It had now passed 3 o'clock and Kuki hadn't come out of her room.
Wally decided to go into her room and check on her. He walked down to her door, (or curtain) and knocked the frame.
"Kuki? Are you okay?" He called.
"Yeah." A muffled sound came from inside the room.
Wally pulled back the curtain and walked in, Kuki was scrunched into the fetal position on her bed and had her duvet covering her. He walked over and perched on her bed. Grabbing the duvet gently, he pulled it from her, she stretched out but remained lying on her stomach and gazing up at him.
He smiled.
"Come on." He said, standing up.
"Where?" She mumbled.
"We're going to the park, you need to wind down." He told her.
'No! I'll stay here." Kuki said quietly. Wally sat back down and she sat up next to him, cross legged.
"I don't want to go out anywhere."
"You can't stay cooped up in here all your life!" Wally told. "Come on, just try it. Please? I'll be right there with you."
Kuki sighed in thought then looked up at him. "Okay."
"See this isn't so bad right?" Wally asked as they slowly strolled through the park of trees and grass.
"I guess." Kuki replied grimly, then watched as two everyday people walked past her. They casually glanced at her as anybody would.
"I just feel like everyone's talking about me and judging me."
"Since when did Kuki Sanban care what people think?" Wally asked rhetorically. Making her laugh. "Come on!"
He grabbed her hand and jogged to the nearby play park.
"Wally, don't you think we're a little old to be playing jungle gym?" Kuki giggled, she stood at the gate as Wally ran in, jumped onto the monkey bars and hung onto them while facing her and grinning cheekily.
"Like I said, why should we care about what people think? Relive the good times Kooks! What do you say?" He said, jumping from the monkey bars and walking over to her.
"Kooks?" She chuckled.
His cheeks went red.
"Yeah, just some nickname I came up with." He smiled. "That's okay right?"
"Yeah, sure!" Kuki replied. "Well, I'll race you to the climbing frame!"
She giggled as began to run. Wally laughed and ran after her, jumping onto the play equipment and climbing to the top as fast as he could.
"Duh, na na na! King of the playground! Duh na na na! Big kids for life!" Wally chanted as he got to the top, reaching one arm in the air to show triumph.
Kuki laughed just below him and jumped down, beginning to run to the roundabout in the middle of the play park.
She closed her eyes and leant back as Wally pushed her round and round, faster and faster.
So many memories came back from this park. This was where Hoagie first learned to ride a bike, where Nigel conquered his fear of heights by climbing the climbing frame. Wally even broke his arm on this very roundabout when he was pulling some stupid stunt.
She laughed at the thought and stuck her foot lightly on the ground to slow down, Wally grabbed the bar and pulled the roundabout to a stop so that Kuki could get off.
They slowly walked to the swings. Kuki's all time favorite part of equipment on any park. When she was alone in the park, she used to swing as high as she could and pretend that she was a rainbow monkey. When her teammates were there it would be different, Wally would always be standing on the slide, a few meters in front, and wait until some poor unsuspecting kid came past, then he'd slide down it and knock them flying. However, she would used to pretend that she was Jane, and she was swinging closer and closer to her Tarzan in the treetop.
She perched on the seat and smiled and Wally leant on the slide in front of it and watched her quietly. She began to giggle as she swung backwards and forwards, she was beginning to go so high that she felt butterflies in her stomach.
She gave a great belly laugh as she slowed down. Wally grabbed the chains of her swing and looked down at her.
'Nobody's judging you Kuki." He said quietly. "Even if they are, they're not worth worrying about. It's just us guys that matter. You, me and, Nigel, and Abby, and Hoagie. We stick together just like we always have."
She stared up at him and smiled, he returned the smile. They both leant closer and closer, their noses bumped.
Wally chuckled and pressed his lips against hers. Running a hand through her hair.
Kuki kissed back holding herself stable with one hand on the chain of the swing. Her other hand was on Wally's cheek.
They broke apart and smiled at each other, neither wasted any time in moving in for another kiss. Wally wrapped his arms around Kuki and Kuki kept both hands on the chains of the swing to hold herself up.
"Just friends, huh Kuki?" A familiar voice made them break apart and turn around to look.
Kurt was stood behind the fence of the play park and was leaning on it.
Wally growled with rage.
"Don't you even talk to her!" He yelled, pointing a threatening finger towards Kurt.
Kurt just squinted his eyes at him with a sarcastic face, then glared back at Kuki
"I should have known I couldn't trust a slut like you! I was thinking about letting the charges for abuse drop, but now, after how demanding and …" Kurt couldn't finish his sentence as Wally had stormed over, grabbed his shirt collar and dragged him over the fence.
Kurt whimpered as Wally delivered a boot to Kurt's side, he lay on the ground cowering.
Wally grabbed his collar once again and half throttled him as he pulled him up to meet Wally's face.
"You know! It's little weasels like you that remind me why I used to beat up other kids!" Wally snarled. His face was inches from Kurt's. It was easy to see that Kurt was terrified.
"If you ever call her a name like that again! I'll give you something to press charges for! I'll hit you so hard that your kids will inherit your bruises!" Wally growled. "I'm warning you! If you ever so much as think about her again, I'll put you lights out!"
He pushed Kurt so that he fell into the fence, staring up in fear.
With a single punch to Kurt's stomach, Wally stepped back.
"Get! Now, before I really lose my temper!" He muttered. Kurt scrambled up and ran out of the park, if he had a tail it would definitely be between his legs.
Wally sat on the swing next to Kuki and swung it backwards and forwards slightly, with his feet planted on the floor.
"Did you really have to punch him?" Kuki asked with a light chuckle, obviously trying to break the awkward silence.
"He's lucky it was just one punch." Wally said. "I was so mad that I would have happily beat him to a pulp."
Kuki stood from her own seat on the swing and walked over to sit on Wally's lap.
"Well, before we were interrupted." She giggled. Kissing him softly on the lips.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, Wally placed one hand on her lap, the other, supported her back.
When they broke apart, Kuki rested her head against the crook of his neck.
"I'm sorry Wally." She sighed. "About everything, I love you! It's always been you Wally!"
Wally kissed her forehead gently and rested his chin on her head.
"I've never felt the same way about anyone, even Kurt didn't match how I felt with you! I thought I loved him, but you! I…I just know I do!"
They kissed again, Wally closed his eyes, silently cheering that this wasn't just one of his dreams.
"I love you too Kuki." He said.