A huge thank-you to my brilliant beta, HaydenXCharm. Any remaining errors are my own!

Note: I haven't got a copy of the comic, so I'm borrowing some dialogue from a couple of pages I've found online, and I hope the rest of this isn't too far from canon.

Prom

Fury and vengeance burned within Megamind's soul. He'd always wondered what would happen if Metro Dude did anything truly awful to a human, as opposed to a blue alien and a fish in a robot suit. The result hadn't been anything new. Metro Dude makes the sports team? Megamind goes back to prison. Metro Dude hurts Roxanne Ritchi, one of the only people in Metro City that was worth anything?

Megamind goes to prison. Again.

He supposed that if he'd been in law enforcement, he may have made the same mistake himself. Do you trust the honour student sports hero and Great Guy (TM)? Or the spindly little weird guy who plans to take over the world and spends most of his waking hours in a prison jumpsuit?

They let him out to graduate, though. He didn't need to guess who had argued on his behalf and lessened the sentence. Roxanne herself, beautiful Roxanne, who sucked at mathematical equations, but didn't let that hold her back. Roxanne, who had suddenly started treating him like a real person instead of an unwelcome curiosity.

He owed his high school diploma to her, and he'd have liked to owe her more.

"Why not write something for the paper?" Minion suggested, raising his finger and rattling his cuffs against the bar they were anchored to.

"Maybe I already did that," Megamind said. Honestly. She'd wanted him to. She cared about that school paper like Megamind cared about absolute power. A funny thing to focus your whole life on, but he could appreciate that uncontrollable urge to work on something that mattered.

Roxanne liked telling the truth, exposing injustices. Prom was in one day, and he had eight hours to hand in his article, find a suit that fit, and a corsage for Roxanne. It was going to be a busy day, but he could live with that.

The bus pulled up outside the school – always the school, never the foster homes or anywhere private – and he and Minion stepped out quietly, humbly. They'd learned that playing it smart just got you sent right back to Warden.

They held their hands out, waiting to be freed. In the corner of his eye, Megamind caught a glimpse of Roxanne in blue jeans and a singlet top. He opened his mouth, was ready to say something pathetic like 'hi' or 'how's that head wound treating you?'

To his confusion, she kept walking, not even sparing a glance for him. He watched the ends of her hair flick out as she picked up speed and turned the corner to the front doors.

"Uh Sir," Minion said, putting a cool metal hand on his arm. "You can put your hands down now, they've gone."

"So they have, Minion." Megamind stared at his bare wrists, the ugly orange of the prison jumpsuit. He rubbed absentmindedly at his skin as he tried to figure it out.

Maybe something was wrong? Maybe Metro Dude had threatened her?

'Maybe she's forgotten all about you, just like everybody else.'

His inner thoughts were always cruel, but more often than not, spot-on accurate. Roxanne wasn't like other people, though. Even if it was early days, he knew enough about her to know she wasn't like that. She wouldn't do this for no reason, and therefore, something must be terribly wrong.

She ignored him, in class. Megamind kept a careful eye on Metro Dude, who was keeping a careful eye on Roxanne. His fingers tightened around his pencil, and his teeth clenched.

He finally caught her at lunchtime, in the computer labs.

"Megamind," she said, crossing her arms and looking at him. Why was she so cold?

"I ah, I wrote something. For the paper. Last edition and all that?"

She relaxed, sighed, and shook her head, like she'd been thinking about something else. Then she held her hand out towards him. Even though it was a welcoming enough gesture, the look in her eyes made it seem like a door slamming shut in his face.

He reached into his bag and pulled it out. It was handwritten, because he'd been banned from the prison library and had had his computer privileges revoked. She took it from him and raised an eyebrow at the title. He supposed that world domination was a very niche interest.

"How's... you know. Your head?"

She blinked like she was surprised he'd even asked. "Oh! It's, well, it's better. I still get these headaches, and I don't think I'll ever remember what happened that week."

Ah, there it was. Roxanne was better than that, but the universe wasn't. Megamind had never been destined for greatness, and it appeared he had never been destined for love or an easy path through life. It shot through him, the pain; the rage. It wasn't her fault, but for one week – one week – he'd had a chance at knowing her as a friend. He wasn't angry at Metro Dude, either, though he should have been. He was angry with her, for liking him enough to go to the prom with him, but not enough to remember him.

It made him want to destroy something, himself, most likely. He fought to keep his lip from curling into a sneer, tried to force his tense muscles to relax. Roxanne was worth it. He had to trust her. He had to try, anyway.

"Er, about prom," he said.

"Ahh... look. You're a – well, you're not a nice guy. But you're not the worst guy in school." She smiled like she was embarrassed on his behalf. She held her hands up, face earnest and oblivious to the way that she was ripping his last hope to shreds. "But, I'm not going with anyone! So(,) it's really not about... you know."

"My colour, yeah. I get it. Whatever." That was the best he could come up with? Seriously? He dragged his feet as he walked away. She hadn't forgotten any of her other friends. Just Megamind. Just the time that they had spent together and that it had been Metro Dude who had hurt her. He'd been a fool to think that luck would come out on his side, for once.

Some people really knew how to throw a party. Sadly, none of these people had been invited to the Metro High prom council. Megamind rubbed self-consciously at his wrists, still raw from the Warden's handcuffs, as he entered. There were streamers, tables and tablecloths, the Drama Club's stage lighting and mirrorball. There was a single, seemingly obligatory giant bowl of fruit punch, with plastic cups. Cheese on crackers and chips. Onion dip. All the mod cons that you could afford on a student budget.

He supposed that they'd saved up for the after-parties, none of which he'd been invited to.

At least the D.J. had marginally better taste than the prom council did. Not by much, but it was something. Even if she wasn't there with him, Roxanne was still there, and she looked amazing(,) standing with her friends, Metro Dude nowhere in sight.

That wasn't saying much, given the guy could move faster than light. Megamind only blinked, and Metro Dude was at Roxanne's elbow, looking smooth and slimy. Roxanne turned to him and smiled.

It was an understatement to say that Megamind was completely crushed. He felt this great pain, like a raw bleeding wound when he looked at her. When he looked at Metro Dude, it flared into a burning righteous fury. Of all the things that Metro Dude had taken from Megamind, somehow this mattered most.

"Roxanne... What does she see in him?" Was it the muscles? Megamind could get some muscles, he was sure of it.

Minion patted him on the shoulder. Ugh. There was nothing worse than looking soppy and stupid and like a third wheel at your own prom in front of Minion, right? Megamind had some pride left.

"I see how you look at Roxanne. You're wearing your emotions on your sleeve." Minion meant well, but Megamind didn't want his advice or his pity.

"That's no emotion. It's onion dip, so be more careful, will you!" Megamind wiped his shirt sleeve with a napkin, even though there was nothing on it.

Minion gave him a knowing look. "It's obvious that you like her. That's all I'm saying."

Megamind raised an eyebrow. "And if you keep at it, that's be the last thing you say."

Minion was quiet for a bit. He thought about it. "Sir, I think your banter skills are improving this year."

"Thanks for trying to cheer me up, Minion, but if it's all the same I'd like to go sulk ominously by myself."

"I'll, ah, wait for you by the dip, Sir."

Lurking in dark corners was good practice for villainy, right? He wasn't watching Roxanne dance with Metro Dude, he was watching everything but Roxanne dancing with Metro Dude. He wasn't looking at her so hard that when he turned around to see her right beside him, he cried out in surprise.

He recovered quite smoothly, brushing the wrinkles from his suit jacket. "Roxanne, what a surprise it is running into you here."

She smirked, and looked sidelong out at the rest of their classmates. "Really? Cause' I could have sworn everyone from our class was invited. It being the prom and all."

He leaned in, pinched his chin thoughtfully between his thumb and his forefinger. "Is that so? Fascinating point you make."

She shrugged, like she was laughing along with him, not at him. Their eyes met, and pain? What pain? Stupid hope was rearing its head again. Nothing good could come out of this.

She smiled more genuinely at him, stepping closer. "By the way, I've been meaning to talk with you."

She had? He blinked. "You have?" He didn't have words for the feeling that curled in his stomach.

Roxanne was all earnest eyes. Her full attention was on him. "I read your latest op-ed for the school paper, and while I don't agree with the subject matter..."

"World domination can be a polarizing subject." He could allow that it wasn't everyone's cup of tea. He squashed that feeling in his stomach down, stifled it. Prepared to walk away – or run, if she had alerted the authorities.

She didn't seem concerned, though. In fact, it was quiet the opposite. She seemed relaxed, happy even. "Nevertheless, I was really impressed with the writing."

You could have knocked Megamind over with a feather. He stammered, mostly to cover the sound of his heart hammering in his chest. "Wow. Well...I...I guess...what I mean to say is..."

She smiled so brightly, he thought he might need safety goggles.

Roxane was gushing, gushing about his piece. "It's some of the best work I've seen at the Metro City Herald since I joined on as a reporter freshman year."

She leaned forwards and put a hand on his arm. "I am really looking forward to reading your next piece." Then she sauntered away.

She left him there in a daze. Minion caught up to him, Megamind barely noticed. "I impressed her with my brain, Minion."

Minion patted his arm. "It's very big, Sir."

"No, you don't understand. Even though she disagrees with me on the whole domination and power thing, she said it's still better than anybody else's work."

Minion sighed. "I heard the first ten times, Sir."

It didn't really matter where life took them after graduation. It didn't matter that Roxanne stood on a stage beside Metro Dude. Prom King and Prom Queen, sure. But that was just for the Prom, and there was so much more to come in life.