Claimed [PaperHat] ✔️

s i x

need-to-know

The creak of the laboratory door caught Dr. Flug's attention, and he glanced over his shoulder to see White Hat entering the room. The scientist greeted the fiend, "Hello, White Hat."

"Good evening, Doctor." White Hat gave Flug a smile, approaching his workbench. Flug picked up one of his boxes of parts and set it on the bench, and he squinted at one of the shelves behind White Hat. He spoke up, "Could you grab that ray gun off the top shelf for me, please?"

White Hat nodded, grabbing said ray gun and setting it next to the box on the workbench. Flug pulled a few parts out of the box, and White Hat watched with curiosity. Flug glanced at the demon, and he pointed out, "You're curious."

"Your inventions fascinate me," White Hat responded, examining the structure of the ray gun on the table. Flug smiled behind his paper bag, and he continued to put together an attachment for the ray gun. He worked in silence while White Hat watched, until he decided to question, "What does 'claimed' mean? To you and Black Hat, I mean?"

"You don't know?" White Hat asked, genuinely confused. He knew that his brother was secretive about what he was, but claiming was an obvious concept. Flug shook his head in response, and White Hat pulled a stool over so he could sit as he explained, "Claiming, for beings like me and him, is similar to the human relationship. It is the concept of marking our other half and claiming them as ours."

Flug stopped working, interested in what White Hat was explaining. It was much better than guessing and assuming. He grabbed his workbench chair and took a seat, asking, "Is it an important thing?"

"It's a possession thing, really. It's the worst idea to get too friendly with someone who has been claimed," The demon elaborated. He shrugged off his overcoat, laying it on the workbench neatly. Flug folded his arms on the surface of the table, and he prodded, "How does it work? Like, how is it done?"

"Are you asking for a demonstration, Doctor?" White Hat raised an eyebrow at Flug, a small smirk appearing on his face. Flug blushed furiously, and he rubbed his neck as he said, "A simple explanation will suffice."

White Hat laughed a bit, acknowledging that he made the bag-headed man blush. The explanation wasn't as simple as many make it out to be. Well, simply because it varies for everyone. White Hat sighed, "The claiming process only happens once in our life. It's a unique process when we find our other half. Some physically mark their other halves, and some just leave a mark on the soul."

"Have you marked anyone yet?" Flug's question was quite impulsive, and it contained a somewhat obvious answer. White Hat shook his head to say no. Obviously. The demon had been flirting with the scientist not too long ago, so he couldn't have marked anyone. White Hat examined Dr. Flug, and he realised that Black Hat was still in the process of trying to claim the human. He chuckled, "He's trying really hard, that's for sure."

Flug tilted his head to the side a bit, confused at the statement. White Hat stood from his stool, and he grabbed his overcoat from the workbench. Flug watched as the demon slipped into the coat, and he asked, "What do you mean he's trying really hard?"

"You need to let him in. Then help him let himself in," White Hat explained vaguely, giving one final tug on his overcoat. He rounded the workbench and made his way to the door of the laboratory. Flug looked down at the surface of the table, and he breathed out when he heard the lab door click shut. He had time to think about what White Hat had said.

You need to let him in. Then help him let himself in.

Both of the Hat brothers were riddles that were wrapped in enigmas that were complimented with Rubik's cube puzzles. Flug would be lucky if he managed to figure out at least one of them. He sighed and stood from he chair, pushing it against the wall so he could walk around the lab more freely.

One thing that Flug knew for sure was that he had to talk to Black Hat about claiming as well. Considering he didn't really know White Hat, he couldn't use the white-clad demon as a credible source. However, the thought of prodding at Black Hat for such personal information scared Flug. His boss was always touchy when it came to his personal life and what his species was like. It was as if he hated his own species, hence why he never shared information about them.

Flug shook his head to clear his thoughts, and he finally managed to get back to work on the ray gun on the workbench. All the while, though, his entire conversation with White Hat was still floating around in the back of his head.

Oh boy.