ATTENTION ATTENTION! VERY IMPORTANT!
There is a very important notice at the bottom of this fic. Very important indeed. Please read it before you exit out of this chapter.
Onto the intro note:
This was suggested by futureauthor13 who felt that a reunion scene needed to be written. So this is basically the second half of Pruumises. And I, surprisingly, had a really easy time with this chapter.
So enjoy.
Flames. Cars exploding. People screaming. The tiny, stolen TV flickered, the images distorted by the crappy reception as Hal- no… Titan now destroyed the downtown area.
Images from the battle, taken by civilian camera phone kept replaying as the solemn reporter spoke.
"'Titan', first thought to be the city's new hero, has turned evil."
Minion cringed, his eyes locked on the body count at the bottom of the screen. So far no one had died, but already the injured were reaching into the hundreds.
"The city has never seen this level of destruction."
And it hadn't. His master had never wanted to destroy the city. His master had only wanted to be a part of it, to be accepted. In some part of his master, Minion knew the alien loved 'Metrosity', and would've been devastated if it had been destroyed.
"If only Metro Man were still alive…"
His master had tried to create something to protect his city, not just something to keep his considerable intelligence in shape. This new 'Metro Man' was supposed to kill two birds with one stone.
And like with all his master's greatest plans…
This one had to backfire.
He stared, horrified as yet another clip replayed, showing his master fly out of a massive explosion and land painfully almost two blocks away before skidding at least another ten feet.
He closed his eyes, swallowing against the fear that boiled inside him.
He knew what was coming next in the clip. He'd seen it twelve times already. His master crawling across the pavement, the BrainBots dropping the copper cage on Titan, his master believing he'd won this round… A fist through the siding, and suddenly the copper cage was hurtling towards his master.
He didn't know if the alien was alive, or dead. All he'd seen was the crater where his master had last been standing.
The same story played, over and over. The evacuation of the city, warning people to stay out of downtown, wondering why Megamind had suddenly turned himself in-
Wait… what?
His attention zeroed in on the tail end of the story as the warden calmly told the handful of reporters that had yet to flee the city that Megamind had willingly given himself up. No, he hasn't said why. No, he hasn't said anything since he arrived here. Yes, medical attention was recommended for a few burns but he refused.
Minion took a deep, steadying breath. His master was hurt. Probably terrified. His master never gave up. Yes, he'd retreat, only to regroup and attack full-force a moment later.
But his master, never, never ran and hid.
Of course, Metro Man had never been intent on killing Megamind before.
"Code: I don't need you."
Minion's gaze fell to the bottom of his bowl. His resolve would stand firm. He wouldn't go back, he couldn't… shouldn't…
"I really am sorry about this, Warden." Minion apologized for the third time as he picked up the dehydrated man. "You know, he was thinking about a new promotion: Frequent Dehydration cards. Get a month with no hassle of any kind for every fifteen dehydrations." He said sheepishly as he clicked through the watches settings until he found the Warden's face, as though the idea would placate the man. His form shimmered as the projection altered his body to match the Warden, down to the birthmark just beneath the man's hairline on the back of his neck.
It was a quick trip through the hallways, though they were much quieter. The inmates conversed in low, hushed tones through their bars about this new Titan character. Would he release them? Recruit them? Or would he squash them too? He could hear a few of them making bets on how long it took this new supervillain to come looking for Megamind again, and whether or not the guy would actually kill 'Little Blue'.
Minion resisted the urge to shudder at the idea. He had an act to keep up. He jabbed a finger at the nearest inmate, glowering until the man and the inmate he'd been talking to slunk back into their cells. "That's enough. No one's escaping an no one's killing anyone."
He took a deep breath as he cleared the last cellblock, now presented with the hulking dome of his master's solitary confinement chamber. If it weren't for the flickering TV he could see both through the small window and on the monitor screen, he would've been sure that the slumped figure in the chair was asleep.
He opened his jacket with one hand, the other reaching in for the dehydration gun to zap the guard with when the sound of the TV caught his attention.
"-don't get cold feet-" His eyes drifted to the TV next to the monitor screen as the guard's eyes widened in amazement.
Miss Ritchie was suddenly on screen, wearing an expression he couldn't quite read. It was like… she was frightened, confused, angry, and… and something else all at the same time as she stared into the camera lens.
"-Come on Roxie." Titan's voice was patronizing, and it made Minion's blood run cold. Had that… that monster hurt Miss Ritchie too? Would he dare? He glanced quickly at the monitor to see his master had shot up in his seat, leaning forward as he watched the message with disbelief. "Call for your hero to come and rescue you!"
He watched Miss Ritchie take a deep, shaky breath, and his heart ached to see her expression. He really had always liked Miss Ritchie. Not twenty-four hours before, he'd hated her for taking his master away from him. Now he couldn't help but feel guilty for every bad thought he'd had of her since he'd left his master. Now he couldn't help the fear that raged inside him for her life.
"Megamind-" Minion's eyes widened. Or rather, the Warden's did. Her voice was so calm, so collected, as though she was simply reporting on another, non-god-vs-evil story. "I don't even know if you're listening-" Her voice cracked, and her expression turned pleading as she turned to the camera once more. "-but if you are, you can't give up!" She took another steadying breath, her eyes flickering nervously to the side, fearfully eyeing the edge of the building. Minion swallowed, his own sideways glance seeing that his master was now poised on the edge of his seat. "The Megamind I knew would've never run from a fight, even when he knew he had absoloutely no chance of winning!" She was staring pleading at the camera again. "It was you're best quality!" Minion almost smirked at that one. His master was, if nothing else, persistent.
He always had liked Miss Ritchie.
"You need to be that guy, right now." Her voice cracked again. "The city needs you." Her head dropped, her eyes closed as she tried to keep calm. Minion finally understood what had happened to his master as she lifted her head, staring desperately into the camera as though she knew Megamind was staring right back. "I need you."
"Roxanne…"
The voice was quiet, garbled through the hidden microphones but Minion heard it nonetheless. Megamind had leapt from his seat, now only inches away from the screen. There was a flash of blue light, and the guard became a cube on the floor. Another, and the Warden was sitting in the rolling contraption as Minion pulled a length of rope from inside his jacket as well. Taking advantage of the Warden's disorientation, he quickly tied the old man to the chair and pushed it out of view as Titan turned the camera back on himself.
"You have one hour!" The villain called to Megamind. "Don't, keep me waiting." The feed died as Minion made his way towards the console.
"Warden! Warden!" Megamind's blue face appeared at the door, searching frantically for the old man just as Minion came into view.
He knew they only had an hour. He knew Miss Ritchie was in danger.
"Code: I don't need you."
He couldn't help himself. He didn't change back.
"Listen to me, you have to let me go Titan has to be stopped!"
He stopped at the door, dropping his head to the side and quirking his brow like he'd seen the Warden do so many times before. "Sorry Megamind," He started. "You still have eighty-eight life sentences to go." He'd checked. "Plenty of time to reflect on what you've done." He hadn't meant so much for his own personal feelings to color that remark, but they did.
He watched his master whirl away from the door, only to slowly turn his head back to glare at the Warden. "If you want to hear me say it… I'll say it!" Minion blinked, trying to keep the Warden's straight, emotionless expression in place. "Here it is: from the blackest part of my heart!" God it was so hard not to laugh: his master was such a drama queen. There was silence for a moment as Megamind steeled himself, as though debating whether or not to actually say what was on his mind. Then he suddenly threw himself against the window, his face smashed against the glass. "I. Am. Sorry."
Must not laugh. Must teach Boss a lesson. He watched with a raised, unamused eyebrow as Megamind slid down the door into a heap. "Not buying it."
Megamind sighed, and stood, facing away from the door as he wandered back to his chair. "I don't blame you. I've terrorized the city countless times. Created a hero that struck out to be a villain." He gripped the headrest of the chair, and Minion had to fight the urge to comfort the alien. "Lied to Roxanne. My best friend Minion-" Minion's eyes widened at this. Was… was his master really going to apologize? "I treated like dirt…" Yes. Yes you did. But all his anger, his bitterness melted away at that. But he had to keep up the façade. He had to. He watched as Megamind turned. "But please don't make this city… don't make Roxanne pay for my wrongdoings."
Minion turned towards the console as his master looked away, and hit the 'open' switch. The door opened, and Megamind turned, confused, to see the Warden standing there with his hands behind his back.
"Apology accepted." Minion said, lifting his hand to turn off the watch. His master's eyes widened as he let out a surprised gasp.
"Minion… you fantastic fish you."
Minion's smile brightened as he gestured over his shoulder. "What are we waiting for?" He asked, thoroughly enjoying teasing his master. "We better get going."
The barred doors opened before them as they laughed, overjoyed to be reunited. His master playfully punched his shoulder a few times, and Minion tugged the alien against his side in a one-armed hug.
"You got me!" His master laughed.
"Good luck fellas!" They heard the Warden call from behind them, but they were far too busy laughing to respond until Megamind, his arms in the air shouted "We're gonna die!"
Minion laughed right along with him for a few seconds until he realized what Megamind had just said. "Wait… what?"
It was a simple matter to hot-wire the Warden's car. The keys were there in the ignition but it was much more fun to do it the criminal way.
It wasn't until they were on the road, pushing eighty when his master's laughs died and that big blue head turned to stare at Minion with a mixture of guilt and gratitude. "You came back."
Minion smiled. "I pruumised I'd always be there for you sir."
Megamind's expression turned more towards guilt than gratitude. "I should've lis-"
"No… sir." He sighed. "You shouldn't have. This was one time where I was wrong. Well… I mean it was wrong to lie to Miss Ritchie but… Well…" He frowned, trying to put into words what he was trying to convey, but apparently his master understood because he smiled and reached over to grip Minion's shoulder.
"Thanks for looking out for me, old friend."
Minion smiled. "Always sir."
Megamind's smiled turned devious as he released the hairy shoulder and turned back to grin down the road as he thrust one finger into the air. "Now! Onward! Minion!"
"Sir?"
"Hit it!" The second the words left his mouth though, Megamind turned a very sheepish expression on the space fish. "Er… but something heroic. If we're going to be the good guys, we can't exactly go into battle with Bad to the Bone."
It was Minion's turn to look sheepish as a compartment on his chestplate opened up. "Well… see… sir." He said, pulling an old tape from the compartment. "I figured you would request something like that, and stopped by the lair to grab a few things to break you out… The invisible car isn't there, by the way."
His master grimaced. "Yes, I'm well aware of that. What does this have to do with music?"
Minion smiled nervously. "Well… see… you don't exactly have any… 'heroic' playlists. I did find this though!" He pushed the tape into the slot on the dashboard and hit play.
It started about a quarter of the way through the song (it hadn't been played in quite some time, and had never been rewound), and as the lyrics filled the car, the occupants fell into a slightly tense silence.
"-More than a feeeeeling, (more than a feeeling)~!"
Minion glanced sideways at his master, waiting for the alien's response but Megamind was too busy staring down the road with a slightly baffled expression.
"Sir?"
Megamind shook his head and fixed his grin back into place. "Ah, it'll do for now! Minion!" He called over the lyrics.
"Boss?"
"Floor it!"
He re-affixed the watch to his wrist, running the plan over in his mind once more as his master scurried past with a few older inventions.
"You just need to keep him distracted and get Roxanne out of there." Megamind repeated for what felt like the hundredth time. "Just get the two of you somewhere safe. Back here, underground, outside of Metrosity. Anywhere." Again, repetition. "Just somewhere safe. Don't try and fi-"
"Boss!" Minion grabbed his master's shoulders once the old, busted inventions had been laied out on the table. "You need to calm down. I know the plan. And don't worry, I won't let Miss Ritchie get hurt-"
"You-"
"And I'll be careful too." It was strange, he though with a bemused smile on his face as he looked down at his frantic master. Usually it was him worrying about safety, not the other way around.
Megamind's expression remained worried, frazzled. "There's still fifteen minutes, we could-"
"No." Minion shook his head. This was the third plan, and they were running out of time. "This plan will work boss, stop worrying. And be careful." He checked the watch (yep, time to go) before turning the dial to Megamind's face. For the second time that day, he was transformed into a much smaller figure. "I'll keep him busy as long as I can. Be careful boss."
Megamind nodded. "And you-" Minion turned to leave, but there was suddenly a frantic hand on his arm. "Wait!" Before he understood what was happening, his master had turned the watch off and turned Minion around. "Wait, hold on-"
"Sir-"
"I know!" Megamind grimached. "I'm overcome with the irresistible urge to do something I haven't in many years, in an attempt to reassure myself and calm my nerves."
Minion stared down at his master, confused. "Sir?"
Megamind took a deep breath before he bounced forward on the tips of his toes, eyes clenched shut, and threw his arms around the fish's sphere.
The silence stretched on between them as Megamind's grip tightened around what once had been his only reassurance of security. Knowing it would break his master's moment, Minion refrained from wrapping his own arms around the alien and instead nuzzled up to the glass. "Everything's going to be fine, sir. I pruumise."
His master dropped back to earth then, grinning up at the fish. "Yes. Like it always is." His smile disappeared and he jabbed a nervous finger against the robot's chest. "But what just transpired never leaves the confines of this workroom… right?"
Minion chuckled. "Of course not sir." He checked the time again and grimace.
Less than ten minutes to rescue Miss Ritchie.
"Go." His master said, whirling back around to finish his work. "I'll be there as fast as I can!"
Minion sprinted as fast as his robot-gorilla legs could carry him as he changed back into Megamind. He kept chanting in his mind 'Everything will work out right this time, everything will be fine' but he was having a hell of a time convincing himself.
Alright. I'm going to be writing a strictly Christmas fic, having nothing to do with the actual Megamind story I will write or these oneshots. I rarely do holiday fics, and I figure since I'm so obsessed with this movie, and my favorite time of year is coming up, I should do a fluffy, short little diddy on Megamind and Roxanne's first Christmas together. Each chapter after this will be a different 'lesson' for him on the different aspects of Christmas, though the order they will occur in hasn't been decided yet:
Tree hunting, decorating (those two may wind up together), playing in the snow, holiday treats (might be dropped), Christmas movies, Christmas Caroling (may go together), the spirit of Giving (may be dropped or combined with Christmas day), Ice Skating (may go with playing in the snow), and finally Christmas Eve/Day.
If you have any others you would like to see, just suggest them in a review or a private message and I'll see about getting to them.
These chapters will be released one per day, with the Christmas Day fic uploaded on Christmas Day. Which is why you need to suggest things NOW if you want to see them.
I also want you to know that I'm not overtly religious. So this fic will not be religious, and will not be focusing on the religious aspects of the holiday. It will be focusing on… you know. Spending time with loved ones, that kind of stuff. So, I'm sorry if Christmas is all about Jesus to you, but it's not to me. I still hope you read the fic and can enjoy it. December 8th is going to be the final day I will take suggestions for Christmas lessons, meaning there will be a maximum of 17 chapters.
Alright, until then, my pretties.