"Gru! Gru! Gru! Gru!"

"Argh, enough!" I said as I got out of bed and headed straight for the elevator of evil. I was pushed and shoved around by my minions who were full of such giddy joy for some reason, I would never get.

"Alright! Alright!" I yelled at them as five of my minions got on the elevator with me and we began to descend down to my evil lair. I was EXHAUSTED. Half the time I had to share my bed with Bob, the youngest of the minions, and often Kevin and Stuart would join us, making the bed extremely stuffy and cramped.

"Mini boss!" I could hear them now chanting as I descended to the floor of my basement, (still being constructed to be the perfect lair... for now) and I lowered my eyebrows when I heard them chant "Mini boss!" again and again.

"You guys got me up at this time in the morning just to scream and cheer at me? What is this even?" I asked, dumbfounded as I walked across the crowded floor of minions and saw right before my eyes, red velvet cake with my name iced on it – not well, but there was definite thought and effort put into it, if a little underwhelming.

"Seriously, what is IT?" I snapped and the minions began to circle around me as they began to sing in their own language the words – translated by me.

"Happy birthday to Gru! Happy birthday to GRU! Happy birthday to GRU! Happy birthday to Gru!"

"YAY!" They all cheered, blowing party poppers and bringing the huge cake right before my blue glaring eyes.

I looked at it, my mouth dropping open just the littlest as I realized something just then.

It was my birthday... and for the first time, it was being celebrated.

"GRU! GRU! GRU! GRU!" They continued to cheer and one minion handed me a huge sharp butcher knife, indicating for me to cut the big cake.

I however stayed perfectly still, as the realization was hitting me hard. For the first time in my life, someone... or MANY ones actually cared for me.

My minions... they loved me.

"Thank you, Ryan," I said to the minion who handed me the knife and he gave a giddy thumbs up back to me. I smiled softly, a true endeared smile, and stabbed the cake quite savagely, the minions laughing and greedily eating up quickly the pieces that fell to the floor.

I knew then that I was growing up, as I was now the young age of 12, but I knew right then and there... with these guys, the older I got, I would be unstoppable in my quest to be the most powerful super villain in existence.

"Gru! Gru!"

"Alright, minions, thank you, thank you... but listen," I said quickly and they all gathered around me eagerly, trembling in pure ecstasy as I told them, "Today is a BIG day, the day I start acting more like a man, and accomplish my goals and dreams."

"YAY!" They all screamed and I could hear Stuart call out from the back, "Go, boss!"

"Yes, yes" I replied with still that small smile and I looked at them in giddy glee of my own, "So you ask me, what is my newest evil scheme gonna be?"

"Ce! Ce! Ce!" They all called, so eager, so desperate to know.

"I am going to..."

"CE!?"

"Take over the united states and steer them into war with RUSSIA!"

They all gasped in huge delighted squeals and I continued, waving my pale hands a little to calm them down.

"How to do this, you may ask me?"

"CE, BOSS! CE?!"

"I am going to be the youngest president in the history of the states!"

"GO, BOSS! GO, BOSS!"

"Thank you, thank you," I answered, the biggest evilest grin on my mouth. I dug my hand into the cake just then and took a big bite of the fluffy sponge stuffing.

I felt something inside myself at that moment, a deep sense of truth and understanding.

I was growing up to be the man I wanted to be... and these minions... they were more than that to me.

They, well, they were my friends.

After I had eaten my share of cake, I looked puzzled ahead of me as the minions all made a straight line (as best they could) and in each of their gloved hands were wrapped up presents for me to receive.

"Oh, you guys," I said, feeling shy in myself at that moment, "Really... you really know how to make a villain feel special."

I took the first present that was from Kevin, and tore off the wrapping paper, seeing it was a banana phone.

"Oooh!" They all cooed in sheer total disbelief, as they whispered to one another with wide amazed eyes, "Banana... banana..."

I looked away from the phone, back up at them, and smiled awkwardly, putting the phone to my side and carrying on with the opening of the many, many gifts.

One thing about minions is they often think alike.

I got many other banana-themed presents, until the smallest and youngest minion Bob was the last one left to give me a present.

"Mini boss..." He said shyly and was trembling as he held the present up towards me. I raised an eyebrow, confused at his fear and worry, and slowly took the gift, tearing it open and seeing...

It was his teddy.

"Oh, Bob," I said to him, a small warm smile going up my mouth and Bob was near to tears, "You keep it... you need it more than me."

Bob's eyes went wide open, his bottom lip quivering as I handed him back his teddy, and all the minions went in unionism, "Aww!"

"Enough now!" I called back at them, standing up straight and tall – as tall as I could, "It's still three in the morning, and I need to sleep if we are going to perform my evil plan in the future."

"Ah! Ce! Ce, ce, CE!" They all called and I nodded stiffly to them, before turning right around and heading back to the elevator.

"Er, mini boss..." Bob said in a quiet shy whisper, as he held his teddy close and trembled in his approach, "Sleepy?"

I turned my piercing blue eyes in his direction and he shivered back, afraid of what my reply would be.

"Okay... tonight only."

"Ce?!" The others all cried out together and they all begin running to the elevator, I wasn't able to say anything to stop them on time.

I rolled my eyes lazily, knowing that I'd have to share my bed tonight with over a hundred minions, but you wanna know something interesting?

I didn't mind at that moment, as my room was so packed it was like a plastic box of tic tacs. I knew one thing in that moment and the thing that would get me through the hardest of nights and the longest of days.

I was loved... I had friends... I had family...

I had family.

"Boss," Bob whispered to me as he was by my side and I asked him back, just as quietly.

"Yes, Bob?"

Bob gave a small shy smile and began speaking in his minion language, so quickly I could barely catch what he was saying. I cupped his mouth shut with my tired hand and answered him.

"Bob, there's no need to worry. I will take over the world, this country, very easily and everything will be fine."

Bob peeped out "Nobif?" and I knew exactly what the word meant.

It was a question, a worried thought.

Really?

I smiled at him gently again and nodded my head back as I replied.

"Yes, Bob... really really."

Bob sighed out heavily, becoming completely relaxed and snuggled into me, hugging his teddy close and shutting his eyes, going to sleep.

I have to admit, even though I was twelve and still yet becoming a man, I knew that my minions had helped me in a million ways to grow up.

I now had something to look after, responsibility put on my shoulders. And they were gonna make my dreams come true.

I had thought that at that time, that night. Inside, I was full of giddy glee at my evil deeds and plans for the world.

It would all come to fruition, it just had to.

Because I was despicable... and I was a villain, inside and out.

The new presidential elections were going to be starting up soon enough, and I was going to change history. I had hoped, I had dreamed!

But some dreams never come true.

But luckily enough, neither did most nightmares.

And if I put in the effort, anything could really happen in my life.

I had the minions and knew my future was bright ahead of me... by being dark and shadowy for everyone else.

I sighed out myself as I shut my eyes and only whispered with a cold grin.

"I love being evil..."

Despicable...

Despicable me.