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Vaughn didn’t know if he wanted to hug or strangle Rhys. The cybernetic man who had been missing all night now strode through the doorway to their apartment like a lazy cat, big goofy grin on his face. Vaughn immediately launched himself off the couch and ran forward.“Rhys! Where have you been?!”The response was slow. Rhys’s brown and blue eyes drifted lazily to Vaughn, as if he were in some deep haze. “Bro,” he finally spoke, completely breathless. “You are not going to believe what happened.”His nonchalance picked at Vaughn’s nerves by the second. He glared at Rhys with lips pursed. Rhys, totally unaffected, just grabbed Vaughn by the shoulders and beamed.“I slept with Handsome Jack last night!”The trains of logic in Vaughn’s mind immediately crashed and snagged into each other. There was so much wrong with what Rhys had just said, he couldn’t even comprehend. The most he could muster was a disbelieving brow to arch at his best friend.“Yeah!” Rhys continued, as if Vaughn were jumping for joy with him. “It was actually him! I stopped by Moonshots on the way home just to get a drink, and he was there. He was there and we met eyes and then he came over…” A bit of drool oozed out of his mouth as he paused to reflect on the scandalous memory. Then suddenly he gave Vaughn an excited little shake. “It was wild! And he said he’d call me again! Can you imagine if that wasn’t a lie?!”Vaughn had had quite enough. He wriggled himself out of Rhys’s grasp and reach to put a hand to the taller man’s forehead. The panicked words flew out of his mouth.“Rhys, that’s not possible! Someone’s drugged or brainwashed you! Maybe they implanted some fake memories in your cybernetics. Oh God, we need to get you scanned! Check to make sure you have your kidneys!”Rhys rolled his eyes with amusement at the display. “Bro. It was real.” With his flesh hand he reached up to the tips of his collar and started to tug at the material. A drunken grin spread across his features. “I’ve got the marks to prove it.”“NO,” Vaughn stopped him, gritting his teeth. “I don’t need to see your marks. Uch!”Suddenly a thought came to him that rivaled the horror of Rhys being brainwashed. He folded clammy hands into his underarms. “You… You really did…” A small nauseous groan finished the thought. Vaughn figured Handsome Jack was like one of those bugs that killed its mate after the fact. It was sick to think of Rhys being with that murder-crazy guy.Rhys just clapped him on the upper arm, still grinning with all teeth. “I know you’re not the biggest fan. But just trust me, there’s nothing wrong.” He laughed a little. “Just the luckiest night of my life!”That took all of the anxiety Vaughn had built up and lit it into anger. “Well, while you were having the luckiest night of your life, I was scouring every inch of this station trying to find you! I’ve been back and forth between your office and home a million times, wandered everywhere else on this station, and checked in with the medical bay every fifteen minutes! I think they hate me now. Why didn’t you answer any of the times I called?!”Rhys finally seemed brought down to reality. The dreamy haze from his eyes cleared and he combed his robotic hand through his hair. “I, um,” he began gruffly, “I might have blocked you.” At Vaughn’s outraged expression, he quickly continued. “The calls were lighting up my echo eye like crazy, bro. Do you have any idea how hard it is to focus on making out when that’s going on?”“No, I don’t,” Vaughn huffed.“You really didn’t have to worry.”“Yes, Rhys, I did. Vasquez is all up our asses right now and-“Rhys snorted. “Assquez.”Vaughn summoned all of his might not to laugh at that. “And there’s no telling what he might come up with to try and take you out of the game. It’s not like he’s the only one, either. Half the promotions in this place are made by someone using someone else’s corpse as a stepping stone. You know that!”“Vasquez is all talk and bull shit,” Rhys assured, smiling and raising his hands dismissively. “He couldn’t do anything even if he wanted. And I’d really like to see anyone else try.”Vaughn still glowered. “You skipped out on our game night, too, by the way. That was a first.” He fixated his gaze on the wall, feeling stupid for all the worrying he’d done.“Look, Vaughn, I’m really sorry I ditched out, but…” Rhys paused, that smile returning to his lips again. “It was Handsome Jack.”Vaughn froze. Those words reverberated in his head, leaving an echo that rattled around and downward to make his whole body cold. This was the moment he always feared, ever since getting close to Rhys in college. He’d been surprised someone so cool and good looking would spend so much time hanging around him. Even over the years, there was still something in the back of his mind always told him that Rhys would realize the difference between them and eventually move on. It was the reason he was never able to come out to Rhys and see if they could make their relationship something more. He was terrified that it would only make that day come sooner. Now here it was, anyway.And as far as coolness went, Handsome Jack was on the opposite end of the scale from him.“I…” Vaughn started roughly, finding his voice. “I’m going to go to bed. Been up all night.” He turned his gaze down to the floor to avoid seeing Rhys’s reaction. Still, his friend’s downcast voice caught him.“You didn’t sleep at all?”Vaughn shook his head slowly, ashamed to make eye contact. He pulled the echo out of his pocket and turned completely away. “I’ll call Yvette and let her know you’re back. She was helping me look.”His chest felt incredibly heavy as Yvette’s number dialed in his ear. There were several rings before she answered. “Yeah?” she mumbled, voice deep with grogginess.Vaughn pinched his eyes shut and sighed. “Rhys is back.”“He was getting laid, wasn’t he?” Vaughn just ground his teeth at that, and Yvette chuckled in self-satisfaction. “Told ya.”“Yeah, all right. You can go back to sleep now.”“You do that too, crazy. Talk to you later.”With that she hung up and Vaughn grumbled, shoving the echo back into his pocket. Sometimes he felt like the only one out of the three of them who had a sense of how dangerous things were at Hyperion. Right now he was fed up with trying to convince them otherwise. He slunk back to his bedroom, ignoring whatever words Rhys started to stutter.…Sleep didn’t do much to improve Vaughn’s mood. Despite not getting a wink the night before, his mind was still wired from all the worry he’d had for Rhys. He’d tossed and turned in his dark room, only getting brief and restless sleep after all. Every time he woke up, he’d hoped that the whole thing had just been a shitty dream. Rhys, with Handsome Jack? That was as improbable as anything. He still wasn’t entirely convinced that Rhys didn’t have something strange happen to him. Maybe he could still prod his friend to do a cybernetic scan.The thought of Rhys being hacked almost made him break out into a cold sweat again. Vaughn rolled over to look at the clock and saw that it was late afternoon, before settling onto his back and looking up at the dim ceiling of his room. He heaved a long sigh. There was no way he could force any more sleep on himself. He needed to just give up on last night’s rest and try again tonight. At least Rhys was back safe and sound now.Vaughn sighed and lazily shrugged off the blankets. He could get past this. There was no way Rhys was going to get with Jack again; that was a fluke. Hyperion employees were as disposable as toilet paper to Jack, and Vaughn was sure that rule applied whether said employees were at a desk or in his bed. He would just have to forget about this incident as soon as humanly possible, and hope Rhys did the same.One of these days, he was really going to have to tell Rhys how he felt. Rhys’s attitude that morning had made him want to put it off for a few more lifetimes, but Vaughn didn’t exactly care for Rhys sleeping around. He’d even ditched out on their game night – undiluted bro time they spent together every Friday night. Rhys had never missed it before, not for anything. That he didn't respond to any messages on top of that made Vaughn feel so forgotten, like he was disposable to Rhys, too.Grumpily, Vaughn sat up and put himself into some clean clothes before crossing the hall to use the bathroom and fix himself up a little. Once he was out, he found Rhys sitting on the couch watching some comedy rerun on TV. The cybernetic man turned at Vaughn’s presence and seemed to look him over to gauge the situation.“Hey,” Rhys said cautiously, immediately muting the show.“Hey,” was all Vaughn could blankly respond.Rhys combed his fingers through his hair bashfully. “You get some sleep?”“Eh. A little bit.”“Look, bro. I’m really sorry about last night. It’s just happened so fast, before I even really knew what was going on, and…” Rhys shook his head and Vaughn didn’t appreciate the grin he obviously suppressed at the memory. “I should have let you know, though. It sounds like that ruined your night. I, uh, listened to your messages.”Vaughn cringed as he plopped down on the couch next to Rhys. Some of those got pretty emotional around 3AM. “Ugh, it’s fine.” He scrunched his nose in thought. “Searching around gave me the chance to find places on Helios I didn’t even know existed. Did you know there’s an entire hall filled with orgy rooms? I will never be able to unsee some of the things I saw last night.”Rhys laughed, loud and hearty. “You didn’t want to take a spin?”Vaughn punched him on the shoulder. “I prefer not to get diseases.” He didn’t even want to comment on how Jack was probably a hotbed of STD’s himself.“Bro, I’m glad that you care enough to worry like that,” Rhys said. His lips betrayed a shy smile that made Vaughn’s heart thump. “If it had been you that didn’t come home, I would have been real worried, too.” He lifted his hand for a bro fist. “Forgive me?”Vaughn rolled his eyes and smiled. “Yeah,” he said in a put upon tone before returning the fist bump.“You’re the best, bro,” Rhys said with a grin as he stood and started to mess with his palm display. “I’ll make it up to you by treating for pizza tonight. Okay?”“You should lead with that next time.”The two shared a chuckle as Rhys set to ordering the food with his cybernetics, left eye glowing brightly. Vaughn couldn’t help the fond smile that formed as he observed his friend. Rhys had a habit of letting his ambitions take the wheel and forgetting how that affected the people around him. Every time he realized it, though, he would come back with a sincere apology and go back to showing that he cared. Vaughn just couldn’t find it in him to stay mad. Maybe it was stupid of him, but he was too closely bonded with Rhys to not forgive him now.“We could still have game night,” Rhys offered as he closed his display. “Yvette will be here, but she doesn’t mind hanging out to watch the show.”Vaughn smirked. “Yeah, she’ll love that,” he commented sarcastically. Yvette did like to watch them play games on occasion, and helped to egg them on against each other, even if they were playing co-op. It probably wasn’t her first choice of activity, but if they provided her with enough food and alcohol, she’d be fine to go along. She could deal after the stress he went through last night.“So what game do you want to lose at, then?” he asked mischievously. Rhys snorted as he turned for the kitchen.“Well, you’ve got some big talk there! You know what? Go ahead and choose how you'd like to be destroyed. I’m going to go make sure we’ve got enough drinks on hand.”Shaking his head with a humored huff, Vaughn went to scour through their games. They had some old classic titles, simpler games where they’d compete for the high score, but there was also a good array of fighters and action games, ones that really got them riled up and shouting. After digging through their stash, he finally settled on the classic Fury Kart Racing. Weaponized karts racing over all sorts of wild terrain? He was going to annihilate Rhys. After what happened last night, he was well motivated to give the guy some shit through virtual projectiles and explosions.Once the game was all set up, he went to follow Rhys into the kitchen. The guy was sure taking a while just to check their alcohol supply. “Hey, we should make sure there’s still some of that strawberry stuff Yvette left here last time – Rhys?”The cybernetic man stood unmoving, staring with wide eyes at his palm display.…Half an hour later Yvette walked in to the apartment to find Vaughn sitting alone on the couch with his head in his hands. “Hey!” she chirped. “What’s up?”Vaughn slowly raised his head and looked to Yvette with a miserable expression.“It's happening again!”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Rhys is with Jack again? Holy shit!” Yvette’s eyes flitted around the apartment. “He still got the food, right?” Vaughn grumbled and jabbed his hand toward the ignored pizza on the kitchen table. “Oh, thank God.”
“Vaughn. He asked me to come back tonight!”
This had to be a nightmare; he was still napping, right? “You’re kidding me,” Vaughn said blankly.
The same blissful smile from that morning appeared on Rhys’s face. “No!” he laughed, starting to move as if to show Vaughn the message but retracted. “I mean, he phrased it a little more colorfully, but this is for real. Bro! Do you know what this could mean?!”
Probably a trip out the airlock, eventually, but Vaughn held his tongue. “Ugh, Rhys, you’re not really going, are you?”
Rhys quirked his head innocently before seeming to remember the situation. “Hm? Oh. Shit. You and Yvette are still good to hang out, right? We’re all stocked up; you two can have some drinks and catch up, watch movies. I promise to make the bro time up to you. We’ll hang out real soon. But Vaughn, come on. This is unreal!” When Vaughn’s expression still soured, he stepped closer. “At least you know I haven’t been Vasquez’d this time, right?”
“Vasquez’d? You mean forced to dress in a bad suit?”
Rhys laughed and bumped him on the shoulder playfully. “Exactly. So kick back and relax tonight! I’m gonna go grab a few things and be out of here.” Rhys spun and attempted finger guns while backing out of the kitchen, only to knock his head into the overhead cabinet. “Ow! Uhm…” he chuckled sheepishly while gripping the back of his head. “See ya.”
He didn’t look up to notice the devastated expression on Vaughn’s face.
“Hoo,” Yvette commented at the story. She now lounged on one end of the couch with her feet kicked up into Vaughn’s lap. “That’s crazy.” Her words were muffled by the slice of pizza she chomped in one hand. A large wine glass was balanced in her other, and a plate rested on her lap.“I can’t believe he went again,” Vaughn mumbled, anxiously drumming his knuckles against her shins.“No, no, that’s totally believable,” Yvette said before taking a generous gulp of wine. “What’s crazy is that Handsome Jack invited Rhys’s dumb ass up there again, in less than twenty-four hours. The guy must be losing his mind. Hello, opening for CEO! Say, while you’re down there, how about a foot rub? I’ve been all over Helios with problems today, and they’re killing me!”“Keep dreaming.”“What good are you?” she grumbled while poking him in the belly with her toes. “Anyway, I say let the boy have his fun. Who knows the last time he got well laid? It certainly wasn’t going to be with you anytime soon!”Vaughn grimaced defensively. Yvette was the only one privy to his feelings about Rhys. Apparently he’d triggered her “gaydar” early on, and with how he was always found at Rhys’s side, it didn’t take much more time for her to put the pieces together. By some miracle, she hadn’t blabbed to Rhys or tried to set them up. She’d assured that the last thing she wanted to do was play matchmaker and have to deal with them “slobbering all over each other” when the three were hanging out. Vaughn was content to accept her reasoning; he was glad to have a friend to talk confidentially with about it, after years of bottling everything up in college. Being head over heels for one’s best friend and roommate wasn’t something easy to cope with. Still…“I was going to come out to him,” he whined. “Like after his next promotion, or something. We’ve been real focused on moving up the ranks lately. It’s not a good time to talk about that sort of stuff.” His cheeks burned over the knowledge that he was grasping at straws for excuses. What was worse, he was well aware that Yvette knew it, too.“First off, I don’t think Rhys and Jack are doing much ‘talking.’ Second, forget moving up the ranks. Rhys could be in for a catapult to the top if he plays his cards right. Look at the big picture, Vaughn. What could possibly be better for us in Hyperion than a connection with the CEO? We could all benefit from this.”“I don’t care!” Vaughn insisted. He paused to grit his teeth. “I mean, of course I do. But we were doing fine on our own, right?”Yvette took another ample swig of wine. “Not as fine as this. Try complaining to me when Rhys has the power to make you head of accounting.” The mental image made Vaughn pout, despite the obvious appeal. Of course they were all wanting to make it to the top. The key was that they were supposed to do it together. Rhys hanging off of Handsome Jack was never part of the plan.“Look, Vaughn,” Yvette said as she noshed into the crust of her pizza slice, “you need to remember – this is Handsome Jack. He’s got everything and is everything. Nobody on this station could hope to compete, including you. Think of how much Rhys crushes on the guy. This has to be a fantasy come true for him. Maybe, try to be happy for him.”The words hit Vaughn like a precision strike to all his weak spots. “Happy for him?” he sputtered, feeling like all the air had been punched out of him. “You want me to be happy that he’s having sex with some impossibly perfect person?!”“Well I’m only saying. Sometimes it’s best to face the facts. The sooner you do that, the sooner you can work with it and move on.”“Can’t you say something more comforting, though? Isn’t that what friends are supposed to do?”Yvette dusted some crumbs off her hands onto her plate. “Umm, there’s a really good pizza over there, and we didn’t have to pay for it.”Vaughn just slumped in his seat. He didn’t want pizza; he wanted Rhys. Preferably both, but the gap left by his best friend was making the weekly get together strange and hollow. It was pathetic to say out loud, so he just kept his mouth shut. The current conversation had already done nothing to help his bruised self-esteem.Yvette swiveled her feet off his lap and sat up beside him. “Come on,” she coaxed, voice a little gentler. “You’ll be more sad if you have an empty stomach. Quit pouting and let’s put on a movie, all right?” With a rough pat on the back, she finally got Vaughn up on his feet.“And if you want a nicer dose of reality, just keep in mind that Jack is rich and impulsive. He’ll be bored with Rhys soon.”…One week later saw no trace of boredom. Rhys had swaggered home a couple hours late from work at the beginning of the week, and then a couple nights later never came home at all. He’d managed to give Vaughn the briefest of heads up, at the very least, quick messages just saying that he wouldn’t be home. It made Vaughn sick each time, a mixture of jealousy, sadness, and fear for Rhys’s well-being growing inside as he read the words. And when Rhys walked in the door each time, looking so pleased, it only drug Vaughn down more.Rhys was happy – without him.After another weekend of Rhys being MIA for most of the time, the two finally got a block of quality bro time together. They sat side by side in the living room, opting for a co-op fantasy adventure game instead of competing. “You and Yvette hang out last night?” Rhys asked as his warrior character sliced at monster trolls on screen.“Yeah,” Vaughn mumbled, his mage character casting a protective spell over the party. Usually he loved this time playing games with Rhys, but the knowledge of what had happened the past week might as well have been played repeatedly over a loudspeaker in the room. “We watched Werewolf Crusade,” he supplied to help fill the painful silence.That brought warm chuckles out of Rhys. “Oh man, that movie is so funny. The part where that guy gets thrown against the wall and it’s so obviously a dummy with a bad wig…” Vaugh couldn’t help but smile a bit at the memory. The two had rewound that part too many times to count the first time they’d ever watched it in college. Vaughn liked to think of himself as a “good bad” movie connoisseur; fake practical effects and bad stunts were their favorite. The two were almost pros at catching those moments at this point.“Sorry I missed,” Rhys said. “That sounds like fun.” His tone suddenly got a little dreamy. “Things have just been wild-”“No, no,” Vaughn cut in with a wave of his hand. “It’s fine. I’ve got it.” He wouldn’t want the details of any friend’s sexual exploits, but from Rhys, it was almost unbearable.“Right. Sorry,” Rhys said, flushing a little.They continued playing, trading comments as their characters traveled across the world map in the game, but Vaughn found his mind elsewhere. This was a good chance. They were alone, hanging out on a day off with no work situations on hand. He could tell Rhys, and maybe, if Rhys reciprocated, then this could be over and there wouldn’t be any more nights out with Handsome Jack, or anybody. They could finally be together for real. His heart drummed at the thought. If he just said something now, he could put a stop to this.Dread simultaneously overcame him. Would Rhys really choose him over Handsome Jack – CEO of the company, richest and probably best-looking bastard in the galaxy, the guy Rhys had been infatuated with ever since college, before they’d even applied at Hyperion? Handsome Jack was Rhys’s dream. And he…he was more Rhys’s shadow. Maybe Yvette was right, and there really was no competition.Confessing to Rhys could have disastrous effects on their friendship, too. It was the primary reason Vaughn had said nothing up to this point. The last thing he wanted was for things to be awkward between them, for Rhys to stop sitting so close or avoid reaching out to touch during conversation because he didn’t feel the same way. It would also leave him feeling so pathetic if he got rejected. Spending time with Rhys would never feel the same.This all didn’t even take into account what Jack might do. Getting between him and his new interest might be a one-way ticket out an airlock, or probably to some other bloody end. The guy was notorious for being both violent and unpredictable. Vaughn had never run into him in person but the stories and rumors told throughout Helios were enough. There was no doubt he’d be the jealous type.Vaughn snuck a glance at Rhys, noting the handsome features of his face – the soft, inviting smile he so often wore, the enthusiastic glint in his eyes, visible even in the bright blue cybernetic. He wasn’t just a pretty person, though; it was his eager but gentle nature that Vaughn had fallen in love with. Rhys could have easily been just another snobby jerk, both in college and on Helios. Others had given him plenty opportunity to join their ranks, but instead he’d chosen to remain the kind and loyal person he was. He’d always stood by Vaughn over the years.That wouldn’t change, would it?Rhys suddenly did a small double take at him. “Hey, are you all right? You like a bit, uh, pale.”Vaughn blinked sharply. It could be now.Want to, want to…“I just feel a little sick all the sudden,” he mumbled, rising to his feet.Can’t, can’t…Rhys’s gaze was heavy on him as he crossed in front of the couch toward the short hall leading to their bedrooms. “Do you need anything?” His voice was a little small and shaken.“No, no. It’s okay. I think I just need to lie down. Go ahead and finish playing.” Thoroughly embarrassed and kicking himself, Vaughn hurriedly slunk back to his bedroom and shut the door.…The air was cool, thick with an energy that hummed softly in the air. It nearly enveloped Vaughn as he dazedly made his way up a set of cream-colored stairs, suspended in nowhere. In every direction, far as the eye could see, stretched vast amounts of stars, planets, skies that blended endlessly in a peaceful array of blacks, deep blues, and royal purples. It reminded him of the first time he and Rhys had ever seen the view from a grand window on Helios.His best friend came into view at the top of the stairs, standing on a small platform. Rhys turned to him, a smile smoothly illuminating on his face. “I’ve been waiting for you.” The words reverberated heavily in the air, like he was speaking from the bottom of a well.Vaughn’s legs began to wobble at once, uneasy at how vulnerable they were out here, nothing secure to hang onto. Rhys just calmly grabbed his hand and helped him up to the platform. His grip was strong, certain. It instantly soothed Vaughn’s nerves, made him feel safe.“I found a vault,” Rhys said. He wore the most calm and self-assured smile as he pointed out toward another large platform across from them. A giant arched portal of light sat on it, promising them treasures, power, and wishes granted. The only thing connecting it to their platform was a thin metal beam. Vaughn couldn’t believe it when Rhys ushered them forward to cross on it.He planted himself with a shudder as Rhys took one step onto the beam that was barely as wide as his foot.“Hm?” Rhys turned and chuckled good-naturedly at the horrified look on Vaughn’s face. “You aren’t scared, are you? Just keep holding my hand.” He turned to continue forward. “I won’t let you go.”Vaughn closed his eyes and took a breath, summoning all his courage. He tried to focus on Rhys’s hand in his, as they began the slow journey down the narrow path. Keeping balance was easier than he thought it might be, at least. Rhys appeared to be having no trouble at all. His steps were slow but deliberate and even.“Shouldn’t you be the one afraid of this?” Vaughn ventured to speak, thinking of the man’s fear of heights.No response. Rhys continued moving forward, as if he hadn’t even heard the question. They proceeded steadily toward the goal in front of them. Feeling awkward at the silence, Vaughn dared a glance down.Pandora was beneath them – enormous and dark, glowing with eridium in spots and ringed softly in light from a distant sun. It was beautiful from afar, but on the surface it was a barbaric place filled with harsh landscapes, gangs of insane bandits, and unspeakable monsters. Now so close below them, it almost seemed to threaten to swallow them whole.Suddenly the beam trembled violently. Vaughn fought to keep his balance, suddenly aware that Rhys had let go of his hand and was continuing forward without him.“Rhys?!”Still no response. The beam trembled again, and Vaughn found himself tipping to the side, about to fall.“RHYS!”The man slowly stopped to turn his head, but far too late. Vaughn’s feet slipped and he tumbled toward the darkness below.Vaughn startled awake with a small yelp, arms thrashing in his blankets and heart pounding. The never ending darkness that he fell into faded into the solid walls of his bedroom. Everything was still and silent. He was safe. Vaughn sat up, folding his legs toward himself and putting his head in his hands. It was just a nightmare…Before he knew it, though, his eyes were stinging with tears and his frightened breaths had turned into sobs. He crumpled a fistful of blanket over his mouth in attempt to conceal the noise in the small apartment. If Rhys heard it, he’d be so ashamed. For a few minutes he quietly cried it out, trying to remind himself that it was just a dream while also knowing that it was becoming more and more like reality by the day.Somewhere in the midst of his sadness, the echo on his nightstand had beeped. Vaughn finally rubbed the blanket at his now sore eyes and grabbed the device to see what it was. A message from Rhys illuminated the screen:
Bro I went out and got some ginger ale and crackers for you since you’re feeling sick. Going to bed now but wake me up if you need anything.
Sniffling and sighing, Vaughn turned off the screen and rested his forehead against the device. Why did someone so caring have to get mixed up with a jerk like Handsome Jack?
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Later that next week at work, Rhys met Vaughn and Yvette in the cafeteria for lunch. He sauntered up to the table with a tray of food in hand and troubled expression.“Well, look who decided to join us,” Yvette teased. The day before, he hadn’t shown up, sending a message later that he’d gotten busy around lunchtime.“Yeah, that was…you know, work,” he stammered. When Yvette scoffed knowingly, he chuckled a little. Vaughn immediately had to shoot down any mental images that tried to form in his mind. Office sex, really?!“But, uh…” Rhys said, ducking his head. “I might have messed things up.”“Prematurely?” Yvette snarked, earning a playful cuff on the arm from Rhys. Vaughn half-heartedly pretended to laugh along, but his ears were well perked.“It’s just, I saw him in the hallway this morning, and decided to say hi, you know? But when I did, he stared at me like he’d never seen me before! He didn’t say anything, just looked angry the longer I stood there. So I kept moving.” He shrugged, posture drooping as he recalled the story. “I guess maybe he wasn’t wanting me to acknowledge the two of us in public.”Despite holding some fresh hope that Jack was ending things with Rhys, Vaughn felt defensive at the story. “Sounds pretty arrogant,” he muttered.“Anyway, I don’t know. Hopefully I didn’t piss him off too much. It’s not like he ever said not to say anything to him.” He rubbed the back of his neck with a forlorn expression.“He’s got an image to maintain,” Yvette reasoned. “Can’t be seen acting sweet with you around the other executives.”“I guess,” Rhys mumbled as he started to pull the wrapper off his sandwich. “I didn’t mean to draw attention, or anything.”Vaughn observed his friend with a sting of pity. Rhys deserved far better treatment, but at the same time, what had he expected? It was Handsome Jack. Average people like them were probably just pawns to him, tools in a greater scheme. At least, maybe Rhys would come down now and realize that anything like affection or romance was a far cry from what he was going to get from that egomaniac.Unfortunately, that night Rhys was right back at Jack’s again, later explaining that Jack had dismissed the incident as a simple misunderstanding. Vaughn had several valid questions for that – like how there could have been a misunderstanding when Jack was looking Rhys dead in the eye, but the excuse was regrettably enough for Rhys. The man continued on his merry way and continued to see Jack over the next several days as usual. Vaughn fretted as he noted how the stays were becoming more frequent and for longer at a time when they happened.By the end of another week with too much time alone in the apartment with only the weighty knowledge of Rhys’s escapades for company, Vaughn was well worn down. Yvette had walked in the door for their weekly hangout, only to take one look at him and insist that she wasn’t willing to spend one more night watching him mope. She forced him up and into some halfway decent clothes so the two could go out to one of the bars on Helios.Vaughn sat begrudgingly with her at the counter, scowling out at the forms of other people in the dimly lit place. It wasn’t overly large or crowded, which was a mercy. The beat of some high-tempo song pulsed through the air, and a small crowd of people danced to it in an area off toward the back. A few couples could be seen making out in the darker corners of the space. Vaughn swallowed apprehensively.“All right,” Yvette sang, brandishing a couple of golden-colored drinks that she’d coaxed him to buy for them. “Let’s loosen up and have a good time, okay?” She passed one of the drinks to him with a look of satisfaction. Vaughn sighed and started to sip at it.“Maybe we can even get you home with somebody here.”Vaughn choked and sputtered, setting the beverage down.“I’m just saying,” Yvette said with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Get in bed with somebody yourself and you’ll be over Rhys in no time.”Vaughn groaned. She had no idea how wrong that would be.Yvette put her hand to her mouth and scanned him over. Her eyes squinted critically. “Can’t you ever wear a different pair of glasses? You look like one of those freaks from R&D!” Without asking permission, she reached forward and grabbed the gear off of his head.“Well now I can’t see,” Vaughn grumbled.“You’ve heard of contacts, right?”“Contacts can’t calculate equations and process transactions.”Yvette thoughtfully hefted the glasses in her hands, as if trying to guess their weight. “You could always do like Rhys and get a cybernetic implant. Way cooler.”“No!” Vaughn almost shouted, snatching the glasses back. Rhys’s decision to give up his arm and eye just to have an advantage over the competition at Hyperion had been incredibly upsetting for Vaughn, even more than the man’s current lack of better judgment. The last thing he ever wanted himself or his friends to do was let Hyperion scientists lop off or drill into parts of their body.Yvette raised her hands defensively. “All right, all right,” she huffed. “I read you, loud and clear.” She stopped to scorn at him again. “At least unbutton your shirt a bit. You look ready for a formal ball, not a good time.”Vaughn sighed but surrendered as she reached over and swiftly started to undo the top few buttons on his shirt. He just hoped maybe this would finally placate her.“There you go!” she said, tugging the material aside to reveal a little more chest than Vaughn thought was tasteful. Suddenly she froze, frowned, and then proceeded to yank his shirt forward and look down it with all the modesty of a dog shoving its nose into a stranger’s crotch.“HEY!” Vaughn squawked, jerking backward. “Personal boundaries!” He threw his arms across his chest and eyed her with a scandalized expression.“Holy shit!” Yvette exclaimed, eyes lit up with sudden excitement. She laughed a little, incredulous. “What the hell is that?!” Vaughn immediately set to rebuttoning his shirt despite her frantic waves for him to stop. “No, unbutton the whole thing. You’ll be having sex within an hour!”“What the hell are you talking about?” he snarled.Yvette looked more delighted and amused than he’d ever seen her. “Don’t you dare give me that. Vaughn, you are shredded. Like, cut from the gods! That’s something you can’t just pretend you haven’t noticed.”Vaughn huffed and rolled his eyes, still flustered by the whole situation. “I put an exercise bike in my office. It’s not a big deal.”“Oh, to hell with that! You make it sound like a happy accident.”“I use it a lot,” he clarified. Then he swiveled back toward the bar to signal end of conversation. Yvette still sat, stunned and watching him with wide eyes.“Has Rhys seen that?”“We live together. Yes.”She slowly turned back to face the bar with him, blowing out an astounded whistle. Both of them took a long drink, Yvette probably to absorb what she just saw and Vaughn to forget that she had.After the two took a few minutes to let the moment pass, Yvette turned to Vaughn again. “All right, look around. You find a guy you like, and I’ll figure out how to get him over. Let me be your wingman. Woman.”That sounded terrible. “What happened to not wanting to play matchmaker?” he groaned while scanning the room to appease his friend.“Well with Rhys, it’s nauseating. You want him to be your boyfriend. Finding a stranger to get into your pants is much more fun.”Vaughn frowned, not understanding her logic. He looked over the group of people on the dance floor, barely more than silhouettes in the low lighting. A lot of the men seemed preoccupied with the women present. It wasn’t like many of them appeared to be his type, anyway. Life at Hyperion called for a special breed of people, and it didn’t average out to the best personality. There were mostly snobs and sociopaths to be found on the station.“Vaaaughn,” Yvette drug out ominously. “If you don’t pick, I’ll do it for you!”“Can’t we just have a few drinks together?”“Last chance.”“There’s not even anyone here who would really-“Yvette was out of her seat before the sentence could be finished. Vaughn sighed heavily and turned for his drink. This was going to be painful.It indeed was. Yvette brought over prospect after prospect, only for them to ignore him and relentlessly hit on her instead. At first it was disheartening to see the guys overlook or scoff at him, but as the two friends ordered more drinks and Vaughn got to see Yvette become increasingly bristled at their failures, it ended up pretty funny. She bitingly shot down all advances, and there was a pile of torn up phone numbers at her feet after a few hours.“Your gaydar’s for shit,” he laughed with tears in his eyes as the latest victim stalked away. Yvette just latched her arm around his neck and gave him a ferocious noogie.“I can’t stand this anymore!” she said, releasing him and stumbling from her seat. “Let’s get the hell out of here.” Vaughn chuckled and blew out a satisfied sigh, only too happy to oblige.The two slowly but steadily made their way back toward the housing sector of Helios, laughing at stupid things and struggling to keep their balance at times. Yvette was notably less drunk, though, and Vaughn realized she might have been sipping her drinks more while he’d guzzled them to get through the awkward night. At times she was forced to grab him by the scruff of the neck to keep them on their march toward home.“All right, I’m dropping you off first,” she commanded, directing them down the hall that lead toward the two men’s apartment. She snagged Vaughn’s shirt collar to stop him from stumbling face first into a wall.“You’re so nice,” Vaughn hummed. He felt his drunken state moving from loud goofiness to something slower and quietly giddy. The urge to lie down anywhere suitable and sleep was quickly growing.By the time they got to the apartment, Vaughn’s eyelids were so heavy. He haphazardly dug the key card out of his pocket and swiped it across the scanner. The door swooshed open and he blindly stumbled inside – right into Rhys’s arms. “Whoa!” Rhys cried in surprise, catching his friend from a fall. Vaughn couldn’t help but feel more blissful at the contact than embarrassed. His face bumped comfortably into Rhys’s warm chest, the man’s long arms bracing and steadying him. Still, Vaughn’s better judgment caught up and he allowed himself to be righted to his feet.“We got drunk,” was all he could think to report once they’d stepped back from each other.Rhys snorted, looking over him with amusement. “Yeah, I can see that.” He directed Vaughn over to the couch, where the shorter man happily flopped down.“Some of us more than others,” Yvette commented.“Don’t make fun of me,” Vaughn mumbled. “It was her idea.”“No kidding,” Rhys snickered helplessly. “Bro, I haven’t seen you this tanked since college. That’s hilarious.”“Ha. Ha. Ha,” Vaughn retorted flatly. He grabbed a blanket to pull over himself, noting how incredibly comfy the couch cushions felt in this moment. Maybe he and Rhys could watch a movie; they hadn’t hung out in a while and Vaughn missed him. It was a pleasant surprise to have him back for the night.There was the sound of running water from the kitchen and Rhys came back with a large cup. He sat it on the living room table near Vaughn. “You should drink this before you fall asleep,” he said. “That hangover’s gonna hit you hard otherwise.” Vaughn gave a non-committal groan in response. Why did his pain-in-the-ass advice have to be so right?Rhys stood up again, turning to Yvette. “I’ll walk you home.”“Nah, you don’t have to worry about it.”“It’ll be on my way,” Rhys assured, kneeling down to pick a medium-sized duffel bag off the floor and sling it over his shoulder. “I was just heading out.” He then chuckled in that utterly pleased way that gave Vaughn a pit in his stomach these days.“So, Jack and I are official. He’s my boyfriend now.”Vaughn stopped breathing. The sound of Yvette’s excited response was far away as he nestled his face into the couch cushion to hide his anguish. “Wow,” was all he could quietly mumble. It couldn’t be real, though. It just couldn’t. He’d misheard. This was a bad dream. This wouldn’t happen.But Rhys and Yvette were chatting away over the news, making it glaringly real with each comment. “Anyway,” Rhys said, “I just came back to pick up a change of clothes and stuff. Should probably be heading out.” The two turned for the door and he called, “See you, Vaughn! Seriously, drink that water.” A second later the door shut. All became dark and quiet.Vaughn slowly sat up, significantly more sober as his heart thundered and a giant lump formed in his throat, clenching down into his chest. He eyed the plastic cup on the table before him.Yeah, he should drink some water.He robotically picked up the cup and started to drink. The only sound to be heard was his rushed breathing, muffled in the cup as he held it up to his face. A small light from the kitchen cast long shadows across the room. This was fine. He would just finish drinking this and fall asleep. There wasn’t anything more to do.After a few minutes, there was a small notification sound from his pocket and he dug his echo out to see a message from Yvette.
Sorry. : (
Sorry for what, he wondered. He let the echo fall from his hand onto the couch beside him. It wasn’t like none of them could have seen this coming. It wasn’t like Rhys wasn’t banging Jack almost every day, anyway.It wasn’t like Vaughn had ever stood a chance.It wasn’t like anything he said would have made a difference.It wasn’t like he wasn’t used to being picked over and rejected.It wasn’t like Rhys would have stuck around with him forever.Vaughn abruptly dropped the cup back onto the table, almost spilling it. His hands were shaking and the tears he so desperately didn’t want to show were now running down his cheeks. Rhys was the only reason he’d come to Hyperion in the first place, left home and given up safer opportunities to go live on this stupid space station.He huddled up tight into the corner of the couch and started crying uncontrollably, feeling so stupid and so pathetic for ever wanting Rhys, for feeling so relentlessly sad while his friend moved on without him.“F..fu…fuck…” he sobbed. Vaughn cried and cried until he was asleep.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
A couple weeks later, Vaughn was struggling to get through the first official bro night Rhys had spent with him since Handsome Jack had shaken up their lives. It was a mix of feelings for him whenever Rhys spent time over at the apartment. Of course he was glad to have the man in his company; there was nothing Rhys could do that would ever change that. It didn’t mean that things weren’t difficult. Vaughn had to be constantly reminded of the situation, to have Rhys right in front of him, but solidly off limits now.It was also a tough job to hide all the pain he was going through. Rhys had already caught on to Vaughn’s low moods a few times when they’d hung out, asking if he was all right. Vaughn had quickly deflected any concerns with assurances that he was just tired, or work was really stressful lately. He fought to try and act as normal as possible, knowing those excuses wouldn’t last him forever.Over time, he found that denying his troubles wasn’t just to save face, though. There really was a change in Rhys since the night he’d shared being in a relationship with Jack. He didn’t just walk around with that stupid giddy smile, like the one he wore the first morning he’d come home after having sex. There was an honest contentment and cheer about him lately, unlike Vaughn had ever quite seen before. He didn’t want to take away from that by voicing his sorrows.Luckily the night went by without any new questions asked. After playing some games and watching a movie, the two got ready to call it a night. For Rhys, this meant getting ready to go back to Jack’s. He damn near lived at the guy’s place these days, though had lately spent a bit more time at their apartment. Whenever he did stay, though, he would take a bag of things with him when he left. Nothing ever came back. It was an unpleasant sight for Vaughn each time, and silently he feared the day where Rhys would announce that moving out was official, too.Vaughn walked into the kitchen to toss a couple of bottles into the recycling bin. It was only a drop of water in the bucket of how messy the apartment had gotten lately. Without Rhys around, Vaughn lost most of his motivation to keep things tidy. The two had never gone above and beyond when it came to keeping their home clean – it was a far cry from Yvette’s immaculate living space – but now there were dirty clothes and trash piled around. Vaughn had resorted to jokingly brushing off the mess with the same excuses he gave for his glum behavior. Too tired, too busy.Rhys followed him into the kitchen to put some drinks away but stopped in his tracks. “Vaughn, when did you order this?” he asked, voice pitching up an octave. Vaughn turned to see him staring in horror at one of the takeout containers on the counter.Oh no, when was that one from…“…Last week?” he answered reluctantly. Rhys pinched one flap of the box with his mechanical fingers and hovered it over to the trash can. “Wait, I’ll still eat it.”Rhys disobediently dropped the container into the garbage. “That box had its own ecosystem, bro,” he said, scrunching his nose as the lid flipped down. “You shouldn’t eat that.” He turned to Vaughn then, rubbing the back of his neck with his metal hand and observing him with an expression like a sad puppy. Vaughn had known him long enough to read what that look meant.
I’m worried.
Shit. So Rhys hadn’t said anything, but Vaughn still hadn’t gotten under his radar. He forced a laugh to try and break up the thick air between them. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Maybe we should donate it to R&D instead; they’ll have a blast with it.”Rhys wasn’t laughing. He leaned back against the counter, gaze falling downward. “I’m sorry for not being around much lately.” For the first time in weeks of bailing, he sounded like he genuinely meant it.“It’s fine,” Vaughn said on reflex, too afraid of where this conversation could go and trying to defuse it. Rhys just shook his head.“No, it’s not. I miss you.”Vaughn swallowed thickly as a few seconds of silence passed. He wasn’t sure if he could respond without his voice cracking, but couldn’t leave Rhys’s admission hanging like that. “Miss you, too,” he said softly.That earned a weak smile from the cybernetic man, one that made Vaughn’s heart sting at the sight. Before he could think of what to say or do next, Rhys walked over and pulled him into a tight hug. Vaughn eagerly threw his arms around in return, reacting quickly to the surprise embrace. He pressed his head to Rhys’s shoulder, wanting and needing the physical contact so badly. His body almost ached with it.Several seconds passed before they parted, much longer than any of the casual hugs they’d had before, but Vaughn was still hurting when they had to let go. To his surprise, Rhys also looked a bit wounded. He blinked quickly and looked off to the side. “I, uh…” he said, before finally managing to look back at Vaughn. “I’ll be in touch with you soon. Okay?”Vaughn just nodded, stunned at their interaction and unable to do much more until Rhys had left. He sunk to the kitchen floor once alone, wishing terribly that Rhys would just hold him like that all night.…The rest of the weekend passed and nothing more was heard from Rhys. Vaughn was a disheveled mess on the couch by the time Yvette came over late Sunday afternoon. The two hadn’t hung out since their night at the bar, Vaughn declining any invitations in favor of staying home and moping in peace. Today, though, she’d insisted on coming over. As soon as she saw him she put her hands on her hips and sighed.“All of this still because of Rhys? Really?!”Vaughn nodded grimly.“Vaughn, I’m telling you. Rhys will look out for us once he’s rolling in it. Handsome Jack’s money, that is. Not Handsome Jack’s bed.”“Stop talking or I will chase you out of this apartment,” Vaughn growled. The threat only made Yvette smirk.“Easy, grumpy puss. I’m just trying to make light of the situation.”Vaughn drug himself to his feet and made his way over to Yvette, plopping his face against her as his only source of comfort. Unfortunately their height difference meant he landed on her breast.“Whoa,” she seethed. “Okay.”Vaughn just sniffled, unable to muster up the will to move or care. Yvette dropped her arms and sighed.“All right, come on, don’t cry,” she mumbled, giving him a couple tentative pats on the shoulder. After a moment, “Vaughn, seriously. Stop. You’re making me uncomfortable.”Vaughn finally stepped back, embarrassed and eyes filled with tears but he couldn’t help it. “I don’t know what to do,” he squeaked.Yvette scrunched her nose, unapologetically fanning her hand in front of her face. “Well, first you’re going to go get a damn shower. How long has it been?!”Vaughn looked toward the ceiling, trying to will his memory to work. The days had all sort of blended together lately. When he did finally complete the math, he kept his mouth shut. Yvette didn’t need to know that.After it was obvious there was no answer, Yvette put her hands on her hips. “When was the last time you ate?”That was a little easier to calculate. “This morning,” he mumbled. Yvette immediately jabbed a finger at him.“Now what have we talked about?” she snapped. “What did I say?!”Vaughn rolled his eyes miserably. “Even if you’re sad, you’ve still gotta eat,” he recited. Yvette had made a point to message him that several times over the past few weeks, food ever high on her priority list.“That’s right,” Yvette said, holding a hand up to shield her face. “Now we’ll work on that after you get cleaned up. I’m gonna go back to my place and grab some air freshener.”Vaughn huffed grumpily and slowly stalked toward the bathroom.“And Vaughn?”He turned, seeing Yvette stopped halfway out the door to observe him. They regarded each other for a few moments.“Soap, rinse, and soap again.”“Just get out of here.”A short while later, Vaughn was tossing dried pasta into a pot of boiling water while Yvette watched. Once he had thoroughly washed himself (twice) and gotten himself into a set of rumpled but clean clothes, he’d come down the hall to see a box of spaghetti and a jar of sauce sitting on the counter. Yvette had wasted no time putting him to work, despite his protests of wanting to just order in or grab something from the fridge.“Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about,” she commented as he stirred in the pasta.“Should you be the one cooking for me?” he whined. “I’m sad!”“Don’t question my methods,” she said, handing him the salt shaker. “Now you’ll get to eat a home cooked meal, and feel accomplished by doing it. Go you!”Vaughn gave her a savage side eye as he salted the water.“See? The life is coming back to you already.”“You keep taunting me, and I’m going to spit some life into the food.”“Do that, and I’ll upturn this pan of sauce all over your dumb head.” The two snorted at once with laughter, and she shoved at his shoulder playfully.Speaking of the sauce, Vaughn remembered to sprinkle in some extra dried oregano for flavor. He and Rhys swore that it made the dish complete, though maybe it just helped them feel like they really contributed. As he shook some of the leaves into the sauce, Yvette nudged another spice container toward him.“What’s that?”Yvette grinned. “Red pepper flakes. Give it a little kick.”“Ugh, it’s spaghetti. It doesn’t need a kick.”“You need a kick. Just put in a little – please? For your dear friend and confidante?”Vaughn rolled his eyes and handed the container back to her. “Ingrate,” she snarked before lunging forward to rapidly shake flakes into the sauce. Vaughn laughed and batted her hand away.Despite not being the best shoulder to cry on, at least Yvette was fun to be around, he supposed. While he still really wanted to crawl back into bed, it was refreshing to get out of his head for a bit and feel normal. Hanging out together was a reminder that not everything had changed.Soon the two were seated at the small kitchen table and digging into the spaghetti. “This is good,” Vaughn commented after taking a few bites and catching the added spice.“Told ya,” Yvette said smugly as she twisted her fork in the pasta.Vaughn paused, slowly sinking in his chair a bit. “Thanks for coming around,” he mumbled. Yvette quirked her head at him. “I know I haven’t really been fun to hang out with lately.”“Ah, you’ve been with me through worse.”Vaughn smirked mischievously. “The great food poisoning incident?”Yvette at once looked like she’d bitten into a lemon. “Agh, no! Don’t say it!” The reaction made Vaughn chuckle a bit. It had been a rough time for Yvette last year when she’d dared to eat sushi from the cafeteria. The woman had spent the better part of a week living in her bathroom, and was totally dependent on Vaughn for resources and company. He’d stayed over at her place the entire time, slipping magazines under the door and offering blankets, glasses of water, and bowls of jello. As a fellow foodie, he’d sympathized heavily with her pain of not being able to ingest much without frightening results. Rhys had stuck to buying anything Yvette needed and delivering it to Vaughn, while also messaging them both from a distance.Now Yvette was taking care of him a bit, too, though. “Really,” he murmured, “thanks.”“Yeah, yeah,” Yvette said with a roll of her eyes, though her face wore a smile. She pointed her fork at him. “I’m going to call you at ten tonight, and you’d better be in bed. Not on the couch – bed. In your pajamas. Or in the buff. However the hell you sleep, just not in your damn clothes. And brush your teeth first.”Now it was Vaughn’s turn to roll his eyes. “Stop. I’ll never remember all this for the exam.”That night after giving video confirmation to Yvette that he was indeed in bed, Vaughn forced himself to lie down and try to get some sleep. He wondered how long Rhys and Jack were going to be together. No matter what, though, he swore to himself that if there was ever the right chance again, that he would tell Rhys how he felt. He wouldn’t take him for granted anymore, living with the obliviousness that he would always be there. He would make sure Rhys knew.That was the only comfort that could lull him into sleep that night.…The next morning, Vaughn was in a deep fog. He’d still gotten restless sleep, after all, and the numbers on his screen were blurring together. Usually his work was a nice distraction, but today he couldn’t focus, didn’t want to. He still hadn’t heard anything from Rhys, and it was gnawing at him. Hopefully they’d have a chance to chat at lunch today.Setting his glasses on his desk, Vaughn leaned back to rub at his eyes. He was going to need another cup of coffee to get through the morning. It had been too long a night, and if he made it to the end of this day without falling asleep, it was going to be a real accomplishment.As he went to put his glasses back on, there was the sound of his office door swooshing open.Ugh, who in the hell…Handsome Jack marched through the threshold. He made three quick, heavy steps to Vaughn’s desk, slamming open palms onto the surface in a move that nearly made Vaughn faint. Jack loomed forward and scrutinized the frozen man like a deadly predator, those sharp eyes carefully starting at his waist and traveling upward until they met eyes. When he spoke, his voice was like a threatening growl.“Hello, there.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Vaughn’s eyelids fluttered. Oh no, he wasn’t passing out. Why wasn’t he passing out? He really wanted to pass out. Handsome Jack was probably going to kill him at any second. Jack stared and then spoke again, a bit louder. “Got a problem talking?”Vaughn wanted to respond. He really did. His whole mind and body of nerves were demanding an immediate answer, but his throat was locked as if held in a vice. The most pathetic whining sound was all that strangled out.After a few more agonizing seconds of silence, Jack’s brow arched. “BOO!” he roared, and Vaughn immediately flailed and shrieked. His chair slipped out from underneath him and he landed on his butt on the floor. Jack’s loud laughs simultaneously filled the office.Despite his terror, Vaughn felt a sprig of irritation as he slowly worked himself back up to peek over the desk. This guy had already well met every asshole expectation he’d ever had of him.“Oh, ho ho, ha!...Hoo…” Jack cried, doubled over in laughter. Vaughn swallowed, shaking and a little pissed at the sight. He felt like a mouse being batted around by a cat before it sunk teeth into its neck.Finally the older man straightened up and cleared his throat. A delighted grin was spread across his masked features. “All right, kiddo. Chill out. I’m here to have a chat with you.” The sharp edge to the word “chat” still made Vaughn’s nerves wriggle, but he worked to sit himself back up in his chair. Jack meanwhile turned in a slow 360, taking in long, critical views of his surroundings. The office wasn’t terribly interesting, Vaughn’s most notable addition being the exercise bike in the front corner. A couple hanging photos of moon beach scenery were all that decorated the walls – a stark contrast from Rhys’s office that was plastered in tacky Hyperion posters. From the look on Jack’s face, he didn’t find it especially remarkable.Just when Vaughn started to release a breath he’d been holding, Jack’s attention whirled back and the man was towering over his desk again. Those intense eyes were like daggers on him. “Been talking with Rhysie over the weekend,” he began, casually sweeping all of Vaughn’s carefully placed work supplies aside so he could hop up to sit on the desk. The CEO leaned forward, voice low and dangerous. “You got a thing for my boyfriend?”Vaughn’s brain locked up completely and couldn’t produce an answer he thought would save him. He yelped when a strong hand came down onto his shoulder and squeezed. “And he says you’re not the biggest fan of me,” Jack growled.Holy shit, holy shit, what had Rhys been telling this madman?! Vaughn barely dared to breathe, bracing himself for the inevitable violence. All his vital organs felt like they were hopping to try and get out of his body before Jack smashed it to a pulp. Several seconds passed as he trembled uncontrollably, and Jack just bore eyes into him.“You think I’m going to kill you?”Vaughn swallowed dryly. The best he could do was give a small, terrified nod. Surely now, it would happen. Instead, Jack just grunted in affirmation and that forceful hand on his shoulder gave him a little shake. When Vaughn dared to peek up, he saw a toothy grin on the man’s face. “Well lucky for you, I’ve got different plans.”Jack then released him and hopped off the desk, as if they’d just been casually hanging out. “Come on, up on your feet! Let’s go have a drink. You’re gonna have to loosen up so we can have a conversation. Not that I don’t dig the listening type, but right now you’re a goddamn mute, and we’ve gotta fix that.”Vaughn had no clue how to comprehend the situation as he forced himself onto legs that were like jelly. Have a drink with Handsome Jack – CEO of Hyperion, his official love rival, and boss? The strangeness of drinking at nine in the morning was lost in the tides of greater impossibilities here.As he stood and dazedly approached, Jack’s eyebrows rose. “Whoa,” he huffed with a disbelieving laugh, “you are short!” He scanned Vaughn head to toe shamelessly. “Have you even got five feet on ya?”Vaughn frowned, despite the circumstances. “Five foot one,” he mumbled.Suddenly Jack stepped close – real close, to the point where Vaughn shuddered on instinct. The scent of some spicy-smelling cologne hit his nostrils. “Hmm,” Jack hummed critically as he inspected their height difference. Meanwhile Vaughn could only blink in dumbfounded shock. Jack was so close, he could almost feel the man’s body heat. It was terrifying, as he’d always found Jack, but something about their proximity was also causing a new sort of feeling. Whatever it was made his cheeks redden until Jack abruptly stepped away.“All right, shortcake. Drinks. Now.”...Somehow Vaughn managed to not collapse on the way to the bar. Jack had walked him out of accounting, which was apparently a surreal sight to his coworkers. The other accountants had steered well clear, shrinking to the sides and gaping as they’d passed. Vaughn hoped they wouldn’t pilfer his office, assuming that a personal visit from Handsome Jack could only mean death.But didn’t it?Twenty minutes ago, Vaughn would have been sure it did, but here he was sitting in a booth across from his murder-happy boss. There was no one else in the establishment; Jack had made sure of that. Only the bartender stayed long enough to pour a couple glasses of whiskey at Jack’s demand before parting. Now the drinks sat between them and Jack nudged one toward Vaughn impatiently.“You trying to absorb it through your eyes?”Vaughn immediately grabbed for the glass with shaking fingers and tipped it back against his lips. He smothered all the protests in his head that he didn’t like whiskey, while the burning liquid hit his tongue and throat. Jack had let him live so far, but that was probably not going to last much longer if he kept aggravating him.Across the table, Jack easily sipped his own drink while eyeing Vaughn. “Not much of a drinker?”Great. Vaughn still couldn’t hide his reaction from this guy. “It’s not that,” he said, finally finding words. The strong alcohol made his voice crack. “I usually drink, uh, wine or beer or something.” When Jack huffed he quickly added, “But th-this is fine.” Was that rambling too much?Jack leaned forward and studied him intensely. “Never hurts to broaden your horizons, does it?” he husked. Vaughn went rigid in his seat, wondering what the hell that was supposed to mean when Jack leaned back again and continued casually.“I mean, whiskey’s strong – of course – but that’s the appeal to a lot of people. It overpowers you in the best way. Whiskey can help you loosen up and have a good time. In fact, I’m pretty sure everyone on this damn station enjoys whiskey – except for you, of course. It’s like working in a freakin’ whiskey factory. I mean, what do you expect?” A flicker of interest passed through his eyes. “If Rhys asked you to drink whiskey with him, you would, right?”Vaughn stared, his brain still chasing its tail. If heartbreak, terror, and now alcohol weren’t enough to muddy his brain, Jack’s weird rambling sure was. He had no idea what the guy was trying to get at with all this. “I…” he started slowly. “I guess?” Hearing Jack drop Rhys’s name so casually also bummed him out a bit. It made everything that happened the past several weeks much more real.Whatever his motive was, Jack flashed perfect teeth at that answer. “Right! It pays to be adventurous. Take me, for example. Now I don’t really drink wine. Weak stuff. But if Rhys wanted me to…” His gaze drifted slightly in thought. “Well, I’ve introduced him to some crazy drinks. And he’s shown to have good taste. But if I were to give in and have some wine…” In one smooth movement he leaned forward and folded his arms on the table. “I’d have to be sure that this was one damn, fine wine.” His voice was somewhere between a murmur and a growl when he finished.Vaughn had no idea how to respond to the nonsensical rant. If Jack was trying to confuse him, it had worked a long time ago. The best he could think of was to opt for agreement. “Sure?” he squeaked.That seemed to appease the tyrant. The edge of his mouth twitched into an approving smirk. “So tell me the story, kiddo. What’s your deal? Where are you from? How did you get here?” He swished the whiskey in his glass thoughtfully. “How in the hell did you come to be such good friends with a guy like Rhys?”Vaughn’s mouth dropped open dumbly at the torrent of questions. Why Handsome Jack, ruler of this huge ass space station, wanted to know anything about his boring life story was beyond him. He tucked sweaty palms underneath his knees and cleared his throat. “I, um…” he began, still trying to fully find his voice. “I’m from Eden 4. Rhys and I went to college there. We met on the Hackathon team.”Jack rudely snorted at that, but was still grinning, so Vaughn continued. “Uh, then I came here. W-we both did.” He sunk in his seat a little, feeling sad over talking about Rhys in front of the guy who had wrenched him away. Was this just Jack’s way of twisting the knife?There was a pause before Jack frowned and waved his hand. “And?” The impatient tone made Vaughn tense up again. He struggled to scrounge for whatever detail Jack was wanting.“And uh, I went into accounting here. I was good in my coding classes, but I, I really like math.” His cheeks flushed at how incredibly lame and pathetic that sounded. There really was something about crunching numbers that put him in the zone, though, made him feel real accomplished and soothed his nerves. If Jack let him leave this bar alive, he was definitely ready to pour through some spreadsheets to take the edge off.Jack leaned back with a dull expression and folded his arms. “Tell me you like something other than math.”Vaughn shifted, trying to skirt around the fact that Rhys was probably next up on his list of likes. “Um, food,” he blurted.“You cook?”Vaughn couldn’t keep the embarrassed blush from his face. “M-more the eating part, I guess. I’m not picky.” The stuff he’d grubbed on in the past would probably appall this rich bastard. He’d practically made a game out of eating questionable things just to get Rhys’s horrified and hilarious reactions – a meatball that had rolled onto the floor, leftovers in the fridge they couldn’t quite remember what day they were from, and one of those infamous shuggarath filets that were available after Hyperion had exterminated a large colony on Elpis. Surprisingly palatable.Jack tilted his head curiously. “What’s your favorite?”“Food? Um, my favorite is spaghetti, though I pretty much like any kind of pasta. And donuts. That one place Wake and Bake has the best. Like, any flavor you can think of.” Vaughn found himself smiling a little at the thought, before coming back to the moment and wondering why the hell he was sharing all this. Maybe the whiskey was having an effect on his inhibitions. Before he could stop himself, he asked, “What’s yours?”Jack looked up from a swig of his own drink. “Well, nothing beats a perfectly grilled steak. Kid, you’d weep if you had the kind of food I can have catered at a moment’s notice. Like if you said shrimp fried rice, it would be here before you could blink.” He paused, seeming expectant for awe and adoration that Vaughn wasn’t going to give. When cries of ass-kissing didn’t follow, he shrugged and continued. “Of course, not like I need all that. You may think I have servants do everything, but I actually am as awesome in the kitchen as I am at anything else. Speaking of which…”He reached forward and swept Vaughn’s half empty glass to the side. “I can tell you don’t like the whiskey, kitten,” he said before standing. “I make a mean cocktail even your shit taste should appreciate.” With only the slightest swagger from the alcohol intake, Jack walked toward and hopped over the bar. He quickly and efficiently started grabbing glasses and bottles. Vaughn just stared in shock, unable to believe that Handsome Jack was going to mix a drink especially for him.“You see, kiddo, I don’t tolerate lying. You said the whiskey was fine, and maybe you were being polite. Hell, I’m pretty sure you only just now decided not to piss yourself in front of me. But the number one rule with me is, tell the damn truth. Always.” He unscrewed a couple caps and started pouring the mystery concoctions. “I read people better than anyone, so if you lie, I’ll know. At least you had enough sense not to bull shit me about your history.” He gave just a beat for Vaughn to put the pieces together. “Yeah, I read your company file, and background check. All about you, shortcake.” He glanced up and winked. “Five feet and three quarter inches.”Vaughn stiffened, simultaneously horrified and outraged that Jack had researched him. When and how and most importantly, why the hell?! “It rounds up,” he grumbled, still unable to help defending his height.The small protest wasn’t bothered with as Jack came back around the bar to place two new bright blue drinks on the table. “Here you go,” he said, sliding back into his seat. “Blue darts. Rhys was all about these on our second date. You should like ‘em, too.”Gingerly, Vaughn took the new beverage in his hand. He stared at the fluorescent blue liquid, fairly certain there was some sort of poison in it but not having much other option. When he tasted the drink, it was tart and strong, but tasty, like something he and Rhys had back in their college days. “It’s good,” he murmured honestly.“Figured,” Jack commented with a grin while taking his own drink. “So, math and food. What else do you like? Give me a little more to work with. Something more interesting.”Vaughn paused to breathe, not sure how to tell Jack that there wasn’t anything that interesting about him. What did he want – a claim that he sold rare guns on the black market, or ran a psycho-fighting ring on the side? “Uhhm,” he stalled. “I play video games a lot?”Jack rolled his eyes – of course. “I figured that much. You’re a real multi-dimensional nerd.” He frowned and scratched at his nose in thought, before giving Vaughn another unapologetic scan with his eyes. Vaughn nervously tipped back more of the new drink to try and keep calm.Finally Jack sat back and sighed. “All right. Got two more questions for you, short stop.” Vaughn’s hand shook as he set the drink back down.“First – why do you not like me?” At the mention, Jack’s lip curled in a way that made the hair on Vaughn’s neck prickle. “I mean, it’s obvious you’re scared shitless of me. Just about every bastard on this station is, but they still adore me. So what’s your problem?”Vaughn felt a cold sweat break out. What could he say – you’re the biggest douchebag in the galaxy? An egotistic, murderous sociopath? Oh, and you’re sleeping with my best friend, remember that little piece of information? He desperately funneled through the options, but each seemed to guarantee his death. Jack was going to wring the expensive alcohol out of his body like an old washrag.Finally his mouth started working. Might as well just get on with it. “You just seem not v-very…” he cleared his throat, “…um, nice.” It was the most feeble way he could put it, but saying it still caused him to tremble.Jack snorted in dissent. “So I pull you from your boring ass work, clear a bar just to treat you to drinks, and I’m ‘not nice?’”Vaughn licked his lips, staring incredulously. “You fired a bullet into the ceiling and told everyone to scram.” He had somehow not pissed himself in that moment – a real accomplishment. The few patrons there at the early hour had comically tripped over themselves to get out.A smirk hit Jack’s lips. “Ah, that’s just how I make an entrance. The king doesn’t ask politely. Why do you think I am where I am right now? By the way, you’re welcome. If I hadn’t built Hyperion to the top of the food chain, you and Rhys would probably be a couple of shitheads working for Dahl.”Vaughn couldn’t hold back a laugh at that, the visual tickling him. “I guess you’re right about that.”“You guess?” Jack scoffed, though there was a hint of honest amusement in his eyes. Vaughn caught himself a little at the expression. It almost seemed like Jack was genuinely enjoying the conversation. Was the guy just trying to get him to let his guard down?“Look, I’m not going to deny being an asshole. The industry calls for it. It’s how I get shit done. But you’d better believe I take care of my own.” His gaze turned intense, as if wanting the point to hit home. Vaughn shrunk a little. Of course, he was referring to Rhys. Was this the part where Jack was going to tell him to stay away?“Now you,” Jack continued after a moment, “I’d peg you as just a dweeb.”The insult cut through Vaughn in a way he’d spent most of his life wishing words like that wouldn’t. Of course, Handsome Jack would see him that way. Still, the man continued.“But you’re not that bad, either. You’re…” He bobbed his head to the sides thoughtfully, as if trying to shake out the rest of his thought, “…surprisingly tolerable. There, you see? We can let go of some of our negative impressions of each other.“Now last question. This is actually a repeat from earlier, but I’d like to think you’re loosened up enough to answer me this time.” Jack leaned forward, gaze focused intently, punctuating his words. “Do you have a thing for Rhys?” After observing Vaughn’s immediate trepidation he added, “Silence is not a valid option.”That was the last thing Vaughn wanted to answer. He wondered which was scarier – admitting the truth or trying to lie to the powerful man. Either one would probably invite violence. If Jack clearly already suspected as much of him, though, it wouldn’t do any favors to try and hide it from him now. “I…” he fumbled, voice shaking. “Yes.”“Yes what?”Vaughn sucked in a deep breath, blinking rapidly and trying to muster the will to say that again. “Yes, I like Rhys,” he blurted. His clothes were going to end up soaked with sweat at this rate. Before he could try to begin explaining that he wasn’t out to sabotage their relationship, Jack tossed back the rest of his drink and clinked the glass on the table.“Okay,” he said matter-of-factly.“Huh?” Vaughn squeaked. The casual response was unnerving. He braced himself for Jack to pull out a firearm and cap him with it. Instead, the guy just grinned.“Yup. Interview’s over. What happens next is up to you.” He rose to his feet, frowning slightly when Vaughn flinched on instinct. “First of all, you need to knock that shit off. If I wanted to kill you, it would have happened as soon as I walked into your office. There’s no way I would have wasted all this time and alcohol if that was my plan. You think I don’t have better shit to do?” He huffed and shook his head.“So here’s the deal. If you’re piss terrified of me and the past hour hasn’t changed your mind, then go ahead back to your office. No hard feelings, we’ll pretend this never happened. You can enjoy your accounting shit and won’t be hassled by me again. Back to your regular life.“Or, you can follow me. See how much more interesting things can get when you hang around Handsome Jack.” With a smug grin, Jack turned and began to stride out of the bar. Vaughn watched in stunned silence as the dangerous man walked away without so much as a glance back.Immediately Vaughn was hit with relief; this whole encounter had left his body rubbery and numb with anxiety. Now was his chance to get the crazy guy out of his hair. No matter how much Jack claimed to be playing nice, Vaughn just couldn’t believe it. Handsome Jack would never be nice to him, not on a good day. But adding in that Vaughn had just confessed feelings for his new boyfriend, it definitely indicated that Jack had some ulterior motive. His entire brain was firing off alarms and waving red flags, telling him to get away.All that aside, though, something serious was going on here. Jack had researched him, taken the time to question him. And more importantly, Rhys had been divulging information to Jack. How much and what kind, Vaughn wasn’t sure, but it was enough to prompt this surprise visit. Why would Rhys do that? Were his cybernetics hacked, just like Vaughn had feared from the beginning?Every inch of him was exhausted and worn down by everything that had happened this morning, but maybe this was finally his chance to get some answers. And when it involved Rhys, Vaughn could never bring himself to say no.He pushed himself to his feet, ready to follow.
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Jack was talking on his echo when Vaughn caught up, stumbling just a little from the buzz of alcohol in his body.“Don’t you worry about a thing, cupcake,” the CEO drawled casually into the device. Upon catching sight of Vaughn, he gleefully swung an arm around his shoulders. “There he is!” Jack bellowed. Vaughn didn’t know his vocal chords were even capable of producing such an un-manly sound as the muscular arm seized and gripped him close. Luckily Jack seemed unfazed by the reaction as he continued them forward. He chuckled at something the person on the other end of the line said. “Look, we’ll be up there in fifteen minutes. Get those cute buns moving, sweetheart!” The grin was audible in his words as he clicked off the echo.Vaughn frowned, blushing furiously at being wedged tightly into the man’s underarm. His heart hammered at the close contact with someone so dangerous, but now the call had his curiosity. “Was that Rhys?” he murmured, irked about Jack commenting on his best friend’s buns.“Hah?” Jack responded. “Nah, that wasn’t Rhys. This is someone I’m going to introduce you to. Just you wait.”Vaughn couldn’t hold back a small huff through his nose. Waiting was all he’d been doing since Jack appeared that morning. Why the hell had Jack referred to that person as “sweetheart”? Maybe it was just a general Jack way of talking, every sentence acting as either a threat or a come on. It still bothered Vaughn, though not as much as the insistent arm still locked firmly around his shoulders. It was almost embarrassing, more and more people crossing paths with them as they neared the main hub of Helios. None of the onlookers were bold enough to laugh or make a comment in Jack’s presence, at least. If any of them were someone he knew, though, he’d be the target of gossip and rumors for months.As they marched along, something else started bothering Vaughn. Despite all the fear and frustration, a small part of him was instinctively enjoying being pressed to Jack’s side. He could smell the leather of his jacket, feel the heat of his body through the layers of clothing. The way Jack had him pulled in so close, it almost looked like they were…No, no, no, no, no. It had just been too long since Vaughn had been involved with someone. All the loneliness and deprivation of Rhys the last few weeks must have had him desperate for human contact. There was no way he was going to swoon like some stupid fanboy.Luckily Jack decided then to talk, breaking up his unwanted feelings. “So, what got you to not chicken out?” The blunt phrasing further helped to snuff out any fuzziness Vaughn was feeling.“I’m just curious,” he answered truthfully. “I don’t understand why you’re doing all of this.”“Oh, you’ll find out soon,” Jack said with a pleased tone. “But get used to that feeling. I’m full of surprises.”They crossed a threshold into the Hub of Heroism, the enormous center of Helios acting as a bit of a mall for the Hyperion employees. Stores, eating places, and other businesses lined walls as far as the eye could see. Bright lights poured down from a ceiling several stories high, illuminating metal stairs and walkways, fountains, and the occasional finely trimmed shrub so the employees didn’t completely go mad from living in a barren space station. The crowds weren’t as bad as when Vaughn would pass through at lunchtime to meet Rhys and Yvette, not that it would have mattered as every employee immediately made room when seeing Jack. Most of them gawked comically when they saw Vaughn latched to his side like a barnacle.“So tell me, shortcake,” Jack spoke in a slightly lowered voice, “how good are you at keeping secrets?”“I don’t really have anyone to tell,” Vaughn admitted. The only people he really hung out with were Rhys and Yvette. The three scarcely had secrets to keep amongst them, in the first place. They generally told each other everything with no censoring, openly ribbing or consoling each other, usually gathered in his and Rhys’s apartment sharing take-out and drinks.The thought of it made him sad. It seemed like things might never be that way again.Jack just seemed to grip him tighter, if that was at all possible. “Good,” he commented. “Bunch of horseshit gossiping in this place. I’m all for people speculating over my awesomeness, but the mystery needs to stay what it is. You know what I mean?”At once he let go, so abruptly that Vaughn felt a little stunned at the lack of contact. They’d stopped in front of the large elevator that lead up to Jack’s office. The CEO casually scanned his fingerprint and the large doors swooshed to either side, revealing a rounded interior of red velvet interspersed with small lights. Hyperion employees only ever caught glimpses of the lift’s inside; it was rumored that anyone who’d been called up to Jack’s office never came back alive.Well, this was certainly a morning of firsts. Vaughn followed Jack within, admittedly a little awestruck. It was only steps away from the public hub, but already there was an intense aura of privilege, like they’d walked into an entirely different place. Even the smell was a little fresher, a scent carrying luxury.Jack pressed a button to shut the door, but didn’t input a level. Instead he just turned on Vaughn, face at once completely serious. “Look, kiddo,” he began, “the person you’re about to meet is the best kept secret on this damn station. No one knows about him, no one talks about him.” The hint of a smile quirked at his mouth. “Except in private. You’ll understand why when you see him. But the point is, your lips need to stay zipped on this. Consider this a verbal contract. Otherwise, you could be facing legal discourse, termination of employment, relocation, blah-blah-airlocking-blah-blah-blah…”“What?!” Vaughn shrieked, feet popping off the floor.“It’s all just formalities,” Jack said while waving his hand dismissively. “I mean, yeah, those things will totally happen if you say anything. That’s why I’m giving you one last chance to turn back. If you don’t feel comfortable keeping a secret, then leave now.”Vaughn swallowed roughly around a lump in his throat. If this outing got any stranger, he might just have an anxiety attack. A thousand “why”s kicked around in his head at once, but Jack was obviously not going to explain anything or answer any questions. He was starting to wonder if the relationship between Jack and Rhys might even be a cover-up. Was Rhys mixed into something sketchy, deep within Hyperion? The way Jack described this mystery person, Vaughn was half-expecting some sort of deranged Frankenstein monster, a terrible experiment gone horribly wrong or horribly right by the scientists of Hyperion. Was he going to end up the latest test subject if he went?A hard tremble rattled through him, from head to toe. This was getting way too intense.Jack took two slow steps toward him, in a way Vaughn almost registered as threatening until he saw the unusually relaxed expression on his face. “Come on,” he coaxed with a smile. “You’re gonna like this.” The warm, almost gentle tone of his voice was so unlike what Vaughn had ever heard out of Handsome Jack before. The guy must have really wanted something out of him, and it was frustrating to still not know what. Every minute with Jack had only piled more and more questions onto Vaughn’s confusion.Somehow, though, he found himself actually wanting to trust Jack. Maybe it was going to be the last mistake he’d ever make, but it was true that the guy had defied all bloodthirsty expectations so far. And even if there was something sinister at work, if Rhys was involved, then Vaughn had to know.“All right,” he surrendered after a deep sigh. “I promise not to tell anyone.”Something genuinely excited seemed to light behind Jack’s eyes. “Good man!” he said before cueing the elevator to ascend. The ride was speedy and smooth, mechanisms much more efficient and well-maintained than any of the other elevators on Helios.As Vaughn stood side by side with Handsome Jack, he still couldn’t ignore how crazy this situation was. He fought the urge to slap himself and make sure he wasn’t just having some sort of outlandish dream. This kind of shit just didn’t happen to him. Since arriving at Hyperion, Vaughn had found the best way to stay alive was just keep his head down and keep to his ordinary business. People tended to not mind him, unless they wanted him out of their way.He snuck a sideways glance at the man beside him. Was he just in Jack’s way now, too?Of course, Jack caught sight of the glance and smiled mischievously. “See something you like, there?” He turned with arms open, showing himself off. Vaughn had absolutely no idea how to respond to that.“I’m just still trying to figure this out,” he mumbled, completely flustered. Was Jack just used to having his ass kissed at every turn? Considering Rhys and how the guy probably acted around Jack, maybe that was true. The thought of it was cringeworthy.“Oh, come on,” Jack goaded, stepping closer and making Vaughn tense once again at their proximity. “You can admit I’m awesome. Nothing to be ashamed of.”Vaughn huffed, unable to believe the size of that ego. The only thing he had to admit was his amazement at the sheer amount of time spent with Jack so far and no violence. The last thing he wanted to do was give the other man ideas, though.Luckily Jack took his exasperated silence as confirmation and just grinned. “Yeah, you like me more than you admit,” he said smugly.The elevator then came to a gentle stop and the doors slid open again, interrupting the awkward moment. Before Vaughn could breathe a sigh of relief, Jack’s arm was suddenly around his shoulders again. He suppressed a cry of surprise this time, aided by the fact that now it was a lot more casual and less of a death grip.“This,” Jack proclaimed, “is the presidential hall.” His voice echoed off the walls as he ushered Vaughn into the large space. A massive ornate fountain stood at the center, complete with a statue of Handsome Jack standing proudly in the middle of it. To the sides were various strange objects set on display like they were in a museum. Enormous paintings hung along the walls, showing Jack fighting a variety of bandits and monsters.“Now here is where all my successes are displayed,” Jack declared in an utterly pleased voice. “I don’t mean to brag, but – oh hell, I’ll definitely brag, because I’ve done some pretty awesome shit, and this is all the evidence. We’ve got rare treasures collected from bandit camps, Pandoran artifacts, skulls from monsters you haven’t even seen in your worst nightmares,” he chuckled. “All tokens from my greatest exploits. I’ve busted ass all over Pandora and Elpis, seen things that would turn you green.”The hand on Vaughn’s shoulder gave a little squeeze. “So? How about it?”Vaughn’s brain spazzed. How about what? “Uhh, it’s cool,” he fumbled, his gaze caught on a strange iridescent rock they passed by. Its surfaces were like brightly stained glass.“Hmph,” Jack grumbled. “It’s friggin’ fabulous, is what it is. You know, not many people get to see this.”Vaughn frowned. What did Jack want, for him to fall to the floor weeping and drooling over his greatness? Sure, there was some wild stuff here, but did Jack really need any more praise? Every word out of his mouth that morning had been self-congratulatory. “No, I understand. There’s just,” he paused, mouth going dry at the mounted head of some horned creature Vaughn immediately hoped was the last of its kind. “There’s a lot here.”“Well, duh,” Jack commented. “Can’t say I blame you for being overwhelmed, given that the most you see every day are the gray walls of that shithole office. I’ll give you the official tour another time. For now, we’ve got some very important company waiting.”Vaughn winced. There was going to be another time?!Finally at the other end of the hall was another set of double doors that slid open to reveal Handsome Jack’s office itself. At each side of the entryway, two giant busts with Handsome Jack’s head on them stood, each carving easily larger than an entire person. There were more belongings on display to the sides - shiny things, complex gadgets, and weapons that Jack had probably bought with his endless wealth, rather than obtained by force. Some were guns Vaughn had never seen around Helios before, covered in many buttons and with unusual designs. The ceiling was high up with looming cavernous walls, and three gigantic windows at the back overlooking Elpis. The moon’s neon purple glow poured in, giving the already unbelievable circumstances an extra surreal touch. Before the windows, atop an elevated platform, was the man’s desk, easily as wide as Vaughn’s entire office.Vaughn expected to be led there, but instead Jack ushered him off to the back corner, where there was a small lounging area. A dark leather couch sat in front of a polished wooden table, with a couple of matching armchairs on the other side. This must have been a space reserved for really special guests.Me, Vaughn thought incredulously. He half expected Jack to tell him to sit on the floor, but instead he was gestured toward the couch. Vaughn went to settle himself on one end but Jack firmly took him by the shoulders and steered him to the center instead. “Here,” he commanded. Vaughn’s head felt fuzzy as he gently sat down on what was the comfiest piece of furniture he’d ever encountered. This whole thing was so out of place. He was just a geeky accountant, not some Hyperion bigwig who bought a new suit for every day.“I’m gonna go track down our company,” Jack said, straightening up and resting his hands on his hips. “Don’t move. Tempting as it may be to check out the office – because let’s face it, this is a sweet office – I’m gonna need you to stay put. I’ll be back in a minute.”Vaughn nodded dumbly as Jack wandered away. He sat stiffly on the couch and struggled to not believe this was just a dream. The office was cool and impeccably clean, quiet besides the humming of internal fans circulating air. He bet there wasn’t a trace of dust in the whole room. In front of him, on the table, there was some sort of metal tin with foil over the top. Was that food? Probably something brought in by one of Jack’s personal chefs, if the man’s bragging was anything to believe. Honestly, Vaughn would be happy if it was. The only thing in his empty stomach was alcohol, and he probably could go for anything that might be under there –At once two forms flipped over the back of the couch and plopped on either side of him in unison. Vaughn yelped, his fight or flight instincts kicking in. To the left was Jack and to the right was…Another Jack?!Vaughn double take’d, furiously whipping his head around to confirm what he just saw.Left, Jack.Right, Jack.Each peering at him gleefully.“AAAAAH!!!” he screamed in panic, springing from the couch only to stumble and lose his balance. The edge of the table smacked into the back of his head on the way down and he hit the floor with a graceless thud.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Oh, shit!” one of the Jack’s exclaimed while the other was deep into roaring laughter. Vaughn groaned and reached to feel his head. He was absolutely seeing stars.A hand timidly came to rest on his arm. “Hey. Shit, are you okay?” the first Jack said. His words shook a bit with a tone completely unlike the tyrannical CEO.“Guh,” was all Vaughn could manage.“Hey, Jack?” the same man said. “Rhys is not going to forgive us if we just gave him a concussion.” The stern edge to his voice now more closely matched Handsome Jack’s reputation.The other Jack still couldn’t stop his breathy laughter. “I ca…I can’t…” he wheezed.The pain finally started giving way to awareness of the situation at hand, prompting Vaughn to sit up and open his eyes. There they were – not an illusion, two identical, actual Handsome Jacks. The sight made his stomach turn. One was kneeling on the floor beside him, wearing a look of concern Vaughn didn’t even know that face was capable of making. The other was still sitting on the couch and doubled over with laughter. Now that one was much more what Vaughn expected. It was if Jack had once been a normal man, but his evil and good sides split into separate bodies.“You okay?” the nicer one repeated, eyeing him carefully.Vaughn sucked in a long breath through his nose, trying to find words or at least not lose consciousness. “Two…” was all he could mumble, vaguely raising a hand to point at them.The hint of a smile pulled at Nice Jack’s mouth. “I’ll get you some ice,” he said, rising to his feet until the laughing Jack beat him to it.“Nah, nah. I’ve got it.” The other man still chuckled unapologetically as he wandered away. Nice Jack lowered again to gently grip Vaughn’s arms and try to pull him up.“Let’s, uh, get you off the floor.”Vaughn could only mumble something incoherent as he was carefully helped back onto the couch. Instinctively, he already liked this Jack better. It definitely didn’t seem like this was the one who had been with him up to that point today. Now Vaughn understood the mystery, but who was this person? A twin brother? A clone? Now that the possibility was in front of him, it wouldn’t have been surprising to find that Jack had a hundred little test tube copies of himself on hand, just so he could live and rule Hyperion forever. This guy’s personality was anything but a copy, though.“Sorry about that,” the man said, looking incredibly flustered. “We always wanted to surprise someone like that, but I didn’t think you were going to, uh, hit your head.” His eyes drifted down and to the side awkwardly. Vaughn could only gape at the unreal sight.Just then something cold pressed to the back of his head and he turned to see the real (?) Jack plop down on the couch on his other side with a smug grin on his face. He was holding what must have been an ice pack in place. Vaughn reached back to take it but was immediately stopped. “Stay still,” Jack commanded, eyes searching his curiously. “That’s where you hit it, right?”Vaughn froze and swallowed nervously as they kept eye contact, only able to nod blankly in response. His heart beat wildly at the close contact and intimate gesture. Finally Jack’s attention went to the man on the opposite end of the couch. “You introduce yourself yet?”“Not yet,” the lookalike said, voice a little tight with nervousness. Jack raised his eyebrows and nodded encouragingly, prompting the other to extend his hand to Vaughn.“My name’s Timothy,” he said, eyes lighting with a strange giddiness at the words, as if the simple act of telling someone his name was a marvelous event. “I’m Jack’s body double.”Vaughn robotically shook the warm hand, dazed out of his mind. A body double…but the two were completely identical in appearance. Did Jack really have those capabilities? “I’m Vaughn,” he responded, noting how gentle Timothy’s grip was.“He knows who you are,” Jack spoke up. Vaughn looked to see him grinning toothily. “We know all about you.”“What he means is,” Timothy cut in upon seeing the freaked out expression on Vaughn’s face, “we’ve been hearing about you. From, uh, Rhys.”Hearing that name again did nothing good for Vaughn’s nerves. He’d briefly forgotten this had anything to do with his close friend at all. And now, this Timothy knew Rhys, too?As if reading his mind, Jack spoke again. “Time to be blunt, shortcake. Rhys isn’t just dating me. This fine piece of work in front of you is also part of the picture.”If he hadn’t already about knocked himself out, Vaughn would have flown from the couch again. This could not be happening. There was no way. This was the kind of stuff that happened on a trashy reality show that aired at 3AM. There was no way Rhys was with two…Wait.“Rhys never mentioned a second person,” he spluttered. He now eyed Timothy with disdain, any positive impressions gone if this guy was just another reason Rhys had been pulled away from him.“I told you,” Jack said with a self-satisfied smile. “Best. Kept. Secret.”The way he said that just pissed Vaughn off, for all sorts of reasons. Rhys had never kept things from him before; now he was keeping secrets with these two? That knowledge coupled with the fact that he’d been spilling all sorts of information to them just twisted and hurt. “So what did you bring me up here for, just to put it in my face?” he snapped, too upset to care whether that led to Jack beating him to death with that ice pack at this point. The CEO just blinked at him, unimpressed.“Uh, no. How about you calm your tits and hear us out? We’ve got a proposition for ya.”Vaughn folded his arms and sighed. He doubted it was anything he wanted, but might as well get to the punchline of this crazy morning. “What is it?”Jack smirked and nodded again to Timothy, who shuffled anxiously before speaking. “Well, you know…we’ve heard a lot about you from Rhys, and you two seem close. So we were wanting to ask, uh…maybe we could get to know you, and see if we’re compatible?”“We want to date you,” Jack declared.That was it. The alcohol, the stress, the conk to the head, and now this?Vaughn lurched over, nearly throwing up.“I think we have a critic,” Jack grumbled.A gentle hand tentatively rested on Vaughn’s back. “Are you still dizzy?” Timothy asked in a startled voice.That was the least of Vaughn’s problems right now. He worked to fight down the little content of his stomach before sitting up. “Wha…” he fumbled, looking at the men on either side of him. “What?!”Jack arched a brow curiously. “Yep. That’s what’s on the table, shortcake.”“I know you don’t know us,” Tim said cautiously. “I mean, especially me, but that’s why we brought you up here.”“Just had to give you an inspection first,” Jack added with a smirk. “Not just anyone gets to come up here and meet this gem.” He gave Timothy a fond gaze that Vaughn would have found more endearing if the man wasn’t essentially just looking at himself. “And you’ve got some negative impressions of me we need to clear up. You don’t have to make a decision right now. Just sit and hang out with us for a while. What have you got to lose, a few hours of your time?” He scoffed as if it was a no brainer and relaxed back in his seat, putting the ice pack aside.Timothy leaned forward and started messing with the foil on the mystery tray that had been laid out on the table. “I brought snacks,” he further tempted with a shy smile. He pulled back the foil to reveal a tray of muffins.“Ahh,” Jack said, immediately snagging one. “These are the orange cranberry ones, aren’t they? You’re spoiling us.”Timothy also grabbed one and offered it to Vaughn with a warm smile. Vaughn didn’t know what to think. He was pissed at these two, for everything he’d just learned, and couldn’t begin to comprehend why they would bring up dating him. It was all way over his head, but there was only so much he could resist someone handing him a snack.“Thanks,” he mumbled awkwardly. It was still warm from baking, a shiny sugary glaze covering the top. He had to admit it smelled really good. Taking a bite, it tasted even better. “Wow.”Jack chuckled, already well into his. “Timothy’s got some wicked baking skills,” he explained with his mouth full. “No one on this station could compare.” The compliment made the double chuckle bashfully as he took one for himself.“You made these?” Vaughn opted for conversation. He just assumed they were made by servants on a CEO whim.“Yeah,” Timothy said, giggling again. “I was nervous-baking. Jack wanted to meet you first to make sure everything would be cool, and I didn’t know how things were going. Rhys talked so much about you and I was excited but worried that things weren’t going to work out and – yeah.” He promptly shoved the muffin into his mouth to make himself stop talking, eyes bugged out.Jack cackled shamelessly. “You have no idea, kiddo. Timothy here has been so antsy to meet you. I don’t think he slept a wink last night!”“Jack,” Timothy whined into his muffin.“He got so excited when Rhys described all the dorky things you two like to do together – latched onto every word. He was asking what kind of video games you liked, and if you played any table games or whatever the hell. And when Rhys showed us pictures, he said you were cute-“Tim wrenched a muffin off the tray and hucked it at Jack. The CEO caught it easilly and winked with a shit-eating grin before taking a bite.If anyone could compete with the double’s embarrassment, it had to be Vaughn. He sunk into the couch, face thoroughly warm at the discussion. No one had ever called him cute before. Maybe when he was young, but…woah. Cute? And by someone who looked like freakin’ Handsome Jack? This was going to take some time to absorb. It made him embarrassed to think of what all Rhys might have told or shown them.Just then, something finally clicked in his head.“Wait,” he muttered vacantly. The word was quiet, but his tone seemed to catch the other two’s attention.“Rhys…wanted you two to ask me that?”Jack snorted, mouth still full. “Yeah. Keep up, shortcake.”“He’s been a bit broken up lately,” Tim said with a glum expression.That only earned a frustrated scoff from Jack, spraying crumbs into the air. “He hasn’t even wanted to have sex with us!”Timothy seemed on the verge of launching another muffin but contained himself. “Anyway, he’s been real worried about you. He knew something was wrong but not what. Given the timing and everything, we figured it was…you know. But Rhys really likes you, too. And with all Jack and I have heard about you…” A smile formed across his lips. “Well, that’s why we wanted to meet you in person.”Vaughn’s head spun at the story. So Rhys actually wanted to be with him, too? That was a piece of knowledge he’d been wanting for years. He would have been bouncing off the walls with happiness if it weren’t for the unexpected baggage that was suddenly coming with it.“So let me get this straight,” he said, turning fully toward the much more helpful Jack in the room. “If we were to be, um, ‘compatible,’ then that would mean the four of us…” He pressed his lips together, unable to finish the thought.“Basically,” the double answered, voice pitched up a bit. His throat bobbed nervously as he observed Vaughn.Oh, holy balls. This was just batshit insane. Vaughn wanted to be with Rhys so badly, it was a fantasy he’d had for years. But never in the farthest reaches of his imagination would he have envisioned two Jacks as part of that picture. Hell, just one would have been a lot for him to bear. How was this even supposed to work?Before anyone could comment further, the ringing of an echo sounded. Timothy sat up straight, eyes widened in panic as Jack took his device out of his pocket and saw the caller. “Ah, hell,” he said with a sort of amused resignation. “Keep chatting, sweeties. I’ll take this.” He rose from his seat and started to step away.“Oh no,” Timothy groaned, words muffled by a hand over his face.“What’s that?” Vaughn asked.“It must be Rhys,” Tim mumbled, looking as guilty as a dog that had peed on the carpet while its owners were out. “We didn’t exactly have his…blessing for this.”“You said this was what he wanted.”“Yeah, but,” Timothy said, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably, “he wanted to talk with you about it before you met us. Like, ease you into it? Jack, uh, doesn’t operate like that.”“You don’t say,” Vaughn deadpanned.At once Jack’s voice filled the air as he answered the echo. “Baaabyyy,” he greeted with a hundred percent charm. Timothy cringed and sank down into his seat. They couldn’t help but listen in as Jack continued speaking in a pleasant, unfazed tone.“What do you mean?...Really?!...Oh-ho, that’s pretty funny…Nah, I was just so excited to meet him, I thought, why wait?” Whatever the response to that was finally brought the hint of a grimace to Jack’s features. He glanced to see Vaughn and Timothy staring, and promptly waved his hand in an impatient “carry on” motion. Running his free hand through his immaculate hair, he stalked off to the other end of the office. “Nah, nah, everything’s going great…”Vaughn snorted quietly in protest. Like hell it was. Meanwhile Timothy about looked like he was going to be sick. “Ugh, Rhys must be so mad at us…”That made Vaughn laugh humorlessly. “At Handsome Jack? I’m pretty sure Rhys worships the ground he walks on.”Now it was Timothy’s turn to laugh, but genuinely. It was much different from Jack’s raucous laughter, more of a high-pitched, dorky giggle. “Rhys is actually really snarky with him. They give it back and forth to each other all the time. He’s probably legitimately tearing Jack a new asshole right now, though.” He laughed again, but his shoulders sagged. “I shouldn’t be laughing. He’ll chew me out next.”Vaughn rolled his eyes. Rhys was about as intimidating as a kitten. Still, the look on Timothy’s face was so sad that he immediately felt the urge to provide some sort of comfort. “Well if I get to him first, I’ll help put you back in good standing,” Vaughn said. Timothy brightened at that and gave him a crooked, sweet smile.Oh, man. This double was kind of cute. Real cute, actually. It still blew Vaughn’s mind how he looked like Jack, down to the last molecule, but couldn’t possibly carry himself any differently. He must have either been so good at acting that no one ever noticed anything off, or so bad that Jack just never used him for actual stand-ins. The fact that he was nothing like Jack only scored more points for him with Vaughn, though. Spending time with him was an enormous refresher after all the intimidation he’d endured that morning.Timothy scooted a little closer. “Can I tell you something?” he asked in a slightly lowered voice. Vaughn shrugged. It couldn’t possibly get any weirder than it already was.“I know we just threw a lot on you, and, uh...we didn’t make the best first impression.” His face fell into that guilty look again. “I hope you’ll give us a chance, though.” He paused, taking a thoughtful breath. “You know, I was in the same place, not too long ago.”Vaughn furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”“Well, Jack and I have known each other for a long time. We’d gotten a bit close recently, but, nothing official. When he started seeing Rhys, I really hated it. Then he introduced us, seeing if we’d be open to, you know. And I was jealous. I thought Rhys was just some snobby Hyperion, well, douchebag. Just another horny fanboy trying to get into Jack’s pants for the money and power. To be honest, I also sort of thought Jack was just screwing with me. It felt like a joke.“But then we all got to talking, and I found out that Rhys is actually a really sweet guy, you know? I mean, you do know. I was still afraid of being just the third wheel, that they were going to leave me out eventually. Jack and Rhys are both so cool. Yeah, I look the way I do, but I’m still…” He gestured at himself vaguely, brow scrunching as he tried to find the words. “I’m not like that. You might have noticed.”Vaughn couldn’t help the smile that came over him. It was impossible not to notice, but as far as he was concerned, it just made the double easier to get along with. Timothy squirmed bashfully at the reaction.“A-anyway, it hasn’t been like that at all. The three of us have blended together real well, and I’ve never felt left out or neglected. We give each other lots of attention and message each other when we’re not hanging out. If one of us is busy, usually the other is available to talk. Rhys is so thoughtful, and Jack’s always going out of his way to remind you he’s there.”Just then the man in question plopped folded arms onto the back of the couch between them. “Oh, you’re talking about me?” he teased. His eyes cut between them mischievously. “Look at you two, all cozy!”Vaughn was suddenly aware of how close he and Timothy were. Embarrassed, he scooted back a bit to give some room. He must have been leaning in to listen more than he’d realized. Meanwhile Jack vaulted over the back of the couch to take his seat once more.“Is Rhys coming up?” Tim asked.“Nah, he wanted to give us some space to get to know each other and whatnot, since our man’s already here.”Timothy’s voice lowered in dread. “How mad is he?”Jack just cackled, though it seemed to lack his normal energy. “You’d better lay low, Timtams. You know, he’ll thank us when this all works out.”Vaughn flushed a little. Who said this was working out?! He’d be lying if he said Tim’s story didn’t soften him up a bit, but the fact was, Timothy was an awkward guy who still looked like Handsome Jack. Vaughn was the real geeky deal, inside and out.Then again, Timothy apparently thought he was cute. And Rhys…well, Vaughn wouldn’t know for sure until they talked directly, but Rhys was at least interested enough to try and sell these two on him. What did Jack want with him, though? Every person on the station, man and woman alike, wanted to bang him. Why would Jack spend time on him?“So what were you two chatting about?” Jack asked with amusement. He lounged lazily with his head on his hand.“I was telling Vaughn about how you got me and Rhys together,” Timothy said.“Ah,” Jack chuckled. “That was a fun day. You and Rhysie were so damn cute, trying to gauge each other. As if I didn’t already know you two were going to be awesome together. In fact…” he tapped his finger on his head thoughtfully, “the only person who may be even more fitted, is our present company. You two are a match made in nerd heaven!” He laughed while Timothy just groaned at the blunt statement, and Vaughn did the same inwardly. Finally he worked up the nerve to say what was on his mind.“What about you?” he murmured.“Hm?” Jack leaned close, making Vaughn sweat all over again. “What about me?”Vaughn sighed, hating how flustered this guy constantly had him. Now that he’d opened his dumb mouth, he couldn’t think of a way to explain. “I mean,” he swallowed dryly, “are you and me actually a good match?”“Well, if I didn’t think so, you wouldn’t be sitting here,” Jack said arrogantly.Vaughn fought stubbornly against his anxiety and awkwardness to get the words out. “Yeah, but, why? We’re kind of opposite, aren’t we?”“You know they say opposites attract. Maybe you could use someone more ballsy in your life. Maybe I could use someone more, ah…”He trailed off. Vaughn arched an eyebrow.“…simple.”“Huh.”“I think he means someone more low key,” Timothy corrected with a grin. Jack squinted his eyes feistily at him but didn’t object.“This is all theoretical, in any case. As I said, just hang out for a while and we’ll see how it goes. All right?”“Okay.” The response was out of Vaughn’s mouth before he fully registered it. Once he did, it caught him by surprise.That wasn’t just a knee-jerk reaction to agree with Jack. He actually meant it.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Vaughn ended up talking with Jack and Timothy for some time more. Jack busted out a bag of pretzels, which turned out weren’t very good, and some bottled soda that was incredibly light and fresh tasting. Given Jack’s wealth and outlandish personality, Vaughn figured it must have been carbonated unicorn tears. They started out swapping stories about working for Hyperion. Vaughn found out that Timothy had worked with Jack since he took over as CEO, back when Hyperion saved the moon from Dahl.“This piece of perfection was all over the moon with those vault hunters,” Jack praised relentlessly. His face was all warm grins. “Got in there, and saved the day – under my direction, of course. Did all sorts of crazy work on Elpis and Pandora before I pulled him. He’s a freakin’ badass.” Timothy looked like he was going to melt from all the compliments.“You’ve been to Pandora?” Vaughn asked breathlessly. The place sounded like a nightmare, through and through. It was unbelievable to think that the mild-mannered man before him was once a vault hunter, on top of everything else.“Oh, yeah,” Timothy said easily. “Lots of times. I’ve got scars here…here…” He pulled up his sleeve to show a couple of wide puncture marks from what must have been a bite on his forearm, and then another long mark over his chest, just concealed by the jacket.“Don’t forget the one on your ass,” Jack snickered. “How did you get that one again?”Timothy scowled. “Let’s not talk about that. Ever.”Vaughn couldn’t hold back a chuckle at that, but he was still blown away by all this. Were some, most, or even all of the things from Jack’s hall of trophies actually obtained by Timothy? This guy who just baked them delicious muffins - he’d been down on the surface of Pandora, having gunfights with bandits and battling unimaginable monsters? “How are you so,” he paused, trying to find the right word, “level-headed?”Timothy chuckled quietly. “I guess I’m resilient.”“Tim’s a sweetheart, first and foremost,” Jack clarified. “That’s why I had to pull him from all that. He’s more capable than twenty of my soldiers, but he could be better than a hundred and it wouldn’t be worth the risk. He stays here now.” The two shared a look that Vaughn could only describe as loving, and it almost gave him goosebumps. Jack actually seemed to have feelings for Timothy that went beyond literally screwing himself. Was it even possible?Something briefly, gently pulled in his chest. It was a momentary desire that he wanted that bond, too – to be part of it.Vaughn promptly swallowed that feeling down with a gulp of soda.Time really started to fly once the topic went to video games. Timothy and Vaughn barely noticed when Jack left with exasperation to go do some work out of boredom. Their discussion got very involved as they compared different genres and titles they liked. Vaughn enjoyed racing games and Timothy was into RPGs, but they found there were some adventure and strategic games that both had played. They eagerly compared their favorite moments, tactics, and most frustrating parts to get through. Timothy even insisted that Vaughn try out a visual novel sometime.“I’ve got a really good one we could play together,” he said, daring to reach out and brush his hand against Vaughn’s arm, which was resting on the back of the couch. The unexpected motion made Vaughn startle, and Timothy withdrew his hand to scratch at his nose. “Um, if you want.”“No, no!” Vaughn stammered. “I mean, yes. I’d like that.” He gave Timothy a smile, trying to salvage the situation and communicate that he meant it. He couldn’t bring himself to make a move in response, though. It didn’t seem like a great idea to give interested signals if he still wasn’t sure of this situation. There was more to this than just Timothy, and the idea of dating three people at once was honestly still freaking him out.“So, uh, do you play any tabletop games?” Timothy quickly asked in an apparent bid to get past the awkward moment. “Like, RPGs or anything?”“I’ve wanted to before, but Rhys thinks they’re too complicated.” Vaughn rolled his eyes dramatically, earning a giggle from Timothy. “He can take all the time in the world to write a program, but not a half hour to fill out a character sheet.”“Ah,” Timothy noted. He stared down at his lap bashfully. “Well if you ever wanted… I mean, I used to play them a lot before my life got, uh, Jack’d. It’s been a while, but I could teach you some things. Bunkers and Badasses is really cool.”Something in Timothy’s voice grew meek and wistful as he spoke, and Vaughn wondered how much he missed of his former identity. Running around on Pandora or parading around Helios as Handsome Jack probably didn’t afford him much chance to live like a normal person. Despite apparently having Jack around for some time, the man seemed a little lonely. That was something Vaughn could sympathize with all too well lately.“Definitely,” he said. “Dig me further into the nerd hole. Maybe with the both of us coercing, we could drag Rhys down with us.” Timothy lit up at that in a way that would have made the agreement well worth it even if Vaughn hadn’t been interested in playing.Suddenly Jack slumped dramatically over the back of the couch between them. “Oh my God, kiddos. Are you still talking gaming shit? I am bored out of my freakin’ head over here!”Timothy eyed him with a shy but amused grin. “W-we could change the subject now.” He gave the man a couple apologetic pats on the arm before Jack rounded to sit with them again.The three quickly got back to talking about “more interesting” things, at Jack’s fussing request. They continued sharing more of their various likes, dislikes, and stories until Jack got lost going on about all his achievements. After what felt like a half hour, it was nearly putting Vaughn to sleep. His blinks grew longer and longer and his head was feeling heavy. He sipped intently at his drink to try and stay alert.“So that’s when I said, you can give me eighty percent, or I’ll toss these grenades and we’ll see how long you last in here! Ah, ha, ha! Oh, the things I do to get the best deal for this company. Anyway, kid, are you a virgin or what?!”Jack was almost rewarded with a mouthful of soda all over his shirt, if Vaughn hadn’t held back the spit-take.“Jeez, Jack,” Timothy muttered, though it sounded like he had masked some amusement.Vaughn roughly swallowed, coughing a little. “Uh…I…” he wheezed.“Kiddo, no! Are you really?!”“No!” Vaughn spluttered, mortified. The last thing he was going to do was admit how long it had been, though. If Jack’s sexual history could be detailed across a full set of encyclopedias, Vaughn’s would probably fit on a sticky note.“So give us the goods, shortcake. How experienced are you?”“Jack,” Tim ground out a little more seriously. He sympathetically patted Vaughn on the back. Jack just looked at his watch, full of wicked grins.“Ah, that’s about enough for one day, anyway. I’ll savor the suspense. Let’s get to serious business.” He suddenly turned and leaned against the couch to face Vaughn and Timothy, his expression sharp. “Down the couch – what’s the verdict? Is there gonna be a next time or not? Tim?”The blood suddenly drained from Vaughn’s face. Guess Jack had no qualms about putting them on the spot. He’d almost forgotten the point of this whole bonding session. Now his body stiffened, bracing for what they had to say. The pause before Timothy spoke was agonizing.“Um…yeah,” he said cautiously, as if the words could detonate a mine. “I-if it’s good with you two. Yeah.”Jack nodded and then looked to Vaughn, folding his arms. “Are you in or are you out? We’re not asking you to sign a contract; I’m just saying we’ll set up a few dates. Get some more time one-on-one with each other and see what comes about. Plus some time with all four of us, of course.” He grinned. “Can’t keep Rhys out of the loop forever.”Of course he had to throw Rhys’s name in there, to remind Vaughn what this meant. His palms were sweaty as he anxiously rubbed them together. What these two – actually all three of them – were asking was overwhelming. It wasn’t that he didn’t find himself liking Timothy and Jack after today. Just that in itself was a major shift from what he thought was possible. To date all three of them, though…that was a lot. Maybe it was the sort of wacky thing Rhys would easily accept. Hell, getting to date two Jacks was probably a pervy fantasy come true for his friend. For Vaughn, though, it was still a lot to process. He’d still only just met these two today.“I…” he fumbled, mouth and throat suddenly very dry. Hopefully Jack was ready for some of that honesty. “I think this is really crazy.”Jack just snorted. “Well, yeah.” Timothy was intensely quiet.“Yeah,” Vaughn repeated. A weight seemed to lift off his chest and a smile formed on his lips as he realized the answer. “I want to see you both again, though.”A soft but audible sigh of relief came from Timothy while Jack just smirked. “I knew it. You’re totally into me.”Vaughn rolled his eyes and shook his head good-naturedly. Jack had no idea how untrue that was twenty-four hours ago. Hell, he could still hardly believe it himself.A light tapping on his shoulder drew his attention, and he turned to see Timothy beaming brightly. “I’m really glad,” he said, though the elation on his face seemed to indicate that was an understatement.“Yeah, you pass,” Jack added in a put-upon tone. “If everyone’s on board, then I worked out a little schedule with Rhys while you two were going on about God knows what.” He blew out an astounded sigh while producing a pair of thin gold reading glasses from his jacket, along with a small tablet. “Okay, so Rhys is going to spend tonight with you to talk some things over and whatnot. Tomorrow afternoon you and Tim will go out together. I can grace you with my presence Wednesday night, and then Friday…” Tap, tap, tap. “…we’ll all get together up at my penthouse for dinner.”Vaughn couldn’t help it anymore; he burst out laughing. It was too loud in the cavernous office and he knew it probably made him look crazy, but there was no way he could hold it back.“What the hell are you laughing about?!” Jack asked. His voice was riddled with the kind of confusion he’d only been causing all day.Vaughn struggled to compose himself but it was futile. “Those glasses,” he fought to get out between laughs. “They’re so delicate and proper-looking, like something you wouldn’t wear at all!” He refrained from using the word “grandpa” for the sake of his life. Behind him, Timothy also started giggling helplessly.The only one clearly not laughing was Jack. He removed the eyewear and gently folded it into his lap as he leaned toward Vaughn. Those eyes were suddenly so sharp on him that it instantly shut him up. Oh man, did he just blow this whole thing by being immature? For the first time in hours, he remembered just who he was dealing with.Jack reached a hand out to firmly grip Vaughn’s shoulder. “Are you laughing at me?” he whisper-growled.“W-well, not at you,” Vaughn stuttered. “More the, uh, glasses. You know.”Jack stared for a moment longer before letting out an amused snort. “You’ve got some balls,” he chuckled, taking the time to firmly trace strong fingers over Vaughn’s shoulder before he pulled back. He put on the dainty reading glasses once more and resumed his work. “You’d better watch it. I’ll take those blocky things you’re wearing and build a new wing on the station with them."Vaughn chortled at the jab, relieved he hadn’t screwed everything up or shortened his lifespan. Who knew Handsome Jack could take a little ribbing? Timothy also chuckled at the display, resting a hand on Vaughn’s shoulder. “Aw, your glasses are cool,” he assured. “The green tint is sweet.”Vaughn felt all warm underneath his touch and kind words. That was definitely something he’d never heard before. Even Rhys occasionally gave him grief over his nerdy glasses.Timothy then turned his attention to Jack. “Yours are nice, too. Very dignified.”“Kiss-ass,” Jack huffed, a playful glint in his eyes. “So you two have got the schedule, right? You weren’t too busy just laughing your tits off over there? Screw it, I’m sending it all on a group message. Stop geeking out for five seconds to read it!”Soon Jack and Timothy were walking Vaughn back to the executive elevator. He marveled at how the two powerful men kept on either side of him, not walking ahead or leaving him to the side like a tagalong. It was like he actually belonged with them, and was wanted. That was a feeling he hadn’t had in weeks. Was this what Timothy had talked about?When they reached the elevator doors, Tim handed him the tray with the remaining muffins. “For you and Rhys,” he said hesitantly. “Please tell him we’re sorry.”“Well, Timothy’s sorry,” Jack pointed out. His arms folded stubbornly. “I’d say it turned out pretty fan-freakin’-tastic. Parting with those muffins is a big enough sacrifice, besides!”Timothy smiled bashfully and shuffled his feet. “Anyway, um, it was great meeting you.” He wavered a little, leaning forward and back in an unsure motion.Oh. Vaughn understood. Making sure not to repeat what happened earlier, he stepped forward and wrapped his free arm around Timothy’s shoulder into a hug. The double eagerly returned the embrace, arms so strong that they lifted Vaughn up a little. He was actually grateful for that as he stood on tip toes while struggling to hold the muffin pan out of the way. The tight physical contact was a relief after all he’d been through lately. Just as they pulled back, he caught a fresh-smelling scent around Timothy’s neck.“So…tomorrow afternoon?” Tim asked, looking absolutely pleased. It flattered Vaughn in a bunch of ways. But wait a minute…“Afternoon?” Vaughn looked between them curiously, suddenly realizing what was wrong with that. “I, uh, I’ve got work.”“Oh. Yeah,” Jack said matter-of-factly. “Your week long vacation started today. He quirked a brow at Vaughn’s stunned expression and silence. “You remember I’m your boss? Consider this a…special assignment, if you have to.”“I’ll message you where to meet,” Timothy added, all bright smiles.Vaughn was at a complete loss. “Oh, uh…uhm, okay. Th-thanks.” He was so flustered from the information that he was defenseless to react when Jack stepped forward and kissed him.Vaughn jolted and froze, before letting his eyes fall shut as they pressed their lips together. His mind and heart raced at the warm feeling, while Jack had a hand on the back of his head to keep them steady. It was all Vaughn could do not to drop that damn tray of muffins as they held. Just as he started to thoughtlessly lean into the kiss, though, Jack pulled away.“See you later, Vaughn,” he said with a wicked grin. Behind him, Timothy’s expression almost matched. The two were eerily similar when they were up to something.Vaughn wasn’t even sure what he said, how he got into the elevator, but as soon as the doors shut he dropped down into a sitting position against the wall. His knees were so weak after that, lips tingling and brain just barely registering that Jack had used his name for the first time all day.Holy crap. Jack was good.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Vaughn scurried around the apartment, flustered about all the mess he’d left. He haphazardly flung dirty clothes into his bedroom and cursed every gross dish that was lying around. It was embarrassing how bad he’d let things get. His hands trembled as he carted old cups and plates to the dishwasher.Jack and Timothy were still fresh on his mind, of course. He would have appreciated the moment of quiet time to try and digest what had happened all day, if it weren’t that the most nerve-wracking part was still to come. Rhys had messaged after work, stating that he had to stop somewhere but would be home soon.Hanging out with Rhys had never made Vaughn nervous, but now… What were they going to do? Was everything going to be different, if they dated? He still didn’t want their whole dynamic to change. Was Rhys on the same page, too? At the same time, this wasn’t just a casual thing for him to add Vaughn in, was it? Maybe it was even out of sympathy, for how mopey he’d been lately. What if he didn’t feel the same at all?!The thoughts made Vaughn’s breathing pick up pace until he was nearly hyperventilating. He forced himself to stop and just lean over the counter for a moment, closing his eyes.Okay. There was no reason to freak out. It was just Rhys. He silently mused at the irony that Rhys was the one who usually kept him cool when things seemed tense. Now that same man was the cause of his anxiety. And it was too late to get coaching from Yvette, not that she’d be enthusiastic to help him work out things with Rhys, anyway. It was all up to him now.Vaughn drew in a long breath, standing up tall and raising his chin defiantly at no one. “I can do this,” he asserted. “I am not afraid.”A sudden thunder of heavy thuds from out in the hall made him jump and yelp. Vaughn cautiously approached, listening for any more sounds over his once-again hammering heart. When there was nothing else to be heard, he tapped the button to open the apartment door.Rhys was on the floor right outside, pushing himself to his hands and knees and snarling with frustration. Before him was a box of donuts with the lid flipped open, half the contents thrown onto the floor alongside scattered flower petals from a nearby bouquet. “Are you okay?!” Vaughn exclaimed, wondering how this day could get any more surreal.Rhys startled at Vaughn’s presence before falling into an embarrassed pout. “Yeah. I just tripped over my feet trying to reach for the door release. I was carrying all this stuff, and I, I was in a hurry and now it’s all over the damn floor, and…” His voice quivered and trailed off, before he snatched the tattered bouquet off the floor and held it stiffly toward Vaughn. Its flowers were colors of brilliant orange and yellow. “These are for you,” he mumbled, barely able to look up. When he did, there was a thin sheen of tears visible in his human eye.Vaughn awkwardly took the flowers in his arms, thinking his face might turn permanently pink after today. His heart immediately thudded happily; no one had ever given him flowers before. For them to be from Rhys was extra amazing. “Wow. Thanks,” he squeaked, shifting them to one arm and extending a hand to help Rhys to his feet.Sullenly, Rhys accepted the gesture. Their hands squeezed gently before the cybernetic man went to wipe the dust off himself. “Unbelievable,” he grumbled at the mess on the floor. He knelt down to close the donut box. “The donuts were for you, too. At least they didn’t all fall out, I guess.”“No, no, no,” Vaughn insisted. He sat the bouquet down on a nearby table and then stepped out to help pick up the donuts off the floor. “These are still good.”“Vaughn,” Rhys chided, a note of humor finally hitting his downcast voice.“Thirty-second rule.”“That’s not what it’s called.”Vaughn blew a little dirt off one with chocolate frosting and sprinkles – his favorite. “These are from Wake and Bake, right?”“Yeah. They’re also from the floor. Where people walk, with their gross shoes. Vaughn – people spit on this floor.”“Ah, the cleaning bots make their rounds,” Vaughn said with a humored shrug as he lifted the small stack of donuts in his hands. It eased his nerves to have some normal banter with Rhys before they got to the more serious topic at hand. Rhys sniffed defiantly at him.“At least keep those ones separate from the clean ones!”“Fair enough.”The eerie presence of what they had to talk about quickly started to reform once they had shuffled back into the apartment. Rhys sat the box of donuts on the kitchen table while Vaughn went to put the flowers in some water. Of course they didn’t have a vase. He rummaged through the cabinets until he found the largest plastic cup they owned, and stuck them in there.“Look, Vaughn,” Rhys started, wiping his palms on his vest, “I have a lot to apologize for. The plan was, I was going to talk it all over with you first. Jack is such an ass.”Vaughn couldn’t suppress a smirk at the growling tone his words took. It was refreshing to know that Rhys wasn’t just a blind fanboy with Jack. Still, though, he didn’t have him in it to say it, but if Rhys had strode in suggesting that Vaughn just hook up with Handsome Jack, along with a surprise body double, that probably would have gone so much worse.“I was all set to come over yesterday, and then Yvette messaged that she’d be stopping by, and…agh, I just needed the alone time with you. So I went to try and bring lunch over to your office today, and it was a mess! The whole department had declared you dead, and some of them were already putting in for your job. I caught a couple trying to make off with your exercise bike.”“What?!” Vaughn cried.“I made them put it back. And Jack sent a notice to set the record straight. I was so furious. I can’t believe he just grabbed you from work like that!” Rhys shook his head, brow furrowed angrily as he huffed through his nose. Then his tone became quieter and glum. “He must have given you a scare.”“Scare? Pff… Ah, ha…” Vaughn fumbled. Suddenly he remembered the promise he’d made. “You’re not mad at Timothy, too, are you?” he asked, rubbing the back of his head. “It sounded more like Jack was the mastermind behind it all.”“Clearly,” Rhys said with a light roll of his eyes. He rested his hands on the back of one of the kitchen chairs and frowned in thought. “He still went along with it, though.”“But he gave us muffins! They’re orange cranberry.”That got Rhys to break his disgruntled expression. “Oh, those are good,” he muttered under his breath. Then in a normal voice, “Look, I’m not going to chew him out like I did Jack. I know he’s more sensitive. But he’s not off the hook. Both of them really went behind my back, and they could have ruined…”He paused, a sad look falling across his face. Gingerly, he took Vaughn’s hand and led them both to sit on the couch. Their fingers entwined and he rested their hands on his knee. “They said you agreed to trying this,” he noted carefuly.“Yeah,” Vaughn said vacantly, hardly able to focus with Rhys holding his hand like this. It was a subtle form of contact, but they’d rarely ever touched each other beyond elbow nudges and pats on the shoulder. The warmth and gentleness of Rhys’s grip was thrilling him, making his heart flutter up to his ears as he lightly squeezed back.Rhys gnawed on his lip, eyeing Vaughn warily. “I want to make sure you’re really comfortable with it, though, that you didn’t feel pressured or obligated to say yes. You’re not going to get thrown out an airlock, or…” he paused, motioning his free hand nervously, “…or lose me, if you don’t want to go along with this.”Vaughn’s eyes widened at the forward statement. He watched Rhys stare off and downward, flustered, and immediately had to try and soothe his worries. “I really meant it, Rhys! Honestly. Jack and Timothy are, uh…” He paused, bashful to say how he felt. “I think there’s a chance this could work.”That made a shy smile tug at Rhys’s lips as he peeked up at him. “So, it went okay today?”“Yeah,” Vaughn affirmed, although talking with Rhys about it still felt strange. “I mean, Jack freaked me out at first. He’s really unpredictable. But, uh, nicer than I thought he would be, in a sort of ‘Jack’ way. He kind of seemed to enjoy watching me squirm.”Rhys’s eyes narrowed. “What did he do to you?”Oh, boy. The day was a whole mess of Jack doing weird shit. It was hard to pick a specific incident out of the blur. “Nothing bad,” he opted to say. “Just saying things he knew would get a reaction, and stuff.” Rhys showing his protective side, even against his boyfriend, was admittedly doing it for Vaughn a little.Rhys ran his metal fingers through his hair thoughtfully, huffing a resigned laugh. “Yeah, that sounds about right. How do you feel about him?”That was even tougher to answer. Vaughn had still been trying to figure that out ever since he left the man’s office. He didn’t want to admit, but couldn’t deny that there was an attraction there. Jack’s sporadic nature was actually a bit fun to be around. Before, he’d found that to be the man’s most terrifying trait, but Jack had defied the violent expectations Vaughn had of him.“Well,” he started cautiously, “he’s different than I thought he’d be. That’s a good thing. I just don’t know what he wants with me, Rhys. Why does the CEO of Hyperion want anything to do with a lowly nerd accountant?” The two made eye contact and Vaughn struggled to finish the thought.“I’m not you,” he mumbled.Rhys stroked his thumb over the back of Vaughn’s hand. “He just wants to get to know you. Jack can be an ass, obviously, but he’s even surprised me with how much he cares. I never thought things between me and him were ever going to go beyond sleeping together. You should see how much he dotes over Timothy, too!” He paused thoughtfully. “I know it may be hard for you to believe, but he said he’s taken a liking to you.” At Vaughn’s skeptical expression he added, “Really. He said you’re precious!”Vaughn screwed up his face, trying desperately to cover up how irrationally happy that made him. Despite having been asked out and kissed by the man earlier that day, he still felt a small thrill at those words. It made the chances of them working out seem more real. The last thing he wanted to do was admit that to Rhys, though. The guy had done nothing but sing Jack’s praises for years, and Vaughn had always adamantly stood his ground that the CEO was trouble. Still, his cheeks heated up and betrayed him.“Are you blushing?” Rhys snickered.“No,” Vaughn replied, voice strained with effort.“Are you a Jack fanboy now? Has he turned you over?”“No.” Vaughn had to try real hard not to dig his fingernails into Rhys’s hand.The other man’s voice quivered with laughter. “I’ve got some extra posters. Do you want one for your office?”“That is never going to happen!” Vaughn barked, nearly popping out of his seat. “I’m drawing the line there!”Rhys reached over and gripped Vaughn’s arm with his robotic hand, purely elated. “Okay, I get you, but Vaughn – really? You like him?”Vaughn rubbed the bridge of his nose with his free hand. “Ugh, a bit! I’m still trying to gauge the situation. We need to spend more time together for me to be sure.”That seemed plenty for Rhys, who was practically glowing. “What about Timothy? Did you get along well?”“Yeah,” Vaughn said, blowing out a sigh. That was a lot easier to admit. “Meeting him was a real shock.” He decided to leave out the head-hitting incident, for the sake of all parties involved. Rhys drug his robotic hand down his face with a groan.“Shit, I’m sorry for not telling you about him,” he muttered into the metal. “I really couldn’t. It was his secret, and…”“I probably didn’t want to know before today,” Vaughn said honestly, trying to dissolve Rhys’s regret. “It seems like we have a lot in common, though.”“Right,” Rhys said, recovering his mood. “Even before all this, I was hoping to introduce him to you so you two could be friends. He’s been all over the idea of bringing you in. The more I told him about you, the more excited he got.”Vaughn fidgeted uncomfortably. “Yeah, how much have you been sharing?”“Heh, sorry,” Rhys chuckled. “Just talking about times when we’ve hung out. And maybe a few pictures,” he added with an unapologetic grin. “I think he wanted to meet you, even before. When all this came up, it was actually kind of happy news for him.”A small smile crept onto Vaughn’s face. Despite how horrible this had all felt the past few weeks, it was now starting to seem like happy news for him, too. Timothy was an unexpectedly sweet guy, and Vaughn was already excited to see him again tomorrow.Rhys’s gaze drifted to the side and his face grew serious again. “So I guess that just leaves…you and me.”The mood in the room instantly went apprehensive and silent, even as they still held hands. This was the topic they’d been skirting around, unsure how to handle after being casual with each other for so long. How could they even start to approach this? Finally having Rhys’s hand in his, though, and feeling how right it felt, how much he’d wanted it for so long, Vaughn knew what he had to do.He moved his hands up to rest on Rhys’s shoulders and looked him in the eye. “I’ve, uh…had feelings for you, for a long time, Rhys,” he said. “Like, since college.” His voice trembled at the admission, but he forced himself to continue. “I wanted to tell you, but I was afraid. I didn’t even know if you liked guys, or if you would even like me, and, I didn’t want to lose you because you’re my best friend. For years, I only had you, and I, I was scared that things would get weird between us, but then when you started seeing Jack, it was a lot scarier because I thought you were finally leaving me behind. I know I’m not cool like you, or him, and I thought maybe you weren’t going to want me around anymore.” By now there were tears spilling over from his eyes and he sniffled.“Vaughn,” Rhys breathed, voice low with sorrow. He gently cupped his human hand around the back of Vaughn’s head and pulled him into the crook of his neck for an embrace. Vaughn sniffed against his shirt collar as Rhys pressed a kiss to his forehead, and they both wrapped arms around each other tightly. Suddenly Rhys shook with crying that startled Vaughn.“Vaughn, don’t be crazy,” he sobbed. “I’m always going to want you. I’m really sorry if I ever made you feel any different. You’re the closest friend I’ve ever had, and…I couldn’t say anything, either. If you didn’t feel the same, I thought it might drive you away. I wanted to ask you out in college, but it seemed like you really just enjoyed us being friends. I sort of gave up, convinced myself after a while that it wasn’t worth the risk. Please believe that I can’t imagine doing all this without you. I really love you, Vaughn.”Vaughn clung to Rhys, soaking in those words. Never had he thought that Rhys might have the same insecurities he did. Rhys always carried himself with such confidence, like nothing could faze him. It stung to think how they never opened up to each other before. Vaughn wanted to be closer to Rhys than that, to know all of him. He didn’t want either of them to continue putting on acts for each other.He tilted his head up to kiss Rhys, slow and easy. “I love you, too,” he said softly, cupping Rhys’s cheeks and smiling at the blush his words caused. Rhys bashfully bumped his forehead against Vaughn’s before leaning in to kiss again. Vaughn gently brushed away the tears on his cheek, the gesture softly returned. Rhys combed his robotic hand through Vaughn’s hair. The metal faintly grazed his scalp. Vaughn did the same, petting at Rhys’s hairline before moving down to his neck.The two continued exploring each other thoroughly as they leaned in to deepen their kiss, hands indulgently roving and tracing over the unfamiliar territory, as if trying to commit to memory. Before long their kisses became more insistent. The fingers that were traveling started to progressively grip, and then tug at each others’ clothes until it was more than apparent where things were headed.Vaughn broke the kiss, a little out of breath. “Is this okay?” he puffed, wanting this very much but not sure where everything stood with Jack and Timothy. The question made Rhys huff a laugh as he began to quickly but carefully unbutton his expensive work shirt.“We’re dating now, right?” he panted, gleeful grin upon his features. “All of us are on the table.”The statement was blunt and more than he could consider at the moment, but Vaughn didn’t need any more bidding. He likewise started clawing off his shirt with all the ferocity of a professional wrestler getting ready to brawl. Once he’d flung the material to the floor, Rhys smoothly pushed him down to lay on the couch and straddled his hips. The man’s brow knitted into an angry pout.“And Jack won’t shut up about how he got to kiss you first,” he growled. “There’s no way I’m going to let either of them beat us to anything else.”Vaughn snorted, equally pleased that Rhys would be jealous over him and surprised that Rhys already had that information. “How much do you guys message each other?!”That made Rhys smirk. “You’ll be finding out soon. Let’s just say your echo might melt,” he said, finally shedding his tailored shirt to reveal the intricate windings of dark blue ink underneath.Vaughn gulped.Chest tattoo, chest tattoo, sweet mother of Pandora, he was going to touch the chest tattoo. The way Rhys eyed his abs with his own ravenous gaze just compounded Vaughn’s arousal. Apparently they were both done with the brief shirtless glimpses they’d had of each other over the years.Before Vaughn knew it, Rhys had lowered and was claiming his lips again, grinding intently on top of him. Their hands traveled and roamed once more, vaguely working at the remaining articles of clothing they wore. When Rhys moved down to kiss and suck at Vaughn’s collarbone, the shorter man looked up at the ceiling and blew out a sharp breath of air.“Hey, Rhys? Rhys?” he said, frantically patting at the man’s metal shoulder. Rhys reluctantly stopped to glance up.“Hm?”“I know it probably hasn’t been that long for you, but it’s been forever since I…uhm… I don’t know how else to say this. We need to pick up the pace.” He nearly shrieked when Rhys’s human hand suddenly dove into his pants. “Hah-specially if you keep doing things like that!”The reaction made Rhys snort with laughter and bury his face against Vaughn’s shoulder. “You asked for it.”
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The next morning, Vaughn woke up sore. Part of it was from the time he’d had with Rhys last night, part of it because of falling asleep on the couch.With Rhys on top of me, he noted from the incredibly warm and heavy weight solidly pinning him down. The cybernetic man was out like a light, snoring away against Vaughn’s chest. The sight made Vaughn fill with happiness. Last night was so nice, he could have almost written it off as a dream. Yet there they were, snuggled together with legs tangled and Rhys puffing soft breaths against his skin.Soft and…wet?Vaughn’s brow furrowed as he tilted his head up to inspect the cause.Aw, man. Rhys was drooling on him, quite a bit. Vaughn laid his head back against the pillow, unable to feel any annoyance. It was actually kind of endearing as it was gross. He could never have Rhys without all the quirks and flaws that came with him. Carefully, he moved a hand up to gently stroke over the man’s back. The touches thankfully did nothing to disturb the other’s sleep.They must have both been really worn out after yesterday. Vaughn traced back the memories from Jack stepping into his office, all the way until he and Rhys were holding each other. Somehow, each crazy thing he recounted was not a product of his imagination. That all really happened yesterday.A thought randomly crossed his mind and sparked some anxiety. If things ended up working with the four of them…would he eventually be waking up with Jack and Timothy, too? The mental image simultaneously caused a sprig of excitement and a wave of apprehension. The image of snuggling Timothy was unusual but nice; snuggling with Handsome Jack was an idea that could only exist in the farthest reaches of the stratosphere of his imagination. He was now wide awake and breath picking up pace.Was Jack even the type to snuggle? Vaughn could almost imagine Jack kicking him out of his bed once they were done with sex. How fancy would Jack’s bed be? And oh man, what would it even be like to have sex with him in the first place?!Rhys stirred, and Vaughn realized the gentle strokes he’d been tracing over the man’s smooth skin had turned into frantic, rough pets. He lowered his arm self-consciously, realizing just how far ahead of himself he’d gotten. He tried to slow the rapid beating of his heart while Rhys groggily lifted his head.“Gumorning,” the man slurred, voice heavy with sleep. Vaughn smirked at the state of his hair. The golden brown locks that were normally gelled and obsessively slicked back into place now stuck out at haphazard angles. “Did we sleep like this all night?”“Looks that way.”Rhys at once grimaced and wiped the back of his hand over his face. “What’s wet?”The ignorance made Vaughn chuff with laughter. “You.”Rhys’s face quirked with vague confusion until he looked down and saw the puddle he’d left on Vaughn. At once, his eyes widened. “Oh, shit,” he cursed, immediately bolting upright to reach for the nearest box of tissues. “Stay still, I’ll get it.”Vaughn complied as Rhys grabbed a tissue and hurriedly started mopping up the mess with an embarrassed pout on his face. “Shit, I’m really sorry about that.”“Eh, we’ve been sharing a lot of body fluid the last twelve hours.”“You could have woken me up,” Rhys said, wiping up any remaining spit and crumpling the tissue in his robotic hand.“I could have…” Vaughn admitted tentatively. He gazed up at the ceiling, wondering if it would be too much to say this. “You were cute sleeping, though.”The flirtation only made Rhys’s mouth crook with amusement. He leaned down to kiss Vaughn on the lips before sitting up again. More proof that yesterday wasn’t just a wishful dream. “I’m still cute now, right?” Vaughn rolled his eyes and gave Rhys a playful slap on the hip before sitting up himself.“And you’re really comfortable,” Rhys added, trying to smirk smoothly but he ended up looking off to the side with shyness. “I think your pec is my new favorite pillow.”Vaughn wanted to tease him for the comment but couldn’t find the snark. He’d been waiting so long to hear Rhys say stupid sweet things like that.The two sat in silence, and Vaughn started to wonder where they were going to from here. Spending time with Rhys had always been so seamless and easy. Now that they had confessed to each other, it was uncertain how things would change. Would they still joke and hang out like they did before? Should they stop calling each other bro all the time? Any other pet name he could think of made his skin crawl. The silence became less peaceful and more awkward as they sat, until Rhys finally spoke up.“I, uh…I should probably get a shower.” He brushed his fingers against his hair thoughtfully. “Unless you’d rather go first, since, you know. The drool.”“Go for it,” Vaughn said, relieved at the break in the moment. He about choked on his own spit when Rhys stood from the couch and provided a nice view of his butt while walking away.Okay. Yeah. That looked as good as he’d imagined.The sight left his whole face still warm, even after Rhys left the room. He was going to need to dunk his head in the sink at this rate. Instead, he settled for gathering their mess of clothes off the living room floor for distraction.Picking up Rhys’s shirt, he paused. The silky, expensive fabric rustled smoothly between his fingers. Ever since the cybernetic surgeries, Rhys had every shirt tailored so that it didn’t include a right sleeve. He’d wanted to show off to everyone that he meant business in Hyperion. After all he’d went through with the operation, it was probably just natural. His newer sense of fashion was a far cry from their days back in college, wearing stained T-shirts and sweat pants on the regular. Vaughn was doing good just to meet the business casual dress code.Rhys was doing great in Hyperion, though. They’d set off to do incredible things there. It was a slow climb up the ladder, dodging trouble and trying to outsmart coworkers who would use more vile tactics to win their place. Admittedly, even the three of them had done some questionable things just to get as far as they had.But dating the CEO – was this the most questionable of all?Vaughn smiled despite the craziness of it all. Life with Rhys – never a dull moment.“Hey, Vaughn?” the man in question called from the bathroom. Vaughn tossed the clothes onto the couch and went to peek his head inside. The shower water was already running.“Yeah?” he muttered, trying not to ogle until he caught the mischievous grin Rhys wore.“There’s room in here for two, you know.”Vaughn’s mind went blank and he blinked. Needing an immediate answer that required no brain power, he settled for a quick nod. Rhys immediately took him by the arm and pulled him into the bathroom. The two ended up eagerly locking lips before the door even shut. Vaughn looped his arms around the back of Rhys’s neck as he leaned in, finding the position more comfortable with their height difference. He flinched slightly when Rhys settled both hands on his waist, the metal of the cybernetic cool against his bare flesh. It was just a blip in a torrent of sensations as Rhys rocked them to lean against the wall.He could live with invitations like this.Soon the air became humid and warm from the running shower, prompting Rhys to break the kiss. “After you,” he murmured, placing a couple playful pecks on Vaughn’s forehead. Their hands were already subconsciously roving over each other, but Vaughn reluctantly pulled away. He took a moment to stash his glasses in the cabinet. Rhys had the luxury of waterproof cybernetics, but his high-tech specs wouldn’t do well in water.With blurred vision, he pulled the curtain aside and stepped into the shower. The warm water was refreshing after sleeping nude on the couch with only Rhys for a blanket. He stepped aside as Rhys made to join him, only to trip and stumble.“Woah!!!”Vaughn caught him just before he took a nasty tumble, Rhys’s face landing heavily right into the crook of his neck. “Are you all right?!”“Urgh,” Rhys groaned, clinging hard to Vaughn as he rearranged his long legs into the tub to stand. “Yeah. I just hit my shin on the…oww.” As he straightened up again, Vaughn caught the embarrassed pout on his face. Immediately he leaned in and stood on tip toes to press a kiss to those lips, rubbing a hand over Rhys’s human shoulder in comfort. He held until that frown slowly melted into a content smile again.“Thanks for the save,” Rhys muttered as they parted. His eyes fell bashfully.Vaughn grinned. “I think this is proof we should shower together more often.” He leaned forward again to resume where they’d left off, but a metal hand gently held him back. He gazed up at Rhys in confusion.“Your, uh…” Rhys started softly. He raised a hand to stroke at Vaughn’s dampening hair and licked his lips. “Your eyes are really blue. I don’t see them like this much, without the glasses.” The feel of metal fingers grazing gently above his ear made Vaughn feel so fuzzy inside, he could barely stand it.“Now you’re just kissing ass,” he commented, trying to sound playful but seriously he was going to melt if Rhys kept looking at him like that. Rhys said nothing, just smirked as he slowly leaned in to finally continue their kiss. The two wrapped arms tightly around each other once more and eased themselves under the spray of warm water.…Half an hour later found both friends resting comfortably against each other in Rhys’s bed. Vaughn’s mind was in a state of blissful euphoria after the best shower ever and now enveloped in the man’s scent and touch. If he was dreaming, he had no intention of waking up. The past several weeks had left him so deprived of Rhys, that now he felt like he could stay like this forever.Well, he was off work for the week. A…special assignment?Thinking of it made him nudge Rhys gently. “Are you OK with work?”Rhys hummed sleepily. “Yeah. Jack gave me the special treatment, too. I’ll probably have to stop in a few times, just to make sure things aren’t going to shit. Not right now, though.”Vaughn gave a glance at the digital clock on the nightstand. 10AM – they had some time to just rest together. Awesome. He nuzzled closer against Rhys’s side, enjoying the warm body heat.“Vaughn.”“Hm?”A slight pause. Rhys ran his metal hand over his forehead. “I really…” His words trailed into an incoherent mumble, which was a real feat considering how close they were.“What’s that?”Rhys cleared his throat tentatively. “I really thought you weren’t interested in me. Don’t you remember that party?”Vaughn made a low considering noise. Rhys had dragged him to plenty of parties in college, and Vaughn had done his best to press them from his mind since then. It wasn’t that he didn’t like to have a good time. It was just that said parties were typically held by and populated with the sort of people who would snicker at him in hallways or shout insults around campus. Despite being as much of a nerd, Rhys insisted on trying to blend with the “cool kids,” thought they could have some interesting experiences if they did. He, at least, could pull it off, fall into that trendy crowd if he wanted. All those parties had melted together in a loud, obnoxious, drunk blur for Vaughn, though.“You’re gonna have to narrow it down.”“The one senior year, hosted by that guy in our career planning class.”As if Vaughn could tell any of those asswipes apart. “Maybe a little more specific.”Rhys sighed. “The one where people were taking jello shots while riding a mechanical bull in the living room.”“Oh, right.” That was a bad party.“Yeah. …You remember what happened that night?”Vaughn scrunched his nose in thought. “Yeah. Somebody put their cup of beer on my head like I was a table!”That earned him an insistent nudge. “After that.” Rhys paused. “With you and me.”Vaughn dredged through his memories of that night better forgotten. It was a mess of blaring music, glowing lights, and the raucous voices of their classmates all around. Rhys had led him around the chaotic scene, trying to get him to loosen up in the bizarre circumstances. It was so seamless the way Rhys blended in with the crowd, swapping high fives and fist bumps with people he didn’t even know. Vaughn had been doing his best just to seem invisible. He felt completely out of place there, but for once he was glad for his small stature. He’d stayed close, hoping to pass for Rhys’s shadow.Between the two of them, though? He fought to remember. An image of a tattered, stained couch formed in his head. The heavy thump of music beat obnoxiously from the next room. A thin haze of smoke hung in the air. Rhys was chuckling drunkenly, but no amount of alcohol was making this place appealing for Vaughn. He’d tipped his cup back, hoping to finish the contents and ask if they could finally leave.“Oh,” he muttered, coming back to the present moment. “Oh, I remember now.” Rhys remained still and silent.“Someone spat gum in my drink!” Vaughn snarled, the anger of that night partially returning to him.A beat of silence hit the room. “Huh?” Rhys said quietly. The lost tone of his voice made Vaughn recoil. Obviously that still wasn’t the info he was trying to get here.“Yeah, there was gum in my drink,” he mumbled. “I didn’t realize until it was almost finished. Made me real mad.” He paused to think. “Sorry, I can’t remember anything else that happened. Didn’t we leave right after that?” He looked over to see that Rhys’s eyes had widened.“That was why you were mad? Because of gum in your drink?”Vaughn gave him a shoulder nudge, surprised he had to explain to someone so easily grossed out. “Rhys. That could have been in anyone’s mouth. And they probably did it on purpose.”“No, I mean, I didn’t know that was what happened.” He paused, frowning and chewing on his lip. “I thought it was because I’d tried to make a move on you.”Now it was Vaughn’s turn to look lost. “What?!” He’d been pretty drunk that night, but didn’t remember anything like that. If Rhys had made a move, he would have been all over him. “When?”“Um, right before you jumped up from the couch. I leaned in and then you said how gross that was, and that you wanted to leave. I thought it was because of what I did.” His face fell into a guilty pout that broke Vaughn’s heart a little. “It freaked me out. I thought I’d overstepped…”“Aw, Rhys,” Vaughn said, hardly able to bear the idea. He shifted himself over Rhys and snuggled heavily into the man’s chest, wishing he could smother the past hurts away. A lanky arm wrapped around his waist in return, and he could feel Rhys’s chin on the top of his head. “Jeez, I didn’t even notice. That would have made me so happy, I probably would have forgotten we were at that dumb party. You really tried to kiss me?”“Well, kiss isn’t the right word. I was pretty wasted and didn’t have the best judgment back then, so…it was more like I tried to lick your ear.”“That probably would have still worked,” Vaughn admitted with a grin. “I can’t believe we misunderstood the situation for so long.”Rhys chuckled. “We’re a mess.”Vaughn had to catch himself from saying what came to mind from that. The thought even surprised him a little.Maybe Jack was the one helping them get it together.Was he really thinking that?“Rhys,” he said, propping up on his arms so they could look at each other. “What’s really been going on with you the last several weeks? All this, with Jack and Timothy…it came out of nowhere. Is this what you were looking for?”“I wouldn’t say ‘looking for,’” Rhys said after a moment, resting his head back on the pillow to look up at the ceiling. “It just sort of…happened.” He paused and swallowed. “I don’t know if Jack had it in mind from the start. It was just fooling around, in the beginning. Then Jack started inviting me to stay more, and we got to talking.” That familiar gleeful glint came over his eyes, and he smiled. “He’s actually not as much of an asshole as he shows to most people. We started having a good time with each other, even apart from the sex. It was the last thing I’d expected to come out of this. Jack always seemed above other people, to me. He’s just like anybody else, though. Still wants people to look after and spend time with.”Vaughn sat up, absorbing the words. Maybe it was true. He was still trying to figure out. Rhys had always been biased about Jack, to say the least. Vaughn just thought Rhys was blinded by the stars in his eyes. Even now he wasn’t one hundred percent sure that wasn’t the case.The kiss from yesterday flashed through his mind. Who knew what that meant to Jack? It was hard to see the CEO as seriously committed. Everything the guy had done yesterday seemed aimed at getting a reaction. Vaughn lightly bit his lip.“That’s hard to imagine,” he conceded. “It still seems like a lot of this is a game to him.”“He’s got layers. Uhm…a lot of them.”Vaughn couldn’t help but shove at Rhys’s shoulder playfully. “I noticed. Must take him forever to get undressed.”Rhys snorted and moved as if to push his hand away but squeezed it fondly instead. “Give it time. I’m probably still only past half his walls.” He paused, smile fading. “Not sure anyone else is much further than that. But I think you’ll like what’s underneath the surface. I mean, I do. Obviously.”Vaughn leaned up against the back of the bed, still playing with Rhys’s hand thoughtfully. “I hope there is something good, Rhys. But what about Timothy? When did you get into dating two people at the same time?” He looked down at his blanket-covered lap, face tight with nervousness at the question. “It never seemed like your thing.”Rhys gave a quiet chuckle. “It wasn’t. Or at least, I hadn’t ever thought about it before. Jack sort of dropped Timothy on me out of the blue.”That made Vaughn’s ears perk. “Did they surprise you with it?”“Hm? I don’t think even Timothy knew what was going on. Jack just walked me into his living room and wham! Other Jack sitting there.”“Oh,” Vaughn grumbled. Wham indeed. Rhys had no clue.“Why, how did you find out?”“Kind of the same,” Vaughn blurted, voice pitched up against his will. He hurried to change the subject. “What happened after that?”Rhys laughed to himself. “Oh, Timothy… He looked real shocked for a second. Then his face turned sour, and I knew exactly then, he was the Jack I bumped into that one time. He…wasn’t happy to see me.”“It sounds like he and Jack had some history.”Rhys nodded. “I could tell. He sat all hunched, with his arms folded. Didn’t really want to talk to me. Jack insisted on pouring us some drinks and getting us to know each other. Timothy was still quiet and Jack kept having to drag the conversation along for us. Finally when Timothy asked to leave, that’s when Jack dropped the idea on us.” He paused. “I thought it was just to fulfill some sex fantasy, at first.”Vaughn couldn’t help but smirk knowingly. “Not that you would have had a problem with that.” Rhys’s face scrunched defensively.“I would not… I mean I didn’t even…” He huffed. “Okay. Fine. It probably would have been okay. But Jack was actually being real with us. He told me that Timothy was…important to him, and he didn’t want him out of the picture.” He paused thoughtfully again. “So, we started again. Tim eventually opened up, and I could see that he was nothing like Jack. That was good, though, in his own way. It didn’t take very long before we clicked.“No, it wasn’t anything I was looking for, but I’m glad I found it.” He set up next to Vaughn, reaching to wrap an arm around his bare shoulder. “I know it’s probably not what you were looking for, either.”“Not exactly,” Vaughn confessed. Rhys used his robotic hand to tilt Vaughn’s mouth toward his for a kiss.“Vaughn, I really think this would be good for you.” He kissed again, long and meaningful, while pulling Vaughn firmly close to him. “Jack is very protective. He lookes out for the people he cares about. You’d feel safer here knowing he’s got your back, right?” He prevented Vaughn from answering by pressing more lingering kisses to his lips. “And Timothy already likes you so much. He’s a really sweet guy and you two could have so much fun together.”Vaughn knew exactly what Rhys was doing, as the cybernetic man layered his appeal with tender kisses. Ever the businessman, trying to sweeten a deal. It was completely unnecessary, but Vaughn wasn’t about to interrupt the flood of affection. He submitted to the many kisses and waited to speak until they’d parted lips.“I know,” he said quietly, a little out of breath. “I, uh…I think I get what you’re saying. Yeah, this is all unexpected, but…we’ll see where it goes.”Seemingly satisfied, Rhys leaned back again, keeping an arm around Vaughn’s shoulder. “When I, uh…” he spoke quietly. “When I went to them, asking if they’d be interested in you, it was for the same reason Jack introduced me to Timothy.” He squeezed Vaughn close. “I need you in my picture, too.”Vaughn leaned into the touch, face flushed with warm happiness. Who would have thought they would be like this, after all these years? What had started as a few awkward conversations side by side in their university computer lab had evolved into nights hanging out, followed by being roommates the next semester, scheming to make their way to the top of Hyperion…Now they were side by side in bed.Yvette was going to flip.Rhys looked over at the clock and hummed. “We should probably get up. Can’t stay in bed all day.” He gave Vaughn couple pats on the back while giving an award-winning grin. “You’ve got a hot date!”…YesterdayJack: Sooo how’s it going over there?Jack: Enjoying your little sleepover?Jack: Having some quality time together?Jack: Don’t mind us. Tim and I are having quite the time over hereJack: Getting real hot and steamyJack: Lot of action, if you know what I meanTimothy: We’re making quesadillas. : )Jack: And after that, the real fun startsTimothy: We do have champagne!Jack: You hear that? It’s gonna get wild. Bet you wish you were here.Jack: You know, you two could always bring your asses over. It’s an open invitation, is all I’m saying.Timothy: You’re both always welcome. ^_^Jack: See Tim can’t wait to get a piece of that actionTimothy: Oh yes I’m so hot and can’t wait to try all the brilliant positions Jack has been thinking for us!Timothy: ^ I did NOT say that. Jackass took my echo. : (Jack: We all know it’s trueJack: And because I know you’re wonderingJack: Yes I’ve got some fantastic ideas for what we could do in bed. Just you wait.Jack: Or don’t waitJack: Offer is still on the tableJack: Or in the bedTimothy: *facepalm*Jack: He knows he loves itTimothy: I wish I could say he’s not always like this, Vaughn, but…Timothy: Yeah. He is.Jack: You mean the greatest?Timothy: 9_9Timothy: Yes, you’re the greatest. XPJack: See kiddosJack: That’s how you get laidJack: Enjoy your slumber party, kittensTimothy: Goodnight. : )TodayRhys: Okay Jack, tone it down. I think Vaughn’s head is going to pop.Vaughn flicked his eyes up from the torrent of messages to Rhys. The guy stood, smirking and chewing on one of the muffins Timothy had gifted them. He’d protest the description, but, yeah. Head popping was probably what it looked like, with all the heat that had rushed to his face.“He’s very, uh, direct,” Vaughn noted. Rhys snorted and plopped down in one of the kitchen chairs, sliding a second muffin across the table.“Yeah. That’s Jack.” He huffed a resigned laugh. “Look, he’s just trying to get your attention. Mostly. There’s no pressure. You don’t have to jump into anything unless you’re comfortable.” He paused, sly smile drawing across his features. “Though Jack really is inventive in bed…”“Hmm,” Vaughn grunted uneasily, shoving the top of the muffin into his mouth. This was all still a few steps ahead of where his mind was right now. Getting strings of messages from Handsome Jack was still strange enough on its own.On the table, his echo dinged a couple more times.Speak of the devil.Jack: Damn you’re finally up!Jack: Lazy assesOne more came in on an individual conversation.Jack: Take good care of my double today.Vaughn blinked, wondering if that was a well wish or stern reminder. He thought back to all the precautions Jack had taken before introducing them. It had been excessive, to say the least, and with all the adoring gazes Jack had given Timothy yesterday, it seemed like that wasn’t just for secrecy. As if Vaughn would treat Timothy badly in the first place. He nervously typed out a quick response.Vaughn: SureVaughn: We’ll have a good timeAt that moment, another message came in.“Timothy says to meet him at Ice Dreams at 1,” he read aloud. “Isn’t that the fancy ice cream place that just opened?”Rhys jolted, puppy-dog expression on his face.“Ice cream?”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
A couple hours later found Vaughn walking down one of the larger halls of Helios. A bouquet of flowers was cradled in the crook of his arm, garnering waves of arched brows from the passerby. The doubtful looks they shot him didn’t help with the nervousness he already felt.Maybe the flowers were a bit much. He glanced down at the small bunch of blue and cream-colored petals. Surely Rhys wouldn’t steer him wrong, though....
“Don’t sweat it,” Rhys said, standing proudly from the kitchen chair. His lips clamped for a beat after the statement, and Vaughn wondered if he’d held back from adding a “bro” to the end of that sentence. “I’ve got you covered. Just count on me as your guide for how to date these two handsome gentlemen!”
It was a little goofy, but Vaughn wasn’t about to poke fun. He probably did need all the help he could get. If anyone would know how to charm Jack and Timothy, it was Rhys. The man began to pace around their kitchen like a professor going into a lecture.
“Okay, Timothy is very romantic. There is probably nothing you could do that he would find too corny.”
“Really?”
Rhys nodded, putting his hands on the table and leaning forward. “So lay on the affection! Make physical contact. Try sweet gestures. I think he has some, uh…confidence issues, so if you treat him special, he’ll really appreciate it.”
Vaughn hummed uneasily. It wasn’t like he was bursting with confidence, either. The thought of being affectionate with Timothy made his cheeks a little warm, though. If he could manage to work up the boldness, it could be worth it.
“Okay,” he tentatively agreed. “Anything else?”
Rhys put a robotic hand to his chin. “Well, take it slow on anything sexual. I don’t think he’s been in a lot of relationships.”
That did nothing to help the heat in Vaughn’s face. “Yeah, neither have I.” He drummed his fingers on the table anxiously. “It’s not like I just go throwing myself in bed with anyone.”
Rhys grinned widely at the statement. “You ripped your clothes off faster than I could blink last night!”
Vaughn opted to give him a stern look, but couldn’t manage to say what he was thinking. He had fantasized for years about what had happened last night, and that meant an insane amount of pent up sexual frustration. Needless to say, he’d been…a little eager.
“Anyway, just don’t expect things to move too fast, physically,” Rhys continued. “I think it’s just nervousness. The confidence thing.” He looked off and rubbed his neck in thought.
“Got it,” Vaughn said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Anything else?”
Rhys put his hands on his hips and observed Vaughn. “Well just relax, and be yourself. Timothy already thinks you’re cool, so just enjoy today!” His gaze fell to the side, suddenly full of longing. “Go enjoy…all that ice cream…”
“Are you sure you don’t want to come along?”
“No, no,” Rhys replied with heavy sorrow. “You go ahead. I don’t want to be a third wheel.”
“Aren’t we all sort of equal wheels here?”
That made Rhys smile and shuffle bashfully. “Well, yeah. Eventually. But you and Timothy deserve each other’s full attention today. I’ve got to go into work just to take care of a few things, anyway. And I was hoping to stop by Jack’s office, if he’s not too busy.” He frowned. “I, uh…need to apologize for reaming him yesterday.”
Vaughn smirked, recalling Jack’s side of that call. “Yeah, that sounded pretty vicious.”
A look of guilt fell over Rhys’s face. “He went out of line, and it’s not how I wanted things to go. I guess, though, maybe he knew what he was doing.” A smile graced his lips. “In his own crazy way.”
Vaughn couldn’t help but roll his eyes a little as Rhys walked over and gently wrapped arms around his shoulders. “Good luck,” he murmured, leaning in for a kiss. Vaughn automatically pressed into the soft show of affection, indulging in the feel. It was going to take a lot to make up for the years of not touching each other like this, and he still felt a sort of desperation for the contact. There was no way he would tire of Rhys’s kisses anytime soon.
“Want me to bring you back some ice cream?” he offered as they parted. Rhys’s eyes widened with sudden seriousness.
“Something with chocolate? And caramel?”
“You’ve got it.”
…
So, Vaughn now walked around Helios with a bouquet in his arms. The flowers Rhys had given him the night before planted the idea, and it was definitely an old-school sort of romantic gesture. If Rhys was right about nothing being too corny, then maybe it wouldn’t be weird.The judgmental gazes people gave him slowly wore down his conviction, though. This ice cream parlor was located in one of the ritzier sections of Helios, and he stuck out like a sore thumb amongst all the pompous bigwigs in suits passing by. Gradually the stares became not only directed at the flowers, but just at him. Vaughn felt like he was shrinking down more than he already was under their eyes. The flower petals now trembled in his unsteady arms as he walked.Finally he arrived at the store – a large sign in cursive lettering reading “Ice Dreams” above it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t lit. Stepping closer, he saw that the windows were shuttered. A small notice hung from the door informing that the shop was closed today.Uh-oh.Vaughn looked around but there was no sign of Timothy. He must not have known about the place being closed. He shrugged the bouquet to one arm as he haphazardly dug for his pocketed echo with his free hand.Creak.“Eep!” Vaughn cried at the sound. A few flower petals fluttered to the floor as he jolted. He turned to see a tanned hand stick out from the now slightly ajar door and wave as if to beckon him in, before quickly retreating back inside.It…looked like Timothy’s hand. Probably. Either that or Vaughn was finally on his way to getting shanked in this place. He swallowed roughly and ventured forward.Slowly pulling the door open, he saw that it was completely dark inside. The small patch of light let in from the open door showed some empty tables and chairs, but there was no one to be seen.“Uhm…”Suddenly the same hand before grabbed his arm and pulled him inside. Vaughn yelped as his face bumped into something soft and warm - someone. An arm gently wrapped around his waist until the door shut, and then Timothy’s quiet laughter filled his ears.“Sorry,” he laughed, breath warm against Vaughn’s forehead. “I forgot to tell you. We’re under cover.” He shifted, the arm around Vaughn’s waist dropping away as there was the sound of a deadbolt slipping into place.Vaughn swallowed. “You’re not going to kill me, right?” he half-joked. Timothy snorted in amusement.“We just have to keep a low profile. I’m trying to play Timothy today.”“Oh,” was all Vaughn could say. His head was spinning from the surprise, the close contact with Timothy, and the fact that they were now in a pitch black room together.“Anywayyy,” Timothy said awkwardly. “Now I’m having trouble finding the light switch. H-hang on.”No problem there. Vaughn stood still, unable to think about much else besides how close they were to each other. He could feel Timothy’s body heat, hear only the sounds of their quiet breathing in the darkness. Timothy’s breath had a nice minty scent, and he wondered how far away their faces were. This wasn’t a bad situation to be in at all…Before his mind could wander too far, though, the lights flicked back on, and Vaughn squinted against the brightness. Timothy eventually came into view, leaning heavily on one foot to reach the switch on the wall. “Oof, got it,” he grunted, standing upright again with a little stumble. His eyes dropped down to the bouquet between them, making Vaughn startle.“Th-these are for you!” he sputtered. As much as he’d envisioned being cool and confident, his eyes instinctively dove toward the floor and his body stiffened with fear. It felt like an eternity passed before Timothy finally took the gift.“Oh,” he said, staring down at the flowers. “This is, um…”Oh, crap. It was weird, after all. Vaughn cringed and prepared to try and smooth things over, when he noticed Timothy starting to squirm.“Aw, jeez,” he said, bowing his head and wriggling side to side bashfully. “This is so nice. I haven’t gotten flowers since…” Finally he stepped forward and locked an arm around Vaughn so tightly that it forced the air out of him. “Thanks!”Vaughn wheezed, relieved and surprised and asphyxiating all at once. Still he hugged back. Timothy’s embrace was just as nice as he remembered, as if he hugged with all his heart each time.When they parted, Tim grinned and motioned his head toward the inner parts of the store. “This way.”Vaughn followed curiously as they headed inward, scoping out the place. Long glass tables rounded about the interior with smaller circular tables and booths along the walls. Plush chairs sat perfectly spaced at each setting, on top of marble tiled floor. Everything gleamed perfectly in the bright lights of the store.“Wow,” he quietly commented. Timothy gave a glance back.“Hm?”“It’s just, the ice cream place near where Rhys and I live is way smaller than this. The tables all wobble and the floor’s usually sticky. This is really nice.” His eyes widened enormously as they reached the front counter, lined with what appeared to be a hundred different flavors on display. S’mores, chocolate banana, pineapple, almond fudge, coconut, caramel pecan… Instant drool.“Got the whole place to ourselves!” Timothy declared proudly as he leaned against the counter. “This way I can be myself and no one’s going to bother us.”Vaughn finally tore his gaze from the frozen wonderland in front of him. “Do people bother you when you’re out like Jack?”Timothy waved his hand dismissively. “Sometimes. Mostly people wanting autographs or trying to kiss ass for their own gain. Jack works to leave the impression that he doesn’t want to be pestered, but people still try. They’re all just hoping they can get something out of us. Plus they love to find anything that could start some gossip.” He gave Vaughn a wink. “Imagine how much attention it would draw if they saw me out with a cute guy!”Before all the blood could rush to Vaughn’s cheeks, Timothy mercifully continued. “Anyway, it would just be a pain. This way no one’s going to eavesdrop, we get free reign over an ice cream store, and we can just relax and be ourselves.” He said the last part with an entirely pleased grin.“You don’t ever get to be…you, when you’re around other people?”Timothy rubbed at his face bashfully. “Not really. Besides you and Rhys, it’s just a few doctors and scientists who know. I’ve got to be Jack around everybody else.”Vaughn looked back at the display case, frowning. That kind of sounded like it sucked – a 24/7 job you could never quit. Maybe to some extent, he could understand. Everyone on Helios was putting up some sort of front. It was the only way to stay ahead and stay alive. Timothy was so different from Jack, though. Wasn’t it a strain for him to pretend all the time?A soft brushing of fingers against his arm drew his attention. “It’s not that bad,” Timothy assured. Beats the hell out of running around on the moon or Pandora, getting shot at every five seconds. If all I have to do is flex my acting skills when I’m out around the station, that’s not a big deal. The pay is sweet, and I get a lot of Jack’s perks.” He gestured at the empty store around them. “It can be tough giving people Jack’s, uh, attitude, but sometimes I get to have fun with it.” He seemed to stop himself short at that, as if remembering the incident from yesterday.“D…does your head still hurt?”“It, uh, it’s fine,” Vaughn said, looking downward in embarrassment. He couldn’t say he was proud of how he’d reacted in that moment. The two stood in awkward silence for a moment before Timothy cleared his throat.“So, I was thinking we could build a sundae together – share each others’ favorite flavors.”As always, food was the cure. Vaughn smiled and nodded. “Sure.”The two rounded behind the counter, Timothy stashing his flowers in the sink before taking a shiny metal bowl off the top of a stack. “You first.”Vaughn took the bowl, at once unsure of how he was going to decide with all these flavors in front of him. Birthday cake, maple bacon, cilantro lime, candied ginger…“How about rocky road?” he said, unable to turn down a classic. Timothy nodded.“Nice.” Taking the bowl back, he peered over the selection, quickly settling on one. “Strawberry for me. That’s my favorite!”Vaughn watched with a smile as he carved out a scoop, mentally taking a note about that. It seemed like Timothy was one for simple pleasures, despite having access to Jack’s extravagant lifestyle. That fact coupled with his Jack-like appearance just made him all the more cute.There was no helping it, though. He couldn’t be in a place like this without trying something a little more interesting. “All right,” he said after Timothy returned the bowl to him. “Time to step it up a bit. This time I’m gonna pick…” He walked several steps down the counter, eyeing the selection carefully until he found his target. “Bourbon chocolate!”“Jack would approve,” Timothy said with a chuckle. The comment made Vaughn pause for a brief moment as he scooped up some of the ice cream. Did Timothy just say he and Jack might have something in common? That felt weird to hear.The two went back and forth a couple more times, Timothy picking out cookies ‘n cream and popcorn flavors, while Vaughn had to try some dill pickle ice cream. They topped off the creation with a bit of whipped cream, along with cherries, and more cherries at Timothy’s request. Vaughn felt the initial nervousness of spending time alone with Timothy fade away as they assembled things. The guy really was easygoing, such a contrast from how he looked.Finally they settled across from each other in a small booth toward the front of the store, large bowl of ice cream ready to share between them. Timothy reached for his spoon but stopped suddenly.“Oh. I forgot to take off the…”Before Vaughn knew it, Timothy was reaching up to undo the clips on eithers side of his face that held the Handsome Jack mask in place. Vaughn froze still in his seat with sudden shock. Was Timothy’s true face underneath there? Or Jack’s? The thoughts raced through his mind as Timothy easily removed his mask to reveal –- the same face?Timothy glanced up curiously as he casually tucked the mask away, face identical save for the mask’s outline and clasps. “Umm,” he started awkwardly. Vaughn realized he had his jaw dropped and quickly closed it. Crap, that was rude. He was so confused, though, he still didn’t know what to say.“It’s part of the costume,” Timothy explained. “I kept it on yesterday for Jack’s sake, but uh…” He trailed off a bit in thought. “Usually I don’t wear it unless I’m out in public. Just don’t ask him about it, please. Ever. It’s not a happy story.”“Sure,” Vaughn agreed easily. His mind was firing off all sorts of theories and questions, but there was no way he was going to approach Jack with that topic. “Sorry for staring. That just caught me off guard.”“Nah, you’re all right. I forget my everyday life is pretty weird sometimes.” Timothy ducked his head bashfully. “And I’m not used to having new company, so much.”Needing something to take the focus off his slip-up, Vaughn dug his spoon into the bourbon chocolate and held it up. “So…cheers to new company, then?”That brought a smirk to Timothy’s face. He dug up a spoonful of the popcorn flavor and likewise held his spoon up. “Cheers,” he declared as they clinked spoons. Both took a bite of their ice cream and Vaughn immediately sunk back into his seat at the taste.The flavors were so bold, so rich! Like they used real, top-tier chocolate and milk and bourbon. Nothing cheap or artificial like a lot of foods on Helios. He blinked slowly and let the treat roll and melt in his mouth before swallowing. “This is the best ice cream I’ve ever had,” he sighed. Timothy eyed him with some amusement.“Better than your usual ice cream place?”“Way better,” Vaughn affirmed. He started to dig in more eagerly. While he wasn’t picky about eating cheap stuff, that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to enjoy the hell out of quality food while he had the chance. This was a level of ice cream he didn’t know existed.“I’m glad you agreed to come here,” Timothy said, looking downward. “You know, give this all a chance.” He paused thoughtfully. “Rhys didn’t think you would.”Vaughn gulped. “He didn’t?” That wasn’t far from reality, he supposed. Even his own logical brain had done a lot of screaming over the weird decisions he’d made in the last day. This hardly felt real, still.“He thought all three of us would be too much for you.” A teasing smile hit Timothy’s lips. “And that you ‘would never be interested in dating Jack.’”Not this again. “Ugh, I wish he hadn’t said anything about that.”“I think he just wanted to make sure we knew what we’d be in for. And if it makes you feel any better, that didn’t phase Jack at all.” Timothy leaned forward in his seat. His voice lowered a bit, as if he was sharing a secret. “To be honest, it made me think well about you from the start.”Vaughn arched a brow at him. “Huh?”Timothy’s bright smile didn’t falter. “Jack’s reputation is awful. And he thrives on blowing it up as much as possible. It only makes people fear and adore him that much more. But for you to be reluctant about dating a guy who supposedly airlocks people for fun, I think that says something good about your mental well-being.”The side of Vaughn’s mouth crooked involuntarily. “So, unlike Rhys?”Timothy clamped up for a moment. “Y…yeah. Like I said, didn’t have the best impression of him at first.”Vaughn paused, taking in the sharp, tangy flavor of his first spoonful of pickle ice cream. “So, Jack doesn’t actually vent people when he’s bored?”“No,” Timothy answered quickly. His brow furrowed at the same time. “Not like they say, anyway. Things are literally cutthroat up here, and he has to deal with threats. So there is a truth behind the rumors, but it’s not as bad as everyone says.“Think of it this way. The more people believe the rumors, the more they stay in line and don’t try anything funny. It’s less violence in the long run. That being said, if you could keep this between you and me…”“I won’t tell anyone,” Vaughn assured. He actually felt very grateful Timothy shared that. Jack had already shown himself to not be as dangerous as Vaughn had thought, but it was still a relief to hear someone else confirm it. “Were you ever put off by Jack?”That made Timothy sputter with laughter, apparently not expecting that question. “I, ah…I used to hate him," he admitted with a sheepish grin. “I thought he was such a self-important douchebag!” More laughter, like it was all just a fond memory now. Vaughn kept quiet on the thought that Timothy’s perception still wasn’t that far off the marker.“Nah, but he eventually grew on me. We didn’t see each other almost at all when I used to run missions on Elpis and Pandora, but he liked to call just to check up and flirt.” A shade of red tinged his cheeks, now visible without the mask covering his face. “I thought he just liked me because I looked like him. M-maybe that was part of how it started. But after I got hurt pretty bad on one mission, he decided to pull me for good. He made sure I got the best medical care, and had a penthouse built across from his, so I would have a place to live afterward. He gave me a home, made me feel wanted and like I belonged, treated me like…not like how anyone ever treated me before. Now we see each other almost every day but he still checks in all the time, just to talk shit or ask what I’m up to. I'm uh…really attached to him.”By the time he finished, Timothy’s bashful gaze was well locked on the table and his entire face had gone red. Vaughn could practically see the hearts floating off his head. To see such a mushy, unrepentantly lovesick expression on a face that matched Jack’s was almost comical, but Vaughn held back his amusement. Timothy snapped out of it a moment later and started digging his spoon at the ice cream again. He chuckled in self-depreciation.“I can’t believe he and Rhys aren’t bored with me,” he mused. Despite saying the words like a joke, a look of genuine concern flashed across his features. The sight made Vaughn’s heart pinch. That feeling was all too familiar for him lately.With a quick breath to summon some courage, he reached across the table and grasped Timothy’s free hand. “I don’t think you’re boring at all,” he said, smiling warmly. “Body double business aside, you’re not like anyone I’ve met at Hyperion. Anyone who knows the real you is lucky, and I don’t think they would want to take that for granted.”The words and gesture made Timothy freeze in surprise, before fondly squeezing back.“All right,” he said, obviously preening from the compliment. “Just for that, I’ll share some of my strawberry with you.” Vaughn expected him to turn the dish so he could get at the flavor but instead he scooped a spoonful and held it out across the table, toward Vaughn’s face.Oh. Oh, boy. Timothy wanted him to take a bite right off his spoon. Rhys really wasn’t kidding about the corny gestures.This was…kind of embarrassing. Still Vaughn leaned forward, deciding to play along. At least no one else was here…
“Gack!”
The spoon went too far down his throat and he gagged, immediately coughing strawberry ice cream. Timothy dropped the spoon at once with a clatter.“Shit! Ah, shit! Are you okay?!”Vaughn hacked into his napkin, too busy choking to answer. An instant later Timothy was sitting beside him, hand rubbing over his back. “Oh crap, I’m really sorry. That was… You’re not gonna die, are you?”Vaughn waved it off with his free hand, embarrassed to be like this in front of his date but not minding the soothing touches. He still couldn’t get a word out, though. It felt like some ice cream had gone up the back of his nose.“I’ll get you some water!” Timothy blurted in panic. In a flash he was gone and Vaughn could hear the rapid clopping of boots across the tile floor. It was a slight relief to die in peace for a moment as he worked to get through the coughing fit. By the time Timothy returned he’d gotten it mostly out of his system.“God…” Timothy groaned as he slid back into the booth next to Vaughn. He pushed a large glass of water toward him. “I’ve gotta stop hurting you.”Vaughn snorted as he dabbed a few tears from his eyes and gladly took the glass. The cold, fresh water was a relief and he took a long drink. Once he’d lowered the cup again, he saw that Timothy was sitting with a hand over his face. The guy looked like he might die of humiliation. It was a pitiful sight, but Vaughn couldn’t help himself.“So, what was that, about being boring?”“Mmmgf…” Timothy moaned into his palm.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“It’s fine, Timothy! It was just an accident.”Timothy finally unburied his face from his hand. “You sure you don’t want to kick me in the shin or something?”Vaughn rolled his eyes. He already lived with the walking hazard that was Rhys. A little clumsiness wasn’t going to put him off. He glanced at the half-finished bowl of ice cream in front of them.“Here, try one of my flavors now. Which one do you want?”Timothy eyed the bowl, seeming a bit distracted from his accident now. He squinted for a moment before speaking.“I’ll try some of the pickle.”“You sure?”Timothy sat up a little straighter in his seat and put on a confident smirk. “Sure! You know, might as well go for something adventurous. Do you like it?”“Yeah, it’s good!” Vaughn said, digging a spoonful. Maybe it was because of Timothy sitting closer now, but he felt a bit emboldened, and held the spoon up for him to take a bite. “Here.”Timothy paused, seeming pleased but also afraid Vaughn might return the clumsy favor. Gingerly, he leaned forward and took a bite.Instantly his face crumpled.“Hmm!” The noise was probably meant to sound considering but just came out more like he was in pain. He stared intensely forward at nothing, as if trying to find the will to power through the taste. The hand he rested on the table was clenched with white knuckles.Vaughn quickly passed the glass of water over and Timothy snatched it, downing the remaining contents in just a few seconds.“Gach!” he sputtered as he put the glass down. “That’s really…” He scrunched his nose as if trying to find something positive to say but gave up. “That’s really bad.”Vaughn burst into chuckles. This guy was so silly. It was pretty adorable. He carefully scooted over until their sides touched, and loosely wrapped an arm back around Timothy’s waist. Timothy leaned naturally into the touch, also slipping an arm around Vaughn in return. “Ohh, help me,” he laughed a bit, though he still seemed to be in a lot of discomfort from the pickle flavor.Vaughn retrieved Timothy’s spoon from the table and handed it over. “Here – go for the rocky road. You’ll like it better.”Timothy didn’t need any more bidding. He quickly took the spoon and got some more ice cream, along with a cherry. Popping it into his mouth, he closed his eyes and groaned with relief. “Much better…”Vaughn smiled, content at having Timothy so close now. Much better was right. He swiveled the ice cream bowl so the pickle flavor was away from Timothy and they continued eating. There was still something Vaughn had been wondering about since yesterday, though.“So, what did you look like, before the whole body double thing? If you don’t mind me asking.”Timothy chuckled nervously. “Ah, ha…pretty much the dorkiest thing you could imagine.”“You have any pictures?”“No, they all got, err, left behind.”“Really?” Vaughn couldn’t believe he hadn’t held on to any.Timothy just lightly snorted. “You’re not missing out on anything. Seriously. I had floppy red hair, thick glasses…” He paused for a beat, seeming shy. “Kind of doughy. And lots of freckles.”Vaughn grinned, unable to help but think that image better suited the awkward man beside him. Jack was handsome, sure, but Timothy’s real face had probably added to his charm in a way that Jack’s never could. “I wish I could have seen,” he said honestly. Timothy beamed as he continued eating.“All right, what’s someone as nice as you doing at Hyperion?”Vaughn paused. “’Nice’ might be a bit much.”He thought to all the people he’d helped screw over since starting on Helios. He, Rhys, and Yvette had made themselves to be a formidable combination. Vaughn knew how to research, calculate risks, track numbers and trends, as well as find the holes in their competitors’ plans. He made sure they knew what moves to make and when to make them. Yvette’s specialty was working people. She knew how to read someone and manipulate them to get whatever information or favors she needed. Rhys assisted both of them, offering his superior hacking skills for Vaughn’s background work while also helping Yvette observe and charm anyone they needed to use. At the end of the day, though it was Rhys who struck, sealed their deals and took whatever action needed to be done. It all resulted in careers ruined, reputations shattered, countless people left on the rotten end of their carefully crafted arrangements. The three of them never stooped to outright murder like so many others on Helios, but it was certain that there were a lot of people who would never consider Vaughn and his friends to be “nice.”Thinking of all this, Vaughn slowly looked back to Timothy. “I’ve done my share of things that fit in at Hyperion,” he admitted quietly.Timothy blinked, seeming to take in that information. “You’re different from the others, though.” His hand traveled up to squeeze Vaughn’s shoulder. The gesture brought them to lean just a little closer together. "I see it.”Vaughn smirked, taking in the bright blue and green of Timothy’s eyes, so close now. “You’re one to talk.”“Excuse you, I’m a bad-ass vault hunter,” Timothy said, brow scrunched in mock offense. The two huffed softly in humor as they sat with focus completely on each other now.“What was it like?” Vaughn wondered aloud.“Scary. Kinda cool. …Mostly scary. I’m chickenshit, though.”Vaughn chuckled, taking the opportunity to lean his face into the crook of Timothy’s neck. The material of his Hyperion sweater was pleasantly soft. And now he could clearly smell the fresh-scented cologne Timothy had put on. There was also the smell of…cookies? Had he been stress-baking again?Timothy’s fingers pressed softly into Vaughn’s shoulder as he cautiously wrapped his other arm around to hold him close. The feel of Timothy’s embrace was something else – firm, warm, and gentle all at once. Vaughn’s heart thudded as he remained still in the moment. It was like Timothy was made entirely of good vibes. Just having him so close felt incredibly comfy and soothing, like he’d slipped into a hot bubble bath.“Is there anything you miss from it, the vault hunting?”“Mmm,” Timothy considered. “I guess it was kind of cool, sometimes. I got to take out a lot of bandits, meet some weird people, play around with cool weapons. I had these grenades – they would explode into ten more grenades, and those grenades would explode into five more grenades.” He chuckled, sounding a little reminiscent of Jack. “That stuff made it kind of fun. I wouldn’t trade life up here for it any day, though.”He leaned his face down, nose brushing against Vaughn’s cheek. “Um, especially not this day…”The warm breath on his face gave Vaughn chills. He turned to look at Timothy when –Yep. They were kissing. Hadn’t even thought about it. Now that he felt those soft lips against his, Vaughn eagerly leaned up into the contact. A faint sigh came from Timothy’s nose as he reached a hand up to stroke through Vaughn’s short hair. They pressed carefully and incredibly slowly, needing no reason to hurry as they indulged in each kiss. There was no one around, nothing else they needed to think about. Vaughn didn’t want to hurry – Timothy was good. His lips moved so attentively and thoroughly, like he was savoring each kiss to its very fullest. Vaughn could soak himself in this affection for hours.After some time he tilted his head to lean in, deepen the contact. As soon as he did, though, Timothy froze. “Um,” he mumbled against Vaughn’s lips, seeming startled.Vaughn blinked and paused. Maybe he’d gotten a little ahead of himself. Rhys had cautioned him against moving too fast.“Ah ha, sorry,” he fumbled, starting to lean back again. Timothy gave him a quick extra peck on his cheek as he did, seeming to communicate that nothing was wrong. The two settled back against each other in the booth, still cuddled in and cozy.A brief silence followed, as Vaughn tried to slow his spinning mind. He wouldn’t have minded taking that farther, but that was still really nice as it was. Kissing Timothy had felt really, really good. His lips were still warm and humming from the contact. Even just cuddling, side by side in the quiet, was incredibly nice. There really wasn’t any need to rush into anything more.Man, his heart was beating up a storm. Had he ever felt like this about anyone other than Rhys? Not in years, for sure. The feeling was so strange, but exciting. It made him feel warm and fuzzy all over. Taking a glance at the blushing double next to him, it seemed it wasn’t just him, either.“I…” Timothy started, “I’d really like to spend more time with you.”Vaughn smiled and nodded in agreement, reaching up to affectionately stroke fingers through Timothy’s dark hair.“My penthouse is up in a restricted area, but if you give a call, I can let you over to hang out any time. We could share our favorite games, too. There’s plenty of space, so you, and um…you and Rhys could…”He trailed off, gaze wandering down toward the table. “I-is he mad, still?”Poor Timothy. He really was on the sensitive side. “I don’t think so. I covered for you as best as I could, though.”An embarrassed smile hit Timothy’s lips. “Thanks.”“Has he contacted you since yesterday?”Timothy chuckled in self-depreciation. “He asked if I understood just how bad of an idea that was.”Vaughn rubbed a hand over Timothy’s back to try and offer some comfort. “I think he’s pretty cooled down by now. He actually mentioned going over to Jack to make amends with him today.” As Timothy nodded, an idea suddenly struck Vaughn.“If you really want to make it up to him, though, I know what will definitely win him over!”…About twenty minutes later, there was a knock on the door to the ice cream place, and Timothy opened it to let Rhys inside. It had taken a little wheedling – Rhys still not wanting to horn in on their alone time together. Once Timothy rattled off some of the available flavors and said how great everything tasted, though, Rhys was on his way there. Vaughn had predicted as such; sometimes the guy was just too easy to peg.Timothy still kept his eyes downward in guilt once Rhys arrived, but quickly the cybernetic man slung an arm around his shoulders and kissed the side of his head in greeting. Vaughn flinched a little at the sight, still trying to process the idea of dating both of the men in front of him and both of them dating each other. It was a new and strange thing to see. The relieved grin on Timothy’s face combined with Rhys’s friendly expression were enough to melt away any conflicting feelings, though.Soon enough, all three were settled back into the booth. Rhys had gotten himself a generous portion of sea salt caramel brownie ice cream, and sat with it across from Timothy and Vaughn on the other side. He eagerly dug himself a spoonful and nearly melted into his seat after tasting.“I’m so happy…”Vaughn managed to mostly cover up his snicker. Had Rhys even look that satisfied after their sex?“So what have you been up to?” Timothy asked. Rhys peeked up from his frozen sugar haze.“Oh. You know. Had to stop by the office, make sure everybody’s meeting their deadlines while I’m out.” He poked around at his dessert, blinking slowly. “If I’d known the ice cream was going to be this legendary, though, I might have…”He stopped himself, eyes lighting up. “Or should I say, legen-dairy.”“Sounds like a good name for an ice cream shop,” Timothy said, grinning.Vaughn folded his arms, appraising the way Rhys smiled and dug into his ice cream like a little kid. “I think if Rhys was in charge, he would turn this whole station into an ice cream factory.”“That’s not a bad idea,” Rhys said, waving his spoon thoughtfully. “Pandora’s hot as hell, right? Ice cream would be big down there.”Timothy grimaced. “Bandits would probably end up using people’s fingernails for sprinkles.” That earned a chorus of disgusted sounds from Vaughn and Rhys.“Ugh, not while I’m eating,” Rhys whined.“Aw, I had some ideas for what flavors bandits would probably want, but guess I’ll spare you.” He shot Rhys an apologetic look, which was returned with a silently mouthed “thank you.” The double instead took to tearing a few small pieces off his paper napkin. He chuckled in resignation. “I’ve seen too much…”Vaughn couldn’t help but wrap an arm around Timothy’s waist and hug him close to his side. Despite the man being taller, stronger, and probably an infinitely better fighter, Vaughn still felt a sort of instinctive need to protect him. The life of a vault hunter was obviously way outside of the scope Timothy was meant for. He was relatively safe on Helios now, sure, but Vaughn wondered how much those memories still affected him. If they did, Vaughn could imagine himself volunteering to help snuggle all the horrific images of Pandora away.The gesture didn’t go unnoticed by Rhys, of course. He watched both of them with sudden interest. “So, you two having a good time together?”Vaughn and Timothy simultaneously took a breath to answer, but locked up on how to respond.“Yeah,” Vaughn squeaked after a few moments, while Timothy nodded. Rhys grinned widely at the shy responses.“Well, good,” he opted to say, turning his attention back to the ice cream in front of him. Vaughn got the feeling he was bouncing off the walls underneath that casual demeanor. “What kind of ice cream did you have?”“We got a bunch of flavors,” Timothy answered. He gazed up toward the ceiling in thought, leaning a bit against Vaughn as he did. “Popcorn, rocky road, strawberry…”“Pickle,” Vaughn added, looking to Rhys feistily. The reaction was instant and priceless.“Gah!” Rhys cried. His face scrunched in disgust. “That’s so gross. Why would anyone do that to perfectly good ice cream?!” He jabbed his spoon toward Vaughn, who was now laughing shamelessly. “It had to be you, right? No one else would be crazy enough to pick that out.”He curled a metal hand around his bowl like a shield. “Keep that crap away from my caramel brownie. This stuff is decadent.” He looked to Timothy. “Vaughn’s got an iron stomach. I’ve never seen him turn away food.”Vaughn leaned back in his seat, trying to decide if that was a compliment or not. “Well, if it’s edible…”“Shuggurath steaks are not edible! That thing was still buzzing with electricity on the plate.”“It did tingle a little going down,” Vaughn admitted.Rhys cringed, seeming very intent to focus on his delicious ice cream. “I think the scientists are just sneaking experiments into our food sometimes. Trying to see what would happen if we eat different monsters.”The thought only excited Vaughn. “Do you think I might have absorbed some electrical powers? I could be like a siren!”Rhys snorted. “There you go! Now you just need the fancy tattoos, and you’ll be all set.”Instantly, Vaughn’s hype deflated. “Ungh…maybe not.”Timothy squirmed in his seat a little. “I’ve eaten skag burgers before,” he confessed with an embarrassed grin. “They taste about as good as skags look, but you’d be surprised what you can eat after trekking through the desert and fighting off bandits all day. Plus, not much good food to go around on Pandora. I’m pretty sure that’s a staple down there.”“Note to self,” Rhys muttered, “never go to Pandora.”“We wouldn’t last a day,” Vaughn agreed. Timothy wrapped an arm back around his shoulders and squeezed affectionately.“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that,” he assured. The closeness made Vaughn feel all warm and comfy again as he leaned against Timothy’s chest. Sitting there together, along with Rhys now, felt incredibly secure. It was a level of content he hadn’t been able to feel in some time. This was something he could definitely live with, to have both of them around in his life.And yet…this still wasn’t the complete picture.“You think we should have invited Jack?”A pang of guilt hit him at the mention. Having Jack present would probably amp up his anxiety levels, but the three of them were hanging out and having fun without him. At his concern, though, Timothy and Rhys just chuckled.“First thing you should know about Jack,” Timothy laughed, “is that he always considers himself invited. Anytime, anywhere. Second is, he tends to get glued to his work. After taking most of the day off yesterday, I bet he’s not going to leave his office until late tonight.”Rhys smirked. “Tim’s right; I was just up there. He did say to go on without him. I already interrupted his work for a while when I stopped by. Had to make up after yesterday, though…”At once Vaughn became aware of the rumples in his best friend’s shirt collar, along with a few reddish marks on his skin peeking out from underneath.Make up? More like made out.He scrunched his nose at the sight as a spike of jealousy ran through him. It happened so automatically and been so commonplace lately that he hadn’t registered something different about it right away. Once his thought process caught up, however, it made him go rigid in his seat.Oh, no.Oh, no!He wasn’t just jealous over Rhys. He was now feeling jealousy over Jack, too.Jealous he hadn’t been there for whatever they did.Oh no, oh man, oh crap. This was way too weird. He could not be crushing this hard already. This was so pathetic. Defeated, he sank back against the soft cushion of the booth.Rhys, of course, took notice and furrowed his brow. “Vaughn? Your face is all red.” The beginnings of a smug, understanding smirk formed on his lips as he spoke the words. Vaughn glared the sharpest daggers he could across the table.Meanwhile, Timothy did a double take. “A-are you all right?”“Yeah, you look flustered,” Rhys commented in mock concern. As he did, Vaughn felt the tip of a boot prodding against his shin. He instantly swung his leg to retaliate but got nothing but air. Damn his stubby legs!“I, uh – I’m good,” he finally answered, shifting himself to try and play off the under-table offensive. He opted to snuggle in closer to Timothy instead. It wasn’t that disappointing to have missed out on whatever those two had done. Not when this adorable guy was right by his side.He spared a glance over at Rhys again, hoping his cheeks had cooled down. Rhys just eyed him and Timothy with a sort of gleeful satisfaction, seeing the two of them together.He really did look so happy.…Soon, it was time to go their separate ways again. The three men took their dishes back to the kitchen area, and prepared to head out. Vaughn ended up sharing a lot of fond gazes with Timothy as they cleaned up. It filled him with warmth each time, thinking that they had begun to really hit things off.“I’ll let you both go ahead,” Timothy said, once they were back in the sitting area and ready to go. “Have to get my Jack on again, once I leave here.”Rhys stepped forward first to give the double a quick hug. “See you later,” he said, giving a quick kiss on the cheek before pulling away. Timothy smiled bashfully before turning his attention to Vaughn.“Yeah,” Vaughn agreed. “See you soon?”Timothy nodded. He tentatively stepped forward and raised his arms for a hug. Vaughn eagerly stepped into the fond embrace, their last for the day. Before he knew it, though, Rhys stepped in and clamped arms around both of them, squeezing them even closer together.“Aww, look at you two being all sweet!” he gushed. Vaughn wheezed, having that robotic arm pressed tightly against his back. He was a little glad to have his face shoved into Timothy’s jacket; this was equally blissful and embarrassing. Timothy just chuckled as they all three pressed together.Once Vaughn finally departed the store with Rhys, he felt all sorts of high and excited. That actually…really turned out well! He could definitely see himself spending more time withTimothy, and it really seemed like the feeling was mutual. And with Rhys close at his side now, it felt like maybe this whole crazy situation might actually pan out. There was still Jack to contend with, and that was huge, daunting part, but this was a good start. Could this all actually work, for real?Riding high on his invigoration, Vaughn decided to reach for Rhys’s hand as they walked.His fingers had just barely grazed Rhys’s skin before the hand pulled away. Rhys moved as if straightening out his vest, but Vaughn caught the startled look in his eyes.Did Rhys…avoid him on purpose?“HOLD IT, YOU TWO!”More trouble. That was Yvette’s voice.Vaughn and Rhys slowly stopped and turned with dread to see her marching up toward them. Her face was screwed up into a bitter scowl.“What the hell is going on here? You both ditch me for lunch, two days in a row, with no explanation?! I’m going to be broke by the end of the week at this rate!”Rhys rolled his eyes at the outburst. None of them were hurting for money, but for Yvette, the only thing better in life than food was free food. Still, Vaughn felt bad. They really had ditched out. Things had been such a whirlwind lately, he hadn’t been able to think of much else.Ugh. That was the same stupid excuse Rhys had used on him, too.“Sorry, Yvette,” he mumbled, rubbing his shoulder guiltily. Her narrow eyes went to him and she paused. He straightened up, suddenly feeling her suspicious gaze on him.“Those aren’t your work clothes,” she accused.Oh, crap.“I have the day off.” Despite the truth in those words, they still came out nervously high-pitched. Yvette pursed her lips at him.“We both have the rest of the week off,” Rhys supplied easily. His voice lowered into almost a whisper as he leaned forward. “We’ve got an interesting lead going – think it could be a big opportunity.” Vaughn could almost feel the elbow nudge directed at him in those words.At once, Yvette’s eyes widened as she looked between them. “Does this have something to do with Handsome Jack?” she whispered. Rhys just held a metal finger to his lips to shush her.“It’s still in the works. Tell you about it this weekend.”“Over dinner,” Yvette declared, pointing at them. “Your treat. And something way better than pizza, if I’m going to overcome this financial burden.”Now it was Vaughn’s turn to roll his eyes. She sure knew how to be dramatic. Rhys just laughed and waved it off.“Yes, yes, we’ll class it up. Just hang tight.”Yvette folded her arms and eyed them curiously. Vaughn stiffened under her gaze, waiting for her to pry more.Luckily she just nodded. “I’m holding you to that.” With that, she turned on her heel and headed back off down the hall.Vaughn inwardly sighed with relief once she was gone. Yvette definitely knew something was up. He had no idea how to even begin explaining this whole crazy situation to her. Which would be more outlandish – that he was dating Rhys, or that he was dating Jack? She was going to be all over this.Even though he could never tell her about Timothy. That was kind of sad.As the two continued walking home, Vaughn looked up to Rhys. “You know you got her hopes up, right? She’s going to be disappointed when she finds out this has nothing to do with her. You’re going to owe her ten lunches.”Rhys just chuckled. “Yeah, probably. Tell me she won’t get a kick out of this, though!”Vaughn looked ahead again, frowning slightly. A seed of doubt had suddenly planted itself inside him. Did any of them even know what “this” was yet? There was no guarantee things would turn out how everyone wanted.He didn’t try to hold Rhys’s hand again.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Yvette: You sneak I knew you’d come around to getting in on this.Vaughn: It’s not like that.Well…okay, it was, Vaughn supposed. Just not in the way she was assuming.Vaughn: I’ll explain more later. Just don’t know for sure what’s going on yet.Yvette: Sure, play innocent. You’d better keep me in mind with whatever you’re doing, all right?Vaughn snorted. If only she knew what that suggested!Yvette: Also keep in mind that lobster is a wonderful apology food. After I endured another lunchYvette: BYYvette: MYYvette: SELFYvette: today!Vaughn: I’m sorry.Vaughn: Back to regular meetups next week, I promiseYvette: You know I’m just giving you a hard time.Yvette: Though I swear if you boys took this time off for some role playing game or something…Yvette: Imma kill youVaughn smirked. Maybe they’d get away with just a light punch to the head once she realized this had nothing to do with career advancement. Rhys was probably right, though. The scandalous truth was something she’d still love to hear about.He flipped over to the group conversation from yesterday afternoon, following the date with Timothy.Jack: So you three all full on ice cream now? Enjoyed the treat on the CEO tab?Timothy: Yes we did ^_^Rhys: Best ice cream ever…Vaughn: It was!Jack: Sounds like someone is spoiled already.Vaughn: Not as much as Rhys.Vaughn: He was in love with that place.Timothy: You think we’ve got competition? : )Rhys: Jack I think you’re rubbing off on these two.Jack: Oh don’t worry, kiddo.Jack: I know there’s another creamy treat you’ll always enjoy more.Timothy: Jack.Jack: And I haven’t properly rubbed off on Vaughn yet.Timothy: 9_9Jack: Maybe tomorrowJack: Or tonight if you’re so inclined…Timothy: Jack.Rhys:Good things come to those who wait.Jack: Any time is a good time with meTimothy: Jack I brought ice cream home for you.Jack: Bring it up to my office? It’s gonna be a late one.Jack: What with courting all you cuties.Jack: This job is not easy.Rhys: I’d like to think we make it worth your while.Jack: Oh I don’t doubt that.Jack: But if you want to sweeten the deal…Timothy: Jack I’ll bring your ice cream if you stop making sex puns.Jack: What flavor you got?Timothy: Bourbon chocolateJack: Bring that shit up here. I’ll behave.Timothy: ; ) “So, what’s your advice with Jack?”Vaughn set down the echo, hands trembling as he worked to peel off the wrapper from their last muffin. He wasn’t going to wait for Rhys to bring it up. Jack had messaged that morning to inform he’d come by to pick Vaughn up for their date after work – that was only a couple hours away now. It was only now that Vaughn came back to the reality of how terrified he was of spending time alone with Jack again. It definitely wasn’t terror for his life anymore, at least, but the fact was, Jack was still intimidating as hell. The guy had toned down his behavior a bit once Timothy had been present with them the other day, but Vaughn feared he’d scale it right back up again this evening.Jack hadn’t even indicated what they’d be doing tonight. Was he going to just pick him up so they could have sex?That thought released a whole new wave of anxiety. Vaughn could have shredded the muffin wrapper in his hands, he was so nervous.“Take it easy,” Rhys said, a mixture of amusement and genuine concern in his voice. “He’s not gonna bite.”Vaughn bore a hard gaze at him, knowing the very obvious marks Rhys had been sporting on his neck and shoulders since first seeing the man.“…without consent.”Vaughn slid a hand across his forehead. “Just…give me some pointers. Please.”Rhys chuckled. “All right, all right. Take a few deep breaths. I’ll set you up for success.”Vaughn nodded and heaved a sigh. He started working at the muffin to tear off a chunk to munch on.“Now all you have to know about Jack is that he’s-“Jack at once appeared through the door of their apartment.“Hey there, kiddos!!!”Vaughn’s soul nearly departed from his body. He jumped so hard that the muffin flew from his hand and there was no telling where it went, no way he could even bother caring.“Jack! Hi,” Rhys said. His tone quickly dropped from surprised to stern. If Jack noticed, he didn’t pay any mind. Instead he just strode toward them with all charm.“What’s up, buttercups? Was kind of hoping I’d catch you two in action.” His eyes cut between them feistily. “Did I miss anything good, or were you still planning to get busy? I enjoy watching a sexy show.” He shot Vaughn a wink that made his chest tighten.Rhys just ran a metal hand down his face. “You’re early, aren’t you?”“Oh. Yeah,” Jack said matter-of-factly. “I’ve been in meetings all goddamn day. Couldn’t stand one more second of those department heads droning on, so just bailed.” His gaze focused on Vaughn and he grinned toothily. “Why not go ahead and get started, right?” Then his eyes drifted downward.“Nice loungewear you’re rocking! Gonna wear that out?”Vaughn at once felt mortified, standing in front of the president of Hyperion in gray sweatpants and a graphic tee.“Jack, be nice to him,” Rhys scolded.Jack just stepped forward next to Vaughn and pulled him close to his side. Vaughn all but slid across the floor as he did, completely frozen stiff.“Aww, what are you talking about? Like I would treat little shortcake here like anything less than a prince tonight.”Rhys’s cheeks puffed and Vaughn could tell he’d barely held back a burst of laughter at the nickname. The sight was enough to irk him out of his petrified state.“I, um, will go get ready,” he mumbled. His mind was blank with shock and embarrassment as he quickly slinked toward his bedroom. Thankfully Jack’s attention seemed drawn to the apartment as he made some comments to Rhys about the small space.God, he was not ready for this. He wouldn’t have been ready if he had 24 more hours, but now…holy shit. How could this be happening? How could Jack be here so soon?! He already got a shower this morning – thankfully. But he still needed to comb his hair and put on some deodorant and get changed. He hadn’t even thought about what to wear yet. Nothing he owned was exactly worthy of a night out with the CEO of Hyperion.Scrambling wildly, he managed to dig up some clothes that were nicer than usual. He tossed them onto the bed and stepped for the door to shut it when Jack walked in.Vaughn flinched back, heart beating very quickly again. Now Jack was seeing the mess of his room - great. There was still dirty laundry everywhere from when he’d hucked it all in there to clean the rest of the apartment. And since then, he and Rhys had been a little…preoccupied with each others’ company for him to bother getting it washed. Miraculously, Jack didn’t pay mind to that and instead turned to the bookshelves mounted on the wall.“Hmm,” he hummed lowly, inspecting the contents. “Principles of Accounting, The Grapes of Math, Adventures in Numberland…?!” He turned to Vaughn, face twisted in disbelief.Vaughn’s cheeks flushed red. What did Jack expect? “I told you I like math,” he reminded.“Yeah, but – damn. Keep the relationship professional.”Vaughn rolled his eyes while Jack continued inspecting the shelves. Those were his select favorites from classes in college. He’d hung onto them for reference or just to reread for fun. Guess that was something he and Jack weren’t going to see eye to eye on.“All right, where are you hiding your porn? There’s got to be a dirty magazine around here somewhere…” Scanning past the textbooks now, Jack’s mouth quirked and he reached for one of the dozens of comic books on the shelf. “What’s this, a raccoon with a gun?” he mused aloud, pulling one out.“Yeah...”Jack held the comic up and tapped the image, wolfish grin spreading across his face. “Is this your porn?” he whispered mischievously.“No it’s not,” Vaughn retorted, voice quivering with laughter despite himself. How old fashioned was Jack? Obviously that stuff was all on his computer. Not that he was going to say a word about that to the ornery man.Jack just gave him a doubtful look and opened the issue. “I’ll be the judge of that,” he said, licking the tip of his finger and starting to flip through the pages. Vaughn shook his head, wondering how long Jack was going to insist on messing with him. Several seconds passed before Jack glanced over and furrowed his brow.“You gonna keep getting ready?”“I…I have to get changed.”“Well don’t let me stop you.”Vaughn’s mouth fell open and shut again.Jack…wasn’t going anywhere, was he? The man just stared at him curiously.“What, you never took gym class in high school?”The mention almost made Vaughn groan. He certainly did, and it’s where the other guys had given him the nickname “jelly belly.” Even after getting in better shape years later, people still often stared at him in the gym locker room. It made him feel pretty self-conscious. To get changed in front of Jack, who already made him feel naked just in his presence, seemed impossible.“Oh for crying out loud, princess,” Jack said with a roll of his eyes. “I’ll keep facing this way, if you’re not in the mood for sneak previews. Just get yourself together so we can get going!”Vaughn stood, still frozen. He had to think about his options here. Telling Jack outright to get out of his room was something he couldn’t manage. Maybe Rhys would, but going to him for help with his own date would be pretty pathetic. He could take his clothes into the bathroom, but…that wasn’t much better. He really didn’t want to come off as more of a wimp than he already had in the last five minutes.Resigned, he turned to gather his clothes from the bed and get changed on the other side of the room.Ugh, this sucked. Jack was definitely going to peek at him. There was no way he wouldn’t.The only thing he could do was just switch clothes as fast as possible. With one last skeptical look at Jack, who still poured over the comic book with his back turned, Vaughn undid his sweatpants and let them drop to the floor. He kicked his feet from them so quickly that he almost fell over.Was Jack peeking?! Vaughn snapped his gaze to the other side of the room.No, still had his back turned.Vaughn snatched his pair of dress pants off the bed and pulled them up as fast as he could. It felt like the material might rip in his hurry.When he looked up, Jack was still engrossed in the comic book.A small sigh of relief escaped Vaughn’s lips as he buttoned the material. Well, at least Jack wouldn’t literally catch him with his pants down now. It was obvious the guy was just trying to lure him into a false sense of security, though. No way was Vaughn going to fall for that. He started shuffling off his T-shirt as quickly as possible.“A-HA!”The shout made Vaughn nearly pee himself. He yanked the material fully over his head to see-Jack still turned away, reading. “No, no,” he muttered absently. “Just a spaceship…”What an ass. That was definitely on purpose. He snatched his more formal shirt off the bed and fumbled to button it with his shaking hands. By the time he got to the top he finally managed to let out a shaky breath.Jack remained with his back turned the whole time. So he actually had kept true to his word and respected Vaughn’s boundaries. That was pretty unexpected after the way Vaughn had seen him do whatever he damn well pleased, up to this point. Maybe Jack wasn’t completely out to embarrass him.Maybe.Relieved for the moment, Vaughn quickly rounded his bed to head for the bathroom. As he did, Jack’s eyes glanced over and gave him a quick scan. The hint of a smirk showed on his lips just as Vaughn passed.Whoa. Jack just checked him out. And either he liked what he saw or found it hilarious. Whichever it was, Vaughn was flustered all over again.A few hurried minutes later, Vaughn was finally ready to go. Jack followed him into the kitchen, of course making some comments under his breath how it was about time. Rhys had gotten busy using a wooden spoon to try and knock Vaughn’s lost muffin down from the top of one of the high cabinets.“We’re outta here,” Jack annnounced. He swung an arm around Vaughn’s shoulders and pulled him close. Vaughn felt a little embarrassed as he pressed against the man’s side, especially when Rhys turned his head to look. Upon seeing them together, the guy’s expression melted into something warm and goofy.Jack snorted, gesturing between himself and Vaughn. “We look good together, right?”Rhys nodded. He seemed a little dazed at the sight. “Uhm…mmm, yeah,” he mumbled. He actually looked on the verge of drooling. Vaughn couldn’t hold back a smile at the silly, precious sight.“All right, keep it in your pants – for now,” Jack teased. Rhys snapped out of it with a blush and cleared his throat.“So, um…have fun!”“Like I ever need to be told that,” Jack said. “Enjoy your sleepover with Timtams tonight.”Rhys smirked. “Always.”Vaughn weakly raised an arm to wave goodbye as Jack ushered them out the door. Being around both of them at the same time seemed to highlight what an awkward loser he was. It was doing nothing for his confidence right now. How was he supposed to blend in with a couple of the coolest guys at Hyperion?Well, okay, Rhys had his dorky moments in private. That was something Vaughn knew after years of living together. But Handsome Jack?Vaughn dared to venture a glance up at the taller man beside him. Despite sharing Timothy’s appearance, he carried a completely different air about him. The contrast was night and day. Jack radiated intensity and authority with every move he made, every slight change in his expression. No wonder he ruled all of Helios and had people worshipping him.And now Vaughn was on a date with him. Handsome Jack, the king of Hyperion.He struggled not to breathe too loudly, lest Jack hear him hyperventilating. The hall of the housing sector was painfully quiet, as a lot of the employees were still at work or out around the station. The sound of their footsteps echoed off the metal walls.“So?” Jack prodded. “How did things go yesterday?”“It was…umm…”At once Jack leaned over to whisper in his ear.“Take something too far down your throat?” His lips all but grazed the shell of Vaughn’s ear, warm breath sending an involuntary shudder down his spine. For crying out loud, his knees actually got weak and he stumbled a bit. This was so…Wait, what the hell had Jack said?!A startled squeak was all that came out when he opened his mouth. Jack immediately roared with laughter.God, this was embarrassing. All Vaughn wanted to do was slip away, fall face down on his bed, and die. That was all he could think to do. His face was burning and he fought to produce real words, but his efforts only yielded more pathetic, unintelligible sounds.Jack swiped a mirthful tear off his face with his free hand, still rattling with laughter. “The story I got was that he stabbed you in the throat with a spoon!” He noticeably refrained from using Timothy’s name now that they were out in public.“Yeah, it was…an accident, you know.” Every fiber of Vaughn’s being wished for a subject change. Jack hummed pleasantly in agreement.“Oh, shortcake, we are going to have such a good time tonight!”“Ugh.” The disgusted sound came out of Vaughn’s mouth before he could stop it. Apparently he was too exasperated to censor himself by this point, but he immediately regretted it.“Ugh?” Jack mimicked, voice gaining an edge. “What’s that about?”“No, n-not about you, or, or tonight,” Vaughn fumbled to correct himself quickly. “It’s just…uh…” He paused for a moment to summon what courage he could. “That nickname.”“You don’t like shortcake?!”Vaughn nodded, shrinking in on himself a little. To his surprise, Jack leaned back and surveyed him with a genuinely aghast expression.“I thought it was endearing!”Vaughn stared back with wide eyes, surprised into silence. Jack actually thought he was being sweet by using that name? Moreover, Jack was trying to treat him sweetly in the first place?! Vaughn had just taken it as patronizing, like something the jocks would have called him in school. He never would have imagined Jack using it as a way to genuinely flirt.Still…he really didn’t like it. “It’s…I mean…” he mumbled. He really didn’t want to have to spell out that he was self-conscious about his height.“Listen, Vaughn, if you don’t like something I’m doing, just say it,” Jack interrupted. “I want you to be honest with me. Remember?”“I do. It’s just, last time we were together, I thought you were probably going to kill me.”That made the usual smirk start to reappear on Jack’s lips. “Yeah, I remember that.” He burst into chuckles. “I hadn’t laughed that hard in a long time!”Vaughn scrunched his nose. That experience had probably given him enough anxiety to shave a few years off his lifespan.“Oh, but I’d like to think we’re on a different level of intimacy now. Right?” At the word “intimacy,” the muscular arm around Vaughn’s shoulders gave a firm squeeze. Vaughn fought to keep the sour expression on his face, defy the fact that Jack was somehow equally good at breaking down his defenses as he was freaking him out. It was a completely failed effort.“Ah, ha…” he laughed nervously. “I think so.”Jack hummed curiously. “You think?” His voice lowered seductively. “I’ll make sure that by the end of tonight, you’ll know.” The words sent a fresh shiver through Vaughn. There were so many things that could mean. Before he could speculate too hard on it, though, Jack continued.“But don’t think you’re off the hook with a nickname. You’re getting one, damn it!” His face pinched in concentration. “Let’s see…Vaughn…Vaughny…Vaughnsum… You know, your name really sucks for this! Haven’t you had any nicknames in your life?”Vaughn’s head hung a little. “Not really.” Not any that were well-intentioned, anyway. The closest he could think of was Rhys calling him bro. That was never going to work between him and Jack, though.“Well, you’re getting something,” Jack insisted. “Each of you needs a pet name…” He paused, before muttering to himself.“Vaughn…Vin…Vince…Vinny Vinny Vaughn!”Vaughn put a hand over his mouth, caught between groaning and laughing.Maybe the king of Hyperion was secretly a dork, too. …“So…what are we doing?!”The question came out embarrassingly high-pitched. Vaughn had kept quiet as they’d traversed the many halls of Helios. He’d had some theories of where Jack might take him – to some sort of high class bar or restaurant, back to his hall of trophies for that promised tour, or maybe even just straight up to his penthouse. But when the two had passed through the large threshold labeled “R&D,” his anxiety finally boiled over.Jack just grinned at him wickedly. “We’re going to do my favorite thing to blow off steam after a long, mind-numbing day at the office! Just you wait.”Vaughn’s breath suddenly became shallow. Now all other sorts of possibilities were flying through his mind. If they were headed into R&D, it could be just about anything. A thin sheen of sweat started to form on his brow.“What do you do to unwind, Vaughn?”“Usually just hang out with Rhys and our friend Yvette,” Vaughn confessed. “We vent about stuff, have drinks, play games and make jokes…” He shrugged slightly. “Just normal kind of stuff, I guess.”“Yeah, but I mean really unwind! Like you ever been in a fight?”“Hah?”“You know, just up and punch somebody in the teeth! That’ll work some stress off.”“That would send me to the hospital,” Vaughn countered honestly. Every person on Helios could probably stuff his small frame into a trash can.“Not with me around, it wouldn’t! Or do you think you’d break your hand?” Without warning, Jack reached over and grabbed his hand, inspecting it. Vaughn’s breath caught and he almost stopped dead in his tracks as Jack’s thumb rubbed firmly over the skin.“Hmm, yeah, you’ve got soft hands,” he concluded, eyes surveying carefully. “Bet you’ve never thrown a punch in your life.” His hand grasped Vaughn’s warmly. “Just like Rhys.”Vaughn’s mind went to mush. Holy shit.“Am I right?” Jack insisted.There was no use trying to form words. Vaughn made a strangled sound of agreement, even as his mind blanked on what Jack was even asking about.As quickly as it all happened, though, Jack released his hand and continued forward as normal. Vaughn stepped uneasily, head light from the brief contact. Man, Jack had strong hands. Firm and rough. He could only imagine what it would feel like to have those all over his body…No, no, he needed to calm down. It was way too early for all these pervy thoughts. The logical side of his mind backtracked, rewinding to what they’d been talking about when the topic of conversation suddenly concerned him.“You’re not taking me to a fight club, are you?!”“Oh, much more interesting than that,” Jack assured.Great. What the hell were they getting into?Vaughn had never ventured into R&D. The department was infamous for its bizarre antics and mishaps. Some distant explosion rattling the station? R&D. Warning that a pack of electrified skags was on the loose? R&D. Someone walking around covered in a layer of unidentifiable flourescent goo? You bet your ass they came from R&D!As they continued further into the department, it was unfortunately just as strange as Vaughn had expected. From some nearby room, a man could be heard ranting frantically in various volumes. A sudden warm glow and crackling sounds came from another doorway as they passed, accompanied by a chorus of excited screeches and cheers. Vaughn couldn’t even fathom what these people were all trying to accomplish, but he just hoped they wouldn’t get caught in the middle of any of their crazy experiments.In Jack’s presence, however, there was no nonsense. Each of the scientists immediately moved aside and bowed their head in greeting while they passed. Their tones ranged from reverent to highly anxious.“Handsome Jack, sir!”“Good day, sir! How are you?”“Welcome!”Of course, Jack paid them no mind. He continued forward without so much as even glancing at them.“You…come here often?” Vaughn prodded. Sure, Jack was adored throughout the station, but here, everything seemed pretty amped up – both the awe and fear.“Well, apart from the orgy rooms, this place has the wildest shit on Helios! So you’d better believe I do.”Vaughn’s brow arched. Did Jack ever go to…No, he didn’t want to think about that.A particularly mousy-looking scientist approached from a side hall but stopped midstep at the sight of them. Instead of greeting, he slowly began to move in reverse. His large, worried eyes flitted to both of them as he tried to shrink away. Vaughn frowned with concern at the sight as they passed. That was a bit disconcerting.“It seems like you’ve left an impression here,” he noted. “Um, more than usual.” He tried to remember that only a few days ago, he probably would have had the same reaction.Jack hummed with interest, leaning in close. “Well that’s what happens when people get to actually see me in person. All the posters and announcements in the world couldn’t sum up my greatness!” He gestured his hand around himself proudly. “These people are lucky enough to get the real Handsome Jack experience. Wouldn’t you agree, it’s much more stimulating?” The last few words lowered into a seductive husk.Vaughn clamped up, not wanting to feed that ego despite agreeing deep down. Though something told him that the “real Handsome Jack experience” these R&D employees knew was probably more intense and hands-on – and not in a good way.Jack seemed to accept his silence, at least. His fingers traced over Vaughn’s shoulder, in a way that made him want to reciprocate but he still wasn’t sure. For about the tenth time since leaving the apartment, his arm tentatively raised toward Jack’s waist but lowered again. Touching Jack still felt a bit…forbidden. Vaughn couldn’t shake the knowledge that this was his boss and ruler over the entire space station. It destroyed his nerve each and every time.Meanwhile, Jack was so open with his affection and flirting. There was no guess work involved; the guy didn’t hesitate or hold back on anything. It was a bit jarring at times, but Vaughn had to admit he liked that about him.He didn’t even seem to mind showing affection toward a little nerd like him, around all of these people…No one around seemed to care, either. Maybe they respected Jack that much – or figured any remarks would be met with a swift bullet.Vaughn smiled a little. Maybe sometimes Jack’s surprises could be a nice thing.“All right, here we are!”Vaughn stopped dead in his tracks as Jack let go of him to move toward a large door that read “Weapons Testing.” A moment later he’d unholstered a pistol and turned back to grin widely.“Let’s have some fun.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Jack stepped into the large, dimly lit room first, with Vaughn following reluctantly behind.
Oh, please don’t let any monsters be in here…
With a quick flip of the lights from Jack, the space illuminated. A waist-high metal counter lay shortly ahead, dividing the room where about a dozen long rows ran down toward the back. There were no monsters, at least, but…this was most definitely a shooting range.Vaughn slowed to a stop at the sight. He should have figured it would be something like this, but it still made him uneasy. Meanwhile, Jack strode in like the place was his home.“Now this is what I’m talking about,” he announced. The large pistol in his hand swung casually as he stepped up to one of the lanes. “No quavering employees, no goddamn board of directors, no monotonous corporate bull shit…” He pressed a button on the counter with his free hand and a small red and white target flipped down from the ceiling. Vaughn just barely registered it was there before it began to splinter underneath a flurry of gunshots. He jumped back, arms flying haphazardly around his head to try and block the startling sight and sound.Several seconds passed before the onslaught of noise faded. Vaughn peeked between his forearms to see Jack walking back to him, casually blowing a bit of smoke off the barrel of his gun. Behind him, the center of the target crumbled into tiny pieces after all the bullseyes.“It’s just power here,” Jack finished. “Power, skill, and tons of fun shit.” He grinned and tilted his head in amusement at Vaughn’s frozen state.“You all right there?”“You startled me,” Vaughn grumbled, finally forcing his arms to lower. Jack just unloaded a gun with no warning – what did he expect?“Ah, you’ll get used to it,” Jack assured. “Let’s get you set up with some gear.” He curled his finger for Vaughn to follow as he turned toward the other end of the room. Vaughn walked stiffly, feeling completely out of place.He’d never held a gun in his life, much less shot one for entertainment. This was going to be embarrassing.“I’m not…I’ve never…” he mumbled feebly to Jack’s back. The man just snorted.“Take a breath, honey bunches. I get that you’re a beginner. We’ll start off easy.” There he went with the nicknames again.They stopped at a metal cabinet built into the wall, where Jack reached in and started rummaging through its contents. Vaughn took the opportunity to wipe sweaty palms against his sides. He hoped he could keep from visibly trembling.“Here you go!” Jack announced. He plucked a couple of small objects out of the cabinet and put them into Vaughn’s hand. They were smooth, U-shaped, and bright green in color.“Loop those over your ears,” he said, taking a couple yellow ones of his own and doing just that. “They’ll shield you from the worst of the gunshot noise – while also allowing you to still take in the gorgeous tones of my voice.” Vaughn couldn’t help a small eye roll but did as instructed. They fit over his ears comfortably and he didn’t notice a thing. Looking up at Jack, though, he could see a light flickering shield of sorts around the man’s ears.Jack took to digging in the cabinet again. “And then these,” he said, before pulling out what looked like a couple of thin black visors. He went ahead and pressed one to fit against Vaughn’s forehead. “It’s nerdy as hell, but keeps your eyes safe from any debris and shit. Not gonna let you go blind on my watch.” He smirked as he fiddled with a couple buttons on one side of it, causing a faint green electric shield to materialize in front of Vaughn’s eyes.“You’re a lot more safety conscious than I thought you would be,” Vaughn confessed. Jack just scoffed while he set his own visor on, creating a thin yellow shield in front of his own eyes.“Well it’s our first date and all – I figured we should use protection.” He winked and beamed with pride at the joke before closing the cabinet again.“Actually, blame Tim. I always preferred the raw experience, but that guy hassled me about using safety gear. Once he started practicing down here, though, I had to insist on it, too.” He grinned. “Can’t put you darlings at risk.”Vaughn gulped at how Jack made that word plural. It made him…kind of pleased, but also nervous. He really didn’t want to screw things up here. He bowed his head bashfully as Jack led them toward the front of the room, where there were more metal cases lying horizontally down the wall. Jack pushed a button and the front of one of the cases flipped to reveal an assortment of handguns on display. The weapons were of various sizes and designs, some set with bright glowing colors. Vaughn had to admit, the collection did look pretty cool.“Nothing beats a reliable pistol,” Jack said, his voice a bit soft with awe at the sight. “Easy to conceal, quick to draw, and still enough firepower to get the job done. Yeah my scientists can cook up some crazy shit, but you don’t need to rely on all that when you’ve got skill.” He reached down to trace a finger over the flawless metal of one of the guns. “No one’s better at shooting these than me.”Looking over the display, Vaughn felt a little buzzing inside him. It was probably all the bright colors in the assortment before him, but now he kind of wanted to try one of these out, too. From the side, he could feel Jack peering at him.“How about it, nutter butter?”Vaughn shifted on his feet. “It…it’s neat.” His eyes wandered over to the next case over that hadn’t been opened yet.“Yeah, yeah. You want to see all the goods. Go ahead and open that one, too.”Feeling a little priveleged, Vaughn reached out and pressed the green button over the second case. Immediately its front flipped to reveal a stash of more guns, all bigger with more of those glowing colors and a wider variety of designs.“Whoa…” he breathed, walking over to look at them. Now these looked really high tech and awesome.“Of course you’d be all over those,” Jack said with some resignation. Vaughn looked at him questioningly. “That’s Timothy’s collection. Kid’s got a serious laser kink. A lady on Elpis got him hooked.”Vaughn eyed the colorful weaponry, trying to imagine Timothy wielding any of them. It was still a strange thing to consider. He got a visual of Timothy hopping around in low gravity, zapping monsters with delight. It was different, but…kind of an attractive image. He wouldn’t mind seeing the double do his thing down here sometime.Moving on, he pressed the button for the next case. This was getting really cool. He could only imagine what crazy thing might be in this-The lid flipped to reveal one solitary pistol lying in the center. A very basic-looking one at that.Vaughn turned to give Jack another questioning look. Jack was just standing with his arms folded, shit-eating grin on his face. “Well? What do you think?”“It’s a…it’s a gun.”“No shit. Whose do you think it is?”Vaughn’s nose scrunched in thought. It couldn’t be, but… “Rhys?”“Guess again.”It took a couple more seconds of thought, until the answer clicked. Vaughn snapped his gaze between Jack and the gun, eyes widened. “Mine?!”At this, Jack nodded. “Yep! We’re gonna try you out on this. If you get a feel for it, maybe one day you’ll have a full set yourself.”Vaughn looked back at the case, noting all the now very obvious empty space around the single weapon. Did Jack really think he’d get into this for real? Or be competent enough with a gun to even be worthy of coming back here? Maybe it was just hopeful thinking on the CEO’s part. He tried to distract himself from the sudden nervousness by looking to the final case.The release button on this one was glowing red – locked.“That’s where we keep our weapons that are still in their primary testing phase,” Jack said, approaching from behind to stand at his side. “Real crazy shit. Only I mess around with those. We’ll be taking it easy today, anyway, like I said.”Vaughn looked over the cases again, feeling a little curiosity itch inside of him. “So, doesn’t Rhys have any…?”“Nah,” Jack answered easily. “He wouldn’t be into this.”Vaughn stiffened a little in surprise. Before he could question it, Jack suddenly stepped closer into his personal space.“You, though…” he purred, leaning close. “I think you’ve got some wild in you.” He reached to brush fingers along Vaughn’s shirt collar. “Even if you’re keeping it under wraps right now.”The fingers traveled and hooked lightly around the material, teasing the possibility of tugging it down.“How about letting me see it, Vaughn?”Their eyes locked. Vaughn’s pulse quickened and breath became shallow. He could hear, actually feel the man’s steady breath on him, with how close they were. The warm sensations left him stunned and dizzy.A sly grin formed across Jack’s mouth, and he chuckled. “Let’s see how you do,” he declared before pulling back again. The side of his hand deliberately skimmed across Vaughn’s jaw as he did, making the younger man’s nerves dance. Jack turned smoothly and gestured for him to follow to the firing lanes.Vaughn’s body, meanwhile, felt like it had solidified into a statue. This was…freaking intense. He didn’t have a single “wild” fiber in his body, and wherever Jack got that idea was a mystery to him. If Rhys and Yvette were here and heard that, they’d be on the floor, out of breath with laughter.Still, Jack’s words and motions had made him like a magnet. Vaughn forced his stiff limbs to bend and move so he could pick the gun up out of the case and follow. The weapon that seemed puny before now felt heavy and intimidating in his hand.“I, uh…” he started, words strained by the tightness in his throat. “Is this loaded?”Jack snorted as Vaughn approached his side at the counter. “You bet your ass, snicker doodle! So first rule – don’t go waving that shit around like an idiot. Always keep the barrel down unless you’re aiming downrange.” He pointed each direction for emphasis. “And mind where your fingers are. Play around with the sensitive spots too much and it might just go off in your hands.”Vaughn huffed, wanting to laugh but couldn’t joke while a deadly weapon was in his hand. He gave a glance down to make sure his shaking fingers were nowhere near the trigger. Meanwhile Jack leaned to press another button on the counter, causing a new target to flip down from the ceiling. It was much closer than the first one he’d taken out. He took a few steps back to observe Vaughn.“All right, tater tot, let’s see your firing pose!”“Huh?” Vaughn wheezed. His brain eventually caught up to the command when he saw Jack standing with arms folded and an expectant look on his face.Okay, he could do this. Just like the movies, right? All those cheesy action flicks he and Rhys had watched over the years, he could pull off something cool.Determined, he took aim at the target and snapped his body into what he thought was a badass pose.Obviously it wasn’t, because Jack immediately broke into laughter.“Cupcake, cupcake. It’s too early in the game for you to be this stiff!”Vaughn’s face flushed a deep red as Jack stepped closer once more. He started to drop out of his pose but was immediately stopped.“Nuh-uh. Stay where you are, boodly boopkins. I’m gonna fix your form.” Vaughn obeyed, his nerves prickling again as Jack made his way behind him.“Get your feet a little closer together,” Jack instructed. His tone became softer in their close proximity. “You’re firing a gun, not breaking out into dance. One in front of the other to keep steady. Bend your knees a little bit. And let’s see, your hips…” His hands went to rest on Vaughn’s sides. Vaughn froze at the contact while Jack hummed in thought for what felt longer than necessary.“Yep, those are good,” he stated with an audible grin. “Very centered.” He gave a couple appreciative pats and Vaughn smirked despite his nervousness. This flirting was cliché as hell, but he wasn’t minding it at all. Getting this kind of attention from Jack of all people was still pretty unreal.“Now grip the gun like this,” Jack started, reaching around to place his hands over Vaughn’s and carefully rearranging them. “Right hand over the handle and the left overlapping that one for support. You got it?”“Hnngh,” Vaughn ground out. It was hard to think of anything else while Jack’s body was pressed flush against his back. The smell of spicy cologne and feel of such a strong body around his own was intoxicating.Still, he really had to get into the moment. Whatever Jack saw in him, he really wanted to live up to it. This was his chance to show he wasn’t just a wimp.“Okay,” he affirmed after a moment, voice much more steady. “I’ve got it.”“Good,” Jack said with satisfaction. He leaned until his face was right near Vaughn’s ear. “So here’s what you’re gonna do, snizzle snacks. Take a look at the target and line up your sights with it. When you think you’ve got it, just give the trigger a steady squeeze.”Vaughn followed the instructions as best he could. The weapon was still trembling slightly in his hands. With Jack coaching him, though, he felt a little more capable. Maybe he could…
BAM!
The gun jerked in his hands as the bullet fired, making him yelp. He nearly fell back against Jack in surprise. Out in front of him, though, the circular target now had a small hole toward the upper left edge of it.“See, there you go!” Jack announced.Vaughn stared at the bullet hole in dumbfounded shock.Wow.He actually did it. Fired a gun for the first time in his life.“Hollly crap, that was so freakin’ cool!” he cheered. Jack immediately seized his wrist as he’d almost waved the gun around in excitement.“Damn, fuzzy butt, rule number one!”“Sorry,” he replied quickly, a little embarrassed but still riding high off of his accomplishment. “But that was good, wasn’t it? I can’t believe I actually hit the target!”Jack snorted. “Well, everyone’s gotta start somewhere,” he mused mostly to himself. He kept his hand wrapped loosely around Vaughn’s wrist as they faced each other.“I bet I could hit it closer next time. Let’s do that again!””Wait, weren’t you just pissing yourself a minute ago?””I’m over it now.”Jack scoffed. “I knew it. You’re already hooked on this shit.”“Well, you’re really…” Vaughn caught himself and trailed off. Jack raised his eyebrows in curiosity.Oh, boy. Was he finally going to feed Jack’s supersized ego?“Y-you really make it fun,” he finished, turning to try and not draw out the compliment. Jack just caught him by the shoulder and swiveled him back around. His expression was filled with utter delight.“Ohh, look who’s coming around!” he teased. Vaughn rolled his eyes despite the goofy grin on his own face. He startled when Jack suddenly hooked an arm around and pulled him close.“Sweetheart, I assure you – you haven’t seen anything yet.”The next hour or so was a blast. Jack continued his coaching, making sure to give plenty of flirtatious touches but also solid and easy-to-follow advice. Vaughn practiced positioning himself in a way to keep his aim more steady, and learned how to handle the recoil when firing the gun. It was such an adrenaline rush each time. He was actually doing something he’d only ever seen in movies or video games. The power of the weapon in his hands was a thrill to use. He wasn’t able to ever quite hit the bullseye, but got the inner rings a couple times.Eventually he had to insist that Jack do a demonstration of his own. It didn’t take much convincing, the CEO ever eager to show off. As soon as he picked up a gun and started firing, though, Vaughn felt instantly intimidated. The difference between them was night and day. Jack handled and fired a gun with remarkable ease, his motions so fluid and automatic they appeared to take no effort at all. His shots barely ever strayed from dead center of the target.Watching, Vaughn wanted to cheer but was instead struck silent with awe. Of course, it was Handsome Jack; he shouldn’t have expected any less. Seeing the unreal level of skill in person was a completely different experience, though.It wasn’t all just hype and legends. Jack was powerful. He could kill anyone if he wanted to.The thought sent shivers through Vaughn, raising goosebumps down his arms.Once Jack had had enough of playing with his standard pistol, he brought out some elemental handguns for a finale. This managed to bring Vaughn back into the fun of the moment. He felt a bit like a kid again, instantly drawn in by the bright colors of the various guns. Jack demonstrated each type, and Vaughn marveled at the different ways they destroyed the targets. The fire was true to its name, causing the wooden target to go up in flames after a few shots. The acid rounds spattered fizzing green liquid that eventually disintegrated the target. The electric bullets caused the target to rattle and break apart with many streaks of crackling blue. Finally, the ice element turned the target into a popsicle within several shots.Jack switched out to the standard pistol on his hip and fired until the target lay in frosted fragments on the cement floor.“Keep coming here, and maybe one day I’ll let you play with these,” he said with a smug smirk. Vaughn pursed his lips doubtfully. As much fun as it was, it was hard to imagine coming back here on the regular. Was Jack really that convinced everything was going to work out between them?As if in response to the thought, Jack suddenly snagged and pulled him close with his free arm. He pressed a kiss to Vaughn’s lips. It was over before Vaughn’s brain could catch up, Jack parting just enough so that their mouths were no longer touching.Oh man, he…really wanted to lean in and continue that. Could he manage to make a move in response?His moment’s hesitation was too much, though, as Jack slipped away with a grin and moved to put the elemental handgun back in its case.“All right, cutie patootie, I’m starving. Let’s get something to eat!”…The restaurant Jack took him to was more like what Vaughn had been expecting from the start of the date. If Ice Dreams had been in a ritzy area of Helios, this place might as well have only been reserved for royalty. Vaughn didn’t even know such a glamorous sector existed on the entire space station. Each shop or bar was set with gleaming displays and signs of cursive lettering. He felt a little out of place for even breathing the same air as anyone who could afford to spend their time and money in these places.Finally Jack led them into a restaurant with some elaborate name Vaughn didn’t even think he could pronounce. It was dimly lit inside with crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The furniture all looked so expensive that Vaughn was afraid to brush against any of it in passing. Soft piano music played, apparently to set a relaxed mood but it only added to an air of luxury he wasn’t used to.The entire place was empty, of course. That seemed to be a theme when spending time with Timothy or Jack.Just more layers, he thought to himself, looking up at Jack’s back as they walked. Given the things Timothy had said about annoyances and threats, and just how Vaughn knew things worked on Helios, he guessed it was understandable. Getting to see any of Jack’s life behind the scenes felt like a real priveledge.How much was he actually seeing, though? It still seemed like Jack was putting on airs, showing off and joking around. Some of it was surely authentic; Jack seemed to breathe smugness and self-satisfaction. Vaughn felt like he was starting to bump into some of those walls Rhys had mentioned, though. He wondered how much Jack still wasn’t letting his guard down, despite their time together so far.He let his gaze fall toward the marble floor they walked on. This was still just their first date; it was probably stupid to expect more at this point. Yet Jack knew so much about him. Hell, he’d done a thorough background check before they even met, and Rhys had apparently told a lot about him. It made Vaughn feel a little eager to know more about Jack in return.Before he could think on it much further, though, Jack was leading them through a velvety dark curtain into a small, private room. Vaughn knew immediately that it was reserved exclusively for Jack. A solitary wooden booth sat across from them. Its plush cushions stretched long enough for a grown man to lie down comfortably. Amazingly, the table was already set with a couple of lit candles, glasses filled with some sort of iced drinks, and two plates covered with food. Vaughn blinked with surprise at the display and back at Jack, who just smirked back at him.“You are so easy to stun, pumpkin!” He chuckled for a moment, but then stopped. Something excited seem to light in his eyes.“What?”“Nothing, pumpkin,” he said in an all too pleased tone. He gestured for Vaughn to go ahead and sit.That was a bit eerie. Still, the smell of food was loudly calling, so Vaughn went ahead and complied. He scooted onto one side of the booth to find a plate covered in a large steak, roasted potatoes, and an assortment of grilled vegetables. Just the sight made drool pool in his mouth. Everything was steaming hot, too, as if it had been served only moments before their arrival. How in the hell did Jack arrange that?!Actually, never mind, he didn’t care. Everything looked too delicious to question, and shooting firearms surprisingly worked up a real appetite.Naturally, Jack slid into the booth right next to Vaughn, so close that they were plastered together again. “Damn, this looks awesome. See what being king of the station gets you?” He nudged Vaughn in the side with his elbow. Vaughn just smiled, knowing he would probably eat a plate of anything that was served to him, but willing to comply with the fact that this feast looked incredible.Moments later both men were digging into their meals. Everything was cooked to perfection and bursting with flavor. Like with the ice cream, it seemed only the most premium ingredients were used. Vaughn closed his eyes with pleasure, letting the intricate flavors sink in.Meanwhile Jack was downing the food with voracious appetite. He chomped and smacked his lips loudly, not bothering to close his mouth while eating. That was a serious pet peeve for Rhys. He got on Vaughn and Yvette’s case for that a lot. Just imagining how he must react to Jack’s level of noise made Vaughn snort, and he shook a little with silent laughter.Jack glanced over. “Hmm? What are you snickering about?”“I, uh,” Vaughn started with a quavering voice, “I was just thinking about how fun that was to shoot guns together.”If Jack caught on to the fib, he didn’t show it. “If you thought that was fun, you’d better keep coming back. Then we could get down to some real entertainment. Hell, you haven’t even practiced with live targets yet!”Vaughn almost choked on his mouthful of steak. “Live targets?” he squeaked.“You bet your firm ass! R&D has a constant supply shipping up from Pandora – skags, rakks, bullymongs…” He broke out into pleased chuckles. “I mean, hearing the flesh pop, watching the blood spray everywhere…it’s a completely different experience!”Vaughn clapped a hand over his mouth, groaning at the very thought. There was no way he would ever get into that. The sight of blood made him woozy, and he’d never killed anything bigger than a bug in his life. He’d probably cry if he ever shot something with an actual pulse, even if it was a freaky monster from Pandora.Jack grunted with resignation. “Wow, guess that’s out of your scope.” His voice lowered mischievously and he leaned a little closer. “I still look forward to seeing how far I can take you.”The words drove fresh goosebumps down Vaughn’s arms. He felt equally miffed at sounding like Jack’s personal experiment, and undeniably thrilled at the possibilities of what all that might entail.“Speaking of,” Jack started slowly, circling the rim of his drink with a finger, “what do you think about coming over to my penthouse? See where all this greatness resides?” His eyes flitted over to Vaughn and his mouth curled into a toothy grin – like he already knew the answer but was just waiting to hear it.Vaughn froze. His heart about thumped up to his throat. “Yeah…I…uh…sure?” The pathetic words barely made it from his brain to his mouth.Jack’s predatory smile only deepened. “Good.”That probably definitely meant they were going to have sex. Vaughn immediately snagged his drink and gulped down some of the sweet alcohol it contained, hoping to drown his sudden nerves.…After finishing their meal, the two men headed for Jack’s penthouse. Instead of taking the main halls, however, Jack stopped at a nondescript metal door and scanned his fingerprint on a touch pad next to it. Vaughn had seen these kinds of doors around the station but never knew what they were for. He’d just assumed they were for security or even just janitor closets. What he saw when the door swooshed open was way more amazing.It was another hallway, but the outer walls, floor, and ceiling were all entirely made of glass. It looked as if the door led right to the outside of the space station. Vaughn gaped, rolling back on the heels of his feet in surprise before looking to Jack. The guy just smirked in confirmation and Vaughn took that as a cue to step forward.His shoes made hollow thuds against the glass as he walked. It was all obviously thick and very stable, but still gave the illusion that he was walking right out into space. Vaughn marveled at the collection of stars beneath his feet, more glimmering endlessly out from the station. A couple of patrol ships zipped by silently in the distance, and Vaughn felt as if he could just fly away with them, get a break from Helios and all its drama.“This…this is incredible!”From behind, Jack heaved a sigh of relief as he closed the door behind them. “God, finally!” It took all of Vaughn’s will to tear his eyes away from the wonders around and glance quizzically at the CEO.“These are my own private halls,” Jack explained. His masked face screwed up in irritation. “It’s kick-ass, right? The other two want none of it, though! Tim clung to me like a kitten the one time I walked him through – just about puked afterward. Rhys wouldn’t even take one step!” He threw his head back in exasperation, but Vaughn just snorted.“Yeah, Rhys isn’t into heights,” he said. It seemed Timothy wasn’t, either. That was an admittedly cute thing for them to have in common. He wouldn’t have guessed it, considering Tim’s vault hunting background.Jack folded his arms and surveyed Vaughn thoroughly. His mouth crooked in pleasure. “Well. Tough shit for them. Looks like this could be a special place just for you and me.”Those words caressed Vaughn. He stared, attention focused entirely on Jack now despite the surroundings. Maybe it was just the peaceful scenery, purple light from Elpis playing off of the man’s features. Suddenly, though, the king of Hyperion seemed a little…softer. Not as intimidating. Maybe even…Okay. Really attractive. Not in a hot celebrity kind of way, but something warmer and even relatable. Like the kind of face he’d want to see after a long day.And that was it. Vaughn realized he was developing an honest crush on Jack.“Yeah,” he agreed shakily. He tucked his hands under his arms out of nervousness as Jack approached.“You warming up to the idea of all this?”Vaughn looked up, feeling a little weak. No one had asked him that outright since this whole scheme had first started. It was something he was still trying to decide himself. He liked them all, of course. That was becoming more and more apparent. The idea was still insane, though. All of them, with their various personalities, trying to create one functional relationship…“I guess I still have cold feet,” he admitted.“What’s your hang up?”“I…I’ve just never been in this sort of situation before.”Jack snorted. “I think we’re all new to the polygamy game, pumpkin.” He shrugged casually and added, “If you can believe it.”That made Vaughn smile. He did actually consider Jack to be the type with multiple babes on his arms. There were certainly enough willing employees on the station.“I mean…I’ve never…” This was pathetic, but he felt he should be honest about this. “This is the first time I would ever actually be in, you know, a relationship.” His face burned at the admission, waiting for Jack to laugh or make some joke. When no ridicule followed, it gave him the confidence to continue. “I mean, being with one person must be complicated enough. I guess that’s why I couldn’t come out to Rhys all these years. I had no idea how it would change things or how we would be together if it was more than just friendship. But now this, with all of you and all the sudden, it’s real intimidating. I like all of you – I mean, it’s not that I don’t – but I just don’t know how it’s going to work with all of us. It sounds like you three started to have a good thing going and, I guess I just wonder if I’m actually going to fit in with it.”Jack stepped closer, studying him. “You’re overthinking it, pumpkin.”God. Just another thing Rhys – and well, lots of people – had told him in the past. Was it really such a bad thing to think carefully about things, especially when they were important like this? Thinking too much about stuff was his specialty. It’s how he had managed to help Rhys get as far as he had. Yet it always made him come off as just a loser to other people.Vaughn slumped back against the glass wall, sighing in defeat. “I know, I know… It’s probably super easy for you.”Silence filled the air. Vaughn opened his mouth to continue, but was interrupted by Jack’s palm hitting the wall over his shoulder. The CEO was suddenly close and looming over him with a look of genuine ire.“You wanna repeat that? You think this is just easy for me?”Vaughn was so surprised he just stared back with his mouth open, unable to say a word. Jack’s eyes narrowed and he shook his head.“No, pumpkin,” he growled. “Not easy at all.”Vaughn’s heart raced. Any other day before it would have been out of terror, but somehow that wasn’t it right now.Jack’s glare turned icy. “I had private halls, and private rooms built because everyone on this station is full of goddamn bullshit. They’re all just looking for a piece of my money and fame. You know how sick I am of it? And for every handful of idiots who just want to say they screwed Handsome Jack, there’s others that would like to be the one to kill Handsome Jack. Make themselves the new ruler of Hyperion, get a hefty payoff from Torgue or wherever the hell – if they didn’t end up killing Timothy instead. The last time I was in a relationship it ended with my girlfriend trying to blow me up. So if you think for one second, that it’s easy for me to trust anyone –”Vaughn threw his arms around Jack and pressed their lips together. Jack actually jolted in surprise, inhaling sharply and locking up. The reaction made Vaughn’s heart ache. It was confirmation of what he’d started to suspect, what Jack was actually hiding behind all that bravado, after all.Jack was afraid.The kiss only lasted a moment before Jack pulled away. “Damn, pumpkin, you play hard to get all this time and suddenly decide to just throw yourself at me?” His voice remained sharp and firm as usual, but his eyes betrayed genuine confusion.At once Vaughn was brought back to the moment. His gaze lowered to the floor nervously. “I just thought, uh, I thought it was cool you told me all that.” His face flushed at the admission but it was very true.Jack just huffed and reached over to twine their fingers. “I’m just saying we have more in common than you think. You’re not the only one who’s been through shit.” He gripped Vaughn’s hand tight and led them to continue down the star-filled hallway. Vaughn followed, feeling a little light headed and hardly able to believe he’d actually just done that. It was so worth it, though. He squeezed Jack’s hand in return as he caught up to the man’s side.“Okay. Yeah. I think you’re right.”…Things escalated pretty quickly after that. A couple playful pecks and touches had turned into deep kissing by the time they entered the elevator up to Jack’s penthouse. Jack had Vaughn pinned against the wall and taken to kissing with a ferocious passion. It was a shock and Vaughn could hardly keep up with what was happening. His fingers gripped tightly into Jack’s jacket, wondering if this was the guy’s way of trying to cover up the vulnerability he shared earlier. Either way, it seemed their skill levels in physical intimacy were just as mismatched as their skills in weaponry.Just when it felt like they might end up having sex right there in the elevator, the doors finally swooshed open at their destination. A short hall lay ahead, ending with one door on the left and another on the right. Jack wasted no time hauling them out of the elevator and then pinning Vaughn once more against the right wall.Man, he was so rough. Not that it was unexpected, but wow. Vaughn couldn’t have possibly been prepared for this.“Rhys and Tim are having a slumber party on the other side of this wall,” Jack murmured against Vaughn’s lips. His fingers dipped under Vaughn’s waistband as he sucked another harsh, deep kiss. “Want to give them something to listen to?”His knee slid up between Vaughn’s thighs, eliciting a moan Vaughn had to quickly stop by slapping a hand over his mouth. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head frantically. No way would he want Rhys and Timothy to overhear them. He was still trying to make a good impression and romance the sweet-hearted double, and Rhys…well that would give him way too much satisfaction.Luckily Jack took the hint. He backed off with a lustful growl and grabbed Vaughn’s wrist to lead them to the opposite door. “Don’t think I can’t make them hear us from the bedroom,” he warned.Vaughn’s mind spun as he followed, trying to catch his breath from all the action. That was just bullshit -right?Inside, Jack’s penthouse was dimly lit. Jack hurried them through, and Vaughn couldn’t take in much besides how clean and spacious the place was. They walked through a living room and kitchen the size of Vaughn and Rhys’s entire apartment before finally reaching the bedroom. Jack immediately let go of Vaughn’s wrist as soon as they passed the threshold.“On the bed,” he commanded with a flick of his finger. “Get your clothes off.” The stupidly large bed was ignored as he made a beeline for his dresser.Vaughn was too anxious to be bothered by Jack ordering him around. Of course the guy would be like that in the bedroom.He was probably willing to do anything Jack commanded at this point.He sat on the edge of the bed, feeling the mattress sink comfortably under his rear. Man, this was a nice bed. It made him feel a little out of place again.This was actually it, though. They were going to have sex. He hoped he could keep up and not totally come off as inexperienced as he was. With shaking fingers, he started undoing the buttons on his shirt.A soft click from the other side of the room drew his attention. Jack stood in front of his dresser, opening up a case that sat on top with an assortment of…objects inside. He met Vaughn’s eyes in the mirror on the wall and grinned toothily.“You didn’t think R&D just gave me guns to play with, did you?”Well, yes. Given that Hyperion was a weapons manufacturer, that’s exactly what Vaughn thought. Or would have thought, if his mind hadn’t gone blank at the sight of what Jack was holding. With no more reservations, he scrambled to remove the rest of his clothes as quickly as possible.…A muffled buzzing sound pestered Vaughn out of his deep sleep some time later. It sounded like his echo vibrating. He was well inclined to ignore it, after everything that just happened. Jack’s warm, nude body against his was beyond comfortable, and the sex…That was intense. More than he could have imagined. It had left his body entirely drained and humming and sore in all the right ways. This was bliss.The intermittent buzzing continued, though, and he was forced to deal with it. Being very careful not to disturb Jack, he wormed his way over until finally reaching the edge of the bed. He flailed his hand blindly in the dark, reaching for his clothes on the floor until he found the echo in his pocket. Once it was in his hand, he started to feel some worry. Who was messaging him so much this late at night? He hoped nothing was wrong.The words he saw on the screen made his body go rigid.Jack: Rhys
Jack: RHYS
Jack: RHYSIE
Jack: Why the hell didn’t you tell us this kid was so YOLKED?
Timothy: ?
Rhys: Jeez Jack
Rhys: You know he’s on this conversation right?
Jack: Hell yeah I do
Jack: Pumpkin needs to explain himself, too
Timothy: ??
Jack: Here he’s been playing innocent all this time
Jack: But he’s just full of surprises
Timothy: ?????
Rhys: Some things are best as surprises Jack
Jack: Hmm
Jack: Fair enough
Jack: You sneaky bastards
Rhys: Great
Rhys: Can we all go back to sleep now?
Jack: You two can
Jack: Pumpkin here seems to be in a state of shock thoughThe last message buzzed in just as Vaughn finished reading. By this time his cheeks were burning with embarrassment. A mirthful snort from Jack in the darkness behind him finally tipped him over the edge.“Ugh, you’re the worst!” he declared. This only made Jack burst into full laughter. Vaughn huffed defiantly as he dropped the echo back to the floor. The attention made him more pleased than he wanted to admit but he wasn’t going to let Jack have that satisfaction. With some forced grumbles, he worked to wriggle himself back to try and reclaim the comfy warmth they’d been sharing.Jack draped an arm around as soon as he was within reach and squeezed him close. He still chuckled with no remorse but Vaughn automatically reciprocated, hugging around Jack’s waist and burying his face against his chest.Fine. He’d let Jack get away with that once. After all, the man had been very…very thorough in exploring his abdominals earlier. It might be worth some joking if they could get to do that again.Hopefully many times more in the future…His fingers flexed longingly against Jack’s skin before sleep overtook them both once more.