Chapter Text
[Do you have a date for the staff ball?]
[ No. It’s not really my scene ]
[If you change your mind, I’d love to take you]
Link chewed on his lip thoughtfully, reading over the text for the hundredth time. He’d never considered the annual ball before, always making up some lame excuse as to why he couldn’t go. He usually hated that sort of thing - the loud music, the obnoxious food, the awful dancing. Emily had tried, and failed, numerous times to convince Link to be her date, ensuring him that it would be fun! - but to no avail.
[ Really? You want to take me?] Link typed back, hoping this wasn’t all an elaborate prank that he was unaware of.
[Of course :) No pressure if you don’t want to go, I could take you out for dinner instead?]
Link grinned to himself, silently wondering how he got so lucky with Rhett. They’d been on a few more lunch dates around campus, learning more about each other and sharing stories over coffees and pastries. On days where Link felt particularly anxious about being out in public, Rhett would invite him into his office and turn on his electric kettle, fixing them tea whilst Link told him about his day. Rhett was more than happy to take things at Link’s pace, he recognised that Link was particularly shy and very cautious of others and that was just fine with him.
Yet, Link couldn’t help but shake the feeling he was being a burden on the professor. He knew that Rhett was outgoing and confident, yet Link always had him cornered into staying in quiet coffee shops and behind the closed door of his office. Rhett never complained, of course, but just this once Link wanted to do something for him.
[No, I’d love to go with you. It will be fun - I’ll pick you up at 7]
He replied before he could change his mind, buzzing with excitement and nervous energy as he practically flew over to his closet in search of something to wear. He frantically searched through all of his clothes, trying to find something nice enough to wear if he was going to be seen as Rhett’s date. He eventually settled on a brown, tweed three-piece with a muted white undershirt and a soft green tie, carefully laying it out on his bed as he wandered off to the bathroom.
After frantically pacing up and down his hallway, stopping every few seconds to straighten his tie in the mirror or to remove his clear-framed glasses from his nose and wipe them clean with his shirt, he finally pulled up outside of Rhett’s house, shooting him a quick message to inform him of his arrival.
He was an anxious mess.
He didn’t want to let Rhett down, the taller man had been texting Link all day explaining how excited he was. He had to do this for Rhett. Yet his brain was screaming for him to turn around and go home.
But, before he could make any rash decisions, Rhett was climbing into the passenger seat - his long frame painted in a forest-green suit, his beard neatly trimmed and his hair loose, curls frame his face beautifully.
“Hi” Rhett grinned, scanning his eyes over Link’s form as he buckled his seatbelt, “You look incredible.” Link grinned back at him, the anxiety in his chest melting away as the professor leaned over to press a kiss to Link’s cheek, stroking the soft tweed covering his shoulder.
“You look good too” Link replied, immediately missing the weight of Rhett’s touch on his shoulder as the taller man pulled away, settling into his seat.
“You ready?”
“Sure, I’m a little nervous though, I’ve never been to this before” Link admitted meekly, pulling away from the curb and heading towards the freeway.
Rhett reached across to squeeze Link’s knee gently, “Thank you for coming with me. Whenever you want to leave, let me know.” Allowing his touch to linger for a few moments before retracting his hand, settling them on his own lap to keep them occupied.
“Thank you” Link mumbled, forcing himself to concentrate on the road ahead - he was falling in love, and fast.
After they had parked, Rhett had jumped out of the car to open Link’s door for him, swooping his arm and bowing theatrically to gesture for him to climb out. Link just laughed, shaking his head at the silly gesture before hopping out, quietly thanking Rhett for getting the door.
As they approached the entrance to the large hall, Rhett could sense the worry beginning to creep into Link’s mind. He observed as the smaller man nudged his glasses with his knuckle every few seconds, his eyes darting around the parking lot anxiously.
“You sure you want to do this?” Rhett asked softly, coming to a stop to allow Link to think.
“I do want to; I’m sorry I’m such a nuisance” Link muttered, his brow knitted into a defeated frown.
Rhett sighed, “Link, I promise you, you’re not being a nuisance, I just want you to be happy”
“I want you to be happy too, which is why we’re going in” Link said with forced confidence, grabbing Rhett’s hand without a second thought and pulling him towards the door with fingers interlocked. Rhett grinned, following behind him easily, using his spare hand to reach into his breast pocket and produce the tickets to the lady on the door, who he recognised as one of the office ladies. She eyed them both for a second, her gaze falling to their joined hands, before examining the tickets quickly and letting them both through.
Rhett slipped his hand away from Link’s, quickly placing his palm on the librarian’s lower back as he guided them both into the hall. Link was immediately overwhelmed by the large number of people packed into the room, the crowded tables and loud music, curling into Rhett’s side closely.
“Still okay?” Rhett asked, bending down slightly to position his lips right next to Link’s ear, his hand never leaving the small of Link’s back.
“Still okay” Link confirmed, heat rising up his neck as he felt the tickle of Rhett’s beard against the shell of his ear, basking in the feeling as he continued to be guided to their table. Rhett had requested for the pair of them to be seated near the back of the hall, on the table with the library staff so Link would feel more at ease.
Emily practically squealed with excitement as she saw the pair of them approaching, immediately scrambling to her feet to greet them both with a squeeze.
“You finally came! After all those years of asking” Emily teased, her painted-red lips curved into a playful smile as she held Link at arm's length, observing his outfit. “And you look amazing!” Link blushed, huffing with embarrassment as he batted her hands away, silently begging her to stop making such a fuss over him.
“And you… Wow!” Emily exclaimed as she averted her eyes to Rhett, gazing up at the tall man as he joined Link in blushing, his arm wrapping back around the smaller man's waist.
“Thank you, Emily” Rhett chuckled, pulling out Link’s seat for him as they approached the table. As they settled in, Link introduced Rhett to all of the staff that he worked with, mumbling over the fact that Rhett was his date. They all knew very well that he’d had a thing for the professor for quite some time, so they joined Emily in her elation. It was obvious that they instantly adored Rhett, who was quick to offer to refill glasses and laugh politely at stories that he didn’t quite understand, but Link appreciated his effort to get to know Link’s colleagues.
As the food began to arrive, Rhett reached under the table and gently squeezed Link’s thigh, silently asking if the smaller man was doing okay. In return, Link rested his own hand over Rhett’s and squeezed back. I’m fine.
Throughout the meal, Rhett did his best to casually distract the others with playful anecdotes of his time so far with Link as he subtly stole the items that Link didn’t like from his plate, saving the man the embarrassment of having to explain for the hundredth time; no, I don’t like tomatoes, I don’t know why - I just don’t! Link was more than grateful, shooting Emily a bashful grin as she realised what was happening.
But honestly, Link was distracted. He loved listening to Rhett’s smooth voice float through the general chitter of their surroundings, he loved watching his fingers wrap around the napkin and dab delicately at his beard after a particularly large bite, he loved how his eyes softened with glee when one of the table members told stories of her new puppy. He was truly infatuated with the man, he had to shovel another forkful of the meal into his mouth to stop him from staring any longer. Rhett had caught on though, placing his cutlery onto his plate to symbolise he was finished before turning to Link, catching his eye and smirking as Link flushed from being caught staring. Rhett shook his head fondly, stretching one arm across the back of Link’s chair casually.
After the plates were cleared, the rest of the table had dispersed to the dance floor or to mingle with others, leaving the pair on them sat alone.
“Do you not want to say hi to your friends?” Link asked after a while, turning his chair so they were sat facing each other, knees touching.
Rhett smiled over the top of his champagne flute, promising to only have one since Link was driving. “Not really, I see them every day, I just want to spend time with you”
“I don’t mind if you want to wander off for a bit” Link insisted, trying to ensure that Rhett didn’t feel obliged to sit with him for the whole night - even though he secretly wanted that.
“Stop trying to get rid of me” Rhett teased, his fingers ghosting over Link’s which curled over his kneecaps. Link shook his head jokingly at the remark, before flipping his hands over to take Rhett’s hand in his own, relishing in the warmth radiating from the larger hand. They stared at each other for a while, Rhett soaking in how the low lights sat perfectly on the sharp points of Link’s face, wanting nothing more than to run his thumb over the librarian’s bottom lip.
“Would you like to dance?” Rhett asked quietly, clearing his throat as he placed his champagne flute to the table with his spare hand.
“I don’t know how” Link admitted shyly, retracting his hands to tug at the cuff of his blazer.
“It’s easy, I promise” Rhett grinned, extending his palm for Link to take again, just as the music slowed into something more slow-dance appropriate.
Link apprehensively took Rhett’s hand, trying desperately not to freak out as he was led towards the dance floor, weaving in-between his colleagues and total strangers. As they reached the centre of the dance floor, Rhett offered out his arms to the librarian, placing one large palm to his hip and taking Link’s hand in the other. Link was instantly giddy under the touch, his hands shaky as he entertained his fingers with Rhett, allowing his spare hand to rest cautiously on Rhett’s shoulder. The taller man looked at him, cheeks pink from the fizzy champagne and curls falling over his face haphazardly - Link swore he had never seen anything so beautiful in his life.
A hushed chorus of whispers from behind them had Link freeze in Rhett’s arms, his cheeks immediately burning up. “What on Earth are they doing?! Is that Professor McLaughlin? Is that one of the librarians?!”
“Rhett…” Link’s voice trembled as he noticed the large number of watchful eyes on them.
“Hey, it’s okay” Rhett whispered down to him, squeezing his hip gently with a warm hand, offering Link a small smile. “Focus on me, it’s just us here.” Link carefully placed his head on Rhett’s shoulder, shying away from the audience, taking a shaky breath as the arm around his waist pulled him closer. “I’m so glad you’re here with me, Link”
Link flushed a shade of red he didn’t even realise was possible, his hand trembled in Rhett’s as the taller man carefully swayed them to the orchestral music. He allowed himself to drown out the confused whispers and watchful eyes, he refused to let the past taunting from kids on the playground ruin this moment for him. Instead, he indulged in the way Rhett’s beard tickled against his skin, how his large palm enveloped Link’s hand so perfectly, how his long arm encircled Link’s torso securely and kept him anchored to safety.
The librarian pulled back slightly, allowing himself to look up at the professor through his clear lenses. “Thank you for bringing me”, he murmured, in a moment of overwhelming emotion, he moved the hand he had placed on Rhett’s shoulder to cup his bearded cheek.
“Thank you for trusting me” Rhett responded, nuzzling into the feel of Link’s palm on his face.
“I can’t believe we’re finally doing this” Link admitted, a sudden surge of bravery allowing him to stroke his thumb over Rhett’s rounded cheek, smoothing over the lightly dusted freckles.
“Took us long enough” Rhett grinned, his cheeks turning pink under the affection. “You look so beautiful tonight”
Link blushed for the thousandth time that evening, dropping his hand back to Rhett’s shoulder as he hid his face, wondering how - at 40 years of age - his stomach was still erupting with butterflies. “You’re gonna kill me if you keep talkin’ like that”
“Sorry, it’s true though” Rhett shrugged, secretly enjoying the effect he seemed to have on Link. “I really, really like you” He continued, so timidly that the smooth music almost devoured the sentence.
“I really like you too” Link mumbled into his shoulder, turning his head to the side so he was tucked into the crook of Rhett’s neck. He leaned in cautiously, quickly ghosting his lips across the exposed skin before pulling back quickly, returning to his position on the professor’s shoulder. He felt Rhett’s chest constrict slightly, as the arm around his waist pressed the pair of them even closer together.
After a few more songs, Rhett gathered that Link was almost ready to leave, so he carefully guided him off of the dance floor and back to the table to collect their things. After various hugs and goodbyes and promises that Link’s friends would see more of Rhett soon, the pair of them were back in Link’s car and heading for Rhett’s house.
Link fiddled with the radio, settling on a smooth country station as he drove, Rhett’s hand on his thigh for the whole journey.
“Did’ya have fun tonight?” Rhett asked after a moment of comfortable silence, his thumb drawing soothing circles on the tweed fabric of Link’s pants.
“I did, thank you for taking me” Link grinned, averting his eyes for a second to look at Rhett.
“Thank you for coming” Rhett responded simply, before turning his attention to the radio and humming along to a song that Link didn’t recognise. But that didn’t matter, Rhett made it sound beautiful.
As Link pulled up outside of Rhett’s house, he felt his heart sink and the thought of having to drive away and wait another two days until they could see each other again. He knew he was far too attached already, but who could blame him?
“Uh, will you walk me to the door? I have something for you” Rhett asked as he slowly pulled his hand from Link’s thigh, unbuckling his seatbelt.
“Oh- Sure” Link nodded, turning off the car and hopping out to join Rhett, admiring how quaint his little townhouse was. He lingered awkwardly by the door as Rhett stepped inside, disappearing down a hallway momentarily, before reappearing with a small bunch of flowers in his hand.
“I got you these, but I was afraid they’d die in your car if I gave them to you earlier” Rhett explained shyly, offering out the bouquet of roses. Link took them graciously, thanking him again and again and again, rambling about how he had never been given flowers before.
“I’m glad you like them” Rhett smiled, his hands stuffed in his pockets.
“I love them” Link whispered, taking a courageous step towards the taller man leaning against the door. Rhett straightened up slightly, his eyebrows raising momentarily as Link’s hand rose to his neck, splaying his trembling fingers over the side of the taller man’s throat. “Can, I- uh- kiss you?” He asked, nerves wrapping painfully around his gut like vines.
“Yeah” Rhett whispered back, his own hand sliding into the thickest part of Link’s hair as he leaned down to capture the librarian’s lips in his own - kissing him soft and cautious as Link whimpered in the back of his throat. Link pulled away, flushed pink and glasses askew, carefully placing the flowers on the porch before instantly returning to Rhett’s mouth - one hand on his neck, the other wrapped around the silky black tie that hung on Rhett’s torso. Rhett inwardly moaned at the change of Link’s demeanour, pulling Link inside without disconnecting their lips, pushing him against the wall and shutting the door with his foot.
Link panted, he had never been kissed like this before. He tugged on Rhett’s tie, urging the professor's tongue into his mouth as he kissed him back just as fierce, a whole years worth of pining translated into one kiss. Rhett pulled away carefully, resting their noses together as his hand cupped Link’s jaw tenderly, ghosting gentle kisses over Link’s lips and the opposite side of his jaw, revelling in how Link squirmed under the feeling. He trailed a line of kisses down the expanse of Link’s throat, tenderly nipping and sucking as he free hand smoothed over the slim waist in front of him.
“Rhett” Link whimpered, almost crying out as the travelling hand untucked his dress shirt and slid a warm palm over his bare torso, exploring the skin that had remained untouched for so long. “Rhett, oh my god”
“You’re so beautiful, Link” Rhett whispered into his neck, sucking a blooming red mark into the skin as his hand continued to explore the taut muscle of his abs and the sensitive nubs of his chest. “Wanted you for so long, can’t believe you’re here with me”
“I- think, I-I’m falling in love with you” Link’s voice tumbled out before he had a chance to think otherwise, instantly freezing with fear at the reckless admission. Rhett just chuckled, nosing at the underside of Link’s jaw fondly, before kissing a trail from his cheek to the corner of his mouth.
“Good, because I’m falling in love with you too, Mr Neal”