Below the Mythical Surface (Completed)

Below the Surface

It wasn't like either of them wore much makeup on camera, but still Link sat in his chair backstage and wiped his face over and over again. The first few passes were fair enough, and small patches of concealer were rubbed away from his forehead and chin. Yet he pressed the still clean areas of the cloth over every section of skin, and he lingered on his lips. They still tingled like they were being shocked by some invisible battery. Frowning made the feeling worse.

The person staring back at him in the mirror looked way too tired for it to still be so early in the afternoon. The man's blue eyes were wary and almost frightened at what he was considering now. The slight way that he saw his best friend as he turned towards him and smiled was tilted and made his stomach twist in a way that had nothing to do with being nauseous. Link had tried to throw up a couple of times already. He needed something to get rid of the constant fluttering in his belly and bones. It was a feeling way too familiar.

A soft knock on the door pulled him out of the reflection in front of himself. The politeness took him off guard and he called out without even thinking.

"It's opened."

The hesitance of the door should have clued him in to who it was, but for the third time today the green eyes startled him with his actions. To his credit Rhett hadn't stormed in to offer either an apology or another brutal kiss. Maybe because there weren't cameras around or the excuse of charity.

"Hey bo," Rhett muttered, his shuffling feet moving towards Link but stopping halfway between the door and the chair where Link was still sitting. "Just wanted to tell you that we did great job with the charity. Final numbers were tallied. Over $25,000 to Children's International."

Link managed a smile and adjusted his glasses. Both men were painfully aware that usually they would hug or high five at such great news, but this time the silence and space between them was all encompassing.

"That's amazing news," Link said.

His voice was slightly higher pitched than he meant it. Rhett tilted his head at the tone, but didn't say anything to it. The stillness was there again, and Rhett began to search for anything to stop the crushing quiet.

"You got plans for the weekend?" He finally settled on. "Jessie and I are thinkin' of taking the kids camping. Building character and all that jazz, ya know?"

"Is part of building character literally shitting in the woods?"

Rhett chuckled, almost relieved at the humor.

"Nah, that's just a bonus. Especially if we end up forgetting the toilet paper again."

"You're nasty, man," Link chuckled, touching his face with the back of his hand. The burn of rubbing so fiercely was starting to take hold, and uncomfortable cracking feeling following the lines or his skin.

"You're a little red. Y'alright?"

"Hmm? Oh, sure, yeah. Just... Y'know..." he held up his soiled makeup wipe, tossing it lazily away and focusing anywhere but on Rhett.

"Today was really somethin', huh?" He asked, all too aware of Link's discomfort. He felt a pang if remorse for the other, but mostly he felt the need to speak openly about it. If Link felt half of what he did, it was worth the time to discuss.

"Yeah, man. We accomplished a lot. Twenty five k ain't nothin' to be ashamed of..."

"Nothin' we did today should make you feel ashamed," he told him, trying to open him up.

"I know," Link shot pointedly. Rhett knew better, though. The quickness in which he spoke, his wandering eyes, his shaken hands and uneven breath. Even if he hadn't known him for decades he would have been able to pick up on the unease; the tension was practically palpable.