WWII Anthony and WWII Antoinette had been quiet for a minute, just watching their modern counterparts talk.

But then, WWII Anthony furrowed his brow.

"...Alright, I gotta ask."

Anthony looked up from his fries. "Huh?"

WWII Anthony leaned forward, squinting.

"Why the hell do y'all keep sayin' 'n***er' all the damn time?"

Anthony blinked.

Antoinette blinked.

They both paused, looked at each other, and then back at their 1944 selves.

WWII Antoinette nodded seriously. "Yeah. That word don't sit right with me."

Anthony and Antoinette both leaned back in their seats, letting out a deep-ass sigh.

"Oh boy."

Anthony took a sip of his drink. "Y'all ain't ready for this conversation."

Antoinette wiped her hands on a napkin. "This gon' be a LOT to unpack."

WWII Anthony raised an eyebrow. "What, did it lose its meaning or somethin'?"

Anthony snorted. "Oh, it still got meaning, trust me. But it's our meaning now."

WWII Antoinette folded her arms. "How? That word's been used to tear us down for generations."

Antoinette nodded. "Yeah, and we flipped that shit."

Anthony smirked. "We took the power outta it. Instead of being a word that degrades us, we own it. We say it how we want, when we want, and with the meaning we choose."

WWII Anthony and WWII Antoinette looked unconvinced.

"So, what? White folks still use it against y'all?" WWII Anthony asked.

Anthony's expression went flat. "Oh, they TRY."

Antoinette smirked. "And they get folded every time."

WWII Antoinette frowned. "So... y'all just handed the word out like candy?"

Anthony rolled his eyes. "Nah, nah. There's still rules. It's our word. If you ain't one of us, you don't say it. Simple."

WWII Anthony scratched his chin, clearly not sure how to feel about it.

WWII Antoinette, though? She still looked skeptical as hell.

"So, let me get this straight," she said, squinting. "Y'all sayin' that in 2028, Black folks just... use that word casually?"

Anthony and Antoinette both nodded. "Yup."

WWII Anthony sighed. "Man, the future is wild."

Anthony smirked. "Nigga, you don't even know the half of it."

WWII Anthony gave him a look.

Anthony pointed. "See? You halfway there already."

WWII Anthony blinked.

Then blinked again.

Then exhaled sharply. "...Damn it."

Antoinette grinned. "Welcome to the future, my nig."

WWII Anthony and WWII Antoinette had been so caught up in the craziness of the future, the technology, and the way their modern counterparts talked, that they hadn't even asked the most important question yet.

Until now.

WWII Anthony leaned forward, his face serious.

"Alright... I gotta know."

Anthony raised an eyebrow. "Know what?"

WWII Anthony exhaled.

"Did we win?"

Silence.

WWII Antoinette nodded. "Yeah... the war. The Axis Powers. Do the Allies come out on top?"

Anthony and Antoinette exchanged glances.

Because this was big.

WWII Anthony and WWII Antoinette had no idea how their war ended.

For them, the war was still going on.

They had no clue if they'd survive it, if their friends would make it home, or if the world would fall into Nazi control.

So this answer?

This meant everything.

Anthony took a deep breath, then gave them the truth.

"Yeah. The Allies win."

WWII Anthony and WWII Antoinette stiffened.

WWII Anthony's hands tightened into fists. "You serious?"

Antoinette nodded. "Dead serious."

WWII Antoinette's eyes widened. "How?"

Anthony leaned forward. "Germany surrenders in May 1945. Japan surrenders in September. War's over. Y'all win."

WWII Anthony slowly sat back, processing those words.

WWII Antoinette looked stunned. "It actually ends... in '45?"

Antoinette nodded. "Yeah. And America comes out on top."

WWII Anthony exhaled, running a hand through his short-cut hair.

"...Damn."

WWII Antoinette shook her head, eyes still wide. "So that's it? All the bloodshed, all the battles, it actually means something?"

Anthony nodded. "Y'all don't just win. Y'all help change the entire world."

WWII Anthony and WWII Antoinette exchanged looks, their faces unreadable.

Because for them, this wasn't just history.

This was their present.

And now, they knew how it all ended.

WWII Anthony looked at Anthony. "You sure about this?"

Anthony smirked. "Nigga, I ain't got no reason to lie."

WWII Antoinette exhaled, leaning back. "I... I don't even know what to say."

Antoinette shrugged. "Just know that y'all fight like hell, and it pays off."

WWII Anthony closed his eyes for a moment, then nodded.

"...Good."

Because if nothing else, at least now, they had hope.

Anthony and Antoinette watched as their WWII counterparts sat in stunned silence, still processing the fact that the Allies actually won the war.

It was a lot to take in.

So, Anthony nudged Antoinette. "Yo, we should get them something to eat."

Antoinette nodded. "Yeah, they probably haven't eaten real food in a while."

WWII Anthony and WWII Antoinette looked up. "What do you mean by 'real food'?" WWII Anthony asked, narrowing his eyes.

Anthony smirked. "Bruh, y'all been eating ration packs, haven't you?"

WWII Antoinette sighed. "I swear, if I see another damn can of SPAM, I might shoot it."

Antoinette grinned. "Yeah, see? Y'all need something decent."

The two modern versions stood up and walked toward one of the food spots in the food court.

As they did, they noticed something.

They weren't the only ones dealing with their WWII selves.

All around them, other people were sitting with their own WWII-era counterparts.

A modern white dude was explaining to his 1944 counterpart how a smartphone worked.

A modern Latina was trying to explain why her WWII self was looking at all the different ethnicities walking around like they had just seen a UFO.

Some random white guy in a suit was damn near having a panic attack because his WWII self was a full-on racist and trying to make sense of all the interracial couples walking around.

Another black dude, probably from D.C., was trying real hard to convince his WWII counterpart that "nigga" was, in fact, not a slur anymore when said between black folks.

Anthony and Antoinette exchanged glances.

"Yo..." Anthony muttered. "This ain't just happening to us."

Antoinette shook her head. "Nope. This is some worldwide bullshit."

Still, they had priorities.

Like getting food.

After a few minutes, they returned to the table with double-stacked Whoppers, fries, and milkshakes.

WWII Anthony looked at the food, visibly confused. "What the hell is this?"

WWII Antoinette picked up a burger like it was some foreign object. "This big-ass sandwich is food?"

Anthony grinned. "It's called a Whopper. Welcome to real food."

Antoinette added, "And that drink? That's a milkshake. Cold as hell, sweet, and better than anything y'all had in the '40s."

WWII Anthony and WWII Antoinette hesitated.

Then, finally, they took a bite.

And their faces changed instantly.

WWII Anthony's eyes widened. "Oh my good God."

WWII Antoinette froze, mid-chew. Then slowly, she swallowed. "...This is the greatest thing I've ever eaten."

Anthony and Antoinette burst out laughing.

WWII Anthony took a sip of the milkshake, and his entire body shivered. "This is witchcraft."

Anthony smirked. "Nah, nigga. That's called 'good eating.'"

As the two WWII versions continued eating, Anthony and Antoinette sat back, looking around the food court again.

It was insanity.

People from 2028 and 1944 were all interacting, trying to explain things, trying to make sense of this multiversal clusterfuck.

Anthony exhaled. "Bro... this is some wild shit."

Antoinette nodded. "Boi, we are literally feeding history right now."

And honestly?

That was kinda cool.

WWII Anthony and WWII Antoinette had devoured their meals, thoroughly convinced that 2028 food was black magic.

But now?

Now, they were thinking. Hard.

Too hard.

WWII Anthony wiped his mouth, then leaned forward, his expression serious. "...So, uh. What if this happens again?"

Anthony blinked. "What?"

WWII Antoinette tapped the table. "This. Us showing up here. If we're here... that means there could be others."

Anthony and Antoinette both paused, realizing exactly what they meant.

WWII Anthony nodded. "For all we know, another version of us could pop up from a different war. Or a different time period. Or a different universe altogether."

Antoinette frowned. "Damn. Y'all really thinking ahead now."

WWII Antoinette crossed her arms. "Wouldn't you? I mean, what happens if the next version of us isn't from World War II? What if they're from..."

She hesitated.

Then, she and WWII Anthony both exchanged a glance.

Then looked back at Anthony and Antoinette.

Anthony felt a bad feeling creeping in. "The fuck y'all about to say?"

WWII Anthony sighed. "...Son. What if Civil War Us shows up?"

Silence.

Anthony and Antoinette both froze.

Because that was a terrifying thought.

Civil War era versions of themselves?

From a time when they'd be literal slaves?

That was... that was some shit they didn't even wanna process.

Anthony exhaled slowly. "...Nigga."

Antoinette shook her head. "Nope. Nope. I refuse. That shit ain't happening."

WWII Antoinette gave her a look. "You sure about that?"

Antoinette groaned, rubbing her temples. "Bro, I'm barely handling the fact that I woke up to my male self this morning. Now I gotta worry about a version of me from 1864?"

WWII Anthony shrugged. "Or maybe the next version comes from World War I."

Anthony groaned. "Bro, I ain't got the energy to be explaining smartphones to a nigga who still thinks mustard gas is the peak of warfare."

WWII Anthony chuckled, shaking his head. "Look, all I'm saying is, if two versions of us can exist at the same time, there's nothing stopping a third... or a fourth."

Antoinette groaned, slumping in her chair. "Nigga, we about to start the Multiversal Nigga Association at this point."

WWII Antoinette snorted. "M.N.A.?"

Anthony smirked. "Yeah, The Multiversal Nigga Association. First meeting starts now."

WWII Anthony grinned. "Alright, so what's the first rule?"

Antoinette exhaled. "Rule number one: If any version of us from before 1900 shows up, we are getting them therapy IMMEDIATELY."

WWII Antoinette nodded. "True. Those poor bastards are gonna have a heart attack just seeing a Black president."

Anthony chuckled. "Rule number two: If any version of us from the future shows up, we are getting the lottery numbers and stock market info IMMEDIATELY."

WWII Anthony grinned. "I like the way you think."

Antoinette snapped her fingers. "Rule number three: If any of us show up in some weird-ass steampunk, cyberpunk, or anime bullshit, we just accept that life is officially a fanfic."

Anthony sighed, shaking his head. "Nigga, life already is a fanfic at this point."

Author's Note: Anyone got any duet tape? The Fourth Wall is cracking.

WWII Antoinette smirked. "Damn right."

They all leaned back in their chairs, staring at the ceiling, mentally preparing for whatever the multiverse decided to throw at them next.

Because if today was proof of anything?

This wasn't gonna be the last time this shit happened.

Anthony clapped his hands together. "Aight, enough talk about time travel bullshit. Let's do something productive."

Antoinette stretched. "Agreed. We're at a damn mall, might as well show y'all what the future really got to offer."

WWII Anthony and WWII Antoinette looked around warily, still adjusting to the absurdity of being in a shopping center that looked like something out of a sci-fi movie to them.

Anthony smirked. "Y'all ever seen a mall before?"

WWII Anthony scoffed. "Yeah, but nothing like... this. Most stores back in my time were either small shops or markets, and you weren't seeing folks from every damn background just walking around like it's normal."

WWII Antoinette nodded. "This whole place is huge. And loud. And... kinda overwhelming."

Antoinette waved a hand. "Nigga, you ain't seen nothin' yet. C'mon."

First Stop: The Electronics Store

They stopped at Best Buy (or, technically, "Best Buy" on one side and "Better Purchase" on the other).

WWII Anthony and WWII Antoinette stepped inside and immediately froze.

"...What the fuck?" WWII Anthony muttered.

Massive TVs displayed 4K resolution sports highlights.

Laptops, gaming PCs, and tablets lined the walls.

And then, the smartphones.

WWII Antoinette cautiously poked at a display iPhone, her face scrunched up. "This little thing can call people across the world?"

Antoinette smirked. "Not just call. Video chat, text, stream music, play games, take pictures, search for anything, and order food."

WWII Anthony narrowed his eyes. "You mean to tell me this tiny-ass thing can do more than the damn Pentagon can in our time?"

Anthony nodded. "A hundred percent."

WWII Anthony rubbed his chin. "...The government gotta hate this shit."

Anthony and Antoinette both burst out laughing.

Next Stop: The Clothing Stores

WWII Antoinette stopped in front of Forever 21 (next to "Timeless 22"), eyeing the mannequins.

She squinted at a rack of crop tops and skinny jeans. "Women... wear this in public?"

Antoinette folded her arms. "Hell yeah. Fashion different now, sis. We wear whatever we want."

WWII Anthony passed by a Foot Locker, staring at the Air Jordans on display. "Who the hell needs a shoe with a goddamn air bubble in it?"

Anthony smirked. "Nigga, don't hate on the Jordans. These are legendary."

WWII Anthony shook his head, muttering. "Y'all fashion sense is wild as hell."

Final Stop: The Food Court, Round Two

Anthony and Antoinette led them back to the food court, stopping at Starbucks.

WWII Anthony read the menu like it was written in an alien language. "...What the hell is a Mocha Caramel Frappuccino?"

Antoinette snickered. "A milkshake for people who pretend they like coffee."

WWII Antoinette pointed at the menu. "Why the hell does everything sound like a damn Italian opera?"

Anthony ordered a venti caramel frappuccino with whipped cream and extra caramel drizzle.

He slid it across the table to WWII Anthony. "Drink."

WWII Anthony eyed the drink suspiciously. Then, with great caution, he took a sip.

His entire body tensed.

Then, slowly, his eyes went wide.

"...Oh, holy sweet Jesus."

WWII Antoinette grabbed the cup and took a sip.

She gasped.

"This is amazing."

Antoinette smirked. "Welcome to Starbucks, bitch."

WWII Anthony sat back, blinking in awe. "I fought in a goddamn war and didn't know heaven was waiting in a cup."

Anthony chuckled. "Ayo, at least now you got a reason to fight harder when y'all go back."

WWII Antoinette sighed. "Damn. I don't wanna go back."

WWII Anthony nodded. "Yeah. We gotta go back to rations after this? Man, I feel robbed."

Anthony and Antoinette exchanged glances.

Because they knew the truth.

Eventually, their WWII selves would have to go back at one point.

But for now?

They were gonna let them enjoy every damn second of this.