The snow crunched under black combat boots asKim walked down the lonely road. It was late and Kim was on her way back home after a mission. She was wearing nothing but her usual mission wear, leaving her stomach and forearmsbare to the cold wind.
Thankfully the mission had been a fairly easy one, just stopping a couple of local thugs from stealing a famous diamond that was passing through the town.So she had left Ron at home this time, not wanting to wake the boy up at three A.M.
Stopping and arresting the theifs had only taken Kim thirty minutes or so and she was happy to be on her way home. She chose to walk, as she always did when the missions were in her own hometown and she didn’t bring Ron along.
Shivering, she crossed her arms across her chest, trying to warm herself up by rubbing her arms. That’s when she heard her.
“Cold, princess?”
The smooth voice didn’t surprise her; she hadexpected the other woman since she had stepped outside after retrieving the priced jewelry. A slight quiver ran down her spine, but this time it wasn’t for the cold airthat penetrated her skin.
Turning around, she didn’t spot the face she longed to see at first, but then she noticed the slight glow of a cigarette in the darkness.
“Those are bad for your health, you know”, she told the owner of the hand that held said object.
“So is walking around baring your tummy when it’s snowing, I can see you shaking from here”, the other woman answered while stepping out of the shadows, throwing the cigarette on the snow-covered asphalt.
Kim smiled faintly at the sight of the green skinned woman. Shego looked so beautiful against the darkness that surroundedher and the snowflakes that gently fell and landed in the black hair, melting inher eyelashes and onher lips.
“Pumpkin, you’ll become sick if you keep up with this. Why do you continuedo it?”, the older woman asked softly before starting to remove her green leather jacket and then hanging it around Kim’s shoulders.
Kim looked down at her boots, blushing slightly. There was a reason why she did this; it was the same reason why she trembled every time the raven-haired woman spoke to her in that soft voice, but she didn’t dare tellShego that.
Kimknew that Shego followed her everywhere she went, but she only made her presence known during Kim’s lonely walks home. Kim loved those moments when it was just the two of them, not fighting, not bantering… just talking… and occasionally holding each other.
The blush grew as she felt Shego’s hesitant arms wrap themselves around her delicate frame.
“Why are you doing this?”, Kim asked as she buried her face in the familiar black tresses, inhaling the faint smell of cigarettes and shampoo in the other woman’s hair.
“Because you’re freezing.”
“No… I mean… why do this, Shego? What’s up with this?”
Kim felt the older woman sigh and wrap her arms more tightly around her body, rubbingKim'sback as she did so.
“It doesn’t matter Kim, because it can never be. I don’t want you to get sick or hurt, can you settle for that?”
Kim nodded, she knew that as well. As much as she wished for it, it could never be. They were enemies; they weren’t supposed to like each other, it wasn't allowed.
The snow around them continued to fall but neither woman moved, savoring the few minutes they could have together, but when the street light above them started to blink and then finally go out the two had to return to reality.
Shego unwrapped her arms from around Kim, searching the younger girl’s eyes.
“C’mon, Kimmie, I’ll walk you home.”
Kim nodded and turned from Shego without looking up from her boots.
The two started walking the rest of the way to Kim’s house, neither of them saying a word, both being too engaged in their own thoughts involving the other one.
When reaching the house, Kim handed Shego the leather jacket which was accepted, and Shegoreturned to the shadows before Kim had a chance to react.
Kim blinked and stared into the bushes where Shego had disappeared before hurrying inside, not wanting to be outin thealone anymore.
Once inside she wished for warm arms to greet her, welcoming her back from her mission. But no one's embrace was there to meet her, everybody already beingdeeply asleepin their beds.
Tiredness suddenly washed over Kim and she had to lean against the wall to remain standing. After composing herself she started to drag her weary body up the stairs, her warm bed being the only thing in her mind.
As she walked into her room knew thatShego was outside the window, watching her, as she always did, as she will continue to do.
Slowly she started to undress, revealing her body to Shego’s always watching eyes. When she came down to her underwear she stopped, turning to the window. She couldn’t see the older woman, but the faint smell of cigarettes told her she was there… but perhaps that was just her mind playing tricks on her.
After gathering courage she removed the undergarments as well before creeping into her bed.
She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, feeling exhausted but safe. Safe, because she knew Shego was there, watching, looking out for her.
And that’s all they could ever be.