Description: When Fizzy the Boov is invited to attend a holiday party thrown by her idol, Megamind, the evening becomes one she will never forget.

A/N: This began as a simple piece of cute, fluffy artwork I was making for the holidays that inspired me to write a story to go with it. This should not be considered canon to Fizzy's backstory; it is merely something cute and fun to warm the heart. This story is written from Fizzy's point of view, as though she herself is narrating it; that said, I should point out that while Fizzy is a Boov and therefore speaks in broken English (English is not, after all, her native tongue) she does not think in broken English. She thinks in Boovish and is very literate and well-spoken in her native tongue, but since none of us can speak Boovish, English will have to do. I only point this out because someone once told me they were confused by the difference in good vs. broken English until they figured that point out. The only other thing I feel compelled to mention is that I have used information from Adam Rex's Smekday books to supplement certain points that were missing from DreamWorks' film, Home, when necessary (such as a reference to Boov "hatching," as the film neglected to mention that Boov are egg layers, etc.). If anything seems unfamiliar to those who have seen Home but have not read the books, this is why. All that said, I hope you enjoy my story!

Disclaimers: Megamind and Oh © DreamWorks Animation SKG.
Boov species © Adam Rex (original design) and DreamWorks Animation SKG (updated design).
Fizzy, artwork, and story are © me,  menei.

Beneath the Mistletoe
by FA: Menei/DA: FizzyBoov

It had been a very long day for me. As a Boov accustomed to highly advanced Boovish technology and the work ethic impressed upon us from the day we hatch, working with human scientists could be both a delight and a challenge. Humans were such complex creatures, their habits and customs very different from ours. Sometimes I couldn’t help but find their strange ways fascinating, even amusing. They had wonderful senses of humor and I was pleased to find they laughed at my jokes – once I had managed to translate them into something humans could understand. After all, I am Boov – a species definitely not native to this planet they call Earth, and my language, customs, and experiences differ greatly from theirs; a Boovish joke makes no sense to a human, but put it into terms they’re familiar with and they aren’t afraid to laugh. I loved making them laugh and laughing at the jokes they would tell me; it was a refreshing change of pace from the glares I was used to receiving from other Boov. For the most part I truly enjoyed working among the humans and didn’t regret my decision to stay among them instead of relocating to the Moon (now renamed New Boovworld) with the rest of my species, but I do have to admit, sometimes humans could also be frustrating. This was one of those days.

I work in a genetics lab with a team of human scientists who had quickly recognized my incredible intellect and made me head of genetics research, as I should be. I’m really not trying to be immodest when I say I was the smartest member of the team; Boov are naturally blessed with highly advanced intelligence and even among Boov I was recognized as one of the brightest minds in our species. It is the reason I was trained to be a scientist and ran my own lab among the Boov despite my unpopularity; my skill and particular brilliance were needed enough to overlook my quirks – most of the time. When I decided to work among humans I naturally fell into the role I had been performing my entire adult life; anything less would have been… Well, illogical. Thankfully the humans understood this and knew I would teach them many great things if they would simply let me do my job as I always had, as I always would. I threw myself into my job as any good Boov would – with enthusiasm and the work ethic we Boov know best, and I quickly had my new team working with as close to Boovish efficiency as I could manage from human scientists. I could not have been happier in my job or with my team.

On this particular day, however, I was training a new team member fresh out of college that had come highly recommended by his professors as a promising young mind. The boy was certainly smart for a human, but was unfortunately very uncoordinated and prone to clumsiness. He was also, I noticed to my dismay, a little nervous to find himself under the leadership of an alien; he couldn’t stop staring at my nostricles or my six pod legs as though I were the strangest creature he’d ever laid eyes on. I suppose I should have expected his anxiety; the boy had come to us from Yale and had never been outside of New England. As far as I could tell there wasn’t much in the way of alien activity in that part of the country. It was one of the reasons I, myself, had chosen to settle in Metro City in the state the humans called Michigan; here the people were accustomed to alien activity, having been exposed for years to two very prominent aliens who had called the city their home. My new young scientist, Chad, had never been around aliens and had no idea how to behave around a being from another planet in a whole other galaxy. His unease around me certainly didn’t help his coordination any, and the day had quickly become one of the most trying I’d had in a long time.

Despite his obvious nerves, I had welcomed Chad into my lab with a big smile and hopeful optimism. Humans required more patience than Boov when becoming acclimated to new situations, and I knew this one would be no different. Trusting in the judgment of his human professors and his high marks in his classes, I was certain Chad would catch on quickly and find his place among us without any problem. I was completely unprepared for the boy’s particular knack for troublemaking.

Chad didn’t mean to cause trouble. I knew that. But as a Boov it was very difficult for me to understand how someone could be that uncoordinated. In his attempts to be helpful, he somehow managed to spill coffee all over our computer terminals and short out the wiring. He dropped papers and got them mixed up, knocked over lamps and broke them. He tripped over me more than once and even managed to knock me flat on my back as he fell hard on top of me, knocking the wind out of my lungs. In his embarrassment he scrambled off me just to bump into a filing cabinet and send it toppling to the floor, barely missing one of my pods as I hurried out of its way. I spent less time actually training Chad in our methods and more time trying to clean up his messes. In a single day this boy that had come to me with the promise of being an asset had managed to turn my lab upside down… And as a Boov I just could not understand how.

Boov are very highly trained to do our jobs and do them well. Throughout our juvenile days we are extensively tested by the High Boov to determine our strengths and weaknesses and where we will best fit into Boovish society. We are then trained for jobs based on those natural strengths and abilities, our skills put to use where they are strongest. Boov do not often make mistakes and if we do, they are usually punished, most often via a demotion or some other unpleasant circumstance that will teach us the necessary lesson before we are allowed to return to the job we were meant to be doing. Boov are proud of their work and their ability to do it flawlessly; it is not in us to do a poor job or cut corners – that would be detrimental to our species. We all work together for the betterment of our race as a whole, regardless of our roles within it; it is how we function, it is how we survive, it is who we are. To cause the kind of trouble Chad seemed naturally prone to causing is simply unthinkable to a Boov. By the end of the day I couldn’t help but feel frustrated.

It had taken a good portion of my walk home for the red color of my skin to fade back to its normal, healthy purple. The day had stressed me out more than I had expected it to that morning. Chad had been exceedingly apologetic when I had sent him home, promising to do a better job the next day, and I knew the boy was terrified I was going to fire him, refuse to let him back into the lab. I could tell he had been trying, in his own awkward way, to impress me throughout the day, to try to make a good impression, but his attempts had backfired on him and he’d looked entirely embarrassed and humiliated by the time we left the lab. I took a deep breath as I approached the apartment building in which I had taken up residence. I reminded myself, as I had throughout the day, that Chad was human and would need patience – and a lot of it. He would settle down as he grew more comfortable around me and the other scientists he would be working with. I would simply have to do my best to make sure I was nowhere near his feet in the meantime; I didn’t relish the idea of being knocked down again. That had hurt.

Finally feeling calmer, I turned to head inside the building, stopping at my mailbox to check for mail. I smiled and chuckled to myself as I pulled a few envelopes from the metal box before closing and locking it again; we Boov had done away with paper communications millennia ago, but humans still relied on it despite the advent of e-mail. Checking for such antiquated means of communication had been a new experience for me when I settled among humans, but over time I had come to find the ritual an amusing one, even pleasant at times. I had to admit, there was a certain appeal to finding something waiting for me in that little metal box with my human given name, Fizzy, written on it. It always managed to bring a smile to my face.

I rode the elevator up to the twenty-first floor and stepped out, heading down the hall to my living space, apartment #21J. One of my neighbors stepped out of his apartment as I put my key in the lock and waved to me. “Hey there, Fizzy!” he greeted me with a smile as he headed my way.

“Hello, Joe!” I greeted back, smiling as I watched him near. The man towered over me as he moved to stand in front of me, but that was nothing unusual. Boov only ever grow to be about three and a half feet tall, and I was no exception.

“Back from the lab, I see?” Joe questioned knowingly, gesturing to my attire. I always wore my standard issue Boov tunic when I was working; I had spent my whole life working in the same uniform as my fellow Boov that it just didn’t feel right to work without it.

I nodded. “Yeah. Long day. Going to changing now, maybies go for swimming to relax.”

“Ah! You know, I could using a swim! Maybies I will joining you,” he snickered, teasing me as he tried to mimic my broken English.

I laughed, exactly as he’d hoped I would. I knew that’s what he wanted. Joe and I were always teasing each other to get a laugh, and he often used my speech patterns to do it. He knew as well as I did that English was not my native tongue, so I decided to get him back. I rattled something off to him in Boovish in response and cracked up when he blinked at me before laughing himself. “What on Earth did you just say?” he asked when he could finally breathe again.

“I was just to saying that you are to speaking like a hatchling and are looking like an ox,” I snickered, grinning at him. Joe burst out laughing again and I straightened myself up proudly, knowing I had won this round.

“OK, OK! You win!” Joe surrendered, then patted me playfully on my shoulder as he moved to pass me. “I’m going to get my mail, but let me know when you want to go for that swim! I’ll meet you at the pool!”

“OK!” I agreed, then turned my key in the lock on my door and stepped inside my living space.

I could feel myself relax as I shut the door behind me, taking a deep breath of the familiar air. This was my home, my space, and it was always a comfort to return here after long days of hard work in the lab. Smiling to myself in relief to be home, I set my mail aside and headed straight to my bedroom to change into something much more me.

Boov do not usually care about appearance. They do not change their look or try to express individuality in any way. From the day we hatch, Boov are issued tunics to wear – all one style, a simple, functional garment to keep us warm with a circular pocket in front designed specifically to hold our bubble tablets or anything else we might need to carry. The tunics come in different colors – some to denote our station – but that is about as expressive as a Boov usually gets.

I am different.

Even before I settled among humans I was always far more expressive than other Boov. I was always finding things I liked, little trinkets, stones, or shells to attach to laces and tie around my neck. Sometimes I just liked to wrap them around my wrists or even my upper arms. I had a particular fondness for sharp, triangular shapes – very unusual for a Boov as our species as a whole favors circles and curves, but I found them dynamic and fascinating. Crystal shards held a particular appeal to me and I couldn’t resist wearing them.

I got in trouble every time.

I never got to enjoy my personal decorations for long before they were confiscated from me and I was strongly reminded that I was Boov and should behave like one. We Boov firmly believe that all Boov are important, that none of us are more important than any other. Even I believe this. Millennia ago, however, our leaders decided this meant that any outward display of individuality would be seen as an attempt to set oneself apart from the others, to make oneself more important, and in an effort to impress upon us the importance of unity, individual expression became taboo. We have dressed alike ever since, and most Boov do not think anything of it. I, however, longed for self-expression, not because I thought I was any more special than any other Boov, but simply to be more true to myself.

It was a very unpopular viewpoint.

Among Boov, I did not fit in. My quirks were barely tolerated and only were because my particular genius was needed in the lab. I was braver than most Boov and that translated into my work as well; I didn’t give up when others would have and often succeeded where others would fail because of it. They needed me where I was, and they knew it. I had always known how precarious my position among the Boov had been; if I was any less valuable to them I would have been severely punished, probably demoted to sanitation duty or something, put somewhere where I would be out of everyone’s way and unable to “bother” anyone. I was living among countless others of my kind – but I was entirely alone.

When the Boov came to Earth, things changed. This was chiefly due to the fact we elected a new Captain to lead us, a Boov called Oh – a misfit Boov very much as friendly and as social as I had always been. Finally under the command of a Boov who understood that friendship and bravery were important values we needed to embrace, my race heaved a collective sigh of relief and turned to one another to build the relationships I’d been craving my whole life at last. I had been ecstatic and celebrated with the rest of them, but I had already been intrigued by human culture and their penchant for individuality. When the time came for the Boov to relocate to New Boovworld I no longer felt like I belonged among them.

I belonged on Earth.

I was not alone in my decision. Many of us chose to stay behind, Captain Oh chief among them. He felt very much the same way I always had, and we became fast friends as we discussed our species’ new situation. Oh was not at all comfortable being our Captain; he had never wanted the position, was not a leader. He was a simple mechanic, actually, and just wanted to go back to what he did best. He planned to stay with the human family that had taught him so much about their values, continuing to learn about human culture and families as he appointed another to lead the Boov in his stead. I was free to settle wherever I wished and he would keep in contact with me through e-mail and frequent visits.

Once I had settled into my living space in Metro City it hadn’t taken me long to begin expressing my individuality. Finally free to do so without fear of punishment, the first thing I did was to buy myself a whole new wardrobe of human clothes. The standard issue tunic I had worn my whole life simply had to go – unless I was working, then I just didn’t feel right without it. It was, after all, very convenient to have my bubble tablet on me at all times so I could access the Boov super computer when I needed it. When I wasn’t working, though, I could finally be me, express my interests, my passions in any way I wanted. I went positively wild in the department stores, trying on new outfits and experimenting with my look until I had a wardrobe full of different styles to satisfy my every whim. It had been a long overdue relief to finally pull that tunic off and throw it aside, put something else on instead, something different. It was a delight I indulged in every time I returned home.

This night was no different. Setting my bubble tablet on top of my dresser and tossing my tunic carelessly aside, I headed over to my closet to pick out something else to wear. Grabbing a black sleeveless shirt with a red rose design on the front, I slipped it on over my head and moved over to my full-length mirror to admire it. Smiling in satisfaction, I grabbed my favorite accessory – a black leather spiked choker with an attached engraved medallion on it – and fastened it around my neck. I ran my fingers fondly over the medallion for a moment, admiring the design I had painstakingly etched into its metal surface myself, then turned as I heard a familiar chirp from behind me. “Freyja cat!” I greeted my feline companion, reaching down to pet her softly. My fingers sank into her long, fluffy mane as she closed her eyes happily and began to purr away. After a moment she jumped up on top of my head and settled down there as I headed back out to my living room.

Grabbing a handful of bolts from a bowl on an end table, I popped them into my mouth for a quick snack as I picked up my mail to look through. There was an electric bill, an ad for some new store opening up a few blocks away, a notification the fire department was holding a fundraiser, even a Christmas card from Freyja’s veterinarian wishing us both a happy holiday.

When I got to the final envelope in the stack I was surprised to find my name and address had been hand written in a style that was distinctly non-Boov. Curious as I studied the penmanship, I almost fainted when I finally noticed the familiar lightning bolt next to the return address and read the name beside it.

This had come from Megamind.

I suddenly felt faint, my heart caught in my throat as everything else slipped from my fingers and tumbled carelessly to the floor. My skin was flashing orange in excitement, my hands shaking and I hadn’t even opened the letter yet. Megamind was the reason I had settled in Metro City in the first place, the very alien I wanted desperately to meet. An ex-supervillain with an amazing intellect and fashion sense I simply adored, he had managed to become Metro City’s greatest hero. He had been an outcast, like me, but had found his way to be the hero he had always wanted to be. He was my idol, my inspiration. I had pictures of him framed on my walls. His lightning bolt was engraved on the very medallion I wore around my neck. Now I held within my hands a letter he had sent me himself. Fearing my pods would give out from beneath me, I flipped the envelope over and opened it to read the card inside.

“Greetings, Citizen!
As your new hero, I have decided to celebrate the Christmas season with a holiday
party, and you have been invited to attend! Please join me for an evening of fun,
refreshments, and revelry on Christmas Eve, December 24 at 7:00pm here at my
No-Longer Evil Lair! Address and directions can be found on the insert included.
Hope to see you there!
Your Hero,
Megamind”

Freyja jumped off my head with a startled yelp as I felt my pods give way and I stumbled backwards to collapse on my couch. I had been invited to a party with Megamind?! This all felt so unreal, like a dream I had been wishing for but never expected to come true. My eyes lifted from the invitation I held tightly in my fingers to stare in disbelief at the portrait of the dashing blue hero I had hanging above my TV. I was finally going to meet him. I was finally going to meet the one other being in the universe apart from Oh I was certain would understand me.

As I began to accept that this was, in fact, really happening, I suddenly found myself back on my pods and racing around my living space in unbridled excitement. I couldn’t stop squealing. I knew he probably had no idea who I was and had probably either drawn my name at random or had simply found my address in some listing of key scientists in the city, but it didn’t matter. I was going to meet him! I was going to meet Megamind!

It had turned out to be a pretty good day after all.

<M><M><M><M><M><M><M><M>

It was finally here: Christmas Eve, the night of Megamind’s holiday party. I was anxious as I approached the large converted warehouse building in which the great hero resided. I had dressed in my favorite outfit tonight, just for him, a special ensemble I had made months before based on his own suit; my black sleeveless top had his lightning bolt emblazoned down its front and I completed the outfit with my spiked leather choker, spiked leather bracers, and was even wearing a black leather studded belt with his emblem on the buckle. I had no idea what he would think when he saw me, but I hoped he would be flattered. I wanted him to know I supported him, that he had made an impression on me. I hoped he got the correct message and didn’t just think I was some crazy fangirl; I had dressed like him to make a statement I hoped he’d understand: he was my inspiration, the one who made me realize it was OK to be myself instead of conforming into the mold my race wanted me to be.

I could already hear the music coming from inside as I neared the open doors, my heart beginning to race as I fought to keep my Boovish body’s natural inclination to dance under my control. In the months I had spent living and working with humans I had been exposed to their music often enough that I’d had a great deal of practice at mastering the overwhelming urges human music seemed to somehow inspire in a Boov’s body and had managed to learn to tame them – for the most part. A part of me enjoyed the dancing though and I often let it happen, if only just a little – not enough to interfere with anything I was doing, but there was no harm in letting my hips shake or bouncing my head along with the beat of a particularly infectious song. The songs blasting out of Megamind’s ex-Evil Lair now were of the type I particularly loved – dance music, rhythmic, with a beat that already had me swaying my head from side to side. This was going to be a fun party indeed.

I slipped inside the building and into the party relatively unnoticed thanks to my short stature. I had come to realize over time that adult humans often seemed to ignore or not notice anything small enough to be a human child if that child wasn’t theirs, and that seemed to apply to Boov as well due to our natural height cap. Some humans even went so far as to assume I was a child, and at nearly thirty-five years old (one hundred seventy-two if you count the one hundred thirty-seven years I spent maturing as a juvenile) I found it hard not to be insulted by that and would quickly correct them. I didn’t mind if humans didn’t notice me, but I did mind if they treated me like a child.

The main floor of Megamind’s lair was heavily decorated with all kinds of holiday decorations, from softly glowing lights to a large tree covered in shiny baubles that looked good enough to eat. I licked my lips as I eyed them and wondered if Megamind would mind if I sampled one or two. The place was packed with guests, some dancing, others simply mingling over cups of holiday drinks. I looked around excitedly, trying to spot the party’s blue-skinned host, but I couldn’t spot him through the crowd. He was probably busy with other guests. I would see him eventually.

Spotting the table full of refreshments that had been laid out to one side of the large room and feeling rather peckish, I headed over to it to see what kinds of treats were on the menu. I peeked over the edge of the table and saw all kinds of human foods displayed in large bowls or on serving platters, morsels the humans called cookies or candies served alongside great bowls full of some sort of sparkling red drink. The apparently carbonated beverage caught my eye; I had a particular weakness for the fizzy drinks humans enjoyed and had become rather addicted to them since my arrival on the planet – so addicted, in fact, that my fellow Boov and even the humans had started calling me “Fizzy” and the name had stuck. I was fine with that; humans couldn’t pronounce my real name anyway.

Eager to try the sparkling drink teasing me from the back of the table, I reached out to try to grab the ladle – and fell short. Grunting in frustration, I stood as tall as my pods could go, leaning over the table and stretching as far as I could reach, but I still came up short. I huffed and tried to stretch further to no avail. Sometimes being short in a world full of beings taller than you could be aggravating, but I was determined to get a taste of that fizzy beverage if I had to pull myself apart to do it. I was just about to see if I could find something to stand on when a voice spoke up from above me, “Here, let me get that for you.”

Ceasing my vain attempts to reach the ladle, I looked up and was startled to see a man towering over me far taller than the average human with a build far too muscular hidden beneath his tan trench coat. He had a very chiseled face despite the scruffy beard he was growing and gentle blue eyes that looked almost weary, as though they had seen far more than they ever wanted to. He smiled down at me as I stared up at him, ladling some of the punch into a glass for me. “Here you go,” he remarked softly as he placed the glass in my hands.

“Thanking you,” I smiled up at him, extending a nostricle to sniff my drink as my eyes studied the large man. There was something strangely… familiar about his features, like I’d seen him somewhere before. My drink smelled wonderful, tempting me to taste it, but something was nagging at my mind, especially as the man seemed to grow increasingly anxious under my studious gaze. Tilting my head curiously at him, I drew in a deep breath of his scent and detected something strange beneath his cologne. This man didn’t smell human, and suddenly I knew who he was. My eyes shot up to meet his, holding his gaze as I looked him straight in the eye and pointed out knowingly, “You are not humansperson.”

The man suddenly looked panicked, his eyes darting around the room quickly to make sure no one had heard me before he dropped down more to my level and whispered urgently, “Be quiet! They’ll hear you!” He groaned and ran a hand over his face. “I never could fool aliens…”

I chuckled to myself and finally took a sip of my drink. “Mmmm! This is good!” I sighed in delight, then looked the man I now knew was Metro Man in the eye, keeping my voice low for his sake. “You were to faking the whole thing. Your death. To getting out of being the hero. To running away.” I snickered. “You would making good Boov. You and Smek would getting along.”

Metro Man’s expression was strained as he insisted quietly, urgently, “Please, I beg of you, don’t speak of this to anyone! I can’t handle being the hero any more…”

“I sees that,” I remarked casually, indicating his attire, garments designed to keep him hidden. I took another happy sip of my drink, holding his gaze with mine, then asked, “Does Megamind knowing you were to be framing him? Humanspeople still thinking he killed you.”

“He knows,” Metro Man admitted with a heavy sigh. “He protects me. He understands… now. And without me in the way, he is able to finally shine.” He looked pleadingly into my eyes and asked gently, “You will keep my secret, won’t you? I can see by the way you’re dressed you’re a Megamind fan, am I right?” He chuckled softly, playfully flicking the medallion on my choker to make his point. “I don’t want to ruin this for him any more than for myself. Do you understand?”

“You can trusting me,” I assured him with a smile. “I understands completely. I was just surprising to finding you alive. I was to be thinking you were the dead.”

“Well, now you know, and we’ll keep it between us, OK?” He winked at me and I couldn’t help but giggle. He stood up to his full height again and made to leave as he insisted, “I’m going to slip away now and try to go back to being invisible before anyone catches on. Enjoy the party, uh…?”

“Fizzy,” I supplied my name.

“Fizzy,” he repeated with a smile, then added, “I’m sure Megamind will want to meet you.” He nodded to me, then slipped away with more silence than a being that large should have been able to.

I watched him go then gladly finished my drink. I stared forlornly at the punch bowl and my empty glass as I considered trying to get more but finally decided against it. Setting aside my glass, I took one last look at the spread of human food before turning away to head towards the tree instead with its branches full of tempting treats. I licked my lips as I eyed what, to a Boov, looked like a buffet of delicious delicacies just waiting to be eaten. I wasn’t opposed to trying human foods and had, in fact, found a few I quite enjoyed, like barbecued chicken and popcorn, but I was first and foremost a Boov, and craved the same things we had always eaten. Unable to resist the temptation any longer, I reached out and plucked a shiny silver bulb from off the tree and popped it in my mouth. I sighed in delight as I chewed it; it was deliciously crunchy! Swallowing it down, I reached for another but just as I was about to eat that one too I heard a voice laugh from beside me, “You know, you’re not supposed to eat those,” and looked up to see KMCP News’s Roxanne Ritchi watching me in amusement.

I grinned shamelessly at the woman and shrugged at her, reluctantly replacing the bulb on the tree as I insisted, “I am sorries… I could not to be resisting. They looked the delicious.”

“I can see that,” Roxanne chuckled as she caught me eyeing another ornament and raised her eyebrow at me.

I grinned awkwardly and tried to ignore the baubles, focusing my attention on her. I stepped in a little closer to her, both to make conversation easier and to remove myself from temptation. “You are Roxanne Ritchi,” I smiled up at her. “KMCP News’ reporter and Megamind’s mate.”

The human woman laughed at my choice of words, correcting me, “We humans prefer the term, ‘girlfriend.’ What is with you aliens? Megamind likes using that term too.”

“Well it is more accurate, is it not?” I asked innocently. She blinked at me, so I went on. “I am to be meaning, when two beings of opposite genders in binary species get together to…”

“OK, OK! I get it!” Roxanne cut me off quickly and I blinked at her as her whole face went red. She shook her head as she hid her face behind her hand for a moment, then asked me knowingly, “Let me guess, you’re a scientist, right?”

“Yes, I am,” I confirmed proudly, standing my straightest. “I am genetics research Boov. I am heading my own lab here in Metro City.”

“I thought so,” Roxanne admitted in amusement. “Megamind talks like that too.”

“I would thinking so,” I admitted, then started scanning the crowd behind her excitedly, trying to spot the big-headed blue alien. “Is he with you?” I asked eagerly, but I didn’t see him anywhere.

Roxanne shook her head, an amused smirk settling on her lips as she let her eyes soak in my attire. “Not at the moment, no. I bet you’re just itching to talk to him, aren’t you?”

I smirked right back at her. “He and I have much to discussing.”

“I’ll bet,” the reporter chuckled, then pointed out, “You know, you’re missing a cape.”

“Oh, I has one,” I admitted with a grin. “But I am tripping on it, so I did not wanting to wear it tonight. Besides, I am thinking this is getting the message across on its own.”

“You’re quite the fan, huh?” Roxanne questioned knowingly, but she didn’t wait for me to respond. Turning to leave she assured me with a smile, “I’ll see if I can send him your way.”

I turned away from her as she disappeared into the crowd, thinking about maybe heading out to dance a little bit or mingle with the other guests, but then I heard the reporter’s voice calling out loud and clear, “Hey, Megamind! I think I found your biggest fan!”

My heart stopped.

I turned back to face the direction Roxanne had gone as I heard Megamind’s voice respond clear as a bell, “Really?! Where?!”

Then I saw him.

Tall (to a Boov in any case) and incredibly thin with blue skin, a large, bald head, and eyes as vivid green as one of my own (my other was an ocean blue), Megamind was hard to miss as he stepped through the crowd wearing his alternate white hero suit and Metro Man’s old fur-lined cape. His eyes were shining in excitement, his grin stretching from ear to ear as he scanned over the crowd trying to spot the person Roxanne wanted him to meet. My heart was racing as I waited for him to finally spot me, my pods suddenly feeling as though they were frozen in place. He was doing what most human adults did and looking for someone at least his height, expecting his fan to be human.

When his eyes finally dropped low enough to spot me as I smiled excitedly at him, his grin grew even brighter as his eyes lit up. He took one look at my alien features and familiar attire and rushed over to me like a kid in a candy store, laughing in delight. “Oh, ho! Look at you!” he exclaimed, and I couldn’t help but giggle as he circled me, inspecting my choice of outfit. “You have nice taste,” he complimented me with a wink when he finally stopped in front of me and I laughed.

“Well, I was to be thinking a certain hero might appreciate the sentiment,” I remarked as casually as I could. His lips twitched upwards and I knew he liked what he saw.

Kneeling down to be more at my eye-level he admitted, “It takes guts for people to show this kind of support for me.” His eyes fell to the medallion on my choker and I saw his cheeks redden, his ears turning bright purple as he noted the etched design – his lightning bolt with a heart behind it. “I… I’m flattered,” he added softly, his eyes lifting to meet mine. I could see the questions burning within them.

Smiling softly as I tried to swallow my nerves, I explained, “I am etching that design myself. It is a symbolism, you sees. You inspire me.”

Megamind visibly calmed down. I had his full attention now. “I… inspire you?”

I nodded, shifting awkwardly on my pods as I admitted, “You sees… I am knowing what it is like not to fitting in.” Megamind stilled. “Among Boov, among my own kind, I fit out. Boov are not supposed to being expressive… Boov were not to being social – before to now. I was always the different.” I smiled at him warmly. “When we came to Earthland and I am hearing about you, I am to be learning it is OK to be the different. It is OK to be myself. I am seeing you and knowing that if you can do’s it, if you can breaking out of the moldings peoples were wanting you to be that I can do’s it too. So I am breaking my moldings. I am learning to be me. And that is what this meanings.” I tapped my medallion for emphasis.

“I get it now…” Megamind practically whispered, and I could hear the awe in his voice. “The heart is you, not an emotion…”

I nodded. “And the lightning bolt is you freeing me.” I kicked the ground shyly with a pod as I tried to meet his eyes with mine. “I am hoping you understands… It is meant as a flattering. I am first Boov in millennia to dress different, to expressing myself. I do’s not knowing if I would have had the guts to do’s it, to breaking free of the moldings if you had not doing it first. You inspire me. I am to be thanking you.”

Megamind seemed to be at a loss for words for a moment as he looked at the ground and I could swear I saw a tear glistening unshed in the corner of his eye before he blinked it back. He was smiling when his eyes met mine again, a genuinely grateful smile as he insisted, “I… I’m flattered. Really. I’m still having trouble accepting that I could inspire anyone, then you come along and say…” He choked up and shook his head as I waited patiently for him to get his thoughts together. This man was definitely more emotional than humans were. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath, laughing awkwardly. “I’m sorry, I don’t even know your name!”

“Fizzy,” I happily supplied it.

“Fizzy,” Megamind repeated with a gentle smile. “Thank you, Fizzy. For coming, for… For this.” He tapped my medallion meaningfully. “It… It means a lot.” I smiled at him warmly then, knowing words were not necessary. He knew where I was coming from. I could see it in his eyes. A Boov’s skin automatically changes color based on their emotion, but his didn’t need to; I could read his emotions in his eyes, in the vibrant purple of his ears as he blushed. He was touched by my sentiment, even if he couldn’t believe he could have that kind of an impact on anyone.

Megamind’s eyes left mine for a moment as he seemed to ponder what he should say, then froze on something he spotted above us. He chuckled softly and I noticed the flush of his cheeks and his ears intensified. I followed his gaze up to spot a leafy sprig of a plant with white berries hanging above us. I cocked my head at it curiously for a moment, then noticed Megamind was looking towards Roxanne. He nodded his head once towards me in what I understood must have been some sort of a signal and the human woman grinned and waved him on before turning and walking off into the crowd, a smirk on her lips. I was completely confused. I had no idea what was going on, but Megamind’s ears were now nearly pink as his eyes met mine. I cocked my head at him and he asked gently, “Are you familiar with the Christmoose tradition of mistleetoe?”

“No,” I answered honestly and looked back up towards the plant. “Is that the plant up there? It is called mistleetoe?” I looked to him, my eyes full of questions. “What are we to be doing with it?”

Megamind chuckled, amused by my apparent ignorance of something important. “Don’t worry,” he assured me, “I only learned the tradition myself last week, but it is a good one.” He smiled at me in a “just trust me” sort of way as he reached a hand out to my shoulder and gently pulled me in closer to him. My heart began to race as I found myself unable to pull my eyes off of his, unsure what was about to happen. He blinked as he seemed to think of something, then asked carefully, gently, “Uh… You are female, right?”

I giggled. Humans always had a hard time telling our genders apart, so his question was not unexpected. “Yes, I am female. Whyfor do you asking?”

Megamind sighed in relief and I snickered softly to myself. He nodded towards the plant again to get back on track. “Well,” he began gently, drawing me in just another step closer. He leaned in as though to whisper the rest in my ear. “The tradition of mistleetoe states that if a man and a woman, or a male and a female, should meet under the mistleetoe that they must share in a kiss.”

His words had barely even managed to register in my disbelieving brain when I felt his fingertips on my cheek to draw me closer, his blue lips pressing tenderly against the skin of my other cheek in a soft kiss. I bit my lower lip as I felt my skin flush pink, my nostricles unfurling as my heart felt as though it would burst from my body. I was overwhelmed with emotion, unable to believe this was happening. I had never been kissed before; Boov do not kiss, but I knew it to be a human gesture of affection, and here Megamind was kissing me.

The kiss lasted for only a moment, but it was enough. When he pulled back from my cheek I gazed into his eyes, awestruck, barely breathing. He chuckled softly as he noticed my new, rather vibrant skin tone. “And I thought it was bad when I blushed,” he snickered, knowing I would have noticed the near-fuchsia coloration now tingeing his cheeks and ears. I couldn’t have replied if I’d wanted to, overwhelmed as I was, but he seemed to know that. Rising to his feet and gesturing for me to follow him, he smiled down at me as he suggested, “Come on. Let’s go dance. You can hang out with me tonight.” I swayed on my pods for a moment, fearing I might faint as my heart thudded in my chest, but I nodded and followed him out onto the dance floor. I would have followed him anywhere.

<M><M><M><M><M><M><M><M>

When I returned to my living space that night I threw myself down on my bed and sighed in delight. I had spent the entire party by Megamind’s side, dancing with him, laughing with him, and getting to know him better. He had been everything I had thought he was and more. I could tell he had appreciated my company as well, taking comfort in the fact I, too, was not from this world and knew what it was like to feel like an outcast. He understood me just as I knew he would, and I understood him. We had become fast friends and I had left the party that night with his e-mail address and an invitation to visit any time I wished. The night could not have been more perfect – and it had all begun beneath the mistleetoe.