It felt odd, after the weekend they’d just had, to step back into their office on Monday morning and find it looking the same as ever. (As it turned out, hallucination clone blood was easier to lift from fabric than one would expect. Link was happy about that. They’d only just got the furniture in here to their liking.)
“Coffee?” Rhett asked him, walking to their desks to retrieve their favourite mugs. “My turn to make it, right?”
Link smiled and nodded at him, rubbing his hand over his eyes. He really was exhausted, even after a solid ten hours of sleep last night. As Rhett’s footsteps retreated down the hall toward the kitchen, Link gazed around their office. He took in their posters, their diamond play button, the awards on the shelves, framed pictures of them with colleagues, collaborators. He took in everything they’ve worked so hard for and everything they almost lost this weekend, because of him, and suddenly his legs didn’t feel like holding him up anymore.
He fell heavily onto the couch, pressing the heels of his palms into his eye sockets. He wasn’t sure if he was about to start crying, but he’d rather head it off at the pass.
“I only put one sugar in there, just try it and see…” Rhett’s voice trailed off as he entered the room, two coffees in hand. He strode across the floor, placing the mugs on the table and sitting down next to Link. His arm was immediately around Link’s shoulder.  “Hey, buddyroll, what’s all this?”
Link gave him a sad, crooked smile. “We coulda lost everything, man. We were so close to losing all of this.”
“But we didn’t!” Rhett said, his voice soft. “Look, it’s all still right here. We should be celebrating!”
Link felt himself reaching for his wedding ring and had to suppress the urge to fidget with it. Instead he clasped his hands on his lap, concentrating on the warm, stabilizing weight of Rhett’s arm on his shoulders.
“I’m real sorry, bo,” he said, shocked at how small his voice sounded. “I promise I’m gonna keep my eye on my phone from now on, okay? And I’m gonna turn on all those security features and I’ll try to memorize a harder passcode so it’s not so easy to break into, and–”
He broke off when he felt Rhett’s fingers on his chin, tipping his head up so he couldn’t avoid Rhett’s eyes.
“How long have we known each other, Link?”
Rhett grinned, “Thirty-two. So I knew you for twenty years before I decided to start a business with you. You think I didn’t know you by then? You think I wasn’t expecting a little insanity? Heck, it’s what I signed up for, man.”
Link felt himself twisting his ring around his finger, but he couldn’t stop. “No one signed up for hallucination clones, or roller gangs, or mind control hats… I’m just sorry, okay? Sorry I brought all of this down on us, I’m sorry. It wouldn’t have happened to anyone else, and I’m… sorry.”
With a soft smile, Rhett reached between them, picking up Link’s left hand and bringing it to his lips. He closed his eyes as he kissed Link’s wedding band.
“Twenty-two years,” Rhett said, nuzzling Link’s ring finger. “That’s how long I knew you before I asked you to marry me. Ain’t nothin’ that can surprise me about you anymore, bo. Ain’t nothin’ that’ll make me cut and run now.”
Link just sat there, letting Rhett’s kisses and the scratch of Rhett’s beard on his fingers soothe away the guilt and anxiety that had been threatening to overtake him. Finally, he trusted himself to speak without his voice breaking.
“I love you more than you love your exercise bike.”
With a lopsided grin, Rhett stood, pulling Link to his feet. “Maybe I should let you ride it someday.”
“Maybe,” Rhett said teasingly, pulling Link in for a quick kiss, then tugging him towards the office door. “Now I think we owe some Mythical Beasts a pretty good explanation for all of this.”
Link smiled, letting himself be led down the hall towards the studio. “Let’s hope they understand it better than I do.”
