Roxanne had never seen someone so absorbed in his work.
His thin figure was propped against the set of pillows on her bed, his lower legs removed from the blankets and hovering in the air as to not dirty them from the soles of his boots. He had on a regular black shirt and a pair of equally-dark jeans. A sight that Roxanne Ritchi, admittedly, was accustomed to. Even though Megamind was infamously known to be dressed in some sort of spike or leather outfit, he tended to wear some more comfortable things whenever he was with his girlfriend. That was just one of the advantages to dating Metro City's hero, she supposed.
He had a sketchbook in his hands, green eyes currently glued onto the page he was working on. He wasn't drawing - at least, she didn't think he was. He was writing vigorously and seldom looked up from the page, wearing a maniacal grin on his soft lips. The intent look in his eyes gave anyone around him the message that he was coming up with some sort of evil plot or mastermind plan. The chances of it weren't very slim. Even though he had changed from his previous ways, he still had very...questionable motives, at times.
Roxanne, still wearing her set of pajamas she had slept in through the night, walked over in his direction. She plopped down on the bed beside him and, even though her movements had caused a slight disturbance in his work, Megamind didn't stir. He was still writing constantly and sometimes striking things out. The tip of the pen he was holding never seemed to leave the paper the moment it had made contact with its surface.
The brunette leaned over to get a peek on what he was working on. It was all a mess of scribbles and writing, probably very elaborate plans she couldn't make sense of. She couldn't help but notice all the numbers and variables on the pages and took a moment to scrutinize the paper. Megamind noticed her stare and momentarily removed the pen from the page, turning to look at her.
"Do you mind?" He asked, the words coming out more abruptly than he had intended.
"Yes, I do." She replied with her normal hint of sarcasm. "What are you working on?"
"If you must know-" He flipped the pages before it absentmindedly. "-It's a series of complicated plans for an improvement in the Hoverbike."
"Hoverbike?" She repeated. "What's wrong with it?"
"Nothing, really. Minion happened to tell me that it lost control when the two of you were escaping that wretched Titan. I want to make sure there's a fail safe...or to least increase the speed in the overdrive."
He didn't bother giving her a chance to look at the pages, as he flipped back to the one he had been working on and continued writing. Roxanne watched him set up various equations then and there and solve them on the spot. He didn't even hesitate or take a moment to calculate the math in his head. It seemed like the knowledge was all there at the tip of his finger - that integrating or finding the theorems he needed were second nature.
She leaned over his shoulder and continued to watch, though this time more in awe. She hadn't done so well in math when she was back in school. It was all just jumbles and confusing words to her. They were the only classes she'd admit to struggling in - though she wouldn't ever bring that up with Megamind. He'd probably laugh in her face if she mentioned her inability to solve basic algebra.
"It looks..." She glanced at the sketches he had made. "Really complicated."
"It shouldn't be. It's actually very simple." He leaned towards her and started pointing at certain parts. "Just look at the input and output. It's not obscured at all."
Yet, as her blue eyes traveled the diagram and tried to piece together all of the numbers and letters, her mind went completely blank. She eventually gave up and removed herself from the bed entirely, leaving the room to go back to the kitchen. She heard him protest behind her momentarily - but his mumbles soon faded back into the sound of him writing again.
She made herself another cup of coffee and listened to the noises of her boyfriend either grunting in frustration or humming as his work progressed. That was honestly the best thing about dating him. Before the whole "Titan" incident came, Roxanne's apartment was almost always silent and empty. She was alone in it for her entirety of living there, save for the occasional guest or two or whenever Megamind or Minion came to kidnap her. It was relaxing to hear his voice somewhere there with her, even if he was quietly swearing about complications she couldn't understand.
Roxanne finished her cup and came back in the bedroom. She happened to come in the same exact time Megamind was finished with whatever he had been solving. He visibly mouthed a 'yes' and fist pumped the air, only to have his body completely freeze when his girlfriend came over and rested her head on his lip. Roxanne laid the rest of her body down on the bed and looked up at his gigantic head happily.
"...Are you playing some sort of game?" He asked. She shook her head.
"Nope. Just looking at you."
"From...my...lap?"
"Yeah."
"Hurm."
He dismissed the matter entirely and grabbed the sketchbook, smiling happily at his plans. Roxanne huffed from his lap but didn't object. He looked absolutely adorable whenever he admired his work. Whether it'd be a piece of paper or a 40 foot robot designed to destroy the city. He was happy with what he did; and she loved that about him. She loved...him. As odd as it may sound.
"Can we go to the Evil Lair today?" She asked. Megamind blinked in surprised and looked down at her.
"Why?" He inquired.
"I want to see what else you're working on," She said, finally lifting her head and sitting across from him. "You know...maybe another dehydration gun or a brain bot or...anything, really."
His eyes traveled over her figure in surprise for a second, then narrowed in suspicion. Roxanne never showed interest in his projects before. She usually left him alone for his pondering or building, and ever so rarely pushed a question more than asking what he was doing. His hesitation came obvious to Roxanne, who rolled her eyes the moment he was glaring at her with some sort of scrutiny.
"It's fine." She assured. "I'm not going to leak them or report it or take any pictures. I promise."
"Despite our very convoluted past, I'm rather...confused on your intentions."
She couldn't help but giggle. "Megamind, you sound ridiculous. Is it so bad if I'm curious?"
His posture stiffened as he debated this silently in his head. The fact that he even did so made Roxanne burst into laughter, and at this his cheeks and ears turned pink. He huffed as he grabbed his sketchbook and jumped from the bed, storming out from the room and into her living room. Roxanne gathered herself before following him with a smile, wiping a tear from her eye.
"I was just kidding!" She called.
"I'm aware," He replied nonchalantly. Then added, "I suppose we could stop by the Evil Lair. I have a few things I could show you."
"Oh, really? What are they?"
"You'll have to wait to figure that out."
The two of them had spent a bit more time lounging around the apartment before Roxanne finally got ready. She took awhile showering(as usual), though Megamind hadn't been aggravated about it like he was when they first dated. He was actually used to waiting for her, and there really was no rush. It wasn't like Metro Man was at the brink of stealing her away from his arms like he had been in the past. No - she was all his now, and if that required waiting 15 minutes for her to freshen up, then so be it.
He occupied himself by sketching a few more designs for practically anything at that point. He had finished his third drawing when Roxanne passed by him in a towel and told him to wait another 5 minutes for her to get dressed. It was then that Megamind got a bit antsy as he threw his sketchbook to the side and started planning the rest of the evening in his head.
It wouldn't hurt to show her his work in progress, right? He had plenty of finished plans - all waiting to be constructed on or reconsidered. Plans that made perfect sense for any genius to comprehend. And he full well knew Roxanne wasn't at that level nor would ever be. No offense to her at all. He just calculated simple things using what humans referred to as "advanced math". Which was more beginner for him than anything.
"Ready to go!" Her voice called from the doorway.
Megamind looked up and noticed her casual outfit off the spot. She was wearing the same white tank top and sweatpants she wore when they found "Music Man". He couldn't help but admire how beautiful she looked. Not that he hadn't one it before - he always found her strong jawline and short, brown hair to be attractive. Not to mention that wonderful personality she had. How different she was from a normal captive...the whole reason he had fallen in love with her the moment they-
"Are...we gonna go, or are you just gonna' stare at me?"
The alien was snapped back into reality by the sound of her voice. He blinked and realized she had her hand on her hip, smiling at him rather coyly. He didn't bother refraining his instincts back as he walked up to her and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend, squeezing her tightly and resting his chin on her shoulder softly.
"You look wonderful," He commented.
"Funny." She hugged him back. "You never said that the first time you saw me in this."
"You mean years ago when I kidnapped you from here?" He asked, acting as if the memory were new. "Ahh...yes, I thought the same thing, then. Was sure you'd have punched me if I said anything."
Roxanne laughed. "I probably would've."
"I've got to call Minion," Megamind removed himself from her and whipped out his flip phone. "I walked over here. The Hoverbike is...not available right now."
She rolled her eyes. What he really meant was, 'it isn't here because I wanted to improve it from the time you nearly died and I don't want that to happen again'.
Minion picked up almost right away. Roxanne had to refrain from saying something witty or sarcastic in the background as Megamind asked him to bring the invisible car. What she did instead was walk up to him and start laying kisses on the back of his neck, which soon escalated to his jawbone and cheeks. Megamind visibly shook as he held the phone, and gulped a couple of times as he tried to breathe steadily.
"Sir?" They both heard from the receiver. Megamind coughed awkwardly.
"Yes, Minion. Bring it right away. We'll be waiting for you."
Never had he closed his flip phone so fast. He took a hold of Roxanne and started laying kisses on her neck. She laughed and indulged herself in them, savoring all the moments his lips made contact with her skin. Megamind smiled and finally reached her own lips, as to which they shared many passionate kisses before they heard some honking outside.
Eventually, Roxanne got her wish. They came to the Evil Lair and entered the side of the building that was labelled as the 'secret entrance'. All thanks to the doormat Minion failed to remove, of course. Megamind muttered some incoherent swears as he picked it up on their way in and practically threw it at the fish. Minion scoffed and gently placed it back where it was, insisting that no one ever came to that side of Town anymore to see it.
While Roxanne listened to the two refute, she was busy searching around for Megamind's infamous "plan" room. Not really a room, either. Just a section of the building secluded by a large, red curtain. She grinned when she reached it, and was all too happy to pull the fabric back and watch as the plans were revealed in front of her once more.
Previously, they had all been about creating Titan and Megamind's ingenious plans of their battle. But that obviously backfired, so Megamind took them down shortly after Titan's defeat. What now took their places were hundreds of sketches and drawn-out plans. For what she had yet to know. So Roxanne started to look around and observe all the papers, as if she were a kid in a candy store.
Truthfully, Roxanne understood very little of what she saw. Who she once believed was Megamind's biggest fan was actually Megamind himself disguised as Bernard. There really was no one else out there who could make sense of what he wrote besides the mastermind behind the pencil itself. So Roxanne visibly waited around until Megamind joined her side, pretending to be looking at a sketch of a robot thoughtfully.
"Stuck?" Megamind asked slyly. His tone of voice made her heart flutter.
"A little," She admitted. "Weren't you planning on showing me around, Megamind?"
"For this?" He asked in disbelief. "No. You could try and figure it out on your own. I'd rather not reveal my secrets."
She rolled her eyes so far back they nearly fell out of their sockets. "Secrets? All of Metro City has already seen nearly half of what's around here!"
"Yes, but do they KNOW how to make it?" He held his hands behind her back. At the lack of an answer, the alien grinned. "-Didn't think so."
Roxanne wanted to argue with him, but she found no point in doing so. All of this was above her; it really was. She was just a reporter for the news. Nowhere near the level of comprehending all this math and...science. It still baffled her how Megamind's intellect challenged even the greatest masterminds of history. He proved to be just as smart as Einstein himself - if not, smarter.
She huffed as she observed some more papers. She wore a contradicting smile the whole time she went around looking at the pages. She admired everything she saw. From the thoughtless doodles to the rows of math laid out before her. She couldn't believe that one man was in charge of all this. And not for a job, either. He did it out of what he once believed to be his "purpose"...all this thinking and math just to have his creations destroyed at the end of the day...
While she went around and gawked at his plans, Megamind decided to join Minion in the background. He was watching Roxanne, too, though with less interest compared to Megamind. He turned to his best friend and smiled.
"I'm surprised you're letting her do this, sir." He chipped in happily.
"Really?" Megamind asked. "Why?"
"Well, think of it. No one's ever seen your plans besides me." The fish shrugged his metallic shoulders. "And even then I could barely understand them. You're really comfortable with seeing Miss Ritchi looking at them."
"Where are you getting at, Minion?"
"I'm just happy that you two trust each other." Minion concluded.
Megamind opened his mouth to comment object to such a statement but fell silent. He shut his jaw as he looked back over at Roxanne, who was now carrying a few papers she picked from the strings and bulletin boards. The sight of her being so infatuated with his work tugged at his heart strings. He couldn't help but smile lovingly as he watched her do this.
He remembered, now. That feeling he had when he was disgusted as Bernard, years ago...the feeling of intrusion the moment Roxanne stumbled upon his plans for Titan. Every part of him wanted to distract her or take her away from it all then. Thinking back on it, Megamind STILL couldn't figure out why he felt that way. Perhaps it was some sort of insecurity. There really was no reason to be; he triple checked his work all the time.
No, what he felt then was...doubt. That a woman like Roxanne would have ever been interested in the things he did. It wasn't in her nature to be interested in his plans rather than finding his malevolent intent. But now here he was, watching as his girlfriend read over all of his plans and designs without any doubt. He smiled widely at this, feeling the rest of his body grow warm at the realization.
"I just love her so much, Minion. What reason is there NOT to trust her?"
Minion smiled and closed his eyes. "Absolutely none, sir."
