heroizes | day 3

day 3

[ So after people clean up the mess that SOMEONE made, Jack is of course going to spend 99% of his time in the tech lab. It essentially brings with it a sentiment of "home sweet home," even though everything is so outrageously outdated. Still, that never stopped Jack before, and instead, he's a bit excited to get to toy with some unusual tech. It's different problems to solve, and that's always something he enjoys. It's the engineer in him.

By the afternoon, Jack is already well into starting a project, though he's just doing engineering drawings and figuring on some graph paper. This also means more Fun Jack Facts that Rhys probably didn't know, since the drawing itself is more precise than artistic, but it's still good. As for what it is... Well. Jack's Hyperion, so of course it's a gun. What else would it be? It's a crude pipe gun, since that's what seems to be avaliable in the workshop, but it's still something he's apparently planning on putting the kind of attention to detail that he would give to something more sophisticated.

However, this is all just background, since when Rhys comes into the workshop, Jack looks up from his work. It's only a glance at first, but seeing that it's Rhys, he sits up at the table he's taken over. ]

Oh, hey- Hey, wanted to talk to you, actually.

[ He'd meant to do it earlier in the day, but he had forgotten, honestly... Look, this room is exciting okay rhys understands ]

Got a minute?

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[ okay, the shock is back again and then it fades into rhys looking a bit like a kicked puppy. he frowns and looks down at the floor, one of his feet tapping against the rim of the stool in an anxious movement as he thinks this over. he doesn't think he's going to get killed, no, but he's starting to realize that maybe his reactions to events so far haven't been entirely appropriate. sure, he has a safety net in his own opinion but no one else knows that so maybe he should start acting more... panicked? yeah, that makes sense.

but he doesn't want to say "yes, i get it and i made a mistake" to jack of all people so instead he's just going to miserably bite out -- ]

Why do you care anyway? It'd be easier for you if I were dead. And I'm not crazy, by the way. People are just jumping to conclusions because they're-- they're jerks is what they are.

[ Jack sighs in mild exasperation at Rhys's misery, but he picks up his pencil again as he seemingly turns his attention back to his work. There's almost a feeling here that Jack is dismissing him without wanting to elaborate further. ]

Well, whatever, maybe everyone is an asshole, sure, but also sounds like you have to deal with it.

[ Which is... rude, but. It's clear wehn Jack continues that he's just thinking through this. It's touching on the difficult, uncomfortable part of what Rhys had told him. ]

It's because I'm not gonna be responsible for you dying. I said I was gonna prove that wrong, so... Look, this seemed like it "counted." I don't know. Though, uh, now after seeing how you apparently get offed if you're found guilty, kinda more sure that was the right thing to do anyways.

[ He sighs, then looks up to Rhys with a frown, since this is still uncomfortable, but he's trying to be earnest about why he did it in the first place. ]

I'm giving you some benefit of doubt here that you're not a psychopathic murder that totally deserves to get their skulls smashed while thirty-something people watch. Pretty much only bandits deserve that?

[ honestly? that was the nicest "just deal with it" rhys has ever received so it takes him a moment to really let it soak in that it came from jack of all people because... what? what. he gives jack a bit of a wary look but doesn't say anything in response to it, instead just listens as he continues.

the fairly graphic way jack describes everything gets rhys to grimace though and he runs a hand through his hair, sighing. he idly thinks that maybe it's time to treat jack as someone he can't predict rather than someone he can. these conversations keep catching him off guard. ]

Well... thanks, I guess? Wouldn't want to think you liked me or anything.

[ it's sarcastic but he realizes afterwards that he probably shouldn't have said it. he would've said it normal jack, sure, but normal jack doesn't think he's the crazy murderer of this duo. in fact, normal jack would laugh at the thought so that's why rhys follows it up with a request that's laced with a bit of strained desperation. ]

A-and, uh. Could you stop calling me a psychopathic murderer? Or like, vaguely referring to me as one. Because that's weird and, uhm, it makes me kind of uncomfortable. 'Cause I'm not. If you actually like, knew me as a person, you'd know I'm not capable of that kind of thing. But you don't care so, whatever. Just -- just stop it, alright?

[ Rhys is likely to be surprised again, since Jack does laugh, but it's not quite the sort of... manic laughter that Rhys is more used to. It's still unique in an infectious way, but it's warmer. ]

Yeah, sucks, doesn't it?

[ Jack's words aren't bitter, exactly, but the personal sentiment is there. It's alarming in a way that Rhys couldn't understand for Jack to hear that as some kind of vision of his future, and though he hadn't been using that term out of pettiness, he does point out the parallel intentionally. But he waves his hand lightly as he continues. ]

So, tell you what. I'll stop calling you a crazy, psychopathic murderer. Even though the selfie thing? Totally messed up, dude. I hope- Look, I hope you were just bullshitting on that one, because woaaaah there, way too far. But yeah, I'll do that if you do the same for me.

[ oh wow.

wow.

rhys looks a little stunned at jack as he smiles at him like that, the laugh making him feel warm all over. that wasn't a reaction he expected and it kind of hits him right in the gut, making him flush and have to look away from jack. his stomach feels like freaking butterflies and it's stupid because he knows that it's not... right, not with jack of all people and while he's already put to bed his hero worship of the guy (okay, slightly put it to bed. he still struggles sometimes) -- seeing jack like this makes it especially difficult.

he feels a little tongue-tied, honestly. which is probably why he blurts out the next thing he says as awkwardly as possible. ]

It was a lie.

[ a pause and he groans, dropping his head and closing his eyes. ]

The selfie thing? It was a lie. I thought you were -- I don't know. The same as when I knew you so I wanted to say something big to freak you out. I -- I've only been back to the crash once and I threw up and had a panic attack. I haven't been back since. It's, uh. It's kind of terrifying.

[ Honestly, the more Jack relaxes around Rhys after their less than ideal first meeting...s... the more he's deciding he likes these reactions. He takes them in stride so much as he can, but actually having someone get so flustered and tongue-tied around him? That's not a bad feeling, and in fact, it's good enough that Jack doesn't really consider if it makes him a bad person for taking pleasure in it. ]

Yeah, I- I mean, no offense here, but I kinda figured that after breakfast.

[ It's much harder to actually believe that someone is a callous murderer after seeing them punch themselves in the face and whine about canned food. Doing it to want to impress him makes that little, uncomfortable knot tug in his throat where he has to wonder again about what kind of man he'll become, but he's getting better at pushing away that concern. ]

Glad to hear you had a normal reaction. That's why I got pissed off. Obviously. [ He jerks his thumb up towards the ceiling, generally referring to the sky ] There are people I like up there, y'know? Aaaand also just got to see a bunch of 'em get killed by Lost Legion assholes. So yeah, I'm way happier to not lump you in with that group.

[ There's a sort of implication in Jack's tone that it's because he would have to do something about it, but it's implicit. He moves on without even a pause. ]

So, uh, A, your plan worked, but B, think it's better for both of us if you keep the grandiose lies to a minimum here, kiddo. [ The nickname, spills out automatically, and he shakes his head. ] --Er, Rhys. Sir? Whatever. What the hell do I call you, exactly?

[ jack taking pleasure in it is a bigger bonus to rhys than jack being disgusted. he can't really control himself and his reactions to jack so if it's a bit less... exasperated disgust than he usually gets with the ai version of the guy, that's. something rhys could come to enjoy too. positive reinforcement is nice, who'd have thought?

rhys doesn't miss the implication of the words however but instead of feeling anything wary or any sense of distrust, he just figures it as a given. of course jack would have to kill him if rhys was lumped into the same category. that's just how this works. rhys knows what happened with helios was a mistake but he does take a moment to think of what he's doing with the others, picking off people to die, killing them. he thinks of what he has to do tonight and knows then he should... probably never tell jack about it, even if he figures out the rest. ]

Promise not to lie like that again then. Not to you, Jack.

[ a shrug and rhys shifts to fold his arms on the table, dropping his head to rest on his forearms as watches jack work. he realizes then that this is the first time he's ever watched jack just... work, do what he's been famed for doing, and a slight thrill goes through rhys at being able to witness it. he's good with his hands, rhys thinks. ]

Not kiddo. [ a slight wince here. ] But you can call me Rhys. Or, whatever, honestly. I've pretty much heard every kind of nickname from you, soooo... nothing's really gonna bother me.

[ but then he pauses and turns a little red as he sits up again and looks off to the side, hand waving in a what's supposed to be casual but looks more harried way. he's also turning red again. ]

The -- the "sir" is weird though. I mean, I'm not like, in charge of you or anything. You're not under me in any way. Unless... unless you want to call me sir? [ his eyes flick back to jack then and he wonders if he should push before -- no. he's going to. he's going to push. ] We could probably do that.

[ With the awkward, half-assed lecture out of the way, Jack's attention is far more on his work. Truth be told, he'd love to dig around in the terminals far more, but the gun he's sketching out is a far more pressing concern that Jack's idle fancies. After all, he's fairly certain he's up against an AI on the computer front here, and he might be good, but not so good that he can go toe to toe with hacking an AI's system without some kind of backup. But. Neither here nor there, because he laughs first at the comment about nicknames. ]

Should be surprised, but I'm not. Call it a bad habit.

[ Though he realizes at this point that Rhys doesn't respond immediately and he glances up to see that his face is red again. That just gets the weirdness to come back, because there's only one possible way Jack can interpret that, especially under the assumption that Rhys is some kind of future boyfriend because Rhys is so bad at explaining anything. ]

Nnnnot as a sex thing, which is where I'm assuming you're going with that just based on that. [ At "that," he points his pencil towards Rhys's face with a glance, but he turns back to his work. ] More just, uh, you're a CEO, I'm not kinda thing. Not even close, which, awesome that I get some upward mobility, so thanks for that slightly more optimistic tidbit, I guess.

[ He laughs, and this laughs is much more his characteristic obnoxious cackle ]

Hah- Jack, CEO of Hyperion? Man, first thing I do, Tassiter is so off the board faster than you can say "creepy pedo beard." [ he's not wrong, in a sense ] Anyways, nah, I hate that crap unless it is a sex thing. Because otherwise? I'm saying 'sir' to just be a passive-aggressive dick. And truthbomb there, so retroactive apologies for the sirs, since we're cool now.

[ look how do you even explain "i had a weird murder based codependency with an ai version of you until you turned on me" and like, stay friends afterwards? rhys knows where to go and where not to go, okay. that is somewhere not to go.

he does find himself rolling his eyes at the bad habit quip, feeling a familiar sort of exasperation that hasn't resurfaced in a while. it catches him off guard for a moment but he's -- well, he's okay with it. he can be exasperated with jack again. that's pretty nice.

and then jack like, turns him down? or doesn't turn him down? he's not actually sure which way jack goes with it and instead just feels a clawing mortification in his chest as jack really just dismisses it and that's -- weird. it actually catches him off guard because he realizes if this was like, anyone but jack, he might have been a bit more assured about this thing than... what he was. oh my god, he was flirting with jack, wasn't he? he was making some kind of attempt at flirting. that was an awful attempt, no wonder jack ignored it.

rhys drags a hand over his face then and sighs heavily, leaning his elbow on the table and chin in his hand. his other hand leans on the table, fingers tapping idly as he tries to get his composure back and shoots a glare at jack. ]

Okay, if we're cool now, I'm just gonna put it out there that you're kind of a dick. Usually saying that to you would get me strangled or a bullet in someone's head but you're not gonna do that, are you? You, like, care about people which is -- actually, it's really nice.

[ which sort of confuses rhys and he looks a little thoughtful before he starts -- well, he starts fucking rambling as he tries to connect some dots here now that he's not terrified and the air is clear again. ]

It's weird that it's nice too? I keep -- kept -- expecting something bad to happen instead and now you, I don't know. You're different. Something happened, didn't it? Between now and when I know you. Knew you. You were like, in your 40s, FYI. I don't know if I mentioned that. So, something had to happen because you have this -- this entirely different vibe and I, well, I like it way more. It's comfortable. Nice. I mean, you're still an asshole but I want to like, get to know you. I want you to like me! But not in the weird desperate way from before for fear of my life but more like, uh.

[ he shrugs and pushes up from the table, hands braced on the edges as he takes jack in, eyes dragging up his body and thoughtful expression remaining. ]

Like, you just seem kind of sweet. I like it.

[ literally 90% of the borderlands universe is gagging right now as you speak those words, rhys. ]

[ For a moment, being called a dick just gets Jack's smile to grow into a cockier, toothier grin, because he absolutely won't deny it. He's pretty well aware that he's kind of an asshole, and he doesn't exactly feel bad about that. It's probably part of what develops into what Rhys describes, and being told of his future violence before anything else does get that smile to slip. He stops his work to look up to Rhys, and his expression carries a disappointment that Rhys is bringing this up again, though that's also short-lived.

For one, he listens to what Rhys says as he has been despite himself each time Rhys speaks. He's desperate to pull out any advantage he can from some kind of vision of his future, even if it feels bleak when Rhys talks about how casually Jack will kill people or how Rhys feared for his life around him. Rhys's rambling isn't anything Jack hasn't wondered himself. What happened in between to change him so much? His 40s seem like they're so far away and not all at once, so whatever it was, it had to be drastic. He wasn't perfect, but Jack had thought he was a better man than what Rhys describes each time.

But for once, that's not quite at the forefront of Jack's concerns here, since the disappointment shifts as Rhys talks to a discomfort of a very different quality. Jack always did his best to exude confidence even to the point over the top cockiness, since it was more comfortable for him. So being called nice but also an asshole in the same breath was contradictory, but also... surprisingly flattering?

Jack is simple in some ways, after all. They're all traits that Rhys knows, but in an exagerrated form. So attention like this? Jack absolutely loves it. But it's not exactly something he's familiar with yet. That would come later, when the sort of devotion and admiration from people like Rhys became something normal for him, but for now, it's novel. And in fact, Jack probably could have played it off pretty well, still dismissive and kind of rude, but how Rhys ends that rambling declaration is the final bit to throw him off completely. ]

Wh— Sweet. Sweet.

[ Now Rhys isn't alone, at least, because Jack's face is starting to heat up too, though he's quick to cover it with a hand. ]

C'moooon, that's- That's not true? I'm not friggin' sweet, at least do me some credit here and say... [ UGH ] Cool? Handsome? Heroic? Ughhhhh...

[ That "ugh" is definitely draw out as he just shakes his head here and tries (and likely fails) to regain his cool points ]

"Asshole" was better than that, cripes.

[ oh.

ohhhhh my god.

rhys didn't really expect that kind of reaction -- just some more dismissive bragging, so he's a bit stunned when jack starts blushing and covering his face. then the whining, because that's totally whining there, gets a grin to slowly spread across rhys' face and he -- well, he has to wonder how far he can go here.

he takes a step closer to the table, leaning on it and dropping his voice to a teasing murmur as he reaches out a hand to tug jack's hand away from his face. come on, if you saw rhys blush, he gets to see you blush, jack. when he speaks, it's more just spilling words but it's all... complimentary now. if this is what one compliment gets rhys, imagine a whole shower of them. rhys doesn't mind taking up that challenge. ]

Well, yeah. You are all those things, Jack. Cool, handsome, heroic. You're also sweet. You could've let me go without breakfast the other day, you didn't. You invited me for breakfast and that was -- it was nice. Weird, but nice. And I told you too -- I told you you were gonna kill me, right? I was so sure about it. What do you do? Promise to not kill me. That's not Hyperion at all and you know it. That's just you being a nice guy, who wants to do something good. Something heroic even. That's not -- that's not the Jack I know but it's definitely the Jack I prefer. I could come to like that Jack a lot.

[ and he's not even done yet. his grin widens and without really thinking, he rubs his robot thumb gently across jack's wrist, giving a hum of thought before -- ]

And handsome? Yeah. The goatee is -- well, it's pretty dumb, honestly, but the rest? Sharp features. Nice, thick hair that looks incredibly soft to touch. Gorgeous smile. Good body. You're not as -- you're not as buff as you are in the future, sure, but you're lean and it's really nice. Have you seen your shoulders, Jack? A guy could say, uh, say some pretty choice things about those shoulders and how much he might want to hold onto them.

[ then he shrugs and pulls his hand away, standing up straight again and pushing up his sleeves to his elbows as he places his hands on his hips. he grins, pleased as punch. ]

And, you know what? You've got a great laugh too. Infectious even. There's nothing about it I don't like... though I could live without it being directed at me all the time, heh. Still, I like it when you laugh so... I can deal with it.

[ rhys, why are you such a terrible person. ]

[ It's the particular compliment that Rhys had chosen that prevented it from being that dismissive bragging, because all of Jack's personal choices there were the kind that he could take with a grin. They fit perfectly into his image of himself, but sweet? Not so much. You don't exactly call a hero of a great story a sweet guy, and that's what embarrasses him more than receiving a compliment in the first place. So of course, when that embarrassing compliment is the start before a flood of them, it makes his reaction to the rest far more flustered than he'd like.

Jack scowls when Rhys pulls his hand away, and he jerks his wrist to tug it back into his control, and he even starts to reply: ]

Oh, go fu-- [ There's a sharp tone there, but it trails off into an "uh" as that thought essentially dies as he's given more compliments. They start out as the ones he wants, but it goes into that part of who he is that he's more embarrassed about, because for all his efforts to come off as anything but, he's a sensitive person. It's not a very Hyperion quality, and he seems to know it with how he groans in exasperation. Rhys may have pulled away his hand, but this is truly shameful enough that his other hand just comes up to his face. It's not quite out of hiding his expression so much as just a general gesture of his true emotional agony here. Clearly. ]

Hoooooly crap, just-- Okay, yes, I get it, I'm the greatest! Totally to half-mast here with how you're stroking my ego. Gotcha. [ is this a joke?? a Mystery ] You- You can totally stop now.

[ Because the worst part, so far as he's concerned? He may be sure that Rhys is just fucking with him to get him to react, but it's working. He hates letting people get to him, but this outpouring of compliments, even if they're totally fake, is. A lot. And the worst part here is that he's not even sure if they are fake? Especially when Rhys starts talking about him physically, because to each point, Jack may mentally be like "yes, true," but it still gets him so tongue-tied that he can't respond with his usual bravado. He's used to a passive-aggressive almost-compliment in passing, not. This.

By the time Rhys finishes, Jack just groans in frustration again, and then adds, almost as an afterthought, because this is apparently the one part he decides to respond to: ]

...Wait, fuck you, I love my goatee.

[ so, someone here feels intensely satisfied. it's rhys, it's totally rhys, and the shit eating grin on his face really shows it. he's on a bit of a high right now as he savors jack's reaction, the flustered shine of his face and the way he hides behind his hands. rhys promptly decides that he loves it and he's going to make sure to do this again.

but he looks up and notices that they are probably not the only ones in the tech lab anymore so, he decides he's going to need to cut this short soon. plus, he's got way more to do today than sit here and lavish jack in compliments??

... which he still kind of wants to do, honestly. ]

Your goatee's super dumb. Remember Tassiter's beard? It's like that but just, like, higher. Haven't you ever heard of artful stubble? Like, have you met Bigby? He's all... swole and hot and angry and it's. It's good, is what I'm saying. Wonder if he's into guys.

[ then he remembers he's uh, talking to jack actually and probably shouldn't gush about the other hot dudes in the complex to the dude he's specifically trying to bone. so, he shrugs and runs a hand through his hair, letting out a nervous laugh. ]

Okay, I'm going to go before it gets weird. You're not like, the only one I want to talk to today.

Wh—

[ Well, if Jack actually was at half-mast, there is nothing that could be a bigger boner killer than this terrible revelation. He actually makes a sputtering, choking sort of noise, and he slaps his hand on the table. ]

What? No. No. It is not like Tassiter's beard! Is it? Shit.

[ This is a crisis of a different kind, and at least that reaction to the compliments is forgotten more or less in an instant. This is the worst thing anyone has ever said to Jack? He's pretty sure, at least. His life is over. This is the end. He has to retire as a hero now, lest he be remembered for having a beard similar to Tassiter.

So instead, as Rhys tries to run away from this situation, Jack is all too happy to encourage it. ]

Yeah. Jesus. Please go ruin someone else's day.

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day 3

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