Chapter Text
Dr.Flug accidentally sets off one of his machines and goes to a universe where he is the “Biggest Bad”TM and Black Hat is the fearful scientist.
Ugh, he really should have done better calculations before showing off the reality warping machine. He had tried to tell Black Hat that it wasn’t finished yet, but he never truly listened (or cared rather) and had forced his hand into turning it on. It hadn’t ended well, the lights flickering and the building shaking. The explosion that had followed had shaken Flug to his very core, and he had to cover his ears when the ringing in them hadn’t tampered off immediately.
He realized, albeit late, that he was under rubble crushing his chest. He fumbled with the large stone, pushing it off of his person. Luckily, there was a counter that he could rest himself against as his legs shook as if made of jelly. Placing a hand on his head, he rubbed the pounding out of his temple. He had yet to open his eyes, but he could tell that his googles had cracked on the left side. He would have to fix that before…! His paper bag! Flug reached upwards panicked, and sighed in relief when he felt the familiar feeling of stiff paper between his fingers.
Lifting his head, the scientist opened his eyes, one after the other to see the lab as clean as ever, if not a tad nicer. He squinted and rubbed at his eyes, wondering if this was another one of Black Hat’s tricks. Surely the lab could not have survived that blast, honestly he was surprised that he had. He stepped forward when he was sure his knees wouldn’t give out, and wandered around.
Everything was familiar, but different, almost eerily off. The warheads were never in the left hand corner, they always went catty cornered to the solar powered disintegrater gun. His telescope was not facing the city as it had before, but was facing towards the window that lead towards the outskirts. This was all wrong!
A rustling sound brought him round to reality. Someone was slinked against the wall, hand holding tightly to their chest. They looked almost like a skittish rabbit, pressed further into the wall when they noticed Flug staring at them, as if they wished the wall would swallow them whole. Flug raised his hands gently, and winced when the other flinched away more. He was always the one flinching, never the one causing it. He wondered if this was a new lab assistant he had been replaced with if Black Hat thought he had died.
Dr.Flug wandered closer, always leaving his hands where the other could see them, taking slow, cautious steps. He let the other have a chance to run if they wanted to, but the other seemed pinned in place, like an invisible force was holding him hostage. He could understand that feeling completely.
When he got within hearing range (or so he hoped) he spoke gently, trying hard to suppress his stuttering.
“Are you here working for Black Hat? Did he hire you after the explosion already? I guess I could understand how he would think that, but I’m okay, honest. Maybe you can still work with me though…” He was proud to say he only stuttered in the beginning, and felt a swell of happiness in him at his accomplishment.
“Um, Mr.Flug, I’m Black Hat. I work for you.” The other, who did look suspiciously like Black Hat, cowered. It was as though he was waiting to be yelled at, or worse. Flug could relate well.
The happiness that had formed in his chest popped like an overfilled balloon, quickly deflating and turning into a feeling that resembled a mix of horror and slight relief. Okay, okay, okay, okay….
What the hell? Was this all a joke? Or was he stuck in a different universe? Maybe it was opposite day?
Flug was sure he would faint, quickly shuffling over to a corner to curl up in a small Flug shaped ball, refusing to look up when he saw black shoes in front of his sight.
“Um, sir, are you alright? Should I get you something?” The other gently called out, hand reaching to just above his shoulder, but didn’t quite touch. It was almost funny how the roles had been reversed so quickly, but Flug definitely didn’t feel like laughing. He could feel tears of stress forming in his eyes, and he nervously tucked his head further in. He refused to look up, or acknowledge the other even when they walked off to bring him a glass of tea with scones.
Black Hat simply sat the items in front of him, and sat on his knees, watching the other. Master Flug had never acted like this before. Had something happened? He fidgeted with the thought of his master having an issue and him actually trying to comfort him, especially when he was the one who would be facing punishment later. But it was unfair of him to let his boss suffer. He simply reached his hand out once more, placing it softly on Flug’s shoulder, but never moving more than that. It would probably be a while, but Black Hat would wait for his boss to let him know what was going on.