Chapter Text
Shego leaned back casually in her chair, filing her nails, as Hego went over the details of Aviarius’s newest scheme. “Shego, are you even paying attention?” Hego snapped.
She didn’t even glance up. “Yep. Aviarius, ray of doom, going to destroy the entire city. Right?”
He looked stunned that she’d actually been listening; she hadn’t, but the scheme never really changed. “Yes, that’s right. We’ve been talking about our plan to take him down.”
Mego interrupted, “We should just go with my plan—”
“I’m team leader so—”
“There are two of us, so our opinion counts twice as much—”
Shego pushed out of her chair and slammed her hands onto the table. “Here’s what’s going to happen. Wegos, you’ll distract Aviarius while Hego and Mego disable the ray. After that, the two of you will help Wego with Aviarius so we can send him off to jail. And I’ll handle Kimmie.”
One of the Wegos complained, “That’s the same plan as last time.”
“Yeah, it’s the same plan that worked last time.”
Both Wegos nodded in agreement. Mego muttered, “I still like my plan better,” but didn’t offer any other protest.
“Now just wait a second,” Hego said. “It almost worked last time. We still haven’t captured Kim Possible. I think I should fight her while you help Mego.”
Shego rolled her eyes. “Fine, you can fight Kimmie, Mego can disable the ray, and I’ll stick around to give you backup if you need it.”
“She’s one girl, Shego. I think I can handle her.”
Shego almost told him that he had a bad habit of underestimating girls, but she just smirked instead. This was going to be good.
Shego wasn’t sure why they used the front door. Hego insisted it was ‘proper hero-villain etiquette,’ but she thought it was stupid to announce that they’d arrived. But he was the ‘team leader’ and ‘always knew best,’ so she joined her brothers in storming in through the entrance. Luckily, she didn’t have to stick with them for long; she was quickly cut off when a young woman stepped in front of her. “Hello Firefly.”
“Hi Princess.” Rather than engaging, Shego ducked away from Kim’s attacks, dodging instead of striking back.
Sometimes, Shego still wasn’t sure what to think of Kim. The redhead had showed up a couple months ago, hired specifically to prevent Shego from interfering with Aviarius’s plans — or so she’d said. Apparently, Shego was the only member of Team Go who posed a real threat, even without her brothers.
Shego had done some digging, but the internet didn’t have much to say about Kim Possible. She’d been a teenage hero, who had disappeared unexpectedly and re-appeared on the other side of the law. There were a lot of missing details, so Shego mostly relied on what she could see for herself. And there were three main things that she’d noticed about the other woman. The first was that Kim was the only person who had ever been able to keep up with her. The second was that Kim was distractingly cute. And the third was that she was an insufferable flirt, and seemed to thrive on teasing Shego as much as possible.
And there was a fourth thing, one that was more about Shego than Kim. It was the only one that was a secret, really. The truth was…the teasing had gotten to her, just a little. She got these stupid butterflies in her stomach when she saw Kim. And when the other woman called her sweetheart, her heart sped up a bit, and it wasn’t just because they were fighting.
“Why aren’t you fighting today, sweet pea? Too tired to keep up?”
Shego ducked out of the way again. “Hego said it’s his turn to fight you. I’m just the backup.”
“Poor Shego,” Kim mocked, “playing second fiddle to her brother.”
Shego fell for the bait, hands suddenly glowing green with plasma. “I don’t play second fiddle to anyone.” She lunged for Kim, who darted around her, tugging on her hair as she passed.
“Why the ponytail? You look nice with your hair down.” Shego flushed deep green. Fortunately, Hego saved her from having to answer.
“Shego! I said it’s my turn to fight her!”
“Then get your ass over here and do it already!”
Kim broke away as Hego got close, giving him an opening to attack. He charged over, apparently unaware that the girls were letting him join the fight. “Shego, stay out of the way!” he barked. “She’s mine!”
“Terrifying,” Kim said in a dry voice. Shego almost laughed, and bit her lip to keep quiet. She leaned against the wall to watch, arms crossed in front of her.
The fight was over before it even started. Hego swung at Kim, who easily evaded the blow and slid on the floor, between his feet, coming up behind him and striking him in the back of the head. He turned, only to be met with a fist to the temple. He staggered a bit, then collapsed, clutching his head.
“You think he needs backup?” Shego asked casually.
“Well, I wouldn’t mind a real fight.”
“KIM POSSIBLE,” Aviarius screeched.
Kim’s eyes darted to her boss, then back to Shego. “That’s my cue. If you stop this plan, I have an offer for you.” Kim tossed a folded-up piece of paper in front of her. Aviarius’s giant bird flew overhead, with a rope dangling from its feet. Kim latched on, smirking down at Shego.
“Til next time, Firefly.”
Shego picked up the paper. I have an offer for you. She wondered what that could be. There were a million possibilities, and— If you stop this plan.
Shego could hear her brothers arguing in the distance. Shit. She raced off in their direction, where she was met with absolute chaos. Mego was dismantling the ray with a single small screwdriver, and dozens of Wegos were trying to pull it apart by force. And apparently, none of them knew that the tip of the ray was still live with electricity, sparking in a way that meant it was going to explode, destroy the city, or both. Shego shoved through her brothers, one hand encased in plasma, and dug her fingers into the control panel. She gritted her teeth, struggling to maintain the temperature, until the sparks died down.
Mego immediately said, “I loosened it for you.”
Shego fixed him with her fiercest glare. The Wegos gradually started to pop out of existence, until there were just two left, staring at her with wide eyes. They didn’t even acknowledge Mego’s comment. One of them asked, “What happened to Hego?”
“He got his ass handed to him by a girl. Let’s go home.”
One of the Wegos stayed back while her other brothers went to retrieve Hego. He squeezed her hand. “Thanks sis.”
And that kinda made it all worth it.
Shego had hoped that the piece of paper would give her some details about Kim’s offer, or maybe a phone number, but there was just an address and a time. 11pm, and a building that was about twenty minutes from Go Tower. Shego considered that it might be a trap, but that wasn’t really Kim’s style. At the end of the day, her curiosity got the better of her.
She knew what her brothers would say if they found out she was meeting Kim. Especially Hego, who thought he always knew what was best for everyone. There would be a lecture on morality, about the difference between right and wrong and why heroes were innately better than villains. He would tell her that Kim could be using her for information, or trying to lure her into a trap. Mego would insist on coming, would tell her that this offer somehow depended on him. And the Wegos would stay awake, anxiously waiting for her to get home.
So Shego went without telling anyone. She left her signature catsuit behind — she didn’t want to be recognized — but she still wore comfortable clothes that wouldn’t get in the way if she had to fight. Or escape, if it came to that.
Kim wanted to meet on the roof, and Shego arrived fifteen minutes early, still trying to figure out what was so special about this building. After a few minutes, she heard a voice, only ten feet behind her. “Hi there, Firefly.”
Shego tried not to jump; it had been a long time since anyone had snuck up on her like that. She turned to face Kim. “Hey.”
The other woman looked at her curiously. “I didn’t know if you were going to come.”
Shego shrugged. Noncommittal. “What can I say, Kimmie? I wanted to hear the offer.”
“Fair enough. First, I have a question. Why do you work with your brothers?”
Shego’s mind went blank. No one had ever asked that before. She’d never even asked herself, and she came embarrassingly close to saying, ‘I don’t know.’ Instead, she stopped and really thought about it. Eventually she said, carefully, “They’re my family. I want to make sure they’re safe.”
“And the hero part?”
Shego shrugged and waved a hand dismissively. “Doing something good with my powers, helping people, yadda yadda.” Then she decided to answer honestly. “And besides, if I’m a freak, I might as well use it for something good.”
“I don’t think you’re a freak,” Kim told her quietly.
Those words hit Shego hard, and she had to suppress a rush of emotion. “The offer,” she managed.
Kim ignored her, asking another question instead. “What did you find when you googled me?”
“When I— what?”
“Don’t try to pretend you didn’t, Firefly. I know you’re too smart for that. So what did you find?”
Shego immediately saw it as a manipulation tactic, complimenting her so she’d be more likely to confess. But Kim had just called her smart, and yeah, the flirting was definitely getting to her. More than a little. “Not much. You used to be a hero. Then you disappeared for a couple months and came back as, well…you.”
Kim nodded, then walked over the edge of the roof and sat with her feet dangling off the side. She didn’t seem concerned about turning her back on Shego. “Want to sit with me?” Did Shego want to sit on the edge of a roof with one of her sworn enemies? I must be losing my mind. She joined Kim, careful to leave several feet between them. The other woman didn’t comment on the distance.
“So, what’s the offer?”
“Can we just talk for a couple minutes?”
Shego rolled her eyes. “We’re not friends, Kimmie.” Kim didn’t answer. “You don’t have any friends, do you?”
Kim shook her head. “A couple from when I was in high school, but we’re not as close anymore. It’s safer that way.” Quietly, she added, “It’s a lonely job.”
“Then why’d you switch sides?”
Kim shrugged. “It’s hard to make money as a hero. And I was mostly in it for the thrill, anyway.”
“You know, Kimmie, I thought you’d be a better liar.” Kim glared at her but didn’t deny it. “If you wanted money, you could’ve gotten a job with Global Justice. I’m sure Dr. Director would’ve taken you.” Shego was sure she didn’t imagine the way that Kim’s jaw tightened at the mention of GJ. “You’re not going to tell me, are you?”
“No.” Kim still seemed tense from the question.
Shego sighed. “What’s the offer?”
“Do you have a lot of friends?”
“You’re so damn annoying.” Kim just waited. “I have my brothers,” Shego said slowly, “but not a whole lotta people want to be friends with the green freak.”
“Great, so we can be friends.” Kim grinned like it was decided. “I can introduce myself first. My name is Kim. I was a cheerleader in high school, my favorite color is purple, and my favorite show is Pals.”
There was a lot to unpack in there. “Cheerleading, huh? That explains a lot.” Suddenly, some of Kim’s less traditional fighting made sense. Then Shego processed the rest of that sentence. “You like Pals? What the fuck, Kim.”
“What’s wrong with Pals?”
“Everything.”
“Are you gonna introduce yourself now?”
“Not a chance. We’re not friends.”
“Has Hego always been so much of an ass?” Damn, she really wouldn’t be thrown off.
“Fine, you win. My name is Shego, my favorite color is green, I can shoot plasma out of my hands, and I hate Pals. Also, I’m a hero, which means I can’t be friends with a villain.”
“You’re really hung up on these labels.”
“Doi! We’re on opposite sides of the law. We can’t be friends.”
“What if we weren’t on opposite sides of the law?” Kim’s tone had gotten very, very serious, and Shego’s heart was suddenly beating faster.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“You’re smart, and you’re a good fighter. And you’re the only person who can keep up with me.”
Shego thought she knew where this was going, and her mouth felt dry. “What’s your offer, Kimmie? No more games.” Kim met her gaze evenly.
“I’m asking you to join the other side. You wouldn’t have to deal with your brothers anymore. I mean, how much of the work did you do today? Even after I left? Did you really need them at all?” Shego thought back to what had happened, how she’d fought Kim and disabled the ray on her own. Her brothers had distracted Aviarius for a while, but that felt like such a weak argument. “I…could really use a partner.” There it was. The offer that Kim had been holding back.
“Don’t you work for Aviarius?” She was stalling; she needed to think through Kim’s words. Did she need her brothers? Of course she did, they were her family. They’d been working together for years. They were a team, and they supported each other. Right?
“It’s a monthly contract. It’s easy money, but this isn’t exactly my normal job. I usually make my own schedule.” Her voice softened. “I have a lot of freedom.” Freedom. Shego had to admit that Kim made villainy sound appealing. “Don’t you ever get tired of doing everything the right way?” She did. She hated Hego’s insistence on sticking to tradition and etiquette, and doing things the way they were ‘supposed to,’ even when it slowed them down.
Kim’s offer was almost dazzling. It was an offer to be free of…all of that. She remembered Hego yelling at her for fighting Kim, and the entire team standing by as she destroyed the ray. I loosened it for you, Mego had whined. She remembered Wego squeezing her hand and thanking her. They’re my family, she’d just told Kim. I need to make sure they’re safe.
What would’ve happened today if she hadn’t been there? The city probably would have been destroyed. Her brothers might have died.
“I need to protect my family. I’m sorry.” She wasn’t sure why she was apologizing, but she meant it.
Kim shrugged but didn’t try to convince her. “Let me know if you change your mind.” The younger woman got to her feet, then paused. “Oh, and one more thing.” She reached towards Shego’s back, and Shego was suddenly, forcefully reminded that Kim was still her enemy, and that the other woman had every motivation to push her off this roof.
So she rolled backwards onto the roof, trapping Kim’s arm under her body and unintentionally pulling the other woman down on top of her.
“This is an interesting position,” Kim said. Shego really, really wanted to kiss her. Kim’s hand, which was still under her back, started moving around. Shego had the absurd thought that, if she was ticklish, she would probably be laughing right now.
Kim suddenly yanked her arm free and sprang to her feet, and Shego followed, watching her cautiously. The younger woman dangled a hair tie in front of her, grinning victoriously. “I told you, sweetheart, you look so much nicer with your hair down. Have a nice night.” Then Kim jumped right off the edge of the roof.
Shego sat back down, and didn’t move for a long time.