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blank-potato · 2 months ago

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One Bed, Three Ta'veren

Pairing: Rand al'Thor x Reader x Mat Cauthon

Summary:

If you were this uncomfortable, you could only imagine how miserable Mat and Rand must be on the hard floor. With a sigh, you sit up in bed, glancing between them before finally muttering, “Just get up here. Both of you.” There’s a moment of hesitation before they give in, shuffling under the covers, pressed close together for warmth. Or You all love each other but need a little push to admit it; luckily, you all end up staying at an inn with only one bed.

A/N: Another Randwich but with Mat this time! I just love me some Cauthor and best friends kissing for the first time, Challengers style. It's set during season 1, and Rand and Egwene have never dated in this fic, it’s just implied briefly that he had a crush on her

✦ ⋆ ࣪.✦ ⋆ ࣪.✦ ⋆ ࣪.

It had been a long journey, and exhaustion weighed heavily on all of you.

Walking for hours on end, trying to reach the White Tower, not knowing if you would see Perrin and Egwene again or if they even made it out of Shadar Logoth alive. The only thing keeping you sane was Rand and Mat.

Eventually, you made it to a place to rest for the night in a village not too unlike Emond’s Field. The inn where you had to stay was all full except one room…with only one bed. Your luck had been terrible, but you had two gentlemen more than willing to sacrifice their sleep and their backs for you.

“I can stay on the floor,” Rand offers.

“So can I,” Mat interjects, ever the stubborn one.

As you watch them bicker over who should take the worst sleeping spot, you even try offering to take it, but they immediately shut you down. They were always coddling you, even back home in the Two Rivers.

You had to carry something heavy? Rand would offer to take it off your hands. You had a problem that needed solving? Mat would be there to figure it out with you. They supported you no matter what, so of course, you found yourself in bed while Mat and Rand took the floor.

“Goodnight,” you say, and they mumble back half-asleep responses in quick succession.

As you lie there, staring at the ceiling, it’s not even five minutes before you realise sleep won’t come. You can’t help but notice the way the cold seeps into your bones, the stiff mattress and flimsy blankets doing little to keep you warm. If you were this uncomfortable, you could only imagine how miserable Mat and Rand must be on the hard floor.

With a sigh, you sit up in bed, glancing between them before finally muttering, “Just get up here. Both of you.”

There’s a moment of hesitation before they give in, shuffling under the covers, pressed close together for warmth. It feels so much nicer, their bodies on either side of yours. The bed was anything but spacious, and you were all kind of on top of one another, but you didn't mind.

Quite the opposite.

You’d been harbouring a crush on both Mat and Rand for quite some time, and now this... well, it was either a dream come true or it was going to give you a heart attack. If you did die of happiness, at least you’d die knowing you'd been truly alive.

"Comfortable?" you ask, pulling the sheet over all of you, and the boys let out thankful grumbles, glad their backs wouldn't be broken by the hardwood floor.

Then, in a quieter voice, “What if it’s one of us… the Dragon Reborn?”

Silence hangs between you, heavy with unspoken fears.

“If it is one of us…” Rand murmurs, his voice steady despite the weight of his words. “We stay together. No matter what.”

Mat opens his mouth to respond, but instead hums in agreement before muttering, “I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight.”

You shift slightly, feeling the warmth of Rand’s body against your front, the softness of his hair brushing your cheek, while Mat’s scruff tickles the back of your neck behind you.

“I don’t think I will either,” you reply.

Sandwiched between them, it feels comfortable, more comfortable than you’ve been in a long time. Like you’re back home, surrounded by warmth and familiarity, as if everything were normal again. No Trollocs chasing after you. No looming threat of being the Dragon Reborn. No Darkfriends lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Just you, Mat and Rand, like it always used to be.

As you close your eyes, you can almost picture it, days spent in Emond’s Field, nights filled with laughter, with nothing to fear except whether the crops would yield enough, or if the Village Council would argue themselves hoarse again.

But that life is gone now, a distant dream.

You feel Mat shiver against you, he’s been like this ever since you left Shadar Logoth, his body tense, his breath uneven.

“Mat? Move over.”

Without thinking, you climb over him, positioning him between you and Rand, hoping the added warmth will help. He grumbles about something, but you don't hear the words.

As if second nature, Rand’s hand moves gently to Mat’s dark hair, fingertips ghosting over his temple in a silent gesture of comfort. You notice the way Mat leans into his touch in the dim light from the lantern by the bed.

“I'm not even cold.”

“Stop complaining, I can feel you shivering,” Rand says softly as he comforts him.

It was cute. They were always so touchy with one another, always having an excuse to have their hands on each other.

Just then, Mat reaches back blindly, searching for you, and you take his hand, tracing slow, calming patterns along his fingers, hoping it gives him even the smallest bit of relief.

After a long pause, his voice breaks the quiet.

Mat says, “Do you remember when you snuck us into the Winespring Inn’s kitchen to steal the leftover sweetcakes?”

You smile at the memory, feeling a sense of warmth that makes you feel safe again.

You reply, “Of course I do, you spent the whole night trying to convince Mistress al’Vere it was all Rand’s idea when we'd get caught.”

Rand, laughing at the memory, shakes his head and says, “And somehow, I still ended up scrubbing pots for a week! You were always such a troublemaker.”

“I was only a troublemaker with the two of you. I was perfectly well behaved with Perrin or Egwene.”

You feel another hand reach out for yours, and even without looking, you know it’s Rand’s; his fingertips are rough and calloused from years of working on the farm, so different from Mat’s.

You hold hands, the tufts of Mat's hair between both of your fingers like carding through blades of grass.

“So you blame us for your bad behaviour?” Rand teases.

“In part, yes.”

They both laugh, and in the darkness, your senses are heightened, every small sound and touch feeling like fire.

Mat moves and rests beneath Rand’s chin, his breathing finally evening out, though the tension in his body hasn’t fully disappeared. You shift slightly, letting your head rest against Mat’s, his heartbeat steady beneath your ear.

For the first time in what feels like forever, despite everything, despite the fear and uncertainty that the future holds, you feel safe.

“Do you think one day we'll be able to return home?” Mat says, his voice quiet but hopeful.

You know he misses his sisters and the way things used to be.

“I know we will, even if it's years from now. We're going to make it through…together,” you say, gripping his shoulder firmly.

Mat nods, exhaling slowly. “Yeah. Together.” Then, with a lopsided grin, he adds, “Just as long as I don’t have to carry Rand the whole way, guy’s heavier than he looks.”

Of course, Rand responds with a playful whack to Mat’s chest. “Hilarious, you ought to be the one carried,” he deadpans, though there’s a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

You laugh, the sound light in the quiet night, and as you sit in the warm stillness between them, you decide to take a swing.

“I couldn’t be without you both,” you say, voice soft but sure. “I’d go mad.”

There's silence in the room. Even though your words were simple, the weight behind them and the sincerity in your voice carried through, doing little to conceal how much you meant it.

"I mean it…" You say, your voice steady but intense, your eyes meeting theirs.

You sit up, lighting another lantern, its soft glow flickering and brightening up the dim room. Both of them are looking at you with a mix of curiosity and concern, their expressions waiting for your next words.

You inhale deeply, gathering your thoughts before continuing. "I'd do anything to protect you and make sure you're safe, no matter what it takes and I…"

“I love you, I'm in love with you," you say softly, your heart racing as the words leave your lips. The silence that follows feels deafening, but in it, there's a sense of relief. You can’t believe you’ve finally said it. You had imagined telling them so many times, speaking to yourself in your mirror, but now it was finally out there.

"Rand?" Mat asks, his voice laced with disbelief.

"Yes, and you, Mat." You nod, your words steady despite the weight of the moment.

"You love us both...?" Rand’s question lingers in the air, almost hesitant, as if unsure how to process this revelation.

"It’s not as uncommon as you may think," you reply, a touch of vulnerability in your voice. "Having feelings for more than one person… And I can’t help how I feel about both of you. And…" You pause, gathering your thoughts. "I can see the way you look at each other."

"Rand and…" Mat's voice falters as he tries to get his head around it, the realisation dawns on him slowly. His conflicted expression falls onto Rand, looking for some sort of answer.

"It would take a fool not to notice. You care for each other far more than just friends do. It's love..." You add, hoping that they'll listen to reason.

Rand is quiet for a long moment, his gaze distant, as if deep in contemplation. The silence feels heavy, but you know this is a lot for both of them to process.

“Someone, please say something.”

You've never been so terrified as the silence continues to stretch on. Maybe you’ve overstepped and said too much. Maybe you've lost your best friends and should've stayed silent. The tension hangs thick in the air as you pick at the bed sheet, but your mental spiral is interrupted by a low chuckle from Mat.

“I think we've said enough.” Mat pulls you in, his embrace firm and steady, as if grounding you both in the moment.

When your lips finally meet, it's hesitant at first, but full of the unspoken emotions that have been building up over the years. Then, as if something clicks into place, the kiss deepens, carrying the weight of everything they've been through together. Gently holding your face in his hands, as he steals your air with each movement.

You both pull away, breathless, like you can’t believe it was finally happening. And almost instantly, Rand pulls you closer, his lips moving desperately against yours, as if afraid to let go.

His hands find their way to your back, fingers pressing in just enough to keep you grounded in the moment. It’s more than just a kiss; it’s a promise, a release, a feeling of finally being understood.

You both pull back, and Mat’s gaze shifts between the two of you with a look that’s full of wonder and want. He exhales sharply, running a hand through his hair and shaking his head with a crooked, half-amused smile.

“Well… that was something,” he mutters, his voice lighter than the tension still lingering in the air. “You two really know how to put on a show.”

But there’s no denying the way his eyes linger, the way his fingers twitch at his side, like he’s debating something he’s not quite ready to say out loud. Then, his gaze flicks to Rand’s lips, and you know exactly what he wants.

Mat and Rand look at each other, uncertain if they want to cross this line, if they should take that final step into something they both clearly want.

“Don't be afraid to give in. What do you have to lose?” you say, your voice barely above a whisper, but full of meaning. Afraid that they wouldn’t be able to make the first step, you make it for them. You hold both of their chins gently, guiding them toward each other until their lips meet, hesitant at first, then melting into each other like it’s something they’d done a million times before.

Mat kisses Rand with desperate fervour, his hands clutching at your thigh like you were a lifeline, while Mat’s touch is tentative but searching, his fingers reaching out to furl in his shirt like he was a lost part of his soul, now reunited.

It was a beautiful sight, the moment hesitation gave way to something they’d been hiding for a long time. All those days they spent dancing around it or pretending it wasn’t there. The jealousy Mat would feel when Rand was fawning over Egwene, and the quiet ache Rand carried when Mat wasn’t by his side. All of it leading up to this moment.

As he lets down his defences, Rand leans into Mat, his fingers running through Mat's hair, gripping just slightly as if afraid to let go. Mat exhales against his lips, a quiet sound of surrender, before pulling Rand even closer, their bodies pressing together as the space between them disappears.

Rand’s tongue slips into Mat’s mouth, slow and searching, and Mat responds with a sharp gasp before melting into it. It was messy and hungry, like they couldn’t get enough of each other, like they’d been holding back for far too long, and you couldn’t look away.

They finally tear apart, panting and reluctant, eyes still locked on each other, before they both turn to you.

“I… I don’t know what that was,” Rand says, voice low, “but…”

Mat doesn’t wait for him to finish, already knowing what he’s thinking.

“Me too.”

He then reaches for you and pulls you between them, no hesitation, no second-guessing. Your back rests against Rand, his arms wrapping around your wrists, gently pulling one of your hands to his lips as he works his way up your arm, his breath warm against your skin. Mat’s eyes are a fire of intensity, never leaving you. He’s looking you up and down, his gaze hungry, like he’s ready to devour you and then, without a word, he does.

Lips trail hot kisses down your neck, hands roaming, gripping, exploring. The longer it goes on you barely know who’s touching you, and where.

“We need you,” Rand says, his voice low and steady, as he tugs your shirt off with a gentle urgency.

Mat’s gaze lands on your topless form, and with a teasing smirk, he finishes, “More than you can imagine.”

The rest of the night is long, the heat and emotion taking over you as if no challenges were waiting in the morning because, in that moment, it truly felt like there weren’t.

There were no more secrets between the three of you now. Your desires and your fears, your longing and your love, all of it had been laid bare tonight.

Morning breaks softly, casting a pale golden light across the room. The boys are still asleep beside you, their breathing slow and steady, bodies loosely entangled with yours. Their bodies were littered with love bites, teeth marks and scratches, evidence of the night that had been shared between you all. Looking down at yourself, you realize you were no different, your skin marked like a map of the stars.

A warmth fills your heart as you trace each mark with your fingers, remembering each touch they gave you. You hope they last long, that each mark stays, so you can look at them every day and remember what happened that night.

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