Chapter 1: Star Girl
Chapter Text
Theia had been playing her piano most of the day, well. When she said her piano she meant the one her boss allowed her to use. She was a singer at heart and always had been, who wanted to talk about their feelings in such a factual manner when they could express it much better through song. Of course, singing in random bars on Pandora wasn’t the most lucrative of professions however and she’d had to eventually grow up and move on from her dream, taking a receptionist job on Helios. Maybe she should have gone to school, learned to code or how to do accounting or something. That would be better pay and much more steady employment. But she hadn’t. Her heart had been set on singing.
If Theia couldn’t sing she couldn’t breathe. That’s why she started sneaking into the Helios nightclub during their closed hours, using the piano or the stage to sing to her empty audience. She’d been caught, of course, not as sneaky as she liked to pretend she was. But luckily the manager had liked what he’d heard and gave her a job. This must have been how she was known by people working high enough up in the company to get the phone call. Theia was about to audition to move to the Handsome Jackpot to sing in their cabaret bar. Cabaret singing was her dream and she’d be damned if she passed up this chance.
Her nerves were high as she stepped off the shuttle, all of her belongings reduced to the suitcase she carried once again. Theia hadn’t owned this little since she first moved to Helios and had to leave behind the sentimental junk and trinkets she had been lugging around Pandora.
Another new start. To be honest, she was sick of fresh starts after leaving home, leaving her planet, and now leaving Helios. Theia hoped this would be her home for good. But she knew Handsome Jack was a hard man to please. Not that she ever expected to meet him but, if she was unsatisfactory she was sure news would reach him resulting in her being fired, if she was lucky and he was having a good day. She stepped onto the landing bay, bag in hand to see the man himself standing, waiting.
"You're one of the Talents I sent for right? The Pandoran Song Bird. I'm actually really excited to meet you." He said as his eyes grew wide. He was expecting some stuffed suit to come to give back some of the money he paid them. This however was a pleasant surprise. He approached her taking her hand and kissing it. His eyes kept locked with hers as he let her hand go, quickly snapping his fingers at a man in uniform standing close by.
Here he was, the infamous man she had heard so much about, kissing her hand. How gentlemanly. Looking at him up close, she realised he really did live up to his name, his greying hair, the faint imperfections on the skin peeking out from under his mask. And my god was he built well, the perfect height that she could reach his lips but still got to look up at him, his broad shoulders perfect for cuddling. If only she weren’t terrified of him, she may have been attracted to him.
"You, bell boy gather Miss Theia's luggage and take it to the Talents’ quarters. If she tells me that anything missing, I will deal with you myself. Understood?" The bell boy nodded quickly and scurried gathering Theia’s suitcase before taking off.
“Oh I apologise for my appearance sir I wasn’t aware I’d be meeting you.” she commented, suddenly very conscious of the rehearsal outfit of layered dance clothes she wore as she watched the bell boy disappearing with her luggage “It’s a pleasure to meet the great Mr Hyperion.” Theia tried to feign all the courage she could with her teasing tone.
"Please, Theia, it’s Jack. Only the fanatics call me Mr. Hyperion and you're more complex than that, aren’t you?" His question had a slight upward incline as did his eyebrows as he watched her. The question was meant for her to ponder. What did she think of herself? Then just as fast as his tone was serious, it was joyous again. "You seem to be the first to arrive. Or at least as far as I've seen. Let me buy your first meal on The Handsome Jackpot.”
A pink dusting grew across her pale face as he insisted on being so casual with her, of all the stories she’d heard he was a man to be feared but here he was being so kind. She looked up at his much taller frame as she began to speak, “That’s sweet of you si- Jack,” she corrected herself, still afraid of him “But don’t you want to wait for the others?”.
Jack shook his head with a smirk on his face. "Ohh you think I came down to greet the talent. You got lucky sweetheart. And what can I say, I think you would look great on my arm, so I'd like to get to know you." Jack winked at her and extended his hand. "What do you say?”
She looked up at him, her face now as red as her polished nails as she tried her best to form a sentence, sure he was attractive but that wasn’t what made her nervous. Handsome Jack was terrifying in every sense of the word. His masked face, his trigger-happy demeanour, and yet she couldn’t help but oblige, a smile on her face no less “That sounds lovely Jack, I better go and get changed though, I feel so underdressed next to you,”.
Jack shook his head. "Theia, if you stood next to me, all dressed up, everyone would just start calling me Ordinary Jack. Wait till I can compete. Plus you must be famished from your trip. Are you really going to tell Handsome Jack no?" He grinned still offering her his hand.
Her hand was shaking as she placed it in his “How could I?” she giggled unconvincingly. Maybe this would be fun. As scary as he was he seemed to be treating her better than well and she sure wouldn’t mind gazing into those mismatched eyes a little longer, even if she had to go in her rehearsal clothes.
With a slight performative bow, he took her hand, gently leading her away from the shuttles.
The restaurant he took her to was surprisingly quaint for Jack. The man behind the counter was very obviously afraid of him, but he seemed to be less so than the other patrons. As Jack pulled the chair out for Theia, he couldn't help but grin at all the people watching her, asking themselves, who was this mystery girl sitting with The Handsome Jack? She felt the eyes on her, imagining they were probably wondering what someone who looked so rough was doing at lunch with this high company.
“Can I just ask why you’re being so sweet to me Jack?”
Jack sighed. "Honestly Kiddo, it's because of the way your eyes lit up when you saw the spaceport. I want to know what's behind that sparkle. So tell me about yourself." Jack smiled sitting beside her at the table and turning to her.
She couldn’t help but smile softly at his answer ”Well I grew up on Pandora,” her voice quiet at the name of her home, “sneaking out at night to go and watch gigs and I just always felt so jealous of the singers because they got to create this art every night. When I grew up I started working in bars as a way to get my own gigs but money got tight and I took a receptionist job on Helios to make ends meet. Lucky for me though I got caught by your talent scouts when I was practicing on the big piano in the night club and I got asked to come and try out here.” she explained.
"Right, your dossier said you were Pandoran. Tell me Pumpkin, did you ever see yourself above the world you once called home? Did you ever think you'd get this far?" Jack asked as he took a drink of the amazing-smelling liquid in his glass. His eyes locked with hers, almost as if he was intentionally intimidating, interrogating her.
”I haven’t always had the most self-confidence but I always dreamed of singing up here amongst the stars.” she smiled as she looked up at nothing, imagining what celestial views she might get to see living up here.
"Well, Theia you are in the right place to take your first step into the universe. Let me be the first to welcome you."
Jack gave her a genuine smile, happy to hear she wasn't just all make-up and no brains. Given everything from birth and ready to be just another pretty face, not that she wasn't pretty. She was actually quite beautiful, her bright eyes and dark hair seemed to be just his type. He raised his glass toward her.
"To you Sweetheart. And may the universe accept you into its stars."
She barely noticed the look on his face, barely. The split second of genuine smile she caught filled her stomach with butterflies and emptied her mind of all thought.
“And to you Jack and to all the vaults you’ll conquer,”
She chuckled warmly as she lifted her own glass, she shouldn’t get involved with such a dangerous man right? But he was so kind to her, perhaps the rumours of his cruelty were just that. Rumours.
Jack tipped the glass to his lips taking a drink before setting it back down. His eyes were drawn like flies to hers as the time passed. Their food soon arrived and they were halfway through the meal when Jack relaxed back looking at her as she sat distracted. Soon enough, Theia followed suit, taking a sip of her bourbon as the food arrived. She ate happily as she relaxed into the comfort of silence, finally beginning to let go of her fear. That was of course until he spoke again.
"Tomorrow you’ll be brought into one of our small stages. My judges will observe your performance, and if you meet their standards, you'll get a real offer."
Jack said, so robotically. It was almost as if he didn’t like the idea that she may not be hired on contract.
Auditions were the one time Theia got stressed while singing. She could easily perform to thousands a night without a second thought, but singing to a small panel of judges was beyond terrifying. Even more so than the man sat across from her.
“And what if I fail? You gonna send me home? Shoot me?”
She spoke, aggression tainting her tone like a frightened dog.
"No, of course not. If you want to stay there are a lot of stages in the Jackpot. The one you're auditioning for tomorrow is the main event. The little stages are still a decent size, but the big stage makes the most money. Has the best crowd. And it's only for Musicians..." Jack looked around the room before going back to Theia. "Just sing your heart out Kiddo. I'm sure you'll do great." His eyes kept fluttering back to her as he finished his meal.
She sat still for a moment thinking, maybe he was right and it wouldn’t be so bad.
“Jack why are you singling me out of everyone else here to audition, why did you decide to take me to lunch?” she asked him, her voice equally curious and nervous.
Jack looked back to Theia and his smile lessened slightly. He didn't like repeating himself.
"Listen Kiddo. I said it once already, I didn't single you out. You showed up on the transport when I was walking by, I liked the way your eyes sparkled when you looked around at my spaceport. I like the adventure in your eyes. So I invited you to lunch. If you don't want to be here with me, you're free to leave." He said as he relaxed back in his chair. His smile tapered to a light line. "You might be special Pumpkin. You might be the next great star in this galaxy. It might start right here in that chair, but you're going to have to earn it."
His eyes focused intensely on hers now. She was beautiful. Her eyes were kind. He really did hope she was as good at singing as his scouts said.
Meanwhile, she couldn’t help but allow her eyes to drift to his stiff, masked lips as he spoke, feeling more worked up and confident the more he spoke.
“I guess you’ll have to watch me then,”
the girl teased as she stood up from the table, turning back to send him a wink before walking away, swaying her little ass with each step as she felt his eyes burning into her.
Why did she do that? She thought. Was she running because she was scared or was she teasing him? Time to focus on the audition she told herself, heading to her personal room to pick out a suitable outfit and practice a little.
Jack watched her intensely. She was destined for great things for sure. And she was going to drive him crazy. He already felt drawn to her. Already wanted to chase her. He was about to when she stepped out the door and the sleazeball that had been chatting up uncomfortable women by the bar caught sight of her. Jack rose as the man made his way after her.
As the man followed behind he was oblivious to Jack, only a few paces behind. The man was about to take a corner toward the main halls of the jackpot when Jack grabbed the back of his collar.
"Easy there scum bucket. That lady wants nothing to do with you. Much like everyone else."
The man struggled pathetically in Jack's grip. Muttering something about being the governor of somewhere or the other and spending so much blah blah. He could only imagine his hands on Theia as she said no. Before he knew what happened the man's grey matter painted the wall behind him the red in Jack's eyes fading slowly. Jack really did like this girl.
Unaware of what had transpired after she had left the restaurant, Niamh spent her evening practising for her audition before settling on the perfect song and drifting off to sleep.
Chapter 2: Armour's Fall
Summary:
Co-written with LL Valentine.
Theia auditions for the main stage of the cabaret district.
Chapter Text
The next morning, Theia dressed herself in a floor-length gold dress with spaghetti straps and painted in sequins. She curled her dark hair and painted a small flick of liner on each eye before slipping into her black stilettos and heading to the main stage for her audition.
Her nerves were running wild but at least if she failed she wouldn’t have to cope with her conflicting feelings for her boss.
Unaware of why he felt like dressing up for the day, Jack slid his cuff links into place as he looked himself over. The golden H of Hyperion cut his black suit perfectly. The golden tie cut down the centre of his abdomen. With his fingers, he moved his hair perfectly into place and sighed looking at the disgusting wound across his face. The scarred V-shaped symbol that marred him. His heterochromatic eyes lowered and he lifted the mask into place. Buckling it on he lifted his eyes and donned his signature smirk before walking out toward his office.
Soon the time for her audition came, and Theia waiting in the wings. She hadn’t stayed at dinner long enough to hear who would be judging her, hell she hadn’t even stayed long enough to pay for her meal. It was too late to worry about that now though.
She stepped out of the cold wings and into the heat of the spotlight, stopping when she reached the microphone.
“Candidate number six, Theia Gilmore,”
she spoke the words that she had been given softly into the microphone as the lights blinded her to the audience.
Jack had honestly hoped to miss Theia’s audition. He wasn't sure he'd have any judges left if they said one wrong thing about it, but when he heard her name spoke over a speaker, in that timid little voice of hers, he couldn't help but lean against the door frame to listen in. He made sure not to be seen so he didn't throw her off or influence the judges at all, but he wanted to hear her.
When her voice filled the auditorium, it did so warm and softly, Theia closing her eyes to avoid looking at the people scrutinising her.
“Pale September, I wore the time like a dress that year.
The autumn days swung soft around me, like cotton on my skin.”
Confidence slowly built within her as she sang, her hips beginning to sway softly to the beat.
“But as the embers of the summer lost their breath and disappeared. My heart went cold and only hollow rhythms resounded from within, but then he rose, brilliant as the moon in full and sank in the burrows of my keep.”
Jack watched her intently, losing his cares for a moment as he was enraptured in all that was her.
“And all my armour falling down in a pile at my feet, and my winter giving way to warm, as I’m singing him to sleep.”
When the sweet chorus began to flow, the music swelling as her voice grew louder, Jack almost cried. The salty tears of a man who hadn't allowed himself to be so vulnerable in years burned his scar beneath the mask and he had to clench his fists to stop from letting a single tear more from falling. Theia sang like an angel and Jack would execute any man that said different. Hell, he even made sure his gun was ready, quietly placing his hand atop the calming presence in his pocket. As the judges began to applaud, he grinned. He would be seeing her on the main stage. He knew it as he walked past the door to go about his day.
Eventually, the song drew to a close and Theia left, too overwhelmed with worry to go home.
She slipped down a taped-off hallway and down to an empty construction site, the perfect place to light up a cigarette without setting off any of the alarms. Pulling the metal case she had hidden in her bra, she took one of the sticks, placing it between her lips and lighting it before taking a long, much-needed drag.
Jack wasn't stalking her. At least that's what he told himself as he watched her from a nearby foreman's office. He was just making sure the paperwork for the construction of the most recent hotel sector was all in order. The papers sat on the desk untouched.
Unaware of the eyes on her, she finished her cigarette, looking into the stars for what felt like an eternity. Since she was a little girl, Niamh had always been one to stay up late, staring up into the sky until she could no longer stop sleep from taking her. The stars just had so much to tell, honestly, she wasn’t too bothered about the job up here, she could sing anywhere she went and she had proved that over her years but seeing this view? She knew she could never go back anywhere else.
Jack cursed to himself. That damn sparkle in her eye. Why the fuck was he in the spaceport at the moment she arrived? He didn't even remember. Dammnit why her? Why did it have to be her getting out of that shuttle... wouldn't he just hurt her like he did the others? Why did she have to step so gently into his life? Jack threw the papers off of the desk, overwhelmed by his internal monologue, watching as they scattered against the wall and onto the floor.
He cursed again, softly under his breath, before looking back out the window at her. He did like her. And she didn't deserve the hell that would cause her. Jack sighed and fixed his suit. Stepping back out the door back toward the main theatre hall.
After a few more moments, Theia sighed, flicking the butt of her cigarette out into space before turning to make her way back to the theatre where the successful candidates would be announced.
Jack sat by the door with his back to the frame as Niamh approached. He'd composed himself since his little outburst and a smirk cut his lips as he looked up at her.
"Well hey there Song Bird, I hope your song was as gorgeous as you are today." He said as if he hadn't listened to the whole thing. As if he hadn't just warned himself against what his affections would do to her.
"Are you excited to find out the results?" The conflicted man asked playfully.
She jumped slightly as she heard his voice, not expecting to see her employer here. Turning to him, she decided to feign confidence, placing a hand on his chest as she spoke.
“Not as excited as I am that you’ve decided to grace us with your presence Jack, to what do we owe this pleasure?”
she teased him, sarcasm filling her voice.
"you intrigued me, so I thought I'd take some time to find out if I get to see you on my stage."
Jack smiled looking down at her hand before taking it and kissing her fingers. Then lowering their hands and let hers go.
"But I refuse to influence the decision at all, so get in there before anyone important sees us and tries to kiss my ass. This is your dream, Princess. Earn it yourself."
The smirk on his face was twisted, but his words were all encouragement. Never did he want her to feel like he was the reason she got so far.
Theia buried the butterflies that he put in her stomach with his kiss, his words, how she craved to feel those lips against hers, to see what was hidden behind that mask from between her thighs.
Shaking her head slightly, she pulled herself out of it, walking away from him and into the the theatre where she took to the stage, lining up next to all the other candidates as they waited impatiently for the verdict.
Jack waited to hear the announcement, as if he didn't know hers would be one of the seven names to be called. To take the stage one night a week on the greatest stage in front of the richest people. Jack's table right up front, he had a private box built but, a table close to the stage would be better, he thought, the perfect view.
Theia was ecstatic when she heard that she was not only chosen for the main stage but also for Saturday night’s set. As her name was called Jack walked away with a grin. He would see be there, her first show on a stage fitting of her talent, and he couldn't wait to hear her.
As the cabaret district’s headlining act, Theia would be given a new room in Jack's personal hotel. He knew just the perfect suite to assign her. On the floor below his, her room was grand, as were the other choice competitors, he reminded himself. Although hers had a bedroom with a view of the stars that had thoughts of watching her look out into the inky black sky running rampant in his head. He hoped she liked it. He knew she would. When the auditorium began to empty out, a guard decked out in Hyperion-branded armour was sent to escort Theia to her new apartment.
Of course, the suite was grand, decked out with stylish furniture and plush carpets, but before she could even appreciate it, her eyes were drawn to the huge window in her bedroom. It was perfect, almost as if someone had been listening to her dreams. This job was going to be interesting to say the least.
Jack lay in his bed looking out into the stars. The artificial gravity of this part of the hotel hid it well, but it was at a different angle than the rest. The rooms tilted so the viewport wouldn't let any of the light pollution of the Jackpot ruin the stars. One would never know of the shift unless one thought about how it took longer for the elevator to make it to the penthouse levels.
He stood from the bed, walking over to the window, and wondered if just below him, Theia was doing the same. He looked at the same golden star that reminded him of her eyes. Jack sighed turning away. He really shouldn't be thinking about her this much. Gently he began taking his mask off for the night.
As the night grew closer, Theia finally drew her eyes away from the window, climbing into her plush new bed and peeling her clothes away. The mattress was soft and the light of the stars bled into her dreams as she drifted off to sleep.