What the Other Doesn't Know
A/N: I know it's not fall anymore, but I wrote this when it was, so I'm just gonna put it up. I think next chapter is gonna be a Christmas themed one, with lots of mistletoe ;)
Autumn
Orange leaves. Pumpkins. Candy corn. Pumpkin pie. All of those things had one thing in common, and it was their color. The color orange, with light hints of red peeking through that always made her feel a certain way, that always reminded her of something. But she was never certain what.
Perhaps it was this unnamed feeling that made her love the season of fall so much, particularly the months of October and November. The season brought a sense of nostalgia to her, a sense of longing for things she couldn't have. It made her happy in a sad sort of way, for though she loved the color it felt unattainable to her for some strange reason.
She'd gaze out the windows of her hoverpod as she zoomed by the rows and rows of orange trees that lined the streets so prettily and she'd sigh wistfully. Or she would sit outside in a park bundled up in sweaters and drink in the scent of her pumpkin spiced latte, sighing in subdued contentment. Or she would carve up some pumpkins and set them down around the lair, their color giving her a melancholic smile to her face every time she would walk by one.
She really didn't know why this season made her feel this way; it made her all sigh-y and slightly sad. And it would become more noticeable the more the months dragged by. The henchmen noticed it, not afraid to walk in tiptoes around her least she fire a plasma blast at them as she was usually wont to do during other months of the year. Drakken noticed it too, and he was able to rant to her about his evil schemes non-stop, not that she was listening anyways, lost in her thoughts about the strange orangish red color, but at least she wouldn't bother to cut his spiel short like she did so many times before. It even affected her fighting, Kim able to pick up on it during their exchanges.
"Hey, are you okay?" the teen had asked in pure hearted concern as Shego failed to miss her punch.
"What's it to you?" Shego had snapped back, but her words missed their usual bite. She wanted to look and sound tough but it didn't work. Kim knew the extent of Shego's vigor for battle too much. And this was clearly lacking all of it, snide comments included.
"You're just not putting a lot of effort into our fights and I don't want to hurt you badly just because you're not paying attention," Kim relented her fighting stance and stood casually, showing that she meant her words. Shego mirrored her actions, feeling a sense of relief that she no longer had to war with the teen. Truth be told, her heart was never in the fights during these two months. And she couldn't understand why. Did it have to do with how she saw the teen less frequently in this season as compared to other times? But no, then she would have been happy to fight, and not gloomy.
"Do you wanna sit and talk?" Kim offered, patting the bench next to her. Their fight had been taking place outdoors, red, yellow and orange leaves swirling around them as they had spun and kicked and punched.
"Sure, why not," Shego shrugged, figuring she had nothing to lose by this, and sat down next to the teen. Somewhere off in the distance, Ron was trying to stop Drakken's newest invention from drilling holes in the park and uprooting trees and subsequently ruining it for the people of this town from enjoying its beauty.
"So...what's got you feeling down in the dumps?" Kim asked gently, innocent eyes wide in concern. It made Shego want to tell her everything. That and the fact she hadn't been able to confide in anyone else about this. Drakken wouldn't understand, the man having the emotional capacities of a five year old, and the henchmen were temporary and wouldn't be around long, only until Kim kicked their butts, which was a monthly thing. Shego also knew the teen wouldn't use this information as a weakness either, so Shego could safely divulge her feelings without too much worry.
Shego sighed. "I don't know," she said honestly, settling for that at last when her mind failed to come up with an answer. "Ever since two years ago, I've been getting sad during the fall season and I don't know why. As soon as the leaves on the trees start turning orange, it hits me. I feel this sense of intense longing and I can't find the root of the cause of it. I've tried eating orange foods like oranges and Cheetos and stuff, thinking that maybe my body is telling me I need more nutrients that can be found in orange foods but it hasn't worked. And I don't know what to do." She propped her head up in her hands, almost pouting.
"That does sound concerning. Have you tried visiting a doctor for it?"
Shego shook her head. "Human doctors don't exactly understand my biology so it's a moot point."
"Hmmm," Kim hummed softly as she tried to brainstorm an idea. The quiet of the park surrounded them, only interspersed by random blasts as Drakken's inventions took critical hits from Kim's sidekick. "What about taking a holiday during these months? Going someplace tropical?"
"That's actually a good idea!" Shego said, a tentative smile lighting up her features. "I've never thought of it." But she had a second thought, one that slowed down her happiness. "Hey, you aren't just trying to get rid of me so I don't do crime, are you?" She leaned in suspiciously towards Kim who shook her hands to dissuade the notion.
"No, no. I hadn't thought that far ahead, I promise!"
Shego decided to give Kim the benefit of the doubt there, only because the girl had been so kind in listening. The villainess supposed it was time to pull Drakken away from the fight so they could avoid prison and so she could pack her bags for Cancun.
Just as she was about to stand up, one of the leaves fell onto Kim's hair, almost blending in with it, the two were such a perfect match. Huh, how strange. Kimmie's hair is the exact same shade. Shego reached over and plucked it free, an almost entranced look on her face. Something in her brain was telling her this was an important fact to note but not being able to figure it out instantly, she tossed the leaf over her shoulder and decided it wasn't worth thinking about.
"Thanks for the talk Princess," she waved at the teen as she raced over in the direction of Drakken's newest failure. Black smoke was curling up from where he no doubt lay defeated. "But I've got a prison cell to avoid and a plane flight to catch."
Kim waved a goodbye in response, happy to see that Shego looked more invigorated than before. She was worried that her nemesis was losing her drive and she didn't want that happening at all. "Such a weird sitch," Kim murmured to herself. It almost seemed like the color orange brought Shego this sadness. But why would a color do something like that? Did it have something to do with Shego's past?
Twirling an orange lock around her finger, she thought about it a minute more before deciding she had no clue, and she went to go find Ron to congratulate him on unintentionally foiling Drakken's plans once more.
