Hello again, we're back with another AAR tale (After Action Report) from our two favorite undercover ops 'high school students', Kim and Roman, in Unheard Flipper's AU take on Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable.
But before this starts, we'd like to thank the following for their Reviews, Faves and Alerts of the previous posting in this ARC: Cbarge, readerjunkie, Jimmy1201 and Enterprise-CV6; thanks to you all for chiming in. It's much appreciated.
This time Kim and Roman are settled in at their favorite 'Debriefing' environs and hashing out their just ended adventure in Las Vegas with Drakken, Shego, Dementor and the Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer. For your entertainment, here's our take on 'Ron the Man'.
9
Muscles Don't Make Ron the Man
Bueno Nacho. Middleton, Colorado:
Talking softly so no one outside their booth could listen in, "Well we finally confirmed what the Captain told us didn't we Roman?", Kim asked before she took a sip of her soda.
"Da, her Intel on the PDVIs and Molecular Muscle Rings vere on de nose.", Roman grimaced at the memory of the antics that resulted from Barkin's order to wear said ring; his whack muscle-beach behavior piled on more to his façade of school loser, "He must have all sorts of things that, in the wrong hands, are a threat to the world.", the blond replied.
Kim too remembered Roman's reluctance at following orders that dropped him ever deeper into the abyss of teen loserdom. She likewise frowned in sympathy at her partner's continued spiral down the school food chain during this mission.
"Yeah now ve know some of hes 'client list' and some of the little gadgets he has on hand, Eh can see that we're going to haf to make a little raid on his headquarters to inventory everything that he has in his warehouse. E have bad feeling we have only touched tip of iceberg.", Ron muttered quietly as he struggled at grasping his Naco, frowning as he was still not up to par yet from a previous, harsh mission.
The Naco firmly in hand, Roman looked to Kim in triumph, "But at least Hench knew who Ron Stoppable es...", then faltering, "Well sort of."
Snort, "Shows just how good of intelligence he has doesn't it? And it shows just how good our stories are too. But we really have to keep on our toes or HenchCo may find out the truth about you and me.", Kim said, her eyebrows knitting together slightly.
Then rubbing her chin, "Maybe when we break into his files we can get some clues of where he gets his information and we can shut them down as well.", the red head mused lowly before pausing to look at her partner. "Because if anyone ever gets their hands on our true identity information, we're all sunk.", Roman nodded solemnly.
Then raising her voice, "Ron, what was it like with all those muscles? It was like you had a different persona, like you were a completely different person."
"Et wes diffecult. Eh felt unbeatable almost like Eh was a god. But et es good ve found vat the PVDI vas. Ve must make sure det et never gets out again. Even deh Captain vas shocked."
Then he turned to look her in the eyes, "Eh heve question Lieutenant."
At her nod, Roman asked, "Ven vou say to take off ring, vhat vas going on?"
"Well first you weren't thinking right. I guess because you wanted to use brute force to fix things and then you just tossed me and the Captain aside like we were toys...", Kim said as she remembered what their Mission CO said to Roman clicked in her mind, "And Barkin was completely out of line when he told you that a man is large and strong. That's his ideal man, large and strong like he is.", she said while not looking directly at Roman.
Turning her green eyes back to look at him, "But there are a lot of good men..", she hesitated, "Who are not big and aren't buff…They are men, who even though they're not allowed to see their children, that make sure that money is sent to them to make sure that their needs are taken care of. A guy who makes sure he accomplishes his mission no matter what the personal cost is to him. Roman...you know you have a lot...", Kim's mouth snapped shut as Monique walked up.
"Hey GF what's going on?", she said brightly, then looked Ron up and down condescendingly, "Looks like Ron here lost that muscle ring. What'd you do break it?", dripping with sarcasm, "If ya did, I'd hate to see how much it costs to fix it."
"Oh hi Monique...Uh yeah, Ron broke the thing. I guess they're not as tough as HenchCo advertised in their catalog.", Kim replied as she lightly kicked Roman under the table to get him to play along.
"Da da, vell it vas vun vhile et lasted eh?", Roman mused, then realized he wasn't in character. Monique's mouth dropped open in surprise.
"Ron Stoppable? Why are you speaking with an accent?", Monique asked, realizing she may have a gossip scoop on her hands.
"Uh...well uh...", Kim began in an attempt to cover her partner's slip.
"Ah sorry Monique, KP didn't tell you, but I went to Israel over the summer.", Roman said as he regrouped.
At both ladies' looks of askance, each for completely different reasons, one in fear, the other in glee, "You know I have that fear of monkeys, and my parents saw this advertisement in the local Jewish paper of a program based there would cure me of that phobia."
Each woman was now wondering where this was going, and again for different reasons as Roman/Ron drove on.
"Now I know a little Hebrew, but not with the accents, so I spent a couple of weeks in training to get ready. But once there I did pickup on the accents and every so often I slip back into Hebrew, with the accent.", Roman explained as Kim, realizing his ruse, slowly let out the breath she had been holding until then. Monique, on the other hand, opened her eyes wider in incredulity at the blond sidekick's randomness.
"All classes and therapy were in Hebrew, and every so often I slip back into the accent.", Roman explained with a well-known goofy grin affixed to his face.
Still not quite appeased, "Oh I didn't know, but I thought that sounded more...I guess German than what I thought Hebrew was.", Monique replied, but at the very least accepted his explanation.
"Well it was more Yiddish than real Hebrew so you have me there, Monique. So if you please, well you sit down with es?", Roman invited as he made sure to mess up a couple of words. Kim, still a little gun-shy about Roman's almost blowing their cover in front of the town's gossip queen, flinched.
Noticing Kim's flinch, "Uh and Kim, after lunch why don't we take a walk and go play on the Mankey bars?", Roman teased her, while managing to stay in Essential Ronness-mode.
"Ron.", the red head growled, "Quit making fun of Josh's last name, so quit your ragging on him...But yeah a walk sounds good too to help digest all this cheese I've been eating. If I keep this up I'm gonna have to start eating salads or I'm gonna get fat."
"Why do you call Josh 'Monkey' anyway blondie?", Monique air quoted in irritation, "He's a nice guy and Kim and he make such a cute couple."
"Ah, well he takes away some of my time from KP, and I guess I'm a little jealous that's all. After all, we've known each other since we were about four haven't we KP?", Roman asked.
"Yeah about that long, does seem like a lot longer than that sometimes. Like my whole life.", Kim half smiled with her eyes narrowing at Roman.
"Yeah I guess Ron here could make it seem like forever.", Monique smiled, her interest in Kim and Josh dating was mostly for the gossip gold she could mine from them.
Expelling a frustrated breath, "Seems like it sometimes Monique. But anyway what's going on?", the red head asked.
"Well I have a party lined up on Halloween and I thought you'd like to come. That is, if you're interested in coming. Josh's band is playing at it and it might give you a chance to get some alone time with artist-boy.", Monique teased.
"Sure, we'd like to come Monique, it sounds like fun.", Roman cut in, now completely back in character.
Looking to him as if he was intruding on something important, "Uh Ron... sorry, but the invitation is for Kim only. I mean I have her meeting Josh there.", she said with a look that had Duh written all over it.
"Let's face it you're a nice guy and all, but shouldn't you really stick to T or T?", Monique replied a little too sarcastically.
The red head looked a bit weakly at her partner and caught his miniscule nod, "Uh well I sorta promised Mom that..."
Roman cut her off ,"Kimik...er Kim would love to go to your party with Monique. I totally forgetted about T and T, how forgetful of meh." Then striking a goofy, yet thoughtful pose, "Now where ded E put meh costume?", his irritation and accent heavily intruding again before he reined them both back in.
Now totally bewildered at Roman's outburst, "Can you guys wait here while I get something to eat, I wanna talk to Kim about the party and what she should wear.", Monique turned away, shaking her head.
"Sure Monique, we'll be right here.", Kim replied staring at Roman with a look that said 'don't say anything more.' Getting the non-verbal message, he took a deep breath and started counting to a hundred.
"OK be right back.", the fashion diva replied over her shoulder as she walked to the counter.
"What is your problem Roman?", Kim hissed lowly, and testily.
"Just this…you are hottie not the Ruskie guy, you have to go to party to maintain image, mine is set in stone under Food Chain basement. Remember Ron is loser, nyet?", he replied just as softly.
"Roman I'm not that shallow..."
"E know, but es what everyone expects...You have to stay in image no matter what. You are the face of the Team; you have to play by those rules. I'll stay in background like always.", he told her, "Remember not only Monique watching, but Bonnie too and villains. You must look like average Amerikan girl.", Roman reminded her, his demeanor guarded, yet vulnerable.
"I know, but we've been through so much..All the blood and gore…I don't like you being pushed away like that.", Kim replied sympathetically at seeing the hurt in his big brown eyes, before her eyes narrowed slightly, "And we're not done with talking about the last mission..."
"Oh hi again Monique, what did you order?", Ron slipped over to make room on the bench seat, signaling Kim to get back to her teen persona.
"Oh just the usual, a Naco and a couple of burritos.", she replied. "Now about what you're going to wear at…"
Looking at a non-existent watch on his wrist, "Hey look at the time. I uh have to get Rufus his to go order. KP, I uh will meet you at the playground later on, so see ya later. Monique see ya too.", Ron raised an eyebrow to her as he signaled Monique to let him out.
"Ron, are you sure you have to go? I mean I didn't mean to run you off.", Monique asked. 'Well at least he won't be around now so Kim and I can have a girl type talk without him bothering us. He does make it hard to talk to her sometimes; too bad he won't grow up.'
"Yes et es past Rufus's meal time and I have to go, you know, Zombie Mayhem and all. Em quite busy.", the blond replied with that disarmingly goofy grin, further reinforcing his 'not the sharpest tool in the shed' role.
"What's wrong with Ron?", Monique asked after he left and went to the counter to order the takeout meal for Rufus.
Her face darkening, "For a friend Monique you sure treat my best friend like a pile of dog crap.", Kim replied, one eyebrow lowered dangerously.
"What do you mean?", Monique asked, surprised at Kim's statement and sudden change in demeanor.
"I mean how you treat Ron...", she shook her head in exasperation, "He doesn't want people to know...But he always pushes me out of the way when something blows up."
At Monique's look of total surprise, "You know why he opts out of swimming in gym?", Kim asked her friend, who shook her head.
"For that matter, have you ever seen Ron without a shirt?", Kim asked evenly.
Monique's head shook in the negative, "Well I have, and it looks like he's been put through a meat grinder..."
Kim's friend's jaw dropped, "Mom used to fix him up, but he does his own stitching now." Her friend looked on in horror. "Rufus helps with places that he can't reach.", Monique's face was now etched in shame and guilt.
"Now after considering all that, earlier you just literally called him a boy, who is not worthy of a girl's affections. In my book that's pretty cruel.", Kim informed her.
After her jaw snapped shut, "Well the way he acts...with all the phobias he's got, nobody would ever think that he's...uh you know the hero type.", Monique replied, weakly offering an explanation for her behavior towards Ron.
"And in your mind Monique, just what is the hero type?", Kim asked deciding it was time to puncture her friend's misinformed attitude on the subject of what heroes looked or acted like.
"The girls are pretty, you know, like you are and the guys are cute and buff sort of like Brick.", Monique replied after she thought about it.
Kim snorted and shook her head in disgust. "OK what did I miss then?", the fashion expert asked.
"Do you remember when we had that Veterans Day assembly at the school?", Kim asked.
"Yeah, so?", Monique said, not sure where this came from or where it was going.
The red head took a sip of her soda before continuing, "Did we not call them all heroes?"
"Yeah, again, so what?", Monique asked, still mystified as to this conversation's destination.
Her actions slow and deliberate as she placed her drink silently on the table, before she lightly grasped her hands and placed them before her, flat on the table, "Just this...Can you tell me how many of them, for their age, were cute like Brick or had his build? 'Cause I sure didn't see many.", Kim posed the question without giving away her own past experiences or involvement in these settings.
"Uh, maybe one or two.", the African-American teen replied as she remembered the event the Vice Principal had set up earlier in the school year.
"Well I checked…when they served, those cute buff guys were mechanics in their unit's motor pools. The undersized, not so hot guys who weren't much to look at by their counterparts' standards...well most of them had been in combat…those Veterans all had Combat Infantry Badges on their uniforms to go with all their other service ribbons. Two or three were Special Forces types too.", Kim said to Monique's surprise at these revelations and how her friend would know this.
But before she could think further on this, Kim interrupted her thoughts, "So the point to this is, and I'm not bashing the hunks mind you, they were important to what the overall mission was while they were in uniform too, but the little guys that you tend to overlook because they weren't as easy on the eyes as the hunks, were the ones doing the really dangerous jobs. And sometimes what you see of them now is because of what happened to them when they performed those jobs in combat."
Kim's eyes narrowing, "And in the eyes of those who just look superficially at them, they are overlooked, just like you, and practically everyone else, tend to overlook Ron. Sure I'd like to date a nice handsome guy, but don't count my best friend out because he's not very big, or buff or doesn't look golden to the food chain elite.", Kim cautioned her friend.
"Yeah sure, Ron has his phobias and he acts weird,", Kim replied speaking towards Roman's façade portrayed to the world, "but that doesn't stop him from having my back when the stuff hits the fan. He's got more guts than anyone else I know when he goes into places he so totally fears going into while he's literally shaking in his shoes.", she enlightened Monique, silently realizing she had glimpsed something of this before she had ever met Roman Stopblaski, or began this mission.
"I didn't realize Kim...", a flabbergasted Monique finally got her mouth moving again.
"And now you do Moni, and you just grew up a little. Try not to forget what I told you, it's important to me.", Kim smiled, then looked to the door, "Listen I have to go talk to Ron. We can talk later about what I'm going to wear for your party Monique."
"Hey can I go with you? I guess I should apologize to him.", Monique asked.
"I'll explain, but I don't want him to know what I told you about his scars, so just drop that part OK? But don't forget it either.", Kim asked.
"Yeah sure. I won't say anything, but thanks for letting me know." Then perking up, "Hey Kim, do you think he'll want to come to the party, too?"
Kim thought for a moment before replying, "No...Don't ask. He'll figure that I told you about him and he'll get mad at me and I so don't want to lose my best friend over something like this. Just amp down the loser barbs a little, I know they bother him, but don't mention what we talked about to anyone else 'cause they might blab."
"Sure, I can do that. I'll call you later Kim.", Monique told her.
"Yeah see ya later Monique.", Kim replied as she got up to go in search of the blond haired young man..
XX
Middleton Park:
Sighing as he stood next to a park bench, the blond young man looked off into the distance when he felt a presence standing beside him. Looking down, he saw a small hand that slipped into one at his side.
"Roman, I'm sorry that they treat you this way.", Kim said while motioning for him to sit.
"Em sorry E lose temper. Et es so hard sometimes." Then shrugging, "Anyway E could use some night time at range.", he told her.
"Ok, that sounds like a good way to burn off some aggravation. Need a partner?", Kim asked hopefully.
At his headshake in the negative, "Well then, maybe later I can spend a little time trick or treating with you...I mean they all are supposed to think I'm a teen...that we are teens.", she asked.
"Vell maybe a lettle."
"Good now, now lets get back to where we were before Monique interrupted us…", Kim said as she looked into his eyes. "So what was being that strong really like…?"
XXXX
And here's another tale along the trail of Unheard Flipper's AU…
Now the disclaimer: Kim Possible and all the characters and locales from the Program are Disney's property. Roman Stopblaski is Unheard Flipper's creation and has graciously loaned him to us for these tales. No cash is being made from our borrowing them, so keep the lawyers away.
Hope you liked and see you next time.