The Finer Points of Tango (MegaRox)
Good evening :)
I come with another fan fic offering! I hope you enjoy!
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The Finer Points of Tango
By Abby
Rating: PG
Summary: A night of public functions and flirting. MegaRox
Notes: I tried something a little different with this piece. You'll recognize some lines, and yes, it was intentional. I couldn’t help it. :-D I always welcome reviews and critiques.
. o . O . o .
The benefit gala was, so far, a complete success. The lobby of the museum was crowded with citizens showing their support for the S.V.F. (Supervillian Victims Foundation) and many a couple were already making their way to the laid-out dance floor to take a short twirl and show off their formal attire. Megamind lingered at the open bar, trying to take a break from the socialization that was expected of him at a function such as this. He could see Roxanne on the other side of the room, finishing up her televised interview of the curator and his wife. He swirled his glass and swallowed the last of his whiskey sour, setting the empty glass on a coaster, aiming to head over in her direction, when a brusque hand clapped him across the back, jarring him out of his thought process.
"There you are! I was wondering where you had gone off to! I was hoping to have a chat." The familiar face stepped into his view.
"Good evening, Warden."
"None of that, none of that. I'm retired, remember? Call me Gary."
Megamind's mouth turned up in an honest smile. Despite all the trouble he ever put his old warden through, he genuinely liked the man. After all, he was the closest to a father-figure he had ever had. "Sorry. Old habits die hard." He fingered his cuffs of his jacket and straightened them out.
"Look at you, huh?" Gary said, indicating Megamind's black tux. "Heading up the S.V.F., doubling as a hero, an active public figure..." He ticked his list off on one hand. "Aside from the obvious," he indicated the signature collar, toned down to fit the occasion. "I daresay you've given up a lot of your eccentric ways." He poked at the alien's chest in a gentle teasing manner. "I daresay you've been downright domesticated, Megamind."
Affronted, Megamind flustered, his translucent ears flushed with red. "Domesticated? I am not...!" Megamind trailed off, really not having any argument to prove the other man wrong. He settled with going back to straightening out his cuffs, although there was nothing left to straighten. "Damn, I'm losing my evil touch!" His mood quickly changed however, when he made eye contact with the older man and caught his jovial look. He burst out laughing. "I'd love to chat, but I spy my perennial damsel in distress, and she's done with her filming, if you don't mind." He gestured toward the far end of the lobby.
"Sure thing. I'll leave you to your business." Gary turned toward the bar to put in his order. "Make sure you call me sometime when you're not busy. It's about time we caught up on things." He went to clap Megamind on the back again, but the blue man was too swift for him and ducked out of the way at the last second, grinning as he did. The old man laughed. "Old habits indeed!"
Megamind made his farewell by way of an exaggerated salute and proceeded to weave through the crowd, shaking hands and expressing greetings as he went. Working with the public as he now was, he was quite accustomed to the ins and outs of the social scene, although inwardly he was still amazed at his ability to withstand any of it. Just a few years ago, anything other than a rehearsed speech and witty catchphrase was foreign territory. He had never seen the need, nor had the opportunity, he admitted, to engage in idle conversations with ordinary citizens. But now, in the place he was in his life, he had come to appreciate connecting with others, exchanging details about their everyday lives and concerns. Funny how things turn out, he mused.
He finally made his way up to Roxanne, stopping a few feet short of where she was standing, watching her chat with her cameraman as he packed away the equipment. This particular KMCP employee's name was Kenneth, and he was in general a quiet man, and completely harmless. Megamind knew this because he had not only run a full background check on the man, but he had also taken the time to have a one-on-one with him with the intention of intimidating the poor fellow and letting him know who the starring anchor lady belonged to. Not that he ever believed that a situation such as "Hal" would ever happen again, but ever since then, Megamind had become a tad paranoid about who Roxanne worked with. He couldn't help being a bit over-protective, and goodness knows she didn't do anything to discourage the behavior. She seemed to understand where his heart lied.
At the moment, her back was to him, and he was able to observe her without her notice. He took his time appreciating her frame, where her legs came up to meet her curves and wide hips. She looked absolutely breathtaking in her knee-length cream colored gown, and every whisper of air caught the overlay of organza. The hem swayed and floated against her legs, making her an ethereal image for him to behold. Taking advantage of the element of surprise and in a playful mood, he stepped behind her, tapping her on her shoulder. "Why, hello." He said in his most debonair voice, arching up a seductive eyebrow when she turned around. She opened her mouth to say something, but he interrupted. "I... hope I'm not disturbing you, but I saw you from across the party..."
She smirked at him, and her telltale look he knew meant something along the lines of Are we really doing this again?, but he kept a straight face, and she shook her head in amusement and decided to play along. She folded her arms across her chest in an attempt at nonchalance, taking him in in one smooth glance. "Oh, really?"
Taking her response as a green light, he leaned in closer, maintaining the façade. "I don't usually do this, but I felt compelled to tell you something." He paused for effect. "You have an absolutely breathtaking..."
She coughed, reminding him that they were in public, "Er... face. " He corrected himself, but nonetheless was grinning about what he initially intended to say. His eyes wandered down to her 'face', resisting the urge to grab her by the waist. "I mean, that thing is good. I want to be friends with it."
Roxanne bit her lip, obviously in an attempt to keep from laughing, and put on a face of disinterest. "Well, you certainly know how to compliment a woman." She avoided eye contact by pretending to be thoroughly absorbed in something across the room. "Now if you'll excuse me..."
She made a half-hearted move to walk away, but before she could walk a couple of steps, Megamind had taken her by the hand and smartly swung her around on her feet, pressing her up against his chest. With one hand resting on her back just below her neck and the other firmly grasping hers, he guided her to the dance floor. "Do you know who I am?" He asked in a seductively low tone.
She moved in time with his feet, not seeing who was behind her but confident that Megamind would guide them through the crowd. "No, I can't say that I do."
"I don't know how to put this... but I'm kind of a big deal." He shifted lightly on his feet and led her to left.
"Really?" The hem of her dress rustled.
"People know me."
She twirled and was taken up in his arms again. "Well, I'm very happy for you." Her tone was dry.
He was running out of material, but that didn't stop him. "I'm very important." He maintained their rhythm with a side-step and a lead into la cruzada, buying himself time. "I have many leather-bound books... and my apartment smells of rich mahogany..." They stepped into el ocho cortado. "I'm friends with the mayor, too. He comes over on occasion..." He winced at the last line, aware of how stupid it sounded.
Roxanne finally broke into laughter, arching toward him as he turned her on one foot to complete their calesita. "And this is the point where you would lose your prospect."
He leaned in and placed a kiss on her soft cheek. "It's a good thing then that I already have you despite my poor pick-up lines."
"Hmm" She closed her eyes briefly, enjoying the closeness. "Lucky you."
The song changed to a slower melody, and they were silent for a few seconds as they cleared the floor. As he reached down to take her hand, a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Do you know what Gary just said to me a few minutes ago? He told me that I had been domesticated." He rolled his eyes in faux exasperation.
She looked at him with amused curiosity. "And are you domesticated?"
His mouth turned up at the corners. "Oh, most definitely. Couldn't even defend myself." He gripped her hand tighter, absentmindedly running his thumb over the band gracing her ring finger. "Now that I think about it," Tugging her arm, she yielded easily into his embrace. Blue eyes met green ones. "It's probably the biggest compliment I have ever received. Roxanne Ritchi can domesticate me any day."
She smiled at him with fondness before a wave from the curator caught her attention. He was tapping his watch, nodding toward the stage. "It looks like you're needed, Megs." She smoothed out his lapel, preparing him for the speech he was due to give. She looked her husband over. Handsome as always and more confident with each passing day. She was so proud of him. "If you're interested," She offered, palm lingering on his chest. "I can 'domesticate' you when we get home tonight." Her tone was not so subtle.
He turned to leave, but not before lighting up like a little boy on Christmas day. "I'm taking you up on that, my little temptress!" And with that the hero bounded for the stage, ready to address the S.V.F. and the supporting citizens of Metro City.
End.