Fish of a Different Skin 12

"I keep telling you, I'm fine! I don't--"

"You still may have inhaled some of his hallucinogen, we need to make sure."

Megamind whined as he sat in the back of the ambulance while a paramedic slipped a mask over his mouth and nose. Metro Man never got babied like this; it was downright insulting! He'd just saved the day! Where was the cheering crowd? Yes, he had been swarmed by photographers and reporters, but no cheering crowd had been a bit disappointing.

"Breathe in..." the paramedic said, "and breathe out..."

"Oh good, I probably could forget how to breathe!" Megamind complained, but did as she instructed, glad that the crowd had dispersed by now. He had begun to cough, only a little, once the excitement was over with. Fearing that he might have inhaled some of Psycho Delic's smoke, he had been pulled away while the police worked out the rest of the mess. It seemed the money Psycho Delic had stolen from the other banks was nowhere to be found, and they wanted to question Megamind if he had told him where the money was. The paramedic pushed them away, saying he would answer questions once he was healthy enough to.

Truth be told, Psycho Delic had no money on him, at all. And yet people had seen him take their cash, and slip it into his jacket. Had he changed it into smoke, and sent it away to a secret location in the city? Or what?

And why was he taking money? Certainly not for Lady Doppler; she wasn't eligible for bail at all. It was all fairly suspicious. But there was nothing more that he could do for these people, so once the paramedics were content in the knowledge that the hero hadn't been gassed, he set off back towards the hospital without waiting for an ambulance. He'd had enough of those for now, thank you very much.

When Megamind walked into Minion's hospital room, he felt his heart lodge itself in his throat. The fish-man was still in his bed, asleep, but his mask had been pulled off by somebody and rested discarded beside him on the bed. Who dared to do that? Was there a noob nurse who was too stupid to tell a sickly patient when she saw one? The people in this hospital should be fired for such incompetence!

"Honestly!" Megamind fussed as he walked up to the hospital bed and grabbed the mask. "It's as if they want you to get worse and never leave!" He began to fit the mask over Minion's head slowly. "We can't have that, Minion. And you won't believe it, that idiot Psycho Delic tried to stir the pot of injustice today! But I showed him, you'd better believe I did!" he added as he began to adjust the straps, and was just about to reach to stroke the fish-man's jaw when golden eyes snapped open and met green ones.

The two aliens froze for a moment as they stared at one another.

"M... Minion?" Megamind asked, voice coming out in a high-pitched squeak.

"Hello, Sir," Minion answered weakly, giving the best smile he could with the mask in place.

"Minion!" Megamind squeaked again, feeling as though all of his energy had just returned in a blaze of explosions and fireworks.

He was awake, he was awake! And he'd been here to witness it! Just like he wanted to be! Oh, oh what to do! He can't hug him he's laying down, he can't grab any part of him, he may still be sore! And he certainly dare not kiss him anywhere! So all he did was bounce on his heels excitedly, grinning fit to burst.

"Minion you're awake, you're awake! I knew you'd wake up, I just knew it!" he half-lied. A good part of him had feared his friend would never awaken from the shock-induced sleep, but a larger part had prayed for it every minute of the day.

"I'm awake," Minion replied softly, with a weak shrug. "Am I in the hospital...?" he asked.

"Of course you are," the blue alien said as he decided to fuss with the pillows awkwardly. "These stupid people insisted you needed constant monitoring, as if I couldn't give you that back at home!" Megamind said, smoothing out a crinkled corner of the pillow. "I'd watch you, I would!" I've been watching you for two days straight, and I've barely slept, but I don't care.

Minion felt a flush across his face, but smiled for him through the mask. "I know, Sir," he replied, as he shut his eyes a moment and shuddered, lifting his hands and touching his sore chest. "I feel so stiff and sore," he mumbled.

"S-should I call a nurse?" Megamind asked, reaching for the red call button that had been pointed out to him.

"No. No, please, Sir. I'm fine, I'm just..." So glad to see you're okay. I was so scared she'd killed you, Sir. I want to stay here with you forever and never be interrupted again.

"You're just...?"

"Sore. It will pass, Sir," insisted the fish. He reached out slowly and found a gloved hand, and petted it gently. Then he regretted doing it, because it only further reminded him that all Megamind wanted was him awake and back on his feet again. Nothing more, nothing less.

Really, though, he should have expected this, shouldn't he? Megamind was the boss, the one in charge, and he was the lowly minion. Yet, he had been getting such mixed signals lately. When Megamind would lie down beside him in their bed and hold him tightly. Or the way he glanced at him now and then.

What was he to him? It was too rude to ask such a thing, so he didn't.

"Oh, don't you worry! It will pass, because I am going to look after you!" Megamind said with a bright, flashy smile that made Minion's stomach do a flip.

"What?" he asked.

It felt like mere seconds had passed, and yet here Minion was, safe and sound back home in the Lair in his own bed. Around him, Brain Bots floated with curious looks somehow implanted on their faces, and Megamind stood beside him, looking as proud as any ex-evil villain could look.

"I'm going to look after you!" Megamind said again, before picking up a list of 'Things To Do' he had written down in the hospital. "Now, the doctors say you need to remain in bed. Slowly re-introduce movement. Your muscles are stressed because of the excess strength you exerted the other day, so they need to be tended to." He picked up a prescription sheet and waved it. "I'll pick up the medicine tomorrow. So there you have it, Minion. You are to stay in bed until you're healthy again."

"I don't like this, Sir," Minion muttered. "Please, you don't have to bother yourself..."

"It's hardly a bother!" Megamind scoffed. "Now, I'm going to go make you something to eat! The doctor says only liquids, so that means soup and broth. Don't go anywhere, I've told the Brain Bots to make sure you don't get up unless I'm in the room with you to help!"

"But Sir, you've never cooked before...!" the fish-man worried. "You haven't even done toast yourself!"

"Nonsense, Minion. How hard can it be?" With that, the blue man rushed out of the room, looking super excited. Finally! He could dote on Minion! He'd show him how amazing he was by way of taking care of him, just like in those silly romance movies where the sick patients fall in love with their nurses! It was perfect!

"Oh dear." Minion fretted as he lay there in the bed, hands twitching against his stomach. While it was great being home again, now he felt like a lump on a log. He couldn't do anything. He couldn't tend to the chores, couldn't cook, clean, sew... the best he could do was knit, but even that was of no interest to him. He felt useless, and after being something like a god for a little while, it was quite a reality check.

Sighing, the fish-man carefully eased himself back into the bed, frowning. What good was he to Megamind, in this state? "No good," he answered his own question bitterly, and shut his eyes.

"Okay. Okay. Okay..." Megamind looked over the tin of tomato soup he had bought a while back, reading over the instructions. He had found Minion's 'Kiss the Cook' apron and had flung it over himself, not wanting to get any nasty soup spills on his leather.

So he had to pour the soup into a saucepan, put that on the stove, set the stove at a certain temperature, and stir until bubbling. "Right! Where are the saucepans..." he said as he looked around with a blank face at the cupboards in the kitchen area of the Lair. "Um." He set the soup down on the stove as he began to search. He found a fair few containers, but finally found... a frying pan. It was a deep-dish one that Minion normally used when making extra thick pancakes, if he recalled.

"You'll do," he said as he set it on the stove and tugged the ring on the can, popping its lid off. Pouring the soup into the frying pan, Megamind set it on the stove before crouching in front of the knobs.

Each one had a picture of four circles within one square, though in each picture one circle was black whilst the others remained white. Then there was one knob which had one giant black square instead of circles. "Ah, right I... hm." Megamind reached and clicked one. One of the gas stove rings burst to life with a happy fiery noise, and Megamind got up, and quickly shifted the frying pan onto the circle. "Excellent! Now, stirring utensil... stirring utensil..."

He threw open drawers, seeking for something to use. The drawers remained open, and some even lifted completely out of their spaces and fell on the floor while he searched. Finally, he found a black spoon with a long handle. "Ah-ha!" he announced before hurrying back to the soup, and was shocked to find it was already beginning to bubble.

"No! Bad soup! You're not done yet!" he scolded it as he began to stir, grabbing the handle of the frying pan and immediately regretting it with a yelp. "Ow! Ow! If you weren't housing Minion's dinner I'd bin you!" he threatened the pan, before spotting an oven mitt Minion used when he didn't want his robot hand getting hot while baking. It looked like a dragon: black with tiny wings attached, and green eyes over where the fingers went.

And so there stood Megamind, wearing one of Minion's aprons over his leather, a dragon-clad hand holding the frying pan's handle, while he stirred the tomato soup.

Minion had just been attempting to get out of bed when a Brain Bot flew at him and nipped at him. Not in a threatening manner, no, more in a 'hey get back in bed!' kind of way. Yelping, Minion did so, flushing angrily at the Brain Bot for doing its job. "Oh come on," he said to the floating pet. "You know he's never cooked before! What if he burns the place down?"

Not that he didn't have faith in his Sir, but working in the chemistry lab was very different from cooking food. Many times Megamind's oversized brain had forgotten to turn off a Bunsen burner, and just how many times had they put out a small fire because some paper had caught? Megamind was a genius, of course, but with a head that big he had so many ideas running around at once, it was amazing.

He was amazing... and he was taking care of a waste of space who couldn't even defeat Lady Doppler without turning her own power back on her.

"Here we go!"

Minion lifted his gaze when Megamind came walking back into the room, and felt his heart miss a beat. Megamind was wearing his apron, and had found the dragon oven mitt. He held a bowl tightly in that hand, and in his other hand was a spoon, and looped over his arm was a tea towel. "Told you I could do it."

"Never doubted you for a moment, Sir..." Minion said, as Megamind sat beside him on the bed and watched him carefully.

Why hadn't he brought a tray? Couldn't he find them?

"Of course not," Megamind smiled with a smug, self-satisfied look on his face. Setting the spoon down, he placed the tea towel onto Minion's chest, carefully, tucking it into the loose shirt he wore. It had been interesting, seeing Minion getting out of that hospital bed in a gown that showed off his amazingly shaped back. Megamind had quickly looked away, hoping his face wasn't too violet at the time. Who would have thought that Minion still had his tail? It was still as tiny as it had been when he was a fish, and now stuck out there, useless, just above the wondrous curve of his rear where the darkness of his skin began to lighten…

"What are you...?" Minion started.

"Now open wide!" Megamind stirred the soup one more time with the spoon before blowing on the offering, and held it out to Minion as if he was feeding an infant.

"...What," the fish-man said flatly.

"Open up!" Megamind enthusiastically said, nodding, grinning brightly. He just looked so... happy.

Minion wanted to point out he could eat by himself, he could do a lot by himself, but seeing that look on Megamind's face... how enthusiastic he looked, even if he was lowering himself to doing this for him. After a moment hesitation, and biting at his bottom lip, Minion sighed in defeat and opened his mouth to Megamind.

The blue alien watched as those lips opened, revealing his white teeth and his gaping mouth. Wow, Minion could open his mouth pretty wide... okay. Stopping that line of thought right here, and now, and not going to think on it again. Blushing brilliantly, but doing his best to ignore it, Megamind spooned the first bit of soup into Minion's mouth. The other's lips closed around the spoon, making sure nothing spilt, and when Megamind tugged the spoon free it was empty.

"Is it good?" Megamind asked.

It's a little chunky. I don't think you stirred it enough, and I swear it tastes stronger than normal. Did you let it burn? "Wonderful, Sir," Minion replied with a smile.

And thus Megamind spoon-fed Minion his soup, being careful not to leave any drops on the tea towel. When Minion dribbled, he collected it quickly with the spoon, making an odd face as he did. Minion found this amusing, and snorted, and regretted it immediately since the healing wound on his chest made laughing fairly difficult. He hissed, and pressed a hand to his chest.

"Careful, careful," Megamind warned gently as he settled the bowl in his lap and watched Minion quietly. He had never really felt sorry for anyone before, but now, he did. This was his fault, entirely. If he hadn't been consumed by jealousy and told Minion to go out with 'Mary', he wouldn't have been kidnapped by Lady Doppler. In fact, neither of them would have been. There would not have been a battle, no lightning bolt, no sleepless nights in the hospital by his bed... Minion would be healthy, doing things for himself again. Megamind chewed his bottom lip nervously before looking down at his bowl.

"..Is something the matter, Sir?"

Megamind blinked, Minion's words having pulled him back out of his silent thoughts. "Oh, n-nothing Minion," he lied, badly, as he got to his feet. "I have to go clean the kitchen, don't you go anywhere. Stay. Stay!" He pointed to the bed as if Minion were a dog staying on a rug, before rushing quickly from the room. He even went so far to shut the door behind him, and momentarily leaned against it.

He felt so tired, so exhausted all of a sudden.. he hadn't had any sleep in two days, he'd fought Psycho Delic, he brought Minion home, he cooked... He stumbled back to the kitchen, to the mess he had left, and busied himself with the chore of cleaning.

Which was a new experiment entirely…

Minion continued to lie there in the bed, feeling utterly useless. It was just like back when he had been a fish in his ball, unable to touch, to move unassisted, or do anything. Megamind had always carried him around back then, held him close to his chest when he was scared or nervous, happy or sad, through good and bad times. How often, as he was growing up, had Minion wished for a body? Countless times. The fish had wanted a proper body so he could to his best friend's defense, could yell at those stupid kids to leave him alone and find something else to do. Could, if he wanted, even beat them up so they would learn to never hurt Megamind again.

Yet here he was, with a body, and useless all over again.

"Pathetic," he mumbled to himself, and flinched as the healing burn on his chest itched like crazy. He wanted to rip the bandages off and scratch to his heart's content, but that would destroy everything that was healing. Frustrated, Minion lay straight with his hands by his side, and simply waited.

He jolted when he heard a smashing noise coming from the kitchen, followed by a louder one, and a hiss of water and barking Brain Bots. Trying to sit up resulted in being pushed back down by a Brain Bot, snapping its jaws in a scolding way. "B-but...!"

"I'm... okay," Megamind's voice came from the kitchen as the hiss of water was turned off. Maybe he had tried to pick up too much in his arms and had tripped up over his apron.

"..O.. okay?" Minion asked weakly, before groaning and rubbing at his eyes carefully.

If he thought things were strange before, they only got progressively worse.

Megamind soon returned to the bedroom and opened up the dresser drawers. He pulled out his pajamas and looked over his shoulder at Minion, who just then looked elsewhere, since he had been watching him out of the corner of his eye.

A violet flush spread over Megamind's face as he looked down at his pajamas. A part of him said, screw it, he's seen you naked before, just undress and get ready for bed! Another part said, oh yes, do it super slow so he can watch you do it too! Yet another part was freaking out at the prospect of getting naked in front of Minion now. Things were... different. Somehow. Suddenly stripping in front of him probably wouldn't help matters.

"I-I'll be right back!" Megamind squeaked as he rushed out of the room, heart racing in his chest.

"He doesn't even want to change in the same room as me now," Minion mumbled. "Am I that much of a disaster?" he asked, to which a Brain Bot simply barked. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

Megamind returned, wearing his pajamas, with his usual clothes flung over one arm. He stood there awkwardly, looking at the bed. Curses. He never did get around to buying another bed, did he? Now he had to go and sleep next to Minion. Normally this was no big issue, they had been sleeping beside each other for weeks now, but... could he trust himself, to lay there beside an injured fish-man? What if he grabbed at him during the night, and hurt him? The idea of making things worse made his stomach churn.

"Sir? Are you coming to bed? You... you look awful tired..." Minion asked quietly.

"I am tired," Megamind conceded. Sleeping on a couch didn't seem like a nice idea, and... And he really did want to sleep beside him. After two nights of no sleep, sitting up in a stupid hospital chair, he had missed the feeling of Minion's warm body at night. He walked around the bed quickly, and dumped his clothes on the floor before climbing into bed beside Minion.

The hero couldn't hold back a sudden groan of appreciation. "Oh my God, a bed. A bed, bed, bed...!" He wriggled down into the blankets, snuggling as his forehead brushed against Minion's arm.

Minion's face blazed a brilliant emerald as he watched Megamind get comfortable, and his heart rate doubled at that smallest touch alone. I'm so pathetic, he thought. Calm down.

"Comfy, Sir?" Minion asked.

"I haven't been in a bed in days..." Megamind mumbled.

"What?" The fish-man blinked.

"I sat up..." The alien was already falling asleep, warm, comfortable, relaxing in his bed. "...in the hospital... all night..."

"For... what. Two days??" Minion asked, eyes widening.

"Wanted.. to..." Megamind was drooling now, his body already shutting down for a well-deserved sleep, his nerves melting away, enabling him to speak honestly if but for a moment. "...To be.. there when you... woke up... Minion... Be.. Because I..."

Minion waited, holding his breath.

Megamind snored.

"...Oh..." Minion whispered, shakily, as his heart broke into a million pieces. Megamind had waited up for him? All that time? Not a lick of sleep, and yet he had gone to fight Psycho Delic, made Minion dinner, and even cleaned up his mess? Just what had he done to deserve this kind of treatment, this kind of attention? Being zapped by lightning, for a moment, didn't feel like a half bad experience, but then he remembered how exhausted Megamind was, how tired and in need of sleep.

If he had been a better hero, none of this would have happened. It was still his fault this had happened, even more so now that he knew Megamind hadn't gotten any sleep since his accident.

Carefully, not just so he didn't wake him but also that he wouldn't injure himself, Minion rolled slightly and lifted his hand. He touched it, caressing Megamind's cheek with the back of his hand. Megamind sighed softly, but didn't wake, and even turned his head into the touch gently. Minion shifted his hand so it was his palm against his cheek, and he smiled shakily.

"You didn't have to stay up for me..." Minion whispered quietly. "I don't deserve it. But... thank you... thank you so much, you... you don't know how much that means to me, to hear that because... because I..."

He trailed off, into silence, unsure if he could finish the sentence. Instead, his body seemed to have developed a mind of its own, because he had suddenly brought himself closer to Megamind, tilted his head slightly, and only just ghosted his lips against Megamind's sleeping mouth.

They barely touched, and yet Minion felt a surge of electricity and warmth wash over him. But it was swallowed up by a cloud of guilt and regret.

Really? You had to do that, while he's asleep?

Minion pulled back, shame written on his face, as he lay flat on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. He shut his eyes, feeling them beginning to grow wet, and he licked his drying lips as the tears began to fall. If this is what being in love with someone was like, he was beginning to wish he'd never fallen in love to begin with.

The Brain Bot obediently turned the light off, leaving the two aliens in darkness, save for the soft glowing light coming from the floating creation of science.

And still Minion sobbed.

To be continued