Chapter 11
Waking up felt weird. There was that subtle pull at the back of your mind, tugging you into a state of consciousness and completely ignoring the haze of sleep that blanketed your mind. Everything was slow, the world coming into focus at a snail's pace.
Rhys felt all of this as his alarm began to go off, as well as a heavy weight on his right side and an intense throbbing in his head. He groaned, reaching up to rub a hand over his face.
But nothing happened.
His hand didn't reach his face. It didn't move at all.
At first, Rhys thought he was experiencing a phantom limb sensation, where he thought he was moving his cybernetic attachment but it was docked on its charging station. However, that didn't explain the weight he felt. Rhys shifted his head on his pillow, turning his face to look at his arm's docking station, and he felt himself stiffen with the realization that his arm wasn't there.
Goddamn it.
At least he knew what the weight was now, and why it was there as memories from the previous night came flooding in.
After solving the disagreement between Jack and Michelson, Rhys had gone back into his home, played a few rounds of Mario Kart with Vaughn, and enjoyed a nice dinner with him and Athena. Then, the other women in his life came knocking (literally), along with one very disgruntled August and Fiona's new puppy, Gortys.
To put it simply, everyone got shitfaced. If Rhys walked out into the living room right now, he'd probably find at least three extra people still sleeping off their hangovers. God, he just hoped that if Fiona was one of them, that she remembered to take her puppy out to go to the bathroom. He did not want to clean that up right now.
Rhys groaned again, cursing himself for not detaching his arm last night before he passed out in his bed. Now he had a dead arm, a massive headache that got worse by the second, and little time to put a charge into his arm as he got ready for work. Sighing heavily, he heaved himself up to a sitting position, rubbing his forehead with his flesh arm before reaching over to turn off his still-buzzing alarm.
As he did so, he noticed a full glass of water on his nightstand, joined by two white tablets and a note scrawled in the familiar handwriting of Yvette.
'You can thank me in the morning, hun. Tried getting your arm off too, but you were sound asleep and I didn't want to wake you. - Yvette.'
Yeah, okay, Yvette was definitely back on his Christmas list, Rhys thought as he quickly downed the two tablets and nearly emptied the glass. The water helped to soothe his stomach too, removing the edge of his slight nausea until the pain relievers could really kick in. With one problem soon to be solved by the wonders of modern medicine, Rhys set about to fix his other one and rummaged around in his nightstand drawer until he found his tool kit. He then detached his prosthetic with a practiced hand, easing the arm from his shoulder port once its locking mechanisms were undone and placing it on the bed next to him.
Rhys stared down at his arm, feeling oddly morbid as he looked at it. There was always some disconnect whenever Rhys saw his prosthetic and it wasn't attached to him. It didn't necessarily feel wrong, just not completely right, and he always ached to get it back into his port and connected to his body as soon as physically possible.
But that would just have to wait this morning, so Rhys set it up on the dock to charge as he got ready for work, and he hoped it would have enough of a charge to turn on afterwards. He went through his usual routine in the bathroom and dressed normally when he came out, hair still damp and causing his skin to prickle as the air in his bedroom cooled it.
One glance at the docking station revealed that his arm had barely taken on a charge, which was just fucking bullshit. Rhys groaned, hanging his head as he stood there. He'd probably have to replace the battery, or have its internal systems looked at to see if there another problem interrupting the charging sequence. Rhys hadn't been in the shower for too long, but it should have been enough time to give his prosthetic a decent charge, at least one that could last him until he got to his office. If that had been the case, then he could have brought along a portable charger and detached his arm in the privacy of his own office.
People wouldn't stare at him then, at least. But they would now since he was going to have to come into work with one less limb than the day previous.
As Rhys resigned himself to his fate and rolled up the right sleeve of his shirt, his ECHO (which was charging, at least Drunk Rhys remembered that) went off, its ringtone sharp and jarring in the relative silence of his room. He swiped his thumb across the screen without bothering to see who it was, and could only let out one, continuous groan of despair as he read the message.
'morning sugarplum!!!! remember u gotta come up 2 my office today'
Rhys almost cried out when another messaged came through.
'i heard u guys parting supes hard last nite lmao,' Jack sent along a few bee emojis too, intermingled with the peace sign. 'but that aint a excuse to not get ur ass up here xoxo'
He tapped out a simple "ok, see you soon" and threw his ECHO onto the bed, soon following it as he dropped himself back onto the mattress, not caring that he was messing up his clothes. God, how could he forget about that? And now he was going to have face Jack of all people while missing his arm.
Fuuuuuck.
"Rhys?" There was a soft knock on his door before the handle turned and Vaughn poked his head in. "Come on bro, we're gonna be late. I got your coffee ready for you."
Vaughn was truly a life saver. If Rhys wasn't wallowing in his own despair, he would've gotten up to kiss the guy.
It wouldn't have been the first time.
Luckily, Vaughn seemed to take pity on him, and instead of standing at the door and rushing him to get a move on, he ventured further into Rhys' room and sat down on the bed next to him, a gentle hand rubbing circles on his back. His hand stilled when he saw that Rhys' right sleeve was empty and rolled up, and that Rhys seemed to be pressing his shoulder into the mattress to hide it.
An old habit Rhys had started in middle school, long before Hyperion offered him a solution. Vaughn immediately felt a weight settle upon his own shoulders, familiar and unwelcome.
"Rough night?" The teasing tone was clear, and Rhys scoffed before rolling over onto his back, shifting Vaughn's hand onto his stomach instead, his right shoulder still digging into the bed. Vaughn kept his hand moving in comforting circles on his stomach even after he shifted. What a bro. "You wear that hungover-and-miserable look well though, I gotta say."
Rhys bit his lip as he looked up at the ceiling, fighting the smile from Vaughn's comment. "I have to go into work without my prosthetic," Rhys paused, swallowing around the lump in his throat.
"And Jack wants to see me first thing." His eyes shifted to Vaughn, whose mouth was tugged downwards in a faint frown as he looked around the room to find Rhys' arm on its dock, small lights flashing on the forearm that indicated it was charging. That explained his mood.
"Rhys..."
"Everyone's just gonna see how much a freak I am. No big deal." Rhys laughed, but the sound was hollow. Unsurprisingly, this was a familiar topic between them.
"Bro, you know you're not though, right? You're like, the most normal guy at Hyperion." Rhys smiled at him and covered Vaughn's hand with his own, giving it a light squeeze. He had something similar back when they were eight, too, and again when they were twelve, fourteen, twenty.
Rhys sighed, turning more onto his side to face Vaughn, his shoulder and arm, or lack thereof, hidden by his blankets. Vaughn, being the best friend that he was, laid down next to Rhys, rubbing his flesh arm and moving until their foreheads were knocking together gently. Rhys closed his eyes and hummed, leaning into the contact.
"Are you going to take it with you?" Vaughn asked softly. Rhys was silent for a moment before he nodded, glancing at Vaughn with a questioning look. "Then just hit the people who stare at you with it until you start charging it. That'll get them to shut up and mind their own business."
Perhaps it was what Vaughn said, or the completely serious tone he delivered it with. Either way, Rhys started laughing, slowly at first, and then devolved into full on laughter, his eyes clenching shut as the bed shook with the force of it. Vaughn just smiled at him and moved back a little so Rhys wouldn't accidentally head butt him.
"And what about Jack?" Rhys finally asked after he calmed down, draping his arm over Vaughn's waist.
"Slap him with it, like a knight challenging someone to a duel."
"Oh my god, Vaughn."
("Oh, and Vaughn?"
"Yeah, bro?"
Rhys' voice was quiet when he replied, frowning tugging at his lips.
"Can you help me tie my shoes?"
"You don't even have to ask.")
After sneaking through the house quietly, ("Athena and Janey are still sleeping, but everyone else left earlier," Vaughn had told him, knowing Rhys would be uncomfortable with anyone other than him and Yvette seeing him minus an arm.) Vaughn and Rhys motored off to work, the silence in their car palatable. Vaughn drove that morning, leaving Rhys to rest his head against the window, ignoring the bumps in the road as they went that shifted his forehead on the glass. Rhys had stuffed his arm in his messenger bag as best as he could, but the top of the shoulder still peeked out and with its rather obvious coloring, there was no doubt that anyone would know what it was.
Halfway there, Vaughn had turned the radio on, thinking it might help to get Rhys' mind off of his current situation. Luckily, their usual station was playing music straight for an hour without interruptions from commercials, and a few of Rhys' favorite songs played as they continued their commute. Vaughn looked over at a him a few times, relieved to see a small smile on Rhys' lips, at the very least.
Rhys had his ECHO device in his lap, his left hand curled around the piece of tech as he idly tapped his thumb against the screen in time with the current song. The motion itself was a small nervous tick, one that didn't stop as they pulled into the parking structure and parked the car. With the engine off, the silence between them was stifling, and Rhys felt his nerves consume him once again.
Vaughn settled for tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, his eyes shifting between the wall they were parked in front of and Rhys sitting next to him. Another minute or two passed before anything happened, and it was the soft chirp of Rhys' ECHO that pulled them into motion. His eyes slid over the screen, brows furrowing together.
"It's from Jack."
His bespectacled friend frowned and hummed in response, turning to face Rhys. He reached over to poke at Rhys' hand, trying to smile in reassurance.
"Want me to read it?" Instead of verbally responding, Rhys just dropped his ECHO into Vaughn's waiting hand and wrapped his arm around his middle, fingers tapping out a rhythm along his side.
"...Jack's chat speak is atrocious."
That got a small laugh out of Rhys. He knew all too well just how terrible Jack was when it came to texting.
"And he wants you to bring up coffee, too."
Rhys huffed and took his ECHO back from Vaughn, typing a quick reply before he dropped the device into his bag. His mind was still focused on his missing limb, and what Jack would think about. Hell, Rhys didn't even know why he was worried most about what Jack thought or what he would say, but he kept thinking about it and dreading the confrontation. That, and he couldn't get Jack's actions from the previous day out of his head.
All the touching and grabbing and long heated looks at his neck.
Were they not going to talk about that? Was it not a thing to be concerned about?
Rhys hadn't been focusing on the heat pressed to his side at the time, or how Jack's face had been centimeters from his own, but he was hyper aware of it.That conversation with Michelson had seemed to last forever when Jack was plastered to his side, his hands tugging Rhys ever closer to him.
And then that hand on his neck?
God, Rhys could still feel the heat from Jack's palm.
His stomach was in knots the whole way up to Jack's office, made worse tenfold by the occasional stare he received and from the way the barista awkwardly offered him Jack's coffee when the order was ready. Rhys accepted it with a curt nod and left the area as quickly as he could, just in time to slip into an already occupied elevator before the doors closed all the way, and tried to keep his body angled in such a way that would draw attention away from his right side.
The elevator's other occupant didn't even look up from the file she was reading until the doors opened again five floors up, which Rhys was very thankful for, and he was able to enjoy the rest of the ride in solitude. He sagged against the wall behind him with a groan, jolting when he felt the strap of his bag slide down a little with the movement.
Fucking Christ.
In his hurry to meet Jack, he had forgotten to go by his own office to set up his arm up to charge. Rhys let his head fall back as his eyes looked towards the ceiling of the elevator as if he could see the machine getting closer and closer to Jack's floor. He had dawdled enough as it was. If he went down to his floor and then back up to Jack's now, Rhys was sure Jack would yell at him for actually being late. Sure, he had told him that there wasn't a rush, but you didn't take chances like that with Handsome Jack, not if you wanted to keep yourself in one piece.
(Figuratively, of course.)
The elevator came to a stop far too soon for Rhys' liking, with it doors sliding open and urging him to step out. Jack's floor was always empty, it seemed, with little sign of anyone else actually working up there. Which made sense, Rhys supposed. A CEO like Jack liked to have his space.
Stacey was there though, typing away at her desk, not even sparing Rhys a glance as she lifted one manicured hand to wave him into Jack's office. Still, Rhys found himself scurrying past, hoping her eyes didn't catch sight of his shoulder or the prosthetic still hanging out of his bag.
Jack was sitting at his desk when Rhys entered, angrily arguing with someone over the phone. When Jack saw him, he held up his hand to stop Rhys from coming any further as he continued the phone call, still spitting expletives at whomever was one the other side. Not wanting to chance Jack's temper at the moment, Rhys stayed where he was by the door, his flesh hand still curled around the disposable paper cup that held Jack's slowly cooling coffee.
He tried not to listen into his CEO's conversation, instead trying to keep his attention elsewhere, like looking for a socket to plug his charger into, but Rhys still heard certain key phrases.
Like Maliwan and corporate buyout.
Holy shit.
Luckily, the call ended soon after Rhys came in, with Jack letting out a short, aggravated yell as he hung up the phone and slammed it back down on the receiver. Handsome Jack seemed to deflate in his chair, propping his elbows up on the desk and burying his face in his hands, groaning into them.
Unsure as to what he should do, Rhys just took a tentative step forward, and then took another, and one more when Jack didn't make a move to stop him.
"Um," Rhys fiddled with the coffee for a moment before he placed it in front of Jack. His now free hand grasped at the strap of his bag, fingers idly running over the fabric. "Here's your coffee. Jack, should I... Should I come back later? It's not a problem, really, I can just leave-"
"No."
"Sir?"
"Sorry, pumpkin. Just having a rough morning." You're not the only one, Rhys thought bitterly. Jack leaned back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair, successfully ruining the style it was previously in. He had grabbed his coffee too, and took a long drink from it, his eyes running over Rhys' form as he did so. Automatically, Rhys shifted, pulling his right side out of focus as he trained his eyes on the surface of Jack's desk.
"Forget something last night?"
Teeth worrying at his bottom lip, Rhys shrugged, steadfastly ignoring all attempts Jack made to make eye contact with him and kicking the toe of his shoe against the flooring. He heard the leather of Jack's chair squeak as the CEO stood, and the soft thud of his boots against the floor, but he didn't expect the gentle hand on his shoulder urging him to turn and face his boss.
Rhys definitely did't expect the look on Jack's face, either.
"What did I tell you about ruining my things, Rhys?" Even though the words invoked bad memories of the Lab Incident, the expression on Jack's face was the complete opposite of what it was that morning. He looked... concerned?
No, it was probably just a trick of the light. Handsome Jack wasn't worried about him.
Jack kept his hand on Rhys, ignoring the flinch when he ran it over the empty shoulder port where the cybernetic man's prosthetic should have been. Rhys was sure he felt sparks fly at the contact, and moved away from Jack as if struck by the man. To his surprise, Jack frowned at the movement, and shook his head at him.
"That means you too, Rhys. You're not a thing, but you are one of my most valuable employees and I can't have you falling into disrepair. Did you have a charger for that?" Jack gestured to the prosthetic still visibly peeking out from his bag, his mouth set in a thin line, the corners pulled downward just so.
"Y-yes, I was going to-"
"There's a couple of outlets on my desk. You can set it up there." Jack reached for him again, and when Rhys didn't back away this time, his hand curled around the junction where Rhys' neck met his shoulder. Again, Jack began rubbing circles into his skin, though he was somewhat hampered by the collar of his shirt.
"Jack?" Rhys asked tentatively, the hold on his bag's strap getting tighter with each passing second. Just what the hell was Jack playing at?
"Focus on me today, okay pumpkin? If you get some phantom pain you can't shake, let me know, but try to not think about it, yeah? I got some real important stuff I need to discuss with you."
Jack smiled at him then, and the look in his eyes was what some would call soft. Which was just weird, because it was almost as if Jack was trying to comfort him, what with the gentle touches and kind words.
Rhys swallowed, throat suddenly dry and tongue like lead in his mouth. He felt something curl in his belly the longer he stared at Jack's smiling face, something dangerous and altogether bad news. The silence hung around them like fog on a early morning, and the moment seemed to drag on. What was the CEO doing to him?
"I'll try, Jack."