chains on the swings of the set by airauralintensity (aka me, xyzcekaden!)His name is Norman Midable

chains on the swings of the set by airauralintensity (aka me, xyzcekaden!)His name is Norman Midable. “But you can call me Nor.” A subversion of the guy-at-college-vies-for-Kim’s-attentions plot.fandom: kim possible (cartoon)characters: kim possible, ron stoppable, OC (technically), wade monique and rufus in supporting rolesship: kim/ron, kim/ocgenre: romance, angst, friendshipthemes: college au, major original character, cheating, one-sided romance, canon endgame, working through relationship problems, kim has a typeword count: 6.8kchapter: 1/2rating: Tread it below, on ffnet, or on ao3!A/N (11.3.2021): A common KP college!au centers on Kim potentially leaving Ron for a smart jock type (a smock, if you will), but I’ve always taken such issue with that because it undermines Kim’s growth in the show. So, what if she met someone just like Ron instead? Enter Norman Midable: a very mediocre conspiracy theorist with a dry sense of humour. I kinda meshed his personality based on one of my IRL friends, Felix, and Ron from yvj’s ‘a lot like love.’ (If you haven’t read that yet, please do. It’s unfinished but will still be one of the best character-centric pieces I’ve ever read.)Title from Tightrope by Walk the Moon. Inspired by early Ron Stoppable concept art. If you recognise it, it doesn’t belong to me. I actually plotted this out back in 2019, then proceeded to forget about it for years haha. I’ve never created an “original” character before (‘original’ in quotes because he’s basically Ron lol), so let me know what you think!~~~The Kimmunicator rings just as Kim finishes making her bed in her new college dorm, and she lets herself have a split second of wonder. Even the day before orientation, the world needs saving.“What’s the sitch, Wade?”“My badical best-friend/girlfriend moved into college today, and I miss her,” an unexpected voice replies.“Ron!” She flops backwards onto her bed in delight, and it’s almost like she’s still back in Middleton.“KP,” he says on an exhale. She can hear everything he’s feeling in that one breath, or maybe she’s just feeling those same things herself.She flicks her eyes between her screen where she can see the way Ron is looking fondly at her and the approximate area where she knows the front-facing camera to be so that Ron has something to look at. “How long have you been back?”“Mr. and Mrs. Dr. P dropped me off a bit ago. I just finished dinner with the 'rents before I called you.”“Ah, a Ron on a full stomach, my favourite,” she teases. “It means there’s one less thing that I need to compete with for your attention span.”“Not tonight, KP. You’ve been the only thing I could think about since yesterday.”She looks down at the screen then, ascertaining his seriousness. “Wanna try that again? I know for a fact that you were up late last night playing Zombie Mayhem.”Ron scratches the back of his neck and chuckles. “Nah, I just said that 'cause if I said the real reason I was late this morning, the tweebs would have heckled us all day. I really just couldn’t sleep last night. I was… well, I was worried about you, honestly.”Kim smiles appreciatively. “That’s sweet, Ron, but you of all people know I can take care of myself. There’s nothing I can’t handle.”“Can you handle yourself around the Hirotakas and Josh Mankeys of college, though?”Kim’s heart and smile drop like anchors. “… What?”She watches as Ron scrunches his face up in the universal sign of knowing you just said the wrong thing, and she can’t even laugh at the sight. “I… didn’t mean to say that. I didn’t mean to say it that way. Please forget it,” Ron begs.She can’t, of course. “You think I’m still like that?”There’s the sound of rustling as Ron rubs a hand down the front of his face. “No, I don’t,” he answers eventually, and she believes him. She wants that to be enough, except… “But I haven’t seen you not like that, either, you know?”She is ready to defend herself—the instinct to act-first-think-later is deeply ingrained in her at this point, and it’s saved her life more times than she could count—but she stops herself just in time, and she reviews.No potential romantic interests ever surfaced since the two of them began dating; no one in Middleton would dare try. There would never have been a chance for her to demonstrate her loyalty to Ron. As hurt as she is by the knowledge that Ron still harbours an insecurity over that, she is in no position to blame him.She swallows down her offense and looks back at the screen. Ron has his head in his hands, roughly rubbing at his temples in self-flagellation.No, she doesn’t blame him at all.“Hey, stop that,” she calls out. Her best-friend/boyfriend’s attention jumps back to the screen, and she gives him a small smile. It’s no big, afterall.“Let’s make a promise to each other right now. Okay?” Ron nods. “Do you promise to trust me?”“With my life and with my heart, too.”They’re still young. She knows that… but sometimes Ron is just so genuine, so transparent about his feelings for her that she’s ready to be older, to actualise the dream she can hear in his words.“Then I promise you: I have no interest in 'golden hotties’. My guy has a heart of gold and a pocket full of hot sauce; what could be better than that?”Rufus pops up from wherever he was hiding. “Cheese!”~~~Her first class of the first day is the one Kim’s been looking forward to the most. Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies sounds like the exact sort of thing people go to college to learn, and even the classroom is a quintessential lecture hall like she’s seen in movies. It’s as good of a start as any to help her figure out what she should major in. She has some ideas, of course, but it helps to keep her options open.She slides into a seat in the second row an easy seven minutes before class starts, and she takes the time to set up the new digital notebook Wade made her as a graduation present. She likes it—at least, she likes the idea of it; supposedly it’ll automatically upload her notes onto her laptop back in her dorm room—but writing on a screen instead of paper will take some getting used to.The professor enters, welcomes everyone to college, introduces her class; and just like that, they’re off. It’s rather anticlimactic. That’s another thing she’ll have to get used to, too.After fifteen minutes of going through the syllabus, some voices gradually getting louder distract everyone’s attention to the back of the class. There’s some guy trying to force his way to an empty seat in the middle of the last row, and the students already seated are having none of it.“Young man, if you’re going to be late on the first day, you’d do well to avoid causing a commotion at the same time,” the professor admonishes. “There is plenty of space here at the front.”The guy swivels his head between his desired seat and the professor before slumping over in begrudging defeat. He walks down the steps knowing everyone in the class is watching him, and he takes the first empty seat on the edge.Second row, right next to Kim.“Man, this casks,” he says under his breath as he settles in.“Well, if you got to class on time, you’d have your first pick of seats,” Kim retorts without thinking. Her eyes widen cartoonishly. “Oh my god; I’m so sorry. That was so ferociously rude! I don’t know what came over me!”Her seatmate has his eyebrows raised in mild interest at the blunt girl before him, then he shrugs. “Nah, you got a point, though.”Determined to salvage her first impression, Kim sticks her hand out confidently. “I’m Kim, Kim Possible. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”Over the years, she’s become used to the effect her name has on people: shock, awe, fear, (derision if you’re Bonnie Rockwaller). To her surprise, the guy doesn’t react at all like she expects. Besides the fact that he doesn’t seem to even recognise her name, he just holds his hands up in the universal signal for don’t-come-any-closer. “Woah, woah, woah. 'Acquaintances’? Take a guy out to dinner first before you go putting labels on anything.”She doesn’t sputter, but it’s a close thing.Thankfully, the other person lowers his arms and smirks. “I’m just teasin’ ya. You can call me—”The sound of a throat clearing stops him from introducing himself, and the two look to the front to see the professor looking straight at them. They sheepishly face forward.The professor keeps their unimpressed gaze on them for a moment longer before continuing. “As I was saying, the final project is a semester-long research paper that you will submit to me in both papercopy and digitally no later than the first day of finals week. People may partner up if they so choose, but no more than three to a team. The topic is up to you, but your arguments must utilise…”Suitably chastised, Kim takes diligent notes to make up for her poor lack of concentration. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see her classmate constantly looking over at her.The professor dismisses them for a mid-lecture break, and Kim says something before he can. “Why do I have the feeling you want to ask if we can partner up for the project because you’re afraid you can’t make the grade on your own, and you think that I’ll pick up your slack?”The other student blinks at her. “That’s not the only reason,” he feebly argues.Kim takes a deep breath and puts on a placating smile. “Sorry, but that’s not gonna happen. Besides, I’m honestly not the best project partner. I have a really… erratic and time-intensive extracurricular that I do. It’s better for both of us if I work alone.”She’s not ashamed of the fact that she saves the world on a weekly basis. She really isn’t. It’s just that she doesn’t know how much this guy knows, if he’s even heard of her, and it’s kind of much to explain with only a few minutes left in the break.Luckily, the student doesn’t push her. He just turns to his laptop, and Kim takes that as a sign that the message has been received. The professor comes back into the lecture hall, and the second half of the class goes without incident.That is, until her Kimmunicator goes off.“Ah yes, I was wondering when I’d have to make this announcement. No cellphones in class; no exceptions!”Kim hops out of her seat and over her seatmate with practised ease. “Sorry, professor! I have to take this.”The professor seems to realise something as soon as they get a good look at Kim’s face. After referring to some papers in their briefcase, they nod. “Very well, Ms. Possible. Join us again whenever you’re ready.”Kim waves appreciatively as she bounds out of the nearest exit. “What’s the sitch, Wade?” she asks as soon as the door closes behind her.On the small screen, the image is split between Wade on one side and Ron and Rufus on the other. “You just got a really weird hit on the side, Kim, and it’s for you specifically.”“Aw man, no one ever remembers me!” Ron laments. Rufus agrees, “Uh-huh, uh-huh.”“What’s going on?”“Someone just asked you for help with his, uh, 'WGSS’ project? I tried doing some research, but my usual sources aren’t being very helpful. The only results that pop up for that acronym are Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies courses at colleges. I sent a clarification email in response, but I’ll keep looking until we hear back.”So he did recognise her. Kim rolls her eyes. “Don’t bother, Wade. Some classmate of mine thinks if we partner up for the semester project, he won’t have to do any of the work.”Wade pulls at the collar of his shirt uneasily. “He wrote here, and I quote, 'I promise I’ll do the work. I just need some help, is all.’ Close quote.”“That’s what you do, right?” a voice from behind calls out. Kim whirls around to find the guy from class only a few steps away from her. “Help people?”Other students are spilling out of the lecture hall behind him. Class must have ended while she was out.Kim is used to making quick decisions with barely any information to go on. It’s a habit that’s saved her life more times than she can count. Between his earnestness, his unique way of going about asking her, and something else she really can’t just put her finger on, she decides to trust him.After one last glance to the student’s hopeful expression, she looks down to her team on the screen. “Tell him I’m in.”She hears cheers behind her, and she can’t help but smile.“Who is this guy?” Ron cuts in, trying to peer closer to the screen as if that will help him see the newcomer behind Kim.“The form says 'Norman Midable’,” Wade responds.The other student steps closer to Kim, eyeing her device with interest, and she tilts the Kimmunicator over so that they both can be seen by the camera.He gives a jaunty little salute. “But you can call me Nor.”~~~It really is more a matter of when than a matter of if.“Excuse me, hi,” someone interrupts Kim where she’s sitting out on a picnic table in the quad doing her assigned reading. She looks up confusedly at the young girl, probably a freshman like she is, looking nervous and embarrassed.“Hi,” Kim answers, wary but kind. “Can I help you?”That’s what you do right? Help people?The words of that guy from her WGSS class flit through her head, unbidden and annoying. She forces it out of her mind as quickly as it came in.“Yes! Well, no. Uh…” the student trails off. Kim surreptitiously looks around, wondering if Ron’s routine emails to Prank’d finally resulted in her appearance on the show.Finally, the girl musters up the courage to say what she wants to say. “Are you Kim Possible?” she blurts out.Oh. Kim can’t help the embarrassed twist to her smile. “Yeah, that’s me.”The girl plops down in the seat opposite from her in relief. “Oh my gosh, hi! I heard you were going to attend this school, but I thought it was just a rumour!”Kim gives a strained smile. As nice as they always are, she’s still not used to people recognising her while she’s doing basic, average girl things.“Well, clearly not a rumour,” she jokes awkwardly. “I really go here.”“That’s so cool. You know, you came to my hometown once! Yeah, there was a boat stuck in the canal, and you were able to clear it out with, like, wine and a spyglass, or something. If the canal were blocked for any longer, my uncle wouldn’t have been able to bring his shipment downstream and would have lost out on a major contract. Literally, he was up a creek without a paddle.”Kim’s awkwardness melts into genuine pride, and she chuckles freely at the other’s joke. “I’m glad to hear that I helped your family out, even if it’s indirectly. That was down in Mississippi, right? I remember that.”The two of them happily converse about each other’s hometowns and some of Kim’s most memorable missions. Her reading can wait. She’s just happy to find someone who didn’t treat her like she was too cool to talk to them or who clearly just wanted to be able to say that they met Kim Possible once.It’s nice while it lasts.“Howdy, ladies,” someone greets as he smoothly slides into the seat next to hers at the picnic table.The other girl shoots Kim a quick, weirded out look, and Kim nods concedingly to show the situation is still under control. “This is Norman,” she says as she gestures to the intruder with an eye roll. “I met him in WGSS, and I thought he would know better than to butt into people’s conversations uninvited.” She directs the second half of her statement to Nor with a pointed look.Nor simply shrugs. “The more the merrier, right?” He leans across the table with an outstretched hand. “Hiya. No need to be so formal; you can call me Nor.”The girl warily reaches out to accept his handshake. “Hi, I'm—”“—Not obligated to divulge your identity if you’re genuinely uncomfortable,” Kim interjects with a stink eye still directed towards Nor.“Who’s uncomfortable? Not me.” Nor laces his fingers behind his head and leans back in affected nonchalance. Since there isn’t anything to actually support him, he’s just suspending himself at an unnatural angle in the air.Kim darts her hand out to topple him over, but Nor’s spasm to avoid her touch results in his backwards fall anyway. Nor yelps, and Kim is still laughing at him even when she leans over to help him upright again.“Are we still meeting up later?” Kim asks through a giggle as she sweeps some grass off Nor’s hair and the back of his shirt.“Yeah, why?” Nor asks, roughly mimicking the same sweeping motion on Kim for the sole purpose of annoying her.He succeeds; she swats his arms away. “Then why are you bothering me now if you know you’ll see me later?”“Uh, is there a maximum on how often I can see you in one day? Come on, Kim.”She doesn’t respond, instead trying to force the bookbag he took off back into his hands while trying to tug the zipper closed. “I’ll see you later then,” Kim underscores.“Alright, alright. I can tell when I’m not wanted.” Nor finally takes the bag into his own grasp and heaves himself out of his seat. He bids goodbye to the other girl, “I hope I get to meet you again without Kim Jong-un over here dictating when and where I go.”Kim gasps in offense, and Nor winks. “Laters.”Needing to have the last word, Kim calls out after him, “Yes! I will see you 'later’!”She stares after him until she’s sure he won’t turn around and bother them again. Her squinted eyes smooth into something much friendlier when she finally turns her attention back to her new friend and her amused look. “I’m so sorry about that,” Kim effuses.“No problem,” the girl brushes off easily. “Was that your boyfriend?”Kim chokes on air. “W-what?” she coughs out.The other student offers her water bottle, but Kim waves her off. “No, no. He’s not my boyfriend,” she eventually gets out. “I do have one, but he’s working back home.”“Ah,” the girl intones. “Well, you better watch out for that one"—she points in the direction where Nor had walked away—”'cause I think he likes you.“Kim twists her face into an are-you-sure-about-that expression, and the girl shrugs like hey-you-never-know."So, what’s your boyfriend like?” she redirects. “Can I see a picture?”Kim is more than happy to oblige.~~~Between instances like that one, the events her Resident Assistant puts on, and small talk with her classmates, Kim slowly gets to know more and more people. It helps make the big campus feel a little smaller, and it definitely soothes the homesickness for Middleton that lances through her every now and then.She’d even call some of those people friends, but she hasn’t been able to find anyone she gels with that well. At least, no one except—“Nor! This isn’t research!”The two of them are in the library, supposedly doing independent research in order to pick a topic for their WGSS paper. Kim presumed the frantic and intermittent typing on Nor’s end was the creation of an annotated bibliography while she thumbed through books, but a chance glance on his screen reveals an active forum of some sorts instead.“Uh, ch'yeah it is, Kim,” Nor retorts like it should have been obvious. “There are bozos on the internet who think Truman Capote was the real author of To Kill a Mockingbird just because they can’t handle it when a woman is successful. That sounds like prime WGSS material to me! How can I be expected to properly defend my stance without fully understanding the opposing narrative’s standpoint?”Kim faceplms. “We’re writing a term paper, Nor, not a blog post for your latest conspiracy-theory-of-the-week fixation!”Nor patronisingly shakes his head. “Kim, Kim, Kim… Wait, what’s that short for, by the way? 'Kimothy’?”“Nor!”“Is there a problem here, Ms. Audible?” a gruff voice snarks from behind her.Kim and Nor wince in their seats before turning around to face the school’s librarian.“No problem at all, Professor Snarkin,” Kim says in that tone people use when they know nothing they say is going to be good enough for the other person to hear.“Is that so? Well, there shouldn’t be any problems then when I kick you out of the library for disturbing the peace.”Nor checks his watch. “Could you kick us out in about 30 to 40 minutes? If I wait any longer than that, I’ll be late for my next class.”“You’ll be later than that if I end up burying you under the Archaeology tomes for the juniors to find during their labs! Out, now!”Kim and Nor quickly scramble to collect their things and hightail it out of the library. As soon as the door swings closed behind them, they’re greeted by a blur of white tackling Nor in the gut and making him spill the contents of his never-fully-closed bookbag.“Igor! How are ya, buddy?” Nor exclaims with no heed paid to his other belongings.Kim shakes her head at the scene. “An albino gopher. Nor, you ever think about circumventing the college’s no-pet rules with something more normal?”“Like what?” Nor asks obliviously as he ruffles Igor’s fur.“Like something not albino!”“Kimothy, Kimothy, Kimothy—”“—That’s not my name.”“Oh, it isn’t? … Well, anyway—”“We need to pick a WGSS topic today, Nor,” Kim interrupts before Nor could launch into a long winded and almost-impressive-in-its-meaninglessness tirade on something or another. “Come on, we’ll try to find spots in the student union instead.”Igor follows along happily as the two students make their way through campus in companionable silence. The late September weather is still warm, but something in the air tells them autumn will make its appearance any day now.“You know, when I first signed up for WGSS, I thought it was gonna involve a lot more women and sex than it does.”Kim snorts. That much is obvious.Nor continues, “I should have known on the first day that something was up when there weren’t nearly as many dudes in the hall as I expected.”“It’s not too late to drop,” Kim teases.“And leave you all alone to write a paper about Truman Capote?”“If you intended for him to be the topic of the paper instead of Harper Lee herself, maybe you actually should drop.”She cuts a sideway glance at Nor just in time to catch a smirk on his face that must mirror her own. He draws her into a quick one-armed side hug before ruffling her hair as he pushes her back to her side of the sidewalk.“If you think that’s all it takes to get rid of me, Possible, think again.”Kim fights a lot of things; but even she can’t fight the smile on her face as she makes a show out of complaining and fixing her hair.~~~“… And get this: he eats his cheeseburgers with fries, chips, and mashed potatoes on it! 'I call it the 'potager’. Wanna bite?’” Kim pitches her voice low and nasally to imitate Nor before bursting into giggles. “Gorchy!”As Kim wraps up her tale of when she and Nor hung out a few days ago while working on their final project, Ron gets a funny feeling in his chest.“Oh, oh, and one time he even brought one to class! The professor had to dismiss him because he sounds like a freaking food processor when he chews. There’s technically no food ban in the syllabus, but I think they’ll include one this semester just for Nor.”It takes a second, but Ron recognises it as jealousy. Before he knows it, he’s abruptly changing the subject. “How tall is this guy?”Kim takes in stride, however, and tries to imagine Nor for a second. “Uh, about your height? He gels his hair up; it’s hard to say.”“What was his class rank in high school?” he continues determinedly. Kim snorts. “His high school didn’t do class ranks. He says that’s half the reason he was even able to get into this university.”“Does he play any sports?”“I don’t even think he plays sports video games.”“What’s his BMI?”“And how exactly am I supposed to know that?”“Hnnnngh, fine. Bueno Nacho or Cow 'n’ Chow?”“Ha. Cow 'n’ Chow.”“Has he ever saved the world or done any freak fighting?”“Definitely not; we’d have heard of him if he did.”Ron sits back in his seat, satisfied with the information he’s gathered. “Wow, this guy is even more mediocre than I am!”“Ron!”“What?” he defends. “Can you blame me for trying to learn a little more about the guy that you’re spending all your time with now?”“I think your motive is just a tad more ulterior than that,” Kim admonishes.“Ahhh. School word, KP.”Kim rolls her eyes, but she can’t help how her mouth quirks at the corners. The older she gets, the more she realises how hard it is to admit something you don’t know; but Ron rarely ever has that problem.“Why don’t you tell me what’s really going on?” she asks with a conceding tone. When Ron struggles with what to say to her, she senses that this is a bigger deal than she originally ascertained.She watches him as much as she can through the screen while she waits. She hasn’t spent this long this far apart from him in forever, and moments like this one hit her with how much she’s taken his proximity for granted. This conversation would be a lot easier sitting on the couch in her den side by side, his hands in hers.“It’s like I said, Kim. You spend a lot of time with this guy now, is all,” Ron eventually gets out. “You didn’t even come home for the long weekend.”Kim doesn’t like where her mind went next, but it’s worth it to voice and seek clarification on your understanding of a situation. It’s a habit that’s saved her life more times than she can count.“Do,” she starts, then stops, then starts again, “Do you think I would leave you for some guy I just met?”Ron lets out an audible sigh, and Kim bites her lips at the admission. How long has she been making him feel this way?“Maybe not leave me, but…”“Ron.” She’s pleading, though she couldn’t pinpoint what exactly it is she’s asking for. “I honestly can’t imagine myself ever leaving you, for Nor or for anyone! You’re not just my boyfriend; you’re my best friend. Remember my promise at the beginning of the semester? I’m not gonna break it six weeks in.”Cursed with an audiographic memory of anything Kim Possible has ever said, Ron cannot help how his brain remembers the exact phrasing of her promise, phrasing that does not cover the situation in which they’ve found themselves.And yet, he understands that Kim invoked the memory of the promise for what she really means it to mean, so he resolves to let it go.“You’re my best friend too, KP,” he says with a small smile.Kim mirrors it with a palpable sense of relief; and Ron reminds himself that it was she who was waiting for him the whole time, not the other way around. Now it’s his turn.Ron would be the first to admit he was anxious about Kim going off to college. He had nightmares of Kim attending fancy seminars or college parties, meeting people who could talk intelligently about the things she cares about, getting bored of him and the kinds of experiences being with him entails. What could a high school boyfriend—who takes cooking classes at night,and daylights at Smarty Mart, and stays behind in their hometown—give her that college couldn’t?to: Kim <3hola kp, think u got time 4 a chatty chat 2nite?from: Kim <3sorry Ron :( the school’s community haunted house is in desperate need of volunteersLuckily for him, college didn’t transform Kim overnight. Even with her advisor’s recommendation to hold off on extracurriculars for a semester, she still has the same extreme aversion to staying still that she did in high school; the only difference is that he can’t be along for the ride. He told himself he could handle that, and he can. Really.But only to an extent.from: Kim <3and Nor’s acting like he’s too busy to help me help them, so I have to deal with him too :Pfrom: Kim <3I think I’ll have time on Tuesday!After reading the latest messages from Kim, Ron throws his Ronnunicator over his shoulder in frustration and plops face down on his bed.He almost wishes Kim would attend fancy seminars and college parties, just to do something that isn’t hanging out with Nor for once.Ron sneers at the name even as he says it in his mind.The two of them study together; they explore the collegetown, or go to the movies, or walk around the park; he introduces her to frankly genius fast food concoctions…Ron’s seen this movie before.He’s 100% sure that this Nor character already likes or is in love with Kim, and Ron can’t even blame him. Thanks to Bonnie’s active efforts, Kim is completely unaware of the kind of magnetic pull she has on people: she’s a one-two punch to the heart with her looks and her personality, and she soothes the wound with a smile. Nor would have to lack both eyes and ears to be immune against the full force of Kim’s charms for the extended periods of time that he’s been spending with her.What’s worse? Kim likes him back. She likes him back, and she doesn’t even know it.Sure, she may not be a crushing sheep around Nor—though, Ron almost wishes she were; that’s a Kim he knows how to handle—but she regards him with affection and familiarity. There’s an ease and a comfort to the way Kim talks about the guy that Ron hasn’t seen from her since… well, since him.Despite what she says or what she intends, there is a very real chance that she develops genuine feelings for her classmate. What then? What happens then, and what is he willing to do about it?Rufus scurries over to the Ronnunicator to read the message log still open on screen. “Kim, Kim!” he chitters.Ron forces himself back into an upright position and picks up the device to see what Rufus was talking about: a new message came in while he was dwelling.from: Kim <3my morning class lets out at noon, let’s call over lunch?to: Kim <3i do miss my kp lunch dates. alrite, c u then! good luck with the haunted houseto: Kim <3as long as u tell the truth all night long, maybe u’ll actually enjoy urself this timefrom: Kim <3ha ha ha. thanks :Pfrom: Kim <3talk to you later, i love you!to: Kim <3rite back at ya kp :*Ron lightly scratches Rufus’ back as he scurries up the sleeve to Ron’s shoulder. “We haven’t lost her yet, buddy.”~~~One Saturday afternoon, Nor texts her asking if she wants to go to the mall then to Cow 'n’ Chow on the way back, and she jumps on the offer immediately. She hasn’t gone shopping in forever! Besides, with the November chill finally settling in, she’ll need some layers to tide her over until she can switch out her wardrobe for winter clothes during Thanksgiving break.She asks him when he wants her to pick him up, and he says it’s no big, he’ll drive.Strangely, his response causes a sense of impending to strike through her chest. It’s a familiar feeling that has saved her life more times than she can count; but without any noticeable threats in her physical environment, she pushes the feeling down. It’s just a trip to the mall with her best friend—her best college friend, she amends in her mind. If she happens upon any trouble while she’s out, she can handle it like she always does. She’s Kim Possible.She texts back that she’ll be ready in fifteen, and Nor arrives in thirty. Kim opens up the passenger seat and greets him with a glare.“You think this happens by accident?” he defends, gesturing to his casual outfit and gelled hair with a raised eyebrow and his tongue literally in his cheek.“I think you’re an accident,” she shoots back as she clicks her seatbelt. “Come on. The mall closes in four, and it’ll take the better part of an hour to get there.”Nor hollers with laughter as he peels out of the parking lot of Kim’s dormitory. “Is that how Planet Earth’s Sweetheart Kim Possible should be speaking to the populace she’s meant to protect?”Kim groans good-naturedly. “Oh my god, don’t call me that. It’s so embarrassing.”“What’s so embarrassing? In fact, I think you should be outraged. It’s not good enough! You shouldn’t rest until you’re the Sweetheart of the entire solar system!”Nor’s so ridiculous. “Seriously, please stop talking.”“I’d tell you to shoot for the stars, but the title of Galaxy’s Sweetheart is already taken by the winner of last season's Lowardia’s Next Top Model, Wardrangea.”Kim can’t even respond with how hard she’s laughing, and Nor finally lets up on his joke so he can join her. The comforting blur of the scenery whizzing by, the happy and relaxed feeling in her shoulders, the sound of Nor’s laughter trickling down into giggles… She likes that she can focus on those entirely from her spot in the passenger’s seat. It’s nice to be driven for a change.When they reach the mall, they stop at a directory since it’s both of their first times there. Nor’s in the market for a new pair of sneakers, but he’s in no rush. They pick a store clear on the opposite side of the mall so that they can stop and explore in a gradual meandering towards their destination.As they walk, Kim points out storefronts whose contents she wants to check out, Nor explains his theory that shopping over the Internet is going to become so popular that it’ll render the brick-and-mortar shopping experience obsolete within the next ten years, and they both share a laugh at how ridiculous that sounds.Relaxation settles over her like a physical thing. This is the first time all semester she’s done something just for herself, where there’s no expectation of her and she can be a basic, average girl—and what’s more basic and average than a trip to the mall with your best college friend?By the end of the day, Kim gains a few new sweaters from Old Maroon and a cute jacket from Club Banana, and Nor is proudly rocking his new kicks, his old pair carried in his bag. On the way back to the car, she doesn’t think about it too hard when she offers to drive them back. “CNC is, like, right next to the school; you’d basically be driving us the whole way back. It’s only fair that I take the return trip.”“We’re hanging out at a local mall, not roadtripping to South Dakota,” Nor deadpans. “We don’t need to take turns.”She’s embarrassed that she asked, but she refuses to show it. “I was just offering. What’s in South Dakota?” she redirects as she and Nor load the backseat with their things. “I was there once on a search and rescue mission for a little kid who got lost in a corn field, but I didn’t get a chance to look around.”“The Six Grandfathers, Kimothy! A.K.A. the greatest cover-up job in American history!”With a wry smile, she settles into the passenger car seat as she buckles herself in for another of Nor’s conspiracy theories. “Do tell.”“You’ve heard of Mount Rushmore, surely. Well, that mountain is known to the local tribes as the Six Grandfathers, and…”Nor excitedly babbles about the long-held belief that there is a secret room carved into the mountain behind Abraham Lincoln which houses national secrets while he drives, and Kim just sits back and lets his voice fill the space.Throughout the whole mall excursion, the impending never fully went away. She refused to let it spoil her good time; but now, with the feeling growing the further along they go, it is begging to be acknowledged.In line at Cow 'n’ Chow, she thinks about mentioning it to Nor when they sit down, but he starts a conversation before she can bring it up.“What does the word 'transaction’ mean to you?” Nor asks before taking a sip of his soda. He is leaned back slightly and turned on his side to face her, adjoined countertop seats being the only ones available when they arrived.Completely taken aback by the random question, Kim has to take a second before answering him. “Isn’t that just, like, an exchange? I go to Club Banana, give the cashier money, and get to walk out with a new jacket.”Nor nods as he assembles his potager. “Yes, yes. Exactly that. Has anyone ever told you that you seem to have a transactions-centric approach to your relationships?”She makes a face. “What does that even mean?”“Like… Look at your whole business model. You don’t exchange cash; you just ask the people you’ve helped for favours when it’s convenient—favours, I will point out, which they’re already capable of providing. This makes the transactions more personal and therefore more valuable or memorable to you, and you’ve been operating that way since middle school. That's bound to have long-term effects on your perception of the world. Why else would shopping be your favourite hobby?”He adds the last part as a joke, but Kim has stopped staring at him like she was humouring him and has since started paying rapt attention. He’s startled enough at the sight to lose his train of thought, and he continues with less assuredness. “Right, uh. So… Couple that with the fact you’re just a genuinely nice person, and I bet it ends up being net-negative for you. I’ve only known you for a few months, but it seems like your whole existence is so rooted in what you can do for others that when things are done for you unprompted—like today with the car ride—it straight up triggers a recalibration.”Kim still hasn’t said anything, so Nor finally bites into his meal, giving her time to think.And think she does. She completely ignores her own meal as her mind conjures up memory after memory: times she went out of her way to express appreciation for someone after a favour as small as sharing a pencil sharpener in class; tantrums of But I was good! in her youth when she didn’t yet understand that behaving well wasn’t praised with extra cookies the way behaving poorly resulted in no cookies at all.“I… think you’re onto something,” she admits slowly, hesitantly.Nor raises his eyebrows at her. “What’s with the tone?”“Well, what am I supposed to do with that? How do I fix it?”He’s waving his hands in the air before she even finishes her question. “No! No no no no no. There’s nothing to fix! You’re clearly happy and fulfilled. I was just… I had a suspicion and wanted to see if I was right. I thought you might have noticed or known this about yourself already. It wasn’t meant to mean anything.”“But this isn’t normal, right?” she argues.Nor registers the note of self-criticism sneaking its way into her voice and realises he’s messed up. He quickly pulls her into a side hug, hardly a feat with how close the countertop seats are positioned. “Aw, Kimothy. You can’t let yourself think like that. 'Always be abnormal,’ that’s what I always say! Here, have a fry. That’ll make you feel better.”The chatter and clatter of a busy restaurant fade into silence as he waves a fry in front of her face, slow motion. The press of his hand on her shoulder and his arm around her back is grounding. Despite the discontent from the previous conversation, she feels comforted here. This place, this ambience, this feeling… it’s all so familiar.There is no more impending.“… Kim?”She opens her eyes, and Nor’s face is way closer than she remembers it being. The sounds come rushing into her consciousness like a CD on fast forward, and her hand is on Nor’s cheek.“Kim, what was that?”What has she done.She stands up abruptly, balance honed from years of cheerleading and freak-fighting being the only thing stopping her from stumbling onto the ground.“I gotta go,” she says, but she is already out the door. -- source link

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