Chapter Text
Death could not be avoided. At some point, everything died, the plants, the animals, the very earth itself. That’s how the world worked, everything mortal died, it was life.
Unless you were immortal. His boss, an Eldritch abomination, was immortal. He would never die, and when this world finally passed on, he would find a new world to inhabit. But he would never die.
Flug did not seek immortality. He had accepted long ago that he was going to die, and he was fine with that idea. What would happen to him after death was another story, but he didn’t need that answered. He lived in present day, and didn’t like to remorse on the past or fear the future.
He was working on a new serum at the moment. He has gotten a crate of, what the client called, immortality in a bottle. When he asked the client to elaborate, he had gotten no response. So, per the request of his boss, he began to examine what it was.
Flug took a small sample and put it under a microscope. As he examined the specimen, he drew out on paper what it looked like. It almost appeared as a mutated virus or...or perhaps a bacteria. Whatever it was, it looked like a disease.
As he tried to get a closer look, he was interrupted by a sweet curious sound behind him.
He smiled and turned. “Hey 5.0.5,” he said sweetly. He took 5.0.5’s face in his hands and rubbed it gently. “Have you been a good boy?”
5.0.5 made a sound of agreement. “That’s daddy’s good boy,” Flug said. “I’m busy, but-“ he heard a loud growl. A growl of hunger.
“Oh, you’re hungry,” Flug said. He stood and stretched. “Well, I could use a quick break anyway. Come on, let’s go get you something to eat.”
He left his lab with 5.0.5 behind him and his empty mug in his hand. He made sure to lock the door on his way out to avoid any pesky lizard girls who were way too curious. He went to the kitchen and refilled his coffee.
“What do you want?” Flug asked. 5.0.5 pointed in one cabinet that held all the breads. “You want bread?” Flug asked. He went to the cabinet and pulled out the plastic bag that had half a loaf in it.
5.0.5 was in the fridge, grabbing at something else. Flug looked to see what it was. Jelly.
“Do you want a sandwich?” Flug asked.
5.0.5 shook his head. He reached for the butter. “Oh...do you want toast?” Flug asked. The bear nodded. Flug smiled and went back to the bread. He took two pieces and out them into the toaster.
He finished 5.0.5’s snack and left him to eat, returning to his lab and slowly fumbling with the keys to unlock the door.
But then he heard a giggle within the lab. He quickly jammed the key into the lock and swung the door open.
Demencia was playing with the flask of ‘immortality’ elixir. Flug dropped his mug and keys.
“Demencia! Stop!” Flug snapped. Right as he ran at her, she giggled and put the elixir in her mouth, running and climbing up the wall.
“Demencia!” Flug yelled, looking up at her. She teasingly swirled the elixir as she sat on the ceiling. “What’s wrong Flug? Can’t climb the wall? Or are you just a weakling?”
Flug growled and grabbed the nearest object, a book on astronomy, and threw it at her. She squealed and dropped the elixir.
Flug ran to catch it, praying it would be safe. He almost had it, it was right in his grasp, but-
He missed. It smashed on the ground in front of him. It splashed him, his entire front was drenched in black liquid. He rubbed his goggles on his sleeve and angrily looked up. “DEMENCIA!”
“Uh, gotta run!” She immediately scuffled away into the air vent. She must have come in that way. Flug growled angrily. He took off his lab coat, his gloves, and then his bag and goggles. He slid his shirt off from over his head and went to his washing station.
He ran a hand over his neck, which was wet with the liquid. He examined it on his hand and rubbed his fingers on his palm.
He turned on the water but when he moved to clean his hand...the elixir was gone. He touched his neck. It was completely dry.
Had he hallucinated it? No, he was a scientist, but he wasn’t mad (at least not yet). But...what happened to it?! Had his body absorbed it? But that didn’t make logical sense...how could his skin absorb something that fast?!
As he turned around, he jumped when he saw Black Hat standing directly behind him, looking rather unamused. “What are you doing doctor?” Black Hat asked.
“S-sorry!” Flug quickly said, curling his arms over his chest. He felt his face turn red with slight embarrassment. Why couldn’t Black Hat wait till he had at least a shirt on?
“Why are you shirtless? And why is there black on your pants?” Black Hat questioned, his lip curled into a slight snarl.
“I-I dropped some elixir sir! It splashed on me and...I was just...cleaning myself up,” Flug muttered.
Black Hat gave a huff of disgust. “Get some clothes on and get back to work. I don’t need you working half-naked.”
“Yes sir,” Flug said quickly. Black Hat gave one last growl of annoyance before disappearing.
~~~
He felt like absolute shit when he woke up the next morning. He was sick, and it was the worse kind of sick. Every one of his bones hurt, his body was jammed with that disgusting feeling of being incredibly hot and cold at the same time, he could feel himself running a fever, and most horrible, he felt like he was going to vomit.
Flug got out of bed and shuffled to the bathroom, going into the cabinets and fumbling for a digital thermometer. He shoved it under his tongue. He clicked the button at the end and waited. When it beeped, he took the thermometer out.
38.4 Celsius/101.1 Fahrenheit
He gave a harsh sigh. He was sick, and had a horrible fever. He slid the thermometer into the pocket of his sleeping pants. He went back to his room and slipped on his cleaned lab coat, using it more as a blanket by draping it over his shoulders. He had put on a fresh bag and cleaned his goggles after the accident yesterday, which was fine. He needed a new bag anyway.
As he shuffled towards the kitchen, he decided to skip coffee and opt for tea. But not his boss’s fancy tea, which he had gotten from the Underworld, as well as mixes from England. He took his own teabag and waited for the water to brew.
As he did, he rubbed his fingers to his palm again. The elixir was a fake. Immortality? Right, more like cause sickness. It probably was a poison. Flug snorted. Good, maybe it would kill him, he joked with himself.
When his water boiled, he poured it into his mug and mixed it around in the water.
He heard loud paw-steps enter the kitchen. Flug turned and smiled at 5.0.5, stirring his tea. “Morning Fives.”
5.0.5 could smell the stench of sickness the moment he entered the room. His daddy was sick.
He went over and made an apologetic sound. Flug smiled under his bag.
“It’s alright. I’d hug you, but, I don’t wanna get you sick,” Flug said. “Can you make yourself something?” 5.0.5 nodded. He went to the sink and took the hand towel, running it under the cold water of the sink and then handing it to Flug. Flug put it around his neck.
“Thanks bud,” he said. He took his tea bag out and replaced it with a straw. “I’m gonna get to work...”
5.0.5 was about to object, but stopped when Demencia walked into the kitchen, stretching and yawning loudly. She stopped and smacked her tongue to the top of her mouth.
“Ugh! What smells like sickness?” She looked at Flug. “Aw, Flug, are you down with the sickness?”
“Did you have to reference-never mind,” Flug muttered. “Yeah...I’m sick.”
“Aw, I’m sorry Fluggy Buggy,” Demencia said. “If you need me to get you anything, let me know!”
“Thanks Dem,” Flug said. He went to his lab and collapsed into his chair. He felt...horrible. He felt worse than when he had woken up. It’s almost like the disease got worse. He shakily reached forward.
Okay...okay...he was just a little sick, but he wasn’t allowed a sick day unless he was dying. He wasn’t dying, he was fine. He grabbed a screwdriver and...and nothing. His arms wouldn’t stop shaking, and they felt so weak...his whole body felt weak. His body was burning alive but he was shivering with cold. His stomach turned sour.
He grabbed the trashcan below his desk and quickly cradled it in his lap, pushing his bag up his face. He began to breathe heavily, and then...
He vomited, and it was dark, almost black, bile that smelled like blood. Oh god, he was sweating, he was so hot...but why was it so COLD?!
He fumbled for the thermometer in his pocket. But before he could take his temperature, he vomited again.
Black bile dribbled out of the corner of his mouth. He pushed the thermometer into his mouth and pressed the button. When it beeped, he took it out. His temperature had gone up by two degrees.
“Oh god-“ he vomited again. He tried to stand, but his knees gave way. He fell forward, the trashcan falling and splattering his bile on the ground. His hands sank into it, and he vomited again.
He was breathing heavily and his arms gave way. He was so tired, his stomach was knotted, and his bones felt so fragile...
He shoved the thermometer into his mouth again.
His temperature went up a degree.
“Hey Flug, Fives and I-oh what the fuck?! Flug!” Demencia screeched. She ran to his shivering body. “Are you dying?!”
“D-D-Dem...Dem...” Flug flailed his arm at her. It flopped back down at his side. “H-h-h....” he choked a bit on his bile. “H-help...”
“Uh...uh...5.0.5! What do we do?!” Demencia screamed. She got down to her knees and grabbed one of his arms. She hoisted it around her shoulders. “Come on Fives...we gotta get him to Black Hat...”
5.0.5 quickly ran to Flug and helped him up.
“Flug...can you walk?” Demencia asked. Flug shook his head. “N-n...” he threw-up, the bile splashing on the ground. Demencia wrinkled her nose in disgust. It smelled horrible. “N-no...hurt...”
“Okay...okay...it’s okay...” Demencia began to walk him towards the exit. But she stopped when 5.0.5 scooped him up. He made a panicked sound at the trashcan.
“Good thinking Fives,” Demencia said. She grabbed the trashcan and held it as they walked slowly to Black Hat’s office.
Flug threw-up three more times on the way to Black Hat’s office. It began to turn from the deathly black to a blood red.
Black Hat met them half-way.
“What in the devil’s name is that STENCH?! It’s-“ he stopped when he saw Flug. “By my name...” he walked towards him. “You look like death.”
Flug’s response was bile spilling out of his mouth.
“Smell like it too, are you what’s been causing the reek of death?” Black Hat asked. “Give him to me.” But Black Hat had already grabbed Flug and was carrying him to his office, 5.0.5 and Demencia close behind him.
“He’s...he’s uh...he’s gonna live, right?” Demencia asked. Black Hat did not answer. When he reached his office, he brought Flug to a couch that was within his office. It, along with some other furnishings, were made more so for his own leisure, but most of the time they went unused.
“You shouldn’t be working!” Black Hat snapped, taking the doctor’s temperature. He growled at the results and the thermometer melted in his hand. “You should have focused on your own health!”
“C-can’t....n-no sick..sick days...” Flug wheezed out.
“Well, sick days when you’re dying, which you obviously are with a fever like that.” Black Hat said. Flug shot up. “W-what? I’m dyi-” he vomited over himself.
“Lay down idiot, I’m trying to heal you!” Black Hat snapped. “5.0.5, hold him down.”
5.0.5 nodded reluctantly, and pushed Flug down by his shoulders.
Black Hat went to his bookshelf. He pulled a certain book, and the shelf pulled down to become a small alchemy lab. Demencia watched from afar as Black Hat literally pulled things out of the air and began to quickly brew something, muttering words of anger under his breath.
He returned to Flug’s side and waved his hand for 5.0.5 to let go. The bear moved away, making sad whimpers as he did so.
“Drink this,” Black Hat commanded. “It should lower the fever.”
Flug sipped at it, and when he realized it wasn’t bitter, he drank it. He fell back, his eyes threatening to close.
“Leave him, he needs to sleep. Hopefully his organs don’t fail,” Black Hat said. “You two, go dispose of the sickness. This house has the smell of death on it, it’s bad for business. Go, clean it up,” Black Hat said.
“Why do WE have to clean up his mess?!” Demencia whined. “That’s unfair!”
“It’s unfair Flug is near death, yet here we are. Now, go clean up,” Black Hat growled. Demencia gave a loud ‘humph’ before stomping out the door. 5.0.5 followed after her, pausing to look back at Flug.
“Don’t worry 5.0.5, I’ll watch over him,” Black Hat promised. 5.0.5 wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He trusted his papa, he really did, but he knew his papa didn’t really care much about daddy. But, he’d take his word.
He nodded, and followed after Demencia.
Black Hat turned and went to his desk. He couldn’t focus, the stench of plague was heavy in the room. He sighed heavily and look at Flug’s sleeping form. He picked up a paper from the desk.
‘Dear Lord Black Hat,
I require the immediate assistance-‘
He stopped reading when he heard Flug convulse and purge again. He put the letter down. Flug was sitting up, arms wrapped around himself.
“Flug-“
“C-cold...so cold..” Flug cried.
“Cold?” Black Hat asked. He went to the curtains and pulled them back, allowing natural light in. But Flug immediately flinched away from it. He covered his face at the sight of the sunlight, cradling and covering himself underneath his arms.
“N-no! It hurts...it hurts...headache...”
Black Hat closed the curtains. Flug had a sensitivity to light with this disease...fascinating.
Black Hat went towards Flug again. With a quick snap of his fingers, Flug’s dirty clothing was swapped for suitable sick clothes, his sleep wear and Black Hat’s own personal bathrobe. He found that his own bathrobe was much more comfortable than human attire, and for when he himself was sick or simply wanted leisure time, he would wear it around in favor of his normal coat and tie.
Flug’s shuddering stopped. He went still.
Black Hat sighed. He was no stranger to sickness, but at the same time, he hardly ever was sick. Whatever sickness he did catch, he simply would tough it out, and he demanded his employees do this same. But this was no...ordinary sickness. And it certainly didn’t seem like any sickness he had encountered. The Black Death maybe...yellow fever perhaps....but he didn’t think of this disease that plagued the doctor to be of these diseases. He knew their smells, they didn’t smell like this.
He sat back at his desk, watching Flug carefully. The doctor had gone stiff, his side was barely moving. Was he...was he breathing? Black Hat’s eyebrow furrowed with concern. “Flug,” he said sternly from his desk. The doctor did not stir.
“Flug!” He said again, standing abruptly. The doctor did not wake.
The door to his office slammed open. “We finished Blacky-“ Demencia stopped. She pinched her nose and glanced at Flug before screaming.
5.0.5 quickly stepped around her, rushing to his daddy. He pushed his muzzle into Flug’s neck, making desperate sounds for Flug to wake up. He had to wake up, he just had to. 5.0.5 could feel the jaws of fear clench his heart, turning his stomach sour. Flug had to wake up.
“I-is he...is he....?” Demencia didn’t even finish the sentence. She felt her knees become weak. This was surreal. She was looking at Flug’s dead body...this couldn’t be real.
Black Hat slowly walked towards Flug. He took the doctor’s hand and delicately pushed up the glove. His thumb and index finger pushed into the doctor’s wrist. There was no pulse.
“Damn it...” Black hat muttered. He had lost ANOTHER scientist. Now he was going to have to find ANOTHER one...oh the headaches that would ensue.
He stood, setting Flug’s arm down.
“Flug is dead,” he declared. 5.0.5 let out a howl of grief, throwing back his head and wailing. Though it was rather annoying, Black Hat allowed him this moment of grief. The bear had lost his parent, of course he was-
He stopped his thought when he thought he saw...no. Flug had no pulse, he was dead.
Wasn’t he?
5.0.5 stopped and looked at Flug. He nudged him.
There was an intense silence, before Flug gasped and spewed blood from his mouth. He fell off the couch and onto his hands, his back arched as he began to vomit violently, thick red blood pooling around his hands.
“H-hurting...” it was the only word he said before he was racked with a violent storm of coughing.
“Hurting? What’s hurting?” Black Hat asked, kneeling down in front of Flug. “Flug! What is-“ Flug reached up under his bag. He said one word.
“T-teeth...”
Then came a violent twisting of flesh. 5.0.5 covered his ears. Flug let out a hoarse moan as he slowly pulled his own tooth out of his head. It ripped and he dropped it. It was one of his canine teeth. Slowly, he pulled out each of his canines, but not a single drop of blood bled from his gums. He was hit with another violent storm of vomiting before his eyes closed and he fell into his own blood.
“W-what just happened?!” Demencia asked, shaken from the sight. She had seen a lot of gore and violence, and she knew Flug liked torture but...Flug was dead. He was dead, wasn’t he?
“Demencia, get 5.0.5 and leave immediately,” Black Hat demanded. “Now.”
“What?! Why?!” Demencia asked. “Is Flug going to be okay?!”
“This is an order Demencia. Leave.”
Demencia gave Flug one last worried glance before leaving the room with 5.0.5. Black Hat locked the door when they left. He turned to Flug, who was once again, lifeless on the ground. He could have fooled anyone, but his fingers were what gave it away. They were lengthening, ripping open his gloves to reveal pallid skin with thick black claws.
Black Hat waited patiently for the transformation to be complete. It had all clicked the moment he saw Flug pull teeth from his own head. Now he was changing, shifting from alive to undead.
Black Hat heard Flug’s gums crackle. Fresh long teeth, almost like fangs, wiggled out from his gums in place of the canines that had been pulled out. He rose to his feet as if he wear levitating, and he stood there for a moment before shaking his head and looking around confused. He turned.
“S-sir? Why am I standing up? Why am I in....why am I in your robe?” Flug asked. He ran his tongue over the top of his mouth. He was parched...and hungry, but they were for the same thing. But he couldn’t place what that thing was. This thirst was dangerous to him, he did not like it.
Black Hat went to his desk, taking out a key from his pocket. He went into the small safe under his desk and unlocked it, pulling out a large glass bottle. He conjured two cups, one with a straw and one without. Delicately, he poured the red liquid within the bottle into each cup. He picked the straw-less one up and took a sip. “Thirsty Flug? It’s fresh, I got it last night, it’s delicious,” Black Hat said.
“I shouldn’t drink while sick-“ Flug stopped, touching his palm to the back of his neck. “I-I don’t feel sick anymore. In fact I just feel...fine.”
Black Hat ran his finger around the rim of his glass. “It isn’t alcoholic Flug, come, share a drink with me.”
He grinned when he saw Flug catch a whiff of what Black Hat had poured. He could almost see the doctor salivating over it as he slowly walked towards the desk. He picked up the glass with a straw in it.
“This won’t...kill me or anything...will it?” Flug asked.
“No no, quite the opposite,” Black Hat promised. “Drink.”
Flug took a sip, and then when he tasted the contents, his hunger worsened. He drained the cup quickly, his thirst subsided. He wanted more.
“Can...” he was timid. “Can I please have some more?”
Black Hat poured more into the doctor’s glass. He quickly drank it.
“What is this...?” Flug asked. He was almost to fearful to ask. Probably poison or some dangerous chemical.
“This, is human blood,” Black Hat said, and he finished his glass.
Flug dropped his glass, unaware of the loud shatter it made when it impacted the ground.