#also jack: *tucks Rhys in and kisses his forehead*

[thehandsomeasshole]

Jack wanted to shake Rhys as hard as he could and scream in his face 'yeah, you know what else sucks? Crashing my fucking space station! That sucks! Everything I had to remember my dead wife, daughter and friends? Gone. Fucking rubble. That sucks.'

But, it wasn't like that'd really have much of an impact on Rhys considering he wouldn't feel it and was probably too out of it from the blood loss to care.

He'd save that thought for later.

"Guess it does. It's- it's not like it's... me, though. Y'know? You don't- you don't know. Forget it. It doesn't- it doesn't matter."

Jack couldn't help but laugh quietly at the thought of Rhys trying to strangle someone, with the arm he barely even seemed to utilise to its full potential when he was around him, let alone under a high stress situation.

"Yeah, you're... you're right. I would've been pissin' myself, huh?" He nodded slightly, huffing and looking down at his hands before continuing, his volume dropping, "Yeah, me too."

"Borrow suggests you plan on giving it back after, you little shit." Jack grumbled, unsure of why Rhys's smile had grated him so much. Maybe it was the fact that even after so much had happened, he'd done so much to try and get rid of Rhys, and he still treated Jack like a human being.

Like, who does that? A psychopath, that's who.

Maybe there was hope for Rhys yet.

"Adrenaline? You- I mean, sure. I guess. I like to think it's my downright witty conversation, but, whatever you want." Did Jack feel a little pang in his chest as Rhys's speech slowly started to slur together? Did he want to offer helpful advice like it was all going to be okay? That he'd take care of everything? Well, he was Handsome Jack.

That could mean he was either going to be an absolute angel and Rhys would feel like the safest person on Pandora, or he'd make an unnerving joke and have Rhys pass out in a horrible mood.

He opted for the latter.

"Two of me, huh?" He asked, nodding with a thoughtful expression, "Sounds like a porno I did a few years back."

Jack wasn't exactly surprised that soon after he spoke Rhys fell to the ground with a painful thunk.

For a while after Rhys passed out, Jack stood in silence in front of him. He wasn't exactly sure where to go from here, it wasn't like he could-

"Oh!"

Particularly glad Rhys wasn't awake to hear his sudden, pleased exclamation as he realised what Rhys's final words had meant, the hologram quickly disappeared.

The silence wasn't dragged out for too long, though, as he managed to worm his way back into Rhys's subsystems and, much like the previous time Rhys was unconscious, take over what few cybernetics Rhys had left inside him and then his whole body.

Slowly, Jack opened his eyes, blinking twice before he looked to where Rhys's arm used to be, and he let out a small grunt.

"Dumbass..." he mumbled, though he was embarrassed by the fact that he was startled it wasn't his voice leaving the body, but rather still Rhys's, "Awesome. Now I get to sound like a freakin' idiot until said idiot wakes his lazy ass back up. Just great."

Was he whining too much? Maybe.

Did that mean he was going to stop? Not a chance in hell.

A little while passed of Jack looking around, trying to figure out where exactly Rhys's had gotten them stranded, before he pulled his now battered body off the ground and began walking out of the crash site with the deeds to Atlas in his hand.

Soon, minutes of walking turned into hours and Jack was certain the hours would turn into days. But, much to Jack's apparent delight as he once again exclaimed, he'd managed to find his way back to the Atlas facility they'd visited in Old Haven.

If it weren't Atlas, he was sure he'd jump for joy.

But then again, it's better than Dahl.

Who's he to complain?

It took a little while to navigate the whole facility, stepping over the bodies they'd left there during their prior visit, but Jack soon stumbled into the facility's medical bay and couldn't stop the pleased smile that grew on his face.

Or, well, Rhys's face.

Despite the fact that Rhys very clearly couldn't hear him, Jack decided he'd have to fill the eerie silence in the huge room, and opted to lightly scold Rhys instead as he fixed up the battered body.

"Complete dumbass. Coulda just stopped at the arm, but no. Had to do the port and most of the eye, freakin' try and give himself a brain aneurysm..." he huffed, tone lightly mocking as he continued to speak, searching around the room for pain relief and bandages, "All 'I'll give you a second chance' as he's freakin' dying on the floor, like I couldn't have just left him there. Could've gotten back into Helios, won. But, no. Now I gotta bust my balls savin' his sorry ass."

The wounds, luckily, were just a patch-up job. Stop the bleeding, maybe a stitch here or there, and taking it slow until the bandages came off. The painkillers, though, Jack decided could wait until Rhys was awake.

And Jack decided Rhys had had a long enough nap, right about now.

Rhys's head thumped down onto the table Jack had laid him on, and the AI winced at the loud thud.

"Wakey, wakey, you little bitch." Jack said, leaning in and touching his finger to where Rhys's port was, haphazardly reinstalled, to give him a light shock, "Daddy needs a new body, and we ain't gettin' anywhere while you're drooling on yourself!"

thehandsomeasshole​:

No, no, no, no! This can’t be happening again! He can’t let this happen again!

It wasn’t fair.

He wasn’t lying.

There really was nothing there.

He’d spent all that time in nothing, an empty dark void that even made living back with his grandmother seem like a pipe dream, and God knows he’d throw all dignity he had left down the drain to keep it away a little longer.

Jack would’ve loved to have told Rhys the truth. To have told him, and only him.

I just don’t want anyone to be able to hurt me like they did again, Rhys. You have no idea.

The kid was pulling freaking circuitry out of his head, for crying out loud.

What was he supposed to say?!

God, please. Please, no. Don’t- Don’t do this, Rhys! If you’re really sorry you won’t-

If he was really sorry, you know, he wouldn’t be doing it.

It was rare that Jack agreed with the nagging, nasally voice in the back of his head. But this time? It was completely right.

Everyone who hurt him used the same tone, too.

Before they took everything from him.

Jack didn’t want to exactly go into depth of why Rhys had to be the first.

At least not to his face.

Rhys was so smitten with the idea of Handsome Jack, he was sure he could’ve gotten away with asking anything of the kid at some point.

If maybe he’d worded the plan better, he’d have a pair of stupidly long legs and a goofy smile to match right about now.

He wouldn’t be on his knees, begging for forgiveness from a man he’d known for little over a week.

He only thought Rhys was going to betray him, in the end, because…

Everyone else had.

That’s just what happened, wasn’t it?

He grew close to someone, he’d trust them (even the thought of saying it made him feel disgusting) and they’d stab him in the back the second it would benefit them more than keeping him around.

He was so used to that at this point, it felt odd thinking of anything else. 

But… a friend?

The word felt too alien in Jack’s mouth for him to even exclaim it in shock, though he was sure if he was still in a solid form he would’ve felt a familiar tightness in his chest.

Guilt, maybe?

Maybe he’d even feel that slight tinge of sourness in the back of his mouth from the bile in his stomach as he grew more distressed.

A friend.

This kid really must’ve had low standards to call someone like you a friend, you idiot.

And yet, despite the inner voice that mocked him incessantly, that thought alone made Jack feel just a little warm. Though, he was certain it was in his head.

It wasn’t exactly like any of this was real, anyway.

Immediately, Jack felt his fear shift right back to anger, and he wanted to scream.

Giving me a second chance, you little shit?! After everything I’ve done for you, after everything you took from me, you have the audacity to even offer me a fucking second chance? You’d better make sure you kill me really well, kiddo. Cause if you don’t? I’m gonna make you tear out your own eyeballs and eat ‘em…

…Is what Jack would’ve said did he not realise the utter terror he felt when he saw Rhys tug at the cable that was barely hanging on by a thread, the projection unstable and making a soft static noise before Jack held out both hands as if he were trying to soothe a dangerous beast instead of…

Well, Rhys.

“Alright. Alright.” His voice had softened, and though he tried to keep it level he still trembled on every word, “Just- Please, Rhys. Don’t shut me off.”

It was… Strange. Jack was almost sure he could feel wetness around his eyes, on his cheeks, even though there was nothing there.

Something Rhys had said, though, had piqued his curiosity.

’Just making a body shouldn’t be all that hard if we get the right people,’ Rhys had said, perhaps as a thought that was thrown away the second it left his lips.

But not for Jack.

What people? Where? When?

He wanted to bombard Rhys with questions right away the more he thought about it, but for now he decided a second chance would do.

“Never got a second chance from someone before, y'know.” Jack’s voice sounded much calmer, less like he was about to explode into fury again and more like he’d just woken from a particularly nice nap, still a little hoarse but much less shaky, “If you keep tugging shit outta your head like that, blood loss is gonna be what kills you. Then neither of us win.”

He shrugged, arms coming to cross over his chest and a ghost of a smile formed on blue lips, “Sounds more fair, but…” again, the AI shrugged, holding out his right hand for Rhys to shake, “Truce.”

For a moment, he just stared at where Rhys’s metal arm used to be, before he looked at his own, “Wow. That won’t work on so many levels, huh? Never mind, we can shake hands as long as you don’t die here, hm?”

It felt strange to try and go back to normal from begging and screaming for his life, but there wasn’t really anything else to say on the matter.

So he might as well look forward.

“I’ll need a body, though. To, y'know, shake your hand and make the deal official.” Was this the best time to try and crack a joke?

Eh, probably not.

But when was, in the borderlands?

“Come on, let’s bounce.” Jack mumbled, huffing and taking a final look around, “Still can’t believe what you did to my Helios…”

     Rhys watches Jack very closely, doing his very best to catch signs that the other may be LYING when he finally starts responding. It’s a bit FUNNY because that’s probably the longest time he’s heard the man keep his mouth shut. He notices, somehow, the twitch of ANGER that flashes briefly when met with his offer, and he mentally prepares himself to do what he doesn’t want to do, but then it’s GONE. Gaze narrows at the flickering hologram and, finally, Rhys nods.

          “I won’t.” Comes his reply, and the eye that can actually close falls shut, a SIGH of relief escaping him. Some of the tension leaves his body and he knows that the adrenaline that’s keeping him conscious WON’T LAST FOREVER. The right side of his shirt is soaked in his own blood and he can’t slow his breathing down no matter how hard he tries. This shit hurts like a MOTHERFUCKER, that’s for certain. For now, the only thing he can do is sort of talk Jack down, or whatever. Return to NORMAL, as normal you can get after RIPPING YOUR OWN ARM OFF and threatening the CRAZY AI THAT LIVES IN YOUR HEAD with destruction. After crashing the space station that he’d for so long seen as his home, just to get rid of the guy who he’s now striking some sort of deal with, who also just happens to be the crazy AI living in his head. Rhys opens his eye again and looks up at Handsome Jack,

          “Seriously? That… sucks.” He replies, a frown tugging at his lips. It’s so hard to even think right now, he probably used up his remaining brain cells to talk the way he just did. UNDERSTANDABLE, especially when taking into account the BLOOD LOSS he’s already experienced. Another dry chuckle escapes him, “Yeah, I’ll die one of these days from… stupid shit like blood loss,” he shakes his head, “if it ends up being today, I’ll be pissed.” Yet again the man chuckles and then he eyes the hand that the hologram holds out. If not for the searing pain in his shoulder constantly reminding him that HE LOST AN ARM, he would have gone for it and it STILL would have been awkward. Rhys LAUGHS at that, at Jack lightening the mood a little bit whether he means to or not.

          “Won’t work…” he echoes, a weak chuckle following, “’s what I was thinking.” He shakes his head, tiny smile gracing his lips now, “I’ll get a new one. It’ll be fine… not like I used it right anyway. You,” chuckle, “you weren’t there when I tried to strangle a guard using this arm.” He shrugs his left shoulder as he’s still holding the Echo eye carefully in that hand, “I failed miserably. You probably would have been laughing your ass off, I bet. I always have been a lefty…” He’s not even fully aware of what he’s saying right now, he’s sort of… floating, in a dreamlike state as the adrenaline starts to fade out. One thing has his eyes snapping wide open, though.

          “Body…” he trails off, brows furrowing for a moment, and then he looks up abruptly with a smile pulling his lips up, “oh, yeah. I mean, I don’t really… know who or how that would happen but I promise you I’ll at least ATTEMPT to figure that out…” a pause, a frown, “I don’t want to make empty promises but… how hard could it be..? I’ll just have to borrow something of yours…” he glances over to the remains of the trophy shelf, where the deed to Atlas is. Something like that would take forever, but if he had a headstart… it’d be doable. Probably. Upon Jack’s prompt, Rhys finally tries to get himself back onto his feet, but he CAN’T.

          “Well,” breath, “SHIT.” He chuckles some, looking up at the hologram sheepishly, “I’m so tired, Jack. Whatever’s kept me conscious… I’on’t fuckin’ know… adren’lin or sum’n…” his words are running together now as black spots swarm his vision, “’s runnin’ out, haha… dunno how long I c’n even…” Suddenly, Jack’s image phases apart into two separate holograms, both flickering, wobbling… more than before, though. He snorts, “there’s two of you, yanno that? ‘s like… i’uhno… ‘s funny…” Eyes droop down and he’s frowning now. Staring at the dual Jacks with the last ounce of clarity he can muster,

          “Do wha’cha want… or… yeah… jus’…” head tilts, brows furrow, he’s way too out of it to really formulate anything properly right now, “please don’ kill me.” And with that, the man teeters and falls sideways to the ground, unconscious.

[wingsofanillyrian]

A Party to Remember (Nessian)

@highfaenesta asked: “ “We’re at a Christmas party and our friends got drunk and started going on about how cute we would be together” Nessian AU”

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A/N: Ahh, I really don’t know how I feel about this one but I’ve spent waaay too long on it so here you go!

“’Come to Aelin’s Christmas party,’ she said. ‘It’ll be fun,’ she said.” I rested my head on my fist and checked my phone for the millionth time. No signal.

I let out a frustrated sigh, surveying the room. There were friends chatting and milling about, people playing board games, and even a few couples making out in the shadowy fringes of the atrium. And then there was me.

I decided that I hated Feyre.

She was the one that made me come to this stupid Christmas party in the first place, luring me in with the promise of a tour of Aelin’s famed library. Per her request, I’d gotten dressed up, wearing my favorite little black dress and matching black pumps. In the two hours since we had arrived, I hadn’t even caught a glimpse of Aelin, let alone her library.

She’d poured each of us a drink before flitting off with Rhysand, the two of them drinking and laughing with the rest of their friends. I never felt I had fit in with their crowd, and thus didn’t attempt to follow.

So I sat alone in the forgotten corner where she’d left me, tucked away from the rest of the partygoers.

Until Cassian came over, at least. He had been talking to Azriel when he spotted me brooding over his brother’s shoulder and excused himself to join me. He waved, a gesture that I returned with a bored, limp raise of my hand.

And I had to admit, as he sauntered towards me, that he cleaned up well. His fitted jeans added a touch of casual to his crisp gray button down, his dark curls pulled back in a bun at the nape of his neck. The corner of his lips lifted in a smile as he approached.

“Great party,” He chirped, then made a face of disgust that accurately reflected how I felt. I snorted, a very unlady like sound. At least someone shared my disdain for the holiday season.

”Fancy some company?” He gestured to the seat next to me, and I moved my purse so he could sit.

“I haven’t seen you in a few weeks.” I quirked a brow at him as I sipped at my Jack and Coke, my go to drink for parties.

Truthfully, I hadn’t always liked Cassian. His lazy, lopsided smile hadn’t always sent butterflies flitting through my stomach, but now it did. I used to hate his guts, back when he was all bravado and narcissism. When he dropped that mask though, I realized that there was a sweet guy under it all.

It made it incredibly hard to pretend I wasn’t interested in him.

“I’ve been busy with work,” he said with a shrug. “Training to be a police officer takes a lot of dedication.” I took another sip of my drink and grimaced. Gods, Feyre had a heavy hand. If she made her own drink with half as much liquor as she’d put in mine, the lightweight was probably drunk already.

“I believe it.” I smiled at him, something that had also become easier to do lately. He leaned back in his chair and rolled up the sleeves of his button down to reveal his tanned, sculpted forearms. I let my eyes linger a moment too long, a fact which he acknowledged with a sly smile.

“What about you? How’s the life of an architect?”

Nesta rolled her eyes playfully and shot him an icy look. “I’m an architectural engineer, thank you very much. And before you ask, no, they aren’t the same thing.” We’d discussed the matter many times before, but I knew he couldn’t resist pushing my buttons.

He threw his head back and roared with laughter, attracting a very intoxicated Rhysand’s attention. He stumbled to where we sat, my giggling sister latched onto his arm. Cass and Rhys exchanged pleasantries, which were mostly slurred and choppy on Rhys’ part.

Feyre threw her arm around my shoulder, grinning like a fool. “Well Nes, ‘s good to see you finally admitted your feelings for our friend here!” Cassian quirked an amused brow at the anecdote, a silent question written on his features.

My face went numb. No. This wasn’t happening, not here, not now. I’d spent so long building up a wall to close off what I felt. After being betrayed by someone I thought I loved…

This simply couldn’t happen.

“Shut up, Feyre!” I could instantly feel my cheeks grow hot and I tried to cover her mouth. It didn’t work though, and she scrambled out of my reach and continued to spew my deepest, darkest secret.

“But you’d make sucha pretty couple! I mean- you talk about how much you like him all the time!“ Oh gods, my gut was churning as she rambled on, and I furiously tried to pull her away from the table. She was latched onto her boyfriend though, who was built like a brick wall and utterly immovable.

Rhys frowned. “She’s not wrong, Nesta. You and Cass would be absolutely lovely together. Everyone knows how much you like-”

“Rhys- Feyre- You’re drunk.” I glanced nervously at Cassian, who’s eyes were as wide as saucers. I turned to him then, “They’re drunk, they don’t know what they’re talking about-“

His thundering laugh shook me down to the marrow in my bones. Every inch of me went fuzzy with shock and I stumbled back a step.

He was laughing at me. Because I loved him.

That was it, I was done for. This was why I hid my fragile heart behind a façade of hard, unforgiving ice. I turned on my heel, ready to leave before Cassian had a chance to poke fun and cause the tears building behind my eyes to fall.

“Hey, Nesta, wait!” It was him. That damned bastard that had to be so kind and caring and attractive and make me like him. Who laughed as my heart was ripped from my chest and laid bare before him.

Just like the others, hissed the voice in my head.

I heard the scrape of his chair on the tiled floor as he got up to follow me outside. I quickened my pace, forcing my way through the mass of people and yanking open the door. I immediately regretted leaving my jacket inside as I was hit by a blast of icy wind, but my pride didn’t allow me to turn around.

“Nesta-“ I slammed the door in his face, not wanting his guilt-riddled explanation.

I made it a few steps down the sidewalk before I was stopped by a warm hand on my elbow. I whirled, already knowing who I’d find. Sure enough, I was met with a pair of concerned hazel eyes.

“What do you want?” I spat, swiping at my salty cheeks. “Come to make fun of me for actually having feelings and not being a frozen bitch?”

Cassian flinched, the words hitting him like daggers. “You think that lowly of me?” When I didn’t respond, he ran a hand through his hair, a few stray curls coming loose from the bun. “And here I thought we were friends.”

I let out a sharp, grating laugh. “Yeah, well, now we can’t ever be just friends again. Not after my drunken sister spilled the damn beans.” I tore my arm free of his gentle grip to glare at the ground.

I was furious at Feyre for betraying my trust. I was hurt because I knew Cassian wouldn’t feel the same way about me. But above all else, I was just plain tired. Tired of pushing everyone away. Tired of being scared to feel, to love. Fresh tears streamed down my cheeks, but I didn’t have the energy to brush them away.

“Hey,” he started, shrugging out of his jacket. “Don’t cry. Everything’s gonna be fine, trust me.” I allowed him to place the worn leather coat over my shivering shoulders, his hands lingering there.

“No, it won’t.” I shook my head, sending another salty tear tracing down my face. “I just had my heart laid out on the table and all you did was laugh at me.”

“What?” His usually dark face paled as he saw the situation from my point of view. “Oh, gods, I wasn’t laughing at you! Nesta, I was laughing at myself.” I toed a loose stone in the sidewalk, unable to meet his gaze.

“What do you mean?”

“I was laughing because I’m an idiot.” I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off. “Look, I’ve liked you for a long time. In fact…” A knuckle ghosted the underside of my chin, causing me to turn to him. The dull light leaking from the porch lantern softened his rough features, casting him in a warm, golden glow.

“I’ve wanted to go out with you since the day we met.”

In that moment, the world seemed to shrink to just us two. He brought one rough, calloused hand to cup my wind-whipped cheek, brushing away my tears. Falling snowflakes caught in his delicate lashes and snagged in his beautiful curls. And he was beautiful; every piece of him.

But it was his eyes that captured me. Soft, welcoming pools of warm honey flecked with mossy green. When Cassian looked at me, it was like he could see through the frigid exterior and straight through to my broken soul.

“I’m going to kiss you,” he said, that enchanting gaze dipping to my lips. Every fiber of my being yearned to accept his offer, but a voice in my head held me back.

He’ll hurt you, just like the last one.

Take advantage of you, use you, and leave you.

No. Cassian would never do any of those things. I’d seen who he truly was, and he was a good man. He’d care for me. He would respect my boundaries and would never push me. Maybe, one day, he could even learn to love me.

So I swallowed my pride.

“Okay,” I whispered, listening to my heart instead of my head.

When his lips met mine, there wasn’t the explosion of fireworks that I had imagined there would be. Instead, something inside me clicked, and it just felt right. I circled my arms around his neck, reaching up on my tiptoes to deepen the kiss. His tongue probed my lower lip, and I opened my mouth to grant him access.

Home.

That’s how it felt to kiss Cassian; it felt like home.

When he finally pulled away to catch his breath, I rested my forehead on his chest.

“You’ve held my heart for a very long time, Cassian. Don’t break it.”

“I won’t ever hurt you,” he murmured, and he couldn’t possibly know how much those words meant to me. His hand found mine at my side and tangled out fingers together.

“Let me walk you home.”

I let him, and we took the long way just to have a few more minutes in each other’s presence. He kept my hand firmly in his the entire way. I wasn’t wrong, Cassian and I could never be just friends after tonight.

But maybe we could be more than that.

[thethespacecoyote]

I dunno where this came from, I wanted to write an omegaverse Hollywood actor AU and uh....this is what happened

its probably not very good but Oh well

“Just sit back and let it happen.”

That’s what Jack had told him, the first time he’d noticed a couple of people with their phones out, spying on one of their first days out after they’d officially announced their relationship.

Jack seemed entirely nonplussed by the fact that people were creeping on them—but Rhys supposed he must be used to it, after all? Jack was a far more seasoned Hollywood vet than Rhys was. Barely wet behind the ears, but fresh and flush off the success of his first major motion picture.

Jack’s easy confidence as he finished the rest of his mojito and dug into his sandwich— tearing off a dangling bit of prosciutto and wiping a smear of pesto off his stunning smile—helped somewhat to ease the tension forming in Rhys’ belly, but still he only picked at the cheese and tomatoes from his salad, losing his appetite now that he knew there were people huddled behind him, taking photos that would no doubt be on the internet in instant and in the tabloid magazines by the morning.

Buzz had built around Rhys’ film ever since his role was properly announced. Omegas typically weren’t cast as anything but the romantic lead or amusing sidekick, even in this day and age where social mores had progressed far beyond typical alpha-provider and omega-caretaker roles. It had been easy enough for Rhys to ignore the arguments and “controversy” when he was distracted by grueling shooting schedules, directorial tantrums, and Jack shooting winks and one-liners at him in-between shots, and even in the pre-release interview cycle he’d stuck mostly to rote responses in order not to harm the film’s box office. Which had turned out so handsomely that Rhys had been seeing stars for a good week there.

Maybe that explains how easily he’d fallen into Jack’s arms.

No one could blame him for falling hardly for the actor’s charm—Jack was consistently rated in the top five, if not number one, of the Top 100 Hottest Alpha Actors. A list that was perhaps tainted by flavors of the months and stars that would burn out after their first film flopped, but remained consistent in their assessment of Jack as a pretty hot commodity.

The intimacy of their movie roles hadn’t exactly helped fizzle their chemistry either. Jack had been the hero—of course, as diverse as the actor’s talents were, he barely played anything else—the red-blooded alpha CIA agent who’d been embroiled with a handsome but deadly omega spy. Conspiracy, violence, seduction—all of that built up not only into a smash-audience success, but also an undeniable spark that hadn’t been smothered in the wake of the film’s release. Wrap-parties had turned into clandestine kisses had turned into Rhys being invited to Jack’s hillside mansion where he’d spent the night clouded with champagne and spicy musk and woken up wrapped up in Jack’s arms with his open mouth planted against his neck.

From then on, Rhys’ life had started to feel less and less like his own.

He was hounded with invasive questions about his and Jack’s intimacy whenever he dared to do an interview or a late-night talkshow, and even on the street just trying to grab some groceries there were men taking pictures of him and strangers trying to ask him about what Jack was like in bed. More than once he had returned to the mansion, red-faced and panting from having to run up his own driveway to escape those particular strains of crazies who had decided to chase him up to his doorstep.

Thankfully, Jack was usually there with a glass of wine and a comfortable couch and a quickie, and even if he wasn’t Rhys could usually call and bother him and maybe hold up production on his next film for a couple of hours while he rushed to his omega lover’s aid.

“You need to be better about letting this stuff go,” Jack sighed against the top of his head one night. Rhys had snapped at a photographer earlier, just barely restraining himself from smashing the man’s phone into the pavement before running home where Jack was giving his new private chef the grand tour. After prompting kicking the confused young beta off to a secluded part of the mansion, Jack had spent most of the past few hours ravishing Rhys on every surface in their living room, finally coming to rest on the fluffy white carpet near the vast plate-glass window. Rhys mumbled dazedly, squirming around Jack’s knot as he gazed, mesmerized—not by the fantastic view of the glittering, tiny city below off into the dark, though it was nice—but by Jack. By the way the alpha’s hair was splayed across his forehead, the way his silvery scar was just barely visible in the dim light of the living room, by the way Rhys could see just the slivers of his mis-matched eyes behind heavy, satisfied lashes.

Jack had plenty of sex scenes in his movies. Rhys had seen most of them, and had maaaaybe spent way too much time freezing certain frames in the days before he’d gotten the chance to work with the man himself. But there was something that the camera couldn’t exactly capture, that only Rhys was privy to as he rested on Jack’s rising and falling chest, watching the alpha come down from his orgasm.

He rested his head on Jack’s chest, cheek pressed just above his heart and head just barely tucked underneath Jack’s chin. The alpha’s arms were warm and heavy over his back, his scent wrapped around the omega like a heated blanket, and somehow Rhys felt safer and more grounded than he had lately, even as he lay completely naked and exposed in the middle of Jack’s living room.

“Don’t worry. The only eyes up here are mine, babe.” Jack whispered against the top of his head, and Rhys smiled as he burrowed into the alpha’s chest, secure warmth pooling through him as he relaxed into the weight of Jack’s body.