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It all starts out with a joke, really.
The four of them have just left the student center, heading for the library, and they are joking about their drinks.
“I like my women like I like my coffee.” Ben says, taking a sip of his drink.
“Full-bodied and several times a day.” His smirk doesn't even falter when Greg, laughing, shoves him and nearly makes him spill.
“Yeah? Well I like my women like I like my coffee.” Greg says, expression salacious. “Steamy and full of cream.” he makes a lewd gesture with his hips and wiggles his eyebrows meaningfully in a way that makes them all groan.
“Dude, gross.” Link complains, trying to balance his to-go cup and his stack of books. “Okay, I’ll bite. I like my women like I like my coffee...sweet and strong.” That gets several eyerolls. Link has always been the romantic.
“C’mon, Rhett, your turn.” Ben says, walking backwards and almost running into another student.
Rhett doesn’t know what makes him answer honestly; normally he’d just lie, say something like ‘hot and keeps me up all night.’ Something appropriately raunchy.
Instead, he says, “I like my women like I like my coffee.” and stops.
The other guys keep waiting for the rest of the sentence, but it never comes.
Eventually, Link frowns. “Man, you don’t even like coffee.” he complains.
Rhett dares to look his best friend in the eye. “Yep.” is his short reply.
There’s another beat of silence, and then all three of his friends stop walking and Link’s mouth drops open. Rhett keeps walking, his breath catching in his throat.
He’s only able to breathe again when he hears them hurrying to catch up as he pushes open the door of the library.
To his relief, instead of throwing questions at him Ben changes the subject. “So has anyone else figured out problem three on the stats assignment? I’m totally lost and I can’t afford to fail again.” he asks.
Rhett gladly jumps on the topic, plowing past his inadvisable revelation, hoping everyone will just forget about it.
The conversation moves forward, but unlike usual, Link remains quiet. He doesn’t demand an explanation from Rhett, but he continues to stare at him like he is something new that Link has never seen before. It makes Rhett nervous.
Eventually, nearly an hour later, Link seems to snap out of whatever transe he’s fallen into to interrupt Greg’s boasting about his project for Mechanical Engineering:
“Now hold on man, I’m in Miller’s class too. Your refrigerator didn’t work for shit. There was goddamn chilly willy juice all over the linoleum where your box was sitting, so I dunno where you’re gettin’ this ‘He loved it, I’m totally gonna get an A’ crap.”
Link glances at Rhett and gives him a smile, that special one that’s only for Rhett. The smile says, ”We’re okay.” and “You’re my best friend no matter what.” and occasionally ”You’ve got something on your face and I’m trying not to laugh at you.”
Rhett feels something loosen in his chest, and he smiles back, finally relaxing.
Everything was okay. Link doesn’t care if he...likes tea.
~*~
After the Incident, as Rhett had come to think of it, Link’s behavior changes. Not in a bad way, just...in a way.
Whenever Link grabs himself a coffee, whether he’s making it in the tiny pot they are not supposed to have in their dorm room, pulling it from the machine in the cafeteria, or splurging on it at the student center, he comes back with something for Rhett as well.
Not a cup of coffee; a cup of tea.
It’s plain black tea, nothing special, and the first time Link brings it for him Rhett has to dump a boatload of sugar in. Link takes note and the next time it’s perfect. Link always sets it down by Rhett’s hand with that same smile from before, their smile.
For weeks, it goes on like this. The thrill of Link’s acceptance doesn’t fade, no matter how many paper cups full of tea he sets down on the library table between them. It makes him want to grin like a fool, every damn time. He doesn’t, he’s got at least a little pride. But he wants to.
~*~
It’s late November and finals are coming fast upon them. They’ve been holed up at the same table in the library for what feels like days, and Rhett’s eyes are starting to cross. He’s hasn’t processed a single word on the page in front of him, despite the fact he’s been staring at it for half an hour.
“Hey.” he feels a nudge to his elbow and looks up blearily.
Link is standing there balancing two cups and Rhett can see the hot steam rising from the small holes in the lids. He hadn’t even noticed that Link had left.
“You’re a fucking lifesaver, Bo.” Rhett groans in relief, greedily huffing the steam once he gets it in his hands.
It takes Rhett a moment to notice that Link is still standing at his elbow, an expectant look on his face.
“What?” Rhett asks, not picking up on whatever Link obviously wants him to pick up on.
“I got tea, too.” Link says, a little bashful, pointing to the little tag hanging over the side of his cup. It was the same kind that he always got Rhett.
“Oh.” Rhett says, unsure of what else to say. They stare at each other for a moment before Rhett asks, “Uh, why?”
He can’t figure out whether or not Link is trying to say something specific here, or whether he just, like...chose to get tea today, for some reason.
Apparently Rhett’s response was not what Link was looking for, because his shoulders slump minutely and he drops his eyes to the floor before pulling out the seat next to Rhett and plopping down with a huff.
“Nothin’, I just wanted to try it, that’s all.” he mutters. He fiddles with Rhett’s pencil, body language defensive and closed off. Obviously he had been trying to say something specific with his choice of beverage, and Rhett has gone and screwed it up by being too exhausted to pick up on it.
“Hey.” Rhett says, nuding Link’s shoulder gently. “Thanks, man.” he doesn’t specify what he’s thanking Link for.
“Do you, uh, like it?” he asks, tilting his head to the side. For some reason, this makes Link blush.
“Uh, yeah, I think...I’m developing a taste for it.” he says shyly. “But only this specific blend?” he tacks on, more of a question than a statement. “I still like coffee, but this is good, too.”
His eyes are just as intense as before, trying to communicate all sorts of things that he’s not saying. This time, Rhett thinks he understands what it is he isn’t saying, and it makes the butterflies in his stomach flutter.
Rhett’s smile lights up his whole face. “Yeah? I’m glad, brother.” He says.
Very deliberately, he presses his leg against Link’s beneath the table, and touches the toes of their shoes together so that their entire lower halves are in contact.
He turns back to his work, but the smile doesn’t fall from his face, only growing larger when Link reaches out to squeeze his knee below the table before starting back in on his own studying.
~*~
Rhett can’t stifle his grin as he hops into the passenger's seat, sliding an extra large to-go cup into the holder. Link had asked for Rhett to grab them some caffeine for the trip home, and instead of bringing back two cups, he brought one.
Rhett shrugs with one shoulder at Link’s questioning glance, the grin still firmly on his face. “I figured, since we’re both drinking tea lately, I’d just get us one big cup to share.”
There’s mischief in his eyes as he waits for Link to point out the supposed flaw with that plan.
Link looks between Rhett and the cup. “But...I’m worried I’ve got an outbreak coming, man.” he says, rubbing at his lips. “It’s alright, I can manage until we get home.” he shrugs it off.
“No, c’mon, it’ll be fine.” Rhett says picking the cup back up and pushing it towards Link until the other boy dutifully takes a sip, peering over the lid at him.
“Ain’t you worried about gettin’ my mouth herpes?” he asks curiously.
Rhett’s grin grows impossibly wider. “Well, I was sure hoping that in a few moments, it won’t matter anymore.”
Link just looks more confused, but his expression clears up with Rhett hooks a hand around his neck, gently pulling him over the gear shift towards him.
“Oh gosh, Bo…” Link whispers.
Their breath mingles in the small space between their faces, as Rhett pauses inches from Link’s mouth. His eyes dart back and forth between Link’s eyes and his lips, licking his own unconsciously.
“Yeah?” Is this okay? he asks.
He watches Link take a shuddering breath, and then close the space between them, breathing the words against Rhett’s lips: “God, yes.”
They don’t end up leaving the parking lot until an hour later.
~*~
They have just come inside from shovelling the front walk and the driveway, their noses red and cheeks equally rosy from the biting cold. While Link is preoccupied with getting his coat zipper unstuck, Rhett disappears into the kitchen and returns a few moments later with two steaming hot mugs of cocoa that’d been keeping warm in the slow cooker all day.
“Meaty Cheesies are almost done. Mom says we can have two each, but we gotta leave the rest for the party.” Meaty Cheesies are an abomination of ground beef, sausage, and velveeta that are Rhett’s absolute favorite holiday food. Honestly he could eat a whole tray of them by himself, given the opportunity.
Noticing that Link is still struggling with his coat he puts the mugs down on the coffee table and knocks Link’s hands away to deftly unzip it for him. Link grins sheepishly when Rhett laughs, gladly accepting his mug now that he’s no longer trapped in his parka prison.
They curl up on the couch together, mugs in hand and eyes on the random holiday movie the tv is turned to. They sit in silence for a long time, content to warm themselves with their hot beverages and enjoy each other’s company.
When the credits of Home Alone roll and the banner is advertising that Home Alone 2 is coming up next, Link finally speaks.
“So, if coffee means you like women, and tea means you like men, what is hot chocolate a metaphor for?” he asks, downing the last sip that has been lingering in his mug.
Rhett, who had finished his cocoa earlier, laughs and sets his mug down, stealing Links to place it next to his own on the table.
“I dunno.” he purrs, pushing Link back into the cushions. “But I heard somewhere that Chocolate is an aphrodisiac.”
“Is that so?” Link asks archly, suppressing a giggle. “Well, we should test it out. Y’know, for science.”
“I think that’s one of the best ideas you’ve ever had, Bo.”
Rhett’s smiles their smile as he brings his lips to press gently against Link’s, barely waiting before sneaking his tongue out to ask for entrance.
Link doesn’t keep him waiting, and soon they’re wrapped around each other in a way that at a glance, one wouldn’t be able to tell where one ended and the other began.
And there they stay, warmed by hot beverages and their love for each other. Two bodies, one heart, inseparable.
Well, at least until the Meaty Cheesies come out of the oven.