Work Text:
The piercing stare of the mismatched eyes of a man before him didn’t fill him with much confidence. If he had any to begin with.
The worst part of it all was that… There really wasn’t anything else to do but just wait and see. Sit back and watch how it all will unfold before his eyes. Having both face and history as he had, Timothy really didn’t want to take any more chances or do anything too rapidly.
To be fair, he really was glad to have gotten this exact chance. It hasn’t been long since he’d arrived on Promethea after a seven year lockdown back at the Handsome Jackpot. Without a home, anyone close, proper plans for the future, or even a hand, Timothy was almost left wandering. That was, until Moxxi had suggested an alternate route.
He has heard of Promethea before. I mean, who hasn’t really? A deep black hole in the middle of six galaxies, collecting dust and criminals. So when Timothy was informed of the name of the place where he was heading for the first time, he was less than thrilled. All until, he has seen it with his own eyes. Well, eye.
Maybe only now he really felt the seven years of his life gone by. Stranded in one place, not knowing what the hell happened outside of shiny golden doors and Handsome Jack holograms. Cause now Promethea was… Beautiful, to say it shortly. Modern, advanced, ready to take every step forward. With its starry skies and skyscrapers reaching up to the highest of clouds. Timothy had to say – it felt like a love from the first sight.
Timothy quickly learnt who exactly was behind all of this. New Atlas CEO (another surprise) Rhys Strongfork has made all of his efforts to make this place not only approachable but also a destination worth going to. This man had his style, Timothy couldn’t lie. Confident and innovative – that’s how he could describe the CEO.
Not to mention he really was… Pretty. Hell, gorgeous even. But it wasn’t as if Tim would say so the first time meeting him.
Manners, yes. Outside of the casino straight from hell and Handsome Jack’s cues, there still were manners. Such as don’t tell the CEO of a long dead company that he was the most beautiful man you’ve seen in your life, only while meeting him. Definitely not.
Especially since, not to Timothy’s surprise, he’s heard that the CEO had a certain past with Handsome Jack. One, he really didn’t want to dwell onto or reveal any more details than needed. Which was understandable for Tim. But a part of him felt his heart ache at another figure in his life, looking at him through the lenses of being Handsome Jack’s doppelganger. Why would he ever raise his hopes up for a change.
And now he was sitting beside him, observing his hand carefully. Or the lack of it. As one of the reasons why Timothy was on Promethea was the fact that this Atlas CEO really knew his way around machines. It would be fair to say that Tim, after cutting his own hand off, was in a dire need of a cybernetic. Moxxi simply said that “she knows the guy who knows”.
Atlas CEO looked at his limb, only for Timothy to keep gawking over to his right arm. Which was a full advanced cybernetic in an Atlas red shade with fancy patterns. Timothy couldn’t lie, it looked amazing.
It probably didn’t pass the CEO’s notice as he looked up to Timothy’s eyes.
“Do you like it?” he asked, raising his shoulder a little more up.
“Yeah, it’s… It’s pretty cool. Iiiif you ask me,” Timothy tried to seem somewhat relaxed. If it was possible.
The CEO smiled warmly, “Thanks. State of the art Atlas tech, had to finally replace the last one. My design, of course,” He exchanged the arm, showing it in its glory. Timothy could already sense that he was damn proud of it. Yet quickly from a confident grin, the CEO pouted his lips and raised eyebrows, almost looking startled, “Eh, uhm, if you like this, we can go with a similar design with your cybernetic. If- If not then it’s fine, either you can pass me some notes or I will, uh, design something for you.”
Wow. He really did talk a lot.
Timothy smiled gently, feeling his fingers onto the limb, “I like yours alright, I think I’d. Go for it. Listen. Mr. Strongfork-“
“Call me Rhys,” the CEO interrupted him in a moment.
Christ, he really had no idea if it was for better or for worse.
“-Rhys, you really don’t have to focus on me right now. ‘ve been holding on without the hand for some time now and if you have more important things then, hah. I can wait.”
The last thing that he needed was to crash some important CEO’s schedule with his demands. Timothy had no idea what it really was but the CEO’s…Rhys’ stare was way too focused, way too nostalgic. He had no idea what the hell did Jack do to this poor man but knowing that jackhole, he expected the worst. Multiplied, at least, since he was also an ex-Hyperion. The fact that he was calibrating his new cybernetic, already felt like a gift that he never deserved.
“Timothy, you literally don’t have a hand,” thankfully, Rhys didn’t seem to have any of this. “It’s the least I can do for you, you know? Give you a… Literal hand. So don’t worry about a thing, it’s free of charge.”
A loud sigh escaped Timothy’s mouth. In the world of Handsome Jackpot there really wasn’t such a thing as “free of charge”. Everything cost something. Your money, your dignity, your possessions… Your life. But Timothy felt like he had lost the last one many many years ago. Almost didn’t seem to faze him anymore.
“I… Appreciate it. Yeah. I really do, I’ll send you some ideas later,” Timothy seemed to go around it as much as he could.
“Well, either this or we brainstorm together,” Rhys’ hand finally left Tim’s. Suddenly, the lack of his grip felt even weirder than before. “Hey, uhm… How are you holding up? Anything else I could do?”
Timothy blinked several times, “Wait, what?”
“Ooh, you know. I can only imagine how stressful it is to get back to reality, so you know, just. Tell me if you need anything. Like a good therapist or a calming tea imported from Dionysus. I really don’t want you to feel bad or anything here.”
Rhys stood up. There was that glisten in his eyes, something both hopeful and anxious. Yes, he was on the fence. Yes, he still might’ve deemed Timothy as untrustworthy or even dangerous. But he still held onto him, helping him out. Not even that, Rhys… Simply wanted Timothy to live well on Promethea. Asking him about things, making sure he’s alright. Maybe there was a chance.
“Nono, I really don’t need anything now,” Timothy laughed, dismissing the statement. Yet, looking into Rhys’ eyes, he admitted, “But a therapy session once in a while would be, weelllll, appreciated. And I’m more of a coffee person.”
Rhys smiled brightly. This time there really wasn’t any façade or an act behind him. If Timothy wanted to reach that hard, maybe there wasn’t even a company behind him. He was just a guy, helping someone out, how he can. Someone who he could finally understand.
“Me too,” he confessed. There was a beat of silence for a moment, as Rhys bit his bottom lip, trying to find something right. “And uh, Timothy?”
“Yes?”
“Have faith. You really aren’t all that alone and… Yeah, you can count on me here. No one deserves what you’ve been through. If there’s a way I can at least help someone after. Jack. Then I’ll take this chance.”
The honesty behind Rhys’ words was unmistakable. There really was no wall here, just the truth and what he really felt. Still a little bit of awkward, not really ready to look into Timothy’s features. But it was a start to all of this. No need to rush.
And in this exact moment, Timothy felt his heart beat a little louder. A little clearer. Something strange, something he wasn’t familiar with. That someone could just… Want to help him out. After all this time, Tim felt that this man in front of him didn’t expect anything. He was just… Kind. And understanding. A combo so foreign to Timothy’s world.
So Tim smiled, curling his lip, “Y’know, faith sounds… Nice. Thanks Rhys, I’ll. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Maybe, it was about time to have some faith in this world. Or at least in certain people.