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Of history’s most accomplished, successful, rich, handsomely dashing villains—
none came close to reaching for the pedestal occupying the art of ‘True Villainy’,
more than the one that stood atop in suit and tie.
Much akin to a bare, wooden stake– driven through the hearts of men over, and over again—
This ‘One’, of course, had a name.
A name, that would strike fear- terror, and traumatic headaches into all unable to comprehend
the idea of ‘Evil’ itself. Worming its way through the mortal soul— leaching its essence to fuel a
hidden darkness, sat in wait for weakened prey.
Black Hat was more than this.
Most considered him the very idea of Evil itself. Others were driven mad at the thought of a
creature that'd spawned all due to such a prospect. Something, created from nothing but an idea.
A feeling.
Hatred, anger, disgust. All mixed within a horrifying cocktail of poisonous liquid that would
dissolve any creature from the inside out, organs mending to a state of acidic fluid before
dissolving completely.
It was quite the spectacle.
This was all, but what appeared on the surface.
Below this blistering scab of a ‘Man’, was so, so much worse.
Unimaginable horrors, manipulation, narcissism, blatant disrespect for those not himself—
all that a sensible mind would categorize as either ‘Evil’, or for a more likened term.
‘A complete, and utter bastard.’
He always preferred the details.
So, what, as most— if not all ask, does such an abomination do.
What horrible, repulsive, utterly dastardly schemes would he be planning— what crimes of
unspeakable evil would be performed within the depths of earth, festering below dirt for none but
him to remember. To gain delight in, daydreaming fondly of spike pits— fiery deaths—
agonizing torture— and worst of all.
⊬̤̣̗̮ͪ́̓͆̒͟⍜͉͉̘͌⎍̝̳̈̒̕ ̣̗̣͉͔ͯ☊͙̥͎ͫ̃͊⏃̟̺̘̤͈͌̔ͪ͞⋏̘͈͓̂͗̒̉̌̂⏁̵͙͚̪̇ͅ ̵̫̺̈̾͆̚⍀̥͌̋͗̂ͨ⟒͕̺̲̠̗̥̯͊̒ͮ⏃̥̦̹͈͇̖̆ͮ̿⎅͎ͭͧ ̙̤̟͙̔ͬͭ́⏁̛̿̒͊̈́̎⊑̨̯̥̳̰͖̫̘ͫ⟟̧̩̹̳̜̦͈̹̿͋̃̅⌇
That, was his favorite.
So, what would Black Hat, The Black Hat, greatest villain to set foot in the universe,
be doing on such a dark, bleak night as this?
The air was bitter. Painfully stale. It smelt of dust, cobwebs, and for some odd reason, meat.
Didn’t even open the packaging for that one.
A twitch.
Fabrics fanned against another, creating a small dip within the layered bedding, as a
certain individual shifted to and fro— bagged face drenched in sweat, and a rather
pained expression as well.
This seemed.. off.
Usually, 5.0.5 would be nearby, as always. Large, softened fur frame snuggling
the scientist in, what could be considered, the best hug of his life. Offering a form of comfort
to the harsh reality of working for an immortal, eldritch being— with deadly tempers comparable to
a young child and the patience of half a toothpick.
Still, the topic persisted
5.0.5 wasn’t here. Where he should be.
This.. really wouldn’t be much of an issue, if Flug, of course, wasn’t prone to the occasional..
night-terror.
Just one of the many, ahem. ‘Perks’ of working for an entity that shouldn’t exist in the first place.
It was horrifying to think about.
Even more so, were the terrors that tormented his brain during those allowed hours of rest.
Failure.
The word rang within his skull with piercing shriek. Panic wringing him by the neck as a growing pain of
dread settled in his chest.
No, no, no no-
-“J- Sir! Yo- you, what do you mea—”
Silence. Erratic speech stilled by the harsh wack of a cane smacked across his head. Dull pain throbbing
in moments later.
-“You know exactly what it means, you bloody halfwit.” The scientist hadn’t dare look up following this.
White, pin-prick pupils glancing to blackened rug below as the imitation of a man barked back at him.
-“Failure.”
-“You’re a complete, utter, moronic failure.” Flug’s breathing turned shallow, erratic. Spindly arms
both shaking as beads of sweat materialized from the very paper bag he wore.
H..
How did this happen.
-“I’ve worked to whip you into shape. I’ve given it my all to train you into the respectable genius
you’ve craved to be. The one thing you sought after in ‘Life’, time and time again.”
-“Yet.”
-“Here we are. You, reduced to a living, breathing stick of a man—”
Oh, oh god.
-“—And me, just as disappointed than ever before. I’m surprised you managed to make me loathe
you more than I thought possible. Excellent job on that one. Remind me to burn you alive later.”
Fail- F- Didn’t-
Gloved hands would shift— rubber fingers lacing between gaps in a motion of silent begging.
Turning heel away, Black Hat began his short-lived journey of leaving the other to wallow in.
Well, whatever the hell it was. Sorrow?
Sounds about right.
-“I.. You-”
A pause.
Flug chuckled.
-“You. You a.. You don’t mean that— ri.. right? Sir..? s..”
Clean-cut cape fluttering in one, swift turn— It was clear by the snarling expression on his lips,
that Flug really, really.. shouldn’t have.. asked… that.
Cowering beneath his approaching shadow, the younger man scrambled backward—
trembling hands carrying him across plush carpet in what seemed to be an act of
cowardly defense.. which led to bonking his body against unseen wood in a blind panic.
Knocking spare sheets of paperwork out from above, and a bright crimson skull tumbling
to incompetent hands soon after.
The shadow had ceased its approach. Halting mere inches before Flug’s scuffed shoes,
alongside yet another un-welcomed sense of dread.
Albeit, much stronger this time.
-“You’ve learned nothing, Flug.”
-“Must I spell it out for you?” His tone was hushed. Hollow. Biting back a hidden rage as well.
-“I d- I would rather n—”
-“SILENCE!”
-“Dr. Flug. Slys.” He breathed.
-“You. Are more than just a failure. More than an idiot, hell! More than even a bloody
fucking rock!” Emphasis was shown by a sudden swing of both arms.
-“You’re a disgrace.” Dominate shoe slammed forwards, Flug couldn’t help but flinch.
Shoulders squared in a box of his own developing anxiety.
-“A walking embarrassment.” Closer came the ‘Man’. Shadows warping his figure
beneath red, window-filtered sunlight.
-“An inexcusable, unforgivable mistake.” The doctor bit back an urge to sob,
words clinging to his brain in utter distress.
Reminded him of high school.
-“A man, so unbelievably stupid, that compared to a mere toddler— makes it look as
if were a genius! Something, that you, unsurprisingly aren’t!” Yet another slam—
hidden force behind each movement.
His environment was suffocating.
Flug was still.
Fear wracked his body. Every single nerve hit, strung, and played like a violin between
sharpened claws. Heart pounding within his thin chest. Droplets formed within his lenses—
all while Flug struggled to find mental leverage.
That, of which, he already lost.
..Darker.
The floor was darker, did the doors close?
But, they were already closed.
He saw.
Was the sun setting? It’s the afternoon. The sun wouldn’t set in the afternoon.
He knew that. He-
He couldn’t see.
He felt light-headed- Everything was tight- Much too tight- Black spots were closing i-
He’d be killed for th- Why can’t- breathi- he c- he- h-
He awoke.
Screaming, like a girl.
Beneath the muddled, panicked thoughts crammed into Flug’s head, the question of
“Am I dead?” bubbled to the surface.
Such a horrible thought.
Maybe, he was dead. Flug wouldn’t doubt murder to be the case. Neither would he
doubt Black Hat’s added bloodlust. Claws to the chest is all it took anyway.
Sharp, nervous glances across the room provided him with the answer of..
no.
He wasn’t.
Shaken sigh escaping the man's mouth, a spare look to the alarm clock gave Flug a
good handle on the current time.
4:25 am exactly.
Lovely. Probably gonna take him a full half-hour to fall back asleep at this rate.
Dawning upon the realization that the living embodiment of sunshine and rainbows
was missing from his bedroom, it.. certainly didn't take much to rouse the scientist from bed.
This won't take long.
Just a quick check around the hall, then back to bed.
Nothing to worry about.
Ungloved hands reaching for the nearest blankets, a quick tug offered him a spine-chilling
temperature drop.
Groaning at the uncomfortable feeling of losing every inch of body heat in two seconds flat,
he'd scoot to the edge of his mattress— Swinging both legs up 'n over in a single motion,
slipping on worn rabbit slippers soon after.
Hm. Floor seemed dusty again.
Fishing through a nearby nightstand, he'd fumble around for a good moment—
knocking into.. something.
Both eyes adjusting to the pitch-black room, he'd soon pull out a flashlight seconds later.
Letting it roll through to his other hand, before pressing the clicky-click button atop the main handle.
Dimmed-light flickering with life, a squint to the dark provided him with the shadow of a..
bug.
Bug?
A quick turn revealed there was, indeed, a bug.
A house spider, to be specific.
Offering a surface for said spider to crawl off to who knows where, Flug took caution rising from
the spot on his mattress. Swaying yellowed light to certain spots surrounding him, in an attempt
to find his missing son companion.
Making way to the stairwell wasn't an issue here, more so wasn't the creeping suspicion of something f—
Flashlight whipping around, Flug shot the halls behind him a glare as creaking walls settled in place.
He'd cough, muffling out the sound with his free hand.
Continuing on-path for.. wherever the manor led— Illuminated dust specks drifted past, turning the
place to a more.. frightful appearance.
One that Flug, honestly, wouldn’t prefer.
It wasn’t that.. bad, though.
Everyone was asleep.
This place had the best damn built-in security system this side of Hatsvill!
Nothing gets in, nothing gets out.
He’d made sure of that.
Sippers thumping across carpeted floor echoed within his ears, nearly matching his
timed pulse.
These halls seemed longer than usual.
Nothing gets in, nothing gets out.
Right.
But. What if something was.. let inside earlier? Would that happen?
Would Black Hat allow it?
What if there /was/ something here.
It’s.. too dark to see properly.. Which means, it could be right behind him. Watching. H-
Clatter- a clatter-
Flug nearly screamed— Soring a good few feet through the air.
Dropping the light as well.
Landing with a tumble, Flug mentally cursed himself for making so much noise. Clearly
upset with the scare, he’d shift— Looking above, his sides, then behind— Fully believing
Dementia to be the one behind it all.
Then again, he hadn’t heard any lizard-like hissing coming down here.
..Hold on, where was he exactly?
Checking to the wall beside him, a small wooden sign hung next to an opened doorway.
Written down in cursive was the title of;
“Kitchen.”
Ah! So, it must have been 5.0.5 making all that noise! Hm, at least he hadn’t gone outside.
It’d.. be better to bring him back anyway. Maybe he made something for the both of them?
Adjusting his posture, he’d exhale softly. Strolling over to the fallen flashlight with a bit more
of a pep in his step.
Bending over, Flug would simply retrieve his light— fingers wrapping around a rubber handle before pulling up.
Seems like dropping it didn’t cause any internal damage, and the lens was still in good shape! That’s nice.
And, just on cue— a slow, bright light begun to shine through the doorway.
Accompanied by sounds of low grumbling. Or a growl.
Sounds about right.
Peering in— It hadn’t taken long for Flug to finally spot the bear’s silhouette rummaging
inside the fridge. Clearly, there’s been quite a few discarded items on the floor, but they seemed relatively untouched.
He was most likely being mindful of other people’s tastes.
Another growl.
Wait— Had he spaced on dinner again?
Quietly stepping through, a brow had been raised by the bear’s behavior. Slippers both coming
in contact with tiled floor as Flug begun fumbling in the dark for the nearest light switch.
Hand soon grazing past a prominent bump in the wall, he’d smile to himself. Flicking the switch moments later.
Buzzing light immediately basking the room in brighter shades, he’d shift to the other whilst offering a hello.
-“5.0.5— You know better than to head off.. on… your…”
-“..own.”
That.
That wasn’t 5.0.5.
Nowhere near 5.0.5.
-“..s.. sir?”
Black Hat froze.
Body completely still as he’d grip the bitten cheesecake in his claws.
Face still stuck in the motion of nearly clamping his jaw shut, that lone eye of his slowly drifted past
the dessert. Landing on Flug seconds later with a blank, glossed over stare.
Green drool began to pool between his teeth— Due to holding open his mouth for so long, dripping to
the floor in wet splats moments later.
Nothing was said between them.
The fridge hummed.
-“i...” Flug was sweating bullets.
Black Hat hadn’t moved a muscle.
-“..I’ll. Uh."
-"..wash.. your… pajamas in the... morning.. sir.”
Still no response.
Flug backed up, both legs carrying him in one smooth stride— Flicking the lights off in silence.
Still holding to his flashlight, Flug decided the best thing to do in this situation, is to head back to bed.
And never speak of it again.
5.0.5 can wait until the morning.