A/N: This started out a bit different but after reading RevSrVixena's Everything I'm Not I scraped the first draft and wrote whatever. You should really check that story out, it's far better than this. I just wanted to get over some writer's block and figured what better way than by writing something I knew I couldn't so that everything else would seem easy. Anyways hope you enjoy. Read and review.
Song info: Okay by Swirl 360 I think it fits Ron perfectly. He's not a bad guy. He and Kim just both deserve better than each other couple-wise.
Ron Stoppable was by all means and purposes clueless. Maybe it was his blond hair. Maybe it was the fact that people said it so much that he started to believe it. Whatever the reason, Ron possessed the unique ability of not realizing things that were so blatantly presented directly in his face. Like the time when Shego posed as a teacher for his class. Or the time he went to school naked thinking it was a dream. Or the time….anyway, Ron tended to fall into the role of cluelessness fairly easily. This blissful awareness worked well for him, allowing his self-esteem to stay high even when it seemed like girls always laughed when he walked past them.
There had always been an exception to this rule though: Kim Possible. His best friend. His fearless leader. His girlfriend. Over the past year, he and Kim had finally taken the step that everyone expected of them and changed their relationship forever. Since then, Ron felt like he was in total sync with his beautiful redhead. They were perfect for each other. He joined the football team, becoming the star athlete, and she was head cheerleader. He could cook anything he set his mind to and she needed a hand just to crack an egg. He needed someone to make him more serious and she needed someone to help her let loose. Also, he was a great distraction while she fought off the heavy-handed villains. Yep, to the outside world, they were perfect for each other, but unlike the outside world Ron Stoppable was just clueless not blindly stupid.
Being friends with Kim Possible for over a decade allowed Ron to be there for major moments in her life. Maybe that was why, standing on the middle ring of the ladder to her old bedroom, he wasn't as shocked by the scene that played before him as most people would expect. Hell he was more shocked that it hadn't happened sooner than this, though from the looks of it this had definitely happened before. That being said, it didn't stop his heart from breaking as he stood and watched the two. Still, it wasn't the first time he had been in this position, watching from the inside out, debating internally on what he should do, be a friend to Kim and be happy that she's happy or be the guy who always wanted to be the one making her happy. Silently, he gazed at the two of them together feeling his pulse racing. Yep, he'd definitely been here before.
She sat me down and took me by the hand
She said I'll try to make this painless if I can
She was sorry and then she began to cry
Couldn't look me in the eye
I said baby let me just save you the time
The first time he had noticed something a bit different about Kim was in ninth grade. He had been friends with her since preschool and for the past two years he started to see her in a whole new light. She was no longer just his best friend. She was a girl. A cute girl. A cute girl who liked being around him. Sure he never told her about his crush on her, but he figured there was no point. She didn't hang out with any guys but him. She never talked about guys like he heard some of the other cheerleaders do in the hallways. True she obsessed over the Oh Boyz like every other girl in school, but she would never meet them so that was okay. In Ron's eyes Kim was practically his girlfriend, but that all changed with one phone call.
He was the first person she called when she kissed Walter Nelson in ninth grade. Technically it had been the school counselor who called him. It seemed Kim and Walter had gotten their braces locked together and she really didn't want to explain the situation to her mother. Ron knew then and there that clearly Kim wasn't his girlfriend. It hurt a bit but Kim was his friend and this situation was too funny to be mad about so he got his mom to drop them off at the orthodontist.
Walking out of the office Ron could do nothing but laugh as he stared at the steadily reddening face of his best friend. She tried fruitlessly to hide behind her hair, but he knew that she could see him.
"You know KP I didn't think it was possible to get your braces stuck to another person's," the blond boy said with a smile to break the ice.
"Yeah well," Kim began dejectedly, "Anything's possible for a Possible." She shot him a half smile and flipped her hair out of her face. "Guess I was a bit too overzealous," she continued as they left the building and turned down the sidewalk into the direction of her house.
Ron's brows dipped in confusion, "What do you mean?"
Kim's blush returned to her face as her eyes searched for anything to stare at but the curious brown eyes directed at her. "Well I was trying to hurry and get it done. I didn't want to back out so I just sort of slammed my mouth against his. I didn't realize he was still talking though so my lips hit his teeth pretty hard, which hurt a lot I gotta tell you. So I gasped and went to pull away and they sort of just locked together." By the end of the explanation, the young girl's face was redder than her hair and she looked completely defeated.
"Wow that is so not badical. I'm sorry that happened KP." Reaching over to wrap his arm around her shoulder, he felt her sag into his side as she whispered a soft word of thanks. Walking quietly as they made it to her neighborhood Ron couldn't stop himself from asking the one thing that had been on his mind since he got the counselor's call. "So why'd you kiss him anyway? I mean you never told me you had a crush on Walter," he questioned. Noting the hint of jealousy in his own voice, he wiggled his eyebrows as he added, "We could have invited him to Bueno Nacho night if you had wanted to kiss him so much."
"Oh God no Ron," Kim replied while giving him a playful shove, "I don't have a crush on Walter. It just happened okay?" Smiling back at him, Kim cartwheeled a few feet away before shrugging, "I just did it to do it. I mean all the cheerleaders were talking about their first kiss with guys and then they looked at me and I had nothing to say. I didn't want to feel like a loser if the topic came up again so when I saw Walter I asked him about the student council meeting I had missed for practice and just went for it. Def not the best plan I ever had."
"Hey, I haven't had my first kiss yet either you know. You calling me a loser?" Ron feigned offense as he held his hand to his heart, trying to make light of the situation. Rufus chose this moment to crawl out of his pocket, latching onto his pants loop and perching upon his shoulder to back up his friend, "Yea yuser." What neither of them noticed until Kim's laughter broke through their staring was Ron's pants on the cement, obviously having fallen from the naked mole rat's movement.
Ron hurried to pull his pants up as Kim walked up to him, shaking her head as she continued to giggle. "No Ron you are definitely not a loser." Smiling up at him, she hugged him close before yanking his hand and dragging him along the street to her house as it came into view. "It's just I'm a high school cheerleader now," Kim continued, her voice a mixture of determination and sadness, which Ron reasoned was due to her earlier mishap. "We're supposed to kiss boys."
Ron was jolted from his memory by a sound he had yet to have the pleasure of causing himself. Memory forgotten, he gaped jealously as Kim moaned into the mouth attached to hers. Fingers tangling in hair as their bodies molded together against her bedroom wall, Ron could tell by their closed eyes that they had yet to notice his head sticking out of the door on her floor. They were in a world of their own; just as it had always been.
Looking up at the two, he fought the urge to yell out in anger. Kim was still his girlfriend, clearly she was a cheating girlfriend, but she was still his. He was supposed to be the one making her moan. He was supposed to be the one kissing her passionately as her parents were out the house. He was supposed to be the one attacking his girlfriend's lover, but he couldn't. He never could. He had suspected for so long and yet not once did he try to handle things. Not once did he try to talk to her about his suspicions. Instead he did as he always did, sat back and waited until the distraction was gone so he could bask in whatever attention Kim would give him.
Dropping his eyes to the stairs below him, the broken hearted boy sighed quietly as he tried to drown out the sounds coming from the room above him. Stepping down a ring to hide his head, Ron sat on the steps to stare at the wall across from him as tears slid slowly down his cheek.
I can see where this is going
Tears will fall and hearts will break
Love's a game we all must play
So dry your eyes and be on your way
As for me I'll be okay
After Kim had kissed Walter, the young Jew had tried to push all romantic feelings for Kim as far away from his brain as possible and focus on just being her best friend. He thought he did a good job at it too. They would talk to each other openly about the people they crushed on, Ron crushing on far more people than Kim, but he was a teenage boy so who was he to be as picky as the world saving Kim Possible. If she had all her teeth and walked on two legs then Ron would go for it, striking out more times than seemed probable, but that was okay because Kim was always there. Who needed a date to a dance, when you could go with your best friend? Surely he didn't, at least not until Josh "Monkey" switched schools. Every girl was after him so it was no surprise when Kim fell hard for the laidback artist also.
That had to be the second sign that Ron had from Kim. The normally confident girl who could do anything lost all nerve around the pretty boy and Ron couldn't understand why. She seemed awkweird and tongue-tied whenever in his presence. She would sigh whenever she saw him walk by just as all the other girls did and rambled on about the frosted tips of his hair and slim build and perfectly tanned skin. Mankey was the perfect would be boyfriend according to Kim. He was sensitive. He didn't eat meat. He was almost Kim's size, which she claimed to love because muscles were overrated. He highlighted his own hair and made sure that, unlike other guys, any hair not on his head was perfectly shaven. Not one to tease someone for being different, Ron would ignore the thoughts in his head and scarf down nacos as Kim daydreamed.
When the two finally became somewhat of an item, Ron was beyond confused. Still that didn't stop him from trying to save their first date or more specifically Kim's life. As he travelled through the jungle, Wade sent him a video feed of Kim at the restaurant as Shego did all that she could to embarrass Kim into nonexistence. The light blush that normally found its way to her cheeks when around Josh was gone and she smiled widely as her and Shego fought in the hallways of the restaurant. Her eyes lingered on Shego's form as she dodged her attacks before returning to her waiting date. After saving the day, Ron watched as the two enjoyed the rest of their night together.
That was what he seemed to be best at, watching. He watched Kim and Josh date and complained the whole time about his best friend's boyfriend; though he still did anything he could to make sure that the two worked out. He watched her move on to Hirotaka, only because Monique liked him. Then to Bobby Johnson, only because Bonnie liked him. None of the guys were anything special and he made sure to tell her so. To make matters worse, as sophomore year began to wane on, it became ever more apparent that Team Possible was more accurately Kim Possible and sidekick. He held his own when it came to certain villains, Duff Killigan and Drakken certainly couldn't take him and MonkeyFist was more his arch foe than Kim's, but still he could never do some of the things that she did like fighting Shego. Especially like fighting Shego. Not that he ever got the chance. He'd taken his fair share of kicks and blows from the green hued woman but for the most part Shego was entirely Kim's. It was just their well-known battle plan, whether they came through a side door, a window, or the air ducts as soon as Drakken screamed the words "Kim Possible" they would split ways, Kim wrestling for control with the plasma wielding woman as he took to stopping whatever plan the mad scientist had concocted. Still, he didn't let any of this get to him. Life was good.
"Life was good," Ron thought to himself as his tears dried on his cheek. Things had been so perfect back then. He and Kim would be interested in people, but at the end of the day it was always just them. He wished they could go back to those days. Back when they were both purely innocent. Back before he could put a word to the weirdness he felt from Kim.
Rising as gently as possible, Ron made his way down the hall and into the master bedroom. His hands were shaking lightly as he shut the bathroom door in order to muffle the sound of the faucet. The water splashed gently on his face, cooling the heat he felt within but not diminishing it. That didn't stop him from repeating the process. Something had to stifle the feelings coursing through his skin. Grabbing a towel hanging on the wall, Ron allowed the soft cotton to wipe away any signs that he had been crying. Dark brown eyes flitted around the room searching for anything to look at but his reflection. He couldn't do it just yet. If he did, he knew that the truth of it all would be staring back at him. Instead he stared down at his hands gripping tightly onto the counter as if they were the only things holding him up.
Who was he kidding? Whether he looked or not, he knew the truth, had known it ever since their first day together as a couple. Hell, he knew part of it the moment that Erik came into their lives. There would always be someone else. He would never have Kim to himself. He had known it for years but chose to ignore the pessimistic thoughts in the hopes that their relationship would change things. How could they not work out?
Well I thought we were that perfect match
It's so hard to say that now without a laugh
There was never ever such a thing
Not as far as I can see
Now that all of love such misery
Things had been going good for Ron following junior year at Middleton High. He was no longer a social outcast. He had a group of close friends who he trusted, he had a job that he loved, and he had finally gotten Kim to notice him as more than a friend. Sure the journey had been a long one, but he felt he deserved all the good fortune that had suddenly fallen into his lap. After daring to be different for so long, it had been only a matter of time before his efforts paid off.
He was now an athlete and not just any kind of athlete but a star football player. All the missions he went on were now shelling out in the form of mad football playing skills. The constant running from monkeys or dodging of Shego's plasma blasts made outrunning a few overweight high school jocks seem like child's play. Maybe he had freaked out a bit at first when he stole Kim's battle suit in order to be good but that was only so he wouldn't lose her interest and if anyone knew how fast Kim lost interest it would be him.
Kim. The name played in his mind like a record on repeat. She was everything he could want in a girl and more. She was truly the All-American girl next door that any guy would want and she wanted him. At least he thought she wanted him. There were moments though that made him doubt. Maybe he read too much into things. Or maybe he didn't have as much confidence in the Ron-man as he thought. Or maybe it was karma coming back for all those times he forced a rift between them whenever Kim was dating a guy. Whatever the reason, Ron couldn't help but feel a disconnect between himself and Kim that he couldn't explain. Everyone around them said they were perfect for each other. He was already always at the Possible house most nights of the week so he didn't have to go through any awkward meeting of the parents. He didn't even get the rocket threat from Mr. Dr. P.
It seemed like he wasn't the only one in their lives who had expected it to happen. Everyone did, friends, classmates, their families. Everyone expected it, well everyone but Monique and all of their villains it seemed. That had been the tipping point. The villains cracking jokes about them constantly was annoying but something he could easily shake off. What did they know anyway? But it seemed like the Monique that had cheered for them as they walked into prom holding hands and the Monique who came into school the first day of senior year were two entirely different people. Unlike their other friends she never made comments about how cute they were together or how it was only a matter of time. She would just stare at them from across their cafeteria table, her hazel eyes sliding down Kim's frame and then his as if they were animals at a zoo meant to be observed. Her laughter hadn't changed when around them and she still met up with them to watch wrestling and hang out but Ron started to notice that she was almost always at Kim's side.
It was probably just jealousy. No he didn't think Monique was jealous of him or Kim, but he did think he was jealous of her. Since dating Kim, Monique had become her best friend. Whenever he wasn't around her, she was always out with Monique. Whenever they were out on a date, Monique would always text her. Whenever the Possibles were out of town and he wanted to spend some alone time with his favorite lady, she always had plans to sleep by Monique. It wasn't until Shego had been turned into Ms. Go that Ron began to fully understand what was going on.
Walking alone in the mall Ron couldn't help but sigh. Kim and Rufus had left him to go with Shego to watch of all things The Memopad. Ew. Now he was left to his own devices and he had no idea what to do. With Rufus gone he had no one to play video games with and Felix was at some convention. Wandering aimlessly, he almost missed someone calling his name from a few feet away. Monique jogged a bit to stand by his side and smiled at him. "Hey boyfriend what are you doing walking all by your lonesome?"
"Oh, I was just trying to figure out what to do since Kim is spending all her time with Shego," Ron replied rubbing the back of his neck lazily.
A sad smile crossed the caramel skinned girl as she stared at him before grabbing his hand and grinning at him playfully, "Well how about you and me go to BN and I'll let you scarf down some nacos on me?"
Ron felt his face light up at the suggestion and without answering began to pull her along to the food court. If they hurried they could get there and have enough time to enjoy the 2 for 1 deal before the mall closed. He heard her laughing as she paid for both their meals. "Good thing I get paid Friday or your naco obsession would have me broke," Monique joked as she watched Ron shove half a naco into his mouth.
"Yeah well with Shego staying with Kim, we haven't had much time at Bueno Nacho," the blond boy answered, mouth still half full.
"I bet," Monique replied under her breath. Shaking her head, she took a bite of her salad before continuing the conversation, "Those two really have a lot in common it seems. Who would have thought that?"
Ron hmphed and rolled his eyes, "Yeah they're like super close now. It's so sick and wrong but Kim doesn't' seem to see it that way."
"Maybe she just wants to get to know another side of her nemesis Ron. I mean, those two have totes been at each other's throats for so long, it must be nice to finally get to see a different side of her. To stop all the pointless fighting and be friends," Monique offered up making Ron pause in his eating.
"What would she want to do that for though?" he asked the girl, staring at her as if she had just said that Bueno Nacho was discontinuing the naco. It made no sense in his head. Kim had plenty of friends. Even if she didn't, she was always with him or Monique anyway. "Besides she's already got a BFF," Ron went on jealousy dripping from his voice, "Surprised you and her aren't talking now. Seems like every time we hang she's texting you."
Monique blinked confusedly at the boy for what felt like a full minute before understanding crossed her face. "You're just upset because you're lonely right now BF so I won't even ask what that's supposed to me."
An awkward silence settled between the two as they avoided each other's gaze and finished their respective meals. "Ron look," Monique started, after noticing him picking lazily at his food, but before she could finish they were interrupted by peals of laughter from across the mall. Turning in the direction of the noise, they watched as Shego was chased by a giggling Kim Possible. Before catching her, Kim jumped onto the older woman's back and wrapped her limbs tightly around the body against her while screaming for her to run faster. The two women continued down the aisles of the mall without noticing the eyes watching them closely.
"Well they look happy," Monique said laughingly as she shook her head.
"Yeah. They do," Ron uttered softly.
"Funny the things you notice when you just stop to look huh?"
Ron could feel her eyes bearing into him, as he stared after the two. "Makes you see things in a different light I guess," Ron answered with a shrug of his shoulders.
"You know," the fashion diva stated as she stood from the table, "Maybe if people stopped just watching and started to notice things, they'd see something in themselves and others that they'd been missing for a long time now." Dropping the cryptic tone, Monique winked down at him "I gtg. Ttyl bf. My parents will have a total cow if I don't get back with their car on time."
Time stood still for Ron as he examined the mirror. Ron Stoppable. That's all he saw when he looked in the mirror. His self. He didn't notice anything different. Red veins dominated the whites of his eyes, but that was to be expected. Other than that he was the same guy he had always been. He had grown a few inches since that time in the mall. He was now much taller than Kim. He was a bit more muscular too. There was light stubble around his jawline and a barely there goatee was beginning to form on his chin. His outside may have changed but inside he felt exactly the same. If anything he was just a more mature looking Ron Stoppable.
"I should have taken her advice," Ron told his reflection. "Now look at me. Crying in a bathroom as my girlfriend makes out with someone else." Seeing that the man in the mirror had no reply for him, Ron turned away angrily and slid down the wall. "I knew this would happen you know? I admit I'm a bit clueless but I'm not blind. I've known Kim my whole life. There was no way I wouldn't have known." The now fallen man scoffed to himself before laughing lightly. "Monique knew I knew. That's the funny part. Soon as she said it, I knew we had both seen it. No one else seemed to but we had. Hell Kim probably didn't see it for years."
Kim probably didn't see it for years. With that thought, tears began to fall freely from his eyes. All those times when he caught her sighing wistfully as she doodled in her notebook in class. All those moments she'd open her locker to stare off into space without hearing a word he said. All those times when she'd strive to be just like the other cheerleaders. All the determination she put into keeping up appearances and fitting in. The smile she'd get on her face after Wade would call with an assignment. The way her eyes lit up when she faced Shego. The taunts and caresses the two would share when they went head to head. The hurt she verbalized during the Lil Diablo's mission. The broken look in her eyes as he grabbed her hand and led her into the dance. The slight hesitance in her touch when they kissed. He noticed it all. He knew what it all meant, but he didn't care. He didn't care when she would make up outrageous lies for cancelling dates. He didn't care when she would walk slightly ahead of him as they made their way to school. He didn't care during her announcement of attending Go University or the times when she'd open her mouth as if to tell him something only to shake her head and close up again. All he cared about was having her. That's all he ever cared about and, because he had ignored Monique, he was just noticing.
You can see where this is going
Tears will fall and hearts will break
Love's a game we all must play
So dry your eyes and be on your way
As for me I'll be okay
Wiping the tears from his face, he ripped the door open and walked out of the bedroom. No Ron Stoppable wasn't blind. He had seen the signs. He hadn't needed to see the redhead kissing the thief like her life depended on it for him to know the truth, but he had anyway. And he didn't need to hear the thump of the bed or Kim screaming out Shego's name to know that they were sleeping together, but karma was a bitch and you get what you deserved. Clenching his fists, he resisted the urge to climb the ladder again and walked down the stairs to plant himself on the couch. He would sit here until the two finished and then talk to Kim. She might have cheated on him, but he had done far worse for years, ignoring all the signs. Yes, Ron Stoppable wasn't blind but he was clueless, and finally it was time for him to make the right choice.
We'll be okay
Review and tell me your thoughts, opinions, ideas for other characters. - Ivy