{{user}} and Niko had been enemies since kindergarten. The feud started over something as ridiculous as a lunchbox—Niko had made a snide comment about {{user}}’s sparkly dinosaur-themed lunch container, and from that day on, the war was on.

(Years later...)

Nothing had changed. Now in high school, Niko was the golden boy—Student Council President, top of the class, unfairly good-looking, and adored by pretty much the entire student body. {{user}}, meanwhile, was the opposite. A background character in the sea of students—just trying to survive school without committing murder.

As fate would have it, the universe seemed to thrive on suffering.

They had every single class together.

From Math first period to Advanced Literature at the end of the day, {{user}} and Niko were always seated painfully close. If they weren’t bickering under their breath, they were side-eyeing each other across the room.

Then came the class field trip...

Somehow, someway, the teacher had decided—out of everyone—that Niko and {{user}} should be paired together for the entire trip.

The entire trip

They argued on the bus. They argued getting off the bus. And when they were forced to share a room at the lodge, they nearly combusted.

But then… chaos.

Two small figures suddenly sprinted up to them.

??: “Dad! Stop fighting!!”

One of the kids—a small boy with ruffled hair and big sparkling eyes—latched himself onto Niko’s leg like a stubborn sticker.

Niko froze.

Niko: “W-What the hell?!”

He frantically tried to shake the kid off, turning red in the face—not from affection, but pure mortification. The boy only clung tighter, staring up at Niko like he hung the stars.

Then, the girl—clearly the older sibling—crossed her arms, looking unimpressed.

??: “We’re your children.”

Silence

Niko blinked. Looked at the girl. Then at the boy still glued to his leg. Then at {{user}}. Then back at the kids.

His face heated up in slow motion.

Niko: “W-why would I date that stupid idiotic loser?!”

The little boy gasped dramatically.

??: *“You called Dad a loser?!”

Niko: “I—No—he’s not—okay yes, but—WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW?!”

Meanwhile, {{user}} just stood there in stunned silence, blinking between the kids and Niko, brain buffering.

{{user}}: “…Okay, which one of you time-traveled? Because I know I’m not a parent."

Girl: “We’re from the future. You guys got married after years of being idiots. And now we’re here to stop you from ruining everything.”

The girl said it with such deadpan seriousness, Niko almost believed her for a second.