Black Hole Sun, Chapter Twelve
Title: Black Hole Sun, Chapter Twelve
Author: Roki
Word count: 2407
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Angst. OC.
Summary: Sequel to Fix You. In which a movie is watched, jealousy rears it's ugly head, and Megamind feels the harsh sting of betrayal.
Chapter One: Paper Planes
Chapter Two: Feel the Rain On Your Skin
Chapter Three: Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart
Chapter Four: Sour Girl
Chapter Five: I'm Not Jesus
Chapter Six: Clocks
Chapter Seven: Big Empty
Chapter Eight: Lemon Parade
Chapter Nine: Gravity
Chapter Ten: Carnival of Rust
Chapter Eleven: Running Up That Hill
Thanks to all the folks in the Megamind Blast group for keeping me company and generally being fantastic fish people! Special thank yous to ThreeQuartersFox and Demishock!
Two days later Megamind was feeling completely awful. Not only was Minion not speaking to him unless absolutely necessary, but the madtom had pretty much told him everything. Her visual accuracy had previously not allowed her to see what had been hanging from the ceiling, but his actions had been enough for Minion to guess. Not that Minion had said much to him aside from telling him it was a stupid reason to drastically change the madtom's entire life over.
Megamind now felt Minion was right; he had been rationing his painkillers much more shrewdly and found it easier to think things through. Not that thinking about anything made it better; Roxanne still had not called, and he had hurt Minion more deeply than he had realized.
At the very least, to try and make it up to Minion, he had ordered the brainbots to building a suit for the madtom so she would at least be able to get around. He was hoping that he could get on her good side and therefore back onto Minion's.
He wasn't entirely sure it would work.
Megamind frowned at the zipper on his hip, ruining what was once a perfectly good pair of pants. Minion had taken several pairs of his usually seamless pants up to the bedroom, where he cut it off at the left thigh, then sewn in snaps and zippers, compensating for the cast.
The alien couldn't help but feel nervous and giddy, despite the underlying guilt he felt. Wayne had showed up briefly yesterday to invite them to a movie night, and he had mentioned that he had invited Roxanne as well.
He grunted, allowing one of the brainbots to get the zipper. Thankfully Minion was still thoughtful enough to place a guard strip inside so it wouldn't chafe his skin, nor get caught when being zipped up.
"Minion?" he called, biting his lip immediately after while awaiting a response.
The door opened and Minion stared down at him, expression blank.
"Uh...Are you ready?" Megamind tried a smile, but it came out crooked and less confident than he would have liked.
"Yeah, sure. Let me get her." Minion disappeared back into the sleeping quarters, emerging with a glass bowl containing the fully mutated madtom.
Megamind caught her eye and she swung around in the bowl to turn her back on him. She hadn't turned out badly. Her body had grown larger to compensate for the throat modifications and enlarged brain capacity. Her eyes had turned a kind of dull grayish-black, and for the most part her markings had stayed very similar. There were problems, he was aware. For one, she had developed blindness, which he felt exceptionally bad for. He had offered to fix the problem, as he was fairly sure he knew what was causing it, but had been refused. Her voice was a raspy croak, and she had yet to actually say any words.
'Haven't you done enough?' had been the retort, and it still cut him to the quick to think of.
Megamind swallowed and looked away, ashamed. "Right, let's go..." He allowed the brainbots that had been supporting him to help him along to the car, the crutches still very awkward in his clumsy hands.
The car ride there was equally awkward, and one of the only times he had ever ridden anywhere in complete silence. No AC/DC, no Rolling Stones, no Metallica. Nothing. Megamind tapped the fingers of his left hand on his knee, trying not to look at the fish bowl between him and his best friend.
---
After their arrival Minion assisted him out of the car, but beyond asking if he was alright, after he made a noise of discomfort, made very little comment. Megamind found it a little promising that he was allowed to hold the fish bowl. Never mind that the weight pressed against him painfully; it was still Minion trusting him to hold onto his friend.
Once at the door Minion set him down carefully, and took the bowl from him, before knocking.
"Hey, glad you could make it!" Wayne was all smiles, welcoming them into his home. Megamind murmured the expected pleasantries, casting a glance around the room hopefully.
All notions of the past two days fled screaming from Megamind's thoughts when he caught a glimpse of the one person he had desired to see for the past thirteen days. She was sitting on the couch, her head turned slightly to watch them enter, a hand raised in greeting. His hearts stopped for a moment and he wasn't sure if he was breathing, the smell of her perfume stagnating in his nostrils. He stared, openly entranced.
"Uh...hi..." She gave a tight smile. Despite the fact that it didn't quite reach her eyes, he felt she had never been more beautiful.
"Hhg," he articulated, smoothly. A pang in his left wrist alerted him to the fact that he had clenched the fabric of his pants leg in his hand.
"So!" Wayne cut in, moving through Megamind's line of vision and startling him. "Why don't we start the movie?"
Megamind touched a hand to his chest, feeling his hearts hammer and his pulse quicken. He swallowed and looked at the floor, unnerved by his own reaction.
"Sounds good to me," she said. A chorus of angels joined her heavenly voice.
Megamind touched his face with his shaking left hand and closed his eyes, forcing himself to breathe in and out. He had to play this cool.
"Yesletsthiswillbegreatfun!" he sputtered, shambling over and nearly tripping all over his crutches in the process. Wayne caught his shoulder and masked it as a friendly shake, for which he was grateful. He felt heat travel up his neck, into his cheeks and ears, as the strong man assisted him into the recessed couch area.
After a little shuffling around they were all seated on the couch. Megamind caught himself nearly making a completely pathetic noise in his throat when Roxanne chose to sit with Minion - on the floor, since he would likely tear a hole in the upholstery - and the madtom between them.
He really could not recall what movie they were watching, but he was vaguely aware that it was one he had previously enjoyed. All he could concentrate on was her smell, the idea of her being so close he could touch her.
It made him extremely nervous. He felt a cold drop of sweat trickle down the back of his neck, tickling between his shoulder blades.
Roxanne was staring at the screen, resolutely not looking directly at him. Her hand trailed over the fish bowl, a finger dipping into the water and rubbing the madtom's head absently. The madtom seemed to be enjoying it; she flitted upwards and rubbed against the offered extremity like a cat.
Megamind found himself irrationally jealous of her casual contact and flicked his gaze up to glower at the screen for just a moment. The act of looking away drew his attention to a pile of blankets on a corner of the couch and an effeminate suitcase on the floor.
"Are you staying here?" he asked, unable to stop himself from wondering out loud.
Roxanne's hand came out of the bowl quickly enough to flick water onto his skin-tight top. She hesitated for a moment.
The silence was filled with the comedic input of Molly Ringwald. "...Yes, three big ones, and they lust wimp blood so quit bugging me or I'll sic them all over your weenie ass."
Megamind didn't have the heart to even smile at the line, he just looked at Roxanne with hurt that struck down to his core.
"I need to use the restroom," Roxanne muttered, standing up and breaking the eye contact to hurry away.
"Uh...Look, we were going to let you know, but she's going through a lot right now and -" Wayne started, rubbing the back of his neck.
"No, you look! You...You charlatan!" Megamind cut him off, his expression changing to complete rage in the time it would have taken to snap his fingers. "You liar! You faked being my friend just to...to...To move in on my space of living!" Megamind flailed a hand outwards, as if to cast away the exact phrase he had been seeking.
"What? No, it isn't like that at all!" Wayne held up his hands, backing up as Megamind tried to stumble towards him, shaking a finger in his face.
"Always! Always outdoing me! Can I get a break, just once? No! Never!" Megamind's chest heaved. Behind him Minion had grabbed the fish bowl and slid it behind him, watching his friend with concern.
Megamind continued to advance on Wayne as best he could. "I can't believe this! I should have seen it coming. But she's too good for you!" He swallowed the urge to affirm she was too good for either of them. He was too angry. "Unbelievable."
"Hey!" Wayne caught him by the arms, halting his forward motion as he hissed under his breath. "I am not your enemy here! Calm down." He heard the pipes work as the toilet flushed.
"Make me," Megamind spat, literally, into Wayne's face.
Wayne blinked and released Megamind - who sat back heavily on the couch - to wipe his cheek dry, brow furrowing. The little blue alien had never acted like this before, not in all their years of battles. Wayne opened his mouth to growl something out and stopped, seeing that Megamind's expression had changed instantly and he was focusing over his shoulder.
He cast a quick glance over to see that Roxanne had reentered the room and was making her way over to the couch, evidently having not heard them. For that they were both thankful.
Wayne noticed how Megamind's whole demeanor shifted when the woman stepped into the room. The coiled muscles in his shoulders smoothed, the furrowed brow lifted. His eyes took on a damp quality, despite the fact that Wayne was well aware that Megamind had a nictitating membrane that prevented tears from falling.
"Hey, what's going on?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at them.
Wayne glanced at Minion. "Oh, we were debating making some popcorn, and what flavors we ought to try. Minion, want to help me?"
"Uh...Yes! Of course." Minion looked down at the fish in the bowl, but she seemed unaware of it, drifting towards Roxanne's fingers as they settled on the rim of the bowl to steady it while she sat back down.
She watched them go with a wary expression. Megamind didn't seem to notice their passing at all.
---
Wayne hurried into the kitchen and let the swinging door close all the way behind them before turning to Minion and grabbing his shoulders.
"Oh my God, what is going on with him?" he whispered.
"Your guess is as good as mine. Two days ago the Boss mutated my friend. He'd never have done that if he was firing on all cylinders." Minion narrowed his eyes, his gills flaring. "You aren't actually seeing Ms. Ritchie are you? Because that would be a terrible thing to do, inviting us over so you could tell him."
"No, no, of course not." Wayne shook his head sharply. "She's like my little sister; that's disgusting."
"Good, because I would have had very unfriendly words with you." Minion shook a finger at him before continuing. "I don't know exactly what is going on, but I am quite sure it involves Ms. Ritchie. He accidentally drew her on his blueprints; I found them folded under his pillow. He's never acted this way before though."
"I've got a theory...Grab a bowl out of the cabinet there, would you?" Wayne gestured at one of the ones across from the kitchen island. He, himself, crossed to the microwave and threw a large bag of popcorn inside.
"I'm sort of embarrassed I didn't notice it being so bad earlier..." Minion confessed softly, handing over the bowl he had chosen. "I was just so angry at him for hurting my friend..."
"I can't say I blame you for being angry. But we know he wouldn't do that if he was in his right mind. Now, when we go back out, pass the bowl to Roxanne and sit on the other side of her. Feed your friend or something, just make an excuse. I want to see what happens when she passes the bowl to him."
"I think I see where you're going with this...Alright. We can try it," Minion confirmed, bobbing his fish body inside the globular head of the robot suit.
---
In a few minutes the popcorn was popped and dropped into the bowl, ready to be served. The scene when they arrived back to it was much the same. Roxanne was sitting uncomfortably, trying to watch the movie, and Megamind was trying - and failing - to subtly watch her watching the movie.
Minion did as planned, pulling a handful of popcorn out to feed to the madtom and sitting alongside the bowl in order to do so. He passed the bowl to Roxanne, who took her own handful and held it out to Megamind.
Megamind stared at the offered bowl, reaching out his shaking left hand. He moved his hand around several times, trying to figure out how to position it. Their fingertips came within millimeters of each other and he flushed a brilliant purple across his cheeks and ears. The rest of his skin darkened from the now-common pallid gray-blue to a strong sky tone. Minion almost dropped all his popcorn at that - he had assumed the unhealthy skin tone was entirely based on Megamind's injuries taking a toll on his body.
He looked over at Wayne and tilted his head slightly. Wayne gave the slightest of nods and looked back up at the movie.
After the movie was over and awkward goodbyes were said - with Megamind giving Wayne a very dirty look - they headed back to the lair in the same silence they had arrived in. The madtom swam in her bowl, her spirits a little higher than they had been in days. Even this could not break Minion's concentration on the task they would have in front of them to fix the situation.
Long after Megamind had fallen into a drug-induced and exhaustion-assisted slumber, Minion called Wayne and they began to make plans.
Author: Roki
Word count: 2407
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Angst. OC.
Summary: Sequel to Fix You. In which a movie is watched, jealousy rears it's ugly head, and Megamind feels the harsh sting of betrayal.
Chapter One: Paper Planes
Chapter Two: Feel the Rain On Your Skin
Chapter Three: Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart
Chapter Four: Sour Girl
Chapter Five: I'm Not Jesus
Chapter Six: Clocks
Chapter Seven: Big Empty
Chapter Eight: Lemon Parade
Chapter Nine: Gravity
Chapter Ten: Carnival of Rust
Chapter Eleven: Running Up That Hill
Thanks to all the folks in the Megamind Blast group for keeping me company and generally being fantastic fish people! Special thank yous to ThreeQuartersFox and Demishock!
Two days later Megamind was feeling completely awful. Not only was Minion not speaking to him unless absolutely necessary, but the madtom had pretty much told him everything. Her visual accuracy had previously not allowed her to see what had been hanging from the ceiling, but his actions had been enough for Minion to guess. Not that Minion had said much to him aside from telling him it was a stupid reason to drastically change the madtom's entire life over.
Megamind now felt Minion was right; he had been rationing his painkillers much more shrewdly and found it easier to think things through. Not that thinking about anything made it better; Roxanne still had not called, and he had hurt Minion more deeply than he had realized.
At the very least, to try and make it up to Minion, he had ordered the brainbots to building a suit for the madtom so she would at least be able to get around. He was hoping that he could get on her good side and therefore back onto Minion's.
He wasn't entirely sure it would work.
Megamind frowned at the zipper on his hip, ruining what was once a perfectly good pair of pants. Minion had taken several pairs of his usually seamless pants up to the bedroom, where he cut it off at the left thigh, then sewn in snaps and zippers, compensating for the cast.
The alien couldn't help but feel nervous and giddy, despite the underlying guilt he felt. Wayne had showed up briefly yesterday to invite them to a movie night, and he had mentioned that he had invited Roxanne as well.
He grunted, allowing one of the brainbots to get the zipper. Thankfully Minion was still thoughtful enough to place a guard strip inside so it wouldn't chafe his skin, nor get caught when being zipped up.
"Minion?" he called, biting his lip immediately after while awaiting a response.
The door opened and Minion stared down at him, expression blank.
"Uh...Are you ready?" Megamind tried a smile, but it came out crooked and less confident than he would have liked.
"Yeah, sure. Let me get her." Minion disappeared back into the sleeping quarters, emerging with a glass bowl containing the fully mutated madtom.
Megamind caught her eye and she swung around in the bowl to turn her back on him. She hadn't turned out badly. Her body had grown larger to compensate for the throat modifications and enlarged brain capacity. Her eyes had turned a kind of dull grayish-black, and for the most part her markings had stayed very similar. There were problems, he was aware. For one, she had developed blindness, which he felt exceptionally bad for. He had offered to fix the problem, as he was fairly sure he knew what was causing it, but had been refused. Her voice was a raspy croak, and she had yet to actually say any words.
'Haven't you done enough?' had been the retort, and it still cut him to the quick to think of.
Megamind swallowed and looked away, ashamed. "Right, let's go..." He allowed the brainbots that had been supporting him to help him along to the car, the crutches still very awkward in his clumsy hands.
The car ride there was equally awkward, and one of the only times he had ever ridden anywhere in complete silence. No AC/DC, no Rolling Stones, no Metallica. Nothing. Megamind tapped the fingers of his left hand on his knee, trying not to look at the fish bowl between him and his best friend.
---
After their arrival Minion assisted him out of the car, but beyond asking if he was alright, after he made a noise of discomfort, made very little comment. Megamind found it a little promising that he was allowed to hold the fish bowl. Never mind that the weight pressed against him painfully; it was still Minion trusting him to hold onto his friend.
Once at the door Minion set him down carefully, and took the bowl from him, before knocking.
"Hey, glad you could make it!" Wayne was all smiles, welcoming them into his home. Megamind murmured the expected pleasantries, casting a glance around the room hopefully.
All notions of the past two days fled screaming from Megamind's thoughts when he caught a glimpse of the one person he had desired to see for the past thirteen days. She was sitting on the couch, her head turned slightly to watch them enter, a hand raised in greeting. His hearts stopped for a moment and he wasn't sure if he was breathing, the smell of her perfume stagnating in his nostrils. He stared, openly entranced.
"Uh...hi..." She gave a tight smile. Despite the fact that it didn't quite reach her eyes, he felt she had never been more beautiful.
"Hhg," he articulated, smoothly. A pang in his left wrist alerted him to the fact that he had clenched the fabric of his pants leg in his hand.
"So!" Wayne cut in, moving through Megamind's line of vision and startling him. "Why don't we start the movie?"
Megamind touched a hand to his chest, feeling his hearts hammer and his pulse quicken. He swallowed and looked at the floor, unnerved by his own reaction.
"Sounds good to me," she said. A chorus of angels joined her heavenly voice.
Megamind touched his face with his shaking left hand and closed his eyes, forcing himself to breathe in and out. He had to play this cool.
"Yesletsthiswillbegreatfun!" he sputtered, shambling over and nearly tripping all over his crutches in the process. Wayne caught his shoulder and masked it as a friendly shake, for which he was grateful. He felt heat travel up his neck, into his cheeks and ears, as the strong man assisted him into the recessed couch area.
After a little shuffling around they were all seated on the couch. Megamind caught himself nearly making a completely pathetic noise in his throat when Roxanne chose to sit with Minion - on the floor, since he would likely tear a hole in the upholstery - and the madtom between them.
He really could not recall what movie they were watching, but he was vaguely aware that it was one he had previously enjoyed. All he could concentrate on was her smell, the idea of her being so close he could touch her.
It made him extremely nervous. He felt a cold drop of sweat trickle down the back of his neck, tickling between his shoulder blades.
Roxanne was staring at the screen, resolutely not looking directly at him. Her hand trailed over the fish bowl, a finger dipping into the water and rubbing the madtom's head absently. The madtom seemed to be enjoying it; she flitted upwards and rubbed against the offered extremity like a cat.
Megamind found himself irrationally jealous of her casual contact and flicked his gaze up to glower at the screen for just a moment. The act of looking away drew his attention to a pile of blankets on a corner of the couch and an effeminate suitcase on the floor.
"Are you staying here?" he asked, unable to stop himself from wondering out loud.
Roxanne's hand came out of the bowl quickly enough to flick water onto his skin-tight top. She hesitated for a moment.
The silence was filled with the comedic input of Molly Ringwald. "...Yes, three big ones, and they lust wimp blood so quit bugging me or I'll sic them all over your weenie ass."
Megamind didn't have the heart to even smile at the line, he just looked at Roxanne with hurt that struck down to his core.
"I need to use the restroom," Roxanne muttered, standing up and breaking the eye contact to hurry away.
"Uh...Look, we were going to let you know, but she's going through a lot right now and -" Wayne started, rubbing the back of his neck.
"No, you look! You...You charlatan!" Megamind cut him off, his expression changing to complete rage in the time it would have taken to snap his fingers. "You liar! You faked being my friend just to...to...To move in on my space of living!" Megamind flailed a hand outwards, as if to cast away the exact phrase he had been seeking.
"What? No, it isn't like that at all!" Wayne held up his hands, backing up as Megamind tried to stumble towards him, shaking a finger in his face.
"Always! Always outdoing me! Can I get a break, just once? No! Never!" Megamind's chest heaved. Behind him Minion had grabbed the fish bowl and slid it behind him, watching his friend with concern.
Megamind continued to advance on Wayne as best he could. "I can't believe this! I should have seen it coming. But she's too good for you!" He swallowed the urge to affirm she was too good for either of them. He was too angry. "Unbelievable."
"Hey!" Wayne caught him by the arms, halting his forward motion as he hissed under his breath. "I am not your enemy here! Calm down." He heard the pipes work as the toilet flushed.
"Make me," Megamind spat, literally, into Wayne's face.
Wayne blinked and released Megamind - who sat back heavily on the couch - to wipe his cheek dry, brow furrowing. The little blue alien had never acted like this before, not in all their years of battles. Wayne opened his mouth to growl something out and stopped, seeing that Megamind's expression had changed instantly and he was focusing over his shoulder.
He cast a quick glance over to see that Roxanne had reentered the room and was making her way over to the couch, evidently having not heard them. For that they were both thankful.
Wayne noticed how Megamind's whole demeanor shifted when the woman stepped into the room. The coiled muscles in his shoulders smoothed, the furrowed brow lifted. His eyes took on a damp quality, despite the fact that Wayne was well aware that Megamind had a nictitating membrane that prevented tears from falling.
"Hey, what's going on?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at them.
Wayne glanced at Minion. "Oh, we were debating making some popcorn, and what flavors we ought to try. Minion, want to help me?"
"Uh...Yes! Of course." Minion looked down at the fish in the bowl, but she seemed unaware of it, drifting towards Roxanne's fingers as they settled on the rim of the bowl to steady it while she sat back down.
She watched them go with a wary expression. Megamind didn't seem to notice their passing at all.
---
Wayne hurried into the kitchen and let the swinging door close all the way behind them before turning to Minion and grabbing his shoulders.
"Oh my God, what is going on with him?" he whispered.
"Your guess is as good as mine. Two days ago the Boss mutated my friend. He'd never have done that if he was firing on all cylinders." Minion narrowed his eyes, his gills flaring. "You aren't actually seeing Ms. Ritchie are you? Because that would be a terrible thing to do, inviting us over so you could tell him."
"No, no, of course not." Wayne shook his head sharply. "She's like my little sister; that's disgusting."
"Good, because I would have had very unfriendly words with you." Minion shook a finger at him before continuing. "I don't know exactly what is going on, but I am quite sure it involves Ms. Ritchie. He accidentally drew her on his blueprints; I found them folded under his pillow. He's never acted this way before though."
"I've got a theory...Grab a bowl out of the cabinet there, would you?" Wayne gestured at one of the ones across from the kitchen island. He, himself, crossed to the microwave and threw a large bag of popcorn inside.
"I'm sort of embarrassed I didn't notice it being so bad earlier..." Minion confessed softly, handing over the bowl he had chosen. "I was just so angry at him for hurting my friend..."
"I can't say I blame you for being angry. But we know he wouldn't do that if he was in his right mind. Now, when we go back out, pass the bowl to Roxanne and sit on the other side of her. Feed your friend or something, just make an excuse. I want to see what happens when she passes the bowl to him."
"I think I see where you're going with this...Alright. We can try it," Minion confirmed, bobbing his fish body inside the globular head of the robot suit.
---
In a few minutes the popcorn was popped and dropped into the bowl, ready to be served. The scene when they arrived back to it was much the same. Roxanne was sitting uncomfortably, trying to watch the movie, and Megamind was trying - and failing - to subtly watch her watching the movie.
Minion did as planned, pulling a handful of popcorn out to feed to the madtom and sitting alongside the bowl in order to do so. He passed the bowl to Roxanne, who took her own handful and held it out to Megamind.
Megamind stared at the offered bowl, reaching out his shaking left hand. He moved his hand around several times, trying to figure out how to position it. Their fingertips came within millimeters of each other and he flushed a brilliant purple across his cheeks and ears. The rest of his skin darkened from the now-common pallid gray-blue to a strong sky tone. Minion almost dropped all his popcorn at that - he had assumed the unhealthy skin tone was entirely based on Megamind's injuries taking a toll on his body.
He looked over at Wayne and tilted his head slightly. Wayne gave the slightest of nods and looked back up at the movie.
After the movie was over and awkward goodbyes were said - with Megamind giving Wayne a very dirty look - they headed back to the lair in the same silence they had arrived in. The madtom swam in her bowl, her spirits a little higher than they had been in days. Even this could not break Minion's concentration on the task they would have in front of them to fix the situation.
Long after Megamind had fallen into a drug-induced and exhaustion-assisted slumber, Minion called Wayne and they began to make plans.