Chapter Text
It was a bright and sunny morning on the island of Hatsville, to which Dr. Flug spent vomiting in a toilet. Flug, with his irregular sleep schedule, got sick a little more often than he’d like, so he was actually pretty used to this. Usually, whatever it is that ailed him typically went away on its own after a day if not just a few hours, which was very fortunate for him, considering that he just simply didn't have the time to get sick. There was just too much work to be done for him to waste time being sick, and he would get it done even if it killed him.
However, Flug had been sick for quite some time now, about a month now that he thought about it. It was getting a bit ridiculous. But he was staying hydrated and making sure that he was still getting his nutrition in, and despite being sick for so long, he hadn't actually lost any weight. All in all, nothing to get too worked up over.
The nausea was finally letting up, but Flug couldn't relax just now. Before this most recent bought of sickness, he had been on his way down to Black Hat’s office to give a report on his progress, something that had to be done every day at precisely 9 a.m. Flug slipped down his yellow rubber glove to check his watch. 9:02. Well, it seemed that today might just be the day that Black Hat finally killed him.
Panicking, Flug quickly scrambled his way out of the bathroom and made his way to Black Hat’s office, not even bothering to brush his teeth first, despite the stomach acids surely eating away at them. The doctor ran as fast as he could and he had stitches in his side by the time he approached the office door. Panting, Flug gulped as he reached out a trembling hand for the doorknob. Opening the door, Flug was immediately greeted by the scowl on Black Hat’s face.
“You’re late.” Growled Black Hat, causing Flug to gulp again. Before Flug could go into a flurry of apologies and excuses, Black Hat’s tongue flits out and he suddenly stops scowling and instead cracks an unnaturally wide smile. “And you’re sick. Tell me doctor, why have you allowed yourself to get sick? Are you trying to get out of our contract prematurely?”
“N-no of c-c-course not jefecito. I-”
“You know doctor, I don’t think I’ve actually ever seen you eat, and you seem tired, dead on your feet even. When was the last time you slept? If this is what is causing your illness, then some changes will have to be made. You will be having meals with us during the respective times, starting lunchtime today. I trust that you already know these times. And from now on you will only be allowed to work a twelve-hour workday. Failure to obey me will result in consequences. Any questions, doctor?”
Dr. Flug was shocked. Black Hat never did anything without reason, but he also never did anything nice. Ever. It honestly scared Flug. Had he done something wrong, or was Black Hat planning something... evil? In his stunned silence, Flug could only shake his head.
“Good, you are dismissed. Now get out!” Now was usually the part where Black Hat would throw Flug out from the demon's office, but it seemed that he was letting Flug leave on his own today. Not wanting to get in trouble for taking too long in leaving, Flug ran out the door.
Flug mulled over the previous events over his walk back to the lab. Flug wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth, but that was weird, even for Black Hat. Black Hat never even gave sick days, but here he was giving Flug entire half days off for an indefinite period of time... this was all highly out of character.
And what was up with that smile? It was creepy, but it also gave Flug the feeling that Black Hat knew something that he didn't. He started smiling as soon as he smelled that Flug was sick. Was it related? Did he know what was behind this mysterious illness? Was he the cause even? Perhaps now was the time to get down to the bottom of things.