Chapter Text
Link was still astonished about seeing Nick, especially in his shirtless state. He’d been staring at him for a few seconds before Nick broke the silence. “You okay, bud?” he asked Link, who gave him the sandwiches without saying a word in return. “Thank you.” Nick gave him the money for the sandwiches.
“I didn’t know you lived here,” Link then told Nick, looking around the outside of his house. “It’s nice.”
“Thank you, Link,” Nick replied, smiling at him. Link gave him a small smile in return as he fixed his cap.
“I should get going,” Link said as he began to walk away. Before he could even take a step, he felt Nick’s hand land on his shoulder, turning him around.
“I wanted to ask,” Nick started, “if you wanted to hang out for a while here with me?”
Link was confused. He wasn’t expecting for Nick to ask him that. He was trying too hard to focus on anything but his bare torso.
“Yeah, sure,” he answered him. “See you after work.”
Nick smiled at him and walked back into his house, leaving Link standing outside of his house for a moment before he went to the car and started driving away.
On the way back to work, Link was thinking about calling Rhett and telling him that he was going to Nick’s house for a bit. Frowning at the thought, he shook his head. Rhett hadn’t texted him at all that day. He wouldn’t care if he’s a couple hours late coming home from work. When he arrived at the sandwich shop, he dropped off the money and got his stuff, ready to clock out.
“See ya tomorrow, Link!” Someone from the register called out to him. He looked back, seeing a man in his work uniform. He waved back at him with a smile, even though he didn’t recognize him.
He went to his own car and sat there for a bit, letting the car warm up as he checked his phone again.
No Unread Messages.
No Missed Calls.
Link felt his heart sink. He hadn’t received anything from Rhett. Turning his phone off, he gently grasped it with both hands, squeezing it and pushing it against his chest.
Why hasn’t he tried calling me?
He felt anger fill him and threw his phone on the passenger seat. Grabbing the steering wheel, Link started driving away from the parking lot.
His mind was filled with various questions, asking himself again and again: Does Rhett even care? Is he even happy for me?
Link decided to stop at the store briefly, using the tips he received that day to buy a sixpack of beer. He’d be needing it that night. He just wanted to drain out his emotional problems. He got back into the car and drove off to Nick’s house.
He rang the doorbell and stood there for a few seconds before Nick, still shirtless, opened the door for him with a small smile.
“Welcome back, Link!” Nick enthused, moving aside for Link to walk in. The brunet slowly walked into the house. Looking around, he saw a bunch of unpacked boxes stacked on top of each other in the corner of the living room.
“I still haven’t finished with unpacking, so it’s a bit of a mess in here,” Nick apologized, taking the case of beers that Link was holding. “What would you like to do, Link?” he asked, tilting his head to the side. Link’s mind was a jumbled up mess--he couldn’t think straight when Nick was this close to him.
Link was looking at Nick straight in the eyes, stuttering as he answered his question. “Uh, I, uh. Whatever’s f-fine, really…”
Nick smiled and walked over to his couch, waving at Link to come over to him. He obeyed and walked over to the couch with Nick. Sitting down, he immediately felt as if he were sinking into the couch. It was extremely comfortable, making Link smile as he got into a comfortable position. His arm was touching Nick’s ever so slightly.
“We are going to watch a movie, in celebration of your first day at your job!” Nick exclaimed, leaning down to grab two beers, giving one to Link with a big smile. “I’m so happy for you!”
Link felt overwhelmingly happy. He thanked Nick and opened the can of beer that Nick gave him. As Nick went through his Netflix, Link grabbed his phone, turning it back on to check his notifications.
No Unread Messages
No Missed Calls
Again, nothing.
Link tossed his phone aside and leaned against Nick’s shoulder. “What’s wrong?” the other man asked as he finally settled for a movie and played it. He leaned back onto the couch and looked down at Link. "Hmm?”
“Nothing,” was all Link told the man, taking another swig of his beer.
*~*~*~*
Rhett placed the sheet of hash browns into the oven and closed the door before wiping his hands with a rag he had kept on the countertop. He smiled, eager for Link to come home from work so that he could surprise the man with his favorite kind of dinner: breakfast. Link would probably end up eating a bowl of cereal, but Rhett would happily eat the rest of it himself. He’d gotten home from work earlier than he’d expected, so he thought a perfect way to fill the extra time was to prepare a special meal as an apology. He glanced at the clock atop the oven, noting that Link’s shift was supposed to have ended about 15 minutes earlier. Based on the location of the sandwich shop, Link should arrive back home any minute. Rhett grinned. He checked his phone for a text from Link, unsurprised when he saw nothing. He felt awful for what had happened earlier. Rhett had never been one to excel at speaking about his feelings, so he was dealing with what happened with the one thing he knew best: food. He placed his phone back into his pocket and went back to work, beginning the preparation of the bacon and eggs. “Link will be so happy when he walks into the house and smells this,” he thought, making himself laugh with eager anticipation.
*~*~*~*
Link slowly got closer and closer to Nick as the movie played, the beer was making him feel very cuddly. His head was against Nick’s shoulder as he clung his arm. He heard Nick chuckle so he looked up at him and asked, “Why are you laughing?”
Nick looked down at him and smiled. “Nothing.” He managed to free his arm from Link’s hold and instead wrapped his arm around Link, pulling him closer.
Link felt happy. He felt warm. He felt loved.
“Are you enjoying the movie?” Nick asked, not looking away from him. Link smiled and nodded, burying his face in Nick’s arm. “Are you even paying attention to it?” he teased, laughing at Link looking up to him with a slight glare.
“Of course I am,” Link answered and sat up, still in Nick’s arm. He then pointed at the TV and said, “That dude is the main character”
“Is that all you know?” Nick asked with a small smile.
“Shh…” Link shushed. “Don’t judge the way I watch movies.”
Nick giggled, Link’s tipsy silliness making him laugh.
“Don’t laugh,” Link giggled, laying his arm across Nick’s chest. Getting closer to the man next to him, all thoughts about Rhett left his mind. The only thing his mind screamed was Nick.
Nick leaned down to Link’s face and softly kissed his cheek. They both stopped laughing. The TV was still playing the movie, but all Link’s fuzzy mind could think about was Nick’s soft lips against his skin.
“Your lips...are soft,” Link whispered. “Can you do that again?”
Nick obliged, leaning down and kissing his cheek again. Link felt warm, perhaps from the alcohol, perhaps from the physical contact. Nick’s kisses were so soft and he wanted more. He craved more than just small cheek kisses. He felt as if he was losing his self control due to the alcohol that he has been consuming, his common sense slowly abandoning him. Everything Link was doing was pure instinct.
Without warning, Link used his hand that was across Nick’s chest to pull his face down slowly. He stopped when they were facing each other, their noses slightly touching.
“Kiss me,” Link demanded.
Nick grabbed Link’s wrist and kissed his lips. It was slow, passionate and long. It seemed to end as soon as it began, though Link still wanted more. When Nick pulled away, Link chased his lips. He kissed him again, his mind racing as he grabbed Nick by his shirt.
“Kiss me,” Link repeated, fully sitting on his knees as Nick tangled his fingers into Link’s hair. Slowly, they were losing their breaths. Pulling away from each others mouth, they made eye contact.
Nick slowly placed his hand on Link’s waist, pulling his body closer to his own. Link cooperated and quickly swung a leg over Nick so that was straddling his lap. Without saying anything, they kissed again. This time, it was more eager. Link didn’t know what he was doing, his head felt fuzzy and he just knew he wanted to be with someone.
Kiss me. Touch me. Make me feel loved.
Nothing felt real to him--it all felt like a dream. Nick’s lips on his neck, his hips moving against the man as his hands were tightly gripping his shoulders. It all felt too good, the alcohol playing a major part in making everything feel unbelievably wonderful.
Nick’s hands were everywhere on Link’s body; on his shoulders, slowly pushing him down against him. His hands went down Link’s back slowly, driving him insane. Nick’s hands were suddenly on his ass, squeezing and pushing him against his hips. Link gasped, arching his back. Link didn’t want him to stop, his body screaming for more, and his mind not in any sort of state to argue. His lips found their way to Nick’s soft, plump lips that were swollen from Link biting them. Nick’s hand slowly went around his waist and down to the growing bulge in the front of Link’s jeans.
Link stopped kissing Nick. Looking down to his crotch, he saw Nick’s hand slowly palming him. Biting his lower lip, he placed his forehead against Nick’s. He felt as if he was slowly go insane from watching Nick’s large hand rubbing his dick through his jeans, goosebumps shooting across his body and down his spine. “Is this okay?” Nick whispered. Not moving his head, Link saw as Nick’s other hand went to slowly undo Link’s pants.
Link couldn’t think straight anymore. He couldn’t answer. He couldn’t look at Nick. Something in the back of his mind knew he shouldn’t be doing this. This was wrong. However, the alcohol masked the guilt and turned it into pleasure. Link wanted this, he wanted to feel good. And in his drunken sort of state, he wanted revenge against Rhett. All the self control he had was gone.
After a while of Link staring at Nick’s hands on him, he looked up and whispered, “Yes.”
*~*~*~*
Link was slowly beginning to regain consciousness. Feeling the warmth radiating off of Rhett’s bare skin, he smiled. Cuddling with Rhett had always been one of Link’s favorite things, so he further snuggled up to the other man. He couldn’t remember how he had gotten home the night before, only hoping that he didn’t drive himself. As the fog of sleep continued to lift further, he realized that he was not in bed, but on the couch. He sighed and smiled again. The thought of arriving at home and he and Rhett not even being able to make it into the bedroom before jumping on each other made him grin from ear to ear. He sighed deeply, stretching his sore limbs. With the inhale, he noticed an unfamiliar scent. Did Rhett buy a different deodorant? He had discussed switching brands… Link didn’t care. His head was beginning to pound, so deoderant was the last thing he wanted to think about. He rolled onto his back to better stretch out. The couch was softer than he remembered it being, but it had been awhile since he’d slept on it. Link rubbed his tired eyes, wanting to take in the sight of his still sleeping lover. When he opened his eyes, however, it was not Rhett that laid before him…
Link froze, his blood running cold. Slowly, events from only a couple of hours earlier began to emerge from buried in his hazy memory. Images of himself straddling Nick’s lap… He felt sick to his stomach. “Oh god, no,” he whimpered. Link scrambled to find his clothes and glasses, which were scattered around the floor. “Where’s my phone?” he asked himself.
He kneeled onto all fours, searching the floor. He heard a buzz under the couch. His cell phone must have fallen at one point. He quickly retrieved it, and saw a multitude of texts from Rhett. Link could feel his throat tightening, tears threatening to release, as his entire world began to crash down around him. He ran to the door and grabbed his coat, shoes, and car keys before leaving the home, slamming the door shut behind him. His tears finally began to fall as he started his car. He unlocked his phone and read over all of his notifications.
Text from Rhett: You almost home? I have a surprise ;)
Text from Rhett: Hey, you almost home? Your surprise is getting cold!
Missed Call from Rhett
Voicemail from Rhett
Text from Rhett: Link, you’re scaring me. Are you okay?
Text from Rhett: You made it to work this morning, right?
Text from Rhett: If this is about this morning, I’m so sorry.
Missed Call from Rhett
Voicemail from Rhett
Text from Rhett: I love you, Link. Please come home? Or at least call me?
Link’s hands were trembling so much that he could barely hold his phone. He sobbed violently, his guilt unbearable. Wiping his eyes, he began to drive. He wasn’t sure exactly where he was going, knowing he couldn’t stay at Nick’s house, but unable to face Rhett at home. He decided he’d find a motel. Link’s mind was racing, replaying the events from earlier--or at least the ones he could remember. He needed to tell somebody. He had to vent. The only person he could think to talk to was his new coworker, Veronica. He was too upset to worry about ruining their brand new friendship. He needed to talk. As he pulled into the parking lot of the first motel he found, he fumbled for his phone. It took him a moment to find her contact through his blurry, tearful vision, but he managed.
She answered almost immediately. “Link, hey! It’s late, what’s up?”
Link couldn’t speak through his loud, violent sobbing. He wanted to tell her everything, but he could barely even breathe.
“Oh, no. Link, talk to me. What happened!? Are you hurt? What’s wrong?”
“I… I…” Link hiccuped. “I really messed up, V--Veronica. I don’t… I don’t…"
“Shhhh, Link...” her soft, gentle voice came through the speaker, attempting to soothe him. “Take deep breaths and tell me what’s wrong.”
Link tried to do what she asked, and he calmed down a small amount, but not by much. “I did something I really shouldn’t have, and I… I don’t know what to do.”
“Tell me what you did, Link.”
He tried to find the words to explain, but the more he dwelled on it, the more upset he got. He hung up on Veronica, unable to say what he did aloud. He got out of the car, the cold night air shocking his system. He wiped his eyes and locked the vehicle before running inside to check into a room. His phone buzzed in his coat pocket. Link entered his small room and checked his phone. Veronica was trying to call him again. His tears came back in full force. He threw his phone, keys, and glasses on the bed, deciding to sit in the shower and drown out his thoughts.
Sitting nude on the floor of the tub, he let the water from the shower beat down on the back of his head and shoulders. The room filled with steam as Link sobbed, unable to get images of both Nick’s naked body and Rhett, worried and pacing around their empty home, out of his mind. He wasn’t sure how long he had been in the shower, but his tears eventually slowed, and he began to think more clearly. He shut off the shower and stepped out, drying off quickly. He redressed and checked his phone. Veronica had tried calling him multiple times. He sighed. Now that he was calmer, he felt deeply embarrassed that he’d called somebody he’d just met sobbing. He knew he owed her an explanation, or even just an apology, so he called her again.
She answered before the phone could even get through a single ring. “Link, oh my god! Are you okay!?”
“Hey, Veronica,” he sniffled. “I’m sorry about that. I, uh…”
“Link, please tell me what happened. You were talking like you murdered somebody or something!”
If Link were in any other situation, he would have laughed at her comment. “I’m so sorry I worried you. It’s just… Do you remember during lunch today, how I seemed upset?”
“Yeah, I do. I thought you were just nervous, it being your first day working with us, and all…”
Link swallowed hard and laid down on the hard bed. “Well, my fiance Rhett and I had a fight this morning…”
“Ooooh, sweetie,” Veronica sighed. “I’m so sorry. Was it serious?”
“Now that I think about it, not really.” Link wiped his eyes, but tears continued to flow. “I was worried about what I was gonna wear to work, and he said it wasn’t important. It was stupid. But when he didn’t wish me luck, it made it worse. And today was the day we usually meet up for lunch…”
“That was a shitty move on his part,” Veronica acknowledged.
“Yeah, we’ve had worse fights in the past. I mean, we’ve been best friends since first grade, for Pete’s sake…”
“First grade!?” Veronica was utterly shocked. “Oh my goodness… I don’t know if I’ve ever heard anything more cute…! Six year-old best friends to engaged to be married?” Link couldn’t help but smile a sad smile. When he didn’t speak, Veronica added, “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have said that right now. What made this fight so much worse?”
“I… I don’t know what got into me. An old college friend of ours recently moved out here, and he happened to be my last delivery tonight… So he suggested I come back for a beer and a movie…” Link was trying his absolute best to keep more violent sobs at bay, his voice cracking with the effort. He’d finally calmed himself down, and the last thing he wanted was to get so upset again.
“Oh, no. Link, I know exactly where you’re going with this. Oh, sweetie… Are you still there? Where are you right now?”
“I’m at a motel. I… I couldn’t go home. Rhett, he… I guess he made me an apology dinner or something. I can’t go back there, Veronica. I… I feel like shit, and…”
“Link, listen to me. This is something that--”
“You know what?” Link was suddenly beginning to try to rationalize his actions.
Veronica was silent for a moment, but eventually asked, “What, Link?”
“That was something I’d never do sober. I’d never… That meant nothing. I was horrified when I realized what I did. This means nothing. This means absolutely nothing. Rhett and I… Rhett is the only person I love like that. I… I should go home.”
“Of course you should go home, Link! You need to go home and tell Rhett that you--”
“Oh God, no. I… I can’t tell him. You know what? I don’t need to tell him. This isn’t something to be concerned about. It was a one time thing, and I… This is all okay. It’s okay!” Link was starting to get excited. He couldn’t wait to run home and hug Rhett...to wrap him in his arms and apologize for being out so late.
“Um, Link? I really do think you need to--”
“Thank you so much for listening, Veronica. It seriously means the world. And I really am sorry for worrying you. I’ll see you at work!” he said, hanging up before the girl could respond.
Link quickly checked out of the motel and wasted no time driving home. He was excited to return home until he drew closer to the house. All of the tears he had shed that night had drained him, and he was feeling tired. He yawned deeply as he parked his car in the driveway. He slowly unlocked the front door and stepped inside. Rhett ran into the entryway to greet him.
“Jesus, Link! Where have you been!?” He didn’t even seem mad, just worried.
“I’m really sorry. Nick happened to be my last delivery, and we, uh… He wanted me to hang out as celebration. We watched a movie and drank a couple of beers. We both crashed on the couch, so I didn’t see your texts.” Link did feel guilty, but he wasn’t lying to Rhett.
“Oh, good. I was so worried you’d gotten hurt or something. I’m so, so sorry about our fight earlier. I made all kinds of yummy breakfast food to surprise you, but it’s gross now.”
Link bit his lip and stared at the floor. “Thanks. It’s… It’s okay.”
“I love you so much, baby,” Rhett said, pulling Link into a firm embrace.
Link could feel his tears coming back, but he kept them at bay. “I love you, too,” he muttered.
Rhett asked Link if he wanted to do anything to celebrate his first day of work, but Link shook his head. He explained that he was exhausted and just wanted to sleep.
“I understand,” Rhett assured, kissing Link’s forehead. He held onto his hand and led him into their bedroom. The two men got ready for bed side-by-side, and when they finally crawled under the covers, Link clung to Rhett like his life depended on it. He rested his head on Rhett’s chest, sighing deeply. Rhett ran his fingers through Link’s raven hair, whispering “I love you so much.” Link smiled. Right there with Rhett… That’s where he truly belonged. He promised himself that he would never do a thing to put these moments in jeopardy ever again just before dozing off.