Fifth Floor Common Room, Sunday evening

[willbethenight]

It had been a long day, at the end of a long weekend, at the end of a long week, and so on. So Bruce was pleased enough to take it easy for a night and head to the common room. But that was just a cover for something he really wanted to test

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[wesleynotponcy]

Wesley had gotten more enjoyment than he'd like to admit out of finally being able to return to the library and deposit all the books he'd taken out over the past few weeks. Then from there, he came straight to the common room to collapse on a couch. Because he could do that now.

Then he noticed what was wrong with this picture.

"Is the television... actually cooperating?" Wes asked, surprised. HE KNEW YOUR HISTORY, BRUCE.

[willbethenight]

"For now I assume it's playing nice in the name of celebration," Bruce said. "But I'm hoping it stays this way from here on out."

[wesleynotponcy]

"With any luck, it might," Wes agreed. "Perhaps if enough people remembered it as being cooperative?"

[willbethenight]

Bruce hadn't made a point to do that at all. Why would he do that?

"I should be so lucky," Bruce joked. "But aside from maybe that and a couple changes in the town, it seems like things were put back together correctly."

[wesleynotponcy]

Of course. Bruce would never. And he certainly wouldn't've remembered himself altered in any way so that he could beat out Team Tony.

Because he never could. So he shouldn't try.

"Apart from the odd cove here and there, yes," Wesley confirmed. "Have you, ah, been around all this time?"

Someone had missed radio yesterday.

[willbethenight]

Bruce didn't realize that Wesley's narrative was such a fan of Tony Stark. Anyway, Bruce had never received any complaints about his unaltered self.

"I lasted all the way into Special Collections and then to the tower before everything went black," Bruce said. "I saw that you made it that far, too."

Yeah, he pretty much watched for everyone who made it that far.

[wesleynotponcy]

That was some lying, lying narrative right there. LYING.

"Right," Wes agreed. "Well, ah. Good on you, I suppose."

IT WAS A COMPETITION. THEY'D SUCCEEDED.

[willbethenight]

If Wes's narrative wasn't careful, Bruce's narrative was going to start making eyes at Katniss's narrative just to make a point.

"You too," Bruce said. "So what did you think of the brief end of everything?"

[wesleynotponcy]

"Rather impressive, as these things go," Wesley decided. Because come on, the Nothing deserved some props for sheer creepiness. "I must say, the island seems to have outdone itself."

But not in a weird way.

"And you?"

[willbethenight]

"It's an experience I'd like to avoid going through again," Bruce said. "But I'm glad I was able to help out."

Little did he know that in about 15 years he'd end up getting a glimpse of the beginning of everything, too."

[wesleynotponcy]

Too bad he didn't have, say, a suit of armor he could use to hide from it in. That would've come in handy.

"It's always nice after these things die down," Wesley observed. "In addition to the, er, everyone being alive, of course."

[willbethenight]

It wouldn't have helped at all!

"Don't worry, I'm not holding the word choice against you," Bruce said. "I just hope this means we'll make it through to at least next semester without anything too strange happening."

[wesleynotponcy]

WOULD SO.

"At least four months, I'd guess?" Wesley offered. "That seems to be the general pattern." He thought about it for a moment, then added, "Though we might have more this time, since this seemed rather more extensive than comparable crises in the past."

[willbethenight]

It disappeared just like everything else.

"I wouldn't rely on that," Bruce said. "Just when you decide that patterns have emerged, something will happen at a different time just to keep you on your guard."

[wesleynotponcy]

Yeah, but it still could've helped. THAT WAS HOW BADASS IT WAS.

"I suppose that's true," Wes realized. Dangers of lampshading, kid. "In that case, it's probably best to avoid mentioning any kind of pattern at all, lest the island decide to change things around."

[willbethenight]

You poor, deluded narrative.

"I find it's best to speak about it normally without giving specific timeframes," Bruce said. "I don't know how many times people have scolded me for vaguely tempting fate without anything happening. That way, whatever will happen, happens in its own time."