SHORT CHAPTER IS SHORT.
Just something to worry the good Doctor.

32. Aura of Others – Or Lack Thereof

Drakken had done his best to accommodate his guests and endure catching up with his mother, which consisted mostly of getting an earful for two straight hours. Letting his mother talk was probably for the best. He wasn't ready to explain certain accidents in detail anyway.

Finally, he wished his mother goodnight and retired for the night, only to find Shego had, once again, shifted in her sleep to lie diagonally across his bed. She was far from lucid, even if she awoke briefly each time he nudged her awake to set her straight. He hadn't let her have that much, had he?

Drakken made sure she was as far as reasonably possible before cautiously climbing in on the far side himself. Lights off. Eyes shut. She was far enough away, he could have ignored her.

Contrary to the last time, Shego evidently didn't feel like being ignored.

There was a thump on the mattress in the space between them, and Drakken cracked his tired eyes open to scowl at the ceiling for a long moment before casting a sidelong glance toward her. By the dim glow of the clock, he could just barely make out Shego's outstretched arm, fingers reaching toward him. He felt around on the headboard above him for his glasses to take a better look, and sure enough, Shego's eyes were open, albeit still droopy. She drummed her fingers almost impatiently.

After a watchful moment, Drakken sighed and met her halfway. Her fingers were cold. Were her hands normally so cold?

Shego's eyes shut again, a faint smile playing on her lips. Another minute passed before the smile fell and presumably she fell asleep with it.

Deeming it safe to retract his hand, Drakken folded them over his chest and returned to studying the darkness above him.

His eyes stung, yet he was too ill at ease to sleep. Not with his mother in the other room, and not with his accomplice lying across the bed from him. There was no telling how long he lay there awake, refusing to acknowledge the clock as he listened to nothing but Shego's quiet breathing and the flow of the stream, before he succumbed to the beck and call of a restless mind. He flicked on the lamp without thinking. Lab work was out of the question, but he had a notebook he could at least scratch down notes to himself in.

He didn't get that far.

She caught him off guard. He'd been sure she was asleep.

He thought he was being careful not to disturb her when he leaned over – Shego had claimed his usual spot, so naturally his pen and pad were above her – but then her hands snapped out, fists balling up in his shirt to yank him down before he could jump back. Biting back a surprised yelp, Drakken's breath caught in his throat as her mouth collided with it, graceless and nearly forceful enough to choke him. It wasn't so much a kiss as it was a grin against his windpipe, but it didn't change the fact she was too close.

Whatever idle thoughts he'd meant to jot down flew out the window and out of his reach as his eyelids fell shut for a brief moment. Her fingers might have been chilly at the nape of his neck but her mouth was warm, and her low sleepy chuckle against his skin sent yet more warmth flooding in the wrong direction.

She nuzzled the crook of his neck and his heart stuttered.

Whether it was a case of cold feet or snapping back to his senses, Drakken jerked backwards when he felt her breath on his face as she tried pulling herself up. Even as inebriated as she was, Shego didn't let go of his shirt, and he wrangled with her hands but her grip was vice-like. She made a small noise of disappointment as he slipped out of the shirt like a lizard shedding its tail to escape.

As Drakken tumbled out of bed, he crossed his fingers the intoxicated woman left behind wouldn't remember his panicked escape come morning. Heart hammering, he all but fled from his own room, casting a glance back at Shego as he left. His accomplice was already dropping back to the pillows, pulling his stolen shirt to her face like a child cuddling her favorite blanket. She almost looked sad – but he decided the somber expression was probably due to nodding off again already. She'd been acting peculiar and in and out of consciousness – if it could even be called that – all night.

He hoped a few minutes quietly spent in the kitchen would be sufficient, waiting on Shego to fall asleep once more as he gulped down a glass of water and helped himself to a bag of shredded cheddar. Every small noise sounded ten times louder at this time of night, knowing his mother of all people was snoring on his couch across the cavern. It seemed the only one who couldn't sleep tonight was him.

Leaned against the counter, nibbling away, he contemplated retreating to an open room in the henchmens' dorms for the night. But he shook his head and dismissed the thought with a sigh. Someone had to keep his mother and his accomplice separated at all costs, and he was the only one fit for the job.

Five long minutes passed before he dared to creep up to his own bedside once again. Bag of cheese still in hand as he snacked on it like popcorn, he warily watched Shego sleep – hoping like mad she was in fact asleep this time – scanning for any sure sign it was safe to return to bed. His head was pounding, and Shego very clearly wasn't in a sound state of mind herself – but the thought of her too close just minutes ago haunted him and sent another shiver down his spine. He tried to rub away the phantom sensation before climbing back in.

Not quite as abrupt as before, Shego's eyes opened and Drakken froze once again. She sat up slowly, unsteadily, eyeing him, but her focus had now shifted. Before he could object or evade her, she lunged forward to grab the bag of cheese, retreating to the center of the bed to hunch over the bag and all but inhale cheese by the handful. It was something of a grotesque display, but he supposed he must have let her have more than her share of alcohol tonight, so he turned a blind eye and resigned himself to laying on the very edge of his own bed while his companion cursed under her breath through mouthfuls of cheddar.

At least the cheese kept her busy.

A/N:

As GoForDrakgo has tenderly put it, Shego is high off her ass, pretty much. Throwin' that out there, in case it wasn't clear enough.