#ilovethispairing

So you sailed away

Into a grey sky morning

Now I'm here to stay

Love can be so boring

  Nothing's quite the same now

I just say your name now

  But it’s not so bad

You’re just the best I ever had

You don’t want me back

You’re just the best I ever had

  Link was walking around LA in his old pair of grey Mythical shoes, eating some frozen yogurt. His vest provided a nice contrast to his tanned skin, just liked his black Moon t-shirt did. He felt for his car keys in his black skinny jeans; he sighed with relief. They were still there. He decided to visit a nearby park, and sit under his favorite tree. It was one that stretched for many yards, and was a beautiful, lush green. He saw the tree in the distance, and smiled to himself. This is where he came to think about stuff. Whether it be emotional trauma or just plain thinking, this was his safe haven.

As Link jogged over to it, he saw someone else sitting under it, sipping a beverage leisurely. The man was tall, seeing that his legs stretched for a while in front of him. His skin also appeared mildly tanned, and was also wearing Mythical shoes. So he was a fan of GMM. Link sighed again, but in sadness. This man reminded him so much of Rhett, and GMM, and their friendship. All they used to have was gone, thanks to an infamous incident that nobody liked to talk about, one that Link was still going to therapy for. He decided, against his conscious mind’s will, to sit down and talk to the man in question.

As he squatted down, and leaned back against the tree, shoulder-to-shoulder with the stranger, he saw realized something that immediately felt alarming. He smelled a faint rush of Rhett’s old cologne, saw his styled-up, gelled hair. He could actually smelled the Axe in it. But he hadn’t seen his face yet. “Excuse me, sir, but could you tell me what your name is? Did you like GMM?” he asked warily, changing his stance to a ready one, hoping he could escape if the stranger tried anything. “I think you already know,” whispered the stranger, turning his head slowly to face Link. Link’s eyes almost popped out of his head at what he saw. Or, should he say, who he saw.

His brain short-circuited for a moment. The right and left sides of his brain competed to comprehend who he thought he was seeing for the first time in five years. “R-R-Rhett? Oh my god, is that you?” he asked, partially out of wonder, and partially out of fear. He saw the defined features, the strong jawline, the unmistakable well-kept beard...Rhett McLaughlin had come back from the dead. Link fainted from simple amazement, fear, and confusion. The last thing he heard as his vision faded to an uncertain black was the shifting of the prickly, summer grass. The last thing he saw was “Rhett’s” face, leaning over him, a concerned expression on his face. The last thing he felt was being shifted, and he smelled Axe hair-gel before his world slipped away for a few hours.

Link woke up with a pounding headache, but in a dimly lit room. It appeared to be someone’s bedroom...wait, bedroom?! He panicked, his torso shooting up off the bed, his head turning frantically, searching for a way out. Link scrambled off the bed, and ran to what appeared to be the nearest exit. No sooner had he opened it, than had he run into a tall, slim body.    

           He swayed a little a the force of impact, but used the rebound to turn around and try the next room. As he opened it, he was horrified to see that it was merely a bathroom, and that there wasn’t possibly any escape through there. But he could hold off the stranger until he couldn’t take anymore. With considerable effort, Link stumbled to the bathroom door, threw it open, slammed it shut, and locked it. To his surprise, no banging or harsh words came through the door. Only unnerving silence.

His head slumped down, and he held himself up on the front ledge of the sink. That’s when he felt arms wrapping around his waist, and another head lay itself in the crook of his neck. He looked up to see Rhett McLaughlin, eyes smiling, teeth shining, with an amiable look in his eyes. “Link,” he whispered softly. “It’s really me.” Link still couldn’t find the courage to move.                       

Rhett gingerly placed his hands on Link’s shoulders, turning him around. Rhett stepped back a little, running his hands down Link’s arms, until he insistently, but gently, intertwined his fingers with Link’s. “I am no stranger to you, and you know it. It might seem a little confusing now, but if you just let me explain-”

“How are you alive? I was in the accident. I saw your lifeless, bloody face. I knew you were dead. At least, you looked like it. But now...you’re alive. You’re breathing...” said Link, placing his hand over Rhett’s heart, “and your heart is beating. Your face....” continued Link, placing his fingertips gently on the jaw of his friend’s, running his calloused thumb over Rhett’s cheek. “Oh, Rhett,” finished Link, suddenly clinging to his best friend by his waist, holding onto him as tight as he can.

Rhett held onto him just as tightly; he remembered his death, too. The agonizing pain he was in for a split second, and then everything slipping away, his only world, the only world with Link in it....there one second, and gone the next. He felt a wetness on his shirt. Link was crying now. Oh god.... “This is too good to be true,” sobbed Link, tightening his grip around Rhett’s waist, even less willing to let him go. Rhett felt his heart drop. His death had really affected Link, considering they were best friends since the first grade. Rhett couldn’t bare to think of all the pain Link had been in for about five years now.

“Will you come lay down and listen to what happened? You seem like you’re dying to know,” said Rhett, smiling goofily down at his best friend. Link snorted. Rhett had never lost his corny humor; even a tragic event like a car accident couldn’t take that away from him. “Yeah, OK,” said Link, wiping his red-rimmed eyes and sniffling quietly. Rhett took his hand, gasping as he felt an electric sensation shoot up and down his arm. “What’s wrong?” asked Link, placing his right hand on Rhett’s bare shoulder. Rhett felt the sensation again, and bit his lip in an attempt to muffle another involuntary gasp. Why was this happening? Rhett wouldn’t know unless they both knew what he is.

Rhett blinked, once, twice, trying to regain his composure. Then he pulled Link into the hotel room, flopping on the bed leisurely, patting the spot on the pillow next to him. Link, tired after the day’s events, flopped himself rather ungracefully onto the bed. He crossed his arms behind his head, and gratefully closed his eyes.

“Don’t worry, I’m still listening. Just resting my eyes...” he trailed off, eyes fluttering open and glancing at Rhett with a slight grin on his face.

“Well,” Rhett swallowed, “I’m sure you remember…what happened,” Rhett paused for a little, uncertain that he should continue. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and turned to Link’s relaxed form again. “When I died, I obviously didn’t stay dead. I remember the blackness, the pain, everything. Even the gates of heaven. But I shocked myself the most was when I opened my eyes for a second time.”

“You mean you were practically reborn?” asked Link, his mouth opened slightly, eyes widening aghast. Link hadn’t believed in having more than one life, like cats might…until now. “Is this some kind of sick, complex joke that you’ve put together? Or is this, despite all of the impossible factors, a real situation?” asked Link, now sitting up, but his arms folded defensively across his chest. His face revealed his weary demeanor, along with a hint of annoyance.

“Oh, come on, Link. Don’t give me that look. We can talk about something else if you’d like-“

“Listen, Rhett, it’s great…no, an absolute miracle to see you again, but I think I oughta think this over a good night’s rest. I’m just feeling so…drained. Energy wise. I’m gonna go change…wait a minute, where are we?” Link asked, giving the room a once-over before turning back to Rhett.

“We’re in a hotel room. This is the one I’ve had for...let’s just say I’ve been here a while. I got some clothes, including some sweatpants in the dresser over there. Just pick what you want, I guess.” He gestured insistently towards a large, dark dresser in a corner of the room.

           Link walked over to the mahogany dresser in the corner of the room, pulled out some gray sweatpants, dragging his exhausted form into the bathroom to change.

When Link came out, he looked aghast at what he saw. Rhett had taken his shirt off, revealing a nicely toned torso, along with more defined muscle structure. These elements made his shoulders seem slightly broader, and appeared to increase his already alarming height in the most miniscule way. His legs appeared the same, but were clad only in black boxers. Link’s breath caught at the entirety of Rhett’s new look, and became unaware that he was practically checking Rhett out.

Suddenly, Rhett cleared his throat, snapping Link out of his Rhett-induced trance. He blushed a little, knowing Rhett had most likely caught him staring. “Are you, ah, ready for bed?” he asked, walking over to Link, placing his hands on Link’s shoulders. Link nodded, still a bit disoriented from what he had just done.

Rhett guided him towards their bed, and let Link swing his legs into the bed by himself. Rhett pulled the covers over the two of them, snuggling under the blankets, and into the mattress. Link did the same; both were reveling in each other’s body heat, enjoying the closeness and almost contact. Rhett pulled his hands out from under the covers, and clapped twice, making the lights turn off. The only light in the room was the moonlight.

Just as Rhett was about to doze off, he heard a soft, persistent whisper reach his ears. “Rhett,” said Link, who was tapping his arm, trying to get his attention.

“Yeah?” Rhett mumbled, turning his head to face Link. Link’s baby blue eyes absorbed the pale moonlight, which, in turn, seemed to light them up with an ethereal glow. Rhett was momentarily speechless, eyes wide, brows slightly furrowed in concentration. What did this mean? Why were his eyes lighting up like that? These two questions plagued his mind until Link’s whisper broke his train of nearly incoherent thoughts.

“Rhett,” he continued, “how did you survive? Or, should I ask, how were you...reborn?” he inquired, stressing the last word in evident disbelief.

“Could we wait until morning to talk about this?” Rhett asked in return, still unwilling to reveal what he was to Link. They shared everything with each other, albeit this was not a topic that one should speak freely about. Rhett brushed away the strand of hair that had fallen in Link’s eyes, curling it back around his ear, attempting to examine the enticing blue pools more. Where had he seen those eyes before?

“It’s time to rest. I know you’re tired. I can feel it,” said Rhett, stroking the side of Link’s face with his thumb. He felt Link shiver, and saw his blush. That beautiful, bright red blush. Beautiful? he partially scolded, and asked himself. “Just close your eyes, and sleep. Go on,” said Rhett, now stroking the side of Link’s neck endearingly. Link made a happy noise, closing his eyes, his breathing slowing.

brittana cuddles for katbishop