Beats

Disclaimer:This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.

. . .

The firelight in the hut made everything seem so much closer together. Lan ducked into the hut briefly, Ero’s eyes immediately moved to the smaller man.

Ero’s eyes burned hotter than the bourgeoning fire on Lan’s skin. He took a deep breath and tried to think of Ero like every other patient. “I have to get water before I treat you.” Lan moved to pull a water skin from where they hang.

“Here.” Ero held up a full skin from where it sat beside him.

Lan nodded and moved to drop off his satchel and bags. He dug out the heavy grinding stone from the bottom of the bag and pulled his grouping of herb bags. He carried them over to Ero’s side.

The water he placed one bowl and placed in as close to the center of the fire and he could manage without setting it on fire.

Ero turned to the smaller boy who kneeled down next to him. He swallowed heavily. The light cast over the paler figure like accentuating the smooth skin. As Lan leaned over and tested the water in the bowl, locks of the dark hair fell over his face and Ero couldn’t resist pushing that hair back over Lan’s shoulder. Lan looked up the fire next to him no match for the anger in his eyes. Ero smiled disarmingly.

“The water is warm enough that I can clean your wound. Lay back.” Lan spoke evenly.

Ero smirked and lay back in his bed, his hands behind his head as he stretched out his lean strong body.

Lan scowled as he turned back with the cloth, ripped from old brown woven fabric traded cheaply in his village. He dipped in the water before bringing it to the dried cut at Ero’s side. The wound wasn’t bad at all. It was already crusting over. He wiped away the dried blood as best as he could. The skin beneath it still red and swollen with anger at the hurt, he prodded gently only occasionally drawing a hiss from the patient.

Ero watched Lan work silently. The young healers face concentrated on the small wound before briefly dipping his dingers inside to clear away any dirt inside it. Ero hissed and resisted reaching down to stop Lan’s fingers.

“Hold still I’m down cleaning it.” Lan scolded and began to pull herbs from the varying pouches, placing whole leaves, some fresh from his harvesting some dried from the crop in Amba, into the forming dip in the grind stone. Carefully he worked them together, adding a little water and forming a thick paste.

Ero watch Lan work, leaning up on one elbow. Despite the small frame Lan’s arms held power of their own. Not the power needed by hunters but the power that his village needed to survive the power to make the sick well again and the wounded whole. He’d have to be a fool not to notice that power.

The paste was thick and ready; he tore another long strip of cloth, clean from the sheet of woven thread. A strip long enough to wrap around Ero’s large waist. He folded another strip of dry clean cloth. “This is may burn a little. It’s just the sting of the herbs but then they should numb you and help it heal faster.” Lan picked up a glob of the paste and pressed it into the wound making sure to cover it completely. Then he took another glob and pressed it over all of the swollen and red portions of the wound.

Ero watched those adept fingers apply the salve with quick precision. He couldn’t really feel a heat from the paste but he felt the heat of Lan’s fingers spreading it against his skin. Lan’s lips parted ever so slightly as he examined his work before applying the folded cloth over it gently and pressing down softly. Ero smirked at the thought of those quick fingers moving over every inch of his skin.

“You have to sit up for this part.” Lan spoke softly turning to the fire to dip his fingers in the bowl of water.

Even sitting Ero loomed over Lan.

Lan shivered at the look in Ero’s eyes and lowered his own back to his work. He picked up the long piece of cloth and reached around Ero’s back to pick up the opposite end. In order to reach around Ero’s broad middle he had to sit up on his knees and nearly place himself chest to chest with the other man. Looking everywhere but at Ero’s he found the end of the strip of cloth and found his other hand. He could feel the heat of Ero’s body against his own.

The smell of fresh water and herbs clung onto Lan’s hair as Ero took a deep breath of it. He brought his own hands up to Lan’s sides and they hovered there for a moment as Lan wrapped the cloth a second time before tying it tightly over the bandage. The smell of the younger man and the heat of his soft skin spiked Ero’s heart beat and his hard on.

Lan finished his task quickly eager to be away from the temptation of Ero’s body. Pining for winter, he wished for the day when Ero’s entire body would be covered in hides and far from sight. He looked up and realized he was far too close to Ero for comfort. Calloused, hungry hands met Lan’s skin and Lan stilled like a trapped animal.

Ero stared into the dark pools of Lan’s eyes. He was right; Lan’s skin was soft as clean leopard fur and twice as tempting.

“I don’t take my payment in this kind of skin.” Lan’s lips rested only an inch away from Ero’s.

Plying Lan’s lips with his own, Ero begged for an answer in kind.

Moving quickly, Lan stood up and moved away from Ero before he gave in again.

Ero followed him, wrapping those large warm arms around Lan’s slenderer waist from behind. “It’s not payment. It’s what I want. I want you.” Ero whispered into the crook of Lan’s neck.

Lan pulled away again, making himself busy with the pouches and dumping the water. “It isn’t what I want.”

Ero growled and pulled Lan to his chest, “I can feel that you want me. You want this.” Ero smashed his lips against Lan pulling his hair back and burying his hands there. Forcing Lan to melt into the kiss, Ero refused to allow an inch of their skin to part. He felt an answering bulge in Lan’s wrap. He groaned into the kiss, sliding his hips forward and dragging his growing erection against Lan’s.

A single movement of Ero’s hips against his own, snapped his eyes wide open. He stared at Ero’s closed lids and thought about what mating with Ero’s would mean. Pushing at the opposing person’s shoulders, Lan sought freedom from the embrace. Survival mattered. Fitting into the community mattered. Nothing about Ero’s body against his, nothing about his own aching erection did matter.

“Ero”

Growling in frustration, Ero parted himself from Lan. He pushed down the arousal in his stomach that grew as he looked at the faint blush over Lan’s skin. Pushing through the drape separating the hut from the rest of the world, Ero moved out into the night.

Lakli stood outside of the hut, a spear in one hand. “I came to repay your healer for his help.”

Raising an eyebrow, “My healer.”

The other man blushed, “The healer. He brought my mate two full water skins today.”

“Why call me?”

“I… I wanted to speak with Lan.”

“Lakli. If you want Lan call for Lan. He is not my mate. He is just staying here until the rain season ends and the village builds new huts.” Ero moved into the hut, ignoring the shocked face of the fellow hunter.

“Lan.” Ero found the healer reorganizing his pouches in his usual place, on the small pile of skins that Lan called a bed. “You have a visitor.”

“What?”

“Outside.”

Lan peared out of the hut to find a hunter standing there. He moved through the draped skin and into the night.

“Healer. It’s good to meet you.” The two men shook wrists.

“What can I do for you?”

“I just wanted to give my thanks for helping my mate.”

“You mate?”

“You carried full skins to the hut?”

“That was payment. She loaned me the skins for a little while since I needed large ones and don’t have any of my own.”

The hunter continued to smile, “You still didn’t have to fill them. I was grateful to come back and find them full.” The hunter explained. “I know the women have been hard on you. They’ll get over it.”

“It’s fine. It’s natural to defend yourself against the strange and new. I wasn’t what the village expected, apparently.”

Lakli nodded, “No I don’t think that we did. If you ever need anything, stop by.” The hunter waved his goodbye.

Lan shook his head and returned the wave.

“Careful or there will be tales about you and him tomorrow.” Ero spoke from his position in his bed.

In a soft voice Lan spoke. “There will be tales regardless. Pretty men are easy targets.”

“That would be a lie.” Ero shot back.

Lan cocked an eyebrow in Ero’s direction.

“I’ve been hunting you for days. I can’t seem to catch you though.” Ero chuckled.

“Is that what you really want?” Lan moved toward the hunter.

“That’s okay I enjoy the chase.” Ero answered with a heated gaze that traveled up and down Lan’s body.

“Then have me.” Lan’s gaze didn’t leave Ero’s.

The long line of Ero’s body rose up from the place of rest.

From long lashes, Lan looked up at Ero with big bright eyes. “Take me.” Lan reached out and ran his hands up the naked plain of Ero’s chest.

Shivering from the light contact, Ero pulled Lan’s body closer, lowering his lips to Lan’s shoulder. He kissed a trail over one shoulder and groaned when Lan bared his neck for more.

A light moan fell from Lan’s lips gently.

The soft fabric of Lan’s wrap felt like nothing compared to the soft skin under Ero’s palms. He groaned as deft fingers found his arousal through the leather hides. The wrap gave way and Ero backed up for a moment taking in the gentle angles that made up the smaller man’s body. The curve of the bare hip bones looked delicious and felt like heaven against his hands. The growing length between those hips was rosey and hot with lust, it thickened and began to rise with an aching arch. Ero moaned as Lan recaptured his lips in another hungry kiss.

Feeling unnaturally bare under Ero’s gaze, Lan sought the cover of the hard body against his own.

Ero moaned as those fingers found his body again and traced nonsensical patterns into his skin before the moved up and traced the skin at the nape of his neck. The beautiful body felt so right in his arms. He felt the whisper of Lan’s lips at his collarbone.

“What was that?” He whispered in a husky tone in Lan’s ear, licking the curve of it.

“Take me.”

Ero groaned into Lan’s hair at the phrasing.

“Than never touch me again.” Lan whispered barely audibly.

“What?” Ero pulled back.

Lan looked at him with distant eyes. “You heard me. End the chase. Take me.”

“Stop saying that.” Ero moved away.

“This is what you want so do it.” Lan hissed between his teeth. “You pester me at every turn so take me. Get it out of your system and then leave me alone. Is that too much to ask.”

“Go to bed, Lan.” Ero pulled a large hide up over his side, rolling to face the wall of the hut.

Lan ripped the covering from Ero’s body. He spread his arms wide. “This is what you wanted. You wanted my body. Have it. He crouched down to Ero and grasped his shoulder turning him back toward him.”

Ero stared at Lan, his body screaming at him with arousal at the naked flesh flickering in the light. “I’m not going to take you. Go to bed.”

“Fine once isn’t enough. Take me as many times as you want tonight. Take me for a quarter of a moon just leave me be when you’re done.”

“While that’s a tempting offer, go to sleep.” Ero closed his eyes.

“Why won’t you fuck me?”

Ero laughed. “You don’t want it.”

“Not particularly but it won’t kill me.” Lan admitted.

“I’ll wait. I’m going to wait until I’ve driven you in a heat.” Ero smirked and moved closer to Lan. His face inches from the other man’s. “Until your entire body feels like it’s on fire without me.” He kissed the man’s lips gently, just a peck. “Until you want me so badly.” A peck on cheek. “I’m going to drive you absolutely insane with need.” He whispered into Lan’s ear in a deep baritone and felt the younger man shiver, “until you can’t stand to not touch me.” Ero licked a line up Lan’s throat and nipped back down again. “Until you want me.” Ero’s lips hovered just above Lan’s, one hand buried in his hand tilting his head upward into the kiss. The kiss that never happened.

Beneath closed lids Lan let out a heavy breath latent with need.

“Go to bed.” Ero’s low voice whispered.

Mouth dry with hunger, Lan’s eyes snapped open. He licked his lips.

Ero wanted to lean down and take those lips again, but instead he pulled his hand back from Lan’s hair, caressing Lan’s cheek as he moved away from Lan.

Ero rolled over in bed and smirked.

Teeth nipped at Lan’s neck. “You think so?”

Ero rolled onto his back and smirked, “Yes.”

“I’ll make you a bet than. If you kiss me before one moon passes than I win and you give up. If I kiss you first, than I give in. I want you and you can have me.”

Ero smirked, “One moon. You think you can last that long.”

“Willing to bet me?” Lan smiled.

“Deal.”

Lan leaned in, only a breath from Ero. “Goodnight.”


The faint sound of cloth rustling told him Lan moved away from the side of the bed. Ero opened his clentched eyes.


He reached down and squeezed the painful erection in his wrap. It was going to be a long rain season.

. . .