Disclaimer: I own nothing of Kim Possible.
Pearish
By: Imyoshi
The question lingering on her lips was why. Not how or when, but why.
Of all the things she could be doing right now, she chose to figure out why he had done it—wanting the answers only he could give. To satisfy the knowledge that eluded her and the thoughts that plagued her mind, she was on a mission. A mission for answers.
However, it's one thing to use highly trained reflexes and skills on a pointless heist—it's another to use the same set of skills on something completely ridiculous.
And ridiculous it was.
Sneaking into the sidekick's house of all people! She almost felt like this was the new low point of her life. Almost. It wasn't quite there. Sure it happened to still a pretty low point. But damn, she wanted answers—now!
Shego kicked the door opened, practically destroying the hinges, completely unfazed. And not the least bit surprised that all she got for a reaction was a small groan of irritation from the mass of annoyance lying across from her.
Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she closed the gap of distance between her and the apparently heavy sleeper of a sidekick. She ignored the messiness of his room and stood arms crossed, fighting a huge urge to nail the unsuspecting fool.
A battle Shego found herself losing, badly.
Using the small amount of mercy she could muster before it burned away, she grabbed his blankets, and roughly yanked them from the bed, pulling him along with them.
Thud!
"Ah!" Ron yelled from the slight shift of momentum from his soft comfortable bed to his questionable carpet. The trip proved to be an unpleasant experience. "What the heck?"
Momentarily he wondered if he had that dream again where he constantly rolled down a nacho covered plain of hills until he fell off the cheese flavored waterfall and woke up right afterwards on the floor.
It wouldn't be the first time.
Struggling to free himself from his blanket imprisonment, Ron hadn't yet noticed Shego glaring down at him, her foot tapping impatiently.
She watched him struggle to free himself the confines of his blanket. Clearly they proved too much for him.
"Ahem!"
Coming to a complete halt at the very familiar voice, the beating of his heart felt like it stopped. Hoping his mind was playing tricks on him, Ron reluctantly turned to look up at the eyes of a very angry Shego. Uneasily he felt all the blood drain from his face.
"S-Shego?" he breathed. "How did you get in my house?"
Maybe it was the way he said or it or the fact that it looked like she expected a better question, but the way she stared hard at him with her hands resting on her hips made him felt like he asked the wrong question.
Come to think of it? Ron didn't know if there was a right question.
"That's the question you're gonna go with?" she asked incredulously. "Not why I'm here or why is your door broken, but how I got in your house?"
"My door's broken?"
"That's not the point Stoppable!" She grabbed him by the collar of his night shirt, forcing him up. "Where were you?" she demanded.
Ron lost a good chunk of the panic rush he had seconds ago to stare a bit innocent eyed at his guest.
"Huh?"
Wrong answer.
Gritting her teeth, Shego began shaking the confused sidekick hard and relentlessly. "Why weren't you at Smarty Mart earlier? Do you know how long you made me wait! I actually waited for you Stoppable! Me!"
Ron knew alone that was pushing it for Shego.
Ceasing the shaking, she let go of his collar and stared at him, waiting for her answer.
Stunned, Ron regrouped, not wanting another lashing... for at least a few minutes.
"Wait?" he remembered now. "You were serious about that?"
"Um, doy!" she rolled her eyes, glaring. "Why wouldn't I've been?"
"Um, because your Shego!" Ron pointed out. "I didn't know if you were messing with me! You're not exactly the best person to trust."
He was right on a certain level, but she be damned if she allowed him to turn this around. "Well you should have still showed up anyways!"
"I didn't think you were serious!"
"I didn't think you were dumb enough not to take me seriously!"
That stopped their argument there, giving them time to focus on what the other said. In both ways, they each shouldered some of the burden of being right. So neither could completely be at fault here. But that didn't even soften any of Shego's sour mood. After all, she actually waited.
"Kim would freak if she knew you were here in my house," Ron yawned, breaking the silence.
"I bet she would freak if she knew if any girl was in your house." Shego mumbled, hiding a tiny smirk.
"What?"
"Nothing Stoppable, get up already."
"Ugh," he moaned, "What time is it anyways?"
"Half past 11," she glared again.
The sidekick cringed. He remembered her telling him last week to be at Smarty Mart at 10 in the morning. And now hearing it was almost the afternoon of the day made him fear for his safety. And somewhere he did feel a bit guilty now. Not even Kim would've waited that long for him.
"Oh," he sighed with a bit of shame. "Sorry."
Seeing his downcast expression, Shego rolled her eyes at him, feeling some of her anger melting. However still angry, she turned to leave his room. "Yea whatever, just hurry up and get ready ok. Preferably sooner the better."
Ron paused, "Wait? You still want to go to Smarty Mart?"
"Don't push me Stoppable!"
That got him up.
...
In record time for Ron, he got dressed and somewhat cleaned up to meet Shego downstairs who at the moment seem engrossed at looking at the questionable living arrangements the sidekick lived in. Particularly interested in the fact that his parents seemed to be missing... on a Saturday.
Hearing him come down, she turned and sighed in heavy annoyance.
"Seriously, you need to get a new style of clothing. What you're wearing went out of season a few decades ago." She mocked, fighting a grin.
Ron huffed, "What about you and your outfit?"
"Please, mine's a classic."
He rolled his eyes at her for the first time today, something Shego took mental notice of.
"What are you doing still doing here anyways?" Not that Ron minded that much; it was nice to have company even if it was Shego. "I figured you just wanted to warn me to take you seriously from now on?"
"Well first," she stood directly in front of him, arms crossed. "You should always take me seriously." Shego stretched the word hard. "And second..."
Smack!
"Ow!"
Ron rubbed his sore arm, not surprised at her quick, but painful jab. It wouldn't be Shego to let someone get away pain free from any visit with her. And he guessed he did deserve that.
"That's for forgetting and making me wait for you at Smarty Mart! Do you have any idea how cold the weather is today?!"
Smack!
"Ow!"
"That's for taking my black tees while we're at it! And no," she cut in before he could speak. "I do not want them now. They're probably all covered in your smell by now."
"..."
Smack!
"Ow! What was that for?!"
She smirked, "Nothing... I just like hitting you."
Ron figured as much and move to head towards the kitchen. "Well now that you got that out of your system... I'm heading to the kitchen to make some breakfast." But before he could move any further, Shego grabbed him by the collar.
"Hold it Stoppable." Not like he had much of a choice. "You're skipping breakfast. I want to hurry up and actually get some shopping done today before Dr. D calls me to do some incredibly stupid like steal a giant toaster or something. Besides it's almost lunch time anyways."
Ron remained trap in Shego's hold but paid little mind to that. His head was reeling at her demand, her abnormal, non-simple demand.
Skip breakfast?
It didn't make any sense. Breakfast was the most important meal of the day. Without it, getting through the day can be hell. And Ron Stoppable knew a few things about having a bad day. Actually he knew a lot about having a bad day.
"That's just wrong on so many levels." Ron thought out loud, ignoring Shego's tug at his collar. "How can you just ask me to skip breakfast?"
"Like this," she answered flatly. "You're skipping breakfast. See, easy. Now come on and let's go."
"B-But," he stammered. "It's breakfast! The most important and badical meal of the day! How can anyone just expect me to skip that?!"
She rolled her eyes, tugging harder, and answering absentmindedly, "Try not to make a big deal out of it Stoppable. I skip breakfast all the time."
That was the last straw.
"Wait!" Before she could respond to his little outburst, Ron grabbed her wrist forcefully, effectively stopping her in her tracks. "You skip breakfast?!" he gasped, "All the time?"
Stunned at the sidekick's boldness at halting her, Shego stared blankly at his somewhat shocked stare before realizing he still had a firm grip on her wrist and yanked her hand free from his, glaring all the while. Apparently it did little to level his stare.
"Yea so?" she asked, crossing her hands. "What's your point?"
"Without it you can't function right!"
She scoffed, "Please Stoppable, I never eat breakfast and look at me, functioning perfectly fine if you ask me."
As the words left her mouth, Shego watched as his ambiguous stare settled down, slowly becoming neutral, and if anything, a bit attentive. Unnerved, she wondered what he could possibly say that would make him act so composed within her presence.
"Yea, well, maybe that's why Kim keeps beating you?"
Never in her life did she expect him to say that. And especially directly to her face. Ever. It was a low blow. And judging from how long he took to say that, he knew it.
That comment alone had forcefully allowed her eyes to widen and her heart to momentarily skip a beat. She had felt as if all her hairs around her body stiffen at the accusation. Goose bumps forming at the ends of her arms. And for a slight still instant she had bit her lip.
And then it all went away to be replaced with a scowl she hadn't yet to even use on Drakken.
"First you make me wait and then say that in front of me. You're just begging to get on my bad side, aren't you Ron?" Shego glared, hard.
"No," he sighed. "It's just not a good idea to skip breakfast. It's not healthily for anyone." She didn't reply. "Come on how about I make some breakfast for the both of us?"
Shego's brows rose.
"It's, uh, the least I can do for making you wait," he added lamely.
"The least you can do?" she angrily mocked.
"Hey cut me some slack here! I'm trying!" he yelled, arms out.
Her glare softened, "I thought I cut you enough slack when I decided not to break your arm earlier for making me wait?"
"You broke my door!"
She merely shrugged, "Collateral damage. It was far out of my power to stop it."
Far out of her power? But she did it!
Ron thought of replying, but fought against it. There was no point in arguing, this was Shego. A broken door was better than a broken arm after all. And Ron knew Shego could break any part of his body while she was 5 feet away from him. So best not to make her angry... well not anymore angrier at least.
"So," Ron gestured toward his kitchen. "What do you say? Breakfast?"
She rolled her eyes, "You mean lunch?"
"No," he trailed, walking into his kitchen, popping his head out to smile. "I mean breakfast."
Shego pinched the bridge of her nose, hating herself for this. "Fine. Whatever. Let's just get this over with Stoppable."
Ron merely smiled wider before hoping over to the fridge to fish out ingredients. Shego walked into his kitchen moments later to stumble upon him balancing various foods on his head and arms. She stared. Really, the sidekick was an enigma sometimes to her.
"So why don't you normally eat breakfast?" he started while mixing ingredients on the stove.
Taking a seat at the table, she rested her head on her palm, "I try to avoid the doc during the morning. He's worse than normal when he wakes up. Plus he and all the brainless henchmen eat like slobs."
"C'mon it can't be bad?"
"You try eating with a bunch of guys who like to talk with food in their mouths or like to pour syrup on their bowls of cereal. It's not a pretty sight."
Ron tossed a few eggs into a pan, "Well you could you know, tell them? Or in your case yell at them."
Sorry Stoppable," she smirked out of his view. "But the last time I checked it's impossible to speak to a brick. Very less a pile of them."
Ron paused, recounting the time he tried, and he mean tried talking to the school's football quarter back, Brick Flagg. A futile effort on his part.
"Uh," he trailed, "You might have a point there."
Everything grew silent as Ron finished cooking up. Shego simply watched as his fingers practically danced across the pots and pans. She paid close attention to his choices of spices and breads and how his body liked to sway back and forth to the rhythm he was humming of what she guessed was an Oh Boyz song.
Not that she ever listens to their music. She would deny it. Deny it!
Satisfied that she had strengthened her resolve, she tapped her fingers against the wooden table, and began taking in her surroundings. Now that she had a bit of free time, Shego figured knowing Stoppable's house layout could only better benefit in her the future. Not like she needed to however. She had literally walked into his house this afternoon. Locks be damned.
"Almost done here!"
Forced out of her trance, she finally noticed the strong aroma coming from the stove. If her senses were tuned, which they were, she could count the scent of pancakes, eggs, hash browns, French toast, and maybe either bacon or sausage. No wait, definitely bacon.
It smelled amazing.
"Ok," Ron grinned at her. "Breakfast is done!"
...
She watched him chew normally, completely baffled. Her eyes carefully studying the manners he displayed while eating.
"Hmph, I expected you to eat and cook like a slob like all the other guys I've met."
Ron paused, mocking a feigned of hurt. "Do you have such little faith in us guys Shego?"
"Uh, let's see? There are Drakken and the henchmen," she counted off with her fingers. "Monkey Fist and his monkeys, Duff Killigan with his haggis, teenagers," Ron raised a finger to cut in, "My brothers."
Ok point taken.
"And I'm pretty sure you too," she pointed out. "You're just trying very hard to not make it obvious."
"Well with KP I do, but right now I'm entertaining a lady." Ron grinned.
Shego glanced up interested, ignoring the lady comment, then decided to start cutting up her pancake. The darkish brown coloring did entice her enough to give it a try and she wouldn't be lying to say that food sounded pretty good right about now.
"So what is the princess up to today?" she asked, taking a bite out of her pancake.
He shrugged, biting into the toast without thinking, "Beats me. I didn't exactly tell her I had plans today. You told me not to."
"And yet you slept in anyways." she deadpanned.
He suddenly gagged, heaving, crucially noticing the irony of his words. Finally he caught his breath and turned, rubbing his neck sheepishly, and shooting her his best apologetic smile.
At the moment Shego tried to remain angry, but the pancake in her mouth melted like butter, so she settled to moan under her breath, further strengthening her theory on him—definitely an enigma.
"You're such a weird person Stoppable."
...
"I'll give you this Stoppable; you sure know how to cook."
Ron smiled as he watched Shego eat his creation in a relatively calm fashion, silently enjoying the way her mouth formed a small smile when she took small bites. And considering earlier her anger at him proved to be dangerously high, Ron took any chances he could get to calm her down.
"You're not the only Shego. One time in school I became the head chef in my entire school in under a week."
"Really," she stared, tasting a forkful of eggs. "I can see why. This beats my cooking."
"Yea, but then the health inspector found out Rufus was serving the food and I lost it all," he grinned, embarrassed. "Did not think that one through."
"No you did not." she smirked. "But then again, you never think anything through."
"Hey!" Ron glared. "I think things through. Just you know... not all the time."
Her smirk grew, "You mean like the time you lied to everyone and claimed you were a genius? Yea that definitely didn't backfire."
"It didn't backfire!" Shego said nothing. "Ok maybe it did backfire a little."
"A little?"
"Ok. A lot." He sighed, "I got detention for the whole year plus the news channel totally kept that horrible photo of me on their channel with the wrong name I might add."
Happy that she won, Shego bit into her toast, "Heh, thought so sidekick."
An easy silence fell as both the sidekicks enjoyed their breakfast. But with these two, silence never lasted too long as for something peculiar nagged Shego.
"So speaking of the news, how come I didn't see you in it this week with Kimmie after you two stopped Dementor?" she asked, pausing a second later as her eyes narrowed in slight concentration. "Actually... now that I think about? I don't ever remember seeing you on the news except for that one time. Why is that?"
Turning to look up from her plate, Shego easily took notice at the way his fingers tensed on the fork he was holding. Her notion it paid to pay attention swinging into full gear.
"What? You miss seeing me?" he teased a bit too quickly.
Her eyes narrowed. Classic defense mechanism.
"Stoppable," she started.
Ron somewhat looked guilty, "I mean it's nothing to worry about."
"Stoppable."
"Besides, who needs the news?" he ignored. "It's just about stories of the new boy bands Kim seems to follow each week."
"Stoppable."
"And anyways who wants to—?"
"Ron!"
He stopped.
Shego sighed, breathing calmly, eyes closed, trying for the life of her not to attack him verbally.
"Now listen to me," she ordered. "First I want you to shut up. Second, when I talk, you listen. And third, I want you tell me why you are never in the news after you and the princess stop the villains like you two did this week with Professor Dementor when he stole that Atom Inducer?"
Taken back from Shego's somewhat angry concern, Ron avoided her fierce eyes and picked at his food somewhat lost, "Why do you care?"
She paused. Why did she care?
Instinctively she knew the reason. Hell, if anything that's what drove her to become evil. Well... at least half drove her anyways. She really did like being evil after all—but the other half.
She had left Team Go to be someone. Not to stay a member of some grade B super hero team that would surely become a footnote in history, forgotten by many, but instead to become someone memorable. Someone who could be remembered long past their time.
And people remembered a great thief.
"I don't," she says. "But I know I would be angry if someone gave Dr.D all the credit for a plan that took two. I'm just guessing it works both ways."
"No, it's no big, really," he forcefully grinned. "As long as Kim is happy, then I'm happy."
Shego didn't buy it.
Leaning back on the chair, she crossed her arms, "Are you sure? I mean giving the princess all the glory seems a bit cliché to me Stoppable. I'm pretty sure it gets on your nerves."
"Well it doesn't," he tries to fool himself.
Glaring softly, Shego leans on the table, resting her head on one palm, the other tapping her fingers on the hard wood.
"Ron, let me tell you something." Ron listened closely. "You're a horrible liar."
Lub dub!
"But as a thief I understand needing to keep some things off the radar," she offhandedly remarked, picking at her food. "So I'll let slide... for now. But you can bet I won't forget this. Besides I don't want to deal with a soap opera right now."
Confused and grateful, Ron smiled halfheartedly, something he didn't think he ever do at Shego. Sure grinning like an idiot was one thing, but his smile at the moment was more reserved for special moments. Still, if she didn't care, then why did she want to know later on? And was there even going to be a later on?
"But—?"
"Eh, eh, eh!" she pinched his lips shut. "No more drama. I want to finish these eggs before they get cold."
He'll let it slide.
...
After a few minutes of careful consideration and support from the smooth talking bacon, Shego finally decided to voice out her well thought out opinion.
"You know what? I think I'll start coming here for breakfast for now on."
Cue Stoppable spit take with his pulp filled glass of orange juice.
Cough, cough, "... What?"
"Yea that sounds like a plan" she ignored. "I can get use to eating like this." She looked over to his shock face, leaning forward, resting her head on her palm. "Like you said, I'm not supposed to skip breakfast. And it is the least you can do for standing me up this morning, right?"
"I... uh? Wait—what?!"
Shego grinned, pointing her green plasma lit finger at him, her grin growing darker at the enhanced lighting, "Right? What kind of good guy would you be if you went back on your word?"
Curse his morals, "R-Right!"
Satisfied at his frightened state, Shego drowned the rest of her orange juice before smirking lazily at him. "Oh by the way, those rules you live by. I'm going to make sure you follow every single one of them."
Damn it.
...
"I can't believe you still want to go to Smarty Mart! It's almost 1 already?!"
"I know. That means we got a lot of catching up to do. The red light sales are about almost done."
"But I don't need anything from Smarty Mart right now."
Stopping, Shego looks around Ron's living room and spots his TV. A moment later a blast of green plasma incinerates half of it in a fiery display of power.
"Well I'm no expert Stoppable, but I'm pretty sure TVs aren't supposed to be smoking like that," she smirked. "I think you need a new one?"
Ron sighed, "Well what do you know, apparently I do."
Defeated, Ron opened the door for her, following his rules he lived by as a very smug Shego reaped in the benefits.
As they exited his house Ron reflected at the sudden idea of them hanging out again. Last Saturday was a coincidence that they met, but this time it wasn't. He wasn't sure what this was called. He knew it wasn't a friendship of sorts, but couldn't figure of what else it could be.
Or why Shego actually insisted they go out shopping together again.
Honestly, they were a weird pair. Only question though—a pair of what?
Friends, no. Acquaintances, he didn't think so. Sidekicks? Maybe.
He couldn't say or have time to fathom much on it as Shego literally dragged him to the hovercraft.
Author Notes: More practice for my future Rongo story especially at nailing a believable Shego.