A/N: Hello again! Thank you for all the lovely reviews, and the alerts and favourites.
Sorry I didn't update quite as quickly as last time – I have more of a life than I thought I did. :P I guess I should've pre-written some of this, which is what I usually do. Oh well.
Shameless plug time! I posted a drabble called 'Fragments' on Sunday, but no-one reviewed (despite the fact that over 115 people actually read it). If it wouldn't be too much bother, could at least some of you guys give it a read and review? Come oooooon. It's only 100 words long. Do iiiiit. Please? Wait, I have bribes! There'll be faster updates in it for you! *dangles Word files enticingly just out of your reach*
Also, we've used up pretty much all the 'peak' part of our internet plan at my dad's, which means I won't be able to update between 4pm and midnight until January the 3rd, which is when it renews (which is quite annoying, since that is basically the timeframe in which I update my stories. I would have put up this chapter yesterday, but by the time I had finished it was well into peak hours). That doesn't mean I won't be able to post new chapters; it's just that I'll be posting them the day after I finish them. Oh, and I'll be out on my stepdad's boat with my stepdad, my mum and my brother for a week after that starting on January the 4th (my birthday). But I'll type some snippets on my iPod, and connect them up when I get back, so that'll hopefully give you guys a few chapters at least. I apologise in advance for the wait.
So, without further ado, here's chapter 3! (Wait, some more ado: I probably will go back and name the chapters at some later stage; I'm just a bit too lazy to do so at the moment.)
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After seeing the positive effects that coffee had had on him, the first thing that Minion did was buy Megamind a coffee machine. Coffee was only a temporary solution, but they knew that. Roxanne had reasoned that the stresses of his new position had been a bit of a shock to his system. "Besides," she had told the blue hero, "when Metroman was still a hero, he would drink coffee by the bucket load. And he's super-fit, and invincible."
Because of his new coffee intake, Megamind felt more awake whilst doing his new job, and was more able to keep on top of everything. However, there were side effects – he was a little more skittish than before, a little more cranky at times, and there was still the overall problem that he wasn't getting quite enough sleep. At least now, though, he was treading water in his workload rather than drowning in it. Roxanne had given him hope here as well. "You're still, if only on some small, subconscious level, operating as the super villain. You need to give yourself time to adjust. But as well as that, there are the appeals and wants of the public. People love you already, but there are some conflicts in that it was such an unexpected turn of events. I mean, it's not every day that an evil overlord suddenly becomes the hero." She'd smiled fondly at him. "Everyone else needs to adjust, too. Things will calm down to some degree after a while, but for the first few months or so, you'll be swamped with requests to speak at public events, press conferences, ribbon-cutting ceremonies and interviews."
"The last one is reserved for you," he'd promised her.
She had grinned. "I would expect no less."
.:':. .:':. .:':.
"You have reached the residency of Megamind, this is Minion speaking. How may I help you?" The caller immediately launched into a one-sided discussion that left Minion in a confused whirlwind. It was all he could do to hold onto the mobile. The fish glanced pleadingly at his boss, who was busy writing speeches for the upcoming events that required it. The blue hero stuck out his tongue out concentration, and the papers on his desk were covered with scribbles and amendments. Several crumpled balls were already residing in the waste paper basket. It's far, far easier to write evil, dramatic monologues than it is to write uplifting, heroic speeches, he moaned internally. But I suppose the only way to get better at them is to practice. Despite his self-bolstering, though, he didn't feel any more motivation or new flash of inspiration. Metroman was always good at these things, Megamind mused. After all, he's had years of experience. Maybe it's time I paid him a visit.
He didn't know if somehow thinking of the former hero opened up a hidden channel in his (extensive) neural circuits, dedicated to storing little phrases and snippets specifically designed to go in a hero's speech, but suddenly the ideas flowed to his brain, and the ink flowed from his pen to the paper. The page in front of him, which had remained more than half-blank for the better part of an hour, was filled within five minutes. As he reached for a fresh piece to continue his writing on, he noticed Minion's imploring gaze, which became one of relief as he realised he had Megamind's attention. He delicately placed a robotic finger over the mouthpiece of the phone.
"I didn't want to disturb you, sir, knowing how busy you are, and seeing you just got into the swing of writing those speeches, but it's for you." He glanced at the phone, recalling the mile-a-minute talker on the other end. "At least, I think it is."
"I'll take it, Minion." The mechanised body that housed the fish obligingly lumbered over to Megamind's desk and handed him the phone. Said hero was nearly knocked out of his seat in shock at the speed of the caller's voice. He quickly took a long gulp out of his now ever-present coffee mug. His head cleared a little, and he could at least understand most of the words being torpedoed at him. "Ah, yes, I see," he replied, finally managing to cut the caller off. It's wasn't like the time when the girl asking about the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new mall – she had just been an ardent fan. This man was just a natural fast talker. Megamind mentally cringed away from the idea of how fast the man's speech would be when he was excited. "Minion, could you please get me my schedule?" The fish quickly handed over a small black leather volume. With one blue hand, Megamind opened it and leafed through the mostly filled journal. "Hmm, let me see…" As he flicked further and further in, the pages became less crowded with his various penned-in commitments. He smiled at one particular entry – Dinner with Roxanne, 7:00pm. "No, definitely can't move that one," he murmured, more to himself than the man on the phone. Finally, he found an open space. "How does two weeks from Friday sound?"
He winced at the anger evident in the man's tone. "Look. As the city's hero, I'm extremely busy. You can't expect me to be able to attend when I've only been notified a day before the event." The man replied, and Megamind's face contorted in rage. "Oh, is that right?" he asked, struggling to keep his voice from betraying his emotions. "Well then, if that's the attitude you're going to have, then it's fairly clear you aren't really all that interested in having me speak at your event. Have a good day." So speaking, he hung up.
"… Wasn't that a little harsh, sir?" Minion asked tentatively.
Megamind gave him a look. "You wouldn't say that if you'd heard what he said to me."
The fish's gaze darkened. "What did he say?" Megamind just raised his eyebrows a little, keeping the rest of his face neutral, giving him an aloof expression.
"It doesn't matter. It's not worth repeating."
He persisted. "I'm serious, sir. If something's bothering you, you can always talk-"
"I said it doesn't matter, Minion!" The ex -villain snapped, his voice ringing out across the room.
Minion scooted to the far end of his tank and his robotic body shrank back, shocked at this uncharacteristic display of fury. Megamind had never done this before. Oh, of course he'd been shouted at by the blue alien on numerous occasions, but that was always in anticipation or excitement, or (most frequently) in exasperation. But never in anger. Not until now.
Because there he stood, chest heaving, a face of thunder framed by the dark collar of his 'thinking cape', glaring daggers at him. Minion was sure that if the blue hero had Metroman's ability to shoot lasers from his eyes, he'd be ready to be served on a plate with chips. "Sir…?" The question was more of a squeak.
Suddenly, all the anger left him like air rushing out of a deflating balloon. He looked very, very small and very, very tired. "I'm sorry, Minion. I shouldn't have shouted at you." He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. His mouth twisted in a wry grin. "This coffee stuff may be all that's keeping me awake, but that's probably my body trying to tell me I need more rest." He looked down at the papers in front of him. The sudden spark of inspiration was gone. "I guess I'll just go to bed early. You'll be alright, Minion?"
The fish nodded slowly, still a little shaken. "I'll be fine, but I'm more worried about you, sir. Your parents charged me with taking care of you, and you're not really letting me do that. Let me share some of your work."
Megamind was already shaking his head. "No. You already do too much for me."
"What else are minions for?" He managed a watery grin.
"You're not just a minion, you're my friend." Megamind told him seriously. "I can't expect a friend to take on a problem that's all my own."
"But sir, that's what being a friend means!" Minion argued. "Helping each other out when the other is in trouble. That's what friends do." Megamind nodded tiredly, smothering a yawn. "Now if you don't mind me saying, sir, you look like you could use a good rest."
"That does sound good."
Minion smiled as gently as a alien fish with razor-sharp teeth can. "It does. And I'll even have your favourite meal ready for you when you wake."
The tired alien hero grinned weakly. "Minion, you fantastic fish you…" He wavered dangerously and Minion caught him as he fell. Megamind's eyelids fluttered briefly at the impact – after all, the gorilla parts of Minion's arms might have been cushioning, but the mechanised parts were fairly uncomfortable to land on – and was asleep in his sidekick's arms an instant later.
.:':. .:':. .:':.
A/N: Oh noes, poor Minion, getting yelled at when he's just trying to help D: What's happening to Megamind? That, dear readers, is called suspense. You will find out what's going on, but not before I have some fun. And oh, what fun I shall have. *cackles evilly*
-pixie.