A/N: Sorry Megamind might seem a little OC, but I'm drawing off the scenes where he's sitting in town hall being miserable. It's a little slow but it will get faster from here on in. Reviews are appreciated!

Warning: *Spoilers* MMxMM slash

Disclaimer: Dreamworks own Megamind & Co.

Smile For Me

The crowd cheered and the blue facemasks bobbed as the people of Metro city greeted his arrival.

Megamind grinned, he could get used to that, the sound of applause and gratitude. He smiled at Roxanne as she wrapped Metro Man's old cloak around his shoulders, it clung to his shoulders, the fur still carrying the scent of the other man. It was heavy and comforting like Metro Man's hands hand been when they had gripped his shoulders and told him that he could do it. That being good was his destiny.

Megamind squeezed Roxanne closer, and then spun her in a dizzying twirl, catching her as she fell into his arms. His eyes caught the sight of the tall tan coat, unshaven beard, sad smile. But it was gone before he had time to register and Roxanne's light peck on his cheek distracted him long enough that he forgot himself to the beat of the music.

"So what was it like?" Roxanne smirked over at the blue man.

"huh?" He'd been staring out the window as Minion drove them to his not-so-secret-lair that had been turned with a little re-constructive help from his Brainbots into a lavish underground mansion that opened up into sprawling public parks.

"What's it like to see a forty story statue of yourself dedicated to the good you've done." There was the playful smirk in her voice, egging him on.

"Oh" he sighed, small smirk pulling on his lips as he played her game and feigned disinterest. "Just in a days work, I knew they'd all recognise my talents soon enough. It just takes a while for your species with you under-developed brains to truly grasp the magnificence that is Megamind! I'm surprised you can handle to stay in such close vicinity to all that is me, aah, the greatness and amazing awesome-ness" He smirked out the window at her huffed laughter.

"Yeah, spare me, the awesome-ness is blinding."

He kicked back his legs and crossed them at the ankles.

"It's pretty good." He smiled down at his clasped hands on his lap. He hadn't felt this good in years, no pun intended, he chuckled mentally at his own joke, he'd have to tell that one to Minion. All that time fighting Metro Man had been enjoyable, had been fun and exciting, but it always felt like he was on the wrong path, no matter how hard he tried to follow his destiny to be bad. He always ended up faltering at the last moment, people would be saved, Metro Man would escape and he'd always end up in prison, back home plotting another future failure.

But he never thought to stop, never thought to turn good. He loved fighting with the other man, loved the challenge in those eyes and the answering smirk. The extravagant costumes and plots and word play kept him occupied when he was left alone for months in his small cell. He couldn't remember the number of times he'd re-played the fights, the comebacks, thinking of wittier, quicker answers to the ones he'd already given.

And then Metro Man had disappeared. Had died.

Megamind sunk down lower in the white fur cloak, his nose tickled by the fine fibres. The absolute stomach dropping horror when he'd watched the copper dome blow to pieces, was nothing like he'd ever felt before. But the empty loss that caved his heart and thrown him into confusion had felt so similar to all those years before when he'd watched the younger boy hovering, school held above his head, flying away without a backwards glance at their joined destiny.

Of course now he knew better.

Destiny was a path that was chosen, it was not forced upon us.

Metro Man had shown him that, after years of struggling against each other, a quick pat on the back and a few words of encouragement had set him straight.

And now here he was sitting in a white limousine, returning home from the unveiling of a museum dedicated to him, on a path of his own choosing with his best friend Minion and the beautiful Roxie at his side.

It felt good.

But something was missing.

The tan coat flickered through his mind, the half smile and the unshaven beard.

He was missing.

All his life Metro Man had been there, since before their joint landing on earth. The man had occupied his waking thoughts and even some of his wilder dreams of conquest during the night. There'd also been that strange re-occurring dream of them frolicking through a field of daisies surrounded by humming brain bots, but after swearing off that particular brand of jellypop they'd become a suppressed memory, and nothing more.

Now there was this strange Metro Man shaped hole in his thoughts and in his life. First it had been filled with guilt and horror at having caused the man's death, and then he'd tried to fill it with his protégée, but now...

Megamind had replaced Metro City's need for Metro Man, he'd also replaced Roxanne's need for him, but what about himself. Wasn't he the one tied the most to the city's former saviour? He glanced at Roxie, she had always been there, since some of their first fights, there was no way she could slide into Metro Man's place.

Minion? He caught the worried look the fish threw him in the review mirror. No, he shook his head. Minion was Minion and always would be. He needed someone new, needed someone he could talk to about the man.

Bernard.

The thin, stuffy man whose likeness he'd appropriated. He was the Megamind museum's curator, former curator of Metro Man's museum, he knew more about the both of them than anyone else. It was a slightly creepy thought, but it comforted him.

Now how to go about getting the man to speak to him?

"You're awful quiet, not hatching some grand evil plan are we?" Roxie half-joked, and Megamind jumped, false grin falling into place.

"What? Of course not my dear." He almost let out an evil laugh by habit and the look Roxie gave him was unimpressed.

"We've played this game for years Megmind. I know you. You're plotting."

"No, no, of course not." He flapped a hand in dismissal but she levelled a stare at him that made him squirm. "Well... maybe." He heard himself whine, and grimaced. Had she always had this kind of hold on him? He almost snorted, yes, she'd been able to handle both he and Metro Man at their worst.

"I've got you by the balls blue man." She frowned. "Now spill it."

"No need for such vulgarity I was just-"

"Megamind." That tone of voice was not to be argued with.

"You're birthday's coming up and I wanted to get you something extra special and you're one of those people that are so hard to shop for, so I thought I'd do something for you but I couldn't think of what then I thought I could make you dinner but I can't cook so I thought I could go and take an Italian cooking class, because you like Italian then I thought we could go to Italy, but I have to be here to protect Metrocity, so I thought Venice is a floating piece of marshland and I could somehow convert the tides and dissolve its moorings and bring it here, so we could go to a fancy Italian restaurant." Megamind sucked in a quick breath. "For your birthday."

The woman raised a single eyebrow, crossing her arms.

"My birthday's four months away."

"An operation of such size would require much preparation and er planning." Megamind let out a small smile.

"That's sweet of you, but how about we go to that small Italian place on the corner. It's my favourite anyway. And you know tides, moving cities across the world, cataclysmic destruction and warped weather patterns aren't really my thing. "

He'd fooled her once or twice during the years, but he did notice he was getting better at it.

He smirked inwardly, catching Minion's eye in the mirror.

He could tell the fish was not convinced.

Maybe he could let his friend in on the plan.

Code: Talk to Bernard.

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To be continued

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