Breaking Routine
By Verdigris
Summary: Post-Movie. Minion detects a change during his normal morning agenda.
He slowly awakened to the darkness in his watery environment and a large yawn erupted from his small body. His jaws gaped open revealing rows of razor sharp teeth, the fearsome display only broken by the blinking of his large intelligent brown eyes. Stretching his fins he glanced at the clock in the workroom and he let out a curious hum. He was up forty-five minutes early ahead of his work schedule. Minion normally awoke at exactly five am thanks to his biological clock but it was just a little after four. Yet he felt rested and refreshed, so he had no reason to go back to sleep.
Powering up his mechanized suit he ran through his list of chores for the morning. At least he could get an early start on the day and alerted a few brain bots to sweep the lab and work stations. He tiptoed silently to the storeroom—or as silent as one could in a five hundred pound robotic gorilla suit—not wishing to wake his master while he worked.
Speaking of his master…. Minion gave out another curious hum. He did not hear him in come in last night after his date with Miss Richi. They had been seeing each other regularly as couple for over six weeks after his defeat with Titan. He had grown used to him regaling every detail of his successful dates—including how buttery the popcorn was at the movie theater—even if it required waking the fish out of a deep sleep. It was so unlike him to not talk his ears off after his most recent outing. Megamind was an energetic creature of habit and Minion had conformed to his needs and quirks for over thirty years. The slightest break in his usual routine often set the fish on edge.
Perhaps he hadn't come home at all. He wandered to the garage and peeked inside, letting out a sigh in relief when he spotted both the invisible car and the hover bike in their proper place. Another worrisome chill ran through him. Perhaps he came home dejected after his date and was avoiding him. Did they have a fight? Everything was going so well and he had never seen the alien happier. He had been planning the date for over a week, meticulously sorting out the details for hours on end for it to simply blow up in his face.
Wouldn't be the first time.
Twenty years of battling Metro Man had seen to that. Yet Megamind never gave up and whatever new problem he faced he took it as a challenge to try harder. Minion only hoped the same determination he had with the former super hero was a strong at his drive to succeed with Miss Richie.
"This calls for blueberry pancakes," the fish announced to himself. If worse came to worse, pancakes would be just the thing to sooth his master's troubles once he woke up.
Minion headed back to the storeroom and gathered up the needed ingredients, making notes on the current inventory as he went. He began writing down the necessary items he would need for the week, remembering to pick up everything from vegetables to Megamind's favorite sugary cereals with obnoxious cartoon characters on the boxes. Then he heard the sound of cupboards opening and closing softly in the kitchen. From the crack in the door he spotted the corner of a familiar black robe.
Minion took a deep breath and casually strolled in the kitchen. "Good morning, Sir! I see you're up and about!"
The figure spun around in surprise and Minion nearly dropped the provisions. Roxanne let out a startled gasp, caught unawares while holding two glasses of water.
"Miss Richie?" He squeaked out.
Roxanne caught her breath and placed one of the glasses of water on the counter. She let out a relieved sigh with one hand on her chest, "You scared me. I was just…getting some water…" she explained slowly while brushing a stray hair from her face.
Minion suddenly took notice of the black robe she was wearing—one with an electric blue lightning bolt on it. Then he glanced back at the two glasses of water and then to her face again. Roxanne fidgeted with the robe, holding it tighter to her chest and gave him a shamefaced smile.
Minion was about to speak when the rest of the guilty party walked sleepily into the kitchen. He was wearing his haphazard sign patterned pajamas with the shirt unbuttoned as he made a beeline for the black robed woman in the kitchen.
"There you are," Megamind sleepily droned with a rather satisfied tone in his voice. His eyes were glued on Roxanne's backside and he curled a hand around her waist, "Good thinking. I could use a drink after…"
The reporter gave a loud cough in her throat, alerting him to the other presence in the kitchen. The fog in mind instantly lifted and his green eyes widened in horror at the sight of the gorilla suit standing before him.
"Minion!" Megamind screeched. He tugged the shirt closed and a dark purple blush blossomed on his face and ears as he shuttered, "What are you doing up so early?"
The fish weakly replied with a small awkward grin and shrugged, "Making pancakes?"
His reply was met with silence. Roxanne let out a defeated sigh and began to admit the obvious, but Megamind covered her mouth. "I'm sure you're wondering why Miss Richie is here."
"Um, well…" Minion began, but he was instantly cut off.
"She just got here this morning," Megamind explained frantically, his eyes darting from the fish to his girlfriend and blurted out, "For an interview!"
Minion flatly replied with a raised eyebrow, "At four am on a Saturday morning?"
"She's a very dedicated professional!" Megamind announced in an overly triumphant voice.
He beamed at his girlfriend and threw her a badly concealed wink. She responded by rolling her eyes and ran a hand through her hair while taking a drink from the other.
"Well I was pretty dedicated this morning," she mumbled and Megamind began flailing his arms and held a finger up to his lips.
Raising both brows Minion stole a glance at Roxanne, looking at her as the voice of reason in this awkward situation. She gave him a pleading look and tilted her head at the oblivious blue alien next to her.
The fish suppressed a grin of his own and played along. "Oh I see! You mean to say that she's been here working diligently with you this morning on an interview for your press conference next week."
Megamind's anxiety melted away, the relief that his best friend easily accepted his explanation was clear on his features. "How very sharp you are, you fantastic fish!"
He placed a hand on the small of Roxanne's back, coaxing her out of the kitchen. "Now if you excuse us, Roxanne and I have much to discuss."
"Would you like lemon for those?" Minion pointed to the two glasses of water in her hands.
Hurriedly making their way to the bedroom Megamind called over his shoulder, "No thank you, but if you could delay breakfast by half an hour…"
Roxanne elbowed him and gave him a devious smile. Megamind's face lit up like a Christmas tree.
"Make that one hour," he corrected in a slightly higher voice as their pace quickened.
He whispered loudly to her before slamming the bedroom door shut, "I think he bought it!
Minion let out an amused chuckle as he returned to his chores. The date must have been a complete success. He decided to give them another half hour before making breakfast.