“A Haunting in Helios”

A company like Hyperion never truly slept, especially running on an artificial day-night cycle. Though plenty of businesses shut down after the workday many more stayed open, serving those dedicated or crazy enough to pull all nighters all in the name of an extra hundred bucks on the next paycheck or an inch above the competition when it came to promotions.

Rhys slipped into the sparse crowds pretty inconspicuously, looking little different from the rest of the late-night crunch crowd. As he walked, he accessed one of the more reliable forums he’d found on the rumors of Handsome Jack’s ghost, refreshing himself on the personal accounts he’d been pouring over for the past day.

Maybe Jack’s soul wasn’t at rest. That’s why ghosts happened right? Like, hypothetically? Spirits with unfinished business? Pandora was still a mess and Hyperion was dealing with a serious power vacuum. That screamed pretty unfinished to Rhys.

If that was true, maybe he could help him out?

Ha-hah. Rhys snorted at himself. As if Handsome Jack would ever accept help, even in the afterlife.

Rhys chases a rumor into the bowels of Helios and winds up having a life-changing encounter with a “ghost.”

Considering they were employed by one of the most advanced, technologically savvy arms companies in the galaxy, Hyperion workers could be surprisingly superstitious.

Rhys knew some guys who carried around lucky skag’s paws in their pockets or dangling under their clothes. He’d witnessed people skipping the third and fourth steps in stairwell J-4 off the Hub because allegedly that’s where the bodies of unfortunate interns were buried.

Even Rhys had a pair of special socks he would wear on days that he had to make important presentations.

But a ghost?

That extended beyond mere good-luck charms and forces of habit. And yet, that was the rumor Rhys had been hearing about the water cooler. That down in the depths of Helios, in some long-forgotten and rundown old hallway, haunted the ghost of none other than Handsome Jack himself.

“Can you imagine? Walking down the hallway, minding your own business, and bam! Jack is just there.” Rhys waggled his spoon in emphasis, before digging it back into his half-eaten ice cream sundae.

He always saved the cherry for last. A weird habit people always commented on, though Vaughn was long used to it. He watched as Rhys nudged the bright red fruit around in the melted puddle of ice cream at the bottom of the bowl, coating it in a mixture of strawberry and chocolate.

“Well you know. It’s all just stories, right?” Vaughn scoffed, digging a spoon into his own, much smaller sundae. “Right?”

Rhys swirled the ice cream soup at the bottom of his bowl.

“I mean…who knows? If there’s anyone who I’d bet money could come back from the dead…it would probably be Jack.”

“God. No, Rhys, no. Don’t jinx it with your obsession!”

“I’m not. Shut up, dude.” Rhys rolled his eyes, dropping his spoon back into the bowl with a clink. “And finish your ice cream! I’ve been done for like ten minutes.”

“Oh, it definitely hasn’t been that long.” Vaughn slipped an ample morsel between his lips. “You’re just a garbage disposal when it comes to this stuff.”

“If you mean the most handsome garbage disposal this side of Helios…then yes.” Rhys pretended to slick his hair back and shot Vaughn his sleaziest look. This earned him an eye-roll.

“Well, I guess Handsome Jack lives on in one of us.”

“Oh sure,” Rhys smirked. “You know I always had the better hairstyle.”

It probably was crazy to go chasing a rumor as insane as “Handsome Jack’s ghost haunts the abandoned halls of Helios” but well, Rhys had grown a little restless lately. And with no big projects to distract him, all he could think about was the stories of those employees who had allegedly come into contact with him.

So late that evening, Rhys left Vaughn sleeping on the couch with some dumb late-night ECHO program running, moving as quietly as possible as he slipped on his boots and slid out the door.

A company like Hyperion never truly slept, especially running on an artificial day-night cycle. Though plenty of businesses shut down after the workday many more stayed open, serving those dedicated or crazy enough to pull all nighters all in the name of an extra hundred bucks on the next paycheck or an inch above the competition when it came to promotions.

Rhys slipped into the sparse crowds pretty inconspicuously, looking little different from the rest of the late-night crunch crowd. As he walked, he accessed one of the more reliable forums he’d found on the rumors of Handsome Jack’s ghost, refreshing himself on the personal accounts he’d been pouring over for the past day.

Maybe Jack’s soul wasn’t at rest. That’s why ghosts happened right? Like, hypothetically? Spirits with unfinished business? Pandora was still a mess and Hyperion was dealing with a serious power vacuum. That screamed pretty unfinished to Rhys.

If that was true, maybe he could help him out?

Ha-hah. Rhys snorted at himself. As if Handsome Jack would ever accept help, even in the afterlife.

This whole excursion was a really, really stupid idea, and he should just turn around and head back home to Vaughn. But if he didn’t go and at least take a look, it would eat at him for days. Better just go and confirm it wasn’t true sooner rather than later.

The instructions on the forum lead him to one of the auxiliary elevators in the hub and told him to punch in a floor he was pretty sure he’d never visited before. A couple other people got in with him, inputing their own floors before the elevator started to descend through the space station. Gradually everyone else filtered back out, until once again Rhys was left all alone, with nothing but the hum and click of the machinery around him to keep him company.

Finally, the display above the door lit up with a cheery ding that belied the sight that opened up in front of Rhys’ eyes. Swallowing, his finger briefly danced on the button to take him back up to the Hub as he gazed out into the empty floor extending out from the elevator’s entrance. Just as the doors were about to close however he took a step forward, then another, until he was too far away to run back as the elevator slid shut behind him.

This far away from the central hub and offices of Helios things looked a lot less like the polished, colorful corporate environment Rhys had grown used to and more like of the abandoned facilities on Elpis he’d seen through photographs and holograms. The hallway he now braved walking down thankfully didn’t look infested with torks or any other horrible creatures found moon-side, but dust flaked down from the walls and any doors he passed were broken or locked. Rhys took a peek inside one, finding nothing more then shattered cubicles and conspicuously spaces on the floor when computers and appliances used to sit.

Rhys tightened his jaw, wrapping his arms around his stomach as he willed himself to keep walking.

As the hallway continued, the light fixtures above grew less and less reliable, with some panels completely broken, leaving bands of the ground in the dark. Some stretched longer than others, with a good couple yards of hallway dim and even more eerie than the rest of the deserted floor. Rhys walked especially quickly through these portions, mind creating terrors in the busted doors and empty walls even when his ECHOeye told him nothing was there.

As the hallway turned around a corner, he slowly realized the usual cool, re-circulated air he’d grown used to living on Helios felt stale and stiff here. Still breathable, sure, but like dust clung to every atom of oxygen.

He didn’t know how far this hallway went, or if he might end up encountering a collapsed ceiling or flaw in the life support systems. Readouts on his ECHOeye fed back data on the composition and quality of the air around him, but this far away from the center of Helios—far enough that even the holographic map he brought up on his palm—his connection to the net could get a little spotty.

Still, creepy as this part of Helios was, Rhys hadn’t seen any evidence of the supernatural yet. Nor, honestly, any sign this hallway had been touched by Handsome Jack’s presence at all. Even now, after his death, the rest of the space station remained stamped with his mark, his posters and advertisements plastered everywhere and his statues lovingly tended to. But here?

When Rhys actually stopped to take a look at the faded images on the walls or scattered on the floor, none looked anything like those iconic images of Hyperion’s most illustrious CEO. He could make out an old logo here and there, colored in passé red and white, alongside some pictures of what had to be long-passed company leaders. Rhys felt less like that elevator had taken him to another part of the station and more like it’d transported him to a completely different time.

Looking at these relics actually helped to distract him from the reason he’d come here in the first place, at least until he lifted his head to glance towards one of the deserted doorways—and there he stopped in his tracks, at first unable to process what he was seeing.

Just above the darkened entrance, emblazoned in sloppy, blue lettering, read:

WELCOME KIDDOS.

A weight dropped in Rhys’ stomach, rooting him to the floor as he stared at the words, trying to process their existence.

Oh fuck.

It was probably just random graffiti, maybe sprayed there by someone trying to mess with people who came here looking for the ghost, but it had Rhys on edge. He took a deep breath, trying to ignore his panicking heart as he took a step through the doorframe. He’d come this far, already sunk enough time into this rumor. Creepy as it was, he wasn’t going to let some message scare him off.

Rhys turned the light in his cybernetic palm on, using it to scan over the floor to make sure he wouldn’t trip over any debris.

It looked like one of the many other offices he’d walked by so far. Anything useful had been ripped out long ago, leaving snapped wires and noticeably cleaner spots in their wake, with only real clunky, useless technology still sitting besides cracked desks and stains cubicle walls. Rhys moved the light carefully over his path, securing each step before he moved forward. He peered around, hoping to find something interesting, but the office looked similar to the hallway outside—decrepit, and covered in old Hyperion advertisements that might’ve sold for a pretty vintage penny if they weren’t tattered and spotted with mold.

The office looked old and creepy, sure, but as he scanned around the room, he couldn’t find much else of interest. But just so nobody would doubt him when he told this story, he decided to peel one of those old posters off the wall. One of the smaller ones, that he could easily fold up and put inside his pocket without risking it disintegrating.

Just as he finished and he turned to leave, however, something suddenly prickled through the air like static electricity. Rhys tensed, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up if someone had traced a cool finger down it.

“Who…who’s there?” Rhys whispered, feeling less isolated and alone than a few minutes ago.

He expected—and hoped—for no answer, but the moment he finished speaking a hush of static brushed up against his ears like an eerie kiss, and even as Rhys desperately tried to grasp for a rational explanation an erratic, electric blue sheen cast upon a broken cubicle wall, silhouetting his terrified shadow up against it. He whirled around, eyes wide and heart pumping, only to regret his choice a mere second later at the sight in front of him.

His first thought—holy shit, the rumors were true—couldn’t hold a candle to the second, more alarming realization that raced up right after—that’s Handsome Jack’s ghost and it’s going to fucking kill me.

Because there was no doubt that the brilliant blue specter hovering in front of him belonged to Jack. It looked exactly like him aside from the color and unsettling transparency. The ghost’s brilliance sucked all remaining light out of Rhys’ surroundings, leaving him swallowed in black as he tried convincing himself to move.

Gold eyes suddenly fixed upon him, too bright and alien even against the already surreal, glowing body.

“Hey pumpkin!”

Rhys screamed. He screamed a scream he might be embarrassed about if anyone else had heard him, but right now with a jagged, neon blue ghost hovering in front of him he didn’t care how he sounded. Or how he looked, as he spun on his heels and lunged in the opposite direction, fleeing from the apparition as quickly as he could manage.

“Woah, wait! Hang on!”

Rhys wouldn’t “hang on” for anybody in this creepy part of Helios, especially not a real fucking ghost. Unfortunately, he only ended up running couple of yards before his body betrayed him—or rather, the heel of his boot did, as it landed wrong on a slat of debris and nearly snapped. Rhys screamed, even louder this time, his arms pinwheeling out as he tripped, landing with a smack and a squeal against the floor. He even skidded a bit, knocking fallen ceiling panels and loose wires out of the way as he ground to a halt. His heart hammered in his chest, sending shocks of pins-and-needles pain all the way down to his knees and palms.

A harsh noise sounded too close behind him and he quickly flipped onto his back, Rhys’ stomach nearly dropping out his ass when he saw the ghost floating towards him, arms crossed tightly about its chest.

Rhys could nearly see right through him, glowing blue form as translucent and intimidating as a bolt of electricity. He could almost feel the energy in the air, the hair on the back of his neck standing up as if he’d rubbed his socks against the apartment carpet. He tried to push himself up off the ground but his ankle protested, still recovering from the tumble. He managed to squirm only a couple of inches, the distance between himself and the ghost easily overtaken as Jack floated closer, his ghostly form looming large, ready to engulf him whole.

“S-S-Stay back! Back!” Rhys cried, holding his hands out defensively in front of him as Jack advanced upon him, those eerie golden eyes blazing above an aggravated looking frown. Surely, the last thing many employees had seen from Jack in life, and now probably the last for Rhys too, before the ghost decided to suck out his soul or drain the air out of the hallway or whatever horrible thing it was planning to do with him. Rhys shut his eyes tight, shaking with fear as he thought of all the worst torment the ghost of a man like Handsome Jack would do to him.

But the ghost didn’t try to asphyxiate him, or try to take his soul. He didn’t try to bring the whole hallway down around them or shock Rhys with his freaky blue spirit energy. No, instead, it did something familiar, something Rhys recognized from recordings and public appearances back when Jack had still been alive.

It laughed.

The sound crackled and broke, as if fed through an old speaker. It twisted Rhys’ stomach further into knot, his fear so strong now he could feel it in the back of his throat. The ghost laughed like someone had taken Jack’s voice and pulled all the life out of it, leaving it a cold, improperly preserved recording.

“You’re…would you believe you’re the first one to frikkin’ face-plant like that, kiddo? Jeez. Lots of dummies have come down here but…man…” The ghost mimed wiping a tear away from its eye before it leered down at Rhys.

“Well…I’m not about to say no to a free lunch. Finally got one of you small fry right where I want you.”

Rhys jolted when the ghost floated towards him. He grabbed around with his hand looking for anything to fend it off. He grabbed only a broken piece of molding but still swung it in front of him, a last ditch attempt to look intimidating.

“Back off! I’m t-telling you!” He managed to squeak. The ghost’s eyebrows slid up, unimpressed.

“I’d say kudos for trying, pumpkin. But this is pretty lame.” It laughed again, sound this time edged with a darker humor that chilled Rhys’ bones. “Too little, too late. You’re mine.”

Rhys saw the movement to his left a moment too late. Before he had a chance to move out of the way or even turn his head, something long and yellow and much more solid than Jack shot out and struck him right in the temple. Rhys screamed, cupping the side of his head, expecting searing pain or blood, but after a moment of terrified groping finding only something firmly stuck into his port.

“W-W-What? Huh?” Rhys babbled only for a sudden shock to ring around his port. He jerked, feeling something probe into his brain—no, his very mind itself—out from the thing stuck in his temple. He twitched involuntarily, a little bit of spit running down the side of his mouth. The visual feed of his ECHOeye glitched violently, warnings and pop-ups full of gibberish flashing in his vision as he writhed against the floor.

God. No no no no, this can’t be happening, this can’t—

And yet as soon as the shock had started it stopped, retreating back through his body to his port. He flopped against the ground, a light tingling in his extremities the only sign anything had gone wrong. He took deep breaths, trying to expand his lungs slowly—only for Handsome Jack’s face to appear inches from his own and scare the shit out of him once again.

“Jeez, kiddo.” The ghost grimaced, sticking a finger in its ear. Rhys scrambled back, heart again beating against his chest as he stared incredulously at the figure before him. The ghost crouched, still hovering a good couple of inches off the ground. An eyebrow raised above one yellow eye, watching him as Rhys struggled to comprehend what had happened.

“Wh…what did you do to me?” He finally drummed up the courage to speak, but couldn’t overcome the stutter in his voice.

“You know. I’m like. Inside you.” Jack waved his hand. “Well, you know. Not inside but like, inside your mind. Really lucked out, didn’t I? You’re just the vessel I needed.”

“You mean you’re—you’re possessing me?” Rhys cried, voice edging up hysterically. “Oh god, am…am I gonna have to get a fucking exorcism?”

“Watch your mouth, kiddo, I—wait a sec, no. You—” The apparition pinched the bridge of its nose and shook its head. “—You still think I’m some kind of ghost, right?”

“I…well…” Rhys swallowed tightly. “That was the most logical…well…that’s what I was assuming.”

“Logical?” Jack snorted, looking at Rhys like he was stupid. “You live in a frikkin’ space station with guns and tech that work like god-damn magic, and you still believe in ghosts?”

“But the stories said—“

“Yeah, ‘cause I play up the act to get some frikkin’ entertainment. Else it’d be a total snore-fest around here.”

“So what…what are you?” Rhys propped himself up on his elbows. Still on edge, but feeling a less tense and sick to his stomach than before. If Jack was in—inside him, then he wouldn’t try to hurt him, right?

“Not a frikkin’ ghost, I’ll tell you what. If I was a ghost, I wouldn’t have needed that—“ He pointed to the plug still stuck in Rhys’ temple. “To get inside of you. Or I’d be able to phase through walls and not have to deal with this damn isolated subsystem.”

“Subsystem?” Rhys furrowed his brow. If this part of Helios was long abandoned, it might’ve wound up cut off from the rest of the space station’s network. If Jack was reliant on that then yeah, he wasn’t a ghost, but then—?

Wait.

“Nakayama’s lost AI…I thought it was destroyed when he…” Rhys’ eyes widened, the pieces suddenly clicking into place. “So you’re…you’re Jack, you’re the real Jack…”

Well. As close as the real Jack as they were ever going to get again. Rhys wasn’t about to anger the AI any further by nit-picking.

“Of course I am. This—“ Jack gestured around the hallway, “—was just a stupid little setback. A mere bump in the road of my awesome heroics.”

He turned to look down at Rhys, who’d managed to wedge himself into a crouch but still wobbled on smarting feet.

“Well? I’m finally ready to move on out of this crap-pile and back to the top where I belong. Who knows what you dimwits have been doing to my company.”

Rhys bit his tongue, figuring he’d let Jack deal with the current power squabble on his own. Best not to get in the middle of something like that, especially with an unpredictable AI now throw into the mix.

“Of course, I…I don’t mind taking you back, sir, but uh…” Rhys rubbed the back of his neck. “What if no one believes me? There’s been a lot of uh…conspiracies and rumors and stuff ever since you’ve been gone.”

“No biggie.” Jack shrugged. “Anyone doesn’t believe you, just plug me back into Helios. Give them all a real fright once they see daddy’s back in action.”

“Right. Um. Guess there’s no point in hanging around. Guess I should…get you back…” Rhys finally pushed himself to his feet, his limbs still shaky and numb. He still felt a little disconnected as he pulled the plug from his temple, the reality of the situation yet to set in even with the AI of his dead boss and idol following him as he turned around to walk back the way he’d came—back to civilization. Back to Hyperion.

Rhys had gone in search of a rumor, and had instead come back with a legend.

He swallowed, looking over his shoulder to watch as Handsome Jack floated after him.

Wait ’til Vaughn heard about this.

Kinktober Day 31: Masks, Against a Wall

This previously lame Halloween party had taken a turn for the interesting the moment Rhys encountered this handsome stranger.

Of course, Rhys couldn’t see much of his face behind the ornate masquerade mask he wore, but the intense eyes and charming flash of teeth he could see behind the decorated holes quickly won him over. This guy was quite the flirt, too, complimenting the construction of Rhys’ angel costume and how well the short white tunic and golden heels showed off his legs. Considering the young man was already a couple of beers into the evening, he’d easily fallen for the masked stranger’s charm and let him lead him out of the apartment complex and into the little alley out back. There, Rhys let the man push him up against the cool alley wall where he worked his thigh up between his shaky legs.

The alcohol and rush of the sudden fling didn’t much help Rhys’ composure, and he had a hard time keeping quiet as the stranger’s hands peeled up the hem of his tunic and started to pull his cock out of his boxer briefs. Rhys moaned and tossed his head back lightly against the wall, feeling the stranger’s warm hand squeeze and pump at his cock. Rhys wrapped his arms around the man’s neck, too drunk and needy to realize just how warm the stranger’s hands—and really, his entire body—was getting. If he was paying attention to anything other than the pressure and pleasure in his belly, he would’ve noticed the strange flickering in his partners eyes, or the way his body grew until he nearly lifted Rhys up and off the ground, the toes of his golden heels just barely brushing up against the asphalt ground of the alleyway.

In fact, the only thing Rhys did realize as he clutched and humped against the stranger, was that he hadn’t tried to kiss him yet.

Rhys shifted his eyes to the stranger’s ornate mask, the holes there now darker and less distinct than they had been when Rhys’ had first met him. He tilted his head even as the stranger continued to pump his cock, suddenly overcome with the urge to properly kiss the man bringing him so much pleasure in the midst of such a dull party. His fingers trailed up the man’s neck, brushing over the spikes of hair at the nape as they started to fiddle with the strings tying it to his face.

All of a sudden, the mask fell away, clattering onto the ground with a crack. An apology died on Rhys’ lips as his eyes widened with horror, taking in what lay beneath the stranger’s mask.

Or rather, what didn’t.

All Rhys saw at first was a swirling, metallic void where the man’s features should be, as if someone had scooped out his face and replaced it with endless miasma. Horror gripped him in the heart even as the clawed hand continued to squeeze and pump at his cock.

Rhys struggled, escape fruitless thanks to the creature’s grip and the fact that he was now pinned against the wall several feet off the ground. As he watched, terrified squeaks edging out of his throat as he tried to scream, a pair of searing, purple eyes sprung up out of the void of the man’s face, followed by a nightmarish neon grin.

“You’re mine, pumpkin.” It laughed as the void surged out beyond the boundaries of the man’s face, engulfing Rhys whole just as the grip on his cock brought him over the edge.

OH MY GOD FOR THE HALLOWEEN FIC Okay, you had a few omega fics where Rhys was pregnant & by himself & Jack was this sorta creepy alpha who lived next door and kept trying to get Rhys’s attention? What if Rhys and the toddler knock on Jack’s door and they’re dressed up and Jack just shoves a check in the kids toy pumpkin with a few snickers and Rhys shows up the next day and its basically enough for the kid to go to college and Rhys is pissed and won’t accept it??? (Idk I just like your AUs😍)

i just wrote this real quickly but i liked the idea c:

Nine o’clock at night on Halloween was about when Jack called it on leaving candy out for trick-o-treaters. Most kids would be back at home and maybe even in bed at this point, and all that remained usually were teenagers looking to raid any candy left at the bottom of the bowl and smash pumpkins if they didn’t find anything. Not that many nefarious younguns would get away with their mischief thanks to Jack’s high-tech security system.

Still, by the time it got properly late, Jack was ready to turn the lights off on the outside decorations and settle in with a pumpkin cider and his annual re-watch of The Shining. He’d been entertaining all the kids swarming to the doors of his huge, elaborately decorated home all evening, and as cute and easily excitable as they were, Jack was tired of getting up and answering every knock at his door and was looking forward to turning in for the evening.

He switched off the billowing, inflatable ghosts on his yard as well as the strands of orange and purple lights planted along the walkway and strung along the gutters, and had just opened the doors one final time to blow out his jack-o-lanterns when he saw someone strutting quickly up the walkway.

Jack raised his eyebrow, about to tell the stranger off when they stepped into the light emanating from his front door. A wide grin spread across his face as he recognized the boxy, metallic costume from earlier. More than recognized, considering this particular omega had drifted in and out of his thoughts for most of the evening.

“What? Cyrus ask you to shake me down for some more candy? Well, considering you two were the cutest pair of robots I ever saw, might as well give you seconds,” Jack chuckled, lifting the pumpkin-shaped bowl off the little table besides the door and giving it a little jiggle. His lighthearted tone didn’t seem to defuse Rhys’ angry pout, though, and the omega didn’t quite his stomping march until he nearly got right up in Jack’s face.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Rhys hissed as he angrily flapped a slim piece of paper against the alpha’s chest. Jack continued grinning blithely, holding up his hands against Rhys’ offensive.

“Whaaat, this?” He feigned ignorance even as the check he’d filled out only a couple hours ago waved under his nose. “Just…consider it an extra treat, pumpkin.”

“Snickers and lollipops are treats, Jack. This is…I don’t even know what this is!” Rhys hissed, the springy antennae on his head wobbling with an angry shake. “A bribe? A joke?”

“No no, Rhysie, though if I wanted to play a prank on you, guess Halloween would be a good night for it, huh?” Jack carefully placed his hand on Rhys’ wrist, trying to calm the pissy omega down. “Look, I knew you’d never accept something nice from me, so I slipped it in with the kiddo’s candy.”

Rhys puffed out his cheeks, anger reduced to a simmer as he settled back on his heels, no longer trying to intimate Jack as much as he had a few moments earlier. He looked down at the check, then back up at the alpha.

“This…this is too much. I can’t accept it. We might be neighbors but…I…we barely know each other!”

“Just take it as a bit of good Halloween luck, then. Stow it away for when the kid wants to go to college.” Jack lowered his hands to place them on his waist, amused smirk turning into a more affectionate smile. Rhys worried his lip but slowly folded the check back up and placed it into his pocket.

“Well…thank you. I guess.” Rhys shifted awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Just don’t go around thinking I owe you anything.”

“Of course not, sugar. I’m not that much of a dirtbag, no matter what you might’ve heard.”

Jack rifled around the candy bowl, grabbing a handful and pushing it towards Rhys.

“The kid will appreciate this lots more than college savings, though. Tell him I said hey and that his costume was the best one I saw tonight. ‘Kay?” Jack winked, pleased to see a little tinge of blush on the omega’s cheeks followed—finally—by a small smile.

“I will…he’ll be really happy about that. He hasn’t stopped talking about you since he got home…he…” Rhys looked away from Jack for a moment. “He wants you to be robots with us next year.”

“Oh?” Jack’s grin grew wider, already envisioning a robot costume that would knock everyone’s socks off. “Well, I’ve got three-hundred and sixty-five days to think about it.”

“Well, I…I’ll leave you to think about it, then…” Rhys stuttered, holding the handfuls of candy to his chest. He took a slow step away from Jack, working his lips together like he wanted to say something else, only to turn and shuffle back down the pathway until even his shiny metallic tights were out of sight.

Jack chuckled to himself, before hefting in the rest of his jack-o-lanterns and shutting off the porch-light, finally ready—for sure this time—to unwind on the couch with a beer, a movie, and the adorable omega haunting his thoughts even harder now.

Kinktober Day 30: Breast Worship, Tights/Stockings/Pantyhose

Hormone imbalances were a bitch, but they weren’t supposed to affect Rhys this much.

He’d already been to the doctor and acquired some meds that were supposed to correct the issue, but they were taking their sweet time, leaving him to deal with the extra sensitive and…swelling in certain areas.

Specifically, his chest.

Omegas, even males, could develop more softness and tenderness in that area, but usually only if they were rearing pups. And while Rhys had never ruled out the possibility of having kids, that was a long way off and these changes, however temporary, weren’t supposed to affect him yet. Suffice to say, he was feeling pretty embarrassed about the whole thing and couldn’t wait for it to pass quickly and without anyone else noticing.

Unfortunately, he could never hide anything from Jack for very long.

“Jack, no, don’t touch them—“ Rhys groaned from atop the alpha’s lap, squirming in embarrassment as warm hands groped and massaged his chest. His breasts were small, barely able to fill out Jack’s palms and only slightly bowing out his pre-existing tattoos, and yet they felt highly sensitive to the pressure of the alpha’s fingers. Rhys bit his lip, his thighs clenching together as he fought off the arousal brewing in his groin.

“Why not, pumpkin? They’re beautiful. Just perfect little morsels made just for me,” Jack growled in his throat, forefinger rubbing over a sensitive nipple and earning a tiny mewl from the omega.

Rhys had been in the middle of changing out of his work clothes when Jack caught him and pulled him into his lap to grope at his chest. And of course it happened to be a day where Rhys decided to wear his favorite pair of sheers blue stockings to the office. Considering his discomfort and anxiety lately, it’d made him feel better to wear something soft and sexy and hidden beneath his clothes. He knew how much Jack liked them, too, so maybe it wasn’t that much of a surprise to find the alpha worming his cock between Rhys’ silky thighs even as he stroked the omega’s small tits.

“Hmm…wonder if I can get you come just by touching them. What do you think?” Jack pressed Rhys’ breasts together as he rutted up between his legs, cock sliding easily thanks to the sleekness of the stockings.

Rhys answered him with a needy cry, louder than before, as he squeezed his thighs tighter about Jack’s cock and finally let himself melt into his alpha’s sensual touch.

Kinktober Day 30: Gagging, Swallowing

Rhys always looked good with a gag in his mouth.

Jack owned a decent collection of bondage gear, though he didn’t use them as often as he wanted too. Rhys was still warming up to the whole scene, so they’d started off fairly small with handcuffs, spreader bars, and Jack’s favorite—the gags.

Right now he had Rhys sitting on the carpet of the bedroom, his wrists cuffed behind his back and gag strapped around his head. He looked good with the black leather contrasted against his pale skin, and the little yellow Hyperion logos etched into the material filled Jack with a pleased sense of ownership over his lover.

The metal O-shape in the center of the gag held Rhys’ lips open around the shaft of Jack’s cock as he plunged it in and out of the boy’s mouth, lazily gripping Rhys’ hair with one hand as he leaned back against the bed with the other. His hips rolled slightly forward as he licked his lips, loving the look of Rhys bound and submissive and forced to suck his cock.

“You’re taking to this really well, sweetheart….like a fish to water. I can’t wait to work you up to the more serious stuff,” Jack moaned as he thrust deeper into his lover’s mouth until he could feel the slick quiver at the back of his throat. Rhys’ tongue flicked and rolled helplessly beneath the CEO’s shaft, the glisten of drool pooling right at the rim of his stretched lower lip.

“Gonna have to work on my endurance a little more….seeing you like this gets me way too wound up too fast. Hard to really savor it when all I wanna do is plow you as hard as possible and get you all messy and wet with come…”

He could feel Rhys’ throat spasming around his cock as its head pushed towards the back of his throat, but before Jack could properly shove it down he was already coming, filling Rhys’ mouth with his seed. As Jack shuddered through his pleasure, he half-expected Rhys to spit or gag on the come but instead watched with awe as the boy’s throat pulsed, swallowing the entire load in his mouth down.

“…Holy crap, babe.” Jack’s grinned and affectionately pet at Rhys’ hair as his dick slid out of his mouth, painting the leather of the gag in a thin trail of white. “Think I might be able to upgrade you to the harder stuff faster than I thought.”

Kinktober Day 29: Double Penetration, Glory Hole

Rhys didn’t know whose cock he was sucking through the hole in the bathroom stall wall, but the rough hands on his hips were familiar, as was the dick spreading his hole open.

Jack seemed unconcerned with the identity of the man in the other stall, apparently not minding a stranger’s dick in his boyfriend’s mouth as long as he could still plow Rhys into the wall. In fact Jack’s thrusts forced him even farther on the anonymous cock, encouraging him to suck and lap at the shaft in his mouth as Jack rolled his hips hard against Rhys’ rear.

“Good boy…” The CEO whispered, keeping his voice low as to not alert the other man to his presence. Rhys thought it a little silly—if the stranger hadn’t figured out there was more than one person in the stall besides him, then he probably had moonstones for brains—and yet Jack’s quiet, gravelly tone only encouraged Rhys’ arousal.

He almost wished they could reveal themselves at the end—he kind of wanted to see the look on this guy’s face when he realized he’d been this close to Handsome Jack himself, fundamentally connected by the bridge of Rhys’ own body. Someone deviant enough to explore a bathroom glory hole on Helios surely had fantasies about the big boss himself. And yet he would never know how close he came.

Rhys smirked, lips pulled smugly even over the cock in his mouth. This guy would never know what it was like to have Handsome Jack at your beck and call, to be so prized that he insisted on fucking you even as you sucked a stranger’s cock.

Rhys slurped and lapped noisily at the shaft in his mouth, growing less and less focused as Jack picked up his pace and hammered into that spot that made Rhys squirm over and over again. Saliva collected on the edge of his lips as he lazily sucked the stranger’s cock, attention drawn away to his boyfriend as Jack thrust forward one more time and came with a hiss—and a groan far louder than any he’d let out before.

“Yes, cupcake, yes!”

Rhys hummed in surprise as the cock in his mouth suddenly drew away, leaving a trail of spit and pre-cum running down his chin. He blinked, confused at the suddenly empty hole in front of him. But before he could piece together what had happened or why exactly their mysterious third partner had turned tail and ran Jack’s hands were grasping at his cock and jerking him through his orgasm.

“…At least one of us has the decency to finish what he started, huh?” Jack chuckled into Rhys’ ear, given up completely on staying quiet now as he rubbed his lover’s shaft. It didn’t take long for Rhys to come against the wall of the stall, his legs wobbling as he leaned up against it and let Jack support him from behind.

“Kind of a shame…think I was getting him really close…” Rhys mumbled, licking the mess around his lips. “Pretty sure you scared ‘em off, handsome…”

Jack kissed against the side of his head, surprisingly affectionate for a man who’d just finished screwing his boyfriend in the bathroom.’

“Eh.” Jack shrugged, his arms looping tighter about Rhys’s waist. “Some people just can’t handle the truth, pumpkin.”

Kinktober Day 29: Sleepy Sex, Massage

“Ugh,” Rhys moaned as he flopped down on the couch and planted his face into a pillow. His entire upper body smarted, like it did sometimes when he exerted his cybernetic arm too much. He didn’t remember doing too much physical today, but regardless, his muscles ached.

Thankfully, Jack was there to lend a helping hand.

“Just lie back, sugar. Daddy’s gonna take care of you.” Jack straddled him from behind, rolling the hem of Rhys’ undershirt up until it exposed most of his back. The young man hummed, turning his head to the side to look up at Jack as broad hands, slicked with scented oil, started to work into his tightened muscles.

“Oh…oh man, yes. That’s it…” Rhys moaned, body and eyes feeling heavy and relaxed as Jack rubbed and kneaded his back. He never knew his boyfriend to be so skilled with his hands, but oh he was just melting into this. A pleased smile spread over his lips as the smell of lavender and rosemary filled his nose. Jack’s fingers worked into the tense tissue, massaging it out until he lay so loose and lazy on the couch that he barely reacted when Jack’s hands started to move a little bit lower.

Rhys let out a small, interested moan when Jack’s oily digits started to peel back the waistband of his boxers. He wiggled languidly against the couch, holding his pillow to his face as Jack’s hands cupped his ass and started to gently stroke against the skin.

“Mmm…not sore down there…” Rhys murmured, against the fabric of his pillow. Through a half-closed eye he could see Jack over his shoulder, smiling sleepily at the lustful look on his boyfriend’s face.

“Well, not yet, pumpkin.” Jack winked, giving Rhys’ ass a firm rub.

“Don’t be too rough…” The young man mumbled after a moment, honestly just relaxed into the smell of the aromatic oils and the pressure of Jack’s hands. Still, pleasured feelings warmed in his groin as Jack caressed his ass, slipping a finger in between his cheeks to brush oil up against his hole. Rhys twitched, hips lazily rising up from the couch to meet his boyfriend’s palms.

“Oh, I’ll be delicate as a flower, sweetheart. Don’t you fret,” Jack whispered, fingertips stroking over Rhys’ entrance as he left more skin burnished with oil. “Just relax and look pretty, and daddy will take care of everything else for you.”

Kinktober Day 28: Striptease, Humiliation

Of course Rhys would screw up his first night on the job.

All he had to do was serve the drinks the bartender finished to the proper clients. Remembering what went where and to who wasn’t the hard part, but apparently keeping balance on his new pair of high-heeled work boots was too much of a task for him. So just as he ambled to the booth of well-dressed businessmen who’d ordered a round of the club’s signature cocktails one heel jiggled and slipped out from underneath him, causing the drinks to fly through the air and douse both Rhys and the man sitting closest to him.

Rhys gasped as the liquor soaked his clothes and dripped onto the floor. He nearly slipped again as he struggled to both keep his balance and figure out what to say to the man who’s fancy suit he’d just splashed. He clapped his hands over his mouth, mumbling out apologies as intense eyes fell over him. The rest of the man’s party fell silent, lips slightly parted, watching the both of them intently as if they expected their companion to blow up.

But the man only smiled as he lifted a hand to his nose and sniffed it.

“You know, I was really looking forward to trying out this cocktail, pumpkin.” He slid around in the booth until he faced Rhys, legs parted and elbow leaned on the table. Rhys swallowed, feeling the eyes of the patrons of the other tables on him as they started to whisper and gossip. But he couldn’t tear his eyes away from this man and the way he appraised Rhys with sharp eyes. He couldn’t even bring himself to try to apologize, his voice locked on a stutter.

“I’d ask you to bring us another round but I don’t wanna risk you dropping them all over the place, sugar. But don’t worry, I ain’t mad. Not really.” The man snickered, gaze dragging over Rhys’ legs and up his lanky torso. “You’re clothes are all wet and sticky now, aren’t they? Can’t be comfortable. How about you take them off?”

Rhys’ racing thoughts suddenly ground to a halt at that. What? Was that a joke? He…he didn’t really want him stripping down in the middle of a busy club, right?

“I—no, it’s okay, I’ll just…I’ll just get my boss—“

“Nah. I don’t want your boss, pumpkin.” The man leaned in, teeth showing through his widened smile. “C’mon. You’ll feel better. I insist.”

Rhys didn’t know why he didn’t just go get his manager anyway. It wasn’t like servers were completely beholden to the club’s customers anyway. This guy had already gone over the line asking him to take off his clothes.

And yet, Rhys found his fingers drifting to his tie anyway, as if the stranger’s eyes were hypnotizing him to do his bidding.

He let the tie hang loose around his neck as he moved onto the black vest and then the white dress shirt clinging to his body. He peeled the wet fabric away from his skin after he popped each button. Murmurs drifted up from the other tables as well as the stranger’s companions, but the pleased smile and nod of approval from the man himself encouraged Rhys to keep going, even as embarrassment clouded his cheeks. He felt funny with this mix of shame and interest whirling in his belly, and as he started on his belt he wondered why no one had stopped him yet. Surely one of the others guests would have alerted his manager or one of the bouncers, but nothing happened until his pants fell to his knees. That’s when the stranger decided to touch him.

“There. Doesn’t that feel better?” He grinned as he settled a hand on Rhys’ hip, right where his blue boxers dug into his skin. “And this is really helping me forget the drink you spilled all over me, babe. Now nobody has to get fired tonight.”

Rhys nodded, his arms wrapped around his midsection. He looked down, mortification properly settling in when he saw his own half-naked body. He might have saved himself from losing his job but there wasn’t anything he could do for his dignity.

“Hey now, don’t be so weepy now, sugar,” the man’s voice melted from commanding to soothing as he urged Rhys to sit on his thigh. He dabbed at his cheek with a napkin he’d been using to wipe at his own damp skin. “No one here’s gonna get mad at you as long as you keep ol’ Jack happy. And right now? I’m very happy. Trust me.”

“O-Okay…” Rhys whimpered, still feeling stupid and ashamed now that he sat perched on this stranger’s—Jack’s—lap with half his clothes off and blush creeping down his neck. From the booth he could now see his boss peeking out from around the bar, but to Rhys’ surprise he didn’t look particularly upset—more relieved, even as Rhys sat in the lap of one of their guests. Confusion added to the muddle mess in Rhys’ stomach, but it seemed for the time being the stranger was correct.

“One of your little buddies will grab us replacement drinks. You’re gonna stay right here for the rest of the night…Rhys…” Jack read off his nametag as his arm squeezed around the young man’s waist. “And if we keep accidents to a minimum, you can expect a big fat tip outta it.”

Kinktober Day 27: Exhibitionism/Voyeurism, Against a Wall

“Look at them…” Jack chuckled, eyeing the meeting just beyond the window he had Rhys pinned against. “Going about their business…no clue what’s happening just a couple of feet away…”

Rhys moaned, his breath fogging against the glass as he rubbed his cock up against it. Jack’s thrusts were unusually slow and even, like he wanted to savor this for as long as he could. The idea of fucking Rhys within spitting distance of his stuffed-shirt board of directors seemed to tickle Jack to no end.

“Two-way mirrors…frikkin’ genius invented this, huh pumpkin? You can watch anyone you want and they’ll have no idea…no idea I’ve got my dick out and inside you right under their noses. Hah! Hilarious.” Jack breathed against the side of Rhys’ neck, one hand sliding up the glass to pin Rhys’ wrist against it. “Of course…helps to have my pretty partner and crime to make it really sweet.”

“S-So you won’t stop telling me…” Rhys panted as he rolled his hips back against Jack, only for the CEO to bounce a particularly hard thrust against his ass. He moaned as he cock smeared agains the mirror, right against the back of one of the director’s chairs.

“Hah. Look at that.” Jack’s other hand moved around to pet Rhys’ dick. “Wonder if I can make you jizz all over the table once I’m through with you. What do you think?”

Rhys only moaned in response, less interested in Jack’s grudge against the directs and more absorbed in his arousal. Not that the sight of the unknowing men and women in front of him wasn’t doing anything for him. It danced just on the edge of shame, just enough to whet Rhys’ dirtier appetites. The directors always hated Jack’s more flamboyant, extravagant ideas, even if they eventually conceded thanks to coercion or violence, so the idea of fucking so close to them as they droned about quarter projections and design deadlines was priceless.

Shit. Maybe Rhys was a little more interested in feeding Jack’s grudges than he’d initially thought. He grunted when Jack pressed him harder up against the glass, cock grinding deep inside of him.

“Might even…consider taking out the wall next time…could you imagine?”

Though Rhys felt he wouldn’t be caught dead standing naked in front of Hyperion’s top executives, such a deviant idea and the way Jack purred it into his ear like a filthy secret had Rhys arching his back and coming, cock splashing an arc up against the mirror and over the impassive forms of the huddled executives.

“Mmm. You really creamed Derkowitz good…” Jack hummed in approval as he roughly pulled his cock out of Rhys’, taking the shaft in hand and shifting to stand a little right of Rhys’ shaky form. “Let’s see if I can get an even better shot.”

Kinktober Day 26: Roleplay, Smiles/Laughter

“You gonna cry for me, bitch? I wanna hear you scream,” the masked stranger hissed, tugging the bonds holding Rhys’ wrists together behind his back. “Because you can make as much noise as you’d like, no one’s gonna come for you.”

Rhys whimpered, his face rubbing up against the leather of the couch cushion. His knees had been shoved up under him, propping his ass up in the air, exposing him right to the intruder’s hungry eyes and strong hands. He bit his lip when his shorts pulled up over his thighs, exposing more of his pale skin. His breathing quickened, knowing where this was going to head next. This guy hadn’t even bothered to look at any of the expensive appliances or fancy entertainment systems in the living room. He knew exactly what he wanted.

“God, you’re just begging to be fu—uh—screwed—no wait yeah! Fucked. Yeah. You wanna be f-fucked, right bitch?”

Rhys’ eyebrow quirked up, looking back over his shoulder. He could see the intruder’s eyes through the holes in his ski mask, squinting in thought.

“What’re you looking at?” He growled, shoving at Rhys’ shoulder. “Eyes back down, you slut! I’m gonna plow you right through the couch!”

Rhys couldn’t help it. Even with the rough treatment and commanding voice, he couldn’t help but let out a derisive snort.

The eyes behind the mask widened.

“What was that? You—you think this is funny?”

Apparently, because that little giggle triggered a spill of laughter from Rhys’ lips. He couldn’t stop it, tittering as he squirmed underneath the intruder’s hands.

“You…I’m sorry, you’re just so corny when you’re trying to be tough.”

An annoyed snort puffed from the intruder’s nose. His hands left Rhys’ body, one landing on his hips as the other pulled his mask off.

“You’re a really crappy actor, Rhysie.” Jack frowned, his hair frizzy and disheveled. He tossed the mask onto the coffee table and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Me? You can barely swear even when you’re trying to be in character!” Rhys continued laughing as he turned over onto his back to face his boyfriend. Jack huffed, planting his hands on both sides of Rhys’ head as he leaned over him.

“You think you’re so cute, huh? Laughing it up!” His eyebrows furrowed sharply, lips pulled back in a growl. “I’m gonna give you something to laugh about.”

“…You know, you’re a lot more threatening without the ski mask.” Rhys smiled, his laughter dying to a slight giggle as Jack pushed their bodies together, finally cutting him off with a firm kiss.