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Chapter Text

The day was like any other, the soft hum of the station filling the natural silence of the nearly empty the office. That and the slow scrolling through neverending lines of code accompanied by frustrated sighs.

Rhys had stayed behind way past his working hours. Whilst others were already on their way to bed, or enjoying themselves in bars with their friends, Rhys was desperately trying to fix his mistake of the day. Being an intern whose entire knowledge of code stemmed from self-education and useless college courses that taught him nothing had managed to land him in more trouble than he anticipated. His "fake it till you make it" attitude barely applied when he had no idea what he was doing.

He groaned, rubbing his eyes from exhaustion. Looking at the bottom of the screen, the clock taunted his sanity.

11:34 pm.

He began looking through the code for the thirtieth time that day. His eyes were already strained from looking at the screen all day, he needed to fix this as soon as possible.

He briefly wondered what Jack- Handsome Jack- would do in the situation. Considering he was an inspiration to Rhys from the day he found out writing any sort of cyber security code was a highly sought after position at Hyperion, he oftentimes looked for his guidance when in trouble. All in his head, of course. He'd never have the guts to ask the real Handsome Jack for help.

"Check your brackets, dum dum," a stranger said from behind him, the voice startling Rhys enough to snap him back to reality and continue looking for the mistake. After a few seconds, he immediately noticed a bracket missing at the end of one of the functions, a simple mistake that would've been resolved earlier had he remembered to put it there in the first place. He went to turn around and thank the stranger, but the moment he saw him leaving the office, the back of his head instantly ingrained itself in Rhys' memory as he realised that it might be his last day at Helios and he'd soon receive the famous airlock treatment by none other than Handsome Jack.

He followed him out to the hallway, his stomach in twist, just to make sure he wasn't imagining things. But his suspicions were true, it was him. The boss of his boss, the man at the top. Rhys returned to his desk with a slouched back, contemplating whether or not to just give up with the code altogether, knowing that his dreams of having a higher up position in this company were utterly crushed and his near future was doomed. But as soon as he hit save and tested out the code, it worked perfectly.

He closed the computer, turning off the lights as he left the office for probably the last time. He was certain that when morning came, he'd hear his name over the intercom, followed by his swift death by the lack of oxygen.

But morning did come, and he heard nothing over the intercoms. Well, nothing beside the usual stuff. He sat down at his desk, his co-workers going on about their day as usual. His boss, Mr. Henderson, was one of the last to enter the office that day. That was the one unusual thing that made immediately Rhys a nervous wreck. He quickly caught up with Mr. Henderson, desperately trying to explain himself, "Sir, I fixed the code yesterday, it should be ready for code review."

"Yes, I reviewed it already. Send it over to Mark, he'll give you another task shortly after," the man rushed into his office, his walk erratic. Something about his behaviour didn't sit right with Rhys. He'd never accept Rhys' work without an unnecessary remark. And the fact that he had already seen the code without Rhys sending it to over felt even stranger. But he brushed it off, relieved he got off the hook and he didn't have to explain every single function and if statement like he usually did.

After several hours of keymashing, it was finally time for his favourite part of the day when he'd get to meet up with his friends for lunch. He realised how sad and pathetic it must've sounded to a normal person, but normal didn't exist on Helios. Taking joy in the smallest things was a necessary part of the soul draining office life that he now led. He followed his co-workers out of the office, saliva already gathering at the inner corners of his mouth. He soon stopped dead in his tracks, however, his doom making itself known once more.

He tried blending in with his colleagues, purposefully making himself smaller, not to be seen by his boss nor Handsome Jack himself, who were presumably talking about the best way to torture Rhys for the rest of eternity.

His heart almost jumped out of his chest when Handsome Jack pointed him out of the crowd, "You, come here." Rhys scratched the back of his head, obediently trudging towards the two, "Y-yes?"

"Your name?" Rhys felt completely exposed under Jack's piercing gaze, his words coming out as pure blabber, "Rh- Rhys Strongfork, s-sir."

"Rhys," Jack said, as if testing out the name, "Hmm, I don't know," the two men suddenly walked away, Rhys dismissed with the wave of Jack's hand. He wondered if this was standard procedure for getting airlocked or if they were just messing with him. He completely disregarded the thought that this could be a prank though, why would THE Handsome Jack partake in humiliating a nobody such as Rhys?

With his mind clouded by all the ways he could die that day, Rhys finally made it to the cafeteria. His friends, Vaughn and Yvette, were waiting for him at their usual table, a tray of food already prepared for him.

"Henderson giving you slack again?" Yvette asked, giving him a compassionate smile. Rhys flopped down into his usual seat, wallowing in self-pity, "I think this atrocious looking plate of spaghetti might be my last meal."

"That bad?"

"The hell did you do?" Vaughn spat out his meal, cringing from the aftertaste, "Ew, that's nasty."

"Uh, how do I put this. I was really struggling with a piece of code yesterday, like, to the point where I had to stay behind until I found the error causing the build to crash," Rhys rubbed his eyes, the leftover exhaustion from yesterday coming back to surface. Vaughn cut him off in realisation, "Ooh, so that's why you were out so late. Thought you ditched me for game night."

"That was yesterday? Sorry-" Vaughn gave him an understanding look, "That's not the point, though-- I managed to find the error before I passed out from exhaustion. But- and this is a big but- I think I got help from Handsome Jack."

"Like metaphorically, right?" Yvette butted in.

"See, I'm not even sure anymore. I didn't realize it was him until the moment he walked out of the office."

"Why would Handsome Jack be in the exact same office as you late at night?" She questioned, not believing a word he was saying.

"I-- don't know? But I'm sure I saw him."

"How confident are you that it wasn't just your mind playing tricks on you?" Vaughn asked, siding with Yvette, "You know, like when you look at one of those motivational cat posters and then you suddenly feel the urge to fix your whole life?"

"No- wait, is that really how they're supposed to make you feel?"

"Yeah! How else would you react to a cute cat telling you to 'Hang in there'?"

"I don't know, I mean it does make my day brighter but not in a life-altering way," Rhys shrugged his shoulders, finally taking a bite out of his meal, "Wait, what were we talking about again?"

"Handsome Jack appearing in your office like some kind of cryptid?" Yvette gave Rhys a judgemental stare, "If what you're saying is true, and I have to state that I still don't entirely believe you, why would you assume this was your last meal? Who's trying to kill you?"

"I don't know, Henderson acted weird today and then there was the whole thing when Handsome Jack asked my name out in a hallway."

"He asked what?!"

"You should've said that earlier!"

"No, I don't want my best friend to die!"

"Who else is going to pay for my lunch?!"

The two went on and on with their frantic exclamations, completely abandoning all hope for Rhys. And honestly, Rhys should've freaked out as well, but there was something endearing about his friends actually caring about whether or not he'd turn up dead in a ditch.

"Okay, let's calm down. Maybe it's nothing. Maybe- just maybe- he's trying to get to know his employees better. Yvette, you've worked here longer than both of us, you must've talked to Handsome Jack plenty of times." Vaughn tried to lighten up the mood, but the frantic shake of Yvette's head destroyed his attempt, "Never, not even my boss has talked to him."

"Well, it was nice knowing you guys." Rhys joked, finishing his plate, defeated. The trio stayed silent, mulling over Rhys' fate... Or lack thereof. Yvette suddenly jumped in her seat, an idea popping into her head, "Hold on, what if it was one of his doppelgangers?"

"Oh yeah, I heard they look and sound exactly the same as the real deal." Vaughn added enthusiastically, but Rhys tried to think of the last time he had heard anyone mention they met one of Jack's doppelgangers on Helios, "Aren't they forbidden from talking to employees?"

"I guess you're right," Yvette admitted, feeling disappointed that her idea was instantly axed, "Although, now that I think about it, there was a time when a guy from my department used to be under constant surveillance by Jack, maybe he's just trying to find a new toy to keep him entertained?"

Rhys raised his eyebrow at the suggestion, the mental image of being Jack's personal toy leaving him.. emotionally confused.

But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He'd heard the stories from other people, from time to time Jack would pick one sacrificial lamb to make fun of when he got frustrated by the Vault Hunters.

"So it's either physical and emotional abuse or death. Great," Rhys admitted, surrendering to helplessness, "Man, just when I thought I'd get out of the position of an intern, get a better pay and maybe find a girlfriend. All my hopes and dreams lost because of Handsome Jack. Fantastic."

"About that," Yvette stopped his train of thought, a soft smile slowly making it's way across her face , "I think my co-worker Caroline has a crush on you, she always snoops around whenever I call you. Maybe you should ask her out?"

"Sure, I'll do that next week when my life isn't on the line." He answered sarcastically, leaving the table to return to the office. God he hoped he wouldn't have to see Jack again for the rest of that day, he didn't know how he'd handle the stress of not knowing whether or not he was about to be obliterated into nothingness.

But it seemed as though his prayers were heard, he had not seen Jack for the rest of that week. In fact, even his boss seemed to lay off of him, giving him less tasks than usual. Rhys didn't know what to make of the situation he wound up in. On one hand, he appreciated having less things to stress about; on the other hand, he felt as though he didn't do as much work as the others, feeling like an imposter amongst his co-workers. He brushed off all his fears, opting to just enjoy his life for now.

He had asked Caroline on a date, as per Yvette's request, the two of them agreeing to meet up over the weekend at a small restaurant for lunch in one of the more popular spots of Helios. And he swore the date was going perfectly, up until the point when he saw Handsome Jack walking through the doors of the restaurant, with several other higher ups following suit.

Rhys felt embarrassed when he realised he had been staring at the group instead of paying attention to his date. He regained his composure, wiping his mind of any Handsome Jack related thought, wishing to just enjoy his day.

"Heeey, there's my favorite intern! Rhysie, how are ya!" Rhys pinched the bridge of his nose, frustration seeping out of him. He put on a fake smile, definitely not a convincing one but for the sake of him staying alive, he had to keep his emotions bottled, "I'm doing great sir, how are you?"

"Oh, you know, just trying to take the position of a CEO super seriously. These guys have been on my ass about stuff for ages so I'm trying to decide which ones deserve a permanent job replacement. Aw, and who's this?" Jack questioned, eyeing the girl sitting across the table. "Hello sir, I'm Caroline. I work in requisitions."

"Awesome, well I'll leave you guys to it, wouldn't want to keep them waiting," Jack winked at Rhys before walking away from the table. At least now Rhys knew it wasn't a doppelganger earlier, he really did meet Handsome Jack three times in one week. He didn't know which was rarer, meeting Jack or looting a vault. Nevertheless, the date continued and he refused to let it be ruined by a few sideway glances from the infamous airlock abuser. Nor the fact that Rhys couldn't stop his curiosity from making him look over at the other table.

"I don't think this will work out."

"Huh, what? Why?" Rhys protested, suddenly paying attention to his date. She shook her head, "It's not you, it's me," she looked over at the other table, sighing, "I just- I can't compete with that."

"What." Rhys gave her a puzzled look, "Compete with who?"

"You know who," she avoided his question, standing up from the table and gathering her things, "I appreciate you taking me out today, maybe we could just stay friends." She put money on the table, "See you on Monday, Rhys."

"Sure." Rhys sank in his seat, defeated. He mentally added another failed date to his long list of failed dates. Being rejected because of not paying attention to his date was a first, though. He briefly wondered what it was about before leaving the restaurant himself.

Then Monday came and he hadn't heard from Claire, as expected. What wasn't expected was the fact that no one had heard from her, not even her own co-worker Yvette. "I'm assuming your date didn't go well?"

"Yeah, she said she couldn't compete with 'that', whatever that means." Rhys took a bite out his lunch, Yvette pausing for a brief moment, thinking, "Hmm, was there someone so hot you couldn't keep your eyes off of them?"

Rhys shrugged his shoulders, mouth full of taco. He quickly swallowed it up, answering her nonchalantly, "Not really, but Handsome Jack did sit a few tables away from us. Even chatted with him a bit." She gave him a stern look, "Rhys."

"What?"

"You casually mentioning you met Handsome Jack, again, is making me worried."

"What? Again?!" Vaughn butted in, placing his tray of food on the table, "I swear the line of people keeps getting longer every day."

"Maybe you should start bringing your own lunch," Rhys commented, disgusted by whatever sort of metaphorical goo Vaughn had picked to eat, "You don't even like the food here."

"We all make questionable life choices, alright? Get off my case," Vaughn defended himself, reaching over to take a napkin, "I wonder what kind of choices you made that landed you at Handsome Jack's feet."

"The hell is that supposed to mean," Rhys questioned. Vaughn took a bite out the mess on his plate, "All I'm saying is," he gulped down the food, "Once is a chance, twice is a coincidence. But third time is a pattern."

The words echoed in Rhys' head for the rest of the day until he eventually found himself in the position he was in last week. Tired, frustrated, overconfident in his ability to write any sensible line of code. The clock taunted him once again.

11:17 pm.

He stared at the screen, emotionless, hands lying over the keyboard in hopes that his fingers would do the work for him. His stomach grumbled, demanding food. With a groan of defeat, Rhys gave up for the moment and headed into the hallway to find the nearest vending machine. He picked the cheapest food that would satisfy his stomach.

He returned to the office, a small bag of pretzels in hand.
His mechanical arm almost burst open the pack of pretzels from shock and for a brief second he thought he was hallucinating, or that his ECHO-eye was malfunctioning. But no, Handsome Jack was really sitting at Rhys' desk, looking through his code like it was the most normal thing in the universe.

"Uh, sir? What are you-"

Jack instantly shushed him, casually erasing and replacing the code Rhys has already written down. It was a sight to behold, one that no one would believe he witnessed. Handsome Jack, in all his getup and bravado, sitting at an intern's desk and doing the most mundane of tasks. Rhys carefully walked over, his eyes fixated on the screen.

"Where's your comments? Who taught you all this?" Jack waved his hand over the messy lines of code, curiosity glinting in his eyes. Rhys felt embarrassed to admit it, but there wasn't anything else he could say in this situation, "I'm mostly self-taught, sir."

"Drop the sir. Just call me Jack." The CEO said, unconcerned by what implications such a request had. Rhys didn't know if he was serious or not, and so he opted not to say his name. Just in case.

"If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here this late?" Rhys inquired, curious about what exactly brought him here, to an uninteresting corner office in a space station with hundreds of offices just like this one.

"Hmm, feeling of nostalgia? Boredom? I could list a lot of things."

Rhys furrowed his eyebrows, wishing the man would elaborate. And he did, "I used to work here before they gave us new offices. Yes, just like you, I was once a nobody, sitting at one of these desks and working my ass off writing code that would ward off some bored hacker. And I was damn good at it, too."

Rhys pouted at the claim. He wasn't a nobody. Well sure, he was a nobody compared to a guy like Handsome Jack, but it still hurt hearing it.

"And honestly, it's a miracle Henderson hasn't given you the shoe considering just how useless all of this is. But I guess you're still an intern, so..." Jack laughed, spinning around in the chair so he could properly look at Rhys. He was taken aback by the hurt on Rhys' face, or at least that's what it looked like. Rhys could only theorise when Jack gave him a look that he couldn't exactly pinpoint an emotion to.

The man looked around the office, grabbing another chair for the intern, "Sit."

Rhys complied, taking a seat next to Jack. The CEO began lecturing him using his code as an example, pointing out the obvious mistakes and ways to shorten the lines. He was genuinely surprised at how easy it seemed to Jack, the man fixing one line and then moving on to the next. He even gave him advice on how to properly comment everything. Of course, Rhys appreciated the gesture, but the whole situation gave him the ick.

He had dreamed of meeting the man that overtook an entire company after defeating a vault monster, but this? It felt like an unrealistic plotline in a cheesy movie made by one of those vaguely named companies everyone knows and hates.

And they left it at that, with barely any small talk and all lectures, the two of them exchanged goodbyes when the clock turned 12, Rhys scrambling to pack up his belongings just so he didn't have to take the same elevator as the manual workers. It happened on one occasion, giving him trauma for the rest of his life.

He pulled out his keys to his apartment, unlocking the front door with ease. The lights were turned off, the living room only illuminated by the TV screen. With a game controller in one hand, Vaughn laid passed out halfway on the couch and halfway on the floor. Rhys rolled his eyes at the sight, taking his belongings into his room first before heading into the shower. His friend had awoken from his slumber by the time Rhys came back into the living room, picking up trash from the floor, "Oh hey, sorry about the mess."

"Don't worry about it," Rhys dismissed his worries with a wave of his hand, taking out some leftovers from the fridge. He leaned over the counter, waiting for the microwave to finish heating up his food.

"You good, bro?" Vaughn asked, throwing a pizza box away, "You look like you've been through the wringer."

"Yeah, something like that."

"Anything new with the Handsome Jack situation?" His friend asked, obviously worried about him. And honestly, Rhys wanted to tell him what happened, but he was too tired to go into details, longing for the warm embrace of his bed, "No."

"Alright. Might be best to just forget about it, I guess."

Rhys took out the warm plate of food out of the microwave, grabbing a clean fork and sitting behind the counter bar. Vaughn had already gone to bed by the time Rhys started eating, so it was just him and his thoughts.

And he thought about everything that happened these few days alone. Why Handsome Jack seemed to take such an interest in Rhys and what he had mentioned to him in passing as they looked through the code together.

He still couldn't believe that Caroline was smuggling Loader Bots off the station and selling them on Elpis. A strange claim on Jack's part, but there were definitely stranger people still aboard Helios. At least now he knew that Jack didn't like people stealing out of his toy box.

But the fact remained, he had no idea whether Jack was as forgiving to her. Rhys definitely felt guilt on his part, putting Caroline right under Handsome Jack's nose. But if Jack had dug up something like that so fast, what else did he know about? Did he do research on Rhys? On his friends?

He'd have to inquire about that next time they'd meet, or if they'd ever meet again. It wasn't like Jack had any reason to see Rhys, he was the CEO of Hyperion whilst Rhys was just an intern nobody in the corporate world gave a crap about.

Chapter Text

Rhys' doubts came to fruition, Jack was nowhere to be seen the next day, nor the day after that. And frankly, Rhys was glad he didn't have to deal with his obnoxiously flashy personality. A cyber security attack had left him enough stress on his plate. His frenzied co-workers yelling left and right gave him a neverending headache, the state of the office engulfed in pure chaos a traumatizing experience. Not even his friends knew how to help him, Rhys still shaking from the shock.

"I know I might sound like an asshole, but you have to get used to it. We work for Hyperion, our jobs aren't a walk in the park. Especially when you work in cyber security." Yvette explained with a stern voice, her hand comforting Rhys on his back. He knew she was right, but it still left him sick in his stomach, largely because he had been left in the dark about what to do during a full blown cyber assault.

He felt absolutely helpless in that moment, realising just how much he didn't know about the field he worked in. The thought to just give up and work somewhere else did cross his mind, but he was determined to stay and keep learning from his mistakes. And the mistakes of others.

For the third time that month, Rhys had found himself in the office at night. This time, however, it was of his own volition. Thankfully one of his co-workers had screen recorded their side of the attack, which meant that Rhys could pinpoint the weaknesses much easier than if he had to review the infrastructure manually.

And for the third time that month, Jack strutted into the office, his curiosity piqued by the fact that Rhys wasn't at his usual desk. He momentarily peered over Rhys' shoulder at the screen before loudly announcing his presence, "Man, you just really love this job, don't you?"

Rhys yelped, caught completely off guard, "Oh my god, stop sneaking up on people!"

Jack smirked, proud of himself when Rhys finally managed to loosen up in his presence, "Who's sneaking? I don't sneak."

"Oh, so you've been here the whole time?"

"Kinda."

Rhys gave him a simple "Oh," before returning to look at the screen. He took note of the time.

10:22 pm.

Jack had come into the office an hour earlier than before. A thought had crossed his mind, one which suggested that maybe Jack enjoyed his nightly visits to the office more when Rhys was there, but he swiftly deemed it nonsensical and not worth mulling over.

This time he didn't stick around and berate Rhys, though. Instead, he paced around the office, lost in his own world while Rhys looked through the recording. He noticed him staring out the window for solid 10 minutes, his eyes fixated on Pandora, a blank look across his face. Rhys wanted to ask if something was on his mind, the sane part of him advised against so. He did it anyways, "You okay?"

"Hmm?" Jack turned his head to Rhys, putting on a fake smile, "Oh yeah, just peachy," He finally walked over to Rhys, placing his hand on the back of his chair, "You done yet? There's somewhere I wanna go."

"With me?" Rhys asked, unsure of Jack's intentions. If this was finally his time to try out the airlock treatment, it sure didn't feel like it. He registered the uncaring look, deeming it as a sign that Jack wouldn't try anything stupid which would result in Rhys' death that night.

"Yeah, I'm kinda hungry, didn't really have time to eat. There's this really good kebab place I know" Jack said it so nonchalantly that Rhys almost didn't believe him. But if their previous talks were any indication, Jack usually meant what he said. And honestly, Rhys was tired of trying to find any double meaning behind Jack's words. Yes, he should've been more careful around the man, considering his reputation, but he hadn't said or done anything that would be worth Rhys having his guard up non-stop. So for the rest of that night, he boldly took his metaphorical guard off, "Sure, let's go."

The two left the offices soon after, Jack guiding him towards the elevators. The CEO took him to one of the more expensive areas of Helios, Rhys' wallet screaming for help in his back pocket. Jack noticed the nervousness seeping from Rhys, assuring him that whatever he ordered was on Jack's tab. The gesture was certainly welcome, his wallet letting out a sigh of relief.

Jack wasn't lying, the kebab they served was to die for. Rhys savored every bite, wondering if he'd ever have the chance to order here again. Jack, on the other hand, couldn't stop gaping at Rhys, "Has anyone told you that you should work in modelling? 'Cause the way you're devouring that kebab looks deeply erotic."

Rhys almost choked on his bite, forcibly swallowing it down so he could breathe. Jack gave him a hearty laugh, "Well, not when you do it like that."

"Sorry," Rhys chuckled at his own clumsiness, "No, no one's ever told me that."

The two sat at a nearby bench, each at the other side of it with enough space to fit another person, their surroundings reminding Rhys of a regular park rather than a busy space station. The trees were lined perfectly into an "H" symbol, up above he could see the stars, the whole area definitely built around the view. Oddly enough, he felt out of place here, used to the ugly metal walls of the lower floors.

"Well, you should seriously consider that option if things don't work out," Rhys didn't expect such an optimistic outlook from Jack, maybe he forgot that most careers in Hyperion ended in death, "Besides, what even made you consider working in cyber security?"

"Money," Rhys admitted, "And they made it look easy and exciting in the movies." He was embarrassed to confess that Jack was his inspiration as well.

"Oh yeah, I heard about the attack. Maliwan thought they could do some damage but nah. Their hackers don't even have paid lunch breaks." Rhys didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the fact that Jack deemed paid lunch breaks an added bonus and not a necessity.

Jack talked more about his time when he began working for Hyperion, a glint in his eyes as he remembered the times his old boss, Tassiter, felt completely lost in the several projects Jack worked on. He was in a league of his own, the best of the best, even managed to take down several of Dahl's satellites in a matter of minutes., "Man, what I wouldn't give to be at the forefront of an attack like that again. It's been a while since I dabbled in code, being busy with the vault and all that."

"Maybe you could start a passion project? Something to do on the side?" Rhys said, not really expecting Jack to take his idea seriously. The other man eyed him from the other side of the bench, loosely holding the rest of his kebab wrapper. He didn't say a word for a solid minute.

"What-"

"Hold on, I'm thinking."

"O-okay," Rhys let out, shying away from Jack's constant stare. He peacefully finished his kebab, trying his hardest to eat it as normally as possible, Jack's previous comment definitely not on his mind.

"I think I got it. So, you totally suck at your job, right?" Jack blurted out with a sinister smile.

"Well, I wouldn't say-"

"Don't flatter yourself, I've seen what you wrote," he continued, clearly excited about his idea, "Anyways, what if you and I made a little deal, huh? I get to take your code apart and you get to keep your job."

Rhys was unsure about the idea, "But I'm still an intern, what I do has barely any impact on the overall security system."

"Easy, I'll just give you a promotion."

"I don't think that'll work. Henderson would be suspicious, he's been on my case ever since I got assigned to him." He protested, but despite that, Jack continued coming up with more absurd ideas, "Then you'll just have to get better at your job."

Rhys scoffed, "Easy for you to say." But the sinister smile never left Jack's face. He really thought this through in that one passing moment, "Come on, you'll have the best teacher in all of Helios. It's a win-win situation."

"Teacher? You know I can't afford someone like that with my salary. And besides, there's no one on this station dumb enough to teach me for free."

"Ah, well, I know just the perfect guy." He stated it as fact, pointing at himself. And for a brief moment Rhys thought he was joking, but he soon came to the unfortunate realization that he was serious.

"No."

"Rhys, think about it."

"No."

"Rhysie-"

"No!"

"Come on! What are you so afraid of?"

"You'd be wasting your time," Rhys pushed himself off the bench, throwing away the wrapper he had been gripping for the past minute, "Like you said, I'm a nobody. There has to be someone else who'd be a better candidate for your plan."

"See, that's where you're wrong. My plan already includes you, not some rando from your office."

Rhys was puzzled by his words, unsure of what exactly he was trying to say, "Why me?"

"Well--" Jack really struggled finding a good reason, "You already know about the plan, it would be awkward if I did it with someone else," his reasoning still wasn't enough for Rhys, but Jack continued giving him nonsensical excuses, "You don't have much to lose. You're an intern, which means that if somebody finds out, I can just transfer you to another department."

"You'd go through all that trouble just to teach me code? And that's only because you want to stick your nose in what Henderson's department is doing?"

"I-- yes?"

"Sounds too convoluted. I don't like it." Rhys refused the offer, but it was NOT because he didn't like it. In fact, he wasn't too opposed to the idea of actually learning from a professional, and for free, too. But the main driving factor for his swift refusal was the undeniable fact that spending time with Handsome Jack would inevitably higher his chances of getting murdered in cold blood. Jack's reputation as the airlock abuser certainly exceeded any sugar-coated words he'd tell Rhys and his fear of death was the definite cause of why he kept saying no.

But Jack was a cunning man, one that would always get what he wanted, one way or another, "Give me one chance to prove that my plan will work. You owe me."

"I do?"

"For fixing your code, dum dum. And I'm not even counting the kebab."

Rhys mulled over it, contemplated every single detail, eventually reluctantly gave in and finally agreed to Jack's proposition. The CEO loudly celebrated his victory, "Alright, now we're talking! Just an FYI, if you don't like it, we'll act like it never happened and move on with our lives. Kinda like a one night stand."

"Sure, if you want to call it that," Rhys was still hesitant about the whole idea, but Jack's enthusiasm was positively contagious. The two parted ways soon after that, agreeing to meet up the next day around the same time.

Rhys was sure he completely lost his mind when he returned home that night. A one-on-one learning session with Handsome Jack was a once in a lifetime opportunity that not even the winner of Hyperion's yearly raffle could ask for, but apparently that's what he signed up for, against his will nonetheless. He couldn't wait to tell his friends.

There was just one small problem.

He couldn't tell his friends. The whole plan stood on the premise that no one else knew besides the two of them.

So when morning came and all his thoughts had settled in, he avoided saying anything suspicious to Vaughn, giving a vague excuse as to why he came home so late again.

During lunch he pretended as if nothing had happened, carrying a normal conversation with his friends.

And when that fateful night came, he stayed in the office, as promised. He was a bundle of nerves, hands shaking as he awaited Jack's arrival. Doubts interrupted any sane train of thought he had, the time passing by slower than usual. He wasn't sure if Jack would even show up, maybe he-

"There you are, sorry I'm late," the sound of the doors opening had snapped Rhys back to reality, Jack walking in with a paper bag in hand, "Thought you'd be hungry."

It wasn't the sentiment of Jack bringing food nor the fact that he actually came into the office that knocked Rhys off guard. It was the sight of Jack in casual clothing. Well, as casual as clothing could go in space. The Hyperion yellow sweater hung loosely on Jack, showing its age with the several stitches. And Rhys didn't realise it at the moment, but the change of clothing really shifted his perspective of Jack. If it weren't for the mask, he'd look like a regular guy working for Hyperion. A hot regular guy, but still a different person than the cruel and unforgiving CEO he painted himself as.

Jack took a seat next to Rhys, placing the bag of food on his desk. With a swift motion he opened the bag, surprising Rhys with another choice of expensive food he hadn't had the chance to try.

Their lesson began as soon as they finished eating. Jack was a natural, his way of explaining clearer than that of college professors. The bar wasn't high, but he had certainly made an impression on Rhys, who tried his best to take notes and frequently ask questions.

He didn't expect to learn as much, but he already felt a difference the next day. Even Henderson seemed surprised, giving Rhys praise for his out of the box thinking. For the first time in a while, Rhys felt genuinely proud of himself. He had Jack to thank for that, though.

They had fallen into their routine after that night, meeting three times a week. And each time, they'd share food, talk about nothing and everything and eventually sit so close to each other that they basically shared their personal space. Jack started coming in earlier, too, saying something about how he didn't want to keep Rhys so late when he caught him sleeping at his desk one night. But despite that, the two would stay as late as their eyes could stay open.

Rhys didn't want to admit it, but ever since he stopped caring about the very real threat the CEO posed, Jack's company quickly became the highlight of his day. He enjoyed each and every conversation they had, inevitably learning to count all of the innuendos Jack could say in a night.

But he wondered how long this would last, them meeting up like this, eating dinner together whilst shit-talking all of Rhys' coworkers, Jack coming up with new creative ways to torture his lackeys, Jack teaching him code amidst the flirty jokes, Rhys slowly falling for him and wishing the night would never end.

Yeah, he wasn't particularly fond of the last thing, realising too late what the butterflies in his stomach signified. If only he had noticed the lingering eyes on him, the hand barely brushing past his in a fleeting moment, or the hitch in Jack's breath as he looked at Rhys in realisation.

They refused to mention the unexpected feelings blossoming between them, tiptoeing around the topic in hopes that it was nothing more than a momentary side effect from spending too much time together.

One night in particular, however, something seemed to be plaguing Jack's mind. He came into the office late, didn't bring any food, got lost in thought when Rhys wasn't looking, all the while he was silently conjuring up a distraction which Jack desperately needed.

Rhys turned off the computer when Jack wasn't looking, sitting back in his chair and waiting for the other man to notice. But he didn't, he kept intensely staring off into space. Whatever was bothering him must've been serious. Despite that, Rhys wasn't one to pry, especially when it came to someone as unpredictable as Handsome Jack.

He gently poked Jack on his arm, noticing just how soft the fabric of his sweater was. The other man briefly escaped whatever was tormenting his mind, his gaze softened, "Hmm?"

"Wanna go grab a bite? I'm starving." Rhys pulled him by his arm, unknowingly slipping his way closer to Jack's heart with the gesture, "Sure."

Rhys retracted his arm and the disappointed look on Jack almost gave away his feelings, if only Rhys paid attention.

The two made their way to the same kebab place as the first time they ate out together, nostalgia washing over Rhys. They sat at the same bench, shoulders barely touching. He remembered Jack's comment about the way he ate his food, the compliment suddenly taking up too much space in the back of his head.

He wondered if he'd get a reaction from Jack this time too, determined to put on a good show for him. Jack gripped the food in his hand, his breathing irregular. Seemed like whatever Rhys was doing worked wonders. He continued savoring his food without second thought, slowly taking a bite.

"You need to stop doing that or I won't be responsible for what I do next." Jack said it so seriously that it could've only meant one thing, or at least according to Rhys' wishful thinking. He promptly tempted Jack, "Do your worst."

And he did, straddling Rhys and keeping him in place as his hands held him down, his face inching closer to Rhys'. Rhys froze in place from the close contact, his eyes meeting Jack's.
The bite he took was still in his mouth, both of them knew that. But he didn't expect their lips to meet, Jack slipping his tongue into Rhys' mouth and stealing the barely chewed mix of meat and veggies for himself.

And honestly, Rhys should've been disgusted by the action, but he'd be lying if he didn't admit it turned him on.

Jack chewed on the food, mimicking Rhys' previous attempt at getting a reaction from him. It was truly a sight to behold, one solely meant for his eyes. Jack finally gulped down the food he so suavely stole from the man under him, stating, "Hmm, yours definitely tastes better than mine."

"I wonder why," Rhys rolled his eyes, trying to hide his smile. He was caught by surprise when Jack leaned back in, his lips demanding more. Rhys closed his eyes, hands instinctively searching for something to hold onto. He pulled by the collar of Jack's sweater, tugging him closer and closer until the two were almost inseparable. Each kiss was followed by another, Jack savoring every inch of his lips, his fingers already tangled in Rhys' hair. They couldn't get enough of each other, a second of separation feeling like eternity before their lips reunited.

Rhys felt a sense of desperation coming from Jack with his infatuation to claim ownership of every part of him, trailing a flood of kisses from his jawline down to his neck. The close contact sent electrifying pulses down his body, Jack biting and licking at several spots on his skin.

Rhys' head fell from the clouds when he spotted people in the distance, gently pushing Jack away. He hated the disapproving look he got from the man on top of him, wishing they could continue, but his fear of getting Jack in trouble for being seen with a lowlife like himself stopped every one of Jack's advances. He pointed towards the people in the distance, Jack frowning at them, "So what? Let them watch."

"I don't think I'm particularly fond of strangers watching other strangers making out in public," Rhys tried reasoning, "Especially when it's you with a-" Jack stopped him before he could finish his thought, their lips colliding in one last attempt to make Rhys fathom just how much Jack pined for more. Despite that, Rhys grew more uncomfortable after the kiss, feeling the eyes of the strangers watching, even if they weren't actually paying attention to them.

"Alright there cowboy, save some for later," Rhys joked in hopes he didn't accidentally discourage Jack, "It's getting late anyways. Walk me home?"

The excitement washing over Jack was quite a turnaround, Rhys realising the implications of his request too late, "Alright, lead the way." He'd unfortunately come to the conclusion that he couldn't exactly invite Jack over. But that didn't stop him from enjoying whatever moments they had left that night.

They made it to the apartment relatively fast, what with Jack walking with a skip in his step. Rhys dreaded breaking the news to him, though. He reached for Jack's hand, pulling it up to his chest where his heart threatened to jump out, "I want you to know I'd definitely invite you over, but I don't exactly live alone and having to explain this situation would do more harm than good."

Jack let out a deep sigh, finally coming off his high, "Should've gone to my place instead."

"Let's not rush this. We have all the time in the world to figure stuff out, " It felt weird for Rhys to be the voice of reason, finding it unnerving but exciting all the same. Jack gripped Rhys by his shirt with such need and desire, he wondered if they really did have all the time in the world. Jack pulled himself closer for one last kiss of the night, ingraining his lips into memory.

For the rest of the night however, Rhys couldn't close his eyes shut, recalling everything that happened and just how much he wanted to see Jack again. It felt like the world was turning right for him, everything falling into place.

But soon the morning came and the universe told Rhys he couldn't have it all.

It began with a public announcement from Jack, explaining that he was leaving for the vault and wouldn't be back for several days. Rhys wondered if that was what bothered him yesterday, and if their kiss was some sort of goodbye for the time being. He didn't want to think of the possibility that Jack might not come back, his stomach in knots.

He came to work not expecting a productive day. Everyone seemed more relaxed when Jack wasn't on the station, goofing off and doing whatever they wanted except for the work they were assigned. Rhys sat at his desk and mindlessly scrolled through old the ECHO-net for a few hours, pretending to work, mostly because he wasn't given anything specific to do and Henderson was nowhere to be found.

Just before lunch, he got a notification in his ECHO-eye from his personal email. It weirded him out, pondering who it could be. Not a lot people knew his address aside from his friends and his boss. He excused himself to the bathroom and locked himself in one of the stalls, away from prying eyes. He opened the email on the palm of his robotic hand.

Confusion, shock and rage washed all over him in the span of a few seconds as he scrolled through the email, the message filled with photos of him and Jack together in the office. The email came from an address he didn't recognize, one that wasn't under the usual Hyperion address.

"Probably a burner," he thought to himself.

The email didn't contain any text besides the photos. Nevertheless, he noticed that they were presumably screengrabbed from the several security cameras in the office.

He decided not to respond, ignoring the email for the time being. If they wanted to blackmail him, they would have to wait until Jack came back. He didn't want to make any rash decisions when the man wasn't around. However, he knew it couldn't be a coincidence this person contacted him exactly when Jack was down on Pandora.

As usual, he met up with his friends at the cafeteria, the three of them passing the time with casual small talk, "Crazy how the station feels like another place entirely," Vaughn said as he finished his sandwich, "did they put something in the water?"

"Handsome Jack is down on Pandora, that's why. Didn't you hear the announcement?" Yvette scolded him. Vaughn shrugged his shoulders, followed by a half-assed explanation, "I overslept. My alarm clock didn't go off for some reason."

"The hell are you talking about? I don't remember you setting one since college," Rhys teased his friend, "Maybe you should go to bed earlier instead of playing games all night."

"Says the guy that's been staying at work 'till midnight every other day. You know they only pay you for the first two hours, right?"

Vaughn was rightly suspicious of him,
Rhys had been coming home later than usual. But he couldn't shake the feeling that it was too much of a coincidence for him to mention it after that email he got. He wondered if his friend was the one who sent him the photos, but he decided to drop his suspicions. It would've definitely been something out of character for Vaughn.

"I'm actually trying to get better at my job, believe it or not," Rhys defended himself, technically telling the truth, just not the whole truth.

"Well, I don't believe you," Yvette butted in, her quick-witted sarcasm throwing Rhys back into reality, "You're not one to put in extra work, except when it's life or death. Did your meeting with Handsome Jack traumatise you so much you forgot what it's like to have a life outside of work?"

He hadn't acknowledged the possibility that to an outsider, what Rhys has been doing in his free time could be viewed as him becoming a workaholic. He didn't feel like one, though. It may have started out as him striking a deal with Jack to get better at his job, but he soon had all but forgotten about the deal. It was Jack's presence that made him come back for more.

"You know, he isn't as scary as everyone makes him out to be," Rhys blurted out without a second thought, his friends giving him strange looks. He quickly backtracked, "I mean- uh, that's the vibe I got when I met him way back when."

"You hit your head or something?"

"Oh, would you look at the time!" He pushed himself away from the table, barely holding onto his food tray as he cleaned it up at a nearby bin, "I really have to go, Henderson's assigned me some really important stuff. Nice chat!"

He scrambled away before they could ask any more questions, hiding behind his desk for the rest of the day. When evening eventually rolled over and it was time to leave, he contemplated not going back to his apartment. The unavoidable confrontation he'd have with Vaughn about today was enough of a reason to stay at work overnight. But he'd just be avoiding something that would eventually need to be addressed, and he really wanted a good night's sleep that day.

Before he could leave work, however, he got one more message in his inbox from the mystery blackmailer. He begrudgingly opened it, away from everyone else. It contained only a photo of him and Jack together at the park and a message that sent a shiver down his spine, "Do as I say or everyone will know."

He finally replied to the email after some serious thought, regretting it the moment he hit send. Being blackmailed was a first for Rhys, he thought it'd come higher in the corporate ladder, so he wasn't really prepared to handle it now. The blackmailer responded fairly quickly, with a demand that Rhys despised with his guts.

"Break into Handsome Jack's office. You have 48 hours."

If everything that happened during the past few weeks didn't already contribute to the noose he'd been working on, this would definitely tie the knot.

Jack would understand, right?

Of course he wouldn't. This was the same man that stole food straight out of Rhys' mouth. He couldn't expect a sane reaction from him.

Chapter Text

If this is what it felt like to be in a full state of panic, Rhys hated every second of it.

He didn't think he'd make it back to his apartment in one piece, looking behind his shoulder every step of the way, paranoid that the blackmailer was watching his every move. He stared at every security camera he could spot, nervously looking away when he realised just how suspicious he must've been to an ordinary person.

He needed to remain calm, not draw attention and figure something out. Bad luck involved, he ran into Vaughn as soon as he arrived at the front door of their shared apartment, his keys falling out of his hands. Vaughn didn't say anything, watching his friend scramble to pick up the keys from the floor. God, he must've looked so pathetic, eyes darting from end of the hallway to the other as he unlocked the door. The two finally entered the apartment, Rhys rushing to make sure no one could get inside, activating every lock mechanism at his disposal.

"Alright, what's with you-" Vaughn tried to pry any information he could out of his friend, but Rhys' intrusive thoughts spilled out before he could finish his sentence, "Vaughn, are you trying to blackmail me?!"

"What?" He laughed out of pure shock, eyes as wide as Elpis "Why would I do that? We've known each other for years, you- you're like a brother to me."

Rhys let out a sigh of relief, happy that for once, his gut feeling was right. It couldn't have been Vaughn, he knew that. But still, he had to satisfy that one seed of doubt buried underneath all the hopeful thinking. His ECHO-eye lit up as he called Yvette from his palm, "Yvette, drop whatever you're doing and come over. It's an emergency."

"Oh, so you're suspicious of Yvette now?" Vaughn retorted, unaware of what Rhys' deal was. He walked over to the kitchen, deciding to prepare dinner for the three of them. Rhys tried his best to ignore his friend's attitude for the time being, waiting for Yvette. She came over a few minutes later, out of breath, "What's the emergency, who died?"

Rhys locked the door behind her, carefully approaching the subject "Yvette, are you blackmailing me?"

She gave him a look of pure disgust, "Are you stupid?"

"Rhys, what the hell is going on," Vaughn once again questioned from the kitchen, chopping some vegetables with a stern face, "Why would we try to blackmail you?"

Rhys took a seat at the barstool, fiddling with a button on his cuff. He was careful in his way of approaching the subject, "I may or may not be hiding some stuff from you guys."

Yvette shook her head in disbelief, her suspicions coming to fruition, "Let me guess, you're having an affair with a rich owner of several space casinos."

"What? How-"

"You have hickeys all over your neck, Rhys. I didn't want to mention anything during lunch, 'cause it's not my place to dig into what you do in your free time," she crossed her arms, eyeing Rhys with a stern gaze. Rhys rubbed at the markings on his neck, completely unaware that they were there in the first place. He tried to contain his shameful chuckle, "Technically you're not that far off. The person in question only owns one casino."

"So, who is it?" Vaughn asked, listening intently to the conversation. Rhys felt so embarrassed to admit it, but if he wanted to get his friends on board to help him, he couldn't exactly hide Jack's identity.

"Rhys, who is it?" Yvette repeated the question, her eyebrows raised in anticipation.

"Jack."

"Who?"

"HANDSOME JACK."

His friends were stumped at the revelation, each stuck on a different question.

"Handsome Jack owns a casino?"

"You're having an affair with Handsome Jack?!"

Rhys didn't know how to make explaining his situation easier, knowing that he had backed himself into a really bad corner, "Yes, he owns a casino. And no, I'm not having an affair with Jack. That would require him having a person to cheat on, which he technically doesn't, since his last girlfriend, you know, died."

"Okay but you know that doesn't make it better? What the hell do you have to do with Handsome Jack? You said he left you alone!" Vaughn argued, completely abandoning the dinner to yell at his friend.

"And he did, for a brief moment."

"So now what, you two are banging?" 

"You are unbelievable Yvette. No, we are not 'banging'," he cleared his throat and all his unnecessary thoughts with it, desperate to come up with a concise way to present his predicament and save himself from the embarrassment of describing what exactly happened between them, "He approached me with a deal. I can't go into details, cause it involves some work stuff. But we've been meeting up every other night. Aaaand we kind of unintentionally hit it off a few nights ago and now there's someone out there with undeniable photo proof which puts Jack in a weird angle where he's down bad for some intern from cyber security."

"Wait a second," Vaughn said after a brief while, realising just how stupid the whole situation was, "Let me make sure I understand you correctly. You don't want people to know you and Handsome Jack have a thing? Do you know just how much it would boost your reputation?"

"That's the thing, I'm not in the position to go blabbering about how great of a kisser Handsome Jack is. That's a death sentence."

"And people would think you slept your way up to a promotion." Yvette added.

"Thank you, that too."

"Okay, but why tell us?"

"Because I trust you guys," he simplified his reasoning, "And because I need your help."

Yvette seemed to be the only level-headed person, seriously considering just how bad the whole situation was, not just for Rhys but everyone else involved, including her and Vaughn, "Now wait a damn minute, don't blackmailers usually have a policy where the victim cannot tell anyone about their demands or they'll put more people in danger?"

"Well, too late now," Rhys shrugged his shoulders, mentally scolding himself for not thinking of that possibility. The blackmailer didn't mention anything like that, perhaps it meant he was in the clear, "I really need your help. They said I have 48 hours to break into Jack's office."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know, I'm assuming once I'm there they'll give me more instructions."

"Can you contact Jack?" Vaughn asked so nonchalantly, making it seem like the most normal thing in the world. Rhys scoffed, "Oh yeah, sure, lemme just pull up his personal number- No, I don't have a way to contact Handsome Jack."

"Seriously? You guys have been meeting up for the past month and you don't have his number?" Shaking her head in disbelief, Yvette finally took a seat next to Rhys, trying to calm her nerves by eating whatever leftover snack they had lying around on the counter. Rhys stayed silent, refusing to admit that she, once again, had a point. But it wasn't like he had the guts to ask Jack for his number, it seemed like the least sane thing he could ask of the man.

"You're fucked, you know that?" Vaughn laughed out of distress, "You shouldn't have made any deals with Handsome Jack. He's the devil incarnate. They should start teaching that at schools!"

"He's not."

"He is! Did it ever cross your brain why everyone around him seems to either die or disappear? It's cause he loves murder! And now you either don't break into his office and let the photos get leaked, which, in my humble opinion, is definitely going to get you killed by Jack. Or you break into his office, risk getting caught and having to explain why you're breaking into his office, which as you may have guessed, results in you being murdered by Jack."

"You know, this might come as a surprise, but I've come around to ignoring my inevitable death when around," he remarked, "You saying that makes me feel so much better about myself."

"Hey, I'm just saying it like it is."

"What if he doesn't find out," with a determined look, Yvette spit-balled the best idea she could possibly come up with, "This morning, during the announcement, he said he won't be back for a few days, which creates the perfect opportunity for you to sneak in. Let's say I can get you to his office- or at least in front of his office. We'll all go to the Hub of Heroism together, I distract the guards while you two get on the elevator."

"You serious? I thought the security around his office is airtight."

"It's not, actually. At least not right now. I had the pleasure of delivering some documents to a nearby office today, turns out there's only two Loader Bots stationed at the entrance."

"What a coincidence," Rhys squinted his eyes, going over all the information she just gave them.

"All I'm saying is, there's literally no other way to get to his office besides that elevator. Either you go with the odds given to you or just give up entirely."

Rhys thought over her idea, wondering why it smelled so fishy. Even Vaughn seemed stumped, the two of them sharing a knowing look. Yet, despite his suspicions, Rhys decided to entertain her, "Alright, let's go with your plan. What about the guards inside?"

"We'll just have to make sure they don't go to work that day," she smiled so confidently, it almost scared Rhys, "And besides, that's not the biggest problem we have on our hands."

"What do you mean?"

"You need an ID card for both the elevator and the doors to his office. Good luck with getting a high enough clearance."

Vaughn eagerly jumped back into the conversation, happy that he could somehow help out, "I know! My coworker's cousin works as his  secretary, we can steal her card and-"

"Yikes, buddy, I don't know how to tell you this but-- uh, well, your coworker's cousin is dead."

"What?!"

"Yeah, Jack may or may not have described her gruesome death in a trash chute a few days ago."

"Trash chute? Easy, we'll just have to find her body and grab her keycard."

And that's how they ended up covered in old food, different types of goo and rotting corpse parts on a Thursday night. Rhys was surprised how many bodies there were, knowing full well that Jack wasn't the only person partaking in careless murder on Helios. With how bad everything smelled, even through the masks they wore, they'd need at least three showers to scrub everything off.

"You owe me lunch for the rest of eternity," Yvette commented, throwing several bags of trash behind her. She grabbed an arm covered by some unidentifiable trash, pulling it up to get rid of the body. The arm came out dismembered from the rest of its owner, "God, you'll be getting a bill for my therapy, too."

"I won't be getting anything if we don't find the keycard."

"Found it!" Vaughn yelled out with enthusiasm from one of the corners of the container, probably buried underneath all the trash.

"Really?!"

"No wait," he replied with disappointment in his voice, "Wrong person. And they're not even a secretary. Some R&D technician."

Rhys cursed under his breath, exhausted and frustrated. They've been digging through the trash for 3 hours at that point, with no result. His chances of complying with the blackmailer's demand were slimming by the minute. Yvette must've noticed his exasperation, changing the subject to lighten the mood, "You know, you're the only guy I personally know that got close to Handsome Jack and didn't die."

"So?"

"What's he like? I mean beyond the scope of what a regular person knows."

"Kinda nice actually? The last thing you'd expect of him is to be thoughtful, but he always brought dinner with him when we had our scheduled meetings," a smile crept up on Rhys' face as he remembered the time Jack brought Rhys' favorite food. He tried to play it off as coincidence, but Rhys remembered mentioning it in passing the day before, thinking that Jack wasn't really paying attention.

"That's... nice? Guess you never know what a murderer's like in private." Rhys gave her an unfazed stare because of the comment, aware of what she was implying.

"Is he- you know-"

"What?"

"Your type?"

Rhys chuckled at the question, but then a moment after, a mental image appeared in his head, one of Jack sitting in one of the regular office chairs, sharing some story Rhys had already heard of but never from the man's perspective. And the way he fished for a reaction from Rhys whenever he added an unnecessary innuendo or two. Rhys tried to hide his smile, "I mean, I kinda didn't want to admit it to myself, but I guess he is?"

"Vaughn, you owe me 20 bucks," she called out to their friend, "We made a bet all the way back when you got your internship."

"What?! Vaughn! How could you?!"

"Oh yeah, sorry. Can you believe someone threw out a new pair of limited edition Hyperion socks? I'm taking these home with me," Vaughn resurfaced from the bottom of the trash container, half listening to what they were saying before, holding several pairs of socks, "Oh, they have weird goo all over them, nevermind."

"I don't care about some socks. Why would you put a bet on me?"

"Yvette was wondering if you'd be down bad for Handsome Jack, apparently that's how it usually goes with new interns. I was against it 'cause I didn't know you swing that way," He safely made his way down from the top of the trash pile he was occupying, "By which I mean the whole egomaniacal, ladies' man, serial killer shebang. Not that I didn't notice you ogling at some guys back in college."

"I wasn't ogling-"

"You were ogling. Don't deny it. Anyways, don't blame me, it was all Yvette's idea."

"Whatever, you agreed to the bet," Yvette talked back at him as she reverted to digging through her own pile of trash. She casually returned to their previous topic, "You know, I'm glad you finally found someone you like, but Handsome Jack is the worst option you could've gone for."

"Oh, trust me, Rhys is gonna get a stern talking to once we're done with this blackmailing business."

"You're not my mom, Vaughn!"

"Well, your mom doesn't know what you've been up to, has she? Someone has to fill her role in this household, especially in dire times."

"I swear I will make you move out."

"You wouldn't!"

"Stop arguing, oh my god," Yvette ended their meaningless bickering, throwing a piece of trash towards Vaughn. Rhys laughed out of spite when it landed right on his head, Vaughn sticking his tongue out as he threw the dirty magazine page away from his head. God, for a brief moment Rhys felt like a kid again. But instead of being buried in a sandbox, they were ankle-deep in trash and human remains, and instead of being around 10 years old, they were well over the acceptable mark of acting like kids.

"All things aside, why him of all people? Like, I can't even imagine that in my head," Yvette commented, her brows furrowed, "You two seem like total polar opposites."

"Nah, you just don't know Rhys that well. He's actually a huge asshole, arguably bigger than Handsome Jack."

"Will you shut-"

"See? Exactly what I'm talking about."

Rhys let out a deep breath, "I didn't pick Jack. You don't just pick who you end up liking. It just sort of happens."

"If you say so," she gave him a worried look, but decided against pressing further, "But I have to know for certain. If it's as serious as you make it seem, do you think he's capable of killing you because of some blackmail? Especially when it's completely out of your hands?" Yvette's question caught him off guard. He hadn't had the chance to give it a serious thought, "I- I don't know."

"Well, there's no point in dwelling on it now. We're in too deep," she declared, pulling out a woman's head from underneath some food, "And looks like we got your ticket to Handsome Jack's office."

Finding the keycard was the last remaining border between his choice to comply with the blackmailer's demand. Whatever happened after that was thrown into pure chance and he prayed that lady luck would be on his side. He could barely shut his eyes that night, feeling like the walls of his bedroom would close in and crush him if he even thought about anything else other than tomorrow. He wanted to throw up, shut himself off from the rest of the world, never step foot outside of his bedroom ever again.

The last night he had spent with Jack seemed so far away now. Even if he had his friends' help, he never felt as lonely. God, he missed Jack. He missed the way things were before their kiss, before Jack left him pining for more when Rhys shut him down at his doorstep. Why didn't he push him away? None of this would've happened if he hadn't agreed to that stupid deal of theirs.

"Positive thoughts, Rhys. Only positive thoughts." He whispered to himself, turning in his bed. The silence of his room was deafening and hurting his ears. He opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling, wide awake and frustrated. 
He couldn't bear being alone with his thoughts any longer.

His ECHO-eye lit up the room. Within seconds he accessed his email, hovering over the blackmailer's message. He hadn't looked at the photos since he received them, maybe with more clarity in mind he could learn more about who could've taken them.

The first set of photos, the ones from the office, made him scratch his head for quite a while. Whoever got a hold of them must've either worked in his department and had accessed the security footage from there. Or they worked with whoever accessed the footage.

Or someone left a backdoor open during the cyber attack. But hacking into Hyperion only to blackmail some intern was the last thing Rhys would expect from Maliwan. 

The idea that Yvette was behind it didn't leave his mind either. She seemed too enthusiastic about the plan and knew too much. But would she have gone to such drastic measures just for some joke? She repeatedly mentioned how dangerous Jack was, surely she wouldn't send Rhys to death row because she was bored.

An outlandishly stupid idea crossed his mind, one that suggested it was Jack testing him. The timing would fit and it definitely sounded like something Jack would do. But there was nothing tying them together except for the few kisses that would warrant a reaction like that. Was he paranoid? Definitely. But he couldn't just throw out the window every single moment they spent together like that. He must've known Rhys wasn't a threat when he decided to go to town on his mouth.

"Goddamn it!" He threw his pillow across the room, cursing under his breath when it accidentally knocked a cup off his desk and it shattered. He carefully picked up the larger broken pieces and threw them into the bin. Too lazy to clean the rest of the cup, he swiped into one pile and left it on the floor. He didn't want to wake Vaughn up, so getting a vacuum was out of the question. 

He left his apartment, mechanical arm attached to the shoulder, unable to endure the suffocation notion of his thoughts. He needed to get out, clear his head, do anything else other than rack his brain for a sane explanation to his dilemma.

Without a second of hesitation, his legs moved on their own whilst he stared out the giant windows, the empty space outside calling to him. Down below, Pandora.

"Hmm," he let out audibly, mesmerized by the planet. A strange orange glow pulsated above its surface, the purple scar barely reaching its brightness. His heart sank, eyes widened, stomach turned. A new crack formed at the center of the glow. Whatever hell was awakening down there, he prayed Jack would come back unscathed.

He had to.

The trio met up at the crack of dawn, before even the early birds could wake up from their sleep induced nightly comas. Rhys did not envy living in the more crowded apartments of Helios where even the slightest crack of a wall could wake you up in the dead of night.

Amidst the several pages of Hyperion guard schedules, they managed to find who was on duty to guard Jack's office that day. Thankfully they only needed to take care of one person, which turned out to be one unlucky Preston Ward, who also happened to have a severe lactose intolerance. He also happened to drink a whole carton of expired milk that morning. Not that he was forced to do so, nope.

The only thing they now needed to take care of were the two highly upgraded Loader Bots standing in front of the elevator to Jack's office. The Hub of Heroism was relatively empty, safe for the few cleaning bots roaming the halls. With a small window to get inside the elevator, they waited for Yvette's signal. 

"I hope Yvette pulls through," Vaughn broke the silence as they watched her from afar, hidden behind a wall.

"I don't know, I'm still not convinced it's not her."

"You mean the blackmailer? She wouldn't do that, would she?" His friend argued in her stead. 

"You've known her longer than me, Vaughn. I wouldn't have expected her to make a bet on me, yet here we are."

"Yeah but there's a difference between an innocent bet and blackmail. Nevermind you having to break into Handsome Jack's office. She wouldn't put you through that."

"I hope you're right."

The ground shook as the two loader bots followed Yvette away from the elevator. Whatever she told them must've worked, giving them enough time to get inside. Rhys pulled out the dead secretary's ID card and with one swift movement pressed it against the scanner. They stepped inside the elevator, relief washing over them when it began ascending.

"I don't want to jinx us, but I really hope he doesn't have his office booby trapped."

"Me too, buddy. Me too."

The elevator dinged as soon as they reached their destination, the doors opening to reveal a large hallway filled with things Rhys could only dream of seeing. His eyes immediately darted towards the diamond pony standing like a statue in one of the corners, "Butt Stallion?!"

"Butt Stallion? The hell is that?"

"Jack's diamond pony. I thought he was bullshiting." Rhys approached the pony, his jaw almost hitting the floor from pure awe. The glossy diamond surface reflected his hand inching closer, but his friend quickly slapped it away, "Are you crazy? What did I just say about booby traps!"

"Oh shit, you're right," he retracted his hand, focusing on the task at hand. They walked through another hallway, one littered with portraits of Jack across the walls. Rhys tried not looking at them for too long and headed straight for the metal door at the end of the hallway. The ID card let them through without any trouble, Jack's enormous office welcoming them with dark intentions, two giant busts of the CEO watching them intently.

"You know, I think I might stay outside. It's giving me the creeps." Vaughn announced as he backed away from the doors. Rhys gave him a nod of affirmation, "Alright, if you see anything or anyone, just call me."

"Got it, be careful."

The metal doors closed as soon as Rhys stepped into the office. He slowly walked by the pools of water, the busts casting a shadow over him. In the distance he could see Elpis shining in all its glory, and before it was Jack's desk. Before he could reach the stairs, he hastily contacted the blackmailer, "I'm inside his office. What now?"

"Find the deed to Atlas."

"The deed to Atlas? Why would he have that?" He said to himself, puzzled by the request. He looked around but found no clue as to where something like a that could be. With a hesitant step, he made his way toward the desk, inspecting each side to find a secret button or a lever or any indication as to where Jack kept all his secrets. He felt along the bottom of the desk, nothing. He scanned the chair, noticing a button like indent at the front of one of the arm rests. Pressing it revealed a shelf full of secret goodies, "Bingo."

He rushed to the shelf, going through each and every item with his ECHO-eye. In all its overrated glory, the deed to Atlas was one of the first noticeable things on the shelf. He refused to overstay his unwarranted welcome, reaching for the piece of paper.

Before his hand could reach it however, an all too familiar voice stopped him dead in his tracks, "Nah-ah, that's not yours, Rhysie."

He froze up like a statue, unable to turn, unable to move, unable to escape. He prayed to whatever higher being was watching over him that Vaughn made it out alive.

A hand reached over to his, pulling it behind his back. He refused to turn around and look the man in the eyes, embarrassed that he was caught in the act. With one swift notion, the man pushed him toward the desk and onto his chair. Rhys closed his eyes, slowly sinking into the seat.

"Look at me," was all Jack said that forced his eyes open. Unfortunately, Rhys wasn't prepared for the sight, Jack's arm in a cast, dried blood on his mask. He looked broken, weak, damaged. Rhys could barely breathe, worry washing over him, "I-is that your blood?"

Jack stayed silent, studying Rhys' face and every little emotion that slipped through the mask he tried to put on. Every siren in Rhys' head was going off, his legs begging him to run and save his skin. But his heart begged to stay, hand reaching out to wipe away the exhaustion off the other man's face. Jack took a step back, "What in your mind possessed you to go through my stuff when I'm not here?" He let out a deep breath, "You should've just asked."

"I-- it wasn't my choice," Jack raised his eyebrow at the answer. Rhys pulled up the email on his mechanical palm, showing it to the other man, "I think it's better you see for yourself."

Jack scanned through the messages, stopping at the photo of them kissing, "Aww, at least they got my good side in this one!"

"Your good- is that all you have to say?!"

"What? You think some blackmail is gonna bother me? I get these every other day," Jack laughed at the predicament, dismissing it like it wasn't the source of Rhys' mental torture for the last 2 days.

"It bothers me! I thought-," he tried to wipe away the tears welling up in his eyes, frustration seeping out of him, "I thought you were going to kill me if this got leaked."

"Kill you?" Jack was taken aback by his words, searching for even the tiniest sliver of emotion that would tell him Rhys didn't mean what he said, "You think I'd kill you? For this?"

"I don't know. You weren't here, I didn't know what you'd think," Rhys tried to explain but the more he talked, the more embarrassed he felt. Jack's expression was unreadable, the blood on his mask unnerving. The other man slowly leaned over whilst Rhys sunk even further into the chair, his words shaking Rhys to his core, "I'd kill for you. I'd do it without hesitation. I'd do it in the dead of night, if it satisfied you. But I'd never, in my right conscience, kill you."

For just a split second, Rhys' heart stopped beating, his anxiety dissipating into nothingness. He stared off into space, processing the words, "You'd kill for me?"

"Yes," Jack reaffirmed, "Now, let's find the bastard that took those photos," He pulled out a cord from underneath the chair, handing it to Rhys, "Don't worry, I won't snoop around in there too long. Just need to access your email. Getting the IP address of that asshole shouldn't take long."

Rhys hesitantly connected the cord to the port on his temple whilst Jack turned on his personal computer. "Thank god we have our own network here, dumbass thought he's untraceable," Jack blabbered as he ran a software through the message, finding a match in a matter of seconds, "Well, looky here. You know this guy?"

Rhys barely recognised the face, but the name was familiar enough to know that it was one of his co-workers he barely had any contact with, "I think he works under Henderson."

"Great, let's give him a visit." Jack pulled out the cord almost too enthusiastically. 

"Now?"

"Yeah? Or is there a more appropriate time for me to go bash his skull into a wall?"

Rhys looked at the time at the bottom of the screen, immediately registering the fact that people would be coming to work around the same time, "Wouldn't everyone look at us weird if I went with you? Also, you're hurt, you shouldn't be straining yourself."

"I'm fine," he said unconvincingly, giving Rhys a fake smile, "And besides, you overestimate the amount of fucks I give about who my employees see me with. Come on, get up," he pulled Rhys out of the chair and towards the door, "Handsome Jack's feeling trigger happy today."

Despite absolutely hating the idea of seeing cold blooded murder before he had breakfast, Rhys followed the CEO out of his office. The walk to the elevator was filled with awkward silence and sideway glances in Jack's direction. Rhys knew he wasn't acting like himself, the last few days have completely warped his perspective of Jack. His consciousness suggested he was supposed to be completely terrified of the man. Whilst murder was a completely normal concept in this world, one where the executioner barely faced any consequences, Rhys has never actually gone through with the action of taking someone's life.

But having the most powerful man in this universe do it for him? God, it turned him on in more ways than one.

"So, how have you been? Apart from the blackmailing, I mean." Jack asked as they stood in the elevator, a good distance between one another. Rhys turned away, hands in his pocket, refusing Jack the right to see his pained expression, "I missed you."

"You- you did?" Jack's eyebrows twitched up from surprise, "I mean, of course you would. Who wouldn't miss me? I'm Handsome goddamn Jack, the world would turn to shit if I bit the dust."

Something about the way he said the last part felt off. Rhys couldn't quite figure out why before a hand slinked its way around his waist, Jack resting his chin on his shoulder, "I, uh, missed you, too."

"Good," Rhys whispered, smiling ear to ear. They stood like that for the rest of the elevator ride, comforting one another as best as they could. Curiosity plagued Rhys' mind about what happened to Jack, but he figured it'd be best to ask later, when all was dealt with. He didn't want to overthink the grip Jack had on his waist, nor how close he stood, despite his left arm being in an awkward position because of the cast. He only wanted to enjoy the present moment, no weird thoughts, no second guesses.

Before the elevator reached the bottom floor, Jack pulled himself away, hand instinctively reaching for his holster. Rhys furrowed his brows, puzzled by the sudden change in attitude. When the elevator doors opened, Jack rushed outside, scanning for any possible threats. "You okay?"

"What? Can't blame a guy for being paranoid when his security won't show up to work."

"Oh, sorry. That might be my fault," Rhys scratched the back of his head, proud of his friends for pulling off such a daunting task.

"The loader bots I don't care about. But how the hell did you get rid of the security inside?"

"Expired milk."

Jack laughed at those two words, "Ah, thinking outside the box. Totally not what I would've expected from you."

Rhys wanted to admit it wasn't his idea, but the less Jack knew about his friends helping, the smaller their chances of punishment. Sure, he now knew Jack wouldn't do anything to him, but he doubted the sentiment extended to his friends, too, "You should consider putting booby traps in your office. Might prevent people from breaking in so easily."

"Oh, trust me, that place has traps even my secretaries don't know about. I just turned them off when I saw you and your little friend through the cameras." There goes all the protection he had over his friend's identity. 

"Wait, you mean-"

"Yup."

The mental image of Vaughn and himself squashed, shredded and torn to pieces by one of Jack's traps froze him in place. The worst part was, he didn't even know if Vaughn made it out in one piece, despite the traps not being triggered. He quickly messaged his friend.

bro r u ok??

Not a second had passed before he got a reply.

👍 I ran

Why didnt u say anything????

Sorry almost shit my pants

"Great," he whispered to himself before catching up with Jack, turning off his ECHO-eye in the meantime.

The entire walk to the security department Rhys tried to ignore the curious looks from other Hyperion employees. He didn't know if they were because of the state Jack was in, Rhys walking behind him like a lost puppy, or a combination of both. But he'd be lying if he didn't say he felt somewhat giddy inside. He couldn't wait for the source of his anxiety to be gone.

"Which one of you fuckfaces is Terry?!" Jack stomped into the office, the employees looking around in terror. Everyone suddenly pointed to one person in particular, his face matching the photo in the search result, "Get over here!"

The man scrambled out of his chair, but before Jack could say another word, Terry fell to the ground, clutching at his chest. He stopped moving entirely. Everyone waited for something to happen.

"You, check what's wrong," he pointed to a random woman. She knelt down, checking the man's pulse, "He's dead."

"Well, that was anticlimactic," Dissatisfied with the outcome, he looked around the office for any other way to cause mayhem, spotting a plastic cup filled with water at the desk next to him. Without a second of hesitation, he pushed it off, the water spilling over the floor. He let out a chuckle before resuming the persona of an angry boss, "Clean this up and get back to work!"

Rhys wondered if that was enough to satisfy Jack's cravings, only proven right when he pulled Rhys out of the office by his collar, "I'm not done with you yet."

"Oh?" Rhys thought to himself, mind filled with different scenarios of what Jack possibly needed him for.

"I'm starving. Plus I need someone pretty to look at to cleanse my palette after that horrendous trip to Pandora."

"Oh." was all Rhys could say. He tried to inconspicuously look at the visible bruises on Jack, feeling somewhat uneasy about his wellbeing, "Shouldn't you be taking it easy? What even happened down there?"

"Nothing your pretty head needs to worry about. I'm here, am I not?" Jack averted the question entirely, "That's all that matters."

Once again, Rhys noticed the strain in Jack's voice and the fake smile he gave him. But Rhys was determined, "You know I'm gonna keep bugging you about it until you give me an answer, right?"

"Hmm, maybe that's why I won't tell you, then. The mystery might make you stick around longer," Rhys hated that answer, overthinking why he'd say such a thing.

The two had made it back to Jack's office, takeout in hand, despite Rhys' protests to go back to his apartment so they could have a normal breakfast. Jack's argument consisted of mentioning how his office had the better view of Elpis, what with the apartments having barely any windows, and that it was almost lunch anyways. Rhys wondered if Pandora had done something to the man's perception of time, him being slightly off with about 3 hours to spare, but he eventually decided to go with Jack's suggestion. Maybe playing nice, if only temporarily, would get him the answers he wanted.

"And then he said, "Please don't kill me! I have a family!" Too bad he didn't know his family died to a moonshot an hour earlier. Wasn't even my intention, some dummy screwed up the coordinates and hit a small settlement," Jack chuckled at the memory, plopping down on the couch in the study area of his office. Rhys placed the bag of food on the coffee table before joining him on the couch. He contently unpacked the food, taking his share. A low hum camd from beside him, Jack staring at him in anticipation.

Rhys looked him in confusion, the man keeping his gaze on him, now pouting, "Words, Jack? They're for talking?"

"I can't really eat with one hand, especially when it's almost as screwed up as my right arm," he pulled out his left hand, the bruises a deep shade of purple. Rhys raised his eyebrow, wondering where this weakness came from when he was ready to kill a man mere moments ago, "Oh, here I thought you were perfectly capable of doing anything. You did say nothing terrible happened to you on Pandora, so I don't see where the problem is," He returned to enjoying his food.

"Someone's a little feisty today," Rhys decided not to indulge this conversation any further on his own. If Jack wanted his help, he had to realise it came with an exchange, "Too bad, I was actually thinking about how much I'd love a repeat of our last make out sesh. You know, to compensate for the time I wasn't here."

Rhys rolled his eyes, turning away from the man, "Keep on thinking, 'cause that's all you can do now apparently."

Jack furrowed his eyebrows at the intern, clearly annoyed by his unwillingness to help. Eventually he resigned to his fate and after a fierce battle with the bag, he took out his food, placing the box on the coffee table. Rhys expectedly watched him struggle with opening the box, hand barely holding onto the fork. Jack leaned forward, placing a great strain on his whole body. He could barely get the food to his mouth without making a mess, the food falling onto the coffee table. 

Frustrated, he threw the fork away and gave up on eating entirely. Rhys turned the other way, ignoring the giant baby altogether. If he wanted to act like a kid, then so be it. A kid needs to learn some manners.

Jack leaned back onto the couch, not a word spoken between the two of them. He watched Rhys eat his food in contemplation, his stomach on the verge of devouring the whole space station. A bright idea suddenly popped into his head, "Rhyyysie-" 

"No! I'm not sharing my food with you," He instantly shot Jack down, knowing full well what his idea was. One experience of Jack stealing his food was enough, Rhys' stomach deserved a full meal and not one half stolen by the man's greedy tongue.

"Aw come on," he cried out, stomach grumbling, "I thought you liked me. And people who like each other should treat each other."

"Oh really? Then I might as well finish your food. As a treat," Rhys reached his hand out to grab the box, but was quickly stopped by Jack's hand slinking around his wrist. The grip he had was not the one of a weak man.

"Gotcha."

Rhys sized him up, pulling his hand back. The other man clearly had no intention of letting go, "What's your goal here?"

"Well, I want you to feed me. Then I want us to make out. And then I want to spend more time with you, preferably in a bed so I can get some shuteye, although here's comfortable, too."

"I'm supposed to be at work, Jack-"

"And? Pretty sure the guy running this company can turn a blind eye," he had a point. Jack was the CEO, so he could essentially do whatever he wanted with no consequences.

Rhys let out a sigh of defeat, "Alright, I'll feed you. But you have to tell me what happened on Pandora, or at least why you look like you've almost been beaten to death."

Jack slowly let go of his wrist, somewhat content with the outcome. But once he started talking, there was no stopping him. That's how Rhys found out about the vault hunters spoiling Jack's plan and defeating the vault monster. Once he explained how he got out of the vault alive, sheer luck involved, worry engulfed Rhys, "You're not stepping foot in that vault ever again."

"The vault monster's dead and the loot was stolen by those money grubbing assholes, so it's pretty much useless."

"No, Jack, listen to me. Please don't risk your life for a stupid Vault. Hyperion needs you," he clenched his jaw, mulling over the words he wanted to say, "...I need you. No matter how many lookalikes you have out there, there's only one Jack that I want alive. And it's you."

"Rhys," the man whispered under his breath, "You can't just say that. Not now," he gripped Rhys by his shirt, bringing him closer, foreheads barely colliding. Jack looked at him, stared at him, studied his face, searched for something in his eyes, until he eventually closed his own, giving in to his thoughts, "You can't even begin to fathom the things I want to do to you right now."

"Did... Did I say something wrong?"

"No, stupid," Jack laughed softly, hand reaching for Rhys' cheek, "I'm sorry."

"Huh?"

"I've never been one to think about my actions, or lack thereof. I've lost so many people over the years. But I never stopped to think about what I could've done better," he let out a deep breath, retracting his hand, "I almost died, too. More than once. But I never pondered what would happen with the people I'd leave behind."

"Jack-"

"I was shocked when I realised what you've been going through when I was gone. I threw you into a chaos without remorse, too proud to think about what it meant to you. I'm sorry."

"Jack."

"And what if I had died, huh? Would you have resented me like everyone else? 'Cause I know I'm the asshole here, only thinking about what I want on the spur of the moment."

"Shut up."

Jack spun his head to look at Rhys, eyes wide in surprise, "Huh?"

"Open up," Rhys brought the food to his mouth, waiting for Jack to comply, "There you go."

"You're weird," Jack said with his mouth full, chewing on the deliciousness, "Here I am telling you about how I feel and all you want to do is feed me."

"I'm only going by what you asked of me. Food, making out and then a nap. Didn't hear anything about you having a grand revelation over basic human decency."

"Fuck you, I'm taking it all back."

Rhys let out a soft giggle, placing the empty box on the coffee table, "What a shame, I liked where you were going with it."

As soon as his hands were free, Jack leaned over to him, head resting on Rhys' shoulder, "Be serious with me for a second?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you actually like me? Or do you have stockholm syndrome?"

Rhys was caught off guard with the question. Sure, he'd expect it from his friends, they'd definitely try to deter him from seeing Jack, but he never thought he'd hear it directly from the man in question. He didn't even know where it came from.

"What's with you all of a sudden?"

"Nothing, nevermind."

Rhys couldn't stop overthinking it. Was it something he had said before? Why was Jack questioning everything now all of a sudden? It couldn't have been because of the vault, could it?

Hand in Jack's hair, they laid on the couch, Rhys underneath the man as to not crush his probably already broken bones in his arm. 

He thought some more about what Jack said, realising it probably wasn't the best that he hadn't answered his question. He did like him... Did he like him? Wouldn't he have already ran away if he didn't? What was he doing in Jack's office, exactly? Did he want to be there, or was he only there because Jack wanted it so?

With a sharp inhale, he brushed off all the doubts, looking at the man laying on his shoulders. He took Jack's hand in his, fingers intertwining seamlessly. The soft smile on Jack's face made his heart flutter.

"I do like you."

"Okay," Jack said breathlessly, eyes closed. Rhys lifted their linked hands towards him, placing soft kisses along Jack's calloused knuckles. He effortlessly laid their hands on Jack's stomach, the other man holding on tighter than before. For once in his life, Rhys was content with ignoring the passage of time. Nothing in the world seemed as important as that particular moment, with Jack in his arms, head rolled back on Rhys' chest, his heart beating in just the right way.

Yeah, the making out would have to wait.