Once again I must tell you that I don't own the kids next door. Enjoy~
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He should have been happy. She understood, didn't she? Doubt tugged at the back of his mind for the entire walk home. By the time he reached the ground house the doubt had spawned into a melancholy stupor. Had he done the right thing? Had he been too hasty to cancel his relationship with Lizzie? Had there been other options he had not considered? He thought back to the break- up, stingingly fresh in his memory. Her tears, her anger, her puppy-dog eyes begging for some other way. He did this for her. His business wouldn't damage their relationship if there were none. Better to break her heart quickly then to let her suffer because of him. Being the leader of the Kids Next Door would have torn them apart eventually. He was always busy with some mission or handling his teammates. He never intended to break her heart completely, which was why he had left the option of friendship open. But for some reason it was her sudden acceptance of this alternative that bothered him. As if she didn't quite get what he meant. But perhaps she was merely in denial.
What had he done?
He entered the main tree house; head down, arms slack, skin paler then normal. His teammates were sitting in front of the large screen TV. He could hear Numbuhs 2 and 4 arguing over which pro-wrestler could kick the other's butt. Numbuh 5 was also in the room but instead of watching sweaty men in tights pummel each other, she was silently reading a magazine.
"I'm tellin' ya, Bulk Trojan could whoop "Ice Hard" Bill Huston any day a the week."
"Are you crazy? Bulk Trojan is so old school he needs a walker to get to the ring."
"Oi, you take that back ya Gallah!"
The quarrelling duo suddenly felt a presents behind them and turned to see Numbuh 1 walking by behind the couch. Although he saw them looking at him, he failed to acknowledge them or stop walking.
"Hey Numbuh 1!" Numbuh 2 called to him.
"'Ow'd it go with Kissy Lizzie?" Numbuh 4 teased.
Numbuh 1 stopped his shuffling and looked to his male companions. The pair cocked their heads at his downtrodden expression.
"Uh, are you ok Numbuh 1?"
"I'm fine." His word where dull.
"Aw, come on. Somethin' musta 'appened."
The duo gathered by their leader, prodding him to answer. Numbuh 1 sighed; his friends did look concerned, it would be wrong of him to make them worry.
"Alright, if you must know, I---" he hesitated, "I broke up with Lizzie."
Silence. Numbuhs 2 and 4 stared at One with blank expressions. Numbuh 5 paused her reading for a moment and looked to the bald boy, her expression hidden by the shadow of her hat.
"Alright! Whoohoo!" Numbuh 4 shouted with jubilation. He and Numbuh 2 produced party horns from seemingly nowhere and blew them with the vigor to rival New Years and Marti Gras combined. The celebratory boys danced around their saddened commander cheering him for his decision.
"Way ta go Numbuh 1! Didn't know you had it in ya!"
Numbuh 1 let out another sigh and draped himself over the back of the couch. Numbuh 5 shook her head and went back to her reading, silent save for the turn of a glossy page. Numbuh 3 entered the room and only needed to see the mayhem for a second to know full well what was going on.
"Party!" She shouted, quickly joining the festivities. Dancing around with the boys, jumping around happily, yelling and whistling, blowing horn and shaking noise- makers. "Party, party! Yay! Party!" She smiled at the boys. "Why are we having a party?"
Numbuh 4 turning to her with a huge grin on his face.
"Numbuh 1 finally broke it off with Kissy Lizzie!"
Three stopped dancing and looked to Numbuh 1, laid out like a lump on the back of the couch. He looked as frumpy and depressed as a discarded jacket, listless and dangling. A sweet sympathy made her forget the celebration and make an attempt at comforting the boy.
"Oh, that must a been hard."
"Uhhuh." He mumbled without looking up.
"You guys were really close weren't you?"
Close? They had spent a lot of time together, but where they ever close? All the doubt and regret was making him feel as if his chest would implode. He whimpered.
"I'm starting to wonder if I did the right thing."
Numbuh 4 stopped his rejoicing and frowned at Numbuh 1.
"A course ya did the right thing. Lizzie was bad news from the first time we met 'er."
"Yeah," Numbuh 2 agreed, "She was so obsessed with you it was kinda scary."
"She was 'oldin' ya back Numbuh 1, trust me. You shoulda kissed Lizzie goodbye a long time ago."
Numbuh 1 buried his face in his hands. His friends all had good arguments but her still felt that horrible guilt eating away at him.
"But, she---she loved me."
"No she didn't!" Numbuh 4 snarled, "She neva' let you 'ave any fun. She just kept bossin' you around makin' ya do things fa her."
" 'Nigie, take me here, Nigie buy me that, Nigie stop playing with your stupid friends and do romantic things with me.' Sheesh!" Numbuh 2 mocked, impersonating Lizzie's syrupy nagging tone. "It was pathetic."
"But---" Numbuh 1 stumbled over his thoughts. He couldn't come up with a proper defense. His emotions in a blender, he felt powerless, like a failure.
"Hello! Do the words 'boyfriend helmet' say anything to you?!" Numbuh 4 practically yelled in his ear.
The Brit winced and whimpered, eyebrows drooping, sucking his lower lip. This was doing him no good. No matter how much his friends tried to convince him that loosing Lizzie was a good thing, all he could think about was that poor crying girl. Numbuh 2 noticed One's decline and put on a more sympathetic front.
"Don't worry Numbuh 1, in a couple of days you'll see this was for the best."
One moaned, laying limp, his expression uncertain.
"I don't know. It feels like I've done something horribly wrong."
Numbuh 4 scowled, looming over his friend.
"Ya'r not thinkin' about callin' 'er an' getting' back ta'gether are ya?" His eyes burned threateningly.
Numbuh 1 caught the glare and stood up ridged.
"I don't know!" He snapped. Seeing his companions' off put faces and worried eyes he softened and tried to calm himself. "I need some time to think."
Lowering his head, letting out a final sigh, he sauntered off to his room. Numbuhs 2, 3, and 4 watching him in silence. Numbuh 5 put down her magazine and pulled the brim of her hat lower over her eyes.
Numbuh 4 crossed his arms with a huff.
"Ah, 'e'll be fine once 'e's used ta not 'avin' the ol' ball an' chain around."
Numbuh 3 grunted and gave Numbuh 4 a swift elbow to his ribs.
[To Be Continued]
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He should have been happy. She understood, didn't she? Doubt tugged at the back of his mind for the entire walk home. By the time he reached the ground house the doubt had spawned into a melancholy stupor. Had he done the right thing? Had he been too hasty to cancel his relationship with Lizzie? Had there been other options he had not considered? He thought back to the break- up, stingingly fresh in his memory. Her tears, her anger, her puppy-dog eyes begging for some other way. He did this for her. His business wouldn't damage their relationship if there were none. Better to break her heart quickly then to let her suffer because of him. Being the leader of the Kids Next Door would have torn them apart eventually. He was always busy with some mission or handling his teammates. He never intended to break her heart completely, which was why he had left the option of friendship open. But for some reason it was her sudden acceptance of this alternative that bothered him. As if she didn't quite get what he meant. But perhaps she was merely in denial.
What had he done?
He entered the main tree house; head down, arms slack, skin paler then normal. His teammates were sitting in front of the large screen TV. He could hear Numbuhs 2 and 4 arguing over which pro-wrestler could kick the other's butt. Numbuh 5 was also in the room but instead of watching sweaty men in tights pummel each other, she was silently reading a magazine.
"I'm tellin' ya, Bulk Trojan could whoop "Ice Hard" Bill Huston any day a the week."
"Are you crazy? Bulk Trojan is so old school he needs a walker to get to the ring."
"Oi, you take that back ya Gallah!"
The quarrelling duo suddenly felt a presents behind them and turned to see Numbuh 1 walking by behind the couch. Although he saw them looking at him, he failed to acknowledge them or stop walking.
"Hey Numbuh 1!" Numbuh 2 called to him.
"'Ow'd it go with Kissy Lizzie?" Numbuh 4 teased.
Numbuh 1 stopped his shuffling and looked to his male companions. The pair cocked their heads at his downtrodden expression.
"Uh, are you ok Numbuh 1?"
"I'm fine." His word where dull.
"Aw, come on. Somethin' musta 'appened."
The duo gathered by their leader, prodding him to answer. Numbuh 1 sighed; his friends did look concerned, it would be wrong of him to make them worry.
"Alright, if you must know, I---" he hesitated, "I broke up with Lizzie."
Silence. Numbuhs 2 and 4 stared at One with blank expressions. Numbuh 5 paused her reading for a moment and looked to the bald boy, her expression hidden by the shadow of her hat.
"Alright! Whoohoo!" Numbuh 4 shouted with jubilation. He and Numbuh 2 produced party horns from seemingly nowhere and blew them with the vigor to rival New Years and Marti Gras combined. The celebratory boys danced around their saddened commander cheering him for his decision.
"Way ta go Numbuh 1! Didn't know you had it in ya!"
Numbuh 1 let out another sigh and draped himself over the back of the couch. Numbuh 5 shook her head and went back to her reading, silent save for the turn of a glossy page. Numbuh 3 entered the room and only needed to see the mayhem for a second to know full well what was going on.
"Party!" She shouted, quickly joining the festivities. Dancing around with the boys, jumping around happily, yelling and whistling, blowing horn and shaking noise- makers. "Party, party! Yay! Party!" She smiled at the boys. "Why are we having a party?"
Numbuh 4 turning to her with a huge grin on his face.
"Numbuh 1 finally broke it off with Kissy Lizzie!"
Three stopped dancing and looked to Numbuh 1, laid out like a lump on the back of the couch. He looked as frumpy and depressed as a discarded jacket, listless and dangling. A sweet sympathy made her forget the celebration and make an attempt at comforting the boy.
"Oh, that must a been hard."
"Uhhuh." He mumbled without looking up.
"You guys were really close weren't you?"
Close? They had spent a lot of time together, but where they ever close? All the doubt and regret was making him feel as if his chest would implode. He whimpered.
"I'm starting to wonder if I did the right thing."
Numbuh 4 stopped his rejoicing and frowned at Numbuh 1.
"A course ya did the right thing. Lizzie was bad news from the first time we met 'er."
"Yeah," Numbuh 2 agreed, "She was so obsessed with you it was kinda scary."
"She was 'oldin' ya back Numbuh 1, trust me. You shoulda kissed Lizzie goodbye a long time ago."
Numbuh 1 buried his face in his hands. His friends all had good arguments but her still felt that horrible guilt eating away at him.
"But, she---she loved me."
"No she didn't!" Numbuh 4 snarled, "She neva' let you 'ave any fun. She just kept bossin' you around makin' ya do things fa her."
" 'Nigie, take me here, Nigie buy me that, Nigie stop playing with your stupid friends and do romantic things with me.' Sheesh!" Numbuh 2 mocked, impersonating Lizzie's syrupy nagging tone. "It was pathetic."
"But---" Numbuh 1 stumbled over his thoughts. He couldn't come up with a proper defense. His emotions in a blender, he felt powerless, like a failure.
"Hello! Do the words 'boyfriend helmet' say anything to you?!" Numbuh 4 practically yelled in his ear.
The Brit winced and whimpered, eyebrows drooping, sucking his lower lip. This was doing him no good. No matter how much his friends tried to convince him that loosing Lizzie was a good thing, all he could think about was that poor crying girl. Numbuh 2 noticed One's decline and put on a more sympathetic front.
"Don't worry Numbuh 1, in a couple of days you'll see this was for the best."
One moaned, laying limp, his expression uncertain.
"I don't know. It feels like I've done something horribly wrong."
Numbuh 4 scowled, looming over his friend.
"Ya'r not thinkin' about callin' 'er an' getting' back ta'gether are ya?" His eyes burned threateningly.
Numbuh 1 caught the glare and stood up ridged.
"I don't know!" He snapped. Seeing his companions' off put faces and worried eyes he softened and tried to calm himself. "I need some time to think."
Lowering his head, letting out a final sigh, he sauntered off to his room. Numbuhs 2, 3, and 4 watching him in silence. Numbuh 5 put down her magazine and pulled the brim of her hat lower over her eyes.
Numbuh 4 crossed his arms with a huff.
"Ah, 'e'll be fine once 'e's used ta not 'avin' the ol' ball an' chain around."
Numbuh 3 grunted and gave Numbuh 4 a swift elbow to his ribs.
[To Be Continued]
