"And all the things that you never ever told me. And all the smiles that are ever gonna haunt me. Never coming home, never coming home. Could I? Should I? And all the wounds that are ever gonna scar me. For all the ghosts that are never gonna catch me." -- My Chemical Romance
For her, there was nothing he wouldn't do. For him, nothing was too sacred or taboo.
Written for RhyionaWeek2025 with the prompt "hurt/comfort"
Major thanks goes first and foremost to my ship sister and my bad ass beta, @admiralsweko for always hyping me up and helping me when I need it most ๐๐๐ Thanks also to my fellow rhyiona shippers on the Rhyiona Core discord who helped make this ship week possible: @comma-tose , @plague-cure , @writeastormsblog you guys are THE BEST~ ๐โค๏ธ๐
โ ๏ธ Warning ahead! โ ๏ธ Though the prompt is for hurt/comfort, it's more like comfort/hurt in this fic, it ends with angst. Happy ending NOT guaranteed. So this is a hurt/no comfort fic. Proceed with caution, and maybe a tissue ๐ฅฒ๐คง๐
Stormy, I hope you enjoy this one!
All dividers from strangergraphics, Fiona's picture from talestwicetold
Check out the tag #RhyionaWeek2025 to see more posts from our awesome community all this week! โจ๏ธ
"Yeah, and remember, Jadzia - any site where we're testing new munitions needs to be cleared with the local zoning council first and foremost," Rhys intoned as he shut the door behind him and began toeing off his shoes. With his free hand, he set down the briefcase full of new blueprints and started fiddling with his tie clip, trying to remove it one-handed as he kept R&D reports up on his palm display. "And remind Louis to send over his diagnostic reports on how well the new 'EZ Clips' performed in the field tests."
"Yes sir, Mister Strongfork. I'll be sending it directly to your inbox first thing in the morning, even before I get up to rub the crust out of my eyes," Jadzia joked, a smile teasing on the edge of her words.
The Atlas CEO huffed in amusement, minimizing the reports and closing his palm display so he could work his tie clip off with more efficiency. "I appreciate your dedication to the company, but maybe get some breakfast in you before getting any work done for me, okay?"
"Understood, Mister Strongfork. And if I may be so bold, I think you should take some of your own advice and eat something before continuing to work." There was a light tone of admonishment in her voice.
Rhys nodded amicably even though she couldn't see him, and had to admit that yeah, she had a point. He had just come home from work, and was still talking business with a staff member as he was standing on socked feet in his apartment's entranceway. He'd take this as a sign that it was time to clock out of work for the day, for real this time.
"Alright, alright, I get it. I'll put the paperwork down and pick it all up tomorrow. Have a good night, Zia."
"Goodnight, Mister Strongfork," and the call ended.
"Tough day at the office?"
Rhys looked up, a smile breaking out over his face at the sight of Fiona, leaning against the wall, watching him with a smile that mirrored his own. She looked so at ease, in one of his old loose tee's and a pair of sleep shorts, and it was such a contrast to his hectic day at work, that something about how effortlessly comfortable she looked soothed the tension at his brow.
"Yeah, something like that," he murmured, unable to draw his eyes away as she pushed herself off the wall and walked towards him, her hands coming up to fiddle with his tie.
"What, not enough elbows to rub, or maybe, it's that there's too many elbows to rub?" she teased, pulling gently at his tie, unfurling it from around his neck and letting it slip loose from underneath his collar.
He scoffed, amused and charmed at her quip regarding his corporate life. "If only it was that easy..."
She hummed thoughtfully, her hands now slipping leisurely down his chest to begin working on the buttons to his vest. As she popped the first one open, she glanced up at him from beneath her lashes, her green eyes glittering playfully. "You know, if you made me co-CEO, I could make it that easy."
This made him chuckle wryly, genuine mirth making the tightness in his shoulders loosen for the first time in hours. "I have a feeling that your way of solving problems is really only gonna create more problems in the long run," he replied, reaching around her waist to drag her closer to him.
The Pandoran smirked, and he knew what that specific quirk to those ruby lips meant. "Perhaps~" she conceded, undoing the final button in his vest and slipping her hands underneath, pushing up and out to remove both his vest and blazer, making them gather at the crook of his elbows. "But that's what makes it fun," she said as she leaned up and into his space.
He tilted his face down towards her, meeting her kiss halfway, and felt the rest of the day's burdens ease from his mind as they pulled each other close and rejoiced in their reunited embrace. His hand flattened at the small of her back, possessive and needy, as her hands pulled him closer by his clothes, equally as desperate in their search of him. Their mouths greeted each other in sensuous passes, passion deepening as their kisses melded from simple longing after having been separate for most of the day, into deep, hungry kisses that demanded more from both of them.
Rhys reached up with the intent to thread his fingers through her hair and tilt her head so he could dominate their kiss, but his bunched up blazer and vest kept his arms partially locked down at his sides, and he grunted in frustration, the sound making Fiona smile against his lips.
"I think maybe you should slow down there, champ," she teased, pulling back to peer up at him seductively, doing absolutely nothing to help calm his libido. "You haven't even had dinner yet, and I know you haven't eaten all day."
The Atlas CEO wanted to argue that he was more concerned with a different kind of hunger right now, but his stomach gurgled as if working together to betray him at this exact moment. He groaned as Fiona's delighted laugh rang in his ears, shucking off his outer clothes almost petulantly.
"There's always time for that later," she cooed, planting a cheeky peck along his jaw and taking the bunched up clothes from his hands. "For now, you want me to order your favorite?"
Rhys sighed, and nodded in defeat. "Yeah, actually, if you could, that'd be great..."
The former con artist smiled, endeared by his pout. "Sure thing, handsome." She offered a flirty wink before turning and disappearing further into the apartment.
Resigned, he stepped into his house slippers and mosied over towards his bedroom, intent on catching a quick shower before the food arrived. He entered his dark bedroom, and before he could reach out to turn on the light, his ECHO device rang, and the notification displayed in the corner of his ECHO eye proclaimed that it was Sasha.
Ah. Well.
Truth be told, Rhys had been expecting a call from her soon - today specifically. It was about that time of year... He didn't wanna think about it too much, so he answered the call as he walked in and began tugging at the buttons on his cuffs.
"Sasha! It's been too long, I'm so glad to hear from you. How have you been?"
"Hi Rhys," her voice sounded in his ears. "I'm doing okay, trying to do better." There was a moment of silence where neither of them spoke, words eluding them and filling the static over the call with tension. "So how have things been with you lately? I'm sorry I don't get the chance to check in as often as I'd like, it's just... Well. You know."
That heavy silence stretched between them again, and Rhys fought against the awkwardness by clearing his throat. "Uh, yeah! I get it, I do, so no worries. But uh, yeah, things have been going really well for me actually. In fact, we're in the process of developing a new prototype, and once it passes all the safety protocols with flying colors, I'd love to send you one, because I remember how stoked you were for new tech."
There was a beat, but before it could settle in too deep, Sasha answered, "That sounds exciting, I'd love to have some new Atlas merch. I appreciate it, Rhys. Congrats on your latest success, it seems like things are going well for you lately."
"Yeah, well..." he smiled, pleased, walking further into his bedroom as he unbuckled his belt, working it through the loops. "So how about you? Anything new and exciting in Sashaโs world?'
"I..." There was a sound like static bristling from her end of the call. "Look, Rhys," her voice returned, clear. "I wanted to call you, to check in on you, and see how you were doing. I know... I know it's been hard on you, just as hard as it is on me, but I want you to know that I'm here for you."
He paused, his belt hanging limply in his grip. After a long moment, he let it drop to the floor, and then turned to carefully sit down on the edge of his bed, staring off into the middle distance of his dark bedroom as he leaned forward, elbows on his knees, his cuffs hanging loose around his wrists.
"Sasha..." he began, but not knowing what he wanted to say next. "Thank you. I..." He lifted his hands and scrubbed at his face, hoping the action would be enough to wake up something in him, something profound and meaningful, something that would give him enough presence of mind to find the words to comfort the woman on the other end of the call. But a soft sound ahead of him drew his attention, and he dropped his hands back into his lap, looking up at the figure of the woman he loved.
Fiona stepped into his dark bedroom, the light from the hall haloing around her silhouette, making her look even more heavenly than she usually did. She approached him silently, slowly easing herself down to perch on the edge of the bed at his side. Reaching out to soothe his obvious distress, she brushed over his hair as her sister's voice spoke in his ear.
"Listen. I know- I know that losing Fiona was hard on all of us. I myself can't say that I was in my right mind for a while there. But..." She took a deep, shaky breath and tried to strengthen her voice. "I know you took it really hard... And I understand why, Rhys. Because you loved her. You loved her and you never got to tell her-"
"Sasha. I have to go."
"Rhys, wait!"
That dense silence returned, before his friend began speaking again, her words incoherent background noise to him as he studied the face of the woman he loved.
If he dared to look close enough over the details of her lovely expression, he could see the seams where her face plate fit into the recess of her head mold. Or take note of the way her beautiful eyes glowed dimly in the dark of his room, or see individual pixels in her irises. He'd notice the blue-ish tinge of the veins under her skin that were pumping coolant - not blood - throughout her body.
Rhys knew Fiona was gone. But he couldn't accept that. He tried, but he suffered for it, which caused his business to suffer too. So he did the only thing he could, which was build a replica of the woman he loved. He harnessed his madness and turned it into motivation.
He used encrypted data from the backlogs of the Fast Travel Stations, finding every digital molecule that was related to her, every nanobyte containing one more piece of the vault hunter who never returned home.
It took him ages, but he was unrelenting and determined. He spent countless hours building her skeleton from the finest materials, weaving wires like veins and nerve endings in between the motor of her heart, and the processors of her brain. Fitting her with a synthetic body that was a near perfect replica for the human woman she was modeled after.
He painstakingly recreated the love of his life, and some small part of him healed on the day her eyes fluttered open, and called out to him in the voice he was able to retrieve from samples of past call logs.
It was as though she never left his side, no longer lost and out of his reach.
Rhys wasn't a fool. He knew that if anyone else knew what he had done, or if they saw her, they wouldn't understand. So he kept her a secret, keeping her sequestered here in his apartment. He included a command in her code that she would never feel the desire to reach out to others or to leave. No one would understand the sacrifices he made in the name of love.
For her, there was nothing he wouldn't do.
For him, nothing was too sacred or taboo.
He had to keep her safe this time. This time, he wouldn't let anything take her away from him. Not again, not when he could help it.
"Thank you, Sasha. Thank you. But, I'm doing just fine. Really. If I wasn't, you'd know. So, listen, I'm glad you reached out - please call whenever you'd like - but I just got home and I'm really looking forward to a hot shower and some good food, so I've gotta let you go. Take care Sash, I love you. And I'll talk to you soon. Bye."
"...Love you too, Rhys. Goodbye."
He ended the call with his friend amicably, never taking his eyes off of F10N4, and she, in turn, slipped her hand down to caress his cheek.
"Hey..." she started, blinking to lubricate the glass over the screens in her eyes. "You okay?"
He simply smiled, leaning into her touch, reaching up to cup his hand behind hers. "As long as you're here with me, yeah, I am."
ยฉrin-bellatrix 2025
โ borderlands masterlist โ main masterlist โ
"Jump with them all, and move it. Jump back and forth, and feel like you were there yourself, work it out." -- Gorillaz
While trying to track down a stolen case full of money, the Hyperion stooge and the Pandoran con artist find themselves trapped beneath Bossanova's arena. While not necessarily enemies, they aren't exactly friends, and they need to set aside their pride and work together to reunite with Sasha and Vaughn, and secure that case. If only they could stop bickering to make it in time.
This was created with the mindset of "what if it was Rhys and Fiona under Bossanova's arena instead of Rhys and Sasha?" The opportunity they could've had to bond and banter even more~ ๐ฏโผ๏ธโจ๏ธ
As always, anything I write can't pass inspection without my beloved ship sister @admiralsweko who betas 99.9% of my works and catches all my flaws and makes them better ๐๐โจ๏ธ THANK YOU SWE~!! ๐
Super awesome special shout-out to beloved Rhyiona Core members, @comma-tose @plague-cure and @writeastormsblog who I'm posting this especially for, since she requested fluff. (Even tho this really isn't fluffy per se~ But it's definitely rhyiona themed, and building on the potential for future romance~ ๐๐๐)
Fiona, Rhys and Jack AI gif from this post. Blue cyber themed dividers from this post. Blue cyber themed LOADING gif from this post.
Enjoy! ๐
"Attempting to reboot lift operation systems, please input the authorization code for calibration." The voice informed them as it floated out of the barely functional Atlas speakers.
The Hyperion company man furrowed his brow as his ECHO eye glowed, his look of concentration illuminated by the bank of moniters before him. His real and cybernetic hands danced over the brightly lit keyboard with such speed, that it was hard for even the seasoned con woman to keep up with everything he was entering into the old database. She glanced up at him, his side profile stark against the artificial light before him and the dark room at his back.
"We need to hurry, who knows what Bossanova's goons are gonna do with that case of money." Fiona tried to urge him along, crossing her arms as she grew antsy when another minute dragged by and nothing seemed to be happening.
She didn't wanna mention that she was also worried for Sasha, having been separated from her when the manhole cover slammed down over her head, forcing her to partner with the taller of the two Hyperion men. The shorter one seemed to be a little more put together than his lanky friend, but he was very obviously an off-worlder, and Pandora wasn't kind to its own inhabitants; a foreigner was just ripe for the picking (or peeling, in some psycho's cases). Hopefully Sasha could keep them both safe...
When the only response she got to her statement was the sound of more clicking and tapping on keys, she approached the lanky man's side to peer down at whatever the hell was taking him so long. She reached his shoulder and he spared her a glance, and from this close she could see even more details about him. His robotic eye implant was radiating a bright blue light, almost bright enough to hurt her own eyes. Around his azure iris swirled repeated patterns of zeroes and ones, circling around his pupil which seemed to operate much like an aperture for a camera. He blinked, and turned back to his insistent tapping, and the after image of his luminescent gaze floated before her. She blinked rapidly to dismiss the lingering affect.
"What's taking so long, Hyperion?" she outright questioned, frowning at the lines of unreadable code flashing across the screen. None of it made sense to her, and it usually never did; she was comfortable with leaving electronics and the like to Felix's capable care.
"Hey, hacking into an old, unused Atlas database is not exactly as easy as I'm making it look, lady. You've got to be subtle and finesse your way through - though I suppose that you, a lying, cheating, Pandoran con artist wouldn't know about subtlety." He offered her a tight smile full of false joy, before dismissing her and returning to his work. He was still obviously sore over the fake vault key and maybe also the attempt to push him out of a moving vehicle into the desert.
But oh, he wanted to play it like that, did he? Well it takes two to tango and Fiona had nothing to do right now but dance.
She leaned back against the jutting curve of the desk, lifting a delicate hand and making a show of examining her nail polish. "I sure was subtle enough when I planted that EMP receptor on the case of the vault key."
His almost rhythmic tapping ceased, and out of the corner of her eye she saw him turn towards her.
"So that was your fault?! You were there the whole time?? Ya know, my systems are still whacked because of your little 'EMP receptor'!" He huffed and threw his arms in the air, and though he easily towered over her, she didn't consider him a threat in the slightest; just another Hyperion lackey blowing a lot of hot air.
"I'm sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear you while I was being extremely subtle over here."
"Oh my GOD - has anyone ever told you how infuriating you are??"
The Pandoran native leveled him with a flat, unimpressed stare as she plucked at her ruffled cuff to fluff it out more. "Cry me a river, corporate boy."
Rhys grumbled in clear discontent, his eyes narrowed and his mouth souring into a petulant pout. Something about it brought joy to Fiona's jagged heart; perhaps it was the fact that she could easily rile him up with so little effort. It was actually kind of fun.
He straightened his vest, glowering down at her from his height as he added, "By the way, that vault key was the worst one I had ever seen, it was so obvious that it was fake."
"Dealt with many vault keys, have you?" she asked, lifting a scarred brow in accusation. "You must be really important up there if they're leaving you in charge of all the real vault keys. Tell me, how many have you handled that have actually opened up a vault, huh?"
The company man glanced off to the side, the apples of his cheeks pinkening ever so slightly as he swallowed. "Look, I'm uh, I'm trying to work on this okay?" He gestured towards the ancient Atlas computers by his side. "So I'd appreciate a little more patience and also, some peace and quiet would be nice, if it's not asking too much."
The grifter sighed, rolling her eyes as she folded her arms across her chest. "There will be all the 'peace and quiet' you want from me as soon as we get that money and go our separate ways."
Rhys shook his head, more so to himself than anything, and settled his fast fingertips over the illuminated keyboard again. "Ya know, I never wanted this."
"What, to be a mindless cog in the massive warmongering machine of Hyperion? Seems a bit late to be thinking like that." Time was ticking and the more time they stood here squabbling, the farther away that money and their chance at a new life got.
The man before her sighed, and it was deep and frustrated, and something about it made her regret her words, for just a moment. But she wasn't going to get soft around a complete stranger, doubly so for a Hyperion stooge who was after the cash just as much as she was.
"No, I mean..."
"Authorization complete. Initiating system maintenence check, please wait."
Images flashed across the grime covered monitors, but all Fiona could make out was the occasional glimpse of the Atlas logo. A soft whirring sound emitted from the computers, before a series of loud metal clanking noises reverberated from the area around the lift.
"I meant..." Rhys spoke up again, and Fiona had forgotten that he had been trying to tell her something while lost in the tentative excitement that the lift was actually going to work for them. "I've always wanted to be this. To just, be good at my job. I wanted to make it, and bring my friends with me. I never thought that I'd be doing something like this... I can admit that I regret a lot of the stuff I've done, things that were 'necessary' to help me get a step ahead. But it's all meaningless, everything I've done up until this point, if we don't secure that briefcase."
He turned towards her and met her eyes, his heterochromatic stare arresting. "I don't wanna argue with you any more, and I'd like it if we could come to some sort of truce. I mean, we're partners in this, whether we like it or not, so why can't we try to make the best of it...?" He offered his metal hand, waiting tentatively for her acceptance or refusal.
She eyed him skeptically, but he seemed sincere enough about it. Though in her time as a con artist, she knew that actions spoke louder than words. So she'd take him for face value, but keep him at arm's length because at the end of the day, the only people she could trust were Sasha and Felix.
Confident with her decision, she reached out and took his mechanical hand, offering a firm shake as she said, "I can agree to a compromise."
Relief softened his features, a smile breaking out across his face. "Great! That's actually, pretty great, I uh, didn't think it'd be so easy, honestly..."
"Just because I'm born and raised on Pandora, doesn't automatically make me a psycho, you know. I do have some decorum." Here she stepped closer to him, his cybernetic hand still heavy in her grip. "That being said, I do have the shiniest meat bicycle. Never forget that, slick."
At his look of surprise and confusion, she smirked and winked playfully at him, loosening her hold around his hand and taking a step back. Or she would have, had he not renewed his grip and tugged her forward, leaning into her space and keeping her trapped between his body and the edge of the desk behind her.
Before she could decide whether or not to jam her knee into his groin, he said, "Just because I work for Hyperion, it doesn't automatically make me a bad guy." He mirrored her statement, locking eyes with her as the lift lights flashed in the background. "And my name isn't 'slick,' it's Rhys."
Being cornered like this would usually cause Fiona's fight or flight response to kick in, but despite the fact that he was encroaching on her space, she didn't feel threatened. She parted her lips, about to ask him if he was finished making his point, when the action caused his gaze to flick down to her mouth. He glanced back up into her eyes, and whatever sass she was about to say fizzled away as her heart skipped a beat.
She felt the tension between them shift ever so slightly, felt as though if she were to let this moment linger, she would come to regret it. He was objectively attractive, but she had never let a pretty face distract her from achieving her mark, and she wouldn't start now. Even if curiosity tempted her to taste his mouth...
He blinked, seeming to disperse his thoughts before releasing her hand and taking a step off to the side. "Uh... So, it says here that there's less than a minute left of the... The maintenance check. Yeah."
"That's... Great! The sooner we get outta here, the better. Right."
Rhys ran his robotic hand over his gelled hair and down his neck as Fiona brushed her bangs away from her face, both of them purposefully avoiding the other's gaze. The con woman berated herself, vowing to stay on top of whatever little game he was playing. Willing away the mild attraction she felt, she adjusted her stance and tugged on her jacket, straightening it out.
"Lift system maintenance check complete. Anomaly one detected: C-grade gears need replacement. Anomaly two detected: hydraulic wiring in need of repair, potential fire hazard. Anomaly three-"
"Shit, what does this mean?" The Pandoran groused, stepping close to Rhys' side again to glare down at the lift's long list of damages that needed immediate repairs.
The young manager grunted in frustration, before leaning down and spamming the keys again. "The Atlas maintenence system is trying to prevent us from getting on that lift, it's claiming that it's a huge safety violation. The bandits here have rigged the basic system somehow, but my method must've woken up the actual safety protocols. But, that's okay because if the guys who were here before us could make it to the top, so can we. Don't worry, I've got this, this is gonna be way easier than the initial breach." He flashed her a confident smirk over his broad shoulder before focusing on bypassing Atlas' firewalls.
His little smirk was winsome, and as soon as the thought crossed her mind, she rejected it completely, throwing out the possibility that this nerd could cause such a reaction in her. Refusing to entertain those kind of thoughts about him any more, she turned away to survey the room. There had to be something she could do while Rhys fiddled with the computers for another ten minutes-
"Aaand done!"
"What?"
"We're outta here, c'mon!"
He grabbed her hand in his human one and ran over to the elevator, almost dragging her along in his excitement. She held on to her hat as she did her best to keep up with his ridiculously long legs, opening her mouth to scold him as they stopped in the center of the lift.
"Hey, you-" she started, shaking off his slightly sweaty grip and wiping her hand down her pant leg.
"I'm not gonna lie, this is actually kind of cool!"
"What?"
He turned toward her and smiled shyly. "When I was a kid, I used to make and hand out my own business cards. I always wanted to be at the top of the corporate ladder. I never had time to explore or go out and see the universe if it wasn't related to acquiring another asset for my boss. So this... It's scary as shit, don't get me wrong - but... It's pretty neat."
Fiona could see how a life full of 'thrills' would appeal to someone who lives in a cubicle and survives on paperwork and speadsheets, but this was the real world; her life wasn't some adventure that she could just drop whenever she wanted. Life up in Helios must be hell, but she'd take it in a heartbeat over another day scrounging for scraps on Pandora.
"You must have it easy up there. When I was young, I had just mastered a new pick-pocketing technique called 'feather fingers,' and I couldn't wait to teach it to my baby sister. Don't ever be mistaken, Rhys - Pandora is just a stepping stone for you but this little rock is my home, and I know more than anyone how things can turn sour real quick."
His hopeful smile had dimmed completely as she spoke, and now he looked down in thought. He lifted his gaze and met her jade eyes again, his features solemn in the dim light. "Have you ever thought about...leaving?"
The grifter couldn't help but scoff, incredulous at his question. "Of course I have, every sane person on this damn planet has. You think if we had a way to leave Hollow Point and everything behind, we wouldn't take it? That money in that briefcase was our way out, our only chance to get away from here. So let's get our asses up there and do whatever it takes to get that money back."
Rhys could see that she was dead serious, the fire in her eyes was blazing with determination. He felt the same, seeing how determined and how dedicated she was, was like looking in a mirror. If he didn't return back home to Helios with at least half of that money, everything from the moment of his handmade business cards up til his conversation with Vasquez, was all down the drain. That cash was really the answer to all their problems.
He lifted his cybernetic hand and opened the menu for the lift. Or at least he assumed it was the menu for the lift. His interface was still a bit wonky due to the strong pulse of the EMP device from earlier. The menu he could see was very distorted, buttons and commands glitching across the holographic screen. He tsked in irritation and clicked on the button he thought would start the lift.
Across the spacious room, a crane lowered a row of large crates to the floor. The crates seemed to be making... Noise.
"What are you doing? Get the lift started!"
"I'm trying! I just- I pressed the wrong thing alright? Okay, it's gotta be this one-"
The next button the young manager clicked on opened the crates, which turned out to be cages, which turned out to be holding ill-tempered skags. The pack of four-legged beasts prowled out of their metal carriers, scenting the air and eventually turning towards the only two people in the room.
"Rhys...??" Fiona questioned, flicking her wrist to make her pistol settle into her hand.
"Uh- shit- At least you have a gun-"
"This only fires one bullet!"
"One- one bullet?? Why?? What's the purpose of that?!"
"It's not my own choice! It was given to me!"
"By who, someone who wants you dead??"
"Shut up and get this lift moving!"
What a buncha dumb asses, just my luck.
"Hey, I'm trying my best here!" he groused in response, only realizing a second later that the voice didn't sound like the Pandoran. "Wait, who-"
"Well, 'your best' isn't cutting it!"
Before the Hyperion employee could answer her, the skags drew closer, hesitant at first but growing bolder as their hunger overtook the need to be cautious. Rumbling growls filled the room and Fiona aimed her pistol to the closest skag. Rhys pressed the only available button left on the glitchy menu...
And nothing happened.
Cursing under his breath, he spammed the command in the hopes that something would work in their favor.
The con woman tried to entertain the thought that she could fend off the small pack of wild, ravenous animals with a single bullet and the small knife she kept hidden in her boot. There was a slim chance she could do it, but in every scenario, the injuries would be grievous.
Suddenly the lift beneath their feet shuddered, and slowly began to rise. The immediate elation they both felt simultaneously plummeted as the largest skag began running towards them, intending on making a leap onto the platform. The grifter readied her gun, aiming at the hungry creature to shoot it off in case it made the jump.
The animal pounced off the ground and sailed through the air, its momentum more than enough to carry it to the elevated platform. Fiona's finger tightened on the trigger, waiting for the precise moment when it would be close enough that perhaps the shot could push it off the ledge.
Before the skag landed, it seemed to bounce off of an invisible wall and fall down onto its spiny back, scrabbling to right itself and stand on all fours again. It roared in frustration, but the lift was now much too high up to see it any more.
The 'invisible wall' shimmered and reformed into a tall figure that stepped closer to the two flabbergasted people with a graceful ease that Fiona envied.
"I have a question. Have you seen a Gortys piece? I really need it."
The Pandoran con woman recognized the lithe being in front of her, vaguely recalling that this was one of the vault hunter's that was known galaxy-wide. Unsure of what to say in the presence of someone who was very powerful and who obviously just saved their lives, she shook her head mutely.
Rhys, unlike her, didn't seem to be at a loss for words because his giddy voice sounded from behind her, "Hi, I just wanted to say, that I think you're really cool."
She glanced back at him and was perplexed to find him damn near twirling his hair. Fiona fought the urge to roll her eyes as she turned to face Zer0 again, surprised to see a <3 flash across his reflective visor.
Before she could find her footing in this new predicament, the muffled sound of a roaring crowd and the booming bass of loud music rumbled above their heads. Just as the three of them looked up, the doors over the ceiling unlocked and parted, the lift pushing them up into the middle of Bossanova's arena.
ยฉrin-bellatrix 2025
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โโฌโ ๐ฝ๐ค๐ง๐๐๐ง๐ก๐๐ฃ๐๐จ: rhyiona !! [join our Rhyiona Core discord server] and zamara. also I love our sweet baby boy Tim โจ๏ธ
"When everything's meant to be broken, I just want you to know who I am." - Goo Goo Dolls
August finds himself in the middle of the Pandoran desert, left to clean up his business' loose ends. Though, he's not as alone as he once thought, coming face to (pretty) face with the grifter who stole his heart. It seems that Sasha has some of her own loose ends to clean up as well.
I love Sasha and August ok
I'm firmly in the belief that August needs to reclaim his full redemption arc (he started towards the end of Tales and well, we just never got to see the end result ๐คท๐ฝโโ๏ธ)
So here's my first "saugust" piece! (Pls tell me if there's a better ship name for them out there ๐) I've written them as bg characters in my rhyiona fics, bc we love a big ol' happy family affair, but this is their first solo spotlight on my blog ๐๐
they need more recognition, they're kinda like Bonnie and Clyde, love my lil outlaw couple ๐ so stinkin' cute ๐ฅฐ (not to be confused with everyone's favorite villain couple, jackisha, who I've also written for ๐คญ)
Ahem, anyway~ this is part one, so this is unfinished. More to come from this particular story โจ๏ธ
Also. Am I posting this in the last hour of the month of August, instead of getting my shit together and posting it sooner...? Don't worry about it~ โบ๏ธ
Enjoy~ ๐งก๐
It was always sunny on Pandora. Or at least, it seemed to be whenever August had to venture out of the dark shithole that was Hollow Point. The white sub-giant star that was Pandora's sun seemed to be on full blast today, the curve of the horizon a warbled, dancing edge in this heat. Sweat rolled down the side of his face and gathered at his jawline before spilling off in incessant drops. He shook his head to get the sweat out of his eyes before leaning into his truck bed and grabbing two fistfuls of rough canvas.
He tossed another burlap covered carcass onto the small pile of bodies, grunting with its weight. His Ma might be gone, but that just left the family business up to him. Which meant cleaning up the mess when a rival gang thought that they could prove themselves bigger and badder. Not a chance. But it was best to dump the bodies farther away from the entrance to Hollow Point to avoid scavengers somehow finding a way to spill into his town. That was the last thing he needed.
Dusting his hands off, he slammed the trunk door closed and ripped an old rag out of his back pocket. Mopping the perspiration from his neck and face (minding his piercings), he squinted up at the ball of fire in the sky and cursed its heat. What he wouldn't give for an ice cold drink right about now, he was fucking parched.
Stuffing the damp rag back into his pocket, he rounded his truck to head to the driver's side. His boots kicking up sand, his mind already focused on securing a cold shower as soon as he got back home. Gripping the handle, he pulled and yanked the door open, one foot on the step bar ready to hop in, before he looked up and froze.
"Thirsty?" Sasha chimed, sitting relaxed behind the wheel, dangling a cold bottle that was dripping with condensation.
The sight alone had him wondering if this was a mirage, if the heat had really gotten to him and made him hallucinate this as his own personal oasis. But then her scent of orange blossoms hit him, and he took a step back in shock. The sweet scent that sometimes haunted his dreams was a startling contrast to the freshly decomposing bodies that he just unloaded from the back of his truck.
How did she even get here without him knowing...?
She was as beautiful as ever, maybe even more so if that was possible. Her locks were pulled back in a sleek style, much like the last time he saw her during that whole vault debacle. Her outfit looked clean and classy, a stark contrast to his current state of sweaty and sandy. She wore reflective sunglasses that kept him from seeing her eyes, only his own warped image staring back at him.
When she arched a pretty brow, waiting for a response, August had to reel himself in. "What the fuck are you doin' in my truck?" No one could ever say that he didn't have a way with words.
"Is that the greeting I get? After I came all this way to bring you a nice refreshing drink, because I know you always leave to come here without one."
It shouldn't move him that she remembered his dump sight. It should mean nothing that she remembered he always forgot to pack a drink. It wasn't a big deal that she came to drop off a cold drink. She was a con artist, this is what she did. It's how she wormed her way into his heart the first time. He told himself this, and tried to ignore the way his heart beat a little faster at the implication that she still cared about him.
Did she ever really care about him...?
"What's it to you? If I forget to hydrate, how's it any of your business?" He glowered at her, old hurt resurfacing as if it were just yesterday.
She watched him from behind her sunglasses, quiet as she struggled to find a new lie to fixate on.
"Listen, I don't care, get the fuck out of my seat and go back to wherever you came from. You've got nothin' here, unless ya want me to put a bullet in your brain."
Sasha pursed her lips, her free hand settling firmly on the steering wheel. "I'm gonna drive you back." When he opened his mouth to argue, she continued. "I just want to talk." When he remained suspicious, she reached up to remove her sunglasses, meeting his eyes clearly. "Please?"
Her eyes were so clear, the light jade so beautiful with her complexion. His mind told him to watch his heart, not to fall for her tricks. But his heart told him to go along with what she wanted, simply because it was her who asked. August considered himself a strong man - an intelligent man - but in the face of the woman he loved, he crumbled far too easily.
He grunted as he slammed the door closed, rounding to the passenger side of his own damn truck. He hopped in, the cab rocking with his momentum, the door shutting behind him as he huffed.
Sasha held out the bottle again, and he watched as a drop of water raced down the side and gathered at the bottom before splattering across his leather seat. He looked up at her and met her eyes again, ignoring the excitement that wanted to bubble to the surface.
"Is it poisoned?"
The pretty grifter frowned, before twisting the cap off and taking a swig, once again holding it out to him. "That answer your question, smart ass?"
He hesitated before taking the bottle from her. Glancing down as she shifted the car into drive and pulled off, he noticed the faintest glossy shine of her lip gloss on the lip of the bottle. As the truck rumbled through the Pandoran desert, he recalled how slick her lips were when she would kiss him after applying it. The way she giggled when he pulled back and groused about the texture. How she would joke with him, arms looped around his neck, if she should withhold her kisses then. And he would snag her closer by her waist, pulling her into him and grumbling a complaint against her wet lips as he kissed her through her laughter.
He eyed the residue of it on his bottle now. Then, he lifted it to his lips and drank deeply, imagining that he could feel a phantom press of her lips against his own. It quenched him like nothing else.
โ
TBC
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"You got that look in your eyes, eyes. I can tell you had bad dreams last night. Let me take you in my arms, you can cry, cry. Let me love you 'til you feel alright." - Sia
Rhys and Fiona are faced with the "and there was only one bed" trope, but they're both mature enough to get through this like respectable adults. Rhys plays it cool, lying in bed next to his crush, and falls asleep with her by his side. Everything is fine, until it isn't.
Written for Rhyiona Week 2023 with the prompt "dream/fortune"
Header gif by utopianoverlord ๐
Yellow strobe divider from this post. Yellow star divider from this post. Yellow gradient divider from this post. Yellow heart divider from this post. Yellow reblog and feedback divider from this post.
โ ๏ธ warnings โ ๏ธ: brief description of main character death (don't worry, happy ending guaranteed ๐), as well as some scenes of violence and mentions of slight gore.
Enjoy! ๐ซ
"Don't make it weird, Rhys," said the half clothed vault hunter.
Rhys was trying really hard to not make it weird, but how could he help himself when Fiona appeared at the bedroom door, the light from the hallway shining in from behind her as she flicked the switch for the bedroom lights, plunging the room into dark shadows. Her vault hunting suit and gear were gone, and she looked impossibly gentle and vulnerable in her large t-shirt and bare legs. No hat, of course, and her face was clear of any make-up. She looked... Soft. Which he knew she wasn't, not even in the slightest - but it didn't stop his heart from beating faster.
Strange how she wore less than him, yet he was the one to feel so under-dressed in his t-shirt and pajama bottoms. He was about to share a bed with one of his closest friends and secretly his biggest crush, and he somehow felt that maybe his galaxy themed pants and plain white shirt (with the right sleeve removed) was less than impressive. Though honestly, he'd bet his favorite pair of socks that the slightly older woman couldn't possibly care less about his bedtime attire.
Fiona, the hardened con woman and Pandora native. Fiona, the woman who told a man wielding a knife to her throat that his facial hair was truly depressing. Fiona, who had stood up to a wall of monitors and faced Handsome Jack himself and never so much as batted an eye at his threats. Fiona, who had raced him to the vault, stepped side by side with him inside, and smiled up at him while agreeing that they made a good team. Fiona, fearless vault hunter and a cool badass all around, hesitated in the doorway as she smoothed a hand down her baggy shirt.
She looked unsure and that was something Rhys could never abide by. He pushed himself up to his elbows, ready to leave if she even hinted at it. "I could still go sleep on the couch if that would-"
She waved his words off, scoffing lightly as she finally approached the bed. "I already told you that I was fine sharing the bed with you... As bougie as that couch is, it's designer, so it's more decorative than functional, and therefore not meant to be slept in. Truth be told, I don't wanna hear you whining about your back tomorrow morning."
Her silhouette outlined by the light behind her came closer as she reached for the edge of the covers. She peeled back the corner of the comforter and slid into bed beside him.
'Act cool Rhys, act cool,' he thought as he forced himself to lie down flat on his back and stare at the darkened ceiling. He politely folded his hands over his stomach, doing his best to keep from fidgeting. He hoped she couldn't feel the heat from the blush burning his cheeks. 'Yep, cool as a cucumber.'
A fluffy pillow was placed purposefully beside his left arm, and he looked over to Fiona's side to see her adjusting the pillow she was placing between them.
"This is in case you might feel inclined to wander over to my side during the night. This should keep you in your place and from getting too close."
He raised a brow and then idly wondered if she could even see it in the semi-darkness of the bedroom. "A barricade? Really?"
The Pandoran narrowed her eyes at him, or at least he thought she did. This low light was really hindering reading facial expressions right now. "You forget that I know what you're like when you're sleeping. You might be the president of Atlas, but you're also the president of drool city. Unlike you, I like to stay nice and dry while I sleep."
The president of drool city rolled his eyes, suddenly feeling less nervous about this bed sharing scenario. "Okay, sure. Whatever you say, president of snoring town. You should hear yourself- snork MIMIMIMIMI-"
"At least I don't have to wake up in the middle of the night to rehydrate. How many pillows do you go through a week, Rhys? How does it feel to wake up to a sopping wet pillow-"
"Ooooh, don't get me started! You know, the first time I heard you snore, I thought a hungry baby ratch had somehow gotten into the caravan-"
"Rhys. I will take this pillow and smother you with it if you don't shut up."
"...And on that note, good night." He turned onto his side, back facing the woman in his bed. Their bed? Whatever.
From behind him, he heard Fiona's sigh and the rustle of the sheets as she settled in for the night. After a long quiet moment where the only sound between them was their breathing, a soft "Good night," from her side of the bed made the young CEO smile despite himself.
"Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs drown in your drool tonight."
Rhys' grin grew at the sound of the smile in her voice. Nothing like engaging in a pointless argument to break the nervous tension between them. "Don't worry, your snoring will scare them away."
A moment passed before a pillow gently thwapped against the side of his head, followed by the sound of exaggerated rustling from the other side of the bed. Fiona tugged on their shared comforter as she tried to get comfortable and he playfully tugged back.
"Quit it," she admonished, her voice wavering with the effort of suppressing her laughter.
"You first," he countered, his glee evident even though he ultimately relented his grip on the covers.
She huffed from somewhere behind him and purposefully shoved the barricade pillow closer against his back, before rolling herself up in more than her fair share of sheets.
Rhys couldn't be happier, and that night he fell asleep with a smile on his face.
The next morning he sat at the marble island in the modern kitchen, sipping on some coffee as he scrolled through his morning news feed. The coffee was ridiculously sweet, just as he preferred, and he couldn't wait for Fiona to wake up so they could start their day together.
He threw together a quick breakfast by cutting open a fresh bagel and slathering some creamed cheese and fruit preserves on both halves. He procrastinated on taking his dishes to the sink, so the empty plate speckled with crumbs and a smear of fruit spread sat next to the serrated knife by his overly sweetened drink.
Reaching for his mug with his mechanical hand, he glanced away from his ECHO device and over to his hand, as it wasn't functioning properly. Instead of reaching for his mug, his hand just sort of froze in place. Tilting his head in concern, Rhys tried flexing his fingers and after a moment, the cybernetic limb did exactly that.
'Hm, maybe a wiring or connection problem. I'll have to check it out before we leave,' he thought, looking over his silver arm and wondering over this peculiar issue.
Purposefully reaching out towards his drink, he felt slight relief as his mechanical arm flexed and stretched out to do exactly what he intended. His metal digits curled around the handle of the cup and lifted it to his mouth. Except that halfway up to his face, his arm froze again.
"Okay, I see that I need to tend to you now," he groused out loud, frowning in consternation at his robotic arm. His ECHO device was set off to the side, and he reached over to try and extract his mug from his immovable grasp. But trying to pry the metal fingers off of the porcelain handle was proving to be impossible.
After a few moments of struggling to free his cup, Rhys withdrew and sat staring down at his right hand with a mixture of deep concern and irritation. At this rate, he'd probably have to wake Fiona up and get her assistance - an extra pair of hands would really help, or at least he hoped so.
Sighing, he moved to slide off the bar stool when his hand suddenly opened and dropped his mug, the cup rolling across the counter top with coffee spilling across the gleaming white surface.
"Shit!" he cried out, thankful that his coffee was almost gone and more warm than hot as it splattered on his clothes.
He moved to jump out of his seat, or he would have, but his mechanical hand was gripping the edge of the counter, keeping him in place. He realized this and tried to remain calm. His cybernetics were malfunctioning and acting in strange ways he didn't permit, which was very, very dangerous. Focusing on trying to unfurl his grasp, Rhys frowned as frustration grew when his hand did not release the counter top.
He had to remove his right arm to preform a maintenance check on it, but he would need Fiona's help to get it off. It could be dangerous, but the sooner his arm was detached, the sooner he could fix the problem. He turned to face the hallway that lead down to the bedroom, parting his lips to call her name.
"Hey there cupcake..."
Stone cold shock froze Rhys in place, dread freezing the air in his lungs. Every muscle was primed to run, to get as far away as he could.
"You really thought it was gonna be that easy...?"
But there was no escaping the voice in his head.
"You tried so hard to get rid of me. But you forgot something very crucial, sweetness. I'm Handsome motherfucking Jack. And you," Rhys' metal grip released the edge of the counter, flying over to meet his other hand, pinning one of his human fingers back until something soft and delicate snapped. The pain was explosive, making Rhys cry out agony. "You're my special little meat puppet. And I'm gonna have so much fun with you."
"Please-" but Jack used Rhys' right hand to bend back another finger on his left, the fragile bone breaking easily under the mechanical pressure. The pain was just as bad the second time around, and Rhys doubled over, hunched over the cool marble before him as the pain flared and nausea roiled in his gut.
"What should I do to you first, hm? How about we start off by taking that little knife there and forcing you to skin your own dick. When we're all done, I think I'll have you cut out your own heart. See, you gotta start by breaking the ribs, then severing each major artery... When I make you pull it out of your chest, it's still gonna be pumping blood. How sick is that?"
"Rhys...?"
Everything in Rhys stilled, including Jack.
'NOnononono, please- please!'
"Hey, you alright? I thought I heard you shout, can't a girl get some rest around here...?"
"Oh Rhysie..."
The vault hunter's voice was soft and her pace unhurried as she padded over to him. She noticed the spilled coffee across the marble, the puddle leaking off the edge closest to him. "Hey, did you burn yourself?" Her words carried more urgency then before, and she reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. "Rhys, I sleep in a bit and somehow you manage to get into trouble, what am I gonna do with you?"
She hurried over to the sink, running the tap before returning to his side with a cold, damp rag. "Here, let me see where you burned yourself. You know I'm never gonna let you live this down, right? Unbelievable," she groused, but there was no heat in her words, only a teasing lilt to cover the underlying concern. "Rhys, come on, sit up, I can't see anything with you curled over like this."
Rhys opened his mouth to tell her to run, to get away, that Jack was here - but what came out were not his words. "Yeah... Got a real bad burn, sorry! Guess I wasn't paying attention."
His body sat upright, his metal hand covering the broken fingers on his left in such a way that it looked casual. He felt his mouth stretch into a forced smile and he hated it, it felt so superficial - it felt like a mask.
'Please don't hurt her- I'll- Look. Listen Jack, okay? I'll do whatever you want, just leave Fiona alone. Please, please don't hurt her, please, I'll do anything, really, I mean it, please-'
"...Rhys?" Fiona was watching him with curious eyes, sensing something was off, but writing it off as pain from a burn. She glanced over him and noticed flecks of coffee over his clothes and his hands folded on his lap, but nowhere could she see where he was injured. "Where did you get burned? I don't see..."
"Remember when I sat, begging you for my life on my knees? And you stood there, staring down at me like I was nothing?"
"Rhys? Hey-"
Rhys continued to smile even as tears raced down his face. 'Fiona...'
"And I promised you that I would make you suffer for daring to betray me. Well I keep my promises, pumpkin."
"Rhys, if it hurts this bad, let me call an ambulance-"
"Poor, sweet Fiona... She'll never see it coming."
Rhys lifted his mechanical hand up to Fiona's worried face, brushing her messy hair back with a feather-light touch. She was still searching his face with worry pinching her brow, because he was still smiling even with tears streaming from his eyes.
"Fiona... This is for Rhys."
The vault hunter had a moment of pure confusion before her throat was seized by the grip of the cybernetic hand. Her eyes flew open as she grabbed at the metal wrist. Jack let Rhys have his face and voice back, and Rhys immediately told her, "There's a knife by my ECHO - use it!"
Her hand immediately scrambled across the counter, but of course Jack wouldn't let her succeed. Using the grip he had on her neck, he threw her down to the tiled floor, puppeting Rhys' body to straddle her struggling one, pinning her down with his weight. He readjusted his grip as she flailed beneath Rhys, trying to buck him off as she struggled to breathe.
"Fiona, hurt me! Do what you can to get me off, don't let him win! Fight me, please!" he cried desperately, watching through his tears as she writhed helpless underneath him.
Jack's laughter rang in the back of his mind as Fiona tried to find a weakness in his arm, anything she could use to disengage Rhys' robotic limb. But her struggles were weakening as Jack squeezed harder, cutting off her air supply.
"Jack please! Anything, I'll do anything!"
"There's only one thing I want you to do, Rhys."
Fiona's eyes were losing focus and her grip on his arm was weakening, her hands falling slack and dropping off.
"I want you to suffer."
With the last of her strength, she mouthed Rhys' name and he could almost hear the final rasp of her voice over his sobbing.
"Rhys... Rhys...?"
Rhys' eyes snapped open and he looked around wildly. He found Fiona leaning close to him, concern on her features and he immediately scuttled away, the need to put distance between them was instinctive and paramount.
He scurried away from her in such a rush that his hand slipped off of an edge and he went tumbling down the side. He hit the floor and the spike of pain that followed helped clear his thoughts as he scrambled back against the curtains of the floor to ceiling windows. With his heart pounding and sweat slick on his body, he glanced around and took in the messy bed and dark room, and Fiona coming around the corner of the bed to watch him with worried eyes.
It was a dream? No, she looked exactly like that when Jack...
Jack.
Rhys looked down at his mechanical arm and quickly went through the process of separating it from his body. When his metal arm disconnected from its main drive, he unhooked it and tossed it away, watching it tumble across the carpet and further into the darkened room. He shuddered, slinging his tattooed arm over his chest and clutching his now empty right shoulder.
Curling into himself and trying to banish the nightmare from his mind (Fiona's terrified face, her frantic grip-), Rhys concentrated on this reality, trying to ground himself to the truth.
The feel of the soft carpet beneath his bare feet, the silky fabric of the curtain that fell around him like a cloak, and the glass window cold at his back through the sleek material.
He felt Fiona settle down on the floor across from him, and he looked up to see her lean back against the side of the bed, her right leg outstretched towards him. She watched him carefully but said nothing, her jade eyes so arresting in the near-dark. Gradually, he relaxed his posture enough to allow himself to straighten out his legs, his right leg taking place alongside hers.
She nudged his calf with her bare foot gently. "Bad dreams?"
After a moment, he nodded, silent. His features taut with the memory of his unconscious visions. The Pandoran regarded him carefully, before sighing softly to break the silence.
"When...I was a little girl, I used to be afraid of rabbits."
The words seemed to come from out of nowhere, and it took the company man a moment to understand what exactly she was saying. He looked up at her in consideration, his arm still slung over his chest as if to console himself.
Fiona continued on.
"Yeah, can you believe it? I saw them as just, so monstrous when I was a kid. They were so fast, fast enough to catch you if you tried to run. And long ears, so they could hear you coming from a mile away. But the worst of all were their teeth - especially these up front." She pointed to her own mouth before she brought her other leg up to hug it, keeping her right leg stationed next to his. "Those teeth could bite through anything, bones and all. I used to..."
Here she scoffed, a look of embarrassed disbelief crossing her features as she looked down and away from his eyes. "I used to think that one day, I would have to protect Sasha from a rabbit - or, God forbid, rabbits - because she was so small. I was small too but she was just this little thing, couldn't even talk yet. Well, not real words anyway, just you know, baby sounds. Anyway. She was this little nugget," Fiona smiled here, lost in the distant memory of when her only sibling was still infantile. "And I thought that a rabbit was just about her size. It could eat her up in just a few bites. One, two, and she'd be gone. I told myself that I'd never let that happen to her, no matter how scared I was of rabbits. I made a vow and everything, even wrote it on some paper or something. Signed my name, or tried to anyway. Probably just a scribbled mess."
The Pandoran waved it away, bringing herself back to the present as she lifted her eyes and met his. "I had nightmares about them for years, even after Sasha was old enough to start conning on her own. But do you wanna know what the funny thing is?"
Rhys nodded, silent, his features no longer set in despair, but not quite himself just yet.
Fiona grinned, her cheeks heating up in embarrassment. "The last of the rabbits died out about a full decade before I was even born. So... There are no rabbits on Pandora. Not any more."
The corner of his mouth kicked up in the beginnings of an incredulous smile, and Fiona snickered at how ridiculous she used to be. She ran a hand through her bedhead, realized how messy it must look, and proceeded to try and smooth it down somewhat. She glanced up at Rhys to catch him watching her with a tender expression, a soft smile on his face.
Fiona was not good at dealing with emotions - her own and especially not anyone else's. But Rhys was her friend, maybe even her best friend... Maybe even more if she let herself examine just how much he meant to her. So as she watched him, taking in the sweat drying on his pale skin and his wavy hair in disarray, she felt her heart break for him and foolishly wished she could take his pain as her own. Instead, all she could do for now was console him as best she could.
"Do you...wanna talk about it?"
He glanced off to the side, avoiding her gaze and remaining non-verbal, and so she took that to mean no. Eventually he dragged his eyes back over to her, before bypassing her and zeroing in on his artificial limb.
"Can you-" His voice was rough, so he cleared his throat and tried again. "Can you get my arm for me?"
She pushed herself up and walked over to his mechanical arm, bending down to pick it up. She was a bit surprised at how heavy it was, then remembered struggling to boost Rhys up and a stray comment from him about his arm contributing to his weight. She stood and made it back to him, lowering herself down by his side. She offered his arm to him when he made no move to take it.
"Turn it over, to the other side."
She figured he was trying to teach her how to reattach his arm, probably because he would have a hard time doing it with one hand. (She didn't ask why he removed it so violently in the first place.) So she turned it over like he suggested, until he told her to stop. His arm sat in her lap, the open connector on his shoulder joint facing up. She could see prongs and recesses, areas where his main body could easily slot into. She never understood his cybernetic enhancements but he seemed happy with them, so she never questioned how it all worked.
"There's a concealed button just under the rim of the shoulder joint, can you see it?"
Fiona peered over the silvery finish of his arm, checking closely around the rim like he said. She found a rectangular piece that was small enough to be easily overlooked. "This?" She pointed at it with a turquoise tipped nail.
"Yeah, remember where that is. Now turn the upper half of the arm again, so the top is facing up."
She twisted the heavy metal in her lap until his arm bent at the elbow and his upper arm was vertical. His lifeless robotic hand was now splayed over her bare thigh, palm cool against her skin, and she was trying very hard to Not Think About It.
"Beneath the largest metal plate, there's a small depression hidden underneath that you should be able to slide your fingers into. Try it."
The vault hunter did as instructed, feeling carefully along the edge of the largest plate, before trying to fit her fingers underneath its edge. After a moment where nothing was giving, she was finally able to press her fingertips inside a set of indentations that seemed like they were meant for fingertips to occupy.
"What do you feel?"
"It's this sort of slot? Like a slot for each individual finger."
"Okay, good. Now keep your fingers in there and press the button you found earlier."
Reaching around with her other hand, Fiona pressed the button and felt very briefly a shift against her fingers. She tilted her head as Rhys said, "Now press and hold the button."
She did as instructed and this time the shift against her fingers held, but she didn't understand the importance to any of this. "Okay, what now? What is the point to all this?"
"I wanted you to know how to take my arm off in case... In case you ever need it. For, whatever reason."
She frowned in confusion as he reached out and took ahold of his cybernetic arm, slotting it against his open connector and quite easily securing his arm back into his shoulder socket.
He held his arm out towards her again. "Try to disarm me."
Fiona wanted to ask questions, but the tight look in his eyes had returned. So she reached around where metal met flesh and found the concealed button on the underside of his arm. She slipped her fingers underneath the plate, pressed and held the button, and gently pulled. The full weight of his mechanical arm disconnected and sat in her hands, once again separate from his body.
Rhys let out a deep sigh, some relief seeming to ease the tension in his face and body. "Good. Good... We'll have to practice some more, to see how fast you can remove it. Just in case."
"Hey, this is interesting and all, but do you think that maybe we can save that for later? It's like four in the morning right now. And you might run on overly sweet coffee but that's not quite the same for me."
"Oh, yeah, uhm-" he blinked rapidly, seeming to come back from wherever his thoughts had taken him. "You're right, you're right, it is pretty late... I'm- I'm sorry..."
"Hey..." Fiona reached out, taking his clammy left hand into her own and giving him a reassuring squeeze. "Nothing to apologize for. But we should get some more rest while we can."
She smiled softly at him, and the gentle expression over her features made him want to reach up and touch her in reverence. But as his mechanical hand neared her face, he flinched, and quickly lowered his hand, withdrawing the other one from her hold. It struck the Pandoran as odd, but she could glean enough from his reactions to have an idea of what his nightmare had included. Deciding that she'd have to be the one to take action, she pushed herself up and offered a hand down to help him up.
He hesitated for a long moment, before gingerly taking her hand in his robotic one. He quickly righted himself and his grip was gone from hers faster than a quick shot, and she tried not to let it affect her feelings.
He reached over and once again detached his right arm, striding across the room to settle it on top of the mostly cluttered desk. Its muted metallic gleam sat above various papers and diagrams, the sleek shape of it acting as an overly expensive paperweight. He turned back to face her, his expression slightly sheepish as he said, "I'll leave it here for a bit, just in case..."
Fiona didn't want to prod him when he was still obviously skittish, so she simply inclined her head and shifted to face the mattress. She began righting the sheets, fluffing the pillows before setting everything back in its place. Without looking back at him, she crawled in under the covers and nestled down on her side of the bed. She stretched and let out an exaggerated yawn as a way to dispel the awkward vibes coming from Rhys.
After a moment, he joined her, slipping under the covers and laying on back, his body stiff with a tension he couldn't shake. Sighing, the vault hunter rolled over onto her back, reaching over the pillow the separated her from her bedfellow, her searching fingers coming into contact with his tattooed forearm. She heard him hold his breath in suspense, but as her seeking touch trailed down his arm, he hesitantly allowed his arm to turn towards her skimming fingertips. She reached the back of his hand, the ridges of his knuckles prominent against the curious touch of her fingers. She shifted her hand and slipped her palm against his, slotting her fingers in the spaces between his own. Instinctively, he clutched at her, holding her hand securely with his.
"Don't you ever mention this to anyone," she spoke into the dark, and though it was a threat of sorts, its severity was lost in the gentle swip of her thumb over the back of his hand.
"Mhmm," he hummed, a tender smile stretching across his face.
"I mean it, Rhys."
"Yeah, I know." He closed his eyes and let himself concentrate on the way her hand fit into his perfectly. He heard her light scoff, and he squeezed her firmly in his grip. She responded by squeezing back.
Rhys allowed himself to push away the remnants of his nightmare, wanting to fully indulge in the comfort Fiona was willing to provide (even if she would deny it in the daylight hours). She kept a snug hold on his hand throughout the night, and her touch was his anchor as sleep eventually took over him again.
When his subconscious shifted and he dreamed again, all he could recall was Fiona's grip on his hand leading him somewhere safe.
ยฉrin-bellatrix 2023
โ borderlands masterlist โ main masterlist โ
"Take my hand, take my whole life too. Oh, for I can't help, falling in love with you." - Haley Reinhart
Exploring a near dilapidated building in search of anything worthwhile with her boyfriend, sister and brother-in-law, Fiona nearly ends up empty-handed, but leaves with a little more than she expected.
Written for Rhyiona Week 2023 with the prompt "trick/treat"
Header art by AnnaSabiNoKami ๐
Purple galaxy dividers from this post. Purple glitter divider from this post. Purple reblog and feedback divider from this post.
Enjoy and Happy Halloween! ๐
"Hey! Can you believe it? It still works!"
Fiona stood from where she had been hunched, sifting through a chest of knickknacks, turning to face Rhys who was handling some type of electronic device as he showed it off to Sasha on the other side of the room. Her sister stepped closer and observed him manipulating the cracked interface, and she tilted her face up to his with a question and his grin widened.
The sight of them in such a moment would have wounded her heart in the past, but now it made her smile in private satisfaction. Her boyfriend and her sister getting along so well always soothed some broken part of her, one that always wanted love and safety for the most important people in her life. Sasha welcoming Rhys so readily into their small family was a balm to her soul, just as Rhys had when securing Sasha as another best friend. They got along so great, and the sight softened the most jaded parts of her. Her two favorite people were happy and healthy and honestly, what more could Fiona ask for.
Sasha scoffed, taking a step away from the company man, idly running a hand over her hair as she pointed out a latch in the back. He turned it over and inspected it as the younger Pandoran walked away at the call of her husband's voice. August complaining about something, as was his usual, his grousing mutters making the young woman smile in affection as she sought him out.
Even newlywed, Sasha couldn't resist a good treasure hunt.
Rhys tapped against the outer shell of the device, his face showing clear confusion as Fiona sidled up beside him.
"What cha got there? Anything worth selling?"
He turned towards her, his bi-colored eyes falling down to her face. "If I'm right about what this is, this has the potential to be either a removable hard drive which could contain all kinds of secrets, or... It's a handheld video game system. Can't really remember right now, I've gotta take it back to HQ to run a more thorough scan." His lip twisted into a pout as he considered the retro machine in his hand.
Fiona reached up and brushed off some dust from his lapel, her hand moving up to the slope of his broad shoulder and down his arm, the expensive material of his suit gliding beneath her fingers. By the time she lifted her eyes back up to his, his pout had disappeared and his face had softened as he looked down at her.
"As long as it's not the digital remains of a megalomaniac, I'd consider it a successful heist," she joked, her lips kicked up in a playful smirk.
He huffed out a disbelieving laugh, shaking his head at her coy words. "Yeah, never wanna deal with that again. I'm good. Uhm, but hey..." he began, his mood suddenly shifting.
The vault hunter tilted her head, allowing her lover to take hold of her hand and pull her away from the room they were in. The distant sounds of Sasha's amused tones and August's loud curses faded gradually as he lead them further into the abandoned building they were rummaging through.
They walked down a long hallway, past other rooms that had already been ransacked, Rhys all the while holding her hand gently in his own. He finally slowed as he reached an overturned bench, releasing her hand to right the piece of furniture and dust off the old cushions. He sat down and patted the space next to him, his smiling face bright in the dingy light.
Fiona felt herself mirroring his expression as she sat next to him, her knee knocking against his. "What's up? Found something special?"
He grinned, and he looked so boyish in that moment that she had to resist reaching over to pinch his cheeks. "Actually, yeah!" He slipped his mechanical hand into the breast pocket of his blazer, pulling out what looked like an old, curved metal piece. "I think it's some kind of wrist guard. It looks like it might fit you, what do you think?"
He handed it over and the vault hunter took it, turning it over in her hands to inspect it. Intrigued, she removed the wrist brace on her left arm and tucked it away, fitting the new one into its place. It fit pretty good, a few adjustments and she'd actually be able to wear it comfortably. Tapping a turquoise nail on its tarnished metal surface, she determined that it was probably most effective when parrying bladed attacks.
"Hey, not bad. Seems like you've got a good eye for this."
"There's more, actually."
Fiona looked over at him and he was already holding out his hand to drop something into hers. She cupped her hand beneath his and he loosened his grip to let something light fall into her waiting palm. Bringing it closer, she noticed that it was a pair of earrings, giant gems glittering in the center. It was certainly an older set, the setting around the jewels had warped slightly due to age, but it was still beautiful even in its diminished state.
"Wow, not bad Rhys! Clean these up a bit and you've got a pretty penny sitting in your pocket." The Pandoran felt oddly proud in this moment, knowing her lover had scored a decent haul from the remains of a long-ago abandoned facility.
So far, she hadn't found anything of note, but the thought of leaving here knowing her boyfriend had found some treasure left her somehow satisfied. It's not often that he can leave his company and come meet with everyone like this just to enjoy some time together. This was a much needed break, not just for him but for all of them.
She handed him the old jewelry back, watching in contentment as he pocketed the set, before shoving a hand down his pants pocket. He fidgeted for a moment, before dragging his eyes up to hers. She lifted her brows in silent inquiry.
"So there's also... This other thing that I found..."
"Yeah?" she prompted when it looked like he was struggling to continue.
He seemed to hesitate, before drawing his hand out and reaching for hers. He held her left hand gently in his own as he fumbled with a small object, finally securing a hold on it and singling out her second to last finger. He slid a circular object onto her digit, nestling it past her knuckles until it sat comfortably at the base of her finger.
Fiona immediately zeroed in on the shine to the item, her critical eye noticing that it was new, unblemished like the other trinkets Rhys found before. It was a ring, precious stones flashing brightly even in the slightly darkened room. She lifted her hand and inspected it further, impressed with the fire inside the gems and the quality of the overall expert craftsmanship. This piece of jewelry was truly remarkable, and it definitely cost more than a pretty penny.
She looked up meeting her boyfriend's eyes, finding him watching her intently. "Rhys, where did you get this? There's no way you found this here," she asked, watching him curiously. This was a long ago abandoned facility, the chances of something worth while being left here, untouched by grit and grime was far too low.
He shifted in his seat, his knees bumping against hers as a blush reddened his cheeks. "Well, I did find it, but not here... It was actually in a shop on Dionysus... A jeweler to be exact."
"So... You brought this here from Dionysus?"
Atlas' ceo was watching her intently, and she felt like he was trying to tell her something without using his words. When she only responded with a perplexed hand gesture, he nearly rolled his eyes.
"I found it, at a jeweler's, as in, I commissioned a professional jeweler to make this especially for me, because I was planning on giving it to you..."
"Oh..." Fiona glanced down at the beautiful ring again. The ring Rhys had ordered to be made especially for her. The ring that was sitting on her ring finger, on her left hand. Fiona was typically as smart as a whip, but she had suffered a concussion not too long ago (the perils of being a vault hunter), and it took a minute for the gears to start turning. "...Oh!"
Snapping her gaze up to his, the focused look in his eyes now made sense as he waited for her answer. She swallowed down a rush of adrenaline, feeling the pounding of her pulse all over as she realized that yeah, this was really happening.
Knowing his lady love well, the company man knew that Fiona was currently battling a fight or flight response. Remaining calm, for both of their sakes, he reached over and gently took her hand in his, lightly running his robotic thumb over her knuckles in a slow, repetitive arc, brushing over the engagement ring with every pass.
"You don't have to answer right now, you don't even have to say yes, I just wanted-"
The vault hunter vaulted over his lap, crashing into his body with such force that it knocked the both of them off the bench, tumbling into a heap of ripped up carpet. It was incredibly dusty, smelled a little bit like mildew, but the young ceo was fully preoccupied with trying to meet the many kisses his girlfriend (fiancรฉ?) was trying to suffocate him with.
"Is- is this- a yes? Are you- saying- yes?"
"Yes you idiot," she grinned, her lipstick smeared over her mouth in a truly ridiculous but endearing way, and the Atlas president knew from past experience that his lips were not fairing any better.
"Oh okay, that's good, because for a moment there, it kinda felt like you were gonna snap my neck and hide the body under these rugs here... Do you smell that by the way?"
Fiona was laid out over her lanky boyfriend (fiancรฉ?), her armor and sharp accessories poking him uncomfortably, but her eyes were soft and her smile was wide, and Rhys really counted himself fortunate enough that such a stellar woman allowed him into her heart. She leaned down and kissed him again, this time slowly, allowing him to cup the back of her head and close his eyes, enjoying the plush shape of her lips. Her hat tumbled off, but she didn't seem to mind as she tilted her face to taste his mouth from a different angle. Her hands cupped his face, thumbs sweeping over his cheeks as his free hand smoothed down her back to settle in the dip of her waist.
She hummed pleasantly, kissing the corner of his mouth lightly as footsteps neared their position.
Fiona pulled away to gaze down at him with all the love she usually held in reserve, and Rhys found the he couldn't look away even if he wanted to. The old facility didn't exist, nor did the smelly carpet at his back, not even the sight of Sasha rounding the corner in his peripheral could get him to break away from his future bride's eyes.
Sasha stopped when her eyes landed on the couple laying in a pile of dirty rugs, and after a moment of assessing the situation, she turned right around and started heading back. August was following her, a curious expression crossing his face as he watched his wife back track towards him.
"Hey, you found 'em?"
"Yeah, let's go, they're fine," she answered, taking his arm and turning him around.
"What, were they like, indecent or somethin' like that?" he snorted, still not over the fact that a string bean nerd like Reese could get any action, period.
"Mmm, something like that," Sasha quipped, a secretive smile on her face.
The blonde snapped his attention down to her, his icy blue eyes wide with shock. "Eh?! No way- tell me, what arm was he usin'?"
The younger Pandoran leveled him with stoic lifted brow, her expression less than impressed.
"Sash, be honest. Was it the fleshy hand or the robo hand?"
She rolled her eyes, stepping carefully over some fallen debris littered on the floor. "You realize you're talking about my sister and best friend, right?"
"Well yeah, but-"
"August, darling?"
"Yeah?"
"Shut up before I file for divorce."
"..."
When Rhys and Fiona had reunited with the couple, Sasha snagged her big sister in a tight embrace, congratulating her sincerely, and as the sisters quieted down, from the other side of the room they could hear August ask Rhys, "Since we're gonna be future brother-in-law's, how about you answer somethin' for me..."
"August!" The youngest sister shouted, shaking her head as both men jumped at the sound of her voice. "I swear, sometimes I feel like I gotta keep him on a leash..."
Fiona grinned, bumping her elbow against the smaller woman as she said, "Looks like you've gotta domestic him a bit more."
"Yeah? We'll see how you fare domesticating yours," she teased, poking her sister in the ribs.
"Rhys doesn't need..." The vault hunter trailed off, both Pandoran women watching as the company man wiggled his mechanical fingers, gesturing with his left hand towards it as he explained something in a low tone towards the blonde man, who was listening intently and nodding occasionally.
Fiona felt her face burn with a sudden heat as her fiancรฉ flicked his wrist and a soft whirring of low vibrations filled the room. She felt her sister's pointed stare and realized that yeah, maybe Rhys did have some more domesticity training due... In the very near future.
If you're looking for a spookier Halloween tale featuring our favorite otp, then may I offer up "A Man After Midnight" which features Rhys and Fiona facing off against some supernatural evil~ Also it's like five times longer than this so it should satisfy any creepy cravings you might have ๐
ยฉrin-bellatrix 2023
โ borderlands masterlist โ main masterlist โ
โ Rocking to pay the dues [platonic or vashwood]
โ Love Left Bleeding (in my hands) [plant bros]
๐ Pink hearts divider from this post. Pink kniveswood official art from this post. Pink roses divider from this post. Pink knife and ribbon divider and pink diamond divider from this post. Please support your creators divider from this post. ๐
"It might not be the right time. I might not be the right one. But there's something about us I want to say. 'Cause there's something between us anyway." - Daft Punk
Rhys recovers his lost boot from the con woman with a ruby smile, and as she teases him about his fashion, he's struck with the realization that she's actually kind of fun. And pretty... Really pretty.
Written for @admiralsweko bc it's her bday today - HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWE~!! ๐ฅณ๐๐๐พ๐๐๐โจ
Header art by ourwarbird (deactivated ๐)
Lace divider from this post. Pixel heart dividers from this post. White dot divider from this post. Reblog and feedback divider from this post.
Written because inspiration struck due to the pic below that came from a post that Sweko had reblogged for another of her otps
Enjoy! ๐โค
Through the cracked windshield of the caravan, the barren, desolate plains of Pandora's vast desert rushed by and Rhys was at least a little bit grateful that he and Vaughn weren't making this journey on foot. And also, not alone.
The sound of easy conversation carried over to him from somewhere in the back of the vehicle, words lost on his idle mind but the calm tone was enough to keep him from worrying. At least they were all past the point of trying to kill each other. Even Athena wasn't so scary after a few board games to pass the time. (She was still scary, just on a lesser scale. Not that Rhys would ever say that to her face.)
For now, the sandy scenery whizzed by and out of sight of his peripheral. Honestly speaking, driving through a path that looked the same as it did the last hour and the hour before was driving the company man to boredom. There was only one seat up front and therefore only a need for one person. He was alone while everyone else socialized behind him.
Even Jack was quiet, laying low because he didn't want to draw Athena's attention to the fact that maybe he wasn't as gone as she would've liked. So Rhys was left in solitude, watching dunes and skag dens and occasional rakks above passing by for the nth time.
He huffed a drawn out sigh, settling his chin into the cradle of his propped up hand as the other remained steady on the curve of the steering wheel. He was fighting back a yawn when something heavy was tossed at him from the edge of his vision.
The sudden movement and weight of the unknown object hitting his chest and falling into his lap made him shoot to full alertness, his foot automatically easing down on the brakes as he glanced down to see what had struck him. It took a second, but the sleek design of expensive rakk leather made him recognize his own heeled boot, the one he had lost when he flew out of the caravan.
Confusion caused him to look up and over, his wandering gaze landing immediately on the con woman who was leaning casually against the dash. She pretended indifference to his obvious stare, until she happened to glance his way and caught his eye. She flashed him a cheeky grin and it was the first time she had ever smiled at him.
She was... Really pretty, actually...
Dismissing that thought immediately because - where had that come from (and what good could acknowledging this do?), he picked up his displaced shoe and the memory of being ripped from the relative safety of a moving vehicle came to mind. How he felt for just a moment, completely weightless, like when he and his best friend had left Helios and had breached the stratosphere of this planet, recalling the odd feeling of zero gravity that made his stomach lurch.
He was abruptly caught, Fiona's grip around his ankle the only thing keeping both Hyperion men from getting swallowed up by the desert. He counted himself lucky, until he could feel his heel easing out of his boot. The only connection he had to Fiona's desperate grasp was slipping away and there was nothing either of them could do. He remembered in that moment, that she had risked her own life by abandoning her secure grip to reach out to help these two men who she didn't know and didn't trust. The strength of her hold around his foot was fresh in his mind, the effort she made to keep them from the maw of the wastelands.
Sure, securing the two men from Helios meant securing whatever awaited them at Old Haven, but it had happened so fast, he doubted she had time to think about it that way. She had just acted on instinct. Well, at least that's what he thought. Fiona was just as much of an enigma as he was to her. Probably.
Quickly eyeing the landscape ahead of the caravan for any kind of obstructions, the company man slid his heterochromatic eyes over to the grifter by his side, raising a curious brow in silent inquiry.
She shrugged, looking down and off to the side, not meeting his questioning gaze as she answered, "Can't have you trekking across Pandora with only one shoe on. Figured I'd do you a favor and return your ugly footwear."
He was tempted to retort with a lecture on fashion and style, but a smile still played about her lips and he decided that he'd take the ribbing for what it was - a playful jab rather than a hurtful insult. Scoffing, he lowered his boot down to the floor so he could work his foot inside, returning his attention to the path before him as he shimmied his socked foot into the recess.
"Too bad for you, if you would've held onto it, you could've sold it for a decent profit. The high quality of this rakk leather is obviously lost on you though, what a shame."
Now it was her turn to scoff, the light huffing sound making a smile kick up at the corners of his mouth in anticipation of what she'd say in response. "I see you Hyperion snobs think too little of us down here - we might be desperate for quality goods, but I don't think a foul smelling fashion faux pas is gonna be doing anyone any favors. At least anyone with actual taste."
Said Hyperion snob grinned, shifting restlessly his seat at the first easy conversation that he'd had with this woman since he laid eyes on her. Bickering over nonsense with this pretty Pandoran native was actually kind of exciting. "And I'd like to thank you for confirming that no one on this rocky junk heap has any sense of taste. I had always assumed, but it's good to finally have it confirmed."
"Yeah, I don't think that's as much of an insult as you think it is, considering the situation you've got going on with that red strip of fabric."
"You mean my tie?" He subconsciously ran his mechanical hand down the length of the tie, genuinely wondering what she had an issue with.
"Oh, is that what that's supposed to be? How unfortunate." She twisted her face into a slight grimace, further provoking him in this little verbal game of theirs.
"I'll have you know that this is the latest in fashion amongst the elite on Helios."
"So you say. Is it... Tucked into your pants? Serious question here."
The young manager rolled his eyes, but couldn't argue further because... Yes his tie was tucked into his pants. It was a fashion statement! He shook his head, glowering at her from the corner of his ECHO eye. "Is this all you came up here for, to question my impeccable sense of style? Don't you have candy to steal from a baby or something?"
Fiona's face shifted into one of overly shocked dismay, a hand fluttering delicately to her chest in a show of being offended. "Well the only baby I see nearby is behind the wheel right now. As a true professional, I wouldn't take this time to rob you - could be dangerous to hinder your driving."
Rhys fought another grin, enjoying their banter even though he was obviously on the defense - and losing. But he had never had the chance to talk to Fiona one on one and he found he quite liked her taunting smile and jeering words. Her light green eyes were sharp, watching him carefully and he had no doubt that she had already pinpointed the locations of every single one of his pockets. She reached out to him suddenly and he wondered if she was gonna poke around said pockets now.
But her hand landed on his shoulder very briefly, patting him as she said, "Whenever you get tired of driving, let me know and I'll take over. Until then, try not to drive us off a cliff, Hyperion." She turned and sauntered away, and he found his gaze locked on her retreating back.
Was it strange that her sudden absence made him yearn for her to return to his side, to continue trading barbs and playful smiles?
Yeah, that was weird. He barely knew the woman and could count the positive experiences with her on one hand. But she left to join her sister, the sound of her voice in the distance catching his ear.
He lifted his eyes to the rear view mirror, in the hope of catching a discreet glance of her. Instead he was met with a pixelated face of blue staring back at him through the reflection. The sight of Jack made him jump, but thankfully it wasn't enough to affect his driving or draw attention.
"Ooh, somebody's got a little crush~" Teased the voice of his mentor, ringing in his ears and his ears only. "Not a bad pick either, Hat Chick is smokin'." A burst of digital blue particles manifested over the caravan's dash, solidifying as a projection of Jack laid out on his side, head propped up on one fist as he faced Rhys. "You know... If you hook up with her, you'd be doing both of us a favor." His former boss waggled his eyebrows, his expression alluding to deviant implications.
Rhys rolled his eyes, adjusting his grip on the steering wheel as a way to keep himself centered and calm. "Not gonna happen," he muttered, purposefully keeping his voice low as to not draw attention to the seemingly one-sided conversation that he was having with his dead employer's digital ghost.
"Ahh you're no fun! Just think about it-" Jack's sapphire smile glowed as he spead his hands out above him. "Me and her. I guess you'd have to be there too since, ya know-" His pixelated image collapsed and reformed to Rhys' other side, demonstrating his intangible state. "Don't really have a body at this point- but eh, we'll make it work. Anyway, we get her all hot and bothered right? And-"
"Look," the younger man interrupted, glancing once again at the rear view mirror but this time to make sure no one was overhearing his words. "It's not like that between us. I'm pretty sure she thinks I'm a total loser or something-"
"Not surprising."
"......And anyway... You're not her type. So there."
"Oh sweet cheeks, have you seen me? I'm everybody's type! If I were here in the flesh, Hat Chick would be on her knees begging for a scrap of my attention. Like, hello? Check this out!"
Hyperion's former CEO materialized in Rhys' direct line of sight, his azure image staring down at his cranial companion in what Rhys assumed was supposed to be a... "Sexy" stare?
"GOD I'm hot - it's honestly ridiculous how good-looking I am! They don't call me Handsome Jack for nothing kiddo. In fact, I was the winner of Garza Magazine's 'Top 100 Sexiest CEOs in the Galaxy', and there was also the award for-"
If Rhys rolled his eyes any harder than he was right now, he was sure they'd roll right out of his head.
Since becoming tethered to this man's coded reconstruction of his personality, the young manager wondered how he had ever spent so long admiring this narcissist whose blue visage was currently ranting about his looks and...sex appeal...? If Rhys, who had once idolized his former boss, was losing his hero worship more and more while in his company, then he knew Fiona wouldn't even glance his way.
Well, unless it was to put a bullet between his eyes. But the notion was inconceivable anyway; his ex-boss was long dead and his former employee was the only one who could see and talk to his digitized remains. So the thought of Jack and Fiona ever interacting was something he'd never have to worry about.
"Hey shit for brains, you hear me?"
Jack tapped Rhys on his temple port and it sent an electric zing coursing through his nerve endings. He stifled a yelp but couldn't help the knee-jerk reaction of his hands twitching along the steering wheel, sending the caravan into a sharp swerve until he quickly righted himself.
A chorus of complaints and questions sounded off from behind him and he immediately replied with "Sorry, sorry! There was a, uh. A baby skag in the way and I just didn't wanna hit it."
He nervously gulped and could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Glancing up, Athena's irritated gaze met his in the mirror and he felt his left hand begin to sweat. Redirecting his sight to the land ahead, he tried to focus on looking as inconspicuous as he could, given the circumstances.
"Oh, that was great! Your face - you- you should've seen your face!" Jack cackled, floating in mid-air as he clutched his sides in amusement.
The Hyperion employee felt his aggravation build, furrowing his brow as he tightened his grip over the steering wheel. Just as he opened his mouth to snap back, a small hand clapped onto his shoulder.
"Okay Rhys, I think that's enough driving for today," came Fiona's voice from over his shoulder. "Let me have the wheel, you can go rest and leave the baby skags to me. I think I know how to avoid them a bit better than you."
Rhys peered up at her as he eased down on the brakes, trying to gauge her reaction, but she ushered him quickly out of the seat. He felt her body slide in behind him as he was stepping off to the side, turning to face her as she settled into the driver's seat and adjusted it to fit her shorter legs. Her eyes were set ahead of her, but she spared him a brief glance, giving his tall body a quick up and down before returning her focus to the road.
"Sasha's making something for lunch, grab yourself a plate if you're feeling a little drained." Her words hinted at a sympathetic nature, but she must've caught herself being too soft on him because she continued. "We need everyone at their best if we're gonna secure Gortys' next piece, alright? We've got the opportunity of a lifetime here, Rhys. We can't mess this up."
Feeling a little embarrassed that he was basically kicked from driving duty, along with her reminding him of what was at stake, Rhys kind of nodded and mumbled a vague agreement as he rubbed the back of his neck. Not knowing what else to do when Fiona quieted and returned her full focus on the road while he just stood there awkwardly, he turned and shuffled down the stairs towards the cabin.
"And don't forget to save me a plate!" She called, and he turned to look at her before joining the others.
From this angle, he could see a little bit of her profile, watching silently as she reached up and adjusted her hat, before brushing her hair away from her face. She placed her hand back along the curve of the steering wheel and her turquoise nail polish glinted when caught in the sunlight.
He felt a new emotion wanting to bloom, but before he could examine it for what it was, Hyperion's ghost rematerialized in front of him, casting the back of the con woman in hues of blue. The fact that Rhys could see Fiona through Jack's body was unnerving and unpleasant, and it caused him to frown as his raised his eyes to meet the stare of his dead boss.
"Hey, kiddo. In all seriousness, don't let this little thing between you and this Pandoran savage get between us and our big plans, okay? That vault and everything in it is ours, as long as you and your dick don't fuck this up for us."
The company man broke his intense gaze, turning away from his mentor and towards the others gathered by the kitchen area in the caravan. "Yeah, whatever you say, Jack." The words carried no conviction, and Rhys doubted that this would be the last that he hears of it.
But he was honestly tired of the cobalt corpse floating in his field of vision whenever he deemed to "grace" the young manager with his presence. Right now all Rhys wanted to be concerned with is getting some hot food in his belly, and being the one to bring Fiona her plate as an excuse to engage with her more.
Perhaps she'd thank him and flash him another smile. Now that... That would be nice.
Happy birthday Sweko, I hope you have a beautiful day~! ๐ฅฐ๐
ยฉrin-bellatrix 2023
โ borderlands masterlist โ main masterlist โ
