"My office. Ten minutes."
Those were the words sent by text from Black Hat to Dr. Flug roughly seven minutes ago. The eldritch sat back in his chair, relaxed, and counted down the remaining time until his employee would knock at the door. He knew Flug would be perfect in his punctuality, arriving with perhaps seconds to spare, but waiting for the precise time to announce his presence. He knew Flug like he the back of his hand, living and working with another for years gives a lot of insight to a person after all.
Even so, Black Hat had been surprised at how...forward the mortal was. It was very out of character for him to be so bold. So much so that it actually made him stop and wonder if maybe he'd made some mistake, if perhaps he'd misinterpreted something in the message.
He shook himself out of those thoughts. No, there had been no mistake. How could there be? The signs were all there and this latest message was as clear a signal as could be. Flug hadn't responded back at all, most likely too scared to do so after such a risqué text out of the blue, but he'd show up. Of course he would. He knew better than to ignore a summons from Black Hat. And this particular summons was one Black Hat had been looking forward to for some time now. His eye fell on the bottle of wine sitting on his desk. A good year, he'd supernaturally chilled it soon after the text and was just waiting for Flug to come to him. He allowed the smile to spread across his ashen face again.
Yes, he understood perfectly. And was responding appropriately. He'd completely cleared his schedule for this, after all.
Ah, there it was. That timid series of knocks that could only belong to Dr. Flug Slys. With a wave of his hand, the doors opened from the other side of the room and revealed the thin scientist practically shaking in his shoes.
Black Hat only smiled wider at the sight. He was so nervous! The anxiety coming off of him almost palpable. It was cute, the way he shuffled in awkwardly and took his seat across from Black Hat, keeping his eyes trained on his shoes. Although there was a noticeable trace of...embarrassment, in the air. Huh. Was he self-conscious about finally acting on his inner desires? Understandable, this was Black Hat we were talking about. The greatest villain in history. And the man's boss. As well as being a completely different species. So perhaps it wasn't so strange that he be a bit shy about finally acting on his desires. But why be embarrassed now that the two of them were alone? That his call had been answered?
Well, humans were odd things. Them and their pesky emotions. They could be so complicated at the absolute worst of times. Flug was no exception. Black Hat didn't let himself ponder on it for long, reasoning it away as just another of the man's little quirks.
"Right on time, Doctor," The demon purred at him in his gravelly tone, his serpentine tongue flicking out at his teeth on the "r". Dr. Flug fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat, still refusing to make eye contact. Black Hat could practically hear him biting his lip.
Ok seriously, what was up with him? Black Hat was picking up clear signs of distress, which didn't make much sense given what Flug had sent him only minutes earlier. Was he having second thoughts? Getting cold feet? Why? What could have happened in the span of ten minutes to make him change his mind after such spontaneity?
Mmm, perhaps because it had been so spontaneous. He'd thought about it more and now regretted how sudden his actions had been. Ugh, humans. They could be so damn bashful about these things. Well, nothing a bit of wine wouldn't solve. Just a little something to calm the man's nerves.
And a little something to get Black Hat to quit over analyzing everything and get on with courting him properly. He grinned fiendishly at the human and got right back into his charming gentlemanly persona without much thought.
Black Hat began pouring wine into the two tall glasses atop his dark-stained mahogany desk. "Do you know why I called you into my office?"
"B-Because I accidentally sent you nudes." Flug replied in an astoundingly fearful tone.
Black Hat stopped pouring the wine.
...Accidentally?
"I am so incredibly sorry, sir! Please forgive me!" Flug completely broke down and began sobbing outright. "I swear it will never ever happen again! I-It shouldn't have happened even this once, I know, but please believe me when I say it was entirely on accident and I'd never send you something like that intentionally! I'm sorry, so very very very sorry! Please my lord-"
Flug kept begging his forgiveness, but the demon didn't hear him. He was too caught up in his own flustered mind.
Oh...
Oh I've made a terrible mistake...
There wasn't a word in human language to describe how wrong Black Hat had been. He wasn't sure he'd ever made a mistake of this magnitude before.
Black Hat was thankful that Flug had both of his eyes shut tight as he pleaded, because if he didn't he'd surely see the eldritch with his mouth gaping open and his eye blown comically wide as he struggled to regain his composure. His lips flapped up and down like one of those ridiculous singing fish though no sounds came out. Black Hat carefully set the wine bottle down, if he held it in his hands any longer it would surely slip and crash down onto the table.
His mind kept playing back Flug's words; It was entirely on accident...I'd never send you something like that intentionally...I'm so sorry...
Black Hat felt something odd in his chest cavity, in the hollow space where a heart would be if his species had organs.
It felt so much like...rejection...
It felt...almost...painful...
But then, if this was all a big misunderstanding...if it was an accident...
"Who...were they intended for?" If not for him, then who? Who was there that Flug would be sending such erotic photos of himself to?
"O-Oh, um," Dr. Flug finally ceased that annoying begging. He fiddled with his goggle lenses as he shrunk down even further in his seat. "They were for...my...girlfriend..."
Black Hat shot up from his seat and screamed at him. In an almost embarrassingly high-pitched voice. "You have a girlfriend!?"
Girlfriend. As in...a woman? Wait, so, Flug wasn't even-
Oh WOW Black Hat had made a mistake. A HUGE mistake. He had misread everything. He misinterpreted this so bad he was practically speaking a different language. It was a wonder he didn't backpedal so hard he went right out the window and clear into the ocean to drown himself in pure humiliation.
Which might be a good way to save some face, given the trainwreck of this conversation.
"You don't need to be that surprised, sir." Dr. Flug said, with a bit of something resembling self-respect. "I mean, I know I'm not winning any beauty contests, but really. Is it that surprising I'm capable of getting a girlfriend?"
"Wait, no, that's not what I- I mean, I thought- I thought you-" Black Hat couldn't get more than a few words out before his world came crashing down around him and he was forced to continue with a new sentence. His arms were waving wildly as he tried to comprehend what was going on around him.
Flug was a) not attracted to him in the slightest, b) not even gay, and c) already in a relationship? That's not how this was supposed to go!
"You, you have a girlfriend?" He asked again, as if that string of words could have some other meaning. His head cocked to the side like some pathetic confused puppy dog. "Wh...How? How do you have a girlfriend? How do you have a girlfriend and I not know about it? Where did you find a girlfriend? Where did you so much as find the time?!" Black Hat was sure that all of Dr. Flug's time was spent either with he himself, working on products for the company with that useless bear, or fending off Demencia. He wasn't even sure when the last time Flug left the manor of his own accord was. So how was it he apparently leaves often enough to date, much less to have a goddamn girlfriend!?
"Uh, well, sir, I don't really go out much. You of all people should know how much of a workaholic I am." Flug rubbed the back of his neck, finally tilting his gaze upward to see his employers bamboozled expression. "So it's not as if I have a lot of opportunities to meet people. And I was worried I was a little rusty in the d-dating area, so..." He trailed off uncomfortably. And either Black Hat was seeing things or he was blushing through his paper bag. "I, uh, I downloaded one of those...dating apps that people are using nowadays. It seemed like a good idea way to, you know, get myself out there without taking time away from work. And, well, I met someone."
Black Hat felt like his jaw was in danger of crashing down into the basement. Which would be a real feat as his office was on the third floor.
"Actually, that's a bit inaccurate. I still haven't really met her in person yet." Dr. Flug said. "We started talking a few weeks ago, and just barely got around to actually exchanging phone numbers. Which is how this little...mix-up, happened. Again, I'm very sorry sir and I will be much more careful in the future-"
Black Hat held up one hand sternly, cutting the doctor off. He then downed both glasses of wine in a matter of seconds. Followed by the bottle. There, that was better. He felt much more equipped to get out of this little mess with his dignity intact now.
So, Flug was not sending suggestive photos of himself to Black Hat...he was sending them to some floozy he met ON TINDER!?
"How...exactly...did this little slip up occur, doctor?" He asked with fury in his eye. "How was it you made such an obvious error and sent your lewd photographs to me?"
(Instead of your little harlot?)
"H-Her name is Blanca, sir." He hated her. "So, she's right next to your number in my phone. And since we exchanged numbers, we've been talking rather frequently. So, she's also pretty close to you in my logs."
Black Hat scoffed. "So, you're sending her your explicit pictures-" He noted that Flug looked away nervously. As he should, because Black Hat was not at all happy with the unexpected turn this meeting had taken. "And calling her your girlfriend-" He spat the word out like venom. "Yet you've never actually met her?"
"Y-yes, sir, that's correct." Flug wrung his rubber-gloved hands together. "She doesn't live in Hatsville so we've never really had the chance to meet in person. But, with how often we talk, we pretty much are dating. N-Not that she distracts me or takes time away from my experiments or anything like that! I promise, sir, I'd never allow anyone to interfere with my work at this company! She, uh, she sent me a few photos, though, so I-"
"Flug, I don't care." Black Hat's words were laced with malice and scorn. "Send your dick pics to whomever you want. It makes no difference to me. Until it is me." He towered over the frightened mortal, still cowering in his seat. "I expect that this will be the last we have to speak of this." Or her.
"O-Of course, boss!" The human stammered. "It'll never happen again!"
"Get out of my sight."
The doctor complied, scrambling out of the chair in janky, uncoordinated movements and booking it towards the door. Leaving Black Hat to fall back into his plush office chair and brood. His eyebrows furrowed tightly, his eye narrowed to a thin slit and threatening to blast a hole through the walls with his laser vision. The monocle felt irritating on his face, both his eyes felt irritated in fact. Like he'd gotten a bit of dust in them or something. Maybe he shouldn't have chugged the wine keger-style. It didn't seem to be sitting well with him. His breathing was beginning to grow uneven and what he had in place of a stomach was churning unnaturally. He removed the monocle for a moment to rub at his eyes, losing himself in his thoughts.
I'd never send you something like that intentionally.
He pressed deeper into his eyes. His body was tense. It felt like his arms were trembling.
They were for my girlfriend.
Black Hat refused to entertain the idea that he was shaking out of anything other than rage.
She sent me a few photos so-
The eldritch let loose a horrid screech that immediately shattered the large red window panes behind his desk. He then flipped said desk over and watched it crash into the wall opposite him.
It wasn't enough.
The eldritch had a sinking feeling that nothing would be enough. He could completely destroy his office, his house, the entire city if he pleased, but he doubted any of it would serve to quell the tempest of emotions welling from inside him.
The thought of tearing Flug to shreds for leading him on made the rage die down, but only made it easier for some other thing to rise up and threaten to consume him.
No, then. That would not do.
The thought of tearing apart the tramp he was sexting, however...
What was her name again? Blanca?
She sounded hideous.
Green drool dripped from razor-sharp teeth. Who did this little wench think she was, sending revealing photographs to his scientist? And just what was she sending him, anyway!? Lewd and tasteless things, he was sure. He bet she was a 4/10, at most. Probably only looked semi-decent through a horde of filters and photoshop. She probably used the dog filters on Instagram and thought it looked cute unironically. Because she was already a bitch.
That was probably the only reason Flug was talking to her. He'd been out of the dating scene for so long that he was just eager to find someone to show interest in him. Not realizing he had someone RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM! What had he said it had been? A few weeks? That was nothing. They only just exchanged actual phone numbers and hadn't even met in person! This. Was. Nothing. Only a desperate, lonely soul would ever consider it legitimate courtship.
Black Hat took a deep breath; shoulders back, head high, spine straight, let it out. There we go. Much better. With a snap of his fingers, the window panes flew back into place. The desk repaired itself and went back to its original position in front of him. He sat back down, pondering where he would go from here. He had a first name, and that was it. No address, just that she wasn't in Hatsville. He didn't even know what she actually looked like. Oh he knew she had to be just horrid (Hey! Maybe she was catfishing him! And Flug was just too much of a moron to figure it out!), but having some sort of description to go off of would be useful.
He scoffed, what good would that do? What was he trying to accomplish with plots and schemes? What would be the point? What, did he think that if he killed Dr. Flug's girlfriend, the man would have no choice but to return his feelings?
He wasn't even attracted to men. So getting rid of her would do nothing for him.
Black Hat snapped his fingers and another bottle of wine materialized.
He popped the cork, and didn't even bother with a glass.
Dr. Flug was just mortified.
He should've known something like this would happen. With his luck, it was only a matter of time. He wasn't allowed nice things. Just when it seemed like maybe he really could get over his unrequited crush on his boss-
Dr. Flug hung his head in his hands. Who was he kidding, he'd never get over it. He'd knew that Black Hat clearly didn't return his feelings, and if he kept on holding out hope he'd end up just like Demencia; a lovesick fool who stuck around almost pathetically, dreaming of the day when their love likes them back.
A day that would never come.
Flug had never acted on his feelings towards his boss. At least, he tried not to. The rare occasion that his machines didn't incite rage and ridicule; when Black Hat actually complimented his work and boasted on camera about what a perfect tool of evil it was, Dr. Flug couldn't help the way his stomach fluttered and his heart pounded. He couldn't do anything about the twinkle he got in his eyes when Black Hat praised him, his work. Made him feel like he really was valued.
And on those more recent events where it seemed like Black Hat might- might, mind you -be softening up to him a bit; when that manic grin didn't have quite the same amount of ill-will behind it as it once did, when the touches were soft and lingering, when the demon was doing something almost close to actually being nice-
No, certainly not. Clearly Dr. Flug was imagining these things. Or gravely misinterpreting them. There was no way, no way in hell that Lord Black Hat, the ultimate evil, could ever feel the same way towards Dr. Flug Slys that he felt towards him.
So, he'd resolved to at least attempt to move on. It had been so long since he'd been on a date. The thought of he, socially awkward mess that he was, trying to pick up women or men at a bar was impossible to picture. At least, impossible to picture actually working for him.
The cold, calculating alternative of finding a date based on a picture and a profile seemed much more plausible. Though he didn't have the best of luck there either. He didn't know where the stereotype of bisexuals easily finding dates came from, because it seemed to be more of a red flag. Women would message him just to insult him, men kept trying to argue that he was actually gay, he got lots of messages from both genders telling him to pick a side. It did not help his already low self-esteem.
And then there were the people who were clearly only interested in having a threesome and needed more people. Some were married, some long-term partners, some single people looking for a good time. Who saw him as nothing more than an opportunity.
"Hey, you like guys and girls? Great! My boyfriend and I have been looking for a third person, would you be interested in meeting up sometime ;) ?"
No. No he wasn't. Being attracted to men and women did not mean he was some sort of promiscuous sex machine. It was almost as bad as when he came out in college. Like, no asshole, me liking men doesn't mean I like you. As a matter of fact I hate you, just for insinuating that. Flug was not "confused", nor had he failed to "meet the right woman/man". He knew what he was and he refused to be spoken too like this.
So, at long last, when he managed to match with a woman who genuinely didn't seem to care about his sexual orientation, it almost seemed too good to be true. She was a pretty platinum blonde, who didn't live in the same city but she wasn't too far away, and it turned out he had a bit in common with. They liked the same kinds of books, watched the same kind of shows, and could go on endlessly speculating and theorizing.
Blanca had been the one to suggest they actually exchange phone numbers. And after weeks of messaging each other for hours after work, it seemed like the right decision. Finally taking it a bit further, though still long-distance. The first time he had actually called her, finally hearing her and being reassured that she wasn't an overweight balding man in his forties, was the sweetest relief he'd felt in ages.
He still found himself thinking of his boss during the day when his mind wandered, but he had Blanca each night to distract himself. Put some other thoughts in his mind. Sometimes. He was still plagued by fantasies of his devilishly handsome employer most nights, even after talking to Blanca. He hoped that with the more suggestive tone their talks had been taking, he'd be able to get over his long-time crush and properly give her all his attention. She deserved that. Flug deserved that. Unless Black Hat implemented a new "no personal relationships" rule to his employment, he was going to give his girlfriend all the time he could spare.
So, one morning, when he'd woken up to find a few texts from her and saw what she'd sent him...it was only right that he match her tone, so to speak, right?
"Thought about you in the shower" with a kissing emoji. Along with a very nice slideshow.
If she was trying to take their relationship farther still...she was succeeding.
In a burst of confidence, Dr. Flug opted to go all out. Her pictures had done their job and after a few minutes of "prepping" he snapped a few of his own to show her just how well they had worked their magic.
"Was thinking about you all night" he wrote. With a smirking emoji. He wanted to seem cool. Like he'd totally done this millions of times before. He sent it quickly, barely even glancing at his contact list so he didn't lose his nerve and chicken out.
And then the reply had been "My office. Ten minutes."
Dr. Flug was confused. He wasn't sure where Blanca worked exactly, he didn't think she worked from home like him or had a sort of home office set up. Even if she did, she didn't live ten minutes away. He was about to ask what she was talking about-
Until he looked at who he was texting.
And Dr. Flug felt the greatest terror he had ever experienced in his life.
Worse then the first time he'd met him.
Black Hat. He'd accidentally sent pictures of his swollen cock to BLACK HAT. Who was surely going to murder him for so much as daring to think that he'd want to see that part of his body.
Seeing how hard he was...
Oh Dread Lord Cthulhu how had he survived this morning? As he trudged his way to the lab, to begin the days work, he realized he'd never actually responded to Blanca. He slapped a hand in front of his paper bag. Of course, he'd managed to mess up two perfectly fine relationships with one accidental sext. And he would be too focused on work the rest of the day to explain himself. He didn't want to be texting her and have Black Hat walk in on him. Especially after he just swore that he wouldn't be distracted by her during work hours.
Well, just a quick little explanation wouldn't hurt, would it?
"I'm sorry I'm just now getting back to you, I accidentally sent my reply to someone else. Had to clear it up."
"You're beautiful by the way"
The doctor smiled a bit sadly. As much as he enjoyed talking to her, and enjoyed those pictures she'd sent him, there was always something that felt a little bit false about everything.
It was probably due to the fact that he still wasn't over Black Hat. And even though Blanca was nice and cute and sweet and had a bit of a quirky side to her, she wasn't Black Hat. She wasn't the one who made him feel appreciated and valued, even if it was only from time to time and probably on accident.
She did, however, make him feel wanted. And he didn't want to lose that. Because he knew in the pit of his stomach that he'd never, as long as he lived, feel it from the one he wanted most of all.
"Aww, thank you 3! Oh man, who'd you send it to?"
Oh jeez.
"...my boss..."
"Oh wow, that had to have been awkward."
"You have no idea."
"Sorry, I gotta get to work now. I'll talk to you tonight."
"TTYL Florence."
Dr. Flug smiled sadly. It was nice to imagine he could get over Black Hat so quickly, but it just wasn't the case. Hopefully, after some more time, he'd really feel something for Blanca. Something real. He didn't enjoy the prospect of having to sift through insults and threesome requests again.
And maybe he'd get around to actually sending his nudes to the right person.
Ok, things had been tense ever since that accidental sext. Black Hat had been acting less evil and malicious and more just...depressed. Like he didn't care about anything anymore. Not even berating his screw-up employees. Oh, he still got pissed and lashed out, but it was just lashing out. If no one did anything, Black Hat didn't either. He hadn't shapeshifted into any nightmarish forms, hadn't summoned a giant pipe organ from the netherworld, he hadn't even appeared in the paintings to scare the shit out of anyone who happened to be walking through the halls. Demencia had tried to talk to him, which went about as well as any other time anyone tried to talk to him, so what was Dr. Flug to do but continue working and try his damndest to make something to shake his boss out of this funk he seemed to be in.
Although, that didn't seem to do anything either. If an invention failed, he'd get the usual biting insults and hateful scorn. It if worked...he wouldn't get hardly anything. Not even a backhanded compliment. This troubled the scientist more than the other things. Black Hat was always excited about working weapons. He took great pleasure in lording his products over others, showing them what a terrific villain he was to be able to have them in his arsenal.
And for a time, it had seemed he'd been lording his scientist over them, too. Like he'd been proud to have Flug as a subordinate. Now, it seemed he felt nothing towards him, even when he did his job perfectly. Just a low, "Good, good. Get an ad posted to the website." They'd missed their monthly commercial schedule. When Flug dared to bring it up, Black Hat had pretty much just told him to shoot it himself. He had Cam-Bot, he had the Hat-Bots, he had the bear and Demencia if he really needed someone else. He had other things to do.
Although it didn't seem to Flug like Black Hat was doing much of anything. Aside from moping around. And occasionally making snide remarks about the doctors new girlfriend if she happened to come up. One would almost think he had some sort of problem with the fact that Flug was seeing someone. Of course, he didn't. That would be absurd. Why would Black Hat even care about Dr. Flug's love life? It wasn't as though he cared about him.
So Dr. Flug just did what he had always done, from his very first day on the job. Try and make Black Hat happy. However he could.
Late one night, maybe two weeks after the initial incident, when Dr. Flug had finished up for the night and was texting Blanca on the way to his room, he found him. Leaning against the wall, top hat crooked and his coat falling off his shoulders.
When his eye, glassy and unfocused, landed on the doctor, he straightened up a bit.
"Oh, Flug. What do you want?"
"N-Nothing, sir. I was just on my way to my room."
The demons eye landed on the phone in his hands. "Texting your girlfriend?" He snarled.
"Yes, sir." He put his phone away. "I was-"
"OH, don't let me stand in your way." He replied, flailing a bit like he'd almost lost his balance. "Go on, keep texting. Just pretend I wasn't here." He turned to go, leaning on the wall with one arm and nearly tripping over his own feet.
"Sir, are...are you drunk?"
He huffed, nearly bent over completely. He could barely turn his head to face Flug. "So what if I am? You got a problem with that?"
"Oh no! Of course not sir! It's just, um..." The doctor rubbed his hands together nervously. "Do you...would you like some assistance getting to your room?"
Black Hat apparently took offense to that, if the way he tried to tower over the mortal was any indication. He didn't quite accomplish it, only able to rise to just above the man's eye level. "Are you suggesting that I n-need you or something?"
"N-N-No sir! Never! I know you don't need me for anything!" Flug's heart sank into his stomach, remembering that Black Hat certainly didn't so much as want him. Much less need him. "I just, just thought you might want me to steady you or something. Th-That's what I'm here for, after all. To serve you, he he." He awkwardly laughed, hoping it lightened the mood a bit.
And perhaps it did. The fire in Black Hat's drunken stare lessened, dieing down to a simmering glassy gaze. His shoulders slumped, the coat nearly falling completely off. Dr. Flug cautiously approached him, and with slow and even movements, adjusted it. He gingerly took his signature top hat by the brim with only the tips of his fingers and tried to fix that too, so it wasn't in any danger of falling off either. He jumped a bit when a hand clad in soft black leather closed around his own and righted the hat.
"Go on, Flug," He said in a low voice. "Just, go on texting your lady friend. I'll be fine without you."
"You're more important than her," Flug said without thinking. He went around and hesitantly held his arms out. "May I, sir?"
The demon looked at Flug for a moment longer than usual. Dr. Flug didn't know what was going on behind that eye but it made him nervous. Black Hat gave a small nod, so Flug wrapped an arm under his and supported him the walk back towards his room.
This felt...strange. To have Black Hat leaning on him for support. He tried to distract himself by keeping his gaze to the walls, but those were only adorned with Black Hat's image so, didn't help much. Especially when every one had his manic grin and maleficent energy encapsulated perfectly. It was so odd, seeing just how different Black Hat was right now compared to the images of him decorating the halls.
And then there was the fact that Black Hat was so near to him at this moment. In a state of something that might be considered vulnerability. Leaning on him, because for just this night, he might actually need him to hold him steady.
"Sir?" Dr. Flug asked, hoping that Black Hat wouldn't remember much of this in the morning.
"Mmm?"
"Does it bother you that I have a girlfriend?"
"Of course not." He huffed. "I couldn't care less if you have a girlfriend."
"Ok."
"Why would you even ask that?" Black Hat slurred out.
"Everytime she comes up, you seem rather...bothered." Dr. Flug cautious said.
"And why would it bother me, doctor?"
"I don't know, do...you want a girlfriend? Because, sir, if that's the case you know Demencia would absolutely-"
"I'm gay you fucking moron."
Dr. Flug nearly stopped in his tracks and dropped his boss to the floor. He didn't, he knew if he did that he'd surely be punished severely, but it took a second for him to be able to respond.
Black Hat was gay? He was attracted to men? So then...did that mean...
"O-Oh...I...I didn't know that, sir."
Black Hat let loose some bleak-sounding laughter. "Apparently not."
"Then...do you want a boyfriend?"
"No, no of course not. Why would I want a b-boyfriend? They'd just get in the way, anyway. Just a nuisance. I don't need anyone."
"Of course, sir."
When they reached their destination hardly any words were said. Just a curt "Thank you, goodnight," before the door was shut and Dr. Flug made his way to his own bedroom.
Could...could that be what this was all about? It all seemed to have started after Flug had mentioned his girlfriend. Could it be that Black Hat wanted some sort of companionship? He'd always seemed like a heartless being, devoid of such things as love or even simple kindness. In truth though, no one actually knew what Black Hat was, or what he was and was not capable of. Or what he did and did not need. Even after years of living with him, Flug still didn't actually know if Black Hat needed to eat. He did, sometimes, but it wasn't a daily or even routine thing. He drank tea fairly often, and liked wine, but those were not things that Flug would say were capable of sustaining organic life. Which...Black Hat may or may not be.
So then, was Black Hat a creature that desired, maybe even needed, some form of...intimacy? It seemed so human.
And, if he was attracted to males, did that mean there was a chance that-
No. Flug shook his head. If there was even the slightest chance that Black Hat felt any sort of attraction towards him, he would've acted on it by now. He would've done something to show it.
Not counting the praise (which was standard, it only seemed like it was becoming more geared towards he himself rather than his work), the lingering touches (that Flug was probably imagining), the rising frequency of his visits to the lab (checking his progress, of course, Black Hat was just doing it more often because...reasons), the way he would nearly purr out his name when he seemed to be in a good mood-
No, no way. Surely Flug was just projecting his own feelings and seeing what he wanted from him. Just because Black Hat was gay didn't mean he was gay for Flug. Flug probably wasn't his type, anyway. Although Flug had no idea what Black Hat's type could possibly be.
What would the evilest creature in existence find attractive? More evil? A different sort of evil? Maybe a less physically violent and more strategic and thoughtful evil? Maybe an inventive and creative sort of evil, that few else could appreciate? A more subtle sort of evil-
Stopping that train of thought right there on the tracks.
Black Hat comes out to him and not even ten minutes later Flug is imagining that he's attracted to him. He was no better than the idiots he'd known in college. Only more hopeful.
His phone dinged. A new text from Blanca. Probably asking why he hadn't replied in a while.
Flug sighed. It felt like he was leading her on. He hoped that if he just faked it long enough, it would become real.
Black Hat needed to stop doing this to himself.
He needed to stop trying to drown his sorrows, literally. The wine seemed to only further sustain his feelings of dismay and sadness. He just had to accept that things were not as he thought. He'd been misreading Flug's reactions in the worst possible way. That little glean in his eye, it was just his own pride in his work. That increase in his heart rate when Black Hat was near, it was probably out of fear. He had only been imagining that rush of endorphins from him. Or maybe not. Maybe he'd only misunderstood what had been causing it. He'd been wrong in assuming he was the one to cause such feelings in the human.
Maybe he'd been thinking of her at the time-
There was a loud crack, and Black Hat looked down to see that he had shattered the wine bottle in his grip. It was getting white wine all over his sheets.
Well...he needed to get out of bed eventually.
He rose, and things corrected themselves behind his back. He wished he could do the same thing to himself, just set things back to how they'd been. Before he'd noticed his change in perception of the man. Before he'd indulged in those new feelings towards him. Before he'd been sent those pictures-
Another thing he had to stop doing, looking at those pictures.
He should've deleted those weeks ago. It was a huge invasion of privacy, for one. They were not intended for his eyes. Secondly, it only hurt him further. To imagine what could have been, if things had gone the way he'd planned them to. He and Flug, talking over wine, finally putting things out in the open. He'd wanted to court him properly, at long last. Take him out, make a day of it, treat him to a romantic dinner to end the night. Well, maybe it didn't have to end there. If Flug felt the same way, perhaps they wouldn't have to part immediately after dinner. Perhaps they could-
No. It was not to be. The only thing to do about it was to carry on and wait for his lingering feels to dissipate. It was going to be agony, but there was nothing else to be done about it. He had no one to blame but himself.
It wasn't as though Flug was truly at fault here, he couldn't help who he was attracted to anymore than Black Hat could. Nor was it Flug's fault that Black Hat hadn't made the first move. He'd been sure what was felt between them was mutual, so why had he not acted?
Maybe because, deep down, he hadn't been sure. The signs seemed to be there, but he still carried doubts that he wasn't just seeing what he wanted to. He'd been waiting to be sure that Flug did in fact want him before he did anything he could possibly regret.
And, when Flug seemed to send him a clear invitation, he'd thought he was finally sure. He thought he had the go-ahead to act on his feelings.
Well, he'd acted. And had been indirectly rejected.
After cleaning himself up a bit, Black Hat figured it was high time he got back to business. He couldn't spend his days wallowing in self-pity forever. It wouldn't be the easiest thing in the world, but he'd get back to normal and get over his little crush on his scientist and one day he swore he'd look back on this and wonder why he'd ever let himself feel so strongly about something so small.
That, and he'd really been neglecting his work the past week. Maybe burying himself in documents and signatures would help get him back on track.
He sat down in his office and toiled at the large amount of paperwork that had been left untouched for days. Funny, it usually annoyed him to no end to have to sign and file all these tedious things. Now it was almost calming, a comfortable sense of normalcy took him over and he worked at a good and even pace. Actually, he might've been a little more productive than usual. After a few hours, he'd nearly gotten through a quarter of it.
Someone knocked at the door, he answered "Come in" without a second thought.
Dr. Flug walked in. And Black Hat could almost feel the mornings calm shatter.
"Good afternoon, sir."
"Good afternoon," He replied, a bit caught off guard. He hoped it wasn't too obvious.
"I brought you some refreshments," He held up a tray with their black and red teapot and cups. "May I?"
"Yes," He said. He sounded a bit strained, even to himself. Hopefully Flug would brush it off as him being hungover from last night.
Ah shit, he wasn't going to bring up last night, was he?
As Dr. Flug walked over, and poured him his tea, the amount of tension in the air only grew. If nothing was done, they'd be able to cut it with a knife.
But what exactly was Black Hat to do?! Make small talk? Stay silent? Jump out of his seat, kiss Flug passionately, and demand that he break up with this Blanca woman because Black Hat swore he would treat him better? Cue the Shawn Mendes, with the all pronouns switched?!
"Sir?"
"Huh? What?" Oh Lucifer he'd been so lost in thought he hadn't caught a word of what Flug had been saying.
"I said that you seem to be feeling better."
"Oh, uh, yes. Much better." He sipped his tea. Lord did he feel tense. He needed more time to be able to stand Flug's presence again. He just wanted to scream at him everything he'd been bottling up but he knew that he couldn't so he needed Flug to be gone as soon as possible.
"Uh, sir?"
"What?" He hissed out. He was very agitated right now and Flug's presence was only reverting him back to his sour mood. Because if he couldn't have him, clearly what he needed to do was push him away further.
"Hav-Have I told you I'm bisexual?" He nervously asked.
Ok, clearly the planet stopped spinning because that was the only explanation for why absolutely everything came to a screeching halt right at that moment.
Flug was bisexual? He was attracted to both women and men?
"...No." He said in a state of shock. "No I, I don't believe that you ever have."
"Well, now I have." He said, fidgeting in his chucks. "And now, now I'll leave you be."
"W-Wait!" Black Hat called as Flug walked towards the door. He damn near jumped across the table he got up so fast. Dr. Flug turned like he expected Black Hat to be mad at him or something. "Why are you telling me now?"
"Well, um, last night, while you were drunk, y-you told me you were homosexual. I...I'd never known that about you before. And I got to thinking, and I wasn't sure if I'd ever told you I was bi. And, I guess what I was thinking was, it was only fair you knew about me, too. I, I don't know what I was thinking sir, I'm sorry."
"No, no you don't need to be sorry." Yes, Black Hat had a vague memory of telling Flug he was gay. And...Flug hadn't known? Well, he supposed he wasn't the most open about his sexuality. It wasn't as if he dated often these days. Nor did he openly act on his sexual desires. And..neither did Flug. Black Hat had just assumed from the way Flug reacted towards him that he felt the same way.
Wow, did they had communication problems.
"Thank you for telling me, Flug."
"Uh, your welcome?" Dr. Flug clumsily said. "Anyways, I, I suppose I should be getting back to work."
"Yes, yes of course." Black Hat sat back down, eyes wide. "I'll be down in a few hours to check your progress."
"Right, sir." And he was gone.
Black Hat sat and pondered this new information. If he had a heart, it'd be racing right now. Perhaps, perhaps he hadn't been mistaken? Perhaps Flug did indeed feel the same way, but wasn't sure if Black Hat did? Perhaps, since he hadn't known of his sexuality, he thought it a lost cause to pursue him?
And, most of all, perhaps it wasn't too late? Perhaps Black Hat still had a chance?
It was slow going, but Black Hat felt he'd been making progress. Nothing overly romantic, but still trying to make his interest known. He needed to get closer to him, have something to build some sort of relationship on. More than just their working relationship. The first thing was he tried being genuinely nice to the man, without real reason. Because, well, that's what you do, isn't it? It caught him off guard, but he thought Flug was enjoying it. Certainly more than he enjoyed being screamed at. Which...Black Hat still did, but he was trying to refrain from it if he didn't have any cause to. All that mattered was that he was trying, wasn't it?
The second thing was he invited Dr. Flug to have tea with him every few days. Just, once in a while, maybe every other day, if that often. Nothing too suspicious about that. He wanted some company, that was all. And Flug was already there. Just a few minutes out of the day, maybe ten or twenty minutes of light chit chat. Then it was thirty minutes, of actual conversation. Then it became an hour. Eventually it became a daily thing, their little afternoon tea time. The man still said he prefered coffee, but sipped the tea anyway. He was getting more comfortable around Black Hat, which pleased the unholy being. And their talks were growing more casual! They were really bonding! It was working!
Well, maybe...they still hadn't gotten closer in any of the ways he wanted them to be. But, it was something. He hoped that what he was picking up from Flug was genuine feelings of attraction towards him. Black Hat still didn't know how exactly he should "make his move". Should he just come right out and say it? How would he even go about doing that? It wasn't as though he could just blurt it out in the middle of some random conversation the two of them got into. Or just ask Flug on a date when he still considered himself in a relationship.
Hmm...mayhaps that could conceivably be his way in. Talking about his relationship.
"So," he asked, after maybe a month of their routine. "How are things with your girlfriend?" It took real restraint for him not to gag on the word.
"Oh, um...fine, I guess."
"You guess?" Was this it? Was this his chance? Was the distance finally getting in the way?
"Well, Blanca wants to come out and finally meet me." He played with the fringe of his paper bag. "You know, in person."
Ok, if Flug asks him for time off so that he can go meet her Black Hat was going to scream.
But for the moment he kept his calm and responded smoothly. "That's good, isn't it? That she wants to meet in person? Sounds like you two are really getting serious."
"Yeah, I guess. It's just..." the mortal paused. "I can talk to you, right?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, can I tell you something, and you swear it won't change anything between us?"
Oh my. "Very well, I swear." But if Flug's hesitance was anything to go by, he wasn't sure he could abide by that. "Whatever you say won't change anything."
He took a deep breath. "I sort of...have feelings for someone else."
Was that the signal? Was this his opening? Was this his chance to finally tell Flug how he felt?
"And because of that," He continued. "I...I don't know if I actually want to meet Blanca in person. I kind of feel like I should break things off before then, if it's not going to go anywhere."
Yes, yes this was definitely it. He just needed to steer the conversation in a direction that lets him come out with it, sweep Flug off his feet, and be done with it. The suspense was killing him. If he didn't do this now, he'd never be able to bring himself to.
"So, there's someone else?" Black Hat stirred his tea, trying desperately not to sound hopeful. "Someone else on your mind?"
"Y-Yes," Flug sipped his tea from a straw, so as not to disturb his bag. "It's, ah, it's actually a sort of long-term crush, I guess you could say. I thought I could get over it but..." He trailed off, and was very pointedly not looking at Black Hat. and he was trembling slightly. "I guess not."
Yes, yes this was it. It was time for Black Hat to make his feelings clear.
"If I may, I have a confession of my own."
"O-Oh?" Flug turned back to face him.
"Yes," Black Hat rose from his seat and made his way to the mortal, stooping down on one knee to be at eye level with him. "There is someone I've had on my mind for a long time as well, and I can't seem to get over him either."
"R-Really sir? You?"
"Well, these things aren't always simple. Or easy." Black Hat allowed himself to smile a bit. "You can't always if people feel the same way you do, or if you're just seeing what you want to. You can't just assume that it goes both ways, or you might end up making a horrible mistake and ruining everything. Especially if it's someone you're close to."
"Y-Yeah," Flug said. "And then, even if they don't feel the same way, you don't want to ruin things between the two of you. So you're just stuck trying to figure out what's going on in their head."
"Exactly."
"But, then, how do you know? How do you ever know if they feel the same way about you that you feel about them?"
Black Hat braced himself. This was it. He was doing it. He placed a hand gingerly on Flug's thigh. "I suppose...you just have to come out and say, 'I want to be with you, Florence Flugslys.'"
Oh please let that be a good shocked silence. Please let it be that he's really very happy about this but just doesn't quite know how to react.
Please tell him that he didn't completely misread this situation again.
"B-Black Hat?" He eventually whispered.
"Yes?"
"Are you...are you being serious right now?"
"Completely."
"Then, you, you really..." He uncertainly reached out and took a hold of Black Hat's hand. "You really want to...be with me?"
Black Hat deliberately pulled the hand to his mouth and lightly kissed Flug's knuckles. "I do."
Flug fell into shaky giggles, which devolved into full blown rambunctious laughter. He then collapsed forward and embraced the eldritch in a fierce hug.
"So, you do feel the same, right?"
"O-Of course I do!" Flug proclaimed. "I never, I never thought in a million years that you'd ever feel the same about me!"
"You don't need to be that surprised, Doctor." He purred against the bag where the man's ear would be. "I mean, I know I could have anyone I want, but really. Is it that surprising that I might want you?"
"In all honesty, yes."
"Well, surprise." He nuzzled his face into the man's neck, placing soft kisses up and down the exposed skin.
The human dissolved into another fit of giggles. "And-And here I was trying to get over you."
"I tried that too, after you told me you had a girlfriend."
They both seemed to snap out of their momentary bliss as Black Hat's words sunk in with the both of them. Oh yeah. Her. Was Flug really going to break up with his girlfriend, just like that?
"Oh, forget her." He said. "I'll break up with her later tonight."
Black Hat raised his head up. "Why not right now?"
"Well, I, uh, I hope I'm not being too forward, but..." He raised the bag enough to expose his lips and left an experimental kiss on Black Hat's cheek. "I was kind of hoping that we could make up for lost time. Seeing as we seem to have been pinning after each other for a while now. I was thinking maybe we could save the wining and dining for later and just go straight to, you know, the good stuff."
Black Hat picked him up bridal-style and firmly kissed him on the lips. "I like the way you think."