Taste /tāst/

1. (Noun)

The sensation of flavour perceived in the mouth and throat on contact with a substance.

2. (Verb)

Perceive or experience the flavour of.

Wally feels that he should be grossed out by the fact that he kissed a girl.

Especially since that girl is girly, cuddly and is in love with those stupid Rainbow dorkies. But he isn't, strangely enough.

He doesn't know if it's because it's Kuki or if it's because of the way that she tastes.

See, now, that should be a really gross thing to say – the way she tastes…It makes it sound like he ate her, but he didn't. It's just that she tasted like cotton candy and rainbow monkey cereal, and that tasted really good.

He also feels that he should be grossed out by the fact that they were senior citi-zombies at the time, but again, he's not. He doesn't seem to mind really, considering that he's kinda secretly wanted to do that for ever and, if being evil (even momentarily) gave him the courage that it took to act, then he was weirdly thankful for it.

That was two years ago and they hadn't kissed or discussed their kiss since, but they both knew. They both remembered, their eyes telling the other so, their actions speaking even louder.

But now…Now he was going to forget.

"Happy Birthday, Numbuh Four." Numbuh 362, Soopreme Leader of the Kids Next Door saluted him, and the operatives all sat in the auditorium followed her move…Some of them were even crying. "You will be missed."

He glanced over his shoulder at his fellow operatives, the only two left: Numbuh One and Numbuh Three. Nigel was saluting, along with the rest of the organisation, but Kuki…Kuki had a horribly blank face, her eyes seemingly looking through things and not at them.

He closed his eyes as he felt his heart twist, each beat telling him that this is it…

Last Chance.

This whole…situation was just so stupid – They both knew, they knew how they felt about each other, but they never did anything about it, thinking that they'd have time…

Last Chance.

Well, now time has run out.

Guards appear at his sides and lead him out of the auditorium, the cheers and yells of his fellow comrades echoing around the arena, tugging his lips up into a grin. At least he'd be remembered, even if he couldn't remember anything.

His teammates were allowed into the pathway leading to the Decommissioning chamber, for a final, private goodbye. Even the guards and Numbuh 86 turned away, allowing them their time…Their last time.

Last Chance.

"Well Numbuh Four, it has been…An honour serving with you." Numbuh One offered his hand, but after a moment of just looking at the proffered hand, Wally reached forward and hugged him, his arms around his shoulders as he willed the tears not to fall.

He'd cried at both Hoagie and Abby's decommissioning, he didn't want to cry at his own. "I'll miss you, Wally." Nigel said sadly and Wally tightened his grip once before letting go and, taking a deep breath, he turned to face her.

And nearly crumbled on the spot. She was already crying, but not Kuki crying – not the waterfalls of tears that made him wish he carried an umbrella everywhere he went, no this was different, this was…this was heart-breaking crying, and isn't that just poetic? A broken heart at twelve…Is there even such a thing?

The shattered feeling in his chest, behind his ribs told him that it was. "Kooks, I –"

He didn't even finish what he was about to say before she launched herself at him, wrapping her arms tight around his neck, her fingers buried in his hair – he reacted instantly, his arms winding around her waist as she sobbed onto his shoulder.

He didn't shush her, didn't get annoyed at her and he didn't try and throw her off him. He turned his head into her long, black, shiny hair and breathed her in – she smelt like strawberries. But she tasted like cotton candy and rainbow monkey cereal, and he couldn't help but wonder if she still did.

He acted on impulse, moving back slightly to look into her teary, honey brown eyes. He wasn't sure who acted first (did he lean down or did she crane her head up? Did it matter?), but before he knew it, their lips were pressed together in a frantic, almost desperate kiss.

Last Chance.

He let out a small laugh, mid-kiss, when the flavour of cotton candy and rainbow monkey cereal settled on his tongue and a single tear broke through, tracing a path down his cheek and dripping off his jaw to land on her green jumper.

They broke apart when the need to breath became too much and he pressed his forehead to hers, in a silent, final goodbye.

One of the guards took his shoulder and he moved back after shooting a glare his way, his eyes flicking back over to Numbuh One, whose eyes were red and who had tear trails on his face. "Take care of her."

It wasn't a demand, it was a request. Nigel nodded and Wally knew that he would.

The guards pulled him back, away from her and he resisted the urge to yank back, to punch them. He was forced to turn away, pushed towards the decommissioning chamber and Kuki's sobs increased in crescendo, echoing in his ears and, he was pretty sure that they would haunt him for a while, whether he remembered her or not.

How could he forget her?

He was strapped to a chair and he half-heartedly pulled at the restraints, sending a glare Numbuh 86's way.

"Numbuh Four of the Kids Next Door, you have been scheduled for immediate decommissioning on your thirteenth birthday," she read him his rights and he craned his neck up to see if he could glance a final glimpse of his teammates.

He couldn't.

"Goodbye, Numbuh Four."

xxx

"The reason that you're still single, mister, is because you're picky!" Wally raised his eyebrows at the oriental girl opposite him who was waggling her finger at him, a mock glare in her eyes.

"Abby thinks she's right." Abigail Lincoln chuckled, pulling the brim of her hat down, "I ain't never seen a guy go through so many girls so fast because of stupid things."

Wally crossed his arms, affronted, "is there a reason that you're ganging up in me or am I just special?"

"If I were you, I'd suggest you just put up with it," Hoagie offered his advice as he sat next to Kuki, practically throwing his lunch tray on the table, "women are always right."

Wally rolled his eyes as he leaned his elbow on the plastic table, holding his head up in his palm. It wasn't that he was picky, per say…He didn't have a list of a thousand things that girls needed to have in order to date him he just…he had one specific thing.

They needed to taste like cotton candy and rainbow monkey cereal.

His eyes slid to Kuki, who was busy laughing at something that Nigel had said, her head thrown back, her laugh long and loud and it brought a smile to his lips. He wondered, not for the first time, if he were to kiss Kuki Sanban, what would she taste like?

Well, maybe one day he might just find out.