#current one is still drakgo

[annoying--moth]

Late night phone doodle because I was bored

(base I referenced under the cut)

[gothicthundraog]

RANDOM TALES OF DRAKGO Chapter 6-10

Chapter 6 Days

Shego walked by Drakken's lab on her way to their shared kitchen. It was after hours for her, which meant free time. She could go out and do something and familiarize herself better with the island or the surrounding ones, but she just wasn't in the mood. She was becoming more comfortable in this longer contract. She could go out, and there was no looking for her next job. Still, she wasn't about to become too comfortable. She glanced in the room expecting to see the lights off and Drakken had gone, but instead, he was tinkering away at his table, the only light from the lamp that was on. She shrugged and continued on her way. His mind was still lost on his current project.

Three days. It had been three days now. When Shego returned from the kitchen she leaned in the doorway of the lab and sipped her soda in thought. He had been working on this thing for a solid three days. She had come into the lab this morning and had helped tinker around with a few things, but he had nothing really for her to do. She'd gotten some scrap metal the other day and basic things. He'd asked her to get the mail, but that was it. She didn't care too much. She was getting paid either way, right? She took a drink again, wondering if he ever slept. He obviously did, but he was in the lab at night, and there before she arrived in the morning. She looked at the clock on the wall. It was eight in the evening. She saw him crumple up something and toss it. Piles of papers were littered around a trashcan.

Another failed mission, another new plan. Shego had watched as for days Drakken tinkered away at yet another toy of his. She wondered if he even knew she was there, as he hadn't asked for anything. In fact, she'd actually had lunch and offered him something and he'd only muttered to himself as she'd left him a sandwich. She assumed he wasn't exactly used to someone being there. It was sad really. She rolled her eyes and looked at her watch.

"Dr. Drakken, I'm going to head out," said Shego. She hesitated as he nodded. What was he stuck on? "Hello?"

"Uh, what? Yes, 'night," said Drakken, but he made a frantic motion. He looked as if he wanted to ask her something, but shrugged and went back to his project.

Shego left, but found herself back in the lab an hour later with food and sitting in her chair. She was annoyed now. What on earth was he working on that she had to sit around all the time? She wondered if he could make an amendment to the contract so that she could do other missions. She was getting restless. She put her food down and walked over to his desk and looked over his shoulder. She saw an elaborate completed plan and a bunch of notes.

Her eye twitched and she bit her lip. She turned on her heel and began walking away. She was going to keep it to herself. She left. She walked back in. She left. Walked back in and grabbed her food. Left. Stormed back in and up to his desk. She was getting paid, what did it matter? She was a foot away and was about to leave again before he crumpled up another paper, and she finally snapped.

"Have you been wasting all this time, choosing a color?" asked Shego. Her voice came off sharper than she had honestly meant. "A color?!"

"Color is important, it sets a precedent!" he snapped back, confused momentarily at her being right behind him. "I'll have you know, I've only been thinking about that today. I finished the design last night!"

"You're telling me...if I go through that trash bin, I won't find colors written down all over?" said Shego, her finger pointing at the trash bin.

"It's a process Shego, not everything is instant," said Drakken, though she saw his eyes darting to the bin.

"I'm not sure, but...I think it's going to be, wait for it...blue," said Shego indicating to his other projects, some unfinished.

"...Maybe I don't want blue this time," he said defiantly. He shook his head. "Does it matter how long it takes? You're getting paid."

"Well...yes, but why would you want to waste time instead of taking over the world," snapped Shego. She crossed her arms and sat down. "Apparently, you need to be babysat."

"I am not a child, and I don't need a nanny," snapped Drakken. "I am capable of picking out colors on my own and managing my time."

"I'm sorry, how long have you been trying for world domination?" asked Shego. She may have pushed too far going by his angry expression, but he sighed and spun around in his seat. It was silent as she sat there.

"I'm making it white," he said casually as he got up and began to walk out of the lab.

"White gets dirty too fast," said Shego. His fists clenched and he spun around as if to yell. "Try red."

"Too overdone," sighed Drakken. He sat down. He glared. "Blue."

"Blue it is," sighed Shego as she picked up a magazine.

Messy

"Now what are you doing?" asked Shego as she looked up from the new comfy chair she'd purchased.

"What does it look like I'm doing," asked Drakken as he poured a pile of parts all over his work table.

"Making a mess," said Shego. She rolled her eyes and looked back at her magazine.

"If you must know Shego, I had an idea..." said Drakken. He saw Shego take a deep breath and shake her head. "You'll see."

"Yup," said Shego as she aggressively flipped the page.

Drakken began putting pieces of discarded parts together. Every once in a while when he was struggling with putting together a Henchco product or couldn't find the right source for his new plans, he liked playing with puzzles as a break. Seeing what could fit together, and making something new... It was therapeutic; some sort of control when things weren't working right. He glanced over at Shego, wondering how many other villains' work she compared his too. He shook his head and focused on putting something together. Time seemed to drift away as he tinkered absently, his small welder joining in as he played.

"What's that?" asked Shego. Drakken nearly jumped at how close her voice was. He cleared his throat.

"I am making a portable laser pistol," said Drakken proudly.

"Like, from a science fiction movie?" asked Shego with a raised brow.

"...Yes," said Drakken. He felt embarrassed now.

"That's...pretty cool," said Shego, and he saw a smirk on her face. "What kind of power source, electric? Battery? Self-powered?"

"I was thinking about it being charged for now, but maybe solar-powered," said Drakken. He grinned as Shego nodded and looked at it.

"Okay, I get it. Sometimes messes are best," said Shego, and she went and sat back down in her seat. "I hope you're not expecting me to clean up after."

"Actually..." said Drakken looking at all the parts on the floor.

"For crying out..." she scoffed and threw her magazine down and began picking up the discarded parts.

XXXXX

Chapter 7 Bonding

Shego looked at her hands, watching the glow as she leaned against the bar's outer wall. She let the glow fade and let out a deep sigh. She glanced down at the ground where her date lay unconscious. Perhaps she overreacted a bit. So she kicked someone's hide for grabbing hers and trying to fight her date. She wasn't a freak. Well, she was, but there was no need to call the woman who just saved your hide one. She debated on checking on him, but he would be fine. She'd only hit him once with barely a tap. It wasn't the first time a date had ended like this. It was… unfortunately pretty standard.

She kicked off the wall and began heading to the docks. She hoped someone had left a jet ski unattended because she really didn't want to call Drakken to get a ride back to the island. She looked in her wallet. Perhaps she could just rent a room somewhere for the night. The last thing she needed was even a slightly pitying look from someone like Dr. Drakken.

She felt a mixture of rage and depression hit her. The guy was hardly the only guy to freak out about her powers. Even when she went on dates with others in the villain community, it always ended up being with a creep or someone just hoping to get a free mercenary mission done. She growled to herself. Had she honestly forgotten her card? She had thirty dollars. She would have to call Drakken, and that was the last thing she needed right...

"Shego?" Of course... She nearly kicked the ground as she heard Drakken's voice. She looked up at the karaoke bar and then down to where Drakken stood in the doorway.

"Hey, Dr. Drakken." She spun around and gave her best confident smirk. "Nerding it up?"

"Nice," he said and rolled his eyes. "No, karaoke night was a bust. Someone had too many drinks and a lot of things needed to be cleaned. You look...amazing."

"I...uh...thanks," said Shego. She pulled her jacket a bit closer. She smiled a little. "Nice tie."

"Uh, yeah," he shrugged. "I'm sure you have somewhere to be, don't want to keep you. I'm just going to grab supplies and head back to the island."

"Yeah, plans for sure," said Shego. She walked the opposite way for a few feet.

She turned around and watched as Drakken headed into the small local grocery store. She looked around and sighed. She could have just made something up. She was going to call him anyway. She looked upwards and sighed. She didn't have to tell him anything. She nodded to herself. She changed her mind, that's all he needed to know. However, there was a part of her that really wanted to vent. A bar would be nice... But with thirty bucks, and one bar on vomit patrol, and the other sheltering her unconscious date, her choices were limited. She looked at her thirty bucks and headed towards a restaurant in the distance.

"You should get some wine," said Shego. Drakken nearly dropped the basket he held as Shego stood behind him holding a bag of food and a bottle. "Or three."

"I thought..." Drakken trailed off and she waited for him to prattle on, but he shrugged and grabbed the bottle. "Ever had a wine float?"

"No, but I am intrigued," said Shego as Drakken grabbed another bottle off the shelf. "Hope you like what is supposed to be Chinese food, but I don't think it is."

"I've had it. It's not. But we will need hot sauce," said Drakken. He moved down an aisle.

"So then, I left the guy on the side of the bar," said Shego as she took another bite of her frozen yogurt wine float. It was in fact, intriguingly delicious.

"Sounds reasonable," said Drakken as he added more hot sauce to his bowl.

"I may have overreacted," shrugged Shego. "I mean, it's not like the first time it's happened or something. I once went on a date with a guy who knew who I was, and turned out he had a particular kink and wanted me to zap him."

"Please tell me you didn't give him that satisfaction," choked Drakken as he rolled his eyes.

"No, I kicked him through a wall instead," said Shego. She poured more wine in her frozen yogurt.

"Ever been on a date...where they steal your car to go on a crime spree, without you?" asked Drakken. Shego snorted.

"I'm usually the one who does that," she replied, and they both laughed. "Oh, I want to hear that story."

"Year one villainy," Drakken began. He put down his dish and began his elaborate tale.

XXXXX

Chapter 8 Lines

Drakken rummaged through his bathroom angrily. He had been searching his room and even the guest bathrooms all morning. His mind was racing, where had he last seen it, it had to be somewhere. Yesterday... Where had he seen it? He tore apart his room and then stormed down the hallway. Today was World Takeover Day, he had everything in order with his newest brainwasher device and he knew that Possible and her sidekick would try and stop him no doubt. There was just one simple thing stopping him from executing his plan. He needed that stupid... He looked around his lab to where Shego stood going over the plan again.

"What are you doing?" asked Shego as Drakken began looking in his drawers. "Did you forget a part? Because I told you to make a list of what..."

"No, I did not forget a part," snapped Drakken in a childish voice. As he glared at her, he froze. "Shego?"

"What?" she rolled her eyes and looked back at her list.

"Shego?" he asked nicely as he walked over to her, his arms behind his back. "You look nice..."

"Thanks," said Shego with a raised brow. Suddenly her eyes went wide and she turned away with the paper again.

"I mean, your eyes..." he began as she blocked her face with the paper. "There's something different about them... then yesterday."

"Is there?" she asked holding up her magazine instead as she sat down. "I got some sleep."

"No, that's not it," said Drakken, looking around her magazine. "They really...pop, today."

"Do they now," said Shego. She got defensive and stood, her eyes closed as she faced away from him. "I find this conversation very uncomfortable."

"Do you?" asked Drakken. He moved to look at her and she moved her head again. "My Shego, what lovely wings you have on your eyes today."

"I was feeling festive. You know, what if you take over the world today," said Shego, her hand blocking her face.

"Interesting as I remember you blatantly saying yesterday that you ran out of eyeliner," said Drakken. "You know what's funny...is mine is missing today, and your eyes look...fly."

"What an odd coincidence," said Shego. He glared and she sighed. "Fine, I took it. It's not like you wear it properly anyways."

"Grunge smudge is a style," snapped Drakken. He held out his hand.

"I don't have it... It...it fell in the toilet when I was trying to put the cap back on," said Shego. Drakken glared. "Did you want pink eye?"

"Uhg," groaned Drakken. He looked around. "Great, do we have any markers?"

"Are you serious," said Shego as Drakken began digging in his desk. "No. No... I'll get my makeup kit."

"All right, Drakken's been building a new mind-control device from what Wade calculated, so keep on your toes Ron," said Kim as they snuck into Drakken's lair.

"Got it, Kim," said Ron. He held up Rufus. "Keep alert buddy, we might need you to do some switch-hitting."

"Great," mumbled Rufus, and the three spun into the lab doorway, Kim in the lead.

"Stop right there..." Kim froze as did Ron.

"Ohm," Shego and Drakken froze and looked at the intruders. Ron raised a brow. "This is weird."

"What a surprise," said Drakken nervously.

Ron and Kim stood in silence taking in the scene in front of them. There stood the large mind control device in question, but in front of it was the most alarming scene. Drakken sat on a stool with wide eyes as Shego stood very close to him...as she applied eye-shadow to his eyes. Kim and Ron exchanged a look, not sure how to deal with this situation. Shego put down the makeup palette and stood there in a partially defensive stance. Drakken's hand moved to cover the eye she had yet to get to, and he stood defiantly.

"Kim Possible." He tried to gain his normal momentum back, but Ron spoke.

"We could come back," said Ron. Kim looked at him with wide eyes. "Like in three minutes or so."

"Ron..." Kim began.

"Kim, do you remember the conversation you had with me about me interrupting your makeup time?" said Ron sternly. Kim nodded and sighed.

"You want to finish?" asked Kim as she looked at Drakken, but Shego spoke.

"I really do," said Shego. She grabbed her brushes again.

"By all means," said Ron making a gesture.

"We never speak of this," said Drakken sternly.

"I'm putting it on my blog," said Ron with a smirk. Drakken glared.

XXXXXXX

Chapter 9 Dancing

Drakken sighed as he sat at the bar of a trendy villain's nightclub. He hadn't gone there for good reasons; the drinks were overpriced yet watered down, there were far too many people, it smelt disgusting, and he always ended up sitting at the bar alone. He and Shego had gone there hoping to find the location of a particular metal Drakken needed for his new mind-control device. Apparently, Henchco only sent parts they had in stock. He rolled his eyes. That had been a bust and Shego had decided to take it as a sign that the shift was over. She'd had a few shots and had wandered off to dance with one of the guys in the club. So Drakken sat waiting for his assistant to finish her night off. He wanted to just leave, but he was also worried by the number of drinks she'd been consuming. He looked towards where she was currently dancing with some beach gorilla in black. He scoffed and drank his watered-down beverage. Drakken didn't drink really, so it was probably best it was not at its fullest impact.

"Hit me," said Drakken as he shoved his glass towards the bartender. "Make it stronger this time."

"We're running out of milk sir," said the bartender, holding up the nearly empty chocolate milk jug.

"Give me the rest," said Drakken. "In fact, pour the bottle of peppermint schnapps into the jug. I'll drink the jug."

"Wow, Dr. Drakken, bit much." Drakken's eyes shot up as Shego plopped down next to him, her hand on his shoulder. "Someone has to drive. Besides, you said you don't like drinking."

"Done dancing with your gorillas?" asked Drakken. He could taste the bitterness in his voice. Shego's arm drifted off his shoulder lazily.

"Gorillas?" asked Shego. She looked at the guys she'd danced with and then back to Drakken. She gave a half-smirk. "Feeling left out, are you?"

"No," said Drakken with an eye-roll as the jug was placed in front of him. Shego grabbed the jug. "Excuse you."

"Ew," coughed Shego as she chugged it. "Is this watered-down Peppermint Patties? It's not even good milk."

"Rude," said the bartender as he took the empty bottle and glared at her.

"Agreed," said Drakken with an eye roll. "Aren't any of your men buying you drinks? Or is there another reason you're pilfering mine?"

"You're in a bad mood," said Shego with a scowl. She leaned against him. Drakken tensed as her arm went across his shoulder and her face got close to his. "You're still here, so you can't be that mad Dr. Drakken."

"I can be whatever I want to be," said Drakken. He felt his face go hot as Shego's breath hit his ear. "Are we done here?"

"Hey, if you wanted to dance with me, you could have asked. Stop being so moody. You do need to go out more than just Friday nights once in a while," said Shego with a scoff. The tint to her face showed the alcohol was slowly sinking in.

"Nehn, whatever," grumbled Drakken as he stood up. "Let's go then."

"Fine," snapped Shego as she got up. Drakken went to pay the tab but his arm was yanked towards the dance floor. "You know you catch more bees with honey."

"Excuse me...Shego, what?" asked Drakken as Shego yanked him on the dance floor as a fast-paced dance song played. "You have to be joking?"

"You said, let's go," said Shego as she began to dance to the beat. "Come on, loosen up Dr. D."

"I... Dr. D?" Drakken felt uncomfortable as he stood there. Shego was a very good dancer, and while he knew how to dance, he didn't find this very professional.

"Come on, I'm sure you're a better dancer than those...gorillas," she smirked. She placed his hands on her hips. "Follow my lead if you're not sure."

"I know how to dance, Shego." Drakken wasn't sure if the alcohol had started to kick in, but he spun her to the beat of the music, his hand firmly on her hip as they continued moving to the beat.

"So you do?" she smirked, her arm on his. "Surprise, surprise."

"Please, you should see my other moves," said Drakken as they danced to the rhythm.

"Noted," said Shego with a smirk. She moved along with him, a devious look in her eyes. "Why don't you go out dancing?"

"Not my scene," said Drakken, though he was having a great time at that moment. He spun her again.

"Could have fooled me," said Shego. Drakken noticed her brow rise. "Come on, you have to have some game. Are you too shy to ask a woman to dance or what?"

"I thought we were dancing," said Drakken. His face fell and he slowed. He tensed up at the conversation shift he had caused.

"Hey, I'm trying to help," said Shego. She rolled her eyes. "Come on, just lighten up. You're a genius, right. Come up with something. Dazzle me."

"Did you know that most cultures and animal kingdoms use dancing as a mating ritual?" said Drakken. Shego stopped dancing. "I made it weird didn't I."

"Yeah, we're going to have to work on that," sighed Shego. She looked at her watch. "Come on, it's late, and that Peppermint Patty is not holding too well right now if you get my drift."

"That's nice," said Drakken with a grimace. "Is that how you end a dance with the gorillas?"

"No, normally I challenge them to a shot contest and then rob them when they blackout," said Shego. She gave a devious smirk. "Drinks are on them by the way."

XXXX

Chapter 10

No Names, Only Feelings (Crush)

He watched the ceiling of his room intently, his eyes tracing their dark crevices around the room like a map. His mind was a mess. More than normal. More than it had been in a very long time. It was always chaos, voices, numbers, madness... Always in scrambles. Scrambles of sanity here and there, but it never stayed. However, this time was different. It scared him. These feelings, something he fought to keep at bay... Life made sense when feelings like this were locked away in the depths of all the madness. It only led to pain. The pain of failure was something he was familiar with, something that pushed him farther each day. It was second nature if he was honest. But this...this would only lead to unfathomable pain he'd kept away only through years of locking it away. He was never lucky, and things seldom went in his favor. This would be no different. Honestly, a part of him had thought feelings like this had died completely. Seeing others have these emotions only fueled him in his quest to destroy them.

He glared. Then she came. Waltzing into his life as if she wasn't about to turn it upside down. With confidence and lips of venom, she had shown up without a warning and in a whirlwind of skills and beauty. The idea of having someone so useful at his disposal, well...he'd jumped. Somehow in the twists and turns of a few short months, things had begun to shift. He was aware of her watching him, of her sound, of her floral musk, of the bitter annoyance in her voice. Everything that should be a warning to his brain, to his quest, had ignited other feelings that had been dormant.

Crushes were like poison. Slow, unexpected, and quick all at once. He kept his distance like anyone in his shoes should. Then the wine, the dancing, the inclination she had to touch him... It sent signals to his already foggy and skewed mind and made it clear and dense all at once. He tossed and turned in the night and every night thinking about it. He felt bitter anger and resentment at himself. How dare he feel again. This was not supposed to happen. Evil shouldn't feel like this. No, evil shouldn't feel at all.

TO BE CONTINUED

(Link to the Title Above or Wait For More to Be Posted on Tumblr)

[creatorping]

Currently getting through Barbie x KP art and a commission but my brain is still churning art ideas so here we go:

Ron and The Oh Boyz stage performance

Valorant x KP (this has been a huge crossover brewing in my head for the past few weeks… look up Valorant Viper as an example)

Spiderverse x KP (Idk if I would even attempt this but it’s an interesting thought… the main spider people along with Kim/Ron fighting Aviarius or ATSV’s Vulture)

The Villains (Drakgo focus) Modern Karaoke Night!!! (This is a wip that’s been rotting for months ://)

Kim doing those cool sport tricks from Triple S EP

KP Cheerleader squad pic

KP x FNAF ? (I would need to be more familiar with it in order to draw this out)

DR VIVIAN PORTER (she’s so cool)

That’s about it for now, note that these are only the KP focused ones…. I have a list of other crossovers

Knowing that I will never be able to draw ALL of these, they’ll remain as concepts until I find the time

[ask-whitebag]

I said I’d keep you guys posted on things, so here I go.

1. Still can’t draw, everything is still broken. It should be fixed next week, but I can’t make any promises. Here’s a list of things I want to draw asap:

Danny Phantom fanart. I’d just like to figure out how some of the characters would look in my style.

The Drakgo suggestion I’ve had sitting in my inbox for about two months now because I wasn’t able to finish it yet.

More Kim Possible content in general.

2. Some time ago, I said I’d catch up with The Owl House. Soo I did, and I’m more invested now. King is my favorite character, and I know Raine showed up for only one episode so far, but I LOVE them.

3. I also watched the entirety of Green Lantern: The Animated Series. This is legit one of the best TV series I’ve ever seen, like, I shit you not. Destroyed me emotionally. Can’t recommend it enough. And it’s only 26-episodes long. :’)

Also, I’m finally watching Batman: The Animated Series for the first time. More DC-related thoughts under the cut.

I’m putting it under the cut because DC is one of my biggest special interests but I’m aware it’s not what people followed me for, so I feel kinda awkward talking about it?

Like I’ve kinda always wanted to, because DC has provided me with an ungodly amount or comfort characters and ships and opinions, but I also don’t want to become a DC blog because most people follow me for Phineas and Ferb and Kim Possible nowadays, and those two shows will always be my interests but... they’re not my ONLY interests, ya know?

Idk, maybe it’s just a me problem. Am I overthinking it? Do you guys would like to see me draw some superheroes or do you guys have any DC-related questions? Let me know.

Anyway, my DC knowledge goes down to those tv shows I’ve watched;

Batman: TAS (currently watching this one for the first time)

Superman: TAS

Justice League & JL: Unlimited

Batman: The Brave and The Bold

Green Lantern: TAS

Teen Titans

Young Justice

Justice League: Action

DC Super Hero Girls (2019) (this one is ongoing but I’m all caught up)

...As well as the Lego Batman Movie, and countless hours I’ve spent reading the DC Database wiki. I didn’t read many comics, and I don’t really care about the live action movies, I’m mostly into animation, lol

[bcbdrums]

A Day in the Life of Bonnie Rockwaller

What, not a Drakgo fic!?  No...no it is not.  This one is all about Bonnie.

A girl only really seen through one lens on the show, perhaps misunderstood... A cheerleader, twelve-years a ballerina, a good student, the youngest in her family, and dating a football star. The "mean girl."

What is her life really like?

Happy (belated) birthday to the amazing @sharperthewriter!

FFn     AO3

----------------------------------

A Day in the Life of Bonnie Rockwaller

The alarm clock went off too soon for Bonnie Rockwaller on that Thursday morning. With a groan she reached over and slapped the device until the beeping stopped, and then blinked at the bright sunlight creating a glow at the edge of her teal curtains.

She didn't want to get up. But winners didn't sleep in.

She rolled out of bed, untwisting her dark red leopard print pajama bottoms and spaghetti strap top from where they had shifted in her restless sleep. She hadn't slept well, again.

She slipped her feet into her fuzzy slippers that matched the pajama set and grabbed her phone off her nightstand, unplugging it as she hastily flipped it open to check her messages.

There weren't any.

She pushed down the pang that tried to creep into her chest, and instead turned to her wall calendar next to her desk. She paused for a moment to look in the bright mirror above the desk, tousling her hair with one hand and giving a half-grin at the way it fell over her shoulders. She looked incredible even straight out of bed.

The pang tried to enter her heart again, and she frowned and turned to the calendar, confirming the day's events with what she already had in her phone planner. After cheer practice she planned to go to the boutique for the final fitting of her homecoming dress, and that night she had ballet.

After nodding to herself that all was correct, she flipped over to her text messages out of habit. Her thumb hovered over the message at the top that hadn't been replied to from the night before as she considered sending another. But then with a scowl and another pang she closed the phone and tossed it onto her unmade bed.

She stepped over to the barre that her parents had had installed in her room and began her routine of ballet stretches. She forced the distracting thoughts about the lack of message reply away and started going over the new Mad Dogs cheer routine in her head. Ever since she and Kim had become co-captains of the squad, she couldn't help but admit...the routines had gotten better. And harder.

Bonnie sighed.

After finishing the stretches she changed into her black leggings, blue sports bra, socks, and running shoes. With the workout she knew she was going to get after school, she needed to get plenty warmed up ahead of time. Plus, she was worried she might have gained a few pounds in the last month and might not fit into her gown.

After tying her shoes, she grabbed her mp3 player and set it on her workout playlist, which included her favorite upbeat songs by Britina, MC Honey, the Oh Boyz, SmashMouth, and more. She also had some strange rap song that she'd seen once on American Starmaker that had topped the charts, but she could never remember the name of the artist.

She popped her earbuds in and hurried past the bedrooms of her siblings, hurrying out the door of the split-level home into the crisp, cool morning air. She set her stopwatch for seven and a half minutes and began jogging down the sidewalk, the golden light of the sunrise beginning to warm her skin within minutes.

Against her will, her mind fell back to the unanswered text from the night before. It wasn't that Brick hadn't been slow to reply in the past... In fact, his replies were coming slower and slower lately.

Bonnie couldn't ignore the pang in her chest that time, and she took a deep breath and ran faster. There were plenty of logical reasons her boyfriend might not be answering her texts. He was in college, after all. He had homework...which...he had never really done much of in high school, but the fact that he'd made it through one semester of college so far meant he must be doing at least some now.

She told herself again she was worrying over nothing. He had always been confused about things that were important to her, and to girls in general. He would read her text that day and confirm about the dance, and then she would send him a picture of her gown so he could buy the matching corsages.

The alarm on her stopwatch went off, and she turned around and started jogging back in the direction of home at a faster pace than she'd begun. As she felt the adrenaline pump through her from the run, she got an idea. She didn't need to wait for Brick to reply... She could just send the picture of the dress after she tried it on. That would give him the hint. He had probably just forgotten to reply anyway...

Bonnie finished her run with confidence, and when she returned home she hurried past her siblings in the kitchen, grateful for the loud hip-hop music currently playing in her ears so she wouldn't have to hear anything they might say to her. Though it was unlikely they would.

Her older brother by one year, Jonny, was sitting on the kitchen counter with his dirty sock-clad feet on the refrigerator door, playing some hand-held video game. Her even older sisters, Connie and Lonnie, were seated at the kitchen table leaning over a fashion magazine and a laptop computer, shopping online she assumed. They would curb the behavior when their parents came out for the 'family breakfast' they insisted on each day, before each family member would vanish to their various obligations.

Bonnie wasn't upset about family breakfasts really; ever since her dad bought her a car, she barely saw her family, since each member in turn had previously driven her everywhere she needed to go—her siblings with complaints, of course. Now she was wholly independent, so the breakfasts held more meaning to her.

After returning to her room, she glanced at her phone still on the bed. She thought about her plan to text Brick later after she picked up her dress...which would be in about nine hours.

The pang of worry hit her chest again.

She grabbed the phone along with her bathrobe as she went back down the hall to take a shower. She opened the phone and looked at the text she had sent the prior evening before dinner that remained unanswered.

*You're still free next Saturday for the homecoming dance, right?*

Still breathless from the run and with sweat irritating the center of her back, she started the shower and then scrolled through the prior texts between she and Brick over the past couple of weeks, noting the slow times between his responses compared to her quick ones, and his lack of many words. After a moment of tense indecision, she fired off another quick text.

*I'll send you a photo of my gown after school!*

She set the phone down and grimaced as she started to undress. A lack of words wasn't anything new, and she was stunned as she realized she was telling herself not to worry. Why should she worry? She shouldn't even have let that thought in her head.

She frowned and leaned over the counter, staring at her face in the mirror as it started to become fogged with steam.

"I have nothing to worry about," she reassured herself out loud, and after giving herself a crisp nod, she adjusted the water temperature and made haste to shower.

She thought about Brick's class and football schedules, which...she'd had to badger him for back in the fall. They weren't consistent day to day, and he even had night classes a couple of days a week. These offered plenty of reasons why he might not have replied to her text messages. A college boy was busy.

After another swath of reassuring thoughts she felt her confidence returning. And then just as she switched the shower off, she heard the telltale beep of her phone indicating a message received.

She nearly slipped on the tile as she hurried to the phone, only half-drying her hands before flipping it open. The text was from Brick.

*Call me later.*

Bonnie read the words five times as her heart began to race, and then she mentally shook herself and quickly dried the phone off before drying off herself and putting on her bathrobe.

The text was a positive. He wanted to talk to her. Right...? Usually it was she who called him, and he only answered half of the time anyway... Come to think of it, he never said much over the phone. He just hummed responses to what she said to him.

Bonnie frowned into the fogged-up mirror as she began to blow-dry her hair. She didn't need to read any more into the text than was there. He probably wanted to talk about logistics for the dance.

She let the sound of the blow dryer drown out her thoughts, and as soon as her hair was no longer damp at the roots she unplugged the blow dryer and set the appliance on the counter before snatching up her phone again and storming down the hall back to her bedroom.

When she stepped through the door, she hit her ankle hard on something and tripped, plummeting forward with a gasp. Her phone flew out of her hand and was forgotten as she tucked into a somersault and came out of the fall safely and on her feet. She took hardly a second to catch her breath before whirling around and pushing her hair out of her eyes as she scowled. Her full laundry basket on the floor was the culprit, but her eyes narrowed as she realized it was the load she had put in the night before...and it wasn't clean nor dry.

"Lonnie!" she shouted before even leaving her room, turning the short distance down the hall to her older sister's room. "Why aren't my clothes clean? And why did you put dirty clothes back in my room!?"

She had just reached the door when it opened a sliver, and she could just see her sister's blonde hair and smirk.

"Oh sorry B, forgot to tell you I took your clothes out last night to do mine," Lonnie said, her tone rife with sarcasm. "Needed my intimates done before my date later."

"You could have waited your turn! Why didn't you tell me last night?" Bonnie said through gritted teeth, her hands in fists at her sides as she seethed.

"Mmh, guess it slipped my mind. Sorry, B..." she answered as she pushed the door closed, drawing out the 'sorry' in an all too familiar way.

"Rrrgh!" Bonnie snarled, hitting the closed door with a flat palm before turning on her heel to head back to her room.

"Sheesh, Bonnie, take a chill pill."

Bonnie blinked and saw Jonny leaning against the wall, not looking up from his video game.

"Quiet, nerdlinger!"

"Hmph," was Jonny's only reply, said through a smirk with a shrug.

"I have nothing to wear now!"

"Wow, nothing," he replied flatly, clearly disbelieving and disinterested.

Bonnie took a sharp breath in through her nose and was about to retort when Connie poked her head out of her own doorway.

"Nothing that'll help, anyway," she said with a slight giggle and smirk, giving Bonnie a once-over.

"Connie!"

Her eldest sister disappeared into her bedroom, and the sound of another door closing was her alert that her brother had departed too. Bonnie stood alone in the hallway for a moment, seething and feeling irrationally like she might cry before she shoved the emotion away and stalked back to her room.

Winners didn't cry.

She glanced into the laundry basket, noting all of her favorites wrinkled and wet from half a wash cycle, including her planned outfit for that day. She sighed and stepped to the closet, looking at the variety of things she didn't often choose because they were old, out of style, or weren't appropriate for school for one reason or another.

After several minutes pushing through every item and muttering about things being out of season, she grabbed an old favorite crop top she'd forgotten about and probably hadn't worn since freshman year. After scanning the array of bottoms in her closet and not finding a suitable match, she reached into the far corner and grabbed the old, baggy Club Banana overalls she'd used to wear with that top all the time.

When she got dressed she realized two things quickly: first, that sleeveless purple and teal tie dye racer-back crop top was quite snug, rode up higher than it used to, and showed her bra under her arms; second, that the overalls were also just a touch too small. They hugged her hips and her rear in a way she actually found attractive as she spun in front of the mirror, but the straps weren't fitting entirely over her shoulders and even hurt a little.

She frowned slightly as she unbuckled one strap and let it fall over her back, and the bib ever so slightly forward. It relieved enough pressure from the garment that she felt comfortable in the choice, and after looking at the very obvious sides of her bra showing under her arms, she unhooked the undergarment at the back, pulled off the straps, and then took the garment off through one of the arm holes in the style of Raquel Spring from "Pals." She dropped it in the laundry basket with a frown, determining then and there she would have to get back at Lonnie for potentially ruining her wardrobe.

After another quick spin in the mirror and deciding she looked good enough, Bonnie put on her socks and shoes and hurried back to the bathroom to quickly do her hair and makeup. Her parents would be upset, but she wasn't sure if she'd have time for breakfast anymore. The clothing problem had slowed her down, plus she suddenly remembered some math homework she'd left unfinished the night before in favor of working on memorizing the latest ballet routine.

Her focus fell to the unfinished math word problems—why were word problems so hard?—as she fixed her hair with the blow dryer and a round brush into its usual style, and then hurriedly put on her makeup.

After giving a satisfied nod to her appearance, she hurried back to her bedroom again. She closed her homework into her math book and shoved it in her backpack, knowing she'd have a better chance of getting it done and being on time if she did it after she arrived at school, maybe during her first class. It was with that somewhat shaky resolution that she threw her backpack over her shoulder and then grabbed up the laundry basket and headed down the hall.

She ignored the smirks of her siblings as she strode past them and quickly got the load of laundry started. Her mom didn't have to work for a couple of hours yet...

When she returned to the kitchen, she noted her three older siblings expressions had sobered as they sat dutifully around the table eating their usual breakfast meals, and her parents with them. Bonnie took a deep breath.

"Mom, when my laundry finishes can you put it in the dryer? And hang up the other things?"

Her mother looked up from her dish in confusion.

"I thought you did laundry last night?"

"I started to, but somebody decided theirs was more important," Bonnie said, hands on her hips as she glared at her older sister.

Veronica Rockwaller gave a disapproving frown toward the blonde-haired young woman, who merely shrugged.

"She didn't come back to dry it anyway," Lonnie said.

"I fell asleep doing homework!"

Bonnie's father, who until that point had been invisible behind his newspaper, cleared his throat.

"Bonnie..."

Bonnie groaned and rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know I'm supposed to sleep at least seven hours each night. I got them," she assured him. She didn't think it important to add they'd been spent tossing and turning, worrying about Brick. And that the same worry was what kept her from finishing the homework.

She turned to the cupboard and took out a protein bar before spinning around and heading for the front door.

"Bonnie!" her mother sang in a disappointed tone as she walked past. Her father looked up from his paper and coffee again with a raised brow.

"Sorry Mom, sorry Dad, I have just enough time to finish my homework if I leave now," she said by way of excuse.

"But Bon-Bon!"

Bonnie looked from her mother's disappointed face to her father's. Donald 'Donny' Rockwaller lifted his hand in a vague gesture that she could leave, and she grinned and flipped her hair with one hand as she turned to hide her relief.

"Now Ronnie, schoolwork comes first. At least she won't miss dinner," her father said pointedly. "Especially since it'll be the last family dinner before our trip this weekend."

Bonnie froze at the tone in her father's voice and glanced back over her shoulder. He was staring at her over his newspaper.

"Of course not!" she said with a broad, innocent smile. She thought a moment. "...But I do need to pick up my homecoming dress after cheer practice today."

"Oh, I can come with you!" her mother said brightly.

Bonnie's smile faded to a panicked frown and she started waving her hand in a stopping motion. But her attention shifted suddenly as her sisters spoke.

"You mean they found a dress to actually fit that shape?" Connie said.

"Clearly nothing else does," Lonnie said, giving a disgusted look at Bonnie's current attire.

"Ladies," their father admonished, and Bonnie turned to leave in a hurry amid her mother's scolding of her older sisters and her brother's snickering. She wasn't about to let her mother come along to the dress fitting, or anywhere else where they could be seen together by people she knew—not since the ski trip incident.

In the driveway, she dropped her backpack on the passenger seat of her white convertible and sighed as she sank into the tan leather driver's seat. After tuning the radio to her favorite hip-hop station and cranking the volume, she began the drive to school, letting the sound of the wind and the music carry her thoughts away.

----------------------

When Bonnie walked through the halls of the school and saw Kim Possible standing in front of her open locker, she actually perked up. She needed to talk to Kim about the complexity of the final sequence in the new cheer routine before practice. She began quickening her pace, but stopped short when Kim's locker was pushed closed by a confidently grinning Ron Stoppable, dressed uncharacteristically in his football jersey.

Bonnie stopped and took a step nearer the other wall of lockers as if it could hide her while the...the loser of a held-back senior Kim now called 'boyfriend' leaned over the red-head at her locker and set his hand on her waist, kissing her in a very suave move. Bonnie blinked at the scene in shock, feeling a sinking in her stomach and an actual camaraderie with Stoppable's hairless pet which was scrubbing at its eyes from the football star's pocket.

'Football star...'

"Whoa, put out the fire you two!" was the declaration of Kim's other best friend, Monique, who Bonnie could find no fault with except for choosing the other two as companions. The girl was confident, trendy, smart, and someone she could have called 'friend' herself. But apparently Kim had gotten to her first.

Bonnie passed the trio without a word as they began chatting and hurried to what was their joint homeroom. She needed to finish that math homework and would need a seat in the back if she was to avoid Mr. Barkin's watchful gaze. And the last thing she wanted right then was to hear about how great life was the world-famous world-saving cheerleader.

She remembered Brick's text and reached in her pocket for her phone, and then froze.

It wasn't there.

She remembered with a fury that she had dropped it earlier that morning when she tripped on the laundry basket, and she mentally swore further revenge against all of her siblings for the crime. They deserved it for the years of tormenting her anyway.

She dropped her math book heavily on the too-small desk and leaned over the homework paper, one hand on her forehead to hide her face as she stared down at the problems in the book.

She stared at the words and numbers while her classmates gradually filed in and took their seats around her. She barely acknowledged Tara's cheery 'good morning' as she read over the first word problem again and again, unable to focus long enough to finish it, and she tuned out the tardy bell and Mr. Barkin's gruff greeting to the class.

All she could think about was Brick's text. She couldn't remember another time he had asked her to call. In fact, their phone conversations usually ended with him interrupting whatever she was talking about and asking if he could call her back another time...which...he never did.

A telltale buzzing made her reach instinctively for her phone, and she frowned when it wasn't there. She glanced over at Tara in the next desk, who was grinning down at her phone in her lap.

Tara saw her friend's attention and after a moment and a glance at Mr. Barkin who was writing on the chalkboard, she passed the cell phone to Bonnie.

Bonnie smirked as she saw it was an update to Stoppable's blog, and she glanced to where the blond-haired boy sat next to Kim in the front row. He had his phone in his lap, and he seemed to be typing blindly with one thumb while his hairless pink pet typed at the same time. She frowned and shook her head in confusion as she looked back to Tara's phone for the latest gossip.

*A reliable source has reported that Dr. Drakken and Shego have been looking at real estate in Tahiti. Is it a new lair, or a romantic vacation home?*

Bonnie rolled her eyes and passed the phone back to Tara. While that pair of villains were among the most interesting, she was tired of the 'are they or aren't they?' that Stoppable kept spinning to keep interest in the blog.

"Well?" whispered Tara, and Bonnie looked at her while keeping one eye on Mr. Barkin. "What do you think?"

"I don't think it matters where they do it?" Bonnie whispered back.

"They're totally a couple!" Tara said with a small giggle, scrolling through the other posts on the blog.

Bonnie shook her head and looked down at her math book again, feeling like she might be able to focus at last. As she finally began writing figures on the paper to solve the first word problem, she realized she'd wasted most of homeroom and hadn't heard even a word of Mr. Barkin's lecture. She tried to tune into it as she wrote, ignoring the giggles off to her right and the grin of her cheer co-captain a few rows ahead.

It was bad enough she had to watch Kim and Ron making out in the hallway. The last thing she needed was to think about happy villain couples too, when she couldn't hardly remember the last time she'd had Brick's arm around her.

----------------------

"And five, six, seven, eight and aerial...three...down...V...and left, right, left, right and to-the-base!" Kim called out the beats of the cheer routine, watching with arms crossed in front of the bleachers.

Bonnie, up in front and with the mirrored role to Kim's, had the most difficult steps and was trying to complete her moves while also listening to Kim's commands to the rest of the squad for her timing. It was going well, exactly like she'd practiced in her bedroom the night before. They had collaborated on this routine and were sure it could win the next competition, but of course, they all had to start somewhere in learning it.

As she felt sweat beginning to form on her brow she remembered the competition last year, when Brick had sat in the front row cheering her on. She'd gotten a major thrill bragging about him to the girls from other squads, who had all been envious of her gorgeous, all-American boyfriend.

"And liberty...to scorpion... Bonnie!"

Bonnie felt the weight shift from Tara below who was her base, and realized she'd failed to shift into the scorpion pose. Which meant when Hope next to her, standing in for Kim, had nowhere to place her foot for the next move when their feet were supposed to touch. She watched in a mixture of annoyance, fear, and embarrassment as Hope went down despite Crystal's efforts, and she quickly lost balance too, landing in a forward lunge when her feet finally hit the gym floor.

When she righted herself she found every member of the squad staring at her. It wasn't often she found herself in this position, as it was usually her leading the glares toward Kim who was often distracted by her 'missions' and more recently, her steady boyfriend.

The heat came to Bonnie's cheeks and she crossed her arms and turned away with a frown.

"I didn't have the balance for scorpion, it would have been worse if I'd tried," she said by way of excuse.

"Maybe if you'd lose a few pounds," Tanzy said not entirely under her breath, earning a few gasps from the long-time members of the squad.

"Why, you—!"

"O-kay," Kim said with authority. "Bonnie, let's swap. You call the routine and I'll hop in."

Bonnie was torn in that moment between arguing that she wouldn't mess up again and taking the pass and actually watching the routine as she called it. She wanted to watch it again anyway, but she was uncertain in the moment which was the less embarrassing of the two options.

As Kim raised a questioning and slightly impatient brow in her direction, she rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"Fine, get up there."

Bonnie watched as Hope and Jessica swapped places, Jessica being Bonnie's stand-in as Hope was Kim's. Then when everyone was back in place in the starting positions, she began calling the counts and moves.

She was glad she'd made that choice, because she had no choice but to focus and for at least the rest of practice, Brick didn't enter her mind at all. Not even when they had played the music and she and Kim had both operated in their regular positions. She hated to admit it, but they were a good team as co-captains.

It wasn't until later after showering in the locker room and waiting for Tara to finish fixing her hair that Bonnie began to dwell on the situation with Brick again. She was also worried that he might have sent her another message while her phone was at home, somewhere on her bedroom floor. What if he had tried to call, and her lack of response made him think she was ignoring him? What if he'd wanted her to call right after school, or after cheer practice?

"What's wrong, Bonnie?"

Bonnie startled from her thoughts and realized her brow had been twisted in so much worry, that it hurt. She uncrossed her arms and pushed off of the wall in the girl's locker room where she'd been leaning.

"Nothing, you ready to go?" she asked Tara, who was fluffing her golden, wavy hair.

"You bet! I can't wait to see your gown! And guess what, the boutique left me a voicemail during practice. Mine came in today too!"

"Yeah that's great. I need to run home first, that all right?"

"Oh...sure, what for?" Tara asked, hurrying behind Bonnie who had slung her backpack on her back and started out of the locker room.

"For my phone," Bonnie answered somewhat impatiently.

"Ohhh right... Do you think Brick might have messaged you?"

Bonnie felt that pang in her chest again and increased her pace. She had confided to Tara about her missing phone, but hadn't fully admitted her fears that Brick was losing interest in her.

"Maybe. He usually waits for me to reply, unless he's asking for homework help."

Tara continued talking, but Bonnie barely listened until they reached her convertible in the parking lot. They tossed their backpacks in the trunk and then Bonnie sat heavily in the driver's seat with a sigh. The fall earlier during practice, though she had landed fine, had definitely been a shock to her system.

"Bonnie?"

"Hmm?"

"I said, do you think the hot pink will be too much?"

"I've been telling you for years to let go of the green."

"Well it's a kind of a—"

"Never-mind, I'll see it when we get there," Bonnie said as she started the car.

She stared straight ahead, ignoring the concerned and confused look she knew Tara was giving her. She grabbed her sunglasses off the car's sun visor and hid her eyes behind them.

She couldn't focus on the conversation about gowns with the possibility of a missed call from Brick swirling around in her head. Not to mention the sudden increased concern that her gown wouldn't fit after Tanzy's comment at practice.

Back in the locker room she had direly wanted to ask Kim if she had gained weight, knowing the red-head would be honest, but she hadn't. Now she wanted to ask Tara, but she wasn't sure if her friend wouldn't sugar-coat the answer just to please her.

Bonnie flipped the radio station to pop, Tara's favorite, and gave her a half-smile that seemed to assuage any concerns her friend may have had. She turned the music up higher to avoid any possibility of conversation and drove the familiar route back home, unable to deny the anxiety now coursing through her as the promise of getting to her phone was near.

----------------------

Bonnie parked her car near the house after driving perhaps too quickly up her family's long driveway, if Tara's slightly startled expression was any indication. She kept her sunglasses on to hide her slightly guilty expression as she grabbed her backpack from the trunk and hurried up the steps.

"If my sibs aren't around you can help yourself to anything in the fridge," Bonnie called over her shoulder as Tara hurried behind her.

She didn't feel like stopping at Bueno Nacho or anywhere else on the way to the boutique, but it had definitely been too long since lunch.

The house, gratefully, seemed empty when they went inside, and Bonnie nodded toward the fridge before heading down the hall to her room. It was just a quick stop for her phone and a snack before they would head back to try on their gowns.

In her room, Bonnie took her planner and the books for that night's homework out of her backpack and placed them on her desk, knowing she might forget otherwise after ballet later that night. She glanced at her watch as she dropped her backpack and began calculating how much time she would have, and then frowned. There was really only time to try on the dresses, make the final payment if they fit, and then drive Tara home. Then she would barely make it home through rush hour traffic in time for the family dinner, and then she would have to hurry off to ballet.

She wouldn't be able to start her homework until after eight thirty that night. Or call Brick.

A quick search of the room revealed her phone on the floor near the barre, and she flipped it open to find six missed text messages. Two were from Tara that morning, the second of which asking why she wasn't answering texts. Bonnie rolled her eyes.

She cringed at the text from Kim asking why she was late for practice, and it was with dismay she saw that the other three were from Liz, Crystal, and Hope. Brick hadn't sent any other messages, and there were no missed calls.

Bonnie put the phone in the hip pocket of her overalls, frowning at the discomfort it gave her since the older garment was slightly too snug.

'Or maybe you've just put on a few pounds...'

She shook that thought from her head as she fished in her backpack for her wallet. She glanced at the math book at the top of the pile of homework on her desk and frowned at the memory of turning in an incomplete paper earlier that day, and then she looked up at the mirror. Her hair was more limp for the rigor of cheer practice, but there wasn't time to do anything with it.

Bonnie chose a teal purse from the several she had hanging behind her door and shouldered it after putting her phone and wallet inside. She hurried back to the kitchen where she found Tara eating a pudding cup.

"Those are Jonny's," Bonnie commented, knowing her brother would be upset. Not that she cared... She just knew she would probably take the heat for it.

"Oh, sorry," Tara said with a small giggle as she licked the butterscotch from her lips.

Bonnie opened the fridge and after a sad perusal, she grabbed one of her brother's pudding cups too. She plopped down on the bar stool next to Tara and opened the cup, staring blankly at the cabinets opposite as she dug her spoon in.

"...Did Brick call?" Tara asked after a moment of silence.

"No," Bonnie said, then spooning a larger bite into her mouth. While she could no longer ignore the growing concern that Brick was losing interest in her, she still didn't want to talk about it. Because if Brick was in fact losing interest...she didn't want to think forward to what would come after that conversation.

"Ryan left me a message during practice," Tara commented.

Bonnie nodded approvingly as she licked her spoon.

"Status."

"But he was always trying to cop a feel," Tara continued with a frown.

Bonnie smirked. "And you care?"

Tara's frown deepened.

"Right, I get it. You're waiting for 'love'," Bonnie said, drawing out the last word sarcastically.

"So are you," Tara retorted, "unless something's changed?"

"Nothing's changed," Bonnie said, glancing back at the cabinets and letting her vision blur as she took another bite.

"Look, I like making out but Ryan just doesn't understand where the line is," Tara said thoughtfully.

Bonnie silently ate her pudding as she thought about her physical relationship with Brick. He was a good kisser, and she always felt a sense of pride curled up under his arm, whether they were at the movies or at a party after a game. He'd never given her any indications he wanted more, so they'd never talked about it. But what if...that was part of why he was losing interest now? Had he met someone else who gave him more?

Bonnie considered their on-again, off-again relationship over the past three and a half years. It was always she who had broken up with him when they were 'off,' due to his lack of attention or some rude comment he had made. She'd always just assumed he would be there when she had cooled down, and he was. Even the time he'd seemed interested in Kim during sophomore year, she hadn't worried, because she knew he wasn't Kim's type.

'Her loss!'

As she thought about it further, she realized that the last few times they'd broken up...she couldn't remember Brick protesting. Or even seeming that upset. Or...happy when she'd declared they were back together.

The pang in her chest turned to a swirling unease in her stomach, and she glanced to the side to see that Tara had just finished her pudding. She grabbed the small plastic cup and spoon out her hands, earning a surprised squeak, and carried them and her own unfinished pudding around to the sink where she dropped the spoons in and then tossed the pudding cups in the trash.

"Come on," Bonnie said abruptly, shifting her purse to her other shoulder. It had been on the one with the overall strap, and she realized the garment was a bit uncomfortable over her shoulder after all.

"What'd I say?" Tara questioned. "Look, I'm over that Ryan is a celebrity... Jason's never tried to push the boundaries, and that matters more to me."

"Fine, whatever," Bonnie said as she headed back out the door. "Long as he's got the cash."

"We go out," Tara defended her own on-and-off boyfriend.

"To places other than Bueno Nacho?" Bonnie accused as they got back into the car.

"Yes," Tara said emphatically, sounding almost hurt. "And he even told me he'll take me to Chez Couteaux before homecoming."

"How do you know he's not gonna turn out like Ryan did?" Bonnie retorted as she started the car.

"Bonnie!"

"Just saying," Bonnie responded with a shrug and a frown.

She turned the music back on as she backed the car out of the driveway. The conversation had only increased her worries about Brick to the point she didn't even bother denying them anymore. What if that was the reason he was distant from her? What if he had in fact found someone else who was more the kind of girl he wanted?

What...what was the kind of girl Brick wanted? Bonnie felt the uneasy feeling in her stomach intensify as she suddenly worried that she wasn't it...

----------------------

"I've been telling you for years Tara, jewel tones," Bonnie said, watching Tara look uncertainly at the gown she wore that in Bonnie's opinion was a dream come true.

Tara's choice that year was a dark hot pink strapless mermaid gown, satin until the mermaid flare at the bottom where the material was tulle. The bust was covered in tiny rhinestones that faded away down the bodice, which Bonnie thought were a great compliment to her figure.

"Are you sure?"

"Sometimes your favorite colors just aren't ones you can wear," Bonnie said, leaning back on the bench and crossing her legs again. "With your hair, eyes, and complexion... Jewel tones, Tara."

Tara's expression brightened at Bonnie's reassurance, though her brow still showed uncertainty.

"Look, it's perfect. Just take it off and I'll put mine on," Bonnie said, rising from the bench and moving into the adjacent fitting room. She quickly divested herself of her shoes, overalls, and tank top and then carefully removed her gown from its hanger.

As she stepped into the dress and slipped the straps up over her shoulders, she felt a comfortable, familiar confidence settle over her that she'd lacked that day—the confidence of looking good.

She zipped up the black dress and adjusted the raspberry colored chiffon sash at the waist which folded and had a panel that draped down the front nearly to the floor. The dress had two high slits up each side and a deep V-neck, with straps that thinned over the shoulders. She smiled as she mentally pictured the way it would look with her hair and makeup done to perfection, and black heels to match. Ruby earrings would complete the look...

She straightened up in front of the fitting room mirror as a vision entered her mind of Brick standing at her side wearing a black tuxedo, with a cummerbund and bow-tie to match her sash. They would have to be dyed of course, along with roses for the corsages, but there was still plenty of time.

The excitement that had bubbled up in her chest at how great she and Brick would look walking into the homecoming dance together burst suddenly as all of her insecurities about their relationship suddenly came back. She felt in her purse for her phone and after pulling it out flipped it open. There had been no messages or missed calls in the time she and Tara and been out so far.

She turned to face the mirror again, posed and grinned, and then moved her phone around in one hand trying to get the best angle and also capture the entire dress. It took three tries, but she finally got an image she was okay with and sent it in a message to Brick.

*Match everything to the sash.*

As she looked at the image once more before pushing send she felt her confidence returning. She was the hottest girl at Middleton High, and Brick had never looked at anyone else in the almost three years they had been together. She had nothing to worry about.

She sent the text, put her phone back in her purse, and then exited the fitting room. Tara was dressed in her school clothes again and seated on the bench Bonnie had previously occupied, her folded hands atop the knee of her crossed leg which she was swinging as she smiled and waited patiently. When she focused her attention on Bonnie, her mouth fell open in a gasp.

"Oh, Bonnie that's gorgeous!"

"I know. Doesn't it just scream 'me'?" she said with a grin, slowly spinning and then striking a pose.

"It's perfect!"

"Like I said. Me."

Just then, a wolf-whistle startled them and drew both of their attentions to where about ten feet away a vaguely familiar red-headed teen boy stood. Bonnie realized in a moment it was one of their classmates, but she wasn't entirely sure of his name. She couldn't recall ever actually speaking to him.

"Smokin'!" he said, giving her a thumbs up and a grin that revealed less than perfect teeth.

Bonnie recoiled in mild disgust, though she couldn't argue with the compliment.

"Yeah, way too hot for you," Bonnie said in retort. She meant it derisively, but the look Tara gave her made her wonder if it had accidentally come off as flirty.

The guy continued looking her over without any pretense, and Bonnie racked her brain for his name. All she could really recall about him was that his tired, baggy eyes were always staring at a computer screen and that he had never once been in gym class.

"So, got a date for the homecoming dance?" he asked, his look becoming practically lascivious.

The boy's name finally registered in Bonnie's mind.

"Uh, yeah. And if you come with twenty feet of me at the dance Reiger, I'll tell my boyfriend Brick that you asked me out."

Ronald Reiger seemed to snap out of his hormone-motivated stupor, but it didn't last long as a devious smirk returned to his face.

"I didn't think Flagg liked his babes with so much junk in the trunk. But I sure do," Reiger said, wagging his eyebrows knowingly.

Bonnie sputtered incoherently for a moment before a shrill scream left her throat. Every face in the boutique suddenly turned to look at her, and Bonnie's face reddened in both anger and embarrassment as Reiger left the store laughing.

Bonnie's hands were clenched in fists at her sides as she seethed, the conversation already replaying in her mind. So focused was she on the horrible things Reiger had said, that she didn't notice Tara had been speaking to her until she felt her friend's hand on her shoulder.

"He never even goes to the dances. Just ignore him."

Bonnie took a deep breath and tried to calm down, but she still felt the sting of embarrassment as multiple eyes continued to watch her.

"Tara," she began, not liking how pathetic her voice sounded, "have I gained weight?"

"No! If anything you're slimmer," Tara said, her usual happy-go-lucky smile back on her face.

"Really?" Bonnie asked, starting to straighten up from the hunch she'd not realized she'd fallen into.

"Oh yeah. You look great! Especially in the varsity cheer uniform. You rock it!"

Bonnie looked straight into Tara's eyes and saw the sincerity; she wasn't just trying to butter her up.

She pushed her hair back and fought the twisting of emotions in her chest, glancing away when she finally said a quiet, "Thanks."

"Besides, Reiger's been crushing on you since middle school," Tara continued thoughtfully, "but I've never seen him with anyone. He's probably got his own issues."

Bonnie looked up in surprise. "Since middle school!?"

Tara looked confused. "Yeah. I thought you knew."

"Ew! No, that's the first time I've ever acknowledged that loser's existence!"

Tara looked confused again. "Don't you remember he asked you to dance in seventh grade, at the welcome back dance?"

Bonnie blinked at her. "I thought you said he never goes to dances."

"Not since that one. He asked you to dance and you said no."

Bonnie searched her memory, but all she could recall of that first dance in seventh grade was how hot she had looked in her black and white leopard print skirt and hot pink blouse with the matching collar.

"Ugh, let's just pay for the gowns and get out of here before some other loser shows up."

"Hey," Tara said, and Bonnie felt a hand on her shoulder again, "this was fun. We barely hang out anymore. I'm glad we could fit this in."

"Yeah," Bonnie said with a quick smile before hurrying back into her fitting room.

As she changed back into her crop top and overalls she thought about Tara's words. It was true, they hadn't been hanging out as much since Tara had finally given up on that loser Stoppable part-way through junior year. Once she had stopped pining over him she found she enjoyed dating around, which meant less time for friends. And of course, varsity cheer took up more of both of their free time. They hardly saw each other outside of school activities anymore.

Bonnie considered the things in her own life that were keeping her busy. Ballet was four nights a week now that she was in the highest level, and for the past month she had spent all of her free time...worrying about Brick's diminishing communication. They had only been out on a date once in the last three weeks, but she realized she had been purposely keeping her evenings free just in case he wanted to see her. He was only going to the University of Lowerton after all, so it wasn't that far a drive.

But he hadn't mentioned going out once since their last date. He only responded to her messages, and barely at that...

Bonnie scowled as her mood soured again, but she didn't let it impact her carefully hanging the gown back on its hanger. The boost she had gotten from trying it on had already faded, and she was eager to get home so she could hopefully have a chance to call Brick in between dinner and ballet. A glance at her phone showed he hadn't replied to her message with the photo of the dress.

The overall strap on her shoulder was suddenly bothering her, and after a very brief moment she unhooked it and let the bib fall fully down and the strap down her back, a moment later looping both straps through the belt loops on the garment so they wouldn't flop too much. As she looked at her reflection in the mirror she reconsidered the decision for a moment, noting just how much of her midriff was showing due to the high crop top and how low the overalls fell. But she shook her head and shouldered her purse and turned away from her reflection. Because despite herself, she couldn't even distract herself thinking about Tara's compliment because she was no longer able to hide the worry in her eyes.

----------------------

Bonnie shut off the car and then sank low into the leather seat, exhausted as she stared at the reflection of the golden sunset off her dash. She ran her mind back over the day's events, each recollection interrupted by the harsh, stabbing worry about Brick's text.

She felt a small measure of calm as she remembered how Tara had leaned down into the car to hug her when she had dropped her off at her home. Her friend had thanked her for a fun afternoon and promised to see her the next day with her usual bright smile and wave as she left.

Why couldn't Brick be more like Tara? Bonnie never had to worry that Tara wouldn't answer a text, or be less than honest about their friendship. If Tara was upset about something, Bonnie knew it in a moment from the look on her friend's face.

She also realized with sudden guilt, which she quickly shoved down, that she wasn't always quick to make amends when she and Tara got into disagreements. And yet, Tara...was still there.

She forced away the strange swirl of emotions in her chest and turned her thoughts to Brick again. Had she done something to upset him, and that's why he was distant? He wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, and he had always been extremely easy-going in high school. It was one of the things she liked about him actually... He did whatever she wanted, and she got to show off her man candy wherever she went.

She startled suddenly, her eyes seeking something to focus on as too many realizations hit her all at once. Could Brick be avoiding her because she only treated him like a tool? And...since when did she no longer want that with him, and want to be treated like an actual girlfriend?

Her mind was racing for answers, and when she looked at her reflection in the rear-view mirror she saw the truth in her own eyes. She had wanted more for a long time, but hadn't been giving Brick anything to let him know that.

Another strange mix of emotions hit her as she fought against the revelation she had just had. She didn't need a relationship. She didn't need to give and take, or to care about someone else's needs. Winners didn't need other people, after all.

Even as her head spoke the defiant thoughts, an image of Tara's smile and the memory of her hug before they parted that evening flew across her mind's eye. She sighed and slumped back in the seat again.

Who was she kidding?

She grimaced as she reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone. Brick had said to call her... It was time to put herself out of her misery and stop living in a high school fantasy. If she really did...want more...she would have to give more.

She pressed the speed dial with an ironic grimace and held the phone to her ear. It connected after four rings.

"Hello?" He sounded confused, which made her stomach twist in unease.

"Hey Brick, baby," she greeted with a smile, though it didn't reach her eyes.

"Oh, hey," was the response in his usual smooth tone, but it was lacking the smile behind it.

"Did you get the photo of my gown?" she asked, avoiding any more difficult topic for the moment.

"Yeah, it's smokin'!" he said, and Bonnie felt some of the unease leave as she heard the smile in his voice. She also recalled that Ron Reiger had used that exact term to describe the dress, and her face fell.

"Do you need me to send you the address of the boutique to get your cummerbund and bow-tie dyed?" she continued in a hurry.

"Yeah about that..."

Bonnie felt her throat constrict and immediately tried to calm her breathing. Before she could speak, Brick continued.

"I don't think we should see each other anymore."

Bonnie's chest heaved as her breaths came more quickly.

"What... You...you...are breaking up with me?" Bonnie sputtered. They weren't the words she wanted to say, but they were the ones that came out.

"Yeah... So no hard feelings," Brick said. It sounded final, and Bonnie gripped her phone hard as she leaned forward in a panic.

"Wait! Can...can we talk about this?" she stammered.

"Talk...?" Brick sounded confused by the suggestion.

"Yeah, like...like...why?"

"Oh, well... I feel like since I went to college we've...grown apart?" Brick answered, still sounding confused. "And like...we didn't really know each other that well anyway."

"What do you mean?" Bonnie gasped, her instincts taking over again. "We talked almost every day for three years, we went out all the time, I even hung out at your house with your lame-o family!" Bonnie cringed at the instinctive insult she'd given and hurriedly backpedaled. "I mean..."

"Yeah, and like...that's just it," Brick continued in the voice she knew so well, sounding much more himself. "We did all those things and I don't...really know you."

Bonnie blinked several times, fighting the onset of tears. Her mind was a jumble of searching for excuses and counter-arguments, as well as the distracting interruptions of how she basically been treating Tara exactly the same way she had treated Brick.

"Well...then let's get to know each other," she finally said. She looked in the rear-view mirror at her stricken expression, and then her eyes fell to the reflection of the short crop top she was wearing. "And like...if you come over Saturday, my parents won't be home all weekend."

She had lowered her tone on the last, hoping to sound seductive. Her heart raced for fear with the implication she had just given him. That wasn't what she really wanted, but she was desperate.

"No thanks... It's just not gonna work between us. I'm sorry, but...it's over."

Bonnie clutched the phone tighter, breathing into the receiver as no words came while tears filled her eyes. A moment later the line disconnected, and she let a sob escape her lips as she listened to the dead air at the other end of the line.

She closed the phone and dropped it back in her purse, then wiping the tears from her eyes.

'Winners don't cry, winners don't cry...'

She tried desperately to force the tears away, but as she replayed the conversation with Brick in her mind they kept coming. She turned her gaze upward as she grabbed a tissue from the box in her center console, but she didn't dry her eyes yet.

The resounding finality of Brick's statement, 'it's over,' kept looping in her mind and causing a torment of indecision. There was a part of her that wanted to call him back and fight to keep him. She even wondered if driving to Lowerton for a salacious meeting would change his mind after all.

That idea made her heart pound in anxiety, and she recalled her earlier conversation with Tara. It wasn't what she wanted... But...she still wanted Brick.

She dried her eyes, and on that thought she shouldered her purse, and then carefully took her plastic-wrapped homecoming gown out of the trunk of the car. The sudden realization that she had no date for the dance started the tears anew, but she didn't stop and headed for the house.

'Winners don't quit...'

When she walked inside, the telltale sounds of quiet conversation told her that her family had already started dinner. She wiped her eyes once more with her free hand and held the gown up so that when she passed through the kitchen it would detract attention from her.

"Bonnie..." was the disappointed greeting from her mother when she turned the corner. Bonnie held the gown up higher.

"Sorry, I had to take Tara home. Her gown came in too."

"Ugh, why do you hang out with such fashion rejects..." Lonnie said.

Bonnie didn't even make eye contact. "For your information she got a hot pink dress this time. And even if she does need a little help with fashion, at least she's a real friend."

"Since when do you have real friends?" Connie said with a giggle.

"Girls," their father admonished.

"Bon-Bon, what are you wearing?" her mother asked, noticing her attire despite the gown she was holding up to block their view.

Jonny leaned forward on his elbows with a smirk and raised his eyebrows, and the three sisters glared at him.

"Gross!" they all said in unison.

"Just looking to see if she actually grew a pair or if it's still just socks," Jonny said.

"Like you've ever seen real ones," Lonnie countered.

"Right back at ya, Sis'," Jonny snickered.

"Ugh!"

"Like you've ever seen more than two brain cells," Connie continued the argument.

"Bonnie, surely you had something you could have worn a bra with..." her mother continued over the adult children's argument.

"I had the overall bib up all day," Bonnie said with a slight scoff, and then added in a mutter, "well, half of it."

Her slight embarrassment and annoyance with her family was overriding the hurt of losing Brick, for at least the present moment, and she hurried down the hall to her room to hang up her gown. After she had done so she leaned on her desk with a heavy sigh, staring down at the mountain of homework.

She looked up at herself in the mirror. Her face wasn't as puffy as she feared, and she hurried down the hall to the bathroom to wash off the tear stains. She made the mistake of replaying the conversation with Brick in her head again as she did so, and her tears flowed again. She permitted herself a few whimpering sobs this time, in hopes that doing so would help purge some of the emotional turmoil and let her get on with the evening.

A harsh knock at the door startled her, and she hurriedly splashed more water onto her face and added some soap to clean off her ruined makeup. She'd gone to ballet without it before, though she hadn't in awhile.

"Just a minute!" she called more loudly than was necessary.

"Take a chill pill, Bonnie," came her brother's mocking voice.

Bonnie felt a renewed embarrassment and annoyance about his earlier comments and scowled as she turned off the faucet and dried her face.

"There are other toilets in this house where you can sit and play video games, you know," she retorted.

"Yeah but I'll be bothered in those," he said matter-of-factly.

Bonnie checked her face again and after hanging the towel she opened the door with a sharp jerk.

"Whoa, fan the flame, Bon-Bon!"

"Don't call me that," she bit back as she stalked past him and back down the hall.

She listened to his snickering and the closing of the door as he escaped the family dinner for at least awhile, and she began changing for ballet. As she did so she told herself she wasn't going to think about Brick anymore. She could easily get a hot date for homecoming, and she could start work on that the very next day. All she needed to worry about for the rest of that night was dinner, ballet, and homework, in that order.

She forced her mind to think about the difficult routine she was going to need to rehearse that evening as she put on her pink tights, black leotard, and ballet slippers. After that she stood in front of the mirror, already feeling more composed for how elegant she looked in the attire that spoke of over a decade of hard work. The word 'regal' even crossed her mind as she pulled her hair up into a French twist.

She considered going back to dinner in just her ballet outfit, but considering Jonny's comments she threw on a baggy teal Club Banana logo t-shirt over her leotard. And then after checking that her pointe shoes were in her ballet bag, she dropped her purse inside and zipped the bag up and headed back out to face her family.

"Bonnie, you missed almost all of dinner," was her mother's sad greeting when she re-entered the kitchen.

Bonnie dropped her bag behind her chair and then grabbed a plate to serve herself some food.

"It was a busy day," she said, again more harshly than was warranted. She swallowed guiltily when her father looked at her over the rims of his glasses.

"Connie was just telling us about the seismology research project she's working on in college," her father said as he cleared his throat.

"Yeah," Lonnie interrupted, "and if we keep listening to it we're not going to have time to talk about my date tonight."

Bonnie noticed her bottle-blonde sister's attire for the first time—a too-tight strapless periwinkle mini-dress, with a sparkling crystal necklace and earrings to match. Her makeup was also overdone, which wasn't atypical.

"So who's this one?" Bonnie asked boredly, moving her spoon through the pasta salad as she sat at the table with her family.

As Lonnie described her 'hot date' who worked for a modeling agency, Bonnie's thoughts instantly drifted to her lack of a date for the homecoming dance, and then beyond. She considered her sister who dated anyone who might be able to give her a jump-start into a film or modeling career. Lonnie didn't seem interested in a serious relationship...

Bonnie realized all of a sudden that she herself was. She couldn't do what her sister did. And while she didn't yet know what she wanted to do after high school (another worrying thought that she would bury until she had no choice) she knew she didn't want to date guy after guy... She had never really enjoyed that. Which meant that apparently...she wanted something steady.

"Bonnie?"

She re-focused as she realized she was being spoken to—it was her turn to share about her day.

"Well I got my gown, not that anyone noticed," she began.

"It's lovely, dear," her mother said.

Bonnie tried not to frown at the aged-sounding appellation.

"Thank you, Mom," she said, tossing a glare at her sisters. "We also made a lot of progress on the cheer routine for regionals. It's too fussy, like all of Kim's routines, but I've got to admit...it'll be pretty cool when we've got it down."

"Have you given us that date for our calendars, Bonnie?" her father asked without looking up from his meal.

"Yes. And the ballet. And the homecoming game, and the dance so you don't schedule anything over it."

"Will Brick be taking you to the dance?"

Bonnie felt her entire frame tense, but she forced her face to calm and took a swallow of her food to both give herself a moment to compose herself and to force down the lump rising in her throat.

"No, he's busy," she lied easily. "Besides, I'll be voted homecoming queen so I should go with whoever is voted king."

"You? Queen?" Connie said, and she and Lonnie began to snicker. The sound of Jonny's deeper voice joining theirs was the family's cue that he had returned from his 'bathroom break' and Bonnie glared at all of her siblings in turn as her brother retook his seat.

"Well of course it will be me. Who else could it be?" Bonnie asked, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms indignantly.

"Probably that red-haired babe you can't get along with, what's her name?" Jonny asked.

"Ugh, that fashion don't dating the biggest loser in the school? As if!"

"Check the facts, Bonnie, she's a world-famous hero and she was on the cover of every fashion magazine that mattered two years ago," Connie said.

"Yeah. Don't you remember when we all wore Kim-style?" Lonnie added.

Bonnie scowled and let her frustration out in a growl. "That was before she had a loser boyfriend, though."

"Are people treating her any differently?" her father cut in.

Bonnie blinked as she considered. People had always liked Kim Possible, ever since middle school when they had met. And that had never changed. Kim wasn't part of the 'in-crowd' or any crowd really, but everyone still liked her and she was—Bonnie mentally groaned—friendly to everyone. And nothing at all had changed since she'd started dating her long-time dweeb of a best friend.

"No," Bonnie admitted.

"Probably gonna be her then," Jonny said, between two large bites. "She's a babe."

Bonnie's face felt hot in a mixture of embarrassment and rage as she saw her sisters nodding in agreement, but she said nothing. To argue would only reveal a weakness on her part.

"Whatever. I'm going to ballet," Bonnie said, dropping her spoon and reaching behind her for her bag.

"But Bon-Bon, you just got home," her mother protested.

"Yeah, and the performance is in two weeks! I want the extra warm up time. I'll see you later," she said over her shoulder as she departed.

She tuned out the continued protests and snippy comments from her siblings as she left the house and hurried down the dimly lit sidewalk to her car. The sun had set and the air had begun to cool, but it had a different feel than that of the morning chill. The morning had felt fresh, almost hopeful, and like she could take on the world. This chill was a descending weight, and felt like it would sap every last ounce of her strength.

Bonnie put up the roof of her convertible as suddenly every conversation she'd had that day began playing through her mind. And try as she might, she wasn't able to stop them.

The blaring of the radio on her drive to the theater couldn't stop them, nor could attempting to distract herself thinking about the challenging steps she would need to complete in the rehearsal that night. Instead, she heard a chaotic chorus of voices that seemed bent on the goal of severing every last thread of what made her...Bonnie.

----------------------

The voices continued throughout her warm-up stretches, and through the initial routine that Mlle. Catriona had the dancers perform in the warm-up room. Bonnie uncharacteristically stood in the back, t-shirt on as she moved mechanically through the familiar steps.

"You mean they actually found a dress to fit that shape?"

"Maybe if you'd lose a few pounds."

"I didn't think Flagg liked his babes with so much junk in the trunk."

Bonnie barely heard the accompaniment of the bright piano rhythms, so loud were the day's memories. Was she actually gaining weight? Was that why Brick had really lost interest in her?

"If anything, you're slimmer."

The recollection of Tara's words didn't do much to calm her fear that she might in fact be heavier. She looked at her distant reflection in the mirror from the back row of dancers, and then started to look around at her peers. She was definitely more shapely than the rest, but...she wasn't overweight; she was just the atypical curvy ballerina, in comparison. Still...she was suddenly glad she'd kept her t-shirt on.

Bonnie focused on Tara's encouragement and let that carry her through the rest of the warm-up until the class moved to the main stage to begin rehearsal of scenes for the upcoming performance of Swan Lake. An unusual self-consciousness hit her as she pulled off her t-shirt after tying on her pointe shoes, but she shook it off and held her head high. She had earned the principal role in the ballet and clearly, her weight wasn't an issue to her teacher or the director.

Across the stage, Matteo, who played the principal male role opposite to hers, grinned and waved at her. She smirked and waved back. Matteo was a winner like she was, and they worked well together. She had been very pleased when learning he had been cast in the role of the prince.

"I don't think we should see each other anymore."

Brick's words over the phone suddenly came back to her like the stab of a knife, and her smirk dissolved. She saw the confusion on Matteo's face, but she glanced away and half-listened as Mlle. Catriona gave some last minute direction before they would begin rehearsal of the pas de deux that ended Act III. Thankfully, she had no feeling that she might cry at this recollection. But the crushing weight and pain of loss were still strong, such that she realized suddenly she had placed a lot more value on the relationship with Brick than she had previously thought.

The rehearsal piano began again, and Bonnie began moving through the practiced steps.

"We did all those things and I don't really know you."

The memory of Brick's explanation for the break-up sent another stab of pain through her chest. How could he say he didn't know her? He knew her class schedule, and all of her extracurriculars...

Her thoughts stopped suddenly as she realized that Brick was right. They didn't...really know each other. They knew their schedules, what kinds of movies they liked, and the local school gossip, and that they both understood athletic discipline. But otherwise...

Bonnie swallowed nervously as she considered the boy—young man—who had taken seven years to graduate high school that she had dated on and off for three years. Brick Flagg...was hot. That was it. She didn't really know much about who he was. That suddenly concerned her as she looked around at the other dancers on the stage. Some of them she knew more about than even the girls on the cheer squad. Yes, with the cheerleaders she could gossip. But the ballerinas talked more about real life—their jobs, their plans for after high school, their families... Some were even already in college.

Bonnie moved to the wings of the stage, catching her breath as the coda of the dance approached. Matteo's leaps were majestic, and Bonnie smiled as she watched the fellow athlete who was very attractive—just not in the bulky way that most appealed to her—and who she realized she also knew better than she knew Brick. She didn't even know what Brick was studying... But Matteo was preparing to audition for the New York Ballet. And as a hobby, he did woodworking.

She had no idea what Brick's hobbies were, or if he even had any.

"It's over."

There was a greater finality as she replayed Brick's words in her mind again, and it was with great annoyance she realized the tears were beginning to flow. She almost missed her cue as the piano changed, but she set her jaw and held her head high as she retook the stage.

She found her mark and set up for the fouettes. She had managed twenty-seven the last time and was hoping to make it an even twenty eight this time. She heard the anacrusis of the music and began to spin, executing the practiced technique with skill. But as she spun, blurred images of faces watching her suddenly brought the fears back to her mind.

Was she too heavy? Did the turns look awkward as a result? Did the other ballerinas gossip about her when she wasn't there, the way she gossiped about each cheerleader in turn when they weren't around?

"Since when do you have real friends?"

The memory pushed her out of the intense focus that her spin required, and with a small cry, Bonnie fell out of her eleventh fouette. She quickly moved back to the mark and resumed, not wanting to stop because it would only bring more negative attention. She caught just a glimpse of surprised faces and heard gasps over the piano before she resumed the turns, counting them even though there was no point in her desperate search for distraction.

She may have overheard the other dancers talking about their lives over the years...but she didn't really tell them about her own. They weren't her friends anymore than anyone at school was.

As she finished the last fouette—twenty-one—she posed and smiled confidently despite the tear rolling down her cheek. She didn't look at Matteo as she passed him while he began his solo.

"You? Queen?"

Her siblings were right. Who would vote for her anyway? She talked badly about those she called 'friends' to everyone, and she didn't even acknowledge people like Reiger who had been in her class since middle school. She had started faltering in cheer practice, which never happened. And now she was even failing as the star of the ballet.

It was with this swirl of dark thoughts that she began the final sequence with Matteo, who broke character to give her a concerned look as her tears continued to flow. When finally the piano held the last chord Bonnie smirked as her character required, and posed while breathing through her teeth, trying to calm down.

"Are you okay?" Matteo asked quietly through the small wave of applause their fellow students gave.

Bonnie held her smile and allowed the eye contact, which only had the tears flowing more.

The moment the music stopped and the director began giving commentary, Bonnie interrupted with a hurried, "Excuse me," as she began rushing from the stage. The murmurs that followed made her feel sick, and none more than one of the other girls commenting: "Maybe she's going to call Brick."

----------------------

The rest of the rehearsal had gone better. Bonnie had dried her tears and shoved the emotions away with her mantra of 'winners don't cry' and had channeled all of her focus and energy into making up for the earlier mistake and emotional slip. People acting differently toward her the rest of the night had only driven her further, and while she might not have given the most artistic performance, technically, she was flawless.

She had left the theater with that small measure of control giving her a touch of strength, and she maintained that feeling for the entire drive home. But once she had parked in the darkened driveway and saw fewer lights on in her family's home, she felt the roiling of emotions start to return.

She shouldered her ballet bag and silently moved up the walk to the house, hoping that everyone had retired to their respective hobbies for the evening. And Lonnie of course was on a date and wouldn't be home for hours. All Bonnie wanted to do was take a shower and forget the horrible day.

Thankfully, she moved quietly enough that her brother—playing video games on the big screen now, since her parents had gone to bed early due to their flight the next day—was unaware of her presence. And as she passed by Connie's room, she heard her older sister gossiping on the phone.

When Bonnie closed her own bedroom door she felt a huge relief come over her at the same time a weight fell. She barely had the strength to pull her purse out of her ballet bag, and her phone of that before dropping the former on the floor and flopping on the bed with the latter.

She let herself rest for just a moment, her muscles tired from their exertion throughout the day and night, and then she sat up intending to get ready for a shower. But her gaze fell upon the stack of books and homework on her desk.

"Unghh..." she groaned aloud, flopping down on her bed again and dropping her forearm over her eyes and plunging her vision into darkness. She began mentally calculating how long it would take to shower and then tallying how many assignments she had due the next day.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a buzz from her phone which was still on silent from rehearsal. She flipped it open, her chest constricting at the thought it might be Brick.

It wasn't.

It was just a silly update from Stoppable's blog. Bonnie sneered in annoyance and almost dropped the phone, when she saw a comment alert pop up on the new post. It was Tara.

Curiosity getting the better of her, she opened up the post to actually read it.

*Drakken and Shego seen dining casually at Croutons. Is it a business meeting or a romantic interlude?*

Bonnie felt a pang as she looked at the photo that Stoppable or someone had snapped of the villain duo... Was Stoppable actually following them for this silly obsession?

She scrolled down to read Tara's comment which was full of emoticons and hearts, enthusiastic about the growing evidence that the pair might be romantically involved. The pang Bonnie felt before grew stronger. Even the villains that Possible fought were going to find their happy ending. While her relationship-which-wasn't had just ended.

With a heavy sigh and a few yawns, Bonnie changed into her pajamas and decided to forego the shower for the evening. It would only make her more tired, and she had a couple of hours of homework at least. And it was already past nine o' clock.

She moved to her desk and sat down, arranging her books in the order in which she wanted to tackle the assignments. Another buzz from her phone caught her attention, and she glanced at it to see that a debate had sprung up on Stoppable's blog about the blue and green-skinned villains. It seemed even Kim was weighing in, in favor of the two being together, which thrilled Tara.

Bonnie considered her friend again, who she'd given so little time to throughout senior year. And who despite that and her general careless and casual treatment of her...was perhaps the only real friend she had.

An emotional tug of war began within Bonnie then, which she finally ceded to as she flipped to her messages and typed a quick text to Tara.

*Thanks for coming with me today. I'm going to be up late finishing homework if you want to join me in snore-ville.*

She sent the text and felt the emotions in her chest start to calm. She looked in the mirror and sighed as she felt some of the tension leave her shoulders.

'Winners never quit.'

Her phone began buzzing with the notification of a call. On the screen was Tara's name, and Bonnie smiled.

----------------------

Days Later...

Bonnie stood on the football field and adjusted her black skirt, knowing she looked perfect, but unable to get Kim's and Monique's words out of her head. So strong was the swirl of nerves building in her stomach that she completely missed Tara's wave of encouragement from the sidelines.

"In case you didn't notice, now Kim is the one dating the star of the football team."

"Ron has broken more school records than Brick ever did."

Bonnie's siblings had been right... In the days that had followed her picking up her gown from the store with Tara, all the buzz around school was that Kim was the one slated to win the title. Bonnie tried to tell herself she didn't care, but the buzz had been equally clear: Ron Stoppable was expected to win king.

Bonnie tried to ignore what that would mean for her. Still dateless, humiliated, and no longer the center of attention...anywhere. The senior table in the cafeteria was meaningless, since they were all seniors. And the only people who cared anyway were brainless jocks, as it turned out. She was an equal with Kim on the cheer squad, but since they had taken roles as co-captains it was becoming very clear who was in fact more skilled between them at the sport, and it wasn't Bonnie. She was even slipping in ballet, and still wondered if her curves and weight might be an issue. And of course, ever since Kim had...saved the world...from those Bueno Nacho toys, everyone treated the red-head exactly like who she was: a hero.

While Bonnie herself was ignored and forgotten.

Soon Mr. Barkin would announce Kim and Ron as the Middleton High homecoming king and queen, and they would get even more attention. While for the remainder of Bonnie's senior year she would fade into obscurity. But without all of the things that cheer and ballet and Brick's status had brought to her...was she still a winner? Who...who was she?

"This year we replaced our old-fashioned paper ballots with our own state of the art electronic voting system, which snagged second place for Ron Reiger in the Tri-City science fair."

Bonnie absorbed Mr. Barkin's words and in a flash an idea struck her about how to get her identity back.

Ron Reiger was seated near the sideline with his whatever-device that everyone had used to vote for king and queen. Bonnie ran out of the row of nominees into Reiger's line of sight, who looked at her with the same leer he had back at the boutique. It turned her stomach, but Bonnie ignored it to give him a flirty smile and a 'call me' gesture. Reiger's leer grew, and after giving her a knowing smile he typed something into his device and a new paper printed out.

Bonnie sighed in nervous satisfaction as she hurried back to her place near Kim. She might not be the best cheerleader. She might not even be the best ballerina or best student anymore. She might have lost her boyfriend. She might be...all alone... But she was going to be homecoming queen. And once she was, she could start getting her identity back.

Because Bonnie Rockwaller was a winner, and she always would be.

[trivialqueen]

Wip Friday!

Thank you so much for the ask!

I reblogged that invitation to ask me anything about my fics, only to then realize I had no idea how I might answer questions.

Below are three short sections from three different WIPs I'm currently working on. [Bell, Book, and Candle; Arcadia; The Quiet Ones]:

Bell, Book, and Candle [Ghostbusters 1984]

“I’m sorry I didn’t get to meet you, sir! I’m glad you’re feeling much better You’re still very pale, though! A little sun…” Dana winced. That was Peter Venkman all over. In one moment, he could make her laugh and completely forget herself. And then in the next, he made her deeply regret knowing him.

“Who was that?” Andre asked incredulously. Despite herself, Dana looked back over her shoulder at the Ghostbuster. Good Lord, now he was spinning like that roller skater… Although, as embarrassing as he was, she could still feel herself smiling.

“An old professor of mine.” A blatant lie, but there was no way she was about to tell Andre she knew a Ghostbuster. Let alone that she knew him because she was employing them.

“Really?”

Arcadia [Kim Possible; Drakgo]

If she had any balls, she’d have kissed him. Normally, she prided herself on her balls – they might have been metaphorical, but they were still bigger than most men’s. However, her heart was delicate, and despite waking up feeling all of him pressed against her, she had no indication that he wanted (other than the obvious). Hormones were hormones, after all. Sera flopped on her back and rubbed her eyes until stars burst behind her eyelids. “Hormones were hormones”?! She’d spent her twenties relishing that fact, mastering it and using it to her advantage. Quick engagements. Good times. Leaving first thing in the morning.

The Quiet Ones [OUAT - No Magic AU; RedCricket]

Hand in hand they walked down the residential Spring Street toward Main. She had wanted to do the full Skywalk, taking the Rip Van Winkle Bridge by foot. Walking three miles to Thomas Cole’s house hadn’t sounded that long at all. But Archie had insisted on driving, monitoring the time like he was expecting something. So they’d driven across the river and parked near Cole’s house before walking downtown for some lunch (he acquiesced to this at least). The weather was mild, warm in the sun but with a crisp breeze – perfect fall weather. It even smelled like fall, Ruby couldn’t get enough of the scent, turning leaves and wood smoke.

“This is feeling like a proper vacation.” Archie was finally smiling and as relaxed as she’d seen him in weeks. She feels herself beam back at him. Finally.

[rosetyler42]

Most of the time, I have one or 2 OTPs I tend to focus on for a fandom, although I may have multiple ships in that fandom. For example: For my last KP obsession, I focused on Drakgo, though K/R was the pairing that got me into shipping I'm the first place. A current example is Drericka, though I also still ship Johnavis. Occasionally I have more than 1 pairing for a character, usually ones where both characters are children: Coraline Jones I'm torn between Normaline and Wybiline (leaning mostly towards Wybiline at the moment) while Vanellope I have a hard time picking between Vanellope + Rancis or Dashiel Robert Parr.

The first pairing I read was probably K/R (Kim and Ron) from KP, my current one is Drericka (Dracula and Ericka) from HT and I do read fanfic and seek fanart for media that stopped being produced ages ago as I was in the KP, Doctor Who, and Megamind fandoms (among other things.)

Tell me in the comments what your first pairing you read was, what your OTP is and if you read fanfics for media that stopped being produced ages ago.

[alicentsstark]

Emails Through Family Part 1. 

NOTES: Another prompt by the lovely @disneyevilprincessblog  There will be another part, part 2!  If ya got more Drakgo or Villainstafam prompts send them my way, more than happy to write them! 

Hope you guys enjoy it!

Athena only met one of her grandparents, which was Drakken’s mom. Nana Lipsky was dotting on Athena and later on Eric, her two precious grandchildren she would say pinching their cheeks. But Shego’s parents, let alone family was a mystery that Athena was scared to ask about.

The information that Athena picked up on Shego’s past was as followed: She was half Mexican on her mom’s side and half caucasian on her dad’s side. She spoke pretty fluent Spanish, could understand it fairly well considering the villainess watched Mexican Telenovelas once or twice while drinking beer on the couch while Drakken worked on another machine for world domination. That was all that Athena knew about the woman’s past, that was until an email helped her out.

When Athena gets bored, she likes to sometimes snoop around either Drakken’s or Shego’s email accounts. Today, it was Shego’s account, scrolling through old emails until a ping announced that one new email came through. Curious, Athena clicked on it.

From: wgogo@yahoo.com

To: sgo1724@yahoo.com

Subject: Don’t delete!

Sasha, it’s Wesley. Yeah, I know I shouldn’t be contacting you since you never send a reply. I wish you would, at least let me come over and see you. Well, let’s see what new things are happening since you left home.

Mami is fighting with Mrs. Rojas again. And yes, Mrs. Rojas is still alive and still the reincarnation of La Llorona. Papi is currently doing a new gardening project for the backyard, I’ll be helping him out and try to rope in Miles to help as well. They still keep your room the same, changed it a bit but otherwise still the same obnoxious color, grey with the black and white curtains. Still, don’t know why you decided on that color....

Mami and Papi are still holding out hope that you’ll talk to them. They miss you. Miles is deflecting answering any questions about you, I think it’s better for him to not think about you, at least that’s my vibe from him. Henry... You know Henry, making a name for himself as GO City’s new crime fighter and CEO. Don’t know how his big ass head can fit through any doorframes ha ha ha. As for your little and favorite (don’t roll your eyes, you know it’s true!) I’m currently pursuing a career as a writer, hammering out my novel. Can’t tell you what it is, gotta keep it a secret hermana.

I wish you’d at least send a hello. Talk to you again soon.

Tu hermanito,

Wes Go

Athena was very glad that Eric was taking a nap because if he found her reading Shego’ s emails, the little boy would no doubt be snitching on her already. Mama’s boy, She thought.

Hermana? Hermano? She searched it up on google translate and put pieces together.

This was Shego’s brother! Younger brother, no less!

Her name was Sasha? Sasha! If only Athena could call her that in person but she knew that the woman would try to melt her metallic face off. She wanted to know more, so did something that might be considered stupid and bold.

Athena answered the email.

To: wgogo@yahoo.com

From: sgo1724@yahoo.com

Hi! This is Athena. I’m your niece, Sasha’s daughter. It’s a lot to take in, I know but if you want to talk more and without me getting in trouble my email is athensski@yahoo.com, I’ll be more than happy to answer everything! Oh and don’t reply back to her once you are done reading this, just use mine!

-Athena Lipsky

She clicked send and waited for him to reply.

He replied a few minutes later, a notification showing up on her phone. She was glad she deleted the email that Wes sent on Shego’s computer before she got back.

Eagerly, Athena opened it up.

Reply-To: athenslipsky@yahoo.com

Subject: Niece???

Wow... so my sis is your mom! Didn’t even know she gave birth to a kid!? So did your mom Elop with your dad? How old are you? I’m still surprised! Why don’t we meet? I’d like to meet my niece! Maybe I can take you to see your grandparents! Do you even know who your grandparents are? Has your mom even told you about who she is and her family? Probably not, knowing my sister. Let me know when you’d like to meet face-to-face, I’m fine talking through emails kid.

Your Tio,

Wes Go :)

This was crazy but she wanted to know more. So, Athena continued to chat with her Tio Wes, as she called him. Shego and Drakken merely thought Athena was chatting with her friends, not knowing the full truth.

She finally met her Tio, when they decided to meet face-to-face at the lair. He wanted to meet her while also wanting to finally face Shego. Athena agreed, she was nervous at first but Wes told her, “I’ll take the fall kid, don’t worry.”

The day it came, Athena let Wes into the lair, greeting him with a hug.

The man was around a couple feet taller than Shego, maybe the exact height as Drakken but Athena wasn’t sure. He had some facial similarities like Shego, the same bone structure for their faces, eye colors, and straight hair. Only Wes’ hair was a brown color unlike Shego’s who had dark coloring for her hair, almost black.

“Hey!” He hugged her before Athena let him inside. He wore a red leather jacket, black t-shirt with Nirvana on the front, blue jeans and converse. His hair was cut short, his wavy hair prominent. Athena thought that it made him look a bit badass.

“Who is it?”  Shego’s voice announced her presence, sounding annoyed at whoever Athena let in. Turning the corner she stopped, looking at the two figures who were walking towards her. Eric, who was behind Shego carried by Drakken stopped to look at the people.

“What are you doing here?” She said in a low voice that probably no one could hear. Except for the other super-powered person in the room. Wes smiled sadly as if he knew this would be the initial reaction to this surprise. “What? Can’t an uncle get to know his niece and nephew?” He said in an innocent voice, one that he knew his sister hated.

Shego’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Athena. She was going to explain everything to her... right after Shego explained this to Drakken and Eric.

Wes sat at the table, with a glass of water while the small family was holed up in the kitchen. Shego was hunched over the sink, trying to wrap her mind over the fact that her baby brother was in her home.

“Why did you let him in here?” She asked Athena without turning around. Silence enveloped him as she waited for an answer. “I just wanted to know about your life.” was the answer Athena mumbled.

“So he’s your brother,” Drakken asked as he balanced Eric on his hip. “My younger brother. I have two older brothers, Henry and my twin Miles.”

She heard Drakken mutter, “There’s a male version of you?” Before dramatically shuddering drawing a giggle from the kids. Shego rolled her eyes.

“Anything else that I should know about you?” Drakken said. Athena piped up, a smile on her face. “Her name is Sasha.”

Her hands flared with green flames as she pivoted on her heel to face the three people. Drakken had a small smirk on his face. “Sasha? Pretty name.” He said, knowing full well he’ll call her that later. Shego grounded her molars before walking past them to face Wes. She told them to stay put, even as Athena tried to protest, she silenced her with a look before going to where her brother was.

She joined him at the table, sitting down in front of him. 

“So,” Wes said. “You have kids. I’m guessing they aren’t baptized?” Shego snorted.”So, I’m guessing you got old.” Her little brother grinned as if telling her,  guilty as charged.

“No, they aren’t and probably never will.” She said making Wes look at her with mock-horror. “Whatever happened to the goody-two-shoes of the family? The altar girl, Sasha Roberta Go?” He said in a sing-songy voice.

“Oh please, as if I was the only kid in the family that did the altar job, Wesley. I remember you complaining to Mami about not wanting to show up to that wedding once.” She shot back at her brother before realizing that Wes gave them her full name, out loud for the two people in the kitchen who were wide awake to hear. She hoped Eric was asleep.

Fuck.

“Your middle name is Roberta? Sasha Roberta Go?” Drakken practically cackled loudly from the kitchen along with Athena suppressing a giggle. “And I thought my middle name sounded old, ah!”

“It still does compare to mine, Drew Stephen Lipsky.” She snarkily shouted to the older man.

Silence took over both siblings, as Shego realized how grown-up her baby brother looked. How old was he now? She thought and felt a pang of guilt at not keeping up with his birthday, let alone life. Wes smiled at her, the boyish look on his face that she recognized.

“You don’t answer my emails. Took a kid, your kid by the way and finally get to see you after what? How many years has it been since we’ve seen each other?” Shego could tell there were hints of sadness and frustration that was bubbling underneath. She didn’t blame him. “Do you know how hurt Mama and Papa were after you left? We thought you were kidnapped or...” He paused, not wanting to tell her, “or died” was the underlining, unspoken word.

“Wes,” She began. “I just-I couldn’t be a part of this anymore. Be a team, Henry looming over each of us and wanting to be committed to this life while the other one is passing by? I was done and so I rebelled!”

“So, you decided to turn to a life of crime instead?” He said incredulously. It dawned on Shego that maybe her family may know about what she has been doing ever since she left and for the first time, Shego was truly terrified at what her parent’s reactions may be. “They don’t know. Mami and Papi, they don’t know that you are a criminal. Had to stop them from coming with me to meet their grandkids-”

“Wait a minute.” She hissed at her brother. “They know?!”

“Of course they know! Jesus, Sasha you thought I wasn’t going to tell our parents that their only daughter is alive and has a family? Do you know how much Mami cried when she found out?” He shouted. His body glowing a light hue red, indicating that he was about split into ‘two Wesleys’. He usually did this, when his emotions were high, as all the Go siblings did when that occurred sparking off their powers from the rigid control they maintained. His eyes, the same shade of brown that she had were welling up with tears and truth be told Shego felt a lump in her throat as she pushed it down. “Miles and Henry, I haven’t talked to them with them busy with their lives. Please, Sasha.”

“I don’t know if I can.” It was the unspoken truth that she buried down in her soul ever since she left her family behind. She wiped away the tears that started falling down her cheeks. Wesley hesitantly grabbed her hand. “They hate me, I don’t blame them if they do Wes.”

He shook his head. “No Sasha. It’s not like that, don’t do this to yourself again, don’t isolate yourself.”

Shego let out a shaky breath looking up at Wes. “I can’t go home.”

“Es lo que todos estan diciendo o nomas tu hermana?” He replied in Spanish. Wes got up, the chair loudly scrapping the floor signaling that he was leaving, his eyes angry yet pained as he looked at his older sister. “It’s time for me to go.”

Shego didn’t say anything as Athena and Drakken came out of the kitchen. She didn’t look at them just stared at her brother. 

“Your leaving?” Athena sounded disappointed, her face crestfallen. Wes gave her a smile, telling her that he would be around town if she’d like to hang out, which the teen eagerly agreed too. “Maybe all three of us could go hang out?” She looked so hopeful but Wes shook her head, crushing her dreams. 

“I don’t think so, Athena. Your mom and I... It’s a bit difficult for us to be in the same room right now.” He said. 

Shego spoke up and instantly plunged the knife deeper with her words, “It might be for the best. Adios Wes.” 

Since the time she left her siblings that day, Shego hadn’t felt this bad. And for a split moment she could almost hear little Wesley Go crying out her name when she walked out the door. 

It rang in her ears like a bell, mocking her. She deserved it anyway. 

Shego was laying on the bed when Drakken came in. She made it very clear after her brother left that she wanted to be left alone and that nobody under any circumstance come inside.

Whatever happened between the Go siblings, the talk that they both had, Drakken noted, left Shego rattled.

He quietly made his way over to her noticing another figure sitting on the floor near the bed. Athena sat, looking a bit defeated. He couldn’t blame the poor girl, trying to reunite Shego’s family and learning some backstory to the villainess only for it to backfire. The girl looked up from her moping and gave the scientist a half-hearted smile. 

He looked at Shego’s form, everything screaming melancholy. Her dark hair, usually loose was in a messy top bun. She was wearing black leggings and his black AC/DC t-shirt which looked more like a nighttime gown on her. She didn’t acknowledge them, just laid on the bed in silence with her eyes screwed shut.

On her side of the bed, played music from her phone. Some old eighties Spanish song. He had no idea what they were saying, noticing how Shego’s fingers tapped to the tempo on the bed. 

Que difícil tiempo para amar Here dando miedo Donde sueño libertad Tengo que callar una vez más Mis palabras sobran Donde hablan los demás

Me falta edad y sin embargo No soy solo la mitad de un sentimiento No soy eco soy sonido Soy un punto en el camino Lo que  fuiste  alguna  vez Mírame, sienteme soy de carne y hueso

“It’s my fault isn’t it?” Athena said, picking at her jeans. Drakken patted her knee in sympathy. “I just thought that they could reunite and I could get to know her a bit better. Guess that was a dumb idea.”

The song continued into the chorus, it sounded like an 80s ballad. He knew it was the eighties because he was familiar with those types of songs from the decade but not Spanish ones like Shego. 

Maybe it was one she heard before? He certainly had never heard of the song before.

No soy un reflejo y no es malo lo que siento Mira soy cuestión de tiempo Mírame, sienteme soy de carne y hueso No soy un reflejo hoy, es hoy mi propio vuelo Mira soy cuestión, de tiempo

“No, I say it's brave. Not foolish, I think you even got farther than I did when I tried digging for stuff about her past,” He said to the robot. “So yes, it was brave.”

They stayed in silence until Drakken broke it. “Do you know what song this is? Who sang it?”

Athena shook her head. “No.”

“It’s Timbiriche,” Shego’s voice startled them. She moved around the bed and was now sitting up, her legs dangling over the bed next to Drakken. She was sitting up, strands of dark hair covered her face and when she spoke her voice sounded scratchy as if Shego had stopped herself from crying. But that wouldn’t be correct when noticing her face, her eyes were a bit puffy and reddish. Neither Athena nor Drakken commented on that in fear that she would scream at them or worse.

“What’s a Timbiriche?” Athena asked. Shego sniffed. “It was a band from the early eighties in Mexico, my mom played their songs a lot when I was growing up.”

She went quiet once again as the song continued playing.

Shego seemed to be lost in her thoughts, tapping her fingers to the rhythm of the song that was playing on her thigh. 

“I’m sorry,” Athena said to the older woman. “ It’s okay Athena. Maybe it was for the best, me and my siblings-we haven’t contacted each other for obvious reasons.”

“Which are?” Drakken asked. 

“Trying not to kill each other, but that’s only the older siblings. But I guess I can add Wes to that list of fractured relationships now.” SHe chuckled. 

Athena spoke up, turning to face Shego. “It doesn’t have to be. Maybe you guys can sit down again, talk things through. You seem to care about him and you seemed to miss everyone.” Shego narrowed her eyes. “how did you-?”

Athena grinned rather cheekily. “Robot remember?”

Shego sighed rubbing her face before responding to the offer. “Maybe. But you’ll be coming with me, considering you started this mess in the first place. Can’t believe I’m doing this.”

She really couldn’t but, inside somewhere Sasha Go was still that stubborn goody-two-shoes girl that did love her family no matter how much pain they were and no matter how much she tried to push them away. They would somehow come back to her. 

It was an endless cycle with the siblings, one that would come back to Shego no matter how much she fought it. Maybe it was God trying to tell her something? Whoever it was, Shego knew what she had to do. 

She just hoped she hadn’t ruined to the point where it would be unfixable. 

[freshlyjuicedbeetles]

Under Her Wing - Drakgo fic

Shego is instructed by Dr. Director to teach Kim a thing or two. Set after Graduation but in 2019 verse. 

TAG LIST (based on who interacted with my tag list post. If you were added by mistake or not added at all, please let me know!)

@sweet-or-sarcastic // @anavrp // @sophiecooper18 // @random-emerald-thoughts // @benjimators // @marvelousavengfulslytherin // @littlevirago // @evielovesfood // @dianenguyenbjh // @brianaisontheinterwebs // @saultnpeppah // @poisonivy123

Shego sat bored with her legs kicked up on the lab table as she watched her husband meticulously extract DNA from the toe of a Spinosaurus. For what he was going to use it for, she wasn’t entirely sure. She was just there to make sure he didn’t blow himself up. She was just his bodyguard/sidekick/liaison/mostly unwilling secretary, not his science partner. This was a guy who looked up to Doc Brown rather than Hawking.

Her phone buzzed in the pouch strapped to her leg. Things were slow that day, so she decided to take a peek. It was an email from Facebook saying she had a message on her old public profile, one she had not used since she was a hero with her brothers. Her curiosity piqued, she opened Facebook and signed out of her current, private account. She tapped the side of her phone as she tried to remember her old password.  After a few tries, she got in.

Her inbox with inundated with old and recent messages. She paid no attention to past messages from fans who were upset that she turned evil, edgelords who were threatened by a strong woman, and recent messages that praised her from turning her life around. The first message was just too shocking. It was from Kimberly Ann Possible. It read:

“Umm, hi Shego. This is Kim Possible. I don’t know if you even check this profile anymore. Dr. Director wanted me to get in contact with you, but she didn’t really tell me how lol. She wanted me to ask if you could do some training with me?”

“NO!” Shego yelled, standing straight up, her phone creaking in her grasp.

Drakken flinched, “You made me break the helix!” He whined.

“Dr. Director wants me to train Kim Possible.”

“Eww,” Drakken grimaced.

“I’m not doing this. I’m not some babysitter.” Shego exclaimed as she stormed off for Dr. Director’s office.

“Go get her, babe,” Drakken said, his mind more focused on his work.

Shego breezed past the security and barged into Director’s office, stunning the guards with her plasma. The burly men crumpled to the floor in a twitching heap.

“Ah, Mrs. Lipsky, I was wondering when you’d force yourself in here again and maim Ethan and Reid.” Director replied calmly, only glancing up at the scene “Was it last week you came in here like a bull in a china shop because we switched your husband’s lab time or was it the time before that?”

“I am not working with Kim Possible.” Shego seethed, leaning over Director’s desk and staring straight at the other woman. Director did not look up from her paperwork. Shego slammed her hands down, causing a hairline crack to form between the women.

“Did I ask?” Dr. Director countered.

Shego scoffed. “You know, this isn’t working for me. I think I’m done here.” She said as she threw her ID badge on Director’s desk and turned to walk out.

“So, you’ll give up all the comfort we’ve given you and your husband? Your home, your records totally expunged, his lab and all the resources he could ever want or need? You two are a ‘package deal’ as I believe your very own agreement states? If you leave, so does he.”

Shego stopped in her tracks.

She wouldn’t take that away from Drew. Not when he was getting the recognition he always wanted.

She turned on her heel. “I’m only staying because I haven’t gotten to use the bazooka yet.” She said through gritted teeth, pointing menacingly at Director.

“She’ll be on your doorstep at 8:15 tomorrow morning.” Dr. Director said as she threw Shego her ID badge to her.

~*~

Kim Possible didn’t get nervous about many things. She took down villains before she could even vote without a trace of fear. Today, as she drove to the address Dr. Director gave her last night, Kim Possible was nervous.

Secretly, Kim idolized Shego when she was younger. She remembered seeing Shego and her brothers on TV and followed her dutifully on what little social media existed back then. When Shego left Team Go, Kim was heartbroken, and her stomach dropped the first time she saw Shego working with Drakken. When Team Go broke up, Kim decided to take up Shego’s mantle when the opportunity presented itself. Now that Drakken and Shego went good or more likely, neutral, maybe she and Shego could be friends in the future? Kim still couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that she was going to be trained by Shego because it was Shego the hero Kim looked up to for many years and it was Shego her sworn enemy at one point.

Regardless of it all, Kim knew today would be interesting.

~*~

Meanwhile, Drakken took sleeping seriously. It’s where he got most of his ideas. When the doorbell rang at 8:00, he was not a happy camper. He groaned like a wounded animal, not even noticing Shego’s absence in bed. He haphazardly threw on a robe and stumbled down the stairs and opened the front door.

“I’ll take three Thin Mints, two Samoas and three Tagalongs,” Drakken said, yawning, handing what he thought was a fifty-dollar bill. It was really dog treats and lint.

“Um, no,” Kim said sheepishly, gently pushing his hand away. “It’s Kim…Possible? I’m here for Shego…”

Shego came down the stairs in her signature green and black catsuit.

“That’s what you’re wearing?” Shego asked, eyeing the teen up and down.

“Yeah? We’re gonna work out, right?” Kim was dressed in a tee shirt, leggings and sneakers, her red hair pulled back from her face.

Shego sighed and shook her head, “Fine, it’s whatever. Next time, wear what you’d wear on a mission. If it’s gonna be in the way, we need to know. It has to be able to perform.” She chided.

Kim felt silly for making the mistake. Shego even used her ‘teacher tone’ on her from when she substituted for Kim’s teacher. “Okay. Will do.”

Shego physically moved her half-asleep husband out of the way. “Well? Let’s go. I don’t want this to be an all-day thing.”

“Oh, uh, can I drive?” Kim asked, beaming.

A beat passed of Shego just staring at Kim in disbelief.

Shego turned to Drakken, “I want to be cremated.”

“I want Thin Mints.” The mad scientist lamented as the women walked to the car parked at the curb.

Janice was gawking at Shego as though she never saw a female body before. Shego gave a sarcastic wave.

“Who’s that?” Kim asked as they put their seatbelts on.

“The worst neighbor in the world,” Shego replied, putting sunglasses on. She flashed Janice a killer smile as they pulled out of the neighborhood.

It had already been decided for them that they would train at GJ’s onsite gym. Shego started Kim on stretches and a five-minute run, correcting her form here and there alongside her. Shego knew it was likely that Director was watching but it didn’t bother her. She was doing what she was supposed to do.

The timer on Shego’s phone went off and they slowed to a walk. She went over to a wall of equipment and took a padded strike shield and held it up.

“Let me see you punch,” Shego instructed.

Kim squared herself and threw her best one.

“No! No! No!” Shego exclaimed like a director with a cast who forgot their lines. “Who taught you to fight, your grandma?”

Kim didn’t know whether to confirm that her grandmother had indeed taught her a thing or two.

“Harder, you’re not going to hurt me,” Shego instructed. Kim wasn’t sure if she was trying to comfort or insult her.

For a period of time, Shego refined Kim’s punches and kicks.

“Now, I want you to try to take me down and restrain me.”

Kim charged at Shego, tackling the older woman to the floor. Shego knew that she had to let Kim learn, but that didn’t mean she went down easily. She was able to shake Kim off and roll away. Shego stood, about to jump away, when Kim got her in a headlock.

“Tuck your thumb in you idiot!” Shego said grabbing Kim’s four other fingers by one hand and Kim’s thumb with the other. “Do you know how easily I could rip your thumb off?”

Shego shrugged Kim off. “Again.” She ordered.

Shego let Kim get her into a headlock, this time with proper placement. They wrestled and tackled each other until Kim grabbed Shego’s hair, thinking she’d instantly surrender. Instead, Shego pushed back into Kim’s grasp, rather than wrench away.  Kim stumbled allowing Shego to escape.

“I will give you props for going for my hair.” Shego said, “I should probably start putting it in a bun. If anyone tries it with you, do what I did and push into it. You’ll knock your opponent off balance usually or lose hair if you try to pull away.”

“Right,” Kim nodded.

Kim was about to ask Shego if she wanted some water, “Hey Stepha-“

Shego immediately tackled Kim to the ground. “Do not call me that. I’m still Shego to you.”

“Okay, fine,” Kim replied, pushing Shego away.

Kim grabbed them each a bottle of water. The two sat in awkward silence on the mat.

“Who taught you all this stuff? Did you just learn on the go?” Kim asked.

“I’ve had a trainer since I was 16,” Shego answered, taking a drink.

That made sense, Kim thought. Around that time was when Team Go debuted. They must have had some training before their first mission.

Shego stood and went to get the First Aid pack and CPR dummy from the equipment wall.

“Are you going to teach me CPR?” Kim asked excitedly.

“You don’t know First Aid and CPR?” Shego asked skeptically.

“No…” Kim said, her face red with embarrassment.

“Oh my god, you’re more behind than I even thought. Do you just leave after you blow up someone’s lair? What about the populace surrounding it? What happens if you have to do search and rescue after a natural disaster? You’re a hero. You should know this stuff. It’s not all stopping heists and whatnot.”

“I’ve never done anything like that…”

“I have!”

Kim was beginning to get a greater understanding of Shego. What kind of things has she seen? Kim wasn’t going to pry and knew Shego wouldn’t tell her anything if she tried. Kim remembered that Team Go doubled as first responders at times. Kim had a vivid memory of seeing Shego being airlifted over the wreckage of a collapsed building to look for survivors on the news, her green and black feet dangling over the rubble. Shego couldn’t have been older than 17 at the time. Who pushed her into such a traumatizing and adult situation?

“Look, let’s forget about the past for right now or we won’t survive this. Truce?” Kim asked.

Shego only nodded but took Kim’s hand and pulled her up.

Kim smiled and took Shego’s leather-clad hand. It was a start; a small start, but a start nonetheless.

“Do you know how to properly headbutt someone?” Shego grinned, wickedly.

[sweet-or-sarcastic]

Hi! Do you know who or if anyone is currently taking smutty live action Drakgo prompts? 'Cause I think I have one I'd love to share with the fandom!

Tbh, I don’t know if any of us are ready yet to go full on LA smut. I’ve thought about it, but I’m still trying to figure out how to do it right with those two, cause sex to me with the LA version feels more humorous than straight smut. And ducky’s still figuring out how to write the LA version. Just give us some time😊

[ask-whitebag]

A, B, D, E, G, L, M, R

A - Your current OTP(s)/OT3(s)/OTX(s) Phinjeet and Wonderbat (ships such as TiPo, Drakgo and Magicstone are still my OTPs, and they’re not going anywhere, so don’t worry). Lately I also like Bufella, Entrapdak and Sondham.

B - A pairing you initially didn’t consider but someone changed your mind Zatanna Zatara x John Constantine I don’t know that much about John Constantine myself, but @blueberryspacemagic told me all about the ship and now I’m on board c:

D - A pairing you wish you liked but just can’t Catradora, Bujeet, Phinabella

E - Have you added anything cracky/hilarious to your fandom, if so, what I wrote this Phineas and Ferb short fic. (I was serious when I wrote it, but it is pretty funny.)

G - Do you remember your first OTP, if so, who was in it I’m pretty sure I shipped Ash and Misty back in kindergarten, before I knew what shipping was.

L - Say something genuinely nice about a character who isn’t one of your faves (chars you’re neutral on are fair game, as are chars you dislike) Ardata Carmia is pretty. And pretty entertaining!

M - Say something genuinely nice about a ship that you don’t ship Amethyst and Peridot look really nice together, their color palette really works c: (I don’t dislike that ship, I just feel neutral towards it)

R - A pairing you ship that you don’t think anyone else ships Phinjeet and Bufella lmao

[bcbdrums]

My Heartbeat

Have a smol Drakgo fanfic.  This is related to another fic I have written.  It’s kind of a spoiler so I won’t mention until the end.

FFn Link

AO3 Link

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My Heartbeat

Soft. Warm. The barely perceptible, but rhythmic and steady pulsing beneath his hand. Her heartbeat.

It was his anchor as he lay beside her, his eyes frequently closed during the long hours as he stayed with her in an attempt to comfort her—physically, mentally, emotionally... He didn't dare leave her side unless he had to.

His hand flat on her chest, feeling the slow, gentle beat of her heart, let him know that for the moment at least she wasn't panicking. But he knew what was in her mind, for it was the same thing that had been in his constantly for the past six weeks.

A hiss from her lips caused his eyes to open the second before her entire body winced in pain, her knees drawing up farther, her arms hugging her middle tighter, and her face twisting into a grimace. He kissed her bare shoulder repeatedly as she rode the wave of pain mixed with nausea, a symptom that had become a constant presence in her body. It kept her mostly bedridden for the past several weeks, and so he had resigned himself to the same. The pain was bad enough to endure; he couldn't bear the thought of her being alone in her fear.

Suddenly the warmth of her chest beneath his hand vanished as she rolled to the side and vomited into the bucket set next to the bed for just that purpose. He was on his knees in a flash, holding her hair back and rubbing her arm as she expelled only bile, for there was nothing in her stomach to actually throw up. She hadn't been able to keep food down for weeks.

When she was finished, he held the glass of water for her to swish her mouth clean and she spat that into the bucket as well. He considered encouraging her to drink, but the pained look on her face told him it would have to wait.

As soon as she was re-settled, he wordlessly left the bed to take the bucket to the industrial-sized sink in the lab to clean, as had become their routine. But not before setting up the backup bucket for her.

His steps were brisk as he hurried to complete the task, his head down and his brow furrowed in worry as he thought about the way her clothes hung loose on her body and how her hip bones seemed to be jutting upward more prominently when he watched her laying on her back.

As he cleaned the bucket he decided to bring up going to the hospital again. He thought he could convince her this time, but...he dreaded the emotional stress it would bring her, if he took the tactic that he thought would work. And he knew that being in the hospital would only add to her fear and stress, thus potentially making things worse.

It was a problem that seemed to be without a solution.

After returning and setting the bucket back next to the bed, and noting the backup bucket was still clean, he returned to her side where she had resumed the familiar position of trying to moderate her pain. Knees drawn up, forearms wrapped around her middle, head on the pillow with her tangled hair splayed in every direction, and her eyes closed with her face frozen in a permanent grimace of pain.

She looked so...helpless.

He carefully crawled back onto the bed next to her so as not to jostle her and make her pain worse, and when he lay down he kissed her shoulder repeatedly as he replaced his hand over her heart. After a few minutes of the slow, lazy kisses he shifted up onto his side and leaned partially over her. Her eyes slid open, and he hesitated just enough for her to see the sympathy in his eyes before he kissed her lips.

Time slipped away as they kissed, the soft and slow caresses a shared comfort that they both sorely needed. He longed to take her in his arms and bring her small form close to his and perhaps strengthen her through his soul... But such poetic things were only possible in imagination.

A hiss of pain escaping her lips parted them, and he stared down at her in worry as she blinked through the wave of nausea and discomfort. Her eyes pleaded with him as he remained hovering over her, their faces mere inches apart. It broke his heart and gave him the final push to make the suggestion, as there was nothing he could do to help her.

"I think you should go to the hospital," he blurted out.

Her gaze slowly focused as she writhed. She shook her head. "No. If I go in...they won't let me out."

He lifted a hand to slowly stroke her cheek, her skin hot and clammy to the touch. "Why not?"

"They'll just want to keep running tests... They'll try to analyze my powers, to see how they affect me and how they'll...how..." She trailed off as her throat constricted and her eyes started filling with tears.

Drakken sat up and slowly gathered her into his arms. She shook slightly from the pain of the movement, but soon her arms were around him and clinging to him as she cried into his shoulder.

The fear they both felt was tangible at almost every moment. Even when she felt up to getting out of bed and he could coax her into a walk for exercise, he knew...it was always on her mind. And he feared that the level of stress she was under would be just as harmful as her powers could be. But her inability to eat was the first and most important priority.

"But Shego... You've barely eaten in weeks. You're losing weight. The hospital can give you nutrients through an IV. It's not as good as real food, but since you can't eat—"

"I don't want to go!" she said desperately. "You know they'll run tests. And...if they find something..."

Her tightening throat cut off her words again, and he rubbed her back as she clung to him. He understood her fear. On the one hand, a hospital could give them constant status updates...and then if something was really wrong they could potentially know about it while there was still time to do something. But on the other hand... They could discover that everything they were hoping for was just a dream, and nothing more.

He dreaded the day they would be met with the cold, Earth-shattering truth that what they so desired was impossible—they couldn't have children. And he knew that Shego blamed herself, as much as it was an equal possibility that the loss of their first child may have been due to his mutated genetics; he couldn't dissuade her from the idea that it was just her. And her constant illness through both pregnancies only served as 'evidence' in her eyes.

He began kissing her head and rubbed her back as she continued crying into his shoulder. She had been more stressed that week than usual, and he didn't want to bring up what he was sure was the reason why. It was the seventeenth week—the same week that they had lost their first child. And now they were at the same threshold for the one currently growing within her. There was no way of knowing of course if there was anything special about that week. They didn't even know why they had lost the first one. But he understood there was a psychological fear that she was dealing with, however unscientifically based it may be.

He hoped that when the week was past she may be able to calm down, but he feared she would only get worse. In the rare moments he wasn't at her side, he had been researching and he knew that stress was the last thing a pregnancy needed. Not to mention malnutrition.

He gently drew her head back and her wide, frightened eyes met his, searching for something. After a moment she looked down, her face twisting in embarrassment and anger, no doubt with her own weakness. His heart broke.

He kissed the tears from her cheeks as she tried to control her labored breaths. And then she kissed him hard, just for a moment as she suddenly winced in pain, and then doubling over she turned to throw up nothing over the side of the bed again. Drakken pulled her hair back and covered her body with his protectively, hovering close to her heaving back. When her breathing began to calm she pushed against his back and then rolled to the center of the bed, he moving ahead of her. She leaned shakily on her side, staring at nothing, her eyes wide with dread.

He watched the trembling of her shirt over her chest with every heartbeat, slowing gradually as her vision began to refocus. He rubbed her arm ever so lightly as she swallowed and mentally shook herself of the emotions she was fighting. She looked up at him slowly.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"No," he said quickly, gathering her up into his arms. "It's okay to be scared."

He felt her shuddering breaths against his chest as she held on tight. And for a moment he let himself feel it too. The dread of losing another child... Something they hadn't even been sure they wanted until they'd found themselves pregnant the first time. And now they wanted it so desperately it was almost painful. But...he needed to be strong for her. So he swallowed down his own fear and set his mind to solving the problems that he had some control over.

"Shego..." He leaned back and held her shoulders as she looked up into his eyes. She must have read what he was about to say because defiance suddenly sprang up in hers. But he was putting his foot down. "You have to get nutrition somehow. If you can't eat, then...the baby won't get any nutrients either. And then none of the rest of this will matter."

He saw in her eyes, reluctant as she was, that she knew he was right. And regardless, he was resolved. Even if it meant taking her to the hospital against her will. He wasn't going to lose their second baby just because she was too sick to eat. Not to mention...he was starting to fear losing her too.

"Okay. I'll try to eat something again," she said uncertainly.

"Good." Drakken stood up and stepped around the bed, scooping her up into his arms since walking while sick always meant a pause to throw up at least once. He also leaned down for her to grab a bucket in the event of such a problem on the way to the kitchen.

"Drakken..." she murmured as she set her face against his neck, her fingers lazily clinging to the bucket handle as it swung and bounced off his leg.

"Yes?"

He stopped walking as she lifted her head to look at him. Her eyes searched his, but for what he wasn't sure. He continued on more slowly as he watched her and waited. She glanced down a moment, appearing sad before she looked back up. They reached the kitchen and he took the bucket from her and set it on a chair.

"If...if we can't do this...are you going to be okay?"

Drakken's lips parted in silent surprise as he stared into her worried eyes. Had part of her fear throughout the weeks been for him?

"I know...you're trying to be strong for me, but I know that...this means everything to you. And if we can't...I still love you."

She slid out of his arms to stand in front of him as he continued staring at her in shock. Was she worried that if they couldn't have a baby that he wouldn't...want her anymore?

He watched her cheeks color as she looped her arms around his neck and spoke softly and shyly, but a bit desperately. "I love you...with all I am."

"Oh...Shego," he said in the split second before he kissed her. His arms locked tightly around her as he attempted to kiss away every fear and worry about their relationship that she had. The thought that he might leave her...for anything... But worst of all, the realization that she was insecure about their relationship.

If she weren't sick, he would carry her back to bed and prove his love in as many ways as she needed. He settled for proving kisses instead, his lips moving against hers powerfully until the salt of her falling tears joined the sweetness of her lips. And it wasn't until he felt her melting in his arms that he scooped her up again and brought his lips higher to kiss her closed eyes.

"Oh Shego," he murmured. "Darling..."

She slowly leaned away, a small smirk having found its way to her face.

"'Darling'?"

He blushed. He did often call her that and more, but just in his head...

"Dumpling?" he tried.

Her smirk grew. "Nostalgic..." she said with a nod.

Her arms tightened around his neck and he felt a grin coming to his own lips as he finally saw a hint of peace in her eyes. He took a breath and let spill many of the things that often ran through his head when he looked at her.

"My queen. My angel. Goddess. The most perfect woman to have ever existed."

Her smirk bloomed into a full smile, and he continued rambling on as he set her down on one of the bar stools before turning to the fridge.

"Sweetheart... My pearl... My jewel..." he said with a grin as he began gathering ingredients and piling them around the blender. "Babe... Hot tamale..."

Shego almost giggled at that one, but then her smile vanished as she held her stomach and doubled over, one hand gripping the counter as the other held her stomach. Drakken watched her for a moment until he was sure she wasn't going to need the bucket, and then he started up the blender.

Shego watched him with interest as she slowly recovered her good humor, her hand not leaving her stomach as she blinked at him. He finished blending the ingredients and then poured the mixture into a pot on the stove, after which he immediately began washing the blender.

"Keep going," Shego said quietly, her voice belying the pain she constantly felt.

Drakken thought of the other things he called her in his mind as he washed the appliance. "My star... My sunshine."

He nearly wiped his soapy hands on his pajamas, forgetting he wasn't wearing an apron. He wiped them on a dish towel and then stirred the broth he had made, smiling in satisfaction before opening the freezer and taking out a Tupperware of homemade ice cream. He set it on the counter in front of Shego with a spoon, and then followed it up by pouring a glass of coconut milk he took from the fridge.

"Ginger?" Shego asked, cautiously picking up the spoon.

"Yes. Eat a little of that first. If you can...keep it down, then we'll try the broth."

"Okay..." she said uncertainly, putting a tiny sliver of the ice cream on the edge of the spoon.

Drakken watched her slowly eat the sliver, tensing as she did so as if the minuscule amount of food would instantly cause her nausea to worsen. But after several seconds, it didn't. She took another small sliver onto her spoon.

Drakken turned the broth on the stove down to a simmer and then moved to sit beside her, setting a supportive arm around her. As he watched her nervously dissolve the second sliver of ice cream on her tongue, a thought occurred to him.

"Maybe...I could work some of my connections. And instead of going to the hospital, we could bring the hospital to you."

She looked at him in a mixture of curiosity and fear. But she put another sliver of ice cream on her spoon.

"Just...an IV, so you can get some more nutrition. And...maybe an ultrasound machine?"

Shego looked up and away at nothing. He watched the emotions play across her face as all the possibilities ran through her mind.

"We wouldn't...have to have anyone here. I can set it all up myself. And I know how to insert an IV—"

"Drakken... Okay."

He studied her expression as she looked at him. She still looked afraid, her tangled hair falling across her face as she gazed at him and struggled to make trust the dominant emotion in her eyes.

"My dream..." he said as he brushed her hair back. Her smile slowly returned as he offered more pet names. "My heartbeat... My world."

"I like those..." she said with a small smirk. "But how about...just 'dumpling' for when you feel like you need a pet name, and...'darling' in public, to rub our happiness in people's faces?"

Drakken grinned. But the moment of peace was broken as Shego grimaced and whirled around to hold her face over the bucket to throw up nothing again, the spoon gripped tightly in her shaking fingers as she retched. Drakken grabbed her hair and held it, wrapping an arm around her to support her as her legs began to shake.

As soon as she was done, he picked her up again so she didn't have to worry about standing. She hissed in pain as she tightened in on herself and leaned into his chest, her head falling on his shoulder. Drakken sighed and picked up the bucket, prepared to head back to their bedroom.

"Shego—"

"Put me down," she said shakily. "You're right. The baby needs to eat. I want to keep trying the ice cream."

He carefully set her back on the bar stool and after replacing the bucket on the chair he sat next to her. She put another sliver of ice cream on the spoon that she'd managed not to drop and then let it dissolve on her tongue. Drakken gently rubbed her back as he watched her struggle, helpless for what to do next.

As her shaking began to still she looked up at him, the familiar fear and worry evident through the pain in her eyes.

"We'll be okay, Shego," he said with authority, though he was sure his voice was shaking. But then through the fear, love began to shine in the green depths of her gaze.

"Drakken... Call me something sweet again," she said softly, a tiny smirk turning up the corners of her mouth..

He leaned closer to her and held her tighter as she put a slightly larger bit of ice cream on her spoon.

"My world... My heartbeat."

She licked the ice cream off the spoon and then rested her face against his.

"My love."

---------------------------------

This fic was a distant sequel to my fic, “Rekindling.”  Thanks for reading!

[bcbdrums]

Rainy cuddles for @gothicthundra. 

FFn link --> https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13652934/1/Equilibrium

More Drakgo fic because OF COURSE.  This thing took unexpected turns...cuz I wanted to write one thing, and the characters said nope you writing this other thing.  Ah well.

This is also for Prompt #4 at @drakgoprompts which...hasn’t been posted yet.  But I know what it is.  I’m still gonna do Prompt #3!  This just happened first.

-----------------

The hurricane raged outside the lair with a vehemence that Drakken was unused to. Just before the power went out, he'd seen on TV that it had been upgraded to Category 5. As he shined his flashlight ahead of him, he walked with atypical slowness and caution. Suddenly he was very aware of just how...frightening...his lair really was.

The thought gave him a swell of pride, but it wasn't enough to shake the unease he felt. Hearing only his footsteps echoing through the halls and their adjoining caverns when he was used to a constant hum of electricity and the buzz of fluorescent lights was very unnerving.

As he rounded the corner toward the den, he was surprised to see a glow indicating the fireplace was already alight. When he stepped into the room he peered around, finding it empty but for the cracks and pops of the coals.

"Shego?" he whispered.

"Boo!"

"GAAHHH!"

Drakken almost hit her in the face with the flashlight as she grabbed his shoulders from behind. He lurched forward and spun around at the same time, his arm swinging wildly, but Shego ducked as she cackled at him.

"Don't sneak up on me like that, Shego!"

"Whoa, why so jumpy?"

Thunder suddenly cracked, echoing down through the chimney. Shego looked toward the fireplace as Drakken cowered in place, clutching the flashlight to his chest.

Shego's gaze drifted back to him and her smirk returned. "Heheh. Need a trip to the little mad scientist's room, Dr. D.?"

A growl built inside Drakken's chest. "Nngh, zip it!"

She chuckled and stepped past him, patting his shoulder as she did so. Drakken turned and watched as she picked up a magazine from the end table and flopped into her usual chair, turning her back to the fireplace so she could read.

After a long moment of staring, Drakken turned off his flashlight and stalked to his desk. There was just enough firelight that maybe, he could work on some details of his latest weapon design.

Another crack of thunder sounded down the chimney. Drakken jumped again, but only knocked the flashlight off the desk. Shego lowered her magazine and frowned at him.

"Are you gonna do this all night?" she asked.

Drakken looked at her and merely blinked, too many thoughts racing through his head to process an answer. What happened if they ran out of firewood? What if the hurricane damaged the lair and they had to evacuate? How could they evacuate, given their current circumstances?

"Y'ello, Dr. D.? You still with me?"

Drakken started again and focused in on her, but words still wouldn't quite reach his lips... What if during their evacuation, the hover-car crashed into the ocean? What about the henchmen? There weren't enough vehicles for all of them.

Thunder boomed again.

"Ugh, if you're gonna be like this all night, I'm sleeping in my own room."

That snapped Drakken back into the present. He slowly sat down behind his desk and continued staring at Shego as she squinted through the firelight at her magazine.

He kept messing things up. First, he hadn't been attentive or affectionate enough and she'd thought he wasn't really that interested after all. Then, he'd been too affectionate and she found it strange and claustrophobic. He couldn't seem to find the balance.

He sighed. He picked up the flashlight and rose from the desk as he clicked it back on. It wasn't worth it to be abused by Shego while being terrified that they might die and he could do nothing to protect all of them.

He should just go to bed... If he died, he would rather it be in his sleep as opposed to waiting up for it to come. He started briskly toward the door.

"Drakken!"

He halted and cautiously glanced over his shoulder. Shego tossed her magazine to the floor.

"Come here."

His hand tightened on the flashlight as he slowly stepped towards her. He couldn't tell what her intentions were by the hard look on her face. It wasn't anger, or mocking...but there certainly wasn't anything kind about it.

He stopped two feet from the chair and watched her nervously as she stared up at him. After a moment she sighed and looked down with a scowl. She stood up and gestured harshly to the chair.

"Here. Sit."

Drakken hesitated. "...What for?"

"Because as much fun as I could have with it, I really don't want you sitting on my lap all night. You're kinda heavy."

Thunder boomed again and Drakken jumped before practically falling into the chair. Shego rolled her eyes and sat down half on his lap, and half on the remaining available cushion in the large chair. Drakken stared at her in surprise as she settled in, curling her legs up across his lap and putting her arms around him, the blank yet hard look back on her face.

She looked up at him and raised her brow.

"I thought you were mad at me?" Drakken asked as his hands cautiously settled on her shoulder and on her hip, the flashlight forgotten on the floor.

"I am," she said.

Drakken's face fell, his brow twisted in confusion.

"But...then why—?"

"Because otherwise this will probably go on for days. It's bad enough to have you ignoring me or smothering me. The last thing I need is you worrying I'm not interested anymore just because you're afraid of a little storm."

Drakken's eyes narrowed. "It's a Category 5 hurricane, Shego."

"We've been through hurricanes before."

"None this big or strong!" he protested. "Have you ever heard thunder like that before?"

At that moment, as if proving his point, a massive clap of thunder echoed down the chimney. Drakken grabbed Shego close to his chest as he stared at the fireplace.

The flames were being whipped by the wind that entered from above, and he noticed for the first time that the stone inside the fireplace was darkened where rainwater was dripping inside. As he listened to the whistle of wind, he saw as a smattering of raindrops were thrown against the inside of the fireplace. He also realized the fire was lower than it had been just a few minutes ago.

"The rain is getting inside," he said fearfully.

Shego pulled out of his tight grasp and turned to study the fire. Her eyes narrowed in calculation.

"Shego...if the lair is destroyed, I...I can't get you out."

She turned her intense gaze back to to his face and studied him.

"What?"

"We'll be trapped here."

"We have the hover-cars, and the boats."

"We can't use them in a hurricane! And if the lair is too badly damaged we'll be exposed to the elements. The cold, and the rain..."

Drakken was picturing it all in his mind—he, Shego, and the henchmen clinging to rocky ruins for survival as lightning flashed and waves rose higher and higher around them.

"Dr. D."

Drakken refocused as Shego took his face in her hands.

"The lair isn't going to be destroyed."

"But what if it is? I won't be able to...won't be able to..." He stopped and swallowed down nervously on his next words, knowing she wouldn't like them.

"Won't be able to what?" she asked, her expression slightly less annoyed as the sound of driving rain became loud even through the thick stone walls of the lair. How could she not be even a little bit concerned?

"...Protect you," he said quietly.

Shego's brow rose. "Is that what this is about?"

There was another clap of thunder accompanied by a horrible, loud cracking sound. This time even Shego was startled, and her hands fell to Drakken's shoulders and gripped them tightly as he clung to her.

The firelight began flickering more intensely, and they both looked to see rain falling through the chimney and dousing the flames. Drakken's mind raced in fear again at the sheer impossibility of what he was seeing.

Shego suddenly stood and left his embrace, crossing the short distance to the fireplace and attempting to look up the flue.

"I think the wind destroyed part of the chimney. Or maybe lightning."

Drakken stood and moved to look with her, but he couldn't get as close to the fire due to the heat. But with the way rain was falling down onto the flames, it was a logical conclusion.

Suddenly there was a sound of running feet, and they both turned to see the entire cadre of henchmen rushing down the hall and stopping short at the entrance to the den, some of them comically crashing into the backs of others. They never entered their boss's more private areas of the lair without permission.

"What?" Drakken asked warily.

"The lower level is flooded," Jameson said breathlessly, gesturing back down the hall with his flashlight. Drakken noted the rather damp appearance of some of his henchmen, especially the ones out of uniform.

"How flooded?"

"About six inches across the entire floor and rising fast. We uh...we're gonna need a place to sleep."

Drakken bit down on a curse and glanced at Shego as he considered for a moment. "You can all use the living room. Did the spare blankets survive?"

"We got them!" two others chimed in, holding up large stacks of the folded blue articles.

"Good..." Drakken said, worrying again about the destruction of the lair.

"Post a watch," Shego said, stepping up next to Drakken. "If the water level gets too high we'll need to know about it."

The henchmen all nodded their agreement and left with anxious mutterings over their residence and personal belongings.

Drakken crossed back to Shego's chair, setting his hand on its high back as he sighed. The lair had never flooded before. If they survived, it would need extensive repairs, and the henchmen would need a new temporary residence...if they all survived. If the hurricane moved fast enough, it was possible, but the last news broadcast he'd seen before the power outage suggested it was moving slowly.

"Doc?"

He jumped slightly at the feel of Shego's hand on his shoulder. He turned to see that her annoyance had faded, and her eyes were compassionate.

"We're gonna be fine."

Drakken felt his nerves beginning to calm at the soft, reassuring look in her eyes. And then the fire went out.

He was suddenly aware that the sound of rain had become a roar overhead. Clearly the chimney had been damaged in some capacity, and rain was falling freely into the fireplace, cooling the hot coals.

Drakken's heart pounded. Did he want to die stumbling around in the dark in a futile attempt to save everyone, or die in his bed, falling asleep to the deceptive lure of the rain?

"Drakken?"

A green glow illuminated the space between them and lit up her face in ominous shadow, despite the soft look she still wore.

"I'll go turn the generator on. Then we can figure out where to put the henchmen for a few days until the storm has passed."

"Do you have a death wish? The generator is on the lower level!" he protested.

Shego pursed her lips. He recognized that she wanted to be annoyed, but her patience was atypically winning the day.

"I want you to stop freaking out," she said calmly, though he knew agitation was just beneath the surface.

Drakken swallowed anxiously and shook his head. "You can't go down there."

He watched her fight the urge to roll her eyes.

"Fine... You wanna just go to bed, then?"

Drakken remembered her annoyed words from before about sleeping in her own room and weighed them against all of her unusually generous actions since. But his fear still won out.

"We could just...sit here, for awhile?" he suggested. He would rather be with her through the crisis than alone in his bed. Especially if they were going to die.

She lifted a single, knowing eyebrow. Since when was she able to read him so well? He quickly sat down in her chair.

"Come on," he said, trying to smile as he opened his arms to her.

Shego did finally roll her eyes as she settled back into his lap, cuddling closer than she had before. She kept her hand lit so they could see each other, and Drakken realized then looking into her eyes that he had nothing and everything to say to her.

"What?" Shego asked, her expression quirking into a slight grimace.

The words 'I love you' were on his lips, but he held them back. He was concerned she wouldn't take him seriously given the situation. And he didn't want to risk annoying her further.

"If...the lair is destroyed, where would you like to live?" he said instead.

Her brow rose and she looked thoughtful, yet...distant. He let his breath out silently, though his relief was faint. She was becoming increasingly more difficulty to read.

He supposed he had expected things to change more quickly after they had gotten together. But he hadn't exactly made any proposals...of the permanent or temporary nature. And she slept in her own room as often as she came to his.

That factor was a large source of his confusion. It was a question every night: would she come to bed with him, or go to her own room? He had assumed that after they became intimate she would just stay with him all the time. But after returning from the lab one night to find his bed empty...and then getting a tongue-lashing for waking her up when asking why she was in her own bed, he realized...he had presumed too much.

That night was when she'd aloofly revealed that she thought he wasn't that interested. His desperate response of being overly attentive in the following days hadn't made things better, and she'd told him pretty quickly that she didn't want him at her elbow every second of every day, either. When that conversation had turned into an argument and he'd asked just what she wanted from him, she'd made him promise to 'just act normal.' Whatever on earth that meant. He had no idea.

The result had been distance between them. For the most part, she acted toward him as she always had. Except for the times she decided she wanted him in bed. And her sudden seeming compassion that evening concerning his hurricane fears. Even if she had scared him earlier.

The emotional see-saw was more distressing than the hurricane.

"Well, you have plenty of lairs already..."

'You.' She'd not said 'we,' but 'you'...

"What if...we get someplace new? Where would you like it to be?" he asked, a sudden desperation coming over him.

Shego blinked at him twice in the dim green light, and then she looked away.

"I dunno..." she said with an off-handed shrug.

Drakken tried to swallow down the lump that was coming to his throat. Was she trying to put him off? He wanted to press about the lair, but he was afraid of where the conversation might lead. He looked at the way her eyes fairly glowed in the light of her...glow. And how distant and almost sad she suddenly looked.

"Shego...?"

She looked back at him in question.

"If you could do anything right now...what would it be?"

She blinked in surprise and stared at him. Outside, the rain continued pouring and filling the room with a strange cascading echo. The smell of damp ash and soot reached Drakken's nose as he waited.

Shego took a breath, and then held her hand higher and extended her fingers.

"Paint my nails. That's what I was going to do when the power went out."

Drakken sighed silently through his nose. Was she just putting him off, or was it a sign that she was losing interest as he feared? He wished he could read her more easily...

"Why, Doc?"

He focused back in as a smirk began to spread across her face.

"Have something else in mind? We could go...'cuddle'...in your bed, instead."

Drakken's face flushed. "Well, ah..."

"The moat lights will be out... We've never done it without any light. Could be dangerous," Shego continued, leaning in closer to his face.

Drakken felt his heart beat harder at her suggestion. The idea was tempting...

"This is nice too," he said, sliding his arms further around her and smiling warmly. Shego blushed and her eyes darted away into the darkness. Drakken's brow rose.

Were her advances...an attempt to avoid a more serious conversation? The more he was worrying about it all...the more determined he found himself becoming. He needed to know exactly what their relationship was. And with the power outage and the hurricane trapping them, he may never get a better chance. Or...another chance. She had no excuse not to talk with him, at least. However—

"It could be nicer..." Shego said in a murmur, letting her glow go out and plunging them into darkness. A moment later, her lips were on his neck just beneath his jaw.

Drakken's breath caught. He leaned his head back against the chair and found his thoughts starting to evaporate into the darkness, still alive with the sound of rain. It occurred to him suddenly that the thunder had stopped, but that thought too was yanked away from him by the feeling of his lover's lips on his neck.

"Wait..." he said huskily, remembering his purpose. He lurched out of her kiss, perhaps too abruptly.

Shego's hand lit up the space again. Her expression was seductive. He blinked, his train of thought vanishing again... And then he shook his head and brought his hands to her shoulders as he sat forward.

"Shego... Do you want to be with me?"

Shego's sultry smirk vanished in an instant. She blinked rapidly in her confusion, and then she swallowed once. The smirk began to return, though it was less confident.

"I would think that's obvious..." she said, leaning forward to kiss his his lips. He held up his hand between them to stop her. Her brow rose, and she leaned back in annoyance. "Well sheesh, I can just go to bed," she said, starting to stand.

Drakken grabbed her shoulders firmly and kept her in place.

"Rrngh, let go!"

"No, Shego... First...I'm ignoring you. Then, I'm crowding you. Now...you're mad at me one minute, and you're all over me the next."

Her eyes narrowed. "You're delusional," she said flatly.

"You're— But you— ...Nghh, you're confusing me!"

A tense silence hung between them, broken only by the driving rain. Without the fire the room had quickly become chilled, and despite the argument he had started Drakken was grateful for her warmth in his lap.

Shego finally sighed and broke eye contact, an almost melancholy falling over her expression. "You need to pay more attention, Doc."

"That's why I'm asking," he said, finding his voice suddenly shaky.

"I thought you were worried about the hurricane," she said, trying to stand up again. Drakken pulled her back down hard and she fell into his chest. She frowned, but he put his arms around her and held her tightly.

"Why won't you choose somewhere for a new lair?" Drakken heard leave his lips. He mentally scowled at himself. Why couldn't he just spit it out?

"You have lots of lairs! You pick one."

"I want you to choose one!"

"Ugh, fine. Timeshare. Done."

"No, a new lair! Someplace you'd like."

"Why?" she asked with a slight grimace.

Drakken hesitated, and then swallowed his nerves. "Because I want someplace that's ours!"

Shego's brow rose. "...What do you mean?"

Drakken took a deep breath and plunged forward. "You keep calling the lair 'mine.' I think of them all as ours but...if you don't, we'll get a new one that really is ours."

Shego's lips parted and she seemed, for once, to be searching for something to say.

"...No need to get all sappy just because we sleep together, Doc," was what she finally came up with, dismissing his words with an eye-roll.

Drakken pursed his lips, and then impulsively leaned forward and kissed her soundly. She gave a hum of surprise, but kissed him back with equal passion for several seconds until he pulled away.

"No, it's time we talked about this," he insisted. "You can't just put me on this...emotional see-saw and leave me there alone."

Shego raised an eyebrow. "A see-saw only works with two people."

"You know what I— No, that's the problem! You keep changing your mind about us. You won't tell me what you want."

Shego glanced away, her eyes immediately becoming troubled. Drakken studied her, his mind racing and trying to get one step ahead of her. Everything had been fine when they first got together, until his unwitting lack of attention to her. Clearly he was still making mistakes, or else he would know exactly where they stood. And she wouldn't go back to her room so often...

He leaned forward and kissed her again, this time more softly. She met his lips hungrily and her glow went out a split second before her arms circled around him and up his back, her fingers pressing into his tense trapezius muscles. He couldn't help but meet her passion, and it was only the pounding of the rain that brought him back to the present in the close darkness.

"Shego... I love you."

She didn't answer.

"T-turn the light back on," he fairly gasped as he tried to catch his breath from the kiss.

A moment of silence passed, and he wondered if she wasn't going to comply. But then the familiar glow from her hand illuminated their faces in green again.

"I love you, Shego." Why did she look so nervous? They had said it before.

"I know," was her answer a moment later, her eyes not quite focusing on his.

Drakken's heart leapt to his throat. Had her feelings changed...? Had he made so many mistakes that she had decided not to bother with him? And just make their relationship something...temporary?

"Shego..." His heart was pounding. "Do you still love me?"

Her eyes, fairly glowing in the light of her power, centered in on his. She looked slightly annoyed.

"Yes."

"Then...what's wrong?"

As she stared back at him in silence and seeming confusion his anxiety rose evermore. The seconds were passing too slowly and too quickly all at once, and he almost immediately ran out of patience.

"I'm sorry I don't know how to do any of this. I've never been in a relationship before. Please, Shego...whatever I did wrong this time, I didn't do it on purpose. Just tell me and...I'll fix it. If you...if you can be patient with me, I promise I'll fix it." He paused to swallow nervously as her eyes were now examining his face, thoughtful, and a bit cautious. "Maybe a...a new lair can be a fresh start. And you can tell me all the things I should and shouldn't be doing, and—"

Shego's free hand suddenly covered his mouth. He looked into her eyes.

"Dr. D.... Did you ever consider...you're the one leaving me on an emotional see-saw?"

Drakken's brow rose. Had he...?

He thought back and tried to consider everything from her perspective. His habits hadn't changed in terms of his work in the lab...which she interpreted as him not being interested. Or...did she think he was only interested in one thing? And then, she could have viewed his smothering affections as fake overcompensation. And since he didn't know what her request of 'just be normal' meant, he had been tiptoeing around her for days...and had probably been anything but normal.

He took a deep breath through his nose as he realized...she may in fact be as clueless as he was. What made him assume she knew how to do relationships either? He cleared his throat, and her hand slowly lowered from where it covered his mouth.

"Shego... I want you to choose a place for...our new lair. And...if that one gets destroyed, you can choose the next one. And the one after that. Because...I can work almost anywhere, but I know you have particular tastes and...I want you to be happy."

Shego stared at him, studying him again as if searching for an ulterior meaning to his words. Finally, she sighed and her gaze fell.

"See-saw, Doc..." Her voice was slightly shaky, which surprised him.

Drakken very nearly said that she could be more up front with her feelings too, but...it wasn't the time to assign blame. He wanted her. And if she wasn't sure of that, as he now suspected, he'd make her sure. And they could go from there.

"Shego..." He let one arm go from his tight hold on her and brought it forward to hold her hand. "I want you with me forever."

Her lips parted...but then came together as her brow furrowed slightly.

"And...?"

Drakken swallowed and glanced away nervously. He knew what he wanted to say... What he needed to say. And it seemed that before the words were even spoken, she knew they were coming... Maybe it was what had been missing all along. Or at least...it was a start.

"Shego..." He swallowed again. Her gloved fingers tightened on his, and the thundering of the rain outside was eclipsed by his heart pounding in his ears. "I want you to marry me. That is...will you? Marry me?"

He had only a moment to see her smile before the glowing green light went out and she flung her arms around his neck, holding him tightly.

Drakken choked slightly, but she didn't loosen her grip. He felt as if light and heat were racing through his veins as he returned her hug. He heard and felt her sigh, her frame shaking slightly in his embrace, but the sound was one of pure happiness.

"Is that a yes?" he finally asked quietly.

She slowly pulled out of the hug and her hand ignited again. There was a smirk on her lips, but delight in her eyes.

"Do you...really mean it?" she asked, glancing away shyly for a moment and chuckling. Her hand on his neck began playing with his hair.

Drakken took a breath. For a moment he was lost in her eyes, in the hope and the joy she was suddenly displaying openly—such a contrast to her guarded, sarcastic persona.

Were those words really all that had been missing?

"I love you," he said as he leaned toward her. "And I want you forever."

His face was but a breath from hers as he spoke. She barely gave him a chance to finish before her lips were on his, and all his worries faded instantly at the tenderness of her touch. The green ambience vanished and Shego's hand found his cheek, cupping it gently as he leaned back into the chair and pulled her tightly against him.

For all the weeks they'd been together, and all the kisses and deeper intimacies they'd shared, this kiss was different. It was a kiss of reckless abandon, as finally they each knew without a doubt. What they had together was far more than lust. They had a promise of forever. And it sent Drakken's blood racing.

His hands pressed into her shoulders as he kissed her back, and when his tongue slid deftly against hers a lusty hum sounded from within her throat. Compelled, he pulled his lips from hers and fastened them to her throat in the small space between her jaw and her suit collar. One of his hands wove into her hair, and she gasped at the sudden, seductive touch.

"Oh, Drakken..." she sighed. She sank against him, almost limp in his arms. But then she pulled away slightly and Drakken's lips left her throat as her hand illuminated the darkness again. He stared at her large, smiling eyes in the space between them as their chests heaved. "I love you," she said, her cheeks coloring. Her gaze dropped shyly for a moment before she put her arms around him again and murmured into his ear in the resulting darkness. "And I want to be your wife."

Drakken was overcome, in more ways than one. His trembling fingers gripped her arms tightly as he placed a careless kiss on her cheek.

"Bed?" he asked quickly, breathlessly.

"Mmh... This is nice too," she countered, echoing his words from before. She curled into his chest and rested her forehead against his cheek. "But soon."

He leaned his head against hers, focusing on the softness of her hair as he tried to catch his breath. The rain still pouring outside and chill in the air helped his racing blood settle, but the flame in his heart he knew would only grow. They had found their equilibrium.

As much as he hoped the moment would last forever...he also hoped 'soon' really meant soon.

[bcbdrums]

It’s Drakgo fluff time!

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13577191/8/The-Little-Ones

Thanks @gogofordrakgo for helping with the story starter!

For Leena.

--------------------

Drakken took a step back from the stove as he was unable to stifle a massive yawn. He blinked a few times to focus himself as he quickly returned to the crepe batter cooking in the large pan in front of him. He grinned at the scent that was rapidly filling the small kitchen.

"Mother's secret recipe..." he sing-songed to himself as the crepe finished and he quickly slid it out onto the waiting plate. He filled the crepe with the macerated strawberries he had already prepared, and after folding the crepe topped it in a light sprinkle of powdered sugar and a generous dollop of vanilla bean whipped cream.

He pause a moment to take a long drink of his coffee, and then he added a large link of chicken apple sausage to the plate. He set the plate and Shego's latte on the waiting tray, smiling down at the heart he had made in the milk foam inside the cup.

"And the finishing touch..." he murmured happily as he took off his apron and tossed it back on the hook. His vine slid out from his t-shirt collar on command and produced a large-bloomed pink flower. He plucked it gently and placed it in the ready vase on the tray, and then carefully began the trek back to the bedroom.

A glance at the clock on the wall told him it was just before seven. It was the perfect time to wake Shego for breakfast on their special day. And it was all the more appropriate that they were currently residing in the Caribbean lair for such an occasion.

The bedroom door slid open automatically when he approached it.

"Oh Dumpling," he sang out softly as he stepped inside, "happy anniver—"

He paused and looked around the room, blinking. There was no Shego. He crossed the moat and set the tray on the bed, but when he turned toward the bathroom he paused and furrowed his brow. The door was open, and the interior beyond was dark. He stepped over and looked inside to be sure she wasn't there, and then turned back to survey the bedroom again, scratching his head in confusion.

He wondered where else she could be, and why... He carried the tray back to the kitchen as he thought back to when he had snuck out of bed in the dark hours before dawn. It suddenly occurred to him...he hadn't seen her then either.

He left the tray in the kitchen and began searching the lair, picking up a cordless phone extension as he passed through the living room and found it darkened. He had barely reached the lab before he began dialing her number.

He stood in the open lab doorway, everything within the room still and silent, making the ringing of the phone at his ear seem all the louder. After five rings, it went to her voicemail.

"Shego, I...it's about seven in the morning on Sunday and I'm just wondering where you are. Ignore this message if I've just missed seeing you in the lair somehow."

He hung up and turned back toward the kitchen... Where could she have gone? And why? And why without telling him? That last one was especially concerning, considering—

A noise far across the lair caught his attention, and he hurried in the direction of the sound. He was sure it was the sound of the beach door closing. Perhaps Shego had just been out for a walk?

He turned the corner into the kitchen at the same time Shego jogged around the opposite corner. She stopped short with a gasp, clutching a large plastic grocery bag to her chest in the process.

"Oh!" she said, noticeably startled. Drakken took in her flushed face and the thin sheen of sweat across her brow. She wasn't dressed for a morning walk, but in her green and black suit. "You're up early."

Drakken looked at her in confusion. "Where were you?"

She glanced down at the bag in her hands, and then briefly away before bringing her eyes back to his.

"Getting watermelon?" she said and offered a grin.

He recognized it instantly as a very thin excuse, and he knew that she knew that he knew that. She sighed before he could speak and set her bag on the counter and then leaned over, revealing her shortness of breath for the first time.

"What is it? Did something happen? When did you go out?" Drakken said in a rush, moving to her side and looking her over carefully.

"This was supposed to be a surprise..." she said as she caught her breath, "for our villain anniversary."

Drakken's brow rose.

"But it took a lot longer to get than I thought, and...I wanted to get back in time to wrap it before you got up."

Drakken stared at the nondescript grocery bag that held a fairly large item, his curiosity suddenly aroused.

"You remembered," he said a bit distractedly, grinning nonetheless as he stared at the bag.

Shego reached up and lightly pushed his shoulder. "How could I forget the day we started working together? It was the start of the rest of my life."

Drakken grinned at her affectionately, and then remembered the breakfast tray.

"Oh, I...made you breakfast in bed," he said, pushing the tray toward her. His smile fell slightly when he saw that the perfect foam of the latte had collapsed, though the heart was still visible.

Shego straightened up and smiled. "Thanks."

They grinned at each other happily for a moment before Drakken's eyes fell back to the bag. "Ah...can I...?"

"Go ahead," Shego said, pulling the tray toward her and then cutting into the crepe with a fork.

Drakken opened up the bag and pulled out a very large and heavy plain black cube. His eyes lit up and he almost dropped the object as he leaned over the counter.

"Shego! Is this the neon transformer for the EMP jammer?"

Shego grinned and nodded as she took a bite of the crepe.

"Mmmm!" she hummed in surprise as she chewed the bite. "Is there vanilla in the whipped cream?"

Drakken was turning the transformer over in his hands, a mixture of delight and anticipation on his face.

"Hn? Oh, yes," he said, smiling at her briefly before looking back at the heavy cube. The last component for his EMP jammer... To destroy all electronic devices, and force the world to bow to him...

"Happy villain anniversary."

Drakken looked up as Shego licked some whipped cream from her fork, leaning forward on the counter and smiling in contentment. He set the transformer down and reached across the space between them to gently squeeze her shoulder.

"Happy villain anniversary," he echoed. "I can install this later this afternoon... Oh, it would be perfect if we can take over the world today! Then we can have a double anniversary!"

Shego continued eating the breakfast he'd prepared, grinning at him all the while as he rehashed the plan. He began pacing a small line in front of the counter as he rambled about the toppling of world governments through the sudden destruction of all computers, all cellular phones, all pagers, and anything else electronic that would be caught in the wake of his massive EMP jammer. He was delighted by how Shego's eyes never left his as he talked and she ate. The way her eyes sparkled as he described their takeover entranced him to the point of distraction. He stopped pacing and his words stilled as he found all he could do was smile at her.

A sound from the monitor on the counter drew both of their attention, and they looked at each other with a new focus. Drakken cleared his throat.

"I can take her while you finish breakfast," he suggested.

"Mmm. I want to shower too. And I'm going to need a nap, I got out of here pretty early."

Drakken grinned.

---------------------

Shego had dressed in comfortable sweat pants and a baggy t-shirt after her shower and was watching Drakken thoughtfully as she took her hair down from where she'd pinned it up to keep from getting wet. Drakken was pacing next to the bed, holding their infant daughter who had stopped wailing but was making sounds of discomfort even as Drakken rubbed her back.

"I think she might fall asleep again..." he said, a slightly worried look on his face. Shego couldn't help but grin. He always appeared worried at the slightest hint of unhappiness from their tiny child. If she wasn't there to constantly assure him that all was well, he would probably worry himself to a point of madness.

"That's her hungry sound," Shego informed him calmly as she crossed the moat.

"It is?" Drakken asked, craning his neck to look at the baby's face.

"Mhm. You'll learn them eventually. Let me... Hm."

Shego considered a moment and then after shrugging just pulled her t-shirt off. She was tempted to throw the shirt at Drakken as a familiar fire suddenly rose in his eyes and a growl sounded from deep in his chest.

"Don't start. She's hungry."

Drakken's eyes returned to her face, and he met her in front of the bed to pass the baby to her. Shego started to sit down, but Drakken raised a hand.

"Wait," he said, and Shego turned and watched as he piled pillows against the headboard and then sat down against them. "Come here."

He spread his legs apart and patted the mattress between them. Shego lifted a single eyebrow as she gave him a thoughtful smile, and then moved to join him on the bed. She sat carefully between his legs and then leaned her back up against his chest. She started to position the baby to feed when Drakken's hand was suddenly on her stomach and sliding upward.

Shego turned her head to give him a look of reprimand, but it died at the playful look in his eyes.

"These are working breasts," she managed to say, barely keeping a straight face as she turned her attention back to the baby.

"I can't help it," Drakken said, though he kept his hand over her stomach and slowly felt back and forth across her middle. "Your skin is like...like rose petals."

Shego bit the inside of her cheek to keep her grin from getting too broad, and then moved all of her hair over one shoulder to cover her on the side the baby wasn't eating on. She carefully adjusted her hold on the baby and settled more comfortably against Drakken. A moment later, his arms moved under hers to cradle the baby along with her.

She turned her head to glance at him again, and their eyes met in a brief moment of shared wonder before they both looked down at their daughter again.

"She has your nose," Shego said after a moment.

"I wanted her to have your nose," Drakken sighed, "but...the Lipsky genes are strong."

"Sure are," Shego grinned. "I think she'll be taller than me someday. She'll have more of your build."

"You think so?"

"Yes. Look at how strong her shoulders are."

Drakken's jaw twitched. "I can't see them under those...watermelon pajamas."

Shego smirked and spoke her next words with exaggerated sweetness. "Aren't those just the cutest?"

"You hate me don't you."

Shego cackled softly, and Drakken fell silent. A moment later she moved her fingers apart slightly to allow his to mesh in between hers where they both cradled the baby's head gently.

"Never-mind her build. She has your eyes and mouth," Drakken said softly.

"Mhm. I think...her face is shaped like both of ours. A pretty balanced mix..."

Drakken leaned his head against Shego's as he sighed softly through his nose. Their daughter's eyes had been closed, but she opened them then and looked up at them. The deep blue orbs were curious as the baby looked up at her parents, as if to ask if they were talking about her. Shego almost looked up again as she heard Drakken's breath catch, but she was too full of joy seeing their daughter's eyes look back into hers.

"She's so beautiful..." Drakken breathed. "How did we do this..."

Shego smirked. "Don't tell me you forgot. We practice enough."

She felt Drakken's silent chuckles even as one of his hands moved to her waist and he gave her a gentle squeeze.

"Move my hair?" she asked, as she felt it was time to switch the baby to the other side. Drakken lifted her hair and waited until the baby had been repositioned, and then gently lay the dark mane down over her other shoulder.

The baby's eyes closed as she began suckling again. Drakken's arms circled beneath the baby as before, and his fingers lightly brushed back the thin, soft black hairs on her head. Then he shifted and cleared his throat with a mildly annoyed sound.

"I still can't believe...you almost tricked me into giving her a name that means watermelon."

Shego laughed, her frame shaking as she leaned her head back against Drakken's shoulder. She laughed all the more after looking up at his face and seeing his concerned expression.

"No..." Shego said as her laughter calmed down, her smile broadening, "if you hadn't figured it out I would have told you before you got attached to it."

"Really?" Drakken asked.

"Of course. I don't want our daughter to resent me forever because I named her after a pregnancy craving."

The way Drakken pursed his lips made her chuckle again, and after a moment Drakken shook his head and began snickering. He set his head against hers as they laughed together, and after a long minute Drakken moved his hand to her middle to give her another squeeze.

Shego grinned at him and then looked back to the baby. Her eyes were still closed and her suckling had grown less intentional.

"Is she asleep?" Drakken asked.

"On her way," Shego said, settling against Drakken's chest more comfortably.

He turned and placed a long, soft kiss high on her cheek, and then rested his head against hers. Shego closed her eyes and hummed in happiness.

"Happy villain anniversary," she said softly.

"Happy...beginning of forever," he replied.