The New Ron - Chapter 39

“Uh-huh, yep. I gotcha. Thanks for the ride, we really appreciate it,” I finished, then nodded again at the reply, even if the person on the other end couldn't see it. “Yep, you too. Gotta' say goodbye now, Junior. We'll see you in a few days.”

Then I hung up and sighed deeply.

Kim leaned against her bed from where she was seated on the floor next to it, an array of textbooks scattered around her. “Drama?”

I took a deep breath and shook my head, closing my eyes and rubbing at them tiredly. “Not really. Just, well... Junior. Even on the best days, he's-”

I made a vague motion.

“A bit much?” Kim guessed knowingly.

I clicked my tongue and pointed at her. “That, yes. Extroverts usually are.”

Kim blinked, then gave me a blunt look. “Excuse me? I happen to resemble that description.”

“I stand by what I said,” I stated, dropping to seat myself across from her, my legs crossed under me.

“Oh, really?” Kim asked, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Name one time-”

“The last time you were late for a Club Banana sale because of your babysitting gig and they sold out of the outfit you wanted,” I replied immediately, not even looking up at her as I organized my assignments. “Who was it that had to talk you out of burning a favor to get to one of their stores in another time zone so you could get to the sale early?”

 Kim's mouth hung open for a moment as she visibly searched for a reply.

I waited, the sound of shuffling papers and Rufus' strangled snickers filling the silence.

“You win this one, Stoppable,” Kim scowled, deflating and crossing her arms as her bottom lip extended into her patented pout.

“We each have our moments, KP,” I soothed her consolingly, finally looking up with a soft smile that wouldn't rub salt in the wound. “Yours are usually just... louder than mine. Except when mine involve the creatures that shall not be mentioned.”

Kim huffed a laugh, looking away to hide the twist of her pout into a smile. “I don't know... I still feel pretty attacked...”

Kim was sneaking enough glances at me that she probably saw me roll my eyes and definitely heard me sigh, but once I'd rearranged myself and set my (mostly-complete) homework to the side for the moment, I patted my lap. “I never did get around to giving you your foot massage, did I?”

Kim immediately perked up, giving me a smile that lit up her room and did things to my heart that would probably have sent me to the ER were my arteries a bit more clogged. It would be a good death, though.

And, speaking of good deaths, Kim paused in removing her socks, shot a look at the staircase-entrance to her room, then bent over and whispered something I couldn't catch at Rufus. As I stared, the naked mole rat gave her an exasperated look, but nodded and bounced off...

...to play lookout again, judging by the way Kim's hands went for her belt.

“Booyah,” I exclaimed quietly.

Kim grinned, her face flushed as she shimmied out of her pants. “I'm not going to get too jelly at Tara for having a treat, but Bonnie? If she gets your hands on her feet without anything in the way, I definitely get at least that.”

Then her hands went to her panties, her upper teeth pressing against her bottom lip before she reluctantly extracted her digits from the sky blue material, letting the elastic snap gently against her skin. She shot me an apologetic look, but I shook my head.

“Probably for the best. PG-13 is fine with your brothers distracting your parents downstairs, but anything more...” I wiggled my hand in a motion that conveyed 'iffy' non-verbally.

“I am so glad we're on the same page,” Kim sighed with a softer and less-lusty smile as she stretched her legs across the gap between us. “I've heard the girls on the squad talk about some guys...”

“Being pushy?” I guessed, once again quietly marveling at the way we could finish each other's sentences, guessing the words that didn't come to the other party as if we were pulling them out of the other's head.

“Exactly,” Kim nodded, sucking in a deep breath and releasing it slowly as I set to work. “Oh God that's good, mmm.”

I chuckled and nodded, then bent down on impulse and placed a soft kiss on the outside of her calf, sending her face into a category five storm of a blush and turning her cheeks as red as her hair. Giving her a knowing look, I simply returned to the business of massaging her feet.

“Roo~ooon, you can't just do that,” Kim whisper-moaned.

“Pretty sure I just did,” I replied with a smirk.

“Maybe I'd be safer with – Ah! – one of those pushy guys,” Kim muttered weakly, giving me a faux-gimlet eye. “They seem less dangerous, all of a sudden. I think Tara might be rubbing off on you.”

“She's certainly rubbing off on something,” my mouth said, running off with a snarky comment before my brain could control it.

Kim sputtered, reaching back for a pillow from her bed to muffle her sudden bout of laughter. “Ron! That's horrible! Oh, don't stop!”

“Horrible, but true,” I noted idly. “I think Tara would stand by what you said earlier. What was it, 'I resemble that remark?'”

Kim snorted, shaking her head. “She would, wouldn't she.”

It wasn't a question.

Kim sighed, hugging the pillow to her with a soft expression.

“Second thoughts?” I asked softly.

Kim was quiet for a moment, considering the question, then shook her head. “Not really. Not that way, at least. Just kind of wondering how one of us hasn't said the wrong thing yet. Or done something stupid.”

“I don't know about you, but getting to simultaneously date two smoking hot cheerleaders, one of whom is my best friend, has had me on my best behavior,” I pointed out.

Kim flushed again, her face still red from a few moments ago. “More seriously... even if I didn't like dating you and Tara both, which for the record I do enjoy... I'd feel bad about trying to push her out. I didn't really start facing the fact that I actually liked you until you two started dating, so I'd feel totes scummy if I played the BFF card to retroactively call dibs or whatever.”

I nodded slowly. “I can see that. For what it's worth, I prefer having you with us, too. I mean, obviously-”

“I should hope so,” Kim smirked, but a shade of relief was visible in the way she relaxed.

“-obviously,” I reiterated with another nod. “But, more than that... I think Tara would probably go crazy if she had to stick to just one person for too long, the way she is.”

Kim hissed a breath, inhaling sharply through her teeth. “I... if I'm being honest? I can see that, too. She worries me sometimes, with how ready she is to jump into things.”

“It's a problem, but as long as we keep a watch on her and she doesn't go too crazy... or, at least, runs the crazy ideas by us so they don't blindside us,” I amended clumsily, “I think things should still work out. I mean, you have to be at least a little crazy to want in on our missions.”

Kim giggled, sighing as I worked a knot of tension out from her left ankle. “That's... fair. We do get into some pretty crazy situations and Tara seems like she's going to adapt well.”

There was half a beat of silence.

“And we're trying not to talk about what we really should, aren't we?” Kim asked, throwing her head back and extending her arms above her head in a frustrated stretch.

“I'm pretty sure that is why we encouraged Tara to spend the afternoon with Bonnie instead of coming over,” I replied, my hands still busy as I tilted my head up and gave her a raised eyebrow. “If you'd rather put it off, I have the first set of monthly reports for our non-profit.”

I reached into my backpack and hefted a small accordion-file temptingly.

“That's another thing that just kind of seems surreal,” Kim stated, then shook her head. “No, no. I don't want to cover up potential relationship stuff with business stuff. I've heard Mom and Dad talk about coworkers doing things like that and the problems it causes.”

“Admittedly, that was mostly a joke, but I'll keep that in mind,” I promised her.

We sat there for a moment, neither of us speaking.

After a bit more of that, I finally volunteered to go first. “So Bonnie is really hot and a jerk, but she's been surprisingly cool ever since Tara started playing intermediary. Now she owes both of us a big one for saving her.”

“All of which is true,” Kim agreed with me, drawing out the words slowly as if any one of them were a loose stone that would give out underneath what she thought was sure footing.

“In addition, Bonnie wants to go with us to Senor Senior Sr's billionaire's party on a private island and has promised to do anything-” I chirped in a mockery of Bonnie's voice, to which Kim giggled. “-to make sure it happens.”

“True,” Kim replied again, the word coming out anxious and frustrated like a too-loose tooth that wouldn't pull free.

“And I'm pretty sure Tara has infected both of our brains, because we're both thinking about asking the same thing in exchange,” I stated.

There was a pause before Kim cleared her throat and said it. “Sex. We both want to have sex with her.”

“In our defense, I'm pretty sure she and Tara used to practice kissing and, well... other stuff,” I pointed out.

Kim gave an explosive sigh and looked massively relieved. “Oh thank god! I was afraid I was seeing things. I totally see that! So glad we're on the same page.”

“So... I'm down for seeing if we can have a thing with Bonnie, you are, and presumably so is Tara,” I stated, receiving a nod in return. “Honest question... what are the reasons we shouldn't go through with it?”

“Bonnie has been the wicked bitch of the west for a lot longer than she's been friendly with us,” Kim replied instantly. “So she could turn on us and use anything like that to tank our reputations and make our lives really hard with the 'rents.”

“Something which she can arguably already do given that I'm pretty sure she knows about us and Tara,” I pointed out, “but it's always good to keep that in mind. Other stuff?”

“It's fast,” Kim stated, frowning and rolling her eyes. “Hormones affecting our judgment, like every adult tries to warn us about. We could rush things, get Bonnie involved, feelings could get hurt, and we could mess up what you, Bonnie, and I have.”

“Also good to keep in mind,” I nodded.

“There's also the fact that, even if Bonnie is kind of a bitch... I don't know if I feel good about favor-trading for sex,” Kim admitted. “When you, Tara, and I have been together... it feels good, but it's more than that. There's an emotional connection. A spark. It's different with Bonnie, but not that different. Even if it's...”

Kim pulled a face, conflicting emotions visible on it.

“She's attractive, she's a bitch, that just makes me more excited now that I see her that way, I want to have some fun, but there's no way I'm committing to anything with that bitch.” As I rattled the complex feelings off into words, I slowly gave up on massaging Kim's feet and instead simply held her lower legs against my lap, enjoying the physical connection of skin-on-skin contact.

“I guess there's no neat little box to put it in, but that's about right,” Kim nodded, grimacing. “It's like... the forbidden fruit, I guess? There's a lot of... stuff tied up in what I feel about Bonnie and if I can't see her...”

Kim blushed hotly and pressed a hand over her eyes.

“If you can't see her underneath you in a martial arts spar, then underneath you in the bedroom is a close second,” I guessed, grinning.

“Stooo~ooop,” Kim whined, squirming against my grip as I used her legs to reel her in. “You don't have to say it, I'm a freak.”

“I know plenty of freaks, there's this guy that lives in my mirror even. Total weirdo.” Kim giggled against my chest. “I have it on good authority he would think that's a pretty hot fantasy, too.”

“Psst! You're a guy, of course you would,” Kim grumbled, but didn't try to pull away. Instead she slipped her hands around my torso and held me tight. “Why does everything have to be so complicated?”

“If I come up with an answer for that question, I'm probably in the running for a Nobel Prize,” I joked, getting a laugh from Kim. “So... the way I see it, is that the answer to it being too fast is to slow things down. Let the Bonnie issue hang for now, make sure Tara knows that Bonnie is off-limits past platonic shows of affection, and just generally set boundaries.”

“That... sounds good,” Kim nodded against me. “Very no-drama sitch. I like it.”

“As far as favor-trading with Bonnie goes... that's one of those things that I don't think there's an easy fix for. Bonnie seems to approach relationships transactionally. Even Tara, I think, to a certain extent.”

“Less good,” Kim admitted, sighing. “But that's part of the friction, I guess. What makes Bonnie frustrating and... and...”

“Hot,” I added.

“Hot,” Kim groaned. “Yes, fine! She's hot! Ugh.”

“I'd suggest... if it really bothers you, think of it as an extension of the whole favor economy we've got going on for rides and help or something?” I prodded, my tone considering. “Don't force Bonnie to do it or anything, and give her other options if she wants, but... maybe let her know it's something on the table after we get back from the party?”

Kim pursed her lips and hummed. “I'm still not in love with the idea, but it's not awful.”

“So, wanna take the tension down a notch and talk about boring financial details?” I asked. “I mean, now that we've been responsible and mature relationship-having people?”

Kim laughed and pulled away, reaching for her pants. “Wow, you really are pretending to be mature today, Ron. First a heart-to-heart talk about emotions and then offering to go over self-assigned math homework? I'm impressed.”

“I'm also hoping to dodge the science essay for a little while longer,” I admitted, pulling a face at the offending assignment. It wasn't bad so much as the kind of rote boilerplate assignment that every high school student in the country had to do as a matter of course. I could handle a difficult essay, but a boring one?

Ugh.

In short order, Kim was laying on her stomach and flipping through the write-up I'd done, looking impressed. “Ron... this is really good. Although... Bueno Nacho as a company expense?”

Rufus, over by the stairs, perked up at the mention of potential food.

“It might seem silly, but we do discuss mission strategies and stuff while we're eating there,” I pointed out. “In fact, here...” Pulling my communicator out, I tapped the most-used speed-dial equivalent and got a familiar face on the other end.

“Hey Ron, what's up?” Wade asked, slurping his soda.

I popped the kickstand to the device and set it on a stack of textbooks. “Just going over the first Team Possible monthly expense report and wanted to know if you'd like to listen in. What with being part of the team and all.”

Kim grinned and Wade's chest noticeably puffed out as he smiled. “Ah... sure, I guess. I'm not really into anything right now, so why not?”

“Me too, Me too!” Rufus squeaked, hurrying over from the stairs as he sensed his mission was over.

Absently, Kim reached into a pocket and pulled out a half-pack of cheese crackers, depositing the bribe in tiny grabbing paws as I sighed and rolled my eyes.

“I was just about to come get you, Buddy. You're part of the team, too,” I stated firmly.

“Not that I'm arguing,” Kim stated, her eyes flicking to Wade. “But how is calling in our resident boy genius supposed to prove that we discuss mission stuff at Bueno Nacho?”

“Because in addition to having all three of us chipped, Wade uses the Kimmunicators to keep audio-visual tabs on us?” I asked.

“Right, right... ever since the shapeshifter incident last year,” Kim scowled, shaking her head.

Depressingly, there's actually pretty good reasons for living under Big Brother's constant watch given our lives.

It helped that both Kim and I trusted Wade to only use his powers for good and, even if he probably played voyeur every now and then (I'd be shocked if he wasn't), he'd never told or shared any of the footage with anyone else and his cybersecurity was top-notch.

...and it's either that or being body-snatched. Again.

“Filtering the files and pulling up the relevant records now,” Wade chimed in, already in his element. “I'm guessing this is about calling the meals being business expenses?”

“Even when we're not fighting supervillains you low-key rock, Wade,” Kim grinned.

“Okay, so... looking at the minutes from the last few weeks...” Wade began, pulling up the videos in question as we all settled in to do more productive work, going down my itemized list of expenses. In the end, Kim did successfully dispute two of the charges as not being mostly mission stuff, even if it was partly. We settled on a partial refund to the team accounts.

Happily, we got to use the opportunity to invite Wade to the billionaire's party and, after a few nudges, he caved and said he'd attend.

Then I had to finish that stupid science essay.

~~~

Okay, so the poll for the month is called and Mind Games won pretty solidly. Expect that as a the focus, along with one or two chapters of Industrious, which got the second place.

After that, it was the three usual suspects: The New Ron at third, Nexus at fourth, and Where Your God Is at fifth.

Now that Winning Peace is over and I've got Mind Games sorted into its own thread, I am going to try and sneak in a few chapters for the less-popular stories here and there. To make good on that promise, here's a chapter of The New Ron.

Also, the Awesome Tier extra-long chapter poll is up and running, if anyone wants in on that.