Chapter title is from the same song title by Ok Go

Enjoy!

Ancient One

He was a curious man.

She invited Five inside the Sanctum, and she could strongly feel the high guard he was putting up as he followed her. Still, he was unable to hide his wonder as they passed a hallway of artifacts on their way to the receiving room.

She helpfully gave snippets of histories on them. Five didn't speak in the whole duration of it, but it was easy to tell that he was listening attentively, the names lost to him might be.

If only her successor would be this receptive. She has no doubt that Stephen Strange would be the best of them, but it would save her the trouble of opening the mind of a rather obstinate man.

"There's a bit of honey in it," she said gently when Five didn't touch the cup of tea she served. He considered it warily. "Is coffee more to your liking?"

"This is alright." To make a point and avoid causing any offense, he drank in a huge sip and barely hid a wince. Tea wasn't for every tongue, and she commended his manners.

"How do you know about us?" Five asked, straight to the point.

"It is our duty to protect the Earth against mystical threats, and an unknown entry in this world is considered as such. Though in my years and those before me who held the title of the Ancient One, this is a first that a human easily slipped to this world with six companions. Visions didn't foretell me of seven presences; therefore, I didn't account you and the changes you might bring." The Ancient One smiled. "You of all people know how fickle the time is, that meddling is a child's play that can easily result in a disturbing future."

A conflicted frown crossed his young face. "Then you know what we are."

"Yes. Time-travelers are more fitting to describe your brothers and sisters. You, however, are a league of your own, jumping back through the stream of time and space more than once. I can only see a portion of the future of this world, but you've lived through half a century of yours. I cannot deem to know how it feels, but I understand what you carry on your own."

The fingers clutching the ceramic cup trembled, downing the content in one go. Five released a shaky breath, his youthful, collected façade giving way to years of weariness that was proficiently kept together under the thin surface. He closed his eyes briefly, composing himself once more.

"Is this you politely asking us to leave?" Five asked evenly.

"No. The difference I have with my predecessors is that I believe this world could also be home to those who seek refuge," she said.

"You said it yourself: we are unaccountable variables that suddenly appeared. We can drastically change the future you've seen for the worse."

"I apologize for causing a misunderstanding. Let me revise—it is now a future, the one of many, and the one where the seven of you belong is uncertain, hence I won't conclude easily that you will only bring a terrible change upon us. Perhaps there are greater things at work that directed your path here. Fate, for one, must have decided to lead you here to aid us for what is to come."

"What do you think will come?"

The Ancient One had rough ideas of what, assuming those remained unchanged, but they were just that, ideas.

"At this point, Mr. Five, I don't know what is."

Five

The connection between the three Sanctums was the earliest form of immediate travel between long distances this Earth possessed if Five was understanding the Ancient One correctly.

The New York Sanctum was one of the three bases of the Masters of the Mystic Arts, the three boasting a longstanding operation over the course of this world's history. Their teachings were impressive on their own right, though Five couldn't help but wonder about those who gained heaps of knowledge and turned rogue, those who deemed the dark arts the more preferable practice.

The Ancient One had graciously offered a tour of the place, and Five wasn't told that it included crossing over from New York to Nepal by foot as well. Five got the chance to witness the students learning how to wield the sling ring, and his interest was piqued as they gradually learned how to form orange circles—

Dimensional gateways that allowed jumps from one location to another, the Ancient One explained.

Five wasn't aware that teleportation was considered sorcery.

"I assume it isn't much different from what you use," the Ancient One said beside him, overlooking the courtyard of pupils. "Although we confess to be limited only with the given space. We are yet to push our boundaries with time in order to access it with a simple spell and a ring." Judging from her expression, she preferred to keep it that way.

"My ability," Five began. "It is considered magic here, yes?"

"In a way, but not quite. Someone can say that magic here on Earth is just science that isn't understood yet. They're not wrong, but by extension, the bigger aspects of sorcery are just as indescribable and in general, are a few of the mysteries of this universe."

They shared a relative silence, passively watching the training of abecedarians. There was one in particular that the Ancient One was observing, a young man with dark skin who gave up on producing a decent portal, seething to himself for his own ineptitude. He scoffed, heatedly claiming it was useless and walked away from the class.

Five followed the Ancient One closely as she intercepted the man and addressed him as Mordo.

Five maintained his distance as they exchanged words, mostly from Mordo as the Ancient One listened as if waiting for him to run out of rants on how the training wasn't doing any good for him and his revenge. The Ancient One spoke softly once Mordo's temper cooled down.

When Mordo's eyes went past the Ancient One and found his, Five met his gaze steadily.

"Ah, this is Five. I'm giving him a tour of the place," the Ancient One introduced in a lighter tone.

"Your new student?" Mordo inquired, his voice more sedate as he looked at Five curiously. "Isn't he too young to train?"

"He is," she allowed. "Perhaps when he is older, but for now he is a guest of mine."

Mordo snorted. "Didn't know you allow sightseeing here. The view must be popular with the old geezers." With that, he sauntered off towards the direction of the exit without so much of a goodbye.

Five raised an eyebrow, not sure whether to laugh at Mordo's gall. The Ancient One caught the twitch of his lips. "Charming student."

"Mordo's more of a dilettante than a student," she said. "But, true, that was charming of him."

Five left it at that, mind caught up with a vital piece of information. "The dimensional gateway they're studying—does it allow dimensional leap?"

The Ancient One hardly blinked at the question. Five supposed she was expecting it to come up sooner. "The advanced one can. Even the Masters take years to learn to create a stable one."

"But they don't have my ability which is linked to it. It'll be easier for me."

"No doubt," she acquiesced. "I do not begrudge you how, but you are rushing the process of getting back."

"And I shouldn't?" Five shot back irately. "We're not meant to be here. We're supposed to be in 2002, reliving our childhood to help my sister handle her powers that wiped the humans from the face of Earth seven years from now. This is all an accident!"

Five vaguely registered that he raised his voice. His lips clamped shut when he was done, for some reason feeling ashamed to yell at somebody who was obviously years older than him. He might as well be a real thirteen-year-old to her.

"You've been here for a week. Have you seen the sun rose?" she asked incongruously.

Five didn't know where she was going with this. He shook his head.

"Have you seen a storm brew or the rain graying the pavement?"

"I don't exactly have the time to go out," Five said. "You know that it's only been a week."

"Exactly. It's too short a time to experience the city and the people in it. Your life has always been about moving around even during the years you spent alone, and when you successfully returned it had only been all about saving the world."

Five wanted to say that he was never alone during the Apocalypse—Dolores was there with him—but he bit his tongue. It was the company of a human she was pertaining to.

"There is nothing wrong to stop and simply admire rather than running past. Sometimes, the important things can be found during the pause," she said. "I understand the dire need to fix the timeline you came from, but that is which you're trying to prevent has already come to pass. So I ask again, why the hurry when you can do better this time around and invest in small, careful steps that can help you get closer to the future you're aiming for?"

When Five didn't answer, she added, "I'd like to believe that you and your siblings came here for a reason that doesn't only concern us but also yourselves. Perhaps this world would like as well for you to experience some finer aspects of life that you missed out on."

"And when all is said and done, what then?"

"Then you come back here. It may take years, but the Sanctum will always be here. You find me, or if I'm no longer around by then, seek my successor who will help you to his utmost capability. The doors to the Mystic Arts will always be open to an ally, Mr. Five."

Allison

"The Prodigal Son returns," Stark remarked when Five quietly sat at the table, several minutes late for the meal—or not; Stark wasn't the kind to set a certain schedule for mealtimes.

It sparked Allison's curiosity when Five ignored Stark and seemed deep in thought.

Where had he been anyway? Jarvis told them when Five left. Stark wasn't particularly concerned at his sudden absence from the tower—hey, imagine having the ability to teleport; I'd be in Tahiti in one second then at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s outdated tech lab next— though he made sure to check from time to time if Five was spotted somewhere by the city's surveillance.

"Finally gave in to cabin fever, huh?" Stark tried again.

"In a way," Five humored him. His shoulders relaxed minutely. "Been to Nepal. How far is it from here?"

Stark whistled, and even Pepper blinked, startled. "Just a couple of continents away. Sightseeing at Mount Everest, I see. You should have told me beforehand. We could have erected an Avenger Flag or something—wait, that's a good spot for headquarters. Can't beat an outer space base but we'll get there."

Thor laughed. "Do tell me next time, Anthony. I'll enlist Heimdall's aid in finding the perfect location within the Yggdrasil. A branch or two can accommodate a stronghold of your making."

"I'm actually talking about a tower, not a treehouse."

Thor grinned. "You can build a dozen of these places and still there will be a room for a dozen more."

"Fine. Noted," Stark groused.

Allison observed his brother play with his food until they all dispersed to separate directions. She cornered him before he could leave, though Allison suspected that Five meant for her to catch up to him. Five was adept and capable of completely avoiding any of them if he wanted to.

"You've been gone a while," she started. "Where have you really been?"

"I told you already."

"To another country. Right."

"The sorcerers of this Earth are quite proficient with their art," he told her.

Allison was speechless for a moment. "You're not kidding."

"It's a long story," Five said with a slight shrug. "Apparently magic exists in this world, and there are some who practice it."

It shouldn't be surprising to find out. They felt small here, in a way, dwarfed by all these huge existences of what should amount as fictional in their already abnormal lifestyle of possessing superpowers and being heroes at a young age.

"I need to tell you something, Allison," Five suddenly said. "We need somewhere private."

Allison didn't question him; his urgency was somewhat concerning. She led him to the balcony she first went (sulked to) on their first day here.

"Okay, what is it?"

She didn't press when Five took a while, though it was pretty weird to see him gathering his nerves. Funny enough, he somewhat resembled Luther when he did so—actually, scratch that, they practically projected the same body language.

"I'm not giving up on finding a way to return, but I want you to know first that it's highly probable that it'll take a long while… or not at all."

Allison couldn't pretend not to be dismayed. It wouldn't be so bad to stay here for a while, but she also couldn't help but think of Claire more and more each day the longer they were here, especially when Pepper was mothering her and any of her siblings how a mother should have. Allison oftentimes yearned to do the same to her daughter and hopefully when they already fixed their timeline where Claire wouldn't know of the end of the world. It pained Allison to realize that she hadn't been there with Claire and held her as everything around them died in the fire. Some mother she was.

"I'm sorry," Five said, reaching for her hand and maintaining eye contact despite the guilty expression he wore. "I promise I'll find a way. The sorcerers I told you about may have one, but I won't know unless I try it myself."

Amidst her tears, Allison squeezed his hand back. "I don't doubt that. Thank you for telling me."

"You're not mad?" he asked unsurely.

Allison shook her head. "You said it yourself that you're far from giving up. That's an assurance for me in and of itself. Did you already tell the others?"

"I don't get the chance yet. Later, maybe."

She sniffed and somehow managed a teasing grin. "That's a way to make me feel special," she muttered, elbowing him playfully.

Five snorted, obviously relieved—if he was afraid that she would criticize him for his inability then he truly didn't know her fully and his siblings—and let her wrap herself around his arm. On a normal day, he probably wouldn't allow an affectionate contact from any of them.

Good thing it wasn't a normal day, Allison thought, laying her head on his shoulder.

Thor

"My father passed this hammer to me without the enchantment at first, until I proved myself unworthy and was cast down here without this and my godhood," Thor shared solemnly to the rapt attention of the children. Ben had been particularly inquisitive regarding his weapon, and Thor was easily bent by a child's wish. "He banished me and sent the hammer down after with the condition that its ability can only be wielded by someone worthy."

"In a span of a few days, nobody worthy found the hammer?" Klaus wondered aloud, munching on a bowl of peanuts that he passed to Diego. "Yeah, that's some luck."

"It is," Thor agreed. "I do not know the exact measure of what is considered 'worthy' by the enchantment my father placed on it." He postulated that it involved the willingness to sacrifice one's life. It took a huge amount of courage to be willing to make that kind of sacrifice.

He tossed the Mjolnir midair as if performing a trick for them—in a way, he was—and settled it atop the low table in front of him. He grinned at Klaus's remark in regards to the table's worthiness.

"Now let's see which of you children are deemed worthy by the Mjolnir."

There was a debate on who should try it first until two or three of them decided to work together. Five didn't bother with it but was estimating who had better chances among them, and Luther, the one with superstrength, was his first pick. Allison was being rather creative by talking about the hammer, and Ben was debating whether it was worth the risk to summon one of his creatures. Diego seemed bummed while Klaus laughed at their failed attempts. Vanya quietly watched them until she was invited, too, to the fray.

"Pretty sure you'll make them sad once you leave. You know, when kids lose their cool tio," Anthony said when Thor told him he would be leaving on the same evening. The Man of Iron peered past Thor's shoulders and watched the children scrutinizing Mjolnir. "Why haven't the Avengers done that before?"

"We could, next time," Thor suggested. "I'm interested to see how you and the others will fare." He turned back to the clamoring children who had gotten into a mild dispute amongst themselves. "None of them, I see."

"Cut them some slack, big guy. They're kids. When I was that age, my top priority was getting into a hot math teacher's pants," Anthony said.

Thor nodded thoughtfully. Age could be a factor in relation to principles and values possessed by an individual. Somebody young was typically filled with noble idealism and altruistic tendencies, then they mature and open their eyes to reality.

"You might want to cut down the B&J," Anthony abruptly said, gesturing at the cold treat Thor was eating from absently. "I'll happily supply you for a lifetime; at least, my lifetime, but we don't want to lose the—" He rubbed on his abdomen. "Shape."

"I'm honored by your concern, but it is uncalled for." Thor relished the last scoop of the treat. "Give my thanks to this Ben and Jerry."

Anthony waved his hand, his attention landing back to the children. "I'm not breaking any space laws for taking them in, you said."

"Not that I know of," he said. "I am certain, though, that you won't care if you are." Thor knowingly glanced at him.

"Damn right, I don't." Unless it involved jeopardizing the lives of many. Thor didn't have to hear it. Anthony might appear frivolous, but he was a protector of Midgard just as any of the Avengers.

"They are fortunate that it was you who took them in. They need you to depend on."

"I'm not sure about the depending part, but I'm glad that I called dibs on them." Anthony's features softened around the eyes. Thor looked away to avoid pointing it out. "Well, thanks for the vote of confidence anyway. First to think I won't fuck this up."

"You're a good man," Thor said confidently. "And I trust that you'll do right by them. From what I've heard, you're treating each of them equally, and it's the right approach. Be their listener whenever they need one and they'll be even more grateful. Don't let any of them feel neglected."

"That from experience?" Anthony asked, feigning nonchalance though it wasn't hard to miss the way he crossed his arms with a fidget.

Thor was reminded of Loki and his claims of growing up to his older brother's shadow, and Thor thought of the numerous times that he cast Loki aside and bullied him with the privileges of a firstborn son. It was hardly a close example, but it was always the simple things that mattered.

"I wish," he replied and smiled a little sadly.

TBC