Peeled Away (From Your Heart)

Chapter 1: Our Fears Come True

"Hey, Stuart!" Bob called out, causing the one-eyed minion to look his way with curiosity. "Could you fetch me our newest pallet of bananas? I need to go over them to make sure they're up to code."

"Yeah, sure thing!" Stuart replied, eagerly hopping away to complete his given task. Bob smiled at his best friend; always optimistic and joyful. He gave him a little bit of hope in this life.

Sighing, he began to think about his boss; Gru had a kind heart, albeit evil, but there was something that was unsettling to him. From his observations, Gru appeared to be blatantly homophobic, often seen typing furiously away on online forums regarding LGBTQ+ rights. Though he never got a chance to see exactly what Gru was saying, the glimpses he caught were full of hatred and unacceptance. The thought of that made Bob shudder; what would he do if he found out about Kevin? He and Bob were the top minions in his army; they were supposed to set an example for the rest, though they never particularly cared to, preferring to get into trouble of their own while letting Stuart tag along with them.

His thoughts were interrupted rudely when the door next to him swung open; before having time to react, a hand reached out and grabbed him, dragging him inside as the door shut.

"AHH!! K-Kevin?!" Bob almost yelled, shocked by his sudden actions. "What the- I was in the middle of processing our latest order of bananas! What are you doing?!"

"SHH- Shh, please, keep your voice down!" Kevin begged, frantically looking around. Bob noticed he was shaking- upon further examination, he noticed his boyfriend's body language; he was horrified, ridden with anxiety. Kevin looked back to Bob, wincing as he saw the pain in his eyes.

Unable to form words for a moment, he paused and took a deep breath. "Kevin... Are you okay? Well- okay, that's a stupid question because you're obviously not, but- what happened? What's wrong?" Kevin seemed to hesitate, starting to withdraw from Bob. "Babenana, please, you know you can talk to me. I'm here for you," the concerned minion said, placing his hand on Kevin's shoulder. "What's going on?"

Kevin tensed up a bit at Bob's touch, slowly relaxing as he let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. "I.. I think... I think he's onto us," he began, his eyes burning as he teared up. "Gru, he- he stopped me earlier today while I was talking to him about our banana stock. Everything seemed fine, it all seemed normal, but as I started to leave to report back to you, he..." Kevin paused as he struggled to keep the tears from coming; but it was too late for that. "I think he knows, Bob... I don't know what to do- I- I can't live without you, but I don't know what he's gonna do to us if he really knows..."

Bob pulled Kevin into a hug, his mind filled with nothing but dread. How could he have known? They'd been so secretive the whole time- or, so he thought. Did they slip up at some point? Did one of the other minions rat them out? Are there cameras around; are they being watched?

He shook his head; right now, he needs to calm Kevin down. "Kevin, I'm not going anywhere, okay? I'm right here."

They stayed like that for a while, Bob trying his best to comfort his terrified lover while fighting his own fear-bringing thoughts.

"I'm sorry..." Kevin began, after a long silence from them both. "I just.. don't know what to do."

"Hey, no, it's okay. I promise you, we'll figure this out. But for now, I'll make sure you're safe. We're safe."

"...Are you sure about that?" An all-too familiar voice sounded from behind them.

Horrified, the two minions turned around.

Oh, no...