Beyond
the Touch of Tomorrow
Kristin
Website: http://kristin.icculus.org/
Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. "Roswell" is the
property of the WB, it's creator, and a bunch of other people. This is not for
profit.
Distribution: Want it? Take it. Just let me know where it's going and leave this
heading on it.
Pairing: Kyle/Max
Rating: R
Spoilers: General Season 1 and 2, especially "End Of The World".
Summary: Future Max knew that Kyle wasn't joking... and he saw a way to change
the future once and for all.
~If
we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.~
-Gluseppe di Lampedusa
"No.
But since he healed me, I keep getting these flashes of Max Evans naked."
//What the hell?! I *know* that didn't just come out my mouth! Oh shit...// Kyle
kept the shock from his face and fought to loosen the tension that had strung
his muscles tight.
"I
never knew."
Liz
gasped in surprise, and Kyle whipped his head around to see a dark figure
leaning in the bathroom doorway. Loose curls framed a rough face, and the
stranger's lean body was sheathed in leather--which was odd enough as it was.
But the most disconcerting aspect of all... the stranger was Max Evans.
Except... it *wasn't* Max, not really. Kyle knew about their powers, had seen
Tess perform the most bizarre and mundane sorts of magic, yet this wasn't mere
illusion. It was the eyes-the eyes gave it away. This man's eyes were so cold
and hard, yet fragile at the same time. They spoke of an intimate knowledge of
death, while Max's still held onto a certain degree of innocence. And hope...
with Max there was *always* hope. And in that instant every fiber in Kyle's mind
and body wanted rush out of that house and find him, hide him in a log cabin in
the middle of nowhere, and make sure that Max never knew despair. This wasn't
Max but it *could* be, oh fucking christ it could be and that sent a bolt of
terror down Kyle's spine.
The
stranger closed the curtains and moved onto the bed like liquid lightening,
sitting with crossed legs in an almost earnest fashion while directing his
piercing gaze into Kyle's wide eyed one. An awkward smile flitted past almost
painfully-as if his face was unaccustomed to the act-and he gave a small dry
laugh.
"I
remember healing you... and I thought... but I never knew for sure. And I
remember--you left that summer. We were working on covering our tracks and tried
not to need anyone else. But I *did* think of you. You were always in the back
of my mind. But then Liz came back and well... I didn't want to follow a
destiny. And she was safe; I knew Liz." Both teens stared at him in shock
as he shrugged and shook his head. "I just brushed the sensations away
whenever you were around. I never knew that you were still feeling it too."
The stranger drew himself up with a defensive air. "We didn't have any rule
book. I didn't know what the hell I was doing. None of us did. Yes, I was so
sure when I was healing you... but later... I just denied the connection."
"Max?"
Betrayal and confusion were etched across Liz's face.
Kyle
gaped at her in shock and grasped her shoulders hard, shaking her torso back and
forth in panic. "This isn't Max, Liz. Are you crazy?!" He jumped out
of the bed and backed up against the wall. "Look man, I don't know who the
hell you are but you don't want to fuck with those guys. We know you're not Max
Evans so just leave, ok? We won't even tell him we saw you."
"Wait,
Kyle!" The stranger moved towards him, reaching out a hand in a pacifying
gesture. A fingertip grazed Kyle's cheek, seeming to burn through the skin and
down to his soul.
"Don't
fucking touch me man!"
"Okay,
okay..." The weary older man backed off slowly with palms turned outward,
oozing submission.
"Kyle,
it *is* Max. He's from the future." Liz's voice approached a shriek,
desperately attempting to cut through the confusion.
It
stopped Kyle cold. Six months ago those words wouldn't have even registered.
Hell, 6 months ago they would have seriously pissed him off. But he's seen
things... he'd felt things that only one other human being had felt. So he
simply stopped and considered... and accepted. And moved on.
"So
what's he doing here? Who does he think he is, Michael J. Fox?"
The
weak attempt at a joke smoothed most of the tension away, and elicited a
half-hearted smile from Liz--but not the stranger or Max-from-the-future or
Not-Max or whoever the hell he was. Then a dark seriousness crept over the other
man, and he explained the circumstances with an intent gaze fixed on the wall.
"Wait
a minute... So you were going to fix this by having Max catch Liz and me in bed
together? But you closed the curtains! And he's gone by now anyway. Okay. Calm.
Stay calm. I just need to meditate on this. We need to find peace within
ourselves and sacrifice our wants for the common good. Oh shit. I can't freaking
follow the ways of Budda when I know the world's gonna end!"
"The
world isn't going to end."
"What?"
Liz and Kyle's necks snapped around so fast it made their heads swim.
"New
battle plan. This "cheating" wouldn't have worked anyway. Think about
it Liz--even if I fell for it, you would probably end up breaking down about the
plan eventually. I know you. And I don't think my younger self is falling in
love with Tess anytime soon. But *you*!" Not-Max was pointing at Kyle and
sending a twisty turning feeling to his stomach. "I have a connection with
you that that's stronger than my bond with Liz. I'm repressing it, sure, but we
can awaken it again."
Laugher
bubbled up from Liz that was bordering on the edge of hysteria. "What, are
you going to dress *him* in a low cut shirt now?"
"Ummm...
No, that won't be necessary."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The
night was deafening. Leaves went off like rockets underneath his feet and the
pebbles he kicked could have been boulders. Crickets were playing their endless
insane melody, blanketing him on all sides as he walked through the park, so
Kyle was not surprised when Max failed to acknowledge his call of greeting.
He
grasped the bench with one hand and vaulted over, the wood cold and slightly
damp underneath his palm. Still no sign of life.
"Max?"
His voice seemed to echo across the wide-open space, blotting out all other
sound.
A
slow sideways glance, but not frank dismissal as of yet. //Progress?//
"You
wanna talk about it man? Or maybe a little booze?" Kyle's face split into
an open, friendly grin upon the memory of that crazy night so long ago. The grin
proved contagious, and Max couldn't help but let out a small smile.
"I
think I learned my lesson the first time."
"Want
some company then?" Stomach quivering, Kyle let his hand slide over the
wood and onto Max's shoulder.
The
fabric was soft under his fingertips, and Kyle had the most surreal feeling that
it was pressing back at him. The hard bones hiding underneath the blue black
shirt seemed to caress Kyle's hand, the covered muscles moving against his palm
like liquid as Max breathed. Almost against his will, Kyle let his hand drift
upwards to the bare expanse of neck, seeking warm flesh. When he reached his
destination Max gasped, entire body freezing into hard granite.
"Kyle?
What are you-" The fragile whisper caved in on itself, and all of a sudden
Max's body was moving again, tensing like a spring board.
A
strong hand shot out to grip Kyle's knee-a desperate attempt to find anchor in
chaos. Kyle breathed deeply and just let his strength *flow* into the other man.
Calm. Yes, the trick was just to remain calm.
"What
exactly are you doing here Kyle?" Max's voice was firmer now, though
swamped in confusion
"Ummm...
I think I'm trying to seduce you..." //Yeah, and could you help me out a
little here? It isn't easy trying to save the world. Ask Liz.// A hysterical
giggle built up in Kyle's throat, and he had to struggle to keep it down.
Like
a frightened animal, Max leapt away at lightening speed. Eyes widened and chest
heaving, he resembled a scared rabbit, and this hint of the ridiculous gave Kyle
the confidence he needed to regain his equilibrium.
"You
look so fucking beautiful in the moonlight. Hell, I never even knew before that
guys could be beautiful."
Kyle
brought his hand up to Max's face and began to explore the soft skin, tracing
his cheekbones and dancing across his eyebrows. The way Max leaned into his
touch was intoxicating, and he loved how the other boy's eyes never wavered from
his face. All of Max's attention was finally focused on *him* and his touch. It
was power.
His
other hand came up to brush callused fingers over moist pink lips, and Max gave
out a little gasp. Encouraged, Kyle gave into further explorations. His fingers
skated underneath Max's shirt, savoring the contradiction that was the other
boy's body--chiseled and hard as rock, yet baby soft and smooth as ice. And the
heat. Max's skin was branding his palm, melding their flesh into one.
Slowly...deliberately...Kyle let his hand linger along the boy's waistline. A
teasing finger would slip underneath the pants top and then retreat-small random
thrusts that made Max squirm.
But
they still had yet to kiss...
In
one smooth movement, Kyle closed the small distance between them. Their hips
collided, bounced apart, and then returned into a tight press. As their lips
met, Kyle scratched his fingernails down Max's back in a rough swoop. The sharp
edge of pain hovering in the midst of pleasure coaxed a soft moan out between
the other boy's lips. And that mouth began eagerly meeting Kyle's advances,
drinking him in. He was drowning... drifting in a sea of silky wet liquid
fucking gold. Lips shouldn't be that soft-they just *shouldn't*. And those moans
he was getting were addictive. Kyle kept pushing for more and more--a strong
hand sliding down the curve of the other boy's ass, his hardness rubbing ever so
slightly against the Max's length.
And
then Kyle saw him.
Wearing
the shadows like a cloak, he was barely visible from a distance and his
expression was clouded and unreadable. The cracked leather blended into the
night, and all Kyle could really see was a solemn moonlight face staring back at
him. Then a smile-a *real* smile-and the sun came up amidst the dark of
midnight.
An
uneasy feeling teased up from the pit of his stomach, and Kyle began to push Max
away in an un-named panic. Something... something was happening... But before
his lips made it even a millimeter away, the darkness flexed and condensed
before his eyes. And with a slight shimmer the proud beaten man that was Max
Evens, and yet was not, disappeared without a sound.
~After
all, tomorrow is another day.~
-Margaret Mitchell, "Gone With The Wind"
The End.
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