Rhink side-blog | likes and replies from my main blog robyn118 | header by the lovely @erry | absolute ho for link neal but mr. mclaughlin is a close second | robyn118 on Ao3
For Robyn as part of this year's mythical secret santa @mythicalsecretsanta . I present
Class Magic
From the blog @dailyau the AU was "We're teachers at the same school and our students are convinced we're pining for each other (we are) AU
Monday
"Hey Mr. M, sorry I'm late." A young voice said.
Rhett looked up from his desk to see his student holding an ice pack to their head. "Hi Tommy, no worries. What happened?"
A third voice spoke up. "Sorry, there was a bit of an incident during gym class. The nurse said he was okay but I wanted to make sure he made it okay."
"I'll make sure to keep an eye on him, Mr. Neal."
"Thanks."
Tuesday
"Hey, we're recess duty pals today." Rhett said.
"We are. It's pretty nice today before break. What are your holiday plans?" Link replied.
"I go to my parents house where I also see my brother and his family."
"That's nice. My parents aren't together anymore so I visit both their houses."
“Oh so you kinda get two Christmases in one.”
Link laughed, “I guess so, it's been like this for so long I never thought of it that way.”
“Incoming!” A childish voice screamed out. A ball came flying towards the two, it hit Link in the shoulder causing him to stumble into Rhett who caught him.
“You okay?” Rhett asked as he helped Link get his balance.
“Yea, I'm good. Surprised me, that's all.”
Wednesday
“Welcome class, I decided today was a free day since the book fair is here this week.”
“Yay!” Multiple cheers from all around.
“Mr. Neal, can we go to the book fair?” A student asked.
“Let me check, but I think we can manage that.” A few minutes later, he came back.
“Alright, we're all set. Who's coming along?”
At the book fair
“Mr. M, check out this book on dinosaurs!”
“That looks like a good one. Are you going to get it, Billy?”
“Yea!” Billy runs off.
“Hey Rhett, looks like your class is having fun.” Link quipped.
“Hey Link, I see you brought your class too.” Rhett said.
Link laughed, “Yea they pretty much begged me to come. I think some of them wanted to visit again.”
The two watched both their classes run around the fair and admire their purchases. Rhett leaned down to tie his shoe, Link noticed something stuck to this back.
“Rhett, there's something on your back, you want me to grab it?” Link asked.
“Sure, thanks.”
“Let's see what this is.” He unfolds the paper reading aloud “I'm stuck on you. From your secret admirer.”
“You have a secret admirer! What a clever way to sneak a note.” The two laughed.
Thursday
Rhett thought he picked a great sweater for Ugly Sweater day. It was a kitten popping out of a present shooting lasers out of its eyes.
“Nice sweater, Mr. M! Did you plan yours with Mr. Neal?” Someone questioned.
“No, why?” He said.
A girl spoke up “He's wearing the same sweater.”
“We have good taste then.”
Friday
Link's day didn't start out great. It was raining and he ended up stepping on gum. The day continued dully. During his lunch break, he decided to work on some grading. He flipped open his gradebook and a boot shaped card slipped out.
“Huh what's this?” The gradebook was put aside for the moment while he inspected the card. Inside the card it read,
“Just like gum on a shoe, I'm stuck on you. There's a matching card afoot, go and find it. From your secret admirer. P.S. Will you be my date for tonight?”
Link felt his heart skip a beat from the notion of someone liking him romantically. His lunch break was almost up and he had class soon but the note instantly made his day much better.
Meanwhile Rhett walked into his classroom to find a similar boot shaped card taped to the chalkboard. “Alright, who put this here?” He asked.
“Mr.M, it was already here when we came in.” One of his students replied.
Another spoke up, “Are you going to read it?”
“Not right now, after class. Let's get started.”
It was towards the end of the day when Rhett got to read his note. His note read “I like your boots. Can you find my partner? From your secret admirer. P.S. Will you be my date tonight?”
Rhett chuckled to himself, someone noticed his boots.
The school was pretty empty as he searched around for his card's partner. He rounded a corner not paying attention bumping into someone.
“Rhett?”
“Hm, oh Link sorry about that. My mind is elsewhere.” Rhett apologized.
“Same here, what's that in your hand?”
“I got this card earlier today. I'm supposed to find its partner.”
Link held out his hand with the matching card.
"I think we were set up." Rhett laughed.
“They're not wrong, I do like you a lot.”
“Same here. What do you say, would you like to be my date for tonight?”
“I'd love to. See you tonight. They're going to get a kick out of this.”
“See you tonight.” The two parted ways until later.
At the dance
“Do you think all the stuff that happened this week was coincidence or was it the grade's elaborate plan to get us together?” Link asked.
“We were definitely part of their plan.” Rhett replied.
“Like I said earlier, I do like you a lot. I'd definitely like to spend more time with you. So what do you say, would you like to go out again sometime again?"
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This little fic is for my @mythicalsecretsanta @link-sans-specs ❤️ I so hope you enjoy it! Merry Christmas
Summary: Rhett is smitten with the new man who works in the town library and offers his help to fix a few things.
Author Notes: I've had this idea sitting in the back of my mind for a while now and I'm glad I finally got around to writing it. It's based off Sam and Kate's relationship in Holes... it literally lives rent free in my head.
“I can fix that.” Rhett hears himself say to the stranger that's currently on the floor of the town library.
The man looks up from where he's crouched down next to a book cart and Rhett is sure he's never seen eyes that shade of blue before. He's still staring in awe when he realizes that the man is speaking to him.
“Sorry,” Rhett shakes his head to clear it of any inappropriate thoughts. “What was that?”
“Could you really fix it?” the man stands up, smoothing down the front of his trousers.
“Y - yeah,” Rhett clears his throat to try and regain control of his voice. “I have some tools in my bag outside. Wouldn't take long at all.”
“That - that would be great. Thank you.”
Rhett drops the books he was carrying on the table and quickly walks outside to retrieve his things.
He's back quickly and sets to work on the broken wheel.
“I, uh, I'm Lincoln, by the way.” The man says as he keeps a close eye on Rhett working.
“Rhett,” he introduces himself, reaching a hand up to shake the other man's. He sees the dirt smeared all over it and quickly withdraws it as Lincoln is reaching out. “Sorry, my hands are always dirty these days.” He chuckles a little and goes back to fixing the wheel, changing the subject. “So, are you the one replacing Ms. Cartwright?”
“Yes - yeah. That's me.” Rhett swears he hears the smile in his voice even though he can't currently see his face.
“Well, welcome to town. We're glad to have you.” Rhett says, perhaps a little too eager.
“Thank you. Do you come to the library often?”
“I do. Usually try to hit it up when I come into town… ‘bout every other week to get supplies for the farm.”
“Good to know. Did you like Ms. Cartwright?”
“Of course, when she wasn't getting on to me ‘bout keeping the books for too long or bringing them back dirty.” That makes Lincoln laugh and Rhett's pretty sure he would do anything to hear that sound over and over again.
“So, you have your own farm?”
Rhett let's out a dry chuckle, “My father does - I just work it.”
Lincoln follows Rhett with a little laugh of his own, almost as if he understands - maybe even also has a strained relationship with his own father.
“I didn't used to come by at all,” Rhett starts, needing to fill the short bout of silence for his own comfort; because if he starts thinking about things the two of them may have in common, the chances it could grow into a friendship… Rhett has to concentrate to ease the blush he knows is creeping up his neck right about now. “My neighbor, Ms. Ruby, she can't make the journey to town anymore. I help her out when I can and she loves to read. So, I figured I may as well get myself something when I come.”
Rhett tightens the last bolt on the wheel and gives it a spin for good measure. After it makes the circle, Rhett nods his head at his handiwork and claps his hands together. “I think that should hold it together just fine.”
“Oh, goodness. Thank you so much!” Lincoln says, grabbing the handle and giving it a push himself. When it rolls fine he turns his attention back to Rhett. “That's very nice of you - to do that for your neighbor, I mean.”
“Well, after she lost Ed - I like to keep a close eye on her; just to make sure she's taken care o –”
They’re interrupted by the ring of the bell that sits over the door. Both of their attention drawn to the group of ladies entering the library.
“Well, I'll be! If it ain't Rhett McLaughlin. What on Earth are you doing at the library?” Their leader, Savannah, called out.
Rhett held back the eye roll, as this wasn't the first time she's tried to gain his attention. “I was just fixing the cart wheel for Mr. —” Rhett looked back to the other man, not knowing him beyond ‘Lincoln’.
“Neal. Lincoln Neal.”
Rhett nodded, giving Link a small smile and turning to pack away his tools. “Since that's done - I guess I'll be taking my books and bein’ on my way.”
Not that he didn't want to stay and talk to Mr. Lincoln Neal, he very much did. But, he knew Savannah would think he was staying for her and he's positive he couldn't handle any more of her undivided attention.
“Oh, okay. Can I get these checked out for you?” Lincoln grabbed the stack Rhett had discarded earlier to grab his tools.
“Yes, please.” Rhett followed him to the desk toward the front of the library, leaving the gaggle of girls to themselves. “Thank you, Mr. Neal.”
“You can call me Link.” He said, almost shyly and Rhett thinks he sees his cheeks tint a pretty rose color.
Rhett grabbed the books that Link held out to him. “Well, Link, you have a good afternoon.”
—
Link has kept an embarrassingly close eye out for the tall farmer during the last week. Rhett had said that he only made it to town every other week but he couldn't stop himself from watching outside for the handsome man that stood a head taller than everyone else.
Link knows better than to do this - latch on to some stranger that he doesn't even know and make it out to be something more than it is. But, Rhett just seems like such a genuine man and Link couldn't help but think that maybe they could be friends.
His short time in the new town has been anything but easy. Moving to some place where he didn't know a single person was supposed to be freeing. Turns out - it's also very stressful.
Link is walking across the street when he hears that laugh; he almost pulls a muscle in his neck trying to find the location of it. His eyes finally settle on the messy blonde hair and freckled skin coming out of the post office.
He knows he's probably being way too eager, maybe even a little creepy - but he makes a bee line for him but hoping, somehow, he can manage a greeting that's casual.
“Rhett!” He says, hardly able to hear the squeak in his own voice. “How are you today? I wasn't sure when I would be seeing you again.”
Rhett turns quickly at the sound of his name and Link is not disappointed when his face splits into a grin. “Well, hi there, Link! I can't complain - ‘specially since running into you.”
Link feels the blush instantly, knowing Rhett will be able to see it too but hoping he won't call attention to it. “W - will you be stopping by the library today?”
“I did plan on it.” Rhett says with a sly smile. “I hope that's okay.”
“Yes, yes, of course. I was actually going to see if I could bother you to fix a shelf that's come off the wall.” Before Link can offer to pay him for his services, Rhett is agreeing, maybe Rhett is a little eager too. That thought makes his stomach feel all fuzzy.
“Absolutley, you could!” Link isn't sure how it's possible but his smile gets bigger. “I have a couple of more stops to make and I'll head over that way.”
Link nods his head, unable to stop the huge smile gracing his own face. “That sounds perfect. Thank you.”
—
Rhett was practically giddy the rest of the morning, going through all his usual stops but with a bit more pep in his step. Now, he is finally walking up the old wooden steps and opening the familiar door.
He doesn't hear or see anyone so he speaks up in the silent space, “Link? Are you in here?”
He hears some fumbling coming from the back room and then a voice sounding out too. “I'm here. Be right out.” Rhett follows the noise and Link emerges from the small door. “Thank you so much again for helping me out with this. I'm just all thumbs when it comes to this kind of work.”
“It's really no trouble.” Rhett insists, waving his hand. “What exactly needs fixing?”
“Oh, it's right over here.” Link gestures with his hand and Rhett follows him around a shelf to the back wall. “The shelf just kind of buckled when I started putting books back on it.”
Rhett immediately starts to work, taking a closer look at the shelf. After a moment, Link asks, “Do you think you can fix it?”
“Oh, yeah. I can fix that.” Rhett says, maybe a little more sure of himself than he needs to be. “Looks like I can put a couple of nails in and it will be good as new, the wood's not rotten or anything.”
“That's great. I'd be more than happy to pay you for all the trouble –”
“Nonsense,” Rhett cuts him off before he can finish the sentence. “I’m glad I could be of help.”
Rhett sets to work, taking the old nails out, Link's attention is pulled away from Rhett when he hears the door open, he turns back to him with an apologetic look, “Sorry, let me go and tend to them. Will you be okay for a moment?”
“Absolutely. Go ahead.”
Rhett zones out for a bit, doing what he needs to do to get the shelf ready to be installed while Link is tending to the other patrons. He hits a stopping point, needing an extra set of hands to finish it up.
He dusts his hands off and makes his way down to the end of the aisle. Link is squatting down talking with a child, little William, Mrs. Doris’ grandson.
“Well, I’ll tell you what, you can keep that book for an extra week but when you bring it back, we can read it together, cause I want to know what happens, okay?”
The little boy giggles and gives Link a hug, which seems to take him by surprise but he soon leans into it and wraps his own arms around the boy. Rhett chuckles to himself at the scene and gets back to work.
He hears the bell above the door ring once again and Link's footsteps coming back toward him.
“Sorry about that.” Link starts, but Rhett is already waving him off.
“No problem at all.” Rhett says, holding up the shelf, “I could use your help for a moment.”
“Oh, okay.” Link says eagerly, stepping toward Rhett. “What can I do?”
“I just need another set of hands to hold the shelf up so I can hammer it in.”
“Oh, okay.” Link stands close to Rhett with his hands out. “Just tell me what to do.”
Rhett holds the board out, instructing Link on how to hold it properly and Rhett goes to nail it into the wall.
The both of them are pressed close together, Rhett hammering the nails while Link is trying to keep the shelf in the same spot that Rhett instructed. They are so close, breathing the same air, Rhett inhaling the scent of cloves and freshly baked bread. Rhett tries to concentrate on the task at hand but he’s getting very close to losing his cool.
He finally manages to get finished but can't seem to pull himself away from the other man.
“I, uh,” Rhett starts. “I think that should do it.”
Link isn’t backing away either, he just keeps his impossibly blue eyes locked on Rhett’s. “Y – yeah, I think so.”
They are both startled apart by the ring of the bell and Rhett springs away from Link quickly, not knowing what exactly he was thinking, letting himself get caught up in the moment.
He clears his throat, putting even more distance between them. “Uh, you better… see who that is.” Rhett moves out of the way, extending his arm to let Link pass. Link hesitates but eventually bows his head and goes toward the entrance.
Once he is out of sight and greeting the patrons that just came in, Rhett hurries and packs his things into his small toolbox.
He doesn’t think much after Link is no longer standing there, he only gets his things and heads out the door. He sure he hears Link call his name but he can't be bothered to stop.
—
A couple of hours later, Link is finally closing up shop on the library. He's trying to balance the large basket of food that Mrs. Sutton dropped off to welcome him to town. He's going to have to push his bike home since he can't carry everything and steer. He isn't looking forward to the drive; it will give him plenty of time to think about what happened today.
He can't get the way Rhett looked at him out of his mind. No wonder the man practically ran away from him. They were incredibly close and Link was having a hard time keeping his breathing under control. Rhett's eyes seemed to be staring right into his soul and his cheeks were the prettiest shade of pink.
He's usually really good at keeping that side of himself hidden, now he's afraid he's messed up and may have to move towns again just to be safe. He couldn't believe he was so stupid.
He hears horse hooves coming up behind him and is surprised when someone calls out his name.
“Link,” he hears again and turns around to be greeted with Rhett galloping up on a large horse.
Link flinches back, not knowing exactly what the other man has planned but he has a hard time believing Rhett would hurt him.
He's off the horse and walking up to Link slowly. A sad smile gracing his face. “Link, I'm glad I caught you.”
“Rhett,” Link stumbles over his words. “W-what are you doing here?”
“Listen,”Rhett gets closer, crowding into Link's space. “I'm sorry about earlier. I - I shouldn't have just ran out on you. I just –” he trails off, his eyes glued to the ground like the words he is searching for are written in the dirt below their feet.
Link understands without Rhett needing to say more. He says as much and Rhett nods, his smile still faltering but at least it's reaching his eyes.
“Are you headed home?” He asks, changing the subject.
“Umm, yeah. Just got the library locked up for the night.”
“Would you… like some company?” Rhett asks almost shyly, reaching up with a big hand and rubbing the back of his neck.
Link can't hide the shock on his face but agrees despite the swarm of butterflies he feels in his gut, or maybe it's because of them. “That would be nice.”
“Can I hold something for you?” Rhett asks as he takes the reins of his horse.
Link gives over the basket of food so he can free up his hands to push his bike. They are walking close, Link is afraid Rhett can hear the thump of his heart. “Who's this?” He asks when he can't stand the silence between them anymore.
“Oh, this is Barbara.” He says, reaching up and giving her a rub on the nose. “I've had her since I was young, we basically grew up together on the farm.”
“That's sweet.” He smiles, watching the fond smile spread across Rhett's face as he looks at the horse.
They talk the whole way to Link's small cottage just outside of town. The conversation flows easily and before Link knows it, they are at his porch and the sky has turned a beautiful pink color as the sun sets.
It seems they are both reluctant to end their time together, so Link conjures up all the courage he can muster and asks, “Um, Mrs. Sutton gave me this enormous basket of food and there's no way I could possibly eat all of it. Would you want to come inside? I don't have anyone to share it with.”
Rhett hasn't stopped smiling since Link started talking, which Link can only assume is a good thing. He tries not to jump for joy when Rhett says with a sly smile, “Yeah – I can fix that.”
Sign ups for Mythical Secret Santa are now open through November 23! Once sign-ups close, I'll get everyone matched up and send out emails by November 27th. Unwrapping will take place December 25-30th. I can't wait to see what everyone creates this year!
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Thank you for posting next chapters! Enjoyed them so much. Heartbreaking at times but loving and engaging. Keep up the great work! Looking for next chapters!
🥰🥰🥰 You're too sweet! Thanks so much for hanging in there with me while I got some of my motivation back ❤️
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Epilogue posted!!! This has taken forever to get to y'all and I don't have a good excuse aside from "life" 🙃 but I'm really glad to finish this one off and I'm also working on Love You Twice, so send good vibes my way to keep me motivated. 🫣
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Link’s stomach was in knots. But it wasn’t the good kind, not the kind that was mixed with equal parts anxiety and excitement. This wasn’t the knots he should have on his wedding day. He expected cold feet, what he didn’t expect was the overwhelming feeling that he was making the biggest mistake of his short 21 year life.
I love your fic sm can’t wait for the next chapter!!!
Hope this encouragement helps🥰
Hiiiii! Thank you so much. I'm so glad you like it, love! I've been in a bit of a rut with writing lately... I do hope to get back to it as soon as my mind will let me!
Thank you for the sweet message. It means a lot that people are still reading at least some of my fics, even though I'm not as active as I used to be ❤️
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming