Author's Note: In response to the "Beat the Heat" theme for the week over on the LiveJournal community, my Muse came up with this. I've been working on the next story in my fanverse, "Legacy," and though it's proceeding, it's also a little on the heavy side. Dementia wanted a break, and so she started this. I have no illusions once again about it being a short story. I HOPE it won't be more than three or four chapters, since there isn't a huge plot to go with it, only a little one. But I thought it would be a nice change of pace. And whether or not you've been reading my fanverse stories, this may seem a little confusing in places. That's because it's set about a year after "Getting Away From It All" and "Getting Back to Business." "Legacy" will fall between those two and this one. So there are some... odd things going on. But other than the allusions to them in this chapter, none of it should be confusing. They don't really enter into this tale as more than a setting for where these characters are in their lives (now over three years post-movie).

Enough of my blathering! Enjoy!

Part the First:

A Minor Spate of Heat Exhaustion

"I told you that black is a bad color to wear during a heat wave, but did you listen to me? And I told you that skin tight leather over an impervious polymer underskin would be like living inside your own private walking sauna, but did you pay attention? And—"

"All right, enough, I get the point, thankyouverymuch! Now please, Roxanne my love, can't you show just a teensy bit of sympathy for my ignominious condition? It's bad enough that I didn't take your sound advice to heart, but to then faint in front of the entire Metrocity Midsummer Festival, where I was the guest of honor...!"

Megamind shuddered where he was sitting in a bubbling tub full of cool water, the first of many instructions that the doctors in Metro Mercy's emergency room had given him for home care following his unexpected — but entirely predictable — spate of heat exhaustion. It had been impressive, for all that it had been embarrassing. One moment he had been in front of his Museum, wowing the throngs with an intricate aerial display with him and Minion on the small but nimble versions of the hoverbikes along with a phalanx of brightly glowing brainbots, and the next moment he found himself being lowered to the ground by some very worried little cyborgs who had fortunately been there to catch him when he passed out from the heat and fell from his bike. Minion and the bots had been able to keep the unmanned hoverbike from crashing, and the EMTs had hustled the woozy and mortified hero off to the hospital to be treated for heat exhaustion.

And it wasn't that his wife of not quite a year was unsympathetic; really, Roxanne understood exactly why it had happened, and why he felt so bad about it. Aside from the obvious embarrassment of collapsing in front of half of Metro City — not to mention all the video cameras of the assembled TV stations — Megamind had essentially been raised by a fish, a cold-blooded creature. Living in his environmentally controlled habitat as he did, Minion had limited appreciation for the troubles that warm-blooded humans experienced during bouts of extreme weather.

As long as his suit was in good working condition, Minion was good to go, able to turn up the heat or the cooling as needed. Even in open waters, if things got too extreme, he could always swim down to levels that were more moderate. He felt sorry for the ways his friends suffered during heat waves and bitter cold spells, but he had only so many ideas for what to do about it. His best suggestion was too get into cold water, just like the doctors had advised. He could also provide nice, chilled rehydrating drinks and an assortment of ice packs and cold towels, but that was the extent of his ability to make things better.

"Nobody blamed you, sir," the ichthyoid told his grown ward, now his partner in crime fighting, as he entered the master bathroom where Megamind was immersed in a part of the large multi-purpose pool, which though bubbling away was also currently filled with cool water. He came bearing a tray with cups and ice and a big pitcher of fresh lemonade. "Even with the reflecting pool and the fountains going, the temperature on the plaza was at least 102 during the opening ceremonies. They really should've been more sensible and postponed things until evening, when at least the sun isn't beating down on all that concrete!"

"Yes, and they shouldn't've insisted you come decked out in your full working costume," Roxanne added from where she sat on the pool's wide marble surround, frowning. "I don't care how good it looks on camera, it was just ridiculous! You'll notice none of the other dignitaries were dressed so badly for the weather! Even the mayor showed up in shorts and a Hawaaian shirt!"

The tuckered hero's green eyes rolled most expressively as he gratefully accepted the tall glass of cold lemonade that she took from Minion's tray and passed to him. "I would never appear in an official capacity, dressed like that! I have a much better sense of what's appropriate on such occasions than Mayor Jones. He didn't even look good in that garish outfit!"

"Agreed," was Roxanne's surprisingly amiable answer. "But in the future, I want you to consider the appropriateness of what you wear. On sunny, blisteringly hot days like today, black is not a good option, not unless you plan to spend only two or three minutes out in the full sun, and then only if what you're wearing is made of a thin, breathable fabric. I think it's time you brought your old white hero outfit out of mothballs and worked on redesigning it into something that's still your style, but more practical for times like this."

She leaned forward and gave him a particularly impish look. "You know I've always thought you look good in white, and I haven't seen it on you since our wedding."

Her genius husband sighed ponderously. "I know, but really, I've had an awful lot of things on my plate, ever since last November."

She nodded, recalling everything that had come to light on that fateful weekend before Thanksgiving. "I'm not blaming you, sweetie, of course you've been busy, and I'm proud of all the decisions you've managed to make since then. These things can't be rushed, after all. But I think we can figure out a way to fit in something as simple as a sensible summer costume for you to wear in this excruciatingly hot weather. After all, you have your special winter outfits, so why not one or two for summer, when the weather gets beastly and the demands on a hero don't let up?"

"I think Mrs. Roxanne has an excellent idea, sir," Minion piped up cheerfully. "I have a few ideas for a summer costume in the design stage, and it wouldn't take too long to work them up, after you decide what you'd like and give the okay. And it's not like you'd need to wear it all summer, just during these miserable hot spells."

Megamind groused. "Which has been nearly constant ever since the middle of June! All right," he relented when both of them gave him the fish eye. "Go ahead and let me see what you've got. It's not like I'll need it immediately, anyway. The doctors were pretty insistent, I should take the next week to rest and let Wayne fill in for me, as per the agreement with the city."

Roxanne approved. "I'm glad the two of you and the city were able to work things out. It's funny, though, that filling in for you as the city's defender when you're off or sick or need extra help is part of Wayne's community service. I would've expected people to either want him back full-time or to not want him around at all. But I guess taking time away from what he'd rather be doing is a kind of punishment — and for all he did, they still don't hate him. Or you."

Now, Megamind sighed thoughtfully as he sipped his lemonade. "I have to admit, it's something of a surprise that they seem to prefer me to him, now — but then, for all that I look so different, I'm actually more like an ordinary person, not a walking god. More accessible. Oooh, Minion, this is good!" he exclaimed as he drained his glass and held it out for a refill. "This is much better than the stuff we usually buy."

"That's because it came from fresh lemons, not a bottle," the ichthyoid replied with happy pride as he poured another round. "And I added real sugar and a little of the extra electrolytes the doctors said you should have. Mr. Wayne said he'll be taking care of things for both of us until this heat breaks, even if it's longer than a week, so I'll be happy to start working on some summer outfits for you, sir. I do hate to see you suffer in the heat."

The soaking blue hero made an odd little sound as he took an appreciative sip. "Yes, well, if I just had the time to sit down and finish doing the final modifications of my protective force field, it wouldn't be an issue. The inclusion of protections from thermal extremes is actually quite simple, now that I see just how it can be done, it's the aspect of making it self-actuate and sustain during long periods of extreme conditions rather than the mere duration of a concentrated attack that's a bit trickier. Though if I went down to the lab..."

Roxanne pushed him back into the tub as he started to rise. "Uh-uh, the doctors said rest, and that's what you're going to do. You put one foot in the lab and we won't see you again for two days."

He pouted. "But—"

She stilled his protest with a kiss. "I know it's hard for you to not want to spend all your time making these new ideas you've been getting a reality," she said after she'd calmed him back into a state of bliss. "It's part of your destiny, after all. And while I'm behind that a hundred percent, it was your idea to take it slow, and I still think it's a good idea. Especially now, when you're a bit under the weather, literally. Cut yourself a little slack, sweetie. Take the week off like the doctors said. There'll still be plenty of time for you to change the world when you're all better."

Megamind subsided, but not without regret. "It won't be easy, you know, not here where all my facilities are practically begging to be used. And then there's—"

"Oh, no!" Roxanne declared, folding her arms across her chest as she gave her husband her most stern, no-nonsense glare. She didn't even need to ask what he was going to say. "That is absolutely, positively off-limits for the rest of the week!"

The big green eyes looked up at her in his best sad puppy pleading. "But Roxanne, love, that isn't work! It's no more of a strain than if you decided to relax and read a book..."

"Yes, if I decided to sit down and read a dozen technical journals, which may be fun for you but not by my definition! And you can give me that face all you want, but I'm not budging! The Teacher is off-limits for the rest of this week, and if I have to ask Wayne to take it and hide it, I will. I mean it, Mykaal. I know how exciting this is for you, but you've told me it's scary, too, and neither one is good for you when you need to rest, really rest."

Megamind pouted again, but not for long. "Okay," he surrendered, with only a touch of wistful regret. "You're right, I know you're right. Sometimes the things I learn are really exciting and just mind-boggling, and sometimes they just scare the pants off me because... Well, for a lot of reasons, and I never know which it's going to be until it's over. I'll be good, I promise."

Roxanne's smile returned as her posture relaxed. He sounded almost childlike in his sincerity. It was a strange thing to see lately, as his confidence in himself and in his role as a hero had grown dramatically, but his innocent wonder was still very much a powerful and endearing part of his personality. She leaned over to kiss his temple. "These days, you're always good, sweetie," she soothed. "Except for when you're bad in a good way, and I don't mind that at all."

Minion concurred. "Mrs. Roxanne is right, sir, you do need a bit of rest from the heat and from all the hard work you've been doing — but you're right, too. I don't think you're going to get it here with so much temptation around. Why don't you spend the week up at the lake house? That's why you have it, after all, to have some place to go when you need to get away."

Roxanne was not successful in holding back a sudden burst of laughter. Megamind looked at her, confused as to why such a simple suggestion would cause that reaction. She explained. "He's been hinting to me about it ever since the heat wave cranked into high gear. If I didn't know better, I'd think he met a lady fish while we were up there last summer, and he wants to go back and get better acquainted."

The water in Minion's habitat bubbled and frothed furiously as he sputtered in response. "No, that's not true! I didn't meet another fish! Not that I have anything against them, but Earth fish are, well... dumb animals. Ordinary fish. Dolphins, now they're people you can talk to, and some whales, too. But they aren't fish, and they're not freshwater dwellers, like me."

Intrigued, Megamind leaned back in the tub, resting his head against the curved surface designed to cradle his cranium. He considered his old friend and the conversation. "Yes, I can see your point," he drawled in reflection. "Terran fish just aren't the same as your much more advanced species. Any relationship with them would be rather pet-like at best, and that just wouldn't do. So who did you meet that you want to go back to see?"

Despite his differing circulatory system, Minion managed to blush quite furiously. "I didn't say I'd met anyone..."

"True. But who did you meet?"

The ichthyoid bubbled and sputtered for another minute, then finally surrendered. "A friend of Sunny's — you remember, the woman who owns the nice leather shop."

The big blue head nodded. "I remember. Are you talking about Astrid Kjørsvik, one of the summer workers from Norway?"

Minion shuffled his feet, but also nodded. "Yes, Astrid. She's a really nice young lady, and we've sort of been keeping in touch through email. She went to college for an advanced degree in aquatic biology and limnology at Eastern Michigan University..."

Roxanne's eyes widened. "In Ypsilanti? That's only a few hours from here. And you only kept in touch through email?"

Minion made a coughing gargly sound. "She's not my girlfriend, Mrs. Roxanne, just a friend. And I didn't want to interfere with her studies more than I already have."

A broad smile slowly spread across Megamind's face. "He's a very polite fish, my dear. He may have scads of acquaintances in various clubs and societies and sewing circles, but he thinks it's scandalous for him to have too many friends who are just friends — and only his, not mine." His eyes shifted back to the uneasy ichthyoid, still sparkling with his smile. "Have you told her your real name?"

The cough became a stammer. "Ah...I, uh, well, that is, I didn't think — but maybe..."

"You did." There was no question in the soaking hero's smug words. "And she took another summer job up in Sister Bay, this year. And you want to send the two of us up there to our lake house for me to rest so you'll have an excuse to go along and visit with Astrid face to face."

While Megamind ticked off things as he saw them, Minion floated lower and lower into his bowl, until little more than his knobby crests and the very tops of his eyes were visible. From the movement of the water inside the dome, one could tell his fins were flittering in agitation. "Okay, yeah, I do," he admitted in a small voice. "I like Astrid, a lot. Does that make me a terrible person?" He sounded as if he did indeed think that to be the case, that a fish liking a human woman and wanting to be a close friend to her was some hideous perversion for which he should be subjected to the notorious fish boil while still alive.

His partner was making an exaggerated show of considering his answer; Roxanne gave him a playful swat upside his big head. "No, I'd say that makes you a person," was her opinion. "Everybody wants to feel special to someone else, Minion, and for intelligent beings, it's more than just wanting a mate in the way animals do. The two of you both come from a planet where emotions of all kinds were very important, much more than they are here on Earth. If you want to be a special friend to Astrid, you need to build on the relationship you have now. It'll help to actually spend time with her, and I think it's sweet that you want to do it."

"Until he brings her home to the lake house after work one night and we find them making out in the indoor pool," Megamind quipped into his lemonade glass.

His wife gave him a scolding glare; Minion protested immediately. "Oh, no, sir, I wouldn't do that, not unless all she wanted to do is swim! It's not like you're implying at all!"

"So if she was a fish, you wouldn't be interested in her?"

Minion tried to say both yes and no at the same time with such vehemence, he managed to work himself into a speechless tizzy. Roxanne cuffed her husband again, a bit more in earnest, and he relented.

"I'm sorry, Minion, that was rather crass of me," he apologized, and actually sounded sincere. "I do know how you feel. Most of my life, I didn't think anyone on Earth would ever be interested in being my friend, much less a close friend. It's very difficult to watch people all around you, enjoying what you think you can never have. Thinking you can never have love of that kind, to be that special to someone else, even if it's just as a very, very good friend... that's the most difficult thing of all."

Roxanne was moved by his willingness to be so open with his guardian, and so was Minion. "I know, sir," he said softly, rising again in his habitat. "It was the hardest thing for me to watch you suffer, wanting friendship and love and thinking you'd never have more than me."

The smile Megamind gave him was wan, but warm. "Don't belittle yourself, Tori. You have always been a true friend to me, even when I didn't reciprocate very well. And I understand perfectly why you want something more for yourself, now. It's quite natural. And it's certainly not terrible, or perverse. People can love one another quite deeply without being physical mates, after all."

His bright green eyes lit up with excitement. "As a matter of fact, I just recently learned that back home, there was an entire shkool — literally a shkool, a university, actually — of philosophy dedicated solely to the research of love in all its different manifestations, and there was a particular kind they found was remarkably common, but that the humans here only marginally grasp in the concept of agape — still, if they do have that rudimentary understanding of it, it's entirely possible that a close relationship based on this kind of love without involving such things as primal reproductive urges and physical instincts would be deemed acceptable, at least to certain parts of society, and from what I know of the Scandinavian peoples, they—"

Roxanne put one hand over his mouth to end the babble fit. He was prone to those a lot, these days, and while she couldn't blame him for his enthusiasm, she did occasionally need to intervene when he got carried away and wasn't looking apt to come out of the fit soon.

"We get the idea," she told him, her tone apologizing for her abrupt action. "You think it's a good thing, and you're behind it. So am I, Minion. Maybe a few days up at the lake house would be a good idea. With it being summer, I've got free time at work, and the city has Wayne to keep an eye on things while this silly goose gets the rest he needs."

She removed the hand from her husband's mouth and used it to pat his head. "Besides, with the heat wave hanging on like this, all the beaches from here to Traverse Bay and down to Indiana are so crowded, even the brainbot shore patrols can't keep 'em clean enough to suit me. We have a nice private little beach up at the lake house, it's clean and it isn't crowded. We can use it any time of day we want, not just when the parks are open, so we can have fun in the nice cool lake water but not when the sun's hot enough to fry eggs on a bald man's head."

She smiled at Megamind, who was debating whether or not he should be insulted by her little joke. "What do you think, sweetie?" she asked. "Does that sound like a nice way to take a short recuperative break to you? All three of us?"

He decided that she wasn't being mean, that she was just trying to point out how afternoons spent baking in the sun were not good for someone who had just suffered a minor bout of thermal shock. His answering smile was sly. "Do you and I get to spend the hot parts of the day somewhere nice and cool and shady — and private?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Roxanne giggled back, quite aware of the kind of privacy he had in mind. "Oh, absolutely!"

"No problem, sir!" Minion agreed, also conscious of what his friend was implying. He collected the empty lemonade pitcher and glasses before taking them back to the kitchen. "I can use the boathouse apartment again, and I'll email Astrid and find out what her working hours are and when we can get together — we can even bring Madeleine along to handle cooking, if you want to stay in. She's getting to be quite a good little sous chef, for a brainbot — and oh, Astrid would love to see her, I just know it..."

As the cyber-bodied fish ambled off to the kitchen, in the midst of his own happy babble fit, making plans for a short vacation, Roxanne leaned down and gave her still soaking spouse a soft, loving kiss. When she broke it and Megamind gave her a puzzled, if appreciative look, she explained. "That's for being such a good friend to Minion. I know that he's envied us our relationship — the love and the intimacy, not the sex — and I was afraid you wouldn't approve."

"Why shouldn't I?" he replied with a modest shrug. "He spent so much of his life trying to make mine happy, he deserves anything I can do to help him be happy, and have the life he wants, now that he doesn't have to look after me. Besides," he added, stretching in the bubbling water, "I want to make sure she's good enough for him, even if it's just as a close friend."

"You're not going to turn the tables on him and play overbearing father checking out prospective girls for his son, are you?"

Megamind's dazzling smile and innocent, "Of course not!" was almost the full truth. "I wouldn't dream of interfering if he really likes her and wants to be her special friend — just so long as you and I get our private time while we're there. Can I get out of the tub, now?" he asked, sticking one foot above the water to examine it and his hands. "I think I'm turning into a praooown..."

Roxanne grinned as she whistled for Pinky to bring in fresh towels, not even bothering to correct his mispronunciation of prune, which she knew was deliberate. She had to admit, she'd been looking for an excuse to head out of town ever since the horrible hot spell had started over a month ago, and she wasn't about to pass up the chance. "You can get out of the tub if you promise to help me pack a bag — sensibly," she emphasized. "This is only for a week, not a month, so no bringing your work along."

The blue lips pursed in thought. "Are you leaving yours at home?" he countered.

"If you do, yes."

"Can I bring the de-gun, just in case?"

"As long as I can bring mine, too. There's nothing wrong with taking reasonable precautions."

"And my cell phone?"

"Only if you block the Mayor's hotline."

"Then you should do the same with your bosses on your phone."

"Deal." She held out the towel for him, then pulled it back as he stood to get out of the tub. "You didn't install things in the lake house so you don't have to take some of that work stuff along, did you?"

The blue head shook emphatically. "No. After last summer and what Wayne told us about what happened when he didn't get away from being a hero as much as he should've, I never want to wind up so close to burnout again! The lake house is our refuge, not our out-of-town workplace. And I want it to stay that way."

Roxanne could see just how much he meant it, and held out the big fluffy towel again. "Good, we're on the same page. And no matter what Astrid is like, you will let Minion make his own decisions when it comes to her. Deal?"

Megamind didn't hesitate before saying, "Deal." After all, though Minion had tried to warn him, he'd had to discover the "joy" of heartbreak on his own to understand just exactly what he felt for Roxanne, and how strongly. There were some things a person couldn't be warned about, and had to experience first-hand to truly grasp.

But all things considered, the blue genius had already decided that if Astrid broke Minion's little heart, he'd invent a new, terrible setting on the de-gun, just for her.

To be continued...