Work Text:
It’s late afternoon when he receives Rhett's text.
I broke up with Marlene.
Oh shit.
What else is he supposed to say? It's not exactly right to immediately deride your best friend’s girlfriend the second as they break up, but Link would be lying if he said he felt anything but relief about this news.
It wasn’t a secret that Marlene was never exactly fond of Link. She'd make nasty remarks about his presence whenever they were in the same place. Most people thought she was just kidding around, but Link could see right through the clipped tone and jokey veneer thinly spread over those comments and saw them for what they were: she didn't want Rhett hanging out with his ex.
Because Rhett and Link used to be a thing. No one was surprised when they started dating back in high school since they’d always been attached at the hip. It felt like a natural progression to just be together in every way possible. It just made sense, at least in Link’s mind, to end up together. Growing up together, his love for Rhett grew up with him and suddenly the term best friend couldn’t fit it all. Anything else felt dishonest; like a lie by omission.
College came around and they decided to go to the same school instead of trying out long-distance and putting unnecessary strain on their relationship. Again, they’d never truly considered anything else. But after the first year it became crystal clear they wanted different things out of the whole college experience. After another six months of fighting and trying to make it work, one day Link came home to their dorm to a very serious Rhett telling him that they’d make more sense as just friends after all.
Link had cried a lot that night. But after some time and even more nights spent nearly blackout drunk, Link had come to terms with it. Or at least that’s what he told himself. Certainly, it helped a lot that they’re still a big part of each other’s lives--he hadn’t lost Rhett entirely. They’d lived together for a long time after the breakup and, right up until Marlene came around, they’d still been almost constantly together even after Link moved out.
So Link understands that she doesn’t like him; maybe she feels threatened by his presence in Rhett’s life. And he gets it, he truly does, but it still hurts--maybe with an unhealthy intensity-- that he can’t see his best friend as much as he'd like to. Nobody really understood that he felt like he was missing an arm or a leg when he was apart from him for too long.
It also doesn’t help that the feelings never left on Link’s end. He still feels his stomach do little somersaults when Rhett says he likes how he looks or how much he appreciates him as a friend. Maybe Marlene can see right through him as easily as he can see through her. Maybe she knows he still feels his heart has her boyfriend’s name etched into it… Well, ex-boyfriend now…
So, what happened?
She was pissed off that we ended up
drinking until late the other day.
Link rolled his eyes even if he knew Rhett couldn’t see him. Of course she got mad, and he was sure it wasn't because of the drinking. It had started as a before-Christmas get together with all of their friends at Link’s new place, but when everyone left they ended up just the two of them playing old songs from their childhood and having a great time together.
After the break up he’d always been so careful to avoid letting his eyes linger on his friend or let his hands wander too much. Because they were just friends and friends don’t think about the feel of the other’s tongue or the taste of their skin. But Link was feeling happy and loose from all the alcohol and started to let his guard slip. Their hands would graze when Rhett passed him another beer and Link could feel that spark that never really left all the way to his core, his stomach twisting in that pleasant warm way. Rhett was wearing that black button-up shirt Link gave him as a birthday present and it made Link feel almost dizzy. It reminded him of when he used to steal Link’s oversized hoodie back when they were together, proudly telling the world he was with Link in such an intimate way. This was the closest to that he could get to that now and it made him feel painfully nostalgic for a time when he could just lean in and touch him and kiss him without thought or consequence. The rest of the night was filled with flirty exchanges and lingering eye contact, and Rhett put his hand on Link’s knee, arm and back, leaving them all tingling and warm from the contact. He was getting to a point of seriously considering telling Rhett about his feelings.
Then Marlene called.
Somehow she knew they were together and alone. Rhett tried ignoring his phone at first, trying to save the atmosphere they had going on, but eventually he caved in and answered her. And, oh boy, wasn’t she furious. Which again, was understandable to Link. The fight escalated so much he could hear her muffled screams coming loudly through Rhett's phone, even across the sofa. After Rhett hung up, he seemed upset and a lot more sobered up, simply saying he had to leave and leaving Link alone again.
What did she say?
Rhett takes his sweet time answering, which in turn makes Link nervous. He didn’t like Marlene, but he really didn’t want to be the reason they broke up and have Rhett hold that against him. Every time that typing bubble comes up and then disappears Link can feel his chest growing tighter.
We talked about it
She kept saying that
I dunno
that I'm not over you.
that I love you more than her.
In the end, she gave me an ultimatum
She asked me to
choose: love or friends.
So I did some thinking
And made my decision
Link was sure his heart was going to beat out of his chest, between the anxiety that the possibility of Rhett hating him for ruining his relationship gave him and--as outlandish and improbable as it might be--the hope slowly swelling inside his chest that maybe, beyond all reason, he may have a second chance with Rhett.
And you chose friends?
Nah, dude
I choose love
What?
She's right.
I'm not over you
Never have been I think
I still love you and I really
fucked up when I said I
wanted to be just friends
I think I was just scared
because we were fighting
so much
and before it used to be
so easy to just be together
but suddenly we had so
much going on and we could
rarely be just us and when
we were we would just fight
I was so afraid of losing you
that I took the easy route like
a coward
because honestly having
you there just as a friend
is better than not having
you at all
but the other night I
remembered how it
used to be
how good it used to be
I haven’t felt that way
in so long
I guess what I’m trying to say
is that I don’t want to be a
coward anymore.
I want to try again
I think we still have it
don’t you?
I really want to try this time to
make this work
I promise I won’t bail if it gets
hard again
I really think this could work
again
I hope you do
You there?
omw