Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The tech department's bell rang out, signalling that our lunch break was finally ours for the taking. I looked at my best friend, Vaughn, with excitement in my eyes.
"Man, finally!" I exclaimed.
"I know right? Sooo hungry, bro. But you know what really sucks?"
"Uh... the fact that tech guys are treated like shit?"
"Well, that does make the list. But I was gonna say the fact that Yvette's lunch break isn't at the same time as ours."
"Yeah, that does suck," I agreed. "But at least it's Friday, so we'll see her at the bar for happy hour."
Vaughn smiled. "Yep! Oh, uh, don't wait up for me now bro, I'll meet you at the coffee shop in about 15. Reaaally not agreein' with that breakfast burrito I ha-"
"Okay, okay, go!"

I headed to the café from the office, surprised that after several years of working for Hyperion, I'd still get lost on Helios. I looked around like lost puppy, trying to get my bearings, when I saw an intimidating figure come up the stairs, and stop right in front of me.
The boss. The big boss.
Handsome Jack.

I took a deep breath, and figured that I was probably gonna get killed whether I said something or not, so I might as well say something.
"Uh, Sir, I'm sorry for being in your way, I'll move!"
Jack looked at me and laughed. "Oh, if you were in my way I'd just take a couple of steps and go around you, kiddo. I'm not that douchey. Am I a douche? Shit..."
He looked so depressed suddenly, I had to at least try to make it better. "Sir, I can assure you that you most certainly are not a douche. I promise."
"Wow, gorgeous and kind. Hey, kid, lemme tell ya- that uniform looks absolutely amazing on you. It distracted me from my trip up the stairs! What's your name? I'd love to contact you again."
Lost in the man's eyes, I knew that I didn't stand a chance. "Rhys," I said, trying to be as formal as possible. "My name is Rhys, sir."
"Rhys... that's a name that rolls off the tongue. I like it. Now I gotta go, but I'll contact you, cupcake." And then he was gone.

I was so happy that I practically skipped to the café, where Vaughn was already waiting. "Hey, bro!"
"Whoa, you look happy. Did someone sneak you a pot brownie again?"
I rolled my eyes. "Come on, that was one time! In freaking high school! And no, someone just said my uniform looks great on me. I mean, he was definitely not too bad himself, either," I admitted.
"Not too bad himself? Come on, man. What are you, bi or something?"

I didn't know how to answer that.

I mean, it's not like all I could think about on my way to the café was how damn hot Jack was, but...
It's totally like that.

"I uh... I don't know, bro."
That was the wrong choice of words, as Vaughn looked furious.
"Dude, really? Come on, whatever happened to all those chicks from high school? From the bar here? You're telling me you got it hard for dudes too? The fuck, man. That's disgusting. But kinda hilarious too."

I looked down at the table. "I don't know, okay? I mean, I've never thought about a guy like this before, but I don't even think it's unusual. I mean, what if I am bi? It is what it is, right?"
"No, Rhys. It's fucking not. It's false advertising, ain't it? If you hit on a girl and she thinks you're into her but you're also into guys? Fuck off."
"Vaughn, I said I might be. I don't know if I am. I guess I'll have to look inside my heart and find out for myself."
He looked at me as if I'd betrayed him.
"What fucking ever, dude. Oh and don't even think about showing your faggot ass up at the bar tonight."

He walked off just as my phone beeped. I checked the notification, and found a text from an unknown number:
"Hey kid. My office, tonight, 6. Please try not to be late, but if you are, you got my number now. Don't worry, you're not in trouble, I promise.
-Jack."

My heart skipped about a million beats, and there were butterflies in my stomach. For at least a moment, all thoughts of Vaughn's words were nonexistent.

Chapter Text

5:13 p.m.

I sent Yvette a quick text saying that I wouldn't be at the bar tonight, and thought of downing a shot of vodka for courage, but settled for milk instead. I looked through my wardrobe for something businesslike that wasn't my work uniform, and settled for a black suit jacket and a signature Hyperion Yellow shirt. I brushed my hair and shined my skag skin shoes, and headed for the door when I heard my ECHO ring.
"Rhys! What do you mean you won't be at the bar? We've been doing it every Friday for years! I know you have to work overtime in the department tomorrow but-"
"Why don't you just ask Vaughn? He'll explain."
"And if he doesn't?"
"Make him," I said, the darkness of my tone indicating that Vaughn wasn't exactly on my good side.
"I'll see what I can do. But you sound busy. What's keepin' ya?"
"Oh, you know. Just a meeting with someone. I'm nervous though, but I gotta go or I'll be late, Yve!"
"Sure thing. But I want details, Rhys. About the beef with you and V."
"Okay, okay, I'll spill my side later! Bye!"
I ran out of my apartment, which thankfully wasn't far from the Hub of Heroism, and approached the elevator that was known to lead to Handsome Jack's office.
"Please state your name, for authentication purposes!" The security Claptrap said.
"Uh, Rhys. I have a meeting in... well... now. Shit, I'm late, I hope I live."
The robot looked through a digital booking device before facing me again. "You're legit, go on through!"
I went up the elevator, butterflies crowding my stomach like skags around a corpse. When I finally got to exit, Jack was already waiting for my at the entrance.
"I'm so sorry I'm late, sir. Please don't hurt me. I swear not to do it again, but please don't hurt me."
He looked at me with wide, shocked eyes. "Is that... is that what people say I do? I just hurt people over the smallest things?"
"No! I mean, I don't know. I don't really pay attention to gossip, sir. I'm just a very anxious person, is all."
"It's okay, Rhys. Now come. We won't be hanging around in my boring okd office, but the secret floor above it. My first-class apartment. If- if that's okay with you."
I lost the ability to speak for a second, trying to find my words. "Um, yes, that's fine, sir."
As we walked down the long hall to the office where the lift to his quarters was, I caught myself sneaking glances at the man walking slightly in front of me. He was tall, but not very much taller than I, and he was well shaped, to say the least. Each muscle curved perfectly, and I was sure that even the finest statue in all the galaxies couldn't compare.
Dammit, Rhys, no wonder Vaughn is pissed at you. Just look at how taken you already are by him.
Vaughn was right. I knew in my heart, in that moment, that I was bi.

"Here's the lift! Neat, huh? Tucked away, disguised as a part of the wall itself? My little secret," Jack proclaimed. He bowed slightly and gestured to the "wall". "After you."
I entered the lift, and felt his stare on my backside. "Nice," I heard him say softly.
When he entered, he made a point of leaning against me, gently touching my arm. It didn't last long at all, but it put my head in a spin while it did.
"So, here we are! We got bedrooms, a huge bathroom, a kitchen Loader Bot who cooks for me, and a sofa the size of Pandora. Not, um, not literally that big. But have a seat anyway! Like a drink? With how quiet you've been, it would seem that your tongue's so dry it's stuck to the roof of your mouth."
"Oh, I'm just trying to keep my formalities about me. Don't want to be impolite, sir."
"No need for the whole sir thing," he smirked and quickly pushed me up against the wall of the hallway. "Unless, of course... you're into that."
What the fuck...? Where did that come from?
"Oh, I mean. What if I am?" I played along. Couldn't have been any harm to it, I supposed.
"Then I'll have to just deal with you later," he backed up. "Anyway, drinks! You like wine? I have the good shit. Been saving my most expensive bottle for a very special occasion, and you look pretty damn special. Be right back!"

I sat down on the large sofa, the sheer size of it making me feel alone. I looked down at my legs and hoped that I really was special enough for him. I knew it was stupid since this probably didn't even mean anything to him, but I wanted it to.
I wanted to mean everything to him.
Right on cue, think of the devil, he came back with two glasses of wine, a Loader Bot following behind with a huge cheese platter, placing it on the obsidian coffee table.
"Hey, thank you, Loader Bot!"
"You are very welcome, Rhys," it replied in a monotonous yet cheerful voice.
Jack handed me a glass. "Drink up, Rhysie! This shit's worth four grand."
I almost fucking dropped my glass.
"Four grand?! What are you, insane?"
He just laughed. "Ah, Rhys. When you've got as much money as I do, this stuff is essentially like a good cup of coffee. Not too expensive, but expensive enough to be worth it at least once."
Taking a sip, I could only taste heaven on my tongue. Sweet, syrupy wine coated my lips, leaving me wanting more. "God, this is heavenly."
"I wouldn't go that far, but it is pretty goddamn good. Cheese?" He asked, and put a cube of crumbly vintage cheddar between my lips, making me blush. "Oh now that's adorable. Blushing already. It's almost like you're already falling for me. But then, who am I to talk when I have such beauty mere inches away from me?"
"I'm not... I'm not beautiful, though. Trust me."
Jack looked at me with a hint of sadness in his eyes. "You are. Truly. But while I hate to ruin this moment, I remembered something I wanted to talk to you about."
Those words struck fear into me, I don't know why.
"So," he began. "I looked into your work performance, and what I wanna know is- how have you honestly not quit yet? You're literally doing all the work in that department. When someone else fucks up because they haven't done their job, it becomes yours to fix it. You're essentially running that entire department singlehandedly. That's impressive as fuck. But it's not fair. In the last two years, you've not had more than four days off. Which is why, even though I'm perfectly aware your huge mid-year audit is happening soon, tomorrow is your day off. And since I own this company, your boss can't do shit."
I didn't even know what to say. Me, a day off? I didn't know how the department would survive without killing itself tomorrow. I didn't even know how to thank him, so I just hugged him and whispered, "thank you."
"Hey, Rhysie? Don't think this is for free. Cause I have a favour to ask you."
"Go ahead."
He wasted no time. "Kiss me. That is, if you want to."
And so I did.

Chapter Text

"Kiss me..."

And kiss him I did.
I felt my lips melting against his own as I tasted wine and a hint of coffee on him, his lips sweet and heavenly. Our lips and tongues danced together to our heartbeats, arms around each other as if holding onto sacred treasure. It felt like I was falling in love at an incomprehensible speed. But then, for the first time in god knows how long, I felt the thoughts come back.

You don't mean anything to him.
But... that's stupid. Of course I meant something to him, or else I wouldn't be on his couch, or on his lips.

Have you never heard of being used? You're a plaything to him. A quick fix. That's all.

It had to be wrong. It had to be. But still, I didn't want to risk it, so I pulled away from him.

"Hey. You okay, Rhys?" Jack asked, concern spread across his near-perfect face. I wanted to lie to him, but I just couldn't.

"Jack... I know I don't mean anything to you. So we should stop this before either of us get hurt."

He looked at me in shock, like I'd just set fire to a puppy. "What do you mean?"
"I mean we only met today. How could anyone mean anything to someonein the span of a day, unless they're some kind of miracle?"
"Rhys," he began, his hand on mine. "Since that moment on the stairs, all I was able to think about all fucking day was you. As hard as I tried, and believe me, I did. I couldn't get you out of my head. Not your smile, not your laugh, not your beautiful face."

That's what broke me.

Before I could even think about my own actions, I shot up from the couch and went to the door, where I felt a hand grab me.
"Whoa, Rhys, wait. Where are you going? Why are you going?"
I couldn't hold back my tears at this point. "Because. I'm not beautiful."
"But you ar-"
"I'm not, so don't fucking lie to me!" I screamed. "I'm not beautiful because why the hell would I be? There is nothing about me to admire. Maybe you should open your eyes more. You might see what you should see in me. Something to hate."

I couldn't tell him that all my life, I've wanted to die. I'd been called worthless so many times, told, encouraged even, to kill myself. But it's only a matter of time before he found out anyway. And a matter of time before he saw the scars that littered my arms like trash in the street. There were so many of them, each one a sign that I should honestly just do it already. Each one a new, ugly reason to hate me.

He took my hand and led me back to the couch, where we sat, and I couldn't stop myself from breaking down and crying in the arms of a man I'd just met.
"You know, Rhys, it's funny. I never believed in things like fate, or love at first sight," he began.
I looked up at him. "And now...?"
"Now," he kissed me gently on the forehead, "Now I know I do."
It made me smile, genuinely smile. But then I felt his hand rubbing against mine, and as he looked down, the question I'd feared escaped his lips.
"Rhys. What happened here?"
"Here" was a deep scar that healed so badly that it remained a bump, a scar so pale that no amount of makeup could hide it. It was my first in a long, long list of scars and moments where I wanted to die.
"I... um..."
He lifted the sleeves of my jacket up to reveal more, and I swore I saw him start to cry as he held me tighter than I could have imagined. "Oh, Rhys, no."
I looked down into my lap in shame. "I'm sorry... this is why I said I'm not beautiful. Why all you should do is hate me. Because I'm not worthy of love."
"Oh, Rhysie, baby. I still love you."

And that was all I would ever need to hear.

Chapter Text

He...
He loves me.
But how? We barely know ea-

My thoughts were cut off by his lips once more crashing into mine, almost like he could tell I needed a distraction. Each tug of his lips pulled me in further, almost stronger than gravity itself. I struggled to comprehend how a person could be so gentle, yet so rough. I felt as if I could melt into his body. I couldn't even stop myself as my hands ran themselves through his thick hair, my lips pressing harder against his.

"Well, looks like someone's getting into it," Jack taunted.
"I, uh... ah..." I tried to speak, but I was cut off by his lips sucking on my neck, causing quite the reaction within my body.

God, don't notice that. Please don't notice that I'm-

"Getting hard there, are we, Rhysie?" The man purred in my ear, his low voice like smooth whiskey.
"No," I lied, sheepishly. He moved to pin me down, only to have us both fall on the floor. He rubbed himself against me, and brought his hand to my throat, choking me.
"Liars get punished," he looked at me with a glare that could kill. "Badly. And we don't want to get punished, do we, Rhysie?" His grip around my throat tightened, coaxing a moan from my lips.
"No..."
"No what? I am the head of this company, I deserve a little respect."
"No, sir," I managed to whisper.
"Good boy. Now, let's take this somewhere more comfortable," he said, removing his hand and getting up.

I tried to follow him as quickly as I could, both my mind and body a slight mess.

What the hell are you thinking, Rhys?! He had his hand around your throat! He could have killed you in seconds!

For some reason, though, I didn't care about the danger I was putting myself in. Because, god, it was hot to be vulnerable for him.

I followed him across the hall to his bedroom, where he slammed me against the wall and locked the door.
"Hey," he said, in a serious tone that surprised me.
"Yeah?" I looked up at him, vaguely scared of the dead serious look in his eyes.
"Rhys. Do you want this? It's perfectly fine if you don't. I'll love you regardless. Things might get pretty rough though, so tell me if you're not okay with that."
I kissed him softly on the lips. "Yes, I want this. And I'm fine with it getting as rough as you want it too."
He nodded his head once. "Okay. I just never, ever want to do anything you're not okay with."
"Trust me, Jack. I want this, and I want you."

No sooner than I had said those words, both our clothes were off and I was pushed onto the bed, him standing at the foot of it with his dick extremely close to my mouth.
"Suck. Now," he commanded.
"Yes, sir," I said softly, and teased him with my tongue before taking his length into my mouth, and the back of my throat, rewarding me with multiple moans. He started to roughly thrust his hips so that he was constantly hitting the back of my throat, making me unable to control the sounds that came out of my mouth.
"Very good, Rhysie. That's enough. Now get on your stomach."

He pushed me face-down onto the bed, blindfolding me and tightly tying my wrists and ankles together so I couldn't move.
"Now. A rule that you must not break: only say my name. Any time something I do to you makes you feel an insane amount of pleasure, you may only say my name. Are we clear?"
He hadn't even touched me yet, and I was already ecstatic for him.
"Yes, Jack."

The handsome man spared no time, shoving himself into me so hard that just that one action alone was almost enough to get me off.
"Jack!"
He bit down on my neck, sucking as he repeatedly moved in and out of me, causing me to scream his name several times before putting his hand back around my throat in an iron grip.
"You love this, don't you Rhysie? Say you love it. Say you love me."
"Jack... I love what you're doing t-to me, I love you so much, ah..." I tried to obey him, but the sheer pleasure madeit almost impossible to speak.

Ring, ring.

Fucking dammit, Yvette. Why now?

"Well, Rhysie, aren't you gonna answer that? I promise to be merciful and not fuck you more until you're done," he teased.
"Fine," I said, as he held my ECHO up to my head.
"Rhys! You're alive."
"Uh, yeah. Why wouldn't I be, Yvette?"
"It's just that I got worried since it's almost midnight and I haven't heard a single thing since you told me you were going out tonight, I didn't know if you'd gotten home okay or-"
"Yes, Yvette, I got home fi- is that a drunk Vaughn I hear?"
"Yo, Rhys, you little bitch, whatcha up to?" Vaughn shouted, his speech slurred beyond recognition.
"Not, uh... not much?"
"Ah, who cares. Damn queer's probably off fucking some guy, like I give a fuck."
"Yeah, actually, Vaughn? That's exactly what I'm doing," I said nonchalantly, and hung up.

"Goddamn, Rhys, you sassy bitch," Jack said, seemingly in awe.
"Well I had to say something before hanging up, otherwise it's- Jack!!"
I screamed again as he went back to fucking me, desperately trying to keep my head but finding myself unable to,  getting closer and closer.
"Oh fuck, Rhysie, I'm about to fill every part of you, oh god," he moaned.
"Jack, Jack, I'm gonna-"
"I love you so much, Rhysie," he screamed as we both came.

He untied me to reveal extremely red rope marks, and looked guilty of something.
"I'm so sorry, was the rope too tight for you? I'm sorry."
I kissed him gently. "No, it was fine. Trust me. But god, I need to sleep now. Shit, what am I gonna do about work tomorrow?"
"Hey, who cares about work when you're fucking the CEO?" He laughed, winking at me.
"True," I whispered, and curled up, ready for sleep. Jack wrapped his arms around my waist, and at that moment, I felt like I could never belong anywhere else.

"Goodnight, Rhysie."