A/N: Okay, so these will all be connected shorts. Gonna try for chronological. Have to connect them for that contest I want to do. An added challenge~
2. Delightful
November, 2005
"Drakken, here. Here. Drakken, stop here!"
Drakken was pulled from his thoughts not by Shego's words, but by her violently yanking the steering of the hover-car out of his hands and down toward the city below. He noticed the GPS location out of the corner of his eye as he straightened back up, grateful for the seat-belt even if it was crushing him as Shego rapidly brought them down to land.
He was surprised she hadn't been more angry at him after the homemade ice cream was ruined. Perhaps because she felt bad for distracting him and causing him to make the error in the recipe? But it was as unlikely Shego to feel bad or admit to fault as it was for him to do the same.
It was even more unlikely she would attend Thanksgiving with his family, and yet, there she was making sure they brought a dessert as promised, even if it wasn't the requested ice cream.
Drakken eyed her suspiciously as she landed the hover-car and hopped out before he even had his seat-belt undone. The whole reason the ice cream had been ruined was because she had been complaining about being invited and his 'forcing' her to attend his family's holiday gathering, when he didn't recall making any such demand of her. Now she seemed even more anxious about it than he did.
He was attempting to formulate a question about it as he followed her, but the thoughts fled from his mind when he looked up and saw the sign outside of the little place Shego had brought them.
"'Tweety's Pie Shop'?" he asked, looking at the logo of a bird combined artistically with a pie.
"Do you want to deal with your mother's disappointment, or at least try to make the event less painful?" Shego fairly snapped.
Drakken eyed her again as they walked up the steps to enter the tiny building.
"You seem awfully concerned about pleasing my mother..." Drakken said.
Shego paused before opening the old-fashioned door to toss him a glare.
"You know what she's like. I'm surprised you're not concerned."
"But, Shego—"
His words evaporated as they stepped inside what on the outside looked like a tiny nondescript building that didn't belong next to a highway, but what inside was a quaint, homey little bakery. There was the typical display of pies behind glass that one would expect, in addition to tiny tables near the windows with fresh flowers in their centers as the sunlight streamed in. But the place also had hardwood floors, wallpaper, and the women behind the counter and in the kitchen all looked to be from another era in their puffed-sleeve blouses and lacy aprons.
The entire place had an old-fashioned yet calming aura that seemed out of place, and yet also felt like home to Drakken. It reminded him of where they were headed, who they would see...and hammered home the necessity of providing a quality dessert. Though he was concerned that Shego's idea of pie instead of the promised ice cream would still be a disappointment.
His thoughts drifted again to why Shego was concerned about upsetting his mother at all, and why she had even agreed to attend the family gathering. He watched her as she approached the counter, and a moment later shrugged as he followed her. Might as well get it over with and get up in the air again.
"You have 'take-and-bake' right?" was how Shego cut off the cheery 'hello' of the smiling woman behind the counter.
"Y-Yes, we do!" the woman replied, her voice faltering slightly.
"What flavors?"
The woman began reading off the list of options and pointing to a few displays. As she did so, Drakken noted that there was an array of personal-sized pies behind the glass all in different flavors as well. His mouth began to water, and just like a kid in a candy store, he felt himself wanting to sample a little of everything.
"What do you think?" Shego asked, startling him from his fixation. He licked his lips.
"I... Shego. Before we...uhm, make a decision... Perhaps we could sample some of their flavors?"
He hoped his grin was convincing, but as Shego eyed him critically he knew it was not. He was expecting a reprimand or perhaps worse, and her eye-roll and loud scoff did herald the beginning of such. What he hadn't expected was her almost resigned reply of: "Fine."
Drakken blinked in confusion, and knew the look was mirrored on the face of the cashier. But he didn't question the opportunity lest it be taken away, and instead looked over the various flavors of personal pies that were sitting ready-made.
"I do apologize..." the attendant began, "we have recently reduced our menu due to the holidays."
Drakken was surprised to feel Shego hovering next to him, also looking at the personal pies. He glanced at her face. She looked...nervous?
"Oh, I can't decide," Drakken blurted out as his eyes scanned between about a dozen different pies he wanted to try. This drew a smirk out of Shego.
"Vanilla blueberry," she said, nudging him slightly.
Drakken's eyes wandered the display until he spotted the large, fresh blueberries topping a custard. His mouth began to water again, and he stared at the little pie in longing until he realized the space around him was silent. He looked at Shego and found her brow furrowed in...worry?
"Yes, I'll have that one," he said with a smile to the woman behind the counter. "Shego, which would you like?"
He watched her concerned face as his own confusion grew at her stranger and stranger behavior.
"The...apple pie?" she asked, pointing at the small pie with the golden crust on top. That too made Drakken's mouth water.
"Will these be for here or to-go?" the woman asked.
Drakken and Shego looked at each other, both seeming uncertain at the moment.
"Here..." Shego said slowly, her eyes darting over to one of the tiny tables.
Somehow amid his confusion, Drakken remembered why they were there at all and quickly made a decision.
"Oh, can we also have a full-size...orange cranberry pie. To-go," he said in a rush.
The cashier didn't seem to notice the near fault and put their purchases into the computer.
"Would you like your pie warmed?" she asked Shego.
Shego glanced at Drakken, looking nervous again before answering to the affirmative. The cashier followed it up with a question about ice cream, which Shego also answered yes to and then directed a tiny smirk in Drakken's direction, reminding him in an instant of what had driven them to need pie in the first place. He frowned lightly, but paid for the pies before Shego could embarrass him by paying with one of his other credit cards that she'd no doubt swiped at some point.
The cashier promised their order would be delivered to them soon, and Drakken meandered toward the tiny tables, still confused, with Shego trailing just a step behind.
The sunlight streaming through the shop window and brightening the flowers and lace tablecloth made it feel more like springtime than late autumn, except for the orange and red leaves that had been added to the vase for some seasonal flair he was sure. Shego mirrored his pose as they sat somewhat stiffly across the table from one another.
Before either could find a way to make the moment less awkward, the cashier had set plates in front of them with their chosen pies, and forks. Shego's pie was topped with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream that was beginning to melt from the pie being heated.
"Enjoy, and have a happy Thanksgiving!" the woman said, placing their boxed pie for Mama Lipsky on the table as well before departing.
For the moment, Drakken forgot about how strange the day was seeming as he indulged in the pie with a happy smile. It was perfectly prepared, and he made a mental note to add the shop to his address book as well as praise Shego for the last-minute find.
When he looked up from his dessert, she was eating hers and looking thoughtful. He recalled how strange she had been acting and after a moment, he cleared his throat to speak.
"Is yours good?"
Shego looked almost startled before her expression became hesitant again, but she nodded, a bite of pie and ice cream in her mouth.
Drakken thought a moment. "Would you like to try mine?"
He was certain he saw a slight flush to Shego's face before her eyes narrowed.
"Are you just saying that to try to steal a bite of mine?" she asked.
"No!" Drakken replied, genuinely startled. "Although...now that you mention it..."
"Ugh," Shego groaned, but she did reach her fork the short distance across the tiny table to dig some custard and blueberries from Drakken's pie. He hesitated, waiting for permission—which she gave with a roll of her eyes—before he scooped some seasoned apple slices, flaky crust, and ice cream onto his fork.
"...It's delicious!" he declared after swallowing, savoring the hint of cinnamon on his lips. He wanted even more to sample the other flavors of pie that the shop offered, but that would have to wait for another day. "This shop is an excellent find, Shego!"
She half-smiled at him as she licked the custard and stains of blue from her fork before returning to her own pie.
"Do you like it?" Drakken asked, indicating to his.
Shego nodded and looked down as she slowly picked at her pie again. Drakken was reminded again of her strange behavior and decided to just ask... She couldn't react that badly, could she?
"Shego... Why did you want to come to Thanksgiving with my family?"
He didn't miss Shego stiffening slightly before responding.
"Your mother invited me," she said disdainfully, though he wondered now if it was an act.
"Yes but... You didn't have to say yes. And you're even more concerned than I am about the dessert..."
"I just don't want to get blamed for your fouling up in the kitchen," she said, her expression darkening by the moment.
"Yes, but—"
"Can I not just want to do something? Does everything have to be explained?" she complained under her breath.
Drakken recoiled and continued eating his pie. Her attitude was saying he needed to back off, but it was too far outside of the norm for her behavior. Still...
As he took in her increasingly stiff posture and discomfort about the situation that she had willingly put them into, and seemed to be in favor of, he realized that whatever was in her head...would not be coming out if he pressed her. If she truly wanted to spend Thanksgiving with his mother, and apparently...detour to sit in a tiny bakery and eat pies...it was her business. He would count himself lucky if she decided to trust him enough to explain why. For the moment, however...
"Well," said Drakken with a sigh, taking in their surroundings again. The sunlight brought a perfect warmth on the chilly day, and he looked past the vase of flowers and fall leaves to where Shego was eating her pie and looking a little less nervous, though she was giving herself away by twirling her hair. She looked up again at the sound of his voice, her brow rising. He sighed again as he gave in and smiled. "This is delightful."