A/N: Yeah, there was a change of plans - we're not going out on the boat 'til the 16th now. As for why it took me so long to update… well, I'm just lazy. Deal with it. :P
.:':. .:':. .:':.
"Megamind?" Roxanne asked hesitantly, one hand stretching towards him.
He scooted up against the backboard, determined to stay out of her reach. Because he didn't have any of his guns with him, he had to improvise. So he grabbed for the nearest substantial object - the lamp on the bedside table. "Back, woman!" he commanded, brandishing it in her face. She stared at it in shock for a second, then glanced quizzically at him.
"A lamp. Are you seriously trying to ward me off with a lamp?"
His eyes flickered uncertainly to the still-motionless fish-cyborg standing to the side. "Minion!" he hissed. "What are you doing? A little help would be nice, you know!"
Minion stayed where he was, looking very worried. "But sir… We're the good guys now, remember?"
"What? Th-that's ridiculous!" he blustered, but he wasn't quite as convincing as before. It had only been a small idea, niggling away at the back of his head, but he'd been wondering if it'd be so bad to not be bad. What's more, his mind was telling him that it was quite likely that Minion was telling the truth. And with a brain Megamind's size, it'd be wise to listen to what it tells you.
"Megamind?" Roxanne repeated, more firmly than last time. "What's the last thing you remember?" She saw a hint of rebellion enter his eyes, and she warned him, "Don't try and make something up, I'll know if you're lying. I'll slap you if you try." He tried - unsuccessfully - to neutralise his expression. She considered him for a second, lips pursed. "You know what? I'll make it easy for you - I'll go through events and see which ones you remember.
"Do you remember killing Metroman?" He nodded cautiously, not sure how she'd react. "Okay. That's a start. How about realising life as a villain had no purpose without a hero to fight with?" He looked at her suspiciously but nodded wordlessly once more. "Hmm." She tapped her chin, taking a breath.
"What about pretending to be Bernard and turning Hal into Tighten?" He didn't even nod this time, but his eyes widened marginally and he tensed his grip on the lamp, which was answer enough. "Well, that helps a bit, I guess. Not long after that was when you became the hero, so I'm asking you how much you remember since then."
He was unsure how she had found out about his plans, but it was even more reason to maintain a healthy level of suspicion. "Why would I tell you a thing?"
Roxanne's eyes narrowed. "That's it." A resounding crack of flesh on flesh rang out in the room. The lamp clattered to the floor. Minion blinked.
"Wow. You actually did it, Miss Ritchie."
"Well, he was starting to get annoying." she replied, gazing at the stunned Megamind and absently shaking the tingles from her hand.
The alien in question raised his hand to his cheek, astounded. He didn't feel the pain yet – he was still in shock. What exactly had happened? His mind was a confused jumble. He'd seemed to have suffered from a short bout of amnesia; that much was obvious. But why? And had Roxanne really needed to slap him? He voiced this last thought.
She appraised him for a second, then replied, "So I guess you remember then?"
His brow knotted with worry, he nodded. "But I have no idea why I lost those memories in the first place. That's what's bothering me. I mean, so far, the only thing we know is that slapping me is what brings me out of it." He allowed a small smile. "And I don't want to be slapped every time it happens."
Instead of them smiling, as he had expected, they just looked more concerned.
"Sir? Do you mean you think it'll happen again?"
Megamind shifted uncomfortably, plucking at the edge of the bed cover. "It's already happened before, though I didn't get back the memories I lost that time. You know what I'm talking about, Minion," he continued before either of them could interrupt. "The night before you made me pancakes for breakfast." He gave the fish a meaningful look.
"What do mean, sir?" He looked momentarily confused, then his face cleared. "Oh, right. That night."
"I have a feeling I'm missing something."
The blue hero made a placating gesture. "Don't worry, it's not important. What's important is that it's happened before, and could happen again. In each scenario, I'd been working myself too hard before falling asleep, then waking up with this amnesia." He grinned ruefully. "It seems very likely that it's being caused by overworking myself."
Roxanne's brow was still furrowed with concern. "We should get you to a hospital."
He swung his legs out from under the covers and levered himself out of bed so he could clasp her hands in his own. "They wouldn't know what to do," he said, slightly derisively. "You may have forgotten, but I'm an alien. They'd have no idea how to diagnose anything with me."
She bit her lip. "I guess you're right."
"Of course I am."
The corners of her mouth turned up slightly. "So what do we do?"
He squeezed her hands, smiling encouragingly. "Like I said, it's probably because I've been overworking myself. So, I'll just have to stop doing that."
"So sir, does that mean you'll let me take on some of your workload?" Minion asked.
Megamind sighed. "I guess I'll have to." He still seemed unhappy about the idea.
"Sir, it's for your own good. Besides, I have plenty of extra time. I could always get the Brainbots to do some of the more menial tasks."
Roxanne decided it would be prudent to add her own thoughts. "Minion's right. This is obviously something really serious. You should let us help. Is there anything I could do?" She added the last part on as an afterthought.
He smiled again. "Well, you could let me get changed so we can get on with the dinner that I invited you to."
She grinned at him, pushing away her worry. "How could I refuse?"
"Minion, can you please get the food ready?"
The fish nodded inside his tank. "Of course, sir. I've already prepared your meals, but I'll need a few minutes to reheat them." His voice started to fade as he led Roxanne out of the room. "Miss Ritchie, would you mind waiting in the lab? I'm sure that it would be…" The rest of his words became muffled after Megamind closed the door.
.:':. .:':. .:':.
"So," Roxanne said conversationally, "This is a new look."
Megamind held her in an agonising gaze. "Do you like it?" Even with all the assurances that Minion had given him, telling him he looked great – after all, how could he not? – he still wanted to know if Roxanne approved.
She hid a grin by popping another piece of pasta into her mouth. I have to compliment Minion on his cooking, she thought. This stuff is amazing. "Oh," she said airily, "It's okay, I guess."
"I knew it was a bad idea!" he wailed. "I mean just look at it!" He gestured at the turquoise polo neck and black skinny jeans he was wearing. "Not even the tiniest scrap of leather, not to mention-" He stopped abruptly as she burst out laughing, no longer able to contain her amusement. His eyes narrowed as he realised she'd been pulling his leg.
"Oh yes, very funny, isn't it Miss Ritchie? Getting the better of the super genius?" He pushed out of his seat and stuck his nose in the air. She just laughed harder, tears of mirth streaming down her face. "Why does she find this so amusing?" He asked the ceiling seeing as his face was still pointed upwards. Of course, it didn't answer.
Roxanne wiped the wetness from her cheeks, still giggling sporadically as he lowered his head to glare at her. "You should have seen your face!" she gasped finally. Settling down, she stood, patted his arm soothingly and smiled. "It actually looks really good on you. Much better than your usual getup, anyway."
He stuck his nose in the air again, more than a little peeved that she was so dismissive of his hero outfit. "I'll have you know I like my "usual getup", as you so callously call it."
Her eyelids lowered seductively. "Really? That's a shame. I think this look is kind of… sexy."
Suddenly, his cheeks went an interesting hue of pinkish-purple. "R-Really? Well, I, uh… That is to say, I don't not like this one too," he stammered. Roxanne grinned at him, putting a finger over his lips to stop his ramblings. He stared cross-eyed at it.
"You talk far too much."
"You think so?" he mumbled around her finger. "Because I'm not entirely sure that you're – oh." He cut himself off, feeling a little sheepish.
Still smiling at him, she lowered her finger, trailing her hands down his chest. His own crept up to claim them and they slowly inched their faces towards each other, and their lips were almost touching when Minion walked into the room, carrying two lidded dessert trays.
"Dessert!" he proclaimed, not yet having noticed that he had interrupted them. "Miss Ritchie, you're going to love – ooh, sorry." He seemed to shrink in on himself a little.
"Minion!" Megamind cried, still holding Roxanne's hands captive against his chest. "Can't you see we're having a tender moment?" Roxanne raised an eyebrow at him, bemused at his wording of the situation.
"Yes, sir, I'm sorry. I'll leave, just pretend I wasn't here."
"No," he sighed dramatically, releasing Roxanne's hands and slumping back into his chair, the back of one hand resting wearily on his expansive forehead. "The moment's gone."
"Oh. In that case, would you like dessert?"
Roxanne hastily agreed. "Yes please, Minion. The pasta tasted incredible, by the way."
He fluttered his fins happily. "Thank you, Miss Ritchie." He set down the dessert trays and revealed their contents with a flourish, setting the lids to the side. "Voila." Two extremely appetising-looking pieces of chocolate mud cake sat invitingly on each platter.
"Mmm, that looks good." She hurried to return to her chair, eager to dig in.
Megamind glanced down, and couldn't contain his own eagerness. The cake sitting on the plate before him disappeared in three swift bites.
"Where are your manners?" Roxanne asked, mock-admonishingly.
"S'rry," he mumbled through the mouthful of cake. He tried unsuccessfully to swallow, then shrugged internally and turned to Minion. "F'nk 'oo, M'ny'n. 'S r'ly g'd."
Minion smiled. "Thank you, sir! I think." Megamind nodded emphatically, still trying to get down the too-large portion of cake in his mouth.
Roxanne shook her head at the blue alien, smirking slightly as she took a delicate nibble of her own slice. Her eyes widened and she made an exclamation of delight, all thoughts of a dignified manner gone. She gulped down the cake even faster than Megamind had.
Having finally managed to ingest his piece and regarded her cryptically. "And you tell me off for eating too quickly. Hypocrite."
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A/N: Gah, awkward cut-off again! T^T
But eh, I felt like putting something smushy in. Hope you all approve/don't mind. I realise I'm probably putting in way more filler than I should, but if I don't the story would only be about five chapters long and it'd seem too rushed. Bear with me, please? :)
I apologise again for my lack of updates. I was at my grandma's house for two nights, and I'd forgotten the USB that had the first part of this chapter on it. Now, my dad's at work again, and since I write this on his work laptop, I can only type for a few hours each day, seeing as the desktop at dad's was freaking ancient and it had to be tossed. So, sorry again. I'll try to update at least once before I go out on the boat, more if I can.
-pixie.