Another oneshot idea I got. Set pre-movie.

Disclaimer: If I owned the Megamind franchise, we'd all be wearing hazard symbol pajamas. So I do not.

The explosion knocked Roxanne's center of gravity to the side, her head flinging hard enough to strain her neck. Had it not been for the thick pole she was tied to, she would have gone flying across the floor. Heat brushed her, and for a moment she was afraid of being burned.

Only the sound of a hard thump and Megamind crying out caused her to open her eyes. She saw him sprawled on the floor a few feet from her, gray from the explosion smudged across his blue skin. He opened his eyes and for a moment they met gazes.

"Oh no!" he gasped, tearing his eyes from her and jumping to his feet.

Roxanne watched as he ran back to the end of the submarine he'd been on – where the explosion had come from. The sub was long and narrow, almost entirely gray inside, and floating somewhere off the Metro City coast deep underwater. Roxanne had been kidnapped on her way home from work, and she was glad she'd decided to change into jeans and a white shirt. The explosion would have blown a dress up very immodestly. She had her hands bound to a pole that was set against the wall, her torso also tied to it. She had only recently awakened, finding Megamind fixing something in the sub. She couldn't seen Minion anywhere, and figured he must be coordinating something on the surface. Right now, however, she wished the friendly fish was there to help fix whatever was wrong.

Coughing in the smoke, Megamind looked at the now-destroyed container he had setting at the end of the sub. It was a mess of blackened ruins. He brought his small hands to his large head, moaning. "How could this have happened? Did I miscalculate the pressure resistance? Did Minion mess up the timer? I bet he did. This is probably his fault!"

Roxanne shook her head to clear it. No surprise that another one of his plans had failed. "Nice work, genius. Now can-"

She was interrupted when the sub lurched, flinging her against the ropes and causing Megamind to stumble. There was a loud creaking and then the entire underwater transport began to tilt. Roxanne cried out as her weight was pressed more and more against the ropes as she began to hang sideways. It hurt, and she struggled to brace her feet against the wall to alleviate the pressure. As the submarine tilted, she found herself staring down at a frantic Megamind, who was gripping the walls for support and frenetically looking for the problem.

And then a noise rushed to her ears that made her stomach drop and her eyes pop wide. Water. She heard the bubbling, churning noise as water filled the submarine. Megamind gasped as the liquid sloshed against his boots. Then the sub jolted as it hit what Roxanne assumed to be the bottom of the bay. Megamind was thrown to his knees from the force but he jumped back up. Without anything to go by accept the feeling of gravity and the way the water was coming in, Roxanne deduced that the submarine had ended up vertical, one end planted into the ground.

The blue alien looked around, his eyes narrowed. Roxanne knew he must be calculating their options and deciding what to do. Roxanne wasn't too panicked yet. Despite his eccentricities he was smart. He was clever. He would be able to control the situation and get them both out of there. However, she did begin to panic when Megamind raised his watch to his mouth and said, "Minion! There was a, uh, problem and the sub has gone down! We're filling up with water, I need you to get us out of here right now!"

"Yes, sir!" Minion gasped. "I'll be there as soon as-" His voice cracked and cut off. Megamind frowned at the watch and tapped it a few times, then let his arms drop with a sigh.

"Megamind!" Roxanne called. "What is going on?"

He looked up at her, the water sloshing around his knees. "There's been a slight weapons malfunction, Miss Ritchi. Nothing to worry about."
"Nothing to worry about? I heard what you said to Minion!"

He pursued his lips, then bent down and began to look for the rupture where the water was coming in. She studied his flustered movements.

"Megamind!" she called again. "Untie me and let me help!"

"Just sit tight, little reporter. I'll take care of it." His voice was laced with panic.

She sighed, struggling against the ropes. "I do not want to just hang here and wait for someone else to save me. Untie me. Please."

He did look up at her then, confusion crossing his features before he gave a quick nod. "Only as long as you . . . uh, don't try to escape."

Roxanne decided not to comment as she watched him look for a handhold in the wall. She was several feet about him, but she refused to just stay there until the water reached her level. Then they definitely wouldn't have a chance of covering the hole. He climbed his way out of the water, his cape wet and clinging to his legs. She watched as he made his way up, face bent in concentration. He moved as if he weighed nothing, but the handholds were still small and she could see the muscles under his black clothes tightening with the effort.

At last he steadied himself beside her, grabbing a hold of the pole. "Hold on."

He began to pull at the knots around her wrists, leaning close to her to get a better grip. She instantly felt uncomfortable, her head hovering over shoulder. They were so close she could feel the heat coming off of his body. She bit her lip and watched the water slowly rising until her hands were free. She latched onto the pole, bracing her feet as much as she could. The only thing keeping her from falling was the ropes around her torso. And once those were gone, she didn't want to go tumbling.

Megamind switched his position, bracing himself more. Then he pushed a hand firmly against her shoulder to keep her in place. He rarely touched her himself, Minion always did the handling. His grip was surprisingly solid. After tugging at the ropes with his free hand, he took out his de-gun and dehydrated them. Roxanne cried out as she almost fell, but her own grip and Megamind's hand kept her in place.

He gave a shaky smile. "There we go."

"Thanks," she huffed, turning and using the pole to better support her own weight.

They both climbed back down quickly, but by the time they reached the bottom, the water was up to their hips. It was quite cold, and Roxanne wrapped her arms around herself reflexively.

"If we find the hole do we have anything to clog it with?" she asked, having to talk louder so he could hear her over the water.

"Well, let's try to find it first," he said. "I'll use my cape if I have to."

She watched as he took a breath and dived underwater. Steadying herself, she followed suit. But the moment she went under, she knew it would be a lost cause. The water was freezing! She had to struggle just to focus. The lights were rather dim in the submarine to begin with – perhaps Megamind thought it made it seem more evil. But under the water she could see next to nothing. She pulled herself down further, hands reaching out to try to feel the hole, the walls, the floor, anything. Where was Megamind? At last her hand contacted with something soft and she heard a muffled yelp.

Roxanne broke to the surface, panting for breath. The water was now up to her chest. "Megamind? Are you . . . Megamind?" She didn't want to ask about his well-being. After all, he was the kidnapper. But naturally she didn't want him to be hurt.

He surfaced a few feet away, eyes wide.

"What happened?" she asked, pushing her wet hair from her eyes.

"You . . . you touched me! You touched my . . ."

Oh my goodness . . . she thought.

"My leg!" he finished, breathing hard.

She sighed in exasperation, splashing him. "Don't be so ridiculous! I couldn't see under there, I had no idea what I was touching!" She looked around. "This isn't going to work. We need to find a way out."

"Hold on, I can get it!" he insisted, taking a breath and going under again.

Roxanne stood there, looking around. Her jeans were feeling heavy, but the rest of her was feeling light. Soon she'd be forced to swim. She looked up and saw the exit door at the far end of the submarine. Perhaps if they climbed?

The blue alien came splashing to the surface, taking in a gulp of air. "I . . . I can't find it."

She pointed. "There's the door up there!"

"Of course. But if we open it now, we'll get pounded by all the water coming in." He gave an optimistic smile. "Don't worry. Minion will come for us."

She latched onto that line of thought. "So will Metro Man. They'll get us out of here."

"I, uh, actually haven't contacted Metro Man yet."

"What?"

He shrugged, his spiked shoulder pads dipping into the water. "It wasn't the proper time. Everything wasn't prepared yet."

She slapped her hand to her face. "You are an idiot. You trap both of us in the sub, leave Minion on the surface, don't call Metro Man, and then you're stupid machine blows up! Can't you do anything right?"

She regretted it the moment she said it. The hurt that sprung to his eyes seemed to pierce her. She knew she shouldn't regret it. Why did it matter to her if his feelings were hurt? He was nothing but an annoyance/entertainer in her life. A figure that boosted her career and provided her with the occasional excitement.

Still. He was such a happy being. Always smiling, even when he was getting taken to prison. She'd never seen such hurt etched into his face. It was as if she'd struck a raw nerve.

Before she had the chance to decide if she wanted to say something or not, he straightened up, grinned, and told her, "I kidnapped you right. I built this sub right. I've even called Minion to get us out of here 'right'. I untied you like you requested, and much against my better judgment, Miss Ritchi. So you can just stand where you are and mind your own business while I work. This submar-een might fall over and then where will we be?"

He didn't seem to want that answered, so she didn't. She crossed her arms and moved back against one wall, looking anywhere but at him. She felt angry, and she felt bad. His last sentence had caught her attention, though. He was right. What if the sub tipped to its side? That would cause an entirely different water problem. She knew Minion was coming for them. She knew he would get here. The only question was, would he get here in time?

She glanced at the super villain out of the corner of her eye. He was huddled against the wall opposite, shivering slightly and looking around, as if still trying to find an alternative escape. The water had washed off most of the gray smudges across his face, and those left were diluted. He looked vulnerable. It wasn't something she was used to.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly, before she could talk herself out of it.

Megamind looked at her. "What?"

"I'm sorry about what I just said to you. It was mean."

He stared at her, expressions flashing across his face. He didn't seem to know what to make of that.

Roxanne sighed and snapped. "I apologized, okay? Now you should nod and acknowledge it so we don't just stand here awkwardly!"

After a pause, he whispered. "Thank you." She could see the sincerity in his eyes. Then he smirked. "Besides, my brilliance is evident. You of all people should know that."

Normally Roxanne would jump at the opportunity to engage in some banter with him. It was always fun, though she'd never admit it. But now, cold and in the dark, fearing for her life, she just wasn't in the mood.

The water had risen so much now that they were floating, both grabbing a hold of the walls so they wouldn't have to tread. Megamind pulled himself up further so that only his waist and below was in the water. Roxanne mimicked him, getting up as far as she could comfortably.

"How long is it going to take Minion?" she asked. It seemed like forever since she'd heard Megamind contact him, but in reality she knew it hadn't been very long at all.

"He'll be here in time."

"And how is he going to get to us?"

He gave her a coy look. "Now, Miss Ritchi. What kind of super evil genius would I be if I didn't have a pod that could go underwater to reach the submar-een?"

"It's 'submarine'," she corrected.

"Whichever."

"Why did you freak out when I accidentally touched your leg?"

The blue alien looked offended at her statement. "I did not 'freak out'. I merely was surprised. An honest reaction. And . . . no one's ever touched my leg before."

She raised one eyebrow. " No one's ever touched your leg before?"

"Minion does not count because of his robotic body, and the only other times my leg has been touched is when I am being attacked or forced into prison."

She stifled a giggle at his rationalization. What he was saying, she realized, was that no female had ever touched him. And instances of him being touched in a non-threatening manner were only limited to Minion. Granted, she didn't see them together outside of her kidnapping experiences, but they didn't seem like the touchy-feely type of friends. They cared for each other deeply, that much was obvious. Perhaps being physical in their affection wasn't "evil" enough for them.

There was a loud groaning and creaking. Megamind and Roxanne stiffened, looking around in alarm.

"What-" Roxanne began, before the submarine shuddered and began to shift.

She couldn't contain her scream when the sub began to fall from its vertical position into a horizontal one. She heard Megamind's scream as the water slammed into them from the side, ripping their grips from the wall. Roxanne's head went under, but she kicked hard and broke the surface again. She coughed, water churning violently around her. The sub was much longer than it was tall, and she found the ceiling to only be a foot above her.

She looked around, squinting in the increased darkness. Where was her kidnapper? Granted, they weren't on good terms, but she certainly didn't want him to die. "Megamind? Megamind!"

She heard harsh coughing and swam toward the noise. Water got in her mouth and her ears, but she ignored it. She at last saw him against the wall, holding onto a groove in the ceiling above him. "Megamind!"

"Roxanne!" he gasped, seeing her. "Are you all right?"

Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't be able to believe he'd asked her that. He had never allowed her to be hurt before, and whenever it seemed she might have been, he'd always find a way to check on her well-being without saying those words. But now wasn't the time to pursue it, and the thought left her mind almost instantly after it entered. "Yes, are you?"

He nodded, coughing up more water. He brought his watch close to his face. "Minion? Minion!" He let out his breath in frustration. "The explosion damaged it."

"We should try to get the door open!" Roxanne said. She would rather attempt to swim to the surface from the bottom of the bay then drown inside the submarine.

In silent agreement they both turned to that end of the sub and began swimming, occasionally brushing the ever-approaching ceiling with their hands. Roxanne's jeans felt so heavy on her legs, she wondered if Megamind's cape or boots felt the same way. But adrenaline gave her the energy she needed and she pushed forward.

They reached the end of the sub and both dived underwater. It was so dark, so cold, and Roxanne didn't want to lose track of him. She didn't want to lose track of herself, either, so she reached out and took his hand in hers. He responded immediately with a firm leather grip.

They floated before the door, barely making out its thick handle and window. Megamind grabbed the handle and pulled . . . but nothing happened. Roxanne reached with her free hand to do the same, but the door wouldn't budge. The pressure, she realized, was sealing it shut. They'd have to wait until the submarine completely filled up with water so that the pressure was the same on the inside as it was on the outside. And that idea scared her very much, swimming through the sub with no light and no air, hoping the door would open.

They both resurfaced, and Megamind grunted as his large head hit the ceiling. He couldn't surface all the way, his mouth was still underwater. Roxanne saw panic flash in his eyes and she released his hand to hold onto his shoulders. "It's okay! It's okay! Float on your back, I have you."

He fractionally relaxed, titling himself so that he was horizontal next to her. She wrapped her arms around his torso, trying to get him to relax so that he'd float easier. She admired him for doing so; she certainly couldn't get herself to relax. Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest. His own arms wrapped themselves around her torso and they were brought close together. She could feel his fingers squeezing her shirt, and she knew she'd be doing the same if his clothes hadn't been so skintight.

They stared at each other as they panted, the ceiling almost touching Roxanne's head now. She was surprised how bright his green eyes were in the dark, wide and fearful. It was almost like he had his own sun inside him, shining out. In her haze of panic Roxanne thought that was an apt description. He was always so warm and bright, just like the sun. But that seemed like ages ago. All that existed now was darkness, cold, and fear.

"I'm sorry," he stammered out.

She shook her head. "No. You didn't mean for this to happen." He still looked so afraid, and still trying valiantly to relax enough to float with ease. She knew her expression probably mirrored his, but she didn't want his face to look like that if they died. She didn't want that to be the last thing she saw, or the last thing either of them felt. It was a horrible way to die. So she leaned forward and planted a shaky kiss on his cheek. When she pulled back, the look of pure fear was gone in his eyes, replaced by shock and gratitude.

Roxanne felt her head bump the ceiling and she held back a sob. Suddenly a loud crash shook the sub and sent a cascade of water surging into them. She held her breath and held onto Megamind in a death grip, his chest pressed against hers. She felt his arms tighten around her. She couldn't see anything so she closed her eyes and prayed that they would live through this.

Then Roxanne felt Megamind start kicking frantically. She opened her eyes and saw a circle of light in the roof of the submarine. She kicked too and they moved underneath it. Roxanne realized it was a hole, and through that she could see a round pod with Minion inside it. She didn't even take in Minion's horrified expression, all she could focus on was getting out and to that pod. It was about the size of a car, oval in shape with spiked shark fins. Of course it had spiked shark fins. That was pure Megamind and right now it was the most beautiful design she'd ever seen.

They maneuvered under the pod where the bottom was open. Roxanne's lungs were burning as they swam inside, still with a tight grip on one another. They found themselves in a small square room as the bottom closed under them and the water began to be drained out through some sort of filter system she figured Megamind designed specifically for such cases.

The moment the water moved past their faces they were gasping for air, coughing and spitting but breathing. The water drained all the way out, leaving them both soaked and lying on the floor. They were on their sides, still grasping each other, and Roxanne had no intention of letting go. She didn't even think she could. It would take a crowbar to pry her arms from around the blue alien.

A small door set into one wall opened and Minion peered in. "Sir! Miss Ritchi! Are you all right?"

Megamind started laughing, his breathing ragged but a smile plastered across his wet face. "Minion, you freaking fantastic fish, you! I think you just out-did all my dramatic entrances!"

Roxanne laughed. For some reason, that was just so funny. She felt light-headed and exhausted, and she was coming off of an adrenaline high. But she had never been so happy to be alive.

Minion gave a smile before saying, "I'll fetch you two some towels."

They both kept laughing, and Roxanne looked to his face. He looked back. His smile was so genuine. It wasn't a smirk or an evil sneer. And she thought it was beautiful. She had the urge to close the inches between their faces and kiss him, but she pushed it down. She was shaken, that was all. They weren't dying now, so she didn't need to show him any affection.

With effort she released his body from her lethal grip, rolling over on her back. He mirrored her, and they both stared up at the ceiling. They were quiet for a few moments.

"I'll have Minion take you back home," he said softly.

She gave a nod. "Alright."

Silence.

"Roxanne?"

"Yes?"

"Please don't . . ." He cleared his throat, trying again in a more assertive tone. "I need your assurances that this little accident won't reach anyone else's ears, particularly Metro Man's. You know of all the evil contraptions in my lair. I don't need to spell out the threats I am presently laying over you if you start talking about today."

It took every ounce of will power Roxanne had to not smile. "Understood, Mr. Megamind."

In her peripheral vision, she saw his head turn to face her. She turned to him, studying his thin face. There was one gray smudge left above his eyebrow, and she reached up and gently wiped it off with the back of her finger. "You got a little dirty."

He stiffened and swallowed, then offered a timid smile. "I advise you to take a shower when you get home. I'm not sure the bay water is completely sanitary."

She grinned and was about to respond when Minion opened the door again. Roxanne quickly dropped her hand, turning to look at the fish.

"I have the towels," Minion stated. "Why don't you two come into the main section of the pod and we'll get out of here."

That day was burned in Roxanne's memory as the years progressed. Anytime she was kidnapped again, Megamind never spoke about it. And, true to her word, she never brought it up. But the experience they had shared and the emotions she had never before seen from him were etched into her mind. And more than once she recalled the feeling of her lips pressing against his warm, wet skin. Recalling that in itself wasn't a big deal. But dreaming about it was. And she would find herself waking, wondering if she'd ever have the opportunity to give him that kiss she'd denied.

Reviews are very much appreciated!