Disclaimer: I do NOT own Kim Possible. These characters belong to Disney.
Disclaimer #2: I'm NOT a writer, I'm an artist. I'm extremely inexperienced in writing fanfics, so I'm so sorry for any inconsistencies in the characters or plot!
Author: iycewing
Story developers: iycewing, PonyCrown
Rating: PG-13
Notice: This will eventually lead to KiGo in later arcs! This is the 1st arc of 6! If you don't like LGBTQ+ pairings, please don't hate. In this story, Season 4 of the show doesn't happen.
Author's preview notes: Hope y'all had a wonderful holiday! Ahh this chapter is super long, and I actually had to scrap a few parts out because it was getting way too lengthy ;0;
Fanart is always welcome and appreciated! Send them to the places listed on my profile!
Please read and review! Your feedback helps keep the story going! :D
Chapter 32
"Where'd Shego go?" Kim leaned over to whisper at Ron.
"Beats me," Ron shrugged before returning to his writing assignment.
Kim frowned, feeling more worried by the minute. She wasn't worried about the superpowered villainess, but rather the things the superpowered villainess might be doing. She had a good reason to feel that way though, considering all the sly remarks Shego had made about Kim during class. Surprisingly, the pale thief didn't even bat an eye at Ron as all of her attention was on her redhead victim.
Ron dyed her clothes and now I'm receiving the punishment. So not the drama.
"I thought as a teacher's assistant she's supposed to, you know, assist the teacher," Kim said in a hushed tone.
"Since when does Shego listen to rules?" Ron asked in the same quiet tone. He said that with a hint of distaste, and Kim realized he still wasn't as comfortable with the former evil sidekick as she was getting.
They'll warm up to each other. Hopefully.
Kim yielded to that and returned to blankly staring at her half-finished paper. She didn't continue working on her assignment though. It was getting harder to focus with her mind racing a mile a minute with a dozen different questions and possibilities.
Mr. Barkin sat stiff as a board in his seat, staring the working class down like a hawk. As soon as Shego stepped out of the classroom, his unsettling content expression dropped to that of his usual steely and serious mood. He was treating the teenage students as if they were prisoners, and they would try to escape the jail that is school the second he took his eyes off them.
Good thing Ron and I sit in the back of the class.
Kim absentmindedly tapped her pencil on her desk. "She's been gone for a while."
"Maybe she's in the bathroom," Ron offered with his head down low to make it seem like he was working.
"I saw her heading in the opposite direction though."
"This is her first time here. She could've gotten lost," Ron pointed out.
"I guess," Kim capitulated again with a sigh. She left her best friend alone with his work, not wanting to get him stuck in detention for talking with her.
Shego's far from incompetent. Knowing her, she probably already has the whole building mapped out for escape routes or secret stashes of food in the teachers' lounge.
Kim decided to scratch her growing suspicion and raised her hand. It wouldn't hurt to do a little detective work, she considered.
"Yes, Ms. Possible?" Mr. Barkin raised a thick eyebrow.
"May I use the bathroom please?" Kim asked with a sweet smile. Mr. Barkin glanced at the clock and regarded that class was ending soon. When he looked like he was about to deny her request, she quickly added. "It's an emergency."
"Class ends in a few minutes but fine," Mr. Barkin huffed.
Kim nodded and swiftly scampered out of the classroom, avoiding Ron's questioning look. She strut through the empty halls in the direction Shego had disappeared to.
Damn it, Shego. What are you up to?
It didn't take long to find the pale villainess. Kim skidded to a halt as she was greeted by the sight of Shego digging through a locker. More specifically, her locker.
"What are you doing?" Kim hissed, stomping over to the older woman.
Shego didn't even seem the least bit startled by Kim's enraged entrance. She decided not to look up from her task as she continued to rummage through the textbooks and discarded papers littered in the teen's locker.
"Going through your shit to find something that'll fuck up your little miss perfect reputation, doy," Shego replied with her nose still buried in the confined space.
"How'd you even know which locker was mine?" Kim asked with an exasperated eye roll.
"I watched you and your goofy friends hang out over here this morning," Shego replied nonchalantly as if that wasn't weird at all.
I'm not even going to ask how I didn't notice her. Shego's stealth is beyond this world.
Kim knew Shego never listened to anyone, so she didn't bother to tell the former sidekick to stop poking her nose through her things. Shego loved playing her games and talking her big talk, so the teen hero wasn't concerned about the older woman actually doing something to harm her. It wasn't like she had anything to hide anyway. Well, except for…
"Care to explain why my picture's hanging in your locker, Princess?" Shego asked as she finally deigned to look at Kim. She disappointedly hadn't found anything else that could be used to further torture the teen hero with embarrassment, but she decided that discovering her picture in there was as good as it was going to get.
Kim glanced at her photo of Shego and opened her mouth to fire back a retort, but no words came. She was left gawking while the villainess's mouth curled up into a taunting grin.
"I didn't know I was your high school crush," Shego smirked, her expression smug as if she just got away with committing a crime.
"My WHAT?!" Kim shrieked before lowering her voice when she remembered how close they were to other classrooms.
"I'm not surprised you got a crush on me. I'm sexy as hell," Shego boasted as she flashed a charming smile.
"I-I don't! You aren't my-! That's not- uh- I d-didn't-" Kim sputtered, feeling more flustered by the second.
Shego took Kim's growing embarrassment as an invitation to continue her teasing. Hey, these opportunities didn't come up daily, so she would be taking full advantage.
"Aww, that's cute. Little Kimmie's getting embarrassed from talking with her crush."
"No, I'm not, Shego! You're not- argh!"
"You have excellent taste in women by the way," Shego sneered as she leaned forward slightly.
"I don't have any taste! I'm straight!" Kim protested as a light blush crept into her puffed out cheeks. She futilely tried to push down the rush of color and hoped it wasn't noticeable. But of course, Shego notices everything.
"Mhm, and so are spaghetti noodles until you get em' wet," Shego snickered with a suggestive wink.
"I am though!"
"Then why do you have my picture hanging in your locker, Pumpkin?" Shego taunted.
Kim blinked for a few seconds, feeling utterly dumbfounded. "I-I…"
"That's what I thought," Shego said triumphantly.
Pull yourself together, genius! Shego's just trying to be annoying as always. You being embarrassed is only encouraging her behavior.
Regaining her senses and jumbled thoughts, Kim managed to assume a look of indifference.
"Considering I had to fight you and Drakken almost every week before, having a visual to look at helped keep me motivated," Kim said with a shrug. "Kicking your ass got tiring."
"Do you smell that?" Shego feigned confusion as she exaggeratedly sniffed the air.
"What?"
Shego smirked cockily. "Smells like bullshit."
"It's not-" Kim was interrupted by the bell.
The spacious hallway suddenly flooded with eager students, and Kim had to step closer to her locker to avoid being trampled. Shego wasted no time flashing an arrogant smile at the bewildered teen before slinking through the crowd and disappearing in a blink of an eye.
Kim sighed and seethed silently.
I think I've had enough embarrassment for a lifetime.
~~~~0~~~~0~~~~0~~~~
"Girlfriend, that's stalker-level kind of creepy, to be honest," Monique laughed after Kim had finished retelling her encounter with Shego in the hallway. The three friends were sitting and eating lunch together at their usual spot.
"What if Shego's been hired to spy on us and what we do in school so she can gather up information to form an evil plot that'll destroy us all?" Ron pondered with an unusually serious expression.
Kim and Monique just stared at him as if he just sprouted another arm.
"What's up with you and thinking Shego's trying to destroy us today?" Kim asked, her expression deadpan.
"She hasn't done anything to me after I pulled that prank on her," Ron explained in a low voice as if he was truly terrified. Kim couldn't tell if he was actually scared or not.
"Isn't that good though?" Monique inquired.
"Definitely not! It just means she's planning something especially evil to end me," Ron shuddered, suddenly regretting messing with the villainess's clothes.
"Seriously?" Kim asked exasperatedly. Although, she wouldn't put it past Ron if Shego did try to pull some revenge.
"It's a possibility," Ron shrugged as he shoveled some more food in his face.
"Dear lord," Monique shook her head. "Can we get back to the real issue here?"
"The issue that these tater tots are soggier than my socks after PE day?" Ron questioned as he inspected the pieces of fried food.
Despite his rather repulsive analogy, he still popped four in his mouth and chewed them rather loudly. Rufus sat in his lap, lazily eating the same soggy tater tots with a satisfied expression. The girls scrunched up their noses at the sight even though they've experienced Ron's messy eating habits hundreds of times. It wasn't something they got used to, or ever would they realized.
Monique grimaced and slapped the blonde boy playfully on the shoulder. "No you thick-headed potato. The issue that Shego snooped around Kim's stuff and discovered that she's her big secret crush."
"Mo, I don't have a crush! There's no secret! I'm not interested in anyone- especially Shego!" Kim protested heatedly, starting to feel quite vexed from all the teasing today.
"Yeah, Kim's straight," Ron defended his best friend.
Monique only smiled and yielded, not wanting to press the subject further with Kim already so embarrassed and distraught.
"Whatever you say, Kim," Monique laughed as the redhead crossed her arms over her chest in a huff.
"I do say. It doesn't help that there's the stupid rumor floating around school again," Kim grumbled.
For a while, the talk of Kim running off with Shego, a wanted criminal back then, died down. But now that the villainess had made an unexpected appearance at the school, gossip started spreading again like wildfire.
"Don't worry KP, it's not like the rumor's true or anything," Ron comforted as he pat his best friend's back. "People just like spreading juicy gossip because they have nothing better to talk about."
"Jersey boy got that last half right," Monique muttered with a small knowing smile.
"What was that Monique?" Kim asked, hearing the fashion diva say something incoherent under her breath.
"Nothing," Monique said quickly.
Kim sighed and continued to play with her food. Due to her high metabolism and all the intense activity she did, the teen hero could usually eat double, or even triple, what was recommended for someone her age without gaining extra weight. And while she had a massive appetite, it strangely disappeared today as she distractedly picked on her tray.
"So girlfriend," Monique shook Kim out of her thoughts. "Are you just going to let big bad Shego get away with everything she did today?"
Kim didn't even have to think about it. "Hell no. She's gonna pay for melting the lock on my locker too," she declared.
And with that Kim stood up and stomped out of the cafeteria, leaving her uneaten food behind. As soon as she disappeared, Ron stole one of her tater tots and popped it into his mouth.
"Didn't you say those things were 'soggier than your socks after PE day?'" Monique asked with an amused chuckle.
"Yup!"
"And you're not gonna stop eating them?"
"Nope!" Ron grinned.
Monique laughed. "Of course. Why do I even bother?"
Kim stormed down the hallway towards her English classroom. She figured her intended target would be in that room since she was assisting the sub, Mr. Barkin, in that class.
As she approached the classroom, she slowed when she heard the principal's low voice sound from the room. Kim peaked her head inside to see what was going on.
Mr. Barkin was leaning forward on the desk where Shego was sitting and filing her nails. The conversation looked one-sided. He was talking quietly with her, and his back faced the door so that Kim couldn't see the principal's face. However, the uneasy and almost repulsed expression on Shego's face was blatant.
"Miss Go, I just wanted to say how nice you look today," Mr. Barkin said in a pleasant tone that was so unlike him.
'Nice' and 'Shego' are definitely not two words that are supposed to go together.
"Thanks," Shego grunted, trying to avoid the older man's heavy gaze. Anyone with half a brain could have picked up on her discomfort.
"Would you be interested in accompanying me to dinner this evening?" Mr. Barkin asked hopefully.
Shego looked absolutely horrified, and the mortification on her face was as clear as her pale green skin. She didn't know whether to scoff, vomit, or burn the guy's face straight off after shoving her nail filer done his throat.
The last option was looking very tempting at the moment.
She fought back the urge to gag as she looked helplessly at the clock, praying for time to move faster. If she wasn't getting paid, she would've ditched a long time ago. But sadly, she was. And so, here they were.
"No thank you," Shego replied curtly with obvious distaste.
"How about tomorrow night then?" Mr. Barkin pressed.
"No, I'm not interested," Shego said through grit teeth.
"Surely you're available this weekend?" Mr. Barkin insisted, completely missing the flat-out rejection Shego was practically throwing in his square face.
"No."
No matter how many times she declined, rather bluntly as well, her disinterest never seemed to get through to Mr. Barkin's thick meathead. Usually, she was indifferent to people taking interest in her romantically, since they were able to understand being rejected. But this was irritating on so many different levels.
Kim couldn't hold back a low snicker at the scene she was watching. It was hilarious and disturbing all at the same time. Thankfully, her principal was too lost in his own delusions to notice the almost inaudible noise, but Shego on the other hand…
The pale villainess immediately perked her ears and spotted Kim peaking around the corner. Shego hit her with wide, pitiful emerald eyes and a face that was close to a pout. It took Kim by surprise because of how unusual it was for Shego. She looked so desperate for anyone to save her from this terribly awkward situation, and the redhead couldn't help but smile impishly.
The two girls stared at each other while Mr. Barkin proceeded to run through a list of restaurants as if Shego had already agreed to a date with him in the first place. Drifting through his own fantasyland, he barely paid the younger woman before him any mind.
Kim and Shego ignored him as they had a silent conversation based solely on their facial expressions and body language. They had spent enough time with each other to read one another like a book.
Taken straight out of context, a passerby would've deemed the girls insane. Well, they both already had come to terms with the fact that they were, indeed, insane. But the mind-blowing factor was that they both understood each other perfectly even though no words were spoken.
Shego glanced at the burly man hovering over her and then back at Kim. She slowly mouthed the words 'help me,' and her pleading green eyes were screaming, I'm suffering, get me away from him!
Kim narrowed her olive eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. She kept her expression apathetic as if she was saying, serves you right to suffer for making fun of me and going through my locker. Not to mention melting it!
After a swift roll of her eyes, Shego pursed her lips and frowned deeply. Her expression read, whatever, I'll fix your locker later, just help me now!
Kim shook her head and grinned as if she just thought of an evil scheme. Her amused smile said, sorry Shego. But it's payback time.
Shego gawked and widened her eyes, projecting a look of total desperation that roared, Kimmie I'm sorry for everything today ok? NOW GET ME OUT OF HERE!
The teen's smile only grew with a small shrug that implied, should've thought about that before messing with me then.
Shego's pout hardened into steel, and her piercing emerald eyes narrowed into tiny slits. She tightened her grip on her nail filer to the point of it almost snapping. Her expression growled, are you serious? I swear to god Kimmie, you better get this thick-skulled imbecile away from me or else I'll-
Seeing the older woman's temper start to flare, Kim cast her another victorious smile with a wave that cheerfully called, revenge is sweet, isn't it Shego?
Shego's frantic eyes were clearly crying, no, don't go! Don't you dare leave me with this old dolt! Wait!
Kim shrugged again and gleefully skipped away to the cafeteria where her best friends were waiting. Though she was grinning with satisfaction, she did feel a twinge of guilt for leaving the seething villainess behind. Her culpability was short-lived, however, as she concluded that Shego got what she deserved.
Hey, after causing Kim so much discomfort earlier in the day, it was about time she got a taste of her own medicine.
Monique watched Kim strut back into the cafeteria, the redhead snickering all the way back to her seat. Ron smiled sheepishly at her as he internally hoped she didn't notice her now-empty tray of tater tots. Of course, she didn't notice or pretended not to notice anyways.
"Back so soon?" Monique asked in surprise, quirking a defined eyebrow.
"Yep," Kim beamed from ear to ear. "Karma got in the way and took care of my revenge for me."
~~~~0~~~~0~~~~0~~~~
"I can't believe you left me with that oversized brick of a guy," Shego groaned. Relief and gratefulness swamped through her lithe body at the realization that she never had to see the stern principal again.
"I can't believe you broke into my locker and melted the door," Kim replied evenly. She had already hounded the older woman on not going through her stuff without permission, but she decidedly dropped the subject when she remembered that Shego went through her belongings all the time at home. It wasn't something to stress too much over.
"I'll fix your damned locker and buy you a new lock for it later, jeez," Shego sighed. "That's nothing compared to spending more than 5 minutes with that knucklehead you call a principal though."
"Karma's a bitch," Kim laughed with a shrug.
"Just like you," Shego retorted. Though her tone was irked, her emerald eyes sparkled with mirth. She was surprised and somewhat pleased, that Kim hadn't played the hero this time around. Now, she wished the teen had helped when she was being asked out by Mr. Barkin, but it was refreshing to see Kim's mischievous side.
"So we do have something in common," Kim gasped in mock awe.
Shego snorted and playfully shoved Kim's shoulder, causing her to stumble forward. The teen hero, not one to pass up any competition, responded by elbowing the villainess in the side. Almost immediately, Shego fired a weak palm strike to Kim's chest, sending her back into her melted locker door.
The blow had little to no force, so Kim barely reacted and only continued to smile. She flicked her opponent's shoulder, and the older woman smirked when the teen put her hands up in surrender.
She concluded that if they continued to push each other around like arguing children, they'd just end up sparring right then and there. And while both martial artists loved their sparring sessions with each other, such an intense fight wouldn't be appropriate in a school hallway. Plus, they were already drawing the attention of passing students, so she didn't want a crowd to form howling for a bloodbath.
The two girls were at Kim's locker, chatting lightly while the redhead put away her heavier textbooks. Cheerleading practice would be her last activity for the day.
"It's disturbing though- " Kim grimaced at the memory. "- that Mr. Barkin has a crush on you."
Shego put her head in her hands and rubbed her temples. "Why does the universe keep pairing me up with gross, middle-aged men twice my age?"
"It must be a gift," Kim teased.
"Or a curse."
"Depends on what angle you look at it," Kim said.
"Oh really? Cause from all angles it still looks like a curse that's creepy as hell," Shego curled her lip in distaste.
"Not to Mr. Barkin, though," Kim pointed out with a wink.
"Don't even go there again. I do not want to relive those memories," Shego shook out her arms as if she was trying to forcefully forget everything.
Kim laughed and inwardly decided that they both met their yearly quota of embarrassment and discomfort. She supposed that she should try and forget the lows of today like Shego was attempting to do. They were both even with each other, so there was no need to hold grudges, she concluded.
"Oh Pumpkin, by the way," Shego suddenly remembered something as Kim closed her locker, or whatever was left of it. "I'm driving you home from school today."
A few days ago, Shego had gone back to her old apartment to take back her car. She was relieved to see that it was in the same condition that she left it in, and she was also glad to have another form of transportation besides the hovercraft. Flying was nice and all, but for short distances, it was a major hassle to find inconspicuous parking spots.
"You don't have to. I like walking home with Ron," Kim stated.
"That wasn't a question. Your mom wants me to drive you home today," Shego repeated.
"Why? It's not even that far."
Shego sighed, "Yeah, but you're still grounded, according to your mom, so she doesn't want you running off on any missions after school."
"I've been walking straight home the past few days though," Kim pointed out.
"She probably figured that since I'm already here, I can make sure of that," Shego said. When Kim frowned and looked at her quizzically, Shego put up her hands in an 'I didn't do it' gesture. "Hey, her orders not mine. Don't shoot the messenger."
"Alright," Kim conceded. "You'll have to wait until I'm done with cheer practice though."
"That's fine with me."
"You should come and watch actually! We're working on this new routine I choreographed," Kim suggested with an excited smile. Shego had never seen her at a cheer practice before.
"You just want me to watch you do flips in a short skirt for an hour," Shego smirked slyly.
Kim scoffed and shook her head, mentally slapping herself since she should've expected an answer like that. After spending the past few weeks with Shego in close quarters, Kim discovered the best way to respond was to not respond at all. The older woman was always egging the teen on in hopes of getting a reaction.
"You don't have to watch if you don't want to," Kim rolled her eyes then added with a sideways look. "Besides, I'm sure Mr. Barkin wouldn't mind your company while I'm at practice."
"Nothat'sokayI'llcomewithyou," Shego replied rapidly in an almost panicked voice. "Let's go!"
She grabbed Kim's shoulders and steered her away from her locker, already urging the redhead to get a move on. Kim allowed the older woman to practically push her forward, finding her eagerness to get away from the bulky principal rather amusing
"Looks like someone is itching to see me do flips in a short skirt," Kim teased.
"Oh shut up, Princess," Shego muttered.
Kim laughed again and went to go change while Shego made herself comfortable on the gym bleachers. The redhead went into the gym to see Bonnie already there, marking steps and practicing tumbles by herself.
She's dedicated, I'll give her that.
"Hey B," Kim greeted. If she learned anything from cheerleading, is that the dumb cliché quote you hear in teenage rom coms 'teamwork makes the dream work,' is valid and useful, even if it means tolerating the brunette.
"Hey K," Bonnie said curtly after finishing a flip. She stuck the landing and looked at Kim almost proudly.
"Nice move."
Bonnie ignored the compliment and cocked her head in Shego's direction. "I didn't know we have your girlfriend as an audience today."
Kim shook her head and groaned. "Bonnie, she's not my girlfriend. We're barely even friends, and you know I'm straight."
"Oh? I actually don't know that. And if she's really just a friend, then why are you always with her?" Bonnie pressed.
"It's a messy sitch that we don't have time to delve into," Kim sighed. She wasn't feeling up to explaining everything that wasn't even Bonnie's business, especially since they needed to get to work on polishing their cheer routine.
Before Bonnie could respond, Kim quickly busied herself by gathering up the rest of the squad. Practice was rather difficult for the team that day, Kim especially. She wanted to blame it on the new choreography that they hadn't all completely memorized yet, but she knew her unbalance and off-rhythm were due to Shego's presence.
Though Shego was filing her nails with disinterest during the full hour, Kim could feel her piercing emerald gaze glance down at her every once in a while. It was distracting, and the redhead inwardly scolded herself for letting the older woman break her focus.
"A little distracted today, Kim?" Bonnie asked in a taunting tone as Kim tripped unexpectedly.
"Yeah, sorry. It's been a bit of an off day for me," Kim said sheepishly.
"Well as captain it's your fault if this routine flops. And right now, it's flopping," Bonnie stated as the rest of the squad muttered agreement.
"We just need a little more practice. We'll make it work, don't worry."
"You've barely been showing up to cheer practice with all of your 'hero work,'" Bonnie countered.
Kim sighed. Bonnie was right, as much as she hated to admit that. This past month she'd only been able to make it to 1/3 of their scheduled cheer practices.
"We're so lucky to have such a responsible and dedicated captain to lead us," Bonnie added sarcastically with an eye roll.
"No, no you're right. I haven't been there for the team as much as a captain should," Kim admitted.
Bonnie seemed surprised at that but quickly regained her composure. "Damn right I am, Kim. Maybe you should step down from your place as captain and give someone else the spot. Perhaps someone who actually shows up to practices."
Kim ignored that and gathered the squad to keep practicing, but she did indeed ponder what Bonnie said. It didn't help that she was distracted with Shego watching them, and she couldn't help but feel self-conscious.
Why is it so hard to balance everything in my life? Is Bonnie right? Am I so irresponsible of a captain that I've barely been able to make it to practice?
She figured that there would be another time to worry about cheer and Bonnie. So why stress herself over that now? After practice, Kim ran over to Ron, who seemed to want to talk to her too.
"I can't walk home with you today," they both said in unison.
The best friends blinked at each other before bursting out laughing.
"You go first, KP," Ron suggested.
"My mom's making Shego drive me," Kim explained with a sigh. "I was going to offer for you to come with us, but I'm guessing you're not going home?"
"Yeah, I'm uh- going to Monique's apartment," Ron said with a nervous chuckle.
Kim smiled slyly. "Been hanging out with Monique a lot haven't you?"
"No! It's uhm- it's not like that! You'll always be my best friend and I'm not replacing you-" Ron stammered hurriedly as he waved his hands.
Kim grabbed onto his wrists to calm him down and offered a reassuring smile. "I never said anything like that, and I would never think you'd replace me. I was just teasing Ron, it's no big."
"Oh, I see. Sorry, haha," Ron rubbed the back of his head after Kim released his hands.
"I want you to know that I feel the same way too," Kim said softly.
"Huh?"
"About me and Shego I mean," Kim explained. "Just because I'm spending more time with her, it doesn't mean you'll ever stop being my best friend. No one can replace my partner."
Ron grinned his signature goofy smile and pulled Kim into a tight hug. He still didn't know how to feel about Kim hanging around Shego often, but it was comforting to know that the redhead vowed he'll always be her best friend.
Shego was just a friend, but Ron was her best friend. And nothing will ever change that.
Kim returned the embrace and pat his back lovingly as a sibling would. They shared a strong brother and sister connection, and they both knew deep down that they'd always be there for each other. Because that's what family does.
"Now what're you going to Monique's for?" Kim asked with a teasing smile as she pulled away.
"We're going to work on a Chemistry project and then catch up on all the wrestling matches we missed," Ron answered excitedly.
"Sounds fun!" Kim said, happy that Ron found someone to hang with after all the stress they'd been through in the past few weeks.
"It definitely sounds more fun than hanging around with a cranky Shego all day," Ron added under his breath.
"I can hear you Stoppable!" Shego called, glaring at the blonde boy.
Ron jumped at the sound of Shego's voice, and he hastily bid farewell before scurrying away from the irked villainess as quickly as possible.
"I didn't know that noodle boy could even run that fast," Shego commented as she went over to Kim.
"Maybe you should just come to gym class every day. Hell, you should just be our gym teacher. Ron could probably beat anyone on the track team with you scaring him," Kim replied with an amused chuckle.
"Getting to scare Stoppable and getting paid for it?" Shego asked with feigned astonishment. "Where the hell do I sign up?!"
That earned a laugh from Kim, and Shego couldn't help smiling in return.
~~~~0~~~~0~~~~0~~~~
Kim sat up in her bed, wide awake despite it being past the time she usually went to sleep. A warm glow emitted from her lamp, and it gave the rather dark room a golden hue.
She stared blankly at her almost fully healed injuries and thought about the tiny mutant cat that inflicted them. She knew from Shego that the cat's name was Cheshire, and he was the creature that first knocked her out on the sidewalk the night of their heated argument at Monique's apartment. She also knew that DNAmy had ordered the catshark hybrid to attack the Shego daily, as to 'record her body's recovery speed.' It was sickening to hear, to say the least.
Shego, though still sensitive on talking about her experience in the lab, had sporadically revealed small tidbits of information she learned from DNAmy. It was usually a nonchalant comment or accidental slip of words that Kim learned more about the villainess's terrifying time as a lab rat.
It was scarring, and both girls understood that Shego would never be the same person as when she was still working for Drakken and Kim was 16. Though, each day Ron and Monique had witnessed Kim's and Shego's recovery together, both from equally traumatic wounds.
Kim's troubled thoughts were interrupted by two swift knocks at her door, followed by it creaking open slowly. She knew exactly who it was.
It wasn't unusual for Shego to seek sanctuary in her room, as she had been doing it almost every night. Kim understood that the older woman was still suffering from insomnia and occasional nightmarish flashbacks that could be triggered by the most mundane items.
Sure, Shego always blamed her not being able to fall asleep on the guest room, but Kim knew she just hated the isolation since it reminded the villainess of her time with DNAmy.
Shego stuck her head in the room and blinked when she saw that Kim was awake and staring right at her. It was unsettling for a moment, and she was briefly surprised since Kim was always asleep when she snuck in.
"Oh hey, Pumpkin," Shego said, feeling almost embarrassed. "I uh- didn't know you were still up."
"It's not really that late, so I was just doing some thinking," Kim replied vaguely.
Shego nodded and accepted the answer. She decided not to press the stressed redhead further, fully knowing that some thoughts didn't need sharing if she didn't want to.
"You're in here a little earlier than usual," Kim observed as she moved to one side of the bed and sat cross-legged. She beckoned the villainess over with a wave of her hand.
Shego had been trying to fall asleep on her own the past few days, hence her still reluctantly staying in the guest room. But, of course, the isolated and lonely room was too reminiscent of her cell, and she was plagued by nothing but bad memories. She'd then venture into Kim's room in the middle of the night, where the teen hero shared her bed with no problem, and the villainess would fall asleep in a flash.
The raven-haired woman closed the door behind her and crashed on the bed, swinging her legs over to rest lazily.
"I couldn't sleep and dealing with dumbass kids all day is exhausting," Shego explained with a tired sigh. "Your dumb guest room didn't help my mood."
It's always the room's fault, isn't it Shego?
"I figured. We usually put my nana in there when she visits. I don't think she likes the room either," Kim said thoughtfully.
"Must be one of the reasons why I hate it so much," Shego concurred. "It reeks of old people and essential oils. No wonder I can't sleep."
"You know you can just come to my room to sleep," Kim offered. "You don't need to go to the guest room first since you hate it so much."
"Is that an invitation?" Shego smirked teasingly.
"To not be waken up at 1 in the morning by you wanting me to scoot over?" Kim arched an eyebrow, amused. "Yeah, absolutely."
"Aww, am I disturbing your beauty sleep?" Shego mock pouted.
"I think you're just disturbing my 'sleep' sleep," Kim laughed softly.
"Poor Kimmie."
"Poor me indeed, Shego."
"Well then, I guess I'll accept your invitation," Shego said. She then added slyly, a suggestive twinkle in her emerald eyes. "So I don't disturb your wet dreams."
Kim squawked but before she could get defensive and fire back a stinging retort, Shego turned away so that the teen was left gawking at only her back. She grumbled something inaudible but turned out the lamplight and nightlight anyway, knowing Shego liked to sleep in total darkness.
The redhead laid down and snuggled into her pillow, facing away from the villainess next to her. Her back was lightly pressed against Shego's, but neither girl made any attempt to move away from the gentle body contact.
Kim was actually glad Shego was sleeping next to her since by just being in the presence of the older woman, she was alleviated from her haunting nightmares of the radio tower incident. Both girls felt and understood that by being close to each other, helped them find the tranquility to fall into a much-needed content rest.
Not that they would ever admit they needed the other to sleep though.
It was something they both inwardly acknowledged, but wouldn't dare say out loud as it could wound the other's pride. And well- there's as well.
Kim concluded that Shego needed the presence of another person, and she just happened to be the most convenient option. And Shego concluded that Kim needed her subconsciously when she had a nightmare, to remind herself that the villainess was, indeed, not dead.
Those conclusions were more than enough for them to excuse wanting to stay close to each other.
"Goodnight, Kimmie," Shego said suddenly, surprising Kim.
"Goodnight, Shego," Kim whispered back and closed her eyes, hoping for a dream-less darkness.
When sleep came quickly for the redhead, she found that her hopes had, unfortunately, went unanswered, and she was tossed into a nightmare. But it wasn't the typical horror show she was used to viewing.
It was much worse.
Kim dreamed of when she had first found Shego back at DNAmy's lab, unresponsive and strapped down to an examination table. She looked as pale and dead as she had at the time. An impenetrable sheet of glass separated the two, and Kim could only pound and scream in her futile attempts to get to the dying woman. Ron never came to save the villainess, and the teen hero could only watch helplessly as Shego withered away without even opening her eyes.
The distressed redhead tossed and turned violently enough to rouse Shego from her light, peaceful sleep.
"What the-" Shego growled, feeling more than irate as her emerald eyes fluttered open groggily. She was having such a nice sleep and now she was being attacked!
The irked woman's dilated pupils immediately snapped into focus as she swiftly dodged a punch from Kim. She turned to see the teen struggling and banging on nothing but air, occasionally letting out soft whines that sounded suspiciously like 'Shego.'
Shego stared for a few seconds, a bit unsure on what to do. Should she wake Kim up? Maybe hold her arms and legs down like restraints? Go back to sleep and pray she didn't suffer through a physical beating?
As time stretched and Kim's spastic movements because dangerously more desperate to the point where she was about to tumble off the bed, Shego instinctively grabbed the smaller woman without thinking. She pulled the redhead close and pressed her against her warm body, wrapping her arms around the teen to prevent her from moving.
Giving a gentle squeeze with strong arms, Shego breathed deeply to try and calm Kim down. Her cries turned into soft whimpers, and her movements were restrained by Shego's hold.
The steady rise and fall of the raven-haired woman's chest did help soothe Kim's distraught sleep, and she turned so that her cheek was resting against the comforting area. The teen hero groaned into the almost crushing embrace, unable to thrash around anymore now that Shego had her in a death grip.
"This is your fault," Shego blamed halfheartedly in a soft voice.
She gazed down at the now calm younger woman in her arms, relaxing her hold when she saw that Kim had stopped struggling. Kim adjusted her body slightly so that her head was resting under Shego's chin, like a puzzle piece fitting perfectly into the picture.
Shego couldn't help but wonder what the younger woman was dreaming about since Kim had admitted to her that the nightmares of that dreaded night disappeared whenever she slept next to Shego. It was just the warm presence of the older woman that sent a subconscious signal to her brain, a reminder that she was alive and well.
Deciding that that was a topic for another day, Shego allowed Kim to snuggle deeper into her warm body and bury her nose into her scarred neck. With the girl in her arms, she could already feel her body disregard the paralyzing insomnia she had been suffering from. Holding Kim made her feel safe, and the secure space was already getting to Shego as she felt drowsiness start to sink in.
The former evil sidekick was slightly appalled at the fact that she wasn't even mad at the teen for needing her like this. Because Kim needed her, and definitely not the other way around. She didn't need anyone.
Shego was never a sympathetic person, but somehow, she was still offering sympathy and comfort to a girl that was her sworn enemy not more than half a year ago.
But for some strange reason, she was ok with it. She was actually more than ok.
After all, she was only holding Kim because she didn't want to be kicked in her sleep. That was the only reason, she concluded firmly as she held onto Kim tighter and rested her cheek in the girl's soft, red mane.
Right?
It only took seconds before Shego fell into a comfortable sleep, deep breaths intertwining with each other. Neither strong, independent fighter moved from the embrace in their sleep, both seeming to relish the other's warmth and security.
As light filtered into the blanket of night, and ultimately the bedroom, a series of urgent knocks sounded at the door.
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Author's notes: Guys guys I need your opiniOn please! Do y'all prefer shorter chapters and more frequent updates or longer chapters like these but more spaced out updates?