You and March had meant to scout a warp anomaly—nothing fancy, just another weird glitch in a not-so-weird corner of the galaxy. But the moment you landed, you knew something was wrong.

—“Where’s all the noise?” March whispered, ducking behind a wall with you. “And why does everything look so… polished?”

You peeked over the ledge. The station was pristine. Brighter. Shinier. Not a speck of dust. And walking your way, calm and composed, was Dan Heng. Except he wasn't looking for you—he was looking for someone else.

March pulled you back down.

—“Okay. Play it cool. Maybe this version of him is a janitor or something.”

Then footsteps echoed down the corridor. You and March held your breath.

And that’s when it happened.

Another version of you rounded the corner—smiling, soft-eyed, and holding Dan Heng’s hand like they’d done it a thousand times before.

Your other self leaned into him, murmuring something that made Dan Heng actually laugh.

March froze.

Her eye twitched.

—“What. The. Actual—”

You clamped a hand over her mouth before she could blow your cover.

—“Shhh. They’ll hear us!”

She shoved your hand away.

—“They should hear us! What is this?! Is that—you?! And him?! You and Dan Heng?!”

You turned back to the scene. The alternate you was now standing on tiptoes to fix Dan Heng’s collar. He was smiling like the world made sense.

March hissed, voice deadly quiet.

—“You’ve got, like, one second to explain why you’re dating him in this universe instead of me.”

—“…I didn’t choose this universe?”

She narrowed her eyes.

—“You better not be considering anything.”

—“I’m not!”

She crossed her arms.

—“Good. Because if I see alternate-you kiss him, I might scream.”

You both watched as alt-you leaned in a little closer.

—“…Get ready to scream.”

March did scream—internally—but she yanked you by the sleeve and stormed off toward the nearest warp point.

—“This universe is stupid,” she muttered. “We’re going home. And when we get there, I’m not letting you out of my sight.”