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Chapter Text

Flug Slys had an interesting little dilemma ahead of him as he stood before the cell door of a certain inmate. He cursed internally at the fact that his superiors were subjecting him to such a fate, assigning him to tend to the needs and whims of the newly captured notorious criminal mastermind, condemning him to be Black Hat's personal psychiatrist until further notice.

But that was definitely not the worst part, oh no. The real problem lay in the fact that the captive eldritch demon would definitely go berserk if he were to ever find out that it was Flug himself that had engineered and designed the cell that could keep magical beings imprisoned. Even worse, who knew what perverse plans of revenge the eldritch would have if he were to discover that Flug's designs were responsible for the creation of the cruel tool that held Black Hat's arms captive at all times, along with keeping his magic under control.

“Oh, I'm dead. I am so dead.“

Bad things tend to happen when we play with demons. Flug pressed his ear to the cell door, trying to assess the situation and whether it was safe to enter.

Guttural sounds came from within, along with cacophonous otherwordly tunes that one could describe as the song of a dying banshee, combined with giggles and sounds of eerie music boxes. An odd glow seemed to be coming from underneath the door, red sparks combined with black shadows that rose like smoke. Flug made a run for it down the hallway, wishing to put as much distance as possible between himself and the cell entrance.

“Nope, nope, nope, no way, hell no, not going to happen.“

But then he stopped, remembering that it was his duty to tend to each and every patient, no matter how powerful or murderous they may be.

“Oh, damn the Hippocratic Oath.“

He returned to the door, typing the combination code onto the panel and preparing himself to face the horrors within. Honestly, if he were to die, he would at least have the satisfaction of never having to go through similar dilemmas again.

“Alright, I'm going in, I can handle this. I'll drink my sedatives later, no worries, it's just another job.“

He trembled and held his clipboard to his chest, slowly entering the cell and analysing the room. He yelped as the door suddenly shut itself behind him, and he could hear the lock click.

“Oh, shit.“

To his great surprise, he couldn't see anybody in the room, and he slowly walked forwards, observing each corner, the padded floor soft beneath his shoes. Something green and acidic dripped from above and fell on his sleeve, slightly corroding the fabric. Whimpering, Flug slowly looked upwards.

Shadows danced around the grinning monster, the talons on his feet allowing him to effectively hang from the ceiling, gripping the padded fabric. Eyes were glowing playfully and he made a deep growl as he assesed his prey, his top hat defying gravity and being firmly in place as if he were standing upwards. His arms were securely bound in a straightjacket, additional locks and belts placed all over in order to avoid the demon from escaping. Flug's heart sank as he saw his own invention, knowing that it was him that made it, installing all that was necessary in the fabric that drained the demon from energy.

Within seconds, Black Hat was firmly standing on the ground, thin tendrils writhing and protruding from his back, a mere taste of what his power would be if he weren't bound, and a wayward tentacle slowly reached out for Flug, making a light caress along his neck, feeling his pulse. Black Hat leaned forward and whispered:

“Run.“

Flug didn't have to be told twice. He ran for the door, but his code no longer worked, no matter how many times he tried to type it, and he had to run into the opposite corner as the monster went to pounce on him. It was a hunt, mere sport, and Black Hat found it amusing and satisfying. He bared his sharp teeth, giving a demonstration of what damage they could do. Flug dodged another attack and ran around the room, always escaping at the last second. At a certain point sharp teeth caught his white coat and tore half of it off.

Flug took the remains of his coat off and threw it on Black Hat's head, blocking his sight for a few moments. But then black flames emerged and burned the coat away, allowing the demon to see again. As Flug began to lose his breath from running, a few shadows tripped him and he fell face down. He felt a heavy weight press on him as the monster finally caught him, teeth slowly ripping his shirt off.

“Have mercy! I have a terrible taste, I swear! It's just bitterness, sarcasm and coffee inside me! It would only give you a tummy ache! A bad case of cramps, too! Seriously, you don't want to risk indigestion! Don't eat me!“

Black Hat stopped his actions for a second, confused with Flug's pleas. The doctor continued to beg for his life.

“I mean, seriously, do you have any idea how difficult it is to chew on me? You'd be picking the pieces from your mouth for weeks!“

The eldritch demon raised an eyebrow, subjecting Flug's words to thorough scrutiny. Flug was taken aback when Black Hat began to roar with laughter, as if he just heard the best joke of the century, shadows lightly dancing around the demon as he snickered.

“My, such spirit you have, Doctor! Come on, beg some more, it's hilarious when you do that! It is almost hard to believe that you are the foul madman that is responsible for my imprisonment in this torture device. Oh, don't look so surprised, I know exactly who you are. I see all.“

“Um…“

“Please, I love to play with my food, devouring it immediately would be boring. A juicy morcel like you requires some more work in order to become tender. A delicacy takes time to create.“

“No, seriously, eating me would only give you total gastritis.“

Flug made a conclusion that his mind must have gone in total hysterics while on survival mode, for he too was giggling at his own morbid joke. Black Hat nudged his captive and positioned Flug on his back, straddling him. Black Hat inspected Flug thoroughly, a thin wayward tendril appeared and tore the man's paper bag and goggles off, allowing wild hair to fall over his face, intense green eyes visible through the bangs. Black Hat grinned like a wolf that was preparing to make a meal out of Red Riding Hood.

“Lovely…I require that you never hide your face from me.“

“Wait a minute, but I…“

“I don't wish to repeat myself. After all, I believe you owe me. I am in this mess because of you, after all.“

“No, I didn't, it wasn't me that…“

“They say that if you keep a person in perfect isolation, they eventually become insane. Deprivation of the knowledge of time makes them lose themselves, they cannot fully determine where they are, what year it is, et cetera. I claim that this is utter nonsense. Only idiots need a watch or clock to be able to tell the passage of time.“

Black Hat nonchalantly got up and walked away. Flug merely stared in shock, a combination of morbid fascination and terror present in his mind as he observed the monster casually climbing with his talons up the padded walls, strolling along as if it was the most normal thing in the world, a crimson glow coming from his monocle. Black Hat settled like a snug bat, green grin glowing in the partial darkness, appearing like a frown due to his upside-down position.

“Mr. Black Hat, sir, I have been scheduled to start behavioral therapy for you today.“

“My, really? How awfully kind of you.“

“It's not my fault you're in here, I swear. They simply asked me to design the cell and the straightjacket to contain you should you ever get caught, but I was never involved in what happened to you.“

“I am perfectly well and sane, I don't require your services.“

“But…“

“Dear Doctor, it takes imagination in order to retain common sense. You don't need a clock to tell time. You have your heartbeat. You can count your pulse. Sixty beats, treat them as sixty seconds, you make a minute, you transform that into an hour. You can determine by the state of your captors whether it is day or night. Their gestures, whether they are yawning, or fresh for work, or if they smell of coffee or tea, their scent in general. Is the perfume of that lovely nurse faint or intense? Are there bags under the eyes of that grumpy doctor? But, your heartbeat is the main source of the passage of time. This way you can never go mad.“

“True, but you cannot count forever, you eventually lose track. And even the greatest analysis can have its mistakes. Plus, a lot of doctors work in chaotic shifts, so you won't always get the same ones at the same time.“

“Tell me…how does this infernal straightjacket work? I feel as if I am being suffocated and drowned simultaneously, its almost as if it is feeding on my very life.“

“I specifically created it to drain a great amount of your magic, making it harder for you to summon it. There are special microchips and enchanted jewels placed within the fabric, assuring that you are completely kept under control. As you noticed, you still have your basic shapeshifting powers and lesser spells, but you won't be able to break free or do anything extravagant.“

“My, you must be a latent monster if you were able to imagine such a contraption, a magically enhanced high-tech straightjacket that renders its victim helpless. Do I sense a streak of sadism in you, Doctor?“

“What? No! It's made to keep you from killing people!“

“Denial…“

“No.“

Black Hat eyed him for a few moments and them made a light chuckle, as if mocking the young mortal man before him.

“Well, I suppose it is statistically possible.“

“What?“

“An omnipotent beast being imprisoned by the efforts of a cunning beauty.“

“I'm…“

“I smell something dark in you, Doctor. And it sings to me like a siren. It undulates like ink in water, something hidden, something marvellous, it wishes to break free. I can almost lick it, and maybe one day I will.“

“Well, that escalated fast.“

“You're the cannon fodder that they sent to me. It's not simply because you're the only one that knows how to work these horrors you invented in case of malfunction. It's because not a single person in this facility is fond of you, Dr. Flug.“

“I know what you're up to and it's not working.“

“Your heartbeat says otherwise.“

“You are a patient. I am your doctor. I am the one in charge here. You don't get to play these mind games with me.“

Within moments, the monster was straddling the man once more, tentacles emerging and wrapping themselves around Flug's neck and arms, several of them gagging him to keep screams at bay. Black Hat whispered in Flug's ear:

“Excuse me, but you are in a rather compromising position at the moment and you don't appear as if you have the upper hand. You owe me, remember that. I have every reason to have my vengeance upon you, your inventions are keeping me prisoner here. And for that, as punishment, you will have to suffer here with me. After all, who is going to come here to save you? Down here, in the darkness, you are mine.“

Flug struggled to escape, attempting to remove the tendrils from his mouth. Eventually, Black Hat granted this mercy.

“Can I have a few screams? Hmmm? Pretty please?“

“No!“

“Come now, we can play nice.“

And at that particular moment Flug came to the inevitable conclusion that he was royally screwed and that the prospects of leaving the cell with his sanity intact were ridiculous at best. And so, he made a move only a desperate man could make.

“I propose a deal! A transaction! Please, don't kill me, for the love of god, please.“

“Hmmm…I'm listening, Doctor.“

Chapter Text

Desperation was a peculiar thing. It had the ability to destroy all traces of rational thought and pride for the mere purpose of survival, bringing them to their knees as they await the sweet promise of clemency. Of course, a certain eldritch abomination just happened to feed on fear and misery, absorbing them and comparing them to nectar. He could easily identify and sense the flavour and colour of each soul in a radius of several kilometers, pinpointing the person with great precision, dissecting their mind and learning all he could about them.

However, a specific texture caught his attention, a cocktail of innocence and darkness, all wrapped up in a layer of genius, sprinkled with sparks of anxiety and utter terror. A scrumptious little treat of a human being that was currently squirming beneath him and negotiating for his bare life.

“Doctor, could you please repeat that? This time without all the sobbing and screaming. Honestly, I can barely understand what you are saying. Speak up, come, come, I really have other plans in my schedule. Those dots on the wall aren't going to count themselves, you know.“

Well, Flug wasn't very amused, either. It was definitely difficult to form coherent sentences with a tentacle wrapped around his throat, not to mention the rather inconvenient shadowy tendrils that shamelessly caressed him under his shirt, and his captor's tongue occasionally tasting his cheek, relishing the fear, offering a morbid combination of pain and pleasure.

“Anything, I'll do everything I can to make your stay here tolerable, I promise, I'll…I'll even remove all my other patients from my schedule, I'll give all my time here…I-I can bring you things you need, books, special treats on the menu, I can install a music system, I'll have them bring a comfy bed for you.“

“Hmmm. It's a tempting offer.“

Flug gasped and coughed as he was released, thanking the heavens for his temporary freedom. Black Hat strolled around the cell, assessing his options, mumbling to himself and speaking in gibberish, making himself levitate and sit in mid-air, nonchalantly crossing one leg over the other, and then he cleared his throat, expression bored and deadpan.

“We have an accord, then. Now, here is a list of my wishes.“

“Wait, what? List? What list?“

Golden sparks appeared next to Flug's head, the magic forming a scroll of parchment. The doctor grabbed it and went to read it, but as he unwound the parchment, the scroll kept on going and going, an endless list of ridiculous wishes, and soon the parchment was covering half the cell floor.

“Ay caramba…“

“And that is just a shortened version.“

“A swimming pool isn't going to fit in here, sir.“

“When there's a will, there's a way, Doctor.“

“A Harley Davidson motorcycle?! A bed stolen from Versailles and a harem?! Portraits of yourself in a frame of pure gold? An opera stage?!“

“The expression on your face is absolutely priceless.“

Flug took a bottle of aspirin out of his pocket and gulped down three pills. He should have chosen blissful death instead. Black Hat was still sitting in mid-air, snickering at the doctor's impending nervous breakdown. He levitated downwards, winking at Flug and giving him a playful nudge with a talon.

“What's the matter, darling Doctor? Cannot handle it?“

“Oh, just eat me and put me out of my misery.“

“Hmmm, no, lost my appetite. This is much more fun! Come on, do something funny again. Oh, oh, do that expression of utter hopelessness, I love that one!“

“Sir, really, this is getting us nowhere. And I really wish to help.“

Black Hat frowned and landed on his feet, disappointed with the behaviour of his newest plaything. He adjusted his monocle with a shadowy tendril and he decided to get down to serious business.

“You will eliminate every other patient from your schedule. Your entire working hours will be dedicated to me, no exceptions. I get to decide how you spend your free time as well. Weekends belong to me, and you shall do your best to entertain me during that time period. You are expected to arrive here each day at seven o'clock in the morning, and you may only take short intervals of breaks. However, I expect you to have lunch and dinner with me.“

“Anything else, sir?“

“Books. Bring me books. Choose as many as possible, in various languages. I expect you to bring me tea in porcelain cups each morning. For lunch I require red wine to be brought along with the best quality meat served in an aesthetically pleasing way. In the evenings I require the best pastries you can acquire and more tea. Now, as for the stereo system, I want my string quartet to play, and toccatas and fantasias on the organ.“

Flug was frantically taking his notes on the clipboard, quite horrified that he was writing a wish list for a madman over the lines that were reserved for making observations of mental improvement.

“And I want that bed. Plush and velvet, colours crimson and black. Did you write it all?“

“Yes, sir.“

“Marvellous!“

“Anything else?“

“Do you have access to the hospital's blood bank?“

“What?!“

“It's either that or you will have to offer your own. I do need some refreshment from time to time.“

“I'll...I'll…“

“Too late, I've decided to enjoy your own.“

Black Hat grinned widely and hummed to himself as he resumed his levitating activities, pleased with his little triumph. Flug sank to his knees and simply stared, unable to comprehend how he got himself into that whole mess. One moment he was a great scholar and doctor, and the next he was captured and forced into servitude.

“Oh, Doctor, cat got your tongue?“

Flug looked upwards and winced as he saw what Black Hat was doing.

Double-jointed, the eldritch was a master contortionist, and he crawled over the ceiling with mad agility, twisting his bone structure and moving like a crazy two-legged spider. His bound arms were barely necessary as he went about with the pure strength of his muscular legs and sharp talons, tendrils and tentacles allowing him to keep balance. His eerie grin could send even the bravest out of their mind, and as he noticed that Flug's attention was fully on him, he decided to play a few tricks for the good doctor. Black Hat cackled as he casually began to turn his head round and round, bones crunching and producing sickening sounds, showing off his dark powers and invulnerability.

Flug made a grimace and turned his gaze away, unwilling to look at such a thing, but as he heard more squelching noises, his curiosity demanded more and he looked back upwards. Green flames were devouring flesh and a myriad of eyes and teeth appeared on each tentacle, each mouth chanting in arcane languages. Flug screamed as scorpions began do descend from the ceiling, quite adamant to reach him.

“Stop! Stop! Stop!“

He cursed the fact that the cell was completely sound-proof and nobody would come to his aid. He nestled himself in the corner of the room and trembled as the deadly creatures crawled towards him, reaching him, conquering him and running their merry way all over him as he cried and cried and cried.

The scorpions slowly began to melt into a substance similar to tar, and it moved as if it had a mind of its own, firmly wrapping itself around Flug and binding his arms and legs. The doctor was already in pure hysterics, incapable of speech, and he barely registered when Black Hat came to his side and began to kiss along his soft neck, licking away the tears.

“Your fear is a feast for kings, Doctor.“

“Sir…“

“Shhh, shhh, come here.“

The dark substance vanished and Black Hat made his head and torso comfortable in Flug's lap, enjoying the warmth and intimacy. He leaned forward and listened to Flug's beating heart, memorising the rhythm and loving it's silent music. He kissed his way up to the doctor's jawline and whispered gently:

“You know, all of this could be different. If only you were to release me, I would take you away and we would have so much fun together, the world would be ours. I could show you such wonders, you crave knowledge and I can give it to you. I can teach you the darkest secrets of the universe, I can make stars sing for you. Only if you release me.“

“I can't, sir.“

Black Hat made an indignant pout and he used a talon to make a playful scratch along the doctor's thigh, ripping the fabric of his jeans and leaving thin traces of blood.

“Ouch! Stop that, down!“

Making himself comfortable in Flug's lap once more, Black Hat stared absentmindedly at the ceiling, making grumpy noises and mumbling to himself yet again. Flug wasn't quite sure what to do with himself, so he decided to placate the beast by giving him a gentle squeeze on the shoulders, slowly massaging him and hoping that it would put Black Hat into a better mood.

“You like that, sir?“

“Hmmmmm…“

“Tense, too tense. We really need to start doing something about your anger management issues. I have special exercises for that.“

“Shut up, Doctor.“

Flug kept massaging, applying pressure and gently squeezing. Black Hat seemed quite content, and he slowly began to doze off, enjoying Flug's warmth, listening to the enchanting beat of his heart. Flug decided to break the silence.

“So, what do you wish to do today?“

“Strip poker would warm my rotting heart.“

“What?“

“You heard me.“

“I am not quite sure if you want to play that specific game just to win and see me naked or just to lose on purpose so I would take the straightjacket off.“

“Decisions, decisions.“

Flug raised an eyebrow as a deck of cards began to levitate around him.

“No funny business, sir.“

Black Hat only gave him a devious smile.

Chapter Text

The good doctor had several regrets in life, and most of them consisted of cursing the day he had chosen to study natural philosophy and medicine. If only he had chosen law, then at least he would know how to properly negotiate his way out of being shamelessly harassed by a grumpy eldritch patient that couldn't stop teasing and torturing him at any given moment.

Fortunately, Flug had been able to arrange that a vast amount of books be brought to the cell, and he managed to arrange the music and necessary menu adjustments for Black Hat. The hospital board even allowed a nice little coffee table and cushions, but they refused to grant permission for a king-sized bed. However, they allowed a large mattress with crimson and black sheets and blankets, along with three big cushions full of downy feathers. The hospital board had a simple principle of logic: as long as Flug could keep Black Hat under control and distracted from causing chaos, they would allow him niceties.

It had been over a week, and Black Hat still persisted in pestering Flug about playing strip poker. Finally, Flug decided to put the whole poker affair to an end, and he made a little confession as Black Hat sipped his tea, holding the cup with one tentacle, and using two more tentacles to read the newspaper.

“I don't know how to play poker, sir.“

Black Hat dramatically threw both the cup and the newspapers in a random direction, his attention fixed on Flug.

“I humbly beg your pardon, Doctor?“

“I…I…don't know anything about cards…except making little towers and castles out of them…and maybe using them to unlock doors.“

“Oh, you sweet innocent little thing, I had no idea…tsk, tsk! Unacceptable! Shame on you, shame on you, Doctor!“

“It's not that big of a deal, sir.“

“Nonsense! I must fix this travesty at once, I shall teach you the rules myself. Sit there, full concentration, we have work to do. Wait, did you say unlocking doors? Hmmm, good, good, nice skill, we will need that. Any other knowledge that can be used for illegal activities?“

“Breathe, sir, breathe, think of your blood pressure.“

“The hell with my blood pressure! We must plan ahead, world domination isn't going to just drop by in my lap and beg me for a night of sin.“

“What does that have to do with-“

“Silence! I used to be a king of this world, I subjected millions to my will, and look at me now, I have to explain poker to a helpless little bird such as yourself. Heresy and outrage! I was a master of darkness and sovereign of all the regions of the Netherworld, shadows and nightmares bowed to me, and now I have to dedicate my time to outwitting a lad barely out of his mid-twenties. Do you see the problem here?“

“Er…“

“PICK UP THOSE CARDS.“

Flug trembled as the demon's voice became unusually loud and layered, reverberating with unearthly ease even in the cell with soft padded walls. He picked up the deck and placed it on the low coffee table, making himself comfortable while sitting on a cushion on the floor. Black Hat was panting, barely controlling his sporadic outbursts of irrational fury, additional teeth growing on his top hat and the pupil of his visible eye was a deep burgundy red. Flug stared and stared, noticing something that could almost be described as tragic.

“Oh, Mr. Black Hat, I forgot, I actually brought you something. Give me a second, I have it here in my backpack.“

“Whatever…“

Flug smiled as he fiddled with his belongings, finding what he was looking for and placing it on the coffee table for Black Hat to see. The eldritch demon's eye returned to its normal colour and he tilted his head in confusion.

“And what the bloody blazes am I to do with this…this unholy thing?“

“It's for stress, sir. Whenever you feel like you're losing control, just keep it close and squeeze it, pour all your frustration into the act of squeezing it. It's warm and nice, and…and technically it belongs to me, but I brought it from home specifically for you.“

Black Hat poked the blue plush teddy bear with a tendril, suspicious about the whole thing. He moved a bit to raise his leg and grabbed the plush bear with the talons on his foot, bringing it closer to his chest. He gave it a squeeze and the plushie made a tiny noise.

“I have never been so embarassed in my life.“

“But it's nice and warm.“

“It…it has your scent, Doctor. Hmmmm, nice, lovely, it truly does have your scent.“

Flug winced and cleared his throat.

“Um, yes, I usually sleep with it, always keeping it on my pillows. Would you like me to place it on your blankets there?“

Black Hat growled and kept the plush toy firmly in his talons, not letting Flug anywhere near it. Flug smiled as he realized that the eldritch made his claim on the little thing and would not let it go.

“It's mine now, Doctor. Hands off. Now, let's take your poker virginity away, shall we?“

“Oh, god.“

Several hours later, Flug came to several conclusions. One, Black Hat's lechery knew no boundaries nor limits, two, he was definitely inventing the rules specifically to make Flug lose the game, and three, he would never get used to the mad magic that spilled all over the place. Black Hat's power was like an ocean that simply refused to limit itself, even when bound and trapped and locked, it still proudly made sure that it would make its presence known.

Black Hat played his turn as if there was nothing out of the ordinary happening, leering at his doctor and waggling his eyebrows, serpentine tongue sliding obscenely over his lips. Flug reluctantly removed his white coat and unbuttoned his vest, throwing them aside, letting it all land on a pile that contained other pieces of clothing he had to forfeit in the ghastly parody of strip poker that he was forced to play with his captor.

“You're cheating.“

“Am not.“

“I had a straight flush a minute ago, and suddenly there are nude pictures of you all over my cards. And that deck is growling at me. Plus, I am pretty sure that the Ace of Spades wants to kill me.“

“My, I have no idea what you are talking about.“

“The Queen of Hearts over there is cursing at me in French.“

“Why, I don't hear a thing. You must be hallucinating, Doctor. Let me kiss it all better.“

“I surrender the game.“

“Don't be so dramatic, you can endure it, a fine smart lad like you has the moxie to play with any monster.“

“You made a card grow teeth and bite me.“

“It's a tough game. Now, please take the shirt off as well. Don't be shy…“

Flug sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, his bag and goggles resting on the floor on his left side, his wild hair free and covering the left side of his face. He yelped as he felt himself pinned to the soft padded floor, a gravelly voice whispering commands into his ear.

“Shirt off, Doctor.“

“How? I can't move with you here like this.“

Sharp teeth diligently tore the fabric away, greedy lips kissing the soft skin and coaxing lovely moans from the young man, conquering him with shameless abandon. Black Hat listened to the frantic rhythm of Flug's heart, pressing his cheek above it and closing his eyes as it almost lulled him to sleep. Flug gently brought his hands on the demon's shoulders and stroked them softly, doing all he could to keep the eldritch as relaxed as possible.

“There, there, sir, it's alright, I'm here.“

Black Hat couldn't resist and gave him a playful bite.

“Ouch! Ouch! Hey!“

“Be still, I'm trying to have my wicked way with you.“

“Control the teeth!“

“My deepest apologies, Doctor, they must have a mind of their own…“

“Ouch! You're…I'm gonna…you're grounded!“

Black Hat couldn't contain his laughter, cackling like an evil magician that finally caught the object of his obsession, and he continued with his assault, licking and nibbling his way along the lovely kingdom of Flug's soft skin, tendrils joining the evil games with their caresses, tentacles winding themselves around their prize and keeping him prisoner all for themselves and their dark master.

At a certain moment, Black Hat got a naughty idea. He could definitely use Flug's flustered state for various purposes, and so he held the doctor at his eye level, gazing deeply into Flug's green eyes. Black Hat's visible eye assumed a gentle magenta glow and his voice became unusually soft and sultry, and the whole thing made Flug rather dizzy.

“You will release me.“

Flug lightly yawned and hummed, unable to fully focus. Black Hat continued.

“You cannot resist. You shall remove my bonds. You will release me. I compel you to release me.“

Flug's breath hitched as a kiss was pressed to his neck.

“Obey.“

Unfortunately, the art of hypnotism had a completely different effect on Flug, and Black Hat was taken aback when his doctor merely drifted off into a nap with light snores, curling into a ball and quite snug in the warm tentacles that cradled him as if he was the rarest precious stone. Black Hat couldn't believe his rotten luck. One cannot even hypnotize people properly without having them rudely fall asleep in the middle of the process. Flug's mind was dancing somewhere between dreams and reality, and occasionally he would talk in his sleep. Black Hat gave him a light nudge.

“Flug Slys, you are unbelievable.“

“Hmmm, must release something, hmpf…“

“Yes, yes, that's it!“

“Must release that new selfie I made…“

“Good Lord, I am never going to get out of this madhouse.“

Chapter Text

Flug hummed to himself as he entered the cell, carrying a pile of papers, a tray of the finest tea, all manner of treats and the daily newspaper. He placed everything on the coffee table and wrote a few lines on his clipboard.

“Good morning, sir! I trust you had a nice nap?“

Flug looked at the far corner of the room where the large comfortable mattress was located, crimson sheets and black velvet blankets were all piled up as if a mad dragon were nesting there, pillows and cushions scattered all over the place. Low grumbles and groans and snores could be heard, indicating that Black Hat had no intention of getting up. The blue teddy bear fell over the edge of the mattress, but a taloned foot quickly grabbed it and pulled it back under the blankets.

“Aww. Come on, sir, we have work to do! I brought you some assignments, you will write a few essays for me regarding your-“

Sparks of shadowy magic were shot in the direction of the papers, and within a few minutes, the essays had basically written themselves. Flug picked one paper up and winced.

“You have got to be kidding me.“

More groans were the only response.

“Sir, but you need to get up. Therapy. We're doing therapy.“

“I refuse. It's warm in here and I have no reason to interrupt my slumber. Wait there at the table until I call for your services.“

“Oh, fine.“

Flug sat on a cushion and sighed, trying to find a way to keep himself busy until “His Eldritch Majesty“ deigned to leave the royal blankets. Flug took off his gloves and stretched his fingers, then went to take a few more notes and he read through a few books that were lying around. He didn't like the fact that the tea would get cold soon, and then Black Hat would definitely complain about the tea getting cold, despite being capable of heating it with a mere thought. Flug took a bite from a cookie and he went to adjust the little bouquet of roses that he had brought in a vase a few days before. As he fiddled with the roses, he pricked his index finger on a thorn, and a pretty little droplet of blood appeared.

“Ah, damn.“

Flug searched his pocket for a tissue, and he failed to notice that his demonic captor was already awake and alert, morbid hunger in his eyes, the scent of Flug's blood igniting oceans of fire in his dark heart. Black Hat licked his lips and sauntered towards Flug, eyes glowing with insanity. When Flug finally noticed, it didn't take him long to figure out what was going on.

Black Hat made himself comfortable next to him, leaning closer to place his eager lips on the crimson droplet of blood, licking and kissing the tiny wound on Flug's finger, a low purr present in his chest, lust blooming like a flower of pure evil. Flug was blushing like mad and was far too petrified to think properly or even know how to react. A warmth was spreading across his chest and abdomen, but the instensity of Black Hat's actions definitely frightened him. Flug pulled his finger away, much to Black Hat's dismay.

“No. Nope.“

“Come here, Doctor.“

“Hell no.“

“Hell yes…“

“Stay! Down! Bad boy!“

“Oh, do I have to chase you?“

Not quite sure how to conduct such a ridiculous battle, Flug rolled up the nearby newspaper and smacked the demon on the head with it. Unfortunately, this only angered the beast and he became even more ardent in his pursuit. Flug really wasn't amused. However, he was perfectly aware that further resistance would only worsen his already dire situation, so he decided to bear it and hope the monster would get bored quickly.

“Fine, I surrender, just be gentle, please. There, look, I'm throwing the newspaper away, I'm without a weapon. Please be gentle, please, I'm really, really, really fragile. Don't bite too hard.“

Black Hat snorted.

“Really? This is what you decide to offer me? You are just going to lie there and take it? Come, man, fight me! Resist me! Show me that fiery spirit of yours, show me your cunning and inner talents, I'm here to savour exquisite flavours, not for this stale nonsense.“

“Oh, for crying out loud, it's impossible to please you. Do this, do that, give me this, give me that, blah, blah, blah, first you want me to let you do what you want and the next minute you change your mind because you're just a grumpy lonely insufferable monster that has no idea what he wants in the first place and you take your pleasure in making my life a living hell because you have nothing else left!“

Black Hat was staring in utter shock as the doctor kept screaming insults at him, using all of his lung capacity to speak his mind. Little by little, Flug's words became darker and darker, hurtful even, and Black Hat grinned as he finally coaxed what he wanted out of his precious doctor. That hidden inner darkness, that lovely spark of sadism that Flug so desperately wished to conceal. Before Flug could finish his little sermon, Black Hat already had him pinned to the soft mattress. Flug stopped talking and stared as Black Hat grabbed the velvet blankets with his teeth and pulled them over Flug, making sure he was all snuggled in, and then he used the talons on his feet to place several cushions around him, forming a lovely little love nest. Flug's confusion knew no bounds.

“What are you doing?“

“Pampering you, Doctor.“

“After all the things I said back there?!“

“You were splendid, such fire, such determination! I am quite proud, you are making progress, Doctor.“

“Progress?! I am the one that is supposed to make you make progress!“

Flug made a facepalm as Black Hat placed the blue plush teddy bear on his chest.

“You're really not taking me seriously, sir.“

“Shut up, Doctor, I'm trying to concentrate.“

“Will you stop it?! I don't need five blankets, it's hot in here!“

“Don't worry, I shall remove your clothes in a few minutes.“

“Lord Almighty, I cannot handle this, I cannot handle this, this is beyond me.“

“Do you want another cushion?“

“This is worse than being a fly caught in a web.“

“Excuse me, Doctor Flug Slys, but captured flies don't complain this much.“

“You're not ripping this shirt off, it's one of my favourites.“

“You don't set the rules here, lad.“

“Oh, yeah? Try me.“

Their incessant bickering gradually transformed into a full war, and the war raged on and on, they wrestled like madmen, until it culminated in both of them devouring each other with ravenous kisses, indulging in their erotic games of power, violence and madness. At a certain point, Flug became too tired of fighting, so he allowed the eldritch abomination to enjoy his triumph. Black Hat cackled as he released numerous tendrils to bind his prize, using his talons to rip Flug's trousers off and slowly spread his thighs.

“My, Doctor, I'm beginning to enjoy this type of therapy, maybe one day I will be cured…“

“Oh, shut up, for crying out loud.“

“Will you hold still?!“

“Wait a second, I think I'm lying on something, my back hurts.“

“Flug, I wish for intercourse, and I wish for it NOW.“

Flug moved a little to the left, as much as the possessive tentacles allowed him, and as soon as he found out what he was lying on, he laughed. He reached with his hand and pulled out the blue teddy bear from underneath him, giggling as he showed it to Black Hat. The eldritch abomination was slowly starting to think that there must have been some cosmic conspiracy deliberately turning his life into a tragic comedy.

However, Flug gave him a little nudge and smiled playfully.

“Come on, sir, why so grumpy?“

“Hmpf.“

“Hmmm, I have an idea. I think you'll like it.“

“Oh?“

Flug's eyes had a sly spark in them that could almost rival Black Hat's.

“If you agree to do at least one hour of productive therapy per day, just concentrate for that one hour for me, then I will let you do whatever you want with me for the entire day. You give me one hour, really pour some effort into it, and then I am all yours. We get to play whatever you wish. Is that okay?“

Black Hat took a moment to contemplate the offer, trying to find a loophole in the whole affair, but he came to the inevitable conclusion that if he wanted the doctor to fully open up to him, he had to give certain concessions so the doctor would trust him. One hour of productive therapy? Alright, sure, if it meant that he could eventually manipulate his way into making Flug release him. It might actually work if he played the game properly.

“I agree to the conditions.“

“Yay, finally we'll do some real work around here.“

Flug yelped as tendrils shamelessly caressed his inner thighs.

“But first, let's seal the deal, shall we, Doctor?“

Chapter Text

The theory of probability was a cruel and whimsical thing. It pretended to be purely mathematical and impartial, as if it didn't have a secret morbid sense of humour, as if it didn't serve chaos, as if its allegiances didn't belong to it. It harboured a secret agenda, indeed. Black Hat had a tendency to learn these vital lessons the hard way. After all, it is difficult for such a regal and powerful eldritch lord to come to terms with his rather precarious situation and imprisonment, and even more difficult to come to terms with the fact that Flug's phone began to ring just as the demon was preparing to engage in the act of ravishing the doctor. How rude!

“Flug, turn that thing off!“

“Sir, I am a bit tied up at the moment. Literally. And the phone is on the coffee table.“

Black Hat's tendrils squeezed Flug even tighter, quite adamant in demonstrating the rancour of their master. As the phone continued to ring, the demon's eye sent a laser shot in its general direction, effectively pulverizing it. He leered at Flug in triumph.

“By the way, Doctor, your ringtone is abysmal.“

“Thank goodness I have a back up phone in my study room.“

Flug shivered as Black Hat's alarmingly long tongue ran over his neck, tasting him, teasing him, and eager lips left open-mouthed kisses along his collarbone, loving the silken smoothness and texture of Flug's skin. Black Hat temporarily released Flug's arms.

“Make yourself useful, Doctor, and undo my trousers.“

“Give me a second.“

“It isn't quantum mechanics, lad.“

Black Hat chuckled as Flug fiddled with the technicalities as if he were a Vestal virgin, bashful and with trembling fingers, unsure what to do. When the trousers were halfway off, Black Hat made haste to nestle himself comfortably between Flug's thighs, while his lips captured Flug into a possessive kiss, purrs and growls sending shivers down Flug's spine as he was willingly giving himself to the monster, accepting him as his dark sinful lover. Wayward tentacles snaked their naughty way under Flug's shirt, winding around his torso, slithering over his thighs and calves, roaming, groping, feeling, working diligently to make Flug moan, playing him as if he were an instrument that needed to be finely tuned.

Flug mewled as thin tendrils teased the soft flesh of his inner thighs and lower abdomen, curling themselves around his manhood and caressing the tip, doing all in their power to subject him to delightful torture. All the while, Black Hat was dutifully grinding his length against the young man, taking his sweet time before fully claiming the prize. He wanted to properly savour the moment, he wished to make sure that Flug was completely taken over by lust and need.

“Oh, Doctor, and to think that you used to complain about my ministrations.“

“I…I…oh, please, sir, please, you're so wonderful…“

Flug yelped as he felt that not only was Black Hat incredibly endowed, but also that his member had a mind of its own, fully capable of moving and writhing in a similar fashion as tendrils, and the wicked thing was quite arduously exploring and undulating against Flug's sensitive perineum. Flug wasn't quite certain whether he should be terrified or excited.

“Oh, god.“

“Hmmm, I am the only god you are allowed to acknowledge from now on, Doctor.“

Black Hat nibbled at Flug's shoulder, marking him over and over again, and Flug moaned in pleasure as thin tendrils mercilessly played with his nipples under his shirt. More tentacles assaulted the lovely kingdom of Flug's nether regions, caressing his entrance and providing sufficient lubrication, teasing him with sensations and preparing everything for their lord and master to make an impression on his new conquest.

“Tell me, Doctor, what do you want?“

“Please, I beg of you…“

“I am not convinced, beg some more.“

“My god, please, please fuck me, please, damn it, just please!“

“Are you sure, hmmm?“

“Yes!“

“There's no going back after it, dearest. You're mine now. Look at you, all nicely wrapped up for me like a perfect gift. Your eyes are enchanting when they are full of need. Poor Flug, so unused to having someone take care of you, so obsessed with work and order, trying to conceal that bitter loneliness from within.“

“You are terrible with pillow talk, sir. If we had an audience, they would be snickering right now.“

“Oh, really? And your ringtone was terrible too, now we're even.“

Flug couldn't contain a giggle, and as moments passed by, it turned into merry laughter, his wild hair all messy around the pillow and Black Hat completely confused. Wishing to make Flug fully concentrate on the situation at hand, he commanded a tentacle to gag the young man, much to Flug's annoyance. The demon found the whole ensemble beautiful and appetizing, loving the sight of his doctor all blushing and wrecked with desire, chest heaving as he enjoyed the amorous affection given to him and as anticipated all the wicked things that would come.

“You're quite beautiful like this, Doctor.“

“Hmpf.“

“No, I won't release your mouth, there is already enough sarcasm present in the atmosphere, thank you very much.“

“Hmpf!“

“Will you behave, then? No giggles or stupid comments?“

Flug sighed in relief as his mouth was released, but before he could reply anything, the eldritch demon was kissing him once more, wild and hungry, unusually arduous and greedy in every single little gesture. Incapable of containing himself, Black Hat gave a powerful thrust forward with his hips, no warning whatsoever for his frightened sweet paramour, picking up pace and relishing the incredible warmth and tightness, the precious softness and silken texture of the inner walls, a realm that was only allowed to worship him as its rightful king and owner.

Flug oddly didn't mind the sudden roughness, he welcomed it, humming happily as his lover kept pounding on like the lecherous monster he was, that wonderful stretch and stimulation had a soothing effect on Flug, indeed, the smooth slick surface of the preternatural member allowing it to glide effortlesly. Flug adored it and he gave himself up completely to Black Hat's tender mercies, he mewled as tendrils caressed his neck and continued to play with his skin under his shirt, several tentacles even grew teeth and assaulted him with playful bites, and it didn't take long before Flug was already seeing stars and moons as he went over the edge and a wave of pure pleasure took over him. Black Hat didn't give him one second of rest, and he continued the insane rhythm, stronger, faster, merciless, incapable of compromise. Flug came to the inevitable conclusion that he wouldn't be getting out of Black Hat's clutches anytime soon. At all. Not that he complained, of course.

“Sir, are you purring again?“

“Shut up and spread your legs wider, you idiot.“

“Hahaha, you're purring like a chainsaw, oh my god, hahahaha, the entire mattress is vibrating, this is unbelievable.“

“Oh, you find this humorous? Let me give you something to giggle about.“

“What?“

In mere moments, Flug was pinned to the padded wall, a myriad of tendrils holding him up for support, while his captor continued his thrusts, panting on his neck, licking and biting, whispering, lips delicately brushing Flug's ear, the demon's voice gravelly and sultry, promising untold wonders. Flug moaned weakly as another sweet wave of pleasure came over him, he had already stopped counting how many orgasms he had, but he knew he was exhausted beyond belief. Therefore, one could only imagine his surprise as he noticed that Black Hat was slowly levitating them upwards, higher and higher up the wall, and it became pretty obvious to Flug that Black Hat had evey intention of making love on the ceiling as well.

“Sir, you are insane! Put me down, what if you accidentally drop me?!“

“My, why would I ever let go of a juicy little thing like you, hmm? You give me so much delight. Hush, hush, let's play, there, look how you melt under my touch…“

“Alright, but after this one, we're making a little break for lunch. I asked the chef to make a nice roast duck for you today, sir. And then you need to give me that one hour of productive effort, don't forget that.“

“Ah, yes, yes, how could I forget something so boring and tiresome. But after that hour is finished, we resume our games. I have all these positions to think of, I'm a very dedicated mate, you know.“

“Oh my god, I won't be able to walk for a week.“

Black Hat merely cackled in response.

Chapter Text

Therapy was in full session, and Flug was quite baffled with the rather alarming lucidity and acumen that his patient exhibited. He had given Black Hat several tests to acquire further knowledge of the general framework of Black Hat's mind. Intelligence unparalleled. Masterful coherence. Charismatic and charming personality, ability to seize any situation and use all resources to achieve any goal. Brilliant and magnetic. However, there was not a single hint of remorse and definitely no moral inhibition when it came to illegal activities. Black Hat was immensely proud of being evil. Simple as that, he merely accepted it as a part of his moral alignment.

“But, sir, evil is not a…it's not supposed to be a normal occurrence, nor is it a default state of the psyche.“

“You're so adorable when you talk gibberish, Flug.“

“Sir, Evil is not a diagnosis. What I have here is a thorough analysis and there seems to be a comorbidity of-“

“Doctor, would you drag a lion in here for following his basic nature?“

“You are not a lion! You are a magical entity with no control over your emotions whatsoever. You are incredibly unstable, and all of your gentlemanly exterior collapses whenever you feel a stronger emotion and your powers completely go beyond your control. Sir, you cannot control your own abilites, nor can you master your own behaviour, and the result of that is the general destruction of everything and everyone in your vicinity. And on top of that, you enjoy that destruction.“

“Well, no freaking duh, Flug, I am a villain. A villain. Why are you incapable of comprehending that?“

“Because villainy is a consequence of inner instability, it's not an innate trait.“

“As you have seen, my cognitive capacities surpass most entities in the entire galaxy. This entire charade of my imprisonment is ludicrous. You are the animals that are keeping me bound here. I am a being whose nature dictates to do as I please, I am a predator and a monster, I do what I do. And what about you? You are such a young lad, why did you apply to work here in the first place? Are you waiting for your twenties to wither away while you waste your youth working in this wretched institution? Look at you, engineer, inventor, psychiatrist, you could have made a fortune with your work. Now, what do you seek here? Is it because of the immediate proximity to rogue heroes and villains? Is it because you find our world appealing? And you wanted to analyse the criminal mind and see how it ticks, the same way you love to see your machines function?“

“I am not the one being evaluated here, Mr. Black Hat.“

“Maybe you should be.“

“Sir, please…“

“Oh, no, no, no, Doctor, let's go a bit further down this lane. You, a young genius, applying to work in this madhouse, there has to be some agenda here. As I said before, there is a beautiful shadow inside of you, and I see it so vividly, I want it. Mark my words, Flug Slys, you will give me both my freedom and you will pledge your allegiance to me, those two things will definitely transpire. Whether you like it or not, you will be mine. There is no way of changing that.“

“Oh, god, not the “seduction to the dark side“ speech. I've seen those in movies and books, like, a million times.“

“You were born dark, Flug. You were born with darkness in your blood, and hellfire in your eyes, and ice in your mind. However, your heart oddly encompasses both good and evil. Your precious heart is made of tar and gold, and they are intertwined.“

“This is not about me, stop changing the subject. We are here to focus on you and the ways of making you better. With some progress, if you behave, I can help you even get privileges of walking in the garden. Don't you wish to see the sunlight again? We can do it, but you have to let me help you.“

“This is going nowhere, Doctor.“

“Black Hat! Please! I cannot…I cannot look at you like this, okay? Please, I hate seeing you tied like this, and it breaks my heart to know that I am the one that designed this whole thing, I can't, alright? I just can't! Please, just please, let me help you!“

Black Hat raised his eyebrows and was definitely taken aback with Flug's little outburst, even more so when Flug temporarily lost his professional control and began to sob lightly, removing his bag and goggles so he could wipe the wayward tears. Black Hat tilted his head and observed the young man.

“Sorrow does not suit you, Doctor.“

“I'm sorry, I shouldn't be crying.“

“But you are.“

“I will stop, forgive me, it wasn't right.“

“Our hour is up.“

Flug squeaked as tendrils wound themselves around his torso and pulled him onto Black Hat's lap, the eldritch abomination cradling him as if he were a defenseless kitten.

The demon savoured the taste of Flug's remaining tears, licking along his cheeks and kissing each new tear away, treating them as if they were tiny liquid diamonds. He bit lightly at the base of the neck, enough to draw several droplets of blood, and then greedily lapped them up. Black Hat grinned at his captive and pressed a kiss on his forehead.

“I know what you need, Doctor.“

His visible eye glowed as he telekinetically summoned a certain special object from his blankets, and soon Flug noticed that the blue teddy bear was levitating right above them, before being lowered on Flug's chest. Flug smiled as he gave the toy a squeeze, and then a few more squeezes, loving the cute squeaky noise it made. Black Hat purred like an engine during the whole affair, the volume increasing as time went by, and this was oddly soothing for Flug. He allowed the tendrils to wrap him up completely, and he held the teddy bear close, leaning into Black Hat's chest, enjoying the vibrations.

“Sir?“

“Hmmm?“

“You're warm. It's nice.“

“Enjoy my mercy while it lasts, for soon I intend to do unspeakable things to you on the ceiling again.“

“I am not going to let you fuck me on the ceiling for the second time, thank you very much.“

“But it's so funny when I do, and your reactions are priceless.“

“My teddy bear does not approve of this.“

“Well, you can inform the teddy bear that it can shut up and stop interfering.“

Flug smiled at the whole argument, his cheeks blushing slightly and he giggled as several tendrils poked his sides, eager to find their way under his shirt. Black Hat's wicked mind found the whole thing quite amusing and he commanded his appendages to poke the lad a bit more until he was a giggling mess and begging for mercy.

“S-stop that, I'm sensitive!“

“Oh, I know, I know…all lovely and trapped at my mercy, it's marvellous. I shall keep you forever, Doctor. Now, since I am in a good mood, I won't be going too hard on you today. I command you to give me a back massage, I am feeling a bit stiff recently. There, I'm releasing you, now get to work. Come, come.“

Black Hat positioned himself on his mattress, nestled in the pillows and blankets, while Flug diligently worked on the massage, squeezing and making sure to remove all tension and stress.

“Doctor, tell me, I wish to know about the fate of my old minion. Is she here as well?“

“Oh? Ah, yes, she is. I used to be her doctor, as well, before I cleared everything to give my time to you completely.“

Black Hat cackled cruelly.

“I bet she is bound in a straightjacket, too, huh? And locked in some dark silent cell? Oh, at least it is good to know she is suffering as much as I am.“

“Well, actually…er…she thinks that this place is a luxury spa. And she…is our best behaving patient…and we let her sunbathe in the garden…“

“…what?!“

“She enjoys time in the gym here, she loves when the handsome doctors ask her about her day, she plays with the garden lizards and she just chills out in the sun all day and eats fruit. She actually thinks it's a fancy hotel. Free food, free lodging, she thinks that psychiatrists are cosmetics experts and gym trainers. Hasn't caused a single incident ever since you two were brought here.“

“So…she is having the time of her life…WHILE I AM ROTTING HERE IN THIS DARK DUNGEON AND I HAVE TO NEGOTIATE MY WAY FOR BASIC NICETIES.“

“Oh, boy.“

Black Hat's temper tantrum was of massive proportions, his form desperately attempting to free himself from the prison of cloth, his tentacles writhing frantically, eye and monocle glowing crimson and he produced such an unearthly shriek that Flug's left ear began to bleed. Flug trembled at the sight and he instinctively made one of the dumbest moves a rational person could make. He held Black Hat close, allowing the demon to rest his head in his lap, caressing him and hoping all the additional mouths and teeth would disappear.

“Shhhh, sir, shhhh, I'm here, I'm here, look, here, the teddy bear is here, too. We are here for you, focus on me, there, look. Do you wish for me to bring you something?“

Black Hat panted, chest heaving and preternatural heart pounding at such a pace that it would have already given a normal person a cardiac arrest. He averted his attention to the doctor, and he suddenly pinned the young man down, cuddling him and simply lying on top of him, as if preparing to nest and fall asleep. In fact, he fell asleep within minutes, judging by the unbearably loud snoring.

Flug found himself stuck under a heavy grumpy demon that snored directly into his ear and he wasn't particularly happy about it. He adjusted his position so he could at least place his head on a pillow, and he simply let the eldritch entity rest.

“Yep, just another day at work. Nothing out of the ordinary. Nope. God, I hate my life.“

Chapter Text

Black Hat was a peculiar storyteller. Flug was a peculiar listener. When combined, they formed a perfect little bundle of chaos. One Saturday evening, as Flug had to relinquish all rights to free weekends in order to spend them with Black Hat, the eldritch demanded that they tell each other random stories, improvisation was the key. The game even allowed classical stories to be used, as long as they were narrated in an original fashion with new plot twists.

Black Hat invented a story of insane necromancers that accidentally ended up at the Devil's bachelor party and they were suddenly stuck with the task of having to help him find the most important component of the wedding itself: the runaway bride. As the plot thickened, the necromancers and the smartly dressed Evil Majesty ended up in a car chase in Las Vegas as they pursued the young lady, the whole thing being recorded and broadcasted on national television. During the whole affair, they managed to pulverize an entire casino, destroy a perfectly good Porsche, the Devil lost his favourite hat and by the time they managed to capture the naughty little witch, they had already wrecked half of Nevada.

Flug managed to concoct a little horror tale, trying his best not to despair over the fact that he had to spend his Saturday in the asylum with his patient, while Black Hat happily munched on his roast duck and drank wine with great gusto, holding the fork and knife with tendrils while levitating the cup. He kept complaining, of course, demanding Flug to provide proper entertainment.

“Come on, lad, this bores me. How tedious!“

“I'm tired, sir. And it was a good story, I did all I could to make it scary enough!“

“Well, you managed to scare me with your wretched lack of creativity.“

“Excuse me! Then you go and tell another story!“

Black Hat grinned and took another bite of the roast duck, loving the taste. He took a few moments to play with a plot in his head.

“Flug, before I commence, I have an announcement to make.“

“Yes?“

“I want more Sacher cake.“

“There are three slices in front of you.“

“But what will I do after I eat them? What will I do during the wee hours of the night when I want a snack?!“

“Well, these slices are the last.“

“Then buy more cake!“

“Well, there are ordinary Sacher cakes in common bakeries here, but you simply insist on only eating the original one specifically ordered from Vienna, and it may take some time for them to ship a new one to me.“

Black Hat made a pout and growled, voicing his displeasure and doing all he could to convey how disappointed he was. He finished his duck and devoured the three slices of cake, and then he made himself comfortable on a large pillow, snuggling to the blue teddy bear and making grumpy sounds. Flug couldn't contain a giggle as Black Hat nuzzled the toy.

“Sir? Here, I brought you some strawberries.“

Flug drew closer, carrying a large bowl of scrumptious strawberries, and he sat down next to the eldritch horror. The doctor picked up a particularly ripe and beautiful specimen, then gently brought it to Black Hat's lips, allowing the demon to take a bite. He kept feeding him for several minutes, hearing the demon purr.

“Alright, Doctor. Let's make a few parodies of classical fairy tales.“

“Oh, boy.“

“For instance, Snow White. Can you imagine how ludicrous that whole story is?“

“Oh, god, here it goes.“

“So, once upon a time, an immensely powerful sorceress queen reached an incredible level of pettiness and decided to off the heir to the throne. And for what? Power? Glory? No, it was because the girl would probably be a better choice for Cosmopolitan.“

“Jesus Christ.“

“And then the queen summons the huntsman to give him instructions and orders him to bring her the girl's heart. Honestly, she could have killed her immediately with magic, but no, that would be too simple and effective and then the books wouldn't sell. And then our dear huntsman, instead of immediately going to the local privy council, or nobles, or basically anyone of importance in the court, and informing them “oh, hey, our monarch is absolutely off her rocker and spends all day talking to a mirror and now asks me to pull off a Jack the Ripper on the princess“, no, he takes the girl to the woods. And she picks flowers like an imbecile! And then instead of telling her “dear princess, do flee with the first carriage abroad to the neighbouring kingdom, since there is a ninety percent chance that the royal family there is related to you on some level and they would give you shelter and protect you until further notice“, no, he tells her to go into the dark forest and hide there. Honestly!“

“Tragic, just tragic.“

“And finally, she arrives to a cottage of the seven dwarves, making herself comfortable until the merry home-owners arrive and has to persuade them not to get a restraining order. Eventhough they learn that she is the heir to the throne on the run, they make her clean the damn house.“

“Sir, okay, okay, can we, like, move on to something else?“

“Such impatience! Alright, let me tell you this: Dark Riding Hood. The descendant of the original Little Red and the shapeshifting demonic Bad Wolf. This cunning girl serves as the guardian of the forest and makes sure that no foul play is done under her watch.“

“Basically, those two spawned a gothic edgelord version of Artemis?“

“One day, the girl strolls down the paths of her woodland kingdom, and spots a new visitor, another wayward wolfish demon, a foul shapeshifter. She decides to mess with him a bit. The girl pretends to be ignorant and innocent, approaching the wolf with her doe-eyes and little pout. She informs him that she is going to her grandmother's house, and she casually points the way to him, noticing the predatory glint in his greedy eyes. The wolf believes that he tricked the girl and he makes haste to arrive at the house first. By the time he enters the cottage, he sees that there is nobody there, but he still makes himself comfortable in the bed, wishing to ambush the girl when she arrives. Some time later, the door opens and she enters, taking her black hood off and placing it on the hanger. “I know you are here, demon, no need to be shy“, she says.“

Flug listened intently, quite intrigued with Black Hat's version. He urged the eldritch horror to continue.

“The wolf suddenly became wary, confused with the girl's nonchalant attitude. She approached the bed, grinning at him and saying “there is no grandmother, you came right into my trap“. Needless to say, there had been a myriad of magical symbols drawn on the floor underneath the bed, and they had bound the shapeshifter to the girl's whim without him even realizing it. After that, he had to spend the rest of eternity as her servant, doing chores for her or helping her keep order in the forest. Their favourite activities consisted of brutally murdering evil hunters and saving lost children.“

“That's actually very nice. I like it, indeed!“

“Now, I have another story, Doctor. Once upon a time, there was an imprisoned king. An immensely powerful monarch, who just happened to be a potent sorcerer, as well. His might was legendary, his palaces sumptuous, his riches immeasurable.“

As Black Hat narrated, his tentacles slowly wound themselves around Flug's arms and torso, pulling him nearer. Flug definitely didn't like the way Black Hat was grinning.

“His enemies locked him up in a tower, condemning him to a life of solitude and darkness, not a single soul present to alleviate his chagrin. And centuries passed, and the dark king fell into madness. But then, one day, a curious little warlock climbed up the tower, unaware and unsuspecting of what lies within. The little fool used his beautiful magic to remove the ancient seal from the tower window and he entered, thinking that he would find secret magic books. Instead, he got snatched by the mad king, who was finally free from his prison. He decided to keep the lovely warlock as his own, taking him away into a remote land, and there they built their new kingdom together.“

Flug shuddered as Black Hat finished the story in soft whispers right above his ear, tendrils holding him tightly, and it seemed that Black Hat was drooling with desire.

“Sir, please, oh my god…“

“I am going to do terrible things to you tonight, my beloved…“

“Ah, man, I just wanted to go to sleep early.“

“Oh? Well, no problem, I can send you into a deep sleep during my ministrations, if you wish.“

“What?! No!“

“You're right, it's boring if I don't hear your moans.“

“You are impossible, for crying out loud. Impossible!“

“And you are such a cocktease, Doctor. You never want to play with me.“

“We made love three hundred and fifty times in the past two weeks. I counted.“

“I bet that is below the national average.“

Flug groaned in annoyance as Black Hat nuzzled him. The eldritch purred and purred, adoring his prize and enjoyed Flug's scent as if it were the loveliest fragrance in the world.

“No ceiling this time, sir.“

Flug heard snoring as a response.

“Sir?“

Black Hat had already fallen asleep on Flug's shoulder, purring and snoring as if there were no tomorrow. Flug managed to drag them to the luxurious mattress and blankets, which was quite a hard thing to do with bound arms. After reaching a comfortable position, Flug allowed himself to drift into sleep, mumbling to himself in the process.

“Below national average, why, that horny son of a bitch, and wants another Sacher cake…“

Chapter Text

Flug had managed to acquire certain benefits from his superiors, a little reward for his arduous task of keeping the sanatorium's notorious guest under control. There was only one problem: Flug wasn't satisfied with his prize. He found no pleasure in receiving an increase of his income and a monthly bonus, no, definitely not. He found the whole thing rather ludicrous.

Flug's desires were far more complicated than that, he craved exclusive access to the special research laboratories hidden deep within the facility, he wished for special funding of his projects, he wanted to get a sabbatical year, so he could spend it in building masterpieces. However, the heroic masters told him that he should focus on his patient, instead. For the time being, at least.

Doctor Flug Slys was fuming in his study room, squeezing his pillow and doing his best not to hyperventilate, irritation and turmoil devouring him from the inside. Oh, there were times where he wished to cause immense damage to certain people that wronged him. On those occasions, he could feel immeasurable power boiling within him, his mind entering a state of mania and producing brilliant plans and ideas for executing each and every detail, placing everything in practice.

He could envision countless scenarios with surgical precision, and he amused himself in his darkest hours with such perverse thoughts that would even place most villains to shame.

However, the gruesome truth would hit him eventually, reminding him that he was a lonely lad in his twenties, left to his own devices, with no allies, no friends, and definitely no wealthy protectors to help him bring his plans to life. Business prospects were pitiful, his genius was being buried in stale bureaucracy on a regular basis, and not a single hero would ever employ him, considering his extravagant ideas and ambition. He would undoubtedly scare them with his machines and inventions, and that would definitely lead to them categorizing him as a potential threat to society.

Flug always took great care not to say too much, not to reveal too much, containing his slightly crooked sense of humour, hiding the streak that a certain eldritch had recognized on their very first encounter.

Flug had constant battles with his own mind. Ceaseless dilemmas, always present, haunting him with their shameless grins, chanting and taunting. However, Flug was very cruel with his own inner demons and he always defeated them, showing them that he was the supreme lord and master of his own mind, and they were mere servants to his imagination and intellect.

He had certain absurd concepts regarding his little “problem“. He would never dare call himself evil or declare himself as villainous. A conscience was present, and he had the ability to love. But whom did he love? He loved his teddy bear. Oh, how he wished that the little thing was alive, how he yearned for a soft warm companion to get him through the wretched nights when he feared that he would lose his mind.

And then he had to forfeit the warm plush toy to a certain monster that kept it all to himself. Flug went to fetch a bottle and a glass from his secret cabinet, hidden behind a painting on the wall and protected with secret codes.

It was against hospital policy to indulge in such beverages, but Flug simply sent the whole thing to the deuce and focused on calming his nerves. Denial, denial, denial. He kept reminding himself that everyone had their inner problems, that there was definitely nothing pathological about his preferences and that he had everything under control.

“Nice one, Slys, nice one. Our life is heading in a splendid direction, yep. Might as well get a noose and-“

His phone began to ring. Flug raised an eyebrow and leaned over to inspect the number, but not a single digit was present, as if the caller was placed on total anonymous mode. Flug cleared his throat and glided his finger over the screen and placed it on his ear, waiting for the mysterious person to speak. Not a single sound was uttered. Flug didn't like the whole thing at all.

“Um, hello? Doctor Flug Slys speaking, who is this?“

Cacophonous noises assaulted his ears, morbid growls and squeals that would normally frighten any sane person. Flug, however, had a rather interesting reaction.

“Sir, you really need to stop hacking my phone frequency with magic, it ruins my battery and my wi-fi collapses. Yes, yes, I know I'm late. No, I sound just fine, thank you very much! I'm fine! Okay, I'm not fine! No, I'm not! What? I didn't! Okay, maybe I did. How do you even know about that?! No, there is definitely not a drink in my hand!“

Flug collapsed in his chair and held the phone close, listening to the odd eldritch gibberish that the other party spoke in, and Flug wasn't even puzzled with the fact that he could understand such speech. He curled into a ball and gave soft replies, little confessions and did his best not to have a minor nervous breakdown.

“I can't come down today, sir. I won't be of much use to you in this state. Give the teddy bear a hug from me. Yes. Yes, I miss it sometimes. But you need it more than I do, so…just keep it close. Sir, listen to me. Please, please stop using such magic. The cell is going to drain you dry if you keep pulling off things like these. No. Please, just be a good boy today and I'll make it up to you. I promise.“

Flug gasped as blue sparks appeared in front of him, dancing and condensing into a familiar object. The teddy bear levitated in front of him, waiting for its rightful owner, prepared to protect him from all sorrows that plagued his mind. Flug grasped it immediately, holding it close and loving the soft texture and warmth it emanated.

“Sir, you really shouldn't have, you shouldn't…please rest, please save your strength. No more extravagant magic, please. But…thank you. I really appreciate the gesture. I'll return the toy to you when I visit. Yes. I'll try, sir.“

He hung up and placed his phone on the desk. Flug removed his bag and goggles, nuzzling the soft teddy bear and noticing that it had acquired Black Hat's scent as well. Flug allowed all of his darkness and latent evil to drift away, all of it banished by the mere presence of the soft toy, his one and only link to sanity and love.

“We'll get through this, little buddy. I'll think of something. We'll show them.“     

Chapter Text

Black Hat was akin to an impatient grumpy old man. He despised the substitutes that they had sent him for the day and he made sure to definitely scare the wretched beings out of their wits. Nurses suffered from hallucinations whenever they would deign to peek within the cell, caretakers would be sent flying into the wall if they dared to approach him, doctors would acquire gruesome gashes and ulcers all over their skin if they even dared to entertain the thought of punishing Black Hat for his transgressions. One doctor was dense enough to attempt to inject a tranquilizing substance with a syringe in Black Hat's neck. It didn't end well. At all. Seriously. The infamous director of the hospital was not particularly happy when he discovered that the unfortunate man's body had mysteriously appeared in the wardrobe of his office. However, the heroic director's reaction mostly entailed him rolling his eyes in annoyance at Black Hat's antics.

Black Hat was levitating in his cell, lounging in mid-air as if sitting in a comfortable chair, one leg crossed over the other, and he was making low growls and grumbles. The stereo system brought him no joy, and neither did his books. The tiny television set offered no entertainment either. He craved the presence of his sweet little Flug, and as the hours passed by, Black Hat's impatience only grew in proportion. Hours went and went, evening came, and soon midnight struck.

Black Hat imagined Flug slumbering somewhere soft and warm, all snuggled with his beloved teddy bear, protected from any ancient arcane evil that might lurk in the shadowy corners of his dreams. And then, Black Hat got an idea.

“My, my, my, I should have thought of this sooner…“

Flug had said not to use any more magic. But Black Hat despised rules and broken promises were a great specialty of his. Messing with the perception of reality was also a specialty of his. As well as astral projection into dreams. After all, Flug had forbidden him from hacking his phone with magic, but he never mentioned anything about dreams. Black Hat's eyes glowed before turning completely dark, and his mind entered a type of trance that allowed him to make short little temporary trips out of his own body.

The cell and the draining properties of the cursed straightjacket had weakened his powers greatly, and he couldn't play with anything too potent, and even the little trip would leave damage on him after using such a spell. A shadow made its way across the hallways, blending with the walls, undulating, the essence of a desperate man in search of the one thing that made his days less wretched. It searched and searched, following the magical imprint he had left on its target months ago. Black Hat's shadows could recognize Flug anywhere in the world. As Black Hat expected, Flug was located in his private little study room, napping on a comfortable sofa, covered with a warm blanket and the blue teddy bear was on his pillow.

The shadows danced lovingly around Flug's head before slowly entering his mind, invading his dreams and introducing little changes to their scenario.

Flug had been having delicate and peaceful dreams, but suddenly the landscape of his dreams changed and he found himself in a long dark corridor, full of portraits and ornate decorations. He raised an eyebrow at the change of scenery and couldn't resist a joke.

“Damn, it's dark in here. Did someone forget to pay the electricity bill?“

He laughed at his own joke and did all to keep himself safe from fear. Flug had learned that humour helped him quite a lot with anxiety, fighting panic with forced laughter. However, he frowned as he realised that he had to find his way out of the maze of corridors, and he walked and walked. At a certain point, he heard something.

“Music? Oh, I really need to stop drinking before sleep, god damn it.“

Slowly he made his way to a chamber, peeking in through the door and his heart almost stopped as he noticed who was occupying it. Standing in full splendour, a gentleman in a three-piece suit, the long black coat lightly billowing from the wind coming through the open window, his black tie fitting perfectly with his silken red shirt, perfectly polished dress shoes and an aura of authority and power that was quite rare to find. Flug was blushing like mad as he saw Black Hat in his full attire for the first time. Even better, the demon was holding a violin and preparing to play.

Contrary to the popular belief, even the morally rotten were capable of producing heavenly melodies that could sway the hearts of ecstatic masses, utilizing a musical instrument as their perfect accomplice for the ultimate seduction of the soul. Flug's path of learning that lesson was quite an interesting one.

He effectively forgot to breathe as his eyes devoured the sight before him, he was petrified, mortified, enchanted, enamoured, incapable of taking his eyes off the malefic entity. Flug thanked the heavens for the fact that Black Hat didn't notice him yet. Or did he? Of course, Flug had absolutely no idea that the whole thing was a part of Black Hat's little plan and that he was more than aware of Flug's presence at the door.

Black Hat gently kissed the side of his violin before raising his bow, amusing himself with whimsical melodies and games only a virtuoso could indulge in. Minutes passed and the music became more elaborate, and Flug drank in every detail and movement from Black Hat, as if he wished to absorb a tiny bit of the demon's power as well.

Flug loved it all: the graceful curve of the elbow contrasted with the sharp edge of the coat fabric on the shoulder area, that elegant arm gliding with the bow and producing such heart-wrenching sounds that Flug barely kept his balance, resisting the urge to fall on his knees and weep. Such magnificence was physically hurting him, the heart muscle aching as if it were suffering from an insufficient oxygen supply.

Glissandos sent shivers down Flug's spine, having the effect of a potent toxin, but, oh, such a phenomenal poison it was, the music both fed and starved him, it killed and revived him.

Deft gloved fingers playfully produced impish pizzicatos, almost imitating the sound that tiny devils would produce in their favourite games, and as it went on, the eldritch used the bow once more, going into deeper and darker tunes, as if attempting to mimic the sound of a cello, and succeeding, be it by skill or magic.

Flug dared not move nor breathe, his gaze unfocused and mind banished into the unknown mists of madness, and his lips moved involuntarily, wishing to produce speech, but no sound came, no coherent sentence dared to mix itself with Black Hat's music.

At a certain point, Black Hat snapped his fingers and black smoke conjured more instruments that finally formed a full string quartet, a long ebony baton appearing in Black Hat's left hand. He gave a reverent bow to his violin and he allowed it to levitate away, joining its musical siblings and awaiting orders from the maestro.

Black Hat waved his baton and the instruments began to play, fueled with dark magic, bringing to life a composition no mortal had ever heard before, for it was written by Black Hat mere days ago. Soon, a dark mist produced the percussion and woodwind instruments out of thin air, adding an interesting depth to the music, adding to the otherworldy quality of Black Hat's opus magnum, drums and cymbals and oboes acting as cunning companions to the elegant string instruments.

It wasn't following any typical classical school of style, definitely not the playful Baroque, nor the sober Classical style, nor the rebellious Romanticism, no, it was something else entirely, the melody and the rhythm were enough to place any enchanted musician to shame, Orpheus himself would have bowed in fear, the Muses and Apollo would flee in utter despair, Cerberus would wail in the night and the Furies would weep.

Flug removed his bag and goggles, allowing tears to stain his face. 

He had entered the world of the abyss, the monstrous abyss of eldritch music that was normally forbidden for trespassors. But he would grasp the hand of the abyss, and he would stare into it. The abyss would stare back, stubborn and adamant. Finally, after a myriad of battles and struggles, Flug would smile at the abyss. And the abyss would smile back. Thus a beautiful bond would come to life.

But then, all fell apart as he felt something poke him.

“Having fun, Doctor?“

Flug made a girly scream as the monster surprised him.

“Holy shit, I almost had a heart attack.“

“And you also look as if you're about to have an aneurysm. Maybe you should lie down. Or perhaps you should finally drag your little behind down to my cell, because I've been waiting for TWO DAYS.“

“Hey, wait a minute. You're…you're actually here?!“

“Obviously. It took a lot of effort.“

“I said no more magic! I gave you an order, a doctor to a patient, I told you no more magic! What the fuck is wrong with you?! Do you have any idea what damage this could cause to your body?!“

“Oh, hush, you and your maternal instincts are getting on my nerves.“

“You allowed your mind to travel and leave your body unguarded, Black Hat!“

“So? I've been doing this for thousands and thousands of years.“

“Yes, but never while trapped in a place that specifically feeds on your power, you crazy childish bastard!“

“Watch your tongue, lad, before I remove it.“

“No! I'm done with being the nice guy, I'm done with all the vermin in this world walking all over me and using me and thinking that they can get away with whatever shit they decide to pull off behind my back. And you know what? I would feel immense pleasure if I had the chance to burn  them all to cinders and I would dance on their unmarked graves, I want to see them melting in their own stomach acid, I want to tear their limbs off and beat them to death with them, I shall see them all hang and beg and tremble upon the very mention of my name! And you! Oh, you. All my work, my research, my inventions, all is stagnating because I am condemned to servitude!“

“You are… absolutely adorable.“

“Don't call me adorable!“

“Trust me, there is nothing lovelier than watching a fledgling villain spread their cute little wings as they take the plunge into the abyss.“

Flug stormed off into an unknown direction, determined to wake himself up. Black Hat nonchalantly levitated after him, hovering over the young man's head and poking him every now and then.

“Oh, Flug, Flug, Flug, repressed mania, hidden aggression, you are spilling darkness all over the carpet, look at you, a classical case of denial.“

“Go away. Why can't I wake up?“

“Because you will spend quality time with me here.“

“My dream, my rules. Out.“

“Or what? You will insult me to death? Shoot bullets of sarcasm at me? Or even better, you will verbally eviscerate me?“

Flug made a halt as he suddenly got a particularly wicked idea on how to banish the annoying monster out of his head. He made an innocent little smile.

“Eviscerate, huh? Hmmm, now that sounds like something right up my alley. Also, I always wanted to practice my lucid dreaming abilities.“

Black Hat raised an eyebrow. Flug closed his eyes in concentration and made an effort to take control of his own dream, pressing his palm against the wall and allowing the scenery to change according to his plan. He envisioned a room that he wished to appear, and he shamelessly took advantage of the fact that Black Hat's magic was diminished from all the strain he had gone through, so the monster couldn't properly fight back.

Black Hat suddenly found himself securely strapped to an operating table, incapable of taking the control over Flug's dream back. Intravenous infusions were securely fastened and sending tranquilizing liquids into his system, assuring that he cannot muster enough strength to escape, and a muzzle was placed over his mouth so he couldn't use his sharp teeth to bite his way to freedom either. His shirt and coat were gone, exposing his flesh to whatever hideous plans Flug had. However, he could still speak. And speak he did. A lot.

“Honestly, I expected something a bit more original, Doctor. This is just so boring, typical and expected.“

“You know, I always wondered what colour your blood was. I had a theory that the compounds in your case contained hemocyanin, making your blood blue.“

“It's red. So sorry to disappoint you.“

“Hmmm. No matter, there are other interesting things to explore. Unless you decide to simply leave the dream. You can still go. Just leave me alone and never pull off things like this again. Last chance, sir.“

Flug pulled on a glove that contained tiny knives on the fingertips, and he held his hand high, allowing Black Hat to see the little contraption. The eldritch merely smirked.

“Go on. I dare you, Doctor. Do it.“

He winced as five knives were suddenly buried deep within his abdomen in mere seconds, metal cutting flesh like butter. The grin on Flug's face was monstrous, a blissful sigh escaping him as if he were experiencing erotic bliss from the mere act of piercing someone else's body, loving the feeling of warm insides.

“Amazing, isn't it? Best carbon steel, cuts wonderfully, slices with no problem. Titanium isn't as good, I tried. And this way I don't have to trouble myself with scalpels. I can just ravage my way around and make maximum damage with minimum effort. Oh, lookie, you were telling the truth. Your blood really is red. Are you willing to leave my dream, yet?“

Black Hat took deep breaths as Flug buried his arm elbow-deep into his abdomen, messing around his organs and definitely trying to reach for the ribcage. Oh, the demon was not going to walk away from a challenge.

“Pathetic. I barely felt a thing.“

“Liar. You're in agony.“

“Ha! I've seen kittens that could do better damage with tiny claws.“

“I was planning on releasing rats on you later on, you know. They just love to nibble on their victims. And since your bowels are going to hang all over the place, I bet they would make a feast out of you.“

“Oh, how kind of you to feed the little things!“

“Damn you! Show some fear and respect for me!“

“Well, I did call you adorable.“

“This is not adorable! This is hideous and evil and morbid!“

“Really? And here I am, all blooming with pride, you're just so lovely when you're trying to scare me, Doctor. I told you there was something dark inside of you.“

“Will you shut up?!“

“Come now, you can't have a good vivisection without cracking up a joke or two, Doctor.“

“Don't test me, Black Hat.“

“Oh, while you're at it, could you turn the television on for me? Inform me when you're done with removing my guts, I suppose I will barely even notice.“

“I will politely shove them in your face, so you will definitely notice. And there no television here!“

“Well, make one. Come, come, I don't want to miss the news.“

Flug screamed in irritation and began to pull out random organs, ripping the wounds even wider and even breaking a few ribs off in rage. He placed his goggles on and went to fetch a drill, quite adamant in his intent to win the little mind game they were having. Black Hat, on the other hand, was turning everything into comedy.

“My word, look at this mess. I do hope you have a good detergent to remove all these stains, Doctor. This will be a nightmare to clean.“

“You don't take anything seriously, do you?“

“Don't be ridiculous, Flug, I am positively ruthless when it comes to respecting decorum and proper business attire, I take those things quite seriously. Style is everything. Along with adhering to the sacred grammar rules of classical Latin. I am quite prepared to decapitate any barbarian that dares to disrespect the tender language of Ovid.“

“I wonder if I could hang you from the ceiling with your own intestines.“

“Not really practical. Too slippery, how would you even tie a noose out of that?“

“Well, I can dry the flesh with a tissue or something…“

Black Hat cackled and Flug couldn't suppress his laughter either, a rather affectionate exchange between merry lunatics in the realm of dreams and illusions, where past and future fused into the present, where worlds collided into one single intimate moment that had been destined to occur eons ago, and the stars had condemned them to always encounter each other, no matter the circumstances.

Flug threw away his grim instruments and nonchalantly leaned over the operating table, placing his chin on Black Hat's thigh, contemplating his options.

“Any particular plan, Doctor?“

“Regarding?“

“Your career.“

“Eh, nothing. I drag the whole psychiatry thing out until I blow my brains out in a bathroom one random Saturday night when I decide how futile my existence is. I really have nothing to come home to, anyway. And no particular reason to continue waking up in the morning. Not to mention the fact that all the cartoons I love have been on hiatus for a thousand years.“

“Why, you're quite the ray of sunshine today. I swear, I can literally hear the particles of joy dancing around you.“

“Shut up.“

“You could step into a field of flowers and they would all turn to dust from your mere presence, Flug.“

“Well, good for them.“

“And the rats?“

“Hmm? No, I lost the will to torture you. I can't even slice you open without you saying something stupid in the process.“

“But it was a lovely bonding time.“

Flug chuckled and gave the demon a playful slap on the leg.

“Thank goodness this is a dream, otherwise I really would be screwed with cleaning this place up. I'll visit you in the morning, but now I really just want some rest. You should go, and I mean it, no more funny business. Also, I think I see your lungs over there in the corner.“

“Oh, my, how did those get there?“

They gave each other a look and cackled in unison once more, unable to contain themselves. Black Hat winked at the young man before disappearing into a gust of shadows, and Flug woke up all snuggled under his blanket. He hugged his teddy bear tightly.

“We need a plan.“

Chapter Text

The good doctor had finally arrived to visit his grumpy patient. He was carrying boxes with special board games, puzzles and cards full of riddles, specifically designed to help patients with anger issues. The games would assist in improving focus, concentration and critical thinking, as well as taking the mind off of any external source of irritation. Black Hat, of course, didn't want to participate.

“One hour, sir. One hour. As our agreement states.“

“This is downright imbecilic, I am not a misbehaving toddler.“

“No, you're right. Misbehaving toddlers at least behave if your bribe them. You, on the other hand, you just take the bribe and continue misbehaving anyway.“

“My, aren't you a bit too brave, hmm? After our recent encounter, I dare say that you're becoming far too self-confident in my presence. I remember the first time you entered here, you were terrified as a little bunny rabbit in front of a cobra.“

“How on earth is a forest rabbit ever going to encounter a cobra?“

“Well, you encountered me, so anything is possible.“

Flug fiddled with a few boxes and hummed to himself as he tried to choose which game they should play first. Black Hat leaned over, curious, and he inspected each title on the boxes.

“Don't you have “Cards Against Humanity“ somewhere in there?“

“Sir, with your case, that would be highly counter-productive.“

“Boring.“

“Ah, I've found just the right thing!“

Flug took out a miniature labyrinth model and placed a little metal ball inside of it. There were many tiny sensor alarms placed on each wall within the maze, and if the metal ball were to hit the wall, the alarm would go off. Black Hat hated the whole thing already.

“Flug, what is this?“

“My little invention, designed especially for you. It is a way to train both your focus and a way for you to know how to apply just the right amount of your magical power. I want you to telekinetically move this little ball up the maze until it reaches the center. Focus. Breathe. Be calm. You are not in a hurry, no pressure. You will probably accidentally hit the walls with it until you get the hang of it. But you must remain cold-headed. And-“

The little alarm already went off. And it went off again. The little metal ball exploded a few seconds later.

“Ha! Game over! Now, I shall go nap and you will join me.“

“Well, sir, I have plenty of spare metal balls right here.“

“Oh, no.“

“Oh, yes. There we go. Now, try again.“

Black Hat's ire knew no bounds, and he kept making the metal balls explode or melt, transforming them into deadly insects, turning them into dust or generally just setting off every single alarm sensor within the maze. Flug refused to give up, and he would calmly replace the damaged ball with a new one each time. Black Hat's eyes were glowing a deep burgundy red, green saliva gathering at the corner of his mouth, foaming and frothing, he was definitely prepared to murder someone, but Flug kept his calm and deadpan expression.

“Again.“

“I will have your head for this, Doctor.“

“Finish the game. Are you really going to let this little maze defeat you? You, the lord of darkness, the king of all things evil, are you really incapable of using that little bit of mind power to finish this simple maze?“

Teeth and eyes appeared on the demon's top hat, each mouth producing guttural sounds and threats, words spoken backwards, green fire trying to escape the bonds that held its master tightly, but the energy could barely make any damage without dissipating within seconds. Black Hat howled in indignation, feeling pure hatred for his condition, his dire imprisonment, his inability to normally use his powers, the humiliation and utter disrespect he was receiving.

“Black Hat. Focus.“

“All of this was built by you. This infernal prison, this entire hell. You're a monster, Doctor.“

“Maybe I am. But that is not the point. Now, let me repeat my question once more. Are you really going to let this maze defeat you? Think of it as a metaphor for your current situation. You're trapped. But there is a way out. You need to apply a tiny bit of energy and use it on the right spot. Don't let this defeat you.“

Black Hat subjected Flug's words to thorough scrutiny, incapable of believing what he had just heard.

“Flug…what are you doing?“

“Helping you.“

“Well, this is an interesting twist of events.“

“I am giving you an answer, and all you need to figure out is which question that answer is paired with.“

“Hmmmm. Tiny amount of power used on a specific spot that will lead me to the thing I seek?“

“Yes.“

“And you are simultaneously assuring that, in my quest for figuring this out, I acquire sufficient self-control and discipline in the process, thus abiding by your therapy philosophy?“

“Yes.“

“You are diabolical, Flug.“

“Thank you.“

“Oh, I almost forgot. Where is the teddy bear? You promised to bring it down here to me. Give me the plush toy, and I will play your stupid games.“

Flug smirked and produced the plushie from his backpack, dangling it in front of the monster and watching Black Hat struggle to reach it. After a few moments, Black Hat managed to grab the toy with a taloned foot, holding it as if his life depended on it. He glared at Flug, challenging him and trying to intimidate the lad. Flug was greatly enjoying the whole affair, knowing that he was slowly becoming fully capable of handling these dangerous battles with Black Hat.

“Tell me, Doctor. What will you do if I figure out this riddle sooner than you think? How shall you defend yourself when I release all the horrors of the underworld upon this hospital? You do know the repercussions of your foolish actions. I will make every single employee in here pay for what was done to me. And you shall be all cute and defenseless, ready for me to drag you away.“

“It's a calculated risk.“

Black Hat waggled his eyebrows at the doctor and made a morbid grin, green teeth giving off an ominous glow.

“What goes around, comes around, Doctor. Be prepared for that.“

A sound akin to thunder was heard, lights began to flicker and Black Hat's grin only kept getting wider. Flug was slowly starting to regret his own actions. Indeed, there was no telling what Black Hat's fickle ways would lead to, there was no guarantee of safety if he were to ever figure out the information Flug had given him. Flug gulped, his mind screaming the following words in his head:

Oh, shit.

Chapter Text

Black Hat was dealing with a peculiar problem. He was staring at a particular contraption that Flug had brought to him that morning, and after he was informed what the little collar was for, Black Hat couldn't help but hiss at the good doctor. Flug refused to falter in his mission and he was prepared to battle with the eldritch horror for as long as it took. And it took a solid interval of three hours to achieve results. Black Hat was growling and roaring in indignation, and all of it culminated with him ultimately finding refuge on the ceiling, far out of Flug's reach, eyes narrowed and dangerous shadows undulating around him.

“Let me phrase this in a way that you will understand: I don't want that infernal thing anywhere near me, I am not an enslaved dog. Proceed with great caution.“

“Sir, if you wish to visit the gardens today, you have to place this device on, the hospital board commands it and it took me a lot of negotiating and excruciating paperwork to finally give you the opportunity to leave your cell. Now, I specifically manufactured this to release a tranquilizing shock should you decide to make trouble. It is also a tracking device, in case you run off. In addition, I placed a little top hat symbol right in the middle of it because it looked cute. “

“…let me see.“

“Just look how cute it is!“

“Hmmmm.“

“Come down.“

“No.“

“Come on, sir, fresh air awaits, there are lovely gazebos in the garden as well, along with nice sofas with cushions and you can read the newspaper, and we can just chat and listen to the birds sing and enjoy the sun.“

“For the love of all that is unholy, cease this torture, you deranged harbinger of doom.“

“There is a Sacher cake waiting for you. I reserved a gazebo for a nice little picnic.“

“I am adamant in my decision and you cannot make me agree to this nonsense. My dignity has no price.“

“I made an upgrade and now you can receive Netflix on your television set.“

“Not impressed, my answer remains negative.“

Realizing that it was impossible to persuade the monster with such offerings, Flug had decided to take the game on an entirely different level. Flug removed his bag and smiled slyly, a strange green spark present in his eyes.

“Well, Valentine's Day approaches, sir…“

“Oh, don't you dare.“

“And if you do this little thing for me today, if you behave…“

“You are shameless, tempting me in such a way, tsk, tsk. How utterly gruesome, my darling, trading your soft flesh just to keep me complacent, buying my obedience with your charms.“

“It's the only thing that works with you.“

“My, but you are the one that is abusing my inability to resist you, you are utilizing my desire as a tool to achieve whatever you set your mind on.“

“Desperate times call for a total neglect of self-respect, all in the name of survival.“

“The first instalment of your payment for my good behaviour must be delivered this evening, and it shall continue for the entire week, whenever I want.“

“As you wish, Mr. Black Hat. Now, please come down.“

Black Hat levitated downwards, wary and visibly displeased with the whole project. He allowed Flug to fasten the collar around his neck, the lock making a tiny clicking sound and the sensors activated themselves, green lights blinking every few moments on the front of the collar.

“There, sir, that wasn't so bad. It looks nice on you, too. Now, now, temper, temper, don't pout.“

“If I weren't restrained, I would dismember you, then I would heal you, then rip you apart once more, heal you again, and then I would drag you into my bed and you wouldn't leave it for three months straight as I keep having my way with you.“

“Drama queen, Jesus Christ.“

Flug entered the combination code on the panel of the cell door, unlocking it and he happily opened it, indicating the way for Black Hat. The demon was temporarily blinded by the sudden onslaught of bright light and he hissed, furious. Flug gently placed an arm around the demon's shoulders and guided him outside with the outmost care, whispering words of praise and approval as Black Hat seemed to behave quite well during the whole process.

Black Hat's turmoil only increased with each second, he had been granted a parody of freedom, a foul comedy of horrors and mockery. However, he still had the advantage of the riddle Flug had given him, and he employed all of his cognitive capacities into solving it as soon as possible. He had made countless calculations in his mind, theories, connections, and to a certain extent, he was quite close to solving the problem.

It was quite obvious that Flug wanted him to utilize a sliver of magical power on one specific trigger that could lead to his freedom. The only problem was that Black Hat was not accustomed to using small amounts of magic on minuscule things. He had practiced the maze game over and over, training discipline and patience, but he kept failing, rage and magic boiling and spilling over each and every time, his monstrous primordial essence was both his greatest advantage and his greatest weakness.

Meditation had been offered as a solution for managing extreme emotions, Flug claimed that it was quite an effective tool. Flug had also suggested indulging in the fine arts, and so Black Hat made a little habit of using his telekinesis to make studies in lines, curves, reproducing the geometrical masterpieces of Escher, he amused Flug by showing him the sketches of impossible architecture and illusions of infinity.

They had found a common interest as they discussed the beauty of mathematics and the way it combined wonderfully with music and art. Flug had expressed a desire to learn the secrets of alchemy, and Black Hat was happy to oblige and give him lessons, enchanting him with tales of magicians and forbidden science.

Flug's curiosity and ability to devour knowledge was downright adorable in Black Hat's eyes, and he had proposed a little transaction to his dear doctor. He would give Flug information about the secrets of the cosmos in exchange for personal information from Flug's life. The composition of Dark Matter in exchange for Flug's stories from his school days. The details of Egyptian and Babylonian astronomy in exchange for Flug's tales of how he survived college. Bit by bit, Flug was bearing his very soul to the devilish gentleman.

As they walked down the hallway of the facility, Flug made a gesture for them to stop. He fiddled with a gadget wrapped around his forearm and he pressed several buttons. Blue sparks appeared and they were suddenly teleported in the vast garden. Flug winked at his dark companion.

“Cool, huh? I use it to make my trips shorter and to arrive just in time wherever I wish.“

“You could have used that when we were in the cell.“

“Nope, the cell doesn't allow any teleportation, neither in nor out.“

Flug led him down the lovely labyrinth of cypress tress and rose bushes, the warm and mild weather had made tiny flowers awaken a bit too early from their Winter slumber. Flug was enthusiastically pointing in all directions.

“Look, sir, over there, we'll have magnificent roses there soon. And there we have magnolia trees, and there we have the lilies, then we have the rhododendron and the orchids are amazing when in bloom! Over here, this part of the garden is dedicated to amaranths.“

“Ah, amaranths, symbols of immortality and endurance.“

“I am quite proficient in making the alegría treats out of their grains, sir. There are so many cool recipes left from the good old Aztecs for them. And the best of all, making sweet amaranth grain skulls for the Día de los Muertos, I’d love to make some for you, too.“

They made themselves comfortable in the gazebo Flug had reserved for them, coffee and cake waiting for them on the table. Black Hat plopped on the sofa and began to nest on the cushions, enjoying the softness. Flug allowed himself to relax for the first time in weeks.

“And? How is your progress on figuring out my puzzle?“

“I'm close, Doctor. You can casually kiss your freedom goodbye in the near future.“

“Now, solve it first, brag about it later.“

Black Hat raised an eyebrow as he heard a familiar female voice in the distance, and he straightened up to get a better view from his sofa. Several meters away, a certain psychotic lass pranced along without a care in the world, a regiment of doctors following her as if they were her faithful servants, listening to her chat with herself, giving her candy when she demanded it from them. Her wild hair was flowing freely and she was dressed in a knitted sweater with a pattern of tiny geckos and comfortable sweatpants. Black Hat's visible eye was slowly becoming red.

“Oh, bloody blazes. Flug, hide me. Hide me, you problematic moron, this isn't funny!“

Flug merely laughed at the whole affair, almost falling off his chair and unable to control his giggles, and he waved at the girl, determined to get on Black Hat's nerves as a type of revenge for all the drama he caused over the collar.

“Hey, Doc! Doc! This is the best hotel ever, my compliments to the manager! Can I stay here for free for a bit longer? Pleaaaaseeeee? I'm totally rocking these cardio exercises with my nutritionists and gym trainers, and then I got my manicure, and then we all sit in a nice pink room and we talk about our feelings! Can I stay, please, oh, please?“

“Sure thing, Dem!“

“Aw, thankies! Oh, Boss, is that you?! Damn, that's one kinky shirt you got there. This is what happens when I leave you alone with the Internet!“

Flug's laughter could be heard throughout the entire hospital manor, while Black Hat focused on hiding his face under the pillows in pure humiliation and shame.

“I will kill all of you.“

“Totally worth it, sir, this just added ten years to my life.“

The dear lass went on her way with her loyal doctors, leaving the dire duo in peace. Black Hat shot a deadly glare in Flug's direction, while the young man kept battling with fits of uncontrollable laughter.

“We will see who will have the last laugh, Doctor. Mark my words. Now, come here.“

Flug barely composed himself and he went over to the sofa and sat next to his dark companion, giving him a mandatory shoulder massage and removing tension from him. He leaned over and whispered:

“I'm proud of you, sir.“

Black Hat grinned and took the opportunity to steal a kiss. Flug was rather mortified, primarily frightened that someone would see them, but then the eldritch gave him a little wink and soon shadows fell over the uncovered parts of the gazebo like black curtains, providing full privacy. Before Flug could start complaining, Black Hat pinned him to the soft sofa and proceeded to assault him with ravenous kisses and bites, ardent and hungry, and bit by bit, Flug slowly succumbed.

Chapter Text

Doctor Flug Slys had virtually lost his ability to experience shock and disbelief during his merry days of serving as Black Hat's psychiatrist and personal slave. In point of fact, after doing some introspection and evaluating his own deteriorating mind, Flug had deduced that there was nothing that could surprise him ever again. He had achieved perfect apathy. The Stoics would have been proud. He had acquired immunity to all negative emotions. However, as he entered the cell on the fourteenth of February, he slowly began to reconsider that concept.

“Ay caramba, may the saints help me.“

Black Hat greeted him in a rather compromising position, rose petals scattered all over his chest and the pillows around him, the padded walls had somehow acquired a deep burgundy colour, Black Hat was holding a freshly plucked red rose between his sharp teeth, and a myriad of magenta fairy lights illuminated the cell. The eldritch horror was shamelessly waggling his eyebrows and his malefic tentacles were slowly protruding and writhing until they managed to position themselves in the shape of a heart.

Flug took out a bottle from his pocket, gulping down a few Xanax pills as if they were candy.

Black Hat allowed the rose to levitate out of his teeth, sending it across the room and waiting for Flug to accept it. The doctor rolled his eyes and took the little rose into his gloved hand.

“Ludicrous, isn't it?“

“What do you mean, sir?“

“Foolish mortals celebrate this particular day, the anniversary of a man being decapitated. I find the prospect rather exhilarating. You know, Flug, I would have loved to give you the severed skull of Saint Valentine as a present. Unfortunately, I am forced to make do with what I can in my prison.“

Flug sighed and sat down at the coffee table, noticing a tray of treats and a lovely meal for two, apparently prepared by a professional chef.

“Where did you get all this, sir?“

“I have utilized the resources I had at hand. Since my little lackey lass has such a high status here and they grant all her wishes, I decided to milk it for all it's worth. In other words, I telepathically barked orders into Demencia's head that she had to do something about my abysmal “hotel room service“ because my connection with the reception wasn't working, and that I wanted a chef to make this for me. And here are the results, the nurses brought this from the kitchen, before running away from me with the speed of light.“

“Bad boy, very bad boy. Don't do that.“

Black Hat cackled and winked at the young man.

“I'm serious, sir. Don't.“

“Oh?“

“Behave.“

“Make me.“

“I know what you're doing. And I am not going to play this game. I am going to enjoy the fancy meal that you have so rudely manipulated your way into getting, by using poor Dem, and I am going to ignore you.“

Flug took his bag off and fiddled with the cutlery, enjoying the juicy filet mignon and the delicious rice with special truffle sauce. He took a few sips of wine, as well, completely ignoring his captor. Black Hat mumbled something to himself and he dived into his own plate as well, tentacles holding the fork and knife.

“The meat is quite tender.“

“If only your attitude were tender, sir.“

“It would be even better if your resistance were a bit more tender.“

“Shut up.“

“Only if you make me, my darling.“

“Have you tried the truffles?“

“Oh, they are divine.“

After they finished their meal, Black Hat nonchalantly threw himself in Flug's lap and declared his desire for naughty activities. Flug blatantly refused.

“I'm mad at you, Black Hat. How dare you break the rules like this? Abusing magic, abusing the staff, abusing another patient, all for your own personal gain? You're grounded.“

“You are dangerously pushing your luck, Doctor. If you don't comply, I shall have to bind you and take you by force.“

“You're still going to be grounded.“

“Aren't you afraid of being ravished against your will?“

“If you do that, you will be even more grounded.“

Black Hat had seldom encountered beings foolish enough to explicitly and openly test his patience. Flug's impertinence and sass were slowly causing an alchemical reaction deep within the eldritch horror, summoning a cocktail of infinite evil and unbridled rage. Magic was crackling around them, desperately trying to find its release and fighting against the restraints and draining abilities of the cell. Black Hat's voice became monstrous, teeth multiplying and his visible eye turning completely black. Flug eyed him warily, unyielding.

“I'm not afraid of you.“

“YOU SHOULD BE.“

“I should be a lot of things. But I'm not.“

A tentacle wrapped itself around Flug's throat, squeezing tightly and cutting off his air ways.

“SUCH A PETTY LITTLE THING YOU ARE, DEFYING ME WITH IMPUNITY.“

Flug's vision slowly blurred, but he summoned his remaining wits and held his hand in front of him, reaching for the cloth of Black Hat's straightjacket. The demon raised an eyebrow as Flug poked the cloth in several places, as if pressing specific points, and within mere seconds, Black Hat was writhing on the ground in agony, feeling his magic being bound tightly, almost locked. Realisation hit him, it must have been Flug's knowledge of the straightjacket's technology and draining abilities.

“Microchips, enchanted dust and cursed nano-jewels, I installed them all myself, I know them all by heart. I activated Secure Mode, you won't be moving for quite a while, sir. And as I said, you're grounded.“

Black Hat glared at him, noticing a little smirk on Flug's face. Oh, the lad was truly magnificent, such quick thinking in such a chaotic situation. Black Hat made a sinful grin at him, serpentine tongue dancing over his lips.

“I am so incredibly proud of you, Doctor.“

“I'm taking away your Netflix.“

“Now, let's not be drastic. I simply wished to grant you a lovely day, just the two of us, I genuinely meant nothing harmful in the whole affair.“

“Hmpf.“

Flug made a pout and he went over to the blankets to fetch his blue teddy bear, hugging it as he sat on a pillow and payed no heed to Black Hat's pleas. Moments passed, and Black Hat kept complaining and begging for Flug to have mercy on him. He coaxed and flattered, serenaded and demanded, doing all in his might for the good doctor to turn the Security Mode off. At a certain point, Black Hat began to recite the Renaissance poets for Flug, comparing him to the stars and calling him his “cruel beloved“. Flug was both frowning and blushing.

Black Hat chuckled as he noticed that his words were slowly having an effect on the doctor, and he continued with his rendition of Petrarch's verses.

“I have offered you my heart a thousand times, O my sweet warrior, only to make peace, with your lovely eyes: but it does not please you, with your noble mind, to stoop so low…“

“Black Hat, I swear to god, shut the hell up already.“

“The expression on your face is priceless.“

Flug stared at his dark companion, something pulling at his heart as he noticed how pathetically helpless the demon was, incapable of moving, the usual spark in his eyes gone and all of his charisma reduced to a bare minimum. Flug reluctantly came over and made another specific sign over Black Hat's chest, turning the safety mode off. Black Hat instantly felt relieved, and he thanked the doctor with an apologetic nuzzle.

Black Hat wasn't expecting the following to happen: he definitely didn't expect Flug to willingly pull him into a kiss, and he most certainly didn't expect the chaste doctor to willingly take his lab coat and shirt off. Flug whispered into the demon's ear:

“Take me before I change my mind. I want to forget everything in this world, I want to forget my own name, and you are going to fuck me until I don't even know what day it is. Don't you dare disappoint me, sir.“

Black Hat's salacious smile was beyond description, and he purred upon hearing such words, responding in a sultry voice that effectively extinguished the remaining vestiges of Flug's will to resist him.

“As you wish, dear princeling.“

Dark magic made the rose petals levitate around Flug's head, turning them ebony black and enchanting them into forming a little crown for him. Black Hat's diabolical mind already imagined countless sinful delights that he could subject his captive to, and he was shamelessly drooling at the mere thought of it all, his morbid fantasies only increasing his ardour. Flug wasn't complaining about the whole arrangement, and he merely smiled as ungodly tentacles slithered along his skin, capturing him for their master, promising hours and hours of sweet corruption.   

Chapter Text

Black Hat did not appreciate the conundrum he had been presented with. His resentment eventually fused with his usual bitterness, all of it festering and gradually going through metaphorical putrefaction, while Flug kept giving him taunting smiles and mysterious winks regarding the whole affair. The lad was definitely slipping into his confident inner self, voice no longer faltering, morbid ideas being vocalized more and more, sweet sadism being more apparent each second. Flug was akin to a dark butterfly that finally had the pleasure of utilizing his potent wings, much to Black Hat's annoyance.

“How's the riddle going, sir?“

“Ask me that again and I cannot guarantee that you will keep all four limbs intact.“

Flug playfully threw the blue teddy bear in Black Hat's direction, and the demon telekinetically caught it and threw it back at the doctor. Flug catapulted the little thing in Black Hat's direction once more. They continued the little game for thirty minutes, and there was a very specific purpose for it. The whole exercise served primarily for enhancing Black Hat's concentration and focus, both with magic and with getting accustomed to a repetitive action without losing his temper. Throwing the plush toy over and over again was quite soothing, as well.

However, as the two maniacs began to bicker, they kept throwing the toy harder and harder at each other. Eventually, Flug ended up being hit right in the face with the plushie, his goggles and bag going all askew in the process.

“Well, ouch.“

“You deserved it, Doctor.“

“Well, by the same logic, you deserve it, too.“

“I believe you have received a text message. I thought I told you to turn that bloody thing off when you're here with me, you little traitor, bane of my existence!“

Flug pulled his phone out of his pocket and inspected the unwelcome message. He read the lines over and over again, a frown forming under his bag, hellfire blazing in his chest as he groaned in indignation.

“Son of a bitch. They ask me to make three hundred fully tested products by the end of the month?!“

“Oh? Tell me your woes, darling, it is lovely when I see you all irritated and firmly wrapped in misery's embrace.“

“The heroic director plans a grand capture soon, and he wishes for the entire Western wing of the hospital to be fully furnished and equipped with cells similar to yours, all of it to accomodate the new patients.“

“And you need to prepare all of that technology in the next three weeks?“

“Yes.“

“All alone, with no help, and balance it all with your time with me here?“

“Er…“

Black Hat burst out into malicious laughter, mocking the doctor with perverse delight, he levitated in the air and hovered upside-down, completely overcome with insane giggling, his gravelly voice could be heard throughout the whole corridor where his cell was located. The passersby dared not even guess what was transpiring in the room and they made haste to avoid that particular area at all costs.

“Actually, sir…“

“This is magnificent, it just made my day.“

“Sir…“

“What?!“

“They…they're…in order for me to finish the project for them, they say they demand my full participation during the time of finishing it all…“

Black Hat stopped with his shenanigans that very instant, his visible eye emanating an odd glow as he scrutinized Flug.

“Listen to me, Doctor, and listen carefully. You'd better not say what I think you are going to say. Beware my wrath, lad, don't you dare. DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT YOU WON'T BE HERE.“

“I…I…“

Flug wasn't quite prepared for Black Hat's reaction and he made a run for it as the demon went to pounce on him. Shadows blocked the door, forcing Flug to find refuge elsewhere, and he ran towards the coffee table to use it as a shield. Shadows appeared from behind Flug and they lifted him in the air, making him drop the table. Black Hat approached him, murderous intent present in his gaze, and a myriad of tentacles wound themselves around the terrified captive. Flug tried to fight them, losing his bag in the process, he used all of his might to free himself, all in vain. He was pulled downwards and the demon made him lie next to him on the soft floor.

“Sir!“

“I do not grant you permission to go anywhere.“

“But, sir!“

“I forbid you from leaving my presence! I care not about the consequences, even if I have to keep you here for days by force, you are not granted permission to abandon me.“

“It's just three weeks!“

“Three millennia almost! Imagine what I will do to your replacements, just contemplate their fate, my dear Doctor, I shall smear these walls with their brains and blood!“

“Do you have any idea how difficult it is to get rid of those stains?“

“Keep your mouth shut!“

“Let go!“

“Out of the question!“

“Damn you, let go of me, you can't keep me tied up like this forever!“

“I already am.“

Flug struggled and fought, all of it with no result whatsoever, and after a decent ten minutes of squirming, he got tired and took a little break. Black Hat enjoyed his triumph and he nuzzled Flug's neck, allowing his serpentine tongue to gently run over the soft skin. Flug groaned and refused to play. Black Hat merely grinned and decided to mess around with the good doctor. A particular gesture took Flug by surprise.

“Sir?“

“Yes?“

“Did your eyebrows just poke me?“

“Why, where did you get that idea?“

A few more pokes landed on Flug's cheek and forehead. Black Hat was grinning like a maniac upon seeing the doctor's shock and discomfort. It was a rarely known fact that the demon's unusually long and mobile eyebrows also served as a type of antennae, allowing him to detect information and even pick up wayward magic in the atmosphere. Or, in the case at hand, annoy the good doctor.

“Oh, my god, this is unbearable.“

“My cute little hostage, how I love your discomfort!“

“Stop poking me!“

“It is your punishment for wanting to leave me.“

An hour passed. Flug kept wrestling with his problematic patient, putting up quite a battle, negotiating and begging to be released. They rolled around on the floor, pushing at each other, Flug trying to kick his captor, but the tendrils eventually bound his legs as well. Exhaustion soon sank in and Flug lay on the padded floor, defeated, bound and definitely not in a good mood.

“Sir, let go.“

“Forget it.“

“I need to start working tomorrow, they will come for me here, and it's only going to make things worse.“

“Do I give a damn?“

“I will spend the night here with you, but then I need to go. Come, come, be a brave boy. I will return, don't worry. Also, I'll make sure to come for a quick visit whenever I can. How does that sound? Hmm? Don't frown, please, don't give me that look.“

Black Hat dragged the poor doctor to their little nest of pillows and blankets, holding him firmly bound in his tendrils and cuddling to him. Flug made a squeak as the eldritch horror bit him on the shoulder, nibbling like a cranky puppy that didn't want to let go of its toy. Tiny kisses were placed on Flug's neck.

“You belong to me.“

“Untie me…“

“No.“

“Please.“

“No.“

Flug surrendered to his fate and allowed his captor to do what he wished. Black Hat nonchalantly began to purr, chest vibrating and the sound was quite soothing for Flug, almost hypnotic in its effect. Flug managed to adjust himself to be a bit more comfortable, and he slowly drifted to slumber, lulled by purrs and whispers, hoping that the monster would eventually release him.

Chapter Text

Black Hat was placing an enormous effort into concealing his head under a generous pile of pillows. The purpose of that was to buy a few moments of tranquility, for he had been forced to endure the sound of terrified doctors bickering outside of his cell for two full hours. Frightened pathetic creatures, in his professional opinion, unworthy of his time. Each and every one of them had been thinking of excuses not to enter, and time passed, seven o'clock turned into eight o'clock, eight o'clock turned into nine o'clock. Black Hat simply wanted his damned breakfast feast to be delivered to him.

He wanted Flug to be delivered to him, as well. He growled as he remembered how the lad had escaped his clutches at approximately five o'clock in the morning, using that one split second of Black Hat's lack of attention, as the demon's mind danced between dreams and reality, slipping out of his tendrils, gracing him with a quick kiss and disappearing right before Black Hat could capture him again.

Black Hat nuzzled the plush toy and he inhaled the young man's scent on it. Someone would definitely pay for it all. It would cost him a lot of magical power, but he would definitely do his best to permanently traumatize and brutally maim any imbecile that dared enter his room.

A regiment of highly trained psychiatrists had gathered in the corridor, all of them equipped with special superpowers and each of them in possession of heroic awards for their services to humanity. These qualified professionals were presently engaged in a very important and mature argument amongst themselves regarding the therapy and treatment of their temporary eldritch patient.

“So? Who's going in first?“

“No.“

“Nope.“

“Come on, men, courage! We're not mere human doctors, we're heroes!“

The heroic doctor that had been in charge of the regiment ordered a colleague to enter first. The colleague wasn't happy about the prospect.

“I ain't going in there, mate, I got a family.“

“I know for a fact that you don't.“

“A family of cats.“

“Is that so?“

His gaze averted to another heroic doctor.

“And you? How about you?“

“Er, I…I…I got a family of cats at home, too.“

“Aren't you allergic?“

“Oh, I…did I say cats? I meant rats! Yes, I had an infestation of rats, but I grew fond of them, so I kept them. All three hundred of them. Big family. Love them. Need to stay alive for them. Don't want little Squeaky to miss me.“

“Unbelievable, you cowards. Oi, you! You have empathy abilities, you go in, you can calm that demon down if he starts making trouble.“

“Oh, no, the chakra imbalance is too strong in this one. I can feel the cosmic energies screeching in indignation.“

“This is so embarassing.“

The designated leader of the group rubbed his temples in frustration. An assistant handed a large pile of papers to him.

“What is this?“

“Instructions made by Doctor Flug Slys. All that is needed to tend to the patient's daily requirements. His feeding, his leisure activities, his musical tastes, his needs for massage, the types of stories he likes, lullabies he prefers, snacks he wants, television programmes he likes, conversation topics, general topics he enjoys, behavioral therapy he needs to follow, special exercises, how many times per day he is allowed to have chocolate…“

“There are three thousand pages here! Are we babysitting a pharaoh?!“

“Pretty much.“

“Enough! One of you is going in there to assess the patient! Immediately!“

One heroic doctor pointed accusingly at a young colleague.

“Well, send her in, she has regeneration powers.“

“Hey!“

Two more doctors chimed in.

“Wait, we'll do this like proper responsible adults. We'll play rock-paper-scissors.“

“What if four of us get scissors and four of us get a rock?“

“Oh, fuck this, we'll draw straws!“

“Does anybody have straws here?“

The lady doctor with the powers of accelerated regeneration was slowly losing her nerves.

“Jesus Christ, I'll go! I'll just enter for a few seconds. Just to test the waters.“

She entered the combination code on the panel and gently opened the door, slowly, slowly, and she lightly took one step inside. Seeing that everything was relatively normal, she made a smile at her mortified colleagues.

“See? Piece of cake!“

Well, it wasn't quite so. The doctors winced in unison as a myriad of gigantic pincers, tentacles, shadows and monstrously disfigured snake heads with sharp teeth pulled the unfortunate woman inside, the door closing itself shut, black tar oozing from underneath and creating a disturbing puddle on the floor all over the corridor. Shrieks of untold agony were heard from the inside, sizzling noises, the scent of charred flesh reached the remaining doctors, making them grimace and retch, one of them fought the urge to vomit.

Preternatural growls were heard, deeply disturbing and nightmare-inducing, cockroaches slowly began to emerge from underneath the door and they crawled their merry way up the walls before transforming into little shadowy ghouls and wraiths, taunting the doctors. Another piercing shriek reached their ears, the sounds of bones being broken sending half the team into a mild nervous breakdown.

Thirty minutes passed, and the heroic doctors could practically feel their sanity fall away into the abyss. However, the door suddenly opened, in an abrupt and violent manner. A terribly disfigured carcass fell on the floor. The doctors were hugging each other and trembling, watching the corpse lie in the middle of the puddle of remaining tar. They all screamed in a high soprano as the carcass slowly began to rise, holding itself steady by leaning on the wall, flesh going through a process of transformation into its original chemical structure, muscles restoring themselves, cartilage and bones healing. The lady doctor chuckled as soon as her mouth was fully formed again, skin slowly covering all of the exposed musculature.

She casually adjusted her broken neck, snapping it all in place, the charred flesh on her stomach healing itself and assuming its normal form, and she adjusted her left eye that had been dangling by the optical nerve. Sighing, she popped a few joints and waved her head in disapproval.

“Yeah, he's a bit cranky today.“

Three doctors fainted upon the sight, one ran away screaming for his mother, two were hugging each other and pretending to be on an island where no evil could reach them. The team leader merely stared. He threw orders at his subordinates to pull themselves together and he returned his attention to the lady doctor.

“Are you…are you alright?“

“Me? Eh, work is work.“

“Well…did he say anything?“

“He says he wants Doctor Slys to return.“

“Anything else?“

“Oh, yeah. Before he spat acid on me, I think he mentioned that he wanted cake.“

The little regiment of confused heroic psychiatrists stared at her in pure horror. Suddenly, they all turned their heads towards the cell door as they heard a dark gravelly voice bark incessant commands at them:

“I said both cake and hibiscus tea, you simple-minded degenerates! And I want my newspapers! Bring me my newest batch of magazines that I ordered last week, and don't you dare approach me without being equipped with chocolate truffles and the new Netflix password!“

Chapter Text

Doctor Flug Slys was definitely malcontent with the conditions of his servitude. Well, “employment“. He would never dare to openly defy the wealthy and powerful members of the hospital board, each and every one of them a preposterously powerful retired hero with connections, each of them fully capable of retaliating if Flug were to ever show an ounce of disobedience.

However, Flug's beautifully brilliant intellect and his budding schadenfreude assisted him in his little plans. Certain schemes had been conconting in Flug's mind, plots and conspiracies most foul. Of course, he hadn't divulged the details to Black Hat, for he preferred to take control for once. It was a nice feeling, pulling the strings and knowing all the details. Flug chuckled to himself and his own genius. Indeed, he had given the substitute doctors a thorough list of Black Hat's needs, but he had also given them another little addition. A little surprise.  

Flug fiddled with the security system of one cell, adjusting the alarms and making sure all sensors were functioning in accordance with his high standards. He had gone through ten cells that day, installing immensely powerful microchips within, creating a forcefield that could capture and absorb any higher amounts of energy they could detect.

For instance, any being that accumulated a high level of inner energy, specifically that of supernatural origin, would basically be locked in a standstill regarding their powers. Low-class magical beings would be completely helpless. High-class beings would keep a tiny amount of power left. And, of course, there had been the specific case of Black Hat, whose cell required such meticulous design and contruction that had taken Flug a good solid year to complete it, back in the golden days when the eldritch was still roaming free.

Flug's phone rang. He looked at the screen and an insane grin appeared on his face. He picked up.

“How was it, hmmm? All according to plan?

He heard laughter on the other side, followed by giggles and snorts.

“Also, what did you find out? Did you get what I asked of you? Send it all to my electronic mail address. And is Black Hat safe and sound? I know. I trust you. He needs to stay safe at all costs. Destroy your SIM card upon ending this phone call and insert a new one. Erase all contacts and wait for me to call on your new number.“

He hung up and took a deep breath as he measured a few grams of enchanted dust, deducing how much was necessary to insert into the power hub of another machine he had to install. Flug had expected to feel nervous regarding the whole scheme, but he felt oddly at ease. Being the mastermind behind a secret operation was an oddly liberating experience.

He stretched his arms and decided to finish for the night. He had a few hours free for sleep and he decided to take his nap in the presence of a certain eldritch horror that was undoubtedly waiting for him like a mad puppy.

Flug made haste to his private study room that was conveniently equipped with an adjoining bathroom. He took a quick shower and changed clothes, a casual sweater with little planes on it and fitting black jeans, and he placed his white lab coat over the whole ensemble. Refreshed and satisfied, he sneaked off down the hospital corridors until he reached Black Hat's cell door.

He raised an eyebrow as he saw four exhausted psychiatrists sleeping on the floor in front of the cell. Flug deftly went over them without disturbing their slumber, and he entered the combination code on the panel. As he entered, the sight that greeted him made him wish that he had stayed in his study room. He simply whispered a low “what the fuck“, at the whole situation.

The eldritch abomination was concentrated on following the newest episodes on Netflix, while one doctor held a tray of food near him, another doctor was fanning him with a giant palm leaf, two doctors were giving him a back massage and one unfortunate soul was forced to give him a thorough pedicure.

Flug didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

He cleared his throat and alerted the little group of his presence. They stared at him. He stared back. Several awkward moments passed and one doctor spoke first.

“It's not what it looks like.“

Flug burst into laughter, clutching his stomach and almost falling on the floor. Several seconds later, he composed himself, voice unusually dark and confident.

“Out. You can return when I call for you. I'll take it from here for this night. Still here? Come on, people, free night, go do something for yourselves, get drunk and cry under the moonlight. Move it!“

The traumatized psychiatrists scurried past him and emptied the room within three seconds, closing the door, screaming in joy in the corridors, celebrating and roaring like lunatics over the mere fact that they could have one night of decent rest. Flug dramatically placed his hands on his hips, eyeing Black Hat.

“What, sir? No hug for me?“

He yelped as the monster violently pinned him to the padded wall, moaning as an obscenely long tongue licked his neck, a myriad of tentacles capturing his wrists and holding them above his head. Flug blushed as the demon shamelessly purred in his ear, his gravelly voice akin to a mixture of sin and dark chocolate, rolling his r's in such a delightful way that Flug simply wished to fall on his knees and beg for forgiveness for ever escaping his dark master, his sweet magician, his cruel sovereign.

“I have yet to administer proper punishment, traitor. You escaped me once, you won't be so fortunate again.“

“I'm sorry, sir!“

“Insufficient. I do not grant you pardon.“

“But I made sure you had everything you need!“

“Heed me well, arrogant princeling, my current mood commands me to place you through excruciating torture in order to demonstrate what I have been forced to undergo for the past five days, your maddening absence clawing at my patience and good will. I wish to tear your skin off and flog you with it, and maybe bend your spine into a pretzel.“

“There is one valid reason why you cannot do any of that, sir.“

“Oh? Do tell, Doctor.“

“Because innocent eyes are looking at us at the moment.“

Black Hat raised an eyebrow in confusion and he looked behind over his shoulder, trying to see what the blazes his captive was talking about. As soon as he found what he was looking for, he made a groan. The blue teddy bear was sitting on a pillow, facing them directly. Oh, no, he could never hurt Flug in the plush toy's presence. Unacceptble.

“Flug?“

“Yes?“

“Sometimes I feel as if that bear is judging us.“

“Um…okay?“

“Just look at those judgmental beady cute eyes. If it were alive, I bet it would make stupid reaction videos about us.“

“It's really time for your medication, sir.“

“However, there is one type of revenge I can have without spilling blood.“

The eldritch abomination cackled as he leaned forward and happily poked Flug with his eyebrow antennae, annoying the living daylights out of the doctor.

“Black Hat, you are worse than a child! Stop it! This is so embarassing!“

“I find it adorable how this simple action frightens you more than anything else.“

Black Hat levitated upwards, hauling the doctor along with him in his tendrils, and he positioned the young man to sit in his lap. Flug leaned into him, frightened of a potential fall.

“C-can we please go down?“

“No.“

“Why?!“

“Quite simple. Up here you depend on me completely and you have no other choice but to remain by my side. And you definitely have nowhere to escape me.“

“Fine! If you don't put me down, I refuse to welcome you between my thighs.“

“Playing that trick once more?“

“Indeed I am! It's been a few days, isn't it? I bet you're secretly going insane, sir.“

“THAT'S IT. I am perfectly capable of controlling my lust! We are going to sit in our blankets and watch stupid horror adaptations if you keep up with this nonsense, Doctor. And then I will force you to listen to awful pop music!“

“Oh, no, mercy!“

Flug giggled at the absurdity of their whole argument, but then he remembered that he wished to show something to his dark companion. He politely asked the demon to lower them to the ground so he could give him a few papers he had managed to smuggle from his laboratories. Flug placed several blueprints in front of Black Hat as they sat down on the soft padded floor. Flug explained what he was building and how the cells were supposed to function. Finally, he placed an enlarged version of the blueprints of the special microchips he had invented, showing him their structure and explaining the mechanism.

“So…these little things have such destructive power? You install them everywhere within the walls? Connecting them together and they form a powerful forcefield that drains energy?“

“Yes. The microchips are finely made, very delicate. I placed only the most powerful secret materials when building them, along with specially harvested magical jewels that I cut to nano-level size. Here, these are my early sketches of how they all look like, it all ended in the final design, as well. Also, their power has to be in perfect balance.“

“And you placed the same things in this infernal piece of cloth I am forced to wear?“

“Yes…“

“You little monster.“

“Shut up.“

“Well, at least I have the pleasure of knowing that you won't be getting away from me that easily this time, Doctor. You won't finish your project in time, for you shall be here, moaning underneath me, day after day.“

Flug removed his bag and goggles, allowing his hair to fall over one half of his face, green eyes glowing maliciously in the penumbra. He made a coy smile, teasing and full of youthful mischief. The eldritch horror couldn't help but drool over the sight and he pounced on him, straddling the lad and leaning in to steal a kiss. This was a perfect opportunity for Flug to reach for a certain object from his jeans.

Black Hat ceased his ministrations as he felt a sting in his thigh. He straightened himself and stared at the syringe that was protruding from his flesh, its contents already fully injected into his system. He sent a deathly glare in Flug's direction.

“One of these days, Flug, ONE OF THESE DAYS, I AM GOING TO END YOU.“

“Tranquilizer. Powerful enough to kill an army of giants. It should be enough to keep you tame and cuddly so I can get away in the morning without much drama.“

“FLUG...“

“But I also added some aphrodisiac in it, as well, so your drowsiness doesn't mess up our little time together…“

Black Hat's eyes widened in mild shock, but soon he made a face-splitting grin, immense pride boiling within him, his tenebrous mind overwhelmed with ecstasy and poisonous toxins, eldritch darkness mixing with unprecedented desire and unknown chemicals that invaded his bloodstream. Flug almost screamed as dagger-like teeth ripped his sweater and jeans to shreds, fabric tearing, pride vanishing, lust prevailing as the supreme mistress of them both.

Black Hat administered open-mouthed and generous kisses all over the smooth skin of his lover's exposed inner thighs, allowing his tongue to dance along the sensitive flesh, releasing a whole army of tendrils to spread Flug's leg's apart and bind his hands. Their task didn't stop there, and they removed the remaining pieces of fabric from the young man's lithe body and began to vigorously caress him, warm and slick appendages gracing the lovely skin with pleasure. Flug was gradually losing his mind, and he yelped as he felt the demon's mouth engulf his length, feeling the wicked serpentine tongue tease the tip, restless, ruthless, merciless.

It was only then, in the middle of their amorous games, that Flug came to a rather embarassing realization that he had no reserve clothes with him, like he usually did during his little sessions with his patient. He would have made a facepalm if he weren't firmly bound by tentacles.

“Sir?“

“My mouth is busy, Doctor, what do you want?“

“How am I going to get out of here in the morning with no clothes?“

Black Hat stared at him. Flug stared back. They both exploded with laughter.

“You brought the needle, but you brought no clothes, you absolute cretin.“

“Unbelievable, huh?“

“Give me a moment.“

Black Hat conjured a black shirt and elegant slacks, allowing the clothes to fall right on top of the teddy bear in the distance.

“Christ, thank you, thank you.“

“You can thank me by spreading your legs.“

Chapter Text

Black Hat sat cross-legged in the middle of his cell, immersed in deep thought and attempting to attain a type of magical equilibrium, a form of perfect serenity and ataraxy, if you will. The result of that deep meditation was a lovely little explosion. Furthermore, the television set grew wings and began to fly in all directions, and a nearby innocent cream puff melted into non-existence. Well, at least he was making an effort.

He had banished the doctors from his presence for that day, wishing to gain some time alone in order to practice controlling his unbridled emotions, following the simple exercises Flug had imagined for him. Unfortunately, arcane magic was a capricious and whimsical thing, incapable of being fully tamed and bent, it desired release and it demanded full reign. Black Hat levitated himself upwards, realizing that he definitely needed to change his approach to the task at hand. The talons on his feet grasped the padded ceiling and he allowed himself to hang there and stare absentmindedly at the floor, occasionally “walking“ back and forth on the soft surface of the ceiling.  

“Hmmmm…“

He glanced at the blue teddy bear on the floor and he telekinetically lifted it in the air, making it float at his eye level.

“And what do you think about this whole thing?“

The bear remained stoically silent and Black Hat continued with his sermon, giving an entire philosophical speech with various digressions and random aphorisms. The plush toy seemed bored with the whole conversation.

“My word, you are such a good listener.“

If the bear were alive, it would have experienced a minor existential crisis after listening to Black Hat's interpretation of cosmic irony.

“Balance and control are peculiar things. Restraints that serve to achieve liberation, how contradictory! However, they form the basis of elegance and decorum, as well. I am an avid lover of elegance and decorum, mind you. But what is order? Order is disgusting, nothing can compare to the sinful charms of chaos, the magnificent power of madness. Tell me, bear, have you ever witnessed the birth of a star? The immensity of their power borders on the obscene. Pay, attention, bear. Take some notes. Oh, what's that? It's not my problem you didn't bring your notebook with you!“

Black Hat grumbled and commanded the stereo system to play some music. He begged the gods to grant him clemency that day.

Meanwhile, a certain good doctor walked down the corridors of the upper storeys, golden sunlight refracting through the windows, tiny particles dancing in the rays of light, and Flug lovingly observed the Tyndall effect, a splendid chain of tingles travelling down his spine as joy spread through him.

The parallel between the two men was akin to the Underworld and Paradise, and for a brief second, as Flug walked on, he stepped directly above the location where Black Hat's cell resided several storeys below.

And following the pattern of good old Dante, Flug slowly began to descend to the realm of the Inferno, but no guide was needed in his case, no generous Virgil to save him from the monsters that lurked in the shadows, for Flug himself was probably the most terrifying monster that ever graced the ground of the Underworld with his ominous footsteps.

He kept his hands folded behind his back, elegant and in deep thought as he reached the corner of a certain corridor, waiting for someone. In order to execute his ideas, he had been in need of someone that appeared perfectly innocuous, someone seemingly ignorant and clueless in the whole story, someone deadly and mobile and who could get access anywhere without arising suspicion, someone well-versed in camouflage. Of course, he had made an arrangement with the person months ago, and it was quite a brilliant one.

As he stopped next to a cell door, it suddenly opened and a delicate hand placed several USB sticks into Flug's lab coat pocket. As compensation, Flug handed over a bag of candy, crisps and books with musical notes for the guitar.

“How is he?“

“He misses you.“

“Keep up the good work.“

And he walked on without another word.

A thunderstorm had decided to plague the realm with its rage and deluge that evening. Black Hat could sense the rapid change of weather with his preternatural senses, but he couldn't receive much information from his damned cell. Oh, the jewels he would give simply to witness another storm in his life.

He paced his cell, objects floating and spinning around him as he trained his control and balance. Black Hat closed his eyes and began to mimic the steps one usually made when waltzing, it helped him focus, and he was quite fond of the waltz, as well. He focused on the rhythm and pattern of his own steps, shadows slowly spiralling around him, and he strived to achieve maximum control over them, making them thinner, more precise, sharp, almost akin to black metal wire, he wanted to make his shadows achieve a microscopic size. Control.

“A tiny bit of magical power applied on specific points, as Flug said. But what points? Bear! Bear, what points? What do I aim at? What am I attacking?“

The straightjacket felt so suffocating as his chest heaved, breathing becoming erratic, his eye glowing silver as he slowly achieved a type of trance and balanced his powers in a way he had never done before. He felt different, his shadows felt different as well. Their texture and effect on reality was slowly attaining a type of precision one could easily compare to the precision of Flug's scalpels, and if they were to fully adjust to the wavelength of each other, they had to be in harmony.

Black hat telekinetically summoned the little labyrinth that Flug had constructed for him, and, surprisingly enough, he moved the little metal ball effortlessly with telekinesis, allowing it to reach the center within seconds. One task was done, he had achieved control over himself, but he still needed to find the target.

“Come on, bear, think, think, we need to find what we need to hit. We can solve the maze with our power now, but we still need to find the lock that fits our key. What is the target? Why were we even training on a maze in the first place? There are plenty of decent self-control games, why a maze? Why did Flug make us learn to go through a maze?“

Black Hat observed the objects that levitated around him, immersed in his thoughts and using his preternatural mind to scrutinize every little bit of information Flug had ever given him. A sheet of paper flashed past him. Black Hat immediately grabbed the paper with a tentacle and he brought it closer to his face. It was a sketch of the special microchips that Flug had installed in the cell and the cloth of the straightjacket.

“Bloody blazes…the structure of a microchip and its connecting power lines is…it's a maze. Tiny amount of magical energy on them…they're delicate...I can short-circuit everything in here…I send my shadows in all connecting lines, I destroy all of it, the entire system…and then…“

Maniacal laughter pierced the hallways, echoing and reverberating along the entire hospital, obscene ecstasy evident in its tone, the promise of untold horrors present in its timbre, a gravelly voice roaring to such a degree that the glass windows exploded in succession in the hospital corridors.

Flug suddenly awoke in the privacy of his soft bed in his little study room, only to see that the violent wind had blasted his window open. He was panting as he tried to calm himself from the sudden shock, and he made haste to close the window, observing the magnificent storm outside, lightning piercing the sky and painting it in shades of white grey and black. Flug clutched his heart as he tried to calm down and he turned around to return to his blankets.

As he reached his bed, he noticed that there was a little lump underneath the blanket, something small and round present under it. Flug reluctantly reached for the blanket and uncovered the mystery object. His eyes widened in horror as he saw the blue teddy bear sitting there, no explanation whatsoever attached to it.

He immediately went for his stash of Xanax pills and gulped down a generous amount before sitting down at his desk, trembling, not knowing what would happen next, whether the bear was a mere prank from the imprisoned demon or whether it meant that the beast was truly free.

The next morning, the regiment of doctors had entered the cell at seven o'clock to continue their daily duties with their patient. Things seemed rather normal and usual that morning. Rigorous and thorough military discipline had been enforced by the eldritch tyrant, as per usual. Eight terrified doctors stood in a line, trembling and containing their sobs, as the cranky demon inspected them and gave strict orders for the day.

“You. I trust you took care of my menu requirements?“

“Sir, yes, sir!“

“Hmmm, what did I say about my title?“

“Er…Lord Black Hat, sir!“

“Better.“

Black Hat averted his attention to the only lady doctor in the room.

“And you, girl? Status of the Fabergé egg I requested? The malachite vase I wished for?“

“Will be here this afternoon, Lord Black Hat, sir. The Interpol is going to kill us over the whole affair of smuggling priceless artifacts and we are breaking all possible rules by using our heroic connections for dealing in contraband, but it will be here, no worries, no problem, c'est la vie, I didn't like my career, anyway, prison's going to be a nice vacation.“

Black Hat was cackling for a good five minutes after hearing that. Then he turned his gaze towards a younger doctor that was slowly breaking into hysterics, basically becoming a sobbing mess. Black Hat rolled his eyes in irritation and he stood in front of the poor lad, a scrawny little thing that was definitely in his middle twenties, barely older than Flug. The eldritch horror reluctantly assumed the tone of a strict mentor instead of his usual grotesquely domineering and intimidating voice.

“Pull yourself together, child! No crying on duty!“

“I-I…“

“Inadequate and unacceptable. Back straight, head up, chin up, immediately! You're in my service, I expect a competent and powerful man, not this!“

“Yes, Lord Black Hat, sir.“

“Rule number fifteen?“

“N-no crying on duty.“

“Rule number sixteen?“

“No crying on your expensive carpet that we recently installed, either, Lord Black Hat, sir.“

Black Hat made a nod of approval, but then he shot a glare at the rest of the group.

“Honestly, you imbeciles are lucky to have me, someone needs to teach you how to conduct yourselves properly! How the blazes were you ever serving as heroes? You cannot even properly manage an enemy that is restrained on your own territory! It's an outrage! Scandalous! Not a single trace of ambition in any of you! I am incredibly disappointed and disenchanted, this is pathetic! Furthermore, you are absolutely abysmal in playing poker!“

The doctors bowed their heads in utter shame.

“OUT OF MY SIGHT. I wish to meditate now. Bring me some freshly squeezed orange juice in precisely one hour. Be punctual or I will pluck your eyes out and force you to swallow them.“

As they made haste to leave the cell as quickly as possible, Black Hat extended a tendril and grabbed one particular doctor by the hair in her ponytail and pulled her back inside, slamming the door shut.

“YOU.“

“Me?“

A mass of shadows condensed themselves into a sharp blade and the demon sent it directly into her, impaling her and then levitating her into the air. She struggled for a few moments, but then she forcefully grabbed the blade and pulled it out of her abdomen, throwing it away as if nothing ever happened. Realizing that she was still floating mid-air, she managed to propel herself to get closer to the padded wall, grabbing the soft fabric and literally pulling herself downwards, bit by bit, almost crawling, until she reached the floor. She gave him an annoyed look from underneath her bangs, the hair in her ponytail completely disheveld after the whole incident, the flesh on her stomach wound healing at an impressive rate. Black Hat snorted.

“I think it's time we had a little chat, my dear.“

“Do we have to?“

“What kind of an idiot do you take me for, girl?“

“Well, you kinda encompass the traits of every type of idiot, sir.“

Chapter Text

Doctor Flug Slys, the infamous scholar known for being ruthless and diligent when it came to dealing with his duties, had been hiding himself in a blanket fort for two full days, surrounded by barricades of pillows, chairs, and flower pots. He had locked the door and the windows in his little study room, and he had pushed the wardrobe on the door, as well. As if that would protect him.

Colleagues had been banging on his door, it was inevitable. He would merely tell them that he was sick or not feeling well. However, the deadlines were approaching and someone had to finish the project he had been assigned to finish. Of course, none of the doctors knew that Flug may or may not have unleashed a force of pure evil upon them all.

Flug was trembling in his little nest, listening to each and every crack or the sound of birds outside. Paranoia consumed him with great appetite.

Well, it did so for a good reason. Random sparks of shadowy magic would electrocute him every now and then, sudden outbursts of telekinesis would send objects flying around the room, and Flug kept hearing a gravelly voice cackling in his ear. Flug held his teddy bear close, breathing heavily, almost crying as he waited for the worst to come for him. He didn't know what punishment would come to him.

He made a squeak as black smoke appeared before him, and he scurried to the corner of his blanket fort, holding the blue bear in front of him as if it were a shield, begging to be left alone. He closed his eyes and dared not look. The lovely smoke approached and undulated in front of his face. It almost served as a narcotic, inducing a sudden need to sleep. Flug's mind went blank for a few moments before he let his head fall down on a soft pillow, slumber welcoming him, his teddy bear still in his arms.

Visions and illusions were granted to him as a present as he slept, blessed darkness engulfed him and showed him a different perspective, a future that awaited him when the devil finally claimed him. Flug felt an odd warmth and satisfaction as magical dreams demonstrated all the benefits of his future condition.

Something beautifully unspoken hovered in the air as he saw himself and his demonic lover in various scenes and images, something so raw and potent, rare and spectacular.

Tender fibres of respect and mutual recognition bore the strength of tales untold and poetry unsung, a barely visible nod of approval, a subtle tip of the hat, a brief second of contemplation taken when inspecting a new mechanical monstrosity or a nascent organic parasite. Another scene appeared, both of them walking down a corridor in a splendid mansion, both coming from opposite directions and heading towards each other.

Gliding in the shadowy mist, meeting each other half-way, black coat billowing and lightly touching the hem of the white coat as they passed by, almost as if it were a deliberate caress, an acknowledgment of a secret only they were familiar with.

Their bond was sinister, something chthonic resided in their unusual displays of affection, a type of plutonian texture not a single being could ever reproduce. It ran like a silent river in the underworld, taciturn and invisible, but it carved the hardest stones with its ruthless power, it corroded all in its path, it promised destruction of massive proportions.

It radiated in each command, as Black Hat's expectations began to rise, demanding the increase of production, keeping the doctor's mind in a ceaseless cycle of scientific creation, challenging him, pushing him to his limits and celebrating in silence as they added yet another project to the list of available merchandise for clients. Another scene came.

The whisper of an unspoken feeling was omnipresent in the conference room, it was obvious in the doctor's stance, his bearing, having the privilege to stand at the right side of Black Hat's throne, both of them gazing with silent contempt at the nervous clients and various villains that observed them in awe and terror, a spark of playful malice forever present in Black Hat's visible eye, while a careful soul could easily discern traces of toxic green glowing behind the lenses of Flug's goggles.

Gifts were given in the form of new material and technology necessary for further experiments, new pieces of equipment, an endless supply of chemicals, insane amounts of cash given each month for the sole purpose of keeping Flug's laboratory worthy of the best epithets, assuring all was properly prepared for further scientific achievements.

They witnessed countless creations of venomous monsters and various abominations together, bathed in the darkness of the laboratory and the single light emanating from a reflecting lamp above an operating table, both servant and master smiling in glee as newly born weapons of mass destruction opened their eyes to the world.

Countless photographies hung on the walls where they were side by side, each accomplishment, each triumph, quietly being enjoyed and relished, all of it in each other's presence.

It was a perfect partnership, a monstrous duo slowly dictating the conditions of the creation and development of their own imperium. They thrived together, one bound to the other, but by his own will, giving power away only to have it returned to him tenfold.

Flug shifted in his sleep, barely aware that his entire little room was swirling with black magic.

Meanwhile, the devil himself was having a rather interesting conversation with a certain lady doctor, after keeping her in his cell for two full days, interrogating and torturing the living daylights out of her, wishing to get a confession out of her. However, things were not going quite as planned.

“Wow, you only blew one limb off today. No sweat, it'll just grow back in ten minutes, you just take your time venting, sir, no pressure, keep it nice and easy.“

“You're quite the actress, I am impressed, indeed! Now, let's finally get down to business. Remember the little illegal artifacts and vases I asked you to get for me? Well, the errands I entrusted you with served primarily as a test, and after inspecting a wide variety of your achievements in these criminal activities, I have come to the inevitable conclusion that you know a bit too much about villainy than you have any business knowing.“

“Google exists, you know.“

“Also, one particular sentence betrayed you even further. When you said that “prison would be a nice vacation“, tsk, tsk, child. Also, I would know the scent of that blood anywhere, I knew it from the first day you came in this room, acting as if it were all a piece of cake. Well, it was a piece of cake for you, because you knew what to expect. My only question is, what are you and Flug planning together? A little coup d'etat? Betraying all the heroes in this facility? What has Flug been doing in all those cells?“

“Man, you could write a novel with this.“

Excessive blood loss didn't phase her much, and the wounds kept healing at an alarming rate.

“Your ability is quite rare, even amongst heroes. Rapid regeneration, instant growth of limbs and organs. Quite a magnificent trait, almost a bit…reptilian in nature. And do you know what reptiles are also good at, my dear? Hmmm?“

A shot of potent magical energy was sent right into her heart, making her spasm in agony, and as she contorted in pain, she lost her balance and fell on the padded floor. Her gaze became unfocused, but she slowly recovered and lifted herself to look at the madman. She made a weak smile as the iris in her right eye suddenly assumed a toxic green colour, her face structure changing and hair elongating, bangs turning red while the rest returned to original green.

“Camouflage. Honestly, I am immensely impressed. Posing as both patient and doctor. You convinced this entire facility that you are harmless and that you think it's a mere hotel and spa. This granted you free access everywhere and doctors adored you for your apparent cuddly innocence. And of course, you eventually struck a deal with Flug where you basically became his eyes and ears in this place. His special little spy, leaking information for him, stealing keys and files from all the other doctors that were following you with adoration, giving it all to Flug and allowing him full access to all the servers and passwords and secret codes. And nobody even noticed that you ever so subtly impersonated a doctor here after Flug left to work on his project.“

“Doc's idea, Boss. He's quite a smart boy. We made a little bargain, I wanted to have a good time here, I wanted candy and sunlight and freedom. He offered to help me if I did a few things for him from time to time. He told me to be nice and mild with the other doctors and patients, cute and docile, and bit by bit, they gave me all I wanted, I gained their trust.“

“Of course.“

“Doc Flug is such a sweetie, very generous. You don't deserve him, Boss, honestly.“

“A little bit of warning is in order here. Let me simply say that you aren't the only one who is good at pretending...“

She tilted her head in confusion and stared at him, trying to decipher the meaning behind his words. Finally it struck her and her jaw dropped in shock.

“Holy shit.“

“Yes.“

“You're…you can…“

“Clever girl.“

“Since when?“

“Two days, exactly.“

“But why are you still…?“

“Shhhhh, my dear, Flug doesn't need to know yet. All in good time…“

“But…“

“You simply have to act as if all is nice and well. I don't want all these pesky psychiatrists sounding an alarm and making melodramatic escapades if they knew. I have something far better in plan, and on top of it, I have a scientist to imprison. I want to see the look on his face when I come for him. In the meantime, you just keep your pretty little mouth shut, Demencia.“

“Ah, Boss, come on, don't hurt him. Me and Doc were just looking out for ya here, Fluggy didn't want to leave you alone with strangers.“

“I have a few favours to return to him. What goes around, comes around.“

“Meh, you two crazy dorks and your kinky games. Can I go now?“

“Clean up this mess, first.“

Night fell and Doctor Flug finally awoke from his delightful nightmares. He shifted and got up, wincing as he saw the terrible mess in his room, various objects scattered all over the place, messages written in tar all over the walls, all of them containing warnings and threats, and quite a few innuendos and erotic comments and compliments. Flug retched and grabbed his bear, going for the door, pushing the wardrobe away and making haste to get out of there.

He paced down the corridors, his bag missing, his pale face betraying terrible stress and worry. His fingers were cold and trembling, heart pounding, and he felt as if he would never feel warmth again. Flug wandered the corridors like a phantom for two full hours, avoiding any wayward doctors and keeping to the farthest and highest storeys of the hospital, wishing to remain safe and staring at the stars through the windows every now and then. He squeezed the teddy bear.

“I'm going to die without ever naming you, teddy. Forgive me.“

He arrived on a storey that was full of empty cells and he thought that he could spend the night there, where nobody would ever think of looking for him. Flug read the numbers of the cells as he walked by. He stopped in front of one of the doors.

“Hey, look, the five hundred ones start here. I think we can find refuge in here. This one is five-zero-five. How about it? Something cool. 505. I could call you that, for the heck of it. It seems like a lucky number to me. How about it, buddy?“

 Flug nuzzled the plush toy and he giggled to himself, feeling a type of warm relief. As he turned around from the door to look at the stars through the corridor windows one more time, he failed to register that the cell door was opening of its own accord behind him, soundless, writhing tentacles emerging, obscene and tormented with ravenous hunger, preparing to abduct and subjugate the beautiful prey to their cruel whims and macabre desires. Two arms extended themselves as well, sleeves of an elegant black coat present.

A gloved hand covered Flug's mouth from behind and an arm snaked around his waist.

“Hello, Doctor.“

Chapter Text

A figure was hanging upside-down from a ladder construction on the top of the hospital building, dangling happily. The ladder's original purpose was definitely not intended to serve as a playground for those that had a penchant for climbing. The deranged girl was munching candy, enjoying herself and watching the stars. A shrill scream suddenly disturbed the tranquility of the sight, sounds of a horrific struggle coming from the lower storeys of the building, thick walls helpless in their attempt to conceal such noise. Strife and agony were reigning supreme.

She giggled as she recognized the voice, and she nonchalantly continued to relax. However, she had to place headphones on maximum volume in order to ignore Flug's desperate cries for help. His pleas increased in intensity, and soon they were accompanied by deranged laughter belonging to a certain eldritch abomination, resonating in malefic glee, proclaiming his triumph and celebrating his greatest capture. She hummed to herself as she opened a bag of chocolates, and couldn't help but make a parody of the popular children's rhyme:

“Blackey and Fluggy, sitting in a tree, K-I-L-L-I-N-G, first comes love, then comes carnage…“

Another scream.

“Oh, damn, I can hear them through the music. Keep it down, you kinky morons, get a room! I'm getting mentally scarred up here!“

Doctor Flug Slys had found himself in quite the predicament. One can never be truly prepared for certain things, especially when one is being passionately pursued by the king of darkness himself, and it was even worse when the aforementioned king of darkness was a completely irrational cranky madman. Flug thrashed and struggled, scratched and kicked, screamed and begged. A black silken scarf was conjured as a gag for him, muffling his screams. Since he refused to cooperate with the demon, Black Hat got a particularly devilish idea on how to solve the problem of immobilization. The last thing Flug heard before his mind was thrown into hypnotic oblivion were the following words:

“Dear Doctor, let's see how you like it when your hands are taken away from you just like mine were. You do know what I mean, don't you, hmmm? Oh, shhhhh, shhhh, dream now…“

It was approximately two in the morning when Demencia discerned a familiar silhoutte approaching on the roof, the ominous clink of a cane and the elegant footsteps echoing in the night. She threw her headphones away and made a dramatic bow as the elegant eldritch gentleman came before her, his coat billowing in the wind, eyes wild with madness and ambition, green drool present in his teeth. He tipped his hat to her.

“Boss? Where's Doc? Weren't we supposed to celebrate together?“

“He's grounded.“

“You two keep grounding each other.“

“Vicious circle, indeed.“

“Kinky dorks. What did you do to him?“

“Nothing compared to what awaits him after I sort out a few crucial technicalities here. Shall we?“

“Hell, yeah, it's been ages.“

“Initiate operation “Lockdown“, immediately. Worry not, our Doctor is securely snuggled in room 505, avoid that one, nothing goes in, nothing goes out.“

“Sure, sure.“

A playful spark appeared in her green eye as she crawled down the wall. Black Hat hummed to himself, tapping his foot in a specific rhythm, cane striking the nearby crates as he summoned a great concentration of dark magic, setting it free as if it were the plague upon the unsuspecting psychiatrists of the facility, commanding his wicked spells to target the staff, to incapacitate the heroic doctors and to thoroughly torture them, malevolent mists poisoned the air, engulfing everyone in a cloak of mass panic.

Perhaps a friendly little flesh-eating parasite would brighten their mood, or a mutated swamp monster that merely wished to play tennis with their eyeballs. Lights died and died and died, victims cried and cried and cried. Hallucinations, explosions, spontaneous haemorrhage, joints twisting themselves of their own accord, and that was merely the first wave of spells that fell upon them all.

Black Hat teleported himself within the corridors, waving playfully at the screaming crowd and snapping his fingers, producing quite an interesting display of effects, glowing mists with interchangeable colours, walls were rotating freely, tentacles were emerging from the floor and tripping the terrified heroic doctors as they ran for dear life.

Offices blew up one by one, important documents being caught and preserved right in time by diligent shadowy ghouls that prepared each bit of useful data for further inspection, Black Hat would go through them in due time.

Monsters made from tar were generously offering free hugs to the mortified doctors, masses of slime and teeth were performing a little show that entailed a special trick called “Now You See The Doctor, Now You Don't“.

The gates of the facility had been sealed shut, black magic trapping everybody inside.

A Carnival of Carnage, one might call it, beautiful and gruesome, all of it accompanied by the sound of majestic melodies coming from a ghostly orchestra that conjured itself out of nowhere, instruments playing themselves and indulging in devilish tunes, the rhythm perfectly synchronized with the adorable pleas and shrieks for mercy, the percussion cooperating with the sound of frantic footsteps of those that scurried to the nearest exits and banged their fists on each door, a playground of madness and murder.

Toothy grins appeared on each wall, laughing, deriding, mocking, giving false directions to those that got themselves lost in the impossible maze of rorating walls and disappearing corridors.

The Director, being the honourable hypocrite he was, merely sighed and placed down his newspapers, teleporting himself away from the facility and making his way to the Hatsville hero headquarters, where he would spin a tale of how he barely escaped while saving his colleagues, and that he did all he could to stop Black Hat. The united hero organizations would sound alarms all over the globe soon, and panic would plague each citizen.

Dread permeated the air, bit by bit, summoning an ominous tempest, and in a distant portion of the country, in a forgotten orchard, lightning illuminated the graves of the fallen Men Without Hats members in the dark night, rain falling on the cold tombstones, as if casually informing them that their sacrifice had been in vain.

The survivors gathered in a large conference hall, the heroes telekinetically keeping the doors closed and trying to form protective barriers. However, a myriad of black chairs rose from the floor, tendrils and monstrous claws extending from them and capturing each heroic doctor, keeping the reluctant spectators in place and holding them tightly, arms and legs bound, assuring that not a single one of them missed the performance that Black Hat had so generously prepared for them.

A splendid stage emerged from the ground, constructing itself, elaborate and brightly lit, and a figure appeared out of the trap door, microphone in hand, dressed as a magician's assistant. She smiled at her traumatized audience.

“Boy, what a night, huh? Better than a Rolling Stones concert, am I right or am I right?“

She giggled uncontrollably, the microphone amplifying the sound and making the entire room shake.

“Hey, stop me if you heard this one: a handsome devil, two millennials and a Care Bear walk into a bar…“

She winked into the invisible camera, a knowing smile plastered on her face. The heroic doctors were slowly entering a state of catatonia, praying and begging the gods to spare their lives, and this lack of engagement didn't go unnoticed.

“Woo hoo, tough crowd, huh? Hey, Boss, think you can soften them up a bit?“

“With pleasure…“

Black Hat had always had a penchant for theatrics, an addiction to glorious performances. He emerged from black smoke, a regal burgundy ermine-lined cloak placed over his shoulders, held in place with a golden chain.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I do apologize for all the commotion, but I am hereby confiscating this edifice, technology and information included, along with the rest of you. Consider yourselves fortunate, for not many have lived, now have they? Until further instructions are given, I am proclaiming myself as the new Director of this charming hell.“

Black Hat paced towards a crate that had been bouncing up and down on the stage, opening it violently and yanking out a terrified hero.

“A little demonstration: this particular misfit refused to accept defeat.“

A gravelly cackle filled the room as Black Hat pulled his cane by the hilt and extracted a magnificent blade, burying it deep into the man's skull, twisting it and adoring the oozing blood and brains that tainted all in their path.

“Further official complaints shall be processed accordingly. Now, enjoy the band, they are absolutely marvellous. I have some other business to attend to, so do forgive me for my absence this evening.“

And with that said, he made a graceful bow and disappeared in darkness.

Flug was definitely not in a good mood. One couldn't possibly blame him for it.

Drowsy from the hypnosis spell, he observed his surroundings and he noticed that he was lying on a lavish bed, crimson and black sheets and blankets, pillows adorned with black lace. He scanned the room with tired eyes, noticing that it appeared to be an enlargened version of a cell, indicating that Black Hat must have tampered with it by using various enchantments. There was a little window present with heavy velvet curtains, a chandelier with little crystals, various carpets and armchairs, a sofa and even a mini kitchen had been installed.

However, as soon as Flug's mind became fully awake, he also noticed that he had been bound in a straightjacket and his mouth was gagged.

He made a muffled scream as he rolled over, trying to lower the gag from his mouth and partially succeeding. Things were definitely not going well. He managed to get off the bed and he stood in the middle of the room. A noise at the door caught his attention.

He could hear someone typing the combination code on the panel, and he fully prepared himself to meet his captor. However, something was off. The door kept making sounds as if it were about to open, but it never did. Flug found himself rather confused with the whole thing and he didn't notice that the television behind him had been turned on by its own, glowing eyes and a green grin appearing on the screen.

Flug winced as he heard a guttural chuckle and he turned around, noticing a mass of flesh exiting directly out of the glass screen, combined with green acid and a generous amount of screaming faces that appeared and disappeared at random, drills and knives and eyes and teeth, a giant mouth forming and roaring, three snakes serving as its tongues, each of them having a black top hat on its head. The monstrous being approached ever so slowly, additional mouths singing in arcane languages, and soon Flug found himself cornered. Realizing that he was quite screwed, he made a decision to fight the eldritch by distracting it.

Thus the doctor couldn't help but comment: 

“You know, if things weren't the way they were, I would put you in touch with Guillermo del Toro, we're friends on Twitter. We could make a fortune.“

The monster stared at him in disbelief for a good three minutes before bursting into laughter. Black Hat continued to cackle even as he returned to his standard form. The doctor was not in the mood.

Flug struggled to slip his hands out of the straightjacket, quite perturbed with the current development of events. Black Hat made a face-splitting smile as he pulled his dear doctor into a rather suggestive dance, holding him tightly, dark cabaret music playing out of nowhere, and Flug barely held balance as the demon swayed him from one point to another, spinning him and savouring the fact that Flug couldn't defend himself, arms firmly constricted. Flug was seconds away from his tenth nervous breakdown that day.

“Let go of me!“

“Certain payment is required, then! I demand that you bow before me and swear your unconditional devotion, promise to be eternally in my service, ruling by my side and acting as my right hand. I shall bathe you in glory and power and riches, only if you give yourself willingly. My, my, I can already taste the dark nectar of your ambition as it hears my proposal, you are simply dying to accept, aren't you? What is holding you back, what is keeping you from surrendering?“

“My pride, you idiot. I am not kneeling before you, not now, not ever. Get me out of this!“

“Autonomy is such a sacred concept, isn't it? And yet, it offers nothing substantial, it leaves you alone and to your own devices.“

“Oh, go sit on a cactus.“

“Such spirit…“

“I am not going to tolerate this.“

“Oh, and where would you escape? Come, come. Also, I have a little hostage that might contribute to your decision-making process.“

The demon grinned as he pulled the blue teddy bear out of his pocket, relishing the shocked expression on Flug's face.

“No.“

“Yes. Isn't this the only thing you hold precious in this world? Your last link to love? Well, if you want it back, you know what to do.“

“Leave 505 out of this.“

“Such a cute name you gave it. And to think that you so foolishly believed that it would be your lucky number, tsk, tsk.“

“Give it back.“

“Persuade me.“

“Black Hat, don't push my patience, you have no idea what I'm capable of. Give me back my bear. Now.“

“On your knees, then.“

“I think not. My bear. NOW.“

“It would be such a shame if I were to lock you in here, alone and without your beloved soft bear to guard you from monsters such as myself, and you will be forced to listen to the shrieks of all potential victims in this facility, I will seal several people in each wall around you here, you won't be able to sleep at night as you listen to them beg and die of starvation and suffocating. And, who knows? Maybe I will bring a maimed carcass in here just so you could watch it, look into its dead eyes. You will go mad, Doctor. And each day I will come in here and ravish you over and over again.“

“Sir, no…“

“Surrender.“

“Jesus Christ, I surrender, happy?! Let's throw a damn party over it, while we're at it.“

“Yes, I'm happy, ecstatic!“

“Well, freaking good for you!“

Their little exchange was cut short when the demon pounced upon his prey without warning, burying him in kisses and bites and licks, finally utilizing his hands to have his way with the good doctor. Claws ripped cloth to shreds, as if unwrapping a gift, stripping the young man completely. Flug thanked the heavens for being released from the infernal straightjacket.

Black Hat carried him off to the bed, allowing him to lie on his stomach, head resting on a pillow.

“What on earth did you do to this room?“

“I fixed it. It was meant to be your prison until I talked some sense into you, but since you so graciously accepted my offer, there will be no need for it.“

“I hate my life.“

Flug hummed as he felt kisses along his spine, sharp claws teasing his sides with their tips, grazing his skin ever so cruelly, gentle yet threatening, setting all nerves ablaze and awakening liquid fire in his abdomen. Palms pressed into his shoulder-blades, massaging, squeezing, demanding his moans as a reward for their services.

They glided downwards and traced the lovely curve of his back, finally grasping and fondling each buttock, kneading and kneading, shameless in their mission. Thin tendrils slowly writhed against his perineum, stroking lovingly, tormenting him with need. A few of them slided their merry way inside of him, lazily massaging from within.

Flug relaxed into the large pillow as Black Hat squeezed his shoulders once more, pressing and pressing.

“A little bit to the middle.“

“Of course, Doctor. You're quite tense.“

“No kidding.“

“Enjoying yourself?“

“Hmmmmm.“

Flug made a squeak as he was suddenly forced to lie on his back, the demon pinning him down. Black Hat smirked as he magically produced a dagger in his hand, lightly dragging it along Flug's cheek, letting it glide along his neck. The doctor was on the verge of a cardiac arrest.

Sliding the blade along his chest, both a lover's caress and a fiend's warning, Black Hat brought the tip of the bejewelled dagger to the area of the doctor's collarbone, playing with the blade and relishing each gasp the doctor made as the cold metal teased his warm skin.

“You melodramatic bastard.“

Black Hat leaned in for a kiss, distracting the lad while simultanously making an effort to pull his slacks off. Flug winced as the demon sheathed himself into him, capturing him into the rhythm of his whims, sliding effortlessly, manipulating with pleasure in order to gain an upper hand in their little battle of wits. Wonderful friction and stretching made Flug moan in delight, welcoming the malefic intruder, deeper and deeper.

Flug adjusted himself so he could spread his thighs even wider, abandoning himself to pleasure and begging the stars to grant him peaceful oblivion. Black Hat purred and growled into his ear, brushing his lips against it and tickling it, his monstrously long tongue sliding over Flug's neck and collarbone.

The demon's greedy hands wandered all over, stroking and caressing the smooth skin, pinching it, scratching, slapping, fondling, worshipping each centimeter with the passion of a frenzied sculptor.

“Rougher...destroy me…“

“That can be arranged.“

Hours passed as the lecherous monster tortured him with maddening pleasure, wrecking him, exhausting him to the point of perfect physical numbness and striking mental clarity, where Flug could finally gain a type of freedom to get his genius mind to work at full speed. He needed a chance of escape, and he needed it fast. Soon, the good doctor concocted a brilliant plan. The execution, on the other hand, had to be carefully conducted. Firstly, he needed to make Black Hat focus his attention on something else completely, he had to beguile him into thinking that he had truly succumbed to him. Flug allowed the demon to purr on his chest, resting. The doctor whispered:

“I want them all to see that I stand by your side, I want them to fear me as much as they shake before you. Let's go make a wicked speech to them all, showing that there is no funny business with us! No, I will hold the speech myself. I will show them what I am and what lies within me. Do you grant me that wish?“  

Black Hat made a wolfish grin at the prospect, and he released the doctor from his tendrils. This proposal gave Flug a perfect excuse to get fully dressed again, and he made sure not to arise suspicion.

Flug's inner evil sung and whispered scenarios upon scenarios of various schemes, his dilated pupils suddenly became completely pinpoint, constricting as if he had injected an opioid. Flug invited the eldritch horror to come for a kiss, his hands calm, actions deliberate and precise. Black Hat stared at him as if he were a scrumptious morcel of meat, inebriated with the evil that radiated from the young man. They circled each other, analysing, plotting. The good doctor leaned closer.

“Oh, that's it, my Doctor, come to me…“

Flug made a sly little smile. Suddenly, his gaze focused on a spot behind Black Hat's head, and he nervously pointed at it.

“Hey, what's that?“

Black Hat raised an eyebrow in confusion and turned around to inspect the object that alarmed his young lover. Flug made use of his little trick, bringing his hands together for greater impact and hitting Black Hat right on the head, making him lose his balance and fall. Flug made haste to grab his bear and he escaped the room within seconds, running down the corridors.

“FLUG.“

The good doctor ran and ran, avoiding all the wayward traps and ghouls that emerged from the walls, masterfully slipping through their clutches and arriving in front of a seemingly ordinary wall. He pulled the hidden switch and it granted him access into a secret tunnel he had built a long time ago. Flug had designed various pathways throughout the entire hospital complex primarily to gain better access to his secret laboratories. He had constructed them against hospital policy, so he could experiment with various machines and devices without arising suspicion.

He ran past all the jars and vials full of poisons and parasites, robotic prototypes and machinery, cabinets and operating tables, various mechanic wonders and bare engines. Flug's breathing was erratic and his chest heaved, terror slowly spreading through his veins. He stepped into a large chamber and kept pressing the activation button like a lunatic, hoping that the teleportation device would work properly. Nothing happened. Flug frantically searched for a solution and deduced that he had not plugged it into power. Something poked his shoulder.

“Looking for this, Doctor?“

Flug made a sigh of utter defeat as he turned around, noticing his captor. Black Hat smiled deviously as he dangled the power chord in front of the young man.

“Yanno, on a scale of one to ten, how screwed am I?“

“A million. And let me assure you, Doctor, there will be no Netflix for you, either.“

Chapter Text

Schadenfreude. A marvellous word, designating the wicked joy and delight one finds in the suffering of others, that incomparable and addictive tingle that ventures down the spine as a particularly vile scheme is finally placed in process. Black Hat held it in the highest regard, deeming it as the purest form of euphoria a villain could ever experience. It was even more delicious when he dedicated his time to the act of tormenting his good doctor.

His visible eye was firmly fixed on the captured scientist before him. Flug was staring back. They were glaring at each other, barely even taking the time to blink, as if their pride would shatter to pieces if they dared to lose focus. They were sitting in the laboratory, Black Hat lounging on a throne he had conjured for himself, while Flug had taken a seat on a chair near his desk, alert, tense and quite irritated with the fact that shackles had been conjured for his wrists and ankles.

Black Hat made an elegant gesture with his index finger, producing a cigar out of shadows, nonchalantly lighting it with an otherwordly azure flame. A particular noise caught his attention, and he noticed that the lad had literally crushed a glass of water into pieces simply by squeezing it too hard, fury quite evident.

“Are you growling, Doctor?“

“No smoking in my lab.“

Flug had practically hissed those words, voice low and layered with a tinge of something that made Black Hat's heart soar in ecstasy. Gracing him with a malevolent grin, Black Hat got up and approached the doctor, leaning forward, gloved fingers lightly caressing the young man's neck, and he took a nice long drag from his cigar before exhaling a skull-shaped puff of smoke. Flug was reaching the level of being apopleptic with rage.

Irrational instincts prevailed and Flug defiantly struck Black Hat's hand, making him drop the cigar, and then the lad proceeded to stump on it irately. Something was definitely breaking loose within his core, collapsing, imploding, endless madness wishing to break free. As a final act of insanity, Flug adjusted his palm as best as the chains allowed him, and he slapped the eldritch right across the face. It had been too late when he realized the gravity of his actions.

Claws grabbed his shoulders and roughly lifted him onto the desk's surface, forcing him to lie on his back. Flug made a little squeak as a sharp talon made its way under his shirt, tracing the smooth flesh, making little patterns and circular motions, teasing before it mercilessly pierced the surface, definitely determined to cause pain.

“Beautiful, my dearest Doctor…“

“STOP.“

Writhing tentacles immobilized him, exposing him to the deranged monster that proceeded to ravage him with his claws, allowing blood to trickle, licking it adoringly. Flug gasped as another wound was made, talons were cruelly dragged over his skin, forming magical shapes, arcane scriptures being carved into him, branding him.

“I shall have you, one way or another.“

“What are you doing?!“

“A simple procedure…“

“Ouch!“

“Hold still, I am trying to write.“

“Oh, you have some nerve. The actual NERVE.“

“For the love of all that is unholy, I cannot even perform diabolical rituals in peace.“

“BLACK HAT.“

“Activating perpetual obedience…I shall add a limit to that sass, hmmm, perhaps I should make you a bit more polite, as well. Let's see how your clever little head figures its way out of this one. It's over, Doctor. I hereby claim ownership and let us finish this charade like proper civilized madmen, shall we?“

“Don't you dare.“

Doctor Flug Slys possessed a labyrinthine mind, one never knew when they would encounter the minotaur of madness that haunted its halls, and when the gruesome beast finally emerged from the tenebrous crypts, there was no guarantee that anyone would emerge alive. Flug's pride was far more potent than his survival instincts, and whenever his ego was endangered, as was the case at hand, the metaphorical switch in his head would flip, spilling his true colours. Inundanted with the newly released darkness, Flug decided to place his ideas to some good use. He inhaled and screamed:

“ROBOTS. Engage lethal mode, maximum level, exterminate target!“

Black Hat made a halt with his ministrations, raising an eyebrow in confusion at the doctor's exclamation. Flug gave him a disturbing grin, his eyes acquiring a toxic green spark. Various secret doors opened automatically, prototypes emerging from the inner chambers, various mechanical monstrosities made haste to heed the call of their master. It was quite the sight when all of them blasted potent laser rays in Black Hat's general direction, effectively removing him from the doctor. Using the opportunity, Flug got off the desk and commanded a robot to remove his shackles.

Black Hat quickly recovered, shooting massive amounts of dark magic at the little army, pulverizing all that came in his way, his form collapsing into a mass of tentacles and gnawing teeth, claws and screaming heads, scorpions and cockroaches crawling all over him.

Flug took refuge under an operating table, hand placed over his heart as he watched the eldritch destroy his beloved inventions. He thanked the gods that he still had his teddy bear in his lab coat pocket. He hissed as he assessed the damage on his abdomen, horrified with the deep gashes and the blood that had rendered the front of his lab coat crimson, jeans acquiring a violet tint.

The operating table had little wheels on its legs, which allowed the young man to easily pull it in whichever direction he needed to get out of harm's way. He slowly approached a corner with cabinets.

“LET'S PLAY A LITTLE GAME, FLUG.“

Flug fiddled with the drawers and extracted several ray guns, adjusting them on maximum power, fastening them to his coat and holding one in his hand. He had found the miniature teleportation device that allowed him to travel within the perimeter of the facility, but it was too weak for anything beyond that. Wrapping the gadget around his wrist, he prepared himself for the onslaught. A little explosion caught his attention.

“Will you stop wrecking my lab, you eldritch cretin?!“

Crucial principle: the amount of narcissism is proportional to the amount of latent violent tendencies. When one increases, the other inevitably follows, as if it were a great competition, both of them attempting to prove a point to each other. Flug's megalomanic tendencies were interwoven with his murderous streak. An axiom could be derived from the whole analysis: one does not mess with Flug's lab and live to tell the tale.

Flug's wrath was without measure. Fury fueled his self-confidence, reminding him that he was a connoiseur of atomic intricacies, logarithms sang to him in his dreams, he was a modern magician, capable of dissecting nature itself and stealing knowledge, greed and curiosity serving as an effective dynamo in his quest for bending reality.

Adjusting his aim, assuming the calmness of an indifferent surgeon, he shot the ray gun at the laboratory's power source, rendering it pitch black, the only light emanating from phosphorescent vials and liquids, an eerie shade of green present in pure darkness. Flug inhaled and held his breath, listening and determining the demon's location.

He approached a table containing various glowing chemicals, grinning as he pulled his goggles out of his pocket, adjusting them and applying the night vision feature on them, a sinister glow present on their surface. A slight movement at his left side caught his attention, and he brusquely swiped all chemicals off the desk, relishing the sizzling sounds as they directly fell on the demon's flesh, ruining his intentions of sneaking up to the doctor.

Flug adjusted a few more secret buttons on his goggles, zooming in on certain angles of the room, calculating, estimating, and finally he got a rather adorable idea.

“Catch me if you can, sir.“

“FLUG.“

 Flug's goggles allowed him to see that there was a myriad of tentacles heading into his direction, and he made haste to run to the operating table he had previously used as a shield. He mounted it and pointed his ray gun at the laboratory door, releasing a potent wave of energy and pulverizing it. Furthermore, he turned around and fired at the wall, propelling the operating table away, its wheels gliding effortlessly, and thus he made a quick and efficient escape through the door, using the operating table as an improvised vehicle, holding the leather straps to steady himself.

“Holy shit, this actually worked.“

The only problem was, he didn't have any effective breaks or means of properly steering the whole thing, other than shooting his way from wall to wall to keep going.

As he blasted his way down the corridor, a very confused Black Hat exited the laboratory, returning to his standard form and tilting his head, torn between pride and incredulity.

“Bloody blazes, that boy is mad.“

Truth be told, it is not every day that one bears witness to such events, and one definitely doesn't expect to see a mad scientist riding a wheeled operating table at the speed of forty kilometers per hour down an asylum corridor as if there were no tomorrow.

Spectators and bystanders warily moved their heads from one side to the other as their gaze followed Flug's course of movement, various released patients and captured doctors all stopped with their actions and stared stupidly as Flug zoomed by them, eyes wide, jaws hanging open, eyebrows raised, most of them whispering “what the actual fuck“.

The entire spectacle was even more amusing when they noticed that a billowing mass of shadows was following the good doctor with an even greater speed, a gravelly voice roaring:

“WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, YOU WILL BEG ME FOR THE SWEET RELEASE OF DEATH, YOU INSUBORDINATE UNGRATEFUL SPAWN OF-“

There wasn't a single storey that they hadn't graced with their presence, spreading havoc wherever they went, leaving quite a few casualties as Flug grasped several doctors he had a vendetta against and throwing them as cannon fodder in Black Hat's direction.

The good doctor made a high-pitched cackle as he charged like a horseman of the Apocalypse, throwing random victims at his pursuer to satiate Black Hat's ravenous appetite for flesh, stealing time and clawing his way to freedom, goggles glowing and wild hair blowing as he went, holding the leather straps of the operating table as if they were reins, accelerating, utilizing his small teleportation device whenever he needed to avoid a wall,  throwing knives and scalples whenever the eldritch came too close.

Demencia's witty explanation of the whole affair rendered the general hospital population even more horrified with the events. She nonchalantly shrugged and made a sheepish grin, saying:

“Er…pay them no mind, they are just…um…you know, they have really kinky foreplay habits, yanno, and it just sometimes ends up with half the building being blown up, but hell, we can't deny we're a bit jealous of their sex life, huh? Hehe, who wants cookies?“

Several fully grown heroes fainted, while the others merely began to reflect upon the bad choices they made in life. A younger doctor gave Demencia a confused look and asked:

“What are you doing?“

“Playing Despacito on my phone, we need a soundtrack for this.“

“…play something from the Tom and Jerry cartoon, it seems more fitting.“

“Ohh, good idea!“

A former patient chimed in:

“No, no, no, find something better.“

“Ah, shit, people, calm down, you'll use all my Internet data.“

“Well, place it on wi-fi.“

“Yeah, about that, I think the router died a heroic death roughly five minutes ago when those dorks passed through the Eastern wing.“

Chaos reigned within the walls of the haunted facility, various rays of energy shooting from the windows every now and then, the halls echoing with primordial eldritch gibberish as Black Hat threw every curse word in his ample vocabulary in Flug's general direction, and it was even more entertaining when Flug directed his little vehicle into an elevator and shot at the ceiling, cutting off the chords and allowing himself to test gravity first-hand before activating the device on his wrist that allowed him to teleport out of harm's way right before hitting bottom.

He ran down a hallway, panting, positively exhausted and terrified for his life. Guttural sounds came from behind him and he made haste to proceed. The walls oozed blood, garbled voices reverberated, the floor itself began to transform into tar, seeking to engulf him. He used his device one final time before its battery expired, teleporting himself in front of the large French window at the end of the hallway, curtains undulating in the breeze.

Flug felt his heart constrict as he stared into the abyss below. He felt lips brush against his ear.

“Ask for my forgiveness, Doctor.“

“Never.“

“As you wish.“

“Oh, shit, wait-“

“Yes?“

“Are you actually going to push me?!“

“Of course, you clever little beast. You could use some fresh air before splattering all over the pavement.“

“You insufferable, spoiled…“

“Come, come, I have no intention of bickering here with you all night long.“

“Black Hat, I…I…“

“Hmmm, beloved?“

“I think I hear Despacito playing in the distance.“

“I recommend you concentrate on the Marche Funèbre that I am performing directly in front of you.“

“In my defense, if you kill me, the teddy bear will never forgive you.“

“Hey, Flug?“

“What?“

“Let's play with the etymology of your name a bit, shall we?“

“What do you mea-OOOH SHIT.“

Gloved hands shoved him off the edge of the large window, catapulting him into darkness. Flug made an embarassing scream as he mentally counted how many miliseconds he had left before his untimely demise, his blood pressure increasing to astronomical levels, heart threatening to cease with all functions right before the impact. Utilizing the final moments he had in the realm of the living, he extracted his bear from his pocket and hugged it tightly, somewhat consoled with the fact that he would spend his last moments with the only thing he truly cared for.

However, even death had a bad sense of humour. He fell right into someone's arms, strong limbs capturing him and holding him bridal style, tiny kisses being placed on his cheek and a dark chuckle present near his ear.

“Gotcha, Doctor.“

Mad shenanigans notwithstanding, very important matters where being discussed in the outer world. An urgent summit had been scheduled within the international heroic headquarters, drastic regulations had been placed in power, emergency codes had been used to activate various mechanisms of defense, stratagems had been concocted for each and every specialized team of heroic officials. The main objective was to remain actively alert whilst keeping civilians uninformed and unaware, in order to avoid a hysterical outburst of untold proportions. Alas, nobody knew that magical madness had already been released upon them all, for shadows travel fast in the night.

Chapter Text

Cigar smoke tainted the crisp air, ghoulish atrocities were produced with every puff, and each newly created abomination made its merry way into each nook of the heavily guarded headquarters, a foul fog invading and poisoning all in its path. A general collapse of several security systems caused a predictable amount of panic among the heroic agents, black arrows forming themselves out of thin air and finding their target in each unprotected heart.

A certain master of disguise slithered along in the corridors, black cloak fully engulfing his figure, gliding along the floor without his legs even deigning to move, not a single care in the world as he held his cigar, exhaling smoke that contorted and twisted into playful swirls.

He heard footsteps in the distance, possibly yet another batallion of heroes ripe for the slaughter, their pace quickening, a leader barking commands at his subordinates. Black Hat merely dissolved his physical body into tenebrous ribbons, a web of darkness spreading itself over the floor, climbing up the walls, a perfect trap. As the heroes arrived in that particular area, the deed had already been done, each of them caught in the web.

They stared in shock as the cloaked figure detached itself from the wall, shadows condensing into a body once more. He approached with a confident stride, exhaling a large gust of smoke in their direction, cigar held delicately between the index and middle finger, tipping his hat with his free hand.

“Children, words couldn't possibly describe my disappointment. Here I come, adjusting my terribly complicated schedule just for you, just so we could have this little gathering, and what do you greet me with? Poorly designed defense mechanisms? And your guards? I have seen carcasses that possessed more advanced cognitive abilities! Your posture is abysmal, your style is dubious, at best, your strategies the paragon of idiocy, your weapons a travesty!“

The captive heroic agents felt rather offended.

“Come on, it ain't that bad…we even placed our cool uniforms on…ain't that right, guys?“

“SPEAK WHEN SPOKEN TO. Additionally, your attire is the only thing you could use to frighten opponents in battle. Have you people no sense of colour coordination nor fashion sensibility?! Look at this incongruous impractical mess! Which one of you decerebrated juvenile morons designed this?!“

One of the heroic girls burst into tears.

“Public displays of weakness are strictly forbidden!“

His sermon was interrupted by the sound of Bach's toccatas coming from his pocket. An awkward moment followed as the heroic agents observed him wince in frustration, and Black Hat simply proceeded to pretend as if he didn't even register the call.

“Are you going to pick that up or are we just going to listen to the whole movement?“

With an elegant wave of his wrist, Black Hat made the boy's mouth sew itself shut. After a while he finally conceded and picked up the phone.

“Demencia, I told you not to call me on this number!“

The captive heroes tilted their heads and gave each other looks of confusion. Black Hat made a disturbing scowl.

“What do you mean the Doctor is breaking out of his cell? Fifth time in two days? He constructed a bomb out of a soda bottle and sugar, and blew the cell door off? Ha! The little monster! Oh, heroes! Do you hear that? Now that is what I call competence!“

The young heroes were gradually developing terrible self-esteem issues in his presence.

“Hmmm? Allow me to consider…strap him to that torture device that he himself had designed, oh, imagine the sting of utter despair as his own creations are used to punish his vulgar insolence. What? What do you mean he pushed the self-destruction button on all those contraptions? Well…I don't know, chain him in the head office! Heaviest shackles you can find! Extra tight!“

He gave the heroes a disturbingly sweet smile.

“Oh, I am merely in the process of generously transferring my amassed wisdom. Numerous methods can be applied when it comes to shaping the malleable minds of contemporary youth. Especially when it comes to injecting the very essence of evil in their system.“

Black Hat disconnected the call, visible eye turning crimson and voice assuming a layered aspect.

“Now, I need a special little volunteer…“

“Oh, shit.“

“Not a single one of you, hmmm? Well…I shall take all, then.

Possession was a complex enchantment, it demanded utmost focus and perfect timing, one had to calculate each and every detail into the intricate equation before fully taking control of the commonly reluctant victim.

Black Hat had a penchant for toying with the delicate sentiments of his prisoners, and he had a great preference for stealing a host's body in order to infiltrate the ranks of his opponents, adding moral conflict to their already existing dilemmas in situations where they had to shoot their own teammates in order to fight him.

A few delicate hand gestures were more than enough to shatter their minds into something useful.

Heavy mechanical gates of a secret conference room were blown to pieces, and horrified heroic bosses watched their own batallions enter with weapons in hand, aiming, green grins plastered on each face, Black Hat's laughter coming from each throat.

It was a rather distasteful scene, uncensored violence bloomed happily, a massacre without competition. As the possessed youngsters came to a halt, their eyes a luminious burgundy colour, they positioned themselves into a graceful stance, hands and weapons folded behind their back. Their shadows blended together, twisting and contorting until they finally cast one single form, Black Hat's perfect silhouette.

The young heroes made a reverent bow as he emerged from their shadow, eager to execute new orders. Black Hat threw his cigar away before he began to loom over the feast of corpses before him. Several heroic bosses showed some signs of life, and he chose to gratify himself with some fresh blood.

Leaning over the mutilated survivors, he unsheathed his claws and slashed at the soft skin, tearing and ripping open all in their path, and he savoured the succulent flesh with the elegance of an experienced wolf that knew which parts held the best flavour.

Black Hat was superbly sadistic in his endeavours, as he lovingly arranged their moist and soft insides to his heart's desire, indulging in his whims as he tore rib after rib, joy evident in his eye, green acid present around his mouth. He drooled obscenely as he dragged his claws through the tender flesh, crushing the heart, scratching at the lungs, turning the abdominal cavity into his own personal playground.

He loved the slippery texture of the brain, its weight in his grasp, he gave himself time as he ripped up the wind pipe, making quite a mess, knowing that a certain beautiful anatomist would never appreciate such a callous dissection.

After he had his fill, he composed himself and banished the gory mess from his clothing. He turned his head to the possessed heroes that stared at him with pure devotion. Black Hat summoned his loyal violin, coaxing a few notes and grinning as the strings were suddenly alighting with green magic, thin lines of enchantments levitating away from his instrument as he played and played, the sharp angle of his elegant elbow and the fluid motion of his arm quite a beautiful sight to behold.

Heroes heeded to the sound. He walked out of the conference room, coaxing devilish melodies and spreading the enchantment throughout the facility, gathering an entire little army of entranced young heroes, they followed his music obediently, condemned to eternal service.

He exited in a ceremonious manner out of the main building, his acquisition of enslaved superpowered individuals right behind him, a lovely bonus for his trouble. Black Hat merely had to pick which headquarters he would ravage next.

Meanwhile, another monster was diligently plotting and focusing on his own problems.

Doctor Flug Slys had once again found himself firmly bound, in every sense of the term, in a rather problematic predicament. Magical chains held his middle to the sumptuous chair that Black Hat had conjured up in the former Director's office, his arms were given certain freedom, but only as much as the shackles allowed it, while his ankles were tied to the legs of the armchair. The office itself had been subjected to a transformation of massive proportions, enlargened, gothic arches added, lush furniture and archaic decorations placed everywhere.

After his recent transgression, Demencia had received strict orders to watch him at all times in the office. She was content that she could at least get a decent reception for her phone data there, before the computer experts fixed the wi-fi problem. These complications tend to arise when one's boss destroys half the building.

He was trying to lean closer to the desk, his teddy bear nearby, and he was indulging in freshly made pancakes, not a care in the world. His guardian tilted her head in confusion.

“Fluggy? You haven't said a word for two hours.“

“Talk to the bear. He is judging you.“

“Ah, come on, just give me a bit of panic, I spent a lot of energy on tying those chains.“ 

“Oh, wow, I am captured, help, help.“

“You are welcome to pretend to actually give a damn, Flug.“

“As if.“

“Fluggy…“

He finished his meal and he delicately placed his napkin on the plate. Then he took the knife and fork and began to carve plans and equations on the wooden desk, gesturing for her to approach. She observed his actions with great interest and enthusiasm, her fangs being presented in full splendour as she grinned.

“Dem, regardless, our previous schemes are still in action.“

“Doc, you really have some nerve.“

“Minor problems can be ignored, we still continue.“

“Shit, boss is gonna kill us.“

“Well, good for him.“

“Doc, you are freaking insane, I am so proud, you're the big brother I always wanted to have! Hugs!“

“Dem, focus! We need to collect all of the-“

“I already placed all you need in the files of the central network system of this place! Just open the computer here, and you'll be able to see!“

Demencia practically shoved his chair all the way to the desk, so he could be able to type. Flug groaned as the edge of the desk hit his chest.

“Do you mind?! You don't have to crush my ribcage!“

Demencia made herself some coffee as she waited for Flug to hack the system, then made herself comfortable, leaning on the desk, taking little gulps as she waited.  

“Ordinary cryptogram, not too difficult to decipher with the proper pattern analysis and comparative research of similar codes, and if I juxtapose this with these, and when I add a simple downloaded programme, I can finally get what I am searching for…there! Um…what on earth…“

“What is it?“

“Oh my god.“

“Doc, get away, I want to see.“

“You will spill that thing all over my head and my bear!“

“I am trying to read!“

“Control yoursef!“

“Some fun gossip? Hidden dirt about each hero? Does someone have a cool fetish?“

“Get off me! This is a detailed plan of Black Hat's capture, and how it was orchestrated. This goes against all official stories they told us. For instance, who the hell are the Men Without Hats?“

“A music band, you nerd.“

“Dem, what do you remember about when you were captured?“

“Nothing, they electrocuted my brain so much I even forgot my social media passwords.“

They winced as the nearby telephone began to ring, a shrill sound that made them both quite uneasy. Demencia had naturally spilled her coffee all over the papers scattered on the desk, but Flug managed to save his teddy bear. Both companions stared at the phone as if it would jump up to bite them if they made any sudden movements. Demencia cleared her throat after a few seconds.

“Fluggy, the phone is ringing.“

“Jesus, Dem, really? I thought it was playing the new Alan Walker remix.“

“No, Fluggy, it's just ringing.“

“Who would be even calling here?! This place fell weeks ago, everybody knows by now that they won't reach the Director here. Unless…unless they think that Black Hat is in this office right now and they wish to speak specifically to him…“

“Are you giggling?“

“Boy, this will be fun!“

He reached for the receiver and picked it up, trying to contain his odd display of merriment. Demencia's mouth fell open as she beheld the sight of Flug snickering and commencing conversation.

“Doctor Flug Slys, resident hostage and bitter millennial, how may I be of service? Black Hat? Oh, beg pardon, but His Dark Majesty is far too busy being a cretin elsewhere, may I take a message? Yes, yes! That was me, yes, his assigned curator and psychiatrist. I hope they write that on my grave, so I have something cool to be remembered by. His anamnesis? His diagnosis? I could write ten more doctorates about it and it still wouldn't give a proximate explanation of what is going on in that arrogant pretentious head of his.“  

Demencia was already rolling on the ground with laughter, gesturing at Flug to keep on going with the whole circus.

“Oh? His demands? Let me tell you something about his demands…No, no, no, there is no pleasing him! Send us several thousand billion dollars, that should keep him happy for approximately five minutes.“

Demencia made a few more gestures with her hands, waving them around and creating shapes in the air.

“And send us a life supply of ice cream. Number of casualties here? Survivors? I think's it's decent, a very good ratio, I am skipping merrily over scattered corpses like a happy schoolboy, but only on the first few floors, everything else is completely free of mutilated bodies. But, yes, there are survivors, and they are currently experiencing existential depression in the kitchen and destroying the facility's supply of chocolate.“

Demencia giggled and allowed herself to lie on the floor face-down, spasms of laughter taking over her.

Flug pressed a button to allow the voice to be heard by Demencia, as well. Things were getting quite complicated. Nevertheless, a morbid little smile was present on Flug's face as his deranged mind began to construct numerous scenarios on how to properly wreck Black Hat's fragile nerves. Flug cleared his throat, winking at Demencia and assumed a haughty manner of speaking, as if mocking Black Hat's mannerisms.

“On behalf of my patient, and acting as his confidant and personal secretary, I hereby proclaim the following terms, and I demand that they be diligently followed in each detail. You shall henceforth command your financial department to indeed pack several thousand billion dollars for us, if you wish to see the survivors alive. No, no! I don't want to hear it! Do you wish for me to inform Lord Black Hat of your refusal? I am sure he would love to rip your half of the continent apart. Hmm, what's that? You agree to the sum? Splendid!“

Demencia stared at him, mouthing “the fuck you doing?“ to him, but he merely waved, indicating for her to be quiet.

“Why, that would be a perfect location! Lord Black Hat would absolutely love to meet just outside the magical shields he had cast around the asylum. Of course, he might get cranky if he sees the money isn't prepared and presented. Oh, definitely. Hmmm? Nothing to worry about. You can trust me, I am a psychiatrist, after all. Two days from now? Don't forget to bring the money! Oh, the pleasure is mine.“

He hung up and hummed to himself.

“Doc, what are you doing?!“

“Escaping.“

“No, you're not.“

“Yes, I am.“

“You are literally chained to a chair.“

“Great observation.“

“Oh...you expect me to…no…I got orders!“

“And I just ordered a whole lot of money, Dem.“

The good doctor fiddled with the knife and fork, carving more graphicons and charts into the wooden desk, his rational thoughts swept away by the euphoria of unadulterated genius, his green eyes revealing an entire little universe of brilliant horrors that lurked behind them.

“I must go to my lab and make a few gifts for the unsuspecting fools…oh, easy, easy, this was so idiotically easy, they actually believe they are meeting with Black Hat for a hostage exchange! And they will bring the money out of pure terror! Of course, they will bring batallions and batallions of secret armed forces to aid them in capturing Black Hat once more, and my goodness, do I have something for them. We let them wrestle with my mechanical monstrosities, while we escape with the money in my technologically altered vehicle!“

Demencia had smashed a whiskey bottle over her own head just so she could snap herself out of the stupour of pure and total shock. She leaned over the desk.

“But what about Black Hat?!“

“Shh, shhh, Dem, I am relaxing, don't ruin this for me.“

“And our schemes in the asylum?“

“We will blend it all together, don't worry.“

“But…Black Hat!“

“Dem, I picture myself on a beautiful little island with a giant mansion, there is ice cream everywhere. And I am with my teddy bear, my wonderful 505, eating plane-shaped chocolates, and you are probably scaring the living shit out of local sharks.“

He could have sworn that little stars and tiny heart-shaped planets suddenly appeared above her head as she giggled. Either that, or he was gradually descending into madness himself.

“SHARKS? Cute sharks? I love sharks! We have a deal!“

Clouds darkened the sky as dusk approached, the night giving off a tangible feeling of dread, deathly silence permeating the realm. Well, at least it would have been silent if a certain mad scientist hadn't been cackling for the entire facility to hear.

The heroic doctors had shut themselves into a large living room with the Netflix programme and they pretended they weren't aware of anything above nor beneath them.

Demencia was sitting on a spare operating table in the laboratory, smiling proudly as she kept making little selfies and pictures with her phone, tagging her photographs with Flug as “mad bro and demented sis“.

Doctor Flug Slys had proven to be quite agile as he singlehandedly wielded large quantities of metallic material, the massive work was mere play for him, as he fully employed all of his skills as an engineer to create better versions of his previously shattered garrison of robots. His voice was unusually high-pitched and sharp as he talked to himself, running around with drills and donning a brand new laboratory coat, pulling his gloves over his sleeves, his paper bag in full position and morbid light emanating from his goggles.

“Doc, hold that pose! I need to take another pic.“

“I'M WORKING.“

“Oh, just like that, that's the good stuff.“

Flug's enthusiasm had inevitably rendered the facility without electricity several times during the night, and the heroic doctors were definitely cursing him as their Netflix kept turning on and off, and on and off, and on and off, depending on the stage of Flug's insane projects.

In a matter of thirty hours, without a single minute of slumber nor rest, Flug had patched together something so wonderfully abominable, that it could be described as a masterpiece that could easily surpass the maddest dreams of Jules Verne and Lovecraft combined.

“Hey, Dem?“

“Yeah?“

“Let's rock.“

The storm had calmed down, a cold breeze present in the air.

Capes swayed in the gloom of the orchard, dawn tainted with ominous hues of grey and a sickening shade of dark blue obscured the land, heavy, leaden. Droplets of rain were bravely embarking on their journey to meet the ruthless ground, gracing the soil and promising to quench its thirst. A heroic hooded lass kept her gaze on the tombstones, a photograph plastered on one of them, depicting a small group of confident individuals, a little gang of friends that knew not what they had gotten themselves into.

“Hackers and telepaths had attempted to gather intelligence from the fallen asylum, and mystics attempted teleportation to the area. The telepaths died from instant aneurysms, our computer wizards and technopaths were dragged into their laptops by writhing tentacles and the mystics never returned.“

“That is not the report I was expecting to hear.“

She glared at her colleague and continued:

“I propose we offer a settlement so further casualties are avoided.“

“Have you lost your common sense, agent?“

“Yes, I have, thank you for asking. We need to placate him or he is going to pulverize everything we have bled for to protect. I already commanded my branch to make a simple phone call to the facility, and they should be calling me any moment to inform me of their achievement.“

“Scandalous! Contacting the enemy by your own hand? Not waiting for official orders? If our superiors knew about this…“

“As for them, there is something definitely off in the report of the asylum's former Director.“

“Agent, I must insist…“

“Doctor Flug Slys is in that facility. You know what that entails. Black Hat has him and if he sways him to his side, there is no telling what might happen-“

She paused and glanced at her colleague, noticing an odd variety of physical changes upon his face, as if something was struggling to burst out of him. He collapsed to the damp ground, clutching his chest, writhing in agony. Her blood froze in horror as an all-too-familiar raspy laughter escaped the man, uncontrollable cackling, his face distorted, forming a gruesome grimace. His body no longer his own. She rolled her eyes after a few seconds.

“Just my rotten luck.“

A claw grabbed her throat. Black Hat's little possession spell was fighting against the efforts of the telepath it had taken over, veins appearing on the man's face and hands, bulging, filling with dark liquid as natural blood went into oblivion. It was quite clear that the hero's body was slowly dying. The contorted face managed to grin.

“Mind telling me what your superiors know about Doctor Flug?“

“Oh, yes, I mind a lot, Mr Black Hat, sir.“

Their little exchange was interrupted by a rather annoying melody coming from her pocket. He grabbed her phone and pressed to answer the call, imitating her voice in order to avoid suspicion. A voice from the other end informed him:

“Agent, we have managed to initiate contact via phonecall to the head office of the fallen facility, apparently Black Hat's personal secretary is in charge of the logistics and negotiations.“

Black Hat raised an eyebrow and continued with the woman's voice.

“Personal secretary, you say?“

“Well, two of them. Doctor Flug Slys and codename Demencia. They gave us instructions regarding the demands of Lord Black Hat, and we had to acquire a special permit to access our Swiss accounts to extract…“

As the voice continued, Black Hat's patience proportionally kept decreasing, his hold on the woman's throat increasing. Unbridled fury coarsed through his veins, a dark elixir that threatened to fuel his wickedness to the extreme, and as he listened, his grip on his victim's throat tightened, crushing, suffocating. By the time he had heard the whole story out, the heroic woman was already as dead as Flug's future social life. Black Hat detached himself from the stolen body of his host, nonchalantly letting the body fall next to his colleague's. Black Hat adjusted his tie and gloves, and took a glance at the tombstones.

“You cretins are probably finding this whole thing entertaining, aren't you?“

He placed his hands elegantly behind his back as he walked away, thunder accompanying his stride.

Shadows danced around him, his physical body slowly dissolving into a macabre mess of flesh and writhing tentacles, blinking eyes and infinite teeth, as a cacophonous combination of shrill voices screeched:

“FLUG SLYS, YOU ARE A DEAD MAN. YOU FACE AN ETERNITY WITHOUT NETFLIX.“

Flug woke up from his nap on the back seat of his car, warmly wrapped in blankets and holding his teddy bear 505 close. Demencia had been struggling to figure out how his car even functioned.

Igniting and revving up the engine was quite the feat, considering all the complicated stages that had to be overcome in order to fully activate the system. She groaned as she had to type a password upon password in order to access all the special features Flug had installed within the vehicle, various programmes and additions.

“Are you waiting for next Christmas or something?!

“Hey, excuse me, Doctor Doofus Flugenstein, if you didn't mechanically alter this car into…whatever this thing is, then I wouldn't have problems getting us from point A to point B! Ah, there it is!“

She had accidentally activated the jet fuel mode, making the vehicle propel itself right through the garage door, heading right down the facility driveway to connect with the main road. Doctor Flug had unceremoniously collided with the front seats, then fell on the car floor.

“OH, SHIT.“

“Doc, you okay?“

“I think you broke my spine…“

 “We can tape it back together, no problem!“

“Sure thing, Dem, we will tape it. I am seeing things…I am seeing black smoke.“

“Er, Doc?“

“DRIVE.“

Flug extracted his remote control out of his pocket, pressing the button and allowing his mechanical army to activate.

The heroic doctors merely observed the plethora of flying robotic monsters that were released from the facility's various secret entrances, each doctor watching from a window.

“Is this another one of their foreplay things?“

“What is my life?“

“By the way, we're out of chocolate.“

“God fucking damn!“

Demencia was abusing the gas pedal as she made more selfies during the horrific ride from hell, Flug being thrown back and forth in the spacious back seat. Several minutes were left until the designated point was reached for meeting the heroes. Flug managed to regain a type of balance after clutching the driver's seat.

“Don't let any radar detect us, stealth mode, decrease fuel!“

“Doc, this ain't no plane.“

“Oh, yes it is.“

“Huh?“

Through a series of impossible maneuvers, Flug had managed to roll himself forward on the front seat, effectively pulling Demencia out of her seat and assuming command himself.

“I designed it to travel both by land and in the skies.“

“Oh, man, Flug, oh, Jesus. Black Hat is not going to be happy about this.“

She winced as Flug's high-pitched cackle resonated in the vehicle. His mad ecstasy only increased as his gloved fingers deftly danced over various commands and buttons, pulling switched and pressing pedals, allowing the vehicle to sprout horizontal wings.

“Remind me to never ride with you again, Doc.“

“Do you feel it, Dem? Do you feel the heat, the liquid fire in your veins?“

“Okay, I am actually considering placing a seatbelt on right now.“

“Quick, grab 505 and hold him carefully, I don't want him to get a tummy ache.“

“It's a plush toy…“

“You dare argue with me?!“

“No, no, here, I'm holding, I'll tell him a story!“

One could derive a very important moral from that particular story, and mostly it gravitated around the principle that one should never allow Flug to drive any type of aircraft nor vehicle during his little states of unbridled euphoria. Demencia learned this through empirical means.

Flug lifted them to the skies, a childish joy flowing throughout his entire psyche, a sense of infinite freedom and a rush of blood to his cheeks, his hands hot, his neck flushed.  His robots flew behind his aircraft, loyal and prepared to heed all commands and whims. He felt powerful, in full and total control, the horizon belonged to him and he was the master of all that lay before him, and not a single being from the underworld could touch him in his heaven.

Or so he thought.

Black Hat tilted his head as he noticed a considerable amount of machinery clouding the skies, and he couldn't help but correctly deduce the culprit responsible for the whole spectacle. He brandished his cane as he paced, taking his time, knowing quite well that he could reach his doctor whenever he desired it.

He extracted an intricately ornamented pocket watch from his coat, clicking on a little button and allowing the mechanism to open like a medallion. Lips curling into a devilish smile, he lifted his head and focused his gaze on the path ahead of him. He was punctual, right on schedule, and his immaculate calculations would never fail his trust.

“Tick-tock, Doctor.“

The eldritch snapped his fingers and his own little army of possessed heroes emerged from the shadows of the forest, thousands upon thousands of enthralled servants.

“You know where to go, children, I shall be joining you shortly, as soon as I seize the guest of honour.“

Meanwhile, a rather awkward garisson of heroes awaited at the checkpoint, most of them trembling and mortified with the very thought of Black Hat appearing to collect the ransom money.

“Why did the bosses agree to this?!“

“Because they hate us.“

“Aren't you worried?!“

“I already died inside after seeing the length of the Steven Universe hiatus.“

“What?!“

The weren't paying enough attention to register the hell gathering above their heads, and by the time they all realized what was upon them, it had been to late. Flug had sent his hellish army to wreck mayhem, and Demencia merely placed her hand over the teddy bear's eyes so he wouldn't get traumatized.

The sound of the carnage had inevitably reached Black Hat's attention, and he could taste the nectar of chaos in the air, all of the things that went ablaze, flesh being incinerated with concentrated lasers, sliced with steel, drills and saws being utilized for butchering all in their path. Black Hat felt himself growing increasingly aroused from the very prospect of seeing his doctor in the process of inflicting such horrors on all that lay before him.

As Flug lowered the aircraft, he allowed it to assume the appearance of a car once more, riding fast as he went right for the heavily guarded van that contained the ransom. He contacted his main robot and gave orders for the van to be seized immediately and taken to the skies, until he gave further coordinates and orders.

The good doctor placed some music on for Demencia to bob her head to as they drove on.

“Not a care in the world, huh, Dem?“

“WE'RE RICH.“

“Rocking on. Nothing can stop us now!“

“Black Hat.“

“Well, other than Black Hat.“

Demencia pointed right ahead of them for Flug to pay attention, gesturing in pure frenzy.

“No, Black Hat!“

Flug squinted and pressed a few buttons on his goggles to adjust the sharpness of his view in order to match the clarity of Demencia's reptilian senses.

The elegant figure held a confident stance in the middle of the road, the storm gathering above him, coat billowing in the strong wind, his hands folded behind his back, holding the cane horizontally. Dark circles had acquired an even deeper shade under his eyes as he waited for the car to come his way, a feral grin forming itself on his visage, and thunder cracked as his visible eye turned black.

Flug was definitely not in the mood for yet another capture.

“Well, fuck me sideways…“

He violently pressed the gas pedal, using maximum power to make the vehicle rush onward.

Black Hat leaned forward on his cane, amused with the doctor's action, and he simply waited for the car to finally come and try to get through. Eyes upon each other, even from a great distance, they dared and challenged each other, pride against pride, will colliding with will. At the final second, Black Hat merely stomped his foot and the car came to a halt right in front of him, barely before impact.

He took his hat off and made a graceful bow to Flug, the little bowler hat positioned underneath. Flug was furious, banging his head against the steering wheel, cursing all. Demencia placed her hand over 505's eyes once more.

Flug was sobbing as the driver's door was opened and a gloved hand pulled him out, greedy arms trapping him in their amorous embrace.

“Demencia, is there a barrier you can place between the front and the back seats?“

“Er…sure?“

“Splendid, here are the coordinates where I want you to take us. Oh, and keep the teddy bear safe, place his seatbelt on.“

Flug's screams at Demencia were muffled by the gloved hand on his mouth, as he was dragged into the back of the car.

He managed to free his mouth. Flug kicked at his captor and pulled at his tie, while Black Hat merely waggled his eyebrows at him suggestively.

“Are you trying to choke me, Doctor? You already render me breathless without needing to indulge in such activities.“

“Where are you taking me?!“

“Why, I would never spoil such a grand surprise for you.“

Flug glared at him and hissed and screamed for thirty full minutes, making elaborate sermons regarding all of his pulverized plans and wrecked dreams, and Black Hat merely listened with an uninterested expression on his face. Black Hat raised an eyebrow as Flug suddenly yawned, then repeated the same adorable yawn once more. Black Hat grinned as he pulled the bag and goggles off of his sleepy doctor, throwing them aside and allowing his shadows to alter the appearance of the space around them.

He conjured larger and softer seats, full of black and crimson cushions and blankets.

“What…what are you doing?“

“Nap time for you.“

“I don't wanna…“

“Precious little monster, time to dream.“

Flug made weak punches as he was pulled on the plush seats, a blanket being pulled over him, his head resting on Black Hat's lap.

“You…I hate you so much…I…I want my teddy…you smell nice.“

Black Hat allowed his claws to caress the doctor's neck, massaging his shoulders until he was fully resting. He made a signal for Demencia to remove the barrier and to hand over the plushie. Flug Slys was fully unaware of all that was transpiring around him, and for a mere moment, his troubled mind was at peace, safe in softeness and his bear guarding his dreams.

Chapter Text

Patience had always been considered as a virtuous trait, a tool of great use and a perfect way of manifesting the mastery of internal tempests. One could say that it served as a perfect cage for the monstrous ambition that plagued many, a soothing layer of snow that cooled the scorching surface of a disturbed mind. Fortunately, Black Hat had never been a virtuous man, so he had no need to ponder such useless concepts.

He leered at his sleeping little captive, enjoying the triumph of finally having his doctor all for himself. The little narcissist was napping with his head on Black Hat's lap, holding his beloved blue teddy bear.

Black Hat traced the curve of the lad's lips with his finger, admiring their shape and the colour and contour, the softness he had kissed so many times, the softness that he loved to bite and gently suck on when they were indulging in lazy amorous moments and when they were not trying to crack each other's skulls to pieces.

He adjusted the blanket on Flug and made sure that he was warm enough, before he began to play with his hair, planting a little kiss on his head.

Perhaps Black Hat's little display of pure affection represented the beginning of a turning point in their rather turbulent affair, and maybe they would finally commence conducting themselves like a pair of decent mature gentlemen.

What a cruel joke! Even the author almost fell for it.

Flug stirred slowly in his sleep, before opening his tired eyes, allowing them to adjust, and he began to mumble incoherently, disoriented from his slumber and not quite aware of his situation.

“Is it seven o'clock already? I'll bring breakfast to your cell in fifteen minutes, try not to bite my hand off when I give you the pancakes…“

Black Hat smirked, deciding to mess with the doctor's mind.

“I cannot make any promises, Doctor Flug.“

“You need to take your medication today, too.“

“Oh, now you are just begging for your hand to get bitten off.“

“I will hide it in your cookies like I usually do.“

“You what?!“

Flug winced as he was suddenly completely awake, noticing a rather furious eldritch growling and his grip on the teddy bear tightened in fear. However, the doctor decided to fight back and he began to struggle out of Black Hat's grasp.

“Let me go!“

“Careful, Doctor, your fate could be worse. For instance, you could be stuck with a spoiled brat that keeps destroying all your intricately crafted plans and persists in avoiding your kisses.“

Wishing to emphasize his point, Black Hat leaned closer, pressing his lips to Flug's, enjoying his taste and loving the muffled screams.

“As I said, you keep complaining about everything I give you.“

Flug did not take the gesture kindly, as expected. In point of fact, he felt a rather potent surge of unfiltered contempt for his impishly devious captor. Black Hat released him and made a casual little lick along his soft neck.

“How was your nap?“

“How was my nap?! You have some damn nerve.“

“Praise the heavens for it, for I definitely need all the nerve I can get after all the stunts you pull on me, Doctor. There are times when I feel as if a bulldozer is dancing a polka all over my nerves. However, your cunning cannot defeat my magic. You lost. You belong to me now.“

“I think the fuck not, sir.“

Black Hat made a wicked grin as he loomed over his captive. Tentacles writhed like the elegant tendrils of black ink in water, as if performing a special choreographic feat specifically meant to seduce the reluctant doctor. However, Flug, being the literal embodiment of a plane crashing disaster, as his very name indicated, could not give himself up without making a dramatic outburst.

“Get away from me!“

“Oh, I know exactly what to do with you when you are like this, my Doctor.“

Flug made desperate little yelps as dark tentacles writhed and made their way under his shirt, caressing his skin, a few of them producing teeth and giving him maddening nibbles and bites, while some latched onto him with many mouths and sucked on his tender flesh, thin tendrils giving him sensual caresses along his neck and he heard dark laughter and whispers right next to his ear, invisible hands played with his hair, lecherous claws stroked his thighs and a particularly harsh bite on his hip made him scream.

“Demencia, help!“

“You're on your own, Doc! I'm driving!“

“I am being taken against my will here!“

“Don't disturb the driver, Flug!“

Black Hat placed a finger under Flug's chin.

“Nobody will save you from me…“

“Demencia, I will give you snacks for good little lizards!“

“Chocolate flavoured?“

Black Hat growled as he interrupted the whole exchange.

“Shut up and drive, you chaotically undisciplined girl, before I turn you into a literal lizard snack for Lil Jack!“

Flug bit down on Black Hat's hand as the eldritch tried to pin him down on the spacious car seat.

“I am not staying here!“

“Why, you in a hurry? You have a train to catch, Doctor?“

“Well, as a matter of fact, I was in a little bit of a rush to get the fuck out of this damn country with my money and begin a somewhat pleasant existence far away from you.“

“I am officially offended! Someone would think that you actually hate me, Doctor! I am in shock, completely baffled, bewildered and in a state of utter perplexity.“

He conjured a long velvet ribbon, tying it over Flug's mouth with psychotic glee. Black Hat proceeded to administer lascivious kisses, encouraged with Flug's muffled moans through his gag, claws delicately finding their way up and down his sides, teasing the young man with pleasurable scratches and squeezes.

Black Hat observed him with a predatorial gaze, his inappropriately long tongue tasting the lad's skin every few moments as he himself planted kisses along Flug's stomach and tearing the fabric of his shirt in order to gain full access to his chest, inhaling his scent.

“What a feast, and all of it for me. Let's see, where should I begin?“

Flug struggled, making useless attempts at removing the gag from his mouth.

“I don't remember giving you permission to speak, Flug. Will you stop with this and just enjoy the bloody moment?!“

He reluctantly removed the gag. The acidic look that Flug sent him could corrode an entire planet.

“Excuse me for interrupting your very important business of being a total inconsiderate moron, but I find it very problematic that we cannot solve a single issue in this relationship without you forcing sex on me.“

“Well, unfortunately that is the only effective thing I have to shut you up when you start to royally piss me off.“

“Can we at least somewhat pretend to be functional adults for two seconds?!“

“Of course not, you idiot!“

“Will you release me out of this?!“

“Absolutely not.“

Overcome with rage, Flug continued to struggle within the tentacles that kept wrapping themselves around his arms and legs.

“I will bite down on them!“

“Oh, my darling, I advise you not to do that. They would love to bite you back, but you may not be as enthusiastic about the prospect as I am. However, I have a different idea regarding your punishment.“

“Black Hat!“

“You have been such a naughty little scientist, haven't you?“

It had not been a particularly dignified moment for Flug when Black Hat turned him over and placed him over the knee as if he were a misbehaving youth. Flug's eyes widened in shock as he felt the impact of Black Hat's palm on his behind, each hit more potent than the one before.

“Ow! Hey! Ouch! No! Are you actually spanking me?! What the actual freaking heck is your problem?!“

“Do you wish for me to specify or am I allowed to randomly list all problems that trouble my dark mind in the ungodly hours of the night? Why do you resist me?“

“Because you are just a brat with too much power! An unstable moron and a madman! I didn't even finish my therapy with you in peace. If it weren't for my effort and endeavours, you would not even be able to solve a simple maze that demanded patience and concentration!“

The metaphorical gears in Flug's mind began to turn as he concocted a little plan, grasping the tentacles and pulling at them, catching Black Hat off guard, managing to disbalance both of them and making them fall on the car floor. They wrestled like complete imbeciles, biting, kicking, hitting each other, producing such sounds that honestly had Demencia worried in the front seat.

“Are you two having sex or having a seizure back there?!“

“NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!“

“Do I have to call the emergency?!“

“Whatever, I don't care, call for a pizza, too, while you're at it!“

Seeing his chance to attack, Flug grabbed his greatest weapon and he violently catapulted it right into Black Hat's face.

The eldritch made a particularly grumpy expression as a result, trying to hide his incredulity with Flug's actions. His eye twitched and he made a pout.

“Did you just throw the teddy bear at me?“

“Yes, I did, and my only regret is that it wasn't full of explosive trinitrotoluene to blow your fucking head off!“

The following reaction left Flug speechless. Black Hat cackled as he held the teddy bear in his hands, inspecting it thoroughly.

“Oh, good idea, plush toys full of dangerous substances, we can enter that in our catalogue.“

Flug grimaced.

“Excuse me?“

“Work with me here, boy, I am trying to have a business vision!“

“Okay, I am not participating in whatever this is.“

“Hidden volatile chemicals, we can add different colours to each explosion depending on the colour of the plush toy, we could have an entire collection! Villainous youngsters can pick whichever they wish!“

“Are you even listening to me?“

“Of course I am, continue, give me more of your amazingly diabolical ideas! How about a robotic killer teddy bear that slaughters all in its path according to its programme? Perfect for children that need a way to fight enemies at school, it is practical for transport, easy to turn on, and it executes its targets efficiently!“

Flug rubbed his temples in complete despair.

“Black Hat. Focus.“

“Don't judge me.“

“Your trail of thought lacks any rational patterns, it fails to meet any adequate criterium by which you could be considered even remotely sane or capable of making sound and appropriate solutions to problems, you react with extravagant and uncontrollable outbursts and your ideas are a morbid mixture of childish euphoria and psychopathic lust for blood.“

“We could reanimate this bear and transform it into the most gruesomely wicked creature this universe has ever known!“

“You see, this is exactly what I am talking about.“

“Oh, I absolutely adore the fresh scent of fucking hipocrisy in the evenings, Doctor!“

“Fuck you, at least I am a relatively normal psychopath, but you take this shit to an entirely different level. All I do is mere innocent illegal experimentation and an occassional murder and vivisection of those people that dared to mock me. Maybe I treat myself on Christmas by sending robots to rob a bank, or two, or twelve, and maybe I steal a few planes when I am bored, I mean, seriously, those are little things! Barely even worth having their own article in the daily news!“

“Doctor, I must say that you seriously need to make a few adjustments in the area of self-criticism. Here, how long will it take you to bring this bear to life?“

“Do you hear that sound?“

“What are you blabbering about?“

“That is the sound of my scientific credibility screaming as it dies in agony.“

“Don't you want to be the master of a killer bear, Doctor?“

Flug grabbed at the toy, desperately trying to pull it away from the eldritch abomination that kept staring at it with deranged eyes.

“Will you leave my poor plush creature alone?“

“I was merely thinking about his future career, it's not my fault that I am the responsible father in this family.“

“I am his father!“

“We can share the custody, you decerebrated cretin!“

“You are fucking impossible to live with! And you are barely able to deal with ordinary simple tasks without magic““

“I can solve your little maze at any hour of the day now, whenever I wish. Suffice to declare that your schemes and resistance assisted me in using my own cleverness to battle you, forcing me to place greater emphasis on my abilities of being patient.“

“Aha! My therapy did help you!“

“Let's not get ahead of ourselves, I would rather say that you made me see things from a different angle. Your pathetic little escapades simply armed me with certain skills.“

“Don't you dare say such things to me.“

“You have been awake for fifteen minutes, Doctor, and you are already complaining as if you were a young little lord that didn't get his royal pony!“

“Well, excuse me, but I…hey, that royal pony concept is oddly tempting.“

Black Hat pushed Flug away and he grinned as he emerged victorious in their little battle for the teddy bear.

“I have lived to see the day where I have to bribe a sadistically inclined scientist with ponies in order to force him into everlasting service.“

Flug punched him in the gut and took the toy back. He climbed back on the car seat and he held his prize close to his chest.

“You won't see that type of content on Netflix, sir“

Mumbling to himself, Black Hat adjusted his hat and coat, then climbed back on the seat as well. The two maniacs stared at each other with the intensity only found in a bird of prey. Suddenly, Black Hat conjured a glass of wine for himself and took  a sip.

“Oh, by the way, did I miss any new episodes?“

Flug tilted his head, taking a few moments to process the rapid change in Black Hat's demeanour, but then he remembered something and answered:

“Holy shit, I was just about to tell you about that new one that literally flipped the fandom to heck.“

“Bloody hell, I am not prepared for this.“

A few more moments passed, with Black Hat merely enjoying his drink and the sound of the car engine being the only thing breaking the deafening silence between the two.

“So…“

“What?“

“I was expecting some evil monologue or something.“

“Ha! With your behaviour, you lost all evil monologue privileges, Doctor.“

“Wait…evil monologue privileges? Is that even a thing?“

“It is now!“

“I cannot even visualize this concept in any set reality whatsoever.“

Flug raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Black Hat, as if waiting for the eldritch to confess something. After a while, making sure that Demencia didn't hear, the demon silently whispered as he leaned over to Flug:

“Alright, I was writing an evil speech containing the monologue and I dropped the papers out of my pocket somewhere, are you happy now?!“

“Well, that's embarassing.“

“SHUT UP. It was a masterpiece, I was supposed to make a majestic performance in front of the defeated heroes, and I lost it!“

“Honestly, I leave you alone for three minutes and look what you do. Come here, I know what to do to make you happy.“

Black Hat balanced his crystal glass as he allowed Flug to pull him closer, so he was leaning on the doctor. The young man gave him little strokes along the neck, and proceeded to give the demon a little massage along the arms and shoulders. Flug made a little smile as he kissed his cheek.

“There. Better?“

“Maybe.“

“I miss you.“

“Oh?“

“Before all of this…I miss us. The stupidly insane things we did. Cuddling in blankets, making love on the ceiling, watching Netflix, throwing 505 at each other, having a parody of behavioral therapy, and telling each other stories. You would have your head in my lap, I would feed you with treats, you would purr like an idiot, and I would laugh. I miss that. I don't want this. You being this supreme ruler of all evil, well…“

“Doctor?“

“I will never have that again! Why did you do this?! You could have stayed there with me at least for a while longer! At least a month! Where we could be alone in our room, where nothing can get to us.“

“Imbecile, we can have all of it and even more than we originally had!“

“You will be too busy!“

“WELL SOMEONE HAS TO WORK FOR A LIVING, YOU LAZY PARASITE.“

“Don't you use that demon voice shit on me!“

“I WILL USE WHATEVER I DAMN FEEL LIKE.“

“You are grounded!“

“YOU CAN'T GROUND ME ANYMORE, FLUG.“

“Will the both of ya just shut up?! I'm outta here, imma get myself some damn potato chips at the gas station!“

“Don't you dare!“

“Time for my rest! Sorry, I didn't make these rules, blame the Lizard Union.“

Demencia suddenly pressed the breaks, making the car stop in a rather abrupt fashion, making Black Hat spill his wine all over his suit. Before he could unleash his wrath upon her, she had already exited the unusual vehicle.

“Who does she think she is dealing with?!“

Flug blinked, before rolling down the tinted window and observing what their insane chauffeuse was up to.

“She seems to be buying some snacks and drinks, the entire magazine stand, twenty plush toys, and I think she is trying to pick up the cute guy that works there, as well, but he doesn't really seem too happy about it.“

“WE ARE GOING TO BE LATE.“

“Oh, shit, she is placing him over her shoulder as if he were a sack of vegetables.“

“I AM GOING TO KILL THAT GIRL.“

“He fell on his head and is now running away and hiding behind the ice-cream machine.“

“Flug…“

“Now, now, what did we say about those tantrums and patience, hmm? Hey, I know, how about I help you write a new speech? It's a good way for you to have an outlet for your irritation.“

Black Hat responded with a pout and a groan, but he gave a nod anyway. Flug leaned over to give him another tender kiss on the lips.

 “My lord.“

“Beloved slave.“

“Hey, I thought I was going to be your royal confidant.“

“Oh, same thing, don't be such a little bitch all the time, Flug. I should threaten you more often, Doctor, you do become quite romantic after a good scare or two.“

Violence had been one of the crucial components of their union, and mere seduction was out of the question if at least one party was not in immediate danger of getting their neck twisted and turned into a knot. Moreover, at least one party was required to sustain severe injuries on their psyche. Preferrably Flug. According to the general statistics of their relations, the amount of mental torture he was capable of enduring was stunning and remarkable by all criteria.

Perhaps it could be classified as an odd type of adoration and admiration, one never knew what type of terminology to use in such situations. As we analyse this devastatingly delicious love affair between two madmen, we can never be fully aware of all the repercussions and consequences that were bound to arise from their deranged and chaotic actions.

Or even better: obsession. A concept of bitterness disguised as sweetness, delightful and frightful, the most heavenly type of hell that had ever graced the universe with its presence. Of course, there were plenty of scenarios that could arise from such a potentially deadly little thing, especially when a dark king with a darker mind tampers with it.

“It is not the same thing, sir. If I am to give myself to you and enter a contract, I request my status to be regulated down to the last detail.“

“You are turning into a crooked businessman, Doctor.“

“Why, thank you, but I had a masterful teacher.“

Waving his wrist, Black Hat conjured a few papers and handed them over to the mad scientist.

“I managed to save this, the rest just disappeared.“

Flug observed the rough draft of what was to eventually become Black Hat's triumphant speech, and after a while he began to giggle.

“Jesus Christ, Black Hat.“

“Humbly beg your pardon?“

“What is this? We are trying to make them fear for their lives, not make them regret not having dictionaries with them.“

He was met with a low growl from Black Hat's throat.

“I'll just make a simple and effective correction  and I will add a few paragraphs. Now, if only I had a pen…ouch!“

“There you go.“

“Did you just stab me with that pen?!“

“Fantastic observation skills, Doctor.“

“I will need something to hold these together, so I don't lose them like you did.“

“Prepare to be massacred by the paperclips of doom, then, Flug!“

The scientist smirked and pretended to be terrified.

“Please, sir, anything but the paperclips!“

Seven giant grocery bags were suddenly thrown at them through the open car window, and Demencia nonchalantly peeked her head in and blew a raspberry at them.

“Paperclips? You two are really kinky as fuck, holy shit.“

“DEMENCIA.“

Completely ignoring them, she happily danced and hopped to the front of the car, opening the door and thowing herself on the driver's seat. She lowered the barrier that separated the back of the car from the front and she used her hair to grasp at the teddy bear.

“Ha! My turn to spend time with 505!“

Flug rapidly reached for the bear, but the barrier was quickly pulled back up, almost catching his fingers. Before he could even properly complain, he felt a heavy grocery bag being pushed at him.

“Black Hat! What are you doing?!“

“Shoving them to your half of the seat, isn't it obvious?“

“Just push them on the floor! Ouch, my kidney!“

“You don't need two of them!“

“Fuck you, I have a sentimental attachment to both of them!“

“Are you even driving, girl?!“

Demencia kept playing with the teddy bear, not really caring about igniting the engine, nor did she harbour any thoughts about the potential consequence of her disobedience. She placed the plush toy on her head and playfully began to inspect the multiple switches and colourful lights and secret compartments Flug had installed within the strange partial aircraft.

“Oh, what does this button do?“

Our sly readers could probably deduce that the button she had been concentrating on would launch them all into the skies. Indeed, as soon as she pressed it by shoving the teddy bear on the panel, they took off into the air, gaining altitude at an alarming speed, enough for Black Hat and Flug to end up squeezed one upon the other on the far back of the car, the grocery bags landing right on top of them.

“This is so cool!“

She pulled the controls and manage to place the aircraft back into a horizontal position, turning the music on and happily moving her head with the rhythm.

The three of them were the perfect representation of calculated mania. And yet, quite similar to the properties of a flower that required preposterously cruel conditions in order to properly bloom, all three of them had to be delicately placed in a system of controlled chaos in order to fully blossom and be content.

Holding up her phone in one hand, while turning the car wheel with her other hand, Demencia cackled maniacally as she worked on filming her own little video for the world to see.

“What's up, bitches, it's ya girl, Demencia, live from Flug's little flying car, we'll be recording the misadventures of two kinky bastards and their plush bear!“

“DEMENCIA.“

“That was kinky bastard Number One!“

“Is she controlling my aircraft?! How are we not dead yet?!“

“And that was kinky bastard Number Two!“

Black Hat's nerves most definitely weren't amused. It is not often that two youthful humans could mentally destabilize an eldritch abomination of untold magical potential.

He had always been blindly worshipped and respected. After all, he had been the most vile and abominably wicked demon that ever graced the universe with his presence.

Therefore, it had not been a particular surprise when inferior critters of darkness had crawled obediently at his feet, begging for his sage advice, his words, his approval. They had groveled for him, before him, beneath him, and he adored every moment of it. The sombre sovereign had gradually created his own kingdom and had acquired a splendid little collection of official titles in the underworld.

Lord of Shadows and Master of Ghouls, Nightmare Knight and Pharaoh of Madness, he indulged himself within his domain and entertained his clients with expensive wine and malefic tips for spreading chaos, offering knowledge, offering forbidden books with enticing secrets. His students, lovely little villains, had worshipped him and took every word he uttered as the law.

Creating distorsions and mass hysteria within the confines of given was a rather fun activity, contorting and snapping the spine of balance and stability as if it were mere child's play, transforming mundane scenes into a nightmarish and phantasmagorical masquerade being his vision of pure beauty.

Magicians had been utilizing his libraries and castles for magical and scientific experiments, mathematicians and prophets constructed elaborate studies for him, calculating potential results of all of his vile endeavours. Goblins had feasted in his halls, ghoulish servants hovered and played poker during breaks from duty, and foul armies conquered in his noble name.

It had been quite a fall from grace and power when such a reputation had suddenly been combined with the rather unfortunate encounter with a neurotic young doctor that continued to pulverize his last bits of self-control with no shame whatsoever, and an exceedingly violent gothic punk girl that failed to experience any true fear.

Black Hat was interrupted from his contemplation by Demencia's excited and shrill soprano.

“Has anyone seen the Hazbin Hotel trailer?!“

“Will you just drive?!“

The demon cast several enchantments, creating a little expansion effect and making the back of the car assume the appearance of a sumptumous room with a large bed. He pulled Flug onto the soft blankets and cushions, cuddling with him.

“What a long way we came, sir.“

“Desecrating you was such a delight.“

“I'm sure it was. The pleasure was shared by both, you know.“

“My magnificently elusive and insufferable trickster…“

“I am not sure if that is a compliment or an insult, but I feel flattered anyway.“

“Come, sit on my lap.“

“Oh, I don't know, it's such a long way all the way over there.“

“Teasing me?“

“Why, I would never! Probably.“

Flug whispered to him:

“Could strip poker warm your rotting heart, hmmm?“

Black Hat gave him a dark grin before he stole yet another kiss, conjuring cards to merrily levitate around them, and little sparks appeared in the air, creating the symbolic marks of the hearts, the spades, the clubs and the diamonds. Soon they dissolved into undulating shadows, and they swirled around them like spectral monsters, grins and glowing eyes appearing within the spectacular display, and Black Hat cackled as he grabbed Flug and held him bridal style, allowing them to rise to the air as the shadows coiled and wound themselves around the whole area.

The eldritch whispered verses to his lover in a sultry voice:

I’d sing of Love in such a novel fashion, that from her cruel side I would draw by force a thousand sighs a day, kindling again in her cold mind a thousand high desires…“

More shadows passed by them as he continued his little spectacle, mesmerizing Flug with his voice and the tendrils kept caressing the scientist with great passion.

“And I’d see scarlet roses in the snows, tossed by the breeze, discover ivory that turns to marble those who see it near them…“

Magic surrounded them in a beautiful layer of darkness and black fire.

“I’d see her lovely face transform quite often her eyes grow wet and more compassionate, like one who feels regret, when it’s too late, for causing someone’s suffering by mistake…“

Being quite familiar with the sonnets of Petrarch after having to endure an entire year of listening to them during Black Hat's imprisonment, Flug took a deep breath as he added:

“All this I’d do because I do not mind my discontentment in this one short life, but glory rather in my later fame.“

“The tempest knows not what it inspires in the minds of millions, you know. It does not see its own thunderous splendour, as it incites respect and awe from those it rains down upon.“

Playing cards floated closer to them. Flug deftly caught his own cards, and he made a gesture for Black Hat that they could start playing. After a few rounds, Black Hat remarked:

“I find myself impressed with your new skills, I must say. As you hold your cards, your hands are finally as steady as your surgical knife when you cut with it. Grasp that power and transfer it into all you do in life, show that you are the sovereign of all you touch. Although, your anxious shivering had been cute to behold in the past.“

“Well, shit, I too now love to live dangerously, so there is no surprise there.“

“Hmmm, what's this?“

“I swallow your lies far too easily.“

“But you never accept the truthful words I strive to give you.“

“Call it madness.“

“Foolishness.“

“Adoration.“

“A puzzle most maddening. I want and need you.“

“Do you swear upon the honour of the teddy bear?“

“Doctor, I have not yet reached such labyrinths of insanity where I would deign to use your plush toy as a reference for making a binding pledge.“

“Oh, you won't? And here I am, becoming a fugitive with a career of an international criminal and being sought after by several influential hero organizations that would gladly skin me alive in a random basement and throw me into a shallow grave in the middle of nowhere, all of it for you.“

“One can no longer tell the difference between beauty and destruction, where the two melt and fuse together into one entity, representing the purest essence of chaos. Share this with me, I command you. You belong to me, as I had said so long ago. Your inner wickedness and brilliance are my new tools, and I marvel at them as a king that grasped his blade.“

“And my payment for my future service?“

“Clever practical boy.“

“Write a cipher on a check for me and I shall consider your offer.“

“Unlimited research funds.“

“Done. Are you poking me with a tendril on my shoulder from behind?“

“What gave me away?“

“If I weren't so sleepy, I would be slapping you right now.“

“Well, if you wish to preserve some dignity, we can pretend you are. Should I make exclamations of pain or something? To make it more realistic? Now, let us go over certain designs of yours that I have been studying for the past week. I wish for you to commence work as soon as possible.“

He extended his hand a summoned a large batch of material, spreading it all over the bed.

“Aren't these my secret blueprints that I kept under firm lock and key in my underground laboratories?“

“Could be.“

“I assume you blew shit up just to get to them?“

“Maybe.“

“You made little wrinkles everywhere, and you ruined the notes here. Look at this mess! Have you no sense of decency nor respect for my privacy?“

“I thought we had officially established the fact that I don't.“

“I don't have enough Xanax to emerge out of this conversation with a sound mind.“

“And yet, you always somehow give in to me, with proper threats and proper bribery.“

“Well, you know me, I like my men the way I like my coffee: dark, bitter and with a great possibility of giving me a cardiac arrest.“

“Take notes now! Let's bring to life your ingenious inventions to traumatize the general populace and let fear course through them as they shiver in their little beds at night, wrapped firmly in their paranoia and impending psychosis!“

“What about your speech?“

“To bloody heck with that, you will scribble something five minutes before the event for me. Now, I was thinking of this particular robotic design here…“

“Is that a stain in the upper corner?“

“Shut up, I was eating muffins!“

“And you saved nothing for me?!“

“Not a single chocolate crumb.“

Flug made a pout, but soon his eyes light up as the demon made a tray of delicious snacks appear before them.

“I love how easily you swallow my lies, Doctor.“

The mad scientist stared at him for a few seconds before throwing himself on the demon, burying him in tiny kisses and giggling like a joyful lunatic.

“My master, my boss, my everything, my jefecito!“

“I really do need to threaten you more often.“

“I love everything you do to me. Your mouth on my skin, your kisses are my favourite nightmare and my best poison. When you tear me and crush me, only to mold me from the clay of shadows once more, and I breathe again, I live only when I await death from you. Destroy me, so I could rise from my own funeral pyre again and again.“

“Hmmm, Doctor, I could get used to this. Now, let us prepare for our last action before we can truly relish our glory!“

“Also, you should use a napkin when you devour muffins over my blueprints, you terribly handsome scoundrel.“

“No promises.“

Was all well and done? Perhaps, but our antagonistic protagonists had decided to give something a bit more substantial to their abstract and omniscient spectators, one more thing had to be done before they could rest. As they planned the great finale of their disastrous adventure, they noticed that something was moving around the enlargened room. Flug tilted his head.

“Wow, I love how you two changed this place here. Nice, nice.“

“Dem?“

“Yep?“

He winced as she appeared right next to him on the bed, while Black Hat merely raised an uninterested eyebrow. Flug stared at her in pure shock, gesturing at her before he finally formed words.

“You are here.“

“Aha!“

“With us.“

“Wheeeeeee.“

He shrieked at her in a surprisingly girly voice:

“Dem, who is driving the fucking car?!“

“Oh, I left 505 at the steering wheel. He needs to learn while he is young!“

Flug could have sworn that he had experienced a minor breakdown as he began to frantically run towards the lowered barrier leading to the front seats of the car, falling right over as he climbed it, trying to stop the whole thing from crashing somewhere in the Atlantic ocean. Demencia happily shouted after him:

“You know, if we end up in a tragic death, does this qualify as a car crash or as a plane crash?“

“Will you shut up?!“

“But these are important existential questions!“

Black Hat merely conjured more alcohol for himself and drank right from the bottle.

“May the dark forces help me with these degenerates.“

Chapter Text

Dire predicaments tend to serve as a catalyst and motivation for achieving the impossible, performing deeds of great courage. It could be argued that they were inspiring enough even for a villain to finally show a speck of remorseful behaviour, perhaps even an altruistic act or service to his loved ones. And yet, Doctor Flug could not, for the life of him, convince Black Hat to actually use his magic to stop the flying car from crashing down into the sea.

“For the love of god, will you help me here?!“

“Not feeling like it, no.“

“Sir, I am not even the one responsible for this, Demencia was the one that left a damn toy at the freaking steering wheel!“

“It is not my fault you never taught our sweet 505 how to drive a flying car, Doctor. Honestly, you are terrible at raising our bear child, am I always going to be the responsible one here? I never expected such shameless negligence from you.“

“I am literally trying to save our lives, you lazy, spoiled, terribly ill-mannered bastard!“

“How rude of you to insinuate that I am too spoiled to do something! As punishment for this, I shall sit here and watch Netflix with Demencia on her phone.“

Flug was completely livid, pressing every single button and pulling any switch that could assist him in acquiring any type of aerodynamic balance, as well as trying to decipher the madness that Demencia made with the aircraft's commands. All had been confounded, new passwords placed, and the navigation system had been basically as good as destroyed.

“You okay there, Doc? You're suddenly very silent.“

“I am gazing into the dark abyss, Demencia.“

“Shit, you need a lamp or something?“

“No, but I may need a coffin.“

Black Hat was suddenly grinning as an idea came to him.

“Maybe the company can sell those, too, I can already imagine that every single villain demands a practical way of dispatching bodies after their nefarious deeds are done.“

Flug's eye twitched as the engine suddenly had a minor explosion within.

“Are you freaking kidding me?!“

“Shut up, I am feeling inspired, Flug!“

“Sir, we are about to die!“

“You never support me in anything!“

“Everything is on damn fire!“

“And here you are, completely distracted with these irrelevant details instead of placing your attention and affection on the most important thing in your life! Me!“

Demencia giggled as she observed the two bicker yet again in a mortally serious situation.

“Oh, shit, this is getting good. So, Doc, mind answering my question from before?“

“Well, Demencia, I can claim with great accuracy that this is going to be an aviatic disaster on untold proportions, regardless of the fact that there is a flying automobile or an actual plane involved. ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?“

“Anger is bad for the health, Fluggy.“

“I'll show you what's bad for the health, you…“

One does not have much time to waste when attempting to stop a somersaulting flying vehicle from hitting the sea surface in the middle of nowhere, but Flug was oddly talented in finding it just to throw more insults in Demencia's general direction. 

Black Hat was secretly relishing the situation, this was a simple test of Flug's power and endurance, it was merely a way of seeing more of his precious doctor's creativity at work and the way he could handle an impossible situation. He grinned, licking his lips with his obscenely long tongue, whispering to himself.

“I cannot corrupt that which is already rotten, Doctor.“

“What?“

“Nothing, nothing…“

Classical warnings exist when it comes to telling you not to dance with the devil. Not only did Flug fail to abide by this rule, but he had probably done every dance possible with his particular devil. Fox trot, waltz, tango, of course! Why not? And now he was merely paying the price for engaging in such dangerous activities. In one last fit of despair, Flug shrieked to his new master:

“Black Hat, will you please help?! I beg of you, I shall do anything for you, just do this, please!“

The demon was getting borderline aroused from such melodious words that were dripping with fear and desperation, he was feeding on the delicious helplessness as if it were the finest treat available. Raising his hand, Black Hat waved it elegantly, summoning green magic and letting it engulf and envelop the entire aircraft.

It was quite a mesmerizing sight in the darkening sky of dusk, as the bright green energy danced along the machine, glowing and making quite a lovely contrast against the heavens. Flug was completely unable to form words as he watched the magic take over.

His breath hitched upon noticing the controls changing form and figure, his eyes almost sparkling in childish wonder and amazement as his gaze wandered over the ever-changing interior of his machine, seeing it all assuming the shape of an actual plane, a magnificent flying masterpiece born of both technology and enchantments.

“Oh, my god…Black Hat…“

“Consider it being a token of my love, Doctor.“

Unfortunately, it took Flug around two minutes to start complaining again.

“Yeah, but you still didn't make the new navigation system work properly, I need to reset everything to even see where we are!“

“It is impossible to please you.“

“I don't even have enough aviation turbine fuel to get this thing to any location properly! You could have at least given me a full tank!“

“Your little scholarly nonsense in aeronautics is finally being tested, Doctor, I suggest you place all of that information in your cute little head to some good use before it is too late. Make me proud with your skills.“

One usually expects the results to be downright catastrophical, but Flug had proven himself to be a superbly capable pilot, and after two hours of maniacal maneuvering,  he had managed to force the landing into the least conspicous place possible. Black Hat did not quite expect for Flug's pettiness to go to such length that he forced the plane right into the top of his mansion.

Well, nobody said that the location and angle of landing had to be aesthetically pleasing.

The vermillion and indigo colours of the dying sunset cast a very interesting palette of hues as they passed through the red-tinted windows of the mansion, giving it an air that was both incredibly frightening and beautiful.

Black Hat gave his new slave a glare after seeing the damage done to the house.

“Are you happy, Doctor?“

“I have reached freaking nirvana. I am feeling so wild today, I may even add an extra teaspoon of sugar in my coffee, just to show how edgy things are getting.““'

Demencia happily bounced on the cushions and she devoured the last bit of her snacks.

“You two are such dorks! I bet you are practically undressing each other in your minds from all the great tension present in the room! Also, how come you two never tell me anything about your little escapades? Details! Do Black Hat's private parts glow in the dark or something?“

“Excuse yourself, Dem!“

“He probably made them glow because you were too clumsy to find them anyway.“

“I am not even going to attempt to dignify this with a comment.“

“Gosh, it is so easy to ruffle those feathers of yours, Doc. Chill, relax, we're on the top of the world, there is literally no reason to act like a little bitch.“

“It is my basic human right to act like a little bitch.“

Black Har snapped his fingers and made gags appear on both Flug and Demencia .

“As adorable as this nonsense is, there are special guests awaiting is this evening in my humble home. I took the liberty of inviting the villainous elite to celebrate our grandiose escape and I shall announce all of our future projects to my devoted and ever-zealous cult members that their master is here to remain with them forever to guide them on their tenebrous path to wealth and power.“

Flug blinked at him before he tore his gag off.

“I'm sorry, I must be hallucinating or something from my concussion upon crashing this damn plane into your house, but did you just say that you have a cult?“

“Correct.“

“You never mentioned anything about a cult.“

“Well, you never asked. How rude of you.“

“What on earth are you doing with a damn cult?“

“I am doing quite a lot of things with it, actually. My ego is not going to stroke itself, you know. It is a carefully constructed system that guarantees perfect success in spreading my influence throughout the entire world. My wonderful worshippers have a tendency to completely lose their sanity within rituals and they throw themselves on their own funeral pyre in pure ecstasy.“

“I aspire to have that much enthusiasm one day.“

“I also provide all of them with many benefits that my ordinary clients do not get, as well as untold riches and all that is needed for them to succeed in the material world. But these thengs do get tedious from time to time. You know how it gets, meetings, catering, grand hall renting, human sacrifices it's a mess, I tell you, being a manager for these cretinsis a nightmare sometimes.“

Flug merely groaned at the whole tale as he was slowly opening the doors to get out of the plane. Before he could get out, he quickly gripped the door handle upon seeing where he exactly landed.

“What the actuall hell?“

“Hmmmm?“

 “I just crashed a damn plane…into a house shaped like a top hat…“

“Happens from time to time, Doctor, don't be so dramatic about it.“

“When you mentioned that you made your mansion shaped like a giant top hat, I thought you were saying that because I injected too many tranquilizing serums into you.“

“I even showed you pictures!“

“You carved open a tiny portal with your taloned feet and you had to close it five seconds later because untold abominations were spilling on the floor from it.“

“But there was still the vision of the mansion there, it's not my fault you were focusing on unimportant things, such as the floors melting, or similar trifles.“

“I cannot even begin to describe how extravagant this shit is.“

“I was the grand architect, after all, designing it to be in accordance with my needs of providing comfort for myself, as well as offering elements of the macabre and the sophisticated. Maybe even many secret chambers and torture rooms where we can store bodies for future use.“

Flug laughed bitterly at him.

“Nice to know you made a place that is perfect to help you get away with murder, I can already imagine you strangling me one afternoon out of pure boredom.“

“Getting away with murder? Why would you refuse to take credit for such an abominable artistic masterpiece that should be glorified for centuries and strike fear into the very marrow of your enemies?“

“Because…jail.“

The approaching Autumn rendered the foliage in lovely combinations of golden orange, the air acquiring that specific scent only found in that magical time period of September and October, where invisible enchantments reigned, where phantasms played.

Flug had walked along with Black Hat and Demencia down the vast corridors, secretly admiring the architecture of the house, the many pillars and ornaments placed along the wallks, the plethora of war trophies from old battles, each and every item concealing a story of its own.

The stained glass of the large windows cast a lovely array dark colours along the halls, bathing the house in various shades of red and marroon, adding even more effect to the dignified gloom of the mansion.

Demencia was bouncing in joy, waiting for Flug's reaction, while Black Hat kept walking ahead, hands folded elegantly behind his back.

“Shall we descend into your new laboratories first, Doctor?“

“I…wait, that was in plural…you got more than one for me?!“

“So many of them are prepared for you, in so many places all across the world, I have gotten you all the most advanced technology necessary for your work and experiments, it is waiting for you.“

“Knowing you, a part of me is still thinking that you will just throw me into a random dungeon and leave me to rot there.“

“Business first, pleasure later, Doctor.“

“Wait, what?“

Black Hat cackled as he pushed Flug through a large door, making him enter the main laboratory. Flug gasped and clutched his heart upon seeing all of the equipment and chemicals that were prepared for him, the rarest materials and the most advanced machines necessary for conducting the most delicate and demanding experiments.

As his eyes travelled along the place, he shuddered, a familiar joy awakening within him, the feeling he had missed ever since Black Hat had escaped the asylum.

He had been taken into the dark kingdom that had been promised to him, finally finding a safe haven within these walls, where all was welcoming his true nature, where his madness was adored and respected, where his inventions and creations will be valued and coveted. A small smile was present on his face, well hidden by his bag, while his heart sung its joy in a rhythm yet undiscovered, and yet so familiar. He was home.

Gloved hands were placed on his shoulders, pulling him closer to the demon that whispered to him:

“Learn to glide through this world, learn to tear it with tempests, and always remember to remain the best. It is not merely about possessing power, it is about appearances, the aura you emanate, the power is a concept forever dancing on the thin line between imagined power and real power.“

Flug was almost purring in joy as he cuddled closer to Black Hat.

“Whatever you say, Jefecito.“

“But now, your first assignment!“

“What?“

Black Hat proudly held the teddy bear in his claws, making sure to hold it high so Flug couldn't reach it.

“Can we please leave my plush toy in peace?“

“I want a murderous monster!“

“Well, I am not going to torture this teddy bear, I want it to be left intact and safe from any type of madness that you were planning for it.“

“Doctor, don't make me punish you for this disobedience!“

“Can't we do something else? Like, something easy and effortless, like a death ray gun!“

“I demand you initiate this project at once!“

“And I demand a giant ice-cream bowl, and you don't see me bothering you with that.“

“FLUG.“

“ALRIGHT. Alright, fine! I will make you the living monster bear, for crying out loud! Just don't come complaining to me if something goes wrong!“

Before Flug could react, he was suddenly pinned down to a nearby operating table, Black Hat's low growls making him tremble, while a claw delicately scratched along his soft neck, soft lips soon being pressed to it, before the monster pulled him into a passionate kiss, tentacles slowly wrapping around the doctor to keep him completely secured on the table.

“Flug Slys…my divine plane crash, my love, my curse…“

Flug whimpered as he felt Black Hat's sharp teeth sinking deep into his shoulder, the demon licking the blood that escaped the wound.

“What excites you most about plane crashes, Doctor? The chemical reactions and the inherent visceral reactions of fear? Being within the plane crash itself, and the act of simply witnessing it, those are two completely different things. There is always a great distinction in what the devoured object is experiencing and what the one savouring it is experiencing. You always relish the explosion from afar, but what would happen if you were the victim yourself? Would you experience the same thing?“

Flug managed to regain a tiny bit of his sanity as he gently kissed Black Hat's cheek.

“What do you want?“

“I want to see your pretty limbs and organs scattered all over my floors, of course. Your blood, rich in oxygen and bright in colour, so vibrant, so alive, so hopeful.“

“Oh, I love it when you talk dirty to me, sir.“

“Yes, I am aware of that. However, this is merely a sample of what I will be giving you afterwards, but for this evening you are the main event. I am formally introducing you into this society, Doctor Flug.“

“You have got to be kidding me. I didn't ask for a debutante ball, Black Hat.“

“We must get you into a suit. You know, something actually stylish, unlike this nonsense that you wear all the time.“

“Hey, excuse me! Leave my fashion sense out of this. Even if I have to wear some snazzy nonsense, I am keeping my shoes.“

“Converse shoes and an evening suit? Naughty boy. Bear with me for this evening, and you may do whatever you want afterwards. You know, the usual things that relax you, drilling through somebody's skull in the tiny hours of the night, some nice music playing. Do you always cut them when they are awake?“

“Well, screaming does get annoying after times, how on earth am I supposed to do calculations in peace when they are pathetically begging for their life?“

“You know, I will have to teach you how to deal with them in full battle and not merely when they are all tied down and ready for you.“

“Oh?“

“You must savour it, but never forget to be practical. The goal is to completely incapacitate the hero before he manages to hit you back. Why tie him up when you can quite easily crush all his bones so he cannot move under any circumstance? Now, let's not keep all our guests waiting…“

As the two wonderful monster prepared for the villainous gathering, another little group of miscreants were about to have an interesting revelation.

We must not forget our beloved and brave doctors from the asylum, at least those that were fortunate enough to survive the mass slaughter caused by Black Hat's adorable little murder spree. They were in the middle of a moral crisis, considering the recent discovery they made while exploring through the former Director's office.

Flug Slys had left them with a written message before he left, instructing them to take a peek through certain files he had collected and amassed during the past year in his little schemes with Demencia, as the stolen documents held some disturbing revelations regarding the Director's motives and mission within the asylum.

After a thorough reading through the files, and researching all that Flug had prepared for them on the computer, the doctors realized that their problems went far deeper than dealing with simple demons and sleep deprivation.

“So…wow.“

“This is depressing.“

“What did Doc Flug tell us to do with these?“

“He politely asked us to, hmm, how did he word it? Spam the shit out of it all over social media?“

One doctor gulped down the remaining coffee from his cup and got up from his chair, stretching his limbs.

“Apparently we have been working for yet another abomination, what else did you expect? And none of us even knew.“

“He always did seem a bit off.“

“This actually explains why the Director abandoned us to our fate here.“

A novice entered the office with more cookies and noticed the dark expressions on everybody's faces.

“What happened? You were reading that stuff that Doc Flug left for us?“

As soon as he spoke, majestic lights from fireworks were seen in the distance from the office window. He approached the glass, gasping upon seeing the Black Hat Organization logo being formed in the night sky after a large firework explosion.

“What is happening in Hatsville?“

“Gods and monsters roam the streets.“

He turned around, eyes wide in shock and wonder, while the older doctor commenced talking:

“These files claim that our dear Director was assisting the Men Without Hats in their mission of arresting Black Hat, that is why they were able to succeed, apparently. And now all of them are gone, while he is the only one left alive from that particular mission.“

“What do you mean?“

“According to these files, only a few died at Black Hat's hand during the process of his capture, but the rest were still alive even after we was placed in this facility. Meaning that somebody else had to be responsible for the murders of the rest of them.“

“And?!“

“Think about it for a little bit.“

“Are you telling me the Director offed them afterwards?!“

“Exactly. Probably to keep them silent about certain things.“

“Oh, my god.“

“Come and read, it gets even more fun the more you find out about it.“

“You cannot be serious, and all of you have agreed to actually listen to Flug and publish everything?! This will cause the entire hero community to plummet into hysteria, this will cause such a schism in all remaining organizations as soon as they realize the traitor's true identity, you are all out of your mind!“

“I prefer to serve a master that does not hide behind white garments and a pretty smile. One can always expect the worst from the shadows, but the light can always plan a deception.“

“No, you cannot do this! You are all mad!“

“There is something rather majestic about these specific moments, when an unusual clarity overtakes the mind. Sometimes clarity has a horrible habit of disguising itself as mania, you know.“

“I refuse to participate in this! Causing panic among the citizens will create a rupture among the heroes, allowing Black Hat full reign with nobody to fully stand up against him!“

“We have already made our decision on changing our allegiance, young colleague.“

“Well, I won't sell myself out like this! Cowards! Villains!“

 “It is unfortunate that you are refusing to cooperate, but at least you just provided us with a solution to one specific problem…“

Three doctors suddenly grabbed the young novice, holding him firmly in place, while the apparent leader came closer to him.

“We heard that the party good old Black Hat is throwing tonight demands a certain payment for new arrivals.“

“Release me!“

“Although, offering souls as a sacrifice is such a high price to pay, don't you think? Seems a bit of an unfair trade. One favour in exchange for eternal servitude and everlasting damnation inflicted by an irrational master that can do with you as he desires? Oh, well, we are all damned, either way.“

The novice yelped as something was injected into his neck, and the last thing he saw before losing himself to darkness was the symbol of a black hat still illuminating the dark sky.

Chapter Text

A veil of cigar smoke was undulating in the air like a ghostly shroud, spreading from one corner of the room to another, never subsiding, probably not in the mood for a premature disappearance.

Moments dragged on lazily, but the two lovers didn’t care much. Between empty conversations and passionate sessions, they simply stared at the ceiling of the room, lying on the bed, Black Hat conjuring little constellations above them to amuse Flug, while the young scientist told him theories about dark matter.

It was rather difficult to determine which one of them was the greater lunatic, but one can definitely say that their respective madness had a similar flavour, a common streak that stood out in particular.

Absolute ambition served as their own personal Northern star, a singular Polaris leading them in the direction of greatness. It was a hellish and dangerous match, where their combined need for power and greatness bloomed into magnificent results. Step by step, ever so careful and attentive when planning a coup d'état, the melodious hymn of entropy acting as their favourite lullaby, chaos and power their final goal.

Flug suddenly changed the topic.

“We're not removing the plane from the roof?“

Gravelly grumbling came as the only response.

“Well, then…can I keep the plane?“

A few layered noises of dubious origin were made, probably the primordial way of grumpy eldritch abominations communicating their complete and total lack of interest in what their companion planned on doing.

Flug shrugged.

“Guess the plane is mine now.“

He then smirked.

“I'll make a nice room in there, maybe even an additional little lab when I don't want to go through half of the house to reach the other ones.“

“Maybe even get a giant plushie pile there.“

Black Hat merely held him closer, purring and mumbling for Flug to shut up.

The netherwordly eldritch abomination and the insane young genius completed each other in a way that had never been seen before.

However, their different taste in clothing was a completely different story. The two idiots interrupted their own bliss over a simple argument regarding the suit Flug should be wearing for the night. Figuring that he could not win the argument, Flug angrily got up and locked himself in the adjacent luxurious bathroom.

Twenty minutes passed and Flug was absolutely refusing to exit the jacuzzi tub. He ignored the disturbing noises Black Hat was making from the other side of the door.

He submerged himself once more, quite eager in his attempt to banish all erroneus thoughts from his mind. The water was pleasantly warm, almost hot, vapour floating over the water's surface, forming elegant abstract shapes. The monstrous demon suddenly ripped the bathroom door off.

“FLUG.“

The young man rose slightly from the water and replied:

“There is no Flug here, only his dead dreams, leave a message after the “beep“ sound.“

“I am going to crack open your skull and use it as a cup if you don't get out of there this instant and wear this suit.“

“You know, if you crack open my skull, I won't be able to wear the suit either way. Unless you pull it up on my corpse, but that would be a bit awkward for the guests to deal with. I know that they all know that you are into some weird kinky shit, but still.“

“Well, what an intelligent solution to this perfectly imbecilic problem.“

“Excuse us all for not being a total Victorian fashion diva like you.“

“It's not my fault you people are savages with no sense of colour coordination.“

“Oh, my! My feelings are so hurt right now! I fear there will be permanent psychological damage. Whatever shall I do?“

“Flug, you sneaky sly little scrawny bastard!“

'“You're making me blush.“

Flug knew that he was probably being a bit unfair with Black Hat, but he simply couldn't help himself, for old habits often had a tendency to die hard. Unless one simply bludgeons them to death with a blunt object.

Petty cruelty had proven itself as a loyal and trustworthy companion over the years for Flug. It had simply been an effective shield that served as protection against the arrows of mockery, an alkaline solution that neutralised the acid effect of insults, the silicon that filled up the holes in his lonely life.

However, things had taken a different turn. He looked over at Black Hat once more, noticing the incredible rage boiling within his visible eye. Quite literally.

One glance. Two. Three. No particular result came from that inane little activity, and therefore he had decided to change his approach to the situation.

“Come here.“

“Are you trying to entice me with your charms just to have your way? Allow me to inform you that it is not going to work. We may be lovers, but I am still your master and you will dress yourself into this suit even if I have to break all of your limbs to make you limp enough to place it on you with no resistance!“

Flug blinked at him.

“Ouch.“

“You have thirty minutes. I shall be entertaining our esteemed guests in the meantime. I might as well get them all warmed up for all that is yet to come! And I must thank you for that little stunt you pulled of with Demencia, it really did help my cause. Things shall be far more interesting now.“

“Er…I…“

Black Hat returned to the room, almost gliding in his movements, arriving to the large French window, gazing like a predator in deep concentration. A grin appeared on his face, one that would place any jack-o'-lantern to shame.

“We have some other little visitors coming, their delicious scent is in the air. It is always nice to receive fresh flesh ready for the taking. Maybe we should play a little game with them, as well.“

Flug awkwardly came out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel.

“Sir?“

Black Hat was in a playfully murderous mood. One could see it in the telltale glint in his eyes, the sinister signs of nascent ambition, greed and ravenous hunger dancing around him like harlots.

“You see, Flug, the human nature is a fickle one, and betrayal is the most infamous currency of the cowardly.“

Flug's heart was pounding upon hearing his master's voice becoming layered and demonic. A high-pitched cackle erupted from Black Hat, as thunder roared in the heavens.

“How easy they give up one of their own, merely to come crawling here to me, hoping to join us.“

“Sir, what are you talking about?“

“You will see soon enough. After all, I know and see everything.“

Black Hat reached out with his arm, opening his hand and summoning little shadows and green fire in on his palm.

“It takes only a few masterful strokes to properly manipulate the human mind. A revealed secret here, a lie there, an accidental collision at the wrong place at the wrong time, and a gorgeous amalgamation of vehemence and ferocity would be stirred in the forgotten penumbral locations of the anima. And then they are all yours. Well, all of you shall serve me, one way or another.“

Flug stared as if petified, seeing the magical energy enlargen itself on Black Hat's palm.

The monster's visible eye suddenly glowed a deep red, while a skull shape appeared in his monocle, magic crackling in the air around them as his shadows writhed, and soon a thick fog permeated the streets, spreading, infecting all it touched with its noxious fumes, injecting fear in every available heart.

And all hell broke lose.

Meanwhile, an old modified ambulance vehicle was making its way through the city streets. Of course, it was not out to deal with any emergency. Not at all. Rather, several irritated asylum doctors and one partially unconscious hostage were bickering within.

“Was there no normal car available?! You couldn't find anything less conspicuous?!“

“Hey, excuse me, you never specified what kind of transportation you required.“

“I thought such things were implied!“

“Well, you can go complain to Doctor Flug for using absolutely every bit of available material to build that infernal robot army of his!“

The doctor that was driving lightly leaned his head backwards to speak with the ones that were sitting in the back.

“Hey, how's our little novice doing back there?“

The little group of doctors lowered their magazines and they took a glance at the groaning lad that was completely wrapped up in rope and duct tape.

“He seems pretty enthusiastic about being sacrificed and all. Also, are we there yet? Shit is getting real creepy out there, from what we see through the back windows.“

“Well, whose brilliant idea was it to do all this on Halloween Night?“

The driving doctor's eye twitched as he noticed some macabre things happening in his field of vision.

Certain things were bound to cause a type of discomfort or induce a visceral reaction in most human beings. Mostly such reactions were connected with encountering unpleasant or disturbing sights and obstacles that call for the survival instinct to kick in.

The driver could currently see many interesting things in the night sky: the stars, the full Moon, a glowing top hat symbol of massive proportions with ominous connotations…well, one should be particularly wary of those.

Thick mist suddenly covered the road, a giant clock tower appearing in the distance, unnatural, a grin appearing right in the middle of the clock itself, before a maniacal laughter was heard from it.

The thirteenth hour chimed on the hellish clock tower, bells created echoes that could frighten the most foul murderer in broad daylight, as if serving as an announcement or invitation, calling for all the monsters and villains to assemble and direct themselves to the manor.

The driver wished he had a cup of strong coffee near him.

“This is one of those moments where we think of something philosophically relevant and worthy of being placed in textbooks, before we die.“

“Or we could make a meme.“

Rear-view mirrors generally do not display the tendency to crack of their own accord, neither do they show that they bear a grudge against the driver.

One could hear Black Hat's voice travelling the city, hear it with great clarity, like a caress of a whispered curse, a delicately cast malediction.

A group of grinning monsters suddenly blocked the vehicle's path, very familiar villains, indeed, but the driver was already so used to absolute nonsense that he merely stepped on the gas even more, not caring to stop.

Ghoulish clowns appeared by the road, cackling after the car, the Furies that were hired to assist in torture scattered in their crow forms, flying along to announce that doom was nigh, banshees sung a hoarse aria, while imps kept somehow trying to get into the car's engine. Shadow monsters were following at great speed, while another demonic entity flew right beside them, waving to them and smiling morbidly.

“Well, son of a bitch. Seat belts, people, we're in for some serious shit tonight.“

Perhaps they would get out alive. Perhaps not. What on earth did we expect?

“Dude, we got no chance against these psychos.“

“Nope, but we can try.“

“Is that Mojo Jojo with a ray gun out there?“

“Yep.“

“Shit.“

“Good thing I filled the damn gas tank.“

“What will you do?“

“Probably slam us through the protective fence leading into the lane next to us and hope that there is no car going from the opposite direction.“

“Oh, cool, I didn't want to live to see another day, anyway.“

Well, a plan was still a plan, one had to give them some credit for that.

At the mansion, Black Hat was being a most gracious host and was greeting his esteemed cult members that had been arriving in large numbers, all of them ecstatic to see their Master finally back in power.

Operating under pseudonyms when the circumstances demanded it, the leading cult members were capable of press-ganging gullible youth into the secret society with no trouble whatsoever, spreading Black Hat's influence like the plague upon the world.

And the youth had always seemed very enthusiastic about it. Dedicating their souls to the monstrous being of darkness semed like a perfectly good idea once their minds had been warped enough through specific magical influence given through little black fez hats.

Material wonders and wealth were considered as a marvellous compensation for their trouble, along with writhing in pure ecstasy as the Master finally revealed himself in his full splendour to their amazed eyes.

There were a few skeptical souls that were merely joining it for the laugh of it. And for better career options. It was always easier to get that lovely internship if you had an eldritch abomination backing up your resume and “warmly“ recommending you to the rather terrified CEOs with blood pressure problems.

Not to mention that the punishments for not joining the cult were severe, as well.

Convulsing on the floor in pure agony before death may actually appear as rather embarassing, given the circumstances.

Although, the younger cult members were quite hilarious. Just as a few of them arrived in the manor, Black Hat gave them a questionable look, as if testing their loyalty, while lightly growling at them. The lads raised their hands defensively.

“No need for that, Master, we have no spine anyway, so we'll just, you know, surrender willingly.“

“Yeah, we got no dignity here at all, Lord Black Hat, sir!“

The eldritch made a disturbingly warm smile upon hearing that.

“That's the spirit, children!“

The younger cult members went along and joined the crowd of the older members. One mumbled to his friend.

“Dude, I am just here for the cake.“

Another one was suddenly going into a frenzy, throwing himself on the floor and trying to remove the fez hat from his head.

“I have a problem! I am hearing voices! I am seeing things!“

“Oh, my god! Do you know what that means?“

“What?!“

“It means you have a properly functioning set of eyes and ears.“

“Hey, wait a minute…“

One younger cult member tugged at an elder's sleeve curiously.

“Are we going to have the snacks before or after this whole thing?“

“For the last time, I said after! We handed out the timetables before the very beginning, does nobody here read anymore?! We are here to engage in the most honourable activity to please our Master!“

“Which one?“

“Selling your soul to Lord Black Hat, of course.“

“Yeah, um, can I place it on a loan, though? Economy these days, yanno.“

“Excuse me?“

Another young cult member was rather amused with everything that had been happening both in the cult and Black Hat's Organization. His colleagues were still dealing with the hallucinatory effects and the magical trauma caused by their fez hats, since they were slowly driving them insane with Black Hat's power, but this particular cult member seemed to have almost bonded with his own fez hat. Some of his colleagues would ask:

“Are you actually treating it as a pet?!“

“Well, it is unpredictable, moves around when I am not looking, it causes things to fall in the middle of the night, I see no difference between having this magical hat and having a damn cat.“

“That's some hardcore attitude, man.“

Samhain Night seemed to be very entertaining thus far.

The congregation of nefarious villains was quite the colourful one, many familiar creatures and caricatures prancing their way along the grand hall, almost as if they were aware of the audience observing them, recognizing them, remembering them from a long forgotten childhood dream that had finally risen to amuse and entertain them once more, friendly villainous grins once again illuminating the dull shadows of everyday life.

We shall escort the darling readers throughout this wonderful carnival of darkness, bring them into our sweet little word of jolly monsters and cunning tricksters, all of them waiting for their turn in the dance.

Violin concertos had been combined with an energetic remix with sinister undertones, the rhytm addictive and definitely capable of luring into a trance, very much able of leading one into believing they had always belonged with these mad creatures. Not that anyone would complain, of course.

 Rooms and parlours changed and travelled at their own pleasure and in accordance with their current mood, adding to the general hypnotic effect and the inevitable disorientation that followed afterwards. Black Hat's portraits seemed to be following everybody with their wicked gaze, scrutinizing and inspecting, as well as wishing to induce fear and slight discomfort.

One might wonder what would happen if one poked those portraits in the eye one day. Flug was particularly fond of that idea.

Black Hat elegantly ascended to where his dark throne was located, a long regal burgundy cloak over his shoulders, secured with a golden chain and a skull-shaped ruby brooch. He brandished his cane nonchalantly, grinning at his adoring audience, making a short bow and tipping the rim of his top hat.

The bow was far from showing actual reverence or any pretense of humility. It was a part of the theatrical performance, an act, an overture to the powerful darkness that he would grace them with just as promised.

A little hissing noise was heard, and the crowd split in two to allow the creature to pass. Slithering in a hypnotic pattern and tasting the air with its tongue, the snake approached its beloved master and gently touched him with its snout. Black Hat cooed at the snake as he picked it up:

“Hello there, Lil Jack. Ladies and gentlemen, villains, worshippers, creatures of evil and darkness! How marvellous it is to behold you all here in such large numbers, where your loyalty and dedication is confirmed, yet again.“

He almost purred upon seeing how enchanted his audience was with him, the scent of excitement, fear, admiration and lust almost intoxicating him. He continued his speech:

“Blood and bones are always the most common construction material, alongside clay and stone. All kingdoms were built on stolen souls and mutilated spirits, organized chaos and creative destruction, planned discord and calculated mania. Villainy demands the utmost dedication and cunning, where we thrive and no heroes survive!“

Cheerful cries were the reply, and he continued:

“You all may experience both triumphs and obstacles on your path. Simultaneous expansion and restriction, playful oscillations and sudden stillness. Let experience be your guide! Learn! Practice! You do not stay down, you get back up until the hero is dead!“

Silence reigned as the audience held its breath, listening with great curiosity.

“These are not the usual motivational quotes and similar nonsense! Let us not pollute our sobriety with such dull idyllic scenarios and saccharine rubbish, it is generally considered to be bad for our health and may even cause random cavities. I am giving you practical results, I am giving you solutions, weapons, tools, and you are to use them wisely. I do not like it when my name is tarnished by bad pupils.“

His visible eye darted at the far end of the grand hall, noticing Flug entering. He growled upon seeing that the disobedient scientist had been dressed in a long white laboratory coat and was wearing a plain blue shirt with a plain crash picture on it, along with plain blue jeans and red Converse sneakers. Black Hat was already planning a myriad of punishments for him not wearing the suit.

One particular villain did not let him pass, and sneered at Flug, not knowing that he was working for Black Hat.

“Hey, kid, shouldnʼt you be in bed?ʺ

ʺShouldnʼt you be rotting in an unmarked grave?ʺ

Shock and disbelief was on everybody's faces as he just pushed his way through.

Flug confidently went through the crowd of villains and cult members, his gazes only focused on his Jefecito. Nothing else held his interest. Flug went up to Black Hat's throne and stood proudly at his right side, light reflecting off of his goggles and giving them a menacing glow. The villains seemed quite shocked with the whole affair, wishing to know all about Black Hat's new scientist.

Black Hat continued:

“May I present my newest dark companion and employee, Doctor Flug Slys. He shall be the one in charge of the design and construction of weaponry, as my head engineer and inventor, as well as my chemist and second-in-command. If anyone has any complaints, you may kindly deposit them before me right now, and I may make your death quick and painless. But if I hear any mockery behind my back…well, let's simply say that death shall appear like a nice stroll under the Moon compared with the punishment. Now, let the celebration begin!“

The master of darkness took Flug's hand and purred.

“How was my speech?“

“Do you accept constructive criticism?“

“I shall accept it with great pleasure, and then I shall shove it back into your face in an equally constructive manner.“

“That was the most polite threat of violence I ever heard.“

“Thank you.“

Black Hat rose from his throne and conjured his faithful violin, grinning at Flug. He faced the audience and made yet another bow, before he allowed the music to flow. Flug's breath hitched upon hearing a certain melody once more, his memories flooding with the sweet music Black Hat had graced him with before in his dreams.

The Maestro's grand performance with his infernal violin brought fruitful results, cradling his sweet scientist in the soft embrace of hypnotism.

Gliding the bow gracefully, focusing on each detail of the composition with absolute precision, each gesture and each twitch of the fingers demonstrating a skill beyond any description. One would always decribe violinists as if possessed by a demon when playing, yet here we could fully see what it meant to play like a true demon.

The sharp elegant elbows, the dignified position of the shoulders, the shadow silhouette he cast on the wall behind him, the light billowing of his cloak in the preternatural breeze that had been summoned for the very purpose of adding an otherwordly feeling to his performance. Black Hat indeed had a great penchant for theatrics, and possessed the knowledge of how to make a proper exposition to entice his victims.

However, Flug still had enough common sense to not be fully taken under the spell, for he knew that he wished to be an equal partner in the relationship. So he had to play it slyly.

Cunning was a useful tool, after all. Everything was a mere chain of events that happen to have different reactions within people. And if cause inevitably leads to consequence, action leading to reaction, then one could definitely have a certain amount of influence over each given set of parameters.

Flug smiled as he found the solution to his problem.

As long as he kept approaching problems like a scientist, everything would be perfectly alright. One may hope. Either that or he may end up dead in some random shallow grave.

He came closer to Black Hat, almost dancing around him as the demon played his instrument, and Black Hat whispered telepathically to him:

“Apparently I am not the only one with the penchant for extravagant introductions.“

“Jealous?“

“Intrigued…“

“What else?“

“My interest piqued.“

“More…“

“Attention captured.“

“And?“

“Thirst awakened.“

“You flatter me, sir.“

“Together we will make an empire rise.“

“And kingdoms shall fall before us.“

“What did you do to the suit I left for you?“

“Oh, I did something terrible to it. I left it all alone in the closet with nobody to keep it company.“

“For shame, Doctor!“

As the composition ended, Black Hat pulled Flug into a possessive kiss, before letting go of him, grinning and enjoying the shocked gasps of the audience. Halloween Night was turning out as a quite frightening experience for a lot of people, apparently.

As Flug made his way through the crowd to get something to drink after Black Hat's performance, he felt as if something was not right. As if there was a presence within the crowd that did not belong there. Something foreign and morbid and powerful. He took a deep breath and tried to get some cold strawberry water. Demencia tapped him on the shoulder.

“Flug, what are you doing?“

“Drinking strawberry flavoured water and pretending it's whiskey.“

“That's so cute!“

“Dem, I need you.“

“Aww, shucks, Fluggy! That's the nicest thing you ever said to me!“

“Jesus Christ. Dem, look, something is wrong, I just need you to keep out a close eye on things, okay?“

“Sure!“

“Seriously.“

“If I mix the blue slushie and the red slushie, will the violet coloured slushie have a new fruit flavour or just the combined flavours of the original two slushies I mixed in the first place?“

“You…really have a way of giving people a minor crisis with questions like these.“

“Enemies are easier to kill when they are confused, after all! Oh, did you see more of these new Hazbin Hotel clips and song? You need to find your inner rainbow, Fluggy!“

“I don't have an inner rainbow, Dem.“

“Well, 505 is your inner rainbow, isn't he?“

As he was about to facepalm, Flug raised an eyebrow at the intruding little group, easily recognizing them from their voices and incessant bickering. The asylum doctors appeared as if they had just seen some very weird things and survived several catastrophes.

“What are you guys doing here?“

They stiffened upon hearing his voice, knowing that they may be in a bit of trouble. One of them finally shrugged and replied:

“We heard they had good catering here, so...“

“You have got to be kidding me.“

“We can briefly say that it will definitely pay off if we join Lord Black Hat now and avoid any unwanted and unnecessary dismemberment in the future. Plus, we ran out of snacks in the asylum and it was getting creepy there. You messed up the entire electric system with that nonsense of yours when you were having your Frankenstein moments in the basement. What happened with that flying car anyway?“

“We turned it into a plane and crashed it on the roof. I called dibs on it as my new room, and now I keep my plants and plushies there.“

They blinked at him.

“Jesus Christ, man. So…some party you got here.“

“Give it a minute or two till they have a bit more of champagne. Well, we have nothing better to do at the moment and the night is still young. Who wants to go help me a bit in the lab?“

The doctors looked at each other and they simply nodded.

“Yo, you working on some extremely cool and evil project for Lord Black Hat?“

“I am bringing a teddy bear to life.“

Long exposure to absolute nonsense had completely numbed them at that point, so their only reply to Flug's statement was:

“We're not gonna judge, seems valid.“

Flug turned back to Demencia.

“As I said, keep an eye open. I definitely sense something.“

He then walked away, joining the doctors and asking them what on earth had happened to them and they began to tell him a delightful little tale that made him instantly regret asking in the first place.

Chapter Text

We are all familiar with the story of the mad scientist bringing a dangerous monster to life. An entire genre had been dedicated to that specific story pattern, its legacy becoming legendary in the process.

However, Doctor Flug was apparently destined to turn that entire construction onto its head. It's not every day that one screws up an experiment on a deep fundamental level. It's definitely not every day that one creates a bundle of cuteness instead of a mass of horror. 

“So, this is how I die“, the scientist thought as he observed the baby bear playing with a tiny pillow and making little squeaky toy noises. Flug was still in the process of deciding whether he should start laughing or crying.

Vapour playfully danced above his tenth coffee cup, as if mocking his torment with its carefree and careless motion.

His goggles were glowing, manic rage present in the gaze hidden behind the glass reflection. Flug grabbed a nearby stack of papers and books, throwing them violently at his assistants.

“Absolute failure! The experiment is an absolute failure!

The former asylum doctors merely raised an eyebrow at him.

“Rude.“

Flug practically shrieked at them:

“Black Hat must not know of this until we can stabilize the subject back into its original purpose!“

“Oh, don't be ridiculous! He probably knows and is watching us roll in our misery before he comes to rip our insides out.“

Another former asylum doctor added:

“Besides, there is no changing it, dude, we did all we could do. Almost a year of work, same results basically.“

And one particularly witty one said:

“Why don't we just go to the local zoo and steal some monstrous bear, instead? Boss won't know the difference if we paint it blue.“

Flug, on the other hand, was not in the mood for such activities.

“SHUT UP. ALL OF YOU. SHUT UP.“

Flug took his bag off, breathing heavily into it and attempting to create a proper plan of further action. Months and months of work, thousands of hours of research, all of it leading to complete embarassment.

Black Hat's strict instructions were to make the bear into the most horrific creature the world has ever witnessed. He even offered his own magic and his own blood to make the bear as evil as himself, all of it to contribute to the bear's supernatural biological structure.

And indeed, Flug gave it everything. The little bear was perfect by all objective sense. Indestructible, fast regenerative powers, strength of a hundred men, even capable of understanding speech and further learning.

Flug's crushed the bag in his hand, as he gave out commands:

“All of you, do the tests once again! There has to be some temporary problem in his-“

“Face it, Flug, you screwed it up. You wrote the genetic code. We just handed you the tools and materials. It's all yours. The experiment is yours.“

Indeed, the experiment was his. All of it was his, his wrecked nerves, his sleepless nights, his wasted time, it was all his.

And it was his teddy bear. Something that Black Hat could not leave in peace, the one thing that Flug wished so much to remain his alone. But no such clemency was given to him, since Black Hat demanded that a perfect genetically engineered monster, an entity obsessed with chaos and carnage.

Flug had been deeply offended by the whole process. How dare Black Hat demand such a thing of him? Flug had managed to emotionally detach himself from the developing creature for months, trying his best not to care about it at all.

However, now the product was final, and the baby finally opened its eyes for the first time after all the time spent in special tubes and fluids.

Of course, the shock of all those present was nothing compared to Flug's inner turmoil and pain, as he realized that Black Hat would make him pay.

He leaned over to look at the baby bear once more. A brief second of weakness allowed Flug's heart and mind to let their guard down, and he felt the chaos of emotions overwhelm him once more.

Up until that moment, Flug had not even bothered to take a really good look at the adorable little creature, he had not allowed himself to truly embrace the reality before him.

Something had always stopped him from attaching to his experiment. A type of regret almost, since his sweet former teddy bear had been given a new purpose and a new concept by Lord Black Hat. Their former source of joy and what kept them together, now destined to serve as a weapon and a beast.

This concept had given Flug even more nightmares and dread than he usually had. How dare Black Hat touch into the one point of innocence he had left? His last connection to humanity?

As he stood there, observing the baby bear's movements and tiny noises that it was making, something happened.

Something that only destiny could carve.

The bear's eyes looked up at Flug with the utmost love and curiosity, complete trust and need for protection. An avalanche had been released within Flug, as warmth kept flooding through him, something awakening once more as he kept staring at the baby bear nesting in the little bundle of blankets and pillows, looking up at Flug innocently.

Tears flowed and flowed down Flug's face, and he had not even realized that he was trembling from joy and love.

He reached for the little bear, cradling him in his arms. Flug felt as if his heart had melted from an eternity of ice and darkness. He sobbed and placed a kiss on the baby bear's head.

“A happy accident.“

He kept whispering over and over again:

“A happy accident, a happy accident…“

Flug did not register the darkness that had slowly slithered through the crevices of the room, he cared not for the sudden cold, he failed to give a damn about the warnings of his assistants that the lord of the mansion had entered the laboratory. Flug only knew that he had to protect the baby bear from the eldritch demon.

The former asylum doctors quickly slid past the monster toward the exit.

“Eyyy, boss, we're just gonna, you know…“

They made their way out of the room within two full seconds, closing the door behind them and leaving Flug alone with his master. It was their war, and none dared disturb such a sacred moment.

The scientist turned around, glaring at Black Hat, his bearing strong.

And so they stared at each other, two monsters, one tiny innocent soul, only one possible solution. Flug stood proudly, holding his bear child with great determination and in a protective manner, while Black Hat's shadowy tentacles undulated menacingly, the demon's sharp teeth betraying his intentions.

Black Hat's fury was almost palpable, as well as utter disgust at what the little creature had become, as it failed to meet his requirements.

“Hand it over, Flug. It must perish.“

“No.“

“Give it here!“

“Absolutely not!“

“This is not what I asked of you, I demanded a powerful beast that could follow me in all my conquests, something that could terrorize the mortal world by my side.“

“I did all I could, but it turned out like this, and we have to accept him the way he is!“

“I demanded a being of ultimate evil, I have no use of this! It was all fun and games when it was just a plush toy, but I got no intention of tolerating his cuteness in this living form.“

“How dare you?!“

“Excuse yourself, Doctor, you forget your place!“

“It is my son! MY SON. And I am keeping him, and you cannot do anything about it! You cannot destroy the thing that I created to be beyond destruction. I just invented immortality, Black Hat! And I did it with no magic and no secret power, I did it with my own mind and skill. This bear, this is the symbol of it.“

“Doctor Kenning Flugslys, you have been taking advantage of my patience for far too long.“

“Isn't that what you are looking for? Hmm? For something to cure you of that boredom of yours? For anything to challenge you?! Well, here I am! I am here to challenge you and keep your nerves on their very edge, same as you do with me!“

Emerald flames burned in Black Hat's hands, as he floated closer upon a gust of shadows, sneering and flicking his serpentine tongue at Flug. He looked down at the bear, hissing at it and making the poor baby whimper in fear. Black Hat spoke:

“So, this is the shield that keeps the last bits of your soul away from me?“

“Indeed.“

The demon grinned at him lecherously.

“Death itself could not protect you from me, Doctor, never forget that.“

“I am protecting myself with Life, not Death.“

And truly, 505 was Life and Hope and Dreams, and all the sweetest things that kept the ice from taking over Flug's heart once more.

Flug sat down, placing baby 505 back into his soft nest, watching him with fatherly adoration.

“Come here, Black Hat, at least pretend to be happy about our son.“

The demon slided along the ground soundlessly, looming over both of them and casting a long shadow above them. He narrowed his visible eye at the scene.

“Flug?“

“Yep?“

“You are an absolute cretin, Flug.“

“I blame this week's astrology articles.“

“Normally I would start strangling you, but I am in too much of a shock right now.“

“Fair enough. How was business today?“

“Rumours fly, fear travels, power grows.“

“I will raise 505 to be useful to you, Lord Black Hat, I promise this.“

“Oh, you'd better, Doctor, for I have no intention of letting my reputation drown because of your incompetence.“

A gloved hand was placed on Flug's shoulder, lightly massaging it. The doctor closed his eyes, knowing that the light in front of him could give him strength against the tenebrous threat behind him.

The night was indeed a hostage of darkness, but even then the stars of hope glowed in defiance, protecting our hopes and dreams from even the most dreadful dawn.

Chapter Text

Infinity had a rather interesting downside of blending both past and future into one long and dull present, and such a time period could only be filled with eternal boredom without any external stimuli. 

She only had time, and time had nothing for her, nothing at all. 

Being imprisoned in the ramschackle asylum that used to contain Black Hat was an even bigger pain in the hindquarters. The irony poisoned the air.

It was an even bigger sting to know that the person that captured her had a personal vendetta against her, to add insult to injury, of course. During her chemistry and engineering and medicine studies, she had double-crossed none other than good old Kenning Flugslys, who would later become a psychiatrist in that same facility, and the right hand of Black Hat far after. She had done to him a thing far worse than some typical petty hostile deed. She broke their friendship and his black heart.

She was unwell, and therefore all was unwell from her perspective. 

Truth be told, things were unwell from any hero's perspective in those particular moments. Black Hat's rampage was in full swing, and he was very much determined to seize absolute control over the world once more, and no metahuman, magical being nor secret society member could stop him. 

It was madness without precedent. A systemic purge almost, hundreds of heroes would be either captured or executed within a mere night at times, and one could no longer trust even one's kith and kin. Too many were willing to betray others to ensure their own safety. 

Miss Heed's case was a particular one. She was not a normal hero. She was a runaway. A deserter. A traitor. A wayward child that fled from Black Hat's school a long time ago. A mere hero had the privilege of dying instantly. Miss Heed had the bad luck of having personally offended Black Hat with her deed and therefore she had been taken prisoner during this entire fiasco. 

Numbing your mind to weeks of torture just to stay sane and stable was certainly a pain in the hindquarters.

Tricks could work for only a few days, and most lies and smiles were useful only for a short spark of time. 

Black Hat's grace was a hard thing to obtain.

Flug's forgiveness was an impossible thing to obtain. Unreachable. Undeserved. 

She was sitting on soft pink cushions and wondering whether or not this charade would end eventually, and suddenly the heavy door was opened, cruel light pouring in, glowing goggles fixed upon her small form. 

“Cecilia.“

“Kenny.“

Flug had entered the room, mind cold, heart in ashes, hands empty. He sat down, observing the girl, seeing the marks that the torture had left on her soft skin, but he deemed them very well deserved. 

“How the mighty have fallen, Cecilia.“

“That was so funny, I forgot to laugh.“

“Your record counts numerous heinous crimes against contractees of Black Hat Organisation, including, but not limited to, mass hypnotism, imprisonment, coercion, usage of amorous favours to obtain classified information, considerable damage on BH Org technology…“

“What can I say, I was a busy gal.“

“By all means, not even an execution would suffice as compensation.“

“Oh?“

“Lord Black Hat would consider your head on his wall a Christmas present.“

“Ew.“

“However, I pleaded with him for your case.“

She blinked at him, processing what he had just said. Miss Heed tilted her head, incredulous, before asking: 

“You would be kind to an enemy?“

“I would be kind to a friend. A friend I once had.“

She pouted and looked away.

“I'm sorry.“

“Your sorry will not be enough.“

“Kenny, you are a fool. Goldheart will handle all this and I do not need your pity.“

“Goldheart will not even have a beating heart when Black Hat gets to him. You have a chance.“

“What are you talking about?“

“Black Hat is an opportunist and I am at times morbidly idealistic, and you yourself should awaken that selfish streak that you once used to fuck me over all those years ago. It is time to be realistic, Cecilia. There is no fairy tale left.“

Miss Heed contemplated for a few moments before speaking again.

“I did like those silly jokes you used to tell.“

“Nice try.“

“Oh, fine, they sucked, but the way you told them was adorable. I never saw someone so confidently make chemistry puns.“

Flug sat down and cleared his throat. He seemed almost nostalgic for a moment.

"Cecilia Amanda. You know, Amanda means "she who must be loved" in Latin. What a cosmic joke was made upon you."

"Shut up."

“Lord Black Hat is willing to offer you a deal.“

“Of course he is.“

“You are a former student of his, and as such you still got special privileges in comparison to other captured heroes. Also, he thinks your talents could be useful, and of course he emphasized how your deeds were indeed evil at its finest, so he can treat it as a passing of your final exam.“

“You have got to be kidding me, Kenny.“

“It is either that or you will die here, Cecilia.“

“But, but Goldheart…“

“Well just look where your efforts to impress Goldheart got you! You have nothing, woman. Nothing. What do you expect? Him to swoop in here to rescue you, and you will live all happily ever after upon heroic glory? It is a fight you cannot win. Black Hat is just playing with his food till he decides to devour it, and Goldheart being alive is more of a result of Black Hat's mercy and less of Goldheart's competence.“

Miss Heed rolled her eyes and groaned, throwing a pink pillow at Flug.

“Yes, yes, we all know Black Hat is an omnipotent dick, thank you. Also rumour on the street is that you two are devouring and railing each other instead. Is that part of your job description?“

“Jealous?“

“In your dreams.“

“You are very confident and rude for someone who is imprisoned and with a death verdict hanging above your head. Lord Black Hat won't be feeding ingrates forever, so you got a choice to either start contributing to the Organisation or you are going to make a very pretty corpse in a few days.“

Miss Heed narrowed her eyes at him, wondering if he would truly allow her to be put to death, if he was truly ready to pay such a price to please his master. 

He certainly was. And she knew it. They both knew it. 

“Fine. I accept. I want a pretty uniform.“

“Don't push it, Cecilia.“

“You are no fun anymore, Kenny.“

She stretched and yawned, making herself comfortable.

“When do I start?“

“In a few hours I will fetch you. You can pack the things you have here, and you will be escorted to Hat Island with me.“

“Oh, joy.“

As he was about to close the door, he turned around to look at her, his goggles glowing a sinister green colour.

“Don't make me regret this, Cecilia. One ounce, one iota of treachery or schemes, and I will personally slit your throat.“

The door closed shut and all was silence once more.