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The doorbell rang.
A little girl came running through the main hall, giggling. Turning right on the stairs, she slid through the wooden floor with her neon green dinosaur-themed socks, and halted in front of the big dark mahogany door, opening it with one of her biggest smiles.
"Fluggy!" Demencia exclaimed, excitedly.
She didn’t need to check to see who it was.
There was not a single human-being that would come to visit her or her father other than him and the old woman from the child council. And she was pretty sure Ms.Yolanda wasn’t going to come on one of the most fun days of the year - Easter!
"Dem! You look great! " The older man smiled back at her once the door was opened. A five-year-old little boy wearing a cute baby-blue and pink onesie was being held on his arms, and a thermal bag was hanging from his shoulder. “I loved the outfit!” He complimented her and the gray fluffy sweatshirt that resembled a wild hare, with red-eyes and teeth as the cap detail. Also, one of the bunny ears attached to it was bitten.
It looked pretty good on her.
A rabid rabbit.
Flug bet it was the closest thing to a cute-easter-outfit Black Hat could dare to buy her.
"Dad gave it to me!" She twirled on the spot, happy.
Thankgod she took after his taste.
"So you guys are ready to go?"
Demencia turned around, shouting to the inside of the house.
"DAD!"
“WHAT?!” Asked an annoyed voice back echoing from somewhere inside of the kitchen.
After that reply she grinning maliciously, looking at Flug and back at the house.
"MOM IS HERE!" She joked, playfully, giggling devilishly - and Flug just sighed, already used to that desperate call for a motherly figure in her life disguised as a playful pretense.
Black Hat’s voice came back a second later.
"Your mom is dead , and shall she stay like that forever ." He replied drily, appearing from the kitchen cleaning his hands with a towel. He looked at the front door and at the grown up man holding a baby in his arms, looking back at him politely. "Oh, it's you." He approached, scolding his daughter. "Dr. Flug is not your mom. I told you to stop calling him that."
"Yeah, but he could be." She tried, grinning impishly back at him.
Black Hat squinted at her, pulling his lips up as he growled menacing at the little girl.
The doctor took a step inside the house to try to ease their fighting mood and put 5.0.5. on the ground for a second so he could adjust the picnic bag on his shoulder.
"You guys ready?" He repeated the question, ignoring what the girl said. They were already used to that.
Ever since Dem decided to spiritually adopt 5.0.5. as her younger brother, and Flug as her favorite human ever (and the best alternative she ever had from a second parent), that kind of play started happening and keeps happening quite frequently.
"I think some kids are already hunting the eggs in the park down the street, we should go somewhere farther." He added.
Black Hat directed his attention back to him with a less serious expression, nodding.
"We can go to the west streamside, we have an old wooden cottage there."
Demencia looked extremely excited by her father’s words. She loved that place!
Taking Five's tiny hands into hers and dragging him inside the house, she exclaimed lively.
"I'm gonna put on my green boots!"
The doctor looked at them both running inside the house and shouted back.
“Don’t forget the sunscreen!”
After turning left on the corridor for her to fetch her favorite footwear in her room, Flug and Black Hat went back to talking about the important stuff.
“Did you paint any eggs?” The scientist asked, grinning.
The ultimate villain raised one of the hands he was cleaning with the towel, showing his fingertips. Some red and green stains could be seen under the sharp claws.
“Define ‘ paint ’.” He replied, already presuming his attempt was gonna be at least ten thousand times less pretty than Flug’s. The other man was a walking brilliant-machine with neat-handcrafted skills, there's little to no things he could actually do better if he tried putting his hands (talons) on it.
But of course Flug just smiled sympathetically at him.
“Relax, I heard there’s also a ‘Mad Easter-bunny’ too.” He assured him, winking. “And that it carries more chocolate than the bland white one.”
Black Hat let out a loud laugh, completely amused by the idea.
“That’s genius .” He grinned at him, seriously impressed.
“Well, I am one.” The human shrugged.
Black Hat snorted another laugh, having to agree. Indeed, he was.
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-
The area of vegetation near the super-villain's old cottage was less dead and dry than the scientist had assumed (it was the first time he had visited and he was expecting something similar to a swamp, to be honest). Instead he met woods that looked somehow still quite preserved.
Some trees looked like they were stuck in autumn, while some looked like they were in the middle of winter. But most of them still had leaves, even though their roots were exposed, almost as if they were waiting for someone to trip over them to swallow the unfortunate soul through the dark, damp soil.
The stream nearby was reasonably wide for adults to take bath in but certainly dangerous for children - although the flow of the waters was not strong.
The temporary abode building was small, with only a few household appliances, few utensils, a medium-sized mattress, and a fireplace. The external part had some climbing plants and mosses. The wood-structure seemed intact which was a very positive point, and there was also a bench nearby of the same good quality.
It wasn't exactly a 'pretty' location or landscape, but from the point of view of a dark creature who took the trouble to acquire a leisure cabin away from the city for his family's enjoyment - it was in perfect condition.
However, disregarding any tree trunk that look more like the distorted faces of corrupted souls, and the branches that hung over the visitors in a ghastly way, Flug noticed the natural beams of light coming from the sun that penetrated through the treetops and illuminated the scenery - greatly improving the weird feeling of heading to hell sooner than expected.
There were a few small gaps where the sunlight would shine over the grass and a big one, in specific, that made it a good spot for a picnic. So they decided to sit there.
“It’s been a while since you guys came here, hasn't it?” The scientist asked, adjusting the pictic towel over the green grass.
From somewhere not far they could hear the water of the river and the kids’ laughs. Demencia was showing 5.0.5. around the woods looking for trails of ‘The Mad Easter-Bunny’.
“Urgh, yeah.” The ultimate villain grumbled, sitting and trying to get comfortable over Flug’s towel. “At least a year.”
“So you have no electricity here?”
“Why do you need electricity? It is daylight.”
“No, I don’t need it-- I-It’s just a question for comfort." He answered, a bit embarrassed, rubbing at his nape. “I mean… I’m a lab-rat so this place is kind of my weakness.” He ended up sharing a bit too much about himself and he felt his cheeks flush a bit. Black Hat wasn’t sure if he should or not reply. He wasn’t good with words. Especially with humans. Flug could sense his discomfort. So he just continued. “B-but it’s good too, now and then, to leave the comfort zone. Especially for Fives. He likes it. And it helps me that I don’t need to do this alone.” He concluded, trying his best to cease the sudden feeling of embarrassment.
Black Hat just looked at him with an enigmatic expression.
“Flug, you were the one that invited us.”
The scientist smiled greatly at him, the flush still visible on his cheeks even through the paper bag-mask he uses daily to hide his scars.
“Yeah, I’m just glad you accepted the invitation.” He shrugged a shoulder up, taking the bag he brought and opening it. “I know you are super-busy and hate this kind of stuff.”
The ultimate villain felt the words leave him faster than his mind could process them.
“I was pleased, actually.” He confessed.
Flug looked at him with surprise, forgetting the bag for a second.
Black Hat continued his thought process, confessing more.
“Honestly, at first I thought Demencia was a bother to you, and you were just enduring her craziness because you’re scared of me.”
It took the doctor by even more surprise. He stifled a laugh and the villain just pretended he didn’t hear.
“But I saw the way you treat her and then I understood why she likes you so much.” He waved a hand around and frowned at the situation. “I don’t know how to be… careful or kind or loving . And even though you are a high-qualified villain, you still can do that effortlessly - how do I compete ?”
Flug bit his own lips from under his mask and sent him an apologetic smile.
“We don’t compete , simple as that.” He replied, with ultimate honesty. “Dem’s not my daughter, but I love her and I’ll be there to help if I can. Being a human makes me capable of showing love and kindness even though I’m also mad and like to dissect people in my basement when Fives is asleep.” He added, laughing uncanny and Black Hat grinned eery back at him. “And I know it’s weird that humans can also develop love that isn’t sexual-related or blood-related, but it doesn't need to be weird.” He was always good at understanding other race’s problems, even though an Eldritch was his first time. “And, hey, it’s okay if it’s hard for you to show affection, that’s how you are. You are not popular for being nice , are you?” He joked, trying to ease the mood.
“Not the slightest .” Replied Black Hat.
“Exactly!” He exclaimed. “You don’t need to change who you are.” Then he concluded, smiling behind the mask. “I’ll be there for Dem when you’re not around, yes, and because I want to too, but that doesn’t change the fact you are her father and she loves you the most.”
The super-villain stared at him for a few long seconds, grinning playfully from under the brim of his top hat. When that smile lasted a little longer than Flug considered comfortable, he began to feel like he had said something wrong.
“...What is it?”
Casting a bigger and naughtier smile, loaded with that uncontrollable urge to annoy someone just for fun, the black-skinned monster in-the-shape-of-a-man replied.
“You're too kind for a villain of your caliber, Dr. Kenning Flugslys."
Gapping in ultrage for one single second in reply, he adjusted himself on the spot. Then, once again unfazed by the statement, he remained serene but equally loaded with madness and evil intent. Flug tilted his glasses to obscure his eyes and answered in a light, neutral voice.
“My prisoners would disagree with you, Lord Black Hat, sir.”
Black Hat could feel the giggles bubbling up inside him, begging for release, and his entire body shaking with restrained laughter. That was certainly one of the most casual and enjoyable conversations that happened this past few months.
He missed that.
Flug equally seemed to be enjoying it, pressing a hand over his mouth and stifling another giggle at Black Hat’s honest response.
That was nice.
“FLUGGY!” “DADDY!” Came Demencia’s and 5.0.5’s call at the same time.
Both parents looked up at them and saw both kids running in their direction.
“Yeah?” Asked Flug back, waiting for it.
Demencia took the opportunity to playfully jump on Flug's lap, still sitting on the grass, knocking the two of them over. Black Hat looked at his daughter's sudden attack on the man she wanted him to marry and arched an eyebrow, but didn’t feel bad about it.
The human just laughed, adjusting the girl’s hair out of his face, and her own eyes - with Fives being the one that exclaimed first.
“Egg-Hunt!” He threw his tiny hands in the air, excited. "Daddy! Egg-Hunt!"
“Mad-Rabbit didn’t pass here! We found no eggs!” Demencia explained, pouting.
Flug facepalmed while laughing at himself. He sent Black Hat beside him a look and secretly pointed to the box he took out of his bag earlier.
They forgot to hide the eggs.
“Of course it did!” Flug told the kids, faking seriousness. “I just think you haven’t tried hard enough.” He joked, standing from the picnic area and indicating for them both to follow him. “I bet I can find one first than you two.”
“No, you won’t!” Dem shouted, completely taken by surprise and worry, running back to the woods faster than him. “I’ll find it first!”
5.0.5. ran after her a second later, giggling.
“Carefull!” He shouted, more to his little one than to the girl.
Those woods looked pretty hunted, but he was sure the trees weren't going to try wicked tricks on the kids in the presence of Black Hat there.
He laughed, placing both hands on his hips and turning back to where he was - they should start hiding the eggs quickly before they realize he wasn't following them.
When he turned around the older villain was already standing behind him, holding the box in hands and looking at him with an amused and enigmatic smile on his face.
The scientist opened the box and looked inside, realizing why the other was smiling at him.
All the eggs he painted had a tiny rabbit drawn on it - each with a different color among the details. But the amusing part was that all of them had a small little black tophat painted above their heads.
Black Hat was looking at him with an arched eyebrow. His grin widened when the doctor averted eye contact with him and his cheeks flushed a bit.
“It was fives’ idea.” He informed him, shrugging.
“Your kid ain’t that clever, doctor.”
“I’m his father.” The scientist defended, crossing his arms and giving him a scolding look back in reply at the insult. “Am I not clever?”
“Yeah, but he clearly took after your--” Black Hat waved a hand around Flug’s general figure and face “--cuteness and sweetness, not your brains.”
Dr. Flug froze his mouth open, and his face flushed more at the compliment, but after a minute he snorted slightly offended - somehow.
“Just do your damn magic already.”
And with another funny grin on his lips and a snap of fingers, Black Hat disappeared with the colorful eggs in thin air and less than a second later Demencia was already screaming from the top of her lungs that she had found the first one.
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-
“Well, I mean, IF --” The doctor said, like there’s a very minimal possibility of it happening. “--the heroes succeed on finding the bomb in the subway, they still wouldn't know how to disamn it, so it doesn't mater." Flug explained one of his most recent plans, drinking a juice through his portable straw.
They were laying on the ground, over the picnic towel, chatting, while the kids were still collecting all the eggs - screaming excitedly whenever one of them found another.
He was still trying to grasp the final details about that prototype he was creating but since Black Hat was on a gap year (more like a decade gap, or until he thinks he can get back on track while raising his daughter) there wasn't a problem with sharing the details. He could even use some advice from the ultimate villain.
"So we are not talking about the 'cut the red thread' shit?" Black Hat asked him while eating one grape from the many fruits Flug had brought on the thermal bag for the picnic break.
The doctor raised a bit from the ground, getting supported by his elbows and looking at Black Hat like he had grown two heads.
It’s been at least six years since modern bombs are triggered by satellites. All the villains knew it. The countdown is just a formality because of the Public Safety Act. How could the ultimate villain not have known?
"Not to be offensive, Lord Black Hat… but how long have you been out of action?" Flug asked, wanting to laugh but also pity the Eldritch.
Black Hat hummed, squinting, thoughtful, probably mentaily counting the years - while munching on another grape.
“Since Demencia started talking, probably.” He answered. “... why?”
“With all due respect, you are a little out of date.” Flug replied, sitting straight. The straw swinging in the air with the sift of movement. “You should go out more.”
The pitch-skinned villain barked a laugh, unamused.
“How? When? Who? and How much ?” He asked back, sending the scientist a look from under the brim of his tophat, shadowed by the headwear.
The doctor replied to his laugh with another one, raising a few fingers in the air.
“Whenever you want, with whoever you wish?” He counted two fingers and kept going. “And stop being stingy, I know you love to show off how rich you are.” He reinforced the information, arching an eyebrow defying him to deny, and finished with another finger up. “-also, you can just call me. Those are not excuses.”
Black Hat blinked at him confused.
“Call you?”
Flug blushed, understanding the double meaning behind his comment.
“To babysit your daughter .” He quickly replied, adding more information for it to not become something weird between them. “I mean, you shouldn’t use her as an excuse to not do something.” He pointed ahead to where he thought Demencia and Fives were, still running around the trees in the woods. “I can land my plane on your lawn, or you can drop her at my lab. I'm usually busy week-days, but I bet 5.0.5. will love to have someone to play with after classes other than the robots once in a while.”
Black Hat hummed back, eating another grape, thinking about it.
“What if--” He started questioning, but suddenly Flug’s child came running to them, completely out of breath, crying.
They both could see the despair and worry in his eyes.
“DAD! HEEEEELP!” He shouted, eyes filled with tears and his cry was extremely loud.
The scientist was standing and running to them in a hurry, with Black Hat beside him in less than a second later.
“What is it?!” Flug asked back, kneeling on the ground, taking him into his arms. “Where’s Dem?!”
Black Hat didn’t even wait for an answer and he was already off, down the woods looking for her - in the shape of a thick dark shadow running through the trees like they were nothing but a mirage.
“Dem fell in the river!” Fives replied to his father pointing to the woods, with Flug trying to clean his eyes.
The scientist quickly took 5.0.5. with him as he started running down the woods to the way he could hear the water sounds.
He ran as fast as he could between the trees, but it was pretty hard considering he was carrying 5.0.5. on his arms and he was not athletic at all.
When he arrived, he was completely out of breath.
Black Hat was wet, standing on the riverside holding Demencia’s completely drenched body. Her hair and mad-rabbit outfit were dripping water as she desperately coughed for air.
Thankfully there’ll be no need to use CPR (since Dem wasn’t exactly a human it would be really difficult for them to proceed with the normal first-aid procedures).
But either way that was a hell of a scary experience.
“ Sw-shorry .” She whimpered, hiccuping, crying a lot and hugging her dad’s shirt. Tears were rolling down her cheeks even though she was rubbing her fist to clean them. She hated to cry because she was a ‘tough girl’, but the fear was ruling over her. “I wa-was just trying to-to-to catch a bunny, b-but I slip-p-pped.” She was also shaking with the low temperature of the water.
On the other side of the river, indeed, there was a big gray hare with red eyes jumping away.
Flug could see in Black Hat’s face the weird mix of anger and worry. He probably didn’t know if he should scream at her for the foolish idea, or try to calm her down because of the accident.
The human approached them both and opened his mouth to advise him not to shout at her because it could make things worse - but before he could even do that, Black Hat pressed her against his chest and patted her wet hair.
“Are you hurt?” He asked her, in a low voice.
Demencia looked at him with those teary unmatching eyes and shook her head.
“…no.”
“ Good .” He whispered back, and that was all it needed for Flug to close his mouth.
What is he thinking, really? They are a family, they can deal with it on their own. Black Hat was not human but he had his own way of communicating and sharing care, and Demencia was his daughter - he was just like her father. There’s no one other than themselves to understand what the other needed.
Dr. Flug just patted her head fondly, trying to relax her.
“I think it’s enough egg-hunting for the season, how about we go back and take a break?”
Then, they decided to go back together to the picnic area.
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-
The sun was still high in the sky, but a large cloud was hiding it now and then - bringing the promise of a cold breeze and probably a rainy night.
Still, until now the heat helped a bit to dry Demencia, although the tiredness after a few hours of fun had won the dispute.
Two juice boxes and two sandwiches later - the children were lying on Flug's lap, sleeping.
Demencia was curled up in one of the emergency blankets Black Hat kept inside the cottage, and, after only a slight scolding look from Flug, Black Hat reluctantly handed over a small blanket to 5.0.5 as well. He wasn’t against the little kid sleeping next to his daughter, but he didn’t want him to drool on Dem’s fancy blankets.
Both kids could have chosen to lie down and sleep inside the cottage, but they obviously preferred to lie down and sleep on the human’s lap - as he was just like a heath source, and definitively a much nicer option in comparison to Black Hat’s bed (or cold-as-an-ice-cube-lap)
“You did great .” Flug commented in a whisper, both hands busy caressing the kids’ heads.
“I did not. I never do.” The villain grumbled back, a little annoyed, in a low voice to not wake them up. “I am powerful. I’m literally a monster capable of destroying seventeen thousand lives in less than an hour. But I suck at this .” He looked down at the two kids soundly sleeping and loving the caressings.
Flug rolled his eyes at the drama.
“ Relax , all single parents sucks.” The scientist shrugged, a bit empathetic, laughing softly. “That's why it takes two people to make a child."
“That doesn’t seem to be the case for you.” The eldritch snorted. “You aren’t half bad at it.” He snapped two fingers again and all the unfound colorful eggs started to roll out from the woods to where they were sitting.
“Again with this talk?” Asked Flug, sending him a tired look. “I’ve told you. Five was planned . I studied for three years to get a grasp on how to deal with babies and I still mess up sometimes.” He assured the dark-skinned villain, looking at the younger kid on his lap, whose bunny-onesie was dirty and askew. “My lab is a deadly space for kids, and yet I let him play there. Some of my robots aren't allowed near him, but Fives likes to chase after them. I should take out the nuclear waste every day but I only take it out once a week.” The scientist laughed, looking back at Black Hat with a helpful smile on his face. “Do these really look like I’m acing my job?”
The villain looked at him and both kids on his lap.
“To me, it does.” He replied, taking one of the unfound eggs rolling back to him with two of his claws and admired it again. The little tiny black tophat over the colorful rabbits painted on eggshell made him smile from inside out. "Maybe not as a guy that is raising a boy on his own. But perhaps as a villain who manages to balance his professional life with his personal one." He lowered the egg down back to Flug's box with the rest, and kept picking the ones that rolled near them. "I honestly don't think I could do that. Work as a villain, go out, have fun and still raise a child."
"Oh, but I don't do ALL of that either…" Flug flushed with the wrong assumption. "I told you I'll take care after Dem now and then for you if you want, because you should try going out more - but I didn't say I do that." He laughed, embarrassed. "I'm an extreme workaholic. Fives is an IVF. I've never dated in my whole life. And I don't trust people to take care of him - so I rarely go out." He kept laughing at Black Hat's facial expression. "Sorry, I think it was a little hypocritical of me to advise you on things I never do. But--" His cheeks reddened again. "Well, Dem told me you complained once that most people only approach you out of interest, so I just thought that maybe I could be of use since I understand this feeling." He stuttered a bit, concluding his thoughts.
The ultimate villain just kept looking at him with surprise.
“S-so if you want I can take care of her on the days you need a break from this duty.” He added a second later pointing to Demencia’s sleeping body, with her head resting on his leg, as an afterthought because Black Hat was taking a little long to reply to him.
Opening his mouth full of pointy teeth, the dark-skinned villain reached closer.
His whole body lowered over Flug’s for a quick second and the scientist froze his breath, closing his eyes shut.
A second later, Black Hat removed himself from the doctor’s personal zone with another one of the eggs in hands. And another second later, Flug opened his eyes and noticed it - flushing his face, trying desperately to ignore whatever the hell he had thought for a second was Black Hat’s sudden invasion of his personal space other than the ultimate villain reaching over his body just to pick up one of the eggs near the other end of the picnic towel.
When they looked at each other’s eyes, the scientist averted contact while Black Hat grinned.
“What if--” The dark-skinned man started asking again, the same question he was planning to ask before Demencia had fallen into the river. This time he concluded uninterrupted. “--instead of dropping my daughter by your lab or having you take care of her alone--” His voice was lower, because there was no reason for anyone other than the scientist to hear. “-you invite the both of us over next time?”
Flug blinked slowly at his suggestion, face still flushed because of before and now suddenly a shade or two redder.
Not trusting his words for a reply, the doctor just nodded his head.
Black Hat smiled back.
He wouldn't forget that answer, but the sunset on the horizon made it all the more memorable.