It's May, the sun has just set, and two figures running up the side of a hill are cast dark against the steel blue sky.

"Wait up!" one of them calls, laughter in his voice.

The other, who had a head start, throws a look over her shoulder and grins. "Slowpoke!" she yells, giggling madly when all she receives is a playful growl.

These people happen to be Megamind and Cat – good friends, and both very grateful for the other's presence in their life.

Cat reaches the top of the hill, but she's tackled to the ground before she can get any further. She shrieks, mostly in delight, but it's enough for Megamind to roll off her. "Sorry," he rushes, "that was stupid – "

"Oh, shut up," Cat says, beaming up at him. She's happy – happy and warm and giggly. An idea hits her, and the beam turns into a grin as she tugs him down to lay beside her in the soft grass.

Megamind grunts, a surprised 'oof', but doesn't try to get up again.

They both giggle a bit, and then silence settles over them like a familiar and comforting blanket. Sometimes you don't need to talk to understand each other – a thing both of them have learned in the presence of the other.

Cat sighs, a soft and content sound, and moves her focus from Megamind's warmth to the chill of the sky above. The stars are just beginning to appear, some tiny specks of light scattered on the still darkening heavens, some hiding behind layers of wispy clouds.

They lie in the comfortable silence for a while. Cat listens to her own heartbeat, counting each thump with a familiar ease.

By the time the silence is broken, the sky has turned inky black and the stars have spilled across it.

"Tell me, Cat," Megamind says. There's a softened edge of honesty to his voice. "What's your favorite con-steh-lahtion?"

Con-steh – ah.

"Oh," Cat says, blinking up at the sky before biting her lip. "I – well… the Pleiades has always been a favorite of mine."

Megamind lets out a soft laugh. It doesn't sound mocking at all, and she breathes a sigh of relief. "The Seven Sisters, hm? Do you know how to spot them?"

Cat hesitates. What if he laughs at her? But if she lies, he might ask for her to show him where they are – and then she'll have to admit to lying –

"No," she admits softly, heartbeat kicking up a notch. "I don't."

Megamind lifts himself up on one elbow beside her. Oh, no – he's going to leave, she should've known this – should apologize –

"Here," Megamind says, putting a gentle hand on her elbow, "I'll show you."

Cat stares up at him. She knows she's gaping – knows that she's blushing, too – but she can't bring herself to care. "O – oh," she stutters, hesitantly pushing herself up on one elbow, as well. "I – alright."

He smiles at her, a small and comforting smile. It's a great contrast to the evil grins he often shoots off in her direction. Cat isn't sure which she prefers more, the comforting smile or the evil grin. But does it matter? It's Megamind.

"See there?" Megamind asks, raising the arm not on Cat's elbow to point up into the spotted darkness. "The star right there – shining brighter than the others – "

Like you, Cat thinks, before she can stop herself.

She squints at the stars. It shouldn't be too hard to find it – there can only be one star shining the brightest, after all, and she has the general location of where it is –

"…no," she says, after a few long moments of staring.

Megamind scoots closer.

Their shoulders bump.

Cat – breathes.

Oh, she thinks.

Warmth wells up in her cheeks. Had someone asked her to recite the alphabet right then and there, she wouldn't have come further than a stuttered A.

She basks in the glory of Megamind's warmth, for a moment, but forces herself to focus on following the line of his arm. No use in disappointing him, after all.

She's spent some time looking at pictures of the Pleiades online, so she knows what they look like and how they're positioned –

and now, for the first time in her life, she sees them in person.

"Oh," she breathes, heart and emotions bleeding into the word. "Oh."

"I know," Megamind whispers, and his breath fans hot across her cheek. "Beautiful, right?"

And yes, they are – they always have been. But… there's something far more beautiful than stars here.

Cat turns her face to look at Megamind –

and struggles to breathe.

The starlight bounces off his skin, causing it to have a faint glow. It catches on his cheekbones and casts shade across his features – and the tips of his ears, usually a soft lilac, are now darkened to a dimmer shade of violet.

Megamind hears her soft intake of breath and turns to look at her, worry etched onto his face in worn lines –

and his brilliant green eyes sparkle in the night – the stars look like faint echoes in comparison –

he's so close and he's so beautiful –

"Cat?" Megamind says, and he sounds worried, too –

"I want to kiss you very bad right now," Cat blurts, before promptly blushing.

She should not have said that –

Megamind's expression turns surprised, at first, but then it morphs into a smug grin. Cat blushes even harder. He leans forward and raises an eyebrow – the shadows are cast so that he looks even smugger, now –

"Well then, why don't you go ahead?" he asks, lowering his voice three pitches so that it becomes even huskier than before.

"Eep," Cat says.

Megamind laughs, a sound that reflects such happiness that Cat can't quite believe it – and before she has the time to gather her wits, he leans forward and presses his lips to hers.

It's – nothing like she expected, both better and worse in many ways – he's inexperienced, she can tell, but he's warm and he's gentle and he's Megamind –

The kiss is soft and tender and more than Cat could ever dream of. She pulls back before it can turn into something more. That's not what she wants right now – and besides, it's a first kiss – it doesn't need to turn into something more.

That can come later, she thinks, and promptly blushes again.

"Was that okay?" Megamind asks, and the playful demeanor is replaced by gentle worry.

Oh, Megamind – sweet, sweet Megamind –

Cat opens her mouth, is about to speak, and swallows the word babe before it spills from her lips. "It was perfect," she whispers, and it's true.

Megamind cocks his head, a puzzled frown on his brow. "What were you about to say?"

"Huh?"

"What were – just now," Megamind clarifies, "you were about to say something – "

"Oh," Cat whispers, "oh, uh… babe. I was. About to call you babe."

There's a beat – a pause of hesitation, and Cat feels like she's ruined this thing between them before it could even start –

but then Megamind grins – toothily, evilly, and Cat trembles. "Great," he growls, before leaning forward and kissing her again.

Later, after sweet kisses shared beneath the stars, Cat and Megamind lie still in the grass, fingers tangled between them. "I love you," Cat whispers. She wants to yell it from the rooftops, feels like the world should know – but Megamind is the only one that matters right now, in this soft and sacred moment. "You know that, right?"

"Yeah," Megamind whispers back, tightening his grip on her hand. "I know."

Megamind's pulse thuds against Cat's palm, and she knows that he loves her, as well.