Chapter Text
It’s 10:30pm on a school night. Rhett should be sleeping. Instead he’s lying with his head at the foot of his bed watching the stars from his window. It's a cloudless night in Buies Creek, and the stars light up the inky black sky like little fires strategically placed for his viewing pleasure. Rhett's mind is running rampant with his thoughts. Thoughts that include mostly Link, if he allows himself to be honest. Also thoughts of college. Future living situations. The fact that he gave up a basketball scholarship for Link. And let's not leave out Link forfeiting his dream of film school to follow Rhett to college. All because Rhett’s dad turned his nose up at the mere mention of film school for Rhett.
….
Film school is fine for Link.
But my child will have a proper degree and a respectable career .
Rhett remembers the exchange crystal clear. Not that it was much of an exchange. More of a berating from his father while he mustered all his strength to keep his tears from falling. Rhett had avoided Link for two whole days after that. Wouldn’t come to the phone when he rang and told his momma not to let Link in if he came over because he didn't feel well. He couldn’t avoid Link forever, Rhett knew that. He was just terrified to tell his best friend he couldn’t finish their plans. That he couldn’t ride out this part of life with Link, and that killed him.
Come monday morning Link had had enough. He pulled up to the McLaughlins house , beeped his horn once and waited for Rhett. He sat in his truck arms folded across his chest and eyes burning metaphorical holes in the front door. When Rhett had heard the beep, he peeked out the front window that had a clear view of the driveway. He could see the heat rising off Links hunched shoulders. Rhett didn’t blame his friend. This wasn’t them. They didn't avoid each other, especially after going radio silent with no explanation.
After a quick few calming breaths Rhett opened his front door and started towards Link’s running truck. When Link finally met Rhett's eyes he tried for a smile. But Rhett’s smile didn’t stand a chance at the hateful glare he was getting from the brunette in the driver's seat. Rhett couldn’t even get the truck door all the way open before Link was on him like a lion who caught his prey.
“What the hell Rhett?” He all but seethed, “You can’t just ignore me. You can’t just not answer my calls. You can’t tell your momma to lie to me for you. I knew you weren’t sick.”
Link was full on yelling now, and Rhett wasn’t even in the truck yet. So he climbed in the cab and shut the door before they caused a scene this early in the morning. Once situated in his seat Rhett turned to Link to continue, but the tears threatening to fall from the smaller ones eyes knocked the breath out of him.
“Oh gosh. Oh no, bo. Bo please don't cry,” Rhett pleaded.
“No Rhett! Tell me what I did? What did I do to you? Tell me so I can fix it,” Link said through the now free falling tears. “Please,” he begged.
Rhett couldn’t take the sight of his best friend upset all because he was a coward. He lunged forward and wrapped his long arms around Link ’ s body and pulled him to his chest. Link let himself be dragged across the seat. Once he was in Rhett’s arms he hid his face in the blondes chest. Rhett could feel Link’s body shake and he knew the smaller one was still crying. It broke his heart and he wrapped his arms tighter around Link ’ s tiny frame. They sat for only a few, Rhett slightly swaying the two in hopes of calming Link. When Link finally lifted his head, Rhett started on his overdue apology and explanation.
“Firstly I need you to know that you did nothing to me. You didn’t do anything wrong,” Rhett paused making sure it sank in. “I.. I was scared to talk to you. My uh, my dad said I can’t go to film school with you. He said it’s not a respe c table path, and he won’t pay for it,” Rhett inhaled deeply avoiding eye contact. “I’m so sorry I made you worry Link. You.. I didn’t think you’d get this upset. I’m sorry I messed up our plan bo.” He finished. But kept his eyes on the folded hands in his lap.
“Rhett?”
Rhett never knew his own name could erupt a million little butterflies in his belly. They fluttered so hard he wasn't sure he’d be able to catch his breath. Simply hearing it from his best friend’s mouth does the trick every single time. If Rhett is honest he’s known since that fateful day on the first day of first grade. He didn’t have a name for it then, but now it hangs in the back of his mind like a neon sign outside a roadside motel. Rhett McLaughlin Loves Link Neal- it reads. All bright and shiny with the familiar buzz should you forget it’s still on. Rhett never forgets.
Everything shifted in 6th grade when Rhett found himself with a girlfriend named Leslie. She was cute and liked to play chase during recess; so when she asked to be his girlfriend Rhett said sure. It was short lived like most relationships at that age. A month after Rhett said sure Leslie dumped him because apparently he talked about Link too much. Rhett had thought that maybe he would be sad, but to his surprise he wasn’t in the slightest.
The real heartbreak happened when a month later Link asked Leslie to be his girlfriend. Rhett was confused by his emotions, because yeah Leslie was great but he’d almost been relieved when she had dumped him. But still he found himself jealous of Link being her new boyfriend. Those were a lot of emotions to handle at 12 so Rhett brought it all to his momma. She had sat him down with his favorite meal and explained that matters of the heart didn’t follow logic. She had said that he would heal and move on, and that he should be happy for Link.
Happy with his mommas explanation and a better understanding of his feelings, Rhett soldiered on. That all came to a sudden stop the first time Leslie made Link laugh in front of him. Rhett’s chest got tight and breathing became hard. Rhett wasn’t dumb and he connected the dots fast after that. He wasn’t jealous of Link. He was Jealous of Leslie. He wanted to be the one who made Link laugh like that. So loud and carefree. Head tilted back eyes scrunched closed with a hand grasping his chest. It all made sense now. The funny feeling he would get in his tummy when Link looked at him. The way his breathing would quicken when he made Link laugh. Not to forget how dizzy he got when they would bump hands when walking side by side.
At the ripe age of 12 Rhett McLaughlin accepted the fact that he was in love with his best friend. He was terrified. Rhett had heard the whispers about people with feelings similar to his. He was aware of the slurs they were called and how everyone he knew believed those people went straight to hell. On Sunday the pastor would preach about how those same-sex feelings were that of sin and lustfulness. The old man would scream that if you had those thoughts or feelings you should pray them away. Rhett never prayed.
You can’t tell him the pure love he feels for his friend staring at him right now is sinful or even disgraceful. If that’s what the god they’d learned about in Sunday school thinks about him, then Rhett’s better off without them. Link Neal is his end game. His soulmate for lack of better description. Platonic or romantic, Rhett decides, is Link’s choice. That is if he ever drums up the courage to tell him.
Rhett realizes he’s been lost in Link's eyes for no doubt an embarrassing amount of time. He shakes his head and clears his throat. Before he speaks Rhett notices the faint smirk on Link’s lips and the way his eyes are slightly scrunched in amusement. He makes note to commit this look to memory. It’s one of his favorites.
“Yea,” comes Rhett’s response.
Smirk still on his perfectly shaped lips Link continues, “You didn’t mess up anything. It’s simple really. There is no me without you.”
Link says it easy as pie. Flows from his mouth like a perfectly conducted love song. Rhett can do nothing but stare. The butterflies erupt again and this time they threaten to crack his ribs. This is exactly why Link is his person. This is why he should have never feared breaking the bad news to Link. The smile that finds Rhett’s lips is apparently contagious, because Link answers with his own.
“Are you sure, bo?”
“Like I said, there is no Link without Rhett,” he answers with a wink.
Rhett can feel the heat creep up his neck. He answers with a grunt and a slight nod. Link starts his truck and backs out of the driveway.
Once the smaller one’s eyes are focused on the road ahead, Rhett allows his to linger on Links profile. The perfect downward slope of his nose. The little pout currently adorning Links smooth plump lips. He can safely say he’d give his left hand to experience how they feel pressed against his own. The long dark lashes that frame the iciest blue eyes Rhett has ever had the pleasure to stare into. And when those eyes are focused solely on Rhett he swears he knows what heaven must feel like.
Link looks over at his friend and Rhett quickly finds something way more interesting in the corn field they are currently passing. Rhett’s face is now the surface temperature of the sun. He knows he can’t risk a glance at LInk, fearing that his red face would be too telling. His eyes stay glued out the passenger window the rest of their ride to school. What he misses is the giant shit-eating grin Link gives to no one in particular.