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Kids Next Door Mission

Operation: C.U.P.I.D.

Coming

Up

Primates

In

Desperation

Chapter 1: A Gift

Paddy Fulbright yawned as he rose from his bed. His dreams had been full of her. He didn't know why he thought about her so much, he didn't know why he found it oh so hard to speak a full sentence to her, he didn't know why he wanted to hug her so much. All he knew was that she was everywhere in his mind and he couldn't get her out. He might not have wanted to at all, but he wouldn't admit that to himself.

Paddy got out of bed after these thoughts had left him, for the moment. He brushed his hand through his wavy red hair, still insanely happy that it grew back at all. He loved it so. He walked up to the closet and grabbed a green wool sweater, some pinkish-redish trousers and some shoes and socks.

After two minutes he was fully dressed and out of his door. He went into the bathroom and went through his normal routine of brushing his hair and brushing his teeth. He walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, where the family ate most of their meals.

He didn't see his dad, which was kind of lucky. He didn't hold any grudges towards his dad, but he still didn't want to see him for a while, if only cause of the threat of his dad randomly trying to cut his hair again.

His mammy wasn't around either, he assumed she was still asleep.

Shaunie would be asleep as well, but his older sister, the head of decommissioning Numbuh 86, was awake and reading a rainbow monkey magazine as she munched on some Rainbow Monkey cereal. Paddy grabbed a bowl of his own, took the milk from the fridge and prepared himself a dish of the rainbow coloured cereal. He didn't speak to his sister, he was too scared to.

Fanny Fulbright had a distaste for her brothers, not just her brothers but boys in general. But as she stared at Paddy's eyes she noticed that his mind wasn't really there, not in the room. He was daydreaming. Fanny normally wouldn't have cared, it would keep him out of her hair for a bit. But she had learnt from past experiences that a boy who was daydreaming was a very dangerous thing.

"What's wrong ya stupid boy?" Fanny asked, now staring at him so he would know she was looking. She looked in his eyes and saw them snap back to the present.

"Nothing sis…"

"Paddy don't be making the mistake of thinking I'm an idiot. What's wrong? Tell me, I might be able to help, not that a stupid boy deserves it…" Fanny trailed off, and Paddy thought hard on how he could explain what was wrong.

"There's this…girl. She's kind of been on my mind, and I kind of want her to like me. I just don't know how to do that." Paddy stopped talking and waited for ten minutes as Fanny enjoyed a full on laugh.

"My brother's got a crush! I could laugh forever about this, I really could." Fanny proved this by not stopping. After five minutes of this Paddy decided that it was worth the possible negative repercussions.

"Fanny! It's not that funny!" Paddy roared, having raised his voice to match his sister's laughter. Fanny sobered up rather quickly, but still had a grin on her face. This she couldn't help, it was very rare that she got to laugh at her brothers, she'd shout at them till her throat hurt, but she didn't really laugh.

"Okay, I'll stop…so what's the problem? Just walk up to her and ask with the two of ya can play together. If she says yes she'll end up being their friend. If not better luck next time."

"It's not that easy, we're already friends. But I don't know if she likes me as much as I like her." Paddy sighed, "You got any ideas sis?"

"I don't know…you could get her a gift?"

"What?" Paddy said quickly as he stared across the table at Fanny. It was like she'd said something truly ground breaking.

"Gifts are a good way to show your affection. I've no clue what you'd get her, but I'm sure you'll think of something." She smiled a genuine smile, and Paddy felt like he knew his sister a little better.

"Besides it's Valentines, right? Not many better times to give a girl a gift." Fanny said bored, she'd helped her brother and had now decided to go back to her Rainbow Monkey Cereal.

"Can I borrow that magazine?" Paddy asked as kindly as he could manage, and Fanny handed it over, keeping her eyes trained on Paddy. If he so much as bent one of the pages of her Rainbow Monkey Magazine the wrong way she'd have his head.

Paddy flipped through the pages, cringing at the overwhelming girly-ness of Rainbow Monkeys in general. His eyes then spotted something of interest.

"Happy Valentines With Lots Of Love Rainbow Monkey?" Paddy read out loud with one breath. He took a couple of seconds and just stared at the magazine confused. He then read some text next to the image inside the mag,

'Sorry all you rainbow monkey lovers, the true huggy goodness of this rainbow monkey only applies if a boy got it for you. This means that this boy cares, and his feelings for you will be intensified by the Happy Valentines With Lots Of Love Rainbow Monkey's hugs.' Paddy rolled his eyes at the silliness of it all. But then again, that girl was a big Rainbow Monkey fan, and if she knew what a boy getting this Valentines Rainbow Monkey meant…

"It's perfect." Paddy smiled, he turned to his sister. "Thanks Sis, you've been a great help." Paddy had already finished his cereal, he jumped up from his chair and ran upstairs, and grabbed the money he'd need for the Valentines Monkey. Paddy just hoped she liked it.

Paddy then ran out of his room, and hitched a ride on the stairs rail.

He stopped at the front door and checked his watch, realising it was really getting late, 8:00 in the morning. He was running out of time, he decided to dash to the Rainbow Monkey store that he'd seen many times around, but then he realised something.

'I can't go into a Rainbow Monkey Store, I'm a boy!' He thought, Paddy wasn't like, say, Numbuh 4. Numbuh 4 would destroy anything he thought was girly, Paddy didn't really believe in a boys things or girls thing…unless it was rainbow monkeys, then it was such a magical rainbow bonanza of girly-ness that even he couldn't stand it.

With this thought in mind, he tried to think of ways he could go into the shop without losing all of his boyhood…'I could always drag another boy in with me…if anything it'd make it easier for me to manage…but who?' Paddy racked his brain, and then clicked his fingers when his mind stopped on the perfect person, and like that he was out the door running at a steady pace, on a route to the McKenzie Household.

Paddy and Harvey were in the same Sector, Paddy's major problem was finding something that would make Harvey want to help him. That alone was trickier than any fight with any adult.

Harvey's house was fairly normal, looked like every other house around for miles. The only thing that draw the eye, and this would normally only last a second, was the gigantic tree house behind said boring normal house. The tree was decked out randomly placed planes, and a couple of trains. There was a satellite at the very top of the tree, used for picking up KND messages and missions. Also, like every tree house across the world, the tree had 'KND' placed somewhere, it was painted over one of the noticeable planes.

Paddy didn't slow down to stare, why should he? He almost lived in that tree house, as did Harvey, Lee and Sonya. He knew what it looked like, knew it like the back of his hand.

Paddy ran up to the tree, and pressed his hand into what appeared to be a random piece of bark, which then caused the tree house elevator doors to open, allowing him access to the many rooms inside the tree.

As soon as Paddy was in the living room area of the tree, he saw Harvey, who was already dressed for school. Harvey lacked his Sector Leader hat, which he never wore to school out of fear of it breaking. Harvey was writing on a sheet of paper, Paddy thought it might have been homework.

"Want something, Numbuh 85?" Harvey spoke absently, only starting the conversation out of his own boredom rather than curiosity.

"Now that you mention it 363, I kind of need your help." No reason to beat about the bush.

"With?"

"Um…" At that second Paddy realised how silly it was to ask someone to go with you to a shop. He then reminded himself that being a kid was about being silly. "I was going to buy a gift for someone, but I can't go into the shop alone."

"Is it a girls shop?" Harvey asked without missing a beat.

"Yes." Paddy answered knowing that stalling would give it away and make Harvey less likely to go with him.

"What's in it for me?" Harvey asked, finally looking away from his paper and staring at Paddy. Harvey appeared to be balancing the pros and cons in his head.

"I'll owe you one?" Paddy shrugged, he didn't have a solid motive to make Harvey help him, he just hoped he would.

"Fine, let's go." Harvey folded the paper and placed it in his back pocket. Paddy sighed, and followed his Sector Leader onto their Sector's S.C.A.M.P.E.R. Harvey was in the driver's seat, and Paddy informed him of what street the shop was on.

"One question, is it Sonya?" Harvey asked, glancing at Paddy for a split second. Paddy blushed, was he really that obvious?

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Paddy asked really confused.

"Because I have eyes." Harvey answered smugly. Paddy rolled his eyes, Harvey could be very annoying sometimes.

Paddy and Sonya, why not?