Another time another chapter. ACT of death tomorrow. Oh the joy... I wanna puke. Hope you enjoy the chapter anyway people, soon. Very very soon, and everything will be ready to burn.
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Megamind burst into his lair with the kind of infectious energy that made everyone within a short distance automatically notice him. In this case, that referred to the brain bots, and to Minion, who ran forward happily, his masters safe return always cause for celebration. It didn't help that this was one of the first major battles against a larger-than-life villain who was attempting to refer to himself as 'super'. Roxanne followed close behind him, leaning against the doorway happily as she watched her boyfriend laugh and celebrate, tossing a wrench for the bots to chase, calling for Minion to play all the best music.
It was a celebration that she was soon dragged into willingly. Megamind seemed to not feel any of the pain in his limbs or body, dancing with her to the blaring of Welcome to the Jungle, a song that had become synonymous with rescue in her mind. Minion was called over to join in and it began a sort of romp throughout the lair, the brain bots happily joining. They laughed, cries of celebration and joy passing between them easily.
"Great job, sir, wonderful job!" Minion called, his piranha teeth pulled into a wide and happy smile.
"Thank you, thank you, hold your applause." Megamind bowed and finally slumped back into his couch, smiling with happiness and satisfaction.
"I have to hand it to you, you did great today."
"Was there ever any doubt?" He smiled, raising an eyebrow at her, an eyebrow that quickly lowered at the slightly nonplussed look that spread over Roxanne's face.
"Of course not, silly. I knew you could do wonderful." She rolled her eyes, a small part of her reeling with the amount of control she seemed to have over him that a single look from her could cause happiness or trauma. The immediate brightening of his expression proved it to her. What does a woman do with such a power?
With a happy sigh, Megamind leaned back into the chair slightly; his mind focused in nothing more than deep satisfaction as bone-deep weariness enveloped him. He wasn't quite sure why, it hadn't been that trying of a battle, not very long, certainly damaging, but it was nothing like the battles he had had with Metro Man, let alone Titan. It was only when he began to finally nod off that he remembered the other blue cube tucked in his belt, and the events that happened before.
Minion turned the song off, Roxanne unfolding a blanket over the blue hero and tucking him in gently. She didn't like the way that he did not have a bed, but she was learning to let it be. She just now knew what she would get him for Christmas, that was all. Minion smiled at her happily, leading her out of what served for the living quarters of the lair and into what doubled as a kitchen. He made her tea happily, their conversation light and airy. She was beginning to quite like the alien fish. He was pleasant, charming, and was obviously the only friend Megamind had ever had for quite awhile. That alone was reason enough for her to like him.
"He did great today, Minion."
"I'm proud of him, I always knew he could do it!"
"Why didn't you tell him?"
Minion was quiet for a moment, finally letting out a sigh that caused bubbles to rise through his bowl. "My job is to follow his orders, to follow him to the end. I promised his parents and I promise him. I admit, at one time I did not follow him, but I have never regretted anything more. I just didn't want for him to get hurt. How was I to know that the woman who had stolen his heart also had her own stolen?" He gave her a shy smile and she couldn't help but smile gently in return.
"I'm glad it happened."
"I am, too. Unbelievably glad," Minion affirmed, moving his fish body in an up and down motion that resembled a nod.
"You know, I just realized…all this time I've had access to one of the best informants into the mind of my boyfriend, and I never used him. What can you tell me, Minion? I'll ask him as well, but I'm curious as to how you see it. Is he adjusting well, is life better for him now than it was when he first got her? What was he like as a boy?" The last question felt like an afterthought, but she couldn't help remembering another face with the same eyes telling her that none of the other kids had liked him.
"Oh, he was the average genius with a larger than normal head and blue skin."
"Meaning not average at all."
"Precisely, Miss. Ritchi, precisely. He was someone who stood out like a sore thumb and was so…innocent, that most kids saw him as a target, once he went to school that is. Before that the Warden took care of him. Or…took as much care of him as he could. Syx was not someone who could have gone into the orphanage, or so I was told by the Warden. He didn't know what would happen, and he knew that the prisoners were attached to the small boy, that they affectionately referred to as 'Little-Blue'."
"'Little-Blue'? That's so cute!"
"He didn't particularly like it much, but he got used to it, especially when the other kids names turned out to be worse."
"So he never had anyone attempt to be friendly?"
"No. He was too strange for them, he was too...frightening. Mark went to the same school, but whereas Syx was blue and looked alien, Mark was even more powerful, and looked human. I suppose that's all that matters."
"Wait, Metro Man and Megamind went to the same school?"
"Yes, they did. He was…not very nice to him." Minion frowned slightly. "Not that I expected anything else, I mean…" He seemed to realize what he was saying, his teeth sliding together harshly, his eyes widening, and he cleared his throat.
"Why didn't you expect anything else?"
"I can't tell. It's not for me to tell."
"Why not?"
"Because I promised. I already broke one promise and almost lost my friend for good. I am not breaking another one." Minion met her eyes, the brown holding such stern conviction and intensity in them that she could do nothing more than back down, nodding. She still had questions that demanded to be asked, but she could also take a hint.
It wasn't long after their conversation that Megamind awoke with a gasp, sitting up in the couch, his eyes wide as they flickered from shadow to shadow. He groaned, his head dropping into his long and thin-fingered hands. He hated nightmares.
He also hated not knowing everything. He considered re-hydrating the pod, but he wasn't sure that he wanted to hear anything more at the moment. Not after something like the nightmare he had just had. Vicious colors and shifting images that made no sense but awakened nothing more or less than the deepest fear in his heart. Megamind took a few deep breaths, forcing his heart to calm, and pushed himself out of the couch, folding the blanket for his fishy friend.
Syx needed air. He needed space to think.
Roxanne exited the room, looking to give one last kiss to her boyfriend, preferably on his forehead -he just looked so cute when he slept- only to find that he wasn't there. She narrowed her eyes slightly, her mind flashing through the possibilities. If she were a blue alien, where would she go? She tucked a piece of stray brown hair behind her ear and looked around considering, and then looked over to the stairs.
….
Megamind stood on the roof of his lair, staring out into the wide open sky before him, green eyes barely flickering in their glazed and thoughtful state. He hadn't moved for a while, leaning against the railing, cape still about him as there was no wind. He didn't notice when the door opened behind him, jumping at the sudden hand that grasped his arm. Green eyes met worried blue, a wealth of communication tried to pass between them, but they found that they didn't truly know the other well enough for that.
"Megamind, what's wrong?" Roxanne asked, the brunette examining the blue alien quietly. "You've been oddly subdued for a while now, did something happen?"
"Did I tell you that I was learning more about my species, Roxanne?"
"How?"
"The pod my parents sent me in. I was able to hear them talk to me; they recorded themselves in order to tell me certain things. I watched it before I fought the Destruction Worker. They…they said they would always proud of me, no matter what I did. Roxanne…no one's ever said that to me before. I don't know what to do with that feeling. What do I do with it? How can they be proud of me? I did…I did precisely what my father told me not to do. I got angry over my situation; I hated the people who treated me wrongly, I paid them back ten times as worse. How could he still be proud of me?"
"Oh, Megamind…he was your father, that was your mother. Of course they will be proud of you, sure you were a villain before, but you aren't now. You're a hero! You're our hero and you are working so hard at improving your image and reputation, heck, if they aren't proud of you, I'm proud of you!"
"You are?"
"Of course I am. You deserve it. You've worked so hard." She leaned forward then, pressing her lips to his forehead as she had so wanted to earlier.
"I have…" Megamind asked, slightly unfocused as she kissed his nose.
"So, what did you learn?" She asked, kissing his lips gently.
"What did I…" He was completely and totally dazed.
"About your parents, what did you learn?" She asked with a smile, leaning back against the railing, giving him space to regroup his scattered thoughts.
"Oh! Megamind brightened up immediately and launched into an explanation, his eyes reflecting his sadness at some of what was said. She hugged him gently when he finished.
"Are you going to be okay?"
"I'll be fine. It was nice to see them again. I had almost forgotten what mother sounded like." He puckered his lips slightly, looking slightly horrified at the idea, his eyes flickering to hers. "What's it like to forget?"
"What do you mean?"
"I…I remember everything that happened to me since I was two days old, but I sometimes find that I can't quite recall everything all at once, sometimes it's a little fuzzy. But I always remember it. What is it like to forget such things, does it hurt? Does it make you sad?"
Roxanne was silent for a moment, thinking, leaning against the railing as she struggled to put her thoughts together in a coherent manner. "Forgetting is, well…just that, it's forgetting. You don't remember it, so you can't be sad about it, and sometimes, forgetting can be a wonderful thing. It's a natural human reaction to forget the things that hurt us, the things that traumatize us would better be the better explanation. Sometimes the things we most remember are the ones that hurt, those little humiliations and past experiences of pain."
"That sounds like it sucks…"
"It does, just a bit. But you get used to it."
"I hope I never do…"
Roxanne was silent for a moment, her eyes contemplating the blue alien as he leaned forward against the railing, his posture mirroring hers, all black leathers and long lines. "You know, I'm pretty sure you won't have to."
He smiled and that was enough for her.
….
Mark flew as far away from the city as he could go and still see it, which was quite far. His arms were crossed, his face haggard, and his mouth pulled into a thin line. He took a breath, releasing it in a puff of moisture that came from being as high up in the air as he was. The day was dying, the sun sinking over the ocean in front of him, a bleeding sore that was somehow still beautiful.
In two days. It was coming in two days. He took a few deep breaths, attempting to remain calm, his fear and rage rising to a fever pitch. He felt trapped, something that he had been familiar with, and had desperately wished to never feel again. He was now realizing how foolish it had been. He could not escape from what he was; he could not escape from what was to come.
No matter how much he had wished to.
Music Man gave a brief snort of laughter. Since when did he ever get what he wanted? The bitter thought crossed his mind in a flash and he struggled against it. He knew that he had been privileged, living a life of luxury that most would have killed for. He knew that Megamind had tried to, that much was certain. But none of that contested with the fact that he was a very selfish man, he knew it, as much as it pained him, but he could not seem to shake it. He was selfish, egotistical, and he was also very tired.
He had never felt so worn down before, but he knew that it was only going to get worse. He could only pray that Megamind would be up for the challenge when it finally arrived, because if he wasn't…he knew that Metro City and the rest of the world would suffer for it, and Little Blue did not deserve that kind of pressure, or that kind of harsh reality.
Mark focused on the two figures that stood near the railing on the roof of a familiar building and sent quiet vibes of encouragement and hope, his own silent prayer rising up to the heavens.
Please, please let him be ready…
