Chapter Text
Link sighed, pulling his backpack from up off of the floorboard and placing it into his lap. He rested his cheek onto the bag, wrapping his arms about it and drumming his fingers on the bright red canvas. From his position in the backseat, he was able to gaze out at the passing scenery, mainly concrete and zooming cars creating a blur of images. The car halted as they joined a line of traffic, but the full exhaustion of being up since the wee hours of the morning to catch a flight, joined with the purring engine and the gentle-yet-steady vibrations of the car, he allowed the stillness to lull him into a light state of unconsciousness.
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He sat across from his boss, a straight-edged, older Caucasian man who ran the company with a benevolent fist and wore a grimace in place of a smile on his best days. The man, who preferred to be called “Doug” in place of a formal title, relaxed against the comfortable leather chair that was nestled behind the large wooden desk, a rubber racquetball in his hand. Link's own knuckles were white as he squeezed his fists, his fingernails digging into his skin, determined to channel his anger elsewhere.
“California?” He sneered, Doug not even batting an eye at his tone. “You want me to completely uproot my life here and move to California?”
“Link, you aren't under-”
“Doug, with all due respect, but, what exactly am I not understanding? I've worked my ass off here! Ten years I've been here, and now you're- you're sending me away?" He was standing then, slamming his hands onto the desk, looking down at the seemingly unfazed older man.
"Link," Doug began, setting down the rubber ball and slowly rising to his feet as he spoke, "You're not looking at the full picture. You're being offered the chance of a lifetime here, kid. You'd be a fool not to take it." He held up a stern finger diminishing the young man's rebuttal attempt. "You've worked incredibly hard these last ten years. You've achieved so much since your internship, so much since coming here from your small town in- where was it again?"
"North Carolina." Link replied.
"North Carolina! I took you under my wing, Neal, since you've been in New York. You've gained an incredible amount of experience, and I think you can really assist in bringing the Los Angeles branch to where it needs to be, if not higher. If you do what I think you can, you might end up making senior chair of the division."
"Senior chair?" The question was released in an exasperated whisper.
"Look, pack a suitcase. I'll have Karen book a flight for you for tomorrow morning. Take the next week to relax, spend some time on the beach. I'll cover everything. I'll even have Josh host you in one of our beach houses. Lord knows that boy is using his time in Malibu to his advantage. Anyway, I'll give you an option at the end; either my son has talked you into staying, or you decide to come back, no questions asked." His eyes softened then; he had circled the desk during his lecture, bringing up a hand to rest on Link's shoulder as further punctuation.
He stole a quick glance at Doug before simply replying "Okay."
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Link found himself being jolted awake as the car suddenly lurched forward, quickly followed by the driver's apology and soft announcement that they had arrived at his destination. He declined assistance to remove his luggage from the trunk, but thanked and assured her that she would still receive a five-star rating as he shut the door to the trunk. He waved as what he saw as the only escape he currently had drive off.
Turning his attention to the beach house, he was taken aback at how underwhelming the exterior was. The building was large, but the grouping of wood and glass barely screamed "rich!" and seemed like less of a compliment to the surrounding estates. It would play a more than perfect role as the prison he was subjected to for the next week. Backpack slung over his shoulder and handle to his luggage secure in his grip, he made his way to the opening gate, walking the remaining portion of the driveway and up the steps, the scent and sound of the nearby ocean providing a sort of peaceful sensation for his racing mind. He raised his hand to knock just as the door swung open and a pair of strong arms enveloped themselves around his torso.
"Josh!" Exclaimed Link, genuinely surprised at the sudden gesture.
"Link!" Josh laughed, "God, it's been awhile, hasn't it?" He pulled away then, holding the brunette at arms length.
"Three years." Link replied with a smile, taking in his friend's appearance. He wore a baseball cap atop his dirty blonde hair in a backwards fashion, his t-shirt and board shorts fitting well over his athletic build. A thin moustache rested over his upper lip. They'd known each since their internships in New York, Josh having been there a few months before him thanks to his father, but both proving their worth and quickly gaining momentum in the company. He had chosen to work in California under his father's guide and similar assumption that he would gain a leading position over time, doing so well that he had been granted his father's secondary beach house. Link had always adored him.
Josh removed the flat-billed cap Link had covering his hair, gasping. "Your hair looks incredible! Got sick of the wings?"
Link ran a hand through his hair at the words. In truth, it hadn't been a well thought out decision, but a rather crass one made at the height of a mental breakdown the day before, following the meeting between he and Doug. He had left work early, not to pack, but to run to his less-than-frequently visited salon. His eyes didn't leave his reflection through the entirety of his walk-in appointment, his nails digging into the arms of the chair he was seated in.
"I guess it's a little more age-appropriate, huh?" Link asked, smiling.
"I dunno. I like it both ways." Josh set the cap back on Link's head, grabbing the suitcase. "Come on, let's get you introduced and situated." Link allowed Josh to lead him through the door and into the house, not able to spend much time wondering why there were other people before he was shocked to see how absolutely glamorous it was inside.
Large paned windows allowed natural light to leak into the home, causing the metals and glass of the furniture to glisten, and the fabric- ranging from white to mint to gray in color- to look pristine. Hanging and potted plants were scattered throughout, and a large glass sliding door centered in the far wall lead way to the salty breeze and lovely view of a large patio.
Josh had set aside the suitcase, wrapping an arm around Link's waist as they walked into the living room, three people seemingly the same age as them talking and laughing amongst themselves. Two men sat on a large L-shaped couch, and a woman sat across from them in an armchair, all three slowing their conversation to the point of a full stop to turn their attention to Link.
"Link, this is Chase." he gestured to one of the men, bright and baby-faced, with a mop of brown hair coupled with patchy facial hair and a smile to distract from it. "This is Alex." Link's gaze fell on the next man, one with bleached blonde hair and a dark chin of scruff, "And, this is Jen." He looked at the woman, who wore a kind smile, her dirty blonde hair falling to her shoulders and making way to her exposed muscular arms, ones that Link had a feeling would choke him out without a question if he had been more of a threat. He was met with warm welcomes by the trio.
"It's really nice to meet you all." Link smiled, and Josh chauffeured him to the modern staircase, arm still around him.
"We'll be right back!" Josh called over his shoulder as they climbed the stairs before whispering to Link "I think you're gonna like your room."
"You're friends seem real nice, Josh."
"I'm glad you like them, because they're also here for the week."
"It's a big house. I'm sure I can handle three extra people."
"Five."
"What?"
"There'll be five. The other two are running late- stuck in traffic or something. Should be here later, though."
Link was unable to process the statement as, at the same time Josh had relayed the statement, he had opened the door to Link's room.
It took his breath away.