Cogs, Clogs, and Repairs
Drakken rubbed his temples as he did his best to combat the pounding in his head. It was barely morning and already things had been going wrong. The month had be wrought with errors, minor to major set backs, and most recently... repairs. He mentally cursed himself for even entertaining the thought of repairing the old manor above on the lair cliff, financially it was nothing... but mentally and morally it was exhausting. That was on the forefront of his mind, even over the numbers not adding up on a security measure he was trying to formulate... a dead end really. No, his mind was a mess and his head was throbbing because of the manor above today. All starting with being woken by Shego screaming as the water of the lair had turned to mud, because of flushing the ancient pipes above.
While he appreciated the henchmen getting an early start and doing their job... a heads up would have been much better than an accidental surprise. He stopped rubbing his temples and sighed as he looked at numbers that had made sense the night before but now aided to the throbbing in his skull. He took a deep breath an wondered if he should apologize to the henchmen for yelling at them that morning. After a second debate he let it faded away from his thoughts entirely.
They'll get over it.
A slam of the filing cabinet made him grumble in annoyance.
"Must you!" he yelled as he spun around.
Shego gave him a brief confused look before glaring at him and opening another cabinet.
"I don't know why you're in such a bad mood. You aren't the one who was covered in muddy water at five in the morning," she scoffed, "And I'm filing this stuff for you."
Drakken narrowed his eyes further.
"No I was woken up by being yelled at for something I had no control over," he barked back, "So forgive me if I'm not exactly cheerful."
"Uhg, just go back to bed if you're going to be this way all day," Shego rolled her eyes.
"I have deadlines, Shego," stated Drakken. The cabinet closed again, "That was intentional."
"Closing a drawer... yes... yes it was an intentional act," Shego smirked and the let out a sigh, "You don't have any deadlines that you can't take a nap so you aren't acting like a big baby."
"A big baby..." he pushed away his anger at the statement and instead went back to his numbers.
"Or you can stare at numbers for another hour-" Shego began but Drakken cut in.
"Can I just sit in silence?" he stared at her and she shrugged, "Thank you."
The silence lasted for less than a minute as an alarm blared.
"Shego!" snapped Drakken. The alarm ended before he got the full word out.
"It's off," she sighed. There was silence again and then, "Did you drink your water?"
"Shego, please," whined Drakken, "I just want a few minutes of silence."
"I was literally silent this last hour and a half until you yelled about be closing a drawer," said Shego as she pointed to the water on his desk and made a drinking motion.
Drakken sighed and drank the water as Shego fell into silence. It didn't take long for him to return to rubbing his temples and looking at the electrical conduits instead of the numbers for something to click. Hands pushed his away and he opened his mouth to argue with Shego, but her fingers had already began to rub his temples and scalp. The migraine didn't go away but the tension felt less heavy. He felt himself leaning back into his chair and suddenly the idea of taking a small nap was not such a bad idea.
"Shego-"
"Shh, you said you wanted silence," she sounded amused.
Drakken was nearly drifted off when he started talking again.
"Maybe nap not such... bad... idea," he muttered.
"How about you grab your water and we can put on your dancing with hazben celebs," said Shego.
"You don't like that," he yawned.
"Who said I was staying," she snickered.
"Well then I see no point in me taking a nap if you're not taking one with me, " he smirked. His eyes shot open as her hands slowed, "Ohm."
"Your filing will have to wait then," she stated after a few breaths.
"I'm okay with that," he said quicker than the casual he had hoped for.
"Then so am I," said Shego as her hands slid to rub his shoulders.
Drakken nodded and drank the rest of his water, his migraine had slowly faded into a dull tension now.
Maybe it was the water...
Drakken tossed his coat over his ottoman as he entered his room. The sudden weight relief lessened the already fading headache. His thoughts spinning wildly did nothing to aid this as he kicked off his boots and tossed his gloves. He debated for only a second about changing before he flopped on his bed. He willed with all his might his minds racing to end as he slid up to his spot on the bed as he heard the door to Shego's room open.
Clearly she got enough sleep for the energy to change.
He rolled his eyes at himself and flopped his face into his pillow. He heard Shego make a tsking sound as she came into the room. He smirked into the pillow as she finished pulling off the one boot still hanging on his foot and his half off sock. The lack of lecture was a strange sense of domestication he didn't know he'd been wanting, but he felt an almost giddy wave as she simply climbed into the bed next to him. He was about to turn and say this to her when he felt her hands kneading at his shoulders.
No. Don't say anything or she'll stop this and mock me.
He debated this thought.
Yes. Tell her you like this domestic feeling and she's gonna be annoyed. Just zip it!
"You know this means I get a pedicure," he heard her snicker as her messaging began to drift off, "Making me take a nap in the day and take off your stinky boots."
Drakken turned his head and rolled his eyes at her.
"One boot... and you always rope me into painting your toes," he sighed and rolled over to lay on his back.
"You didn't even change," she snorted as she rested her head on his shoulder and found her normal position against him, "You're going to make your bed stink like the lab."
"If I stink so much, why are you so close to me?" teased Drakken.
He heard Shego grumble under here breath but didn't inquire as to what she'd said as he closed his eyes.
Drakken let the comfort of Shego snuggled up against him, the ever familiar floral musk of her hair calming his senses as he attempted to force himself asleep. The light of the window didn't aid this and he felt his spine tingle and the curtains close, darkening the room. Shego made no motion or verbalization about Flower closing the blinds, but the tingle down his spine again made it clear Flower had in fact gone unnoticed. He felt her shift and moved even closer, he began to drift off when his mind began its chaotic tango or concerns and problems. He thought about the papers all over his work table, the formulas unfinished, and the plans and blueprints he'd had Shego file.
On top of that, the conference swam though his head again. The faces, the words, and the uneasy feeling he'd had despite its success. He sighed heavily as he opened his eyes and looked down at Shego.
"Shego?" sighed Drakken. Her head moved lazily to look up at him.
"Hmm?" she smirked, "Doesn't look like your napping."
"Shego, do you think..." he trailed off and thought about it, "Nevermind."
Shego shifted away from him and sat up to lean on her arm and look at him.
"Come on, what's rattling around in that brain of yours. You've been in a mood off and on since the conference," sighed Shego.
Drakken stared at her a few seconds and mulled it over. It was true he had been in a series of moodswings since they'd returned. He thought about all the problems he'd been having working on projects, and formulas that didn't add up. Worse was the comment that James Possible had made at the conference.
What if all these projects and offers are just to keep me busy? What if everyone sees the Pollinator as a failure in the making... a happy accident?
"Hello?" Shego's hand waved in his face, "Are you overthinking what you want to say or just internal monologue?"
"Nghn, you'll just mock me," grumbled Drakken and he began to shut his eyes when Shego shoved his shoulder, "What you-"
"Words," she glared, "It doesn't just mean actions you know. Tell me what's bothering you?"
"You really want to know?" asked Drakken after a breath.
"Your moodswings effect me you know," she smirked. Drakken rolled his eyes, "Yes, not tell me."
"What if all these projects are just to keep me busy and away from villainy?" asked Drakken. Shego opened her mouth but he continued, "Worst of all... what if the Pollinator is it, Shego? Just another failure that turned into a happy accident? What if I make something new and it falls apart? Nothing is working, formulas aren't connecting-"
Shego covered his mouth, pulling the continued stream of words he was clearly about to inquire. Her eyes were wide as she let her hand fall away.
"Honestly, I was hoping for something silly and trivial like one of your doodles was the wrong color?" she gave a regretful look.
"Well you wanted to know?" glared Drakken as he pulled himself to sit up on the bed next to her.
"I do," sighed Shego as she shifted closer to him, "Is this why you had me file away all your own doodles? You think there not worth working on?"
"Maybe," he grumbled.
"Well to be fair... some aren't," she muttered. Drakken glared, "What? There was a drawing of a cat with glasses."
"Cat Spies," stated Drakken. Shego looked at him with no emotion, "Fine, that one was a bit much... but what's the point... I mean if I make something... it always fails for the purpose I've made it for... why would anything neutral or good be any different. Thoughts?"
Her emotionless expression finally softened as she sighed.
"Well, which response do you want from me?" asked Shego. Drakken raised a brow, "Do you want the classic response to your ramblings? The truth? Or... the supportive girlfriend?"
Drakken stared at her as he thought this over.
"Ohm... can I have the truthful girlfriend response?" asked Drakken hopefully.
"Absolutely not. No," Shego crossed her arms.
"Drat. Fine. Truth," Drakken leaned against the headboard and looked at her.
"You're an idiot," stated Shego firmly.
Drakken glared.
"This seems more the classic Shego response," Drakken argued.
She hushed him.
"Let me finish," she covered his mouth for a second, "You're an idiot. Yeah, so you're like the King of Failed plans-"
"I-" Drakken's mouth was covered again.
"Maybe that's a big much... but there was a lot. Trust me I kept tabs," smirked Shego. Drakken narrowed his eyes and pulled her hand away.
"Again. This seems more classic than truth," said Drakken.
"Eh, they're kind of a blend," she shrugged before continuing, "More importantly. You're an idiot if all you think you'll ever accomplish is your living garden friends. You couldn't be more wrong. Nearly all of your plans failed because of one minor oversight... mostly because you were rushing to finish whatever harebrained scheme you cooked up on absolutely no sleep and my dwindling patience at getting you random junk to do so... or you were trying to be cheap with materials-"
"Only because someone would make a big deal about errands..." he trailed off as Shego pursed her lips, "Continue."
"What I'm trying to say is... you will probably have failures again... but it doesn't mean you shouldn't work on what you want. Wasn't that the point of going neutral... getting time and funding for whatever your made genius yearns for," she gave a lazy smile, "With exception to a few things because I still hold veto clause."
"This is true," he thought about her words carefully. Choosing to ignore the 'Veto' comment for the moment, "I suppose worst case scenario there's always villainy again."
"Or retirement," shrugged Shego. Drakken raised a brow at her, "Options."
"What about the projects to keep me busy?" asked Drakken quickly.
"Not doing a very good job of it or you wouldn't have noticed a lull," teased Shego. She rested her head on his shoulder, "Even if it's true... so what? You get paid to create and manipulate... which thinking about it would be just idiotic to let you do. Let's say they use your armor right... you know how it works which means its useless against anything you would make."
"There's a deactivation fall back in the coding," muttered Drakken. He felt Shego shoot up and looked at her wide eyes, "Just in case."
The devious glint in her eye as she leaned back against his shoulder made any further questions fall away for the moment as they sat in silence.
"Out of curiosity... what was the girlfriend response?" asked Drakken.
"Same thing, with one small difference," he looked to see her smirking, the glint still there.
"What's the difference-" He didn't get to finish his sentence as Shego's lips found his swiftly.
It took Drakken off-guard for more than a few seconds, but he eagerly reciprocated once the initial shock wore off. While hearing Shego's thoughts had in fact helped him, he slightly regretted not choosing this option first. His hands found her waist and shoulder as he moved to deepen the kiss. His eyes shot open in panic as she pulled away. Before he could apologize he registered her even more devious glint in her eyes.
Playful?
"How's your headache?" she asked, he could see the smirk she was fighting beneath the surface.
While it was still a dull ache, he wasn't about to end this enjoyable time for it. He knew full well without the distraction, despite her words... he would start dissecting his concerns again.
I like this distraction, too.
"Nothing worth a nap," he smirked.
Her grin was the very definition of devilish before she kissed him again. The look confused him until she moved from her spot to straddle over his waist with hers. His hands froze slightly as hers found new locations instead of just his shoulders. He mentally yelled at himself at his hesitated moment before his hands found their old places again but with more movement than before.
Don't overthink.
Drakken's hand trailed from off her shoulder and down her side to her rib-cage. Messaging her flesh through the very thin shirt she'd changed into. He was still cautious of his placements as they kissed with now a slowed fever. The idea of labeling it as a make out session seemed juvenile but it kept ringing through his head. Especially as her hand slid under his shirt for her nails to drag across his back before kneading at the bottom of his shoulder blade.
He moved to kiss along her neck, his other hand sliding from its stationary place on her waist to the other side of her neck opposite he kissed. Shego's other hand that had been firmly moving from his shoulder to finally rest on his chest. Her nails gently balling the fabric in her hand. Her hand let go and continued an almost pawing motion until it became clear she'd just been hesitating on where she intended to go. Her hand slipping under the hem of the front of his shirt for both her hands to be under the fabric. He returned to kissing her lips but it was apparently her turn to find his neck as the tingling electricity made him forget what he himself was doing. Her lips now on his neck as he desperately tried not to overthink his moves as his hand moved from her shoulder blade to her rib-cage again. Highly aware of how easily he could cross a line.
He heard her sigh and her hand slid out from under his shirt to grab his hand.
"Will you just commit, my shoulder is over the message," she found his lips with hers as she rested his hand on her chest.
His mind raced as she kissed him, her hand moving to slide up the back of his head as to not interfere with where she'd placed his hand. He needed no further prompting to continue his messaging motion with his hand motions on its new location. His ability to enjoy being in the moment shifted as Shego moved ever closer to him so there was barely an inch between them. His mind began racing and overthinking every move, every kiss, and every small motion.
Shego's nails slid down the back of his head and down his neck, causing his own hands, one which had found her hip again to slow. His overthinking slowly mutating into a full blown panic that there were far too many boundaries being crossed for a weekday morning that had only started as an attempted nap. Panic at the memory of her devilish glinting eyes and expression.
Don't ruin this.
His attempt at pulling his thoughts back to the moment was a failure. He began spinning every option of where this was headed towards and as much as he had thought of it or daydreamed over the years about that very thing... a greater concern mingled with his earlier concerned.
You fail at everything.
His hand had found its way under the fabric of her waist and grasped at the heated skin under the fabric, desperately trying to shake a series of ways he could fail and disappoint going forward. At the same time, well aware Shego had began to move his shirt upwards and she showed not concern in stopping in the slightest.
She knows what she wants... because she knows what she's doing.
The delight and enjoyment came to a heavy wave of depression instantly. Every scenario his mind was spinning ended with a vision of a very disappointed Shego and an unraveling of what they'd started to build together. His hands swiftly retreated to their safe original positions and he made not assistance for Shego to finish pulling off his shirt. Her lips returned to his and it was with a lot more force behind it, clearly she knew he's overthought about something.
It's not overthinking if its based in truth.
"Drakken?" she pulled away, her voice firm but airy, "What-"
Before she could ask and he could could come up with a pathetic attempt to avoid the topic. The lair shook violently and a sudden sound of rushing water just outside his room made them both jump up. Drakken sprinted to pull back the curtains from his window, but his flowers had already beat him to it as they came rushing in. Both he and Shego stood looking out the window as a guizer of mud like water arched over the cliff edge not far from the lair.
"Isn't that from the manor?" asked Shego.
"I'm guessing so- Oh look its clear now," smiled Drakken as the muddy water indeed turned clear.
"Great... the mud found a new escape route," Shego rolled her eyes as she moved to pick up his coat off the ottoman, "Come on, lets' go see what damage the henchmen caused."
"I'd rather not," lied Drakken. He watched the smirk flicker on Shego's face.
"Tempting, but I'd much rather our lair not slip into the ocean," sighed Shego as she tossed his coat to him, "I'll meet you up there, I have to change."
"Good, because I would appreciate back up threats as I yell at the henchmen who caused this," stated Drakken as he walked passed her.
"If need be, threaten with me and I'll just fire a shot when I walk in," yelled Shego after him.
"Deal!" Drakken yelled back as the lair shook again, "Now what?"
Drakken's mind swarmed with a mix of relief at the interruption and of a very deep concern Shego's statement about the lair falling into the ocean moved in.
I just got the lab the way I like it!
TO THE MANOR!
