Cleithrophoia

Flug swore the box was smaller than he'd made it to be.
His arms were braced against the wide and top of the box, one foot flat on the floor while the other was against the side behind him, his body bent at at a near 90 degree angle as he struggled to fit.
The biggest problem was that he'd designed it for one person to be trapped in. And the growling from somewhere just above his head reminded him who's chest he was pressed against.
He suddenly wished he'd installed lights on the inside of the stupid box. It was bad enough being trapped in here, he didn't need his angry boss inches- let's be honest, inch from his face.
"Flug." Blackhat growled, voice dropping into a low that meant he was about to hurt someone in a way they couldn't walk away from. "What happened."
"B-Box - my invention, it went off, I- I think." he flinched. Yeah, of course it had gone off. "I-It's ... it's on a five minute timer, w-we'll be let out s-soon."
He could feel Blackhat shift under him, suddenly whimpering. If Blackhat tried to break out-
"I-It's designed to toss any att-at-attacks back a-at the source... un-unbreakable really." He blurted, before snapping his jaw shut to let that sink in. Still, he was pretty sure that if it weren't for the pathetic, whimpering mess Flug had become, Blackhat would have torn Flug's face off.
His boss just loved when humans were terrified, more than he loved them in pain. It was, admittedly, a fact Flug had abused to get out of his bosses claws more than once.
Blackhat hissed from between his teeth, settling in.
"Fine." Blackhat snapped. "But once we're out of this infernal contraption, you will be properly punished."
Flug bit his lip, whimpering and giving a small nod. He might not be able to see, but... he was fairly sure Blackhat could see in the dark. He technically had nightvision installed in his goggles but... honestly, he didn't think he could move his arms, even if he knew that the box wouldn't budge an inch until it opened.
He could feel the closed space around them, keeping him trapped. He shut his eyes, it wasn't as if he could see anything instead, attempting to steady his breathing before he started full on hyperventilating. Thankfully, he'd designed the box to allow air to flow in and out, so he didn't have to worry about suffocation.
Dear god. Why did he think about that. He was making it worse.
He could hear, more than feel, Blackhat shifting around, trying to get comfortable. It was the only sound other than his breathing. However, in one moment to the next, Blackhat suddenly went quiet.
"Flug." Blackhat began slowly. "Are you claustrophobic?"
Flug didn't give a proper answer, instead whimpering more as if that would stop Blackhat from figuring things out. Blackhat's laughter took him by surprise, causing him to attempt to jerk away from the man he was trapped with.
"Oh, my dear scientist." Blackhat tsked. "With that bag on your head I would have taken you for agoraphobic." A pause. "What is it about the box that's so different about the bag then? Is it the fact you can remove the bag as you please? Do the walls seem to close in on you? The darkness? Having trouble breathing?"
Blackhat was just digging in for a reaction now. And it was working, even if not for the reasons he thought.
"Sir, please." Flug begged, his voice several pitches higher from fear. He was aware of how stupid a move that was the moment the words had left his mouth. He might as well have just handed his boss a free pass to cause emotional trauma down the road.
He didn't have to dwell to long on that fact. A moment later, light poured onto them as they fell to the floor, detangling from each other as the box refolded itself into a hand sized cube.
Flug scrambled away from his boss, throwing himself onto a chair and breathing maybe just a little too deeply, clenching his shirt tight enough he was surprised he didn't break it. Behind him, he could feel the clicking of Blackhats heels as he moved closer.
"An interesting device Flug." Blackhats hand was suddenly on his shoulder, sending shivers down the scientists spine. "Once you've worked out the... kinks, it should prove quite useful."
Blackhat pulled away from him moving away.
"Back to work." he barked over his shoulder, leaving in a flourish as the door slammed shut behind him.
That didn't help. He was starting to feel just as trapped in the lab as he had been in the box. His eyes scanned the floor, finding where it had landed just under one of the tables. He scooped it up, humping it on a workbench.
Flug felt a little better after he'd smashed it to pieces with a hammer.