#split timeline au

Dan and Trayaurus both stood frozen right where they were.

It was a day like any other, with an experiment unlike any other, as today was the day they would once again try to build a working time machine.

Trayaurus wasn't too confident that it would work. This was only their second attempt, attempt after all, but what he wasn't expecting after Dan pushed the button was to hear a loud crunch, the machine collapsing in on itself and large chunks of metal flying across the room with such force they were able to embed themselves into the steel walls of the testing chamber.

One of which was stuck almost right where the mad doctor stood.

Dan was quiet, his hand still on the button as he looked at the piece of metal mere inches away from impaling his best friend. Trayaurus was also staring, his face looking calmer though Dan could tell he was just as terrified as he was.

The silence spoke for itself. The shock of the machine destroying itself peircing through them and leaving them stuck with the fear of how it could have ended had Trayaurus taken a one step to the right.

Eventually, Dr Trayaurus coughed, finally giving Dan something else to turn his gaze to.

"We... should probably leave for now."

The day mostly went on as usual. By the time noon rolled around they were already acting like nothing had happened, the two of them bouncing ideas of their next experiment between each other while removing the wrecked remains of their time machine from the testing chamber.

Dan nodded. It was for the best.

To Dan and Trayaurus it was another failure, something they might even look into in a few months or years when they find the notes for the time machine again.

For them it was Tuesday.

But somewhere else in a time not to far from them, it wasn't just a Tuesday.

Somewhere, Dan was still stood right in front of that button, looking into the lifeless eyes of his friend as a puddle of red grew bigger onto the once clean floors of the testing chamber.

To him, it wasn't just a Tuesday.