disclaimer: I do not own the world in which this story is set. That is owned by Disney.

genre: Kim Possible

pairing: Ron Stoppable/Doctor (Drew Lipsky) Drakken

rating: T

summary: [ONE SHOT; AU] Rokken, with a little KiGo—After hearing a song, Ron begins to entertain an idea, something he once thought was 'sick and wrong'...

author's note: This was a challenge fic spawned on KP Slash Haven to be based/inspired by the song "Missing My Nemesis" from the Phineas and Ferb episode "It's About Time." That said, the show itself will be made mention of, since I cannot think of any other way to introduce the song, and that's a critical element in this fiction. Also, as an AU set after Season 4, all differences are explained.

Missing 'My' Nemesis

There were some days of summer vacation that were rather dull, nothing to do but watch television, and that's what Ron Stoppable happened to be doing with his time that Thursday, finally leaving the channel on the kiddie channel Fizzy Network. Rufus, his devoted naked mole rat, was sleeping in his pocket like usual, one of the few places his pet was comfortable and content with. Zoning in and out, he began daydreaming, trying to keep his mind off of something that had been bothering him as of late.

It started as part of the aftermath of Drakken and Shego almost taking over the world with the Little Diablos and Kim having almost killed the female villain, she hadn't really been the same. even though they shared that little kiss in the dance floor, and everyone thought they were 'together', she had distanced herself from everyone, her parents included. When their senior year started, she tried to continue as normal, and even pretended to date him. Because she initiated everything, he didn't question it, but he kept the knowledge in the back of his mind that she was trying to find some normalcy in life. She even fought differently with Shego, preferring to make less physical impact on the older woman than before. After they all saved the world against aliens, she still didn't see him any differently.

Of course she was a bit more affectionate, mostly trying to show her gratitude at his saving her life, but he could tell it was a bit more forced than normal. When he kissed her, she stayed stock still, frozen almost, and he knew there must be something wrong. He knew she didn't love him. He knew she would always be his best friend. He knew that, deep down, he had the feeling they weren't meant to be. It had nothing to do with 'the rules' or the status quo, it was deeper than that. It had to do with how she saw him, and he knew that unless he saved the world single-handedly, her view of him was never going to change. That was when he found out the gut-wrenching truth.

Kim was acting the way she was, and had tried forcing herself to be with him, because she wasn't attracted to men. Thankfully it wasn't him, since she implored heavily that she wished to remain friends no matter what, they had been through too much to let it end because she was gay. He had also known for a long time that people are born the way they are, attractions and all. So he stomached it, the word-vomit that wanted to come forth and say that he couldn't understand how and why she would be with Shego, of all people. He could deal with her being a lesbian, but it was who she choose that took him for a loop. Thankfully he kept his mouth shut, since later, when he thought it over, the way those two were when she was 'good' was an indication of exactly how well they got on, even when they were fighting each other. If he had been paying more attention, Ron would have noticed then that it was after Junior Prom that Kim began to act strange with him, no longer as attentive toward him as before.

So, as he vegetated in front of the television, trying to forget the emptiness he felt in his heart where he thought his love for Kim was, he decided it was time to fill that hole again. She would always be his best friend, and he would always love her in that way, but now that he knew that they were truly not 'in love,' he had to find himself someone who could make him feel like the world was perfect, like Shego made Kim feel. He desperately wanted that, now that he knew he had never really felt that with his friend.

At that moment, the sound of music caught his attention, which he gave fully as listened to the lyrics of the song.

'Without your schemes, my life, it seems it's empty, I spent all my time keeping you from doing wrong, You were my only nemesis, I foil your plans but still I miss, The moments when we didn't get along. So search your heart, please, Dr. D, And I am sure that you will see, That you were always meant to be, My only life-long enemy... But now, you're doing battle, With a panda from Seattle, I miss the moments when we didn't get along, Ooooooo...'

There was something about the words, especially the use of the nickname 'Dr. D,' that clicked. In a strange way, of course, since it was Kim who usually thwarted his schemes. There were the times, like that one Christmas, when he did the thwarting, but all the others were accidents, and all part of his 'Ronness', which he knew was really just dumb luck. And since the blue scientist was no longer a villain, on top of his own nemesis being permanently out of commission, a big dynamic of their crime fighting was gone. And this song seemed to speak to that. Obviously he didn't want Drakken to become a villain again, but what did that leave for them to do any more?

With that thought on his mind, Wade called on his Kimmunicator.

"Ron, you doing anything?"

"What do you think Wade?"

"Well... Okay, Kim needs you."

"What's up?"

"There are some strange readings coming from one of Drakken's old lairs and the officials there have asked for you two to check it out."

"Which one?"

"Caribbean."

"And we couldn't just ask Drakken to come with? It was his lair after all."

"I can't get a hold of him, and Shego has no idea where he could be."

"She's not coming with, is she?"

"She doesn't want you two to get caught in any traps that might still be working."

"Well, as long as she's helpful."

"You're not still mad-"

"I was never mad Wade, just confused. But I'm over that. I'm glad they're happy. When will they be here?"

"In about ten minutes."

"Thanks, tell them i'll be ready."

"You got it." and the screen went black.

The ride was relatively quiet, Kim and Shego talking to each other and pretty much ignoring Ron. They were dropped off at the island itself, and proceeded to let the green-skinned woman lead. When she motioned for them to follow, they did, and when she motioned for them to stop, they did. It was strange for Ron, as he wasn't usually this compliant, noticed Kim not paying him much mind. They were still great friends and a great team, but now he was learning to include the ex-villain into their group. He hadn't noticed the arrival to the control room, but once Shego turned off the alarm and defence system, it was decided to split up. Ron took the first corridor he saw and walked downhill, wondering where this was leading and if he really wanted to get to the end. When he finally did, apparently deep underground, he was standing at a metal door with a hand print reader on the side. Hoping it would open anyway, he placed his hand on the reader and was given the green light, the metal door sliding open.

It was Drakken's lab, and unlike the rest of the lair, there were no cobwebs anywhere. This room had recently been used, or was still being used. He could tell there were a few things currently running, which suggested recent activity, but there wasn't any signs of life. He carefully walked around, doing his best to not touch anything, having no clue what any of it would do or was for, and not wanting to find out the hard way. Finally he reached the other side, which had another door, this time much smaller than the first, normal sized. It also wasn't metal, or need a palm to get it; this door had a knob, which he turned, and upon finding it unlocked, proceeded to go inside.

"Hello? Anyone here?" Silence. "Um... Drakken, you here?"

"What do you want Stoppable?"

The voice caught him off guard, coming from the pseudo-darkness around him. Squinting, Ron could barely make out where the blue scientist was, and he walked over to him. On the table that the older man sat at was a blank piece of paper, in his hand a pencil. On the top of the page was written 'HOW TO FIND'. It looked incomplete, and the younger man could feel the bitter resentment coming from beside him. So he decided to act normally, see if that might help his almost-nemesis.

"What ya got there Dr. D?"

"None of your business."

"Ah, come on Dr. D, you can tell me."

"Go away Stoppable." Ron was beginning to get disturbed, this wasn't like Drakken at all.

"Looks like you're missing something. Can I help you find it?" He tried sounding as sincere and honest as possible, and being that by nature, it worked. The older man stood up and faced the younger man, a strange glint in his eye and a smile on his face.

"You want to help me find what I'm looking for?"

"Yeah, sure. I'm a pretty helpful kind of guy."

"All right, then stand still," and Drakken took Ron's face in his hands and kissed him. It was tender, soft, and there was this jolt between them that Ron had never had with Kim. Because of this, he deepened the kiss, and was surprised there was no resistance. They were like that for almost five minutes before separating, and by then, Ron's arms had wrapped around Drakken's upper body.

"Wow," was all Ron could say. They stood there for a minute before letting go of one another, and neither could help the fidgeting of doubt that came next.

"I thought the same thing."

"Um... What's this mean?"

"Are you really that thick?" He didn't sound annoyed though.

"I'm not very good at the relationship thing. Otherwise I would already have someone, I think... But seriously, dude, what's this mean?"

"You mean you don't know if you're gay?"

"Never thought about it, maybe bisexual, and I did enjoyed that, never thought that would happen. But hey, can't always predict the hand you're going to get, can you?" The blue man looked at him critically, then placed the back of his hand on the blonde's forehead. He hadn't noticed the standard gloves were missing.

"Are you ill?"

"No." He mirrored the Doctor's actions. "Are you?" Ron's hands were batted away, and Drakken's hand went from his forehead to his cheek.

"Perhaps."

"Um... Dr. D... I know you kissed me and all, but um... What exactly were you needing to find?"

"I needed to find out if it was just a crush, lust, or love." That really got Ron's attention.

"What?"

"Apparently I've been in love with you for some time."

The look in the blue man's eyes betrayed nothing, and for the blonde, it was touching. It was suddenly as if the lyrics from the song were playing in his head, and he could hear them clearly.

"Without your schemes, my life, it seems it's empty, I spent all my time keeping you from doing wrong, You were my only nemesis, I foil your plans but still I miss, The moments when we didn't get along. So search your heart, please, Dr. D, And I am sure that you will see, That you were always meant to be... "

His mind stopped the words there, knowing that the rest no longer pertained to them. What was so shocking was that he felt the same. So he told the other man so.

"I think, and don't quote me here, but I think I could fall in love with you too."

"Want to take slow?" Drakken held his hand out, and it was the first time that night Ron noticed he wasn't wearing any gloves.

"I think that's best." The blonde's hand slipped into the blue skinned one, and clasped it tightly.

Ron was suddenly jolted in his seat, Kim telling him they were at the drop point. Which meant that everything he just experienced was a dream. A very vivid dream that had him questioning himself. He followed, dutifully, to the island, and they waited on the shore while Shego went in to make sure everything was off. It took about ten minutes, and in that time, Kim beat him at a baker's dozen worth of tic-tack-toe games in the sand. Upon request, he asked that they split up, but it just ended up that Kim teamed up with Shego anyway. He didn't care, he just wanted to find the blue man first. So, trying hard to remember the layout to the lair, he tried the man's lab first. As he was searching, he found that there was not underground lab, but the metal door with the hand print reader was still the same.

Like his dream, it accepted his hand and he entered the lab. Unlike his dream, this lab of Drakken's wasn't filled with lots of things, just one device in the middle of the room, the madman sitting at it, tinkering with the control panel. Very quietly, he closed the door and walked over, doing his level best to not disturb the man in his work. When Drakken finally took a break, Ron made his presence known.

"Yo, Dr. D, what ya cooking up?" apparently he didn't catch the scientist off-guard, and he turned to look at the blonde with a calm expression.

"I'm trying to make another robot girl Stoppable. Why?" After his dream, he realised that since the Little Diablo incident, the madman had been using his name on and off, and the use wasn't as shocking as he would have thought.

"Oh, no reason. Locals have just been noticing activity and gave us a call. When we couldn't get a hold of you, we came looking." Ron sat down beside Drakken, legs crossed and leaning back onto his arms.

"How'd you get past security?"

"Shego."

"Why would she help you and Possible?"

"Haven't you heard—they're dating." The look on his face was so many emotions all at once, Ron almost thought he was having a stroke.

"Kim Possible and Shego are... Dating?"

"Yup."

"What about you?" Drakken seemed genuinely interested.

"Single and looking. Hey, did you date Shego after the alien thing?"

"We tried. She said I was more like a father to her and she couldn't handle it. But I didn't expect her to go to Possible..." He sounded forlorn.

"Yeah, well, I didn't expect Kim to dump me for another girl, let along Shego. But what can you do?"

"Build one?" Ron had to give him a critical look here.

"Dude, no. Can a machine take care of all the urges people have? can they give you that physical and emotional comfort that every person craves?"

"Well... No."

"Then what's the point of building yourself 'the perfect person'?" He watched as the other man thought about that, confusion riddled on his blue face.

"What should I do then?"

This was the first time Ron ever heard Drakken ask him for help, and the feelings from his dream earlier came back. For a person who usually took their time in figuring out their own feelings, the blonde was surprised at how quickly he came to this decision, as if it was a natural, everyday thing for him. He didn't make it lightly either. So, he swallowed his nervousness and said the last thing he knew was expected.

"I don't know, but maybe what you're looking for is right in front of you."

At least it had the effect that Ron was expecting, and the look on Drakken's face was priceless, shock, awe, and utter thoughtfulness, three things that actually looked good together. He watched as the older man muttered to himself, contemplating either what he meant, or the offer that was set before him. When a blue hand extended itself toward him, he smiled.

"Mind if we take this slow?" Drakken was blushing, which Ron thought was rather cute, a deeper shade of blue on his cheeks. He accepted the hand offered.

"Not at all." Ron pulled in the hand in his, pulling the older man to him. It was an innocent hug, but a comforting one nonetheless.

Neither noticed the two women watching from the doorway, having heard the whole thing. Leaving the men in peace, Kim and Shego walked back to her old bedroom hand in hand.

Seven Years Later...

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, just... just don't stop."

(beat)

"I don't want to hurt you-"

"And you're not, you won't, I promise. But that feels... oh! That feels so good."

(beat)

"Push back, yes, like that."

(beat)

"Almost there, almost... ah!"

"Perfect..."

(beat)

"I love you Drew."

"And I love you Ron."

End.