#admiralsweko

[ebongawk]

☁️ for the WIP ask game, please 😁

☁️ wip you want to write but haven't started yet

gods, so many. I stopped writing them down because I know I won't have time to get to them all. I did finally start the 'best friend's brother' AU for the hellcheer 'zine, I'd like to write another hellcheer a/b/o, I had an idea for a regency AU, there's a pirate AU that lives rent free in my mind.

too many! not enough time! I need three more pairs of hands and four working laptops so I can start writing them simultaneously or something

ask meme!

[midostree-art]

Sketch for @admiralsweko of OC Mina Hawthorne and Arthur Morgan. Thank you!

[pedzs]

“Brahms playing the violin” FANART

(Brighten your screen hehe)

After @admiralsweko ‘s request, I made a monochrome fanart of Brahms playing a violin✨ the lack of color represents the intimacy and secrecy of his playing, something that takes his mind off the cruelty of his life.

I hope you like it!✨

[dinych]

Happy bday, @admiralsweko !! Present from the other half of Ditto Duo

Hope you like it C:

[rin-bellatrix]

Rhyiona Week 2023 Day Four

Prompt: Temptation

In the Small Hours

Like a devil on my shoulder you keep whispering in my ear

And it's gettin' hard for me to do the right thing here

I wanna do the right thing, baby

- You Should Probably Leave by Chris Stapleton

Beep, Beep, Beep!

Distantly, Rhys registered the sound of his morning alarm chiming. Fighting his way to wakefulness, he automatically turned toward the holographic clock emitting from the surface of the nightstand and dismissed the alert with a swipe. His head hit the pillow once more with a muted thump. Although sleep beckoned invitingly, he knew he had to get started on the day. He rubbed his hand across his face and pushed himself up to seated, trying to shake the last vestiges of rest from his slumberous mind. 

Glancing over, he saw through the soft shadows of neon light glowing from the window that the alarm hadn’t roused his companion. Still sleeping peacefully, Fiona’s eyes remained closed tightly. Her deep, steady breath whistled through her slightly parted lips. A scarlet lock of hair lay across her cheek, inviting Rhys to brush it aside. His caress was tender as he tucked the stray strands in line. These were the moments he treasured dearly, when she was not only her most vulnerable, but completely at peace. His heart brimming with drowsy adoration, he leaned over and planted a kiss to her cheek. She mumbled softly in her sleep; a wordless noise of protest or acknowledgement, of which he wasn’t quite sure.

Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, his feet automatically found their home in his favorite well worn slippers. A yawn overtook him, followed by a stretch. Arms reaching overhead, his back arched.

“Rhys?” A sleepy voice spoke his name behind him.

Glancing over his shoulder at her, he smiled at the charming sight of her blinking up at him. “Hey,” he whispered. “Good morning. Sorry if I woke you.” 

“Ugh, what time is it?” Never much of an early riser, she rubbed at her eyes before looking to the window. “It’s still dark out?” 

“It’s early,” he replied with a grin. “Go back to sleep.” 

She gave a disgruntled huff. Expecting her to turn over and fall back to sleep, he opened the digital interface of his mechanical palm and began reviewing his schedule for the day. He sighed as he scratched at the back of his head. It was going to be a long day. Mentally plotting out his approach for the task of so many sequential meetings, he barely acknowledged the small hand  that rubbed against his bare back and up along a length of his spine. Soon, the hand was joined by its twin. 

“You’re nice and warm,” she mumbled. 

He felt the bed shift under her weight as she scooted closer. She pressed into him from behind, her knees bumping into his tailbone. Her hands slid up the muscles of his back, coming to rest at his shoulders.

“Whatcha looking at?” she murmured over his shoulder. 

“My schedule,” he replied, absentmindedly. 

“Hmm, busy, busy, busy,” she hummed as her left hand slipped down his bicep. 

“Well, it comes with the–” he trailed off, his entire train of thought fizzling out in the wake of the heated kiss she pressed to his shoulder. 

Awareness of her amorous intentions flooded his body with heat. Her left hand continued its lazy journey down the back of his arm and slipped effortlessly under it, her fingers splayed against his ribs as she made her way towards his chest. Electricity danced across his skin, awakening his nerves.

All the while, she kissed along his shoulder, her lips leaving sweet lingering love bites. Her right hand slid up into his hair and took the short locks in a loose grip. Lost in the sensation of her attention, his eyes fluttered closed as he momentarily surrendered to the pleasure. Her kisses coming up to his neck, she gave his hair a gentle tug, coaxing him to bare his throat for her. 

“Fi,” he breathed her name. Even as he obliged her seductive urging, he knew he shouldn’t give in. He really had no time to spare today. 

She acknowledged him with a nibble at the sweet spot where his neck met his shoulder.

I can’t. I really shouldn’t. I have too much to do this morning. 

She took his earlobe between her teeth and gave it a harmless tug. The litany of excuses grew quieter as his will weakened further.

Trying to gather his wits, he grabbed her left wrist, halting her progress as she smoothed her fingers across his chest. “Fi,” he swallowed, trying to quench his parched throat. “I really need to get up.” 

Her laugh was soft as it fluttered against his neck. “Well, Mr. CEO, it seems to me you already are.” 

As she spoke, she ignored his hold on her wrist, instead trailing her fingers down his abdomen until the tips of her fingers played under the elastic band of his pajama pants. His cheeks flushed as he realized her double entendre.

He stifled a low groan as she moved lower. 

“Stay with me,” she whispered in his ear. “Five more minutes, I swear.” 

Despite recognizing it for the lie it was, he was powerless to resist her. Swiftly, he tugged her wrist as he shifted on the bed, gracefully pulling her into his lap. Her breathy laugh was cut short when his hand slipped under the thin cotton of her t-shirt, finding the smooth warmth of her skin beneath. 

“Okay,” he capitulated. Their noses bumped in the dark before they found the perfect angle. He captured her lips in a hasty, heated kiss. “But we have to be quick.”

[rin-bellatrix]

Smitten

"It might not be the right time. I might not be the right one. But there's something about us I want to say. 'Cause there's something between us anyway." - Daft Punk

Rhys recovers his lost boot from the con woman with a ruby smile, and as she teases him about his fashion, he's struck with the realization that she's actually kind of fun. And pretty... Really pretty.

Written for @admiralsweko bc it's her bday today - HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWE~!! 🥳🎉🎂🍾🎁🎈💕✨

Header art by ourwarbird (deactivated 🕊)

Lace divider from this post. Pixel heart dividers from this post. White dot divider from this post. Reblog and feedback divider from this post.

Written because inspiration struck due to the pic below that came from a post that Sweko had reblogged for another of her otps

Enjoy! 💙❤

Through the cracked windshield of the caravan, the barren, desolate plains of Pandora's vast desert rushed by and Rhys was at least a little bit grateful that he and Vaughn weren't making this journey on foot. And also, not alone.

The sound of easy conversation carried over to him from somewhere in the back of the vehicle, words lost on his idle mind but the calm tone was enough to keep him from worrying. At least they were all past the point of trying to kill each other. Even Athena wasn't so scary after a few board games to pass the time. (She was still scary, just on a lesser scale. Not that Rhys would ever say that to her face.)

For now, the sandy scenery whizzed by and out of sight of his peripheral. Honestly speaking, driving through a path that looked the same as it did the last hour and the hour before was driving the company man to boredom. There was only one seat up front and therefore only a need for one person. He was alone while everyone else socialized behind him.

Even Jack was quiet, laying low because he didn't want to draw Athena's attention to the fact that maybe he wasn't as gone as she would've liked. So Rhys was left in solitude, watching dunes and skag dens and occasional rakks above passing by for the nth time.

He huffed a drawn out sigh, settling his chin into the cradle of his propped up hand as the other remained steady on the curve of the steering wheel. He was fighting back a yawn when something heavy was tossed at him from the edge of his vision.

The sudden movement and weight of the unknown object hitting his chest and falling into his lap made him shoot to full alertness, his foot automatically easing down on the brakes as he glanced down to see what had struck him. It took a second, but the sleek design of expensive rakk leather made him recognize his own heeled boot, the one he had lost when he flew out of the caravan.

Confusion caused him to look up and over, his wandering gaze landing immediately on the con woman who was leaning casually against the dash. She pretended indifference to his obvious stare, until she happened to glance his way and caught his eye. She flashed him a cheeky grin and it was the first time she had ever smiled at him.

She was... Really pretty, actually...

Dismissing that thought immediately because - where had that come from (and what good could acknowledging this do?), he picked up his displaced shoe and the memory of being ripped from the relative safety of a moving vehicle came to mind. How he felt for just a moment, completely weightless, like when he and his best friend had left Helios and had breached the stratosphere of this planet, recalling the odd feeling of zero gravity that made his stomach lurch.

He was abruptly caught, Fiona's grip around his ankle the only thing keeping both Hyperion men from getting swallowed up by the desert. He counted himself lucky, until he could feel his heel easing out of his boot. The only connection he had to Fiona's desperate grasp was slipping away and there was nothing either of them could do. He remembered in that moment, that she had risked her own life by abandoning her secure grip to reach out to help these two men who she didn't know and didn't trust. The strength of her hold around his foot was fresh in his mind, the effort she made to keep them from the maw of the wastelands.

Sure, securing the two men from Helios meant securing whatever awaited them at Old Haven, but it had happened so fast, he doubted she had time to think about it that way. She had just acted on instinct. Well, at least that's what he thought. Fiona was just as much of an enigma as he was to her. Probably.

Quickly eyeing the landscape ahead of the caravan for any kind of obstructions, the company man slid his heterochromatic eyes over to the grifter by his side, raising a curious brow in silent inquiry.

She shrugged, looking down and off to the side, not meeting his questioning gaze as she answered, "Can't have you trekking across Pandora with only one shoe on. Figured I'd do you a favor and return your ugly footwear."

He was tempted to retort with a lecture on fashion and style, but a smile still played about her lips and he decided that he'd take the ribbing for what it was - a playful jab rather than a hurtful insult. Scoffing, he lowered his boot down to the floor so he could work his foot inside, returning his attention to the path before him as he shimmied his socked foot into the recess.

"Too bad for you, if you would've held onto it, you could've sold it for a decent profit. The high quality of this rakk leather is obviously lost on you though, what a shame."

Now it was her turn to scoff, the light huffing sound making a smile kick up at the corners of his mouth in anticipation of what she'd say in response. "I see you Hyperion snobs think too little of us down here - we might be desperate for quality goods, but I don't think a foul smelling fashion faux pas is gonna be doing anyone any favors. At least anyone with actual taste."

Said Hyperion snob grinned, shifting restlessly his seat at the first easy conversation that he'd had with this woman since he laid eyes on her. Bickering over nonsense with this pretty Pandoran native was actually kind of exciting. "And I'd like to thank you for confirming that no one on this rocky junk heap has any sense of taste. I had always assumed, but it's good to finally have it confirmed."

"Yeah, I don't think that's as much of an insult as you think it is, considering the situation you've got going on with that red strip of fabric."

"You mean my tie?" He subconsciously ran his mechanical hand down the length of the tie, genuinely wondering what she had an issue with.

"Oh, is that what that's supposed to be? How unfortunate." She twisted her face into a slight grimace, further provoking him in this little verbal game of theirs.

"I'll have you know that this is the latest in fashion amongst the elite on Helios."

"So you say. Is it... Tucked into your pants? Serious question here."

The young manager rolled his eyes, but couldn't argue further because... Yes his tie was tucked into his pants. It was a fashion statement! He shook his head, glowering at her from the corner of his ECHO eye. "Is this all you came up here for, to question my impeccable sense of style? Don't you have candy to steal from a baby or something?"

Fiona's face shifted into one of overly shocked dismay, a hand fluttering delicately to her chest in a show of being offended. "Well the only baby I see nearby is behind the wheel right now. As a true professional, I wouldn't take this time to rob you - could be dangerous to hinder your driving."

Rhys fought another grin, enjoying their banter even though he was obviously on the defense - and losing. But he had never had the chance to talk to Fiona one on one and he found he quite liked her taunting smile and jeering words. Her light green eyes were sharp, watching him carefully and he had no doubt that she had already pinpointed the locations of every single one of his pockets. She reached out to him suddenly and he wondered if she was gonna poke around said pockets now.

But her hand landed on his shoulder very briefly, patting him as she said, "Whenever you get tired of driving, let me know and I'll take over. Until then, try not to drive us off a cliff, Hyperion." She turned and sauntered away, and he found his gaze locked on her retreating back.

Was it strange that her sudden absence made him yearn for her to return to his side, to continue trading barbs and playful smiles?

Yeah, that was weird. He barely knew the woman and could count the positive experiences with her on one hand. But she left to join her sister, the sound of her voice in the distance catching his ear.

He lifted his eyes to the rear view mirror, in the hope of catching a discreet glance of her. Instead he was met with a pixelated face of blue staring back at him through the reflection. The sight of Jack made him jump, but thankfully it wasn't enough to affect his driving or draw attention.

"Ooh, somebody's got a little crush~" Teased the voice of his mentor, ringing in his ears and his ears only. "Not a bad pick either, Hat Chick is smokin'." A burst of digital blue particles manifested over the caravan's dash, solidifying as a projection of Jack laid out on his side, head propped up on one fist as he faced Rhys. "You know... If you hook up with her, you'd be doing both of us a favor." His former boss waggled his eyebrows, his expression alluding to deviant implications.

Rhys rolled his eyes, adjusting his grip on the steering wheel as a way to keep himself centered and calm. "Not gonna happen," he muttered, purposefully keeping his voice low as to not draw attention to the seemingly one-sided conversation that he was having with his dead employer's digital ghost.

"Ahh you're no fun! Just think about it-" Jack's sapphire smile glowed as he spead his hands out above him. "Me and her. I guess you'd have to be there too since, ya know-" His pixelated image collapsed and reformed to Rhys' other side, demonstrating his intangible state. "Don't really have a body at this point- but eh, we'll make it work. Anyway, we get her all hot and bothered right? And-"

"Look," the younger man interrupted, glancing once again at the rear view mirror but this time to make sure no one was overhearing his words. "It's not like that between us. I'm pretty sure she thinks I'm a total loser or something-"

"Not surprising."

"......And anyway... You're not her type. So there."

"Oh sweet cheeks, have you seen me? I'm everybody's type! If I were here in the flesh, Hat Chick would be on her knees begging for a scrap of my attention. Like, hello? Check this out!"

Hyperion's former CEO materialized in Rhys' direct line of sight, his azure image staring down at his cranial companion in what Rhys assumed was supposed to be a... "Sexy" stare?

"GOD I'm hot - it's honestly ridiculous how good-looking I am! They don't call me Handsome Jack for nothing kiddo. In fact, I was the winner of Garza Magazine's 'Top 100 Sexiest CEOs in the Galaxy', and there was also the award for-"

If Rhys rolled his eyes any harder than he was right now, he was sure they'd roll right out of his head.

Since becoming tethered to this man's coded reconstruction of his personality, the young manager wondered how he had ever spent so long admiring this narcissist whose blue visage was currently ranting about his looks and...sex appeal...? If Rhys, who had once idolized his former boss, was losing his hero worship more and more while in his company, then he knew Fiona wouldn't even glance his way.

Well, unless it was to put a bullet between his eyes. But the notion was inconceivable anyway; his ex-boss was long dead and his former employee was the only one who could see and talk to his digitized remains. So the thought of Jack and Fiona ever interacting was something he'd never have to worry about.

"Hey shit for brains, you hear me?"

Jack tapped Rhys on his temple port and it sent an electric zing coursing through his nerve endings. He stifled a yelp but couldn't help the knee-jerk reaction of his hands twitching along the steering wheel, sending the caravan into a sharp swerve until he quickly righted himself.

A chorus of complaints and questions sounded off from behind him and he immediately replied with "Sorry, sorry! There was a, uh. A baby skag in the way and I just didn't wanna hit it."

He nervously gulped and could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Glancing up, Athena's irritated gaze met his in the mirror and he felt his left hand begin to sweat. Redirecting his sight to the land ahead, he tried to focus on looking as inconspicuous as he could, given the circumstances.

"Oh, that was great! Your face - you- you should've seen your face!" Jack cackled, floating in mid-air as he clutched his sides in amusement.

The Hyperion employee felt his aggravation build, furrowing his brow as he tightened his grip over the steering wheel. Just as he opened his mouth to snap back, a small hand clapped onto his shoulder.

"Okay Rhys, I think that's enough driving for today," came Fiona's voice from over his shoulder. "Let me have the wheel, you can go rest and leave the baby skags to me. I think I know how to avoid them a bit better than you."

Rhys peered up at her as he eased down on the brakes, trying to gauge her reaction, but she ushered him quickly out of the seat. He felt her body slide in behind him as he was stepping off to the side, turning to face her as she settled into the driver's seat and adjusted it to fit her shorter legs. Her eyes were set ahead of her, but she spared him a brief glance, giving his tall body a quick up and down before returning her focus to the road.

"Sasha's making something for lunch, grab yourself a plate if you're feeling a little drained." Her words hinted at a sympathetic nature, but she must've caught herself being too soft on him because she continued. "We need everyone at their best if we're gonna secure Gortys' next piece, alright? We've got the opportunity of a lifetime here, Rhys. We can't mess this up."

Feeling a little embarrassed that he was basically kicked from driving duty, along with her reminding him of what was at stake, Rhys kind of nodded and mumbled a vague agreement as he rubbed the back of his neck. Not knowing what else to do when Fiona quieted and returned her full focus on the road while he just stood there awkwardly, he turned and shuffled down the stairs towards the cabin.

"And don't forget to save me a plate!" She called, and he turned to look at her before joining the others.

From this angle, he could see a little bit of her profile, watching silently as she reached up and adjusted her hat, before brushing her hair away from her face. She placed her hand back along the curve of the steering wheel and her turquoise nail polish glinted when caught in the sunlight.

He felt a new emotion wanting to bloom, but before he could examine it for what it was, Hyperion's ghost rematerialized in front of him, casting the back of the con woman in hues of blue. The fact that Rhys could see Fiona through Jack's body was unnerving and unpleasant, and it caused him to frown as his raised his eyes to meet the stare of his dead boss.

"Hey, kiddo. In all seriousness, don't let this little thing between you and this Pandoran savage get between us and our big plans, okay? That vault and everything in it is ours, as long as you and your dick don't fuck this up for us."

The company man broke his intense gaze, turning away from his mentor and towards the others gathered by the kitchen area in the caravan. "Yeah, whatever you say, Jack." The words carried no conviction, and Rhys doubted that this would be the last that he hears of it.

But he was honestly tired of the cobalt corpse floating in his field of vision whenever he deemed to "grace" the young manager with his presence. Right now all Rhys wanted to be concerned with is getting some hot food in his belly, and being the one to bring Fiona her plate as an excuse to engage with her more.

Perhaps she'd thank him and flash him another smile. Now that... That would be nice.

Happy birthday Sweko, I hope you have a beautiful day~! 🥰💕

©rin-bellatrix 2023

☆ borderlands masterlist ⋆ main masterlist ☆

[thebigpalooka]

Hello!

I humbly request a kiss from your recent prompt list. I was hoping for Mei and Junkrat for old times sake. 😅 Preferably something from the 1-12 section of the list

If you can't get to this one, I completely understand. I will enjoy what you do create, nevertheless! I look seeing what this list inspires!

Another oldie but goodie! I chose #2 - Gentle Peck uwu. I hadn't actually drawn their OW2 designs yet, so here they are too!

[olwrathie]

5 Male Characters Beloved

Tagged by: @mrsladydiana

Tagging: @queenofhollandvalley @oorah22 @admiralsweko @noodle-0606 anyone else who wants to participate!

Since I did this on my main blog as well, I will do a Far Cry 5 version of my favorite male characters (with the Seed brothers grouped into one category)

1.) Earl Whitehorse

2.) The Seed Brothers

3.) Sharky Boshaw

4.) Nick Rye

5.) Eli Palmer

[midostree-art]

YCH commission for @admiralsweko of Arthur Morgan and OC Mina Hawthorne. Thank you so much!

[nyaarr]

Thanks for not despairing @scoutdoodles and @admiralsweko.

I meant to make it a 1-2 pager that would have taken me a week or two, but Reinhardt had a different idea.

And you know I cannot deny him anything.

[rin-bellatrix]

Let's get it~! ✌🏽😘✨

Tagging da mooties (participate if you want to~):

♡ @admiralsweko ♡ @wakanawill ♡ @rhysiespeeces ♡ @legendaryskeletonpicklewolf ♡ @mashpotatomajor ♡

hey so what if i started a picrew chain i've always wanted to do that

tags (no pressure!!): @cornmazehater @r-r-raf @they-thespian666 @emptymilk-bottle @redminders

[rin-bellatrix]

There are so many good prompts but the one that stood out to me the most for Rhyiona is #3: a breathy demand: “Kiss me” - and what the other person does to respond."

Thank you for being open to requests and thank you in advance for indulging me with this. I'm a beast for new Rhyiona content and you are awesome!

Oh~ 👀

Ngl, this sounds so exciting to try...! And thank you once again for being so supportive~! ☺💕 I am also a beast for new rhyiona content but the thing is... I'm more on the lazy side and kinda want other people to do the actual work lmao 😆😆😆 (like andaxay lol! 🤭💕)

Thank you again my darling, you are pretty awesome too! ☺💕

[seekerofthemuse]

Tag game

Tagged by @admiralsweko and @zefenrian. Thanks!

Top three ships: Rhack, Rhyiona from Borderlands and umm Farmer/Harvey from Stardew Valley? Just basically what I'm into at the moment.

Lipstick or chapstick: chapstick

Last song: Green day - "Oh yeah!"

Last movie: the lovely bones (had to watch it again with @i-hate-being-shushed bc she was scared + I wanted to compare it with the book)

Reading: the witcher. Yeah, I'm still reading it and I had even read a couple of books during some large breaks from it pfft. Three books left 👀

Tagging @i-hate-being-shushed @apurplemoth and @ursiak

[starryfallows]

Tagged by: @coping-via-clint-eastwood  i saw this and was instantly like THEY THOUGHT OF...ME? :O :D

Rule: Tag 9 people you’d like to get to know better.

Top 3 Ships:

America/Belarus (Hetalia)

Orphen/Cleao (Sorcerous Stabber Orphen)

Rey/Ben Solo (Star Wars)

Lipstick or Chapstick? : Chapstick

Last Song Listened to: Saskatchewan in 1881 by Colter Wall

Last Film Watched: I think it was Pride and Prejudice 2005? Either that or Hallelujah Trail

Currently Reading: Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Tag 9 People: @xlucani @admiralsweko @i-am-the-sidekick @crimsonredemption @yakuntiklaylie @doppochi @lisaflowers @outlawmew @peach-s0da

[rin-bellatrix]

Oh shit, I was just saving some soap pics to use as potential wallpapers so I've got a bunch of him rn! 😂😂😂

But I'll only choose this one bc the rest is fan art/renders, and it's not my place to repost them~ 😌🧼✨️

As for would I be OK stuck in the same room as him...? I think it's more, would he be OK stuck in the same room as ME 😈 (the answer is no, bc [redacted] [redacted] and then we'll [highly classified information]). 🥰🥰🥰

Tagging @admiralsweko @zerosforks @oh-pretty-blob

you're stuck in a room with the last character in your gallery how safe are you?

(Tagged by @shieldofiron )

I honestly don't ... know ...

Tagging @lazybakerart @mikajupiterjonesingtimcurryfeet @callieb @disdaidal @introvertia

[rin-bellatrix]

U. N. I.

"You and I were meant to be more than friends." - Mating Ritual

Fiona couldn't be happier. Her new boyfriend is not in love with her sister. They've got a piece of the vault key under their belts. And Rhys isn't too bad of a kisser. But he's a bit too preoccupied with other matters to take up space on cloud nine beside her...

Written for @admiralsweko 💕

Header art by @sanzosin (bc this piece was the inspiration for a scene in the fic hehe 🤭💕)

Written for prompt #3 "A breathy demand: "Kiss me" - and what the other person does to respond."

From this kiss prompt list

Takes place a few months after "It Takes Two" so I guess this is technically the second part/chapter to that? 🤔

Bottom white heart divider is from this post and the white star divider is from this post

Fiona relaxed back into the large, expensive office chair at Rhys' desk. She had occupied this seat before, but now that she was the "official girlfriend" of Atlas' president, it felt more like a throne in this moment than a simple piece of furniture. Then again, she could just be riding the whimsy of being up on cloud nine.

Everything was going right for her lately, and she was determined to enjoy it while it lasted. Because life had taught her that things could only go so good for so long. There was a hurdle in her near future, an obstacle that she'd have to overcome. She didn't know what it was, just knew that it was coming.

That, however, was something to worry about when it came to her doorstep. Right now, she could relax and recline back into her boyfriend's overly expensive office chair.

Kicking her feet up on the edge of his polished desk, she knew that he'd be torn when he finally entered his office. On one hand, he'd be thrilled to see his lady love (she had left for a couple of weeks to run several errands for Sanctuary, only returning about an hour ago). On the other hand, he'd surely complain about her using his desk as an elevated foot rest.

But a pouty Rhys was just too cute to pass up, plus ruffling his feathers every now and then was still her favorite pastime. Two birds, one stone as the saying goes.

The entrance to Rhys' office open with a depressurized hiss, the two large metal doors unlocking and sliding away from each other to allow entry. In walked the man himself, coupled with Zer0, a once former assassin, now primarily an elite bodyguard.

"-And I just think that maybe, we can revive that old department and see what good can come of it, ya know?"

The hologram in front of Zer0's high-tech headgear flashed a ? quickly, followed by a nod and a :). The alien vault hunter easily kept pace with Rhys' long legs, the two tall men crossing the office floor in no time.

"What old department?" The female vault hunter asked, her voice making Rhys jump.

"Fiona! Oh my God I didn't see you- when did you get back?"

She snickered, trying to curb the instinctive urge to be smug. "Oh, a little while ago~"

Atlas' CEO shook his head and turned to his friend at his side. "Zer0, why didn't you tell me she was in here?"

The alien assassin shrugged his lithe shoulders and responded in his usual structured inflection. "𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚊 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝. 𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚝𝚢. 𝙽𝚘 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚕𝚊𝚛𝚖."

At Rhys' reddening cheeks, Zer0 donned a bright ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) across his sleek visor.

Fiona stifled a giggle, watching as Rhys shooed his lanky bodyguard out of the office before turning back around to face her, his hands on his hips. As the electronic doors shut behind Zer0, the former vault hunter flash a quick ;) at her from behind his employers back, until the doors sealed and she could see him no more.

Smiling at the assassin's playfulness, Fiona raised her eyes up to meet Rhys'. She found him avoiding her gaze and frowning, an overall agitated vibe coming from him. "Hey, what's wrong...?" she asked, lowering her boots down to the floor and sitting forward to examine his facial expression.

Atlas' head sighed deeply, running his human hand through his hair in a show of frustration. "Nothing... And everything, just- it's a lot. And none of it is going my way and I'm trying to find the best outcome to every scenario and I keep getting stuck-"

"Hey hey hey, it's okay, c'mere Rhys..." Fiona stood, walking around his large desk to take hold of his arm, guiding him to his chair. She pushed him gently down into it and stepped to the side, settling her hands over his broad shoulders and digging in. Her boyfriend sighed again, this time in pleasure as she worked at his tense shoulders.

"Tell me what's wrong, one thing at a time. We'll figure something out together, okay? Two heads are better than one, after all."

Rhys reached up and patted her hand, showing his appreciation silently. "Well, first off... We have a lead on the second vault key piece."

"Already?" Fiona couldn't hide her shock - it was rare to find even one piece, nevermind two pieces within such a short amount of time. Atlas' research division was truly something else.

"Yeah..." he answered, sounding much less enthused about the fact than she was. "Problem is, now that we're getting closer to forming a full vault key, the commander of the Crimson Raiders wants to take possession of the pieces we find." He lifted his cybernetic arm, turning his palm up and pulling up an ECHO recording of Lilith, head of the ship Sanctuary where she had just come from.

"Hey Atlas, my name's Lilith but you might know me as The Firehawk. Word around the block is you've been collecting vault key pieces. Yeah, I'm gonna need you to stop that and hand over everything you have pertaining to the vault key. Can't have a warmongering corporation claiming a vault for themselves, or all the other weapon companies are gonna wanna ride that train too. Look, Athena is vouching for you and all, but to be completely honest, I just don't like her. And I'm not sure if I can trust her word, you know? Especially considering that at one point, you both worked for Jack... So yeah, you have twenty-four hours to comply or we're gonna have problems. Big problems."

The recording ended there and Rhys dropped his metal hand back into his lap. Fiona rubbed his back soothingly, trying to dispel the dark cloud hanging over his head.

"Rhys, don't worry about it. I've met Lilith a couple times, she's way more chill than that. She was just... Casually threatening you to try and scare you into submission. Look, I'll talk to her and let her know that you're not some evil, scheming corporation out to use the vault's contents for taking over the world or whatever."

Her boyfriend turned to look up at her, still looking hopelessly dejected. She tsked and ran a gloved hand through his wavy hair, using the motion to keep him facing her.

"I'll talk to her," she repeated, meeting his eyes this time as she made a promise out of her words. "Don't worry. Worst case scenario, she takes our vault key pieces and the Crimson Raiders open the vault, in which case at least we can be assured that no evil syndicate is putting the vault to evil use. And maybe we can get some treasures out of it seeing as how you were the one to find two-thirds of the vault key. Best case scenario, she let's us open the vault! Wouldn't that be great?"

Rhys pulled back from her touch, but before Fiona could feel the faintest hint of rejection, he took her hands in his and looked up to meet her clear jade eyes. "Fiona, to be honest, I personally don't care about the vault or its contents, I was doing this to help you out."

Properly confused, she furrowed her brow at his revelation. "Rhys, what are you talking about?"

"Well, you're a vault hunter now, and I wanted to help you find a vault." Here he squeezed her hands, looking elsewhere for a moment before gathering himself and locking eyes with her again. "I know...that I haven't been a super amazing boyfriend lately because we've both been so busy, and I just wanted to make it up to you. I just wanted to make you happy. And what makes a vault hunter happier than opening a new vault! So... I tried everything to secure this key for you and it looks like you might not even get much of anything from it... I'm sorry, Fi..."

Fiona couldn't believe her ears. Rhys, sole owner of one of the major weapons manufacturers, wanted a vault but not for the betterment of his company, but because he felt guilty about their lack of interaction lately...? It was one thing to get the first piece of the vault key to impress her and ask her out. It was another to say that he wanted her to have the entire vault all to herself. Every time she thought that he couldn't surprise her anymore, he always managed to do just that.

"Rhys, you idiot..."

"Huh?"

She swiveled his chair around until he was fully facing her, before reaching up and cupping his bewildered face in her hands. Leaning down, she slanted her mouth over his and ignored the sound of her hat tumbling off and hitting the floor. She kissed him firmly, her persistence making him respond after a moment of surprise. His touch grazed her shoulders, before gripping her firmly and trying to pull her down onto his lap. She braced her hands over the arms of the chair, nibbling his bottom lip which made him elicit the softest groan she had ever heard.

Smiling slightly against his mouth, she pulled back to look down at him. He gazed at her with open affection, reaching up and smoothing his mechanical hand down her short hair, his other hand reaching up to cradle her face. Fiona looked over him, taking in the adoration clear in eyes, the faint rosey tint to his cheeks, the sheen of wetness over his parted lips, down to the way his Adam's apple bobbed on his tattooed neck. She had never felt an infatuation like this for anyone else before, and she counted herself lucky to have been the one to steal away his heart.

"Rhys... I don't need a vault to be happy. As long as you and Sasha are safe and happy, then I'm happy too. I can't believe you'd try to give me a whole vault as a gift... Unbelievable."

The young CEO grinned bashfully, charmed at his girlfriend's sentiment and utterly in love with the way she was looking at him right now. To him, this was worth all the trouble he recently had and then some. If Lilith wanted the vault key pieces, he'd give them over no problem. As long as Fiona kept looking at him like this, then everything was okay.

"Hey Fi?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

The vault hunter, who seemed in this moment more interested in the president of Atlas than in hunting for vaults, grinned happily and straddled her boyfriend's lap. He eagerly wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"Hey Rhys?" she purred, sliding her arms around his neck.

"Yeah?" he replied avidly, his loving gaze never leaving hers.

"Kiss me..." she ordered, and he wasted no time in slotting their mouths together again.

His hands slid up her back underneath her jacket, reaching up to tug the outerwear off her body. As soon as she shucked it free from her hands, she reached forward and started unbuttoning his vest. She made quick work of that and began on his shirt. He squeezed her hips and she hummed into his mouth, slanting her face in a different angle to deepen the kiss. He sighed pleasantly against her, his hands shifting up her arms until he was able to get a firm grip on her shoulders, pushing her back until they broke away.

"You didn't say it back..." he groused, his petulant attitude softened by his pink cheeks and kiss swollen lips.

Fiona could play this game, if that's what he really wanted. "You never answered me when I asked about what old department..."

Rhys blinked, as if the moments before she had sat in his lap were far off distant memories. When the confusion cleared in his heterochromic eyes, he brightened up and looked almost boyish in his excitement. "Oh, that! Well it turns out that Atlas used to run a pet food division, like a really long time ago, and I was just futzing around with the idea that we could, ya know, maybe bring it back. I think it'd be nice to be able to produce things other than weapons, right? What do you think?"

"Huh, that would be interesting. I never knew Atlas had something like that, seems kinda off-brand for a weapons company."

"Yeah, that's why I'm kinda excited about it. We could expand to so many different projects! Imagine, Atlas apartments... Or an Atlas hospital! I was even thinking maybe a grocery-"

"Rhys."

"Yeah?"

"As adorable as it is watching you get so hyped up for future endeavors, I'm trying to threaten your chastity here."

"Oh..."

"Yeah..." Fiona pushed aside his partially open shirt, letting her fingertips graze over the curved edges of his blue chest tattoo. "Is that okay...?" She kissed him sweetly, just long enough until she felt his hands settle on her hips again.

Atlas' president smirked up at her. "You trying to score a... Touchgoal?"

"Oh shut up and kiss me already...!"

"I will, after you say it back..."

Fiona rolled her eyes, but her obvious affection for him kept her expression playfully frustrated. "Okay, fiiine... I guess you could say that on a good day, if I'm feeling generous and benevolent, and you're not being too annoying..." He was nodding along, trying to encourage her to continue. "...Then, yeah... I love you too..."

Rhys was positively beaming. "See? Was that so hard?"

"I believe I already told you to shut up, Strongfork."

"Geez Fi, it's almost like you have a crush on me or something," he snickered, leaning in to kiss her with a smile on his lips. He was pleased at the embarrassed flush over his girlfriend's face. It was rare that he could get one up on her but oh so worth it when he did.

Fiona, on her part, fell eagerly into their kiss, mostly for the fact that she knew it was probably the only way she could actually get him to shut up. And also for the fact that yeah, she really was trying to score a touchgoal.

Fun fact, in case you didn't know: in the first Borderlands game, there's a mission you do where you have to collect dog food for someone and the company that produces that food is actually Atlas!

Here's a post where Andaxay and I talk about it if you wanna see photographic evidence of the dog food can and read Andaxay's short head canon about Rhys' possible new business venture 💕

BTW if you want more rhyiona fics, I really ✨ H I G H L Y ✨ recommend Andaxay bc her writing is SO in character that she's literally one of my all time favorite writers 💖 Here is her pinned post with links and summaries to her collection of Rhys x Fiona fics

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