Snippets of Forever:
So Not... An Ill-Suitor.
-x-
There was nothing about this particular sitch that was wildly unfamiliar to Kim.
As long as there was bad guys to be busted, Kim Possible would always be there to thwart their evil plots. Her efforts never went unnoticed - it was the reason that each member of the Middleton police department was so familiar with her.
"You think you can stop me, Fraulein Possible?! No-vun can stop me! Your self-healing, springing in the step battle suit vill be mine!"
Then there was the villains' maniacal calls of sworn vengeance. Kim was certainly familiar with those by now. If every bad guy who ever threatened her existence stuck to their word, the teen hero would have been toast a thousand times over by now.
As Professor Dementor sucked in a long breath and was surely about to reignite his defeated ramblings, the foiled super villain was suddenly cut off when the door to the police paddy wagon slammed shut in his face.
A tall, female police officer with broad shoulders and a long, dark ponytail smiled at Kim with a shake of her head.
"I believe this belongs to you?" she asked, presenting Kim with her retrieved battle suit.
Kim grinned with gratitude at the older woman as she took her suit and slung it over her shoulder, "Thanks, Melinda."
Senior Constable Melinda Harris had been just a beat cop when Kim took on her first mission almost four years ago. In that time, the officer had definitely processed her fair share of the redhead's nemeses - but she had also been gifted the opportunity to watch Kim grow into the successful young adult that she was slowly becoming. Her, and her goofy sidekick, of course.
"Uh, did Ronnie lose his pants again?"
At the sound of her boyfriend's name, Kim forced down an annoyed grimace.
A small sigh escaped her lips as Kim glanced around to lay her eyes on Ron. The blonde boy was sitting on top of one of the outdoor picnic-style tables of Bueno Nacho, wrapped in a fire blanket that Ned had lent him from under the counter. He nervously twiddled his thumbs together, waiting for Kim to finish giving her statement to the police.
When she only grumbled in response and didn't exactly answer the question from Constable Harris, Kim felt the brunette place a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"I'll handle Dementor from here, you just go handle your boy."
With a subtle roll of her eyes, Kim nodded her head all the same, "Thanks. Again."
"Thank you, superstar."
Tilting her head down, Kim simply brushed her hair out of her face and spun around on the spot without saying another word. As she took a step forward, she looked up to stare at Ron again. There was another sight that was certainly familiar to her.
Once again, Ron had ended a battle with a bad guy in pants-less victory, and once again, he was clumsily using anything at his disposal to cover up whatever modesty he had left. All of that was a given. In fact, the one and only aspect of her entire evening that Kim was finding totally unfamiliar - was just how tweaked she was at her boyfriend.
Kim huffed out in irritation. It really had left her heartbroken to hear how Ron had been so worried about losing her that week - but once the dust had settled and Dementor was defeated and they were both safe and sound, that's when the gravity of everything he had done that night truly began to sink in. And now, Ron had some serious grovelling to do.
Her sidekick straightened up where he was slumped in a heap that second that he noticed Kim marching towards him. As he tightened the fire proof blanket over his bare shoulders, Ron gulped.
"Hey, so, um," he stuttered, "Okay, look, I know I totally, totally don't deserve it, but... ya' know, seeing as my clothes were kinda' torn to shreds by Dementor, I was sorta' wondering if you'd mind if I, um..."
As her frown deepened with every bumbling sound he made, Kim's eyes quickly widened in realisation as Ron extended one, brave finger towards her battle suit.
Oh, the audacity.
Ron almost flinched when Kim ripped her suit from off her shoulder and stiffly held it out towards him.
"Just make it quick."
Her sharp tone made him shrivel right down within himself. Without giving her the chance to change her mind, Ron shakily came to his feet and took the indestructible armour from his girlfriend. As quickly as he had, Kim immediately turned on her heels and made a heated start towards his scooter to wait for him.
Ron felt his shoulders slump down with a twinging pang of regret. Poking his head out from where he had been snuggled beneath the blanket around his human's torso, Rufus made one uncertain squeaking sound as he raised an eyebrow at Ron.
"Yeah, yeah, you don't have to look at me like that," he argued, his words trailing off with a heavy sigh, "I know I messed up..."
"Hck! Yup."
The weight of everything he had done that evening was crushing Ron a little more and more with every step he took. No matter what he tried, he couldn't get those three brutal words out of his head. Liar. Cheater. Thief.
Kim was right. Ron had lied about everything being okay, he had cheated his way into the Middleton quarterback position, and he had straight up stolen from his girlfriend.
The teenager swallowed a harsh lump in his throat. As he walked back through the busted doors of Bueno Nacho (that was twice in three months his beloved hangout would be needing repairs!), Ron handed his temporary cape back to Ned and uncomfortably wriggled into the battle suit. It certainly pinched a little harder than it had twenty minutes ago.
Kim already had her helmet on and was impatiently tapping her foot when Ron eventually joined her by his scooter. With a deep breath and a forced smile, the blonde boy licked his bottom lip to speak.
"So, I know we didn't exactly get to finish dinner, did you want to- oof!"
Despite what he thought was a safe and apologetic offering of a second meal, Ron was abruptly cut off by Kim shoving his own helmet into his stomach.
"No food. Home. Now."
Okay, Ron told himself, everything about this officially tanked.
Their scooter ride through the empty Middleton streets was just as cold as it was quiet. But it wasn't the temperature that was shooting an icy shiver up Ron's spine - after all, their summer vacation had only just ended. No; the rush of cold that filled him was a direct cause of the noticeable absence of Kim's tender hug from around his waist.
Her arms were stretched out behind her, gripping onto the back of the blue scooter and absolutely refusing to move. The stubborn lack of affection made Ron's heart sink. He hated to think that he had hurt her feelings so badly. And as he slowly veered into his driveway and pulled up his two-wheeler with a steady halt, all that Ron could panic over was what Kim might say to him next.
The teenage girl was quick to dismount and come to her feet, ripping her helmet from her head. For a split second, Ron feared that she was going to leave without speaking a single word at all. But when instead all Kim chose to do was cross her arms and turn her back to him, the sidekick took another deep breath.
Quickly taking the hint - and not wanting to bear witness to any further decline in their disagreement - Rufus jumped down from Ron's shoulder with one last squeak of confidence. Kim watched as their little buddy scurried through the garden and around the back of the Stoppables' house. She was so set on focusing her energy anywhere other than towards her boyfriend, that she almost jumped when she suddenly heard his voice.
"I'm sorry."
His words were only whispers, but were totally unmistakable as Kim slowly spun around and finally allowed her vision to land on Ron.
"I'm sorry I stole your battle suit, and for cheating my way onto the team," he paused then, swallowing a watery lump in his throat, "And I'm really sorry for lying to you, Kim."
The ache that stung in the pit of her heart was instant. If it was grovelling that Kim was after, Ron had certainly ticked that box.
When she didn't respond straight away, Ron's sad, brown eyes drifted down towards his feet. But then, Kim cleared her throat.
"Do you trust that I'm one hundred per cent in on this?"
"Wha-" he stuttered, almost speechless, "Yes - yes, of course I do, Kim, I - "
"So," she interjected with one commanding finger against his lips, "No freaking out over the totally bogus 'must date a jock' rule, remember?"
Her warning to him only came with a slight harshness in her tone before Kim softened and reached down to take Ron's hand in hers.
"You and me work because we both abide by our own set of rules. No more food chain, no more caring what anyone thinks, and no more Bonnie manipulating us," she spoke more gently, running feather light circles on the back of his hand with her thumb.
The motion made faint goosebumps pop up all over the skin of Ron's arms. His face flushed red as he looked down to the ground again, this time with a small smile on his face. But Kim was quick to tilt his chin back up to face her.
When she spoke next, her voice was still sweet, but had adopted a firmness that Ron had long come to know as one of complete and utter seriousness.
"If anyone ever says anything again about you or me or both of us that upsets you, can you please just tell me?"
She didn't need to say anything more. Between her comforting words during their earlier orchestrated clash and everything that was pouring from her heart right now, Ron knew that every single one of Kim's syllables was genuine.
"I will. I promise," he swore to her with a desperate nod of his head. A sheepish frown slumped back into his face for a second as he repeated himself, "I'm sorry."
Kim squeezed his fingers between hers, "Me too," she offered, quickly cutting him off before he could protest, "For not knowing how miserable you were all week."
The twinge of guilt was still etched into his freckled features as Kim finally relaxed a little more and lightly jabbed her boyfriend in the arm.
"Come on, goofball," she laughed, "Did you really think I'd be mad at you forever?"
Her teasing punch landing on his bicep thumped in time with his heart skipping a beat in his chest. His mouth was dry as his bottom lip dropped open just slightly. For a second, he thought he might reply to her with an earnest smile or a lighthearted joke.
But after Kim's last words, there was only one response that Ron truly wanted to act upon.
The timid, teenage boy executed just the tiniest amount of caution when he leaned down towards his girlfriend. Kim might have said that she'd already forgiven him, but that didn't necessarily detract from how badly Ron had screwed up that evening.
But despite any worry that still sat with him, Ron sensed the most intense warmth wash over his body when Kim immediately met him halfway and locked her lips onto his.
His eyes fluttered shut as Ron breathed out in complete bliss. The emptiness that had filled him no more than just five minutes ago instantly dissipated when Kim took a step forward and wrapped her arms around his waist. Ron wasted little time imitating her movements, creeping closer and lapping at her kiss affectionately.
In three months of being lucky enough to kiss her every single day, the sensation never felt any less amazing to Ron. If anything, every chance he got to share in the sweetness of her taste only made him happier - and hungrier.
With a sudden lick of bravery, Ron gently scrunched one hand between Kim's red locks and splayed the other against the bare small of her back under her cropped cheer shirt. His arms flexed as he tightened his grip on her and cornered her body between his own and the solid door of his family's garage. Kim's breath hitched in the back of her throat with surprise. But after just one moment of hesitation, the teen hero only responded in kind as she tilted her head to the side and deepened the kiss with her boyfriend.
The sudden passion that had settled between them was overwhelming. Kim felt the metal roller door press into her back as she forced a heavy breath from her nose and opened her mouth to meet the gentle caress of Ron's tongue with her own.
The steamy make out session had seemingly come out of nowhere - and neither Kim nor Ron were certain of where exactly it was going to go next. But before the young couple could become too entangled with all the emotions of the past week, Kim suddenly jumped when her peripheral spotted the bright, yellow light of her front porch flick on next door.
"Oh, shoot," she cursed with a growl, quickly detaching herself from Ron, "It must be ten, I've gotta' go."
Ron felt his head spin when Kim vanished from his arms. But as he scraped around on the spot, his disappointment was quickly quelled when she reappeared with one, long, final peck against his lips.
Her flirtatious whisper came with an even sweeter smile, "Cya' tomorrow."
The sidekick was shocked when he didn't simply faint right then and there.
Ron's lips were still tingling as he watched Kim scamper across his front lawn and over towards her own, her purple and white skirt dancing around her hips. He slowly reached up, daring to touch his mouth in the place that was wet and glistening from her sugary lip gloss. But when he felt the harsh latex pinch around the crook his elbow, Ron's dreamy expression suddenly snapped open in realisation.
"Wait, KP, the suit - !"
"I'll grab it back off you tomorrow!" Kim called back with a wave, "Good night!"
And almost instantly, it felt like the entire weight of the world had been lifted from Ron's shoulders.
He really never should have paid any attention to anything that had happened over the last week. Despite what he had mistakenly heard from his girlfriend - for whatever bizarre reason that he still didn't quite understand, Kim wanted to be with him. He was the only guy she wanted to be with- the fierceness of her kiss had surely just proved it. And all of that meant a million times more than any rumours about moving on and trading up ever would.
In fact, as he whispered right back to her in near silent response, the only thing that Ron was certain of actually being traded up - was the strength and depth of everything he was feeling in his heart for Kim Possible.
"'Night, Kim."
Well, would you look at that... just over two weeks, and already a fresh update to this story! It's amazing what some time off from work can do for your motivation :) Happy Holidays everyone!
Hope you all enjoyed this latest chapter. It's so great to have so much source material to extend on like the events in this episode, the first of S4. But I definitely have plenty of original content to come as well - like the next snippet planned here. And if you thought this chapter was starting to get a little hot, then boy oh boy... ;)
I promise to update again soon - and that the next chapter will be much longer! Please feel free to fave and review :)
Till next time, guys... Happy New Year!
Reneyyyyyyyy x.