Rhett and Link One Shots

Blood Brothers

The warm North Carolina sun shined, perfectly lighting the calm field. The quiet sounds of the creek flowing and birds singing filled the air, other than that, the world seemed to be at peace.

Buies Creek was a small town, one could ride a bike from one side to the other in just over ten minutes. With under two thousand residents, almost everyone knew each other in some way or another.

The year was 1991, and two lanky thirteen year old boys came running across the creek and into the previously quiet field. These two boys were Rhett McLaughlin, the older of the two, and his best friend, Link Neal. Rhett was always the more outgoing of the two, while Link was more of a quiet, timid boy that only showed his true side around Rhett. Rhett was born in Georgia; Macon, to be exact, and by the age of three, he was living in Sherman Oaks, California. After three short years, again, he moved. This time, to little Buies Creek, North Carolina, where Link lived. Link was currently living with his mom, a step-dad, and Emmy, his step sister at the time.

By the first day of first grade, the two had met and quickly became friends. This was in 1984.

Back to 1991, the two were running across the creek and through the field, excitement and anxiety pumping through their veins. Rhett had come up with an idea, and both were eager to execute his plan. They wanted to make sure they remained best friends their entire lives, Rhett's idea would cement that.

Paper and pencil in one hand, and a sharp rock in the other, Rhett ran with Link following close behind.

"Rhett! Your legs are too long, I can't keep up when you're runnin' so fast! Slow down, man!" Link whined.

"Oh come on, Link," Rhett replied with a hint of amusement in his voice,"you can keep up with me! You're gonna have to learn how to run fast if you wanna make it into soccer team next year!"

Link rolled his eyes and pushed himself more to keep up with his already giant friend. Rhett slowed down once he made it to the middle of the field and he plopped down, sitting cross-legged. He set everything they would need down and waited a couple seconds for Link to sit down next to him. Once he had, Rhett smiled in excitement.

"Okay, buddy, you ready for this?" Excitement filled Rhett, all his previous anxiety was gone. He couldn't wait. Link, on the other hand, was now even more anxious. Of course he was still excited, but he was scared.

"Rhett, 'm a little nervous. You know I don't like blood. I mean, I wanna be your blood brother, you know I do, but what if I faint?" Link's hands, always a little shaky, were now shaking a little more.

Rhett reached forward and placed a hand on Link's forearm, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Then I'll catch you! Don't be scared, trust me, Link. Do you?"

Link smiled, his crooked smirk of a smile, and then nodded. "Yeah, I do. But what I don't need is you getting all touchy feely. Get your sweaty hand of me, man!" Link pushed Rhett's hand away and the two laughed.

"Fine, see if I ever comfort you when you're nervous again!" Rhett smirked back at the smirk Link had thrown at him. Link, yet again, rolled his eyes.

"Let's just get this over with, dude. I'm ready. Let's be blood brothers." Link's smile grew as the sentences progressed. Rhett nodded with a smile of his own and took a deep breath. He grabbed the pen and placed the small paper on his thigh. He scrawled on it: "I, Rhett James McLaughlin.." He handed it to Link, who in turn, wrote: "And I, Charles Lincoln Neal III, vow to do something big and amazing with my best friend when we grow up."

Rhett smiled and nodded. "Yeah! Sounds great!" Rhett then finished it off with a couple more sentences and then he grabbed the rock. He drew the sharp rock across his palm, and a thin line of bright red blood seeped out. Rhett used this blood and pressed his finger print to the paper.

Link took the rock and felt his heart racing in his chest. He closed his eyes, hands trembling terribly. "Rhett, would you do it for me? Please?" Link beggged.

Rhett slipped the rock out of Link's hand and took the boys left hand, facing it palm up. "I promise I'll do my best not to hurt you." Link only nodded I'm response and Rhett took this as the sign that he was ready. He drew the rock over Link's palm and the blood seeped from the cut just like it had from Rhett's. Link took a deep breath and placed his bloodied fingerprint to the paper to. Then he looked up, making eye contact with Rhett. The two clasped hands, their blood mixing.

"Blood brothers. Forever and always.."

"Forever and eternity," Link finished and smiled, they did it. They were blood brothers.