Flug walked into Cafe Triste hastily. Glancing around at the staff, he didn't see the giant neon hair of his waitress friend anywhere. He went up to the bar and was greeted by the usual barista at this time, Mike.

"Hey Flug, what can I get you today?" God, he'd been here so often he was on a name-basis with the staff. Maybe it was from those betting pools Demetra had going that they remembered him. He really hoped it wasn't the betting pools. Although he had to wonder if anyone ever got any money out of the whole debacle.

"Uh, white chocolate mocha please. With whipped cream." He said, only half focused on his drink. "Hey, um, Mike? Is Demetra working today?"

"I think she's on closing shift tonight." Mike replied casually. "For here or to go?"

"To go, please." Well, what now? He didn't remember where she lived, or have any real way of getting there without Black Hat, and he didn't have her number so it wasn't like he could just call her up and ask to meet-

"You need her number?"

"Huh? What?"

"You need Dem's number?" He asked again.

"I...don't think you're supposed to just give that out."

"No, but I figure you aren't exactly the stalker type. It's cool." Oh dude you have no idea. "Besides, I know her. You either get her number the day you meet her, or like a month later from a mutual friend. There's no in between."

"Yeah, uh, just ne-never came up, I guess. Thanks."

"No problem." Mike said, writing down the digits in black marker. He handed Flug his coffee and the business transaction was completed and Flug walked back out and texted Demetra.

Hey, Demetra? This is Flug

I got your number from Mike. From the cafe

Are you busy today?

Flug felt like his heart was pounding. Maybe caffeine wasn't the best thing for him right now. It was just a force of habit. He still had his craving for coffee, even though it didn't do much for him anymore. It wasn't as though it had stopped tasting good. He still got the jitters on occasion, but they weren't any huge issue.

hey flug-bug! im not, y?

I need to talk to you. Can't do it over the phone. Can we meet up somewhere?

Flug really wished he had more people to talk to. About his "relationship". He couldn't imagine going to Tesoro or Hector or Miguel about this. Hell, the only reason he sought out Demetra was because she was as close to a mutual friend he and Black Hat had and could maybe give Flug some advice.

He knew this was going to happen. He'd had a huge heads-up and plenty of time to prepare. Hell, he had to fight just for Black Hat to allow him to tagalong on their little kidnapping outing. And he already had felt the urge to use live human subjects before, and this was what he'd built the Stun Gun to do. Specifically! But now that it was really happening he just felt so nervous and worried. What if it went wrong somehow? What if he couldn't do something so...evil to a complete stranger? Someone who'd never done anything to him? Would he get fired? What would that entail? Probably death, that'd be the simplest solution to a useless subordinate. Hadn't Black Hat said something like that before?

sure u no that lil park on flora and verde? lets meet there

She ended her text with a laughing emoji. Man he wished he had someone else he could bring this up with. He didn't quite know where it was she was talking about but he was pretty sure he could find it if he looked it up real quick. It most likely wasn't too far from the cafe, unless she forgot that he doesn't have a car and goes everywhere almost exclusively with his "boyfriend".

Ok. Now?

gimme like 15 mins an ill be there!

Ok see you then

She sent a thumbs up emoji.

Flug wondered just what he was getting himself into. But he really needed to talk to someone about this, anyone at all would do by this point. Even if it was Demetra. Assuming he could get her to stay focused for longer than ten seconds.

Dear God what was he going to say to her?


Flug knew that some people ate fried grasshopper. He had never eaten them himself but it wasn't all that odd. Demetra seemed to enjoy them. She actually offered him some but he was too squeamish to try. Couldn't they at least attempt to make them look a bit less like the actual bugs they were? All he was getting was flashbacks of the live insects she had back home to feed the lizards and that wasn't an image he wanted while eating.

While Demetra dug into her bag of chapulínes, he stuck with his nearly empty coffee.

"So," she asked, with her mouth full. "What was it you needed to talk to me about?"

"Well," He tried to figure out the best way to phrase this. "It's...it's about Black Hat."

She gasped. "Is there trouble in paradise?"

"No we're, uh, we're fine."

"What happened? What'd he do? Tell me absolutely everything."

Well, he shot me, for one thing. "Slow it down, it's nothing like that. Really, we're fine."

"Well what else would it be if it was so serious you had to go behind his back and hit me up?"

"I'm not going behind his back!"

"Don't play dumb, y'all have been attached at the hip. He ain't here, and you said you got my number from Mikey, not him." He has your number? "Obviously you did this without him knowing." I mean, not...intentionally. "It can only be one of two things: One, you're thinking about a Valentines present and want me to discreetly ask what he wants; or Two, something's up and you need advice. And I don't think you trust me enough to ask for my help unless you have literally no one else to turn to. You wouldn't go that far just for a box of chocolates." She grinned triumphantly, her right eye hidden by her bright red bangs. "So give it to me straight Flugslys, what's rocking your love boat?"

"It's...um..." Shit, she saw through him like a two-way mirror. He wanted to talk about this but there was no way he could tell her Black Hat wanted them to kidnap someone and basically torture them to death. Or that Flug had made something capable of torturing someone to death. Or that they'd already went and made a torture dungeon. He hadn't really been able to think of anything that sounded convincing on the way over. Maybe this was actually a good thing. If she thought there was an issue in their "relationship" he needed help with, then perhaps he could make one up. Substitute in some romantic drama for the murderous drama. "There's this...thing, that Black Hat wants us to do. Together. And, I guess I'm not all that confident about how good I'm going to be at it."

"Is is roleplay?"

"Wh-what?!" He nearly screamed out. He worked fast to cover his mouth and dial it down to a whisper. There weren't many other people on the surrounding park benches, but still. They were in public!

"Is he trying to talk you into some kinky roleplay stuff?" She asked, still eating like she wasn't talking about he and Black Hat having sex. "What is it? Is it like, boss and secretary stuff? Maybe doctor and nurse? Oooh oooh patient and nurse? Does he want you in a butler outfit?"

"No." He said harshly. Although he wouldn't be able to get that mental image out of his head for the next few days. But as a maid rather than a butler. Serving his Master -oh sweet Jesus not again. Not now. Please not now. Not when they've been doing Master/Pet things already. And he wasn't fully sure just how much play was in that roleplay. "It's not roleplay stuff."

"Aw man, I liked the thought of that." What the fuck don't admit that! "Keep talking, keep talking."

"Uh, it's more like, he wants to take things further with what w-we're already doing." Flug hastily explained, immediately regretting his chosen course. "Like, he's done it before, and s-so have I, kind of, and now we're going to do it together and-"

"It is oral?"

"¡Oh Dios mio no!" He whisper-yelled, muffled behind the hands covering his face in shame.

"Is he trying to put his tongue in places you don't want it? Or trying to get you to go down on him? If you don't want to, you don't want to, man. He can't force you to suck his-"

"Demetra, that is not the problem!" He said in a hushed tone. Whatever his problems may be, they were not his willingness to go down on Black Hat. Nor did he lack any faith in his skills. Although maybe he should. He'd only ever really done mouth-type-stuff with Julio, and that was...well, a while ago. He was probably pretty out of practice. WHICH WAS NOT RELEVANT IN THE SLIGHTEST! "Believe me, we're good."

"Well would you cut the crap and just tell me what it is? Or do I have to guess again?"

"Look this is r-really hard for me to talk about, ok?" Flug said, taking another sip of his diminishing caffeine distraction. "I'm really nervous and you're not making it any easier."

Demetra sighed dramatically. "Fine, fine. I'm sorry. Continue."

"The bottom l-line of it is, that Black Hat wants to bring this new thing into our relationship, and I'm worried about how I'm going to handle it."

"Is it...toys?"

DID EVERYTHING ABOUT THEM REVOLVE AROUND SEX WITH HER?!

"Is he trying to introduce toys into the mix? Get a little more stuff going on?" She asked with a sultry smile.

"...Yeah." Yeah, sure, let's go with that. Just to move this conversation along. Not like he had any dignity or sense of shame or anything. "He's, he's really e-eager to...use t-toys, and I'm not sure if I'm really ready. For toys to be us-used."

"Well, have you two actually talked about this?"

"Y-Yeah, we talked it over." Well, they sort of had. "I-I can see where he's coming from. About...w-w-wanting to use toys. It's not th-that I n-n-n-never ha-have..." Oh God this was mortifying. He didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry at the words coming out of his mouth. He couldn't believe he was having this conversation. In PUBLIC. "It's j-just that, I've on-only ever...used t-toys...with one other person before and it di-didn't go so well."

"But did you talk about it?" Demetra asked again. "Are you ok with doing it? It really sounds like you aren't. Did you tell him you weren't totally okay with it? Does he know about you're last little sex-capade?"

"We-Well, uh, h-he knows about th-the last time I did something like this. And he knows b-b-basically how it went." Well, he knew Julio had been his first boyfriend, and that he and Flug hadn't gone all the way. That was about where his knowledge of Julio should end. Wait, different issue! "He-He really wants to do this, though, and-"

"Flug, that's not enough." Demetra said, suddenly serious. "If you don't want to do something, he can't make you. If you don't want to, tell him so. If he can't accept that, then I take back everything I ever said about him." She took a big handful of the little grasshoppers and stuffed them in her mouth. And continued talking. "Tot'lly unrelated by the way, *mmph* but if you two broke up, do you think I stand a chance as more than j'st a rebound girl?"

"Demetra, please stay on topic." Flug said, kind of numbly.

"Sorry, sorry," She mumbled.

"I, I trust that he wo-wouldn't force me into anything I didn't want. It's n-not that I don't want to, it's that...I'm worried I'm not g-go-going to be as good as he thinks I will b-be."

"Hmmm?"

"I'm...I'm not as experienced, a-as he is." Flug admitted shyly. His eyes were fixed on the grass. "I'm worried that I won't m-m-measure up, you know? I'm afraid that I'm gon-gonna...I'm gonna let him down..."

"Flug," She mumbled. She took a big swallow and continued. "Did you tell him that?"

Flug didn't answer right away. Which was apparently all the answer Demetra needed.

"Ok you lovesick bastard, fucking talk to your man. Next time he brings it up, or you bring it up, tell him exactly what you just told me."

"I can't say that to h-him," Flug protested. It wasn't as if his villainous boss was going to accept that his mad scientist was afraid to kidnap people and use them as lab rats to test out machinery and possibly any chemical concoctions he ever came up with hey now there was an idea, he should look into what chemistry courses were available! If he hurried he could maybe add something before all the classes filled up-

"Yes, you can. And you will. Know why? Cuz otherwise you're just going to go along with it when you don't want to and you won't be able to enjoy what's supposed to be fun for the both of you. You said you trusted him not to push you, so why can't you tell him you're worried?"

Well, because I already agreed that I was going to be his scientist-for-life and this IS something that I can understand will be an ongoing thing. It's going to happen eventually, even if I'm not the one doing it my inventions will be used to kill people. And it's not so much that I have a problem with the idea of using live humans as test subjects, I'm just super self-conscious about how well I'm going to be able to handle actually going ahead and doing it. Especially like this, on someone I don't even know. I've never hurt anyone who didn't hurt me first before. It's new territory and as strangely supportive as he is, it just makes me feel like I really am going to disappoint him. He's so sure about himself, and me, and I'm just...not.

What would he tell Demetra? That it was Black Hat's fetish? A super hardcore fetish that he wasn't going to let up on? That he really wanted to Flug to do this for him in the bedroom and Flug was worried his poor performance would ruin the relationship? Well, that was sort of accurate. Flug was pretty hesitant to let on just how much doubt he carried about this. And he did worry that it was somehow going to make him look like less of an evil minion in his bosses/boyfriend's(?) eye.

By God, how did he end up here?

"It's s-s-something he really wants us t-t-t-to do. L-Like, he's r-r-really...into toys." Oh God imagine if this ended up being accurate. "I'm not sure he'll ju-just let it go."

"Can't he just use the toys on his own time?"

"...I'm kind of the one who ins-s-sisted on us doing it...together...once we started t-ta-talking about it." He admitted. "So, I feel like I'm just b-backing out of something again."

"Again?" Oh shit. "Wait, is this like a repeating thing with you two?"

"F-F-Forget I said anything!" He mumbled, downing the last few drops of white chocolate mocha.

"Flug. Flug! Flug! Rocinante!"

"Stop yelling at me!" He choked out.

"Flug, my sweet cinnamon roll, let me make sure you got this perfectly clear: in a relationship, you don't owe anyone a damn thing. You can change your mind about whatever you damn well please whenever you want. Doesn't matter whose idea it was, doesn't matter if you already said 'yes' to it, you can say 'no' at any time. If he's got you feeling like you can't say no to him, leave his ass. Seriously."

"But I can't!" He blurted out. He covered his mouth quickly and tried to cover up how literally he meant that. "I don't want to." There, now that sounded more like they were talking about relationship drama.

"Calm your thirst, Flugsy." Demetra grabbed another small handful of grasshoppers. She'd about finished the entire bag in the time they'd been talking. "And actually talk to your boyfriend."

Oh God, just thinking of Black Hat as his actual boyfriend made his insides go haywire. As if there was nothing else to it; no secret villainy, no torture and murder, no soul contract that bound the two of them for life. Just them. Going on dates. Kissing. Cuddling. Shit like that. Like the biggest issue was just Flug's reluctance to get on the same kink-level as his boyfriend.

"...I do, kind of, want to." He said quietly. "I...I want to...do it. With Black Hat. When we were talking about it, I didn't have any problems with it. I, I liked the idea. I w-want to do this. I've done stuff like this before. So now that I'm with him, it shouldn't be so hard, should it? It really shouldn't be this big a deal. Maybe I'm just overthinking things."

"Flug, why is it so hard for you to just tell him this stuff?"

"I don't know." He lied. "We've got a, a big date night planned tomorrow. He's...he's probably going to push for it again. So, what do you think I should-"

"Madre de Dios why do you wait until the last minute for these things!? Both of you!" Demetra whipped out her phone. "Honestly, neither of you knows a damn thing about dating! I'm like a dual-wingwoman here, even when you two finally get together!"

"Wh-Who are you texting?" Flug asked, although he had a sinking feeling she was texting-

"Black Hat, obviously." She confirmed with a flip of her bangs. "I'm telling him to meet us at your place."

"Wh-WHAT!? Why?!"

"Cuz you two need. To. Talk! And I expect to be compensated for these little couples counseling sessions you guys apparently need!"

Flug felt his heart stop for a second. He excused himself, ran into the public bathrooms real quick, and texted Black Hat himself.

Whatever Demetra said, you can just ignore it

It's nothing important I swear

Seriously

She's just being insane

Like usual

Please ignore it

He got a reply not long after. While he was still hiding in the stall.

Flug, what did you tell her about our date night?

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

Well I couldn't tell her what we're really doing

So I made something up

Flug what the fuck did you tell her we were doing?

Flug

Flug

Flug!

Seriously what the fuck did you tell her we were doing?!

What is this about toys what the actual fuck did you tell her?!

Oh Jesus there really was no avoiding it was there?

I kind of told her you wanted us to start incorporating toys into our sex and I'm not 100% onboard with it and I was nervous to tell you how worried I really am about how it's going to go and I needed someone to talk to about it and I couldn't think of anything else she just kept guessing sex stuff and it was between that roleplay and oral and I just panicked so I went with the toys and oh my God how the fuck did this happen?!

After a few minutes, and very tense ones at that, his phone rang. Scaring Flug half to death and almost causing him to drop his phone. On to the dirty bathroom floor. Ew, what was that?

It was Black Hat. The call, not that questionable stain.

Flug anxiously answered it, not fully sure what to expect. "H-Hello?"

He heard a sharp intake of breath, and then Black Hat's voice. "Flug, you can be such a dumbass sometimes." He didn't sound angry, or worried even. He kind of sounded like he'd just run a marathon, he was so out of breath. "You honestly couldn't think of anything else? Absolutely no other troubles we might've been having? I mean, you managed to keep our cover but..." Black Hat broke down into wheezy laughter. "I'm not sure I can go along with this without cracking up, it's so fucking stupid. You absolute moron. What is wrong with you."

"Well I'm glad you're enjoying this." Flug said sarcastically. He felt drained. He was glad he got all that stuff off his chest, but now he was just tired and wanted to go home. Maybe put on a hypnosis track on a loop. Maybe he'd spend a few hours laying down, resting, like he was supposed to be doing anyway. He'd only wanted to talk to someone because he couldn't relax with this on his mind. Now that he'd talked, and things were worse then ever, he should be good to lock himself back indoors until Saturday night.

"Just...just ignore her. I'll get her to drop it."

"Oh no, I'm coming over." Oh Dear Lord no please don't. "Dem's not going to drop it until the matter is resolved, so we're going to resolve it."

"How are we gonna do that Ma- Black Hat?" He quickly corrected himself. He couldn't go calling him Master when he was out in public like this!

The man on the other end of the phone let out a few evil chuckles. "It seems she wants us to talk. Let's talk. I'll see you in thirty minutes, my Pet."

"W-wait!" Flug said, ignoring the tingle he got from being called his Pet. "What-what am I supposed to say?"

"I have no idea. You're the one who has something to say, apparently. So say it." Black Hat said simply. Then he hung up.

...Well, that sure cleared things up.


29 minutes later and Flug was pacing his living room floor while Demetra tapped away at her phone on the couch, probably texting the redhead who'd driven them here. A bright, artificial red. Kind of the same color as Demetra's bangs. Flug vaguely remembered her as one of the other waitresses from the cafe but couldn't remember what her name was. He couldn't remember a lot of things right now. Things like how he'd gotten himself into this mess, how he managed to convince people he was sexually active, or how to calm down and formulate a plan to get out of this with his sanity intact. He couldn't relax. He couldn't think straight. He couldn't figure out what in the name of FUCK he was going to say when Black Hat got here. Were they really going to talk about this!? About...toys?! Sex toys!? Sweet fucking Jesus he could not handle this! He was almost certain that just going ahead and murdering someone would actually be easier than this!

He checked his phone for the millionth time and Demetra spoke up. "Will you calm your ass down? He's gonna be here and everything is going to be fine. You'll see."

"He's not here yet." He muttered out loud. "What if he's late? He can't be late. He's never late. That man is punctual to a fault."

"Maybe he's stuck in traffic."

"He's literally never been late so much as once since I met him."

"The man can't control traffic, Flug. At least, I don't think he can." She actually looked up from her phone. "How would that kind of power work? How would someone even figure out they could do that?"

"He's doing this to fuck with me. He's laughing at me. I just know it."

"What makes you say that?"

He thinks this entire situation is hilarious and he's getting a kick out of watching me squirm. He's probably amazed by my sheer stupidity and is going to drag this out for as long as possible. He's probably stuck in his car, laughing it up, because once he gets up here he has to pretend to be a nice and supportive boyfriend to me because you're here and he at least will make an effort at keeping our cover of an ordinary couple. I hope. Hey, every relationship has its ups and downs. I guess this is a down.

It's the flaming remains of a plane crashing down into the ocean, but no relationship is perfect after all. You know when two planes nearly collide, it's called a near-miss. Why is that? It is not a near-miss. It's a near-hit. A collision would be a near-miss. Bam! Fwoosh! Oooh, look, they nearly missed. Yeah, I'm ripping off a George Carlin bit, what of it?

Flug didn't say anything out loud. He just kept pacing and watching as time ticked away and took with it all sense of logic and rationality. Black Hat was late. He was officially late. He was never late. It was one of the things Flug appreciated about him. He never kept him waiting, he showed up exactly when he said he would. Right on time. Every time. He was reliable in that way. Something Flug could count on.

And now he wasn't. He wasn't and Flug could feel his breathing turn shallow.

"Dude, dude!" Demetra hurried over to him. "Dude, Flug, are you okay? You're scaring me." She was scared? SHE was scared? If she was scared, what was Flug? "Ah shit, um, ok. Ok just, like, breathe. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. In, and then out, ok?"

No, not ok. It wasn't okay because Black Hat wasn't here. Although it wouldn't be ok if he was here either because Flug really didn't want to have to actually say anything to him. But he didn't want Demetra saying anything more to him about toys and completely screwing up what it was Flug had been trying to tell her. He wished he'd never talked to her today, he could be continuing to avoid the issue.

Someone knocked at the door. Flug didn't even react to it, he was so far gone into his own little realm of rising fears. Demetra left him for a second to answer it and in that second it felt like he plummeted ten times further down into the sinking depths of uncertainty.

What if he couldn't do it?

What if he messed it up?

What would Black Hat do?

What would happen to them?

Heh, what them? The whole dating thing was a sham from the start. It was all a ploy that the two of them hatched. What was he doing getting so attached to his boss like that?

His boss who had a tendency to be very touchy with him and got off on being called "Master". Who liked to call Flug his Pet.

Oh who was he kidding of course he wouldn't be able to do it. He could dream and fantasize all he wanted in his mind about torturing and killing just for the hell of it but when it came down to it he couldn't do a damn thing. Of course he couldn't. Why'd he think he could? If he tried to go along with it he'd just end up embarrassing himself. He'd choke, and show Black Hat what he really was. A coward. A useless, weak, pathetic coward who couldn't kill just anyone like him. Not fit to be a villain. Not even fit enough to be a mere sidekick. Probably not even a minion. Which was all he was, in reality. Just the underling. The henchmen. Someone who didn't even get their own villain alias or persona because they were just a background character, just "Criminal A". Maybe "B". And he couldn't even manage that.

Flug's breathing, already strained, hitched even further when he became aware that he was moving and was being led to another room in his apartment. As he regained his bearings, he realized he was now in his bedroom. And he noticed that people were talking about him.

"He kept saying stuff about how you were late and you're never late and you were doing it on purpose and-" A door slammed. A lock clicked into place. "Hey!"

"Private conversation, Dem." Black Hat's voice boomed out from behind Flug, making his body tremble. Oh God. He was here.

What-What should he do now? What should he say? He couldn't even turn to look at him, just stayed hunched over playing with his hands like he had an imaginary Rubik's cube that somehow held all the answers. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. He couldn't do anything.

Two hands clad in black leather ghosted along his sides and wrapped around his waist, holding him against a firm and familiar frame. It wasn't anything sudden or jarring but it made him jump. Flug turned his head, just enough to be able to see him.

"Sorry I'm late." Black Hat whispered from behind him. "I wanted to get you something on my way over. It took a little longer than I thought it would. I almost ran over an old woman and a child trying to get here on time." He offered a tight lipped smile that seemed to make Flug shiver for a slightly different reason than before. He really meant it, didn't he? He would've done it. He would've killed completely random strangers in passing. Just to get to Flug sooner.

That was a terrible thing to do. That should've been horrifying. That shouldn't be comforting. That shouldn't be something that made Black Hat seem endearing. That shouldn't be something that makes Flug feel at ease. Or make him feel even sillier for getting so worked up. Why had he worried? Of course there was a reason why he had been a little late. Of course there would be some simple explanation. He got hung up, maybe missed a light or two. And it wasn't as if it was any great length of time. What had it been, a minute or two? Flug overreacted. It wasn't that big a deal. Black Hat wouldn't do something like this on purpose. He wouldn't try and hurt him like that. Why would he do that? It didn't make sense.

Oh God, where were all these thoughts coming from? He was so confused.

It must've been showing, because Black Hat prompted him to his bed and laid him down in a comforting sort of way, "How about we lie down, ok? How does that sound?" Flug didn't resist, he wasn't sure he had the energy to or even why he would if he did. Black Hat slipped his glasses off, softly reassuring him with, "Just so you'll be more comfortable." He looked up and saw Black Hat remove his coat, monocle, and hat. It was still a bit strange to see his head so bare.

Stranger still to feel his body join him on the small twin bed.

There really wasn't enough room for the two of them. The small size made Black Hat to have to squeeze in close and wrap around Flug to fit. If it didn't sound so not-evil Flug would swear he was cuddling him. It was cramped, but somehow it felt kind of nice to have to be so close together. Flug bet that Black Hat's bed was probably massive, queen or king size at least. And probably very comfortable. Not like Flug's lumpy old mattress and worn out sheets.

Flug was nestled in Black Hat's arms, held against his chest. He was glad Black Hat had taken his glasses off, they would be really uncomfortable right here. Going crooked and poking him in the face. Not to mention his shallow breathing would probably fog them up in such a small space. His arms were between them awkwardly, unable to decide whether to brace against his villainous associate or caress his welcoming form. He could've sworn that just Black Hat's shirt was made of more comfortable material than Flug's bedsheets.

Black Hat kind of forced their legs to intertwine. As invading as it felt, like he was far closer than he should be, it did feel...nice. It was just another of those things, those small little acts of intimacy that he'd been deprived of for so long. The steady rise and fall of his chest too, was calming. Flug found himself echoing the rhythm, like the clicks of a slow metronome or the beats of a dying heart. He gradually allowed his arms to fall from their rigid position keeping them apart and timidly mirrored the embrace Black Hat wrapped him in. He sunk into it, closed his eyes, and took in a deep breath as he inhaled Black Hat's scent. He smelled a bit like ash, as if he'd smoked right before he came here and it had latched onto his clothes. Or perhaps he used a cologne that had a bit of a smoky scent to it. Whatever it was, it was just that; just a wisp of fragrance that offered more alleviation to his nonstop woes.

God if he could fall asleep right here he would.

"Flug," Black Hat said softly, rousing him from his repose. Flug slowly turned up to look him in the eyes, finding that familiar face oddly stoic. What was he thinking? Did he enjoy this? Or did he find it bothersome to have to comfort his underling like this? He probably did. Something as sweet as this probably wasn't something a villain took pleasure in.

He had mentioned that he couldn't stand things that were overly sweet.

"You want to tell me what this is really about, my Pet?"

Flug's hands clenched the back of Black Hat's waistcoat tensely. He looked down at the dress shirt in front of his face. He wished he could just bury himself in the fabric and fall into the calm. He wished they could just lay here silently for hours on end. He mumbled, "What if I can't do it?"

"Flug, if this is about going and getting our...test subject," He said that part in a whisper, maybe he feared Demetra was listening from the other side of the door. Flug wouldn't put it past her. "We can go back to the original plan. I'll pick you up at 10 and drop you off-"

"What if I can't?" He blurted out. Kind of loudly. He pulled back a hand to cover his mouth. Lot of good it did now. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. He continued in a whisper, as Black Hat had. "What if I can't k-ki-kill him? What if I can't j-j-j-just use a stranger like a lab rat?"

Black Hat stroked his back lightly. "You can."

"What if I can't? What if you're wrong about me?"

"I'm not."

"What if y-you are? What if you've been wr-wrong about me this whole time a-and I can't do it?" Flug buried his face into Black Hat's shirt. He felt like he might start crying. God, how pathetic he was. He wouldn't be surprised if Black Hat just up and decided he wasn't worth his time and walked away right this very moment. Just pushed him off and walked out the door because Flug wasn't worth the effort. A lost cause. He couldn't kill him with Demetra right outside the door, but he could probably tear up their contract and threaten Flug into secrecy. Or just kill him later.

"If, for the sake of this conversation, you couldn't do it, I suppose I'd just have to do it for you."

"D-Do it for me?" Flug asked, blinking back fresh tears in surprise.

"Yes. But I know it won't come to that. I've never doubted you for a second." Why though? Why do you believe in me? "Where is all this coming from, Flug? What makes you think you couldn't do this?"

"I...I...It's...Gabriel. And the others. I know, an-and knew then, that there were other things I could've done. Other ways to deal with it. I knew that I didn't have to k-k-ki-kill them. I didn't but, but I did. I had to do it. I had to do something. I couldn't just let it happen again." And I couldn't stand to see him suffering too. "I had to put an end to it. And then, then I ha-had to k-keep it secret...I...I did have to. For the b-b-both of us. Didn't I?" Black Hat hummed softly and pressed his lips to Flug's forehead. "An-And Aurelio is kind of the same. I know it's a bit much to kill and torture someone, just for spilling a secret and wre-wrecking a car, did you ever find out if i-it was him? Or was he just the reason it happened?"

"Good people like to say that putting a gun to someone's head and forcing them to pull the trigger is still murder. He's responsible, whether or not he did it himself."

"Right, but, a good person probably wouldn't go straight to m-murder."

"No, probably not."

"Yeah, but, I want to kill him. I want to make him suffer. An-And, I've wanted to test my inventions on people before. Use them li-like their meant t-t-to be used. Ev-Even though I d-d-do want to, what if I can't? What if I fr-freeze up and can't do it? Wh-what if I just don't have it in me to go ahead and...do it? To some stranger? I-I don't know if I can kill someone without it being f-f-for revenge, or to protect myself."

"I think you do." Black Hat said in a low voice. "As a matter of fact I know you do."

"How? How can you always be so sure?"

"I've told you before, that same thing I have in me, that allows me to kill and watch others die without a second thought, I see in you."

Pure villainy.

"If you didn't have it, you'd have never stolen that plane in the first place. You wouldn't have been able to go through with that or anything you did to cover it up. You certainly wouldn't have been able to shoot Aurelio at point blank and give a damn evil monologue in front of a crowd like it's your big opening night. It was terribly cliché, but it's proof enough of what you're capable of. Let's not forget how easily you talked your way out of it, not only to school officials but law enforcement as well. It was a mess, but we were both out of there after a few hours. Regardless of motive or reason, not just anyone can do these things. You know how many people get exposed every day? You don't see them doing anything close to what you did. They don't have it in them. You do. If not, you wouldn't be able to live your life as you do. You do all these things, and then you go home. With no one the wiser as to what's under the skin. You wouldn't be able to carry on as you do, living your life like anyone else after all that you've done. You wouldn't be with me now, yet here you are," Black Hat mused. "Right in my arms."

Flug buried his face back into Black Hat's chest. Wishing he could just push the two of them closer and shove out the rest of the world. His back curved as Black Hat held him tighter. Adjusting himself to fit perfectly in his arms. Feeling one hand trail down to the small of his back, just resting there.

"I was younger than you were when I first killed someone." Black Hat continued. "It was something I had to do too. I couldn't let myself be caught. I had to protect myself. Sure, maybe I didn't necessarily have to kill her, but I had to do something." Flug listened intently, hanging on every word he said. Black Hat had never spoken about his first kill before. He brought Flug's face up to his own. "You know what most surprised me about it? I didn't feel much of anything. I thought I would, really I did. I thought I'd feel remorse, or some sort of regret at least. I thought I'd feel worse about taking the life of another. I didn't. If anything, it felt like I'd let go of something I'd been carrying with me for a long time. I felt a profound sense of release. I can tell you that it does get easier. It becomes a lot easier when it's less about having to do it and more just a thing you can do."

Flug gulped. Surprised by how much he could relate to Black Hat's description of how it felt to kill someone. He wanted to hear more details. He wanted to know exactly how old Black Hat had been. What the circumstances were of his first kill. How he had done it. He wanted to know more.

"If you really need me to show you how much easier it becomes, then don't worry. I will be right there."

That sounded so reassuring. It gave Flug so much comfort to think that even if he couldn't do it on his own, he'd have Black Hat there. He'd be there for him. He'd be there to help him. He'd show him, if he couldn't do it on his own yet. He wanted to be able to do it himself. He didn't want to have to rely on Black Hat. But it was so nice to think that he could. That he had him to lean on until he was able to stand on his own two feet.

But there was still something that bugged him about it.

"W-W-Why?" He asked. "W-Why would you do that for me? Why would you put in s-s-so much time and effort even if I c-couldn't do this on my own? Why would you go so far to help me?"

"Because, Flug," Black Hat shifted so that he was on top of him. He looked down at him dead in the eye. "You are mine. And I'm not giving up on you for anything." Black Hat reached up, bracing himself on his elbows, and cradled Flug's face in his hands. He slowly came down, face to face, and just when he was about to make contact he stopped. "May I?"

"Yes," Flug gently lifted his face up and met him. Black Hat pushed him flat against the bed, delicately moving his head to get it at the perfect angle where his tongue reached all his sweet spots. Flug whimpered as the moist appendage pushed into his mouth, greeting it with a desperate lick. God he needed this. He wrapped his arms under Black Hat's, keeping him pressed down on top of him. He traced the lining of his shoulder blades and back like he was trying to feel his scars through the fabric. Black Hat moved his mouth down to suck along his neck. He sure loved leaving marks on him. Little things to let everyone know that Flug belonged to him.

He was his. His...

"You are mine, right?" Black Hat asked, like he wanted to make sure he hadn't accidentally overstepped his boundaries. Flug greatly appreciated when he checked that. That he did consider how Flug felt about some of the things he said and did. Making sure he wasn't doing anything Flug wasn't ready for.

"I am, Master. I'm...I'm yours."

"Good."

He alternated between nibbling at his neck and kissing him. Not really biting, just sucking, maybe pricking the skin. It tingled. He had a secure hold on Flug's head and neck to keep him in whatever position he wanted him in when they kissed. Flug liked when Black Hat was kissing him, he liked to hold on to the back of his shoulders and kiss him harder. He slowly slid his hands down Black Hat's back, gently stroking the subtle curves and indents of his body. When Flug got down to his lower back though, he hesitated. Maybe he shouldn't. Maybe Black Hat wouldn't like it if he did that. It was kind of stepping out of his role here, at least that was what it felt like. Like there was some line there he wasn't sure he was allowed to cross. He didn't want to do the wrong thing, although he had very little concept of what "the wrong thing" would be. Should he ask? He just-

"Why'd you stop?" Black Hat asked, panting slightly. He bared his teeth in a sultry grin. "Afraid I'll bite?"

"I-I, um, I didn't know if you wa-wa-wanted me to, uh-" Flug pulled away slightly, only for Black Hat to recapture his lips. Flug's hands returned, moving to Black Hat's hips. Oh God just a little closer and-

"I want you to keep going. C'mon, my darling little Pet," Black Hat curled his fingers in Flug's hair, gripping the scrappy brown locks tight. His voice was low and soft as he brought them together again. Oh sweet Jesus Flug liked it when his voice got like that. "Show me what you want."

Ok he was doing it. He was groping Black Hat's ass like it was his job. He squeezed the cheeks desperately, clutching and fondling as if he'd never get another chance. God he was so hot. He started grinding against Black Hat, giving them both delicious friction. Black Hat breathed heavily in his face, grinning evilly as he moved his hands to the sides of Flug's head to brace himself.

"That's it, there you go," He encouraged, "See? You can do this, easy. I'll help you. I'll show you how. I'm going to take such good care of you." He kissed him again, drawing out a whine. It made Flug buck his hips madly, flowing with so much energy all of a sudden. He couldn't stop his body or his hands or his lips, it was all he could do to stop himself from begging. He bit his lip so hard he might've drawn blood. Damn his overly-sensitive sexually-starved virgin body! Damn Black Hat nibbling on his ear and saying sexy things!

"I want to hear you, mi precioso," Black Hat whispered hotly into his ear. If Flug wasn't so paranoid he probably would've fucking exploded at the long lick savoring his skin. He fought it back.

"De-Demetra." He panted out. "She, she could be out there still. Listening in."

"Well, thanks to you, she thinks our sex life is far more adventurous than it actually is." By that he probably meant she was under the impression they had a sex life. "She's already got her own ideas of what we're doing in here."

"Doesn't mean we hav-have to confirm any of it."

"How would we do that?" Black Hat asked, picking himself up a bit. "Do you..." he glanced around. "Do you have toys in here?"

Flug face flushed. "Uh, n-n-no. I've, I've never had the nerve to go b-b-buy any." He'd been tempted, sure, but he could never bring himself to actually go in and...well, just the thought of going inside to any sort of sex shop filled him with anxiety. He got embarrassed just thinking about it! Even online shopping, he couldn't stand the thought that it might get here and someone would see it before he could take it inside. He didn't trust that the packaging would be discreet.

"Well that wasn't what I brought you, so I guess we're kind of limited in terms of foreplay." Black Hat said, looking off like he was actually thinking about what they could use instead of toys.

Ok first off, why would he have brought something like that here now of all times?! Did anything about the texts or phone call insinuate that something sexual was going to happen here today? Was he hoping for a threesome?! Perhaps with how Demetra was kind of inappropriately into him and Flug was kind of periodically ending up beneath him lately, it seemed like a possibility, but fuck was now really the time!? Did anything about the situation give off the impression that now was the time to try for something like that? Hell, even after that bit of heart-to-heart, did sex seem likely? Did he think he could perform some sort of pelvic sorcery and fuck some confidence into Flug?

Second, just how far was he intending to go while there's another person potentially right outside the door? Did he think Flug would be able to keep quiet? Really?! He sure didn't think he could. There was not sufficient lubrication in this room. Flug would prefer not to tear something during his first time being penetrated, thank you very much. I mean, perhaps Black Hat could use his tongue, but damn Flug was not sure he was ready for that. Nor was he ready to have sex with an audience. He could just imagine Demetra cheering them on or something from the other side of the door. Ugh, that would completely ruin the mood for him.

Third...

"What d-did you get me?" Flug asked. Black Hat had briefly mentioned that he had gotten something for him, and that was why he had been a bit late. Still pretty impressive punctuality, all things considered.

Black Hat shrugged. "Tiramisu. Do you like tiramisu? You should, it tastes like coffee and it's basically cake. That's two things you like right there."

"You brought me...cake?"

"I figured you might be a bit upset about, well, everything. You sounded pretty panicked over the phone. It cheered you up when Dem brought you cake before, so..." He smoothed back his hair. "I don't know, it seemed like something to do. Do you not like tiramisu?"

"No no, I do. I just wasn't expecting it. Thank you." He went and got him a cake? He just up and did that on a whim? Thinking that Flug was freaking out about the situation and might need something to cheer him up? And just deciding to show up with cake? Because one time cake had made him smile, so Black Hat thought it might make him feel better? That was actually kind of sweet. And he'd taken into consideration Flug's caffeine obsession and brought coffee-flavored cake? Flug would be lying if he said that didn't score Black Hat some brownie points. That was so thoughtful. "Where did you even get tiramisu?"

"I passed a place on the way here." Black Hat laid back down and made himself comfortable, curling up around Flug again. "I thought it'd only take a quick minute to get. Didn't mean to make you so worried."

"That's...alright." Flug took a second to process that this was in fact happening. He and Black Hat were indeed cuddling in his bed. For the second time now. And that's just from today! He gingerly returned the action, reaching up to stroke the small hairs at the back of Black Hat's head. The murderer pressed in closer, looking so serene to have his head resting on Flug's shoulder. It was enough to get Flug to relax again. He actually didn't feel so weird about the two of them being in bed like this anymore. He guess after all that, cuddling up wasn't such a big deal. Kind of a nice change of pace. There wasn't anything even that sexual about it. It was just...nice. He spoke up, after some time of being lost in this strange trance of watching his Master's resting face. "I sure hope Demetra hasn't eaten that tiramisu while we've been in here. That would kind of suck."

Black Hat's right eye went wide. The way his left remained lidded was a little distracting. "She better not have!" He jumped off the bed and stormed off towards the door.

Ah, well, at least they were both still decent.

Black Hat opened the door and Demetra was indeed there, crouched down by the doorknob.

"Did you eat Flug's tiramisu?" He demanded.

"Whoa, are you blind? Is that why you always wear a monocle?"

"Answer the question." He said in an equally aggressive tone.

"I did not. Nice haircut by the way. Very stylish. I thought maybe you got bad hat-hair but looked too good in hats to stop wearing them."

Black Hat then seemed to realize he was hat-less before her and walked back to retrieve his headwear. Flug kind of awkwardly slipped his glasses back on and got up as well. No need to give her any more ideas about what they'd been doing in his bedroom. In bed. With the door locked.

"So," Demetra said as she picked herself up. "I couldn't hear shit. And your door didn't have a keyhole I could peek through." BITCH WHAT THE FUCK. "Did you two have a good long talk?"

"Yes, yes we did." Black Hat was nonchalantly putting on everything he'd taken off neatly. "Do you think you're ready for tomorrow now, Flug?"

"I think I am." He said, not as nervous as he thought he'd be. Though Demetra was testing him. "You'll help me, if I need you to, right?"

"Of course," Black Hat reached over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't?"

He then walked out of the room, grinning slyly and leaving Flug frozen like he'd just been paralyzed. By God he wished that was all there was to them. Just boyfriend and boyfriend, getting fawned over by their mutual waitress buddy who was currently squee-ing at that cutesy-fruitsy moment she just witnessed.

It would be so nice if he wasn't actually kinda looking forward to kidnapping and torturing and inevitably murdering someone on a Saturday night. So, so nice.

"You two are so damn cute together!" Demetra proclaimed with a slap to Flug's arm. "And here you were worried!"

"Heh, yeah." He mumbled, coming to his senses. "I guess I was just overthinking things after all."

"Ehhh, I wouldn't say that." She gave him a sort of sideways smirk. "You just got so wrapped up in your thoughts that you forgot something important."

"Huh? What'd I forget?"

"That you got me, you got him, and we got you, my man." She squeezed him into a tight bear-hug. "And I was kidding about peeking at you two, I swear."

"Were you trying to listen in?" He managed to choke out.

"Ehhhhhhhhhh yeeeeah, I was," She admitted. "Just to make sure you guys actually talked and didn't just make out or something to put it off." She eyed his neck suspiciously. "I promise I didn't hear nothin'. But I do want you to hit me up and tell me how your lil' date night goes."

"Do I have to?"

"If you don't, I'll just have to ask you about it next time I see you at the cafe. And I won't be discreet." She smiled wickedly, but Flug liked to hope that she was only joking. He also hoped that she'd loosen her grip soon or he was going to suffocate. She winked. "Relax, my dude. I remember what you said before. I can keep it low-key. After what you did to that creep, I'm not tryin' to get on your bad side anytime soon." Flug smiled though he still couldn't breathe. She was a loon, but she wasn't trying to make fun or laugh at him. Not cruelly, at least. Maybe this was just what it was like to have a friend with absolutely no filter. Hopefully she could grow one and stop giving Flug anxiety attacks every time they talked. Probably wouldn't hurt for him to grow some thicker skin too.

"Flug!" Black Hat called out. "Do you want this tiramisu or not? I'm stealing a piece for my trouble ok?"

Flug chuckled as much as he could with his lungs being squeezed, did it really count as stealing if he announced it? "I'll be right there." He slipped out of Demetra's arms and walked out calmly to get a piece for himself.

"OOOOH I want some too!" She followed close behind. "What is it?"

"It's like cake, and it tastes like coffee."

"Oh my God Black Hat stop enabling his addiction!"

Flug actually laughed out loud. This was quite possibly the most content he'd ever been around other people in years. Even if he was utterly convinced that the two people with him at present were both completely insane. Two different kinds of crazy, but crazy nonetheless.

Maybe...maybe he was too. Maybe he was his own kind of crazy.


Translations:

chapulínes = from the Nahuatl word "chapolin (singular)/chapolimeh (plural)". They are grasshoppers of the genus Sphenarium.

¡Oh Dios mio no! = Oh my God no! (Spanish)

Madre de Dios = Mother of God (Spanish)

mi precioso = my precious (Spanish)


Notes:

Yeah so, I know this is kinda late. Life happens, ya know? You're still getting the usual two for December, this changes nothing. Next time, Stakeout!