Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/5664622.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Rhett_&_Link
  Relationship:
      Rhett_McLaughlin/Link_Neal
  Character:
      Rhett_McLaughlin, Link_Neal
  Additional Tags:
      rhink
  Stats:
      Published: 2016-01-07 Words: 1770
****** Stupid Teenagers ******
by alt_er_otp
Summary
     The boys spend time at the river contemplating their future.
‘Seriously?’ Link looked at Rhett incredulously, as Rhett looked ahead at the
road as he drove them both in his blue Dodge Dynasty.
‘I’m not saying I will, I’m just saying I’m thinking about it. My dad really
wants this for me.’
‘Rhett, we were supposed to be in this together. If you go off on that
basketball scholarship, I can’t follow you. I have to go to State, or one of
the couple others I have on the side-‘
‘I haven’t got the scholarship yet Link, calm down. I know we wanted to go to
film school, but my dad has his ideas about that sort of stuff and…’ he
hesitated to proceed.
‘And?’ Link pressed on, his blue eyes staring searchingly at his best friend.
‘And I’m scared of him, dagum it! I hate to say it but I can’t go against him,
I just can’t!’ He bit his lip and gripped the wheel.
Link stayed silent and let his mind buzz with worry at Rhett’s words. It was
suddenly becoming clear to him that things weren’t as simple as taking an oath
and having your dreams come true in due time. It might actually be a
possibility that he may never see his best friend again.
They arrived at the river and still neither said a word. They, as per routine,
pulled their shirts off in the truck, and then bounded out towards the water.
They jumped in and swam out as far as they could, sometimes to float in
tranquil silence, or sometimes to swim against the currents to places they had
yet to explore. Their worries were forgotten as they almost had no concept of
time in these moments, enjoying themselves in their childish escapades, leaving
the looming adulthood and fear of running out of time on the shore. But they
were there nonetheless, waiting for them.
They lay with their legs splayed out, torso’s exposed and their arms tucked
under their heads, bathing in the warm, North Carolina sunshine after their
swim in the Cape Fear River. They were out of breath a little from the intense
currents, and they lay side by side silently as their breathing steadied, eyes
shut in relaxation.
Once their breathing was at a normal pace, Link sat up and looked out across
the glittering water. His hair was somewhat dry by now, but had become a little
curly from the wetness, Some curls blew in his face from the breeze, but he
didn’t bother to brush them aside as he was so lost in thought. Now that he was
sitting on the rocks, his worries had had a chance to catch up with him, and
they plagued him with every breath.
‘Link?’ Rhett had felt Link sit up, and he too felt the weight of the worries.
‘We’re going to go our separate ways one day aren’t we?’
Rhett thought for a moment, then pressed one arm against his eyes, almost
trying to hide from the truth.
‘I guess so.’
‘People don’t stay together for ever.’ Link was saying this almost to himself.
He smiled wryly. ‘I guess I should’ve known that above everyone else.’
‘Hey buddy,’ Rhett poked his side, ‘Don’t think like that. We may not see each
other all the time, but we’ll always be friends. That will never change.’
Link looked back at Rhett, surprised a little at such a sentimental statement
coming from him. Rhett sat up then too, and nudged his shoulder.
‘I’m sorry we can’t do the cool stuff we said we were gonna do, I wish we
could. But we gotta wake up and grow up. We gotta move on with life. We can’t
hold ourselves down because we feel like we’re tied to some stupid oath we made
when we were kids. We’re not kids anymore.’
Link looked at Rhett like he’d burned him.
‘Stupid oath. Up until recently that’s all we’d talk about Rhett, like it meant
everything, and all of a sudden it’s stupid?!’
‘That’s not what I meant-’
‘You just said it was stupid! It meant nothing to you did it? It was just a
game for you all a long, and now we have to stop playing and grow up because
it’s convenient for you.’ Tears of anger had sprang up in Link’s eyes, and he
shot up and walked in the direction of the trees, not wanting to show weakness
and cry in front of Rhett.
Rhett got up then too, but Link was fast and was already disappearing amongst
the trees. Rhett called and chased after him, angry at himself for saying the
wrong thing, and at Link for being so sensitive.
Rhett finally managed to catch up with him and grabbed his arm, but Link pulled
away and kept walking. Rhett was stubborn and grabbed again, this time
tightening his grip.
‘Let go!’
‘Link will you just listen-‘
‘I said let go!’
‘Link!’
Rhett grabbed his other arm and wrestled with him a little, trying to make him
stop, but Link was in a fit of rage and wanted to run. Rhett angrily pinned
Link against the nearest tree, placing his arm across his chest to hold him
there.
‘Why don’t you just listen for two seconds?!’
‘What?!’
‘Of course the oath meant something to me! It still does. I just meant that,
there are some things you do as kid, that you realise aren’t valid when you’re
older. Things change over time Link.’
‘So I’m just a stupid kid believing in fairytales?’ Link spat at him.
‘Dang it Link, stop twisting my words! You’re acting like a kid now yes, but
caring about the oath isn’t childish, I care about it too. I’m saying holding
on to it isn’t healthy. Trust me, you’ll go to college, with or without me, and
have a whole new amazing life, and you’ll realise that the oath was just a part
of the past, and now you’re someplace better.’
Link’s teary blue eyes gazed into his greeny grey ones, and then for a split
second down at his lips. It was at that point Rhett realised how close they
both were, their faces inches apart. But he didn’t move.
‘There are tons of things that you do when you’re a kid that you look back on
and think, what the heck were we thinking. But it doesn’t matter when you’re
older. It just becomes a thing of the past.’
‘I won’t be okay in college without you.’ Link said quietly.
‘Yes you will. Even now we think we’ve got stuff all figured out, and in a
couple years we’ll think, gosh what stupid teenagers we were.’ Rhett said
soothingly.
Link looked at Rhett’s lips a little more longingly this time. Rhett looked at
Link’s back.
‘So… we’ll look back right now and think, what stupid teenagers we were?’ Link
reiterated.
‘Yeah.’
‘So we could get away with anything cos we’re stupid teenagers?’
‘I guess.’
A moment of silence passed between them.
‘I’m gonna miss you Rhett.’ Link said after a while, looking back into Rhett’s
eyes. Rhett looked back intently.
‘I’ll miss you too Link.’
Silence again, and it felt so long.
Finally Rhett removed his arm from his bare chest, instead brushing his fingers
down his torso to the waist band of Link’s baggy shorts, pulling down until the
loose shorts fell by themselves to his ankles. Neither of them had underwear
on, due to their swim in the river in the nude, so immediately Link was
exposed, and he sucked in air at the sudden experience.
‘Mrs McDowell in Health Science said teenagers get frustrated at this age. And
often have to relieve themselves.’
Link had been there in that class, ‘Yeah.’
‘We’re just stupid teenagers right? Let’s just relieve each other of some of
the stress.’
Link pulled on Rhett’s waistband in reply, until his shorts fell from his slim
hips too, and looked lustily up at Rhett. He bent his head up to kiss Rhett,
but Rhett jerked his head back.
‘It’s not romantic Link.’ Rhett said seriously, ‘It’s just two friends doing
each other a favour.’
‘Right.’ Link nodded, often the one to comply completely with whatever Rhett
said.
Rhett licked his lips, and began to stroke Link’s now erect member. He didn’t
know whether he was doing it right or not, but Link’s reaction of throwing his
head back and leaning into the tree, urged him to carry on with steady motions.
Link at first thought that Rhett’s ‘no romance’ rule included making sounds, so
he bit his lip to keep from moaning, but his breathing uncontrollably became
sharper. It was then that Link remembered he was supposed to return the favour
and felt down Rhett’s torso for his manhood. His slender fingers brushing the
skin of Rhett’s abdomen was electric, and made Rhett take in a sharp breath,
until he reached his destination and stroked, causing Rhett to moan in Link’s
ear.
Link then figured it was okay to moan and so released his lips from their
toothed lock and groaned into Rhett’s neck.
They ensued in the same manner, wet stroking and breathy moans, until the
pleasure built to a terribly high degree. They were shuddering against each
other, their faces and noses pressed close, breathing heavily and making low
sounds of desire when Rhett lost it. He broke his own established rule, and
caught Link’s lips with his own, moaning into the kiss and moving passionately
against him, fingers of his free hand twining in his hair, pulling him closer.
Link kissed back just as ardently, needing to taste Rhett, and he felt his warm
tongue slide across his own.
This brought him over the edge and he came into Rhett’s hand, moaning his name
and bucking his hips wildly. Rhett came not long after, and shuddered against
Link, growling into his shoulder.
Rhett lifted his head and kissed Link slowly and deeply, before pulling away
and pulling his shorts up. Link stood there still, watery eyed and seemingly in
a daze.
As he seemed to come out of the daze he looked at Rhett questioningly.
‘I thought you said no romance?’
‘Yeah, well, I’m a stupid teenager.’ Rhett looked at him cheekily.
Link rolled his eyes and smiled. There may be a lot to worry about for the
future, but maybe he shouldn’t. Maybe there will be a day where he’ll have to
say goodbye to Rhett, but that isn’t today. So maybe he should just learn to
love each day as it passes, and be a stupid teenager for now, and grow up
later.
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