I don't own these characters; Disney does.
A/N: first and foremost, this is a late holiday gift for Kat. She asked for a KiGo fic and for a while I was worried I wouldn't be able to deliver. Then, I sat down and listened to a song called Take Him Back by Monica and got inspired. This didn't turn out exactly how I expected at first, but I hope you like it.
A/N the second: shout out to my beta, The CrowDawg for the help.
Moving On
Kim sat up in her neat apartment, in the small dining room, leaning her elbows on the black, square table with her hand wrapped around a cup of peppermint tea meant to calm her nerves. It barely warmed her palms, so it did nothing for her nerves. Nothing would soothe the tremble in her stomach, creeping into her other organs, and scratching just under her flesh. Well, nothing short of Shego climbing through her window, or better still walking through her door.
She could already hear Shego complaining. "Damn, Princess, it's quiet in here!" Or "damn, Princess, what are you wearing? Couldn't even bother to dress sexy for me?" Kim rolled her eyes at a conversation that did not even happen yet. It was probably going to go something like that, but she did not change from her pink tank top and black pajama pants. Shego would have to deal with the boring attire when she finally came in. If she finally comes in.
Kim shook that thought away and sipped her tea. It was too hot, scolding her mouth and tearing at her raw nerves. It was like being peeled like a banana and tossed in the dirt. She frowned, more upset with the circumstances than her burnt tongue.
It had been days since she heard from Shego. It was not the first time, but recently it began grating on Kim's nerves. She thought she handled her girlfriend disappearing for days on end better than most. But, then again, most girlfriends were not Shego. Of course, that also meant most girlfriends did not vanish for days to weeks at a time.
The vanishing was hard enough, but not knowing what shape Shego would be in was the part that gave her anxiety and Kim was not an anxious person until this relationship with Shego. I'm too old for this. Really, they both were too old for this.
Movement at the window caught her attention. Being on the eighth floor, it could only be one thing. Some of her tension drained from her, but her chest was tight. Shego being home was one thing, but she did not know what condition Shego was in.
She rushed to help Shego in, opening the window and the apartment was blasted with cold air. Kim shivered and ignored the chill clawing at her flesh as she noticed Shego slumped over, barely clinging to the building. Shego leaned into the window, hair a mess, but curtaining the rest of her. Kim already could guess what Shego looked like if she could not get herself into the window. Shego groaned as Kim grunted, taking the brunt of Shego's weight to get her into their apartment. Then, she had to manage to shut the window and not drop Shego at the same time. It was no small feat, but she had some practice at it.
"Thanks, Princess," Shego said, head still down. Her voice was rough and her catsuit was dirty, dark patches spotted it, and it was torn in several places. Nothing about this was good.
"Don't thank me. Let me see," Kim replied with some grit in her voice. She needed Shego to understand she was not in the mood for any nonsense right now, not with her stomach twisted into a knot.
Shego grunted. "I'm fine." She made no move to get out of Kim's grip, though. She probably did not have the strength to do so, even if she wanted to.
"No, don't lie to me. We don't do that. Now, show me."
Shego sucked her teeth and raised her head. Kim held in a flinch, but she could feel the blood drain from her face. She had seen worse during her hero days and also her time in war torn areas as she went to help identify bodies as a forensic anthropologist. But, this might be the worst for Shego.
One eye was swollen shut, blood pouring over it from a gash in her eyelid. Her nose was definitely broken. Her bottom lip was split down the center and as swollen as her eye. Her pale cheek was bruised dark, already almost black.
"Go sit down. I'll get the first aid kit." Kim was already prepared for this. The first-aid kit was near her tea cup. Turning, she took a deep breath and flipped the switch. Now was not the time to let her emotions get the better of her. She had to fix Shego. She's home. She's alive. Let's work with what we got and worry about the rest after. Grabbing picked up the first-aid kit, she went to the couch.
Shego had not sat down yet. She had her catsuit around her waist, displaying a road map of cuts and bruises on her bare torso. Kim said nothing, having said everything the first dozen times this happened.
Now, Kim just waited up and worried. She wanted to be with Shego, have her back, but she could not. She could not support Shego in that way if Shego wanted to do the wrong thing. And, yes, Shego did the wrong thing for the right reason, but it was still the wrong thing. Kim could not be a party to that.
"You're lucky you heal quickly," Kim said. Honestly, she was lucky, too. There was no way she would have been able to deal with her girlfriend looking like this as often as Shego did. It would be too much, even for her.
"Tell me about it." Shego held up her hand, showing her index finger bent the wrong way.
Kim winced. "Damn, they broke your fingers?"
Shego shook her head. "I broke it improvising." She snapped it back into place with barely a wince.
Kim examined her nose before pushing it back into place. Once again, there was hardly a flinch. "Yamanouchi ninjas again?" They had been a plague to Shego once places started to hire them. They were more competent than any henchmen the other villains used. It was almost like hiring mercenaries, which made sense since Shego was a mercenary. It was fighting fire with fire at this point.
Shego touched her nose and flinched. "A damn gaggle."
Kim got to work before Shego did something else to hurt herself. "Was Yori there?" While Yori lived with Ron and helped him run his restaurant, she still did the occasional ninja mission. She and Shego ran into each other more often than expected.
Shego pulled away as Kim inspected her eyebrow, but stopped when Kim gave her a stern stare. It made Shego frown, but she dared not move again. "Yeah. She reminded me about game night Saturday."
Kim twisted her mouth up for a moment. "And then helped kick your ass?" It would be a surprisingly Yori thing to do.
Shego snorted. "Not hardly. She missed her calling. She was supposed to be a fairy tale because she believes in fair fights. She didn't think it was a fair fight, so she stepped down."
That sounded like Yori, too. "Looks like she was right." Kim cleaned Shego's eyebrow and put a couple of butterfly bandages on it to close it up. Any other person would have needed stitches. "And no one else followed her lead?"
"No. She poured salt in the wound, though. 'Maybe you should stop stealing.' Shut up, Yori." Shego sneered. "It's not like I'm doing it for fun anymore." She winced as Kim worked on her busted lip.
Kim was far from shocked by Yori's advice. Yori knew Shego did not need to do what she did, but she did not understand why Shego did what she did. Shego had little desire to test her skills by breaking and entering and making off with valuable scientific items, especially if it meant fighting off a ninja horde. She did it more for Drakken than anything else. He had not been able to hack it in the real world after saving the world, which did not surprise anyone really. The second he fell into old habits, Shego followed him.
"Someone needs to keep an eye on him." Shego did not know when or why, but she appointed herself Drakken's keeper. She mostly protected him from himself, but maybe it was time to redirect. Drakken was not the one almost killed by ninjas, after all. Of course, without Shego around, Drakken would definitely kill himself in some major scientific accident.
"Babe, have you considered it might be time to retire?" Kim asked as she worked on Shego's wounds. It needed to be said, again. Dealing with this a few more times might kill both of them.
Shego gave a melodramatic gasp as she put her hand to her chest. "Bite your tongue, Princess!"
"Shego, I'm serious. You're thirty and you come in here looking worse and worse for a job you don't enjoy."
"Just like every other adult," Shego replied with a scoff.
Kim glared at her. "Be serious. I'm bandaging you. You have more wounds than I can count. I can't even kiss you right now thanks to your lip. Most adults don't have jobs where they come home looking like this, so try again."
Shego's shoulders dropped as she sighed. "Someone has to watch Doctor D. He's… he's getting worse. Sometimes, he doesn't eat. He just schemes. I'll come into the lab after a few days and he smells because he doesn't shower." She wrinkled her nose, which made her grimace. "I can't tell you how many times he's set a fire in the lair. He caused more electrical surges than anyone would recommend and he's just lucky I'm smart enough to help him fix it."
"I thought for sure he'd get bored once Ron and I stopped foiling his plans." That was a few years ago, but Drakken had barely missed a step in his attempts to take over the world. Apparently, his drive was not tied to playing around with her and Ron. Ron had the nerve to be insulted by that, not so insulted to stop worrying about his restaurant, though.
"Sometimes he asks about you and I have to remind him you're twenty-five now and you have an actual job, like he used to have an actual research grant before he blew it."
Kim shook her head. They were all disappointed when Drakken did what Drakken does — ruin a good thing for himself. He was so self-destructive that he managed to burn the golden ticket saving the world earned him. Of course, for him, it was everyone else's fault, not that he used several grants, a world class lab, and excellent staff to create useless or failing inventions because he refused to listen to anyone except himself. What made the man keep trying to build robots was a mystery. There was not a scientist or engineer that had not laughed at him now. Buckling under the mockery, he cracked again and went right back to the same old Drakken.
"I understand Drakken needs someone and you're his evil family, but you don't need to die for the cause. Try to get him to retire. He liked the retirement community when he terrorized my nana," Kim said. It was a little strange, but it was something to work with.
Shego nodded until she remembered she was being patched up. "He did."
"And he has more than enough money between whatever he did before he met you and you patenting his good ideas." Yes, there were those, but Drakken tended to ignore them because they did not do what he wanted them to do. "Does he even know he's worth, like, half a billion dollars?"
Shego looked at her as if she was out of her mind. "Of course he doesn't! Do you know what he'd do with that money?"
"Blow it on a doomsday device or possibly try to hire you an assistant."
Shego scoffed. "Could you imagine?"
Kim could and that was the problem. Shego had taken pretty good care of Drakken in the sense that he was still alive and well. But, she also tried not to trouble his world too much and that was why she was where she was. Drakken was not a bad guy in the sense that he understood Shego helped him, so he would try to help her if he could. Either way, he would not do anything good if he had an inkling of how wealthy he was.
"Well, maybe set up a trust account for him, so he only has access to a certain amount of money at certain times," Kim said.
"Princess, I did that a long time ago, which is why his schemes haven't been as grand as those synthodrones and crap, but I am tired." Shego finally dropped onto the sofa. She almost rubbed her eyes, but stopped just in time. "I'm just so tired." She sighed.
Kim moved, so she could keep working. "I know, sweetie. I know." She rubbed Shego's knee. Shego deserved a break. Taking care of Drakken was more than a full-time job.
Shego blew out a long breath and sat back, letting Kim take care of her. It would be nice to be able to take care of Shego in other ways, but they would have to wait for the cuts to heal. But, Shego needed a spa, some sun, and lots of sleep. She needed a day where she did not have to worry over a smell or smoke or noise coming from a room just out of sight. Until she could make time for that though, Kim working on her wounds would have to be enough.
After this, Kim would have to buy more gauze. Shego had cuts everywhere. Some were quite deep. Kim was tempted to stitch them, but that was not necessary with Shego's healing powers. The butterfly bandages would be fine, but she would also need to buy more of those. Unless, of course, Shego talked Drakken into retiring. Not likely, so I'll definitely have to buy more medical supplies next time I go shopping. She did not look forward to it.
"So, doc, will I live?" Shego asked with a grin. Her usually easygoing smile looked painful thanks to the damage done to her face.
"You will, but for how long will be determined by what you do with Drakken," Kim answered as she packed up the first-aid kit. This was enough time for her organs to untwist and settle back into their proper places. She blew out a calm breath.
Shego snorted and shook her head. As soon as it was obvious she was all patched up, Shego got up to clean up and get into comfortable clothes. Kim set about grabbing her "Shego comfort kit." It was to be used whenever Shego came back from a job, success or failure. There were levels in case of failure. This was top tier, so she had peppermint tea, Shego's favorite, and soft oatmeal cookies, another surprising favorite.
Tea was made and cookies were put on a plate, settled on the oak coffee table. Kim cued up Shego's feel good movie… Thor: Ragnarok. Hot woman villain with a legit reason to be pissed and in love with the color green. Of course Shego loved it, especially since the villain did not technically lose in the end. She pushed all of the pillows Shego liked to her side of the couch and the thin, black blanket Shego adored was placed on her side. By that time, Shego was back in a dark green camisole and black shorts.
Shego looked refreshed and it was already obvious her body was healing. She eased onto the sofa, careful of her injuries. The cuts would take longer to heal, and continue to hurt for a while.
Kim sat with Shego and wrapped her arms around her. Her nose was invaded by the aroma of soft sage and it filled her with solace. Shego was safe, sound, and in her arms, where Shego should be. Shego leaned against her just enough for it to interfere with Shego's ability to get tea or eat her cookies.
"Would we do this more if I retired?" Shego asked, head resting against Kim's shoulder.
They already did this often, but there would be differences. "It doesn't have to stop just because you're not injured or stressed," Kim replied, drawing small circles on the back of Shego's hand with her fingertips.
Shego chuckled. "Promise?"
Kim let out a light laugh and smiled at Shego. "Keep teasing and I'll put on a movie I want to see."
"You don't want to see Hela?" Shego gave the best teasing smile she could considering the state of her face. "I think I might need a divorce."
Kim rolled her eyes. "You'd have to accept my proposal first." She had asked several times. It was never a no, but a "not right now."
Shego smiled and looked into Kim's eyes. "Maybe it's time."
It had been time a while ago, but Shego, much like her employer/charge, did not know when to quit. Hopefully, this was the start of a new chapter for Shego. A new chapter for both of them and their relationship.
"Do you mean that?" Kim asked in a quiet voice. Her heart jumped at the idea. She wanted this for so long.
Shego sighed. "Tonight…" She inhaled deeply and stared into Kim's eyes. Emerald eyes were dark, haunted. "I had to crawl away from that building, Princess. Crawl. I worried… wondered if I'd make it back to you for a moment."
Kim's stomach dropped. She could imagine. She had her moments when adventuring. She made mistakes or people got lucky. It was terrible even for a split second to think she would never see her family again, never see Shego again, and it was due to her doing something she did not need to do. Kim brushed Shego's hair from her face and kissed the side of her head.
"Has it been like that before?" Kim asked. Shego had never been so beaten up, but that did not mean she had not had moments where she thought she would not make it.
Shego shook her head. "I didn't like it. They're gunning for me now. I'm the proving ground."
Another thing Kim could imagine. For a while, when she was still doing the hero thing, random villains would pop up to test her. Some were more dangerous than others and she had been injured by them on a few occasions. Kim looked at her, hoping her understanding of the situation shined in her eyes, and she ran a hand gently through Shego's hair, careful in case Shego had injuries there.
"But, you don't have to be. You don't have to do this anymore. Talk to Drakken." Kim gave Shego a little squeeze.
Shego let out a light sigh and cuddled closer to Kim. While it was quiet, it felt like they turned a corner. While Kim was not happy Shego was hurt, she would take it if it got them to their next phase of life.
"You know my dad has been talking about retirement a lot lately and he went to school with Drakken, so they're probably the same age," Kim said. Shego could use that as an argument with Drakken.
"Yeah, but the difference is your dad'll find productive things to do with his time," Shego replied.
Kim laughed. "Excuse me, you've met my dad. You know that is very much not true. Mom threatened to send him to live with Uncle Slim if he didn't have a serious retirement plan, and it has nothing to do with money. He'll need to present her a slideshow for her approval." This was not a lie.
Shego snickered. "You married up. You get to look forward to that, too."
"You're five years older than I am, not ten. You also have to go outside. Dad would burn the house down around him and stay in the house without work. Mom isn't having it."
Shego pressed her hands together and bowed slightly. "She is a wise woman."
Kim rolled her eyes. "My point being, you can just let Drakken know people that he knows are considering retirement. Maybe even show him some community brochures. He liked that place Nana's in, so he might be interested in doing something like that." She felt it was worth saying once more.
"He might be, but he's not really old enough for a retirement village. We only just put his mother in one a few years ago." That was a fight and Shego was frustrated for days after, complaining about it almost every time she opened her mouth. She hated that she would probably have to go through that with Drakken when he was that age. If he made it to that age, anyway.
Kim nodded. "There has to be some place where people can just keep an eye on him, but he can stay busy. He definitely needs to stay busy."
"I'll think of something once the pain subsides. I've got to replace his desire to prove himself to people he hates to a desire of enjoying life." From Shego's tone, she thought that was the impossible task.
Kim tapped her chin. "That might not be as hard as we think."
Shego snorted and looked at Kim with the most skeptical face she could manage with one eye swollen shut. "Have you met Drakken?"
"I have and we know he just wants to prove he's better than everyone thinks and the best way to do that is to take over the world. Can we prove he's as good as he thinks he is without world domination?"
Shego winced as she twisted her mouth up in disbelief. Her one good eye questioned Kim's sanity. "The man helped save the world from freaking aliens and still felt inferior. He's worth half a billion dollars and still feels inferior."
"Well, he doesn't know he's worth half a billion."
Shego pursed her lips. "I think I know what to do."
"You need my help?"
"No. I think seeing you would just upset him and make him double down on world conquest. He'll think it'll be like old times."
"Aw, he misses me." And, knowing him, he probably did in his weird way.
Shego scoffed. "He misses trying to kill you."
"What about you?" Kim nudged her and kissed Shego's forehead. "You miss trying to kill me?"
Shego laughed. "I'll succeed if you keep making me miss Hela."
"I'd like to see you try." Any other time, this would have led to a fun sparring match, which would have ended in bed, but Shego was in no shape for that to happen.
"Keep it up, cupcake. Keep it up."
Kim smiled, but she left Shego alone to enjoy her movie and snacks. Kim kissed her forehead again. Shego snuggled up close, occasionally drinking her tea or eating a cookie. Eventually, Shego fell asleep against her. That was fine. Sleep helped Shego heal.
-8-8-8-8-
Shego watched Drakken at his workbench. He had no idea she was there. She folded her arms across her chest and shook her head. How does he just let his guard down like this, even when he's alone in the place? It was one thing to trust she would protect him, but it was another thing to zone out and get lost in his work when it was just him around.
He was in his usual dark blue coveralls, working hard and muttering to himself. He did that a lot more. At first, it bothered Shego. She feared he was losing what was left of his mind, but now she understood what it was. Drakken never stopped being a lonely only child. He did not have friends, so he talked to himself. It was worse now than before because Shego was around less. She had her relationship with Kim and they did couple's stuff together quite often. She had friends of her own that she hung out with. Drakken had no one, so he muttered as he puttered, planning to show everyone he was worthwhile.
"Hey, Doctor D, what are you up to?" Shego asked as she made way deeper into the messy room. There were metal bits, robot pieces, and dozens of test tubes with various amounts of colored liquids in each. The room smelled like sweat and motor oil. She resisted the urge to ask to see his hands, as he often had cuts and scratches when he holed up in his workshop.
"Shego!" He beamed as he turned to her. His face was bright, but smudged with grease, and creased with all the new age and stress lines. He had gone gray at his temples a couple of years back and he actually liked the streak of gray through the middle of his hair. It was sort of cool. He accepted he was aging, or maybe he ignored it because he had the world domination thing to keep him busy.
"How's it going?" She asked as she set down on a stool and wheeled over to him. Tension slowly creeping into her body. I can do this with him. It's good for both of us. The right thing for both of us. Sweat dotted his forehead. She would have to tell him to shower before she left.
He squealed, holding up his hands balled up into fists and showing off cuts Shego would later have to disinfect. He was all too happy to talk about his latest device and the plan that went with it. It was too complex to ever work, a flight of fancy really, but he was proud. And, he got even happier as he told Shego her part.
"I'm gonna stop you there, Doctor D." Shego held up a hand and took a deep breath. "Do you remember what happened the last time you sent me out to get something?" She was still sore, even though most of her wounds healed from her last tussle with the Yamanouchi ninjas. The bruises were gone, but there were still cuts and slices scabbed over.
"Yeah!" He pointed at her as he stared her dead in the eye. "You didn't get it!"
Shego frowned, tension replaced by righteous indignation. "Do you remember why I didn't get it?" She growled.
He waved her off. "Because you wanted to spend time with your girlfriend."
"I got beat up, Doctor D!" She threw her hands out. "I was almost killed by a group of ninjas! If I didn't happen to know one, I'd still be on that roof." She flinched and her stomach dropped as she realized how true that was.
She could have died by ninja if Yori had not been there and stopped her fellow ninjas. Drakken did not even care about that, or did not realize it. It was probably the latter, but that did not make it any better.
She sighed and looked him in his eyes. You better have enough empathy to see my damn pain. "I can't keep doing this. They're gunning for me now. They're trying to take me out. Eventually, they will." Oh, my god, they will. They'll eventually freaking kill me. Her heart sank. I can't do that to my Princess. I can't leave her wondering where the hell my corpse is. Regardless of what she talked Drakken into, she would have to get out of this. She had too much to live for to let Drakken's Napoleon complex kill her.
He gawked at her, like he did not understand what she was saying. Maybe he did not. He seemed to think she was indestructible. She really did, too, until recently. It was not a fun competition like between her and Kim. It was life or death more often than not. There was no banter, no relationship between her and those who stood against her.
"Doctor D, the people guarding stuff aren't Kim. They're trying to kill me when they notice me and most of them have been trained where they'll notice me. Enough of them in a group with enough skill will end me. These are hired ninjas, trained mercenaries, and ex-military bodyguards. And there's always lots of them gunning for me when I show up." Shego had not had a one-on-one fight in years.
His little blue face pinched together. "So, what are you saying?"
"I'm saying I don't want to end up dead."
His brow furrowed even more as he processed the information, probably incorrectly. "We could hire you a sidekick."
She rolled her eyes. "Great, so I can die with a buddy."
"Then what are you saying?"
Shego sighed. "I'm done, Doctor D. I've got to move on. It's time."
He whimpered, bottom lip trembling. "And what am I supposed to do without you? We're an evil family."
She chuckled and patted his shoulder. "Yeah, we are, Doctor D."
"Then, why are you leaving me?"
"I'm not leaving you, Doctor D…" She reached out and clutched his hand in both of hers, careful of his cuts. "I think it's time you moved on as well."
He squinted and his forehead wrinkled. "Move on?"
She gave his hands a squeeze. "Yes, Doctor D. It's time. All the villains of our era have moved on. Hell, Kimmie moved on!"
"She showed up a few months ago."
"To pick me up for a date!" There were occasions Kim would come to the lair and pull her away as she tried to keep Drakken from blowing the place up.
"She stopped my mutant spiders."
Shego shook her head. "That was her cousin, Joss."
"Cousin?" He looked so lost.
Shego nodded. "Yup. You've met her a few times. And you kinda always call her Kim. She corrects you." That was their thing, or at least that was how Joss took it. But, no, Drakken really could not tell the two Possibles apart. "Joss handles the villains now and Kim handles rescues. Kim hasn't personally stopped you in over a year and that was just because she happened to be in the same city you were in when you did your big reveal."
He stared at the table, trying to make the connections. "What does Kim Possible do with her time then?"
"She's a forensic anthropologist. She's doing important work."
"Hmm…" He pursed his lips. "Since when?"
"A while now. She's twenty-five. The buffoon's a chef, owns a really good restaurant, and is married to a girl he totally doesn't deserve."
"Married?" He said it with the right amount of disbelief.
Shego nodded. "Yeah, married. They've moved on. I gotta do the same. Do you know how many times Kim's proposed to me and I had to turn her down due to all of this?" She waved a hand to motion all around them. Kim was a saint to put up with it actually.
"Shego, what are you saying?" he asked.
"It's time to move on. Retire."
He jumped up out of his seat. "Retire?" he screamed as if it was a dirty word.
She remained calm. She was used to his tantrums. "Yes, we both need to retire."
"We can't retire!" He patted himself on the chest with both hands as his eyes went wild. "We need to take over the world."
She scoffed. "Why?" She needed him to understand this was meaningless.
"Because!" He stomped his foot.
"Because what? We had a good thing going after we helped save the world. You had everything any scientist could ever want."
He threw his hand out behind him. "Those people didn't understand my genius!"
"And now you'll show them when you take over the world? How right you were all along?" That was what this had always been about. His need to show people he knew what he was doing. He was right and they were wrong.
"Exactly!" He stared at her with his usual manic fire lighting up his beady black eyes.
Shego laughed. "Come sit down." She patted his seat.
"What?"
"Come sit." Shego pulled out her phone. She was ready for this. She just needed him to sit down.
Drakken blew out a breath and sat back down. His focus went to her phone, his need to know what was in her hands getting the better of him. Shego knew every single scientist Drakken wanted to show up with his world domination scheme. She had something better — their net worth. She walked him through all of the names and numbers.
"Shego, I don't care how much money they have," Drakken said.
"And this is you." She did not show him the real amount, just enough for him to understand he was leaps and bounds ahead of the people who criticized him. He won.
He blinked and his face scrunched up again. "How?" He shook his head and then stared at her with wide eyes. "I haven't patented an invention in years." Back when Drakken first started out, he understood he would need a lot of money to operate and he patented several of his more useful inventions. It was how he was able to pay her and finance his endeavors. He slacked off as he became more and more obsessed with taking over the world, more and more intent on proving his value. Well, he had a value he could attach to himself now.
"I've been doing it for you. I've also sold some of your 'failed' inventions. You get so focused on taking over the world, you don't consider the real world applications of your tech. Some of your laser tech is being used for life saving surgery." And there were smaller, but no less lucrative, applications for so much of his work. She showed him a couple of articles about his laser stuff, though.
"Really?"
"You've a lot more accomplished than you know. No, you haven't been recognized, but it's because you're not paying attention to what you're doing to call attention to what you're doing. You don't have to prove yourself. Your tech is in so many things, helping study the ocean, explore space, and save lives. Hell, your tech helped improve things for people with disabilities. I know it's not what you're going for, but you're so accomplished and if you want to brag to people, I'll send you every bit of it to show people."
He was silent for a long time, just staring hard at his workstation. She did not know how to take that. Drakken was not quiet, ever. The man even talked in his sleep.
Eventually, black eyes were back on her. "So, what would we do if we retire?" he asked, curious, maybe a little lost.
"Whatever we want. You can do karaoke to your heart's content!" She lightly slapped his shoulder.
"And you'd come?''
"Sometimes." She would still need to check on him.
"And what else can I do?"
She shrugged. "Travel. I plan to. You can tag along." Again, she needed to keep an eye on him. "Kim said her dad will probably retire soon. Maybe you can rekindle your old college friendship. Thirty-plus years is a long time to hold a grudge for laughing at your robot.''
Drakken grunted, even though he had a soft spot for the Possible family. She did, too. She had family dinner with them once a week. Sometimes, she even brought Drakken along. He got on pretty well with the twins, which was not a surprise.
"He'd have to apologize," Drakken said.
"I think that can be arranged." Mrs. Possible would take care of that if only to make sure her husband had someone to leave the house with when he did retire. They would still need to be monitored, but they were less likely to destroy a house, or the world, if they were together.
"So, what now?" he asked.
"Well, are we serious about this?"
He took a breath. "Are you sure I've made that money?"
"Positive. We can go over the paperwork if you want. We can also go over all of your inventions earning that money. We can do whatever you want."
He shook his head, but he obviously did not believe it. Life had kicked his butt enough for him to be an honest skeptic. It was okay. The first step was the hardest.
-8-8-8-8-
Kim sighed as she stepped into the apartment, dropping her shoulder bag right at the door as she toed off her boots. All she wanted was a hot shower followed by a hot bath. The dim lights and candles around the living space let her know that was probably going to have to wait. Vanilla wafted through the apartment, meant to relax her.
"Shego?" Kim called. She had not expected Shego, had not seen her for a few days. She had not been worried. Shego was out helping Drakken find a proper home rather than a lair. They were both picky, so it would probably take a while. "Shego?" She stepped deeper into the house.
Shego exited their bedroom, dressed in a black evening gown, showing off her shoulders and arms. Perfect skin tempting Kim and the creamy legs on display did not make things any easier. Kim's mouth dropped. Her girlfriend was so damn sexy.
"You look good," Kim said the obvious because that was the best her brain could do.
Shego smiled and sauntered over to Kim, making a show of sashaying her hips. She gave Kim a long, deep kiss as Kim stood there in shock. What the hell was going on? It took her brain a long while to realize she should be kissing Shego back. By the time she did, Shego pulled away, still smiling.
"Why are you all dressed up?" Kim asked.
"Because it's been months we've gone out on a date and I wanted to do one as soon as possible," Shego replied.
"You could've told me and I'd have been ready to go with you." Now, she would have to rush and find an outfit that matched with Shego's. And, even though she was not in the mood to go out, it had been too long since they had been on a date.
Shego tapped her chin. "Because I want you all to myself. Beyond that, I know after a long day, you just wanna take a hot bath." She ran her hands over Kim's side and untucked her button-down shirt from her slacks.
Kim sighed, shoulders falling. "I do. I really do."
"Okay, take a shower, get dressed, and we'll have a nice dinner right here and then a hot bath."
Kim's body wanted to melt just at the thought of those things. "That sounds so nice."
Shego smiled. "I hope it is."
Kim rushed to take a shower and then she had to find an outfit the perfect mix of sexy and formal, like Shego's dress. She had a few to pick from and mentally went through the gowns she had as she stepped into the running shower. A sigh escaped her as the hot spray hit her face and ran down her tense body, washing away the stress of her work day.
She put on a red, backless gown that fell to her knee and joined Shego at their dinner table. Plates were already at their seats, covered with sliced chicken cutlets, roasted potatoes, green beans, and biscuits. Candles and flowers between them.
Shego pulled out Kim's seat for her. "You look nice, Princess." She kissed Kim's cheek just as Kim was down.
"Thank you. You look sexy," Kim replied as Shego went to sit across from her.
Shego grinned and wiggled her eyes. "Like always, huh?"
Kim scoffed. "You're so full of yourself." She picked up her fork.
"I date Kim Possible. I gotta be doing something right." Shego smirked.
"Flatterer. So, you cooked?" Kim asked. It was a surprise because even though Shego could, she did not typically cook. Takeout was just easier. She ate a piece of chicken and moaned as the flavor spread through her mouth. "It's so good."
Shego nodded. "I wanted this to be special."
Kim sat up straighter and had to fight down an "aw." She could feel the light in her face. "Mission accomplished. Although, I didn't expect you back until you found Drakken a house. I figured as picky as you two are, it'd take a long time."
Shego nodded. "Nah. We made lists."
Kim smiled as she ate a potato. "Like I taught you." She helped organize Shego, whose laziness sometimes came from the fact that she did not know what she wanted out of situations. So, Kim showed her how to make a list, order her thoughts, and figure out what she desired from items and things.
Shego snorted and waved that off before starting in on her food. She ate some chicken and beans. "Anyway. We both made lists of what the house needed and I told the realtor to only show us houses that hit a majority of the list."
"And Drakken's list was realistic and doable?" Kim could not believe that.
Shego laughed, hair swaying as she threw her head back and hit the table. "Of course not! I edited his list before I gave it to the realtor. Anyway, long story short, we closed on a house this morning."
Kim squealed. "Shego, that's great!" She reached across the table, grabbing onto Shego's wrist.
Shego clutched Kim's wrist for a moment and then they both let go. "Yeah, it really is. It cemented, for me anyway, that he was really ready to retire." She held up a glass, wine swishing a little.
Kim wasted no time picking up her wine glass and they toasted to Drakken's house, thus to Shego's retirement. No more having to wonder where Shego was and if she was all right. They could focus on the future. Kim wanted to let her imagination run away for a moment, but she also wanted to savor this moment, so she focused.
Kim took a sip of her wine. "So, what's Drakken going to do now?"
Shego chuckled. "I'm glad you asked. I had him make another list. He's got a lot of things he wants to do, which is good. He's looking forward to lots of karaoke." That was a warning. They would have to go with him every now and then.
Kim scoffed and ate a couple of potatoes with a few strips of chicken. "We'll grab Ron and Yori. Yori will have a blast with him."
Shego curled her lip and then drank some of her wine. "Weird that she likes it, too. I think I'm going to trick him into starting a podcast. It'll keep his attention, allows him to tinker with stuff, and play into his attention-seeking behavior."
Kim's mouth dropped open. Thankfully, she did not have any food in it or it would have fallen to the floor. "That's brilliant! I'm going to float that idea to my father." She could see a podcast keeping her father busy enough for her mother to leave him alone at home and not worry about him.
Shego made a show of actually patting herself on the back. "I think he'd like it. I know it'll keep Drakken busy. Beyond being able to tell people all of his crackpot ideas, just figuring out how to do it will eat up his time. If things go well with your dad apologizing, they might even do it together."
"Dad already agreed to apologize. He's also planning to praise Drakken for all of his accomplishments since you leaked that article about him, which was also brilliant." That should have been the final hint that Shego was retiring. She used one of Kim's reporter connections to do a big article about Drakken to let the world know he was more than a joker trying to take over the world. It worked wonders.
Shego tilted her glass to Kim. "That only works because you know damn near everybody, pumpkin."
Kim shrugged. "I think my dad feels guilty. I mean, looking at what Drakken was able to do out of spite, he wonders what Drakken would've done with support. But, I told him that Drakken does have support."
Shego winced. "I dunno about all of that."
A soft smile settled on Kim's face and she took Shego's hand. "I do. You're always there for him, sweetheart. You encourage him, in your own way. You're the reason he was able to do what he does and you're the reason his inventions go to the right places. You did that. He's lucky to have you and I think he knows that, in his own weird Drakken way."
Shego blew out a breath. "I promised to visit him at least once a week, though, and I promised to do stuff with him."
Kim intertwined their fingers. "I expected as much. I know how he is, after all." She expected Shego to always be there for Drakken. She knew what she signed up for and she respected Shego's willingness to be there for Drakken.
A shy, half-smile twitched onto Shego's face before she ducked her head for a moment. "Thanks for understanding,"
Kim cooed and patted her love's hand with her free hand. "Oh, Shego. You know I love you and I know you love Drakken. I don't fault you for that. The fact that you care about him is one of the things I love about you."
Shego preened and took hold of Kim's other hand. Kim gave her hands a squeeze and they both smiled at each other. They lost themselves in green eyes for a long while before pulling away. Kim went back to her food while Shego drank some of her wine, using the glass to hide a childlike grin.
Kim smiled. "So, what does your retirement list look like?"
Shego's grin widened and her eyes twinkled, which was typically dangerous. "Should we look?"
"Because of course you have it."
Shego grabbed her phone at the edge of the table. She moved her thumb over the screen and then settled on something. She showed the screen to Kim. Kim leaned forward to see. A text message awaited her. She had to squint to read it. Whatever Shego was trying to do, it would have been easier with a tablet.
"Can you see it?" Shego asked.
"I got it." Kim had to get a little closer. "Will you marry me?" It took a second to reach her brain and then she gasped. Her eyes shot to Shego.
Shego sat up taller and smirked. "Why, yes I will." She picked up the flowers between them and revealed a very familiar ring and chain. Kim had used them to propose three times before, only to be turned down.
Kim's eyes narrowed. "You stole that." She had hidden it, as she had plans to propose again sometime in the near future.
A scoff escaped Shego as she tossed her head to the side with flare. "How can I steal what's mine? You've given it to me three times now."
"You didn't accept three times."
"But, I just accepted now."
That was true and that was the important thing. "Shall I put it on you?"
Shego flipped her hair to one side. "Please and thank you."
Kim rushed around Shego's side and quickly fastened the necklace around Shego's neck. She put the ring on the necklace because she doubted it would survive being on Shego's finger, even though she had it made especially for Shego. Still, she would not put it past Shego to one day discover some new facet of her powers and accidentally destroy the ring.
She smiled as she locked the clasp. It was like the world around her shifted. Everything was the same, but everything was different. She was engaged to Shego. She was engaged to the woman she loved. She could not help staring at it, heart paused in her chest, and her eyes stinging with unshed tears.
"Princess, can I move my hair back?" Shego asked.
Kim blinked. "Oh, yeah. It's good." She stepped. "Let me see."
Shego stood up and stood before Kim. Kim gasped at the sight of her ring dangling just above Shego's pale breasts. Now, her heart thumped heavy in her chest. The world was definitely different. It was like going through the looking glass. She touched the ring and Shego grabbed her hand.
In the blink of an eye, Shego yanked Kim to her and kissed her like they might never kiss again. It was amazing, like fireworks between them. Kim matched the energy and moaned into Shego's mouth. Shego actually giggled and that broke the kiss. Kim smiled at her.
"We're engaged, getting married," Shego said, messing with the chain already.
Kim could not contain her own giggles. "Yes, we are."
Shego tittered once more and put her hand over her mouth to stop it. "Oh, my god! I'm giddy! I love you so much, Princess." She hugged Kim so tight.
"I know. I love you, too." Kim pecked Shego on the lips. "Want to take a bath with me and make wedding plans? We could do a list."
Shego grinned. "It's actually on my list. I got a bath bomb and some chocolate covered strawberries and champagne to celebrate this moment. Everything's already in the bathroom, put there while you were getting dressed."
Kim bit her bottom lip to keep control long enough to get to those things. "Oh, so that was on your list. Let's go." She took Shego by the hand and they went to the bathroom to discuss their future.
-8-8-8-8-
The End.
Well, folks, I hope you enjoyed the story. Please, let know what you thought. Check me out on Facebook (SL Kassidy) or on Tumblr (Slunatic). For now, I'm heading back to my padded room.
