I'm writing this literally so that I can write that 'I wish I had my dad in me' remark of Wilbur's.

Joe wasn't exactly close with Wilbur. The one thing he knew about the guy was that his dad was Cornelius Robinson, famous inventor.

Ah well. One science project with a random kid - especially one with a rich and famous dad - couldn't be too hard.

...That was what he thought before screaming in terror at seeing the... Butler. Wilbur, meanwhile, had just shrugged at the beast, handed him his backpack, and headed inside. After much trepidation, Joe followed.

"So, I was thinking something simple," Joe ventured as they finally made it up to Wilbur's room. "Volcano?"

"Hell no. My parents are gonna expect more from me," Wilbur said with a laugh, flopping down on his bed.

Joe idly ran his fingers along the keys of a keyboard near the door as he stepped further into the room. "What do you suggest, then?"

"Perpetual motion machine," Wilbur said with a grin. "My dad said he'd lend us the parts and everything."

"Perpetual..."

"You know? A machine that never stops moving? Perpetual motion machine?"

Joe stared blankly, and sighed after a bit. "Wilbur, you have way too much of your dad in you."

He doubted he was supposed to hear it when Wilbur scoffed and muttered, "I wish I had my dad in me."

Bewildered, Joe couldn't help but say, "What?"

"What?" Wilbur parroted, suddenly sitting straight up with wide eyes.

The two had a staring contest, neither wanting to budge - Joe wanting Wilbur to clarify what he'd said, and Wilbur wanting to act as if he'd said nothing.

Mercifully for Wilbur, his mother called over an intercom, "Boys, dinner time!"

Wilbur all but leapt up, and grabbed Joe's arm. "Dinner! Yes, right, food, let's go!"

Joe found himself being yanked all the way down to the dining room... Keep in mind, the house was very large. Joe rubbed his shoulder with a wince when Wilbur finally released him.

Joe was introduced as his science project partner, and the two sat next to each other - tense. No one else at the table noticed, and Joe took in the chaotic scene before him. Meatballs got flung, one man was married to a puppet...

He couldn't wait to get home after all of this was over. This was just tiring.

As soon as dinner was over, Joe was, once again, yanked back up to Wilbur's room. "Never, ever repeat what I said earlier," Wilbur hissed to him once they were alone.

"I don't really understand what you said, so..."

Wilbur sighed, eyeing Joe, as if wondering if he could be trusted. He sighed, and opened his bedroom door. "Follow me. Stay quiet about what I'm about to show you."

What Wilbur ended up showing him was a time machine. Joe was flabbergasted. "How hasn't this been released to the public?" he asked, awestruck.

"Dad was going to, but decided it was too dangerous to give people that kind of power. So he bent all the laws of time and space, and only his family - and now, you - gets to know about it."

Wilbur took a deep breath. "I met the younger version of my dad using this thing," he whispered.

Jow faltered. "So, when you..."

"I'm in love with my own dad."

Wilbur's voice shakes, and he chokes out a bitter sob. "God, I'm... You're probably disgusted..."

Joe wasn't sure how to reply. "I... I'm not," he mumbled.

Wilbur looked up with tearstained eyes. "Wh-what?"

"I mean, your family's kinda weird," Joe said quickly, "but even this is a bit much. But I'm not totally disgusted. At least you had to go back in time to fall in love with him and you didn't, like, just fall in love with your actual dad... Does that make sense?"

Wilbur gave a bitter laugh. "Yeah. It does. Thanks."

Joe relaxed. "So, science project?" he said.

He couldn't exactly offer much more than support, could he? He was just a bystander, after all.