She needed to talk to him. She really needed to talk to him. In private, preferably alone, and ideally away from all of the crowds that had swarmed the streets in celebration after Tighten's defeat. Victory had indeed been Megamind's that day, the festivities proceeding the event lasting for hours on end and now carrying over into night. Somehow, within all of the hustle-and-bustle she had been separated from the newfound hero, finding herself the victim of many an interview-conducted by both reporter and policeman alike-and under the near constant scrutiny of television cameras and flashing lights. By the time darkness had come she had explained the same situation countless times: yes, she had been fearful of what was going to happen on that tower; no, she had not truly known whether or not Megamind would come to her aid; yes, she had tried to stop Tighten on her own and had known who he was for quite some time now; no, she hadn't actually expected to survive the day…. Then came the big question-What is your relationship with Megamind? Are you two romantically involved?
…were they? She had awarded that particular reporter a simple "no comment" but the question had lingered in her mind ever since, attaching itself to her psyche like a relentless parasite. For so long now she had avoided the issue altogether, focusing nearly all of her energy on helping Megamind save the city and choosing to remain silent on the matter of what had happened before. Now, however she had something to say. The tension that had risen between them over the past few days had nearly been enough to drive her mad and-after today's events, after all that had been said-she simply could not ignore it any longer.
So, she went off in search of him…not a particularly difficult task considering how well he tended to stand out against the crowd, along with the ape-like Minion, but still no laughable quest with the encroaching dark of night descending upon the city. She spotted the two eventually, far away amidst a plethora of police cars and streetlights, and gazed with mirth at the scene that unfolded in the distance. A small band of children were crowding around the dynamic pair, despite the late hour, and she stood giggling at Megamind's reaction to them. His lips were curved in a small yet very unsure smile and he wore an expression which wavered between horrification and bemusement at the tiny being that surrounded him, jumping up and down and pulling at his cloak as they marveled at his generally strange appearance. Minion -who had, by now, received another mechanical humanoid chassis with which to conduct his affairs- in contrast, seemed to be in his natural element, laughing with the children and sporting with them with an ease and gentleness which seemed quite beyond him. A few reporters and general media workers remained crammed around the group, occasionally snapping pictures or shoving microphones in the direction of their targets, eager to catch the last bits of possible news or gossip material.
Roxanne looked away, frowning as a thought passed through her mind. How desperately she wished to speak with him. But, what if he did not wish to talk to her? What if he didn't want anything to do with her anymore? The things she had said to him that night in the rain…they were more than enough to send anyone running.
No, she shook her head, what he had said earlier…
I finally had a reason to win…you.
He had not been lying. Those words had been truthful…she had never been so sure of anything in her life.
Her foot pressed forward, taking the first step of a long journey towards the pair in the distance. Did she know what she was going to say to him? No, she had absolutely no idea-but she did know one thing…she really needed to talk to him.
***
He needed to talk to her. He really needed to talk to her. Alone, in private, and away from the current crowd of people that had swarmed the streets after they had defeated Tighten. Ever since he and Roxanne had been separated earlier he had thought of nothing else. For hours he had worried, fretting over what she thought of him and how she had taken his earlier admission. Not that he had been awarded the chance to come to a conclusion on the matter, however. He had been swarmed by reporters from various news stations ever since the battle had ended-attention he didn't typically enjoy, although in his field it was hard to avoid. All day he had put up with the flashing lights, inquisitive camera-lens', and nearly incessant interrogation. The questions he had found least enjoyable. How did you know Tighten's weakness was his nose? Why did you decide to rescue Roxanne Ritchi? What made you come to the good side? Why the sudden change of heart? Are you and Roxanne romantically involved? The last one he found especially disturbing, wincing as it had been asked. His reply was… well nothing. He'd ignored that specific reporter, pretending not to hear the question. He had heard it, however, oh how he had heard it.
Even now, as he was surrounded by hoards of tiny humans the question plagued him. How could he answer it, he didn't know what they were.
I did look back. The words echoed in his mind, her admission from earlier.
Did she really? Or had she just said that to get him to look back at the car? No, it had to be true, had to be. Somehow, he knew she had not been lying. She had been telling the truth.
But what did that mean to them now?
"They're just like brain-bots, sir," Minion exclaimed, interrupting Megamind's thoughts as he instructed his master in the ways of the young, "Except they don't really listen to you…and they pick their nose lot. I mean, It's not that hard."
"Eww!" Megamind screeched, gently pushing the children away, quickly checking his arms for any unwanted bits of goo , "I just don't have your talent, Minion. They're so…so squishy….and small."
"Oh, come on, it's fun!"
"Eh, fun…yes." he said as he began to walk away from the children, "well, I think it's time that they go home now, Hmm? " His eyes shifted through the area around him, searching far for any signs of Roxanne; there were none, however, and he released a dejected sigh at the notion that she may have returned home.
"What's wrong, sir?" Minion inquired of his old friend, noticing his sudden change in demeanor. In truth, he knew exactly what was wrong, and what had been wrong ever since they had lost track of Miss Ritchi.
"Nothing Minion, continue on. I'll just step around the corner for a break now shall I? I'll be back in a few." He turned to walk away.
"Sir, are you sure that you're.."
"I'm fine," Megamind interrupted him, his steps stilled although he did not turn around,, "I just need to clear my head."
"Okay, sir." Minion final relented in a deflated tone.
Megamind strode away, passing around the corner and moving to the poorly lit stairway of a nearby office building. There, he sat, shoulders sagging into the darkness as he once more began to ponder his relationship with Roxanne. Sorrowfully, he admitted to himself that, despite the days events, he remained largely unsure of her feelings. There had been instances, yes, when he had allowed a flicker of hope to pass through his mind-such as when she had given him that soft, familiar smile upon discovering his disguise as Metro-man, or when she had celebrated with him a few moments after their victory-but none of them had given him a clear idea of where they stood together as a couple. What was more…those passing moments had been during the heated excitement of battle, while old quarrels could easily have been forgotten. Now that the flashing lights were gone and the evil foe had been thwarted, would she still gift him with those same attentions? Now that her memories had been allowed to return fully, would she still be willing to grant him a second chance? Now that she did not need him anymore, would she still want him? The idea was doubtful at best. Although the city now saw him as a villain turned hero, she could never look at him through such a simple lens. The world did not exist with such polarity…there was no black and white no matter how much he had tried to deny it; everything was mixed and complicated, vast and utterly unknowable.
Oh Roxanne, he thought, placing fist to cheek as he lost himself in doubt, everything makes so much sense when I'm with you. I don't want to lose that again.
"Please," he whispered, closing his eyes, "I couldn't take it."
"Master?"
Megamind rose upon hearing the voice of his lifetime friend and guardian, smiling half-heartedly with feigned contentment as he turned to meet the fish's gaze. "Ah, Minion, I thought I told you to stay. Just getting a breath of fresh air. Has everyone gone?"
"Not quite sir," Minion said, smiling back, despite knowing better than to believe his old friend's casual façade, "told them you were taking a break." Then, to prove that he was not quite as oblivious as his master so often assumed, "Look, there's no point in trying to hide it from me, sir, I know you're worried about Miss Ritchi."
"Hah," Megamind gave a nervous laugh, "you know me so well…" Dropping the charade, he allowed his smile to diminish back into a frown and once more assumed the demeanor of a man who was drowning in a sea of worry and doubt, "I'm worried, my old fishy friend, I haven't seen her since those reporters dragged her away earlier, do you think that she has left? " He sighed, "I wanted to talk to her at least once before the night was over. I know I don't deserve her back but I owe her an apology at least…hundreds of apologies, really."
"Sir" Minion intoned, placing his arm upon Megamind's shoulder eager as he was to console his comrade, "For what it's worth, I think she really cares about you. You should have seen her before she discovered that it was me that was impaled by that pole instead of you, she was heartbroken. I had to give myself away just to let her know that you were okay. And I heard what you said to her about having a purpose. "
"Yes, but…she never said anything back."
"She never got the chance to, sir," Minion said, then, with a gentle shove to the shoulder he attempted to lift his Master's spirits, "c'mon, why don't we go find her? Hmm?"
"But what if she doesn't want to speak with me?"
"What are you talking about. Of course she'll want to speak with you."
"Oh…" he groaned, still plagued by worry and disbelief. He stepped away from his friend, putting elbow to arm and resting a fist against his forehead, "prove it."
"Megamind?" spoke a soft voice emanating from the side of the building, startling both Megamind and Minion out of their conversation. The sound of heeled footsteps followed shortly afterward, followed by the approaching silhouette of Roxanne Ritchi. Megamind's heart nearly leapt out of his chest at the sight of her, his emotions jumping from fear to elation and back to fear again and again.
"Miss Ritchi!" Minion shouted as both turned to face her, "there you are!"
"Minion!" Roxanne quickened her pace, walking fully up to them, "How did you get your body back? "
"Oh, it's simple, really," Minion began, ever the one to explain, "Master had the brain-bots fetch me my spare. We always keep one just in case."
"I'm glad." she smiled, eyes going back and fourth between Minion and Megamind. He looked apprehensive, almost like he didn't want her being there. Not good, but she had to speak her mind. "So umm…" she began, addressing Minion once more, "can I speak to Megamind…for a moment?"
"Yes Miss Ritchi," Minion chirruped, stepping aside and pointing a metallic finger down towards the figure standing directly beside him, "he's right here".
"I'm…here," Megamind babbled, still lost at the sight of her.
She paused, then added, "in Private?"
Minion hesitated, momentarily dumbfounded by the idea of leaving the two alone. For so long he had fought to keep Megamind away from her, insisting that nothing about the relationship would end well, and that his master would only be hurt in the end, not only because he had been lying to Roxanne but also because love, in general, had a way of giving people wounds. He was, foremost, Megamind's guardian, protecting him from future pain was only instinctual, but he was beginning to wonder how necessary such logic was now that every thing was said and done. Megamind had indeed been wounded, yes, but had that been such a bad thing? He had finally learned what was really important in life, and now he had a new and better way to hone his talents. And Roxanne, she had taught his lanky blue friend what it was like to be human, not just an alien who had literally been alienated from the world. Megamind now knew what it was like to be "in love," a phrase neither friend had ever truly understood, and he was happier than Minion had ever seen him. Ever. No, his former logic did not stand after all, it was time to let his master go, even knowing that their would be times of pain in the future if he and Roxanne were to become a couple. Somehow he knew they would all be alright in the end…no matter what.
"Minion?" a soft masculine voice startled him out of his thoughts, Minion's eyes focuses in the figure of his friend, "Is that okay?"
"D'oh!" he exclaimed, coming fully out of his reverie, "Well…yes, right, of course. Alone! Together! Me! Leaving!" He started to walk away, but then paused and turned his "head" back fully to address them once more, although his body remained facing the other way. "Well I'll just be kissing…uh I mean sitting over there sir. Far, far away near another building where I can't see or hear anything!
"Thank you minion," Megamind offered him a grateful expression.
"I'll be back in a little while sir, okay?"
"Okay."
"Okay!" Minion exclaimed before finally strolling off awkwardly.
Megamind rolled his eyes with dramatic sarcasm, "Typical Minion."
Roxanne gave a short laugh, and then grew still, remembering her reason for being here, "So," she began, brushing away a stray hair from her forehead "….hey."
"Oll-Hello" Megamind intoned, correcting his speech, his voice warm despite a twinge of nervous apprehension that clouded his mind.
"We haven't been alone like this in a long time, she said, smiling cautiously, "Not without some evil menace trailing behind out backs."
"I know."
She shifted to the side, struggling as she scrounged around for something to say. "How are you feeling? After earlier? You took some pretty hard punches out there, are you okay?
A slight smile formed upon his features, touched as he was by her concern, "nothing that time won't heal."
"Oh...that's good…" her voice trailed off
Both paused for a while, eyes shifting back and fourth from each other to the ground, both wanting so badly to convey pent up thoughts but neither knowing where to begin.
They spoke simultaneously.
" Look Megam…"
"Roxanne I…"
Megamind smiled, "you go first."
She hesitated before taking a deep breath, somehow summoning the courage, "I miss you"
And for a moment, the words simply hung in the air. Megamind's expression at first was blank as he allowed the words to soak in, then altered as his brows furrowed and he became a vision of confusion. "You...miss me…really? "
She bit her lip, eyes trailing down to the ground, "yeah."
"But don't you think I'm weird…and evil…and blue!" he the words burst fourth from his mouth, pent up fears coming to the forefront as he somehow fought against his own cause, "I mean. I'm not normal Roxanne. Not like Bernard was, and I can't be him any more. It's him you miss. It has to be. I wish I could give him back to you but I can't. "
"I don't want Bernard back," she spoke softly, plainly, her jaw hardening with resolve. It was the truth, and nothing less.
He stilled for a moment longer, absorbing the words with astonishment. "What?" he whispered.
"I should never have said those things to you the other night, Megamind." She began, eyes returning to his, "Not any of them. When I walked away from you that night I gave up the best thing that had ever happened to me. I've never been as happy as I was during those times that we spent together and I threw it all away. She paused, letting the words soak in while she caught her breath. "And miss Bernard? There's nothing to miss. I don't want him back because I never lost him to begin with…The man I got to know was you, Megamind. Everything we did together…the dinners, the books, the bikes rides…that was all you. Even the story you told me about your past at school, you weren't faking it we're you? It was all sincere, wasn't it?
He gave a slow, deep nod, eyes shining with hope and disbelief as he listened to her intently.
"That's the man I got to know…you. That's the man I miss." She paused, fighting to say her next words, "…and that's the man I hurt. I hurt you," she continued, "I hurt you when you didn't need to be hurt any more. All I could think about when I was dangling on top of that tower was how I'd never be able to tell you how sorry I was for doing that, and for saying all of those mean things to you... I'm so…" her words stopped as tears began to stream down her face. She had been so strong over the past few months, a vision of resolve and stoicism; but now that she had found someone to confide in, someone she, somehow, still trusted with her feelings, she's just could not hold it in any longer. The dam had finally broken and all of the frustrations of the past few months were finally rising up to the surface to make themselves known "I'm so sorry."
"Roxanne…"
Her hands rose to cover her face, and she whispered, "I'm sorry," amidst a stream of broken sobs, sniffles and hiccups.
"Listen to me Roxanne. I deserved what you said that night, still deserve it."
She shook her head, moaning softly, unable to able to speak any more through the rush of tears streaming down her now reddened cheeks.
"Yes," he spoke gently, bringing a hand to her chin, searching for her eyes through the cover of her fingers. Slowly, she yielded to his silent request, eyes meeting his once more, an ocean of sadness held within each beautiful pool. "I'm the one who should be sorry," he continued, "I tricked you into thinking I was someone else. I never meant for it to go as far as it did…and I never expected to have feelings for you. It just…sort of happened, and from the moment it did I couldn't stop; wouldn't stop, even. And maybe that's not such a bad thing but I still lied to you and for that I deserved it."
"No, you didn't…you don't," she managed to blurt out. Slowly, she was calming under his gentle touch, yet there was still so much she had yet to say.
"It is only the truth, Roxanne." he said, hand dropping away from her face as he took a step away from her, face growing long with sadness "I should never have hurt you. I didn't deserve you."
"Oh," she uttered, wiping a sleeve rather ungracefully across the side of her nose. How was she supposed to convince him when he displayed such a stubborn sense of disbelief. She wanted so badly for him to know how she felt, and yet words, her most trusted ally, seemed to be failing her on the matter. But where words fail…
"What you deserve, Megamind," she said, moving her body towards his, eyes scanning the surface of his mouth before returning to meet his gaze, "is this…"
Her hand landed gently upon the side of his jaw, thumb brushing smoothly across the well trimmed line of facial hair that he maintained upon his chin. His eyes, vibrant with the green of a dampened forest, met hers of azure blue and once more a hush fell between them. Breath was rendered stagnant-a fleeting, unnecessary thing compared to the moment they now faced-and the atmosphere around them lit with the fervent spark of irrevocability. They were here now, moving together, spirits linked through the deep blackness of eye contact and rushing in tandem towards only one conclusion.
Her lips met his, and Megamind released a puff of stale air in surprise. The first time they had kissed it had been gentle, sweet, and endearing; he had been confident and she perfectly content. But this…this was entirely different, and in a way he could barely describe. It was an inwards transcendence like Megamind had never before imagined, the world was thrumming with vibrant beauty and colorful splendor, where words had failed actions now spoke the truth. What was more, she was kissing him, not Bernard…him! What joy such a thought brought him, and he breathed a fluttery, non-committal, exclamation in response to it.
He hummed, gently breaking away from the kiss to speak. His breath had grown shallow and short, the sheer intensity of the ethereal sense of joy he was experiencing nearly enough to overwhelm him.
"You looked back" he uttered blissfully, a hand rising to brush lightly against her cheek before migrating though her hair to cradle the back of her head.
She smiled, "I looked ba…" words were cut short as he rushed in to claim her lips once more, and she nearly yelped; surprised as she was by his enthusiasm. A dampness soon met the side of her check, however, followed shortly by the salty taste of tears that were not her own.
"You're crying," her voice was gentle yet concerned as she pulled back, a worried expression forming over her countenance.
"No…it's," he paused, scrounging for an excuse, "just…my eye…leaking."
Her lips found his cheek, brushing the next tear away with a kiss, her thumb following shortly after to erase the former trails. "Mhmm," she hummed, then the kiss migrated…landing first on his chin, and them roaming to the side of his lips, each moment lingering until, she finally made her way back to his mouth.
Megamind stumbled, knees nearly giving out under the force of her feather-light attentions, his heart racing faster with every press of her lips. A lump rose in his throat, threatening his resolve, although of which resolve he knew not. Whether to burst into tears or to shout with joy, both options seemed equally plausible, and equally as appropriate for the moment.
"Uh, sir the brain-bots are hungry and…oooh my" Minion froze, just as he rounded the corner, still a good distance away from the couple but close enough to see exactly what was going on upon the poorly lit stairway. To his relief the pair remained oblivious to his presence, but now he suffered the dilemma of going back from whence he came. Another move and it was all to likely that Megamind would hear him, and for once he cursed at owning his giant metallic "body." He chose to remain in place, resigning to keep the brain-bots away long enough for them to…finish what they were doing.
"My God, you could have died" she whispered, burrowing her face into his neck and tears threatened anew, hands suddenly desperate to explore his arms and chest, checking for any signs of damage. "I almost thought you had died."
"It's okay," he whispered lowly, his hands rushing to still her frantic search, thumbs brushing smoothly across her palms, "I didn't die," he pulled her closer, holding her to him with just as much fervency as she, "…neither of us did."
"Ha!" Megamind exclaimed a few moments later as the gloom of the moment evanesced into a sudden burst of excitement and pride "I didn't die!" He was lovestruck, in every sense of the word, and such a thing was cause for celebration, not sadness! Smiling, he lifted her into the air, spinning her around once before setting her down again and bringing her in for another warm embrace. "I'm alive! We made it Roxanne, and now we can start over again," he paused, "if you want to, that is…do you?" The curve of his lips waned slightly, but his smile did not disappear altogether-somehow he knew, just knew, what her answer would be.
"Yeah," she said, eyes heavy with affection, "I'd like that." Her forehead tilted to lean against his, breath wafting across his face in feather-light bursts. How happy she was to be with him now, this remarkably sensitive and extraordinarily brilliant being. They remained that way for what seemed like hours, although in reality it was only a few short minutes, until a small voice interrupted the reverence of the moment.
"Master?" Minion squeaked from the corner of the building, hesitant to disrupt their private moment-lest he incite Megamind's anger- but no longer willing to remain frozen in place, nor willing put up with the growing cloud of cranky brain-bots hiding around the side of the building behind him. He had kept them away as long as possible, shushing and swatting them away-now, however, they had resorted to biting at his tank and annoying him to no end with their constant electric chatter. "The uh…brain-bots, sir, they're. getting reeeeally…"
"Minion!" Megamind interrupted him, turning towards his friend "Just in time, Roxanne and I were just um…" how was he to phrase this politely, "discussing dinner! Let's get out of here! How about my place?" His gaze turned to Roxanne once more, eyes betraying a hidden sense of humor at their current predicament.
"I guess I am kind of hungry," she smiled, playing along with Megamind's lie, "I should go home and change, though."
"Great! I'll just have the brain-bots fly you over and I can pick you up later. Now! Minion!"
"Sir, aren't you a little tired from earlier. Don't you think you should take it easy for a while?"
"What are you talking about? Of course not! I have enough strength to rival Atlas. Off to Evil Lair to get prepared!"
"Uh, is it still evil sir?"
"Oh…right. What is it now that I'm good? It's still filled with all of my evil things. Hmm…" he paused to think, "Well, no time for that now. Off to the Lair of Undecided Alignment!" he exclaimed triumphantly, "brain-bots!"
Several brain-bots appeared from around the corner, glowing with excitement and chirruping in response to their "daddy's" call.
"Take Miss Richie to her apartment." He instructed, and watched as the brain-bots began to surround his new beau, "Gently now, and don't drop her!" They did as commanded, stretching out their long metallic "arms" and gingerly clasping her legs and shoulders.
"Megamind, if they drop me…" she warned.
"They won't," he assured her, squeezing her hands to comfort her, "You should know that I would never let any harm come to you, especially via something of my own creation." Somehow, she knew that in those words that he was referring to more than just his brain-bots. All those times he had kidnapped her in the past, threatening to risk her life with dangerous machinery…he had never been serious had he? The only person he had intended to cause harm to was Metroman who was, in essence, immune to such things.
She smiled "I trust you."
Words he could drown in. How he did want to kiss her again, he thought, gaze growing heavy as his lips sported a new, lop-sided smile. There was simply no time for it, however, and he had no idea how Minion would react. He gave her hands one last squeeze and let her go, watching at the brain-bots lifted her higher and higher into the starry sky. Her form soon became silhouetted against the sky and shortly after she was flying away at a decent speed, disappearing around the face of a nearby building. An angel, he thought. His angel.
When she was fully out of sight, he turned to face Minion, and his fishy friend looked back towards him with knowing eyes. "So, sir, how did it go?"
Minion almost laughed at his own facetiousness. He knew very well how "it" went.
"Oh, Minion! I feel so alive!" Megamind nearly shouted, "It's like I've had fifty cups of coffee!"
"Coffee, sir?"
"It's this nasty black liquid that normal people drink that makes you feel great! I should make you some!"
"I think I'm good, sir."
"Come on you handsome fish, you." Megamind chirped, patting his friend on the back, "Let's tell them all that we're leaving. Can't just disappear, now, can we? Then we can blow up some fireworks while we make a run for it! They won't give up easily, you know. These reporter types, you know how they are."
"Where are we going to get fireworks, sir?" Maybe his master could go back to kissing Miss Ritchi, there had certainly been fireworks going off there.
"Brain-bots!" Megamind shouted.
Minion merely rolled his eyes. Typical.