Souls that Ache
Part One

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N:  Okies, here it is, the sequel to ‘Flesh that Burns.’  Since people asked for it, I thought that I couldn’t disappoint them too much.  When I get around to it I’m sure that there will be a sequel to this one as well.  I’m in the process of making a whole series.  Hope that you like it.

Warnings:  Yaoi, of course.  Is there anything else in this world as wonderful as that?  I think not. ^.~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mat hunched over in his saddle trying to ignore the pain lacing throughout his body with each step the horse took.  Every once and a while it would pass a low hanging tree and move it’s head to catch the green leaves, happily munching on the snack oblivious to it’s riders discomfort.  Life was not fair.  Bloody horse, it could at least have some compassion in its thick hide.  Didn’t it know the more it tossed its head the more it jarred it’s body along with his?  To make matters worse his skin felt hot and flushed along with the aches and pains.  Maybe he was coming down with a fever but he couldn’t place where he could have picked up such a thing anyone else.  No one had been sick in weeks.

“We should camp early.  Maybe Rand and Mat can catch something to cook into stew.  It’s been a while since we had a good meal,” he heard Elayne making small conversation with Egwene and Min as they passed, his horse taking on eating another branch.

“Horse,” he mumbled out tugging on the animal’s reins, “How about we eat horse.”  He looked up at the Daughter-Heir, “And why does it always have to be ‘Rand and Mat?’  Why can’t it be ‘Aviendha and Lan?’ Or ‘Thom and Lan?’ Or anyone else but ‘Rand and Mat.’  Bloody Ashes, why not just Rand.  Better yet why don’t we just leave Mat completely out of this and send someone else for Light’s sake.”  He was winning, he knew it, but really couldn’t bring himself to care too much.

“No need to get all upset about it, Matrim, it was just a suggestion,” Elayne tired to smooth things over, “besides, why would you want to eat horse?”

Mat’s animal tugged at another branch, yanking it particularly hard.  Mat bit the inside of his lip to suppress a groan and yanked on the reins before tossing them aside, “That’s it!  I’m walking!” He swung his leg over the saddle, or at least tempted to as a another shot of white hot pain raced through him and he crumpled to the ground, the horse blinking innocently up at him.  “Flaming horse,” he muttered none to gently, “I hope you rot in the Pit of Doom.”

Rand hopped down from his horse and jogged up to Mat, “Are you alright?” he asked, his voice filled with concern.

Mat shook his head, “I don’t feel very well, now that you mention it.”

“Moiraine can take a look at you if you’d like?”  Rand offered looking to the Aes Sedai.

Mat hastily shook his head again, “No.  Not until I’m dead, even then I’m not so sure about it.”

Rand nodded and grabbed his friend from under the armpits helping him up, “You can ride on my horse with me then.  I can lead Pips next to us.”

Mat tired helping Rand help him up only to lose his footing and sag against the strong body behind him.  Fire laced through his already heated skin.  Images flashed into his foggy memory of the past few days.  Harsh kisses.  Rough thrusts. The vague memory of salty bitter fluid running down his throat. Sweeter liquid settling deep inside him causing his flesh to burn. Fulfillment. Completion. Being inside Rand. Rand being inside him.  Something that felt so right yet so confusing.  Something almost like a distant dream but the aches that his body was experiencing suddenly now all fit together.  “Blood and Bloody Ashes!” he hissed squeezing his eyes tight, trying to rid himself of the images flashing across his heated mind.  The river, the monster, Rand saving him, then the deep throaty lust filled moans that no woman had ever forced out of him.  Moans like the one that escaped him now as he torn away from Rand’s hold on him and gripped the edges of his
own saddle.  “Oh by the Light!”

He felt his knees sag despite his best efforts to keep from standing and frantic voices drifted around him before he was enveloped in darkness.

Rand gripped onto Mat before he hit the ground, “Moiraine!” he frantically yelled over his shoulder easing his friend to the ground as gently as he could, “Something’s the matter with Mat!”

Nynaeve rushed to him before Moiraine had a chance to even slide out of her saddle.  She reached out and touched Mat’s flushed face causing his to hiss and shrink away from her touch.  “He has a fever, a very high one.  We must camp for tonight.”

Rand rolled his eyes at the Wisdom, trying not to grind his teeth together, “Thanks for the wise words, Wisdom, I couldn’t have thought of that.”

Nynaeve glared at Rand, “You are still not too young for me to take across my knee Rand al’Thor.  The more you grow the more I fell like I haven’t boxed your ears enough as a child.”

“Quit it, both of you,” Moiraine commanded, “If you two insist on acting like children I shall treat you as such.  Now stop it.”  She laid both of her hands on Mat head embracing the One Power and weaving her healing flows into his body.

Mat threw back his head and screeched, his body convulsing and shivering much more than it should have.  His hand reach out and cuffed Moiraine away from him, screaming again as if he was in pain. 

“Light!  What did you just do to him!” Nynaeve’s voice was shrill and high.

Moiraine looked to the Wisdom then back at mat with an unreadable expression on her face, “His sickness cannot be healed by the One Power.”

Rand gave her a sharp glance, his arms wrapped tightly against his shivering friend who was clinging to his leg, “Then what can we
do?” he asked, trying to keep the worrying he felt from touching his voice. 

Mat slightly rubbed against Rand’s leg, his hands gripping his thigh, bunching fabric in tight fist, “Don’t touch me, don’t touch me, don’t touch me...” he repeated it over and over and over again until the words just died down to a mumble, words running together to become one long phrase.

Perrin crunched his nose up as he slowly approached them, “He doesn’t smell right... he smells... musky” he looked to the others invconfusion.

“Eh?” Egwene blinked, giving Perrin a curious glance.

Rand bowed his head and brought one of his legs up, partially covering everyone’s view of him.  Cutting out the rest of everyone else’s to focus on his friend, “Mat,” he whispered, bring his face as close to the other boy’s as he could, “It’s the same, isn’t it?  The same as before?”

Mat opened his half lidded eyes and focused on the face of his best friend, “Rand?” he weakly groaned out, “it’s still there... burning
inside of me...”

Rand felt his face flush, “It’s ok.  I’ll get you away form the others soon.”

Mat groaned, “Fuuuuuuuck!”

Rand blinked, “Eh?” he leaned in closer, “What did you just say?”

Mat brought his face up and brushed his lips against the Dragon Reborn’s not caring if anyone saw, frantically shaking his head back and forth.

“Rand!!” Moiraine voice made him jump slightly.

He lifted his head and looked towards her searching for anything revealed on her ageless face that gave away that she had seen what Mat had did to him.

She blinked, letting no emotion show through her icy-coldness, “You are going to have to let Mat ride with you, Lan said that there is an inn not too far up ahead.  We can stay there.”


He slowly nodded before hauling the smaller boy up in his arms and grabbing his hands, placing them on the front of the saddle.  “Hold on right here Mat,” he gently ordered.

Mat gripped the hard leather with all his might, looking to Rand with glazed eyes, “With you?” he asked, desperation ringing clear in his voice.

Rand nodded, “Yes, with me,” he answered.  He placed his foot in one of the stirrups easily swinging up behind his fevered friend, “it’s ok, Mat, I’m here with you.” He wrapped one arm around his waist and gripped the reins with the other hand, bringing his face down once again and brushing his lips across Mat’s neck before whispering in his ear, “Hold on to me, if you need.”

Mat released his tight grip on the saddle and took a hold of Rand’s arm that was around him, biting back a small groan.

Rand looked up to tell the other that he was ready, catching Moiraine staring at him with a blank look, Light she knows, his mind hissed at him causing to fight the flush that threatened to spread it’s self across his cheeks. 

Moiraine just nodded and steered her horse back towards the road, “Let’s move,” was all she said.

S%S

Rand paced outside of Mat’s door, not caring if he was upsetting the other people who where taken up for the night in the inn.  All he was concerned about was the moaning and screeching, “What are they bloody doing to him!?”

“DON’T FLAMING TOUCH ME!”

Rand burst through the door, “Mat!”  He stopped dead and blinked.  If the situation was less serious he would have laughed, if he wasn’t so concerned about Mat’s well being he would have been rolling on the ground in hysterics.  Mat certainly did have a way with women. 

Moiraine was gripping one of Mat’s arms, trying to pin him to the bed while Egwene was pinning his other arm and Aviendha was trying with both of her legs.  Nynaeve was sitting on Mat’s stomach tilting his head back with one hand and force something down
his throat.  “Please Mat,” she was saying, “Just trust me.  It’s just going to help you clam down.  Since you won’t let Moiraine use the One Power on you in anyway, we have to do it this way!”

Mat spit the liquid out before it even went completely in his mouth, “Let go of ME WOMAN!”

Rand didn’t even remember taking to the steps to Mat’s bed side until he picked Nyanaeve up off of the struggling boy and placed her none to gently on the floor, “Mat!” he jumped up next to his best friend practically sitting on top of him, clasping his face between his sword calloused palms, “are you alright.”

“I told you to wait outside Rand!”  Nynaeve hissed at him.

Rand shot her a glare, “Be quiet for once.  Mat was right, you do sound like an old nagging hen.”

Mat started to laughed, dry and hoarse, “Hag, Rand,” he choked out, “I said old hag.”

Rand smiled down at his friend, “Sorry.  I’ll get it right next time,” his lowered his voice his sounds crawling across Mat’s skin.

“Rand...” His hissed, “Make them let me go...”

Rand looked to the three women still holding on to his arms and legs, “I think that he’s calm, for now.”

Egwene blinked, “But why?  He was almost fine on the trip here and as soon as he realized that you were gone he went completely mad again.  And now he’s back to being docile.”

Rand shrugged, “I don’t know, your guess is as good as mine,” he turned his face away to hide his flush.  “Please go.  I think that
I better stay with him tonight.  Maybe he’ll be ok if I stay with him for a while.”

Aviendha nodded, “Just give a word when something happens.”

“I will,” he quietly whispered.

When he heard Egwene and Aviendha’s footsteps leave he turned and faced Moiraine still giving him that same unreadable look.  “You know, don’t you?” he squeaked out, hating himself for sounding so pathetic.

She blinked her clear blue eyes at him, “Know what?  I don’t know exactly, but I know something is a miss between you two.  And has been since last night when you crawled into Mat’s bed roll with him.”  She paused and seemed to be weighing him with her gaze, as if she could see all of his secrets that he harbored in his soul.  “And you didn’t explain this morning.”

Rand slide his hands from Mat’s face, causing him to let out a low groan, and turned on the bed so he was facing her, “Because I really don’t know what happened.  I ... think that what ever happened to Mat last night is effecting him still.”  He glanced down at Mat, “Though just not as bad... I think so anyway.  He is somewhat coherent, last night he was... not himself.”  He felt the blush spreading throughout his face.

Moiraine blinked again, “You must tell me what happened, everything that you saw.”

Rand shook his head, “I will not.  You demand for others to tell you every little thing about them, yet you keep things from us constantly.  If I tell you what had happened, which is more of Mat’s place to tell than mine, I am sure that you’ll just narrow your
eyes, like you are doing now and say, ‘I must think about this.’  Then walk out, not giving a Bloody Light about what happens to Mat or myself.”  He took a deep breath trying to get his heart to stop beating so fast. 

“I cannot help Mat if I do not know what is wrong with him, Rand,” she calmly told him.

“I can help him,” he once again fought down a returning blush, “I helped him before I will do it again.”

“Very well.  If you feel that confident with yourself the by all means,” she turned to leave almost opening the door again before Rand called out to her again.

“Moiraine,” she paused but did not turn around much to Rand’s liking, he didn’t think that he could face her and ask what he was going to.  “Could you please put up a ward so that no one will be able to hear into this room tonight.  I don’t want Mat to wake the others in the inn if he starts to act up again...” he barely choked out.

She paused a little longer before nodding and walking out the door.

Rand let out a breath that he didn’t know that he had been holding, staring at the door daring someone to walk through. 

Mat grinned when he saw Moiraine finally leave, he needed Rand’s skin against his, ached for it all day.  He slowly sat up and wrapped his arms around his best friend, kissing his way down his neck and reached passed his stomach quickly undoing the ties
to the Dragon Reborn’s pants.

Rand slightly jumped and turned in Mat’s arms, “Mat I—" his lips were fiercely claimed by the other boy as he was dragged to the soft
bed.

Rand groaned and kissed him back, molten fire spreading from his lips to the tips of his toes.  At that moment he didn’t care if Mat didn’t remember in the morning.  Perhaps that was why this sin was so wonderfully intoxicating, that at least one of them wasn’t aware of what happened when it was over.

Mat growled low in his throat and tore at the laces of Rand’s shirt, “Off,” he demanded, “I need you.”

Rand grabbed at Mat’s wondering hands and pinned his arms above his head, “Demanding today aren’t we?” he whispered, leaning down to trace a wet line from the other boy’s neck to the tip of his ear with his tongue.

Mat groaned and arched up underneath him, snapping his teeth and muttering what sounded like curses under his to tongue, “I’m going to bloody get you back for this Rand al’Thor.  Dragon Reborn or not, you are going to –“

Rand silenced him with a fierce kiss as grabbed his shirt tugging it up over his head and using the fabric to quickly tie his hands to
the headboard above him.  He grinned as the other boy squirmed and gave him a heated glare.  “Don’t say a word, Mat,” he hissed playfully, “or I’ll be forced to gag that delicious mouth of yours.”

Mat’s eyes widened in shock, the look of utter disbelief written clearly on his flushed face, “You wouldn’t dare,” he whispered back.

Rand grinned and leaned down to the other boy so that their lips were just barely brushing, “Try me,” he challenged.

Mat closed the small gap between them and forced his tongue into the friend’s mouth trying to somehow take control of the.situation.  He groaned deep in his throat, doing his best to keep quiet but failing miserably, arching his back wanting to feel more of Rand’s smooth skin against his own.  “More,” his voice coming close to a growl, “I want more.  Now.”

Rand lightly chuckled and smiled down at his childhood friend practically burning from the inside out with desire.  Desire for me, he thought.  And he was more than happy to obey Mat’s feverent demands of satisfaction. 

S%S

Mat had that taste in his mouth again, not the morning-icky-haven’t-scraped-my-teeth-yet taste, but a, just-swallowed-something-and-its-resting-in-the-back-of-me-throat taste.  It wasn’t really that bad now that he thought about it, it was just... usual.  Not something that he was used to, yet perhaps he could.  He slowly stretched and gripped onto his warm pillow again, feeling more comfortable than he had in a while.  He brain still felt a little fuzzy, not quite as bad as it did when he woke up the other morning but close.  He took a deep breath, breathing in the sent of he pillow and froze.  He knew the smell it was a musky sent, the one that usually followed waking up in the early morning after having sex... only, stronger. 

He slowly open his eyes and looked at his so-called pillow, then up at the sleeping face, “What in the Light?” he practically screeched.

Rand’s eyes snapped open and he sat up, causing Mat’s head to thump painfully in his lap.

“Ouch,” Mat moaned.

Rand laid his hands on Mat’s back, “Are you alright, Mat?”

Mat struggle to sit up, once again feeling the aches and pains that seemed to be deep with in him, “I’m sore...”

Rand’s face flushed a bright red, “I’m sorry, Mat... but if it makes you feel any better, I think that you took a layer of skin off my back.”

Mat gave him a curious look, “What in bloody ashes are you taking about?  And why are you once again in my bed?  Don’t you have your own?”

“You don’t remember,” the hurt he felt ringing clearly in Mat’s ears.

Mat slowly shook his head, “Remember what?”

Rand reached up and cupped the sides of Mat’s face pressing his lips against the smaller man’s, “This, Mat, please tell me that
you remember, just a little bit.”

Mat lifted his hand and touched his lips an odd look coming over his face, “How many times has this happened?”

Rand sighed and turned his face away from Mat’s looking towards the wall instead, “For two nights.  I really didn’t know what to do... I mean, I have never heard of such a thing... Two boys making lo... “

Mat peered at him out from under mussed hair, “Then how –“

“You told me what to do, Mat,” if anything his face flushed even brighter.

Mat blinked, “That’s not very funny, Rand,” his voice sounded very, very serious.

Rand looked at him with shock filled eyes, “I wasn’t kidding, I wouldn’t, not about something like this.”

Mat reached up and touched his lips again, still tingling from the kiss, “So how many times have we...” He let the words hang in the air, hoping that Rand wouldn’t make him say it.  Just the thought made his face flush and lower body tighten.  He didn’t know why, but looking at Rand with his chest cover in bite marks and small bruises, his hair tousled and face still vaguely flushed was arousing.

Rand looked back to him and smiled, “I don’t really know, the other night I think about three... last night, I lost count.  I only feel asleep about an hour ago before you woke up again.”

A puzzled look passed across the other boy’s face, “How come I can’t barely remember anything?”

Rand sighed, “I think its because of the what the... thing did to you... it made you swallow some type of liquid.”

Mat slowly nodded, his memories slowly bit by bit coming back, but mostly they were of last night.  His eyes widened he got the urge to box Rand’s ears as hard as he could, “You tied me up!  How could you do that?”

Rand smiled, an almost predatory gleam to his eyes, “So you DO remember.”

Mat swallowed, “Not much, just bits and pieces, really.”

Rand’s smiled turned into a grin as he reached for Mat and drew him onto the bed, holding the other boy on top of him.

“Rand!” Mat hissed, “what are you doing?”

The taller boy gave him an innocent look, “Just trying to help you to remember.  Aren’t that what best friends are for?”

Mat opened his mouth to protest but Rand took advantage of it and kissed him, pressing his lips hungrily to his, his tongue dipping into his wet cavern tasting everything that was Mat.

Mat’s eyes fluttered closed and he leaned into the kiss, his own tongue forcibly playing against the other letting out a low groan.  Rand broke the kiss and started kissing down Mat’s neck, up to his ear, then back to his mouth, “I love the sounds you make,” he whispered before claiming his lips.

Mat’s groan turned into a husky purr as he placed one of his hands on the bed by Rand’s waist, using it as leverage to move his body against the other beneath him.  Rand squeezed his eyes tight and wrapped his legs around his friends waist surprised by how slim in felt. 

Mat broke away from the kiss and grinned down at his flushed face a mischievous glint passing through his eyes, “Just think, Rand,” he whispered, his voice low and thick with desire.

He gave the dark-haired boy a curious look, “I don’t think I want to.”

Mat chuckled, “Just think,” he continued, “how much fun we would have had back home if we would have started this as kids.”

A serious look placed it’s self on the Lord Dragon’s face, “Not funny, Matrim Cauthon.  Egwene would have boxed my ears until they bled.  Then Nynaeve if she even suspected.”

Mat chuckled again and rubbed his body against him again, “All Nynaeve has to do is nag on you to make your ears bleed, no boxing involved.”

Rand clenched his teeth and hissed, “Stop that,” he demanded.

Mat blinked innocently down at him, “Stop what?” he moved again, rubbing his hardness against the other’s as slow as he could manage and still keep a straight face. 

Rand’s hissed again, the sound threatening to become a moan, “That.  Stop it.”

He moved again, and again, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, oh great Lord Dragon.”

“Bloody ashes you don’t,” he slightly bit his lip, “I’ll tie you up again,” he threatened.

Mat arched an eyebrow, “Only if I get to return the favor.”

Rand’s face flushed, for some strange odd reason the idea seemed very erotic, “Mischievous fox.”

He blinked, “Eh?”

Rand wrapped his arms around him and flipped him over.  He grinned as he grabbed his wrists and quickly tied them to the headboard double-checking the knots to make sure that they were tight, just not enough to cut off his blood flow. 

“What the in the Pit of Doom just happened?” came the dumfounded reply.

Rand lightly traced a pattern of wet kisses and licks across his neck and down his collarbone, being extra careful to make more red marks to replace the ones that had begun to heal from a few nights ago, “I am punishing you, my little fox.”

Mat arched his back and tugged at his binds, his hands lashing in the air to grip onto something, “I am getting you back for this, my Lord Dragon,” he didn’t even try to hide the dripping sarcasm that he knew Rand would hear.  A little fox, was he, well Mat would see to it that the almighty Dragon Reborn got what was coming to him.  Right after he got out of the bind his own mouth put him in.  

TBC...