The Wings of a Butterfly

.:20:.

The day had come. Finally, the wormhole was stable and reliable enough to travel through. The screen proved they were going to the right time; the solid shed looked dusty, but just as they left it. They could see the small items they had sent through to test the machine. It worked.

Frederick couldn’t sleep that night. He kept Julian awake with questions and chattering, far too excited to rest. Far too early, he got out of bed to collect a few keepsakes, and to write letters to his family to tell them he would go abroad for a long vacation.
He should feel guilty. But he was too excited for that.

Greg was up early as well. It was too soon to say it, but he would never get used to sending people through wormholes. It was nerve-racking.
He was alone, and that annoyed him more than it would usually do; he used Simon’s absence to vent his feelings.

Simon arrived at the end of the morning, and he wasn’t alone. “Good morning, gentlemen!” he said quite happily, much to Greg’s annoyance. “I would like you to meet Charles. This is the man I love. He will come with me to the 21st century.”

“What?!” While Julian and Frederick were very pleased to meet him, and liked the news, Greg jumped up in frustration. “Simon! You can’t take anyone with you! Taking Frederick is risky enough; we can’t just exchange people from one time to another!”

Stubbornly, Simon looked at his associate, keeping Charles’ arm between his hands. “Shut up,” he said. “Charlie will come with me, or I will stay here. The effect will be the same. Don’t be such an ass because you didn’t find anyone to love, Greg.”

“Will you think about the Butterfly Effect?” Greg cried out, emphasising each word with sharp hand movements. “You alter the past, and it will change the future! Who knows what we will find!”

“Monsters…?” Simon smirked, completely unimpressed. “Save your energy, Gregory. Charles will come with me, and that’s the end of the discussion.”

Julian and Frederick had watched the quarrel, with mixed emotions. When both scientists were silent, Julian shook Charles’ hand. “Welcome! I hope you will like our time. What do you do in daily life, Charles?”

Charles told the man what he did, and of his own accord added he had no family, so no one would miss him. His departure would have no effect on the future whatsoever.

“Have you heard about the Butterfly Effect?” Greg asked surprised.

Charles frowned. “No…” he said thoughtfully. “What is it?”

Greg took a deep breath, and explained the theory. Simon didn’t dare to interrupt him. Visibly bored, he drank a cup of coffee, and waited until the man was done. “Did you understand that?” he asked Charles.

The furniture maker focused again. He had been staring dreamily at the distance. “Hm? Oh yes. In other words, my departure can affect the future. As I said, I do not fear it will. I am not important, and I have no family. I am a mere speck of dust on your spiral of time.”

Simon looked at the man with pure admiration. “I love you so much,” he said passionately.

Greg sputtered a bit. After his monologue, he didn’t expect such coolness of the man. “I think it’s time to go through,” he said, standing up. “Follow when the time is right for you. The batteries are charged, and everything is ready. See you later, gentlemen… two and a half century later, to be precise.”
Demonstratively, he walked to the machine. It was all ready and waiting. All he had to do was pushing a button, wait a few minutes while the electric field built up, and step through.

Frederick grabbed Julian’s arm as the man vanished in thin air, and he squeaked in shock. “Doesn’t that hurt?” he asked with wide eyes.

“Not much,” Julian assured him. “How would you describe it, Simon?”

“Mm… It felt like being stretched out like an elastic. Uhm… Do you have elastic in this century at all?”

Julian snorted. “What have you been doing here all the time, Simon?” he smirked. “Spending too much time with Charles, haven’t you? Never mind, Frederick. It doesn’t hurt. Will you go first? Simon will go last. I’ll follow you shortly.”

“It takes a few minutes to be ready between dispatches,” Simon said. He stood up, and pushed the buttons. “Ready when you are, Frederick…”

Trembling and wringing his hands, Frederick walked to the machine. “Can we see if Greg arrived safely?” he said shakily.

“Of course…” Simon switched on the screen. After a few moments, the image of Greg appeared. He was dusting his clothes off, and looked very much alive. “Feel better?” Simon asked with a reassuring smile.

Frederick nodded, but he still trembled. As Julian kissed him, he gave him a firm hug. “Please be quick,” he whispered.

“I’ll be with you as soon as possible. I love you, Frederick.” Julian let the blonde go, and waved at him as he stepped between the copper coils. “Recharge, Simon… I want to be with him before he freaks out.”

On the screen, Frederick appeared, lying flat on his stomach in the dust. It took a few seconds before he moved, but he seemed to be alright. He dusted his clothes off with his hands, and spoke to Greg as the man helped him up.

Julian breathed out with a relieved sigh. “Can I go now? Please?”

“Just a second, Julian… It’s almost ready for you. Make sure you step aside after you arrive, okay? Or we’ll land on top of you or something…” He looked at the displays and meters. “Go, Julian.”

The billionaire vanished instantly.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Charles?”

The man stepped up to Simon, and embraced him. “I will see you in a few minutes,” he said calmly. “Kiss me now. We will kiss again, I promise you.”

Charles disappeared. Simon took advantage of the time he had to give the machine, to make sure the house was locked up securely. It kept him busy, or he would be glued to the screen to see if his lover appeared in one piece.
Without looking at the screen and without giving it another second of thought, Simon stepped between the copper coils.

The sensation was, just like the first time, painful but brief. It made him close his eyes. As he opened them, he looked straight into Charles’ smiling face.

“Hello, my love…”

“It worked…” Simon grinned. He saw the others rumbling around, and heard Frederick chatter nervously, but he ignored them. “Welcome to my time,” he whispered.

A Charles kissed Simon, Frederick jumped up and down at Julian’s arm. “I want to see my house!” he piped, acting younger than his age. “I want to change into your clothes! I want to see everything! I want to have sex with you! Right now!”

Laughing, Julian gave in. It felt good to be home again. He would be less rich, but it would be much easier to spend his money here. And of course, he was still a billionaire.
He agreed with Simon, who quietly remarked that they wouldn’t have to be as careful anymore. They could openly love their men, here.
Yes, life was good.

In the manor, the air stirred a bit. Dust flew up, and vanished instead of settling down. Some items seemed to fade. When they returned, they looked slightly different. As there was no one to witness it, no one would know.
Yet.