Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It had been summer when Percy and Danny English regained their memories. 

There was nothing that day to foreshadow what was to happen to them. The sun had been shining with only a few smatterings of cloud, a cool breeze blew across the campus. There had been no fortune-tellers or superstitious omens. They had simply been living their relatively ordinary lives in peace. 

The two of them had spent twenty-one years together. Twenty-one years of blissful ignorance. Well, perhaps not completely blissful, but as close as they could come to the simplicity that they comparatively had prior to that single, defining moment. 

Percy and Danny were born twins — identical twins, thank-you-very-much. The only children of a couple who had loved their sons dearly until they were tragically killed off in some freak accident when they were young. Which was how most of these stories tended to go — something they found out much later. Growing up they had swapped clothes, sometimes places just to see if anyone noticed. They had done everything together, shared everything from the last cookie to their deepest insecurities. They coordinated their wardrobes as much as they could (having similar tastes helped with that) and when it became obvious that their farsightedness was affecting their ability to study, Percy and Danny had chosen matching horn-rimmed glasses. They were an inseparable pair.

Both had found a kind of sanctuary in their likeness, knowing you had another half of yourself that you could trust implicitly. Sure, there were fights. Strange feelings of being out-of-place sometimes. But wasn’t that natural to have such things? What was life without a bit of strife and adversity? But they had been happy. They had been content. They had been brothers . 

It had been summer when things changed for them. 

Percy had just returned to his shared dorm at Culver University with tired countenance, grumbling to himself about his stupidity of taking extra classes during the summer when most people his age were enjoying the blissful downtime. But he couldn’t afford to lose his scholarship, or more likely (as his grades were perfect, thank-you-very-much) his pride and perfectionism prevented him from actually enjoying downtime when he could be getting ahead in his studies. Thank God his twin was the same way or they’d be at each other’s throats already. 

Speaking of which, it looked like Danny wasn’t back yet. Perhaps his class was running late. He doubted that either of them would be in the mood to cook by the time he got back, so instead the elder twin perused the folder of take-out menus they’d filed in one of the many bookshelves they’d put up in the room. 

He’d just taken out the ones he preferred when the sound of keys and the door unlocking alerted him of his twin’s arrival. Danny trudged in with his bag slung over his shoulder, the dark circles under his eyes prominent even behind horn-rimmed glasses. A scowl was on his face as he thumped the bag down next to his brother’s. Percy looked up.

“Hey, be careful there’s some weirdo outside the dorms carryin’ this creepy machi-“

Boom.

The shockwave that hit them didn’t seem to be hindered by the solid walls and structures that should have protected them from such a blast. Percy was thrown back, hitting their bunk bed and passing out. Danny had been blown to the bookshelf. The true damage, however, was not a physical one as something in the back of their minds gave way. 

Percival Ignatius Weasley had been twenty-one when he lost his brother. 

One of them, anyways, but the number of remaining siblings didn’t detract from the pain. Especially since he was certain Fred’s death was entirely his fault . If only he hadn’t made that joke and distracted him. If only he hadn’t been such a pompous, self-serving prat. If only he’d been there for his family when they had needed him (no, not needed, he dare not think of himself that highly in their eyes). 

It should have been him who died, not Fred. Fred was beloved by so many people. And George — how would George go on with half of himself missing for the rest of his life? Percy had been too late for far too much. Why couldn’t he have trusted his own family earlier? Why couldn’t he have seen the wool being pulled over his eyes by the Ministry, by the people he’d trusted so wholeheartedly? Why couldn’t he return to his family until the very last minute?

He couldn’t look his family in the eye — he was too ashamed to face them, had been for the last few years. There was no way to fix this. Salvation had stretched her hand out for long enough and he hadn’t tried to take it until she’d finally pulled it away. And he was left to wallow in his sins, in the lonely hell he’d built for himself out of pride and self-hatred. 

It had been summer when Fred was laid to rest.

The funeral had been a silent affair. Fred would have hated it, all of the seriousness. But no one could muster up the courage or the joy to make it ‘fun’. It was more than just Fred who’d died in the war. People were mourning all of them and using his face as the idol to direct their sorrows. Even Dumbledore’s funeral hadn’t been this maudlin — which was something he learned from Ron, who’d spoken to him during the wake. Ron had been one of the very few who would talk to him, whom he would talk to. Everyone was just so tired and numb. 

He’d wondered where he was to go from here. Kingsley Shacklebolt was going to be the interim Minister, but all the vile things the Ministry had done (himself, in complacency, included) had left a bitter taste in his mouth. But where else was there to go? What else was he to do? All he knew was the life he’d led so far, and even now he was too chicken to brave any kind of new front. He’d probably return to the Ministry. If they’d let him, that is.

Percy had recalled looking out to the Burrow, where the remaining Weasley family had gathered. He’d been internally battling himself on whether he should go inside or not before he heard footsteps behind him. Having assumed it was someone coming to get him (but who would have bothered?) Percy hadn’t turned around. Too late did he pick up the muttered incantation of the killing curse, and he felt his knees give way as everything went black. 

Eridan Ampora had been thirteen Earth years when he died. 

He’d been thirteen when his world ended, and thirteen when he’d murdered his friends. He wasn’t sure how old he was supposed to be when he was stuck as a sprite with Sollux Captor of all people, or if that even happened at all at this point. Paradox Space was weird like that; even more so with this ‘doomed timeline’ bullshit and when there were people prancing around with ‘retcon’ powers. 

Stuck in the dream bubbles for sweeps on end because of some cosmic joke on living beyond the pale hand of death, Eridan had time to think and reflect on his actions. Self-reflection was a bitch when all you could find were faults. He’d been a complete tool, a douche of the highest magnitude (well, maybe not the highest , Eridan was convinced his dancestor took the cake on that one), and a horrible, self-serving prick. Would things have turned out differently if he’d been a better person? Would they have somehow won?

He’d asked Vriska, once — the one who had mellowed out with the pigtail dreads and had done as much (if not more) introspection as he had — those questions. She’d given him a thoughtful look, still upset from being left behind in place of her former, alive self who had essentially taken her spot in the world one could call 'canon'. But that was why they’d been on that ship, talking it out. Death had made them grow up in some ways, perhaps degraded them in others. Or so the other Vriska had stated. This Vriska quietly admitted to having wondered the same things. Would things have turned out better had they been… good people? Perhaps then they wouldn't have to sit here waiting for whatever inevitable end was brought upon them from their existence breaking apart. 

It had been like summer in the dream bubble as they watched the multicolored cracks spiderweb further across the void. 

They’d talked for quite some time, at times apologizing to each other for past behaviors. About life. About death. About what awaited them after all this was over (however that may come to be). Was there anything after a ‘double death’? Were they simply meant to exist for a time before fading into oblivion? Eridan had watched her cry, the action coming from Vriska Serket a novel experience of its own, but he did not comment, simply gave her a shoulder to cry on. It was the least he could do after all the shitty things he’d done, right? But he knew there was no atonement to be had for him. He’d shot Salvation through the chest when her arms had been wide open.

Eridan had told Vriska that last bit. She’d laughed. He’d remembered her leaving the ship that was a memory of his home. He had sat at the edge and watched her fly away, feeling the loneliness sink in when he realized that had been the first genuine conversation he’d had with someone else since long before he’d died. He took a needless, shuddering breath before he felt his world go white.

Ringing and wailing. 

That had been what the English twins awoke to after the onslaught of… odd memories. But they had no time to dwell on it, considering their entire bodies ached from being physically thrown across the room. The smell of smoke was so strong they choked on it. Sirens wailed from the outside and they heard muffled voices talking to them, picking them up when they were unresponsive. Memories of past and present muddled and mixed in their delirium, but both of them vaguely recalled reaching for each other as they were carried away by firefighters. They slipped once again into oblivion, though thankfully the temporary kind.

In the stretchers and on the hospital bed, the twins dreamed of their own pasts and sins, feeling more alone than they ever had in twenty-one years. When they awoke again they sought the other on autopilot, relieved their brother was there, was alive, was relatively okay. 

It would be after they’d awoken in the hospital, silent in contemplation and trying to grasp at reality, and after they’d returned to their upturned dorm to clean up that Danny had turned to Percy. His brother. His twin. Did trolls have twins? That was normally a mammal thing, wasn't it? He knew now, from living on this Earth for the past twenty-one years, that the humans in his original universe (World? Portion of Paradox Space?) were created unnaturally therefore did not count in this comparison. But he had one now, and he was terrified even more so now than before his recollection of losing him.

“Hey, uh, Perce… wwhen that blast hit… Did somethin… wweird happen?” he probed with a soft voice, remembering how it had taken ages of speech therapy to not double his w’s and v’s in a time when he didn’t know why he did that. He was grateful for it now, even as he felt the familiar tremors of his quirk kick in. Annoying to sound like that all the time.

Percy’s head snapped toward him in alarm and caution, which told him everything he needed to know even before his twin opened his mouth. “I… did…” he trailed off, his tone wavering, unsure of how to breach the odd subject without sounding like a loon.

They simply stared at each other, conversing in that silent way only the deeply close did, trying to see if there was any hint of derision. Once they found none, they launched into their accounts simultaneously. They paused at the same time as well, collapsing on the floor laughing because things felt different now (and yet, the same) and nothing made sense anymore. But they still had each other, so that was enough.

It was still summer when an email to the student body explained the previously unidentified blast in the eastern dorm building as a ‘student mishap’. 

What kind of mishap was not explained, but Danny was certain it was the ‘weirdo with the creepy machine’ that he’d passed on his way to the dorm room that day. There had been damages from a fire that had broken out on their floor, and they had both been caught in the blast radius of whatever that machine was. But they’d been two of the few casualties since most people had gone off campus for the summer. Lucky them. 

It was through the grapevine where they’d found out the machine was a failed experimental design by one of their fellow dormmates and Percy's classmate Quentin Beck — something about accessing buried memories in the hippocampus — which ended up exploding when he tried to haul it out of his room. Percy had gotten a half-baked apology from the college senior after confronting him on it. Quentin had looked exhausted as it was and Percy chastised him to be more careful next time. 

Due to their pride, the twins continued their crammed summer education, deciding that focusing on their respective studies was easier than broaching the subject of whatever the hell happened that day. It allowed them to stew over their thoughts. Get used to living this life they’d been living for twenty-one years. 

Percy (in this life he was still Percival, the same name as his last. Was it a blessing or a curse?) felt alien every time he used a toaster, or a microwave, or his phone . Despite the fact he’d been doing it his whole life, those memories had thrown him back to when he, a wizard, lived in a mix of medieval times with only a smidge of modern technology sprinkled in (if the Hogwarts Express, Ford Angelina and the spark plugs counted, that is). He missed his wand, missed his family even more. But he had Danny, and that was enough. 

Danny (his parents had named him Eridanus, after the constellation. He wondered where his original troll name came from. Where all their names came from. Were they all just ironic playthings of Paradox Space?) felt alien in his body. His soft, peachy pale white skin. His red blood (like Karkat, almost, he wondered what the nubby troll would have said to this) and red hair (one front lock dyed violet, one of the few things that he’d subconsciously matched with his past life). His round ears, blunt single-row teeth, finless, hornless. Technology here was… more primitive. At least, there were no transportalizers or holographic touch-screens or sylladexes. He missed having those. But he had Percy now, and that was enough.

Summer would be almost over when their classes finally ended. In the silence of their newfound free time, the English twins finally talked about what happened that day, and the days they recalled experiencing. 

It had been… enlightening. But even back then, when they accepted the other for their horrid past lives (after massively judging the other’s lives like the complete tools they were and agreed that perhaps… perhaps it was Fate that they were given this life as a form of repentance of past sins), neither could expect how that one day would change their lives.

Chapter Text

“So I heard you guys blew up.” 

Percy and Danny were freshly twenty-two when they stared down Darcy Lewis, who was casually munching on her fries at the campus food court. She’d been their friend since they had arrived at Culver, having shared similar General Education courses before they’d split off for their respective majors. 

“Well, ‘blew up’ would be an inaccurate representation of what happened.” Percy’s tone was clipped and not a little bit pompous, pushing his glasses back up proper, “We were blasted back by an exploding machine. We ourselves did none of the ‘blowing up’.”

Darcy ignored the tone, having gotten used to it. She got used to a lot of weird things easily. Almost too easily, if the twins were being honest. But she was one of the few friends they had, and that was mainly because Percy still tutored her in politics. And because apparently they were the ‘Insufferable Trio’. Danny and Percy weren’t sure how Darcy could be considered insufferable, but perhaps they were just worse (or more likely, their peers didn’t like them much).

“Toe-may-toe, toe-mah-toe.” She shot back, taking a sip of whatever monstrosity she’d mixed together from the soda fountain. 

She’d initially asked why Percy didn’t go into a politics or political science major since he was such a natural at it — their professor for the class having said so as well, distraught over the fact that the elder English twin had instead chosen physics. Percy hadn’t been able to explain the sinking feeling in his gut at the very thought back then, though he understood why now. She hadn’t asked much after the first time.

“It’s toe-mah-toe.” the twins harped back in unison. 

Darcy was one of the few people who could stand being around them for more than five minutes, so the twins treasured her friendship. They’d bonded over shared television shows and musical interests — and of course, the fact that they all wore horn-rimmed glasses (which Darcy had called ‘hipster frames’). 

“For you English, maybe.” Darcy grumbled with a roll of her eyes. At least this time her boots weren’t on the table. “But here in good ol’ America we say things the right way. So what happened? Heard around the block some guy in your building made a bomb or something.”

She was insurmountably better at computers than either of them, begrudgingly becoming their go-to IT person and even helped to create “Pesterchum”, a private chat client for just the three of them. One that Danny now recognized — which made him wonder how in Paradox Space she knew about it. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to go down that rabbit hole, though.

“Beck’s experiment was as unstable as he was and it nearly brought down the whole fuckin’ floor on top of us.” Danny explained with a flourish of his own fry (like a wand, but potato), ignoring the automatic “Language!” from Percy.

“Damn.” Darcy responded, not reacting to Percy’s venomless glower. “See, this is why you guys gotta get out more. Like, I know the explosion might’ve done something like it, but you guys at least need a tan.”

“We’re ginger. We burn, not tan.” Percy stated flatly, picking at his food like he always did. He recalled that holiday with his family in Egypt and getting sunburn. And getting trapped in a pyramid by Fred and George. And getting beetles in his soup.

“Yeah, we get more than enough as is.” Danny agreed, recalling how the Alternian sun could fry people alive and blind a troll if they glanced at it for more than a second. And Earth’s sun was mild! What luck! Of all the human varieties he was reborn into, it was the one least tolerant of the sun!

“Ever thought of exploring the rest of the country?” Darcy powered on, “I know you guys don’t get out much— at all . But if you’re gonna study overseas, maybe take in a bit of the sights? There’s a bunch of good tourist spots considering England’s the size of, like, a State and we’ve got fifty of ‘em!”

The twins glanced at each other. It was an option they’d been considering. Staying here and playing tourist for a while, just traveling around. They’d been saving up the funds they’d gotten from their Teaching Assistant positions for something of that nature, but they were hesitant to commit to it. 

“Perhaps one day.” Percy said quietly, Danny nodding with him. 

At least they were given full rides for their tenure here at Culver, so they were loath to go anywhere before graduation. Besides, they were nearly finished as it was. 

“Well if you want, Dr. Selvig and Dr. Foster posted an internship opportunity in New Mexico. I know you were in Selvig’s classes before…” Darcy offered looking at Percy at the last bit, “I plan on taking it. They’re only offering college credits but…” she winced, “It’s better than dealing with Dr. Gillian again. If I flunk her class again I might as well drop out.”

They shook their heads in unison. 

“Hell no.” was the simultaneous response. 

“The college credits internships are a total scam.” said Danny with another shake of his head, jostling the violet scarf that was draped around his neck, “Also, New Mexico? The sand an’ air alone’s gonna dry out my pores.”

“I’m sure she’ll be fine.” Percy placated before turning to Darcy, “We’re so close to being done an internship like that would only hinder our progress. As much as I’d love to help Dr. Selvig, I have my own theses to finish. I wish the best of luck to you, though.”

“Yeah, good luck in New Mexico.” Danny snorted, his voice heavy with sarcasm, “Tell us if you find an alien out there or somethin’.” 

Percy dreamed of his past life again. Of the Burrow. Of Hogwarts. Of the Ministry and the War. His wand, walnut and dragon heartstring, gripped tightly in his hand. The feeling of his magical core pulsing, the feeling of every spell he’d ever cast. At the Battle of Hogwarts, he’d pushed every drop of magic he had into his spells to fight, to protect. He could hear Fred laughing, something exploding nearby-

He awoke with a jolt, sweating profusely. Shaken, he reached for his glasses, and brushed something small, familiar. He could feel his heart drop in his chest. It wasn’t possible, there’s no way it was possible. 

His wand was sitting on the nightstand, right next to his glasses.

Eridan dreamed of his past life again. Of Alternia. Of Sgrub. Of LOWAA and that accursed meteor. The legendary weapon (or legendary piece of shit, as one of the humans had called it) Ahab’s Crosshairs in his hands. Blasting those angels, blasting the Black King. The power in the weapon had felt similar to the Science stick he was given later on, that pure white stick of destruction. He remembered blasting through two people he once considered close, the revving of a chainsaw, violet blood splattering everywhere-

He didn’t know if it was him or screamed first or his brother. Groggily he groped for his glasses, wishing he had his troll night vision. But after blinking a couple times, Danny realized he did. Even though the clock’s glowing (almost painfully so now) numbers stated the time to be midnight and the lights were off, he could see in their room just fine. 

“Danny?”

Percy was staring at him in shock and slight horror, his glasses already on his nose. Something was clutched in his right hand. 

“Yeah?” 

A beat passed as Percy struggled with the words he wanted to say.

“Your eyes are… glowing. Amongst other changes to your person.” Percy spoke slowly. “I’d look in the mirror if I were you.” 

Danny raised an eyebrow, but did just that. Absent-mindedly he switched on the light. The brightness made spots dance in his sight, and it took him a moment to get used to it. How odd. The reason for this became evident when he went into the bathroom and took in his reflection. 

Grey, carapace-like skin covered him, his hair once more the black wire-like kind that swept around candy-corn horns. His pupils were a slitted catlike sort, surrounded by glowing violet and orange. Gills on his throat, fins connected to long ears. A clawed finger opened his mouth, marveling at the double row of sharp, shark-like teeth. 

“Wwell fuck.” 

“Language!”

"I'll be honest, I'vve nevver seen myself as an adult before. I kinda assumed it'd be like my ancestor, but I'm not as bulky as Dualscar wwas. Still glad I don't look like Cro, though." Danny’s eyes were glued to the mirror, pinching and tugging and poking at his Alternian form. Did Alternians exist in this universe? That was something to research on a rainy day. 

“That would be your… ‘Dancestor’, correct?” Percy said, his own eyes flickering from Danny’s new non-human form to the wand he was twirling between his fingers. It felt like a missing part of him had returned, and all was right with the world once more. If his wand was here, did that mean he had magic again? 

“Yeah, an a huge douchebag at that.” Danny muttered, violet tongue passing between two sets of razor sharp teeth. “Called himself… humankin or somefin of that nature. I guess I beat him to it in the end. Though howw to change back before classes start up again is the main concern here.”

“It would be rather difficult explaining the fins and the horns.” Percy joked, a smile halfway to his face until he realized there was a large possibility Danny would be unable to change back. 

Luckily, they did manage to find a way for Danny to shift between human and troll. It had taken quite a few sleepless nights, excuses that Danny had fallen ill (which luckily there weren’t many people who asked since classes were done for the summer and Darcy had already left for her internship), and Percy mentally pouring over every book he’d read about Animagi and Metamorpmagi, but in the end their hard work had paid off. 

After the panic was over, Percy was able to get a better look at Danny’s non-human form. Despite certain… non-human additions… Danny didn’t look all that different to how he usually did. This brought a kind of relief that Percy had no proper explanation for. 

And with that, things had once again fallen into a rhythm of normalcy. 

“I still can’t believe you have fuckin’ magic.”

Percy looked up from his textbook with a deadpan stare. “Language.”

“Oh, don’t give me that. Your universe had magic.” Danny stressed again after a mouthful of noodles, “Do you know how much bullshit I put people through because I thought it wasn’t real? Fate really must hate me since apparently my Paradox Twin was a wizard.”

“I’m sorry, didn’t your universe have literally every other ridiculous storybook trope?” Percy sniped back immediately, closing his textbook with a receipt for a bookmark. “What makes you think none of the vast sources of power were magical in nature? To quote Arthur C. Clark: ‘Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.’” 

Danny grumbled to himself, remembering that there were multiple times that he might have seen something akin to ‘magic’ and had by them attempted to ‘debunk’ it with ‘superior sciences’. With a smug huff, Percy returned to his homework. 

“Show me.”

The textbook snapped shut. “Why?”

“I wanna see it.” The younger twin stated with crossed arms, “Your magic. ‘Wingardium Leviosa’ an’ all that shit. That’s your jam, right?”

At that, Percy grimaced, remembering that in this world, his crimes were laid bare for all to see across seven books (and eight movies!) using the point of view of Harry Potter. He had wondered in bemusement how Ron’s best friend would have taken that information, knowing that in another world they were fictional characters. 

As children, Percy and Danny had read the series with great eagerness. Had watched all the films. Percy especially had felt a close connection with the notion of Hogwarts (of Gryffindor, of the Weasley family) that he couldn’t explain. He remembered being inconsolable when he got to the part where Fred had been killed, not eating for days on end. He’d brushed it off as just a need to feel belonging somewhere and becoming too attached to the characters, and the truth was somehow worse. 

Danny had laughed hysterically when he explained who he recalled himself to be. 

Pulling out his wand and pointing it at a napkin next to his younger twin, Percy incanted “ Wingardium Leviosa.”

The napkin flew up, and Danny’s jaw dropped. He reached for the napkin that Percy pulled out of his reach. “You did the thin’!”

“Well, good to know I still have magic, I suppose.” Percy intoned wryly. “Not bad for everyone’s least favorite Weasley, hm?”

“Oh shut up, you’re my favorite.” Danny told him cheekily as he snatched the napkin. “Always have been.”

Percy recalled his life in this world fondly, the both of them huddled together with red-and-gold (for Percy) and blue-and-silver (for Danny) scarves around their necks reading ‘The Prisoner of Azkaban’ together. Blissfully ignorant of the truth and desperately wanting to go to Hogwarts together. He wondered if things would have been different had Danny been his twin in that place, too. 

“Who else but I to be as pompous and insufferable as you?” Percy mocked, dodging the pen that was chucked his way. 

“Well to keep on the same page, you’ll have to teach me the ways of awesome wizard magicks!” The one who threw the pen proclaimed, waving a chopstick at him now like they had as kids playing wizards.

This made Percy contemplative. Was Danny capable of magic? How did his magic work in this world? How was it possible for his wand and Danny’s sylladex to traverse universes and find them here after only recently recovering their memories? 

“To keep on the same page, you will equip me with those inventory cards that you have. It’s only fair.” The older twin pointed out, and the younger twin gave a mock salute. 

This wasn’t going to end well, was it?

"I think somethin’ is wrong with Darcy." 

They stared at the most recent message from the Politi-Sci Major from wherever she was stationed in New Mexico. 

They would continue to get such updates from Darcy throughout the night. While Darcy peppering them with questions wasn’t unusual, these updates were… concerning. 

She’d generally asked Percy questions about astrophysics, which was not his best subject but he tried to explain it as best he could to her over the phone. Unsurprisingly, Danny was better at simplifying the concepts seeing as in his past life he had to deal with far worse physics-breaking shenanigans. Her queries on the Einstein-Rosen bridge were understandable, as that seemed to be what Dr. Foster’s research was about.

How to avoid legal trouble for hitting a random stranger with a truck and then tasing him unconscious was another issue entirely. Neither twin got much sleep that night.

And yet, the next day was somehow wilder than the night before. 

Then, hours later—

She’d sent them a photo of the ‘hobo’ at some diner. And Danny had to begrudgingly admit she was right — his hair was immaculate. He looked… surprisingly normal for an ‘alien’. A body that seemed to be cut by Michelangelo, sure, but perhaps Danny was biased on how aliens were supposed to look.

Things took an odd turn when Darcy had then begun asking them some questions about Norse Mythology which felt out of left field. Percy had answered those — in his past life he’d had perfect OWLs and NEWTs in Ancient Runes, after all. Danny had listened in, but couldn’t help much on that subject.

The twins had started to worry that Darcy had taken on something far over her head. They were regretting not taking that internship in her stead. Darcy had a penchant for getting into odd situations, but neither Danny nor Percy could make heads or tails of it. 

In the meantime, they’d compiled a list of things they did know from what she had sent them. 

Both of them deduced that the mysterious man Darcy tazed most likely fell from the portal in the sky Einstein-Rosen bridge. And he probably claimed to be Thor, since that was the name that Darcy kept mentioning amongst the other Norse-related questions (like Bifrost, and “Mew-Mew”). Since such a being (if ‘Thor’ was to be trusted, which they weren’t inclined to do) falling from a random portal in the sky would be a massive breach in national security, some government agency may have attempted to hush it all up. 

Or perhaps it wasn’t government at all. 

The twins shared a look and a grimace.

It might have been a certain Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.

Chapter Text

It would be later that afternoon when the twins were able to have a proper conversation with Darcy. 

By that point a number of odd things had happened on their side. Percy had been pulled aside in one of his elective classes by the professor. Apparently his talents in translating Norse Runes had been the talk among some of the faculty. For some reason she had shown him a tracing of the Triquetra which held runes on the inside and asked for his take on it. As soon as he read the words, Percy felt a sinking feeling in his chest.

Whomsoever holds this Hammer

If he be Worthy

Shall possess the Power of Thor

It was a coincidence, certainly. It had to be.

Nevertheless, Percy gave his Professor his translation, and did his best to ignore her excited gleam. He knew very well that she was at times used as a consultant for various government departments (something he’d learned from listening in when others thought he wasn’t), and with the events of the previous day he couldn’t help but come to the conclusion that these were related. 

This was best left alone, right? People asked him to do these things because he tended to not ask questions. Something he got used to doing in his last life. It made him complicit to many a nefarious Ministry deed, but it also allowed him, a Weasley, to survive in a place crawling with Death Eaters. 

Still, he couldn’t help but puff out his chest a bit at her praise. Dr. Strauss was a tenured professor at Culver, and well-known in the circles of archeology and Nordic history. A good word from her certainly didn’t hurt.

As for Danny, he’d been in the library working on his thesis when he overheard a couple students talking about a satellite crash near Puente Antiguo, New Mexico. His thoughts immediately went to Darcy’s text this morning about Dr. Foster and the ‘alien’ with the perfect hair. Once again he worried whether Darcy was doing alright out there — the more he gleaned from the situation the more he worried. 

He was used to dangerous situations. Hell, in his past life he’d lived on Alternia, where Death always seemed to be seconds away. Even Percy had seen his fair share of dangers if the Harry Potter stories (and Percy’s own personal accounts) were anything to go by. But danger wasn’t something he’d wish on anyone, especially his friend, even in this world where he doubted the same level of danger existed. 

…Right?

And so it was nearing lunchtime when Percy and Danny returned to their dorms, having checked their phones like panicked mother-hens for any more updates from Darcy. The last few messages mostly centered around the loss of her beloved iPod and other mundane things, which allowed them to breath sighs of relief. 

According to Darcy, Dr. Foster had not returned yet to their abode, so it was just her and Dr. Selvig left to clean up whatever remained for the time being. There were apparently many empty pop tart containers, a few printouts that meant nothing without the rest of the data, and a few photographs laying about. With little else to do, Darcy had called them on her phone, which surprisingly was not confiscated. She apparently wanted to have a proper vent-fest and Pesterchum was too slow at the current point in time. 

“ Dudes, it’s just been the weirdest twenty-four hours. ” She summed up for them, “ Also Danny you totally called it! I met an alien and he was pretty cut. How did’ya do it? ”

“It wwas a fuckin’ joke Darce!” Danny grumbled, hand sliding down from where he’d just facepalmed, wincing as his quirk resurfaced. He took a deep breath. “New Mexico is known for its UFO sightin’s. Not to mention Roswell. I’d assumed you’d meet little green men, not a Hercules with perfect hair.”

“ Well I’m just saying, you’re missing out! Tazing aliens has been super rad. ” 

“We will… take your word for it.” Percy mumbled, feeling the oncoming migraine pulse beneath his skull. 

He jolted as he felt his own phone begin to ring. Brows furrowed, he checked the caller ID. Blue eyes flickered across the words on the screen. He swallowed nervously. His fears seem to have been correct. Nodding once to Danny, communicating once again without words, he watched as his younger twin darted out of the dorm to give him some privacy. The wizard snapped off some privacy wards (it’d been good to practice magic again, that was for sure) just in case. Sighing once he’d finished, he pressed the icon on his phone and placed the phone near his ear.

“Hello Phil, a surprise to hear from you again.”

“All I’m sayin’ is it’s better than bein’ stranded in New Mexico.” 

Danny was already out of the dorms and walking towards the Student Union were the three of them frequented between classes. Curiosity burned in him, wanting to know what it was Agent Coulson wanted from them but equally not wanting to stand Darcy up.

“ Stranded without my iPod and now with nothing to do, yep. ” Darcy summed up with a sigh. 

He could imagine the growing dark circles under her eyes and her paler face. She sounded exhausted. It must have been terrifying, having your things seized without warning. 

“Well you have me for now an’ I am fantastic company.” Danny joked, smiling as he got a laugh out of her. “Besides, at least it wasn’t all bad. You got to meet an alien, if your hobo friend can be believed.”

“ He definitely doesn’t sound like he’s from around here. Talks like Shakespeare. I told you, right? That stuff about Thor and Mew Mew and Bifrost. Smashed a mug from the diner after drinking coffee from it, like, once. He tried to buy a horse from a pet shop. I don’t think the place had anything bigger than a chihuahua. ”

She sounded at least more at ease now. There was more color to her voice. The past 24 hours must have been taxing for a simple internship. An unpaid internship. 

“Sounds like he’s in the wrong time period, not the wrong planet.” Danny grumbled with a derisive snort, “Especially takin’ into account the Nordic references. Though, uh, might wanna wait for Perce to answer any more a those.”

Darcy burst into cackles. 

“ Pffft. Yeah, no. I don’t think I can take any more lectures. Norse mythology is supposed to be fun but that wall of text was NOT as fun to read. ”

“It answered your questions though, didn’t it?” He didn’t have to see her to be able to know that she just rolled her eyes. 

“ Yeah, yeah. Still was as dry as a textbook. ”

“That’s how ya know he’s excited.”

“ Both of you are super weird. Janey would love you guys. You should’ve joined me in my internship. Bet you’re regretting it now! ”

“Am I regrettin’ missin’ the drama? Yeah. Am I regrettin’ the opportunity to have my thin’s seized by the Feds? Nope.” He paused, and then in a softer tone: “Are ya sure ya don’t want us to go out there an’ get you guys?”

“ Nah, it’s fine Danny. I think Janey wants to try and get her stuff back. But thanks. I’ll let you know when I need a ride out. Or maybe I can use hobo alien’s UFO. ”

“Are you sure he’s an alien an’ not just some crackhead?”

“ Danny, not all aliens are gonna be little or green. Or gray-skinned with candy corn horns. ”

Something in Danny plummeted. No fucking way.

“Wwhat did you say?”

“ Dude, were you expecting Homestuck trolls? Seriously? ” He could hear the laughter in her voice, but Danny very suddenly felt the blood pump behind his ears. His quirk was the least of his issues right now.

“A wwhat? Wwhat’s a Homestuck troll?”

Darcy was laughing even louder now. 

“ Man, if it were anyone else I’d take that question seriously. C’mon, Danny! ‘caligulasAquarium’…. your hair… your obsession with the color violet… the double ‘w’s and ‘v’s…  Like, I get it. You give off major Eridan Ampora vibes. And you pull it off real good! ”

The thumping got louder as things clicked into place for him. But Darcy apparently wasn’t done yet.

“ Waaaaaaait, no, haha, I see what you’re trying to do! Alright, alright, I’ll say the thing. Let me tell you… about Homestuck .” Her tone was full of mirth, and he suddenly got the feeling that she assumed him in on some kind of joke. “ Oh snap! I see Janey’s truck! Gottagobye! ”

Click.

Danny was unable to move after hearing all that come from Darcy. He simply stood there, motionless in front of their dorm building (having backtracked there at some point during the conversation). There was a kind of fear that gripped him — the fear of being known when you thought no one knew you. 

He existed, somehow, in whatever this… Homestuck… was. His finger twitched against the button on his phone, locking it. A heaved sigh, and Danny English was climbing the steps back to his dorm. The door was slightly ajar, which meant Percy had finished his conversation. 

“You look like you’ve just had a horrible revelation.” Was the first thing out of Percy’s mouth when he walked in. A moment passed. 

“I think I did.” Danny muttered hollowly. “On the off-chance, havve ya evver heard a ‘Homestuck’?” A look of confusion (and worry at Danny returning to his quirk again) passed over his brother’s face before Percy shook his head. “Ya knoww howw ya had that theory about us comin’ from other wworlds wwhere wwe’re from stories?” A concerned nod. “I think I found the story I came from.”

“Well, you can tell me on the way.” Percy stated matter-of-factly. 

It was only then that Danny noticed that Percy had packed some of their things into duffel bags. 

“…Wwhere are wwe goin’?” He asked, confused.

Percy quirks a half-smile.

“Puente Antiguo.”

While waiting at the gate for their plane to arrive, Danny booted up his laptop and typed in the word that had been haunting him since it was spoken. There was something that resonated in his very soul at the word, innocuous and nonsensical as that seemed. And yet there was that pull, that need to know. Beside him, Percy regarded the screen with a sense of curiosity. They already knew where he came from, where Percy Weasley fit into this world, and now it was time to find out about how this world saw Eridan Ampora’s. 

Danny clicked on the very first link, which hailed itself as ‘MSPAINTADVENTURES’, and began to read the text below the slightly moving gif of a human that was somewhat familiar to him.

A… webcomic? 

The art was laughably simple, but he supposed nothing fit the ridiculousness of that place better. A webcomic with moving pictures and what appeared to be video game mechanics. Framed as a game. No, somehow, this felt right. If this was how they were all going to be depicted, so be it. He might as well use this opportunity to see everything that he was previously too self-absorbed to notice or understand. 

And so they began to read, pausing briefly only to board the plane, before getting sucked back into this rather bizarre (and somewhat humorous) format of a webcomic. 

It was deep in the night when they landed in New Mexico. 

Waiting for them at the airport was none other than Agent Phil Coulson, whose polite smile belied nothing of what the man might be thinking in that brain of his. After an exchange of pleasantries, they were taken into a simple black car. On the way to the SHIELD setup on the outskirts of Puente Antiguo, Coulson caught them up to speed. 

“The etching on the 0-8-4 is where we got the runework you translated.” Phil explained from the driver’s seat, “Which, thanks to that, confirms that whatever it is, claims to be a hammer with the power of Thor.”

“Or something that can give the worthy wielder the power of Thor.” Percy added from the backseat, looking over the folder tucked in the pocket in front of him, “Control of storms and thunder most likely, though I’m unsure what else it can do. Did you honor the other portion of our agreement?”

“Miss Lewis’ iPod was returned to Dr. Selvig when he arrived today for Dr. Blake. I’m sure it’ll get back to her soon.” Coulson replied, taking note of the twins’ apparent confusion over the name, “She seems to have a knack for hacking.” 

“That she does.” Percy sighed, almost in exasperation as he put the pieces together in his mind. 

“So what d’ya want us for?” Danny asked, still a bit foggy after reading that damn webcomic the entire flight here, getting back into business mode as Percy passed him the folder.

From the rearview mirror he watched Coulson regard them. 

“Well Percy here is in the unique field of expertise of both ancient languages and astrophysics,” Phil explained, “and one of your specialties includes war history and ancient weapons. And to top it off, you’re always a package deal and already listed as consultants for SHIELD.”

“Was it you or Sharon that put us on that list?” Danny deadpanned.

“It was me, actually.” Phil said, something almost akin to smug writing itself across his face, “Think of it as protection. You think we didn’t notice your anomalous abilities a few months ago?”

Silence filled the car as Percy and Danny realized that yes, of course SHIELD would notice.

“Better put to use than locked up, I suppose.” Percy muttered, crossing his arms and slumping back.

“Now you’re getting the hang of it!”

They arrived at the temporary SHIELD base just as the first rays of light were insinuating that they would be arriving. It wasn’t a problem for Danny, who had troll night-vision, but he did notice Percy squinting. Their hands linked unconsciously as they made their way to a better-lit area. 

Inside the tube-like structure was a myriad of scientists and agents alike. Hazmat suits were worn all around, which made sense once Percy eyed the monitor depicting the radiation charts for what he tentatively assumed was Mjölnir. It made him idly wonder if he was considered radioactive due to his magic. Was magic radioactive? Is that how SHIELD detected his use?

“Oh God, why are you here?”

Two heads snapped towards the voice, whose owner leaned against the railing above them. Danny’s face immediately split into a grin as Percy rolled his eyes.

“What? An’ here I thought you’d miss me!”

“Oh contraire, English, I never miss.” Agent Clint Barton sniped back with a lopsided smirk, jumping down to their level and walking beside them, “So they lugged you two into this, huh?”

“I assumed SHIELD would have better experts than two college students who desperately need to work on their theses.” Percy stated with a slightly pompous air.

“You still showed up, though.” Barton responded, nodding over to the object embedded in the raised dirt, out in the early morning air. “And I’m not sure what kind of expert is needed for something like that. A guy came in a few hours ago for it. Mowed through the base like we were grass and then tried to lift it.”

“Where were you?” Danny asked curiously.

“Up above, waiting. Held the shot ‘cause we wanted to see if he could do it. The guy just lost all will to move after he couldn’t make it budge. Dr. Selvig picked him up a while ago.” 

“Either he’s Thor or he’s a lunatic.” Percy murmured, kneeling down to inspect the object that almost certainly was a warhammer. “And I dislike the fact that I’m leaning towards the former.”

The runework could barely be seen on the head of the hammer, only manifesting when an electrical current (or in Percy’s case, a magic current) touched it. Annoyingly enough, that phrase about being worthy of the hammer was the only runework that became visible. Even after a few revelios.  

Barton and Danny watched him from beside him, the agent getting a very edited series of events from the younger twin. 

The diagnostic spells he ran came up… odd. It registered as a magical artifact. A powerful one at that. From what he could tell it could bolster the wielder’s physical ability immensely, along with giving the wielder the power of flight, storm and lighting manipulation. And the material… he wasn’t sure he’d ever heard of a metal called ‘Uru’ before. Was it magical… or alien?

His fingers wrapped around the handle, trying to see if it felt different, when from the hammer itself a bolt of lightning went right through him and sent him flying a good few feet away. Danny immediately went to his side, helping to prop him up. 

“Shit! A little warnin’ would’vve been nice!”

“That’s, uh, never happened before.” Barton stated helpfully.

Chapter Text

Percy and Danny English didn’t actually recall anything about their parents. Neither their names nor their faces. Not even the sounds of their voices. It sounded rather sad in third-person, but they weren’t quite sure how much they should have been sad about.

Their earliest memories had been with their Grandmother.

Grandma "English" had been the one to take care of them. To dress them and feed them and tell them stories. She taught them many things, like how to read and spot when someone was in the house when they shouldn’t be, and where to hide if they heard anything off. As they grew older, she taught them how to shoot, how to fight up close if the need should arise. When requested, Gran taught them ciphers and how to pick locks and how to keep a good poker face. 

Sometimes Percy and Danny would ask about their parents. Gran would just sigh and tell them that their parents loved them very, very much, and that they died in a tragic accident when they were little. Percy and Danny would soon be occupied with another point of interest that she would veer the topic to, and neither of them cared much to dig deeper into the question. Gran was there and Gran was enough. 

They stayed in a little house in Hampstead — in an old, quiet neighborhood with pretty little homes and neighbors that called them “darling little boys”. Gran had said it had been her parents’ house (and had joked that her mother always admonished her for ‘not acting like a lady’, making them giggle), passed down to her and eventually would be passed down to them. 

Gran was on the phone a lot, even though she was ‘retired’. Often she would have to bring them with her on trips to America, where they were dropped off with Auntie and Uncle and Cousin Sharon. Other times she would have to leave them in a big building with all the black-suited people and the white-coated doctors and a nice man would watch them, sometimes asking questions when the doctors weren’t poking at them.

The nice man told Percy and Danny to call him Agent Coulson. Agent Coulson was pleasant, and asked them questions in a nicer way than some of the other black-suited people. When some of the other adults weren’t looking, he’d sneak them lollies with a wink. He really respected Gran, too, and would tell them stories of all the things she had done as an ‘agent’ and as ‘director’ with stars in his eyes while they waited for Gran to come back. 

Only when they were finally old enough to know about SHIELD did Percy and Danny understand what Phil Coulson and the other adults in that place did for a living — and who Grandma Peggy was to them.

As such, growing up in the environment they did, Percy was not surprised when he was confined to a cot and surrounded by beeping monitors and scientists taking data on him after he’d gotten zapped by the still-unmoveable hammer. What he was surprised about was the fact that Danny had been placed in the cot next to him after the idiot also tried to touch the hammer and had gotten the same reaction that Percy had.

Needless to say, Danny had gotten a stern lecture of safety and impulse control from his older brother. 

But the fact that Danny was also affected did bring up more questions. Why them? Did it have to do with magic or energy, or did the hammer somehow know that they contained power and memories not from this Earth? It gave him something to ponder until they were allowed to leave the medbay. 

Leaving took a bit of cajoling, but Percy's knowledge of SHIELD protocol as well as his willingness to fill their release paperwork himself smoothed the process over and they were out of the medbay before the sun could finish poking its way over the horizon.

Which was good, because he had things to do.

Agent Coulson had always been skilled at getting the English twins to do things he wanted them to do. When they were little Phil would get them to cooperate with the tests the labs had to run on them, and Barton would sometimes use them to pull small pranks on his fellow agents. As adults, the twins’ people-pleasing ways evolved so that they would practically predict what needed to be done and they’d just… do it themselves. No prompting, no offhand comments, no bribes. It was no wonder they got away with so much from SHIELD, though another part was definitly nepotism.

The small kitchen in their portable base wafted in the smell of something mouth-wateringly savory.

“What’cha making?” he asked the older twin, who was bustling about the pop-up kitchen as if he owned it, the younger twin at his heels helping in the preparations.

“Breakfast.” Percy responded as if it was obvious that a college student slash ancient languages linguistics consultant would be cooking in a temporary SHIELD base at ungodly hours in the morning. “We plan on stopping by to say hello to Darcy and I never go empty handed. Yes I am willing to wear a wire, yes I will ask any questions that you need answered. But I doubt any of you have had anything home-cooked in a while and that is a crime in and of itself.”

Phil turned to Danny, who just shrugged before tossing the agent a muffin. “Don’t worry, we sent the receipts for reimbursement later.” The younger twin said with a smug grin.

See? They get away with so much. Too much. If the food wasn’t heavenly they might get away with less. But no one turned down free food from a good source, especially when said source refilled the coffee, made breakfast for everyone, and filled out all the paperwork properly. They were too damn useful to get rid of.

“I smell muffins!” Phil heard Barton cheer. Danny chucked a muffin at his face. Barton caught it with a lazy grin. “Ah, now I remember why we keep you guys around.”

Percy was heaving a large covered tray of shepherd's pie into a bag along with more muffins, bacon rashers, eggs, hash browns, and juice. His tone was as imperious as ever. “None of you take care of yourselves properly so if I must take that role I will .”

“Can it, Mom. ” Barton snarked. Phil smiled pleasantly.

“Not our fault you need us~!” Danny sang out.

They were still pretty insufferable, though.

S.H.I.E.L.D. always seemed to be in some state of emergency. It was practically their natural state of being at this point. Always somewhere something was going wrong or something crazy was happening. Perhaps that was good for such a division that specializes in such things, but it happened so often in such a short time that it was almost ridiculous. Even the Ministry was never this bad. 

Like now, when just as they were leaving the temporary compound in their borrowed sedan, Percy and Danny watched as Phil entered another sedan with Sitwell and a few other agents — the group of cars tearing off into the desert. 

“Wonder what that was about.” Danny muttered from his place in the shotgun seat. 

“I don’t.” Percy sighed out, pressing the gas pedal, heading towards his destination.

One should normally feel rather bad about seeing one’s friends whilst wearing a microphone to help a secret government organization listen in on their private conversations, but Percy just called that being pragmatic. He trusted Agents Coulson, Cale, and Garrett wouldn’t do anything foolish (unlike Fudge, or Umbridge, or Scrimgeour), and likewise knew nothing about the individual claiming to be ‘Thor’ who could end up being rather dangerous if his actions in the night were to be believed. And Danny was sure that Darcy would get over the inevitable reveal since really, they already told her that they were being paid to talk and how else could they have gotten her iPod back?

To help smooth things over, however, Percy always showed up with food. It had been one of his habits that he’d carried over from his past life. Mum had always used food to smooth things over and it worked pretty much every time. It was practically foolproof — no one turned down Molly Weasley’s cooking. 

People always assumed that Ginny was the one to take the most after their mother in terms of the domestic skills, but who had been the one to look after the children when the adult Weasleys had been busy? Percy. Who was the endlessly curious child that strived to learn anything and everything in his surrounding world and had the photographic memory to back it up? Percy. Who was the sibling that always had to be the reasonable, responsible one? Bill, obviously . 

Percy was thankful he wasn’t the oldest in that case, even though it had certainly felt that way when Ron and Ginny had joined Hogwarts for the first time. 

So Percy had time to learn other things, like cooking and knitting and cleaning. Mum had been happy to oblige — Ginny apparently wasn’t as receptive to the lessons in knitting and crochet. And Percy had in turn learned important life skills from the best in the business. Not that he told any of his siblings. He wouldn’t have been able to live it down if the Twins had found out.

Which took them to the present where they were knocking on a building that was most certainly not a laboratory (but he understood that needs must and it was most likely the only place they could rent out with the space they needed), looking through the glass to see Darcy’s shocked expression with a smug smile. It looked like the rest of the crew was also awake. Percy recognized Dr. Selvig (with whom he’d taken a few classes) and Dr. Foster (or “Janey” as Darcy had called her) he’d only seen from the photographs Darcy had sent. But the tall, almost hulking blond puttering around the small kitchenette at the back of the place with Dr. Foster was someone Percy and Danny had only seen a single photo of before and the two-dimensional image had not done the man justice.

“Shit, he does have better hair.” Danny muttered to Percy as Darcy ran up to unlock the door. 

Both twins were squeezed into a hug by their shorter friend.

“My dudes!!! What are you guys doing here?!”

“You just sounded oh so sad over the phone!” Danny teased with a grin, his knuckles grinding over her head and getting her to squawk and let them go.

“Bringing breakfast, obviously.” Percy answered instead, “I doubt any of you have had a decent meal in quite some time.”

“Holy shit! Percy made breakfast!”

It was always quite funny to see how hungry people’s faces dropped their suspicions at the mention of food. This tried-and-true trick was utilized on an underfed Harry Potter and worked like a charm every single time. 

That being said, Dr. Selvig had been the first of the others to crack, having gotten used to Percy bringing food to the early morning labs back at Culver. That and the poor astrophysicist looked exceedingly hungover (unfortunately for him, Percy hadn’t yet been brave enough to attempt any Potion himself, or even try to seek out the ingredients to do such a thing, so no magical hangover cure). He grunted his thanks and sat down at the small table at the center.

The man who called himself Thor began to follow suit, watching what Selvig did as a point of reference and taking large helpings of each foodstuff as Dr. Foster finally acquiesced to Darcy’s apparent trust in them. Thor was pretty polite and rather quiet as he helped everyone get their share as the six of them settled down.

Percy was grateful that Darcy had made that comment about Thor’s enormous appetite and had prepared Weasley-sized portions of everything, because bloody hell the man could eat.

“So…” Dr. Foster started, eying the two newcomers warily. “You guys are Darcy’s friends?”

“Yeah, we’ve been friends since we started at Culver.” Darcy stated casually in defense of them, humming and dancing a bit as she ate her blueberry muffin. “And I kinda been messaging them about my internship. Like, all of it.”

This seemed to ease her suspicions. Thor looked at them just as Danny was eyeing the man’s hair and smiled in a similar way to the photo Darcy sent them. Percy wasn’t sure if the man was a god, but that hammer was certainly unusual. It was possible…

“Percy here’s been in a few of my classes. He was the contact I was talking about.” Selvig mentioned blearily, swirling his glass of seltzer water and taking brief sips of it, before turning to Percy. “I did send you that email about S.H.I.E.L.D., but I guess they got to you first, eh?”

Percy did, in fact, get the email around the time Phil had called him that afternoon. Selvig had mentioned that he was sending the email from a public library computer and had put in the address they were staying at, so Percy hadn’t bothered to respond. 

“Actually, Darce got to us first. We figured out the rest.” Danny mentioned with a shrug.

Being the middleman between this group of scientists and S.H.I.E.L.D. was something Percy resigned himself to being as soon as Darcy had messaged them about the Feds taking away their research. Danny was just enjoying the ride, watching things from both sides as a form of entertainment as usual and helping Percy with what needed to be done.

“We are in the middle of negotiations.” Percy continues, scraping more food onto their plates absentmindedly,  “Hopefully we can facilitate a deal to get your research returned to you.”

As Percy poured everyone another cup of coffee, Thor stared at his own mug in deep contemplation. 

“May I have this?” the larger man intoned suddenly.

Percy and Danny watch as Dr. Foster, Selvig, and Darcy share a look. 

“Sure.” Darcy mumbles with a shrug.

“Thank you.” Thor said, downing his mug and washing it before heading out the door. 

“What was that about?” Danny asked in confusion, looking to the others that seemed to be sharing a knowing look.

“My bet’s on the diner.” Darcy stated with a grin, shoveling the last of the shepard’s pie into her mouth. “Remember? I told you he threw a mug down and shouted ‘ANOTHER’?”

“Ooooh yeah!” the younger twin said, snapping his fingers. 

“So, he really thinks he’s the god of thunder of Norse Mythology?” the older twin asked instead, turning to Doctors Selvig and Foster. 

“ He certainly does.” Selvig grunted into his glass, “ I don’t know what to believe. It all just sounds so… fantastical. A fairytale. Things like Thor and Bifrost and Mjolnir… they’re all a part of my childhood. Not this modern, scientific world.”

“The hammer seemed to indicate otherwise.” Percy sighed out, picking up the finished plates and placing them in the sink, kicking Danny in the shin for him to help him wash them. The others immediately turn their heads toward him. “The runes on the damn thing are in Elder Futhark. They mention his name, and that whoever lifts it gets his power.”

“I don’t think he was able to lift it, seeing as he left without it when I came and got him.” Selvig grumbled out. 

“Then he wasn’t worthy.” Percy stated in a clipped tone, getting a sharp slap on the shoulder from Darcy. “Hey! That’s what the inscription indicated!”

“Oh, and you were worthy?” Darcy sniped back.

“Oh certainly not.” Was his response with a shake of his head.

“It zapped us.” Danny added casually.

“It what?! ” Darcy practically shrieked.

“‘S what happened last night. Was out cold for a bit.” Danny mumbled with a shrug, finishing the last of the dishes.

They didn’t seem to know if Danny was being serious with his usual blasé attitude, and one look from a tired Percy seemed to indicate they really didn’t want to talk about it.

Dr. Foster cleared her throat instead. “Right! Sooo speaking of which, I have a new part of my theory thanks to Thor…” 

She launched into her explanation after that, with a lot of hand-waving and physical diagrams. There were a lot of things that Percy had learned in Ancient Runes and Astronomy back at Hogwarts. The notion of the Nine Realms being out somewhere in the depths of the Void, a part of the World Tree Yggdrasil. The power that comes from the bonds between the worlds and links them like branches and roots. The idea one could travel between them with the right amount of power…

It was the basis of Apparition and Portkeys and the Floo system. It drew on the ley lines and the energies that connected all things in order to shorten the distance, to bend space briefly to one’s will. Percy was sure the Transportalizers of his world operated on a similar logic. 

Doctor Jane Foster was certainly passionate about her research, that much was sure. Halfway through her explanation, Thor returned without the mug, but seemed content. He’d add tidbits of explanation as Jane spoke, but was content to sit and listen to her with a dopey look on his face. 

That was a man in love. Percy and Danny turned to Darcy, who shrugged with a lopsided smile.

“It’s a beautiful theory, Jane.” Selvig tells her, “But you won’t be able to convince the scientific community of any of it without hard evidence.”

That was the trouble, wasn’t it? Everything she said had been correct, but this world didn’t have the magic of Percy’s world or the technology of Danny’s. Unless another kind like Thor dropped in, it would be difficult to prove or believe.

A loud knock on the door made all of them turn in shock. 

There, at the glass doors, stood four individuals grinning like absolute idiots. They were all dressed in armor that reminded the twins of something straight out of the Lord of the Rings films. One of them, a dark-haired man, was even holding a sword aloft. The others, a tall and round red-bearded man, a strong-looking dark-haired woman, and a fancy-looking blond man, had a hand each pressed to the glass of the door.

“FOUND YOU!” The largest one that reminded Percy vaguely of Godric Gryffindor shouted at the top of his lungs. 

A crash as Darcy and Selvig’s mugs slip from their hands simultaneously. 

“What. The Fuck.” was all Danny could say.

“Language.” Percy said out of sheer habit, but internally he felt the same way.