Here's part 2!
Disclaimer: I don't own Codename: Kids Next Door, Mr Warburton does.
Heart To Heart
Numbuh 3 sat sobbing on the balcony situated on the 3rd floor of the treehouse where the wrath of suns blazing rays were moving to a new location keeping her out of the scorching heat as she positioned herself in the shade against the strong wooden treehouse walls. No one would have known she was even out there is it wasn't for the faint cries that could be heard.
Still feeling hurt from the comments her crush had made earlier that had successfully embarrassed her in front of her friends were not helping the tears disappear as she roughly dried her eyes with the now soggy long sleeve of her green jumper. That and the reaction he had displayed to the new relationship of Wally and Kuki in mind of the 10 year old made her come to the conclusion that there was no way the Australian shared any of the feelings she had for him.
Within the 3 years they had known each other, she had received nothing but mixed messages from the operative; one minute he was kind, caring and appeared to hang on her every word when the next he was nasty, rude and ripped apart everything she stood for, including her cuddly toys as Mr Huggykins knew very well as his latest victim. That resulting in a very fitting punishment that made him think twice about doing such a thing again. The statement opposites attract had always seemed to haunt Numbuh 3 making her believe the saying to be true, only now it seemed far from it.
She was well aware of the fact that there were other guys that seemed interested in her or maybe they thought her to be stupid and gullible. They still flirted with her though making her respond equally as playful but only to try making her crush jealous. It appeared no matter how much she tried her thoughts always drifted back to him. Then there were guys like 'The Kid' who always pestered her and would unapologetically flirt with her in front of the Australian while others wouldn't dare. At this the Japanese frowned through her red puffy eyes and tears as she vaguely remembered hearing the Hispanic boys name during that awful argument Wally and Kuki had days ago.
"I warned you he was no good years ago but you ignored me! And look what happened there!"
They were the words she recalled hearing the 17 year old male shout back at her future self, so loud it could be heard without even being in the room itself. There was a mention of having have dated Ace before but Wally's comment had hinted that the relationship didn't end well. To her the 'fly boy' as Numbuh 4 always nicknamed him always seemed like a nice guys making the 10 year old begin to question where it had gone so wrong.
"Hi" A whispered voice made Numbuh 3 flinch in surprise, making her forget her earlier thoughts. Her head moved to turn to her left side and through blurred vision could see that it was the voice of a beautiful teenage girl with long glossy black hair cascading like a waterfall over her shoulders. A young woman who looked like she could very easily fit in to those fairytales involving enchanted lands and princesses, not someone who would eventually become her future self. "I thought I heard someone out here." Numbuh 3 wiped her eyes once again producing a clearer image of the approaching teenager who sat down to join her younger self where she noticed the wetness around her eyes. "Why the tears?"
"It's nothing...really" Numbuh 3 mentally cursed as she didn't sound very convincing, this proved when Kuki raised a thin black eye brow at her.
"Are you sure?" The child nodded quickly as she dried her eyes again, getting frustrated at her now wet sleeve which was now defeating its purpose. When her eyes opened again she saw a clean white tissue dangling in front of her face waiting to be accepted. "Here, this might help."
Accepting the kind gesture gratefully, Numbuh 3 continued to dry her eyes now absolutely convinced that there was no way this world could be real, that she would never grow up to be this attractive young woman with the angelic tone which sounded nothing like her own high pitched voice, who had an elegant figure, a smile that could stop and whole room and now an equally drop dead gorgeous boyfriend. The reminder of said partner felt like a kick in the teeth as to Numbuh 3 it was the most unconvincing part of all this.
"It's lovely out here isn't it?" The teen started awkwardly as she looked at the view ahead. Watching through the gaps of the wooden fence nearly giving the perfect view of the neighbourhood which seemed to be at its peak time as they watched kids queue up for the ice cream van. Thankfully at least these guys actually stopped for kids now they we're away from Father's iron fist rule over them. Closing her eyes she felt a light refreshing breeze wash over them as if to soothe the younger female which was obviously working as she released a light giggle while the breeze tickled her.
Opening her eyes slowly Kuki sighed aware she could not put off the question her brain was dying to ask. "Are you upset about the thing earlier?" Seeing the girl give an uncharacteristic frown made the teen giggle as she elaborated on her question. "Involving me, Wally and Numbuh 4...I know it must have come as a shock and I understand if your angry."
"I'm not mad." Numbuh 3 quickly answered as she grinned at the teen who mirrored her. "Why would I be? You seem so happy...you both do." The unmoving smile and the blush gracing her porcelain cheeks proved the statement correct. "You were telling the truth earlier weren't you? You had only just got together right?"
The teen nodded in response long black tresses tickling her face at the movement, the blush on her cheeks deepened as she spoke. "It happened last night...midnight. That's what Numbuh 4 saw the first time but obviously he didn't know what happened before that...It's kind of good he didn't though...lots of spoilers." At that both of them laughed. Admittedly Numbuh 3 was enjoying spending time with the 17 year old already as they hadn't spent proper time together since the visit to the Sanban residence when the kids first crash landed in this strange world.
"Sorry about what Numbuh 4 said too, he was so mean to both of you." Another shake of the head from the Japanese teenager dismissed the apology.
"Don't be, I expected you to be ok but me and Wally both knew his reaction wouldn't be a happy one which is why we tried to keep things quiet plus we weren't actually official until this afternoon...at the second interruption." Realisation at what was just said dawned on Numbuh 3 making her feel even more guilty and more apologetic than ever over her crush's behaviour for ruining their special moment. Reading her thoughts, Kuki put her mind at ease. "It's fine really so please don't worry about it."
"But I feel terrible, it's meant to be one of the most romantic moments and he ruined it!" Her lips pouted as she sulked for the teen who seemed just as unaffected now than she did when she spoke about it to Abby who was equally as apologetic. However with Abby her guilt was short lived when the African American managed to scoop every juicy detail out of her friend regarding her new relationship with Wally; all the way from confession, intimacy and ending at the incident in her bedroom which resulted in the mess they were in right now. Watching the little girls face now, Kuki sensed there was something else worrying her as Kuki had not quite revealed why she had been crying in the first place.
"What else is bothering you? If you weren't crying cause of me then why were you?" A look of doubt flashed on Numbuh 3's facial features as she debated whether or not to share. Looking at the teen who gave her a warm reassuring smile as if urging her speak out which she made the decision to do so.
"It's just that...I find it hard to believe that all this could even be real." A quizzing look urged Numbuh 3 to explain further. "Like with you and Wally...I don't understand how it could even happen when Numbuh 4 doesn't even like me. He's just so angry, out control, rude..." The young girl paused when she realised it wasn't just her speaking these words but the teen next to her talking in sync with a wide grin beaming on her face as she only continued the list.
"...mean, idiotic, boneheaded moron..." Noticing Numbuh 3's look of disbelief made her stop and release a devious giggle. "Sorry...so you think because of all these things he doesn't like you?" The girl nodded. "Yeah I thought that too, I mean I didn't even realise he loved me until less than 24 hours ago. But knowing that now and thinking back on the past...it so obvious. And some of the things he's done even though they seemed stupid and unreasonable at the time...they were for a purpose..."
"What's that?" Numbuh 3 asked out of curiosity as the teen had trailed off into deep thought. Dismissing her musings, Kuki turned back to her younger self who was eyeing her carefully.
"Protection" Kuki whispered with a gentle smile at the youngster who still looked confused. "Honestly! If you heard some of the things Wally said to me last night you would believe me. Even though I didn't understand that until earlier this year."
"The Kid?" Numbuh 3 guessed to be the main reason behind the traces remorse in her violet eyes. Hearing the old nickname belonging to her ex made those eyes quickly flicker towards the child who sat innocently. "His name was mentioned when you and Wally were arguing...You dated?"
"Hehe, I didn't consider how loud we were then." Her shaky laugh ended in an exhausted sigh, not really wanting to relive the memory of the night that left her in tears. "Yeah we dated but...he wasn't the guy I thought he was. Wally was right though, I should have listened to him and stayed away but I didn't."
"What happened?"
"I can't tell you sadly but I can only tell you to stay clear of him." Shaking her head at the girl, thankful that she couldn't tell her anything even if she wanted to due to spoilers, But Kuki decided to tell her something else instead which she hoped would prevent the young Japanese from giving up on the Australian. "But Wally saw something in Ace that no one else did. I thought he was just jealous which was half true but instead he was trying to protect me all along."
"Really?" Kuki nodded with a grin. Numbuh 3 gasped, touched by the efforts her crush would make just to defend her. Kuki's statement alone paid off as the operative was starting to see Numbuh 4 in a new light.
"I know Numbuh 4 seems far off Wally is now but trust me, they're not that different really. He's just got a bit of growing up to do first...Hopefully Numbuh 4 will see that too eventually." This reassuring bit of advice made both females giggle, the tears from the younger one now well and truly gone. "Feeling better now?"
"Yes, thank you" Numbuh 3 chuckled as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her left ear. There was silence between the pair for a moment until an idea entered Kuki's head which was sure to entertain her younger self who she was enjoying and keen to spend more time with while her boyfriend was busy.
"Hey, you know what you haven't had a proper look at yet... My rainbow monkey collection." Violet eyes literally lit up hearing those two words, a rush of excitement making her unable to keep still. "Trust me it's grown in 7 years."
"Can we go?! Please?!" Numbuh 3 squealed elatedly, back to her usual bubbly self instantly making the teenage Japanese catch the bug of infectious laughter as she managed to come out of a response agreeing. "Yay!"
Leaping up, the smaller female impatiently grasped the small soft hand of the teen as she attempted to pull her to her feet also. Elegantly, Kuki rose from her place and joined the hyperactive child as she proceeded to pull to teen towards the bedroom that contained rainbow monkey paradise.
Numbuh 4 stood in one of the treehouse's many corridors alone, deliberating whether the plan he had formed was going to be a good one. Standing outside the very room that he knew his target was currently situated wasn't putting him at ease either but he knew he had to do this; for himself and his friends.
Hearing thumping noises coming from the other side of the door, Numbuh 4 found the courage to approach the wooden door so he was inches away. He was about to reach for the small metal door handle when his memory replayed the treehouse tour when the young team first arrived in this strange world, reminding him that this particular teen preferred people to knock first. Wanting to start the conversation a good way, the Australian diverted his hand to instead rap on the wooden barrier. The response was almost immediate.
"It's open!" The faint reply with an identical accent granted him access. The 10 year old swung open the door, not before hesitating first. He was met with the sight of the familiar wrestling ring only this time in the middle of it proudly stood a tall punching bag which was being attacked with the gloved fists of the teenage Wally Beatles who was wearing a black tight fitting short sleeved t-shirt with matching 3/4 length black lightweight trousers. Surprisingly the teen didn't look like he was even breaking a sweat as he focussed on aiming for the piece of equipment once again, not stopping to see who had actually knocked in the first place.
Nervously, Numbuh 4 looked his future self up and down, secretly feeling quite jealous of him. He was cool, handsome, fit as proved by his exposed tanned arms and now he had the most perfect and beautiful girl by his side to top it all off. How did he get so lucky?
It was at this moment Wally paused to look at who had entered the room, his expression faltered slightly in surprise when green eyes made contact on the child hunched up form, hands pouched in the front pocket of his orange hoodie as he stared back. The scene looked similar to those wild west films at the point of a standoff between two cowboys as they stared at each other silently.
"Hi" The teen spoke first to break the awkward silence. A mumbled greeting back indicated to Wally this hadn't been an easy day for his younger self. "Having a tough day?"
Taken aback by the question, Numbuh 4 thought carefully about his answer should it influence how this conversation would flow. "Maybe". Wally held an apologetic smile as he looked down at the orange and white boxing gloves as he slowly loosened the straps on his wrists to free his now clammy hands from their confines. No longer liking the long pause, Numbuh 4 finally spoke again. "I wanted to talk...about what hap...I mean...the thing." A blonde eyebrow was raised by the teen, sympathising at how inarticulate his younger self was being, something that sadly for him hadn't really improved with age. "And I wanted to say sorry...about before."
There was quiet again as Numbuh 4 awaited the response, not surprised if he was thrown out the room after the way he acted up previously. An exasperated sigh was heard followed by hands raking through blonde locks making the youth instantly expect the worse but he instead heard something else. "We'll talk downstairs." With that, the teen walked to the edge of the ring and disappeared over the side as he proceeded to climb down a firm iron ladder that lead to the bottom floor. Cautiously peeking from above, Numbuh 4 watched and waited for the teen to descend before following.
When his feed connected with the solid wood floor bellow, he looked around the room he had only entered once since arriving in the future and a took a moment to take the room in properly. Numbuh 4 saw little things he hadn't noticed before such as a black guitar held upright in its metal stand in the corner of the room, a blue skateboard with a red flamed inferno deck and mini fridge which is older self had currently opened to retrieve two soda cans also showing he was not short stock of them. Looking at some of these item only proved to Numbuh 4 that he and his future self weren't that different at all. He liked skateboards and sodas, the only thing different was the guitar which was an instrument he had always wanted to play and no matter how much he tried to convince his mom, the conversation always reverted back to that piano.
A hovering can of soda snapped him out of his thoughts, noticing Wally was offering him one. When he gladly accepted the beverage with muttered thanks, he was indicated to sit on the black sofa in the rooms centre while the teen opted to sit on his bed, trying to ignore the reminders of what had happened in this bed hours ago making a smirk tug at Wally's lips. The awkward silence commenced again as neither were sure how to start.
"Nice room" Numbuh 4 mumbled as he looked around the room again while perched at the very end of the unfamiliar sofa. Wally rolled his green eyes at the statement which had been last time his younger self entered this part of the room.
"You've said that already" The observation made the 10 year old flush in embarrassment at the mistake but the teenager did nothing to mock him. With a quiet apology, there was tranquillity again with the youngsters gaze looking admirably at the guitar, something not missed by Wally. "Nice ay? Been playing for nearly 2 years now."
"Did mom really let you...?" Numbuh 4 was quickly interrupted as his question was answered.
"No, I saved up and bought it myself...taught myself too." Some form of delight crossed the young operatives face as he heard this, inwardly celebrating the fact that he had a guitar and those dreaded piano lessons would soon stop. "Mom only stopped the piano lessons when I was at 'a good enough standard'." The taller male quoted sadly raining on the boys parade making him laugh at the instant change of expression.
The exchange turned into a good ice breaker for them as Numbuh 4 visibly relaxed into the chair now, feet resting on the cushions as he had unknowingly turned so he could directly face his smiling older self.
"What was your last mission?" Seeing the confused look he got in return from the sudden topic change encouraged Wally to continue. "Seriously cause unlike everyone else, I don't actually know what particular time you're from. Why do you think I got that whole Lizzie thing wrong?" The funny memory of that incident in the mall and the furious face of Numbuh 1 came to the mind of both of them as they shared an identical grin. "Just humour me here. Name one that stands out."
The Australian 10 year old frowned as he tried to concentrate on a very mission the teen might actually remember. He then settle on one. "Umm...There was those giant safety robot things I guess."
Flashbacks of that day hit the 17 year old; he remembered it involving those giant 'Safety Bots' that decided to bubble wrap everything they saw as 'dangerous'. The mission only involved himself and Hoagie while Joey who was a baby at the time somehow joined them for the ride. Eventually those robots self destructed as Joey had tricked them into believing he had been hurt, it was the least he could do in Wally's mind seeing as he had sabotaged his butt-busting record attempt first time round.
The importance of knowing that this mission had just taken place allowed Wally to work the timeline and what had already taken place, including THAT mission. The one mission that most KND operatives dared to speak of again without wanting to feel traumatised, including himself as it resulted in a kiss he would rather but never could forget. Knowing exactly what he'd felt after that mission suddenly made the 10 year olds erratic behaviour make sense.
"After the zombies then" The declaration aloud made Numbuh 4's eyes widen in surprise at the very reminder of the unspoken mission, confirming the teen was correct. "That's why you acted the way you did."
"What do you mean?" The child asked nervously as he now refused to make eye contact with the other.
"After that mission...that kiss, I remember feeling so confused...so helpless and angry cause I didn't know what to do. Wondering if I should say something or act like everyone else...Act like nothing happened." A defeated sigh followed as the teen paused momentarily. "But I couldn't do neither. Instead hoping that feeling would disappear by itself."
"The feeling...Does it go away? Soon?" The youngster was disappointed when the elder shook his head. A surge of pain
"It never does." Wally confessed as he thought carefully about what to say without telling the boy something he shouldn't. "It just becomes something else for you to ignore. For me that ache only went away last night."
A vision of the scene Numbuh 4 saw involving the two 17 year olds came to mind once again. The passion and longing between the pair that was witnessed by the boy who was too young to understand such things had been mistaken for just carnal lust with no loved involved at all. Only now did Numbuh 4 see that was far from the truth as it had been a result of years of waiting.
"What happened? I mean how..." So many questions flying around his head at the same time caused Numbuh 4 to ramble once again as he seemed to accidently blend two questions together.
"Sadly I can't tell you much, nor do I think you would want to hear the juicy details" The teen smirked at the repulsed expression pulled by his copy, confirming that the last point was very true. "You still want me to if I leave those bits out? It won't leave you with much though."
"Tell me...please." Numbuh 4 ignored the warning, wanting to hear the true events of what had really happened between his older self and Kuki.
Wally proceeded to tell the story of himself and Kuki although it contained many gaps and pauses as he tried to dodge the areas he knew the youngster was not allowed to know. By the end he managed to vaguely cover Kuki dating Ace (which had angered the 10 year old), dating Claire and the break up with Ace while leaving out the real reason for the separation. Finally the lead up to the midnight heart to heart, Wally managing to explain by just hinting that something happened between the pair one Christmas and missing out on all the parts the other would probably consider x rated.
"I'm sorry... I didn't know...I..." Numbuh 4 whispered as Wally finished speaking, now feeling really guilty over how he had reacted when the teens had been through so much to get to where they were now.
"It's ok, you weren't to know." Wally watched carefully as the young operative seemed distressed.
"Those things I said, I didn't mean it..."
"I know" The more mature male spoke calmly as he attempted to put the other at ease. "If I saw something like that I would have done the same. No biggie"
"Taken aback about how relaxed his counterpart was in all this. Hardly seeming like himself at all. "How can you be so...forgiving?"
"Me? Forgiving?" Wally chuckled briefly at the question before his eyes turned serious, his smile fading. "Trust me, I'm really not."
"But to do what you guys do I guess you have to kind of be like that, right?" Numbuh 4 probed as he noticed the sudden unprovoked change in the teenager.
"Yeah" The simple response was given half heartedly as he was stuck in his own thoughts. His younger self and his friends all must have thought their future selves had the best job in the world being a TND undercover agent which was true it kind of was but it did have its downsides too especially when involving those rogue operatives that escaped their decommissioning fate. That part of the job never got easier.
"I really am sorry" The child mumbled aloud again, trying to get across how remorseful he actually was.
"Say sorry one more time and you're going to be sorry mate" His deep state dispelled as a smile graced Wally's features once more as he joked about hearing him say the sme apologetic word so many times.
"Sometimes I forget that you are actually me, not just..."
"Some guy snogging the girl of your dreams?" Wally offered, the grin becoming wider as he laughed showing his dimples. "Yeah, I suppose it would look like that."
"You are happy right?" The 10 year old double checked his older self who practically beamed in happiness so it didn't need saying even though the teen still confirmed out loud.
"Best I've felt in years" The smile could be heard within his voice if it wasn't visible already. "I'm complete"
"Good. Thanks for you know...talking to me. You're actually quite cool you know." Numbuh 4 thanked him while adding the last comment as a joke making the other laugh and give a mocking gasp.
"Gee thanks, glad I live up to your expectations." This conversation in his mind had successfully become one of the weirdest exchanges he had ever experienced. Fully certain if he ever uttered this to anyone outside the treehouse that he had spoken to his younger self, he would be sent straight to the loony bin. Watching the boys eyes flick back to the musical instrument in the corner of the room made him think of an idea. "You want a go?"
"Yeah!" Numbuh 4 exclaimed as he shuffled excitedly on the sofa as Wally leapt off the bed and walked over to the guitar and picked it as gently as he would a baby. With guitar in hand he joined the other on the sofa where he proceeded to try and teach his younger self the basics.
Both of them now felt a lot better after spending time together as it removed the initial uneasiness between the pair and was bound to improve the mood in the treehouse too. All it needed was for anymore skeletons in the closet to remain hidden to prevent any more damage. But for how long?
The last line really wasn't intended as a Halloween pun, purely accidental as I really don't like Halloween :(
Hope you enjoyed the double whammy and hopefully won't be long until the next one where you might see the repeat appearance of a certain character.
R+R please!
Thank you!