Table of Contents

- I Reach Through Time and Touch the Other Side

- Epilogue

- About the Author

- Also by Sophia Deri-Bowen

- Copyright

I Reach Through Time and Touch the Other Side

Everyone has the same dream. You’ve had it, if you stop to remember. It’s the dream where you discover a new part of your house, or maybe your office building, or the building where all your classes are. Although you know the real building better than anything else, could walk it with your eyes closed, suddenly there’s a new floor. Maybe it’s a pop art gallery (and you’re either relieved or sad when you wake, depending on your tastes), or you’re learning that you’ve got an airport terminal on the roof of your apartment building that appears to have been there for ages.

Or maybe it’s smaller. You suddenly find yourself with a crawl space full of flowers. Or you’ve got a spare bedroom—and really, how often do you go up to the attic? It’s totally plausible that you’ve missed this, somehow, over the days or years or decades that you’ve been in your house, or your office, or your university.

But anyway—you wake up, and maybe long for a spare bedroom, or, hell, a spare closet. Or maybe you don’t need the space, but you love the romance of a secret room.

Or, maybe, you wake up and it’s still there.

Ari Rosenberg did not look like he was supposed to.

He was average height, had wavy blond hair and bright blue eyes, and had been raised Catholic, although he no longer practiced any religion beyond going to church twice a year with his sister and her family. None of these things were bad, of course, but when you grew up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, amidst the exotic ultra-Orthodox men in their plain clothes and dark beards and seemingly dozens of children, when you were within spitting distance of East Broadway and had the name Ari Rosenberg and yet looked the way he did, you got used to being met with a flicker of surprise. He was supposed to look like all of his neighbors—and be like them too. Of course, that was probably the only thing surprising about Ari Rosenberg’s life, until he had the dream.

It was a Friday night and the end to the workweek; that was the only thing remarkable about it. He’d fixed spaghetti with lots of sauce and cheese, caught a few hours of a Mets game, and gone to bed. Even the dream wasn’t particularly remarkable; it had been about cleaning out his closet, for goodness’s sake. But when he’d moved all his dress shirts—for some reason, in the dream, he had dozens of shirts—there was a sheet of plywood, probably leftover from an earlier repair or something of the sort. When he moved that, there was a jagged hole in the smooth drywall. It had never been there before, which made sense as there had never been anything but the out-of-doors on the other side of that wall. Now, however, a little room was just visible, and Ari found he could fit through the hole if he leaned over.

He did, of course, though he didn’t remember being curious in his dream. On the other side of the wall there was a small, windowless room. The walls were white, the ceiling high and traced out with wooden rafters. There was a skylight, but it showed only pale blue sky, and he couldn’t seem to see anything else, like the giant old chestnut that shadowed that part of the house, no matter how he moved about the room.

Ari’s dream-self took all of this in rather dispassionately, exploring the room thoroughly—not difficult, it was no more than ten feet by, maybe, eight—and then returning to his chores. The dream followed him into the waking world, and he made sleepy plans as he stirred. Maybe put in a bar, and throw a party for his few friends?

It was over coffee that he realized that the dream had been just a dream, and he smiled at himself. He’d always liked the idea of secret, hidden things, and it would have been a real coup to find something in this old house.

“Nothing in here but us chickens,” he murmured, washing out his mug and setting it aside neatly. “Shame. Can’t be helped, though.” There were no mysteries in a square house, each bit of space accounted for, in a perfectly normal, sane community.

Still, the dream stayed with him, and he went up to his bedroom, which was still in the gentle disarray that spoke of weekends. Ari didn’t have much in his closet, and what he did have was all easily shoved to one side.

He grinned upon seeing a sheet of plywood—of course, he must have remembered that for his dream. Little matter that he didn’t remember it from when he looked in his closet daily; people stopped really seeing and remembering ordinary, everyday things all the time, didn’t they?

He reached out to push the plywood aside, and really couldn’t keep back a cry of surprise when he saw the hole in the wall, just as it had been in dream. That was definitely new, which meant the plywood was new, which meant….

Ari didn’t stop to think what it meant, not when it was inevitable that he would step through the little hole and emerge in a room not entirely unlike the one from his dream. There was no skylight, but the walls were smooth and white, and the vaulted ceiling had the same wooden accents. Enough light came in through his closet, and Ari stood up slowly in the impossible room, turning around to take it all in.

Because it was impossible; very definitely impossible. The other side of that wall was the world, not another ten feet of room. That was beyond clear, even just from looking at the way the windows were patterned from the outside of the house. This room could, in no way, exist.

“And yet, here I am,” Ari murmured, running a hand along the wall, smooth and cool and perfectly normal to the touch. “It’s quite a nice room too.”

And it was. There was a door on the wall opposite the hole into his closet. He tried the handle, but it didn’t move. He wasn’t quite brave enough to knock.

He walked around the room once more, crawled out of the little hole, and moved the piece of plywood back, not really sure what else to do.

Ari walked downstairs thoughtfully and headed for the backyard. “Really ought to mow that lawn,” he said, because that was what people said who had normal homes and lives, and he was still one of those people. Instead of doing yard work, he looked up at the northern wall, found his bedroom window, and estimated how far it was from the edge of the house. Three feet? Maybe four? That would account for the closet that was two feet deep. It did not, of course, account for the room ten feet deep on the other side of the closet.

Well, it wasn’t Narnia, and it wasn’t dangerous. Not so far. Ari was only a little surprised that he wasn’t worried, since after all, what did he have to worry about? He’d gone into the room and come out just fine, and if someday he didn’t, well, he’d deal with that. He smiled a little to himself, pretending to examine the hedge. Life was what it was; if he somehow got trapped in the room, or an alternate dimension—well, at least it would be something different from the dullness of everyday life. It would be something unexpected. Ari hadn’t had much in his life that was unexpected.

Not much had ever ruffled him. His father had died when he was five, but he didn’t remember much about the man and hadn’t known what was happening then. He’d woken up startled every morning since he’d moved from Manhattan to sleepy old Levittown, but that was only a few moments out of the day, quickly forgotten. Coming out to his mother and sister had been utterly unremarkable, with calm assertions of understanding from both the women in his life. Being gay was probably the most interesting thing about him. Ari wasn’t afraid because, for possibly the first time in his life, he was interested.

He returned to his bedroom and pulled the plywood aside again, examining the jagged hole. The room on the other side was dark but strangely cozy and inviting; he smiled to himself, thinking about having his very own hideaway. He hadn’t even had a bedroom to himself until the age of twenty-two, and now five years later he had not only the whole house, but a secret room as well, where he could hide away from the world.

Ari sat on the floor and thought. He sketched a few things out idly on notebook paper, before realizing that he wouldn’t actually want a speakeasy, or a priest’s hole, or something that required several weekends’ work and artistic talent. No, an impossible room called for something really special.

He put on a pair of beat-up loafers and drove to the outlet store where he’d gotten all of his furniture. They’d had lots of big pillows last time he was there, and Ari was pleased to see that their stock hadn’t changed. His tastes were simple and inexpensive, and he'd seen no need to go anywhere else.

He bought a bunch of floor pillows and, on a whim, a futon. His little four-door bulged as he drove away, but he was smiling, just a little bit.

“Good old crazy-dream room,” he murmured when he got back and found the plywood, the hole, and the mystery room still there. It took almost an hour to drag everything up to his bedroom and shove it through the hole, adding in an extension cord and a nice floor lamp along the way. Soon he had a room all his own, nearly filled with the low mattress and the mismatched, scattered pillows. He stretched out on the futon, wrapped around a convenient pillow, and fell fast asleep, despite the friendly glow from the floor lamp and the early evening hour.

“What the hell?”

Contrary to his usual first-thing-in-the-morning routine, Ari knew precisely where he was when the strange voice woke him up. It wasn’t so much that he slept badly in the plain double bed he’d bought solely because the frame and mattress were on sale, but he’d been waking up disoriented ever since he’d left Manhattan. He was used to having to take a few minutes to catch his breath, let the tightness in his chest ease, and place himself in time and space, so to speak. This time when he awoke in the little room lit by a yellow glow, still wrapped around the long pillow, he knew exactly where he was.

What he didn’t know was whose voice he’d heard, and he looked up startled, feeling somehow guilty at the thought that his secret place had been discovered. Who was in his house, and who had found the one thing in the world that was just his?

“I repeat. What the fucking hell?” The voice belonged to a rough-looking man who stood in the doorway that had been locked when Ari had tried it earlier. He was shorter than Ari, but muscular, with long brown hair that was tangled and thick. One section, just in front of his left ear, was braided messily and strung with heavy wooden beads. The man’s skin was tanned, and his bare chest was thickly furred, the hair dark and wiry-looking. He wore a pair of loose, dark green trousers that were tight at the waistband and ankles and otherwise billowed softly. There was a strap over his chest, and Ari saw when he moved that it was attached to a small, colorful satchel.

Oh my God, my interdimensional room opens onto a hippie festival. Ari blinked, and pushed himself up. “Hello.”

“Who are you? What is this?” The man frowned and stepped into the room, just a little. There wasn’t much room, really, thanks to the pillows Ari had scattered around, and he felt briefly guilty for assuming the room was just his. Because, of course, there is an etiquette to such things, and if we forgot that, we would be no better than the animals! He stifled a smile at his thought, but not entirely. Not until the man scowled at him, anyway.

“I’m Ari. Ari Rosenberg. I’m not sure what this is. I just found a hole in the wall in my closet, and this was on the other side. But there’s no room for it. No space in my house, I mean,” he corrected himself. “Who are you?” When the man moved, Ari could just about peek through the door. He saw a small room with a galley kitchen across one wall, a few boxes stacked around. What he could see was gray and utilitarian, totally unsuited to the man who’d come through the doorway. The sunlight that filtered through window over the sink was greenish, as if shining through trees, and it lent the space a modicum of beauty.

“What do you care, rich boy?” The man continued to scowl, looking around them. “I don’t know how you did this, but then I shouldn’t be surprised. They won’t tell us anything about new technology until it’s been watered down, patented, closed off, and sealed up to everyone.”

“Huh?”

The man cocked his head to one side, giving Ari a piercing look. His eyes were an odd shade of green, shot through with golden brown, like the cat Ari’s first and only girlfriend had had. They were stunning. As was the rest of him, actually.

“I’m sorry,” he said, softening his voice. “Are you one of the special ones? I guess you might be, if they keep you in here. I’m sorry I yelled.”

“I’m not retarded, if that’s what you’re implying,” Ari said, rolling his eyes. “I’m not rich, either, by the way.”

The man winced, but still smiled. “Maybe not rich, but you must be very special, to be dressed like that, and use that… word. It’s very mean, and we don’t say things like that anymore,” he scolded gently, moving to kneel gracefully in the doorway. “I’m very sorry I sounded angry with you. I’m not, really. Just surprised. Are you all right?” He smiled, and held out his hand. “My name is Kimi, Ari.”

Ari laughed, and took his hand. “Pleased to meet you, Kimi,” he said, stumbling over the odd name only a little. “I’m not special, I promise. I guess by that you mean developmentally delayed? Someone with a learning or mental disability?”

Kimi looked surprised. “Yes, actually. But, honey, you must be, to be in here, and be dressed so old-fashioned.”

“Could you not call me ‘honey’, please? My name is Ari.” This was getting irritating, as was the man’s sugary-gentle tone, but at least one of them could be properly polite. He’d sort of liked it better when Kimi was angry. “I’m really, really not. I went to college, I have a job, I’m perfectly normal.” He made a face. “Even if I weren’t, I wouldn’t want you to call me that, frankly.”

Kimi had the good grace to blush. “I’m sorry. I’m so used to my clients… you’re right.” He looked at Ari again, that same deep gaze, their eyes meeting for a long minute. “So you’re not special, and you’re not rich. Why are you in my closet, dressed like it’s the twentieth century?”

“Because it is? Well, early twenty-first.” Ari looked down at his jeans and battered Bowdoin T-shirt and frowned. “What’s wrong with that? And by the way, you’re technically in my closet too.”

Kimi gave him an odd look. “Okay, something very weird is going on, and I don’t like it.” The scowl was starting to come back. “It’s the end of the twenty-first century as you would know, being neuro-norm, and there isn’t room on the other side of this for there to be another apartment. Frankly, there isn’t room for anything more than a small closet. And you said you had a whole house?” Kimi frowned. “No one has houses anymore, unless you’re really stupid-rich.”

Ari felt something shift, something so big and so insane that it was almost a relief, through the total and complete weirdness of it all. It’s true. It is. Everything’s as strange and wonderful and inexplicable as I always thought. There was more to life than a house and a job. I should probably be afraid, but the hell with that. “I’m sorry, what year is it? For you, I mean.”

“It’s 2095, of course. August 23rd. Which is what it is for you, right?”

Ari shook his head, unable to keep from grinning. “August 23rd is right, but it’s 2010, Kimi. I swear on my life.”

“What. The. Fuck.” Kimi scrambled to his feet, staring down at Ari. “You’re fucked in the head, man. Nothing special, just crazy.” He turned and walked out of the doorway, slamming the door shut behind him.

Ari sat there for a few long minutes, until he could breathe deeply again and decide whether he wanted to cry, laugh, dance, or do all three at once. He opted instead to stand up and try the door handle, but he found that it didn’t move. He hadn’t heard a lock click, or anything else from the other side of it, if indeed it was still Kimi and late August 2095 over there. Well. That was unexpected. He rested his hand on the door for a moment, turning this new development over in his mind, the way he did with anything unexpected.

He went back to his bedroom and wrote a note, flipping past the pages of sketches he’d made earlier.

Dear Kimeh (?),

I’ll spend as much time in the room as I can. If you’re reading this, I’ve missed you, but stick around if you can, because I want to see you again. What can I do to prove to you that I’m from your past? This is just as weird for me, but can’t you admit that you’re curious?

Ari

He folded the note up and left it in the little room, careful to turn the light off and slide the plywood over the hole before he went to go prepare dinner. Meeting someone from the future—someone very handsome, if temperamental and a little condescending—made one hungry, he quietly noted.

Ari made dinner and ate leisurely, making himself wait, take his time, let Kimi cool down. The man might never open his closet door again. Or, if he did, would he find a different connecting room? Or would it open to Ari’s house, just in a different time? He tried to read the paper while he ate, but even his calm nature couldn’t take quite that much normalcy after the day he’d had.

He peeked in again after dinner, and smiled to find a reply written on the back of his notepaper, left close to the hole in his closet wall.

Ari,

I’m sorry I missed you. I am curious. No need to prove anything; the paper is enough, the fabric on the pillows. You’re enough. I’ll try to come back to the room tonight.

Kimi

Ari smiled and tucked the note into his pocket. He got a book and a quilt from his bedroom, crawled into the little room, turned on the light, and read until he fell asleep.

“Ari?” The voice was soft this time, tentative, and Ari rolled over and stretched, waking up slowly. He was in the magic room, and it was very, very comfortable in there.

He blinked his eyes open and smiled up at Kimi, who stood in the doorway. “Hello again.”

“Hi. Can I come in?”

“It’s as much yours as mine, really,” Ari pointed out, sitting up and yawning. “What time is it?”

“Nine p.m. For me, anyway.”

Ari grinned and checked his watch. “Ditto. And come in. And I’m sorry I took over the space. You can decorate, too, or take half of it or… something.”

Kimi laughed and sank down to kneel beside the futon. He was wearing a long skirt that day, made out of the same material as the loose trousers had been, something that looked like it might have been linen. He sat cross-legged on a big pillow, just inside the doorway, graceful in his uncertainty and undeniably masculine, despite the feminine dress. “No. I love this. It’s exactly what I’d have done, if I were about a thousand times richer.”

“You keep saying that, but I’m not rich at all,” Ari protested. He paused and thought about that statement. “Well. For my time. Are you comfortable? I can get another quilt or something….”

Kimi shrugged, and Ari resisted the urge to wrap the man in his quilt as he imagined the two of them snuggling together on the pillows that carpeted the floor. Handsome as anything, the young man probably would not have liked being practically assaulted by a near-stranger.

Even if Ari would very much have liked to cuddle with Kimi under his quilt. Or do other things with him. Blanket optional.

“Are you all right?” Ari asked softly. When Kimi continued to sit uncomfortably, not saying anything, he reached out. “I won’t hurt you. And I think this place is safe. At least,” he said wryly, “it had better be, considering how much time I’ve spent here.”

Kimi smiled quickly and reached out, touching Ari’s hand. “I’m all right, thank you. Mostly all right. Oh, Ari….” He gave a shuddering, sad laugh. “There’s so much I want to ask you. And there must be so much you want to know too. You’re so lucky, to live when you do….”

“I am?”

Kimi nodded, those green-brown eyes seeking out Ari’s own blue gaze. “What’s it like?” he asked softly. “To walk in the woods, whenever you want to?”

“Huh? Uh. Okay, I guess?” Ari shrugged. “I don’t go on hikes or anything, like, ever. I’m a city boy at heart,” he admitted, grinning a little. “I can barely keep my garden alive.”

Kimi’s eyes were huge. “You have a garden? All to yourself?”

“Well, it’s mostly lawn….”

Kimi shook his head. “Such a waste. I mean—I’m sorry. It would be a waste for my time,” he corrected himself. “Grass is a luxury, unless it’s feeding livestock.”

“Seriously?” Ari asked. “What do you have in your yard, then?”

“My… oh. Oh, no one has those anymore,” Kimi explained. “Most of the arable land—like what your house is on, I’d guess—is farmland, or shared mega-gardens now. Everyone lives in huge apartment buildings.”

“Oh, those I know,” Ari said, on firmer ground now. “I grew up in New York City.”

“Me too!” Kimi laughed and squeezed Ari’s hand, never quite having let go. “Broadway and 108th. You?”

Ari grinned, pleased beyond measure to have found some common ground, finally. “Essex and Grand. Is it still Lower East Side?”

“Yes. Where do you live now?” Kimi asked, leaning forward in his curiosity.

“Levittown. Pennsylvania. You?”

Kimi gave him an odd look. “Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Huh. So this isn’t geographically linked.”

“Apparently not.” Ari frowned, thinking. “But we’re linked, somehow. I’m not your great-granddad or anything, am I?”

Kimi laughed and shook his head. “Nah. I’m first-generation American. So what do you do for a living in your house and your yard and your forests you don’t go into, city boy?”

Ari blushed, looking down. “It’s really boring. I do graphic design for this tiny ad company.”

“That’s not boring!” Kimi grinned at Ari’s look, the expression making him look even wilder, even more handsome. “C’mon, that’s neat. You get to make art every day.”

Ari rolled his eyes. “‘Art’ might be a bit of an exaggeration. I make what the client orders.” He shrugged. “I’m not bad, but I’m hardly going to win awards.”

“Still.” Kimi laughed at the look Ari gave him. “I’m an occupational therapist,” he offered. “I work with severely mentally handicapped individuals. Uh, as you could probably figure out from my being a total asshole to you yesterday.”

Ari smiled. “You weren’t. And that’s wonderful.”

“Not really,” Kimi said bluntly. “I mean, I love my work, but none of my clients are ever going to be even remotely self-sufficient. I just try to give them some coping skills.”

“Oh. Uh. Still.” It was Ari’s turn to take the other man in, gazing at him carefully, noting how he still wasn’t relaxed, and how he stayed close to the door. Well, that was probably sensible. “Do you really call them special? To their faces?”

Kimi had the grace to blush. “I guess it’s twee to you, huh? Yeah. It’s not as condescending as it sounds, really. It’s just… it’s how we are.” He shrugged. “It grew out of your generation’s desire to humanize and mainstream, so don’t blame me!”

Ari smiled and stretched out on the futon, hoping he was putting Kimi at ease. The fact that his world only really became interesting when he was talking to a man from eighty-five years in the future… he chose to file that away and think about it later. Maybe. And maybe, at the same time, he could think about how he suddenly felt a little lost when he let go of Kimi’s hand. Well, isn’t this what you always wanted? Something interesting?

“So, what do you do for fun?” Kimi finally asked after an awkward silence.

The two men talked for hours, comparing their times, what they liked doing, and what they could do. Some of what Kimi said was chilling—like the fact that forests were so rare and so protected that they had become treats, with visits booked months in advance—and some of it encouraging. Equality, true equality, had become nearly commonplace, and everyone received some basic level of support.

Eventually, Kimi had to leave to go to work, but they promised to meet up again the next evening, to talk more and share their worlds, the two of them equally fascinated by both the changes and lack thereof.

Ari considered staying in the little room, pulled by the siren song of his book and having hours before he had to think about going anywhere. He looked at the door to Kimi’s apartment, left cracked open when the other man had left, and decided to go out. The Pine Barrens were a bit of a drive for one afternoon, but there were parks in town. And, when he got home, he could wiggle his bare feet in the soft, too-long grass in his backyard, watching evening fall and the fireflies come out.

He told Kimi about all of this later, enjoying the way the other man’s smile lit up his whole face. He’d been tired after work, but had come to the little room anyway to have his dinner with some company. Ari had piled up some pillows, making a little faux sofa out of the futon and making sure Kimi could relax and put his feet up.

“I’m fine, really,” Kimi protested, laughing. “This is wonderful.”

“Good.” Ari grinned, settling beside him on the futon, and gazed over at Kimi. Christ, he’s handsome. He was muscular, his hair was braided neatly back that night, and even the tired look in his eyes didn’t detract from the quiet strength and easy good looks of Ari’s new companion.

Ari pushed the unwelcome thoughts away. So he had something nice to look at. What could ever come of it?

With Kimi’s job schedule and Ari’s occasional social life—just dinner and beer with friends, he sheepishly admitted, making Kimi laugh—they couldn’t meet in the shared room every night, but they sat together in the little pool of light for hours whenever they could, talking about their lives, their childhoods, and what had happened at work that day. (“I drew a logo forty-five different ways.” “My client threw a glass of milk at me.”) They had agreed, silently, not to talk of big, global events, particularly not those that had happened between Ari’s time and Kimi’s.

“It’s not like I could change anything, anyway,” Ari pointed out, when they just touched on it, nearly a week after they’d first met. They were both sitting on the futon, curled up around pillows that they’d stacked against one wall. Ari was nursing a mug of coffee, having surrendered the first taste to Kimi, who’d never had the (for him) exotic, expensive beverage. He’d made a face, and Ari laughed, and just barely stopped himself from kissing the other man. He had been doing that a great deal, lately.

“No. And besides, you’re way more interesting, and you seem to think I am too,” Kimi pointed out.

“Oh, yes. You’re very interesting,” Ari said softly. “Like no one I’ve ever met before.” He cleared his throat, a little awkwardly. “And you’ll soon figure out that I’m not. At all.”

Kimi snorted. “The hell I will. Ari Rosenberg, you’re a fascinating human being, whether you like it or not.”

Ari rolled his eyes. “Kimi, the most exciting thing to ever happen to me was when I moved to Maine for school. I mean, the most exciting thing before this.” He grinned shyly. “I always figured that there was more in heaven and earth than are dreamt of and all that, but they were always just… dreams.”

“Never! The world is such an amazing place,” Kimi exclaimed, his eyes lighting up. “How can you possibly think otherwise?”

Ari shrugged. “I was born on an island full of hundreds of thousands of people who all led lives that were pretty much the same, when you got down to it. Mom raised me and my sister by herself. I went to school. It was nice. I had some boyfriends, who were also nice, but….” He gave Kimi a helpless look. “I’m boring. I did what I was supposed to, and what I liked well enough to make a living. I go out to a bar with friends on Friday after work. I cut my lawn. Kimi, there’s nothing fantastic about my life, because there’s nothing fantastic about me.” Ari set his coffee aside, feeling awkward and plain and boring as hell, even if he had done more in the last week than he had for years and years. Even people at work were commenting on how he seemed different, suddenly. Changed.

“Shut up.” The other man reached over, covering Ari’s hand with his own. “You’re pretty damn fantastic as far as I can tell, Ari Rosenberg.”

Ari shook his head, leaning in automatically, drawn to Kimi’s warmth. “Me? I’m nothing. You’re….”

Kimi tilted his head to one side, those curious eyes seeming so big this close up. “What?”

Ari closed his eyes, mentally telling his cock to shut up. “You’re beautiful.”

“Thank you,” Kimi said, his voice soft and rough and a fraction of an inch away, so that he barely got the words out before kissing Ari.

Ari made a soft noise, returning the kiss hungrily, his arms wrapping around Kimi’s shoulders, which were bare as always. He’d jokingly asked the man if he even owned a shirt. Kimi had looked deeply hurt, and he’d felt like a heel—until the other man started laughing at his teasing. Ari had pouted until Kimi pulled him to the doorway and showed him his tiny, one-room apartment, standard issue for all single men.

Now he wondered if there had been a certain emphasis in Kimi making sure it was known that he was single, not to mention gay.

Kimi gently rolled Ari onto his back and moved on top of him, keeping himself up on his elbows so as not to completely crush them together.

Kiss followed kiss, this one deep and hungry, the next one teasing, Ari laughing as Kimi chased his lips across his face, his short beard tickling. Ari wove his hands through long brown hair and spread his legs, not shy in wanting. He wasn’t shy about much, suddenly.

Kimi wasn’t either, apparently, and as he moved his hips, Ari felt a hot hardness rub against his thigh, matching his own cock, which had gone from definitely interested to throbbing and hard and was well on its way to the delicious ache that ended best in release.

“Please, please, please….”

Kimi smiled, reaching between them and flicking the button on Ari’s jeans, incidentally giving him a hard rub with the palm of his hand. “Yes, yes, yes,” he teased a little, before trailing his lips down, nibbling softly at Ari’s throat and making him cry out, his hips bucking up and his arms tensing around Kimi’s shoulders.

They parted just long enough to shuck off their clothes, and Ari made an admiring noise when his friend—soon to be his lover—was bared before him. Kimi wasn’t tall, but he made up for it in compact muscle, arms and thighs and broad chest all begging to be caressed. His cock was uncircumcised, standing proud and dark, and Ari reached for it eagerly. He bent over, wrapping his lips around his prize and sucking hungrily, gently pulling the foreskin back and lapping at the shining, swollen head.

Kimi’s legs fell open, and he just caught himself from falling entirely back, still sitting mostly upright. Ari felt a warm, square hand land on his head. Not pushing, just… touching. There, acknowledging, caressing.

He bobbed his head, hollowing his cheeks as he sucked. Ari hadn’t had many lovers and didn’t enjoy random hookups, so his experience was scarce. Judging by the noises Kimi was making, he was certainly doing something right.

Kimi groaned, whispered his name, ran gentle fingers through his hair, and Ari in turn lapped, kissed, worshipped, all in his own way. He rested his hands on Kimi’s thighs, not sure what else to do with them, and he felt the muscles there tense, bulging under his fingers.

“Ari… going to….”

Ari looked up, vaguely conscious that they should probably have talked about STDs in their respective days and ages, and caught Kimi’s spend full on his chin and chest. He felt debauched, lush, and more impossibly sexy than he could have dreamed.

Kimi groaned, swiping at Ari’s chin with his thumb and tugging him up for a kiss. His tongue pumped in and out of Ari’s mouth, and Ari was abruptly brought back to his own desire with the other man’s touch, the way their bodies slid together, and those amazing kisses, their tongues meeting, exploring, promising. It only took Kimi reaching down and grasping his cock, spreading the wetness at the tip and pumping once, then twice, to make him curve his back, rear up, and cry out as he came, moaning far more loudly than he’d ever dared before.

Ari shuddered, his cock pumping, and painted Kimi’s stomach so that their bodies slid together, seed mingling as they lay down, shuddering and kissing through aftershocks, until they were both relaxed and loose, arms about one another.

“I should get a washcloth, clean us off,” Kimi murmured, and Ari grunted, squeezing his arms more tightly around the smaller man.

Kimi laughed softly and kissed his shoulder. “I don’t want to let go either, handsome man.” He smiled when Ari’s cheeks reddened, the blush automatically following the compliment. “You are, you know. Very, very handsome.” He wound a strand of blond hair around his finger, and kissed it. “Wanted you so much. Wanted this so much.”

Ari mumbled something about how Kimi was awfully damn good-looking himself and wriggled closer, shifting so he could rest his head on his shoulder, face nuzzled between chin and neck, Kimi’s beard wonderfully scratchy against his face.

He must have dozed off, because when next Ari was aware, he was clean of all evidence of lovemaking, and they were snuggled under the quilt together. Ari smiled before he even opened his eyes, knowing that it was Kimi against him, knowing it was the gentle man who was smoothing his hair, just running his fingertips along Ari’s hairline.

“Hey, you.” Kimi grinned when Ari opened his eyes, and they kissed, a sleepy kind of “good morning, I like waking up next to you” kiss.

“Mmm, hey.” Ari stretched and rolled over onto his side, pressing up against Kimi, who was stretched out on his stomach. He liked how they fit together. “How’re you?”

“Oh, middling to fair.” Kimi laughed at the look this garnered him and kissed Ari quickly. “Wonderful, and you know it, and you know exactly why too. How’re you?”

“Happier than I’ve been in ages,” Ari said quietly, tracing a fingertip over the top of Kimi’s back. “Thank you.”

“I am too, you know.” Another kiss, softer and slower this time, and Ari bent to kiss Kimi’s shoulder as soon as they’d parted, wanting to taste warm skin. The skin there was, indeed, very warm, and even mostly hairless, in contrast with most of the rest of Kimi’s body. He couldn’t miss the small, white scars, not even an inch long, that dotted the broad shoulders. “What are these?”

“Hmmm? Oh. Skin cancer. I’ve had a few melanomas removed—hey!” Kimi rocked onto his back, arms suddenly full of worried Ari, who was torn between pressing kisses to the faint scars and just holding on tightly. “Hey, what’s wrong, sweet one?”

“Skin cancer? Are you all right now? Will it come back? Are you—” Ari bit off his question, opting instead to wrap himself tightly around Kimi. “Are you sick?”

“Shh, shh. Oh, honey.” Kimi rocked him gently. “I’m fine. It’ll probably come back. Then they’ll treat me again, remove the mole or whatever, and send me on my way. It’s normal in my day, Ari. And it’s completely treatable, if they catch it early. And they always do, for me.”

Ari nodded, still clinging onto Kimi, letting the slight movement and soft voice soothe him. “It’s that common?”

“Mmmhmm. Everyone who spends any time in the sun will get cancer at some point, or nearly everyone. Certainly everyone Caucasian. I put on a shirt and a big floppy hat, but I ran around half-naked when I was a kid. You know how it is.” Kimi cupped Ari’s jaw in one hand and kissed him gently. “It’s treatable. I only even needed the medicine once, and it doesn’t make you so sick anymore.”

Ari nodded and started petting the other man’s long hair, his fingers tangling with the little braid Kimi nearly always wore. “I’m sorry. My dad died of cancer.”

“I’m sorry.” Kimi kissed him softly. “So did my mother. We can’t cure everything,” he explained with a small smile.

“Oh, Kimi. I’m so sorry.” Ari hugged him tightly. “Do you still have your father?”

Kimi shook his head.

“What…?”

“Something you shouldn’t know about,” Kimi said gently, and squeezed Ari back. “It was a very, very long time ago. For both of them. Don’t be sad, please?”

Ari smiled and loosened his hold, but didn’t let go. “All right. I’m sorry, though. That’s rough.”

Kimi shrugged. “I guess? Lots of people have it rough. My life’s been fine, sweet one.”

“All right, all right.” Ari gave in and smiled. “Just take care of yourself, okay? And I’ll just be happy I’ve got the sexiest man I’ve ever seen in my arms.”

Kimi laughed and tilted his chin up for a kiss. “Sexiest ever? Really, sweet one? Sorry,” he corrected himself. “Really, Ari?”

Ari giggled, and placed a little kiss on the tip of Kimi’s nose. “You can call me pet names now, dork. Just not when you’re talking down to me and thinking I’ve got the mind of a four-year-old.”

Kimi groaned and hid his face in Ari’s shoulder. “Will you ever forgive me for that? One of the smartest people I know, and I’m treating you like you were one of my pediatric clients….”

“I’m not particularly smart, and of course I forgive you. All you do is work; no wonder you were on autopilot,” Ari scolded gently.

“Mmm. Probably. And I like work.” Kimi grinned wickedly, sliding his hand down Ari’s back and curving it around his bottom. “Although lately I just want to be at home….”

“Don’t you dare.” Ari arched into the touch, feeling his cock start to fill again. “Though some early nights, now and again, would do you good.”

Kimi laughed, and pounced.

They lay together afterward, Ari pillowing his head on Kimi's chest, the two of them pressed together, without any urgency. They had one another, and they had time, and that was all they needed.

“I wish you could come into my house,” Ari said suddenly, and closed his mouth, ashamed of the admission. Everything was going so well, why did he have to invite trouble?

“I wish I could too,” Kimi said, and Ari felt the kiss pressing onto his forehead. “But we can't know if it's safe. And I don't really want to experiment.”

“Neither do I,” Ari said softly. He could look, but not touch, and Kimi could do the same. They could meet here, and bring things into the magical little room, but what guarantee was there that they could move safely beyond this limbo? And how did you even test such things? Test them safely, anyway.

He shook off the brooding, determined to forget any sadness, any regrets that might come of these long hours together. He was happy, and how many people didn't have even that?

“You want to what?”

“Go hiking in the Pine Barrens. And you go there lots; I know you do. Bring Gina if you like, I’ll just tag along.” Ari looked hopefully at the man in the cubicle beside him, the two of them taking a particularly convenient coffee break. “Please?”

Ryan laughed and shook his head. “Gina’s got a baby shower or something. But we can drive down on Saturday if you really want.” He looked at Ari dubiously. “You’re in pretty good shape, right?” To be fair to Ryan, Ari had never shown a compulsion to take their friendship beyond work and the occasional beer and dinner after a long week.

“Yes?” He was, more or less. While he wasn’t what anyone would call muscular (not like Kimi, his mind murmured, and he pushed aside the thought of the handsome man), he was slender, and he made sure to eat well. He even went running once or twice a year.

“Right. Pack a lunch, some high-energy snacks if you want, and wear good boots. Bring a jacket, it can get chilly.” Ryan eyed him up dubiously. “I’ll pick you up, okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah! Thanks, man.” Ari grinned at him. “I know, not really in character. But I’m curious.”

“Uh-huh.” Ryan nodded, still looking unsure. “Well, it’ll be pretty. I know a good, easy loop for us to do.”

“Don’t let me hold you back,” Ari protested, and he tried not to feel uncomfortable when Ryan smiled at that.

“You won’t,” was all Ryan said. He got up from the makeshift lunch table tucked away in a corner of the office and got back to work.

Ari stayed, chewing on his turkey sandwich, and wondering how quickly he could have hiking boots delivered. And socks. People always wore those thick wool socks, right?

It turned out that the answer to the delivery—of shoes, socks and a fancy water bottle—was “very quickly indeed.” Ari wore the boots around the house in the evenings, finding them springy and rather comfortable as he did light chores. Kimi was busy that night, so he watched a little TV, and then went to bed—in his bedroom, as had become his habit on those nights he slept alone. He left the plywood slid aside, just in case.

Not that he or Kimi had yet ventured out of their times, though they’d peeked into each others’ rooms, had handled things from each time, even eaten carefully picked foods. (“I am not going to be responsible for introducing some weird super-evolved bug, via you, to the past,” Kimi had declared, after thoroughly boiling some tea for them to share.) But sound certainly carried out of, and even through, the mysterious little room, so that if Kimi wanted him, he’d hear.

The rest of the week was similar, with one or the other of them busy in the evenings so that they could only snatch a few hours together on Friday night before Kimi had to go out with some coworkers for a seminar.

They spent them lying on the pillows, sprawled and naked, Ari still drifting a little from when Kimi had flipped him over a particularly large pillow and made him keen with pleasure. He’d never had lovers who were rough before, and hadn’t thought he’d ever like it. But when it was that trusted, strong body behind him, hips snapping, rough voice growling in his ear, Ari had soared.

Kimi ran a gentle fingertip down Ari’s face, tracing his features as he came back to himself and reached for a kiss.

“Mmm. Tell me about your weekend?”

Ari grinned, running the backs of his fingers down Kimi’s stomach. “You’ll be proud of me. I’m going hiking in the Pine Barrens.”

The other man laughed and stole another kiss. “You’re right, I am proud! You’re so lucky, dear one. I’m on a waiting list two years long for that one,” he sighed.

“I wish you could come with me.”

Kimi looked troubled, smoothing a blond lock out of Ari’s eyes. “Me too. Tell me everything about it?”

“I’ll take tons of pictures,” Ari promised, and smiled shyly. “Will you take pictures of Chapel Hill for me? I’m at least as curious as you are.”

Kimi made a face. “Cities are so boring. But all right, if you like.”

Ari just kissed him, for as long as he could, the two of them lying in their little cocoon of a room, until Kimi had to leave.

Ari was usually awake early on weekends, so he was perfectly comfortable sitting on his front porch, waving at Ryan when he drove up and jogging out to meet him.

“Hey, Ari.” Ryan grinned, pausing in front of the house. “Last chance to turn back.”

Ari rolled his eyes and got into the car. “You know, it’s not that weird of me to suddenly want to experience the great outdoors.”

“Yes, it is.” But Ryan pulled away, leaving the little square house in the old mill town, and heading southeast to the huge pine forests.

They sat comfortably quiet for awhile, Ari fiddling a little with the radio before giving up and watching North Jersey pass by. It was mostly old industrial towns, or commuter towns for Jersey City, Newark, and New York City. He saw a factory standing proud on the landscape, weird metallic spires and a chimney spewing smoke, and thought of Kimi. Apparently there were so few factories left in the US, the relatively well-traveled young man had never seen one.

“So who is he?”

“Huh?”

“Who’s the new man in your life?” Ryan asked. “Or woman, I guess. Mustn’t assume.”

“He’s—” Ari snapped his mouth shut. “Why would I have a new man?”

“Ari, it’s completely obvious.” Ryan grinned, turning off the highway onto a road that almost immediately plunged into scrubby woodland. “You look happy, like really happy. And you’re….” He hesitated. “Okay, you’re an awesome guy, and it’s not like you were boring….”

Ari groaned. “That’s not actually complimentary in any way, but thanks.” He deliberately looked out the window, away from Ryan. “Yes, there’s someone new.”

“Uh-huh. And why haven’t we met him yet?” Ryan prodded.

“Because I like pretending I can have a life independent of the nosiest people in existence?” Ari said, and he laughed. “It’s really new. And, uh, he works a weird schedule. So yes, it’s a he.”

“I knew it!” Ryan said, far too confidently. “Does he like going on hikes and stuff, by any chance?”

“Yes. Shut up.” Ari blushed. “I sort of promised him that I’d try to, uh, take advantage of where I live, I guess.” Not to mention when I live. And he does work a kind of odd schedule. It’s just eighty-five years in the future.

“Excellent. And hey, if you take to it, invite him along, and I’ll bring Gina. I know an absolutely wicked trail out in central PA.”

“Thanks. Uh. I’ll let you know.” Ari eyed the not-very-paved lane they were on, and tried not to wince as dark gray clouds moved in. Maybe boring was the better choice….

The afternoon wasn’t a complete disaster. Not totally. Just… mostly. It was fine until we got out of the car, for instance. That was about the best that Ari could think of it. They didn’t talk about his new love life, much to his relief, but the cloudburst that greeted their entrance into the woods didn’t leave room for much else other than trudging through the mud together, at least for the first hour. After that, the sun came out and turned the entire forest into a kind of sauna. Ari had just put his head down and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other.

They spent the next forty-eight hours—all right, so it was more like five, but it felt longer—in totally normal conversation, bitching about work and the Mets and talking about books, with Ryan pointing out interesting trees, trails, or anything else he thought Ari might like.

He had to admit that it was very pretty. And at least it was flat. He also had to admit that when he wasn’t concentrating on not falling on his ass (which happened pretty regularly), it was kind of peacefully quiet. The same kind of peacefulness he could find in his own backyard. And there he could have beer, and sit down, and not get blisters that left him limping to the car when the long day was finally over.

Ryan still had a spring in his step, Ari sourly observed, as he led them out of the woods and to the little parking lot. It was only midafternoon, and still gloriously sunny, but when Ari fell silent again over the hours of trudging, Ryan took the hint.

Ari would have felt guilty, if he hadn’t been absolutely exhausted and not a little miserable.

“So! What are the odds of my getting you and this Kimi to come camping some weekend?” Ryan asked, striding along and only slightly slowing his pace for Ari.

“Slim to nil.” He was too sore to be polite. “Sorry. I really appreciate this, but….”

“Hey, it’s not your thing. Not a crime.” Ryan smiled kindly. “Want to go out for dinner and a beer tonight? It’ll help you not associate nature with me!”

Ari laughed, a little startled by Ryan’s kindness. Not that the other man was mean, but… was everyone like this? He’d never gone far enough beyond a vague, pleasant friendship with anyone to notice. “Thanks, but can I take a raincheck? I sort of just want to collapse in bed.” Well, maybe not my bed. But definitely a soft surface….

“No problem. Get your nature-lovin’ man to look after you, since he couldn’t hump himself all the way out here today,” Ryan advised, and Ari agreed, grinning. Oh yes. He had earned some pampering.

“Good grief, it was a walk in the woods!” Kimi’s tone wasn’t exactly what Ari had expected when he arranged himself on the futon, having gingerly showered the grime of the day away. His feet were covered in bandages, each of the blisters carefully covered, and he’d stretched out with his feet up on a pillow. Maybe that had been a little overdramatic—it wasn’t like he was actually hurt—but it felt better on his legs, which had begun to ache impressively. Even with a series of beers, he didn’t walk so much as gingerly limp from place to place.

“It was a long walk. Never to be repeated.”

“It gets better, once you, uh, break your boots in?” Kimi knelt by his feet, dropping to his knees in one graceful motion. Ari contemplated hating the man, but settled for appreciating how Kimi’s stomach tightened, the muscles rippling just enough to be seen as he moved. If he couldn’t look like that, at least he could gawk. And touch. And lick….

“I’ll take your word for it. I hated it,” he said dryly. “I got rained on. Then gently steamed. I slipped in mud, tripped over a tree root, and frankly had a horrible time. I’m sorry,” he added, when it hit him that he was trashing Kimi’s greatest joy. “I wanted to like it, for you.”

Kimi laughed, taking one foot and cradling it on his lap, his soft hands chafing it lightly. “I know. I’m sorry it was miserable.” He sighed, looking a little miserable himself. “I wish I could’ve gone instead.”

“So do I,” Ari said fervently. “Tell me about your day? I want to hear about indoor things.”

Kimi laughed and began to stroke Ari’s foot, massaging the few places that weren’t blistered before moving his hand up to Ari’s ankle. “My day was boring. I worked at the communal farm and got enough food to make a few meals this week. I went over to my neighbor’s and helped him put up a hammock on his balcony—he’s really lucky, his place is huge!”

“Mmm. That’s what I should get, a hammock.” Ari groaned a little as his lover’s hands moving up his leg, now massaging the tight calf muscle. “Oh, God that feels good.”

Kimi chuckled softly, bracing Ari’s foot against his stomach so he could get a little more leverage. “You are so dreadfully spoiled. And you should get a hammock, they’re fun.”

Ari smiled dreamily, transported by the wonderful sensation coming from his leg. “Uh-huh. ’N you can help me put it up.”

Kimi’s hands only faltered for a moment. “I wish I could, dear one.” He went as far as Ari’s thigh and switched legs, gently manipulating the ankle joint.

Ari closed his eyes, feeling tears pricking at the lids. Of course he’d fall for a man who couldn’t really be with him. Not in some sustainable way. “I wish you could too,” he whispered. He sat up, wrapping his arms around Kimi and pulling the other man close, his legs splaying out to the sides as he was embraced back just as tightly. “I wish so bad. I want to take you into my home, lie on my lawn with you, take you to the park….” He choked on his words, trying not to weep. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I'm too afraid, and I don't know what to do.”

“Shhh. Don’t be sad, sweet one.” Kimi rocked him a little, his own voice thick and a little rough. “Don’t be sorry.”

“I am!” Ari looked up, meeting those magical cat eyes. “I’m not quite sure what you see in me,” he said. “But Kimi… you don’t know how good you are for me.”

“I can guess,” Kimi said quietly. “Because you’re good for me too, sweet man. My friend, my lover, someone I can just be with….”

Ari nodded silently, and the two of them moved together so that they could both lie down, hands laced together, heads sharing a single pillow.

“It’s never been this easy before,” Ari said. “I’ve had boyfriends and stuff. But none of them… I never relaxed with them so much, trusted them so much.” He smiled a little, feeling something in his chest let go and start to bloom—or maybe it had already started when he met this sweet, warm young man. “You’re amazing. Anyone would fall for you. What on earth do you see in me?” He laughed, squeezing Kimi’s hand. “I hate the outdoors, I’m not sexy, I don’t really appreciate what I’ve got….”

Kimi’s eyes lit up, and he finally gave in to laughter. “I see lots in you! You’re gorgeous, even if you think you aren’t,” he managed through giggles, freeing his hand to caress Ari’s arm and waist before finally coming to rest on his hip. “Really. You’re stunning,” he continued, softer now, but still smiling. “So tall and slim, and your eyes are so striking and lovely. I don’t care that you hated hiking, and that you’d rather stay at home, or anything like that. You’re whip-smart, and interesting. You’re truthful. You’ve been calling me out on my shit since the moment we met.” He leaned in, kissing Ari softly, mouth open and warm and inviting, and they passed whole minutes like that, breathing together, tongues dipping into each other’s mouths, impossibly intimate. “Ari Rosenberg, what on earth is there not to want about you?”

Ari blushed brilliantly, which didn’t stop him from sliding a hand down Kimi’s back until he could cup the other man’s ass and squeezing the hard muscle appreciatively. “Well, when you put it that way….”

Kimi laughed, rolling over so that Ari lay atop him, legs straddling his waist. “There’s got to be a way we can make this work. You’re a gem, like no one else I’ve ever known. I’m not giving you up.”

“Neither am I,” Ari said, and he moaned when Kimi surged up, kissing him deeply and wrapping his arms around Ari’s back, tight as an iron band. “Oh, God, please….”

Kimi murmured something incoherent, kissing his way down to Ari’s throat, nibbling here, lavishing kisses there.

Neither of them talked while making love, preferring to kiss and touch, encourage with a moan or redirect with a gentle nudge. Ari let himself be flipped over onto his back, and he reached out and pulled at Kimi’s waistband, untying the drawstring and tugging so that the fabric fell free and his lover’s cock was visible, dark red and jutting up, jerking when Ari ran his hand down it with fingers purposely too light of touch.

Kimi moaned, arching his back so that his hips thrust toward Ari’s hand, clearly wanting more. He got it when Ari curled over, kissed the swollen tip, lapped at it with his tongue, and slid his lips down, more teasing than anything else.

“No, no… not yet. Y’r not naked,” Kimi slurred, though he couldn’t quite bring himself to push him away.

Ari hollowed his cheeks and lapped as far down the hard shaft as he could, then pulled off with a wet pop.

He looked up at Kimi through his eyelashes, knowing that he looked debauched already, his lips red and swollen from kissing, wet from the blowjob. He let the tip of Kimi’s cock brush against them and flicked his tongue out, rolling his eyes back in pleasure that wasn’t faked at all. Had he ever felt so sexy, so wanted? Or was this what sex was supposed to be, making him feel strong and powerful and wanted, wanting to tease and withhold and then give at the moment when pleasure would be greatest?

Kimi groaned, grabbing his balls and squeezing them. “Sexy fucker.”

In this, at least, they were perfectly matched; Ari vastly preferred submission, bottoming, whatever you wanted to call it in all its incarnations. He generally loved nothing more than to be the one bossed around, the one who didn’t have to worry about calling the shots. Kimi was exactly the opposite—most of the time.

“I’m going to strip down,” Ari murmured, still looking up at his lover all sloe-eyed. “I’m going to suck you off. Then I want you to fuck me.” He nuzzled Kimi’s stomach, just above and to the side of the dark patch of wiry hair, careful not to touch his cock. He licked his lips and looked up again. “Please?”

The dark-haired man moaned, his hips twitching at Ari’s words. “God, if I’d known you were so… yes, yes, anything you want, just stop lying there looking… like that.”

Ari laughed and quickly pulled off his T-shirt. He took a little longer with the boxer shorts, lying back and stretching out to his full length in front of Kimi. He slid the waistband down slowly over his hips, letting the elastic snap back, not bothering to bite back a moan at the sharp sensation as it hit his balls, his cock jutting over it.

Kimi swore softly, and Ari continued the striptease, slowly pulling the soft shorts down with one hand and wrapping the other around his cock, pumping once or twice until he could kick the undergarment off and roll over, taking Kimi’s cock in his mouth once again, all in one smooth motion. He slipped his body around so that he could look up at the other man and hold eye contact while his tongue swirled, his hand coming up to wrap around the hard shaft, pumping slowly at first, then faster. Ari was careful not to take more than a good mouthful, his tongue busy flicking and lapping in between adoring kisses.

Kimi groaned, leaning back on one arm, his free hand coming to rest on Ari’s shoulder. “You’re so… oh, God.” Ari’s hand spread the wetness, taking advantage of the loose foreskin that had been pulled back to pump faster.

He pulled his mouth off of Kimi’s cock, feeling the other man’s hips jerk. He meant to tease, to draw things out, and he looked up again and forced Kimi to meet his eyes. “Can’t wait to have this in me,” he purred, and he brushed his mouth against the very tip.

Kimi moaned, pumping his hips as he came, painting Ari’s lips and all but screaming when Ari’s mouth wrapped around the oversensitive organ again, suckling hungrily.

“Oh good God,” he gasped, falling back onto his elbows and moaning again when Ari licked his lips, a pearly little bead of liquid still painting one cheek. “Oh, Ari.”

Ari grinned and reached for a kiss. “Kimi.” He shifted to lie down beside his lover, his face tucked into the curve of Kimi's neck. The other man's hair tickled his nose and his beard was rough, but no one else had ever felt this way, and Ari savored being as close as possible while their breathing slowed and they rested. Though not for long.

“I’m clean,” Kimi said softly. “I promise I am. And I want to be bare with you.”

Ari nodded, pushing into his arms. “I do too. And I’m clean; I got tested. Please?”

Kimi nodded. “We need slick. Wait here.”

Ari shook his head, feeling half-drunk with need. “Nah. From last time….” He rooted around between the futon and the wall, producing a bottle still mostly full, shoving the condoms they’d used before aside. “In me. Hard, fast, slow, whatever you want….”

Kimi laughed, his cock filling again, going hard at Ari's words. “All of the above, please.”

He laid Ari down on the futon and proceeded to worship his body. As they kissed, Kimi’s fingers wove through his hair, thumbs caressing his cheekbones, and then Ari’s lover worked his way south. He kissed Ari’s throat, suckled softly on one earlobe, then the other, hands just as busy stroking his neck and shoulders, teasing out the last bits of tension, replacing them with simple, burning want.

His mouth kept going, making Ari jump and yelp when he bit down on one nipple, then soothed it, and Ari had to press his tongue to the roof of his mouth and think about other things for a moment, the electricity of that simple movement ricocheting through his body.

Clearly, it was Kimi’s turn to tease, and he bit Ari’s stomach softly, nuzzling just above his navel and gloriously ignoring the hard, aching cock that jutted up. Ari squeaked at the bite, and laughed in between gasps of pleasure as Kimi’s hands mapped his body, his mouth following.

His cock continued to go neglected as Kimi kissed his thigh, gently turning his leg so he could lick behind one knee and finally kiss his way down to Ari’s foot. He adored every inch of his lover as he caressed his way up the other leg, finally finishing the massage that had been interrupted earlier.

Both men were moaning softly, Ari rocking his hips, pushing up into the air, and obviously begging. He cried out when Kimi finished at his groin, pushing his legs apart to nuzzle under his cock, taking first one ball, then the other, gently in his mouth.

That act—that unexpected sensation—nearly set Ari off, such that he was just barely aware when Kimi slicked his hand up and slid three fingers, one by one, into him. His lover was gentle, careful to stretch him, but quick, both of them desperately wanting this.

“Ready?” Kimi asked, his voice raw and rasping. Ari nodded, pulling his knees up and baring himself, begging like he never had before.

Kimi moaned and carefully positioned himself, and Ari nearly wept at the sensation of the thick head just breaching him, the feeling of skin on skin with nothing separating them. Then Kimi was inside of him and moving, and Ari moved back, the two of them finding a rhythm that let them kiss.

Ari shifted, and when Kimi drove into him the next time, he howled, pleasure shooting through his limbs. He felt, more than heard, Kimi’s low growl as he shook, pushing hard and filling him. He reached down between them to find that Kimi had beaten him there, that strong hand pumping hard at his cock. Ari twisted, writhing and caught between the sensations that went on forever, his body lit up in pleasure. He was sure that time had stopped, his mind spiraling into ecstasy. The timelessness ended when his body lit up and he was lost in Kimi, in pleasure, in the stars that wheeled above them.

Ari woke slowly, as if swimming up from a great depth. He was always sure of where he was, certain of the safe cocoon that was his magic room full of soft things and lover. The windowlessness of the room meant that time was difficult to judge, despite a little natural light filtering in through the hole in the wall at one end, and the door at the other.

“Kimi?” He rubbed his eyes and looked up, drowsily noting that he was alone. Not such a great surprise; maybe Kimi had had to use the bathroom, or was making breakfast. Or lunch. Or whatever mealtime it was.

He rolled over onto his back and looked up at the ceiling, as bare and colorless as the walls and the floor. His lover would return; the entrance to his apartment was still there, the door wide open. They’d lie together on the bed, eat together— carefully. They still each cooked their own food, not wanting to chance making the other sick. Mostly not wanting to chance making Ari sick, with whatever new things had evolved. He wondered if maybe he shouldn’t love being carefully protected as much as he was. He also pushed away the voice in his head that wondered how long this could last. Could you build a real, happy relationship on two people who could only meet in one room?

When Kimi crawled in through the hole in the wall—Ari’s hole, Ari’s wall, Ari’s side of the room—Ari sat bolt upright, already startled at the noises coming from the wrong end of the little room. “What the fuck….”

At least the man had the good grace to look embarrassed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude on your space—I just stepped out into your bedroom for a few minutes, I promise.”

“For goodness’s sake! You could come live with me for all I care, except that we don’t know if we can switch times!” Ari all but screeched, shock turning to anger. “Well, I mean, maybe we do now, but how did you know that would work? Jesus Christ, you could have… died, or vanished, or something!”

Kimi had the good grace to blush. “Maybe. Or maybe I just could, and I got tired of being afraid. Besides, I tested it first. One of my dishrags is on your bedroom floor, by the way. Sorry about that.”

Ari continued to stare at him, openmouthed. “I still… my God, of all the stupid, un-thought-out, foolish, idiotic, impulsive things to do!”

“Hey! I did think it out—been thinking about it a lot. Where do you get off telling me what I can and can’t do, by the way? I didn’t hurt anything, didn’t hurt you,” Kimi argued, but he was cut off by Ari all but launching himself across the room, wrapping his arms and legs tightly around the other man and burying his face in Kimi’s neck. Ari got long brown hair in his mouth, but he didn’t care.

“You could’ve hurt yourself. And I can yell at you because I’m the one that loves you, and can’t stand to lose you,” Ari said, his voice thick as he held back tears. “And you’re still here for me to be angry at, so I will, so there.”

“Oh. Oh, Ari.” Kimi hugged him back, rocking a little as he wove his fingers through Ari’s hair and tugged it softly. “I love you too. But I had to try. I don’t want to just be stuck in this room with you forever.”

“Me either.” Ari relaxed his hold when Kimi leaned up against the wall next to the hole, letting it take both their weight. “I’m not angry at you, really.” Which was why he hid his face on Kimi’s shoulder for a moment.

“Yes, you are,” Kimi said, and he kissed his forehead. “But I get why. I’m glad you’re awake, Ari. It’ll be more fun to experiment with both of us.”

Ari smiled and nuzzled at Kimi’s throat, since he could. “You’re right, it will. Can I walk into your apartment, now?”

Kimi’s arms tightened around him, and not imperceptibly, either. Ha. You’re just as nervous, when the shoe’s on the other foot. See how you like it. “First let’s test things a little. Just because we can go one way along the timeline, doesn’t mean we can go both.”

Ari nodded and kissed his lover before slipping away. He pulled on the formerly abandoned pair of boxers to at least maintain some modesty, and jumped when Kimi snapped the elastic waistband. “Hey, ow.”

“That didn’t hurt at all. And why are you covering up glorious things?” The other man was, Ari noted, wearing a knee-length sarong, though one so thin and worn-looking absolutely nothing was left to the imagination. The fabric was practically translucent.

“Hardly glorious,” Ari mumbled, blushing hotly. He mock-frowned when Kimi pulled him close, but didn’t resist another kiss. “Mmm. Aren’t we supposed to be experimenting?”

“Among other things.” Kimi grinned and picked up Ari’s T-shirt. “Shall we chance sacrificing this?”

Ari gestured to him to go for it, and Kimi tossed it through the neat, plain doorway. The garment reacted exactly as if it were being thrown through any door—no flicker, no bursting into flames, nothing. It just landed on the floor in a rumpled pile.

“So far, so good.” Kimi walked through the door and turned, holding out his hand and smiling softly. “Come into my home, love.”

Ari reached across the threshold, clasping Kimi’s hand in his own. He took a deep breath and walked through the doorway, and into eighty-five years in the future.

It wasn’t particularly dramatic, he had to admit. The tile floor was cool on his feet. He’d seen the room before, from the doorway, so there were no real surprises there. The air smelled like autumn, the leaves on the other side of the single window just beginning to change.

Ari let go of Kimi’s hand, turning around slowly, his smile growing. The tiny apartment was mostly plain, with just a single print hanging on the wall against which a skinny bed had been pushed. The headboard of the bed was a bookcase, crammed full and decorated with a string of tiny lights strung across the front. A galley kitchen ranged across the opposite wall, and a little round table and two chairs completed the small room.

“It’s wonderful,” he said honestly. “It feels right. Like it’s very much yours.”

Kimi smiled, snuggling up to Ari’s back and wrapping his arms around the other man’s waist, hugging him from behind. “Thank you. I like it too.” He kissed Ari’s cheek, and then walked him over to the little table, gently pushing him into a chair. “Would you like some tea? Breakfast? I’m afraid coffee is hard to come by these days.”

Ari’s grin grew. This was how things were supposed to be. “Yes, please. To both. Tea is fine.”

Kimi laughed, leaning over to kiss him tenderly. “This is so fantastic. I’m so glad you’re here, love.”

Ari laughed into the kiss, finally pulling away and winking. “Hurry up and feed me. I’m curious and hungry, but your bed is so tempting….”

Kimi gave him a little smack on his hip but went to go fix breakfast for the two of them, just as normal as anything.

Ari scratched his foot absentmindedly, pushing off with the other as he swung in the hammock, most of his attention on his book. Attention which was quickly diverted when he scratched the same place on his foot and realized his fingers were wet. He looked down and winced.

One of the blisters he’d gotten from the ill-conceived hiking trip had obviously become infected, the skin around it gone red and puffy and the sore itself now leaking a foul mixture of pus, blood, and clear fluid. “Ew. Really gross.” He prodded the swollen skin around the sore, a big one on the knuckle below his big toe. Dull pain radiated out, and a little more fluid leaked from the rough, angry-looking patch. Better deal with it, he decided, walking carefully inside on the outer edge of the foot, keeping the sore out of the grass until he could get some antibiotic cream on it and bandage it up.

After their discovery that they could use the room as a conduit as well as a meeting place, Ari and Kimi didn’t spend nearly as much time in the secret room as before. It was cozy and held happy memories, but it was also dark, poorly ventilated, and plain, despite the colorful pillows scattered about. They slept apart if they were busy, or if Kimi was working a night shift, but otherwise, they traded off which bed held them both. And then, occasionally, Ari came home to find Kimi curled up in his bed, fast asleep and unutterably tempting. He was going to throw a dinner party, introduce Kimi to all his friends, just as soon as he stopped wanting to keep the gem of a man solely to himself.

“I want to meet them! Especially Ryan.”

Ari made a face at the man lolling across the foot of his bed and playing with his cell phone. Kimi hadn’t meant to exclaim about what an antique it was. Even if it sort of was, even in 2010 terms. “You will. You really will, I promise. I’m just being selfish.”

Kimi grinned, rolling over onto his stomach and kissing Ari’s knee. “I like you being selfish with me. But have that party soon? I’ll make it worth your while.” He lowered his eyelashes and wriggled his butt flirtatiously, or what he apparently thought of as flirtatiously.

Ari laughed, leaning over to grab a handful of Kimi’s hair and give it a yank. “All right. Saturday night good for you?”

“Uh-huh.” Kimi stretched out. “Not doing anything.”

“Butt. When can I meet your friends?”

Kimi shrugged. “I’ll have them over sometime. I don’t have that many, really. Not close friends, I mean.”

“Silly. You’re wonderful, why not?”

Kimi shrugged again. “Just moved to a new place? Been a little distracted?” He grinned, reaching out to trace a finger along the instep of Ari’s foot, when something caught his eye. “Hey, what did you do to yourself?” He sat up, gently unfolding Ari’s left leg and running one hand over the still-swollen foot, a bright red line now radiating out from under the bandage. “This isn’t good, sweet one.”

Ari swore, and pulled his foot away, blushing. “It’s nothing. One of those blisters got infected. I thought it was healing!”

Kimi frowned, resting his hand on the too-warm skin; not rubbing it, not caressing, just touching. “It’s really infected.”

“I know, I know.” Ari shrugged. “I’ll call my doctor tomorrow, okay? Some antibiotics’ll clear it right up.”

“When did the infection start?”

“Dunno. Monday?”

Kimi blanched. “After you’d been in my apartment. Oh, Ari, what if it’s an infection from my time? Antibiotics might not work… dammit! I should’ve thought of this!”

“Hey, hey. Relax. I walk around barefoot all the time—could just as easily be from my yard,” Ari soothed, hiding his foot again while Kimi was distracted. He reached for the other man’s hand and twined their fingers together. “Everything’ll be fine.”

“Sorry. You’re probably right.” Kimi still looked troubled, that muscular body now curled up atop Ari’s bedspread, their hands still clasped together.

“Well?”

Ari laughed, meeting Kimi at the door to his apartment and kissing him hello. “Hi, lover. I hope you had a good day too. Your turn for dinner.”

“Ari….”

Ari sighed. “I have antibiotics. My foot hurts. Presuming the antibiotics start working, my foot will stop hurting soon. Happy?”

“No. Well, yes, but still worried,” Kimi admitted, wrapping his arms around Ari’s waist. Their height difference meant that Kimi’s dark head fit perfectly into the hollow of Ari’s shoulder.

“Well, lucky for you, there’s no need,” Ari soothed. “Now let me sit down, and stop fussing.”

“No, I won’t.” Kimi led Ari over to the table, settling him there before he started fixing dinner. Something light, with lots of vegetables and vitamins and healthy stuff. “Stop fussing, I mean. I love you, dipshit, so I’m going to worry until you’re all right.”

Ari laughed at the casual insult mixed with tender words. “I love you too, douche. I’ve made it so far without anyone worrying over me, you know.”

“Uh-huh. Come to me if it’s not better in a few days. We have better drugs now.” Kimi said, no nonsense in his voice. “And, all right, you’ve made it to twenty-seven without keeling over, but I cannot imagine that no one’s worried over you in all that time.”

“Not really, actually.” Ari shrugged. “I mean, Mom when I was really tiny, I guess. But I’ve always taken care of myself. And I haven’t exactly led an exciting life.” Until you came along, and thank God for that.

“Well, now you do, what with being forced out into nature and all that. And you have a boyfriend who loves you.” Kimi walked past the table to grab something from the fridge and paused to kiss the top of Ari’s head. “Get used to change.”

Ari made a face, but smiled anyway. “You better do the same. I’ll have you exploring the joys of shuffling around the house all day in your jammies yet.”

When Kimi laughed, he figured the subject was closed. When they tangled with the sheets that night, bodies slick with sweat and Ari on his back, ankles up by his ears, he couldn’t even think of what the subject was.

It was Saturday, right? Or Sunday? One of the S-days. Ari closed his eyes, and saw calendar pages flip past. One of those page-a-day calendars. It wouldn’t stop long enough for him to see what day it was, so he fell asleep and dreamed that he had locked himself out of his house and so he was walking to Kimi’s, so he could get in by the secret room.

He woke up and it was dark, and he knew he had a fever. The clock said six fifteen, and he guessed it was still morning. Maybe? He took a pill and looked at his foot. The toes were going bluish, and the whole foot had swollen. Something was leaking through the bandage they’d applied at the doctor’s office.

Ari drifted off then and dreamed of getting out of bed, going through the secret room, and finding Kimi in his apartment. He woke up in his own bed, not sure what had just happened. He couldn’t quite focus on the clock, but he knew he needed help, that he was worse. “Sorry, love. You were right.” He got up and limped his way into the secret room. Kimi would find him there.

He woke up in his bed, dreams melding with reality, and he wasn’t sure which was which. He’d dreamed he’d gone to Kimi’s, but he really hadn’t. He was pretty sure. Dreams and reality both hurt, and he wondered if he was dying, or if they’d have to amputate his foot. Maybe both; one then the other. And no one would be able to get to Kimi to tell him. Ari had to tell him he was dying, and apologize.

He couldn’t put weight on the foot, so he crawled through the hole in the wall, to the room full of pillows where they had first had sex. He grinned, remembering how good it was, how good it always was. Kimi’d have no trouble finding someone after he died.

The tile floor was so lovely and cool that he lay down on it, shifting so his foot was pressed against it, and passed out.

It was nice and soft and warm. That meant bed. And he hadn’t been woken by an alarm, so it was the weekend, which meant he’d slept late and had all day to drink coffee and read. It was getting a little cool to sit in the garden, but his living room was equally cozy. Ari curled up on his side, not wanting to wake up just yet. What was the rush, after all?

“Ari? You awake in there?” The voice was soft and rough, and he knew it in an instant. Kimi. Good. More reason to not get up. Why isn’t the idiot in bed with me?

He stretched, rolling over onto his back, and the pain that shot up his leg brought him immediately awake, memories flooding back over him. His foot was infected, something from Kimi’s time, he was dying, he’d lose the leg, he’d come to say goodbye.

He didn’t mean to scare the other man when he gasped and shot upright, just missing head-butting him hard. “Shit. Shit!”

“Shh, shh. Ari, be still. It’s all right.” Kimi wrapped him in a huge hug, half-kneeling beside him on the bed now. “You’re all right, or you will be. I found you when I got home, got a doctor to come here, one who wouldn’t ask questions. Got you real medicine.”

“Hey, I had real medicine before,” Ari said defensively, feeling a little hurt by the unintended dig at his time.

“Sorry. You know what I mean.” Kimi hugged him harder, just for a moment. “God, you were in bad shape. You’ll be okay. Just rest, lots of rest. Get better and be strong again.”

“Good. Good. Uh. Thank you.” Ari laughed in between catching his breath and hugging Kimi back. “Oh, honey. It’s okay? Really?”

Kimi nodded, sitting back and pulling down the covers. Ari’s left foot was completely covered in a kind of boot from his toes up over his ankle. It hurt, distantly, but not badly. “Good as new. It’s in a… thing. Uh, I’m not sure exactly how it works, but it can monitor the infection, adjust the medication, and inject it right into your bloodstream. You’ll have to stay here,” he said apologetically. “For another few days, at least. Then they can put a regular old bandage on it, and you can rest up in your own house. Sorry.”

“If you can put up with me, I’m happy anywhere,” Ari protested. “You saved my life.”

Kimi shrugged. “Well, it was sort of my fault. Kind of?” He laughed at the look Ari gave him. “Okay, it wasn’t. But I’m not exactly going to leave you to the wolves, sweetheart.” He pulled the covers up again, and Ari lay back on the pillows—before shooting upright again.

“Shit! What day is it?”

“Tuesday. Don’t worry, I called you in sick for the next two weeks,” Kimi assured him. “Relax, will you?”

“No.” Ari stuck his tongue out, and yelped when Kimi went in for a kiss, biting lightly. “Bastard.”

“Dear one. Sure you don’t want to sleep for a few more days?” Kimi winked. “Lie down and rest, love. Are you hungry?”

“Not really. I do have to pee,” Ari admitted. “Can I walk with this thing?”

“No weight on it,” Kimi said apologetically. “But I’ve got crutches. Be careful, eh? You’ve been out of it for a long time.”

Ari promised, smiling a little at the mix of overprotection and blaséness that made his lover. Kimi supported him for a few minutes as he stood up, but he managed all right once his head stopped swimming.

Kimi’s bed felt better than usual when he finally dropped into it again and crawled under the covers, taking care with the weird, futuristic boot. He sighed and closed his eyes, pretty sure he didn’t have the energy even to eat something if he’d been hungry. “You busy?”

“No, dear one. Need anything?”

Ari shook his head. “Lie down with me? For a little bit?”

“Yes. Ask me a hard one next time.” Ari opened one eye to see Kimi grinning, then sliding in beside him, gathering Ari in his arms. “All right?”

“Mmmhmm.” Ari rolled onto his side, cuddling close, and forced his eyes open to meet Kimi’s. “Hey,” he said softly. “I know we were joking, but you know this isn’t your fault, right? None of it. Just a freak accident.”

“I know,” Kimi promised him, eyes open and honest, and Ari relaxed. He could stick around just about long enough to feel the kiss brush against his mouth, and then sleep claimed him.

He ate the next time he woke up, just a little, and fell right back asleep, a pattern that repeated itself over the next two days, with only minor variation in how long he could manage to stay awake. Kimi must have taken off work as well; the other man was always around, usually with tea, or some kind of treat, or a chaste kiss that grew less chaste as the days passed and Ari recovered.

Three days on, just as he was getting antsy, Kimi managed to get the doctor (Ari was pretty sure he was a physician, anyway) to come and look him over, remove the boot, and declare him on the road to recovery.

The visit was short, brusque and businesslike. Ari’s foot still rested on Kimi’s lap, where he’d applied a loose bandage to protect it. Ari had been given leave to walk around, as long as he took it easy most of the time, leaning on the crutches if he needed them.

“Well. I guess you want to get back to your own place.”

Ari nodded, and swallowed hard. “Will you… will you stay there with me? A bit?” It wasn’t like he needed the help. But he wanted the company, so badly.

Kimi’s face relaxed, expression lightening as he nodded. “Of course.”

Ari grinned and swung his legs over the side of the bed before carefully standing, one hand on Kimi’s shoulder more because he could than because he needed the help. “C’mon, love. I’ll give you a proper tour.”

He found he could walk mostly unaided. He still limped heavily due to the tender foot, but Kimi was there, offering an arm if he needed it. Together they walked through the doorway into the secret room. They’d hardly spent any time at all there since discovering that they could move to past or future without harm. Ari paused, cupping his lover’s chin and kissing him.

“Mmm. Dunno what that was for, but I hope I keep doing it.”

Ari laughed, and they kept going, somehow making it through the hole into his closet. “Just happy memories. I don’t know why this happened, or how, or why it happened to me, but I am a damned lucky man.”

“Know the feeling,” Kimi said softly, following him out into the bedroom. It was in some disarray, first from Ari’s illness, then from Kimi’s quick stops to get fresh underwear, or a change of pajamas. Ari wrinkled his nose at the quilt and sheets in disarray. At least they didn’t reek from when he’d sweated all over them.

Kimi kissed his temple. “Right, bed. Very important, that.”

“Wishful thinker,” Ari teased, leaning a little against the other man. “The spirit’s damned willing, but the flesh isn’t up to much more than a chaste cuddle.” But first, he’d show Kimi around a real house. The man would flip when he saw the lawn. He started down the corridor, arm still through his lover’s. He might not be running a marathon anytime soon, but at least he could totter through the house.

“Then we’ll crawl in together and pretend we’re old men, satisfied with a kiss and a big bed,” Kimi said. They both ignored how his voice caught—who was to say they’d grow old together?

“You might be content. I’m going to be a dirty, randy old man until the end,” Ari declared. “And we’ve already passed the… well, it’s storage right now, dunno what else it’ll be someday. This is my office,” he said, nodding into the small, square room they stood beside, having made a little circle of the upstairs. “And bathroom, of course.” He’d really struck gold with this one; the bathroom was surprisingly big, and with fixtures straight out of the 1950s, including a clawfoot bathtub.

Kimi’s eyes widened at the sight of it. “Oh my God, that’s right! You can still take baths!” He laughed, covering his mouth with one hand. “Oops. I’m sorry, just… oh, wow. I’ve seen them in museums and stuff….”

Ari held up his hand. “I don’t want to know. I really don’t. But I’ll draw you a bath later.” He grinned shyly. “Something I can give you. Well, one of a few things. Wait’ll you see my garden.”

Kimi stopped them there, looking very serious. He faced Ari and cupped his face in his hands, thumbs gently stroking Ari’s high cheekbones. “Hey. You’ve given me a lot. So much more than a bath, or some grass to walk on. Don’t ever think otherwise, okay?”

Ari gave him an odd look. “I don’t. I promise, Kimi.” He leaned in for a soft kiss, tongue prying Kimi’s mouth open. “Love you,” he breathed.

Kimi nodded, hugging him tightly. “Sorry. Just… I don’t want you to feel like you have to owe me.”

“I don’t! I promise!” Ari laughed. “Are you allergic to gifts or something?”

Kimi flushed, giving a half-smile. “Apparently?”

“Eh. I think I’ll keep you anyway.” Ari kissed Kimi again, this time a loud, smacking one on his nose. For someone suffused with confidence, Kimi was just starting to show vulnerability. Ari decided that he loved him at least twice as much for it too.

Kimi just smiled, and let Ari lead on, the two of them descending the long staircase to the front room, with its big bay window. “Living room. Dining room.” Ari named the supposed purposes as he went through, ignoring that his dining room table was entirely covered in mail, work he’d brought home, and all the knickknacks that had gathered in the time since he’d lived there and neglected to throw a single party, or even have anyone over for dinner. “Kitchen. Mudroom.” He couldn’t help but grin, walking them faster to the dark little room at the back of the house. “And the best part….” He pushed Kimi in front of him and opened the back door, then pushed the screen door open. “Yard. And garden.”

Kimi’s jaw dropped, and then he burst out laughing, running down the concrete steps and kicking off the sandals he wore to walk barefoot in the too-long grass. “Oh, wow. Oh, Ari….”

Ari stood in the doorway, grinning to see his lover so happy, and laughed when Kimi did a cartwheel. “Try the hammock,” he advised. “Mess around, play all you want. Food’s in the kitchen. I’m afraid my bed’s just calling me too much,” he apologized.

Kimi ran back to him, wrapping his arms around Ari’s waist. “No, I can go with you. You’re just out of bed; you’re still getting your strength back.”

“Which is why I’m going to take a nap. And why you’re going to explore and roll around in the grass. I wish it wasn’t autumn—I’d have a real garden for you to mess around in.”

“I mess around on a farm every few days,” Kimi reminded him, and he hesitated. “You don’t need me?”

“Not for the next few hours. Relax. You’ve worked hard, love.” Ari kissed him, marveling at how he didn’t really ever want to stop. “Come wake me up in a few hours, and we’ll make dinner.”

“All right. Sleep well. It’ll be good for you.” Kimi hugged him tightly, and then made a beeline for the hammock. It was chilly outside, but Kimi was wearing long, loose trousers and a woolen shirt, so Ari reckoned he’d be all right.

Going by the low sunlight, Ari’d been asleep a few hours when he was awakened by a pair of the coldest feet he’d ever felt in his life, pressed right along his calves. He meant to give an indignant shriek, but he settled for a sleepy grumble and rolled over into Kimi’s arms.

The other man’s skin was cool to the touch, but not too much so, and he warmed quickly with the two of them bundled together in the big bed.

Ari nuzzled what felt like a chin—thanks to the ever-present beard—and sighed happily.

“I could stay here,” Kimi whispered, and that woke Ari up. Maybe the most awake I’ve ever been…. “I could,” he repeated. “I won’t get sick—I checked. We got all the same immunizations, I can eat whatever I want, drink the water, all that. I can just go over for my job, and then live here with you.”

Ari held his breath, held his body absolutely still. This was something big, so much bigger than anything else he’d ever known. Ari Rosenberg, who’d gone through a life as smooth and dull as glass, had fallen in love. And even more amazing, someone had fallen in love with him.

“I want to. I don’t want to sleep apart from you. I don’t know how we’ll make it work, but we will. Somehow.”

Ari nodded, breathless, the lump in his throat making speaking beyond him. “I don’t want to be apart from you either. And I’m afraid of your world.”

“I’m afraid of what it could do to you,” Kimi agreed softly. “And… I don’t have anyone there anymore. Not really any friends to speak of, no family, just work. You’ve got a whole life.”

“And you’re a huge part of it,” Ari reminded him. He smiled shyly. “I’ve got me to offer you, and trees and acres of woods, all yours. I’ll go into the countryside with you, or introduce you to Ryan so the two of you can go out without me dragging you down. Anything you want, and me to come home to.”

“Ah, now what could be better than that?” Kimi laughed softly, and their bodies twined together, starting to rock, just a little. They traded kisses, openmouthed and hungry as their limbs moved, stroking and holding.

Ari moaned softly, feeling Kimi’s cock hot and hard against his thigh. His body was tired, but not as worn out as it had been, and his cock filled, growing just as hard. They lay together, perfect equals, hands coming down between them to grasp and pull, Kimi laughing softly, a deep sound in his throat as Ari cried out and bucked his hips, pushing up into the sensation.

And then it was Kimi’s turn to moan as Ari pushed him onto his back, rolling over atop him, propped up on his elbows and his hips rubbing away, the two of them setting a rhythm. I feel like a teenager again, and I don’t care, Ari thought as he rocked his hips, straining for the sensation of his cock against Kimi’s, both of them trapped between their bodies, but with not quite enough pressure. Should probably feel weird for dry-humping. Don’t. Just want to be touching him all over, want this to last.

Kimi’s hand eventually crept between their bodies, quickly coated in sweat and the beads of liquid that meant not-quite-yet, and he grasped them and moved his fist, squeezing to give the friction they both wanted, and Ari’s vision went white-hot, his hips snapping then freezing as he came, balls aching from release. A wild cry and a second spray of wetness meant Kimi had come, too, and they collapsed together in their own mess and sweat, their bodies too addled even to kiss.

“Don’t want to go back,” Kimi slurred, and Ari just about nodded. He felt too good to talk, drained in the very best way. Better to lie still and just drift, curled up with Kimi and enjoying the afterglow that turned into sleep.

Ari woke up first and mopped them both up as best he could with his T-shirt. The fact that Kimi’s chest was lightly furred—well, maybe not very lightly, come to think of it—was usually absolutely delectable in every way. Ari had discovered the one way in which it wasn’t.

Kimi stirred, whimpering and trying to push his hand away, and Ari decided a shower would be much more fun and possibly actually effective. He leaned over instead, pressing soft little kisses to Kimi’s mouth and rubbing their unshaven cheeks together.

The dark-haired man’s grumbling turned happier, and Kimi turned his head to chase further kisses down, his eyes slowly opening, still sleep-heavy and sweet.

“Hey,” Ari whispered, and he kissed him again, pressing just the tip of his tongue to Kimi’s lips.

The other man was smiling, and Ari noticed that his eyes crinkled at the edges. He kissed each of those little sprays of lines too.

“Mmm. Kisses to wake up.” Kimi wrapped his arms around Ari, rolling them over onto their sides and nuzzling the little spot just under his chin that made him yelp and giggle and squirm closer. “Love you.”

“Oh, Kimi.” Ari hugged him tightly. “You’re crazy. I love you too. And we need showers.”

“Romance is totally not dead. I don’t know what people are talking about.” Kimi winked and kissed him. “I’m not crazy. But you’re right, we’re both awfully, ah… sticky.” He looked longingly at Ari for a moment. “Will the bathtub hold us both?”

“Don’t know. But let’s find out?”

Kimi chuckled softly and kissed the tip of Ari’s nose. “Deal. I’ll go back to my place and get some clothes for the weekend, yeah?”

Ari nodded, rolling out of bed and standing cautiously, pleased to find his foot much recovered. “I’ll start the bath.”

If he hadn’t stopped to dig through the hamper for clean towels, he would’ve been far down the corridor when Kimi shifted the piece of plywood and found only smooth, perfect wood. The small hole that had cut through to the magic room was gone, and it was as if nothing had ever been there.

Of course, he could have been anywhere in the house and heard Kimi’s cry, a raw, scared, ugly sound that had him dropping everything—literally—and taking the few steps needed to see the untouched wall and reach out, pulling Kimi into his arms without thinking.

“No, no, no, no. Fuck that. No.” Kimi wasn’t even crying, not really. Shaking hard enough that his teeth chattered, those green-brown eyes wide, but not crying, despite the raw sobbing sounds coming from his throat.

“Oh, God. Oh, Kimi… it’ll be….” Ari trailed off. What the hell was he going to say, that everything would be all right? It wouldn’t be; how could it? And more than that, who had been so cruel to give them each other, and then to destroy Kimi’s life?

Ari just watched, his arms still around Kimi, as the other man folded in on himself, shuddering as he fought for control. He hugged his lover tightly, rocking him, hoping he was doing the right thing. There was a pile of papers he didn’t recognize on the floor, and he wanted to examine the wall more closely, and on top of that his foot was starting to hurt, but that was the least important thing in the world right then. And Kimi, the most important.

Finally the other man stilled, and then gently pulled away, unfolding his compact, muscular body. He leaned over gracefully, holding a hand to Ari and helping him to his feet.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I need some time to myself. May I use your garden?”

Ari nodded. “It’s… you can be alone, for as long as you like. I’ll be inside, if you need anything.” He squeezed Kimi’s hand cautiously, but the other man didn’t even smile, just nodded and turned and walked down the corridor.

Ari let out a long sigh and glared at his closet. What was the rhyme or reason? But then, why should magic, a miracle, or science beyond even imagining have a reason? he reminded himself.

Well, the magician, saint, or scientist who had brought them together and then gave them no choice had at least been practical. The sheaf of papers proved to be everything Kimi would need to establish himself in the year 2010: birth certificate, social security card, a passport—even certification proving he’d earned an MSW. Ari smiled a little, noting the birth date on the certificate—apparently they now shared a birthday, and even the same year. November 23rd was going to be something this year.

Ari sighed, arranging everything in a neat pile and slowly making his way downstairs to the cozy kitchen. He’d make tea, have it ready for Kimi when he came back indoors.

The simple ritual of preparing the tea was soothing, staving off heartache for a little bit. Sitting down finally and cradling a cup of the fragrant brew let it all come back, and Ari sank into thought, planning and hoping, and expecting the worst as was still his wont. Kimi hadn’t transformed him completely.

The illness caused by his lover’s world was still with him too; Ari was exhausted. His foot throbbed, even after he propped it up on a chair, and he finally gave in and curled up right at the table, his head pillowed on his arms, intending just to rest his eyes. He grumbled a little at the infection that had ravaged his body, and fell immediately into a deep sleep.

“Ari? Oh, God, I’m sorry, please….” Whatever else Kimi was going to say faded away as Ari jolted awake, startled by the worried voice and the hand rubbing his back.

“Unh? God, sorry, I didn’t mean to…. Oh, hell, the tea is cold.”

Kimi stared at him, and burst into laughter that was only a little bit hysterical. “The tea?”

“Yes. I’d made some, if you were… well, if you needed it.” He glared at the clock, which along with the crick in his neck spoke of a catnap that had gone on for a good three hours. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” He rolled his neck and made to stand, only to be gently pushed down, as Kimi began to rub his shoulders.

“The hell with the tea. I came in and saw you all collapsed on the table and thought….” Kimi trailed off, and Ari just reached up, touching his hand, stroking the rough knuckles. “Never mind. Oh, and you drooled on yourself.”

“Thank you, I love you too,” Ari said dryly, swiping at his mouth. “How’re you doing?”

“Honestly? Holding it together by making fun of you.” Kimi laughed again, raw and scared. “Ari, what am I going to do?”

“Learn your new birth date.” Ari moaned as Kimi hit a particularly tight knot and soothed the soreness away. “Whoever it was… doing all of this, at least left you enough to get started in this world. You can even find work.”

“Really?” Kimi didn’t stop the massage, peering over Ari’s head at the documents arrayed on the table. “Same birth date at least, just a new year.”

“Happy birthday to us, then. Soon, anyway.” Ari smiled shyly. “Kimi, I don’t want you to feel like… like you’re tied to me forever, or anything. You can stay here as long as you like, but don’t… I mean….” He stopped and looked up at Kimi, at the strong man now bowed, and met those forest-floor eyes that were red and raw from weeping, imagining he saw the love beneath the pain.

“You’ll always have a place to stay here.” He reached up, just touching Kimi’s face. “And I love you just as much. But if you need to go off, to make your own life, to mourn, whatever—I understand. And still love you.”

Kimi smiled, happiness sparking back into his eyes, just for a moment. He pressed Ari’s hand to his cheek, and turned his head to kiss the soft palm, just briefly. “Maybe I am blessed. I’m not going anywhere, not just yet, and probably not ever. Ari, I’ve never lived on my own, not like you do here, and I’d never want to. I need people around, and I need you around. But thank you.” He let out a juddering laugh that was more than halfway to weeping. “I’ll just be a little crazy for a few months. Years. Possibly decades.”

“Then you’ll be crazy under my roof. And be as crazy as you want, but can it be more or less near my bed for the next few days?” Ari smiled weakly. “And I really, really wish that was the come-on it sounds like.”

Kimi tried to laugh, but didn’t quite make it. “I’m exhausted too. Come on. We’ll get you to bed, and keep that foot up.” He helped Ari to his feet, and they went up the stairs, supporting one another.

Kimi helped Ari to settle in bed, fussing over him to distract them both. He lay down with his head on Ari’s chest, closed his eyes, and sighed, too drained to weep. “Say we’ll always have this?”

“Always,” Ari whispered, holding Kimi tight.

“Then maybe I’ll make it okay.”

Epilogue

Six months later

“We’ll swing by and get you for dinner,” Kimi promised, pulling on his hat and giving his pack one last quick check. “Probably around five. It’s a pretty short hike.”

“Ten miles. Right.” Ari smiled wryly and shoved the knitted hat over his lover’s eyes. “Have fun, freak. Don’t freeze to death.”

Kimi laughed, adjusted the hat, and pulled Ari into a hug and helped himself to a kiss. “I won’t, promise. Have fun yourself, boring old man.”

Ari grinned at that; considering what they’d done first thing that morning, he was hardly boring, or old. Nor was he going to be sitting on a hard surface for the next few hours.

He poked his head out the door long enough to wave to Ryan and watch Kimi run for the little car before retreating from the March chill in the air to a cup of coffee, a book, and their sofa.

They picked him up closer to six, and dinner turned into drinks, which turned into Ari and Kimi getting back home at nearly midnight, Ryan dropping them off after a highly successful day for everyone involved.

Ari changed into pajamas and crawled into bed, curling up and smiling at the low light in the room throwing up shadows. Kimi had opted for a shower, and his skin was still damp and warm when he slid into bed beside Ari, snapping the light off as he lay down.

“Awww, clothes? Really?” Ari could hear the pout in Kimi’s voice, and he laughed, snuggling close, very pleased to rest his head on Kimi’s bare chest.

“I don’t have my own pelt. Wait ’til summer, it’ll be too hot for clothes or blankets.”

“Or sex.” Kimi nuzzled his hair, the two of them making the tiny adjustments that meant they’d sleep entwined together until morning. “Love you.”

“Love you too, you insane man. How can you spend all day outdoors in this weather?”

Kimi chuckled softly and slipped a hand up under Ari’s T-shirt, just resting it on his back. “It’s wonderful. All of it is. Your whole world. Our whole world,” he corrected himself.

Ari nodded. Kimi was still adjusting. Maybe he would spend the rest of his life adjusting, learning his way around a world that had been forever gone. But he was adjusting while he found work, made a huge circle of friends, and went out into the wilderness every chance he got. Ari had spent the day booking them a camping trip for them in the Pacific Northwest, to be presented as a surprise… oh, the next morning would do. The things he did for this man.

He grinned, thinking of a Sunday afternoon spent in bed with his very own time-traveler. Oh, the things he did.

About the Author

Sophia Deri-Bowen is a proud native Philadelphian who packed up her life and moved to Wales not too very long ago. She’s still not quite sure how she managed it, but she now lives and studies in a beloved new country. Time not spent digging out from under a pile of research goes to rugby union (both playing and watching), knitting, and rambling as far and wide as possible. She is perhaps slightly too obsessed with old boats, the Welsh language, and finding a place that has a decent Belgian beer on tap.

Visit her blog at http://sophiaderibowen.wordpress.com.

Also by Sophia Deri-Bowen

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

Copyright

I Reach Through Time and Touch the Other Side ©Copyright Sophia Deri-Bowen, 2011

Published by

Dreamspinner Press

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Suite 244-149

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Cover Art by Paul Richmond   http://www.paulrichmondstudio.com

This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. This eBook cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this eBook can be shared or reproduced without the express permission of the Publisher. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press at: 4760 Preston Road, Suite 244-149, Frisco, TX 75034 http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

Released in the United States of America

April 2011

eBook Edition

eBook ISBN: 978-1-61581-827-3