Archive of Our Own ^beta

 x.

The first time Link kisses him, it’s short and sweet and so slight that it messes Rhett up for the rest of his life.

“...So why don’t you get one?” Link asks lazily from his spot on the smaller rock. They’re in the cow pasture, the two rocks always being the place they chose to sit after an exhilarating chase after the cows.

Rhett, who is seated on the bigger rock at the moment, is not supposed to be the one asking questions, but he can’t see what Link’s getting at.

“What?” Rhett therefore asks.

Link grins, “Why don’t you get a girlfriend? If you’re so obsessed with girls, and you just spent half an hour reminding me of that.”

Rhett’s cheeks colour slightly, and it’s not from the afternoon sun. “I don’t know, bo.”

It’s almost like Link’s encouraging him to go on, like he’s asking him another question by staying silent.

Rhett clears his throat. “It’d be weird, I guess. I mean, what if they want me to kiss them or something? I don’t wanna be bad at it. Maybe I should practice stuff like that first. I don’t wanna be a bad boyfriend, y’know? Don’t want my girl to leave me after a few days ‘cause I can’t kiss or something. It happened to some Arnie guy from Fuquay, Tate told me. I don’t wanna mess it up like that, brother! Maybe I should practice more, like you with your shower-” Rhett pauses in his rambling to smirk, looking at Link roll his eyes above a smile.

Link’s smile widens for a moment, but then he rears it in, biting his lip. “We could practice?” Link offers, vocalising it like a question rather than a statement.

Rhett’s eyes widen, the smug smirk from a moment ago dissipating completely. “What?”

Link stands up from the small rock, speaking nervously, “I could kiss you, if you wanna?” He nears the big rock, putting one of his feet up on one of the smaller bits of rock that sit directly next to it. “No one would know,” he adds hastily, “Just these cows,” he says with a short laugh, looking in the direction of the cows, who are only interested in the two boys in terms of being thankful that they were left alone by them.

Rhett says nothing, just scoots up on the rock when Link climbs up and sits next to him, looking at him as Link looks directly in front of himself, fiddling with his hands. Looking at Link is making him feel real excited. He still has half a mind to call it off, remind Link that it ain’t right, but he figures Link already knows. And doesn’t mind. And Rhett’s just so darn curious to see what it would feel like to be kissed.
He still doesn’t say a word, and his heart feels like an excited bird trapped inside a very small cage.

Link turns to face him, and Rhett realises that they are sitting a lot closer together than he initially thought they were. And even if Link does sit on the big rock now, his gaze is still a question. One to which Rhett can only answer affirmatively.

Link places a gentle hand on Rhett’s cheek, and Rhett mirrors it shakily. A moment later, Link nods, closes his eyes and leans forward to press their lips together. Rhett can barely close his own eyes before Link’s pulling away, looking at him, his lips now parted and his cheeks red.

Rhett tries to stammer something out, but he can’t find the words. He doesn’t want to speak, for fear he could ask Link to do it again. He knows they shouldn’t, even if he wants to.
Kissing Link should have felt like kissing his brother, or a door, a lamp, this rock he’s sitting on. It feels like none of that. It’s nothing, and it’s everything.
The bird inside Rhett’s chest is about to leap out of its cage.

“That was good,” Link says, his own voice a tad shaky, “You’re a good kisser, I mean. I don’t think you need to worry.”

Link never says anything about practising or not practising some more, but Rhett takes this statement as a clear sign that they need not practise anymore.

“It was kinda gross,” Rhett says, because he feels he has to, “I mean, you kiss well. It’ll just be better with girls.”

“Yeah,” Link says, a small, almost sad smile on his lips. “C’mon, my turn.” Link says, and Rhett’s fully ready to take Link’s face into his hands and kiss him, one of his hands already halfway there when he realises what Link meant.

Rhett climbs down from the big rock and goes to sit on the small one, because it’s Link’s turn to talk.

He listens to him go on about some stuff at home, school, this girl or other, all with half a heart, focused more on the way Link’s lips shape the words than on the meaning of the words themselves.

Two days later, Rhett gets a girlfriend.

ix.

They have the windows of the car open as they whizz through the countryside, Link behind the wheel of his own car for one of the first times in his life. It’s scalding, even with the windows open, so somewhere after leaving town, they had decided to chuck their shirts into the backseat.

No seatbelts, because those are stifling and immobilising, and really, no fun at all. It’s not like they’re gonna crash, or something. It’s just Lillington, North Carolina. No one on the road but them.

Not long after he turns onto Tysinger Road, Link’s doing about 45 miles per hour, only speeding up as the road stretches out in front of them. This is the same place where Rhett had, in the spring of that same year, failed to prove to be a skilled driver. There is a ninety degree turn in the middle of Tysinger Road, and Link’s about to wipe it off the map.

Where Rhett had once slammed on the breaks, Link doesn’t even flinch, doesn’t slow down as he turns the wheel to the right, effectively getting the car to turn.

Onto it’s side.

It’s a series of steps - the front and back left wheels lift off the ground, leaving the car to teeter on the edge of the ditch for a second, before it slams down onto the road, standing upright, on its side.

Rhett slides in his seat, too shocked to even scream as he falls on top of Link, his hands scrambling to hold onto his shirtless friend.

For a moment there, he thought they were goners.

He wraps his arms around Link more tightly, more deliberately, his arm coming behind Link’s back, pressed between the road he can feel through the open window and Link’s bare, cold back.

He raises his head to look up at Link, whose eyes shift from the sky above them onto Rhett’s face when he does. Neither say anything, both still too shocked to do anything except shiver and stare at each other with wide, worried eyes.

Then suddenly, Link’s face is all concern and distress, and his hands come up to the sides of Rhett’s face, palpating his face and neck as if to determine that Rhett’s head is still unscathed. Rhett takes a deep breath, and he barely gets his breathing back under control when Link slides one hand around his neck, pulls himself up and clashes his lips against Rhett’s.

Rhett is still for a moment, but then he’s kissing back just as hard, pushing Link down onto the car door, pressing his naked torso flush against Link’s own. The kisses are desperate, open mouthed and reckless, Link’s hands roaming all over Rhett’s hair and neck as Rhett just keeps a tight hold on Link.

Getting that close to death often erases any sort of pretense, anything that the mundane foolishness of everyday life might allow. There’s no space or time for any cop-outs, any denial of appreciating mutual affection. There’s only We’re alive, We didn’t die, You’re alive, You’re mine, and I love you, I love you, I love you.

Link pulls away to take a breath, his hands still gently petting Rhett’s short hair. Rhett can feel wetness on his cheeks, but Link’s not crying. It’s only when Link gently drags his thumbs down and across Rhett’s cheeks that Rhett realises that he’s the one who’s crying.

“Rhett,” Link calls softly, the first one to speak. “Are you okay?” He asks worriedly, his voice on the verge of cracking.

Rhett nods, closing his eyes, leaning in so his nose almost touches Link’s own, wishing Link would just kiss him again, because he’s not strong enough to kiss Link.

Link pulls him down gently, kissing first his cheek, the salty tracks left on there by the tears. He moves down, then, and captures Rhett’s lips with his own again, whimpering softly when he hears Rhett’s answering moan. Rhett’s kisses soon turn harsh and frantic, the tears that roll down his cheeks never stopping.

“I’m so sorry,” Link whispers when they break apart, “I’m such an idiot,” he says, unable not to laugh. Rhett laughs with him, though it’s shaky and tearful and messy.

“I thought-” Rhett begins, but is cut off by a sob.

“Shh,” Link reassures him, bringing a hand up to his cheek. “I know. But we ain’t dying today, bo. We got a lot of stuff to do together.”

Rhett smiles and nods, and Link holds him until he’s calmed down. When they manage to get themselves out of the tipped-over vehicle, they rush to a nearby house and knock on the door to call Link’s mother, and by the time Link’s grandfather shows up, the kiss is all but forgotten.

viii.

It’s freshman year of college and Rhett’s just starting to decide to be a scumbag. That’s the way Link would put it, anyway.

They had agreed that staying in to study would be a good idea, but lately Rhett will admit that yes, he’s slipping. He spends way more time playing video games, ‘cause college is freaking stressful. It’s mind-numbing and he is fairly certain that he can maintain his 4.0 GPA without spending so much time hunched over a book.
He’s sitting on his bed, just in his boxers, pissed at Link for not letting him go to a party.

“Go if you want to!” Link had shouted, “What do I care?”

But Rhett knew he’d never hear the end of it, so he just stripped down to get into his pyjamas, and then sat on his bed, pouting. He averted his eyes from Link who undressed as well, and was just down to his boxers when he had to speak again.

“You decided what you’re gonna wear to the party yet?” Link asked, scrunching up his jeans and tossing them onto his bed annoyedly.

Rhett rose from his spot in the bed, his heart thumping audibly in his chest. He’s so angry with Link, he could - he could -

“What are you doing?” Link asks as Rhett crowds him, gripping his shoulders and twisting one leg between both of Link’s making him stumble. Link shrieks as he loses his balance, dragging Rhett on top of him as they fall together.

“Ow!” Link yells, writhing underneath him. “Get off of me!”

“I can’t. I’m dead,” Rhett says in a deadpan voice.

Link whimpers weakly, trying to wriggle out of Rhett’s hold. “Rhett,” he whines, managing to free one of his hands and push Rhett’s chest with it.

Rhett puts his elbows on either side of Link’s head, looming over him.

“Link,” Rhett copies him, but doesn’t exactly mimic his tone. Rhett’s voice sounds deep, almost stern, and yet an amused smile is tugging at his lips.

“Get off,” Link instructs, brows scrunching up.

“Can’t. I’m-”

“You’re dead, yeah, I know,” Link rolls his eyes, huffing indignantly.

“Help me come back to life,” Rhett whispers, leaning in so close, the tips of their noses almost touching. It was a ploy to embarrass Link even further, and it seems to have worked. Link’s as red as a lobster, and he can’t seem to look directly at Rhett.

“Rhett…” he says weakly, looking at him with half-lidded eyes. Rhett doesn’t move, frozen in place. He can feel every point of contact between them like burning embers on his skin. Their legs, interlocked, rest against one another, bare and twitchy, and Rhett can feel an unmistakable hardness rising between Link’s. Rhett shivers, feeling his own body responding to Link’s in tandem.

Link looks up at him and Rhett gasps, his excitement spurred on by the thrill of the situation they find themselves in. Link curls one corner of his lips in a smirk, licks his lips, blinks a few times, and then he’s leaning up a little, tentatively chasing Rhett’s lips with his own.

Rhett’s lips barely brush Link’s, and he’s ready to lean down and kiss him until he’s really dead, when he hears someone gasp, and it’s not Link. Rhett knows it’s not himself either, so he looks up quickly, just in time to see the wide-eyed guy close the door. Rhett doesn’t remember ever seeing him before, probably just a passer-by.

Rhett gets off Link swiftly, breathing heavily as he turns around and looks under the corner of the covers on his bed for his pyjama bottoms, turned away from Link the entire time to conceal the situation within his boxer shorts.

Link lies down on the floor for a moment before getting up, avoiding Rhett’s eyes as he makes his way around the room, failing to bid him a good-night when they finally settle down to sleep.

vii.

Rhett paces in front of the hospital room door, waiting for Mark to come out. Will had, thankfully, disappeared to get a cup of coffee and isn’t back yet, so he won’t see Rhett fussing.

Rhett doesn’t know why he does this to himself. He is supposed to be the one to see Link first, but over the course of the few days he always let either Will or Mark or both see Link before him. He dismissed their offers of letting him see Link disinterestedly, scrunching his face up in mock aversion and saying something along the lines of, “I don’t care. He’ll be fine, y’all can go and see him.”

And they did. Mostly because they find Link’s condition hilarious. Rhett does, too, but he still felt like it was something he’d laugh more sweetly about later, once he was sure Link is fine, once Link was able to laugh with him.

He nearly jumps out of his skin when the door opens, revealing a smiling Mark who steps out and softly closes the door behind himself.

“How is he?” Rhett asks, trying to tamp down on his need to go and see Link as soon as possible. Seeing Mark’s smirk, he concludes that what Mark is smirking about is probably Link’s silliness, so he rolls his eyes and asks: “What is he saying now?”

“I think you better go in and hear for yourself,” Mark says, clapping him on the shoulder before sidestepping, presenting Rhett with the entrance to the room.

Rhett looks over his shoulder at Mark who gets lost somewhere down the hallway and takes a shaky breath before opening the door.

When he gets into the room, the first thing his eyes land on is the yellow piece of paper Link’s holding. Rhett’s seen it before - some nurse had written down all the information she thought Link should know about, since Link kept forgetting every five or so minutes. The nature of his accident left him completely loopy, with a concussion and a broken pelvis, which is what the sign said. The “l” and the “v” in “pelvis” seemed to blend together in a scribble of appropriately messy handwriting, making it look like an entirely different word.

“Hey, Rhett,” Link calls as soon as he sees the other man, cracking up, “I’ve got a broken penis!”

Having closed the door behind himself, Rhett steps forward, laughing softly, his lips stretched into a big grin at seeing Link so happy. Suddenly, it’s as if all that had happened in the past few days comes down on him, and he feels his eyes watering.

Link is still laughing, oblivious to the single tear that slips down Rhett’s cheek (which he hastily sweeps away). Rhett smiles, his eyes red-rimmed and damp, yet shining with a newfound brightness at seeing Link so amused with himself, so happy.

Link won’t remember any of it anyway. So Rhett lets himself cry.

Rhett’s heart nearly lodges in his throat when Link moans loudly, clearly in a lot of pain.

“Ow,” Link says, stretching the word out dramatically. Rhett all but leaps to his side, placing one hand on his arm and squeezing gently.

“Buddy?” He asks softly, “You okay?”

Link looks up at him, his face still scrunched up in a scowl, but it doesn’t seem to be caused by the pain in his pelvis, or his head.

“Why are you crying, bo?” Link asks, bringing a hand up to touch Rhett’s cheek. Rhett’s not exactly crying yet, but his eyes are threatening to overflow at any moment.

“I’m not,” Rhett says, voice shaking - and there it goes. He’s crying.

“Rhett…” Link says softly, putting a hand up on his shoulder. He can’t exactly move, but he uses his other hand to push the covers away so Rhett could sit on the bed next to him. He pats the bed and extra carefully, closer to his torso than his pelvis, Rhett lowers himself down on the edge of the bed. “Don’t cry…”

“I’m worried about you, bo,” Rhett says, half angry with himself for crying, half trying not to give a damn about it.

“Don’t be,” Link says, rubbing his shoulder idly, “I’ll be fine,” he says, then full-on smiles, making Rhett choke on the laughter that the sight forces out of him.

“I just love you so much,” Rhett whispers desperately. Link won’t remember any of it anyway.

“I know, brother,” Link says, smile widening. He pulls Rhett down by the front of his shirt and kisses him softly, almost making Rhett fall on top of him. Rhett brings his hands up and holds Link’s face tenderly, kissing back delicately as if not to hurt Link. He can feel Link smile before he pulls away, lowering his head back onto the pillow. Rhett blushes madly, embarrassed with himself for needing this, for loving Link as much as he does. He knows it’s not right, but Lord, it certainly feels right.

The kiss, no matter how disgusted it should make Rhett feel, brings about a reassuring warmth that makes him feel at peace. Link has managed to calm him down, and it’s taking all that Rhett has for Rhett not to speak up and tell him just how much he loves him and in what ways. There’s no denying that there’s also that miniscule part of him that hopes that this would be the last time Link’s brain restarted, that Link would remember what Rhett has said for years to come.

As Rhett’s battling with himself on the inside, debating on whether it’s fear or hope he feels at the prospect of Link retaining this memory, Link’s gaze slides over the yellow paper that lies beside him on the bed. He picks it up, skimming it, then seems to take his sweet time reading it.

After a while, Rhett speaks up. “How many times have you read that?”

Link turns to him, looking almost surprised to see Rhett sitting there.

“Once.”

vi.

Rhett laughs as he watches Link walk around their studio, bending over to pick up stray 20-dollar-bills he’d thrown there in an onslaught of an idea of acting like a white rapper for the camera, in an attempt to make the mythical beasts laugh. When he thinks he’s got all of the money, he straightens up, only for his backside to be met with Rhett’s front.

“Woah!” Rhett says indignantly, stepping away hastily, but he’s laughing. Usually, he might not be after Link touched him in such a way, but one look at Link and the ridiculous stripe of bubble-wrap around his neck has him tickled.

“You planning on going to court in that, brother?” Rhett asks, tugging at one corner of Link’s bubble-wrap scarf.

Link blushes, snatching the corner of the scarf out of Rhett’s hand and grinning lopsidedly. “Might as well, to complete my “hobo” look. Which you mentioned earlier this morning, when you complained about my stubble.”

“I didn’t complain,” Rhett says, “I just think you might look… cleaner. Without it.”

Link rolls his eyes and takes a step closer to Rhett, making him regard him oddly.

“So you don’t like it?” Link asks, grinning.

Rhett shakes his head, and before he can get a word in, Link speaks again:

“So you have a rule about not liking any physical attribute of me,” Link begins, taking the corners of the scarf and unwrapping it from around his neck to put the scarf around Rhett’s shoulders, making Rhett tense up, “But you’re free to openly dislike anything about me? Not fair, brother.”

Rhett’s eyes widen as Link tugs the scarf forward slightly, effectively pulling Rhett toward him.

“If you don’t like it,” Link says with a smirk, “Don’t look at it. Close your eyes.”

It’s said so softly and with such underlying nervousness that Rhett can’t help but comply. And he knows he’s an idiot for doing this, for letting Link get so close in the first place, and he hates himself for being so weak and giving in when he knows exactly what will happen next. But he’s wanted to kiss Link ever since they’ve turned the camera off that morning.

And he’s waited for it since college, and his heart soars with the hope that it’s happening again. When he confirmed that his confession of love was forever lost on Link in that hospital room ages ago, Rhett had convinced himself it was really like dodging a bullet.
He’s made peace with the fact that if that were really the case, he must really wish to get shot. ‘Cause he’s thought of repeating those three words to Link every day since.

A million questions and seemingly wrong answers to them run through Rhett’s mind, but he knows by now that once Link gets the idea to do this, it’s best not to question it. (Mind you, Rhett has never tried to question it, all four times that it’s happened thus far, but has rather always went with the flow. Link has proven to know that they both need it, and that he is the more courageous one in instigating moments like these.) Still. Why is Link kissing him?

The first thing Rhett feels is that darned, spiky stubble. Kissing Link is like kissing a hedgehog, Rhett thinks. Only so much better, naturally, because Rhett doubts that any hedgehog, no matter how cute, could make him weak in the knees.
Link runs his hands up the bubble-wrap scarf and up Rhett’s neck, seeming to rub his cheeks all over Rhett’s own as he kisses him, to get him to better feel the stubble. Rhett can feel it even with his own beard in the way and is pissed off by it, in fact he’s so mad, he grabs Link around the waist and pulls him flush against his chest. The movement is accompanied by tiny bursts of bubble wrap, which doesn’t cease in its popping for a long time after, whenever they readjust and squeeze together tighter, when Link basically humps Rhett’s leg, and Rhett lets him.

“What’s that, Neal?” Rhett says, panting, when they’ve taken a short break in making out. For a moment, Link’s eyes widen as if he thinks Rhett is referring to the kiss. “Either grow a full beard or shave,” Rhett finishes, making Link’s parted lips turn up at the corners, making him full-on smile widely when he tilts his head back down and nuzzles Link’s cheek.

Rhett’s feeling decidedly cocky, all until Link brings his lips to Rhett’s own again, kissing him passionately and pushing him back until the back of Rhett’s shins hit the couch, and he is forced to sit down.

Link climbs into his lap, straddling him, and attacking his neck with the prickle of his stubble immediately. Link’s soft lips on his neck offer a respite in the scratchy mess, and Rhett’s pants are straining after just a few kisses.

“Link…” he calls weakly, because he feels that Link will not go further, so he wants to calm himself down. And his mind seems to be set on reminding him of their situation, of how they haven’t done this exactly since they didn’t have the time to between that one incident and when both of them got serious girlfriends in college, and then haven’t done it after because Link decided to get married, and then Rhett did, too, and he’s spent so much time building up a wall around his heart to protect him from exactly this - because the only threat to his marriage is and always has been Link, and now Link’s kissing him, and Rhett feels like a teenager again, feels like he might die with how alive it makes him feel -

But Link doesn’t seem to be thinking about any of this. He presses one final kiss to the side of Rhett’s neck, sees in Rhett’s face that not all of Rhett’s attention is diverted to him, and chuckles. He sits up straight before getting up, leaving Rhett to scramble confusedly in his wake. Turning away and murmuring “hoping for a prayer for judgement,” in a sing-song voice, he walks off like he knows he’s just effectively made Rhett’s 2010.

v.

It’s different when it’s in character. Not because of his own feelings or thoughts or whatever, but in general. It’s not only more acceptable, it’s perfectly acceptable. Natalie Portman kissed Thor in that one movie Rhett saw recently, and she’s married to some Benjamin guy in real life. Actors kiss actors on screen all the time. And Link and him are nothing but actors.

It’s not just about kissing. When Rhett plays a girl, or maybe Link does, it’s all fine ‘cause, they know it’s not them. It’s very clearly not even a male figure that they’re emulating here. So they can touch, hug, cuddle and coddle as much as they want to.

But who is Rhett kidding? It’s mostly about this kiss. Which isn’t even going to be a kiss. And Link has to first agree to the non-kiss, anyway. So.

As he leans in, singing, “I’m gonna love you through this glass like it’s not even there, in fact I’m gonna kiss you, through this glaaaass-” Rhett feels like a bigger idiot that this guy they are singing about, the one who called in a bomb threat to his own wedding.

This could quite literally blow up in his face.

But all Link does is look at him, eyes widening a little as he leans towards the piece of plexiglass and presses his lips against it. Rhett freezes, holding his lips in place for a calculatedly appropriate amount of time, before pulling away.

Loving Link like the glass isn’t even there was surprisingly easy, and not in a good way. Rhett could feel every bit of that kiss, even through the hard plastic.

Rhett feels like singing, though their newsical ended here, with the kiss. So instead of singing he rambles on as Link stares around himself in surprise, mouth stretched wide into a perpetual smile.

Then Rhett’s hand is on the table, and he’s rubbing the wood, trying to distract himself, not fully attentive to what’s coming out of his own mouth.

Link… Link is the worst.

He must have said “wow” or something akin to it about fifty times now, which just makes Rhett want to shut him up with another kiss.
He’s adorable, so giddy and exhilarated, Rhett figures because this is their first kiss in front of other people, and Rhett had initiated it, which makes it seem like Link’s fondly making fun of him for taking so long to kiss him, even if it was while in character and through a piece of plexiglass.

Link’s the worst, because Rhett wants to do it again.

Link’s the worst, because screw the plexiglass.

Link’s the worst.

He makes Rhett regret not calling in a bomb threat to his own wedding.

iv.

They didn’t master the language. But they... you could say they mastered the tongue.

Rhett doesn’t think he’s been frenched as hard in his life.

Anyway. Now they’re filming an episode about it and Link glosses over those events and talks about the milder ones with such unadulterated joy that it’s actually kind of heartwarming. Rhett listens to him, occasionally chipping in, unable to keep the goofy grin off his face. Link’s still the same old Link, making jokes at the expense of married life, the French, the French calling the Americans stupid and of course, he’s still butchering the French language.

“Merci bon,” Link says, “Thank you good. Um, whatever.”

Rhett bursts out laughing, and immediately goes to poke fun at Link’s choice of words.

However, it brings something not as hilarious to mind.

They were somewhere around St Paul de Vence when it happened. One of those characteristically dressed French plumbers or other had approached Rhett back at the bus stop, helping him decipher a bus schedule while Link spoke to his wife on the phone.

“Yes, we’ll be fine… Rhett’s tryna ask some guys to help us,” Link says into the phone, and Rhett can see him glance over before lowering his voice and turning around, “You and Jessie take as long as you need. Okay. Love you, bye.”

Rhett is looking over the Frenchman’s shoulder at Link, but quickly averts his eyes when he sees Link hang up the phone.

“See,” the Frenchman says, pointing at the schedule, “This is the bus we need, Rhett,” he says, looking up at Rhett, whom he met minutes ago, with the most peculiarly dazzling smile.

“Oh,” Rhett says, trying not to note how close the other man is standing to him, “I never woulda guessed.”

“I think you would figure it out,” the Frenchman says, “You do know Arabic.”

Rhett raises his eyebrows confusedly. “Sorry?” he asks, unable to say that he quite follows this man’s train of thought.

“The numbers,” the man says with a laugh, tapping on the glass, “Arabic.”

“Oh!” Rhett says, now laughing easily, “Oui, oui,” he says in the most American-sounding accent possible, “I do.”

The Frenchman looks at him, tilting his head and giving him a small smile before mumbling: “Mmm. Mignon… ”

Then Link’s there, practically elbowing the Frenchman out of the way as he squeezes in between them, under the pretense of trying to look at the bus schedule.

“The next one arrives in three minutes,” Link muses, turning to look at Rhett, who nods to confirm it.

“So little time,” the Frenchman says to Rhett, whose eyes immediately slide back over to him.

He tries not to seem surprised as he lets the Frenchman go on.

“I guess we will have to part, soon,” the Frenchman says in a sort of sultry voice, leaning in to put his hand on Rhett’s arm, not paying attention to Link’s alarmed face. “Unless you would like to stay here with me and let your friend go see his museum…”

Rhett immediately colours, and he’s struggling to choose the words to decline when Link steps in, placing his own hand on Rhett’s arm and pulling him away from the other man.

The Frenchman frowns minutely, dropping his hand, but then he seems to compose himself as he goes on, seemingly unfazed, still only having eyes for Rhett. “I could show you things you can’t see in a museum…”

Link actually gasps, and pulls Rhett either closer to himself or further from the Frenchman - it’s two flies with one swat, really.

“He’s fine here,” Link says through gritted teeth, making the Frenchman frown. “Aren’t you, my cherie?” Link asks, turning to Rhett, not only his American, but his southern accent seeming to show through.

Rhett knows his face is as red as a lobster, if the heat he feels is anything to go by.

The Frenchman huffs and starts to walk off, mumbling something to himself. “C’est très drôle…”

The guy is out of their sight, and they out of his, when Link puts both of his hands on the lapels of Rhett’s jacket, pulling him closer just to push him back until his back hits the bus schedule, standing up on his toes and slamming his lips against Rhett’s. He proceeds to kiss him senseless, his tongue set on parting Rhett’s lips from the start, which Rhett easily allows.

Rhett can hear the bus coming, and he opens his eyes to look, but Link doesn’t move an inch. Not in that direction, anyway, otherwise he’s all over Rhett.

“Link,” Rhett tries to mumble around his lips, but it all ends up sounding like a series of muffled moans. “Link,” he repeats more clearly, pulling away a little. “The,” he barely gets it out, breathless from the kiss, “The bus.”

Link turns to look over his shoulder and steps away from Rhett, taking a few steps toward the bus. The bus drives on towards them, and then past Link, only to finally pass Rhett.

“What the hell?” Rhett can hear behind himself, and it’s a sentiment he fully understands.

Rhett’s face is still scrunched up in indignant confusion when Link shrugs and turns back around to face him. “When’s the next one?”

Rhett shakes his head and looks down to check the schedule. “Uhh… Half an hour?”

“Merci!” Link shouts after the bus indignantly, stepping into the road. But when he turns back to face Rhett, Link looks him up and down, a slow smile tugging at his lips. He steps closer to Rhett, taking him by the lapels again. “Bon.”

iii.

Link shearing his hair is long overdue, Rhett thinks. Secretly, he loved the long locks that used to frame Link's face, but this hairstyle is a nice change.

In fact it's so nice that when Rhett first sees him, he pulls off this snapback Link's suddenly taken to wearing and when the hair is revealed, Rhett's fingers are lax around the hat he's holding, and it drops to the floor.

Not only does it look amazing - Link's new hairstyle is reminiscent of the way he wore his hair back when they were very young, back when Link first kissed him.

"You're beautiful," Rhett says, and figures it is the most genuine thing he's ever had the privilege of saying to someone. He knows it's the most genuine in that it is the least thought upon thing that's ever dropped out of his mouth - which is exactly what it did, just stumble out spontaneously, unplanned.

Link responds in an equally spontaneous kind. They're in Link's living room, which may mean that Link let his hair down a bit too easily in the surrounding familiarity.

Maybe he mistakes Rhett for his wife, when he kisses him.

It's so off-handed, sudden and sweet that it takes Rhett completely by surprise, and leaves him reeling for minutes after.

"Thanks, bo," Link says bashfully, not quite as if he's done something he shouldn't have and only now caught himself, but definitely like he knows it wasn't his wife he just kissed.

He leaves Rhett standing there, in the middle of the living room floor. Rhett stares after Link as the other man steps away, ducks his head to hide his blush, running his fingers through his hair a bit self-consciously.

Link paces the room to and fro before settling on picking his hat up off the floor.  He hesitates in putting it back on, and eventually just looks up at Rhett, opening his mouth as if to say something.

After a while, he does. "You really think so?" Link asks softly.

Rhett's eyes widen and he nods solemnly, his lips pulled up in a small, almost plaintive smile. "You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

ii.

Link didn't kiss him again. He did Rhett one better, by asking him if, if Rhett really meant what he said, he was going to miss seeing the most beautiful thing he's ever seen during the holidays.

And by saying that yes, yes he will, Rhett effectively broke one of their many futile rules, the one about always spending the holidays apart, because that prompted a wide smile and another question from Link. One which Rhett also answered affirmatively to, but not before asking: "What, like a date?"

To which Link could only give his own affirming answer.

They didn't speak of it anymore the day of the haircut nor the days leading up to their return to North Carolina for the holidays. They didn't speak of it until the night of the big game, really, and even then the first to break the silence was Rhett, who simply texted Link to ask when and where they should meet.

Link told him he'd pick him up around seven, so all Rhett had to do was wait. He went for casually chic, did his hair as best he could and for a moment even considered using one of his wife's many perfumes, but in the end decided against it. (He’d had quite a breakdown over one of his favourite perfumes of her’s, thinking about her and what this meant, what Link and him were doing, but he couldn’t deny that being with Link didn’t feel like having an affair. Actually, being with anyone but Link had always felt like cheating.)

When Link picks him up, Rhett has been thinking about being kissed by him for some six hours total. (He will be considerate enough not to count any time spent thinking about this in the days prior, only today.)

It takes all of Rhett's strength not to lean over the console and kiss Link as soon as he plops down onto the passenger seat, and he continues to think about it during their short commute.

Link looks over at him and smiles, looking at him as if he can't quite believe they are actually doing this.

“Hey,” says Link, looking nervous but also as if he could burst out laughing any second.

“Hey,” Rhett mirrors it in every sense.

“You look good,” Link says, lips puckered as he wills himself not to smile so hard.

Rhett laughs a little, reaching out to put his hand on Link’s shoulder, because he has to do something, otherwise he’ll lose his mind. “Thanks, brother. You look good too.”

“Thanks,” Link says, ducking his head shyly and immediately looking in front of himself to turn the car on. “I try,” he mumbles, unable to keep the stupid smile off his face as he glances at Rhett.

Rhett regards him a little, his own stupid smile in place, before looking ahead of himself as Link starts to drive.

It’s not long before they arrive to their destination, at least it certainly doesn’t feel like a long time. The drive is filled with mundane talk and giddy, ridiculous laughter, and Rhett can barely keep his eyes off Link. When he does manage to tear them away, his mind offers no respite - his thoughts are always ones of Link and his growing desire to kiss the man’s brains out.

Link parks and they exit the car, walking at an appropriate distance, though even the space between them feels like it’s electrified.

They went alone, just the two of them, but them being them back in their home state means that they are never alone, old and new friends and mythical beasts alike always approaching them excitedly. In a sense, they went with some of their family.

Their immediate families, however, are never mentioned directly, even if Rhett tells himself he doesn’t feel particularly guilty about being with Link. He feels like he doesn’t deserve the guilt. It’s anger at their fate, at the world that has denied him the opportunity of being with Link, placed them both among the people whose never-questioned mindset labeled love between two men as abominable. The world gave them both everything except the thing they most needed and wanted. Now, when it finally feels like they have it, not only the love which has always been there but the beginning of an actual relationship, Rhett would give everything just to keep it. His wife, whom he knows loves him so, would perhaps need an acclimating period, but would never deny him this, Rhett thinks.

But it doesn’t matter. The world could end tomorrow if Rhett could only have Link tonight, even just sharing this air between them, everything felt and yet unspoken.

They squeeze through the crowd and into their seats, pausing only once or twice to take a photo with their fans, and sit down next to each other comfortably. Link takes the opportunity of the seats being placed so close to lean against Rhett just a little, his arm pressed along Rhett’s, and Rhett’s heartbeat speeds up.

During the game itself, Link is all expressive shouts and smiles directed at Rhett when the team they’re cheering for score. It reminds Rhett of the times Link would cheer him on during their teenage years, when Rhett still dreamt of becoming a basketball star.

Rhett likes sports. He does. Especially basketball, and it’s tremendously interesting to watch, really. However, he seems to be prone to daydreaming today, which is also something that is reminiscent of his teenage years. And it’s stupid daydreams, like, what if Link leaned against him fully or took his hand, or if the kiss-cam panned in on them and demanded them to-

Rhett gets himself in check, sweating to keep track of the game, something which Link seems to be able to do seamlessly.

When the resounding sound of a whistle signals the end of the game, Rhett almost leaps out of his seat. Link’s quick to follow, albeit with a curious expression on his face.

Rhett, who can’t take it anymore, grabs Link’s arm as he pulls him away from the seats and through crowds of people. They end up having to pause for another fan selfie, which Rhett graciously allows, but then pulls Link away as soon as the fans seem ready to say their goodbyes.

Rhett pulls Link by the arm into one of the unused cloisters in the building, the doors to the small hallway swinging shut behind them.

“Rhett-” Link says, not fully able to see him in the darkened space, but before he can say anything else, Rhett’s crowding him against a wall, crashing his lips against Link’s.

They’re both wearing hats, or they were, since those get knocked away easily as soon as Link responds to the kiss. It is with equal fervour that he responds, clinging onto Rhett’s shirt as he pulls him closer. Rhett’s hands are first in Link’s hair, revelling in its soft, fluffy feel at the top and the slight prickle of the short sides. Link moans in response to the touch, his own hands coming up around Rhett’s shoulders as they continue to kiss. When Rhett moves his hands down Link’s body to grab the backs of his thighs and push him up against the wall, holding him up against it, it is with extreme ease that he can feel Link’s arousal, even through his jeans.

“Rhett,” Link says breathily, letting Rhett kiss his neck as he speaks. “You sure you wanna do this here?” he asks, as if reading Rhett’s mind.

In all honesty, Rhett doesn’t know. It’s quiet all around them, and Rhett feels like their biggest problem, besides the risk of being caught, is the staff closing this place down.

“I guess we gotta be quick,” Rhett whispers, making Link giggle. His heart soars at the sound, and he searches for Link’s lips with his own in the dark.

“You’re so stupid,” Link tells him happily, in between kisses.

Rhett stills in his movements, releasing his grip on Link’s backside and putting him down gently. “I know,” he whispers, nuzzling Link’s nose with his own before kissing him. “Turn around,” Rhett instructs, bringing his hands up to Link’s waist, playing with the hem of his shirt.

“O-oh,” Link stammers, looking around himself for a moment before following the order.

Rhett’s hands remain on his waist and he presses against Link’s back, leaning in to place a kiss to the side of Link’s neck.

“Rhett,” Link says breathily, pressing back against Rhett eagerly.

“Yeah?” Rhett whispers, kissing Link’s neck as his hands skim over the bare skin of Link’ navel.

“What are you gonna, uh, do to me?”

Rhett laughs a little, all warm and throaty, and puts his chin on Link’s shoulder. He leans in to press a short kiss to Link’s cheek before replying: “I guess we’ll see.”

Link groans when Rhett ghosts his hand over the front of Link’s jeans.

“May I?” Rhett asks amusedly, having hooked a finger into the front of Link’s jeans, right behind the button.

“Just… C’mon,” Link stammers frustratedly, and Rhett chuckles before undoing the fastenings on the front of his jeans and pulling them down a little.

Rhett takes a step back, able to admire the view with less trouble, his eyes having adjusted to the dark. He pushes Link’s shirt up, revealing his lower back, and leans down to kiss it, enjoying the way Link’s hips buck in response. He pulls Link’s boxers down over the slight swell of his ass, getting down on his knees at the same time.

When he presses a kiss to one of Link’s cheeks, the other man gasps in response, his hands pressing against the wall for balance. Rhett uses his hands to spread the cheeks apart and leans in, kissing in between them until he gets to that most sensitive of Link’s spots.

Link moans loudly, pressing his forehead against the wall. Rhett continues in his tantalizing, slow kissing in and around that spot before opening his mouth to press his tongue against it. One of his hands travels to Link’s front and he runs it down the trail of hair on Link’s undulating belly before it’s met with Link’s cock, which is proudly jutting out. Rhett wraps his hand around the sensitive skin as he continues to messily eat Link out, and Link can only take so much of it.

Link curses under his breath, trying to muffle his moans by biting his lip, but to no avail. “Rhett,” he calls breathily, pulling away from him a little. “C’mere,” he mumbles, “Come up here.”

Rhett immediately goes to stand, crowding Link against the wall, keeping one of his hands on Link’s backside as the other continues to work on his front. Link twists his neck to the side, looking for Rhett’s lips, and Rhett leans in to connect their lips in a messy kiss. Rhett’s fingers find Link’s hole again and he massages the spot gently, effectively making Link turn to goo.

“Rhett, Gosh,” Link moans, reaching behind himself with one hand to feel the front of Rhett’s own jeans. Rhett releases Link for a moment to help him unbutton his jeans and push them down his thighs along with his boxers. Link’s eyelashes flutter at the sight of Rhett’s cock, and he reaches down to touch it tentatively.

“Oh…” Link breathes, bringing his hand up to lick it before wrapping it around Rhett’s cock. Rhett shudders, leaning his forehead against Link’s shoulder blade.

Rhett moves his own hand again, and they go on like this for a bit, bringing each other off in tandem.

Link spreads his legs a little and guides Rhett’s cock in between his thighs, which he then presses around Rhett gently. Rhett starts moving, thrusting slowly at first,. It feels and looks like he’s fucking Link, and Link must love it as much as he does with the way he’s moaning.

Rhett brings his fingers back to Link’s hole, teasing him as he picks up his pace thrusting and pumping Link’s cock with his other hand.

“Rhett-” Link whimpers, tensing up suddenly as he spills all over Rhett’s hand and the wall. “Fuck,” he whispers, a tad embarrassed at having come so fast, pressing his ass back against Rhett.

Rhett moans in response and brings his hands to Link’s angular hips as he thrusts a bit faster, not far from the edge himself. When he does come, what tips him over the edge is Link’s incessant moaning, some of which Rhett thinks must be for show, but is amazing nonetheless.

“Oh, Goodness,” Link squeaks when he feels Rhett’s come drip down his thighs, Rhett’s hold tightening on him as he rides out his orgasm.

They stand there for a bit, leaning against each other, before Link turns around in Rhett’s arms and presses a soft kiss to his lips.

“You got any tissues?” Link asks with a smile, wrapping his hands around Rhett’s torso.

Rhett stares at him for a bit, looking as if he were unable to comprehend that question. “I do,” he says finally, leaning down to pull his pants up a little and rummaging through his pockets to extract a packet of them. “Here you go,” he says, opening it and pulling a tissue out, “Beautiful,” he adds, partially to tease, partially because he just feels like calling Link that.

Link takes the proffered tissue, rolling his eyes as he sets to wiping himself off. “So stupid…”

Rhett chuckles, taking a tissue himself. “I love you,” he says, looking at Link, who has his eyes cast down, focused on the task at hand.

Link looks up at him and smiles. “I know,” he says, “I love you too.”

Link ends up fixing Rhett’s work and wipes anything he thinks Rhett may have missed, and then pulls his pants up and buttons them for him. “C’mon,” Link says, “Let’s get you home.”

i.

In the following months, they treat their lovemaking after the game as a crime of passion. They go on a few lunch dates, but don’t kiss after it. While filming, they are mindful of the way they touch, but not in the same way as in the previous years. Whereas they used to pay attention to it before so they could reduce the touching if they deemed it to be too much, now they take any casual touch opportunity and use it to its full potential. It makes it easier, giving them more options for GMM. A skit about them nearly kissing is one they, perhaps a tad masochistically, write and act out, something they may never have done before. There’s also a sort of couples’ yoga, Link’s sudden inclination to calling Rhett baby, a shared bath, Rhett hardly being able to contain his excitement when they try out some massaging devices, et cetera, et cetera.

Privately, they they huddle together whenever they can, sneak sweeter and sweeter words into everyday conversations, touch not only more freely, but more deliberately. Link sits in Rhett’s lap in one of the chairs, his arms around Rhett’s neck as they look at their dogs chasing each other around the room.

They get so close to kissing that it’s almost painful not to, and sometimes they think it’s stupid that they are denying themselves this, but neither has yet thought of a way to breach the topic of a relationship to either their spouses or their fans.

All until episode 937 of GMM.

Now, with all the wonderful moments Rhett gets to spend with Link, perhaps his favourite ones have to be the wheel endings of every episode, especially the ones that are a tad more vague, that he can interpret as he can. He’s got quite good at playing them up so he could touch Link, but all within the limits of hilarity.

Rhett loves the wheel, and especially now, when it brought them here.

Everything is still as the wheel lands on Rhett's a frog prince and Link is his princess, and when Rhett lowers his voice and throws in an occasional “ribbit” to his frog prince act, there’s a few giggles, and Link’s answering blush.

When Rhett asks to be turned back into his human prince form with the magic of a true love’s kiss, he doesn’t expect Link to comply.

And yet it’s only a second before Link’s soft lips are on his, a confirmation to everyone watching that they have no clue what’s happening, but they are rolling with it. A few of the crew gasp, and when Rhett pulls away, he doesn’t feel like the world ended. He’s itching to look around the room, but Link’s eyes seem to hold him in place.

Link’s face then scrunches up comically, and he pulls away from Rhett a little, looking him up and down. Turning to the camera, Link speaks with feigned repulsion in his voice: “This prince was prettier when he was a frog…”

It’s one of the crew that breaks the silence with a laugh first, and then Rhett’s laughing as well. Link giggles, looking back and Rhett, and honest to God winks at him.

Maybe some parts of Rhett’s world, his old life, will end. But the peak moments of his life will always stay the same, because clearly, Link will stay the same.