dark-blue-mondays:

kmcp8reporter:

Pausing and meeting his eyes, Roxanne slowly raised an eyebrow as Harrison spoke. Shoulders squared, the reporter placed a hand on her hip and gave him the same attitude that she gave the other villains that had tried to face her over the years, or politicians and disgruntled businessmen she’d cornered for interviews. She wasn’t one to be intimidated by angry green eyes. Not after a decade with Megamind being tied to god knew what and having to deal with a horrifically sexist news industry.

“Oh, so it would be an appropriate environment for your son then?” she countered him. There was no reasonable way a man of any intelligence could be defending a child being raised inside a prison, the idea was beyond baffling.

Harrison inhaled sharply through his nose.  He does not appreciate bringing Devin into this.  He has worked his ass off of late to give his son all the things he didn’t get as a child – a loving, stable, and permanent home where his child will want for nothing.  Devin is the most important thing in his world and he doesn’t appreciate a nosy stranger using him as a cudgel.  

“If Devin were to lose every single person on this planet the way I did Miss Ritchie, I would hope to god he found somewhere as appropriate as the prison where I grew up,” he replied curtly, standing up and snatching his box of donuts off the park bench.  “If you’re looking to make the city safe for children, might I suggest starting in the projects and tenements.  Because I’d much rather see my son grow up in a prison than in a neighborhood where he’s likely to get shot for the color of his skin.”

The part about losing everyone had Roxanne taking a mental step back. She’d gotten stuck on the growing up in prison part and had skipped over the part about questioning why a small child would be alone. The fact that he was so damn stubborn reminded her of Megamind again. Completely fucking unreasonable. Her point was valid!

“You say that like I don’t care,” Roxanne snapped, “I can report until I’m blue in the face,” she mentally cringed at the expression the second it was out of her mouth, but pressed on, “but no matter how much I report on about the homeless problem, the disastrous state of the prison system, inherent prejudices, or police violence, NONE of that matters if no one is listening or in business and politicians are actively trying to cover it up. Very few of us have the ability to throw around millions without blinking to try and fix things.”

Roxanne raised her chin, staring at him with defiant blue eyes, “You also aren’t the only person in the world to have a shitty childhood. Congratulations on it only turning you into half an asshole.”

dark-blue-mondays:

kmcp8reporter:

“To keep you safe? There isn’t anything safe about the inside of a prison,” Roxanne looked at Harrison like he’d grown a second head, “There had to be a better option than keeping a baby in prison. That’s gross negligence!”

At this point she was on her feet, arms crossed as she paced. Brows creased with deep lines, “I don’t care that you think you turned out alright, people who grow up in abusive homes think that behavior is normal too. Even if someone who survived that upbringing turned into a wonderful person, it does not excuse the abuse they suffered,” in her mind there was no way that growing up in prison didn’t equal mental and potentially physical abuse, “And obviously it wasn’t fine if all the Megaminds turned into super villains,” she rounded on him, a fiery passion growing in her chest, “Warden Woodridge knows about this?”

Harrison’s eyes narrowed and his casual posture disappeared in an in instant.  He’s not interested in debating the pros and cons of his upbringing, and he does not appreciate being talked to like he’s a stupid child.  

“With all due respect Miss Ritchie, if you’ve never spent time on the inside, then you don’t know anything about it,” Harrison fired back.  His posture is ramrod straight and he’s looking at her over his glasses.  “My upbringing was many things, but it was not abusive.  Now I can’t speak for all of us in that regard, but I can say my husband experienced a hell of a lot more abuse growing up in the lap of luxury than I did on the cellblock.  If you want to know why Megamind might have turned into a supervillain, then you need to ask him instead of making baseless generalizations.”   He crosses his arms and holds eye contact with a steely green gaze that makes most of his subordinates crumble like wet sand.  

Pausing and meeting his eyes, Roxanne slowly raised an eyebrow as Harrison spoke. Shoulders squared, the reporter placed a hand on her hip and gave him the same attitude that she gave the other villains that had tried to face her over the years, or politicians and disgruntled businessmen she’d cornered for interviews. She wasn’t one to be intimidated by angry green eyes. Not after a decade with Megamind being tied to god knew what and having to deal with a horrifically sexist news industry.

“Oh, so it would be an appropriate environment for your son then?” she countered him. There was no reasonable way a man of any intelligence could be defending a child being raised inside a prison, the idea was beyond baffling.

dark-blue-mondays:

kmcp8reporter:

dark-blue-mondays:

kmcp8reporter:

Roxanne could see far too clearly how hurt and broken the Megamind she knew might be after getting out. Especially is the time she’d interviewed him was a common day for him behind bars. What Harrison described, however, had Roxanne balking. 

“Grew up in prison?” she had to have misunderstood that, “No one grows up in prison. You mean you spent a lot of time in juvy?” that wouldn’t account for the orange jumpsuit or shiv comment. Frowning she tried to find some logical reason and fail. Brows furrowed in confusion she implored him for an explanation. 

Harrison cocked his head in confusion and frowned.  “No, I spent my childhood there.  I was two and a half when I came to this planet, give or take in the conversion between our years and yours.  My pod landed in the yard and I grew up inside.  I did go to public school briefly, I mean, I wasn’tentirely locked up.  Sometimes the warden would take me on outings for good behavior.  But I stayed until I was 18 and left for college.   It’s another commonality between myself and other Megaminds, most of us were raised in prisons or jails.”

He chewed his bottom lip.  “Of all the blue men I know, I was the oldest when I arrived.  My husbands Megamind was 8 days old when he crashed into his prison, so he didn’t even have the benefit of the first few years with loving parents.  If you want to delve into the psyche of how someone ends up a supervillain, I’d start there.”

“What do you mean ‘grew up inside’ and ‘good behavior’? Who would let a child be kept in a prison?” the look on Roxanne’s face had become one of complete horror. The Megamind she knew had grown up like this too? “That’s insane! A baby doesn’t belong in prison. Not even juvy and especially not maximum security. That can’t be the truth,” her eyes closed tightly she implored him, “It can’t be.”

The very idea made her feel sick. That wasn’t in any of the literature or writing about Megamind. Nowhere was it mentioned. All the news had started with teenage escapades and a grudge match with Metro Dude. She hadn’t even encountered the pair until she’d moved back to Metro City after college and her younger years had been split between here with her mom and whichever city her dad had currently been in. Her mind painted a horrible image, replacing the Megamind she’d seen in prison with a tiny, helpless blue child. Locked up while she’d been learning her times tables and braiding hair.

Harrison has seen this reaction before, though he’s surprised to see it from a Roxanne.  Was that not common knowledge in her universe?  Or maybe her Megamind got started on a different path?

“You have to understand that as a child, I was far more frightened of being the victim of alien experimentation than I was of the men I met in jail.  Yes there were absolutely some unsavory characters, but being in prison kept me safe from a world that seemed hostile and overwhelming to a child.  I had a group of devoted ‘uncles’ and even a few ‘aunties’ who made sure I was always safe and supported.  As I got older, I spent more time with the warden and the admin staff in his office or doing my correspondence courses in the library than mingling in gen pop.  It may seem unorthodox to you….” Harrison shrugged,  “but it was home.  Those people were my family and I don’t look back on that time with fear or regret.”

“To keep you safe? There isn’t anything safe about the inside of a prison,” Roxanne looked at Harrison like he’d grown a second head, “There had to be a better option than keeping a baby in prison. That’s gross negligence!”

At this point she was on her feet, arms crossed as she paced. Brows creased with deep lines, “I don’t care that you think you turned out alright, people who grow up in abusive homes think that behavior is normal too. Even if someone who survived that upbringing turned into a wonderful person, it does not excuse the abuse they suffered,” in her mind there was no way that growing up in prison didn’t equal mental and potentially physical abuse, “And obviously it wasn’t fine if all the Megaminds turned into super villains,” she rounded on him, a fiery passion growing in her chest, “Warden Woodridge knows about this?”

dark-blue-mondays:

kmcp8reporter:

Roxanne could see far too clearly how hurt and broken the Megamind she knew might be after getting out. Especially is the time she’d interviewed him was a common day for him behind bars. What Harrison described, however, had Roxanne balking. 

“Grew up in prison?” she had to have misunderstood that, “No one grows up in prison. You mean you spent a lot of time in juvy?” that wouldn’t account for the orange jumpsuit or shiv comment. Frowning she tried to find some logical reason and fail. Brows furrowed in confusion she implored him for an explanation. 

Harrison cocked his head in confusion and frowned.  “No, I spent my childhood there.  I was two and a half when I came to this planet, give or take in the conversion between our years and yours.  My pod landed in the yard and I grew up inside.  I did go to public school briefly, I mean, I wasn’tentirely locked up.  Sometimes the warden would take me on outings for good behavior.  But I stayed until I was 18 and left for college.   It’s another commonality between myself and other Megaminds, most of us were raised in prisons or jails.”

He chewed his bottom lip.  “Of all the blue men I know, I was the oldest when I arrived.  My husbands Megamind was 8 days old when he crashed into his prison, so he didn’t even have the benefit of the first few years with loving parents.  If you want to delve into the psyche of how someone ends up a supervillain, I’d start there.”

“What do you mean ‘grew up inside’ and ‘good behavior’? Who would let a child be kept in a prison?” the look on Roxanne’s face had become one of complete horror. The Megamind she knew had grown up like this too? “That’s insane! A baby doesn’t belong in prison. Not even juvy and especially not maximum security. That can’t be the truth,” her eyes closed tightly she implored him, “It can’t be.”

The very idea made her feel sick. That wasn’t in any of the literature or writing about Megamind. Nowhere was it mentioned. All the news had started with teenage escapades and a grudge match with Metro Dude. She hadn’t even encountered the pair until she’d moved back to Metro City after college and her younger years had been split between here with her mom and whichever city her dad had currently been in. Her mind painted a horrible image, replacing the Megamind she’d seen in prison with a tiny, helpless blue child. Locked up while she’d been learning her times tables and braiding hair.

dark-blue-mondays:

kmcp8reporter:

“That’s different,” Roxanne squirmed on the bench uncomfortably, she didn’t want to think too hard about the strange relationship that had grown with the super villain in her life, “It’s hardly like I spend time with him socially. It’s still only kidnappings. Just… sometimes those kidnappings don’t actually result in epic battles.” 

There had been at least ten called battles a year lately. Whether due to malfunctions, weather, conflicts, or overlapping with other disasters. Megamind always claimed he didn’t want to share the spotlight with a fire, but both Roxanne and Wayne knew he just wanted Metro Man’s attention to be where it belonged, saving people. 

“It’s not- I mean-” Megamind was hot, a blush crept onto her cheeks faintly, “I do like men. It’s not the same. Accepting that he’s a decent person deep down and hoping that he wouldn’t break your heart,” she finally admitted, looking away, “Bad boys might look appealing, but how do you excuse their behavior? How do you justify accepting that they’ve stolen or killed? It would be one thing if they repented, changed, but how could I ever have a relationship, a friendship even, with a man who spends half the year behind bars?”

“You say you know Megamind, or Megaminds. Have you ever seen them behind bars?” she rounded the questions back to Harrison to get the focus off her own fragile heart.

Harrison didn’t realize how much he pried into the personal life and heart of a stranger until he heard that response.  It was real, honest, and frankly entirely rational.  After all, its one thing to have a friendship with a villain and quite another to spend days or weeks or months with a lover behind bars.  He cleared his throat before speaking.

“I’ve never visited any of the Megaminds in jail, but I’ve seen one of them after, specifically after a stint in solitary.  He was wrecked, emotionally and physically exhausted.  I had to hold him while he slept,” the blue man confessed solemnly, licking his lips and choosing his words carefully before he continued.  “I grew up in a prison Miss Ritchi, so convicts don’t frighten me.  Orange jumpsuits, bad food, shivs, and guys named Tito are as much a part of me as my business or my designer suits.  Prison is long stretches of boredom interspersed with periods of extreme stress.  I don’t think anyone does well in that environment.”

Roxanne could see far too clearly how hurt and broken the Megamind she knew might be after getting out. Especially is the time she’d interviewed him was a common day for him behind bars. What Harrison described, however, had Roxanne balking. 

“Grew up in prison?” she had to have misunderstood that, “No one grows up in prison. You mean you spent a lot of time in juvy?” that wouldn’t account for the orange jumpsuit or shiv comment. Frowning she tried to find some logical reason and fail. Brows furrowed in confusion she implored him for an explanation. 

dark-blue-mondays:

kmcp8reporter:

Roxanne blew out a breath and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Lack of interest wasn’t the problem at all. Too much interest was the problem. 

“It doesn’t matter what he could be, it matters what he is. People are defined by their actions, all of them. Whoever he is in private, he’s also a convicted felon and a super villain. You can’t just ignore that,” just because he’s cute. Just because he looks stunning in leather and makes her heart race. Just because he intrigued her more than anyone she’d met in a long time, “Besides, if he was going to change his ways, he’d had plenty of years to do that. I could never let myself fall for someone like that,” not again.

“But you’ll hang out and drink cocoa and do makeup with him?” Harrison raised a quizzical eyebrow.  He wasn’t trying to pry into her personal life, it was just that natural blue curiosity to understand how everything worked.

“Don’t get me wrong, you’re free to spend your time with whomever you want doing whatever you like.  I’ve certainly had my own cocoa and eyeliner nights with the Megaminds in my life.  But they’re my friends and I chose those friendships with them just the way they are, villainy or not.”  He gave a casual shrug.  

“If you’re just not into aliens, that’s fine.  Not everyone is.  Or even men,” he added at the last second, thinking that both Sheldon’s and Girly’s Roxannes were both somewhat queer.

“That’s different,” Roxanne squirmed on the bench uncomfortably, she didn’t want to think too hard about the strange relationship that had grown with the super villain in her life, “It’s hardly like I spend time with him socially. It’s still only kidnappings. Just… sometimes those kidnappings don’t actually result in epic battles.” 

There had been at least ten called battles a year lately. Whether due to malfunctions, weather, conflicts, or overlapping with other disasters. Megamind always claimed he didn’t want to share the spotlight with a fire, but both Roxanne and Wayne knew he just wanted Metro Man’s attention to be where it belonged, saving people. 

“It’s not- I mean-” Megamind was hot, a blush crept onto her cheeks faintly, “I do like men. It’s not the same. Accepting that he’s a decent person deep down and hoping that he wouldn’t break your heart,” she finally admitted, looking away, “Bad boys might look appealing, but how do you excuse their behavior? How do you justify accepting that they’ve stolen or killed? It would be one thing if they repented, changed, but how could I ever have a relationship, a friendship even, with a man who spends half the year behind bars?”

“You say you know Megamind, or Megaminds. Have you ever seen them behind bars?” she rounded the questions back to Harrison to get the focus off her own fragile heart.

dark-blue-mondays:

kmcp8reporter:

“Well if you’re paying, I’m to deny myself a little treat,” Roxanne smirked, she wasn’t above taking gifts, it felt stupid not to. Unless there were strings attached and she didn’t get that impression from Harrison. 

“Personally I’ve never really gone for the dramatic makeup for myself, well… not since high school anyway,” she’d had a brief foray into the grunge look while dating Mike. It hadn’t really worked for her and it certainly didn’t fit her current career path, “Oh gosh, that was so many years ago.”

“It was a year or two into the kidnapping? Things were rather sketchy back then. I can’t even tell you how many times things went wrong before they’d even call Wayne in. Anyway, they’d interrupted my date. Or my attempt at a date. He’d stood me up after getting spooked about ‘stealing’ the hero’s girl,” Roxanne rolled her eyes with a sigh, “I think it was the first time Megamind had seen me with more than just my work makeup on because his banter just sort of stopped and he just was staring at me. I can’t even remember what he said now, but it just felt good that at least someone was appreciating all the effort I’d gone to that night.”

“So when he started asking questions I told him it’d be easier to demonstrate than to describe it,” she laughed fondly at the memory, leaning back on the bench, “Never even called Metro Man that day. We spent the rest of the night drinking cocoa Minion made and I did Megamind’s makeup. I hadn’t had much practice doing someone else’s makeup before, and especially not on his skin tone, but god that was fun. I didn’t have much to work with that would fit him so I stuck to the eyes and a clear gloss. He asked questions through the whole thing… it was the first time I think I ever really met him. The real him. You know?”

“See, now this is what I don’t understand.  You hang out with him socially, sharing make up tips and drinking cocoa.  It seems like you get along quite swimmingly.  But you wouldn’t date him?” Harrison raised a quizzical eyebrow.  “Maybe I’m biased because I’ve also been lucky enough to see the man behind the image with several of the Megaminds in town, but they’re all little sweethearts underneath.  So seriously no interest?”

Roxanne blew out a breath and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Lack of interest wasn’t the problem at all. Too much interest was the problem. 

“It doesn’t matter what he could be, it matters what he is. People are defined by their actions, all of them. Whoever he is in private, he’s also a convicted felon and a super villain. You can’t just ignore that,” just because he’s cute. Just because he looks stunning in leather and makes her heart race. Just because he intrigued her more than anyone she’d met in a long time, “Besides, if he was going to change his ways, he’d had plenty of years to do that. I could never let myself fall for someone like that,” not again.

dark-blue-mondays:

kmcp8reporter:

Roxanne had to laugh, “I don’t know about completely deaf ears. My Megamind took well to eyeliner and contouring after I demoed it for him. That was one of my favorite early kidnappings. I think you just have to frame it in the right light, it’s all about presentation after all.”

With a joyful grin, she shook her head at the offer, “It sounds lovely, but also expensive Mr. Billionare. I’ll stick to my once a month mani-pedi treat at the nail salon. Some of us have budgets.”

Harrison let out a dismissive snort and waved his hand.  “My treat then.  Consider it a gift, kidnapee to kidnapee.  I’m sure Megamind has broken a nail on more than a few occasions.”  After all, he is a man who has more money than he could spend in several lifetimes.

“I do love a good smokey eye and I think I look fantastic in winged kohl, though that’s a look for the club and not the boardroom.”  Harrison let out a wistful sigh. “And I’d love to hear about you teaching your Megamind about eyeliner,” he chuckled.  

“Well if you’re paying, I’m to deny myself a little treat,” Roxanne smirked, she wasn’t above taking gifts, it felt stupid not to. Unless there were strings attached and she didn’t get that impression from Harrison. 

“Personally I’ve never really gone for the dramatic makeup for myself, well… not since high school anyway,” she’d had a brief foray into the grunge look while dating Mike. It hadn’t really worked for her and it certainly didn’t fit her current career path, “Oh gosh, that was so many years ago.”

“It was a year or two into the kidnapping? Things were rather sketchy back then. I can’t even tell you how many times things went wrong before they’d even call Wayne in. Anyway, they’d interrupted my date. Or my attempt at a date. He’d stood me up after getting spooked about ‘stealing’ the hero’s girl,” Roxanne rolled her eyes with a sigh, “I think it was the first time Megamind had seen me with more than just my work makeup on because his banter just sort of stopped and he just was staring at me. I can’t even remember what he said now, but it just felt good that at least someone was appreciating all the effort I’d gone to that night.”

“So when he started asking questions I told him it’d be easier to demonstrate than to describe it,” she laughed fondly at the memory, leaning back on the bench, “Never even called Metro Man that day. We spent the rest of the night drinking cocoa Minion made and I did Megamind’s makeup. I hadn’t had much practice doing someone else’s makeup before, and especially not on his skin tone, but god that was fun. I didn’t have much to work with that would fit him so I stuck to the eyes and a clear gloss. He asked questions through the whole thing… it was the first time I think I ever really met him. The real him. You know?”