**edited 2/19/2013**
Apologies to all for taking so long! Life got so busy. And honestly this was such a ridiculously hard chapter to write! I had ones that come after this written out before I had this one! Insanity!
Chapter 7
Megamind and Roxanne remained surrounded by a large circle of citizens who had continued to declare their praise and thanks. Megamind had called for the bots to bring one of Minion's spare suits and Roxanne watched anxiously as Megamind transferred his friend into the new suit. No sooner had he finished with that task that the crowd surrounded them once more, and attempted to get pictures with Minion.
Roxanne found herself in awe at how Megamind had managed to break from his suspicion at the crowd, albeit hesitantly at first, and had taken to greeting all those that he could. She noticed how he would repeat every name he learned, etching it into his memory with the owners' face; certainly something Metro Man had never done. He had certainly never taken the time to get to know any of his "fans", and yet here was Megamind; someone who had been so cruelly shunned from the city, now being celebrated and gladly learning all the names and persons that he could.
A KMCP 8 news van pulled up and a short, young reporter with curly red hair jumped out. She was followed by a lanky cameraman who turned the camera on and aimed at the woman. She quickly burst her way through the crowd; shoving several people aside in her race to get to the center.
"This is Serah Lawson for KMCP news channel 8. I'm standing in the heart of the city, where Megamind has just defeated Titan and saved our city."
"Serah?" Roxanne looked to the fellow reporter in a mixture of anger and disbelief. Serah was a newer reporter who was still trying to make her mark at the station. She had been given the task of reporting on the smaller stories around the city but was constantly trying to nose her way into Roxanne's stories. She shoved her way through the crowed and practically pressed the microphone into the hero's face.
"Well, Megamind! That was quite an impressive display there! Tell me, how does it feel to now be Metro City's new hero?"
"Well I…" he stammered.
"No comment." Roxanne shifted to stand just in front of Megamind and glared at the woman before her. Serah looked to Roxanne as her face switched between shock and fake surprise before landing on a rather forced smile.
"Roxanne! Great to see you're okay! That was quite a gripping speech we heard from you earlier! Care to give a comment on the extent of your relationship with Megamind?" she asked brightly. Some of the citizens who were nearer to the two women had now turned their attention to them, intent on hearing Roxanne's answer, and excited to see what they thought would be another good fight; you could already feel the tension between the pair of reporters.
"What do you think you're doing here? This is my territory." Roxanne crossed her arms and her eyes narrowed. Granted Serah was new to KMCP, but she was just a little too pushy; one of those paparazzi type reporters that stalked and heckled their intended target until they got the answer they wanted or an answer they could twist into something workable. Serah continued on trying to force her smile, clearly not seeing the reason Roxanne was so upset. She was just doing what any good reporter would do; getting the story. …Wasn't she?
"Well I didn't see you covering this story so I thought I'd swing by! It's great for ratings!"
"Covering this story? For the entire afternoon I've been the damn story! Who do you think it was that tracked down Hal? Who did you think it was tied to that tower? I didn't see you out there getting slammed into walls!" Roxanne looked to the camera man and signaled him to cut. He looked to Serah, who shook her head before turning back to Roxanne. Roxanne glared at him, looking positively dangerous. He finally clicked the camera off before he lowered it from his shoulder. Roxanne's eyes flicked back to Serah who was trying to keep a steely composure on her face.
"I'm just doing my job. If I have to step on a few toes to get above you then I will." She said. Roxanne stepped forward and she towered over the shorter reporter.
"News flash Serah, there's one thing you can't take from another reporter: her territory. This city...and its hero are my territory. Go back to your traffic reports and back off." Roxanne's world chose that particular moment to swoop out from under her as her adrenaline rush from earlier dropped away. She stumbled forwards but was stopped as a pair of lithe arms wrapped around her and pulled her back.
"Okay. That's enough for now my little firebrand." Megamind's voice was close to her ear as he brought her to her feet; stumbling himself. Slowly he backed up, setting the pair of them down on the edge of the fountain to sit, keeping an arm wrapped around Roxanne's shoulders. He was grateful when the warden stepped forward and began to beckon everybody to stand back.
"There's nothing to see here folks. I'm sure you're all very grateful and would like to thank Megamind, but it looks like our hero needs some rest." He turned his face and looked back at the aforementioned man with a twinkle of pride gleaming in his eyes. Anyone that had been paying attention would have seen Serah turning a bright shade of red with her bottom lip puckering outwards before she finally turned around and stormed back into the news van.
Minion regained his feet and repositioned his globe for a moment before looking to the warden who had come to stand in front of him.
"Take care of these two; they'll need your expertise."
"Of course, Warden!" Minion smiled lopsidedly, giving the man a salute.
Roxanne's confused expression did not go unnoticed by her blue hero, who merely chuckled. He gave her a gentle squeeze with the arm he had slung around her shoulders.
"You won't find a medical expertise better than Minion anywhere. He's had a lot of practice over the years."
"Alright then folks, move along there. Let them through. You can get all your thanks and questions in at a later date." David pushed through the crowd, ushering them all to stand aside and let the trio through.
When they finally returned back to the Lair Minion had to literally carry the pair from the car and into the living quarters. Their exhaustion and pain had finally caught up with them as soon as they sat down on the plush seats of the car and their bodies protested when they tried to stand once more.
Minion gingerly sat them on the plush couch of the sitting room and looked at them both with a rather stern expression.
"Now I don't want either of you to move. You both need a thorough examination, a hot bath and a meal, and then sleep. And I don't want to hear any arguing. Now stay put." He turned and left the room, looking back before walking out the door to make sure they had in fact not moved. Roxanne slowly leaned over and rested her head against Megamind's shoulder and smirked.
"Is he always such a mother hen?"
"Only when he needs to be. There's been many a time when I've come back completely bruised and banged up and he's been there to mend my wounds. And many more times when I've tried to get back to planning when I should have been resting."
Minion soon returned, carrying a large medical bag in his hands. He looked between the two of them, settling on Megamind first. He helped him to his feet and moved him behind the curtained cot that the brain bots had set up in his short absence. After well over a grueling hour of meticulously cleaning and dressing the many cuts and scrapes he had endured that day Minion finally finished; he had diagnosed his friend with a concussion, only very slight thanks to his larger cranium, and his many bruises. He had wrapped the hand that Megamind had attempted to punch Hal with, knowing all too well that the bandages would be off before the fractures were healed.
During the entire exchange Roxanne couldn't help but be in total awe of just how professional Minion could really be. His tone had gone from the normal jovial one to one that a doctor would carry during surgery. The pair came out from behind the curtain and Minion turned to Roxanne, noting just how many hits her own head had taken that day. He'd always known that she was stronger than she looked of course, but she had still taken quite a beating. He held out a hand to offer to help her off the couch.
She liked the fish, and trusted him, but she couldn't mask the small flicker of uncertainty that flashed through her eyes. It had been years since she had disrobed for a man that wasn't her personal doctor.
"I promise to keep a doctor's eye about everything Ms. Ritchi." Their eyes met and she finally nodded.
"You're in the best of care Roxanne." Megamind assured her before kissing the top of her head.
It had been a rather tedious process for her as well. She had suffered a fairly serious concussion and a rather badly sprained wrist along with her many bumps and bruises. And then there was the subject of her back and ribs. Those had, by far, been the worst; cracked ribs, and a badly bruised back. She didn't realize until she tried to stand back up just how much pain she was truly in.
"We're lucky he didn't break your back." Minion muttered as he led Roxanne from around the curtain. He himself felt lucky that they had any sort of medical equipment here that they might need, though he silently prayed that they would not need to employ them.
"All right then; you both need a good salt soak and then dinner. It's just a good thing we had that second tub installed…" any other comments he had been about to make were lost as he quickly covered up his mouth, clearly having let loose yet another secret.
"But…wait. I thought there was only one tub here?" Roxanne said unsurely, looking to Megamind.
"Well yes…it was supposed to be a surprise, but I wasn't able to give it to you earlier Roxanne. You see, I wasn't sure how long it would be until we caught Hal, and what with you staying here well…come and see." Megamind slowly rose to his feet, struggling to not groan in pain. He took her hand in his un-bandaged one and led her down the hall.
They passed by his room and stopped at one a few doors away; Roxanne recognized it to be one that had been used for storage. The door was pushed open and a gasp escaped her throat. The room had been fully redone and furnished into a lavish bedroom. There was a thick carpet of deep blue, a large closet, a chair, and two night stands, and in the middle of the room a large plush bed with pillows of varying sizes and shades of blue piled before the headboard. A door to the side was opened and she could hear the sounds of Minion filling a tub.
"This is…." Her voice trailed off as she stepped inside of the room, her eyes taking in every detail.
"A room; for you, I figured it would be best to give you accommodations of your own. I've had the brain bots working on it since that first night." He smiled to her. "Now this is in no way kicking you out of my bed." He chuckled, clearly trying to backtrack and save himself from any wrong ideas that she might have gotten. "But, I figured it's always nice to have a little space of your own. I figured it would be best since Hal had found a hobby in destroying your apartment."
She leaned in and kissed his cheek.
"Thank you. That was very thoughtful of you. It'll be nice to have a shower and room to change into instead of us fighting over your shower." She teased him.
Minion exited the bathroom to see the pair locked in a tender kiss and sighed. It wasn't that he disliked Roxanne; it was quite the opposite actually. But his maternal instincts were kicking in; they needed to rest to heal, and he wouldn't stand for any insubordination on that.
"Okay enough lollygagging! To your baths, the pair of you! I'll get supper started." Minion left the room, shaking his head and muttering all the while about "disorderly patients".
"Geeze, he could have gone into the hospital field for all his charm." Roxanne smirked, never having seen the fish act in such a way.
"Yes well… we had better listen to the doctor then, shouldn't we?" he smirked to her before holding out a hand to direct her to her own bath before leaving to go to his own.
Roxanne had soaked until the water went cold. She rose from the tub and jumped at the reflection in the mirror. It was the first time she had seen herself in a mirror all day and her reflection scared her. Her cheek was a mixture of black and purple swelling and she winced as she brought a hand to it.
How is it that a guy always knows how to hit a girl across the face just right?
Her other cheek sported a red scrape, as did her shoulders and arms. She had already been aware of the bruising across her abdomen from her bath, but now that she had a mirror, she just had to know. She turned around and opened her towel to get a look at what was sure to be a mix of colors. Her back was lined with crisscrossing bruises from the multiple times Hal had thrown her up and caught her, and even more from the poles she had been restrained with. She groaned as she touched one with her hand.
"Roxanne? Dinner's ready!" Megamind voice called from outside her door. She sighed and gave her bruises one last look before cautiously slipping into her clothes.
Roxanne snapped from her sleep and her breath came out in heavy pants. She looked around the room, realizing it was the one she had been given. Her brain slowly registered that she must have been carried in, because the last thing from that night she remembered was sitting down for a hot bowl of soup for dinner. She shivered; the nightmare she had awoken from had chilled her to the core.
It had been all too real; glowing red eyes that had surely meant death; Megamind lying dead on the broken road; tumbling over and over again through the skies before crashing to the ground. Slowly she stood up, her body protesting as she did so. Sliding into her slippers she tip-toed to the door, looking around to make sure the coast was clear. She felt almost childish to be sneaking around like this, and at her age too! But she already knew better than to disobey Minion when it came to getting the proper rest that one needed. She felt even more foolish to be needing comfort after another nightmare, but this was different…and after the day she had had she really didn't want to be alone. She confirmed that the coast was clear and then quietly made her way down the hall; she opened the door to Megamind's room just enough to slip in before quietly closing it behind her. The lump on the bed and the quiet breathing told her that he was already asleep. She attempted to be as quiet as she could but couldn't help but to groan in pain when she lay back down.
"I was wondering when you'd sneak in here, Ms. Ritchi." His voice was quiet as he spoke and she felt the bed shift as he rolled over to face her.
"I had a bad dream." She moved in closer to him and rested her forehead against his. She was glad when his arms coiled around her. "And I just really didn't want to be alone tonight…Not after everything..." she trailed off and let out a shuddering breath, trying her best to not cry. She hated to feel so weak, but in her defense it had been a very trying day.
"Shhh… it's okay. I'm here. No one will hurt you."
It was such a simple statement, but something about it moved her. She knew instantly exactly how she felt about him; something inside of her had finally fully opened and she knew for sure. Roxanne moved forward and she pressed her lips against his in a kiss. That part of her that had been telling her to go slow; to not rush in to anything, was becoming quieter. Roxanne was no stranger to heartbreak; and though she knew that she trusted Megamind, there was still that remembrance of pain that had held her back. She had only had a few relationships since college, and none had lasted very long at all.
Of course it had never helped to have everyone think that you were dating the bulked up city hero.
But the few relationships that she had been in had all ended in hurt; and in betrayal. She knew that wouldn't happen here. She knew that he would never break her trust again. She knew that he hadn't meant to hurt her the first time, but that he had rather wanted avoid heartbreak himself. She finally knew how she felt for sure, and she knew what she wanted.
The way she moved into him, gripping his arm tightly, made him deepen the kiss. She had come to him for comfort once again. He had known for a long time now just how much he cared for the woman he was currently holding. He had known what his heart felt and wanted; but having her here, displaying how desperately she had needed him made those feelings grow.
He had saved her earlier that day, but she had already long since saved him.
He loved her; and that was that.
He was plain and simple giant blue head over heels in love with Roxanne Ritchi.
Roxanne managed to wrap her arm around the back of his neck with her other hand placed upon his chest. His arms went to wrap around her back, daring to bring her in closer. She let out an involuntary yelp of pain and she jerked back from him.
"I'm sorry! Are you okay?" He sat up, leaning over just enough to turn on the table lamp.
"Yea." She let out a slow breath, a hand coming to her ribs. "I guess I'm just a little sore." She frowned, brushing her bangs from her eyes. He raised an eyebrow skeptically; he knew that she was trying to be tough. "Okay, a lot sore. I'm pretty bruised."
"…how bad is it?" his eyes darkened, once more wishing that he had beat Hal to a pulp. She looked to him and then down, but he still caught the flash of nervousness in her eyes.
"Roxanne...how bad?" he asked again. Taking in a deep breath Roxanne turned around and pulled up the back of her shirt to reveal the canvas that was her back. She felt a cool hand reach out, lightly tracing along one of the bruises. It was but a minute later when his fingers covered around hers and rolled her shirt back down. A soft hand beckoned on her shoulder to turn back around and he lifted his other hand and caressed her bruised cheek. She was glad his hand was cooler than normal because it felt so good on the swollen flesh.
She closed her eyes as she rested her face into his hand. She moved in for a hug and once more her vision swirled, sending her careening into his forehead. They both let out a gasp of pain before chuckling at their terrible coordination. He moved again, slowly this time, to capture her lips in a gentle kiss. For a moment they were lost in pure bliss; until she somehow managed to lean upon his wrapped wrist, which elicited another jolt of pain from him.
"We're quite a pair, aren't we?" Roxanne chuckled. The pair slowly sat back and each was careful of their own injuries as they moved.
"This isn't going to work, is it?" she bit her lip. He looked to her, shaking his head.
"Regrettably it would seem not. That's not saying I wouldn't want it to. I would very much want to- with you-what I mean. I-oh now I just sound like a fool." He sighed. Roxanne giggled, and placed a single finger across his lips.
"No, you don't. You're sweet. And I know what you mean…I feel the same way." She blushed brightly, seeing his cheeks and ears turn that adorable shade of fuchsia. "But I guess we'll have to just listen to Minion and actually get our rest to heal up. Nanny Fish wins again."
He chuckled as he laid back down, turning the lamp off. He held an arm out for her and she slowly lay back down, and curled down into his chest, her head resting upon the crook in his shoulder.
"Well, if you're not terribly opposed to it then, I'm perfectly content to spend the rest of my night just like this. There's no need for us to rush anything at all. We have all the time in the world now Ms. Ritchi. And right now, I'm perfectly happy to just be here."
"How is it you can be such an evil genius, and such a romantic poet at the same time?" she smirked.
"I'm a man of many talents."
It was her turn to laugh now. She gave him as gentle a hug as she dared.
"Well then I'm perfectly happy to be just like this too."
With a slight turn of his head, Megamind brought his free hand up to her chin and he guided her up into a soft kiss.
Man he was good at that.
When they parted he rested his forehead against hers, his nose brushing hers. He steeled himself, hoping he would get the response he so desperately wished for.
"I love you."
"I love you too..Mykael."
They slowly drifted off to sleep, perfectly content with their night. For they both knew just how much they cared, and how much they didn't want to spoil anything by rushing in too fast or going too far before the time was right. For now they were perfectly happy to just have one another, alive, bruised, but well, and in one another's arms. For now they were perfectly happy to have their good night words and a kiss goodnight.
There you go! You can all have your fluffy-fluff for now! Like I said, the next few chapters are already well in the works and boy are they exciting! They just need a little bit more tweaking. I hope you all really enjoyed this chapter!
And yes, before anyone mentions anything about her concussion and not sleeping and her ribs/back. Trust me; been there done that. It's a bitch to go through. I was crazy enough to still walk around, although not much which neither of them are doing either. As for the concussions well... yes you are technically supposed to have someone check on you every few hours..but that's why we have brain bots in this story! :)