and called back his daughter.

“Hello? Darling?” He said, pressing the phone to his ear as he unlocked the car and climbed inside.
“Hi! What was that about? Why did you hang up all of a sudden?”
“Sorry sweetheart, something came up. But I’m on my way now, I’ll make it to your play.”
“You better. See you in a few.”
“See you, Rebecca love.”
“Yeah, see you dad.”

And as he took one last glance at the house, he suddenly realised how he had not recognised this house when they’d first looked at it. It had been their future house, sure… But it hadn’t been their home.

Not yet.