Turn to Me by Mythical Rhink. (PG-13)

Turn to Me: Chapter 7

Rhett lay on his back with his hands clasped over his chest, naturally assuming the “sharing a bed with Link” position, even though they hadn’t done it in years. And in typical Link fashion, the other man moved close to him in his sleep, snuggling into Rhett’s shoulder and pressing his knee into the side of Rhett’s thigh. “Weirdo,” Rhett murmured with affection. He fell asleep to the sensation of Link’s warm breath across his chest.

The first thing he noticed upon waking was that his nose was uncomfortably cold. The air in the room had chilled overnight and an icy draft from the room’s single window scoured his cheeks. He was in much the same position he had been in when he fell asleep, but Link had managed to get even closer to him, with his arm across Rhett’s stomach and his leg flung over both of Rhett’s thighs. His cheek rested on Rhett’s shoulder as he breathed slowly through parted lips, long eyelashes brushing the tops of his cheeks and his hair strewn wildly across his face.

Rhett stirred, imagining the wonders of hot coffee, and attempted to extricate himself from the bed. Link’s arm tightened around his waist and his eyes fluttered open. Rhett watched with a wry smile as his friend’s expression changed from confusion to dawning comprehension of where he was and what their relative positions were. But instead of moving quickly away from him as Rhett expected, Link stayed in place.

“I’m conflicted,” he muttered.

“Why is that, Link?”

“This is awkward. But you are also very warm, and I can’t feel my nose.” Link turned his face into Rhett’s shoulder and pressed his cold nose into it.

Rhett chuckled. Awkward as it might be, he was also not inclined to brave the frigid world outside the covers. And yet, he was starting to feel more conscious of Link’s leg over his thighs, and how they were both keeping carefully still. “If you let me up, I’ll make you coffee.”

“Mmm, coffee,” Link purred. He slid his leg off of Rhett and brought his arm back to his side. “Coffee is worth the sacrifice.”

Rhett stood up, shivering as the icy air touched his bare arms. Link curled up under the blankets in a fetal position, the top of his head the only visible part of him.

The fire in the wood stove had died down to embers, but Rhett quickly got it roaring again. The temperature of the main room rose steadily as Rhett started up the coffee maker. A few minutes later he sat on the couch with a large steaming mug of it and opened up his laptop to review the notes from yesterday. It was likely that some of the ideas that had seemed so amazing would look terrible in the light of day, and he might as well start culling them now.