AU: "Kim Possible"
Kim Cassandra Possible is no ordinary teenager. Oh, she may seem like one during the day, when she attends Corona High School where she is the captain of the cheerleading squad. But at night, she fights crime and saves the world! She catches all sorts of baddies, red-handed. It's really no big, as long as she has her trusty sidekick (and best friend since pre-k) by her side.
Ron Varian Stoppable (said best friend) has had a crush on Kim practically since the day they met, when she rescued him from a group of schoolyard bullies. But he has never admitted these feelings to her. He is afraid it would ruin their friendship, and she means too much to him for him to let that happen. His heart aches every time she talks about her newest crush, or goes out on dates with other guys. But he endures, knowing that whenever the safety of the world is at stake, it is him she calls for backup.
Not that he feels he can offer much help on their missions. The villains they face all view him simply as the clumsy sidekick with occasional dumb luck. He really hopes Kim doesn't feel that way about him, too...
No, she wouldn't. She wouldn't insist on bringing him along with she thought he would only be a hindrance.
"Be careful, Varian. There's no way this tunnel doesn't have any traps," Kim says.
Varian nods. He prefers to go by his middle name, so that is what most people call him (except for his parents, who insist on calling him 'Ronald'). "Traps. Got it. I'll keep an eye out. Thanks, Cassie."
Kim rolls her eyes, but a smile plays on her lips. "You know you are literally the only person on the planet who calls me that, right? And trust me, I would know. I've been all over it."
Varian grins. He knows this fact very well. And it is exactly how he wants it to be. Kim may prefer to go by her first name, but when he calls her by her middle name it's kind of his way of showing his affection for her without letting her onto his true feelings for her too much. "Come on, you know you love it."
But Kim doesn't answer. Instead, she is shining her flashlight farther down the dark tunnel. "You might wanna cut back on the volume," she whispers. "We've got some new friends up ahead."
Varian has to hold in his gasp at what he sees: Ahead of them, the walls and ceiling of the tunnel are lined with bats. Hundreds and hundreds of sleeping bats. And they are between the two of them and their destination. He can just imagine them all awakening, screeching and flapping their wings... getting in their hair... "Eww! No way! I'm not doing it. Nope! There's gotta be another way through."
However, when he looks at her, Kim is smiling. She is always up for a challenge. "Get a grip, Varian," she says. "We know the princess is being held hostage here, and this is the quickest route. It's so not the drama!"
Varian sighs. Kim is always dragging him into these dangerous sitches... But he would do anything for her. And she always manages to get them out of whatever trouble comes their way. It's one of the many things he loves about her.
But will she ever learn how he truly feels?