I wanted to write something about Wild Knukles for quite some time, because there's barely any content with him and his relationship with Gru has an untapped fanfic potential. At the same time, I've found myself falling into this fandom's rabbit hole regarding Young Nefario and his relationship with Gru, so I decided to write a fic when Wild Knuckles and Nefario work together for the boy's sake.

I suspected that they would probably notice how Marlena treats her son and I decided to write story when they talk about it and try to do something about it. And now we're here.

Please, leave a review.

We need to talk about Marlena

Neither one of them expected it, but somehow a retired supervillain, Wild Knuckles, and mad scientist, Joseph Albert Nefario, found themselves spending more and more time in company of a twelve year old Felonius Gru.

While the former thought of the kid as his successor, someone the old villain would entrust with his legacy, the latter felt immense satisfaction when the boy was using his inventions for impressive heists and, over time, realized he really found a kindred spirit in his underage employer. Both adult men grew fond of little Gru pretty quickly – he was smart, ambitious and looked up to both of them (although for different reasons), and, frankly, there was something adorable in him; so adorable that they couldn't help but feel protective for him. It was silly, yes, two hardened supervillains suddenly caring for a kid they weren't even related to, but it just happened naturally.

However, the more they were hanging around Gru, the more disturbing things they've noticed. Like the fact that the ones taking the boy from school were always his fateful Minions and not any adult guardian. Or the fact that when the kid was doing something dangerous, like mixing toxic chemicals or playing with explosives, the only reaction from the woman that supposed to be his parent, was anger for damaging the kitchen and making noise. Or the fact that two strange men suddenly started to hang out with her underage son and Marlena Gru barely cared.

Sure, she was suspicious of Wild Knuckles (even if he was in disguise to not get recognized by AVL), but only because she thought he was selling something, and she quickly bought the lie that he was a new volleyball coach in Gru's school ("Finally someone will get him into shape!", was all she said to that). And sure, she was surprised to see Nefario one day talking with her son in the kitchen room, but she went straight to flirting with the young inventor (which was uncomfortable for both Gru and Nefario).

Either way, after the initial introduction Marlena didn't pay much attention to two adults she barely knew anything about spending time with her twelve year old.

"It's honestly really weird." Wild Knuckles said one day as he and Nefario were in Gru's lair.

The old man was leaning on the nearest table, while the scientist was tinkering with his newest invention. Gru was in school at the time and Minions… well, they were busy with their own things, and didn't bother the two men at all.

Nefario only glanced at his interlocutor and replied, still at work:

"Yes, there is only select few people normal parents are trusting their children with. Teachers, parents' friends, neighbors… And I don't think it's the case here." The scientist turned to Wild Knuckles, giving him concerned look. "It's not that she's trusting us with Gru. It's just that she's indifferent. She doesn't care about Gru and what's happening to him as long as he doesn't bother her."

Wild Knuckles lately had a lot to think about. After he befriended the kid, he started to reminiscent about how their relationship started from a kidnapping. He often felt guilty and ashamed, thinking back about how he not only took a child hostage, but he also was threatening him and even torturing him (not to mention that he put the boy in danger at least twice). And even though some part of him was saying that it wasn't big deal (the kid was tougher than people were giving him credit for, besides the old villain was teaching him life lessons…), deep down he knew that he shouldn't have put a little boy through Disco Inferno and order him to clean his crocodile pool. That is why after this whole ordeal with clocktower, Wild Knuckles decided to be more mindful of dangers his young protégé could fall into.

However, one memory about their first meeting that kept playing on and on in his mind, was bothering the old man for a bit different reason.

"'I'm sure she will pay you just to keep me.'" He whispered to himself now, once again bringing Nefario's attention to himself. When the scientist looked at him with raised eyebrows, the villain explained: "That's what the kid said when I told him to call his mother for ransom. At the time I hadn't thought much of that but now…"

"You know," The inventor pushed his swirl chair and turned his whole body towards Wild Knuckles. "I remember when I saw them on the Villain Con." A soft smile appeared on his lips. "Gru was very excited to visit every stand, to watch every presentation, to see every one of his villainous idol. And the questions he was asking me, when I was showing off my freeze ray… It was like talking with a fellow mad scientist." Suddenly he got serious. "But before I could get into further details, Marlena stepped in and said: 'I'm sorry if he's pestering you. He has this annoying habit'. The moment when she said this, Gru's excitement just faded away. I felt sorry for the little guy… until I've realized that he stole one of my freeze rays." He added more casually.

Wild Knuckles chuckled, but then saddened.

"It was obvious she didn't want to be there." Nefario went on. "And I can understand that, really. Not every parent shares their child's passion. And it was Villain Con, after all… But now when I think about it, I've never seen her praising him in any way, either."

The first instinct for Wild Knuckles was to say that life is brutal and the kid shouldn't expect to be praised for everything… but then he thought for a moment. He often found himself being genuinely impressed by Gru's intellect and resolve. He also admired the kid's way of managing the Minions at such young age. And every time when Wild Knuckles or Nefario were saying something nice about him, Gru was suddenly beaming up and asking: "Really?", as if he didn't believe someone would praise him.

Wild Knuckles often found it a bit concerning. After all, one of the best ways to manipulate someone with poor self-esteem, was to butter them up a little. The kid could get easily taken advantage of.

"Well, my old man wasn't praising me either," Wild Knuckles finally said. "but I was a total delinquent and had shitty grades. Gru, on the other hand, brings straight As left and right. I don't know what else this woman wants."

"Maybe it's a social thing? He is, after all, rather mean and awkward. He told me he's not very popular with other kids."

Wild Knuckled heard Gru talking about his school experience too – about other kids laughing at his chubby physique and about his foreign accent… and about so-called "gruties". The old villain knew from his own experience that children could be cruel and make someone's life really lonely. This was especially bad, if that someone was coming back home and had no one to talk about it.

Wild Knuckles suddenly felt greater appreciation for Minions – they were annoying and dumb at times, yes, but at least they've cared enough for their "mini-boss" to not only take him from school (something his own mother didn't bother to do), but also were trying to save him. The old villain remembered how his own companions left him for dead. It's good that the kid at least had someone who would go to the ends of the Earth for him. He deserved someone who would love him unconditionally.

I'm sure she will pay you just to keep me…

Nevertheless, the anger slowly was rising within Wild Knuckles. He suddenly found himself in dire need of punching something. He settled for the nearest workbench, which made test tubes stationed there shake. Nefario reacted instantly.

"Hey, be careful!" He exclaimed. "I'm working on a new fuel. You could have ruined it."

Then he drove on his swirl chair to this workbench to check on the test tubes. He looked at the green liquid in of one tubes and even took a sample on the glass and checked it through the microscope.

"It seems that everything is fine." He added soon after and came back to the invention he was working on previously. "Gru wants to be a supervillain and he's very open about it. So I suspect that maybe Marlena doesn't want him to be this way."

"Well then, she should pay more attention to him. And not bring him to the fucking Villain Con."

"Yes, you're right… But look, maybe we shouldn't intervene at all. We don't know what the situation really is. It can be tough to take care a child if you're on your own."

"No, it's pretty clear what's the situation. I've seen my fair share of single mothers who struggled to raise their kids. Marlena isn't some kind of poor woman abandoned by her lover and neglecting her kid only because she works three shifts to support him. She spends most of her time at home and the Grus don't have money problems."

"Not after Gru pulled off the theft of British crown, anyway." Nefario pointed out.

"Come to think of it," Wild Knuckles came closer and leaned on the workbench the inventor was sitting at. "where is the kid's pop anyway? Is he dead?"

"Gru certainly thinks so." The scientist replied. "He told me that, according to Marlena, his father died of disappointment, when he saw his newborn son."

Wild Knuckles frowned. This wasn't just negligence any more. This was straight up cruelty. He couldn't imagine how hearing such things from his own mother would affect a little kid. Once again he felt an urge to punch something. He settled for the workbench Nefario was working at, startling the scientist and making him drop his tools.

"Would you stop that?!" He glared the old villain.

"Well, I'm pissed. And when I'm pissed I want to punch things."

"Then punch a wall! That way you won't disturb my work." Nefario gave a soft sigh and put his tools down, adding: "Anyway, when I told Gru that it's scientifically impossible to die from disappointment, he just said: 'He's dead and here's that. I don't need him anyways.'"

From his somber expression and the sudden silence that befell them, Wild Knuckles could see that the mad scientist found this response sad and disturbing. Frankly, the retired supervillain didn't know what to think of the issue of disappearing Mister Gru. If he was dead, then how exactly did he die? And if he just abandoned his family, then why? If it was the latter, then maybe that was part of the reason Marlena was the way she was.

Wild Knuckles put his hand on the inventor's shoulder and said:

"Look me in the eyes, Nefario. Do you seriously believe we shouldn't do anything about Marlena not caring about her own son?"

Nefario once again stopped what he was doing and turned to the older villain.

"I'm worried about him too, you know." He glanced at his feet. "But it's not like he doesn't have anybody to care for him right now." He came back to work. "There is a literal army of yellow creatures not only willing to follow him but be his friends."

"But you know that having friends is not the same as having a parent."

Nefario didn't say anything at first; he seemed to think about something deeply. Then he put his hands on his knees and gazed at Wild Knuckles.

"So what do you propose? What should we do?"

Yes, what should they do? Frankly, there was a lot a former villain and a mad scientist could do, and some of those things Wild Knuckles considered an overkill. They should proceed with caution.

"Do you want to be his father?" Neforio asked suddenly.

Wild Knuckles felt weirdly hot, as if he was blushing.

"Yes… I mean, no." He replied soon after. "I'm too old to be a father figure, but I can see myself being his mentor or a grandpa."

"And I'm too young to be a father, so here's that." Nefario said, but his expression was telling the retired villain that he didn't exactly disagree with the idea.

Wild Knuckles noticed earlier, while watching interactions between the mad scientist and his young employer, that Nefario could easily act fatherly towards Gru – more often than not he was finding himself not only providing inventions or expertise, but also helping the kid with school assignments or comforting him (on the more practical level, he was the one in charge of bookkeeping). To some extend their science experiments looked like a father and son playing.

It was clear that the inventor kind of like it that way.

After a short moment of silence Nefario asked:

"So what do you want to do with Marlena? Do you want to convince her to be better mother?"

"First we need to gather intel. You know, to understand the enemy."

"Why are you suddenly talking like a general?"

"That's not important right now!" Wild Knuckles cleared his throat and added: "Either way, first we find out why she's like that and maybe what happened to Gru's father."

"And how are you planning to get this info out of her?"

The moment when the mad scientist asked that question, Wild Knuckles had an idea. He smiled devilishly to his own thoughts and looked at his interlocutor. Nefario didn't like it one bit.

Originally this was supposed to be a one-shot, but the more I was writing it, the more I was convinced that it should have at least couple of chapters.

Also, I have a cliche idea for the next chapter (given the set-up), I'm not convinced about, so I'm open for suggestions.