Hana was sitting at Satch's desk with him. The crisp early summer air kept that silence.
"So," Satch said, "you said you wanted to talk about something."
"Yes." Hana said. Without elaborating.
"Something that you wanted to talk about after Finals."
"Mhm." Hana confirmed. She was staring at the floor. Again. Like when she had brought it up. His eyebrows knit together in concern. Again. Like when she brought it up.
"Hana," Satch said, placing an arm on her shoulder. "Can you tell me what's been bothering you?"
Hana tried again to find the right words. The amount of false starts and crossed out explanations.
Be honest.
That thought kept her going. "Satch, what do you think about parallel dimensions?"
Satch paused. "I…think it's an interesting field but it's not my strong suit."
"What about parallel dimensions caused by time travel?"
Satch paused again. "Like alternate timelines?"
Hana brightened up here. "That's a much better term. I'll have to remember that one."
Satch smiled. It didn't reach his eyes. "I'm glad to help, but where are you going with this?"
"W-what if there were alternate timelines?" Hana asked. Her intonation was all over the place. She was nervous.
Satch was drawing a blank. "Are you dodging the question or…?"
"What if someone could see them?" Hana Interjected. The silence was sharp and they both felt it. Hana continued. "What if they could go to those other timelines?"
Satch's eyes widened. He tried to move. He wasn't moving.
"What if they…what if she saw the same few months, the same school year even, but she saw it Seven different times. Seven different ways. What if she knows things she shouldn't know? What if she never told anyone?" Hana's eyes never left the floor. She was shaking again Satch had thought he'd never see that fear in her again.
"Hana what are you saying?" His voice wavered a little. Hana looked up, not at his eyes, but still in his direction. She took a deep breath.
"What if she met someone?" She continued, her voice a little less nervous. "Someone she cared about. Someone she wanted to be honest with. If she cared about him, shouldn't she tell him? Even if it scared her to death to even think about?" She paused briefly. What she said next Satch could barely hear "Shouldn't she trust him?
"Hana…" Satch said, feeling far away from his voice, even as it was speaking. "Can you…time travel?"
"…I think that's the best way to explain it."
Satch's mind kept coming up blank. He kept trying to come up with a thought but nothing as coming out.
"…How?" Had he spoken? Was that him?
"Huh?" Hana said, looking confused.
"How do you do it?" Satch found himself asking. "Can you show me?"
Hana's eyes widened in surprise. "Satch I…"
"Can you take me with you?"
Hana's jaw dropped open. And stayed there. She just kept blinking. In a moment it became clear she was blinking back tears.
Satch came in closer in instinct. His normal care and intuition about Hana suddenly remembered. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ask intrusive questions."
"You're…" Hana began, sniffiling a little. "You're not mad?"
"Mad?" Satch blinked. "Hana you can travel to other timelines! That's amazing!"
"You…" Hana began again. Tears were falling, but over a smile. "You believe me?"
Satch gave her a warm smile. "What good has ever come of doubting you?"
Hana paused, seeming to give that real thought. "I've never been able to prove it." She said solemnly.
"No?" Satch asked.
"I can't take anyone with me," Hana said. "I can't even carry things. And everything changes when I change something and go back. No one else remembers. There's no way to prove that's what's really happening." Hana was shaking uncontrollably now. "For all I know I lost my mind years ago and I'm so delusional I think I can travel time!" her voice was reaching a fever pitch and Satch squeezed her shoulder.
"Hana!" Sat said, shaking her slightly to catch her attention. "It's on. You're ok. I trust you. Deep breaths."
Hana took hacking, stuttering breaths, but Satch waited for her to calm down.
"You said you know things?"
Hana nodded numbly.
"Things you wouldn't know if you hadn't traveled through time?"
Hanna nodded again, firmly this time.
Satch spoke clinically. "Tell me these things. Tell me things you should not know."
Hana took a deep breath. "Jared plays D&D." Satch's eyes widened right away. "He sneaks off at night wearing that stupid blue wizard robe and plays with Caddy, Luke, Jeff and Ian."
Satch was speechless. Jared's best kept secret had just been laid out plainly on the table.
"How did you…?"
"I found out after I went with him to the flower festival." Hana said plainly.
"…You went with ME to the flower festival." Satch said, more to himself. "Jared wasn't even around for it. He never is."
"I went more than once." Hana said. "Shane is really good at ring toss." Hana said, conversationally. "I learned that the year I went with him."
"What else?" Satch said, lost for words.
"PBG is scared of sharks." Hana said thoughtfully. "He doesn't know why but whenever he sees one he's petrified with fear."
Satch hung back his head, content to listen.
"Jon has never been on a date." Hana said again, pausing to think of more "Jacques has to be updated sometimes and if he's left charging after it's completed it will completely wreck his system."
Satch blinked. These were things that even he never knew.
"Ian is the only person who doesn't Call Caddy "Caddy" and it drives him insane." Hana trailed off here and didn't continue.
"And me?" Satch said. "My great secret that no one knows?"
Hana smiled here. "Satch you already know yours!"
"Tell me anyway." Satch said.
Hana giggled. "You made a virtual reality machine in your dorm room." Here Satch chuckled. "And the Librarian treats you very badly." Here he became quiet.
"Huh." He mumbled. "I guess that would count as a secret."
They were silent again. They leaned against each other.
"Satch, are you ok?" Hana asked.
"…I will be." Satch said. "I'm not mad Hana, believe me, this is amazing. But it's still so much to take in."
"…That's fair." Hanna says, and goes back to leaning on his shoulder.
"Hana?" Satch said, staring at the wall.
"Yes Satch?" Hana said.
"When my brain isn't in overdrive anymore can you tell me how it works?"
Hana paused. "…I can do my best."
Satch smiled and nuzzled Hana's head with his own.
"That is more than enough for me." Said Satch.
They were still like that several hours later when Jared came into his and Satch's room holding a certain manual.
"…am I interrupting anything?" Jared asked playfully.
"No." Hana said calmly, noting the think tome Jared was carrying. "I never saw that book by the way."
Jared's face went very pale. "What book?! There is no book!" Jared leapt across the room to hide the book in his desk. "THIS IS A TEXT BOOK FOR A CLASS! WITH THINGS! FOR STUFF!"
Satch broke out in chuckles but Hana Smiled. "What book? I never saw you holding a book. There is no book. Like I just said."
Jared's face shifted several times before settling on relived. "Thank you, Hana."