Cuddle Time

“You mean like big spoon, little spoon?” Link asked incredulously.

“Why not! We could pretend Cuddle Queen Jean is here. You look beat, man. Come lay down with me. We’ve got time to relax. We can even skip that next meeting if we want.”

“Hell! We can skip all of ‘em if we want!” Link said defiantly.

“Yeah!” Rhett echoed, sounding macho. “We’re Rhett and Link! Nobody tells us what to do!”

“Except for all the people who tell us what to do,” Link chuckled sheepishly.

“Except for them. Now come be a little spoon,” Rhett said turning on his side and stretching his right arm out in front of him.

Link rolled his eyes, but kicked off his shoes and squirmed onto the couch.

“I’d still like to be the little spoon for a big ol’ dude someday,” Rhett said with a smirk. “Like Shaquille O’Neal or someone.”

“Well, I guarantee you Shaq would not fit on this couch with you!” Link wiggled into place trying to get a little more comfy. He ended up fitted snuggly against Rhett’s body, his head resting on his outstretched arm.

“See!” Rhett said sounding pleased. “We fit just fine! Now I just have to figure out what to do with this arm,” he said holding his left arm aloft and waving it a bit.

“Seems to me, it either ends up wrapped across my chest or on my butt,” Link chuckled.

“Across the chest seems more like a Cuddle Queen Jean maneuver. A sideways Baby Bear if you will,” Rhett said.

“Oh, I suppose I will,” answered Link, a smile in his voice as Rhett draped his arm over his friend.

“Speaking of your butt, what the heck is going on back here?!?” Rhett said in surprise.

“What? Oh, yeah. It’s my harmonica. I picked it up off my desk when I came in. I thought it might cheer you up.” Link reached back and pulled it out of his pocket.

“Can you even play, laying on your side?” Rhett asked.

“Might as well find out,” Link said, bringing the harmonica to his lips, testing it out, and starting a few bars of something that sounded like it belonged around a campfire. Something old. Down In the Valley, maybe? Who sings that? Gene Autry? Burl Ives? Something about someone not loving someone back and being in jail? It was nice, all languid and melancholy.

Rhett’s breathing slowed, and he realized his head didn’t hurt much anymore. He felt the weight and the warmth of Link pressed against him and his stomach didn’t feel that bad anymore either. Through the flat of his hand and his fingertips, he felt Link’s chest rise and fall as he played that sad, sweet song, and his heart wasn’t so uneasy anymore. He hadn’t even realized he felt so low until Link eased the ache of it just by being himself and being near. It happened that way a lot for them.

Turns out it is kind of difficult to play the harmonica when laying on your side and being snuggled by a large man. Link eventually set the harmonica on the coffee table and leaned back. Content.

“We should get some beds for the creative house,” Rhett mused. “That way, when we are feeling ill or down, we can go over there and take a nap.”

“Maybe one big bed,” Link said quietly. “We could do a bit for a vlog like we were talking about on Ear Biscuits where we have a sleepover. We stay up late. We drink. We play games. Then we climb into this big bed and tell the Mythical Beasts goodnight. Really give ‘em something to talk about.”

“We do that, they’ll think we just get in bed together all the time,” Rhett said.

“Well,” Link chuckled, gesturing to their current situation. They laid there laughing for a bit until Link about fell off the couch. Rhett squeezing him to keep him from ending up on the floor.

“Yeah. They would love that! We would even get big bold monogramed pillowcases!” Rhett said with a laugh.

They did miss that next meeting. They had earned the break. They laid there in the dark talking and laughing, sometimes about how people were silly for getting the ideas they get, and sometimes about how they should work assless chaps into a bit for GMM. They could wear underwear under them. Cute ones! With little hearts! No, lips!! It went on until they were ready to go on with their day, or possibly forever. Who can say.

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