Okay, this is just an idea that's been dancing around in my head for a little while. Stupid plot bunnies. This is why I can never finish writing one of my stories outside of Fanfiction; I just get so darn tempted!
I hate the mall. I hate, hate, hate the mall. How could I have liked this place so much when I was a teenager? A young woman with a fiery mane massaged her forehead in frustration.
"Oh, come on, Kim," the African-American woman beside her cajoled as if she could read her companion's mind. "You used to love the mall!"
"That was before I learned how to hear." The redhead glanced at a middle-aged woman walking nearby, holding the hand of a crying toddler while pushing a stroller containing a screaming infant. "Oh my God, do these people not notice the noise they're making?"
Anyone with eyes would recognize the pair as they walked through the bustling mall, though it had been almost four years since they had last been on the news. Kim Possible, former teen hero, had unofficially resigned from the saving-the-world business when she was eighteen, soon after the Lorwardian incident. Her companion and nine-year best friend, Monique, had remained more in touch with her teenage side than Kim had, hence the reason they were at the mall.
"Come on, Kim," Monique repeated, allowing a small whine to creep into her tone. "Just one more visit to Club Banana for old times' sake? Ron's even gonna meet us; it'll be like we're teens again!"
"Maybe in a bit," Kim groaned. She looked around desperately for a bench. "I think I'm getting a migraine."
Monique noticed what her friend was doing and led her over to a bench next to the bottom of an escalator. "Sure you are. And you can go home, too, right after we go on a shopping spree. It's been way too long."
"Mo-nique," Kim whined, sitting down on the cold metal bench.
"Ki-im," Monique mimicked. "You're exaggerating. I'll go get you a cup of water or something, but you have to promise you won't complain when we shop later. And you are not paying for anything," she added quickly before Kim could protest. "If you see Ron, tell him that, would ya?"
Kim closed her eyes and lay down lengthwise on the bench. "You and your stupid designer salary."
Monique chuckled a little and walked away. Kim, her eyes still closed, listened to her friend's footsteps as they faded away. A sort of half-smile crept across her face, but it disappeared when a particularly strong ache shot through her head.
"Damn screaming," she grumbled under her breath. "You'd think we were at a rock concert. Where the hell is Ron?"
She heard the bench squeak slightly as someone sat down beside her. She didn't move to make room, assuming it was Monique returning with a cup of water.
"Princess, you look like you're fighting a hangover."
Kim sat bolt upright, her eyes snapping open. The woman sitting beside her, absently picking at her nails, was most definitely not Monique. Her skin was an all too familiar green hue, and her familiar ebon hair was pulled tightly back behind her head in a sleek ponytail. Her piercing emerald eyes, accented with a light coating of violet eye shadow and black mascara, regarded Kim calmly.
"Shego?" whispered Kim.
Shego smiled in that funny way of hers, the corner of her mouth quirking up in an almost-smirk and her eyebrow raising slightly. "Hey, Princess."
Suddenly, Kim lunged for her former nemesis, throwing her arms around her neck. "Shego! Oh my God, I can't believe it's you!"
Shego, a bit startled by the sudden embrace, patted Kim on the back awkwardly. "Yeah, I know it's me. Can you please…um…tone it down with the public displays of affection? I still have a rep to keep up, ya know."
Kim pulled back, but she kept her arms around Shego's neck. "Sorry. It's just been so long!"
"Four years, Pumpkin. Learn to count." Shego smiled again to let Kim know she was joking around. "You're all grown up, now, aren't you?"
"Yeah. It's been four years." Kim smirked.
"No, that's not it. It's just that, in all the time I've known you, those are the first swear words I've ever heard you say."
"Oh. Well, I'm twenty-three. I have a right to say what I want."
Shego chuckled. "You starting to think you're old yet?"
"No. Why? Are you?"
"Kimmie, I'm twenty-eight. I am old." Shego grinned, a devilish and snarky grin that made Kim reminisce about the old days when they used to fight together. "Don't you worry. It'll come."
Kim nodded. Then, apparently unable to help herself, she hugged Shego again and refused to let go. "I missed you."
"I missed you too." Shego admitted, somewhat grudgingly. "It gets boring, not living under the radar. Not having adrenaline constantly rushing through my body at every given moment. Not getting any more chances to fight you anymore."
"I bet it's nice, though, being able to go out to the mall without being persecuted."
"It is," Shego admitted. "Especially when I get to meet a hot redhead while I'm there."
Kim blushed a shade of red that rivaled her hair. "Shego! We…I mean…we're not…not anymore…Shego!"
"Oh, lighten up," the older woman teased. "It's so fun teasing you. You get flustered so easily. It's pretty cute."
"What happened to not displaying affection in public?"
'Well, I figured since you refuse to stop hugging me, I've got nothing to lose."
"Once you actually hug back, maybe then I'll let go. Maybe."
Shego growled under her breath, but she wrapped her arms around the younger woman and embraced her gently. "You're still a little minx, you know that?"
"Hush." Kim headbutted her in the shoulder playfully.
The patrons of the mall who saw the two women on the bench stopped and stared for a moment before walking on. Everyone knew that there was a tense history between the two. Most people were aware that they had ort of become friends leading up to the Lorwardian invasion. Some people knew that both Kim and Shego were bisexual. However, almost no one knew that, for almost a year after the alien invasion, the pair had been involved in an intimate relationship. It had been broken off because Kim had to go to college, and they hadn't heard from each other since.
Shego looked at the top of Kim's head. She's really changed, the ex-villainess thought. She just looks…beautiful. I wish…I wish I had been there with her through college.
Kim looked up at Shego, her olive eyes sparkling.
"I really am sorry I had to leave," she said softly. "I missed you a lot."
Shego shrugged. "There's nothing to miss. Besides, you got a degree."
"In child development." Kim smiled and poked her. "Someone very clever inspired me to go for that particular degree."
Shego smiled in return, and for once it had no trace of sarcasm in it. "Wow. I'm flattered."
"You better be. I worked for years to get it. If you're not, I might just kill you in a sudden fit of rage."
"Yo, Kim!" came a familiar voice over the din the crowd of mall-goers were making. "Sorry I took so long! There was a line at the vending machine."
"You want me to leave?" inquired Shego, watching Monique weave her way through the crowd, holding a bottle of water aloft.
"No!" Kim protested, maybe a little too quickly. She took a breath. "Um…I mean, please don't leave again. I don't know if I'd get to see you before both of us turned gray."
Shego laughed. "You and gray hair don't mix." She looked up as Monique finally reached the bench. The young woman's eyes moved from Kim, who was still hugging Shego tightly, to Shego herself. "Hey. You're Monique, right?"
"Yeah…" Monique responded. "Hey, Shego."
Monique was one of the few who had known about Kim and Shego's intimacy. She had long since come to terms with it, but it was still something of a shocker when she hadn't seen hide nor hair of the green woman for four years and then poof, suddenly she was sitting there, embracing Kim like they had never been forced to split in the first place.
"How's it been?" Shego inquired. "Hear you're some fancy-ass fashion designer now."
Monique nodded, puffing out her chest proudly. "Yep. I've got my own exclusive Club Banana line, Everyday Hero. Heard of it?"
"Heard of it." Shego looked impressed. "I bought a nice green sleeveless top from than line. I wear it a lot nowadays."
"The one with the little black S near the hem?"
"Yep. I was wondering about that."
"Isn't it obvious?" Monique asked in surprise. "The name of the line is Everyday Hero. I designed that top for you. There's a pink one too with a tiny K on it. That's for Kim. You two are everyday heroes."
A faint green blush crept across Shego's cheeks. "Well, I'm not much of a hero anymore-"
Kim placed a finger over Shego's black-painted lips. "We are not going through this again, Shego."
Monique looked at the women and smiled faintly. Kim had insisted that their relationship had ended long ago, but she knew better. There was still something there, no matter how much they tried to deny it. She could see it from the way they looked at each other, the way that they held each other, the way they exchanged playful banter just like the old days.
Suddenly, an idea sparked in her mind. If Kim and Shego refused to accept their feelings again – at least openly – she was going to have to speed it along a little bit.
"Hey, Shego," she said, trying to keep the mischievous undertone out of her voice, "Kim and I are heading over to Club B for a shopping spree. You want to come with? It's on me."
Shego glanced at Monique in surprise. "Really?"
"Sure! Why not?"
Shego glanced down at the polished tile floor and muttered, "I'm not a villainess anymore, but I still don't have many friends."
"You've got us," Kim said. Her face twisted into something that Shego knew well, something utterly adorable and frightening at the same time. "Pweeze?"
Shego bit her lip, trying not to give Kim the satisfaction of giving in. The young woman's eyes bored into her, traces of wetness gracing the edges. Her lower lip trembled slightly, and her head was cocked to the side in a manner that definitely resembled a puppy.
"Pweeze?" Kim repeated innocently, batting her eyelashes.
Shego threw her arms up into the air in frustration and pushed Kim off of her. "Gah! I'll go! Just turn that…that goddamn thing off!"
"Yay!" Kim squealed, immediately latching onto the green woman again.
"Kimmie, you're acting like a teenager again." Shego stood up. Kim stood with her, gripping her arm tightly like she was going to run away.
"One must act young to stay young, ye of little faith," Kim teased.
Monique smirked as the trio began making their way through the thick crowds. They don't realize how damn cute they are together! she thought.
"Whoa." Shego stopped dead in front of Middleton Mall's Club Banana. "They seriously tricked out this place."
"Coco Banana ordered a remodel of all his stores," Monique explained. "You've been away a while."
"Four years," Kim and Shego said simultaneously.
Monique grinned. "Question. How did you manage to vanish completely off the face of the earth for that long? Four years," she added when Kim opened her mouth again. "Not even Wade could find you again."
"I just traveled around. Spent a lot of time in Paris, a little in Ireland. It's not my fault Wade couldn't find me."
"Shego, one does not simply vanish from Wade's radar." Kim folded her arms. "You were hiding."
Shego glanced away. "Okay, maybe I wanted to be alone for a while. It doesn't feel that good when you have to leave someone you…"
"Someone you what?" Kim asked softly.
"Nothing." Shego shook her head. "Nothing."
Monique, sensing that the conversation was nearing the point of no repair, broke in quickly. "So, guys, while we're here, I want to see you try on something."
Kim squirmed slightly at the awkwardness of the situation. "Oh…right. Club B."
Shego, however, acted totally cool. The only catch: she didn't look at Kim. "Something you designed, by any chance?"
"Of course! I designed it specifically with you two in mind."
"So, mine's gonna be covered in green hot rod flames?" the emerald woman quipped.
Kim punched the older woman's shoulder. "Hush."
Monique breathed a sigh of relief as they walked into the store. Whew. Crisis averted. "They're over here, guys."
Kim and Shego obediently followed the African-American woman to a rack sporting the line Everyday Hero. Monique picked out two camisoles, one green with a black S on it and the other pink with a red K on it.
"Go change into them," she ordered, shoving them into the women's arms. Inside, she was grinning. She knew that they were smart enough to figure out why she had them do so.
Kim and Shego walked into the dressing room, each clutching their respective cami.
"There's only one open," Kim observed.
"Way to go, Sherlock," Shego drawled. "You go ahead."
"No, you."
"How about you go in together?" Monique suggested, wandering in behind them. "People are sure to be waiting to get in a stall, and it'll go faster if you share one."
Kim and Shego exchanged awkward glances, and Shego inquired, "You high or something, Mo?"
"No," Monique said impishly. Suddenly, she shoved the two women in the single stall and practically slammed the door shut behind them.
"Dammit, Monique!" Shego growled, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
Kim sighed. "Get used to it. She's like this a lot."
"Fun."
"Come on. She won't let us out until we change. And no, you can't burn down the door," she added quickly when Shego raised her hands slightly.
Shego grumbled a few choice obscenities under her breath and reluctantly lowered her hands to her shirt hem. "I swear, one day I'll kill that girl."
"I love you too, Shego," Monique said in a singsong voice from the other side of the door. "Hurry up and get changed."
The women complied, trying their best not to look at each other. Both failed miserably, but they were subtle about it. Kim couldn't help it; she had to see her green goddess one last time before they lost contact again. Shego peeked for the same reasons; she had missed Kim so much over the last four years, and now that she got to see her again…
"Okay, Mo, we're dressed," Kim called. "You gonna let us out now?"
"Nope." Monique whistled innocently. "Boy, I bet they look good on you two. You should check yourselves out in the mirror."
Once again, Kim and Shego did as she ordered.
"They do look good," Shego admitted. "Let us out now."
"Nope."
"C'mon, Mo," Kim whined, trying to channel her famous puppy-dog pout into her tone – ineffectively.
"Nuh-uh."
"Please?"
"Negative."
"Puh-leeze?"
"Kim!" Shego said suddenly. "Stand close to me."
"W…what?" Kim said, caught off-guard by the sudden demand.
"Stand close to me," the emerald woman repeated. "Really close, like your-side-is-touching-mine close."
Though no one could see it, Monique grinned. Shego was figuring it out.
"Okay…" Kim scooted over to stand in front of the mirror next to Shego. "What am I supposed to see?"
"Kim, just look." Shego placed the tip of her index finger on the large S on her cami and slowly traced the letter. When she got to the point where her shirt ended and Kim's began, she didn't stop, and Kim only just now saw why. At the point where Shego's finger was, the S tapered off into a small knot shaped like one half of a heart. The other half of the heart was on Kim's shirt, and when they stood together both halves of the heart and both letters connected fluidly as one.
"Monique…" the redhead said in awe. "This is…"
Shego walked around to stand by Kim's other side. Kim saw yet another heart formed, the K and the S connecting as smoothly as they had the first time.
"Beautiful," Shego finished for her softly, though she wasn't looking at the mirror anymore. Her bright emerald eyes were fixed on Kim.
"Yeah…" Kim turned slowly to face Shego. "Beautiful."
There was a moment of silence. Finally, Monique couldn't stand it anymore; she had to know what was going on in there. Furtively glancing around, she peeked in between the slats of the changing room door. A huge, satisfied smile slowly crept over her lips.
Kim and Shego stood in the center of the little changing stall, so close that it looked like there wasn't an inch of skin left open to the air. Shego's fingers tangled in Kim's fiery mane, and Kim's arms were wrapped tightly around Shego's waist. Their lips moved together in a slow, gentle, passionate kiss, their eyes closed in contentment.
Monique punched the air, trying to vent her triumph without making a sound. This scene was too beautiful and heartwarming to interrupt. The patrons waiting for a changing stall – there were about five or six of them – gave her an odd look; after all, she was peeking into someone's changing stall.
"MYOB," she hissed quietly, shooing them away with a wave of her hand.
"Hypocrite," one young woman muttered, but everyone complied reluctantly.
Kim and Shego broke apart for air; immediately Kim missed the warmth of Shego's body, the feel of her soft, dark lips against hers.
"I've missed doing that," she whispered into the older woman's ear.
"I've missed you, Kimmie," Shego murmured, planting a soft kiss on her forehead.
"I'll never leave you again, I promise."
"I'll never let you leave." Shego paused, lifting her head slightly. Ever so subtly, she glanced at the changing room door.
"What?"
"Monique's watching," Shego breathed, her lips barely moving. Kim almost couldn't hear her.
Kim was silent for a moment, but then her mouth widened in a sinister, mischievous grin that Shego had never imagined could adorn her innocent face. "Well, I'm all for giving her something worth watching."
Shego was a bit taken aback by her Princess' response. She stood there for a second or two before her face slowly broke into an identical grin. Still whispering, she observed, "You've got a dark side, Kimmie."
"I learned from the best," Kim whispered back in a sultry voice, a voice that Shego hadn't heard from her in four years. The villainess couldn't hold back anymore. Careful not to make much of a sound, she crushed her black lips on Kim's soft pink ones, cupping her face firmly with both hands. Kim responded with equal intensity, attacking Shego's lips with a loving ferocity that only lovers could achieve. She stumbled backwards when Shego pushed her body against hers; the redhead's palms pressed flat against the wooden wall of the changing stall in an attempt to find purchase. Both women were hyper-aware of everywhere their bodies touched. Shego's thigh was pressed against the inside of Kim's leg, gently teasing her, and their chests brushed every time they took breath.
Outside the stall, Monique's eyes widened. And widened. She took a step away from the door, leaning with her back against it. She wiped her forehead, but she wasn't sure if it was from relief or from witnessing the sheer intimate moment inside the stall. Either way, a small smile still graced her thin lips.
Mission accomplished, she mentally applauded herself. A job well done. She froze when she heard the rustling of shirts being torn off from inside the stall. Maybe too well done.
A minute or so passed, Monique still leaning against the door but too scared to peek in again. She wasn't hearing moaning or anything, so she figured that was a good sign. Still, something didn't seem quite right… What the hell are they doing in there?
Her question was answered when both women came somersaulting over the top of the changing stall, landing lightly on their toes in front of Monique and effectively cornering her. She noticed that they were each wearing the shirts they had originally been wearing, and she breathed a sigh of relief. At least they hadn't been doing what she had thought.
"Have fun watching?" Shego purred, her eyes narrow – yet playful – slits.
Monique's sigh immediately cut off. "Ah…"
"I've gotta thank you, Mo," Kim said, her lips curved upward in a slightly off-putting smile. "Without you, this probably never would've happened again."
"Uh…thanks," Monique responded, still nervous from being caught. She couldn't help but notice that both women's knees were slightly bent, their hands raised the tiniest bit above the point that one would consider 'normal'.
"Still doesn't make up for the fact that you locked us in a changing stall," Shego said silkily.
Monique understood what they were thinking a split second before they did it. With a small yelp, she darted between the two women and out of the store as fast as her legs would carry her. Shego and Kim pursued her until they got to the threshold of Club Banana; there they stopped, laughing as they watched Monique sprint off through the mall like she was being chased by a rabid lion.
"We should probably go get her," Kim said in between giggles.
Shego dismissed the notion with a wave of her hand. "Nah, she'll just think we're chasing her."
"She already does," Kim pointed out.
"Doy." Shego cuffed Kim on the back of her head playfully. Then, lowering her voice, she asked, "Was that back there just something spontaneous? Or do you actually think we can make this work?"
In answer, Kim stood on tiptoe and pressed her lips against Shego's, right there in front of Club Banana. There was no ferocity in the kiss, nor did it seem rushed in any way. It was simply a tender, meaningful, drawn-out kiss, done regardless of the mall patrons looking their way. All of them knew exactly that Kim and Shego were once mortal enemies, so this came as a shock to them. The mall around them became clogged with people who complained at first but shut up when they saw why everyone had stopped in their tracks.
One unfortunate young man in particular was caught at the edge of the crowd. He rubbed his forehead in frustration for a moment, then began weaving through the throng of mall-goers.
"Excuse me…pardon me…gotta get to Club B, thanks very much…make a hole, people…man on a schedule here, do you mind?"
After about twenty seconds (and several curses from those around him) the young man emerged at the other edge of the crowd. He ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair, smoothing out the stray bits, and took a step forward. As soon as he saw Kim and Shego kissing, however, he stopped dead.
Huh, he thought, running a hand through his hair again, a smile slowly creeping across his face. Who would've thought they'd be together again after so long?
Kim and Shego finally broke apart, their foreheads still pressed together. Both were breathing heavily as they gazed into each other's eyes. Completely unrehearsed, their voices soft and melding into one, they whispered, "I love you."
They were broken out of their reverie by the sound of a lone person clapping. Their heads jerked up as if spring-loaded. Standing a step in front of everyone else, his mouth widened in a grin as he looked at the couple, was Ron. Color rushed to Kim and Shego's faces as they suddenly noticed the crowd of people surrounding them.
For a moment, all was silent except for the sound of Ron's clapping. Then, one by one, the people around him began applauding, smiles spreading across their faces, until the mall sounded as if the walls themselves were clapping for the women. Kim smiled sheepishly, glancing back at Shego. The green villainess, in typical Shego fashion, waved to the crowd dramatically with a huge grin on her face.
"Shego!" Kim hissed, a fresh blush coloring her cheeks.
"Lighten up, Kimmie," Shego laughed, taking her hand. "Have some fun."
"I'll have some fun later," Kim huffed. "Just not in front of a billion people."
"Oh," Shego said, imitating Kim's sultry tone from before. "Later, hmm? Does this 'later' involve a bottle of Ecco Domani?"
"Wine? Shego, what are you…" Kim trailed off as she realized what Shego was talking about, and she grinned mischievously. "I'm fresh out of Ecco Domani at my apartment. We'll have to go to your place."
Shego returned the grin, waving at the still-clapping crowd a final time. Kim glanced back and met Ron's eyes just before the doors closed behind the couple. The young man's eyes were sparkling with understanding as he looked at her, and he mouthed, "Have fun tonight."
"Oh, I will," she mouthed back, still grinning. "I will."
I think we all know where it's going from here! *laughs mischievously* Plot bunny #1 is now officially out of my head, but now there's another one…I hate, hate, HATE plot bunnies, in case you haven't figured that out by now.