I Reach Through Time and Touch the Other Side

by Sophia Deri-bowen

  “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, t
he 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 sm
iled, 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.”