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'So long Metro Moron!' The villain yells and cackles, and then the sound barrier breaks as he twists in the sky and flies away.
Metro Man grunts and lowers his head down with a bonk. There's a wall on top of him. It fell on him when the villain had punched him into this building. Normally this weighs a little over nothing to someone like Metro Man, but he's had quite the fight and is sore in more places than he likes to count. He allows himself a moment of reprieve. One of the walls close to him collapses and the whole pizzeria comes down. It's all such a ruckus he can feel his head throb. The debris can't really cause any severe damage to the super powered hero, thankfully.
It's his pride that took a hit.
Thankfully the area is clear of civilians at least. One less thing to worry about. Metro Man can just take a breather here, as uncomfortable as it is with all of the dust flying around.
After a few minutes all of that has settled or flown away. The quiet returns. Or at least, as much of it as possible. There are sirens wailing. Choppers flying in the sky. A few streets down all of the lanes are blocked and cars are honking in a relentless cacophany.
That's not the worst of it all.
Someone is approaching. Although there is quite a lot of noise all around him and there is a soft ringing in his ear, Metro Man can hear the other person stalk closer as if the other was stomping on the ground.
He recognises the baby seal leather bootfalls, and a clamp of fear settles in his chest.
He doesn't know how to deal with the other alien, so he pretends he isn't here.
Megamind however, knows.
He always knows.
A warm, buzzy feeling hums in the air. The weight pinning the hero down relaxes and then slowly, almost carefully lifts away. Stone and metal pieces fall as the large slab of wall floats up on invisible energy, revealing the trapped man underneath. It's discarded quite a distance away, carelessly tossed to the side.
'Such mindless destruction,' Megamind sounds appalled. Disgusted even. Rubble crunches beneath the villain's boots as he moves closer to the downed hero. 'in my Metrocety!' There's venom in the words he spits. Metro Man lifts his head. His blue nemesis gracefully hops over a table, cape trailing behind him in epic fashion. The other alien glides through the destroyed building, the setting sun accenting his usually deep blue skin with splashes of dark purple.
'And I'm not the one causing it!?' Megamind's large, toxic eyes are taking in the chaos. His ever trusty sidekick Minion stumbles onto the scene as well. He verbally outs his wonder, but the words fall off when he spots Metro Man on the ground. The expression on Megamind's face is hard to read as he gives the place a once over, until his piercing stare falls on the hero.
A flash of concern, quickly veiled by the previous annoyance washes over the other's blue face.
Megamind is evil, but he's not a jerk. He likes to pretend he is, but the hero knows from experience that the alien would not hesitate to lend a hand if the hero was in some kind of serious pickle. Today is different though, and there is a knowing feeling of dread slowly growing in the pit of the hero's stomach.
After an awkward silence that, at least to Metro Man, doesn't last long enough, Megamind swallows as if he had been chewing on something. His usually upbeat and gentle voice is a few tones lower and a great deal rougher when he finally breaks the silence.
'What's going on?' That whisper is hoarse. Quiet. But to Metro Man it feels as though the other had screamed it.
It's a bit of a struggle back to his feet. There's scrapes and bruises all over him and he's absolutely sore. Something drips from the side of his head, but Metro Man is a fast healer and since there is nothing broken or otherwise severe he grits his teeth and straightens himself. Megamind is only a little shorter than he is, but now the hero feels tiny under that scrutinizing, emerald gaze.
'I've had a doozy of a day. Some guy attacked...' For a short moment Metro Man helplessly believed that all was well. The other villain had flown off after all, and Metro Man has the feeling he did so because Megamind was closing in. During the fight Metro Man and the other guy had been squaring up pretty equally, but if the blue villain had gotten involved, that newby would have gotten the trashing of his life.
But when Megamind's brow furrows dangerously, Metro Man realises he's still in very hot waters.
'You were,' there is a short pause as the blue creature needs a moment to find his voice. Did Metro Man see his lower lip quiver? 'you were fighting someone else?' A flash of guilt washes over the hero's frame. Those last few words were whispered and barely audible, but he doesn't need his super hearing to hear the barely veiled agony in the other's tone. Despite his best efforts to hide it, the anguish is creeping into those too green eyes.
'It's not what you think.' Is so lame. But it's the truth. Metro Man raises his hands in surrender and means to take a step forward, but Megamind stomps his boot and his sudden snarl stops the hero dead in his tracks.
'What! You have not been fighting someone else!?'
Their eyes lock for a long and tense moment, before the hero finally breaks. 'Yes. Yes I was.'
Megamind's jaw drops. Minion gasps and puts his hands in front of his bowl.
'Let me explain.'
'I don't want to hear it.' Megamind cuts him off. 'I don't want to hear it!' He throws his hand up when Metro Man takes a step forward. Minion closes in a little as well from behind his master, always ready to protect the blue alien.
'Please listen to me.'
'I don't. Want. To hear it!'
This was getting ridiculous. But what could one Metro Man do but try and stay calm? If he were to lose his composure, Megamind was sure to go off. The lanky alien is a passionate creature after all.
'It's not what you think, I swear!'
'I should have known something was up,' a sudden, terrifying calm has taken hold of the other's voice. 'you havent been yourself.' He states.
'What are you talking about?' The accusation stings far worse than he could have imagined. For a moment the hero feels anger swell up, but he's just as quick to crush that.
'You haven't been into it these last few months.'
'That's not true! You're overthinking this.'
His eyes find those of the fish for a moment. Metro Man throws all he has into silently begging the other for support. Begging for the other to listen to reason. Minion's jaws are clenched in fury, his frame shaking in the water of his bowl. His stare lowers slowly, taking in the ruffled and dirty frame of the hero. It then travels back up and their gazes meet. 'I don't even know who you are.' He grinds out, contempt evident.
'...probably been fighting other villains. That's why you've been so absentminded lately.' Megamind has fallen into a conversation with himself. One that, if Metro Man doesn't intervene, will end in a very messy situation soon.
'I had a cold that just wouldn't let up. Even super heroes can get the flue.'
'Oh please,' Megamind cuts him off again, rolling his eyes and baring his teeth in climbing rage. 'as if you're not indestructable.'
Metro Man's shoulders drop and he sighs, feeling exasperated. It's his turn to roll his eyes. And this time he can't keep the annoyance out of his own words.
'You're over exaggerating.'
Minion gasps. 'How dare you!'
Before Metro Man and Minion can tangle in a conflict of their own, the blue alien explodes.
'I'm over exaggerating!?' The fury forces the hero to take a step back. He throws his hands up in self-defence. Suddenly Megamind looks ten feet tall. He brushes past Minion, who just stands and stares at the hero with a look of utter disappointment.
Megamind closes the distance between arch enemies, and even though the blue alien couldn't physically harm the hero with his fists, Metro Man is very frightened. 'Some random villain shows up and challenges you to an epic battle, and I'm supposed to just, what, just let it happen?'
'What else could I have done!?'
There is a pause between them, in which Megamind is fighting hard to calm down through ragged breaths while he contemplates this. This is good. Because if it goes the other way he will soon be nearing hysterics, and Metro Man has gone through that only one time. And he definitely doesn't want to again.
'Ok.... ok.... just....' The blue villain backs away again, hands raised, gaze averted, searching for the right words. 'just tell me one thing.' Their eyes meet again, and Metro Man doesn't like the almost pleading look in the other's stare. Are those tears welling up in the corners?'
'Anything.' He assures, and just as swiftly regrets saying that when Megamind asks with a shaky voice;
'Were you scared?'
'No!' Too quick. 'No of course not!' That answer came way too quick. The hero's outburst startles the other two aliens.
'You were!' Megamind's voice breaks and he steps backwards, bumping into Minion who grabs onto his master.
'No I swear!'
'You're lying!' From sadness to fury, Megamind is a bit bipolar like that.
Minion takes a few steps back, hands on his knees, face looking a little drained like he's about to faint. 'I can't. I just can't. I need to lie down for a second.'
Metro Man is, on the one hand happy the fish is backing off, because then it will be just him and Megamind. On the other hand, now it's just him and Megamind. He needs to de-escalate the situation, now, before the blue alien goes absolutely off and Metro Man doesn't know if he has the strength to stop him if he goes on a rampage.
'Yeah ok. Look.' He takes a deep breath. His heart is racing. 'Maybe I was a little scared.'
As Metro Man takes a step forward, Minion closes the distance between himself and Megamind once more. He looks absolutely ready to throw hands.
'But what was I supposed to do!? I was just minding my own business, patrolling the city as usual, and then I just flew into the guy!' Yes. It sounds as stupid out loud as it did in his head.
The blue villain isn't having it. 'Oh you just flew into him!' Megamind pushes his companion away and gets in the hero's face again.
'Yes, I did!' Metro Man's voice cracks, scared because this is escalating and he doesnt want it to. He's pleading with his eyes that the blue menace sees reason. Then again, trying to reason with Megamind is often harder than saying no to free ice cream.
'Oh so he just happened to be there in all of that sky and you just,' to emphasise his point the villain claps his hands together. 'happen to fly into him!?' Metro Man wishes the other would lay off the sass a bit, to be fair.
'Look its not like that!' He pleads.
'Not like what exactly? You were fighting someone else!' The blue alien twists a full circle, arms waving around to point out all of the destruction around them. 'And it looks like it was really awesome!' His big eyes land on the shop on the other side of the street. It's leaning forward in an awkward angle. 'Just look at the state of that building!' As if the structure has been waiting for its cue, something at the base cracks and it topples forward on its own weight. It's not a tall building, so when it crumbles it merely crashes on the street in front of it. Rubble is flying around. A cloud of dust swallows the three of them. It's not thick enough to shield Metro Man from the other's distraught appearance though.
'You're having an ultimate battle of good versus evil, and it's not with me!' Megamind looks about ready to cry.
'He just showed up and I had to do something.' Metro Man fights to keep his voice steady and gentle. There's just a few steps between them, and he's silently thankful Minion is keeping a little distance. 'He was destroying the city.' He's pleading, pleading with his eyes for the other to understand this. 'Our city!'
There is it. It looks as if something snaps right back into place, because something in Megamind's eyes shifts and the storm of irrational emotions he's going through is finally hitting a snag.
Because as the hero, it's Metro Man's job to step in when the city is attacked. By anyone, that is.
'I couldn't just let him do that.' Although it could just as easily backfire, he allows for a little smile on his face. 'That's your job.'
The villain is still pouting, but at least he seems to get the message.
Metro Man is quick to take advantage. He tentatively closes the distance between them, making sure not to make any sudden moves. Minion is still close, and the fish will make it rain fists and pain should his blue master be in any need of protecting. 'Come on Meg. There's villains all over the place,'
He places one hand on the other's shoulder and gently grabs the slightly shorter alien by the chin with his free hand. Their gazes connect as the hero looks the other deep in his shiny emerald eyes. 'But you know you're my nemesis, right?'
Megamind almost smiles.
'Come on, let me see that fiendish smile.' And that finally breaks the other out of his impending meltdown. He scoffs and slaps the others hands away, but it's playful and that makes the hero laugh.
'I can't stay mad at you.' The villain schools a serious look on his face, but he looks a lot happier. His voice is almost back to normal again, with only a hint of a tremble left. 'I appologise for overreacting.' Now it's Megamind's turn to plead for forgiveness, but Metro Man has never been able to resist those toxic puppy eyes anyway.
'Thank you, I'm sorry too.' He gives the evil mastermind a dashing smile, and shares a look with a far more relaxed looking Minion.
And finally, he can bid them farewel. The hero is in dire need of a bubblebath and a terrible movie. He's had quite the day, quite the fight, and he knows that this wasn't the last he has seen of that other super villain.
It's safe to say he can leave Megamind to his own devices. The blue alien and his fish swiftly become two specks in a sea of chaos as the hero retreats for the evening.
'I'm glad you two worked it out,' Minion is staring up into the sky, his eyes two slits. He tried following the retreating hero, but quickly lost him out of sight. 'I hate it when the two of you fight.'
'I'm sorry you had to see that Minion.' His master softly replies.
To anyone else, the reply was a simple appology. To those who don't know Megamind, the reply would have sounded normal, straight forward, gentle.
To Minion, who has known the blue alien his entire life, it's a warning. The fish turns slowly, aware of the looming anger that is bubbling just beneath the surface. His beady eyes take in the other's face. Megamind is still staring into the sky, not at anything in particular, his mind going a thousand miles a second. His jaw clenched tightly and his hands balled into painful fists in barely suppressed fury.
'Want me to get the car?'
'And the Disinte-grator.' The blue alien grinds out, and Minion takes a few steps backward first before turning his back to his master, leaving the other to steam is silent rage for a moment.
If it weren't for the fact that Metro Man had been through a rough patch already, Megamind would have taken his anger out on the area around him. What's knocking down a few more buildings? What's flipping over a few more cars? What's striking fear into the hearts of a few more people?
'The audecety,' Rubble grinds beneath his boots, his cape fluttering behind him as he turns and stomps through the ruined building. 'destroying my city. Scaring my helpless victims,' The only door that was left standing gets kicked down. One poor, almost ruined table is thrown into the street because it dared stand in his way.
'fighting my Metro Man!'
The Disinte-grator is heavy, but feels trusted in his arms. Its battery is fully charged, ready to disinegrate anything it comes into contact with.
Anything, and anyone.
It was a weapon reserved especially for one Metro Man. Reserved for the day they would have their final, most epic battle to the death ever.
But now, it was going to be used on another poor, helpless man with super powers.
No one ever say Megamind isn't a little jealous.
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I'm not going to lie, I had way more fun writing this than was appropriate. If you made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read this. Feel free to share your thoughts.