Stargazing

"Dr. D, remind me again why we have to drag ourselves up this stupid mountain, in the middle of the night, with all this junk?"

"Nrrrgg! It's not junk, Shego, it's state-of-the-art astronomy equipment. And it's going to help us conquer the world! By plotting the sun's angle with the earth, I will be able to capture cosmic rays, which I will then use to-"

With an almighty huff, the mean green villainess dumps the large pack carrying the equipment on the ground. By the light of his flashlight, Drakken could see she was still managing to maintain her usual sassy stance on the rough, sloped ground.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Look Doc, world-conquering or not, I'm not carrying this stuff one step farther. I don't see why you couldn't have had one of your dumb henchmen do this!"

"But Shego, we're so close to the top!" Drakken whines, pouting. "Besides, you don't hear me complaining about my pack."

"As I recall, you're the one carrying the snacks, not the equipment!" Shego snaps back.

Drakken continues trudging up the path, snorting in annoyance. Shego stays stubbornly behind. Whipping around, the mad scientist extraordinaire fixes his sidekick with his best menacing glare.

"SHEGO! For once, will you just listen to me! What do I pay you for anyway?"

Shego merely smirks at her boss's ranting.

"Pretty sure 'pack mule' wasn't included in the job description, Dr. D."

"FINE! Mmmm! Fine… fine! I'll trade packs with you! Just come on! We have to make it to the top while the cosmic rays are at their peak!"

For just a second, something like surprise flickers across Shego's face. Drakken drops his pack, then shoulders Shego's with a grunt. Picking up the lighter load, the villainess starts up the trail again behind Drakken, puzzling over her boss's behavior. He was usually so selfish. She couldn't think of a single other time he had helped her. Sure, there was an incentive; he wanted to hurry to get the cosmic-whatever-it-was, but still… it was unlike him. Really, this whole mission was strange. He had spent all afternoon in the lair's spacious kitchen making snacks to bring. Sandwiches, hot chocolate, cookies, even those peanut butter stickies she secretly liked. Then, he had not bothered to bring any henchmen. Just her. Shego's apple-green eyes narrowed in suspicion. Something was up, and she was going to find out what.

A few minutes later, the ground begin to level out. Through the trees, the villains could see a grassy clearing. Moonlight was filtered through the nearby trees, making glowing spots sway on the forest floor like disco lights. It was kind of pretty, Shego thought. Although she would never say so. Her maniac boss was already beginning to unpack the equipment. Out of her own bundle, Shego pulled a large blanket and spread it on the grass. She contemplated taking her nail file out, but something stopped her. Maybe it was the sky, blacker-than-black and generously salted and peppered with stars. Maybe it was the smells and sounds of the woods, such a beautiful contrast from the cold and clinical lair lab. Or perhaps, just possibly, it was Dr. D, sitting comfortably on the blanket next to her, looking up through a telescope and enthusing about all the constellations and planets above.

"…and look! There's the little dipper! And Jupiter! I think- or is that Mars? Nrrg!"

Drakken made a little frustrated hum as he adjusted the telescope. Shego flopped back on the blanket and squinted.

"Are you sure it's not Uranus?"

"What? No, of course not! That planet is rarely seen in this hemisphere, and-"

Stopping to raise an eyebrow at his giggling sidekick, the mad scientist reddened.

"Oh, I see. Ha ha Shego, very mature!"

"You walked right into that one."

Drakken peered down at his partner-in-crime, trying desperately to think of a comeback. Her long dark hair was liquid pooling around her pale face, and her eyes looked like their own distant galaxies woven with stars. She looked back at him, quirking her black cherry lips in a laughing smirk. This is a very inconvenient time to be thinking about how beautiful she is, Drakken thought. I'm trying to think of a zinger here!

But for all his effort, all that came out was an eloquent "Mrrrg!"

The evil doctor pouted, folding his arms and glaring.

Puffing a strand of hair away from her eyes, Shego said, "How long does it take to collect these cosmic ray thingies anyway?"

"Oh, five or six hours, give or take."

"Five or six?!... Dr. D, it's already 10!"

"Tough!"

Then the tell-tale whoosh of Shego's hands igniting.

"Eh, Shego! Let's n-not be hasty! I-I-I mean I can't control how long it takes! And you want us to conquer the world, don't you?"

Shego reluctantly extinguished her glow.

"Fine! It's not like I'm tired, I just don't want to be bored to tears waiting out here forever."

"Well, I could show you where the constellations and planets are! Or I could tell you about that one time in fifth grade, when Mother gave me a haircut for school pictures. Or the time in high school when I set the school chemistry lab on fire with only a rubber band and a Dorito! Or that other time-"

"Puh-lease! No childhood stories!"

"Alright, constellations it is! Oh, and we better bust out the PB stickies and cocoa moo! I'm already getting the tummy rumbles!"

Shego sighed loudly. He could be such a kid sometimes!

So, the megalomaniac flopped down next to the green lady and began giving a detailed description of the heavens. He traced them in the air, sometimes going off on tangents about the myths behind the sky's connect-the-dot patterns.

For once, Shego didn't think he was being all that boring. It was actually sort of interesting. Although she would never say so.

After an hour or so of munching on stickies and watching stars, Drakken noticed that his sidekick was oddly quiet. He turned over and found that she was… sleeping? Her eyes were closed and a peaceful expression graced her features. Her head was turned slightly to the side, and she was breathing quietly. Drakken had never really seen her sleep before. Sometimes she seemed so fierce, tough, and snarky that it was hard to imagine she ever just slept. He found that he liked how she slept; it was kind of cute. Although he would never say so.

Drakken turned back to the stars, his eyelids suddenly feeling heavier than lead. The bright pinpricks told him to let them fall, winking promises of sleep… So he did, and soon he was dreaming.

Shego felt pleasantly warm. She cuddled against her soft, warm blankets and inhaled slowly. The smell of laundry detergent, peanut butter, and a hint of engine grease curled around her senses. It was familiar. She softly hummed in contentment before pressing herself into the warmth and drifting back off…

Drakken smiled in his sleep. Not his evil-take-over-the-world smile, but the rare genuine smile. He was so comfortable, his arms wrapped around his teddy bear. He could smell cinnamon and something sharper, like apples. He cuddled his teddy bear closer and fell deeper into the inviting darkness.

It was Shego who woke first. Her forehead was resting against something warm and solid. Stirring, she discovered that she wasn't in her bed at the lair. The previous day's events started to return, and everything began to make more sense; being outside, on a blanket… Well, everything made sense except for the fact that she was snuggled against someone. The blue lab coat that she was pressed against left no doubt about who was using her as a teddy bear.

Shego's first thought was to kick him into next Wednesday and then begin a green plasma volley once he landed. She shifted a bit, raising her head, and found herself staring into the sleepy eyes of Dr. Drakken.

Drakken found himself staring into the furious green eyes of his sidekick.

"Mmmmm, good morning Shego… "

Drakken's eyes drooped shut for a moment, then snapped open in horror.

"GAH! Shego!"

Drakken sprang up, tripping over the blanket and falling on his face before scrambling up again and backing away from Shego nervously.

"Ah, now Shego, there's no need to be violent! I didn't mean to erm… cuddle you."

Shego growled, her hands ablaze. Drakken held his hands over his face, cringing as he prepared for the end. He could hear her getting closer. When he dared peek through a crack in his fingers, he could see she was only a few feet away.