I’ve been wanting to do this one for a while! Please support the original artist, the pixiv id is 91729199
I was a little confused by how the text was written but quickly realized it must be a reference to smth, which it was! It’s from a poem by Nakahara Chuya which has been translated in several ways. I decided to sort of combine the them as well as my own input to have it more suited for this comic. Apparently it can be interpreted in many ways and the creator of this comic talks about how (as a bit of lore ig?) Prussia prays to Mother Mary but she doesn’t respond. He converted to Christianity in the middle of a war, and the tattered Rosary (the beads) is part of his “tainted sorrow”. I’m not too sure on what they meant so I could be wrong XD
In my opinion, I think he is somewhat of the tainted sorrow and, towards the end, the tainted sorrow also represents death. Wishes or passion perhaps that come to an end, or maybe vulnerability and acknowledgement towards higher power, which is war, death and God. It’s quite a beautiful poem.
Lastly, shoutout to these cool people 😎 (@cvrylle_, @innocent.art.smoothie, @ixdontxwannaxknow on insta)
The last page was originally in German, and cursive of all things, so I had so much trouble 😭 I was thinking of keeping it as is since it’s supposed to be German, but I really wanted to know what it said! lolol. So thankfully these three helped out! :D
“ ‘Shego?’ Drakken’s voice quietly called from the entryway to their entertainment room. Or rather his entertainment room, she reminded herself. She may have been living with the guy for coming on two years now but she didn’t need to think of herself as being part of an ‘us’. Not with him, at least.”
His body couldn’t decide if it was hot or cold, so sweat dripped down his forehead even as he shivered. The scratch in his throat had gone from a dull itch to a fiery burning, and his chest ached with every cough. There was some sort of combination of drool and snot on his face. Rubbing at it with his sleeve did nothing more than make his skin feel sore.
Sniffling, he tossed and turned under the thick layers of blankets, grumbling to himself about the fact that supervillains weren’t meant to get sick. A clanging sound coming from outside his bedroom made him shoot up, which in turn made him cough and slump back into the pillows. And that was precisely why villains shouldn’t get sick! How was he meant to defend himself if he couldn’t even sit up?
Of course, it hardly helped that he’d sent Shego - his new sidekick of sorts - away at the first sign of an oncoming cold that morning. He didn’t need his bodyguard getting sick, nor did he need her seeing him in such a pathetic state. Already in the few months that she’d worked for him she’d taken to mocking him as if he didn’t hold the future of her villainous career in his hands. He’d threatened to fire her twice, but she didn’t seem to care. It was like she knew he couldn’t actually fire her. So few individuals with her credentials were willing to stoop to sidekick, and he didn’t want to lose her.
He croaked out some words that may have been a warning or may have been him begging the entity moving around his lair not to hurt him. He wasn’t entirely sure. The fact that his voice broke and faded to nothingness every time he tried to speak above a whisper actually served him well, just then. At least his potential attacker hadn’t heard him if he’d said something pathetic.
Before he could work himself up into a truly frenzied panic, the door swung open. Trying to blink away his blurry vision he only barely remembered that he’d taken out his contacts and pawed at his nightstand for his glasses. A familiar green and black outfit came into focus and it took his muddled mind a moment to realize Shego was standing by the door. His bedroom door.
He uttered something that only sounded like, “Wha’re ya do…?” even to his own ears. Shego rolled her beautiful… um… she rolled her eyes at him and walked into his room, gracefully leaping over the moat he’d dug into his floor during a particularly bad bout of insomnia.
“Where did you even pick up a cold?” she asked with a teasing tone that made him want to curl in on himself. “You never leave this place.”
The only thing stopping him from blurting out that he went to karaoke every Friday thank you very much, was another coughing fit. Cringing, she stepped away from him, and he felt even worse seeing the look of disgust on her face. Great. He’d always wanted a sidekick that hated him.
As the fit subsided and he could pull in a breath again he forced himself to make eye contact, even as he pulled the blankets up to his chin.
“Why are you still here?” he choked out. Mocking him was one thing! But this was a direct disobey...ment of his commands! He’d told her to go home.
Shego rolled her eyes again, though this time he swore her cheeks were turning a darker green than usual. If it weren’t for the bowl of soup she placed on his nightstand he would have yelled at her to quit rolling her eyes at him… At least, as soon as he felt better.
“I’m not gonna let the guy who signs my paychecks croak, alright?” she said, but her flippancy did little to cover up the fact that… she stayed to take care of him. He couldn’t help but smile as he accepted the soup, which earned him a glare. “Just… shut up,” she dismissed. And then she turned on her heel and stalked back out of his room. But he already knew she would come back when he needed her. He was sure of it.
*****
“Shego?” Drakken’s voice quietly called from the entryway to their entertainment room. Or rather his entertainment room, she reminded herself. She may have been living with the guy for coming on two years now but she didn’t need to think of herself as being part of an ‘us’. Not with him, at least.
“What do you want?” she demanded, turning her back on him before he could see the tears streaming down her cheeks.
“I– I just wanted to see if… To make sure… Um… Are you alright, Shego?” he stammered, and she heard him shuffle a little further into the room.
“Just go away.”
For a long moment, he didn’t say anything, and she refused to speak lest he actually noticed how thick her voice sounded with the threat of sobs. She considered throwing some plasma his way, to get through to him that she wanted to be alone, but right before the flames could reach her palms she heard him finally start to walk away.
And for whatever reason, that’s what made the sob finally break loose from her chest. Burying her head in her palms she let herself cry for the first time in years. It was so stupid to be this upset over some lame guy - especially when she’d known all along she was just using him. It was even more stupid that she wished Drakken hadn’t left her after all.
She… she had been using him, right? Of course, right! She’d gotten money from him - not that he knew that yet. And, not that she would ever confess it to anyone, she’d finally gotten her first kiss out of him. Still, there was no reason to cry over some guy who dumped her just cause she wasn’t gonna fuck him after their second date. So why couldn’t she stop?
“He’s an idiot, you know.”
Shego let out a rare startled gasp, and was immediately furious with herself for crying like a baby to the point she didn’t hear clumsy, galumphing Drakken sneaking back into the room.
“I thought I told you to get lost,” she grumbled, shoving him back with a palm to his chest. He winced as if she’d actually hurt him, and the stupid surprised look on his face made her nearly feel bad for lashing out at him.
Rubbing his chest he muttered. “Well, I just… I thought. He’s an idiot, Shego,” he repeated.
She glared at him, although it was sort of nice to hear him say that. “Yeah, so what?”
“So… nothing. I only meant… If he’s stupid enough to not be patient then he doesn’t deserve you.”
“Were you eavesdropping?” she asked, her voice shriller than expected. Before he could respond she pushed him back again, then told herself that she definitely did not at all feel bad when he fell to the floor.
He scrambled back to his feet before he managed an answer through his stammering. “No,” he vehemently denied. “It just– I only… Sound travels through the lair, Shego! I didn’t mean to listen.”
“Uh-huh, sure,” she sarcastically agreed. “Go away.” When he only bit his lip, not budging from where he stood, she crossed her arms and demanded, “Why are you still here?”
“I thought maybe…” His voice trailed off and with a timid smile and shrug he held a carton of strawberry ice cream out to her. “I was going to watch a movie. I thought maybe you might want to join me?”
Despite herself, Shego couldn’t resist the small smile that formed on her face. “Fine, but you have to make popcorn too. And I’m picking the movie.”
His timid smile became his trademark idiotic grin, and he turned to make his way to the kitchen, calling over his shoulder, “Afterward we can fly over to his house and see how well the disintegration ray actually works.”
She rolled her eyes as she sat down on the couch, waiting for him to come back. He always did. She was sure he always would.
*****
Things had been tense between them ever since Drakken had won his award for saving the world. There was so much to discuss, that neither of them was willing to bring up. Talking about whether they wanted to stay villains or let the perks of heroism take them in was shockingly among the easier subjects to discuss.
His vines had wrapped around her during the ceremony, crushing them into an awkward hug - a picture of which ended up on the front page of nearly every newspaper and magazine around the world by the next morning. Stories claiming the duo were in a relationship were even more abundant than real reports of the events of the invasion.
They had agreed that it was nothing more than embarrassing and laughed about all the ways they would destroy the news companies if they ever decided to go back to villainy. Both deliberately ignored the twinge of pain at the denial of anything more between them.
Drakken’s flowers had rapidly taken over the lair in the month that had passed, not that he or Shego minded. Vines climbed up the walls, and they had to walk over the petals lining the floor like a bride walking down the aisle. The sweet smell of roses overpowered the smell of the dinner he cooked to share with her, celebrating one month from the day they didn’t die.
It wasn’t until dessert was served that mindless chatter bloomed into something more significant. The question that was asked wasn’t malicious. It was a mere curiosity, finally bringing the most difficult subject to light. The answer surprised them both with its simplicity.
A commissioned comic for a wife to her husband, to be drawn as Wonder Woman & Superman to reask for his hand in marriage. A special and sweet project I was thankful to be a part of and work on!
So, this is the first actual short fic I’ve written! And my first attempt at writing from Drakken’s perspective. I did my best to get a sort of middle-ground between the genres while staying true to the characters. Anyone up for some more post-graduation drakgo?? Hope you enjoy!
“The day he finally discovered what she was afraid of happened many years after they’d begun to work together. It was something he’d never have even considered. He had a (top-secret) list of ideas which was dozens upon dozens of items long and yet it had not once occurred to him.”
It is a universal truth that everybody, no matter how cool and collected, has a weakness. And he knew that someday he would find hers. He never told her this, of course. If he’d ever dared she would have made his life hell just to point out how much weaker than her he was. As it was her mocking often made him sputter out awkward grunts and half-shouts before he’d finally manage to scream out her name or tell her to zip it.
It wasn’t that he wanted to find her weakness to be cruel… it would just be nice to know she was human. And oh alright, it would be nice to have something to use as leverage once in a while, when she got too lippy.
He’d tried horror movies. She found them thrilling, and often amusing. Inadvertently he’d also given her more mocking material because he’d ended up cowering in a ball on the corner of the couch. He’d not expected the amount of blood there had been, nor had he realized just how creepy the demon character was. She’d just laughed at him but was at least kind enough to reassure him that he was safe. Actually, it wasn’t intentionally kind, she’d been making fun of him when she said it but he found it comforting nevertheless.
He’d tried heights, which he realized as she threw herself from the plane had been ridiculous. She was a thrill-seeker and had pulled crazier stunts. At least he refrained from screaming as they freefell. He did pull his parachute earlier than she did, but she didn’t even make fun of him for that. Maybe he had done better than she would have expected.
He’d scheduled doctors’ appointments for them and for all the henchman. He may be evil but he wasn’t stupid, and it was high time they were all brought up to date on their vaccinations. He’d even had their families vaccinated, which he thought was rather nice of him. After seeing more than one of his henchmen faint at the sight of the needles he’d begun to think maybe Shego was scared of needles as well. After all, she’d protested the necessity of the doctor all week. He watched as she stormed into the room and slammed down a folder that held her medical history (he didn’t mention he’d already provided the doctor with her documents, she’d accuse him of being too in her business). Then she sat down in the chair, rolled up her sleeve and got her flu shot for the year.
“Happy now?” she spat. “Can I go now that you’ve wasted most of my day off?”
So, she wasn’t afraid of needles either.
Storms were out of the question since he remembered the incident with the weather machine just fine. It was the first time he’d hugged her without being blasted with plasma. Actually, he’d more clung to her because he had been terrified, but normally even that—especially that—would be enough to bring him harm. He remembered it so well because he’d spent the entire night awake, wishing he hadn’t let go, like some lovestruck fool. Not that he was in love! No way! She was just… nice to… hold… and- never mind that! He didn’t love Shego! She was his employee and, on some rare days, his friend. This journey to find her weakness wasn’t some pulling at pigtails crush! It was just… well. It was… She wouldn’t feel the same even if he did love her so who cares?!
Clowns freaked him out, and as they hid inside a circus tent to evade the police (it was convenient it was there since the circus might be the only place that they actually blended in) he discovered they annoyed her to no end. But they didn’t scare her in the least.
She wasn’t afraid of spiders either. That was another possibility he didn’t bother with. Killing spider was in her contract. And he meant that literally. Oh, she’d teased him relentlessly for the first year of her employment but after awhile she just got rid of spiders with very little to say about it.
The day he finally discovered what she was afraid of happened many years after they’d begun to work together. It was something he’d never have even considered. He had a (top-secret) list of ideas which was dozens upon dozens of items long and yet it had not once occurred to him.
“So, what do we do now, Doc?” She asked as he pulled her into the hovercraft. For a moment he didn’t answer, as he gave her a quick but minimally invasive once over. She’d been knocked out- not for very long but he rarely saw her actually injured after a fight. He didn’t mind admitting then and there that he’d been afraid for her. “Doc?” She demanded again, slapping his hand away from the back of her head where he’d been checking for blood.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I should have-”
“Drakken, I’m fine. Can we just go home now, or something? I’m tired and sore but I’m fine. I just want to sleep.”
“Yes, right. Of course. Home it is.” Home. Had she ever called one of the lairs home before? He didn’t think she had. “Back to the lair?”
She nodded and slumped further into her seat. “You’re driving, flower boy.”
He groaned at the name but didn’t bother to protest. She’d already closed her eyes, evidently through talking.
He couldn’t help but watch her the whole time he was driving. It saddened him to think about it but he’d kind of… well, he had kind of expected her not to come for him. And from there his mind drifted to that stupid almost-hug. Why had he stopped? She had really looked like she wanted to hug him too. And he’d just… been a coward. Four years and counting and he couldn’t think of one thing she was afraid of, but she probably could think of dozens of things he was afraid of in her sleep.
He told himself it would have embarrassed her, for him to hug her in front of Kim Possible and her buffoonish sidekick. That wasn’t true though. He’d been scared. He’d been scared again, as they flew back to the lair, and when the alien robot things broke through the roof of the Middleton lair. And during the first moment after he’d yelled for his plants to attack when nothing had happened. And most of all when Shego had been flung away like a piece of garbage and that awful cracking sound and… he looked over to her again, to make sure she was still alright. She was curled up like a kitten, her hands balled up in tight fists next to her head, still sleeping soundly.
He was a coward, but not because he was afraid of horror movies, or clowns, or spiders. No, he was a coward because he could hardly admit to himself that he loved her. But he did. He loved her.
It took a few hours but he finally pulled the hovercraft up to their new jungle lair. Actually, it was more of a treehouse with a lab.
“Shego?” He whispered. Shego was not a happy riser, but she’d be even less happy if he carried her inside. Instead of hitting at him the way he’d expected she nodded, drifted to her feet, and walked inside on her own.
“Crap,” she moaned as they got inside. “We never unpacked.”
“I’ll find the mattresses,” he offered, though what he wanted to say was I told you to unpack!
“Yeah, I’m awake now, might as well help.”
After three grueling hours of opening boxes, they managed to find one mattress, big enough to hold both of them—if they cuddled. Cuddling just wasn’t something they did so, despite his protesting muscles and the exhaustion that was starting to make it hard to stay on his own two feet, he told her to take it.
“Are you sure, Doctor D? I can… we can look a little while longer I mean. Or…”. A faint green blush took over her features and she fell silent.
In his exhaustion he barely noticed. “Or what, Shego?” he asked around a yawn.
“Nothing.”
“Oh. Okay. If you want to keep looking you can, but I really think you should rest.”
“Says the one who’s been yawning every other word.”
“Zip it,” he muttered, half-heartedly.
Half an hour later Shego quit and crawled onto the mattress. Another hour after that and the sun was beginning to rise in the distance. His throat closed up with the threat of exhausted, frustrated tears. Where could the other mattress have gone? Or even just a pillow! A blanket! Anything so he could just go to sleep.
A startled gasp escaped him as a hand clapped around his own, but it was just Shego.
“Go to bed, Doc,” she yawned and before he could say anything else she pulled him towards her, and made room for him on the bed. Too tired to feel awkward about it he clambered in next to her with a quiet sigh.
She curled into him. She cuddled up with him. Her head was on his chest, one of her arms thrown across his stomach. After a moment’s hesitation, he decided even she couldn’t get too mad at him, so he buried his face in her hair and held her to him.
“I’m really glad you’re okay,” she mumbled into his skin. “I was so afraid they would have hurt you.”
He blinked in surprise, pulling away to make sure it was actually Shego he’d cuddled up with. “You- you were?”
“Of course I was, you idiot.” She nestled into him again, her breath evening out.
After a long moment, he let out a quiet laugh. When that didn’t rouse her he kissed the top of her head and whispered, “I love you, Shego.”
And as he fell asleep he swore he heard her mumble, “love you too, Doc.”
