Romeo and Juliet but Borderlands (Handsome Jack x Rhys)

Act III, Scene II

Rhys sat on a chair, staring at the bright, clear sky. The deep yet vibrant blue reminded him of Jack's eye that wasn't green. He could stare into the cloudless abyss forever, if he wanted to. It was one of the hottest days of the year anyway, and it wasn't like he had anything to do, hence why he was sitting out on his balcony in this trance. It was too stuffy inside his bedroom for him. 

Rhys's train of thought inevitably returning to Jack made him long for the return of the night sky rather than the blue expanse he was pouring his thought into. Rhys found the night sky fitting for him and Jack; he knew that was the only sky accepting of their love. It was the only sky that would see it, after all; but it was also the most beautiful sky to him, as well. The dazzling stars and the rare celestial bodies he could count suit their love divinely; the cold yet alluring expanse of the infinite dark sky was the danger of their love, with the want to overcome said danger. The want to explore the heavens of the night indefinitely was the wish to be able to explore each other without worry and judgement from their houses. Rhys found it a good metaphor. 

He rested his chin on his hand, his elbow connecting to the oak railing of the balcony. He sighed, "Night couldn't take any longer to come."

Moxxi stirred him out of his daydreaming stupor. She cleared her throat uneasily, prompting Rhys to turn around and face her in a jump. He took a beat and smiled, "What's up? Do you have the rope ladder Jack told you to get?"

Moxxi nodded and produced the ladder. She frowned, "Yes, I have it right here."

"Good!" Rhys then mirrored her expression, "What's the matter? You look upset..."

Moxxi shifted uncomfortably and looked down at her hands, "He's been killed, sugar... He's gone! He's been killed! He's dead..."

Rhys covered his hand over his mouth, tears overcoming him. He sobbed, "Oh my... How-"

"Oh, Jack, who ever thought it would be Jack?"

"What-" Rhys took his hand off of his mouth and covered his eyes, "What did he do? He didn't... Did he?"

"I saw the gunshot wound myself... I can't believe it."

"No, it can't be..." Rhys wrapped his arms around his legs and let out another sob, "I- I can't take this... Just bury me with him. At least then, we can be reunited somewhere where we can't be judged."

Moxxi leaned on the railing, trying to not lay down and cry with Rhys, "Oh, Vasquez, Vasquez. He was too honorable a gentleman. I had wished I wouldn't live long enough to see him die like this..." 

"Wait," Rhys lifted up his head and held eye contact with Moxxi, "Both Jack and Vasquez have been killed?"

Rhys was never close to Vasquez and, in fact, has never particularly enjoyed his company, but he was still his cousin and did not wish him such a death. 

 Moxxi dried her tears with a delicate handkerchief, shaking her head, "Vasquez is dead. Jack's been banished. Jack killed Vasquez and is now banished as punishment."

 "Why... Why didn't you say that to begin with?" Rhys mumbled to himself. Vasquez's death wasn't the most important thing in the world to him, as cruel as that sounds. Jack's banishment on the other hand...

"Your husband is a wicked man, Rhys," Moxxi stumbled, walking to the bedroom's entrance, "I need a drink.."

"Don't talk about Jack like that! He's a good man."

Moxxi looked at him behind her shoulder, glaring, "You're seriously saying good things about the man who just killed your cousin?"

Rhys furrowed his eyebrows, "Am I supposed to speak ill of my husband? I know Jack was defending himself. He would never kill Vasquez for no reason! You know how hot headed Vasquez is! He brought this upon himself. I'm not happy he died, but Jack's banishment weighs on me more."

Moxxi shook her head and went inside. She returned with a bottle of brandy. 

Rhys stood up, leaning over the  balcony and stared at the sky again. He said, "Might as well get rid of that ladder. I have no use for it now."

"Go inside. I'll go and find Jack," Moxxi patted Rhys's shoulder comfortingly, "Jack'll be here tonight. He's hiding at Claptrap's right now."

Rhys wiped the last of his tears with a sleeve and smiled, "Thank you, Moxxi," He perked up remembering the gift. He produced a simple silver ring from his pocket and threw it to Moxxi, who caught it with ease, "Please give him this ring, too. Tell him to come here for his last goodbye."

"Will do, sugar."

And Moxxi was off, leaving Rhys to go back inside his bedroom as he was instructed to do, awaiting his husband's return.

(A/N):  Sorry this took so long to update; I have a really bad habit of starting fanfics that I almost never update, and it only got worse with how hectic my life got with the virus. But! I'm trying to get better and force myself to write every once and a while, it's really good for me to let out all my energy through typing so I'm going to try to update all my fanfics I'm currently working on more often.

Also, I looked back and read the last few chapters of this to get back into the flow of writing it and needless to say, I'm not satisfied with my work. My writing style has improved a lot since I began writing this and I might just go back and rewrite a few bits (I know how clunky I used to write lol). I also know how boring this fanfic can be at times, since I tried to make this as connected to the original story as I could, and I'm aware that  can be unappealing to certain audiences. I do hope that this story has gotten you into Shakespeare or at least piqued your curiosity for classic literature, as was my intent.

Anyway, I hoped ya'll enjoyed this one and stay safe out there!