Fic: Depressed But Well Dressed

May 30, 2012 23:22

Title: Depressed But Well Dressed
Author: lasersandspikes
Word Count: 2,747
Rating: PG-13 for swears
Summary: An alternate version of the rain scene, and subsequent events.



So, I wanted to do my own version of the rain scene, and it turned into this!

This wasn't at all how my initial idea was supposed to pan out. If anything it's completely the opposite!

I'll probably do a oneshot on the original plot bunny I had, but that'll be a while yet!

"Do you really think that I would ever be with you?"

He swallowed thickly, his eyes stinging, and his throat threatening to close up. His mouth then broke into a sad smile.

"No."

Before she could respond, he pushed past her, his every intention to get as far from this situation as possible.

He'd lost his best friend, and now her. Something in him had finally snapped, and he just wasn't up to playing this stupid game anymore.

Roxanne watched his retreating form; slumped and defeated. The rain began to crash down with even more force, and a sudden roll of thunder accompanied a few violent flashes overhead.

She battled whether or not to say something, to go after him, but stopped herself each time. He was the bad guy, not her.

So why did she feel so awful?

It had been a week since the incident with 'Tighten' on top of Metro Tower, and the subsequent evening with 'Bernard'.

In that week Hal had been seen stealing an ATM, an arcade game, an enormous flat screen (not to mention an accompanying sound system), and even a bicycle.

He hadn't started causing any real trouble, but Roxanne knew it was only a matter of time before something set the guy off.

She hadn't seen hide nor hair of Megamind, either. Ignoring the fact that he'd been disguised, Roxanne had spent weeks just basking in his company, laughing at his stupid jokes, and staring into his love-dazed green eyes; but now his place in her life had come to an abrupt end.

That night had been painful. She'd been lied to; deceived in the worst possible way, by a man she always thought to be harmless. It was like a slap in the face.

What was worse, even after all the betrayal, after all the nights spent tearing up at the thought of losing Bernard, she'd find herself thinking about him, daydreaming, or completely forgetting for a split second that he'd vanished from her life.

But it had always been him; that shy smile, that kind nature, that tentative kiss.

"Oh fuck, what have I done?" She cried, hugging the pillow to her chest. Her mind took her back to that moment seven nights ago.

"Do you really think that I would ever be with you?"

She'd regretted the words as soon as she'd said them, but her pride, and anger at the time wouldn't let her take them back. Her lower lip trembled as she remembered the pained look in his eyes.

"No."

Roxanne wiped her eyes with the back of her hand before getting out of bed and quickly throwing some clothes on.

Since it was nearest, Roxanne made her way to City Hall.

Upon searching the abandoned building, she came to the conclusion that Megamind was most definitely not there. Only one tell-tale sign of his presence remained (aside from the charred doors leading into the main office), a polished name plate, adorned with spikes that read; "MEGAMIND, EVIL OVERLORD" in large gothic script.

She smiled to herself, muttering "Predictable." as she left.

The taxi driver only took her to the outskirts of the Industrial District. It was widely known over the city that the place was riddled with thieves, drug lords, and all manner of unsavoury characters. But there was also a suspicion that the city's overlord made residence there, so people avoided the area at all costs.

Roxanne made the long hard walk across the district; her keen reporter eye keeping a lookout for any sign of movement. Although it took her a while, she finally found her way back to the imposing rectangular building, unscathed.

She took a tentative step towards the portion of wall in in front of the doormat, and bled through the hologram. The lair was silent, but unlike the last time she'd broken in, the silence held a weight that was hard to define. But it was there.

She made her way silently around the main floor, pausing in case she heard someone approaching. The reporter finally came to a stop when she caught sight of a pair of spindly legs curving over the edge of a large black swivel chair.

Roxanne let out a breath she didn't realised she'd been holding, and slowly walked towards him.

"Go away." Roxanne paused immediately. She was sure she'd been quiet, so how had he- "The monitors, Miss Ritchi, I've been watching them." His voice lowered, and it was almost impossible to hear his next words. "Just in case..."

But she had heard.

"In case what?"

"Go. Away." He snapped; the small part of him she could see tensed.

It was Roxanne's turn to get mad. "I'm not going anywhere. It took me an age to get here, and I'm not leaving now!"

The hand she could see gripped the armrest. "Why did you come, that oaf Titan running amok already?" He recalled her tale from the restaurant, and how Hal was the worst person he could've picked. But he hadn't fucking picked him, had he?

His mind went back to the defuser gun, and how it was still lying right where he had thrown it, in the backseat of the Hudson. He smiled bitterly. 'Figures...'

"Well, not yet he isn't, but it's going to happen soon." She inhaled slowly, gathering her nerve. "Which is why you need to stop him."

Megamind laughed cruelly from behind the high back of the chair. "Oh Roxanne, you really should think about a career in standup..." He stopped and straightened. "Don't let the hologram hit you on the way out."

OK, that was fair. She'd broken into his lair, no, his home a second time. What was she expecting, for him to just roll out the red carpet?

She took a few more steps towards him, and he turned the chair slightly, completely obscuring himself.

"Just leave..." His voice lacked the conviction it once had, sounding more like an honest plea, than an order.

Roxanne moved forward, and stretched out a hand, grasping the top of the chair. She spun it swiftly, and her eyes widened at the sight laid out before her.

He looked horrendous.

His trademark goatee was almost lost beneath the thick scrag of stubble now littering his face. His usually brilliant eyes now dull, and glassy, and the skin beneath them etched in dark circles causing them to pop out of his face madly.

The smell was what caught her last.

It wasn't an unpleasant odour, but it was very strong. 'Of course his sweat smells different, he's an alien.' Roxanne felt the corners of her mouth tugging down involuntarily at the state of him. His face was strangely devoid, he didn't look at her as much as he looked through her.

"I thought he'd come back."

"Who-" But then she stopped. Minion. The fish was never but a few feet away from his boss, and here was Megamind, at his lowest, and Minion was no where in sight. "What happened?"

"We argued. He left; I have no idea where. All I can do is wait." He bit his lower lip, begging his eyes to stop that familiar sting. 'And hope...'

"Code: I'll just pack my thing and go!"

"Code: Fine!"

"Code: Fine back!"

It suddenly occurred to Roxanne that he may not have shifted from this spot since he got back; 7 days ago. Had he even eaten? Slept? Bathed? The strong musky scent reminded her that that last query was definitely a no.

"You guys were fighting? Why?" From what Roxanne knew, the two of them were the best of friends. The thought of Minion actually up and leaving was so out of character that she was finding it hard to believe.

Megamind locked eyes with the reporter. "I'll give you three guesses," He got up, stalking towards her, "she's nosy." he took another step, "Belligerent." finally he was nose to nose with her, a gloved finger prodding her in the chest, "And standing right in front of me."

He spun on his heel, walking across the lair. God knew his legs needed the stretch.

"W-Wait, what?" This was making even less sense. "Why would you fight about me?" She rushed to keep up with him, but made sure to keep a few steps behind.

He picked handful after handful of drafts and schematics from the idea cloud, screwing them up and tossing them in the nearby incinerator.

"He found out about our... meetings. Needless to say he wasn't pleased." Roxanne stayed still watching as he lost patience with the papery brainstorm; he finally set his De-Gun to 'Destroy' and blasted page after page until all that was left was a charred mess.

Roxanne walked up to him, laying a hand on his shoulder. He wasn't wearing his cape, or the imposing collar and shoulder guards; he looked so small and wiry.

The alien suddenly jerked away. "Don't. Touch. Me." He spat, before stalking off across the lair.

Roxanne followed him again, allowing him a bit more distance. "Would it help if I told you how sorry I am?" He paused in his tracks. "Because I am."

"Don't do this, Miss Ritchi." He shook his head, "Just don't..." his lower lip found it's way between the vice-like grip of his teeth.

"Don't do what?" She took a few steps closer. "Don't say how terrible I feel for the things I said? Don't apologise?"

"Don't ask this of me, Roxanne." His voice broke, and she saw that both of his fists were clenched tightly. "Because you know that all you need to do is ask," He swallowed, his throat becoming tight, "and I'll do anything."

He didn't need her pity, and he didn't need her trying to manipulate him like this. She knew he'd bring her the fucking moon if she batted her eyelashes, and she knew he'd get himself killed fighting that ginger cretin if she asked him to.

The reporter closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around him from behind. The last hug she'd given him had rendered him speechless, and damn it if she'd done so again.

Roxanne rested her chin on his shoulder, and gripped him tighter. "I'll fix this." His heart was hammering wildly beneath her hands. "I promise."

It wasn't too hard to track down the henchfish.

Roxanne had a lot of contacts in high places, and so once she got back to her apartment she phoned all of them, making sure to write down all the places Minion had been spotted.

The last location was somewhere on the outskirts of Downtown, near one of the motels. He obviously had no where else to go, and who was going to stop a robot gorilla fish from taking a room if he wanted it?

That was settled then. Roxanne took the elevator down to the car park, and jumped in the newsvan.

Megamind sat hunched in his chair, giving the wristwatch fleeting glances every now and then.

Roxanne had left hours ago, and after agonising for the past week, he pressed a thumb to one of the switches.

His breath hitched and he released the receiver quickly. Both hands came to rest over his face, and his shoulders rose and fell in a violent shudder.

He shrugged sharply, an attempt to regain some control, and moved his hand back to the watch. He pressed one of the dials with more purpose, and swallowed, about to speak when-

"..Sir?"

The villain's eyes snapped wide; his every instinct was to jump out of the chair and embrace the metal body behind the voice, fear and shame however rooted him to the spot.

He heard tinny footsteps make their way toward him, and panicked. Minion had seen him after gruelling prison breaks, he'd seen him drag himself back to his cell, bloodied and beaten. Hell, he'd even seen him on life-support!

Minion had seen him at his worst, but he'd never seen him let himself go.

The fish stretched out a furry arm and turned the chair. His insides churned in guilt at the sight before him; how could he have done this to his sir?

Megamind looked so dishevelled; without the ostentatious cape and mantle, Minion was reminded of the small boy he used to care for. The skinny, shy little child that he'd struggled to protect all those years.

He'd grown into such a remarkable man, and Minion knew his parents would be so proud. But he'd failed his sir. Not just last week, but decades ago. He thought bitterly of that incident in the gifted school, and the subsequent path his master had gone down as a result.

If he'd been a good minion he would've talked Megamind out of it, he would've done everything in his power to convince the boy that he didn't need to fall into everyone else's expectations of him. He didn't need to take up the role they'd decided. He didn't need to let them choose his destiny.

But he'd said nothing, just humoured him, hoping the stupid notion would stop. After a while it became habit to just nod and say nothing, and after ten years Minion decided to let it drop completely. His sir truly seemed happy trying to take over the city, and his master's happiness was all that mattered.

"Y-You came back?"

Minion was broken out of his reverie at his boss's words. Tears were threatening to spill down the overlord's face, and Minion had to look away.

He looked so much like his father with that unkempt beard. Oh god, what would his parents think right now? They'd sent him to look after their son, and he'd failed them. He'd failed his sir.

"Sir, I could never leave you..." Sure, he'd left initially, but he'd been waiting on his master to call him back. He'd struggled against every urge he had to go back to the lair. He'd gone back once to finish the new cape, but after that he'd stayed away.

He'd wanted more than anything for Megamind's voice to blare out of his own wristwatch, to apologise, to beg him to come back, to admit that he'd been wrong.

"Code: I don't need you!"

The memory still stung, but the fish knew now that the words had been spoken in the heat of the moment, and that his master did need him.

Just looking at the state of him now proved that.

Before Minion could explain further, Megamind had shot up from the chair to wrap both of his arms around the large glass bowl. The tips of his gloves squeaked against the dome as he clutched Minion tightly.

"I thought I'd l-lost y-you..."

The man's breathing was ragged, and Minion wrapped his fur-covered arms around his ward, holding him as he sobbed uncontrollably.

"Sir, I'm so sorry, This is all my fault!" He squeezed his eyes shut, trying desperately not to lose his composure.

Megamind was shaking severely now. Roxanne had mentioned to Minion on the drive back that she was sure the villain hadn't eaten or slept in the past week.

He let the hold on his master slacken before quickly grasping him once more as he felt the man slipping; he was the only thing standing between Megamind and the ground. 'Oh god, what have I done? How could I let his happen to you?'

The fish laid his charge back in the leather chair before rushing across the lair. He stopped by the reporter.

"Please, Miss Ritchi, could you keep an eye on him? I'll be right back!"

Roxanne nodded, but Minion was half way across the lair now; his mind focussed entirely on the blue man now slumped in the chair.

She made her way over to him. His chest was rising and falling in worrying bursts, and the area around his eyes was sunken and dark.

Roxanne placed a hand on his shoulder, pleased when he didn't bat it away.

"R-Roxanne..?" He stammered.

She smiled down at him. "I told you I'd fix it."

Tears were rolling down his face, but he didn't have the energy to wipe them away.

I think I'll leave it here for now...

Don't worry, this isn't the end!

genre: au, rating: pg-13, character: minion, character: roxanne ritchi, fanworks: fanfic, author: lasersandspikes, genre: angst, character: megamind

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