#Rhys Strongfork x reader

[rottenstrawberrymilk]

rhys strongfork x reader

9.1k words

        “God, you’re the best,” Rhys says with a sigh.         “Hey, you say the word and I’m here bossman. Anything you want or need, I’m on it. It’s the least I can do.”         Zer0 eyes you from across the office. Or at least, you think he is. You’re still adjusting to the faceless mysterious thing that hangs around Rhys all the time. He probably still suspects you. Were you being suspicious? You suppose you’d gone out of your way to be especially good for Rhys and earn his favor. After all, if you had betrayed Maliwan to defect over to Atlas, what was to stop you from betraying Atlas as well?         You didn’t exactly start here with a shiny clean record. But Rhys had been so kind and merciful, taking you in, giving you a decent position like this. You just want to express your gratitude anyway you can. Chances are his decision to let you into Atlas had saved your life. Thus, you figure you owe him every breath in your body. And a bagel. Anytime he wanted it. You don't think you'll ever repay your debt to him, and you don't think you want to either.

        You think you could be happy here, at Atlas. And that's not something you imagined thinking about any one of the soul sucking greedy corporations that had their eyes on the planets in this system. 

        As you turn to walk out the room, attending to some other business you'd been assigned, Rhys's eyes follow you. Zer0's head tilts ever so slightly towards Rhys. He heaves a bit of a sigh, regarding the bagel on his desk. And you remembered the cream cheese he likes. He wonders if he's about to make a mistake. I mean, how could someone as nice as you possibly stab him in the back? He looks back up at Zer0, and the assassin just gives a curt nod.

        Just do it. Gotta find out one way or another.

        Rhys nods as well, before sinking down low into his chair and burying his face in his hands. If this is the right, smart thing to do, why does he feel so goddamn guilty about it? He finds himself wishing he was more like the other CEOs. Ruthless, calculating, business first, success first, able to actually watch their ass. Willing to do whatever it takes to hold onto that seat of power. But then he finds himself wondering how those men live like that, on the edge, suspicious of everyone, so sure death was seeking them out at every turn. It had to be miserable, right? 

        Meanwhile, you were making your way down a hall. Rhys said he'd wanted you to go check on the new maintenance guys and see how they were adjusting, and then report back to him personally. You don't mind having to run around headquarters all day, it's good exercise and you feel productive. It doesn't feel like he's just giving you busy work either, he's just having you act socially in his stead. The guy can't be in seven places at once, although you bet he wishes he was. He's never been a micromanaging type, but he is a bit of a chatterbox. 

        Suddenly, a firm hand grabs your shoulder, shoving you up against a wall. Momentarily, you're winded, gasping out, as the razor sharp tip of a sword presses lightly to the center of your throat. Zer0 suddenly appears out of thing air. Confusion is obvious on your face, but it's not enough to fool him so easily. Anyone, traitor or not, would have been shocked getting caught off guard like that. 

        "Talk," Zer0 commands. If it's not elaborate haikus, it's equally cryptic one word sentences. 

        You shift a little under his grip and his fingers tighten, to the point where you know he'll leave bruises. You wonder what the fuck is going on. Best communicate that. 

        "I don't...what the hell are you doing?" you ask, sounding less outraged and more afraid. Good, Zer0 can use that. It should make this all easier. 

        "You are still very new./ Where do your loyalties lie?/ Tell me the real truth." 

        Your brows furrow. "My...my loyalties?" you repeat back, a bit dumbfounded.

         Are you being interrogated right now? Was Zer0 that suspicious of you this entire time? You couldn't get a read on the guy no matter what, even back when you'd first joined Atlas (at Rhys's own suggestion). You know it's his job to protect the CEO, and you figured he'd do it whether he was contracted or not, but what threat could you possibly pose to Rhys? You feel a bit stupid for not immediately jumping to your history--even if it had been months ago and the majority of the conflict and siege had settled, that didn't change how long you had worked for Maliwan before coming to Promothea. It didn't matter if it had been against your will to be sent here to fight, to die, for Maliwan's cause. All that mattered was that you had been initially taking orders from Katagawa Jr. 

        You take in a shaky breath, heart still racing in your chest. The sword point remains steady. It pricks at your skin, already warning you for taking such a long, rather suspicious silence. The visor hiding his face is blank. No stupid little emoticons, no text, just black. You can see your own terrified reflection in it. You don't know what to do other than to tell the truth, just like Zer0 had demanded. But what if he still didn't believe you? Doesn't matter. You come to realize you don't have a choice. You force your voice to be steady. 

        “I’m loyal to Rhys,” you say, jaw set. “I owe that man my life.”         Rhys, not Atlas, Zer0 notes. He’s not sure how to feel about that yet. Slowly, he leans a little ways back. He steps away, giving you some personal space back. And the sword withdraws from your throat. Silently, Zer0 sheathes the sword over his shoulder, and the blade fades away into nothing. You know it will only be a few moments before he does the same. He lifts a gloved hand, holding up a stern finger.          “Please do not forget/ I am always watching you/ do not fuck this up.”         You know you could have not replied at all. You could have just looked away and let this nightmare of an interaction be over. But heart pounding in your chest, you can't help but give a response. “I won’t. Second chances don’t come around often.”

        Zer0 regards you for a moment longer. Then, he vanishes. Creepy...you'll never get used to that. You take a moment to stand there, unsure if he's gone or if he's going to continue tailing you for longer, just to double check. All he'd be affirming is that you were telling the truth if he did that. You think about going straight back to Rhys's office and telling him what had just happened. But you remember he'd given you an assignment to do. As shitty as all this was...the least you can do is get that done before returning. Rhys should know Zer0 is suspicious of you. But he'd also asked about the new maintenance staff's adjustment, and that's important too when it comes to rebuilding and cleaning up some of the HQ.

        A sigh leaves you before you resume the direction you'd initially been headed in. Lucky for you, the new maintenance guys seem pretty capable. It's not that you didn't trust Rhys's judgement in hiring (after all, he'd brought you on as some extra help), it's just...things had been hectic and desperate, and his priority had been to replace the former staff which had mysteriously vanished. Rhys said he knew nothing about it, and then mentioned there were no bodies, before promptly cutting off his ECHO device and never speaking of it again. None of your business, and frankly you're not nearly nosy enough to care. 

        You tried not to seem like your mind was elsewhere, still shaken from the encounter with Zer0. Instead, you politely smile and nod along to whatever the new guys are saying.         

        "Uh huh...well, good to see you guys are so eager to get started. The CEO decided to have some of the Crimson Lance join you guys as bodyguards. They'll make sure you're safe while you sweep headquarters, uh, no pun intended. Not all of Maliwan has been booted out yet." 

        They nod, murmuring their thanks. 

        "Great, the boys should be up here any minute. Feel free to mingle. Rhys wants the overall sweep done by about six. You can come back here and report the damages and body count to me and I'll pass it up to the big guy upstairs." 

        Rhys had always instructed you not to be too formal. He said it "ruined the vibe" he was going for. It was odd, you've never worked for a company that was purposefully attempt to maintain such a lax attitude. Especially right after an attempted invasion, takeover, and then additional total destruction attempt by Katagawa Jr. But if he said he wanted it done a certain way, you were going to make sure you adhered to his preference. The little voice in your head once again reminds you with a guilty twinge that it was the least you could do. It still felt weird to drop all the "sir"'s and formalities after years of having to do it at Maliwan. 

        You wonder if a company with that kind of hierarchy could last long against the other ruthless giants. With Hyperion gone, Dahl still getting back up on their feet from when Hyperion had initially come to power, there's once again a central power void waiting to be filled. Could Atlas actually do it? If Rhys could genuinely return Atlas to it's former glory, that would be incredible. You don't know if it's possible for mega corporations that primarily compete in the gun market to ever reach peaceful agreements, but you certainly believe Rhys might be able to pave the way to that new frontier. 

        Then again...he has his own shortcomings. 

        You hadn't known him long, at least, not before he became a CEO. But you're aware of his weaknesses. One of them, maybe being that his pet assassin slash bodyguard seemed to be allowed to free roam and terrorize whoever he wanted on a whim of suspicion...okay that one might have been a little personal. But, you've got the report and gave your little speech to the new maintenance team, so now you have time to go and talk to Rhys. You can communicate those feelings and hurt instead of letting it rot you inside, like you would have done at Maliwan. You still can't help but feel bitter, almost automatically in a bad mood whenever you're reminded of working for them...

        Goddamn Zer0.

        Of course it's not fair for you to be allowed to forget. Not with all the destruction and innocent lives Maliwan had cost Promethea. And you'd been on the payroll. You try not to fall too far into your own head as you turn away and head back to the elevator that ascended to Rhys's office. It's an uncomfortable wait, and an even worse silence. Usually, you stop to gaze a little at the massive aquariums lining the way to the CEO's office. But this is urgent. 

        Rhys looks up from his desk at you and smiles, although you feel like there's something...wrong. 

        You practice some restraint, and decide to give him that report on maintenance first. 

        "So yeah..."

        Rhys pushes his chin into his hand. "I hope they don't find too much damage. I gotta be even more on top of it with the finances around here, what with how I'm gonna have to rebuild the city too. Or bodies," he gives a nervous laugh, "hope they find even less of those. Identifying, funerals, cremations, burials, finding the families, it gets pricey y'know?" 

        Right...that was the other thing about him. While he's not nearly as bad as the other CEO's you've heard about in your lifetime (you heard Handsome Jack was a total monster), Rhys can be a little callous at times. CEOs generally seem to have a disconnect between themselves and everyone else lower in the company. A special kind of corporate breed of lacking empathy that can be a bit disturbing. His isn't especially awful but...you worry. You hope he can keep himself on the right path. 

        At your lack of response, he shifts a little in his chair. "You...uh...are you alright, (Y/N)?" he suddenly asks. 

        Your eyes won't meet his. "Can we talk? Privately."

        Rhys wonders if it's the smartest idea to grant that request. He knows Zer0 is in the office right now, being weird and invisible as usual. They're a great bodyguard, but Rhys sometimes feels a little nutty talking to thin air whenever Zer0 doesn't feel like uncloaking. The presence is usually comforting but...

        You won't even look at him now? Uh oh...

        Fix this, Rhys, fix this, come on... he tells himself.

        "Yeah, totally, of course." He turns in his chair, to a corner he hopes Zer0 is in.

        Sometimes they like to hang out near the bookshelves or the couch. He clears his throat. Zer0 promptly reappears on the opposite side of the room, prompting Rhys to embarrassedly swivel his chair the other way. Had the bodyguard been trying to make him look stupid in front of you on purpose? Anxiously, he goes to check your face for a reaction, to see you judging him, or amused, or...or still staring at a wall, away from him. His heart sinks a little. 

        "Just for a minute or two, Zer0," Rhys calls after him, having a feeling he won't be too far away.

        "Later, bro," Zer0 replies, walking out the office, still keeping himself visible. 

         If the assassin wanted to he could easily cloak and sneak back in. Which Rhys sincerely hopes they don't. Even though Zer0 had reported back that you'd only reaffirmed your loyalties to him, Rhys knew they still didn't trust you completely. Which is...fair. Anyone can say anything if they're under enough pressure. And he's seen Zer0 work enough to know how terrifying the guy can be. As well as unpredictable. As much as Rhys trusts them, it always seems like they're thinking eight steps ahead...freaky. 

        Rhys returns his attention on you.

        You give a soft exhale, like you're preparing to say something you don't want to. "Look, while I was going to get that update on maintenance, uhm..." Zer0 had attacked you, basically, was the truth. But you decide to play things safe. Maybe it's just a misunderstanding. God knows, Zer0 does his job incredibly well, and this is probably just part of it--you don't want Rhys suddenly not trusting his own bodyguard.         

        "I...ran into Zer0. Well, they ran into me, more like it, but, whatever. And he-"

        Rhys interrupts you. “I’m sorry, (Y/N). I asked Zer0 to do that. I just had to be sure-“         Your eyes finally meet his. The crestfallen look descending on your face is heart wrenching. Like he'd just kicked a puppy in front of you or something. Rhys wonders if it wasn’t the right choice after all to ask Zer0 to check your loyalties, to make absolutely sure you could be trusted. But lord knows he wasn’t brave enough to do it, not scary enough to get the truth out of you like the assassin could. He also couldn’t bare the thought of pointing a weapon at you, whether you were a traitor or not. Ironic, considering he's in control of one of many powerful gun manufacturers.          He just…he knows he has to be careful from now and into the future. The bigger Atlas gets, the more enemies he makes. The Maliwan invasion had been a very quick, brutal lesson in that.          You try to hide the disappointment on your face. Your voice comes shaky. 

        He knew. 

        You suddenly feel very stupid for coming in here in the first place. You shouldn't have said anything at all. You should have just kept it to yourself and moved on with your life, with your job, with your career at Atlas. It would have ensured this awkward, sad, stupid conversation never had to take place.          “Oh that’s…that’s okay I guess. I just thought…I mean you always told me the past is the past and it’s all behind me. That you didn’t care and that it was all behind me.” The hurt in your voice makes this so much harder for him.         “I know, I know what I said,” Rhys said, looking stressed. He runs a hand through his hair. There's some gray streaks already beginning to form. Embarrassing considering he's only in his thirties. “But…I needed to be sure.”

        Even though he knows this was all for his own safety, and this whole test was initially Zer0’s idea to begin with, Rhys feels bad. Like, really bad. He still gave his bodyguard the go ahead. He scratches at his mustache momentarily, trying to think of how he could…         “I understand, Rhys” you say a bit softly. He notices that there's tears beginning to form in your eyes. He starts to talk again, but you cut him off. “No, I really get it. I mean…only a few months ago I was basically under Katagawa Jr.'s thumb. You don’t have any reason to really trust me. Not yet, anyways.”         Bitter but true. And an insecurity that’d always clouded your mind at night before you fell asleep. Sometimes you still had nightmares of bullets flying past your head and people screaming and dying around you. But you’d always wake up, knowing things were different now. That instead of racing to the training field, you just had to race downtown to grab some coffee or froyo or a bagel or whatever the hell Rhys wanted that day before work. That Rhys was different, that Atlas was different from Maliwan. He’d promised you that you’d never have to hold a gun again— once again, ironic as Atlas is still another soulless weapons manufacturer. But Rhys had promised and that’d been good enough for you.

        Rhys looked even more uncomfortable now. He wears his emotions on his face. Something your former, much more homicidal boss never did. You don't consider that one of his weaknesses at all.          “But I do trust you,” he insists, “I mean— I sent Zer0, but it’s -it’s, God, it’s complicated. I trust you so much I had to just see if that trust was for real, does that make sense?”         It really doesn’t. If he trusted you there’d be no reason to suspect you in the first place, in your opinion. It hurts. He sees that little heartbroken look on your face still isn’t gone, even after his super smooth save. The tears are still gathering in your eyes and you still won't look at him. If he can't fix this, it's gonna drive him up the wall for the rest of the day.          “Y’know what? Dinner.” He claps his hands together, grabbing your attention with another awkward laugh and you swear you see a flush creeping up his neck. “Yeah, let’s do dinner. On me. Food fixes everything, right? Best way to say 'sorry' ever.”

        Could food fix a complete lapse in trust caused by his paranoia? He looks so earnestly at you, fingers still clasped together, almost like he’s begging you to say yes. Begging you to move past this with him and forgive this slight. Why not say yes? It couldn’t hurt. And it seems like it’s gonna make him feel way better than you would.         Under any other circumstance you’d shoot this down. It's unprofessional to go out with your boss. It's wrong. It's not right to let him pay for your food. It's not rational to...to...         The look on his face…he really does seem apologetic. You remind yourself that a boss like him is a rare thing during these times. You remind yourself that if there’s no Atlas, you’d be forced back to Maliwan or forced to try and make it on your own. Neither of those are options. You must have been thinking for a long time, because Rhys clears his throat and stands up from his desk. He approaches you, like he wants you to believe he trusts you not to snap and murder him. Because, hey, you used to be Maliwan, and that's all that you'd ever be to him-

        “It’ll be super cas, no pressure at all,” he says, with another nervous breath of air, interrupting your rather horrible train of thought. “Uh, like a ‘yayy you’re not here to kill me’ thing.”         “Alright. That sounds nice.” You smile at him but he feels like it’s not one of your real ones. It doesn't match the look in your glassy eyes. Was he shoving this onto you too fast?

        “You don’t have to if you don’t want to, I just wanna make it up to you-“         “Rhys,” you say, and he stops. “It’s okay. We’re cool.”         You hold out a hand for him to take, in spite of your racing thoughts. He does, giving you a firm squeeze. His hands are always so warm. He lets go after a brief moment. He takes a moment to fix his tie, which only skews it worse. You have to sometimes wonder how a guy like him holds a position like this one, much less built the formerly dead company up all on his own.         “I’ll pick you up at six, okay?” He says, and you nod.

        “But the maintenance team," you start and Rhys puts his head in his hand.

        "Right...right. Uh...seveenn?" he tries again.

        To his relief, you give another validating nod that didn't make him feel as stupid and dumb as he felt initially. "Can I ask where we’re going?”         “Nuh uh. Ruins my surprise. You gotta tr-“ He pauses. “Uh you’ll like it, okay?”         You give a light, exasperated shake of your head. Rhys breathes a sigh of relief at the bit of playfulness and the tiniest smile on your face. Seven gives you enough time to get that report to Rhys and go home for a few minutes. But until then, you have a slew of other shit to busy yourself with that Zer0's approach had totally distracted you from. The least you could do was throw yourself into your work for the rest of the day. There are some times where you spend most of your day at Rhys's side, waiting for a command or for him to need something. There are other days where you're out and about, in the halls of headquarters, or the streets of the city. Regrettably, you're relieved that it's the ladder today. 

        “Don’t worry, I do trust you,” you call out half heartedly as you leave.         Rhys wants to take one of the monitors off a nearby desk and smash it against his head. That couldn’t have gone any worse. ‘You gotta trust me’ seriously? After what he just did to you?         A bit of a groan escapes him and he goes back to his desk to sit down. Hopefully he can wrestle a reservation out of the place he had in mind. He figures you’re just telling him what he wants to hear— you’re a good employee like that. But before this all, you probably would have told him the truth. That dinner won’t fix him betraying you like this. That it’s not gonna magically put down the metaphorical middle finger he’d just put up to the months of time his relationship with you was built around. To the hours you spent basically at his beck and call. Doing whatever he told you to without a question or second thought. You'd always given off the impression you thought he was brilliant. And that made Rhys feel good. He's worried you won't ever look at him again like that. 

        He drums his fingers on the desk, resting his chin and mouth in his hand again as he shuts his eyes. 

        On the bright side…he’d finally had the balls to ask you out. Part of the reason he’d wanted Zer0 to interrogate you was because he’d really wanted to try going out with you. Obviously, he hadn't exactly jumped to let Zer0 know that. He still had a personal life! He was allowed to do that! CEO or not! He opens his eyes and reaches to the photo of Sasha on his desk, suddenly feeling guilty, and goes to place it face down. But he hesitates.         It’s…kinda lonely at the top. He feels it tenfold lately. And… well your smile had started kinda being the highlight of his day. Now he fears he's never gonna see the real thing ever again.          She’d want him happy right? He pulls his hand away from the picture. There’s nothing wrong with this. There’s nothing wrong with a guy like him wanting a girl like you. Of course there’s that pesky power imbalance, the fact that he’s your boss could make this messy… But other CEOs just do whatever they want, right? They don’t think about any of this shit. Although he doesn’t like thinking back to his time at Hyperion, even he remembers Handsome Jack’s reputation for fucking just about anything that moved. Whatever he wanted, he got. That was why Rhys had begun to admire him in the first place.

        Rhys rubs at his eyes. He doesn’t want to be like Jack though. Or Katagawa with that stupid ‘pleasure yacht’, or any other nutcase CEO. He doesn't want to just...just bend you over the desk and fuck you, like you're just something to use, he swears to himself it's not like that at all! It's more than lust that tortures him.          He wants you to like him. So desperately bad. He knows you like having him as a boss, that you like his stupid little jokes, that you like his mustache (he'd asked you once to be sure), that you enjoyed his company. At least once you did. But he wants you to like like him. The same way he feels about you. But it’d have been dangerous to let you in so fast without knowing for sure that you weren’t Maliwan’s last hurrah in an attempt to end his life. That you weren’t some super secret cute seductress spy attempting to exact revenge for Katagawa Jr. He wondered if it’d be rude to ask what your relationship with the other CEO had been. After how well everything else had gone? Yeah, probably.

        You'd been pretty low ranked in Maliwan, from what little you'd told him of it. He doubts that you'd ever received the high honor of boarding that stupid fucking pleasure yacht. He felt himself get a little angry still, at the notion of something he'd likely made up in his head and had no ground to stand on whatsoever. 

        “Should I follow you?/ She could still try to kill you./I know I would try.”         Rhys jumps a little as Zer0’s voice comes out of thin air. He’d forgotten that he'd sent the bodyguard out. And he certainly hadn't noticed him sneaking back in. Well not, sneaking, more like just sauntered right back in, plain as day and Rhys had been so lost in his incredibly frustrating thoughts he hadn't noticed. It'd been...a smart choice to have Zer0 leave the room. He’d have felt worse having him skulk around all invisible. Chances were the assassin had already listened in. And Rhys was none the wiser. What a powerful ally…He finds himself grateful Zer0 is on his side, even if he doesn't quite know what the answer is.

        “Ah, no,” Rhys says. “It’ll be alright. She’s not a Maliwan spy or anything— you heard it yourself.”         Zer0 gives him a look that needs no verbal explanation.         “I mean, you did interrogate her yourself. I don’t think she’d lie to you. Or me, as a matter of fact.”         Zer0 just shrugs. “I will still come with./ I will be outside the place./ Your foes still draw breath.”         Cool, a bodyguard outside the restaurant. And Rhys promises he’ll tell you too. Nothing but transparency from here on out! He can be better for you. Rhys wonders if it’s bordering on delusional to think he still has a chance with you after today. He’s reminded that you don’t have anywhere to go but Atlas. Anyone else would have breathed a sigh of relief at that security. But it only makes Rhys feel worse.

        What if you’d only said yes because you couldn’t say anything else? He’d never wanted you to feel as if turning him down wasn’t an option. You had seemed pretty genuine in accepting the offer. But if he brought up the idea of dating…should he just hold off on that? But he thinks about what Zer0 said, that poetic stuff about his enemies still breathing. He does have people out there who want him dead.         So if he’s gonna die, he’s gonna die like a man, dammit! And he’s gonna tell you how he feels because that’s the manly thing to do! Emotions are manly! Sharing them is manly!         So why does he feel like he’s gonna throw up on his desk?         Focus, Rhys, focus. The reservation hasn’t even been made yet.

        He hopes you'll like the place he picked. That is if you don't find an excuse by the end of the workday to flake out on him. He knows he might do something like that if he was in your position. Several hundred feet down, in the heart of the building, you do your best to stay busy and keep your mind off...everything. Every time you feel dread begin to rise, you beat the feeling back down.

        Free food. Free food. Free food. Free food.

        The repetition doesn't seem to help. 

        When the end of the day comes, time forever marching forwards no matter how badly you wish it wouldn't, you find yourselves at another crossroads. Maintenance had come back with their report. You knew you could take it to Rhys in person, as you usually do. It wasn't a formal policy or anything, it's just something the two of you had always done. In a company so absorbed in technology, it was important to have a little human contact. However you feel your stomach drop at the idea of jumping back on the elevator and going to his office...seeing him again. It's such a ridiculous turmoil--you have to see him again anyways later on in the night. But you just don't feel ready yet.

        You need some time to yourself. You need fifteen minutes to go home and cry on your bed, to get all the nasty horrible feelings chewing away at your insides out. Let yourself fall apart so you can string yourself back together, good as new. Then maybe, just maybe, you could handle dinner with Rhys. The last think you want to do is break down crying in public. It had been so hard to bite back the tears in his office, harder with every word out of his mouth. 

        You make the difficult choice just to forward the report to him via ECHO. If he asks any questions you'll just tell him you needed a little time to get home and get ready. Luckily, as you begin to head out the door alongside other Atlas employees, you don't receive any incoming calls from him. You wonder if he's up there, with that guilty dog-caught-eating-trash look, probably kicking himself for all this. It takes a lot of restraint not to turn around and go back into the building to check on him, like you've gotten so used to doing. 

        Maybe that's the worst part of today--is that you want to go crawling back. You want to sweep this under the rug, pretend like none of it happened, pretend like it's normal for someone you trust and maybe even love to do this to you. But you just can't. It'll take time. Or a way bigger gesture than dinner, you guess. 

        Dinner itself started off as awkward as you had imagined it to be. It's Rhys, so you figured there'd be a level of awkwardness whether what happened today had gone down or not. He still hadn't called you, to your relief, and had simply forwarded the address to the restaurant and the reservation time to your ECHO. You'd told yourself before leaving the house that if you really wanted to, you probably could have faked sick to get out of this or come up with some other brilliant excuse. 

        But you don't. You don't have the heart to stand him up like that.

        Oh also he's the CEO of Atlas and probably the man with the most power on all of Promethea. You'd weighed the possibility of him doing something drastic if you didn't show. You...you don't think he's that kind of man. But after the little loyalty test with Zer0, you're no longer sure. You're uneasy. So if sitting down for a little dinner with him takes that horrible feeling away, you'd do it. 

        He gives a bit of a weak, quiet whistle, hands in his pockets, somehow confident and nervous all at the same time. "Wow," he'd said to you, looking you up and down in your different outfit. "You look, uh, you look great."

        He gives you his signature 'ok' hand signal, a habit he'd formed lately. You'd just responded with a curt nod, still not sure what to say to him. You hate this. He hates this too. It feels like the two of you are strangers all over again. He's briefly reminded of your first week at Atlas, at his side. You'd rarely spoken to him, you couldn't look him in the eye, you flinched when he did speak, and everything you did, you did absolutely terrified. It'd taken half a month to get you to stop calling him sir, and even longer to convince you to address him as 'Rhys' rather than Mr. Strongfork. Was it gonna be like that again?

        What the hell was he thinking...

        He visibly seems to deflate, the smile flickering on his face. You feel bad for your coldness--it hadn't been purposeful.

        You clear your throat. "Y-You look good too, Rhys. Beautiful, as always." 

        That seems to perk him up a little. That dumb smile of his slips back onto his face. "Y'think? Parted my hair different, see?"

        You honestly can't tell the difference or if he's joking. But either way, you just nod again. Whatever, as long as that horrible ice is broken. It shouldn't be there in the first place. You painstakingly remind yourself that it's his fault it's there to begin with. He lead you over to a table, near the back of the restaurant, towards a large window that gave a rather nice view of the city. Well, what was left of it anyways. He has a lot to rebuild. 

        "This spot used to be the best in the house," he explains a bit awkwardly. "It's been a...a little bit since I've taken anyone here so I totally forgot that the city's, uh, destroyed--you ever been here before?" 

        He has this way of talking where every thought just goes straight to his mouth. Like you can follow his train of thought alongside him. That's why you'd trusted him so fast and warmed up to him so easily before. Now it makes you wonder how he'd been able to keep his plan a secret from you. Had he planned to do that to you for long? Or was it a spur of the moment Rhys thing? 

        Stop thinking about it.

        He was waiting on a response.

        You shake your head. "No. I haven't had the chance to check everything out here."

        Rhys wants to kick himself. Right. You'd practically spent most of your adult life working under Maliwan. You'd only come to Promethea to begin with because that's where you'd been ordered to go. Hopefully a waiter comes soon and saves him from this. Or...he could just be honest with you and say sorry. He'd been pacing the office, already planning out an apology in his head. He'd even written it down on a piece of paper, of all things, and then had promptly crumpled it up and threw it out. There's...there's a lot he wants to say to you and he doesn't have a clue where to start. 

        You watch Rhys call over a waiter with a rather brisk gesture that suggests the conversation is just as uncomfortable for him. Quietly, you put your order in. He orders wine-- a nice bottle from what little you know about fineries. You hadn't really imagined him to be a big drinker. He must be nervous. 

        "You can have some too. Obviously. As much as you want. My treat." 

        "Thanks," you say a bit blankly, finding your gaze wandering somewhere out the window. 

        He can wait for the alcohol to loosen him up a bit. To give him the courage to say what he need to. But he wonders if that might come across as inauthentic. If you'll think it's just the wine talking for him. 

        Fuck it.

        "Look," he says with a heavy sigh, regaining your attention.

        With your eyes on him, he's suddenly ten times more reluctant to continue. But he sets his jaw, he sits up straighter. His hand, the organic one, reaches across the table, in an attempt to mimic your forgiving gesture in his office earlier. You stare at it for a moment and Rhys heart stops in his chest. But then, gingerly, your arm lifts, and your place your hand in his. His fingers come to tighten around yours. 

        "I'm gonna be honest. No more lying, or hiding things from you. So I'll start by telling you that Zer0 is outside the building."

        He waits for you to snatch your hand away, to stand up outraged and storm away from the table, right back out the door. He feel him almost brace himself. But you don't move. 

        "I'll hear you out, Rhys," you say, voice still low. "But I'm not going to make any promises that I can just magically forgive you, or we can go back to how things were, no matter what you say. To be honest, I'm not even sure how I feel right now."

        "Of course, of course," he says, just sounding happy you haven't stomped off yet. "But you deserve an apology. So here it is. I'm sorry, (Y/N). I really am. It was a mistake to ask Zer0 to interrogate you like that. It was a mistake to ever doubt your faith in Atlas, in me. I know you haven't been with me long, but I honestly don't know how I would have stayed sane lately without you around. You're..."

        Your work at Atlas is important to me. Say that.

        "You're important to me," Rhys says finally. "Which is why I couldn't risk losing you if Maliwan was still...well, y'know, in the picture."

        You're quiet for a moment. His hand's warm around yours. You've made no motion to pull away. 

        "I have a question for you," you say.

        "Yes, anything," Rhys says, practically halfway across the table, he's leaning in so intently. 

        "If I had been a traitor, er, a Maliwan spy...what would you have done?" The question had been burning in the back of your mind. 

        Rhys hadn't even stopped to think about that. Maybe it's because even when he gave Zer0 the order, he hadn't imagine Zer0 would come back with anything suggesting you actually were a traitor. That made him feel bad again. He should have trusted his gut...he shouldn't have questioned you. 

        "I...I'm not sure. I wouldn't have had Zer0 hurt you, if that's what you're thinking. I think..." What would he have done? "I think I would have tried to figure out why. Why you were still working with Maliwan. Wh-which you aren't! I know that! But I would have figured that maybe they were blackmailing you, or-or threatening to hurt you, or something."

        Your head tilts. "Why?" For the first time that night your gaze meets his again and he feels relief thrum through him.

        "Because I still wouldn't want to lose you," Rhys said firmly. He gives a bit of a laugh. "No, I wouldn't give you back to Maliwan that easily, c'mon now. Who'd bring me all my bagels with the extra cream cheese and coffee and whatever stupid thing I'm craving if you weren't around?"

        Your shoulders also move in a bit of a laugh. You know that you do more for him than that. He knows it too. But he doesn't have to mention all that. 

        Rhy's thumb strokes over the back of your hand. "And...y'know when I first found you, hiding under my desk--which is where I was going, by the way--I figured...something tells me you were just as afraid as I was. Even if you'd been sent there to definitely kill me on sight. I don't think you'd secretly work for a corporation that scares you that much when there's a better option. Atlas is wayyy too nice to betray, right?"

        You give him a half smile. 

        "Okay, Rhys, you don't have to keep going. That...hearing that makes me feel a little better," you admit. 

        Your chosen drink and Rhys's wine arrives at the table. When he offers you a glass as well, you accept almost immediately. His apology, although initially hard to start, seemed to set your mind more at peace. You seemed to relax more, especially after a few more glasses of wine. Before long, the two of you are laughing and talking like you used to, over various plates of food that he's pretty sure neither of you will finish. Leftovers...nice. His suite's pretty barebones when it comes to fridge content because of how busy he'd been lately. 

        He had not known before offering you as much wine as you wanted that you were a bit of a lightweight. He realizes when he signals for a check from the waiter that the night may get a little more interesting. Especially when you were hanging on his cybernetic arm, finally outside the restaurant. It's difficult to keep an eye on you, the to go bag, and trying to pin down a ride all at once. 

        He manages and makes sure you gets into the car safe first. As he settles down next to you with a sigh, he glances over at you. You already look half asleep. He'd hate to wake you up, you look so peaceful...He turns his head to give the driver instructions but finds his words stuck in his throat. 

        He realizes he has zero idea where you actually live. “Uh…..”         Guess you could just come home with him? You’re practically asleep on his shoulder already, head leaned into the crook of his neck.

        He tries to stay as quiet as he can for the ride over, not wanting to wake you until he absolutely has to. You naturally come out of it when the car rolls to a stop outside the building. You don't really ask any questions as he guides you in with him. Either you're too tired, or you don't care enough to ask what's going on. Rhys feels a glow in his chest. Which means maybe you trust him again...? For real? Not in the fake, amicable way from before?

        Rhys shoulders open the door to his suite for you. He momentarily abandons the food from the restaurant on the marble countertop. He brings you to the first place he can think of, or at least the safest, the bedroom. Like you think it's your own room, you collapse onto the bed yourself, without any further prompting from him. 

        "Man, remind me not to go drinking with you," he mumbled, throwing some of the covers over you. "You get sleepy wayyyy too fast." 

        His response is just an unintelligible mumble. For a moment, he sits on the edge of the bed as you nuzzle into the pillow--his pillow. Somewhere in your mind, you wonder faintly why your bed smells like Rhys for some reason. His weight shifts, an attempt to leave. The couch in the living room is plenty comfortable. And so is his chair and his desk back in his office if he doesn't sleep well tonight. 

        He hears the covers shift. He feels your fingers suddenly wrap around his wrist, gently tugging him back to the bed.

         “(Y/N),” he starts, but he sees the way your eyebrows furrow, like you’re in pain. Much different from the peaceful mini-nap you had been taking on his shoulder in the backseat of the car.          “Please... don’t leave me here alone,” you say softly, eyes still shut. “I don’t... I don't wanna be alone.”         He barely catches the last bit your slurring is so bad, but his mind quickly catches up and connects the dots. Slowly, Rhys settles back down onto the bed. You keep pulling at him and with a sigh, he gives in fully, laying down next to you. A bit clumsily, your arms wrap around him completely. He lays, flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling, as your hand rests on his shoulder, arm splayed put over his chest. You’ve turned on your side, face pressed to his arm.

        Rhys is careful not to move the entire night, although he can't help dozing off a few times. He doesn't even know how it's possible to do that with the way his heart is racing in his chest. This...this isn't usually what he has in mind during his weaker moments where he can't help but picture you here, on his bed, with him. He finds his hand reaching up to grasp yours on his shoulder, holding gently overtop. Not wanting to move and wake you up, he manages to turn off the lights, from the bed. The perks of keeping his cybernetics and ECHO eye in such a high tech city, he supposes. The curtains pull, as if compelled, completely shut, to block out any further intrusive light. 

        Was this professional by any means?

        No.

        But then again, he thinks, gazing down at you, ECHO eye allowing him to see slightly in the darkness... when has he ever really cared about professionalism?

        When you eventually wake, you feel like you just had the best sleep of your entire life. No screaming no nightmares, no clench of fear in your chest, no waking in a cold sweat. Could have been the alcohol, but it also could have been that you're not alone in the bed-...Wait a minute, where the fuck are you? Your fingers are resting on something, someone else’s shoulder. Your heart seizes in your chest. The last thing you remember was drinking with Rhys…his apology…wait.         Slowly and tentatively, in the pitch black room, your other hand, the one that had been placed on his chest slowly drifts up to touch over a cheek.

        You bite the inside of your own cheek, letting your hand travel slightly down until you feel thick hair under your fingertips, and a soft upper lip—it’s definitely Rhys.         What the fuck is wrong with you? You both get drunk and the first thing you do is fuck him?! Completely unprofessional. Would you even be able to look him in the eyes ever again after this?! This was the exact thing you'd always been trying to avoid in Maliwan. It was all too easy to sleep with a boss open enough to the idea and get an easy promotion through that--you'd always sworn you'd never be one of those girls, as lucky as they were. And you'd especially sworn to yourself that you wouldn't do that with Rhys, even if he was cute and funny in that weird way and-

        Jesus Christ.         You suddenly feel a warm hand grasp over yours, the non-mechanical one. Rhys moves your hand down, hesitating over his lips briefly, before he decides it’s safer to just hold it at his chest again. He’s still wearing his shirt from the night before. His tie isn't even undone. Which means…you think about all the various ways you could have had sex…which means absolutely nothing. But…your underwear is still in place and your dress is only askew because you had likely shifted in your sleep.         It’s like he can read your mind.         “We didn’t do anything,” Rhys says, voice a bit rough from just having woken up. “You just…I was gonna go sleep on the couch, but you said you didn’t wanna be alone.”         Your face heats with embarrassment. You said that to him?         “Oh…sorry. I just…” You trail off. Just because he'd been honest with you last night doesn't mean you owe him the same thing. You don’t want to tell him that every night when you go to sleep you have to relive Maliwan. You don’t want to let him know that there’s a personal hell waiting for you every time you close your eyes outside the workplace. You don't want-         “Why don’t you wanna be alone?” Rhys finds himself asking, interrupting your quickly spiralling train of thought. “Maybe it was just a drunk thing but-“         “Every time I go to sleep I’m back, working for Maliwan, people dying all around me,” you find yourself confessing anyways, like you can't help it. Like you're possessed by some obligance. “It’s awful. I kinda thought it would stop after awhile but it…I dunno.”         Rhys shifts a little. You think he might be looking at you. You see his pale blue ECHO eye glow a little in the darkness, fixed on you.         “Did it help last night? I mean, me staying?” he asks.         You nod. “Yeah. It did.” There’s really nothing else you can say to him.

        You can't see it in the dark, but Rhys frowns. Every time you close your fucking eyes you’re back, in the middle of a battle, being shot at? Being miserable because of your former corporation? And it follow you even today? It still haunts you? And here he was making an assassin go interrogate you, thinking you were going to betray him and go back to Maliwan?         He could not possibly feel sorry enough. He heaves a sigh, one that moves your hand on his chest with it.         “I’m so sorry, (Y/N). I feel like even more of an idiot now. I had no idea-“         You shrug. “How could you? It’s not like I was sharing my dream journal with you over lunch.”         You have a…? He realizes you’re just making a little joke. Awkwardly, he stays quiet for a few more moments. You feel him squeeze your hand a little tighter to his chest.         “I…I wouldn’t mind if you did. I want that. Uh…”         The mental health of my employees is very important to me!         He could save himself now. He could bail on this whole stupid crush. He could keep this professional and just find someone else. But he just... can’t.         “I really really like you, (Y/N). And you don’t have to say it back or pretend to like me to so you can keep your job. You’ll always have a home at Atlast, with me, no matter what your answer is.”         You’re quiet for a few agonizing moments that feel like hours to Rhys with the way his heart is pumping. It's too early in the morning for this shit. At least he thinks it is. He actually has no idea what time it is. He feels you shift in bed, sitting up. Are you leaving? Already his heart begins to sink. He’s glad it’s dark in here so you can’t see how red he is. He breathes out a soft sigh, shutting his eyes momentarily. You see his ECHO eye’s light disappear. At least he’d finally said something. At least-         He suddenly feels your lips at the corner of his mouth.         “Sorry, I missed,” you murmur, a bit embarrassed. “It’s dark in here.”         Rhys can’t help but take your chin in his hand, adjusting your position so he can kiss you fully on the lips. The first is light, experimental at most. The kind of thing you can wave off as a mistake and walk away from. The second kiss… not so much. It's passionate, deep, your lips moving against his, like you want him in his entirety. Such a desperate, lonesome kind of need...the nature of your feelings towards him becomes just a little clearer to Rhys right then. 

        He’s breathless when you pull away, chest rising and falling somewhat quickly.         “So…I’m guessing that means you like me too?” He asks, a hopeful twinge in his voice.

        You fall back into the mattress, at his side, hand still grasped in his. You have no intention of pulling it away. With a sigh, you respond.         “You have no idea.”

[karasong]

ok... if anyone is a fan of borderlands (tales; 3; new tales, etc.) i was considering writing a rhys strongfork x reader with multiple choices like a tell tale fic... but would anyone enjoy reading it? the fic will be exclusive to ao3 - i just don't want to put a lot of effort into something that may only be read by ~3 people

edit: i am writing this. it is happening (& to those who have interacted with this post i will tag you when it releases so you know)

[frenziedslashers]

Lead The Way

Pairing: Rhys Strongfork x Reader

Warning: Porn without Plot, Blowjobs, That's really it tbh. Mentions of it leading to more, but I didn't write the rest. I might make a part two, idk.

"Oh fuck, holy shit, this is happening," He stammered into the air, a hand hovering over your head while you licked up his shaft between his legs. His back pressed firmly against the wall. He couldn't believe this was happening. "Just relax, Rhys, I'll take good care of you." Your voice was in a tone that sent sparks shooting through his body.

If you had asked him earlier that day what the CEO of Atlas would be doing later that night. It definitely wouldn't be getting a blow job from his super, super hot partner. The two of you had only been in a relationship for what? About four, or five months now? And this was probably the second time he was receiving head from you. Let alone about the fourth time either of you had done anything inherently sexual together. He was just too busy. Or at least he told you and himself that he was too busy. It was mostly him being nervous. Too scared he wouldn't be all of your dreams and expectations in bed.

When your tongue flicked out to lick over his tip his head collided with the wall behind him. A groan left his throat. Your pause while looking up to see if he was alright made him peek down at you. Pink splattered across his face. "The walls closer than I thought," he muttered in explanation, and you chuckled. Continuing your activities.

Your mouth enveloped his length like no other, and he swore he was about to combust. His eyes fell half-lidded, then fought to stay open. All while staring down at you. You were too perfect to take his eyes off of. Plus, he had heard that eye contact was intimate and would prevent you from feeling like he was disinterested in you. It was just so hard for Rhys to keep doing, though.

He wasn't used to the attention, nor the pleasure that was coursing his body. His hand slightly tightening in your hair while his legs shook and his shoulder blades dug further against the wall. "Fuck, I don't understand how you do this so well." He rambled, trying his best to stay focused and not cum as quick as last time. You never said anything about it, but that didn't stop him from worrying that it had annoyed you. He couldn't help it with how good you made him feel. He swore you could bring him to orgasm just by praising him enough and looking at him just right.

"Fuck, holy shit, I'm so close." You knew he was by the heavy breathing from your lover above. Along with his head slowly lolling back and his eyes fluttering shut. One final bob of your head and his hips were stuttering. His release hit the back of your throat while he let out a cry that had your thighs clenching. His reactions were always your favorite.

When Rhys finally came down from his high, you had made the mistake of moving away from him. The lack of you helping hold him up against the wall caused him to slide down onto the floor. His pants still around his thighs. "Fuck, how are you so good at that?" He asked, and you snickered. Crawling on your hands and knees over to the man. Rhys keeping his eyes on you the whole time. Especially when you decided to climb onto his lap. Thighs straddling his own. His hands coming to rest on top of them.

"Well, it's pretty easy when you're so sensitive." A gasp left the man's throat along with a pout. "I am not! You're just using some sort of spell on me. I know it. You've got to be a siren or something. It would only make sense. I'm not sensitive." He told you, squeezing at your thighs which had you giggling. Your hands resting on his chest and trailing down further and further... Until they stopped to rest right above his cock which was slowly but surely twitching back to life. "Oh, you aren't?" "No," he stated a bit sternly with a small smirk. The tone of his voice and the look in his eyes made you shudder. Your action only made Rhys' smirk grow.

"How about I return the favor, now?" This was new. Yeah, he's sort of initiated sex before. He's offered to make you feel good, but he was so much more confident in himself than he normally was. You liked the change. Smiling while nodding your head. "I'm all yours, Rhysie bear," you teased with the nickname to which he rolled his eyes with a sigh. Moving you off his lap so he could pull his pants up so they rested around his waist. Pulling himself and then you up off of the floor.

"Well, we better get started then. I have a couple things I'd like to try with you. If you're up for it, honey." This was all new, and you definitely wouldn't be denying any of it. Nodding in confirmation with a smile. Rhys smiling back while taking your hand to lead you to the safety of your shared bedroom.

[handsomemilo]

Just posted a short few Headcanons on Ko-fi for one time supporters and monthly

It's for Handsome Jack, Timothy Lawrence, Rhys Strongfork and Mad Moxxi

It's where they like to sleep on you, bit suggestive ig. I need to get better at that type of writing so it's practise ig.

Here's a link to it, but you obviously don't have to if you don't want to, as I don't have much content up yet.

[thissharktypes]

Into the Border-verse: 3

3 - Sparking up a friendship

You’re pulled from your dreams by humming and quiet clattering behind you. Sitting up you groggily rub the gunk from your eyes and yawn, arms stretching high above you, fully regretting your choice to sleep on the floor. “Well hello there sleepyhead!” You turn to see Jack rummaging around on your bed, picking up random things you had in your backpack “There’s breakfast on the counter for you princess.” He motions towards the kitchenette where a spread of food catches your attention. Your stomach growls harshly, reminding you of just how long it had been since you ate. Trudging over to a chair, dragging the blanket with you, you pile a bit of everything on your plate, fork in hand you happily munch on new and familiar foods. Pancakes, yes, weird shiny fruit, no, red squishy thing, yes, blue hard thing, no. You rank each item in your head as you slowly try bites here and there, every once in awhile glancing over at Jack who was now sprawled out on your bed flicking through a book you had stuffed in your bag months ago and forgotten about “It’s a smutty book.” You say through a mouthful of something similar to a biscuit, Jack looks over at you, an eyebrow raised so high it almost touches his hairline “Why read it when you can just go out and get it.” he groans and tosses the book down. Pink slowly creeps up your neck and cheeks so you duck your head down and focus on the food. Jack lets out a soft “Oh?” and you feel his hand gliding through your hair “I know that flustered look,” he smirks, pearly white teeth distracting you momentarily “Somebody hasn’t gotten laid in awhile~” his voice pitches up, practically singing his mockery. You shrink into your blanket, food now ignored as your face heats up even more, Jacks giggling cuts off “Wait a minute.” he grabs your face and forces you to face him, your eyes looking everywhere but his “Look at me babydoll.” you swallow, the last of your food almost getting caught as you finally make eye contact. His eyes slowly scan your face, your shaking hands, your leg bouncing nervously “You’re a virgin!” he gasps “Virginity is a social construct, it doesn’t exist.” you roll your eyes, trying to mask your nervousness “ Mmhmm, whatever, I’m just saying,” he leans in closer “Nobody’s ever dipped inside your honey pot.” whatever amount of nervousness disappears and you fake gag “Never say that again.” you pull away, gathering your blanket dramatically “Absolutely disgusting way to say that.” you huff, shoving your pile of stuff to the side so you could sit on the bed “Alright, I’ll rephrase,” he holds up his hands in surrender “Nobodies ever fucked your pus-” he’s cut off as a pillow sails through the air, hitting him square in the face. 

You freeze, momentarily forgetting that he was in fact, Handsome Jack, the murderous, serious anger issues and easily pissed off, Handsome Jack. Fear contorts your face and you shift backwards, poised to run. Jack stares at the pillow on the ground “Did you just throw a pillow at me?” he finally looks back at you, taking in your position, like a terrified gazel being spotted by a lion, you dart away, blanket dropping behind you as you shove the door open and book it down the hallway, not even risking facing his wrath. Your heart pounds as you slip on the smooth floors, socks barely giving you traction as you dip around a corner and see an open office, the lights off you can only hope there’s nobody inside as you slide in the room looking for somewhere to hide as angry footsteps come closer. You squeeze yourself inside an empty cabinet, the smell of must papers filling your nose as you pull the door shut.

You swear he can hear your heavy breathing so you clamp your hand over your mouth and squeeze your eyes shut, willing yourself to not cry. Heavy footsteps trail into the room and you shake, so afraid of the outcome of your stupid lack of impulse control. Hinges creak but you refuse to open your eyes, hoping and praying to every deity you could think of that it wasn’t your cabinet that he opened. A soft sigh, followed by shifting, a shoe squeaks against the floor “You can come out little one.” you whimper, eyes finally opening and seeing a frowning Jack bent down in front of you, shaking, glossy eyed and trembling lips, you crawl out from your hiding spot, keeping your eyes on the ground, not wanting to face the end of your very short life. 

A hand slowly comes into view “As much as I’d like to have you on your knees for me, this isn’t what I’d be into pumpkin.” His voice is surprisingly soft and you hesitantly look up at him. Though a frown tugs his eyebrow down in and intimidating expression, there's a flash of kindness in his eyes. You look down at his waiting hand and back up to his face two more times before finally grasping it so he can pull you up.

[legendaryskeletonpicklewolf]

"If u blame Lilith for handsome jack wanting to kill her then just say u hate women"....be so fucking for real. Lilith for no reason literally burned his face off and i bet he was in tremendous pain, she had no reason to do that ,the only reason she may have had was that MAYBE moxxi told her to.Also she didn't even know about him he was a low-level engineer on HELIOS not on pandora..so for people saying that and agreeing with it your stupid and u just want a reason to hate people. I personally love both men and women but I even see how much bullshit that is.

[zeroth-writes]

Now Accepting Borderlands Requests

Hello darlings!

I know it's been awhile since I last opened any requests. However I've been replaying the games and really got into the mood to write for them.

While I don't really have an entire list of characters I'll write for, some of them are Troy, Brick, Mordi, Rhys, and Zer0.

If you have any questions or want to send in a request, you can do so here.

You can read my rules here or my other works here

[altrodent]

I have been watching, reading, and playing so many things recently so here is some content you can expect to see from me soon-ish (hopefully)!

ZOMBIE-LAND

• Columbus (duh)

• Tallahassee (if you guys behave, istg 😭)

BORDERLANDS (Tales From The Borderlands)

• Rhys (Obvi, honestly obsessed atm)

• Vaughn (🩷)

• Hologram Handsome Jack (maybe some angst 👀)

• August (I know, I know, don’t judge!)

BASEKETBALL

•Coop, Remer, and maybe both of them at the same time again 🤭

REQUESTS!

I have received a BUNCH of requests lately, and I’m super happy, I’ll make sure those are my priority as I am thrilled to have your support! But just know I have seen them and I am/will be working on them!🩷

Thank you for all the love and support, seeing you guys enjoy my work means the world to me 🖤

[thesexygeekythings]

New chapter is up on AO3 for DDAGTP2

[angelsunflowers-fanfics]

[Borderlands] Rhys Strongfork x Female!Secretary!reader x Timothy Lawrence WIP

Genre: ?

Linktree

~~~~

It had been 7 years since Handsome Jack’s death; the first time with the vault hunters and the second with Rhys having to rip out his cybernetics. It’s been hard for everyone, all the trauma and stress that they’ve been through. 

Not to mention the nightmares that Rhys tended to get from time to time. But luckily for the new CEO of Atlas, he had (y/n), his secretary and best friend of multiple years. 

He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to get through everything that he had from the last 6ish years without (y/n). That’s for certain. And it didn’t hurt that she knew a thing or two about fighting. 

But currently, Rhys had a very important meeting.

He didn't want to scare (y/n) about who was currently on his way right now. Though, Rhys didn’t exactly know of (y/n)'s vault hunting past. 

She did try to tell him on more than one occasion, but he always thought that she was joking. 

Even after saving Rhys multiple times, he still had an urge to protect (y/n). 

"Okay, that's it. What's going on? You've been looking nervous all morning…  Well, more so than usual," (y/n) said with worry.

Rhys frowned at the comment but still kept the identity of his meeting a secret. Instead of answering (y/n)'s question, he idly sipped on the coffee she just brought to him and waited.

"Someone's coming, and I need you not to freak out." Rhys said, as he tried to be discreet with this information. (y/n) rested a hand on one of her hips and gave Rhys a playful glare.

"You mean like what you're doing?" She questioned as she leaned in close to him, too close. He could smell the vanilla scent on her skin and felt just how warm she was.

Just the thought of (y/n) being so close to his own body made Rhys rethink the entire meeting.

Of course, he always had an infatuation with her. How could he not?

(y/n)'s soft and sweet but at the same time knew how to kick some ass if needed.

But before he could either kiss her delicious lips or cancel the meeting altogether, the elevator stopped on the final floor. 

Rhys glanced at his monitor and saw the person he's supposed to be meeting with. His hands shook with nervousness. Rhys never thought that he would have to deal with someone like him again.

Like Handsome Jack, but it wasn’t not Jack. He died, twice. Rhys made sure of that.

Seeing that Rhys was in his little world and that he wasn't going to answer them, (y/n) continued with small tasks around the office while Rhys anxiously waited for the person on his monitor to walk to his office. 

As (y/n) started to hum a tune to calm down Rhys, she decided to make a cup of tea for him in hopes of relaxing his nerves before this big meeting.

But then (y/n) heard a voice she’d never thought she would ever hear again. A voice that is eerily similar to that of Handsome Jack’s but just a twinge of nervousness and anxiety: Timothy Lawrence, the man that (y/n) loved when they used to work together. Though, that kind of love never truly disappears. 

(y/n) didn't want to say anything in the case that this doppelgänger could be someone other than Timothy, her Timothy. 

Rhys tore his gaze from his ‘guest’ for a second and saw a look he could only describe as hope cross (y/n)’s features. His eyebrows narrowed in confusion. He can’t understand why (y/n) would express any emotion except fear for the man only ten feet away. 

But before Rhys could casually tell (y/n) to leave, before anything happened, (y/n) dropped a packet of sugar on the ground thus alerting her presence to the doppelgänger. 

Timothy felt his heart skip a few beats at the sight of his beloved from what felt like a lifetime ago. (y/n), his partner in more than just vault hunting. 

“(y/n)?” Timothy almost whispered her name.

Without being able to help herself and fully well-knowing that the doppelgänger in front of her very eyes was the one and only Timothy Lawrence, (y/n) ran straight into him. She barely gave him any time to register the extra weight added onto him as she launched herself into his arms, happy to finally see the man she had presumed dead years ago right in front of her own eyes. 

“I-I can’t believe you’re here. I thought you were dead,” (y/n) mumbled, her face nuzzled into the crook of Timothy’s neck as she tried to soak in everything new about him to compare what she knew of him 7 years ago. 

While the two ex-vault hunters were busy embracing each other and catching up, Rhys slowly stood from his desk: shocked. He wasn't aware of how the two knew each other.

Timothy let his real hand caress the side of his old lovers’ face. He didn't know what their relationship was anymore, it had been too long to possibly know. 

“… You thought I was dead? You don’t think I blame you, do you?” Timothy questioned her, eyes trained on her for any visible signs of emotion that he could pick up.

(y/n) bit on her bottom lip in guilt. Timothy always could read her like a book. 

She did feel guilty of not looking too deeply for him. But it wasn't like Jack was going to tell her anything. 

“I mean, I would. I wanted to look for you but… there weren’t any leads or a trace to where you were…” (y/n) explained.

Timothy slowly set (y/n) onto her own feet before he grabbed both of her hands in a gentle grasp, wanting his point to get across in the best way, “There wasn’t anything you could do. You of all people knew how Jack was.” 

Timothy was true to his word, he couldn't blame her for Jack’s wrongdoings. It wouldn’t make any sense. 

Now that (y/n) was in front of him instead of right in his arms, Timothy could get a good, long look at her. His eyes slowly raked over her circle skirt that rested around her waist and the cute professional long-sleeved she was currently wearing. Timothy had never seen (y/n) wearing something like this. But it would be a lie to himself if he said that he didn’t adore her in that outfit. 

One of his hands released its grasp to trail the fabric, his fingers grazed against her waist which caused (y/n) to shudder lightly though this was not Timothy’s intention. He slowly rubbed his fingers around the fabric, trying to understand her new life in every aspect. 

“You look amazing,” Timothy complimented.

(y/n) toyed with her skirt lightly, this was the outfit that she normally wore, but she never pictured herself in it if she were to ever meet Timothy again. 

“I never thought that you’d be the secretary type, but it suits you,” Timothy elaborated from his previous comment.

Before overthinking and backing out, Timothy leaned forward to press a gentle kiss to her forehead. He didn't want to outright kiss her properly if she wasn't ready or in a romantic relationship with someone else. 

(y/n) opened her mouth to continue talking, perhaps about their relationship, but Rhys finally decided to intervene as it seemed the two completely forgot about why they were all there. Rhys cleared his throat a bit obnoxiously, he had been standing there for the last few minutes watching them embrace each other. 

(y/n) realized that she should probably formally introduce the two as that is kind of her job, "Timothy, this is the CEO of Atlas, Rhys Strongfork." (y/n) turned to Rhys for the first time in 5 minutes and caught the expression on his face before he was able to cover it with a mask: Confusion and perhaps jealousy. But she continued, "Rhys, this is Timothy. We were partners in vault hunting… and lovers." Rhys felt his heart drop. He knew that look in Timothy's eyes, it was the same way he looked at (y/n) every day. 

He should've figured everything out the second (y/n) leapt into the doppelgänger's arms like that. And the way she was smiling like she didn't have any more worries anymore… Rhys had never seen her smile quite like that before.

“(y/n), can you go get breakfast for me and our guest, please?” Rhys politely ordered (y/n).

(y/n) quickly snapped out of her gaze with Timothy before she smiled at Rhys and left the office as soon as she’s able. Though she did shoot Timothy one last flustered glance on her way out. Timothy takes a few deep breaths to calm the flush on his face and the beating of his heart.

Everything happening was so unexpected. Moxxi did say that there was a surprise at Atlas, but he thought she was just talking about a new hand, not his lover from nearly a decade ago. 

Though after 7 years of being trapped in what Timothy could only describe as hell, it seemed fitting that the universe would gift him something like this.

"I’ve never seen her that happy before…” Timothy shook himself out of his daydream at the sound of the CEO’s statement. Timothy wasn't sure of what to say, so he stayed silent for the time being. But luckily, Rhys continued, "Look, I know you were together, but I'm in love with her as well." There was a beat of silence as Timothy pondered over Rhys’ words. 

He knew something was going on but not this. Timothy scrambled his head for something to say. Should he 

[karasong]

re my multiple choice fic (rhys strongfork x reader) i have made a status page (on desktop) so that if you're interested you can look at it for updates on the fic itself! :)

[frenziedslashers]

i just loved ur rhys fic so much, ur such a good weiter and one of the few i see him writen in character. i dont have a specific request just- anything you come up with for this man im so depraved of my bb🥹🥹🥹

I appreciate this sm and am so glad that you guys are enjoying my Rhys content and overall just my Borderlands stuff 😭😭 That truly makes me so happy <3 I apologize if this isn't the best. I hit a mini writers' block tonight and I'm mad about it 😤 but I still wanted to post something lmao

Tell Me About Life On Pandora

"Doctor," Rhys called out to you in the hallway. Sprinting in order to catch up with you. The holler of your title and the quick motion caused you to turn with a worried expression plastered on your face. "Yeah?" your voice was a bit weary, quiet too. A lot quieter than it normally was, and Rhys took notice of that. He took notice of anything unusual that was going on with you. He always did, and probably always would as long as you were in his life.

He was panting a little when he reached you. He needed to work out more, really. This was pathetic, he was the CEO of Atlas and wore out from a light jog? That wasn't the point right now, though. "Hey, I haven't seen you around lately, is everything okay?" If anyone had overheard him they would have been jealous. Rhys never really went out of his way to check on specific employees of his. He was always either too busy or anxious to do so, but he was never too busy for you. He was always making sure that you were happy and all right. Plus, to make sure that you always had everything that you needed in your lab. You were one of his best scientists, after all.

You pursed your lips, brow worrying a little. Truthfully, you weren't all right, but you didn't want to go telling your boss that. Even if he was friendly with you, and you did consider him to be a friend. You still hated opening up to him. It felt wrong in a work situation. If you were outside fo work it might be a little different, but that wasn't the case.

"Yeah, everything's fine," you spoke, forcing a smile, though your eyes betrayed you. He spoke your name, frowning a little, and took a small step closer to you. "Are you sure? If you need a break from work, I won't be mad. I used to work under a CEO before, you know? I get how stressful everything can be." He told you with a lopsided smile, and you returned the smile. This time it was a little less forced. You even felt a little relieved by his words. "Thank you, sir." "Please, just call me Rhys." He was always telling you that, but again. It felt weird to you. Like you were crossing a boundary even if he told you it was okay.

The two of you stood there for a moment more before you heard your Echo go off. "Doc, we got an issue with the project," you sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose. "I'll be there in a moment. Please... Just scavenge whatever pieces you can from the device. We might have to start from scratch... Again." "Copy that."

You took a deep breath before looking back up to Rhys with a tired smile. "Well, Rhys, I have to get back to work. I'll see you around?" You spoke, a hopeful glint in your voice, and he nodded. "Yeah! Yeah, of course. You know where to find me if you need anything, too." You nodded, smiling at the man. "Thank you," he nodded, watching as you walked off with a sigh. He wished that he knew how to help you more.

The next few days were a lot for you. Rhys would wander the halls when he had time. Hoping that he would catch you doing the same, but he never did. The third day of not seeing you had him a little worried, as well. You normally always had the same schedule. You'd work from when you clocked in, until about thirteen hundred when you would go and eat. Then around thirteen-forty-five, you would be back in the lab. Working on work until you took your break around sixteen-thirty. Which was typically when he would catch you and chat with you for a little while.

The swish of the door opening didn't grab your attention. Your face was buried in notes that were spread across the table. Sighing deeply as you scribbled out new blueprints for the gun that you were working on for the company. "No wonder you have a headache almost every day," his voice made you jump. Turning quickly to look up at him. A hand gripping at the pencil in your hand, the other reaching for where you used to carry your gun when you worked on Pandora. You had been working under Rhys for nearly three years now, and yet you were still used to the ways of that hell site. Still used to defending yourself from bandits and other companies.

You raced to your feet, staring at Rhys with wide eyes, unable to say anything. He smiled at first, finding it a little amusing that he scared you, but once he realized how freaked out you looked, he looked more worried than you'd ever seen. "Shit, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." You still couldn't speak. You were moments from a mental breakdown before this, and the mix of being stressed and the memories of working on Pandora made your whole body shut down and go into lockdown mode. Trembling while you stared at Rhys with fearful eyes. "Hey, what's going on? I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He tried to reach out to touch your arm. Hesitating when you flinched and your eyes clenched shut. "I'm sorry," you spoke with a shaky voice, and that only made his frown deepen.

He didn't realize how stressed you had been lately. Nor how easily frightened you were. Sure, you were always jumpy, but jeez. This was new. He didn't know what to do, really. "Hey, don't apologize, you did nothing wrong." His voice was soft and assuring. Reaching out to pull you in for a hug. "Hey, everything's all right, I'm here. Nothing can hurt you," He muttered to you, his heart racing a little when you hugged him back. Arms quickly raced to wrap around his body while you cried into his chest.

He was aware of the effects that Pandora took on you. You had warned him before you started working for him that you had PTSD from all of the situations you were in down there, but he never expected to invoke a trauma response out of you. "Hey, why don't we go to my office? It's safe there, we can sit down, okay?" He spoke, and you nodded. Allowing him to take you back to the safety of his office.

You were both thankful that it wasn't a long walk from your lab to there. His arm wrapped tightly around your shoulders and he opened the door and led you inside. Shutting it behind you both before pulling you over to a sofa on the side.

You were quick to leach back onto him. Hiding your face in his chest while he leaned back and held onto you. One hand was placed on the back of your head while the other rubbed at your back. "Hey, you're safe now, I won't let anything happen to you." "You promise?" He pursed his lips at your question. "I promise." Why wouldn't he? All he wanted for you was the best.

The two of you were silent for a moment. Just staring into one another's eyes before he awkwardly broke the silence. Clearing his throat with a sigh while turning his head to look over at his desk. Worried that he might be overstepping boundaries with you. "Well, uh, if you ever want to talk about- any of it- I'm here. I know how traumatizing Pandora can be," he chuckled, and you raised a brow. You hadn't realized that he had been on the face of that shitty place before. "Really? Why were you there?" You questioned, leaning back against the sofa. Your body turned to face him. Wanting to listen to what he had to say, wiping the tears from your face as you tried to keep calm.

Rhys pondered, thinking of how he could word why he was there. Should he tell the truth? Or lie and act like he was never actually there. "A vault key," he muttered, without even realizing it. He was as shocked as you were to hear those words leave his lips. "Were you a Vault Hunter?" You asked, a glint of excitement in your eyes. This would be one of your coolest discoveries yet. "Ha, no, that's funny though." He laughed, leaning his back against the sofa. Turning his head to look over at you with a smile. "Do you think I'd pass as one? Be honest," "No," he frowned, sighing. "What? You told me to tell the truth. It's not that I don't think you could handle yourself, Mr. Strongfork, it's just.." He watched you with an intent and curious gaze. "You're too considerate of the people around you." He smiled, nodding his head. That was one of the reasons he got into so much trouble on Pandora in the first place.

"Well, can you tell me about it? What it was like looking for the key?" You asked, and he nearly said no. He hates discussing the topic, but when he looked over at you. Just the dreamy and curious gaze in your eyes had him agreeing to tell you his story. "Yeah, but it's a long story," "Well, you could tell me part of it now, and then finish it later when you have the time." He smiled, enjoying that idea. It'd give him more time with you, at least. "Deal."

He started the story that night with you. Telling you everything he went through on Helios, with Vaughn, and Yvette, and Vasquez. How he found out the man was looking for a Vault Key after demoting poor Rhys to the status of Janitor. You were shocked, to say the least. You never expected Rhys' history to sound anything like this. You weren't sure what you had expected to hear, but certainly not this.

You watched as he told the story with his hands. Moving them and using his voice to convey the emotions of each event almost too well. You couldn't take your eyes off him the whole event. Not that you really wanted to, anyways.

"And then we made it to this race track. We had to wear bandit masks in order to race with them, you know... So they wouldn't shoot us- It was crazy! I was certain I was going to die there. But, after our cover was blown, and we did our damnest to get that briefcase back. We were saved by none other than Zer0 himself." Rhys told you with a grin, noticing how wide your eyes got. "So, that's how you met him? He saved you?" He nodded his head. "Well, he didn't mean to, he was just there to kill the lead bandit guy. I can't remember his name, DJ something." Rhys shrugged, and you smiled. "That's so... Awesome." He chuckled, finally relaxing his body once more. His hands in his lap while looking over at you. "Yeah, you think so?" "I know so. My time at Pandora wasn't anything like that. Sure, we were trained to fight if Bandits tried to break into the facility, but we never went out of our way to do stuff like that. That sounds exciting, heroic, almost." He turned his head away from you with a smile, trying to hide the bashful look on his face. "Well, jeez, thanks, I think?" "Well, what happened next?"

He wanted to tell you, he really did, but he knew if he kept talking the two of you would be there all night. Looking at his watch with a sigh as he noticed the time. "I think we better continue it tomorrow," the sigh that you let out after hearing his words made him snicker. Glancing at you with a hum, "Well, I'll come get you after I get done with my work tomorrow, how about that?" You nodded, moving so you could stand to your feet. Rhys doing the same. "I'll see you then?" He knew you would say yes, but he wanted to hear it from you. His smile growing when you agreed to see him again tomorrow to hear more about his life story. He never realized how useful this information would be in order to talk to you.

These meetings between the two of you carried on for the next week. Rhys telling you a chapter of his life before sending you home. Both of you came back to his office the next day to continue. You had more and more questions for him each day. Even a few compliments and praises here or there for how heroic he sounded. Which only fueled his ego and made him glance away from you while smiling sheepishly.

"After we defeated the Vault Monster, we got Gortys back. Loaderbot and her were happy and together again," you smiled, cheering silently in your head. "We healed up Sasha, too," he smiled faintly, staring at his hands in his lap. "Then Fiona and I left the group to run back for the Vault. What we saw inside," he chuckled, leaning back to stare at the ceiling of his office. "I can't even explain it. It was so cool, awesome, and mind-blowing. Everything was alien like. Nothing like anything I've ever seen before." He told you, a little dazed as he remembered it all.

"What happened with you and Sasha?" You blurted, truly curious, but you regretted asking it when you noticed how he seemed to recoil. His dreamy smile quickly fading, his whole demeanor shifting as he sat up properly on the sofa. Staring at his hands in his lap again. "Well, she moved on. She told me she didn't think she could continue a life with someone who used to work for Hyperion. Someone who had.." He paused, he was going to mention how Handsome Jack was in his head. How he didn't tell them about it until the very last moment. But he hadn't told you yet, worried that you would hate him for it and leave him just like she had. "Had what, Rhys?" Your voice soothed him a little, but he was still so anxious. "I had a monster inside me, okay? I wasn't me when all of that went down. When we found the Atlas facility that was abandoned, with Cassius in it. I plugged myself into this, thing. I ended up downloading an AI into my system and well.. I didn't tell anyone who or what it was until it nearly killed me and the rest of them. She tried to forgive me, but she mostly dated me out of pity after it all." He sighed.

You could tell how much it all bothered him. Not wanting to touch further on the subject if he didn't want to. You weren't sure what to say, so you reader out. Placing your hand on top of his own. You were a little worried he might flinch away, tell you to leave his office or to not touch him, but he didn't. He seemed to relax under your touch. Eyes watching your hand, closely. Turning his palm upright so he could intertwine his fingers with yours. The action making your insides burn.

"I'm glad she and I didn't work out for that long, though." You hummed, watching him closely. "How come?" He paused, thinking of what to say. "Well, I think I found someone better." He told you, turning his head slowly in order to look at you. His eyes meeting yours with a soft gaze. You were certain he was referring to you, but you weren't one hundred percent sure. Your body burning up under the tension that was forming between the both of you. You wanted to ask if it was you, but again. You had no idea how to ask or what to say. It wasn't until his eyes fell onto your lips that you were sure it was you.

"And who's that?" You asked with a small smile, and he chuckled. A flush spread over his face as he gulped. Rethinking his word choice and the predicament he was currently in with you. He fought through his worries, though, focusing on your lips and then your eyes while thinking of how to word what he wanted to say. "Well, they're in this room, and it's not me." You pondered, looking around as if it weren't obvious. "Is Zer0 in the room with us?" Rhys let out a laugh, bringing his mechanical hand up to cover his lips. "Has anyone ever told you that you're adorably hilarious?" He asked with a wide grin, to which you shook your head. Allowing him to tug you closer to him by your hands. "Do I have permission to maybe kiss you? If that's all right? If not, I get it, I'm your boss, it's frowned upon, I'm weird, and-" You were quick to grab him by his face. Pulling him in for a kiss that you had grown to want just as badly as he did. A surprised 'humph!' left his lips as you did so, but he was quick to kiss back. His own hands resting on the sides of your face as well.

"You never told me what you found in the Vault," you muttered once the both of you had pulled back from the kiss. Rhys' eyes fluttered open to stare at you with that same dreamy gaze from before. Pondering for a moment while his thumbs brushed over your cheeks. "Well, when we opened it we found a bunch of valuable items. Money, Eridium, Weapons, you name it. It's how I was able to afford to revive Atlas." "Was it worth it?" Rhys squeezed your hand. A soft smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he leaned in, his lips nearly touching yours once more. "Well, yeah. Without it, I probably would have never met you."

[handsomemilo]

Can I ask for some yandere handsome jack headcannons?

ABSOLUTELY YOU CAN!!

Yandere Handsome Jack Headcanons

Not my gif

Pairing: Handsome Jack x Gn! reader

Reader pronouns used: They/Them/Their's

Warnings: Anything you would expect in Borderlands, Obsessive Behaviour, unhealthy relationship

Summary: take a hint (sorry if that sounds rude)

THIS IS KINDA SHORT AND I'M SORRY 💜💜

Mf does not let you go anywhere by yourself

Either he needs to be there or you have to literally be carried by a Loader bot.

No you may not walk by yourself.

If you were to walk on the floor, he demands that everyone practically worship it for their own wellbeing

literally had a whole line of Loader bots made specifically just to protect you.

If anybody were to threaten you, they're gone within seconds

A personal kill by Jack, since we know that he has to avenge his loved ones.

If you didn't already pick up on it, he surprisingly does let you walk around Helios freely.

You have access to anywhere he can go, and that's everywhere!

You are not allowed to leave though. So don't try it

He has cameras warching at all times, and I mean all times.

He has a high sexual drive but if you don't want it, he won't force himself on you. So that's at least cool of him

He loves showing you his affections however

You could literally be splayed out over the couch, with arms everywhere and saliva slightly slipping from your lips, and this man would think you're the most mind blowingly wonderful creature to exist. (him being a close second)

That's right, The Handsome Jack puts his s/o over himself.

Angel and you, when Angel is alive you are the only one he is willing to take to see her.

She understands you completely and in fact is so happy to have someone that also gets her.

When she's gone, it's different and you don't have anyone to vent to when things get to be too much

Jack cut off all contact with your friends and family a long time ago.

The loaders obviously tell Jack everything that happens if he isn't watching through the cameras on them

You can buy anything you want, I mean I could totally see Jack buying Butt Stallion for you

He never takes his anger out on you

Even when he's frustrated with you, he could never blame you. You're just confused. Of course you want to be with him.

Who could you possibly leave him for?

This man never received enough affection as a child so now he's clingy af

His childhood was probably the cause of the behaviour in the first place

Needs you to hold him

Stroke his hair

Tell him he's still handsome, he's not ugly, he's not a monster

He also loves to just sit and hold you. no sexual innuendos, no flirting, just Jack and his s/o embracing eachother.

----------------------

Borderlands Masterlist

Httyd Masterlist

Redbubble

[mxrlin-writes]

AI Jack carries around a kazoo and plays Careless Whisper whenever Rhys flirts with anyone

[legendaryskeletonpicklewolf]

THIS IS LITERALLY HANDSOME JACKS SONG

Already in the start 0:51 it starts to sound like pre-sequel jack or "john" and it says "if he said help me kill the president" who is the president of hyperion at that time? HAROLD TASSITER WHO HE HATED AND KILLED.

Then 1:05-1:56 it sound like borderlands 2 cause he got older and it sounds like it was from the vault hunters prospective too especially when they said "he tells me to be cautious" he was warning the vault hunters of getting hurt especially after they killed angel.

AND THEN 1:59-2:47 it sounds like it takes place in tftbl now but in rhys's perspective describing jack ESPECIALLY when said "when he talks I hear his ghost" sounding like ai jack who basically no one could see or hear except rhys ALSO he went through stuff like a ghost sooooo...

And then the ending was just like jack disappearing into the nothingness again and or being put into the gun in bl3...

[handsomekatagawa-archive]

Rhys x Pregnant!Reader hcs

Rhys is protective but he doesn't obsess over everything

He knows you can take care of yourself

But that doesn't mean he doesn't worry about you though

He's always there to hold your hair back when morning sickness hits

Also helps by massaging an anti nausea pressure point (three fingers down from the wrist, it works y'all)

Will order anything for your cravings

Mint chocolate chip ice cream and mozzarella sticks? Hells yea

Will work from home the days you're too tired to do anything

Some women also get hella horny while pregnant so let's just say that he ain't complaining about that wink wonk

When you start to show he gets WEAK

He's the literal embodiment of John mulaney while yelling "THATS MY (pregnant) WIFE!" when you walk into the room

He's just such a loving husband tbh

His favorite thing is seeing you do the little pregnant waddle to walk

When he feels the baby kick for the first time he FREAKS

Help this man he has limited experience with children

He's Shook™ when he finds out baby's can get the hiccups in the womb

He has a recording of the baby's heartbeat on his echo and listens to it every so often and tears up bc HES GONNA BE A DAD

(high-key wants a little girl)

The Dr asks if y'all wanna know the sex of the baby and you say no just to tease rhys

He is Grumpy Mustache Man™

If he tried to find out then it'd be like that episode of Good Luck Charlie where Bob grabbed the wrong ultrasound and thought they were having triplets

When you can't reach your feet anymore, he helps you put on shoes

He also buys you the comfiest slippers ever for when ur feet are swollen

He goes all out when it comes to decorating the nursery

Low-key looks up cute ideas for the nursery on Pinterest

At this point, you're so far along that he basically works at home full time

When you first experience Braxton Hicks contractions, he F L I P S and takes you to the hospital just to be sure

Once he's reassured, he makes sure that he doesn't freak out when the real thing happens

One morning he's helping you out of bed and as soon as you stand up, there go your waters

He's surprisingly calm and gets everything together extremely quickly

Y'all are at the hospital in no time

Sits behind you in the hospital bed, letting you grip onto his hands/legs/anything really

Losing his shit but is hiding it extremely well

Whispers encouragements into your ear while you're pushing

Suddenly Rhys hears crying and the nurse lets out a little cheer and asks if Rhys would like to cut the cord

He thinks about it but looks down and remembers he's trapped

"Maybe next time around."

"HELL NO RHYS STRONGFORK THERE WILL BE NO NEXT TIME"

There will be a next time

When everything has calmed down y'all are moved into an overnight room

He "sleeps" in the little chair beside the hospital bassinet to give you space and to let you rest

He doesn't sleep

He stays up all night, watching and softly talking to y'all's new little baby

At one point during the night, the baby starts fussing so he fixes a bottle and drapes a spit-rag over his shoulder

When he's done feeding and burping the baby, he kisses it's forehead

"It's ok, kiddo. I'm never gonna let anything hurt ya."