#shadowfear-art

Shadowfear-art

Oooh~ *eyes emoji*

To: @shadowfear-art

For the @bl-giftexchange 2018

You asked for rhack, with one or both of them being dorks failing at being romantic at the best possible ways.

@shadowfear-art drew my peacock Jack as a toon and asked what his reaction would be to turning into one

He is horrified.

I couldn’t help it! @shadowfear-art‘s Animated for Terror au is so great

A/N: The finale has arrived! Chapter 2.0, 2/2, 4/4, whatever you so please to refer it as! All credit for the au idea goes to @shadowfear-art, you are awesome btw. And to all reading, thank you and enjoy!

Fandom: Borderlands | Prompt: Angel is roughly 2-4, and since Jack’s a workaholic, she doesn’t really get the amount attention she wants. So naturally, Angel finds someone who will pay attention to her. | Pairing: Rhack | Baby!Angel AU

As Jack made his way down to the Central Hub. He’d given that Frits person the task of scanning the man with his daughter. What came back was a small, but decent, sized document on a Hyperion employee named Rhys Somerset, working in middle management. Nothing very serious came up other then the few expected infractions from any average Hyperion worker.

“What are you up to, Angel?” Jack mused as the lift came to elegant stop before it’s doors slid en to reveal the bright, spacious Hub of Heroism. Which had surprisingly been named that before Jack’s hostile take over of both the space station and the entire company itself. But that wasn’t really important, now was it?

To his delight, the Hub was practically barren of life. Not that it mattered per-say. Without his usual two body guards and an always-different-from-the-last PA, he didn’t nearly have as much of a presence, and was rarely ever noticed. Not that people ever really paid much attention to anything that wasn’t five centimeters from their noses. What was actually delightful about it was he wouldn’t have to murder his way through a crowd. Not that he was ever opposed to doing so. It was kind of a fifty/fifty way to pass the time usually.

Jack walked briskly to where he’d marked off a small green park, usually only there for aesthetic purposes as it was filled with nothing real, only synthetic crap to help distract people from the fact that they were actually floating around in fucking space. But, to be fair, weren’t planets just technically floating around in space too? Although, there was a more minuscule chance of an entire planet exploding he supposed. Whatever, wasn’t important.

He walked slowly and carefully along the pathway until he caught sight of the two at the very centre of the area where there were less trees and more room to fool around. He stood up against a fake tree nearest to where they were. It could almost have been described as awkward, the feeling that gripped him as he watched his daughter goof around with the lanky brunette, seemingly having the time of her life.

“I’ve got you now!” The guy, Rhys, said as he picked her up and swung her around carefully, making her scream in glee.

“No! No-ooooo…” She tried to say between fits of laughter.

Rhys was smiling himself as he slowly spun her back down to the ground, standing back upright and stumbling in place a bit. “Thank you for flying Air-Rhys.”

“Rice! Rice!” Angel chanted in reply.

“Fine, fine. Thank you, little lady, for flying Air-Rice.” He smirked, tousling her hair and then tweaking her nose. Putting his hands on his hips he straightened out again, now surveying the area- his gaze just nearly catching Jack before he ducked behind the tree. When he peeked back out from the behind the tree, the brunette had returned his gaze to Angel, with one brow raised. “Now, aren’t we supposed to be looking for someone?”

“No!” She squealed, jumping up and throwing herself into him, knocking him flat on his ass.

Rhys clenched his teeth, but still offered her a smile. “Come on, Angel. We can’t stay here forever.” He pointed out, poking her on the nose as she sat between his legs which were extended out lazily.

She didn’t say anything, only crossed her arms and blew a raspberry. It honestly shocked Jack. He’d never seen her act so animate around anyone really, aside from himself. She always seemed to treat everyone with the same bored expression, making them lucky if see even gave them a passing gaze. Who is this guy? Jack subconsciously moved around the tree to see his daughter more clearly, his leg scrapping against the synthetic bark and drawing Angel’s attention to him, and by extension the brunette’s.

Angel’s face blanked first as she watched him step out away from the tree’s cover, then a light clicked on in her eyes. “Daddy!”

Jack continued walking forward to meet her as she got up and ran toward him, flinging her tiny arms around his neck as he kneeled down to embrace her back. “What have you been up to, kiddo? It was very naughty of you to disappear like that, Angel.” He told her, holding her back at arms length so she could read how serious his expression was. Then his eyes darted to the younger man who’d gotten up and followed Angel over, carefully edging his way closer. “And who exactly might you be?” His tone dropped, become low and dangerous as he stood up to his full height. This close, dude was definitely tall, but just a touch shorter then Jack himself.

The younger man stared at him with recognition once he got a little closer. The smallest hint of fear present in his brown eye, the blue one remaining dull and expressionless, as did all EchoEyes. “So I take it you’re daddy.” Jack could pinpoint the exact moment regret had crossed his face after the words had left his mouth. “Her daddy, I mean- wait, no, father, her father, ha ha… ha ha ha…”

Jack watched with sick amusement as he tripped over himself, running a surprisingly shaky hand through his bronze hair. Jack hadn’t known nervousness could affect the performance of equipment like that. An interesting tidbit. “You can just call me Jack, sweetheart.” He interrupted, holding out a hand.

Rhys stared at the hand like it was a foreign concept he’d never been faced with before. It wasn’t until Angel lightly took hold of his fleshy hand and laid it in Jack’s that the handshake could commence. “Like dis, Rice.” She whispered loudly, patting their two hands in hers.

“Ah-hm. I see.” The lightest hue of pinks dazzled his paled cheeks as he cleared his throat. “I- uh, you can call me Rice- no, wait, I mean Rhys. I’m Rhys.”

Normally Jack despised the whole star-struck idiot routine, but this guy seemed to have the perfect mix of fear, respect, and confusion to actually be kinda adorable. Jack passed a quick look down at Angel who was giving him a look that caused him to give her a double take. Cheeky little… Finally taking back his hand, Jack stood with his arms crossed tightly over his chest, pinning Rhys with a malicious stare. “So how is it that you crossed paths with my daughter, exactly?”

Rhys blinked as a primary response, looking down at Angel for some sort of a clue as to how he should respond. She merely smiled expectantly at him. Looking back up at he stoic wall before him, his mind drew a blank, the only answer surfacing was a mimic of something Angel had said early. “I'uhno.”

With e slight crease of Handsome Jack’s brow, Rhys watched his life flash before his eyes. Man, had it been a dull kaleidoscope of blah. What way was he going to end it off though? He didn’t exactly fancy being pummeled to death by the man’s large hands, but being slammed out an air-lock didn’t sound very desirable either. It was the sound of genuine laughter that brought Rhys back to the situation at hand.

“Oh, Angel, you sure pick the funny one’s, don’t you?” Handsome Jack shook his head, his two toned eyes alight with humour. His eyes… was that what Angel had meant? “Okay now, seriously, answer the question or I might lose my patience with you.”

Rhys’ heart lifted from the second wind, setting his mind in better order. “Ah, well… I don’t know how she did it, but… She just sort of, appeared?” God, he had to sound crazy.

Jack only nodded, his previous stone-faced countenance returning. “Where? Was it just one second nothing, then boom, you had a baby?”

“Sort of… See, I was at my desk when I was basically electrocuted in the leg. When I looked, boom, baby.” Rhys made hand gestures to imply an explosion, which was a little far from an accurate depiction. He smiled awkwardly.

Jack continued to nod, shifting his gaze to Angel, who slowly bowed her head, looking down at her feet as she clasped her hands behind her back. “Angel, look at me.” She did so, but very slowly, looking up at her father with huge blue eyes through dark fringe. “What have I told you?”

“You love me?”

“Yes, what else?” Jack continued, but Rhys noticed the softening in his tone.

She sighed, swinging her arms and looking down. “I don’t do the scary thing.”

“Mhmm. And what did you do?”

“… the scary thing …”

Rhys had been rather engrossed in their little dispute, but was starting to feel that he was coming close to missing his opportunity to escape. He had shifted barely half a step when Jack’s gaze snapped back to him. He quickly retook his original spot, hands held tightly at ease as he stared back innocently. Jack squinted at him before returning his attention back to his daughter.

“Now what do you need to say, Angel?”

“Thank you?”

“No, the other other thing.”

“Dahl sucks?” She said with incredibly good pronunciation,chick could only have come from saying it a lot.

“No, no, the other other thing.”

Angel gave him a pitiful look of misunderstanding.

“‘I’m sorry’, Angel.”

“Why you sorry, daddy?” She replied almost immediately. Jack sputtered for a moment until catching the tiny smile that crossed the child’s lips. “I’m sorry, daddy. And, Rice.” She added, turning and giving Rhys a sincere smile.

Rhys nodded, reaching out to ruffle up her hair, without considering how Jack might feel about him being so casual towards her. “No harm, no foul, little one.”

“Oh yes, now to deal with you, Ricey.” Jack finally acknowledged him again, but his attention was still on his daughter as he lifted her up, holding her against his side. “What do you think we should with 'em, cupcake?” Angel made a seriously thoughtful look before leaning in and whispering into her father’s ear whatever her thoughts were. “Is that so? You sure, Angel?” She gave a definite nod. “Alright. Say, kiddo, you do work for Hyperion, right?” Here he finally rested his eyes on Rhys.

Although it didn’t seem the best idea, he spoke his mind. “Yup. Middle management. Which, ha ha, I should probably get back too. Work and stuff.” He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder to signify his desire to jump ship.

“Nah, don’t bother.” Was the only reply.

“D- don’t bother?” Rhys asked, unsure if he actually wanted an answer.

“Yeah, you’re fired.” Jack shifted his daughter’s weight, still staring at Rhys with an unreadable expression. Both of them seemed to be staring at him like he was a bug under glass.

He was floored. He was fired? Just like that? But as far as his knowledge was concerned, there was only one way that someone lost a job on Helios. Especially when it was the CEO of the company who was firing you- in person no less. “Oh.” He nodded, drowning in his inner monologue of how impossible this was, but he projected an air of neutral stability.

Jack mimed his nodding, moving to walk around him, but paused dead in front of him instead. “You’ll start your new job as my PA asap. Your main detail will be keeping a careful eye on this little one here.”

Rhys was certain that the amount of times his heart had stopped in this short span of time was terrible for his health. “Your PA? Me? A- are you sure I’m qualified?”

Jack slapped a heavy hand on Rhys’ shoulder, his smile none to kind. “For your sake, you’d better hope so. I’d hate to loose two PA’s in one day.”

Rhys looked from the man that stood just a touch too close, then to the girl in his arms, who immediately stuck a thumbs up in his face. “Me, daddy, and Rice!”

Rhys gave an ever so obviously forced smile. “Yay…” He added quietly as Jack’s hand left his shoulder and finally tuned to actually leave the small green park. He spoke openly to his daughter, asking what they should do with the rest of the day. Rhys, who was still trying to process the direction his life had just taken, watched dumbly as they walked away.

It was just before the pair would have left the area that Handsome Jack paused, looking around as if he’d lost something, until his eyes fell on blank faced Rhys. “Oh, I’m sorry, what part of 'you start asap’ wasn’t clear enough for you, kitten?” He called back in a mock apologetic tone.

Rhys’ brows rose in unison before his mouth made a perfect 'o’ shape. He then jolted forward, his face flustered as he quickly caught up. “Sorry, sorry…” He giggled unintentionally as he fell half a step behind Jack’s even stride- as he assumed a PA would.

“Off to a poor start there, Rhysie.” Jack said, and although his tone invoked caution, he’d also ended it with a wink. Rhys just assumed being in such close proximity to Angel must put the otherwise terrifying man in a more tolerant mood.

“Sorry… Sir. Do you think I should invest in a clipboard, or notebook so I can remind myself of the dos and don'ts of the job?”

“Nah, I’m sure my old PA’s should be somewhere, feel free to use that. After all-” Here he put a hand over one of Angel’s ears, holding her head against him before continuing, “I really don’t think they’ll have much of a use for it anymore.”

Despite the seriousness of the implication, Rhys found his lips quirking into a smile. “Neat.”