Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Kim checks her phone for what feels like the hundredth time, but still nothing. No message from Ron. She isn’t sure why she’s still surprised. Ever since their breakup, things have been…messy. It took a while for them to get in sync on missions again, but now it’s been almost two years and they’re still a great team. Outside of missions though…she tries, she really does, but Ron makes it so hard. Like right now, he was supposed to be here forty minutes ago, but she’s still sitting in this bar by herself, staring at her empty drink and trying to decide if she should buy another one or just leave. So much for celebrating the end of finals. She should have just gone out by herself or called one of her other friends, but she’d really hoped he would show. Now she feels stupid for getting her hopes up.

Someone sits down next to her, slides a drink next to her empty bottle. Kim looks up, startled by the presumptuousness, ready to tell whoever this is to leave her alone. She’s met by electric green eyes, set in a pale face and framed by waves of dark hair. Those eyes trap her, and it takes her a moment to remember what she wanted to say. “What are—”

“I think you’d rather take a drink from me than him,” the girl says, tilting her head towards a guy who’s standing maybe twenty feet away, holding two drinks and glaring at this stranger. The mystery girl seems completely unbothered by it.

Kim looks at the Greek letters on the guy’s shirt and shudders internally. That frat has a bit of an unpleasant reputation, and Kim wouldn’t trust a drink if he’d been within ten feet of it. “You’re right, thanks. I’m Kim.”

“Shego.”

“That’s an interesting name.”

“It’s a nickname.”

“So what’s your real name?”

Shego ignores the question and asks, “What are you doing out on a Wednesday night?”

“Celebrating the end of finals.”

“By yourself?”

Kim almost laughs. “I’m also getting blown off by my ex. We’re trying to be friends, but he keeps skipping out on me.”

“It sounds like you’re trying to be friends.” Kim just shrugs. She knows Shego is right, but she doesn’t like to think about it. Doesn’t want to believe that her and Ron are only mission partners now. “What year are you?” Shego asks. “Senior?”

“Nope, a junior.”

“God, you’re young.”

“How old are you?” Shego doesn’t look much older than her, but Kim is bad at judging ages.

“Don’t you know not to ask a woman her age?” Shego smirks, then adds, “I’m twenty four.” So Kim was right.

“You’re only three years older than me.”

“Yeah.”

“Why are you out by yourself on a Wednesday night?”

“I need to blow off some steam. My boss is driving me up a wall.”

“Where do you work?”

“I’m a bodyguard.” Kim isn’t sure what she was expecting, but that definitely wasn’t it. Now that she thinks about it though… She lets her eyes trail over Shego’s body, taking in the muscles covered by tight black pants and revealed by a sleeveless green shirt. Shego definitely has the body for that job. “See something you like, Princess?”

Kim blushes at the nickname and how easily it rolls off Shego’s tongue, and desperately hopes that it’s too dark for the other girl to notice. She’s also embarrassed to be caught checking her out, but she refuses to let it show. “Maybe. Do you?”

Kim immediately knows that it was a mistake to tease her. Shego’s gaze travels slowly up her body, eventually coming to a stop at her eyes. “I know I do.”

Kim suddenly feels flustered, and very, very warm, and she takes a sip of her drink to steady herself. The drink that Shego bought her. She wonders if there was more to it than just helping someone out of a tough spot. “Sorry, I don’t sleep with random people I meet at bars.”

Shego shrugs. “I do.”

“I only sleep with people I’m dating,” she clarifies.

“Well I don’t date. But maybe I can convince you to make an exception.” Her face is just a little closer, and something about that smirk draws Kim in, and she wants to say yes. “You could celebrate with me instead of your ex.”

“Only if you’re willing to make an exception too. We can have sex before our first date.” She has no idea what she’s doing, she doesn’t ask people out like this and she never has sex after just one date, but for some reason, she doesn’t want to walk away from this.

“I told you I don’t date.”

“And I told you I don’t sleep with random people I meet at bars.”

They’ve been moving closer with every word, and their faces are so close now that Kim just has to lean forward and kiss her. The bartender clears his throat, and Kim pulls away, blushing. Still, she’s confident when she repeats, “I’m willing to make an exception if you are.”

“One date, Princess. That’s all you’re getting.”

“One date…to start.”

Shego scowls at her, but it’s more playful than angry. Kim just smiles and pulls her out of the bar. She really never does this, but she has a good feeling about Shego. So she brings the other girl back to her apartment. She doesn’t have time to feel self-conscious about it until they’re actually there. It’s off-campus, but it’s technically still “university housing,” which means everyone on the floor is a college student. Even though Kim is lucky enough to live alone — she thinks it’s because of who she is, though they’d never admit it — the apartment is small and not at all impressive, and she feels like she must be making a terrible first impression. Shego doesn’t seem to mind though, she just pulls Kim in by her belt loops and kisses her hard, toppling them onto the bed. Kim laughs, but her laughter dies down when she sees the hunger in Shego’s eyes. She doesn’t think anyone has ever looked at her like that.

Shego straddles Kim and pulls off her own shirt. “See something you like?” she teases.

Kim doesn’t even hesitate this time. In the light, Shego’s skin is pale green, and Kim wants to reach out and touch her. “Definitely.” The other girl slips her hands under Kim’s shirt, and she suddenly feels nervous. “I’ve, um, never done this. With a girl, I mean.”

“Are you telling me to slow down?” Shego’s hands are flat against her stomach, and she’s still looking at Kim like she wants to devour her, and she feels so wanted.

“No.”

“Then shut up.”

Then Kim’s shirt is gone, and her bra, and Shego is kissing along her jaw and down her neck. Kim just tilts her head back and hopes that the other girl won’t stop.

Kim isn’t sure whether or not she should be surprised that Shego is still there when she wakes up. But it does startle her so much that she almost falls out of bed.

“You alright there, Princess?”

“Yeah, sorry, it’s just…it’s been a while since I woke up next to someone.”

“For me too,” Shego admits.

“I thought you sleep with people you meet at bars.”

“I never stay overnight.”

“So why did you?”

Shego shrugs. “I owe you a date.”

That makes Kim smile. “Yeah, you do.”

“So what’ll it be?” Her tone is dismissive, and Kim rolls her eyes. She really hopes that Shego isn’t writing this off already.

“We could start small…maybe coffee?”

“Fine.”

Kim tries to hide her disappointment. She understands that Shego doesn’t normally go on dates, but she’s making this really hard. “Okay, I can text you—”

“I’m not giving you my number.” Really, really hard.

“Can you make an exception again?” she asks, exasperated.

“No can do, Princess. In my line of work, it’s dangerous to give out your phone number.”

Kim nods. She understands, even if it will make this whole thing even more difficult. Then she has another thought. “Don’t you have to work today?”

Shego just waves it off. “I’ll show up later, my boss won’t even notice that I’m gone.”

That seems a little odd, but Kim doesn’t question it. “Okay, so…Saturday afternoon? There’s a really good coffee shop on Joshua Street.”

“Sure, might as well get it over with.”

“Will you at least try to enjoy it?”

“Ugh, fine.” And Shego isn’t sure what it is, but something about Kim makes her want to really give it a shot, even though there are plenty of reasons for her to get up and walk away now.

Shego is already at the coffee shop when Kim gets there, sitting at a table with a drink. She’s a little disappointed because she had planned to buy Shego’s coffee, but she lets it go, and quickly orders and sits down.

“Hey.” She smiles, and the corners of Shego’s mouth turn up slightly.

“Hi.”

Kim takes small sips of her drink, and the silence stretches between them until it’s almost painful. “Um…how is work?” Her voice goes up at the end. She’s really not sure what to say.

“My boss is an ass, so about normal.”

“What does he do?”

“He’s a scientist, does a lot of robotics work. He doesn’t really need a bodyguard, but he’s paranoid that someone will try to steal his inventions.” Kim meant to ask how he was annoying Shego, and she’s not sure if the other girl misinterpreted her question on purpose.

“What kind of stuff does he work on?”

“Crap. Like I said, he’s paranoid.”

“You said you would try to enjoy this.”

Shego leans back in her chair and sighs. “Listen, Cupcake, you’re cute and all, and Wednesday night was fun, but I really don’t do dates.”

Kim thinks for a minute, then stands up. “Come with me.”

“What?”

“Come with me.” Even though she’s only had a few sips of her drink, she grabs Shego’s hand and pulls her out of the chair, and the other girl is too startled to protest. Kim holds onto her hand as they walk, and Shego glances at their joined hands but doesn’t pull away.

She brings Shego back to campus, to the football field, which is mostly empty except for a couple people running around the track. Kim pulls off her coat and drops it onto the ground. “Let’s fight.”

“What?”

“You’re a bodyguard, I know martial arts, let’s fight.”

“You know martial arts?” One eyebrow arches up, and Kim is almost offended.

“Yeah.”

“Don’t expect me to go easy on you because you’re cute.”

“I—” Shego attacks before Kim can finish, and she’s good, better than anyone Kim has fought in a long time, maybe ever. Definitely better than the henchmen she deals with on a regular basis. She finds herself on the defensive for a little while, trying to catch up to Shego’s skill. Still, she’s having a great time, and she can tell Shego is too. She can’t remember the last time she fought someone who was on her level.

She isn’t surprised when Shego finally knocks her legs out from under her; it’s been a while since she really had to fight hard. Kim lands on her back, but she’s laughing, and Shego drops down on top of her and kisses her, even though they’re lying on the ground in the middle of the football field. When Shego pulls back, Kim says, “That was fun.”

“Yeah, it was.” Shego stands up, then offers a hand to help Kim stand. “Shit, you’re freezing.”

Kim didn’t really notice when she was moving, but now that Shego has pointed it out…she is pretty cold. “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not. Let’s get you inside.” Kim puts on her jacket, but it’s been sitting on the ground for so long that it’s freezing too. She starts to head for the nearest campus building, but Shego grabs her hand and pulls her in the opposite direction, leading them back to Kim’s apartment. Shego doesn’t even remember that she should act annoyed about holding her hand.

When they get to the apartment, Shego tells her to sit on the couch with a blanket while she makes hot chocolate. Kim offers to help and is immediately told to “sit the fuck down,” and she knows she should maybe be offended, but it’s actually kind of sweet. Shego could have sent Kim home by herself, or even dropped her off here and left; there’s no reason for the other girl to still be here, taking care of her.

Shego sits next to her and hands her the mug. It’s so hot that she knows it will burn her mouth, so she puts it down for now. “Are you still cold?” Kim wants to say no, but it would be kind of pointless since she’s shivering, so she just nods. Shego sighs, as if annoyed. “Come here.” She lifts her arm, and Kim takes the hint to shuffle closer to her, leaning against her warmth.

“How are you so hot right now?”

“You think I’m hot?” Shego teases. Kim’s cheeks are burning.

“I meant your body temperature.”

Shego shrugs, her shoulder bumping against Kim’s head. “I don’t get cold easily.”

“It’s nice.”

They sit there for several minutes, and even though Kim warms up quickly, she doesn’t move away from Shego. Eventually, the other girl asks, “If finals are over, when are you going back home?”

“That depends on why you’re asking.” Kim is supposed to go back to Middleton on Monday, but if Shego is saying what Kim hopes she is…

“Well, this wasn’t completely horrible, so if you’re free on Tuesday—”

“I am.”

Shego doesn’t say anything for a couple minutes, then asks, “Are you still cold?”

“No.” She hesitates. “Do you want me to move?”

“Only if you want to.”

Kim turns her head to look at the other girl, and their faces are only inches apart. Shego leans in and closes the distance, and Kim decides that she’ll push her flight back til next weekend; she wants more time with Shego.