Work Text:
What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create.
- Dave Grohl
x
On the way into work, Link’s foot knocked into the distressed leather strap of the crossbody hip pack a third time. Since he’d made his thoughts on the matter clear, he didn’t bother to suppress a sigh when he realized as much. If Rhett noticed, he didn’t say anything.
Later, once they'd arrived at their office, Link was delighted to find the gift Rhett had gotten for him, Dave Grohl's autobiography, shoved deep under the other contents of his backpack. He’d planned to bring it into the office to read over lunch at least two weeks ago, but had been failing to remember to pull it out until that morning. He set it on the edge of his desk pointedly, hoping that he could guilt Rhett into using his own gift the way it was meant to be, not as a floor ornament.
During that lunch hour, however, Link struggled to focus his attention on the book. He could only manage to get one paragraph read at a time for the majority of the attempt was spent solely on trying best to focus. More than once, he doubled back to reread a section that he realized he had read but not taken in.
There was a reason why he primarily listened to audiobooks at this point.
Just when he was about to give up, Rhett returned to their office and glanced over at where he was splayed out on their couch. “Oh, you’re reading it?” he teased Link.
Link huffed. The pleasure of rubbing it in Rhett’s face was not what he’d imagined and the ruse didn’t feel sustainable once he’d realized that. He dropped the book open-face atop his chest and shut his eyes. “Trying to.”
Rhett didn’t answer but Link could tell from the pause that he was expected to elaborate.
“It’s hard,” he said, simply. He didn’t know where to begin explaining why.
“If you don’t like it, you don’t have to read it,” Rhett insisted, quickly, looking concerned. Link waved him off and sat up. He set the book on the table between them.
“No, no,” Link replied. “I’m so used to audiobooks,” Link began, looking away, shoving down the embarrassment. He knew that Rhett also understood the benefits of listening versus reading, but it still felt strange to verbalize it.
Rhett nodded.
“Havin’ a hard time gettin’ my brain to stick to reading the words on the page. Keep realizing that I’m spending more time getting myself to read than actually taking in what’s bein’ said at all. Don’t know if that makes any sense, but —”
“Oh, yeah,” Rhett interrupted. “Yeah, that’s why I do audiobooks, too. That and because I can multitask.”
Link rolled his head and turned back to face his friend. “Can’t even do that,” he bemoaned.
Rhett smiled warmly and leaned down to grab the book. “Lay back down,” he instructed.
Link started to, but then halted and gave Rhett a look. “Why?”
“I’ll read it to ‘ya,” Rhett explained.
Link hesitated, again, but forced himself to lay back as requested. He’d been dying to read this autobiography for a while, so he didn’t want to look a gift horse of any size (and not the first of which he’d received from Rhett) in the mouth.
Rhett cracked the book open again and crossed his legs. He took a seat opposite the couch, then cleared his throat. “Because stories, like music, are meant to be shared,” Rhett started, sagely. “Chapter one…”
Link listened, attuned to every syllable, as Rhett relayed the ups and downs of their idol’s musical beginnings. Link had never felt so present and engaged with a book. Every chapter described felt like a vivid daydream that he could watch unfold across the backs of his eyelids.
Eventually, five chapters in, Rhett paused and Link heard him gently close the book. He waited a few seconds before he blinked and looked over. He wasn’t expecting Rhett to be staring at him so openly when he did. He felt a blush creep up the back of his neck when they made sudden and direct eye contact.
Rhett held the book on his lap and blinked at Link, looking unsure of what to say.
Link decided to say something to break the unexpected tension. “You stopped,” he said, pointing out the obvious.
“I thought you fell asleep a couple chapters back,” Rhett admitted, quickly. If Link didn’t know any better, he thought Rhett looked to be blushing, as well.
Link shook his head since he hadn’t. He had wondered if he might, early on, but the story had been too interesting and Rhett had done a great job capturing Dave’s voice while narrating.
“Oh,” Rhett said. He looked down at the book. “Should I do more?”
Link sat up and reached for his phone. An hour and half had passed and they both probably needed to think about getting some work done before the end of the day.
“Maybe tomorrow?” Link wondered, nervous he was pressing his luck by asking to repeat the practice again so soon. But, to his pleasant surprise, Rhett instantly nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, for sure,” Rhett promised.
Link was sure he was still blushing, but his manners pushed him to say more. “Thank you, man. That was really nice.”
“Oh, yeah,” Rhett dismissed it, handily. “Consider it part of the gift, you know.”
Link tittered a shy laugh and nodded.
“Merry Christmas,” Rhett said, pointedly.
“It’s nearly March,” Link shot back, glad to regain some of their normal banter.
“Happy Valentine’s Day?” Rhett tried, instead.
“Well, you’re a bit late on that, too,” Link teased him, thinking back to the holiday they’d spent together. “And the company bought us dinner, that night.”
“You’re welcome,” Rhett said abruptly, using the opportunity for humor to finally respond to Link’s initial appreciation. When Link caught another glance at Rhett’s face, he saw how earnest he’d meant it, however, and felt the heat return to his cheeks.
Link looked away, eager to return things to normal. “Let’s get back to work before we have to expense this, too.”
Rhett dog-eared the page and smiled.
x
The next day, Rhett picked Link up again to carpool and once again Link noticed his gift on the floor by his feet. Given how kind Rhett had been about reading the book to him, Link brushed it off and tried his best to ignore it. When they arrived at work, however, Rhett asked him, "Hey, can you hand me the hip pack?"
Link couldn't stop the smile that overtook his face. He handed the bag to Rhett and grinned as his friend latched it across his shoulder and upper body. "Goin' hiking later?" Link joked.
Rhett smiled and continued into their office behind Link. When they got inside, Rhett set down the pack on his desk and they both settled into their busy workdays. They ate lunch on set in order to cut down on production time and didn't return back to their office until late in the day.
Once they did, Link took notice when Rhett quickly moved to sit down in the same chair as he had the day before, this time with both the bag and book in hand.
Without saying a word, Link sat on the couch opposite him and looked over, expectantly. "You mind?"
Rhett shrugged it off, happily, unzipping the bag. He rooted through several crinkly-sounding bags and allowed a few small packets of fruit snacks to fall on his lap. He tossed a larger Ziploc pouch to Link soon after. Link held it to his chest once it landed so it wouldn't slip down and fall on the floor. When he got a good look at what was inside his eyes went wide. "Are these Frosted Mini Wheats?"
Rhett smiled and looked at the book to find the page he'd marked to resume reading.
"Did you go out and buy these, last night?" Link asked, puzzled by the offering. "'Cause you knew I'd be hungry during our little... story hour?" Link smirked at the thoughtfulness.
Rhett grinned and cleared his throat. He looked ready to start reading, but humored Link's question with a warm gaze across the room. "Those are always in there, Link."
Link squinted, even more confused. Despite Rhett's apparent readiness to start reading, Link felt compelled to get to the bottom of this. "How old are these, then? I don't want to get sick."
He opened the plastic bag and sniffed the contents. Rhett's smile only grew wider with affection. "'Bout a week."
"So you did put 'em in there, thinking I'd eat 'em!" Link presumed.
Rhett shook his head. "It's a snack pack. That's what it's meant for, ain't it?"
Link grimaced. "For your snacks."
"I got my snacks," Rhett assured him, holding up his fruit snacks to demonstrate.
"And what if you hadn't given it to me, today? Would you be eating these?" Link grilled him, still baffled at the idea.
"Maybe."
Link still couldn't wrap his head around it. "So you really keep a bunch of snacks in your pack on the off-chance I might want them?"
Rhett stared back at him, eyes steady. "Well, don't you?"
"Yeah. Thanks." Rhett nodded back at him.
"Now, where were we?" Rhett asked himself as he flipped back to where they'd left off.
Link settled into the couch with a smile on his face as they started the next chapter.
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