#obsessed with how this song somehow manages to capture the physical feeling of winter

[rhinkficathons]

Life could be Simple

Title: Life could be Simple

Author: Anonymous

Rating: T

Word count: 3,060

Prompt: The August Preoccupations (I’d been itching to write a MerRhett fic and this poem was dripping with it)

Summary: Link’s obsession with a certain mythical beast may mean more to him than he believes (title taken from the Flow soundtrack)

Notes: drowning tw

Link was obsessed.

His skin was tanned brown from spending so much time in the sun, out by the shoreline. His arms had grown thicker from strain against the currents, the muscles in his back deep and taut, altering his figure. His already broad shoulders expanded from constant exercise; the more he swam, the more his body grew in strength and muscle mass, yet the more he lost weight.

He barely noticed the prominence of his ribcage until his mother had pointed it out during his short trip to North Carolina. She’d walked in on him changing one morning and, upon glancing at his thin waist, rushed back downstairs to prepare even more pancakes, dishing out as much food as her son needed during his stay.

“Are you eating well? Did something happen? Do you really need to get physical in an office space? What have you been doing with yourself?”

Link shrugged as he fiddled with his cereal, not in the mood for its sweet taste. “Just swimming.”

��Link, son, all you do is swim these days,” Louis said, taking on a strict tone despite Link’s age. “Each time we call you rush to hang up, saying you’re late for your daily swim. Are meeting anyone out there?”

He swallowed a mouthful of Mini Wheats to hide his sudden blush, merely shaking his head.

Nope. It was no one, nothing of significance, not if you don’t count the sharp turn his life had taken since, the way his mind and soul were bound to deep blue waters, and a pair of fine, green eyes. Not if you don’t count the way his heart ached so many miles away, the way his home had lost all meaning and splendor, the apartment he dwelled in so much colder and lonely since they’d met.

Link was obsessed and he was keenly aware of it, of his irrational feelings, of how small he felt as a lowly human being.

—

At least the week away visiting his family helped him clear his mind a bit. It was his mother and Louis’ anniversary; having neglected them all year, he owed them at least a portion of his time, no matter how much it hurt to leave him behind. He settled in one afternoon, locked in his old bedroom and staring at his laptop, typing in the research he’d been too lazy, too self-conscious, and too scared to look up.

More than shock or surprise, more than fear and wariness, Link was filled with a sense of wonder the more he read. It had to be impossible; he had to be impossible. Was he a nymph? An undine? A merman? Like any good ol’ fairytale, every source Link seemed to read suggested that Rhett’s mere presence in his life spelled his downfall.

He smiled for a moment. Link had taken to calling this mythical beast Rhett. One late-night viewing of “Gone with the Wind” combined with the strange language he spoke in, always addressing Link with words that carried R’s and T’s, and thus Rhett’s name was born. It felt right somehow and like a docile creature, Rhett took to the name and responded to it.

But his heart shrivelled up almost as quickly as every folklore and mythology stated that he was no more than an object for Rhett’s benefit. Some sources stated they had no soul, therefore making a human fall in love with them would earn them an eternal soul. Others simply remarked how they would drown humans for a lark, their looks and sultry songs enough to draw them to the water’s edge.

Rhett hadn’t been singing when they met.

Carried further out into the open ocean by unexpected waves, Link had been fighting desperately against the current when something brushed past his leg. His mind went into overdrive, remembering clearly every shark film and documentary, and he was soon choking back water, trying and failing to calm himself, that is until a pair of strong arms held him aloft above the surface of the water. And there he was, all green gills and hair like seaweed, a tiny seashell hanging from his neck, emerging before him with curious eyes, and the most adoring smile Link couldn’t help but match.

—

As Link boarded the plane back to California, he was determined to disembark and calmly get himself home, without a single gaze or thought towards the ocean, carrying on with his ordinary, uncomplicated life. No matter the want, there was nothing sustainable about this. It wasn’t a relationship, it wasn’t even something he could label as “complicated.”

The flight wasn’t full that day, giving him a row of empty seats beside his own. Stretching his legs out, his back to the window, Link opened up his journal. He rolled his eyes at his own doodles and handwriting, Rhett’s poorly captured face gazing back at him. Everything he’d written had been about Rhett; everything he was about to write involved him as well. He brushed a finger over the drawing, his heart swelling at the thought of the real thing.

Maybe he didn’t have to say goodbye permanently. Afterall, it had been months now and Rhett had never once tried to hurt him, had never drawn him out into the sea. He waited for by the shore and without speaking the same language, Rhett seemed to understand the same social cues that applied to human society; he waited and extended a hand for Link to hold before they swam off together. All they did was swim, that was innocent enough, right?

Innocent, Link though with a pleasant shudder, thinking back to their first kisses, their constant hugging and tickles and, to some extent, more intimate touches. Without Rhett his arms ached, like an itch he couldn’t scratch.

A bump of turbulence brought Link back to the present.

Fuck it, he thought, returning to his seat. Setting down his journal before him he decided to make a list: all the things he had before him, all the things he wanted to accomplish, perfect, or complete, all the things that made his life worthwhile. At most it seemed Link was trying to convince himself to leave Rhett behind, to not get attached, reminding himself of his mother’s horror-stricken face at his body’s condition. That wasn’t a good sign, and his constant obsessing over Rhett, over his mouth and arms and lovely tail, only proved the point that this was a plan that would inevitably lead him to his death.

As he wrote the date on the right corner of the page, he realized with a start that it was August. He’d met Rhett during a surprisingly warm afternoon in December, in the middle of winter.

Eight months, nearly nine.

It was eight months of his life, the happiest and most-fulfilling. With a sudden cry that he hid from his fellow passengers, Link suddenly couldn’t wait to land.

He would take water in his lungs for a single moment with Rhett.

—

Link didn’t give himself any time to rest or even breathe in the California air he’d missed so much. As soon as he stepped through his apartment, Link dumped his bags in the entrance, rushed into the bedroom searching for his car keys, not without tripping on said bags on his way out, and drove out to the coastline. The sun was setting when he arrived, still high in the sky in an array of purple and golden hues. The soft rippling of the waves called him home and he pressed on running, down the shore and to his usual meeting spot with Rhett.

From afar he spotted a body in the water, pleasantly drifting. Its green coloring gave it away; there was nobody else it could be.

“Rhett!” Link called out, an edge of despair in his voice. As soon as he spoke, Rhett whirled around, craning his neck and smiling when his gaze met Link’s. He was so beautiful. With tears threatening to fall, Link clutched at his chest in awe, his fingers grazing upon the seashell Rhett had given him weeks ago.

He managed to remove his shoes, socks, and jeans before running straight for the water. He’d barely splashed inside before Rhett was shooting towards him, gaining enough momentum to propel himself through the shallow waters and into Link, knocking him backwards. He nuzzled Link’s face affectionately, his arms tight around his waist.

Laughing, Link wrapped his arms around Rhett’s broad shoulders. He smelled like the ocean, powerful and carefree, like the fall of rain, and something distinctly Rhett. Gosh, he’d missed him so much. Rhett pulled back and stared down at Link’s lips. Self-consciously, Link licked them, smiling as Rhett whipped his tail in impatience.

“I missed you too,” Link said before leaning in and kissing this wild, impossible beast with as much adoration as he could.

Before long, Rhett pulled back completely, the look in his eyes dazed. He smiled almost drunkenly and swam further in, holding his arms out for Link. Leaving his glasses behind, Link pushed through the waves, sighing as the fresh water cradled his body. As soon as he reached Rhett, however, the other swam away playfully, arms still extended in front of him.

“You little…” They carried on for a bit, Rhett just out of reach until a wave carried Link straight to him, shoving him a bit too hard against his chest. Out of air, their soft laughter against each other’s skin, Link hugged Rhett. They seemed made to fit into each other, no matter their species or different body types. Rhett’s arms around him was the most magical, wonderful thing that had ever happened to him. How could it be wrong?

Stroking down his back, fingers gently weaving through his hair, Link moved to kiss Rhett. Their lips slotted in perfectly and in the lull of the evening, Link couldn’t hold back the spark of electricity that coursed through his body. Their movement turned frantic, the long week Link was away apparent in their deep kisses and rough, clenching hands.

Slowly, in a dance, Rhett began to pull them both beneath the water.

Too caught up in the sensation, in the way Rhett’s body writhed against his, Link took too long to notice how deeply they’d gone under. He pulled back and with a start, realized he couldn’t breathe. The ocean’s surface seemed so far away, the glitter of the sun dancing high above him. He squirmed in Rhett’s hold, his mouth gaping, desperate for air. He couldn’t move, Rhett oblivious and affectionately kissing his neck.

This was it. He was going to die. This was it.

He dug his fingers into Rhett’s back, trying desperately to convey without sounds that he was dying. But then again, hadn’t his research warned him that this was what mermaids, and mermen, did? Luring human beings with their beauty and charming song?

The raw instinct to breathe took over and Link bent over with fire in his lungs. His vision darkened entirely to the sweetest taste of Rhett’s lips on his for a final time.

—

Little did Link know, this union between them was just as passionate and deadly for Rhett as it was for him. He dragged Link down below the waves, holding his face tenderly between his palms while his tail wrapped tightly around him. It was his instinct to sink in the throes of love, not to swim.

Rhett twirled them round and round, holding his beloved human close after the long separation. He always knew Link would come back, he felt he understood that was what Link had tried to convey. But the sting of loneliness grew only too painful as the sun rose and set too many times until he heard his voice. Link was all his.

Rhett pulled back when felt Link’s lips slack against his, his body jerking in sudden spasms, eyes rolling back in his head as faint bubbles of precious air escaped his mouth. Then they stopped.

Confused, he held Link by the shoulders and shook him. Nothing. He held his face and called to him, singing very softly. Still, he didn’t move. Rhett gripped Link’s chest desperately, feeling nothing beneath his hand. How could he forget his mate needed air? Cradling him against his chest, Rhett plunged through the water and through the surface in no time at all.

He brushed a few strands of hair from Link’s forehead, shaking him and calling to him in his tongue. Link fell heavily against his shoulder, immobile, his arms floating limply on the water.

“Link,” he called faintly, the sound foreign on his tongue yet deeply imprinted on his heart. What could he do? What was he supposed to do?

Then it hit him. Many times before, and once during the time Link had been away from him, he recalled seeing humans bring back to life members of their own kind. He watched them as they pressed their hands against their chest, sometimes beating down hard. Then they kissed? Was that all?

Shifting Link’s weight to his left arm, he tilted his head back with his right, pressing tiny kisses to his lips, waiting for those lovely blues that defied the beauty of the ocean. Nothing.

No, no, no. Panic welled in his chest. Rhett nudged Link’s nose with his own, kissing him over and over, softer now, harder then. He trailed down his cheek, burrowing his face in the crook of his neck with gentle sobs. They had warned him that falling in love with a human was fatal, yet Rhett had never realized that death wasn’t the only fatality in existence. He’d never felt love like this before, or pain.

Water trickled down his cheeks, strange sounds erupting from his chest. He’d never cried before; or rather, he’d never noticed that his eyes spilled salt water, or that he made out such ugly sounds in pain. Rhett had always cried underwater.

Maybe if another human found Link, they could help him. Rhett swam to the shore, making sure Link’s head remained above water. At this time of day there was no one on the beach, not close to their little nook and haven. Rhett hovered over Link, kissing him over and over, pressing his palms to his chest and willing him to breathe.

“Link,” he cried, suddenly angry. Just like those humans did, Rhett pushed down on Link’s chest. With no sense of rhythm, he pushed, pleading to the gods to bring him back. Yet Link lay still, unperturbed by the swish of the waves. Rhett pushed down harder, curling his hand into a fist and beating down.

He pounded and pounded and pounded and suddenly, Link’s body jerked, his head rising up with a sharp gasp, water spilling from his mouth. Turning onto his right side, Link coughed roughly, his throat straining, his breathing wild with every breath he took.

He’s alive! The thought filled every nerve of Rhett’s being and he smiled, still crying, still spilling tears but of an exhilarating joy. When Link’s eyes finally travelled up and met his, Rhett saw stars.

He was leaning down to kiss Link when Rhett felt him tense beneath him. He froze, his breath faltering with the sharpness of Link’s gaze.

“Don’t touch me.”

What did that mean? Rhett couldn’t understand but the severity of Link’s tone made him draw back, enough for Link to shove at his arms, crawling away with his eyes still on Rhett. He winced with every move, each breath accompanied by a low groan. Rhett tried to help him and pushed himself closer again, earning a hard shove.

“Stop, Rhett! Don’t come any closer!”

Please. Rhett reached out and Link recoiled from his touch, easily standing and darting away from him. Please.

“I said don’t!” He stopped, completely out of the water now. He took in Link’s hunched form, his eyes screaming at him. Link had never been afraid of him before.

No. He couldn’t lose him again. He would never be whole again if Link hated him. Rhett stretched his hand out, fingers trembling, but Link turned away, shaking his head. How could he ever apologize without sharing the same language? How could he make Link understand that he never meant to hurt him? What had been a ritual for Rhett had been the manifestation of all of Link’s insecurities and fears.

Lowering his head, hobbling awkwardly in the sand, Rhett cried out.

—

Link cried as well, silently, his tears blurring the sight of Rhett, his jerky and uncoordinated movements in contrast to the smooth dance he performed in the water. His cries tore at Link’s heart and gradually, his voice of reason was overcome by the ache in his heart.

He loves me, Link realized. If Rhett had wanted to drown him, shouldn’t he be dead? He couldn’t handle the shrill cry that burst from Rhett’s chest, a song of agony. It was raw pain and the only thing wrong with it was that it was coming from Rhett.

He loves me. And more than that, Link was surprised to realize that his feelings weren’t an obsession, not at all; he was also in love with him.

Treading rapidly on the sand, his chest still aching from earlier, Link dropped to his knees in front of Rhett, holding his head gently. At his touch, Rhett froze. He lifted his head slowly, his breath faint from crying and spending a little too much time out of the sea. Link pressed his forehead to his, whispering, “I’m sorry. I love you. I’m so sorry.”

He knew Rhett understood. He felt it in his chest as Rhett said similar words that, while he couldn’t understand, Link heard the love in every sound. He helped push Rhett back into the water, smiling as he rolled around, regaining color and vibrancy from his source of life. When he finished, Rhett looked back at Link and, with a shy look, offered his arms to him again.

Link stepped into them unhesitatingly. The sun sank past the horizon, the evening light growing darker and darker, past the time Link usually stayed with Rhett. He didn’t care anymore. Rhett whispered sweet nothings into his ear, rocking him back and forth in his arms, leaving a trail of kisses on his cheek. They would always be together.

[funface2]

10 Hocus Pocus Memes That Are Too Funny | ScreenRant – Screen Rant

October 31st is a holiday that is filled with awesome traditions. Trick or treating, dressing up in costume, and carving out pumpkins only represent half of the things that make Halloween so great. What also makes this time of year so spooktacular is one particular film involving a squad of baller sister witches. What film, you ask? Hocus Pocus of course!

RELATED: Hocus Pocus: 10 Most Badass Sanderson Sisters Quotes

Watching this movie masterpiece during Halloween has become as much of an annual tradition as scarfing down candy. To honor the spookiest of seasons, here are 10 hilarious Hocus Pocus memes to prepare you for the best time of the year!

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10 MOST ACCURATE THING WE’VE SEEN ALL DAY

Why is it that as we get older we realize how badass the supposedly “evil” characters from our favorite childhood movies actually are? The same thing can be said from Ursula from The Little Mermaid or Maleficent from Snow White.

RELATED: 10 Disney Villains Who Were Kinda Right

Perhaps it is due to the fact that as we enter into adulthood, we start to appreciate the villains more because they are usually just ambitious women who are often a whole lot more interesting than the protagonist. As children, the Sanderson Sisters might have given us nightmares, yet as adults, we have never identified with a set of characters more.

9 AMOK! AMOK! AMOK!

One of the most memorable lines from Hocus Pocus came from SJP’s character as she shouted  “Amok! Amok! Amok!” to the October skies. This was followed by her sister Winifred complaining that she was cursed with the dumbest sisters in the world, but we, on the other hand, are obsessed with Sarah’s random outburst. Sarah Jessica Parker has always managed to find incredibly unique ways to portray her onscreen characters from the unusual Carrie Bradshaw to the ultimate oddball that is Sarah Sanderson.

RELATED: Hocus Pocus: 10 Things That Have Aged Poorly In The Disney Classic

We praise her for this, and it makes us want to rewatch her scenes in Hocus Pocus over and over again, even after the holiday season.

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8 LEGENDARY QUEENS IN SEPTEMBER VS OCTOBER

It’s so awesome that Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker got to work together in more than one film! Looks like these two just have perfect on-screen chemistry whether they’re starring in Hocus Pocus together or The First Wives Club. Both actresses are incredibly iconic so getting to see them work together side by side is just a pure blessing.

RELATED: 10 Halloween-Themed Movies That Are Almost As Good As Hocus Pocus… Almost 

SJP has stated before in interviews that she felt so honored to work with Midler, and that she couldn’t believe she was working with such a legend. We sincerely hope we will one day see these two ladies act together again because their work as a duo is just splendid, and we don’t even deserve it.

7 AS SOON AS MIDNIGHT APPROACHES ON OCTOBER 1ST

In September, we are simply mortals. We put on our usual clothes, drink our morning coffee, and head out for work/school. Yet as soon as it turns midnight on October 1st, everything changes. We stop being our normal everyday selves and we instantly become witches akin to the Sanderson Sisters.

It’s just an annual thing that happens to those of us who are a little too obsessed with Halloween. There’s no shame in it though. Halloween is hands down the best holiday of the year, so we might as well get festive while we can.

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6 WHEN AUTUMN ROLLS AROUND AND YOU TURN INTO BETTE MIDLER

Listen, folks. It’s time to get one thing straight. Halloween is not simply a day. Halloween is a lifestyle. Some of us celebrate Halloween all year round, even going so far as to drink pumpkin-flavored beverages while binge-watching The Addams Family in mid-July. Yet when autumn finally rolls around and we spot a single yellow leaf, we take the festivities to a whole nother level.

Essentially, this means that as soon as the leaves change, we become Winnie Sanderson. Is it normal that we become the embodiment of Bette Midler’s character as soon as fall arrives? Probably not. But is it the greatest thing to ever happen to us? Probably.

5 THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR

Whoever claimed Christmas to be the most wonderful time of the year obviously hasn’t seen Hocus Pocus. Funnily enough, Kenny Ortega’s spooktacular masterpiece came out in July! Pure proof right there folks that people prefer to celebrate spooky szn all year long, rather than just on the last day of October.

While we love all seasons of the year, spring, summer, and winter are just missing that witchy spirit that we adore so much in the fall. It’s amazing how one movie alone could capture the aesthetic and mood for an entire season. Now that’s what we call a good movie!

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4 SARAH SANDERSON KNOWS WHAT’S UP

Why is this so accurate that it physically hurts? Liquid courage is a real thing, y’all. Yet luckily for Sarah Sanderson, she doesn’t need alcohol to have all the confidence in the world. She’s feelin’ herself, and we love her for it! If only she could teach all of us her tips and tricks for that kind of self-love. Modesty who? What’s that? We don’t know her.

There’s nothing wrong with knowing what you’ve got and flaunting it for the world to see. This is the kind of self-love that we need to start embracing. Sarah Sanderson teaching us how to love ourselves since 1993! It doesn’t get much better than that.

3 OH, THAT MAKES SENSE

In our fave Halloween movie, the Sanderson sisters discover a futuristic vehicle of some sort of which they cannot seem to grasp. They ask the driver “What is this contraption?” to which he responds, “I call it a bus.” Funnily enough, the sisters have no idea what a bus is, (which is understandable because they haven’t been alive since the 1600s and had just recently been revived), yet somehow they know all the lyrics to Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’  “I put a spell on you.”

Call it a blooper or an error if you’d like, but we feel as though the best part of the entire film came from their performance of that song. We can never listen to “I put a spell on you” again without thinking about The Sanderson Sisters!

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2 OH LOOK, ANOTHER GLORIOUS REMAKE. MAKES ME SICK!

What is it with all of these gosh darn remakes? This is not to say that all movie remakes of older films are bad, but when it comes to our classics, we would much rather have them untouched. Who on this planet could possibly attempt to outshine Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimi? It just doesn’t make sense as to why anyone would think this remake is a good idea.

It would be one thing if they made a sequel with the same cast (which we’re still crossing our fingers for) yet it’s another thing to just redo the film entirely. Even Bette Midler dissed the remake, saying, “I know it’s cheap. It’s going to be cheap!”. Right on, Sis! You tell ’em.

1 WE WENT AS THE SAME THING LAST YEAR!

Sounds like the ultimate Halloween party to us. There is no better way to spend the holiday than to get full-on festive and to watch this iconic cinematic masterpiece!

If you’re anything like we are, you most likely make it an annual tradition to watch Hocus Pocus because it is now, and forever will be, a classic. It doesn’t matter how old we get, we will always tune into The Sanderson Sisters when October rolls around. After all, it’s tradition!

NEXT: Hocus Pocus: The 10 Most Hilarious Quotes

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