Chapter 3: Operation J.E.L.L.O

"Kids Next Door...BATTLE STATIONS!" Numbuh 1 yelled as everyone got ready to attack the lousy piece of slime thing that had crashed into the 72nd level of their treehouse.

Nothing they did seemed to weaken the monster, and it was when the green blob decided to move towards Numbuh 3 that all senses became alert. He couldn't let anything happen to Numbuh 3!

"Kuki!" Numbuh 4 yelled, his voice several octaves higher. Numbuh 1 and 2 were busy shooting at the green monster but that did nothing to deter its movements. It was too focused on moving towards Numbuh 3 who was busy helping Numbuh 5 get up onto her feet.

Numbuh 4 growled to himself and watched as the monster moved with urgency towards her. In a moment of sheer panic and fury, he flipped into the air and swung right through its centre, grabbing onto Numbuh 3 and tumbling to the side. Numbuh 5 jumped over to the opposite side as the monster, sliced in half, fell to the ground.

Silence filled the room before Numbuh 1, wide-eyed, walked over to Numbuh 4 and 3, followed by Numbuh 5 and 2.

"Wow, good job team!" he congratulated, hands on his hips with a seemingly satisfied smile on his face.

"Yeah, that was an awesome ninja ki-"

"I could have saved myself!" Numbuh 3 huffed, cutting Numbuh 2 off. She forced a frown on her face. Numbuh 5's eyes narrowed from the now melting slime-jelly thing to Numbuh 3 who was obviously having a hard time staying angry at Numbuh 4.

Numbuh 5 looked between them and watched as Numbuh 3 turned away, crossing her arms. She made a mental note to catch up with Numbuh 4 on what had happened. It had been a week since they had that conversation and she could sense the tension between Numbuh 3 and Numbuh 4 during breakfast, dinner, on day-offs and even missions.

Especially this one.

They weren't talking at all. Earlier in the day, Numbuh 3 even moved away when Numbuh 4 stood next to her, something she never did.

"Numbuh 3, I-" Without letting Numbuh 4 finish, Numbuh 3 walked away. It was rare seeing Numbuh 3 anything other than happy, and to know it was cos of him made things even worse. But he was too angry at her to care about her or the fact that his friends were staring at them with wide eyes.

"Fine then, ignore me, see if I care!" he grumbled, walking in the opposite direction.

Numbuh 1 and 2 looked between them, completely shocked at the situation. As the angry Australian marched away, Numbuh 2 turned to Numbuh 1 and 5, wanting answers.

"Uhhhh...what just happened?" he asked, incredulously.

Numbuh 1 scratched the back of his neck, his shoulders stiff and posture, awkward. "I actually have no idea," he said, his strong British accent seeping through.

Numbuh 5 on the other hand, had a pretty good idea. "Don't worry about a thang, Numbuh 5's gonna get to the bottom of this," she muttered as she went after a certain blonde boy. He was in the kitchen this time, loading his bowl full of cereal - even though he had just eaten breakfast a couple of hours ago.

"How you doin', Numbuh 4?" she asked softly. She didn't want to get him madder than he already was; his fists were clenched just like his jaw, and he had his head slightly bent, eyes completely hidden from view. It wasn't a good sign.

"I'll be fine," he spat through clenched teeth. Of course, he was lying. He was the exact opposite of fine. Numbuh 3 had just shunned him as if he didn't even exist and it hurt like crud. If anything he was the one that should have been mad, not her!

"Numbuh 5 don't think you're fine at all," she stated, bluntly.

He let out an irritated sigh. "Well, I am. Now lemme eat my cereal in peace."

Instead of listening to him, she took a seat opposite to his and watched as he angrily smashed the fruity loops around in his bowl before violently shoving the spoon into his mouth in typical Numbuh 4 manner. Her eyes widened, startled at his behaviour.

"You might wanna slow down there, Numb-"

"Nah, the cereal tastes much bettah this way," he cut her off quickly, shovelling more cereal into his mouth. He was clearly resistant to talk. There was no way he wanted anyone to know about what had happened. The whole thing was silly, but it was becoming a bigger deal as days went on. His feelings for Numbuh 3 were more strained than ever; anytime he mentioned anything to her, he was afraid she'd cry...or worse, a fight like this would break out.

It was nothing new, it happened sometimes, but her words this time hurt more than ever.

He didn't realise he had stopped eating until Numbuh 5 waved a hand in front of his face. Looking up, his eyes met with dark, concerned ones looking straight into his as if she could read him. For some reason, that made him feel awkward and he dragged his eyes away and back down at his bowl.

"Numbuh 5 knows you ain't okay. Wanna spill?"

And so he did. Telling someone - telling Numbuh 5 - felt good. She was a good listener and pitched in at the right times and he could tell she was worried, which he appreciated.

"Maybe you should try and talk things out with her. You know Numbuh 3 and what she's like. She don't mean nothin' she says," Numbuh 5 said, shrugging. It was slightly true; Numbuh 3 had a tendency to dramatise things and she would say anything that came to mind. Sometimes she even forgot what the argument would be about but played it out anyway.

Numbuh 4 snorted. "Numbuh 3 hates my guts. She won't even look at me!" he exclaimed, angrily.

"She doesn't hate ya, don't be silly."

"Nah, nah!" he said, shaking his head. "She cruddy does! She refuses ta even talk to me, that's how bad this is!"

Numbuh 5 sighed and, to comfort him in some way, reached out and placed her hand on top of his. Numbuh 4 looked up yet again, only to lock eyes with Numbuh 5. He could feel his face flush and he managed to shoot her a crooked smile in thanks.

"Is there any way Numbuh 5 can help?"

He sighed but shook his head. "I'll be alroight Numbuh 5, I can deal with this." He knew she was only trying to make him feel better, but, at this point, he didn't think anything could. Not even wrestling or the monster truck rally.

"Anyway, I'm gonna go and torture myself by watchin' stupid Rainbow Dorks on the telly," Numbuh 4 said through gritted teeth, trying to not shudder. He hated the darned things but at least it reminded him of a certain girl.

-.-.-.-.-.-

"Hey, uh, Numbuh 1? Can I talk to ya for a sec?" Numbuh 4 asked, leaning against the door to Numbuh 1's room. He looked like he was working on something important, though.

"Uh, not right now, Numbuh 4. We'll talk later," Numbuh 1 said, dismissing him almost immediately.

"Course it can wait, Numbuh 1," he exclaimed, sarcastically to himself as he turned away. "It can wait till I turn cruddy fifty," Numbuh 4 muttered angrily with a scowl on his face. Despite his words, he walked away anyway since there was no point in standing there like a tool.

As he walked with his hands shoved down his pockets and no real destination in mind, he bumped into Numbuh 3. She had a huge smile on her face and a flutter of hope emerged within him.

"Hey, Wa-!" she cut herself off almost immediately, the smile fading. "Wait, I'm supposed to be mad at you!" she glared at him and a deep frown replaced the bright smile on her face. She 'hmphed' and walked away, her chin held high. The flutter of hope within him was crushed and his shoulders hunched. His fists clenched in anger, his nails digging into his palms.

He was getting sick and tired of this childish ignoring game. He just wanted to talk to her and explain everything!

All of a sudden, the treehouse began to ring and flash, indicating that something urgent was happening. He ran over to the briefing room, putting aside the thought of Numbuh 3 for a little while.

As he jumped onto the couch for the debriefing, he watched as Numbuh 3 skipped over. She deliberately sat as far away from him as possible and immediately he could feel his face tensing. Turning his head away, he crossed his arms and slid down the couch a little, grumpy. Numbuh 1 appeared on the wooden stage behind the podium, looking at every one of them.

"Alright, team, we have a problem. It looks like the slime monster we had attacked earlier today was created by those awful Delightful Children. We need to infiltrate them and destroy the ingredients so that we can save the town," Numbuh 1 said, slamming his fist into an open palm.

Numbuh 4 clenched his jaw. "What's with those Delightful Dork's and tryna ruin everybody's lives?" he exclaimed, irritated. "They're gonna get it good this time!"

"Should we split up, Numbuh 1?" Numbuh 2 raised a hand, in question. Numbuh 1 nodded, tapping his chin.

"Good idea, Numbuh 2. We don't know where they've kept these ingredients but splitting up to find them may be the easiest solution." He pointed to Numbuh 4 and then to Numbuh 3. "We don't want them to be making that monster again. Numbuh 4 and 3, you guys head in from the back and destroy all the ingredients whilst Numbuh's 2, 5 and I will attack those Delightful Children from the front."

Numbuh 4's body stiffened. He glanced at Numbuh 3 who didn't move a muscle; her eyes were focused on Numbuh 1 as if she didn't even want to acknowledge what he said.

When everyone else but Numbuh's 4 and 3 nodded, Numbuh 1 eyed them suspiciously. "Numbuh's 4 and 3? Ready to-"

"Is it alroight if I go with Numbuh 5, instead?" Numbuh 4 cut in, a crooked smile on his face. On the inside, however, he was ready to run away from this awkward situation. Everyone's head, especially Numbuh 5's, snapped to him, staring at him with wide-eyed. They had all expected him to be secretly ecstatic to be paired with Numbuh 3.

Numbuh 1's eyes widened in surprise but he said nothing. He cleared his throat, his fist near his mouth and nodded robotically. "U-uh, of course, Numbuh 4?" His eyes then flitted to Numbuh 3 who still hadn't said a word. Her bottom lip was quivering; what with anger, or sadness, no one knew.

"Numbuh 3-?"

"I'll come with you Numbuh 1!" she said, all of a sudden with cheer. Numbuh 4's eyes widened before it came down to a narrow. Her happiness didn't even seem faked! It was legitimate - as if she genuinely didn't care that he had just tried to avoid her at all costs.

Numbuh 1 nodded and looked everyone in the eye. "Alright team, that's settled! Now, Kids Next Door...BATTLE STATIONS!"

Even though Numbuh 1 had given his trademark phrase, everyone but Numbuh 1 and 5 had made a move to get up. Numbuh 5 was still shocked at the turn of events: one minute she was paired with Numbuh 1 and 2, the next, Numbuh 4 was yelled out about how he wanted to partner up with her.

Which was a first.

She raised an eyebrow at him and crossed her arms, letting out a sigh. "What's happened this time, squirt?"

Numbuh 4 sucked in a sharp breath. "Don't call me squirt!"

"Well, then, I guess you better spill, boy."

There was silence between them and each second that ticked by meant that they were costing their team the mission. What's wrong with me? I'm actin' like such a girly girl! Ugh.

Numbuh 4 didn't want to let down Numbuh 1 or Numbuh 5 because of his cruddy feelings that he couldn't control. Letting out an agitated sigh, he stood up.

"It's nothin', we betta go or Numbuh 1's gonna get mad," he said, his voice weirdly empty. He then took off in the direction of the other members and Numbuh 5 watched as he walked away, his head hung.

-.-.-.-.-

"Numbuh 4, c'mere," Numbuh 5 ushered him over with a wave. Numbuh 4 glanced at her, she was leaning against the dark door that led to the back of the Delightful Children's house. He peeked over the other side to see the others were occupied with fighting them, his eyes lingering on Numbuh 3 a little more than he should have.

Numbuh 4 shook his head furiously. Agh, what the heck is wrong with me?! Stop thinkin' 'bout 'er so much!

All of a sudden, he felt a rough tug from behind and in a flash, he was surrounded by darkness. "What was th-!" his angry exclamation was cut short by Numbuh 5 who shushed him.

"Do you want them to know we're in here, boy?!" she whispered, annoyed.

"Uh...no?"

"Exactly, so shush!" she advised, yanking him with her as she stealthily crept over to a place that resembled a kitchen. He was frustrated with her tugging him around like he was a puppet and tried to shrug her off.

"You don't have ta yank me around, Numbuh 5. I ain't a dog, y'know!" he whispered, irritated. Numbuh 5 said nothing but she rolled her eyes, ignoring the whining blondie beside her.

As soon as they entered the kitchen, the both of them looked up at the horde of ingredients around. Numbuh 4's face fell and he raised his arms up in the air.

"How in the crud are we supposed to find those stupid ingredients in this?!" he exclaimed, incredulously.

Numbuh 5 didn't say anything for a few seconds, her eyes wide, but as she looked around, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Get to searchin' Numbuh 4, we've got a monster makin' recipe to destroy."

Numbuh 4, on the other hand, was put off. Not only was he reluctant in going on the mission because of a certain girl that had succeeded in crushing his cruddy heart, he now had to sift through the enemy's kitchen.

Great. Just my idea of fun! he thought, annoyed as he bent down and chucked open the cabinets and looked inside.

"Look, Numbuh 5, can ya just forget 'bout everythin' tha-"

"We'll talk about that later, Numbuh 4," she quickly cut in, her voice soft. She didn't want to push him in telling her anything, but she needed him to know that she was always there for him. But now wasn't the right time.

Both she and Numbuh 4 shared a knowing look and he nodded, once. Turning away, Numbuh 4 let out a sigh he didn't even know he was holding. Just forget 'bout it yerself! That'll make everythin' ten times bettah!

Course it was a cruddy lie since it didn't make him feel any better. He instead decided to focus on the mission - he looked everywhere for the dumb ingredients but he couldn't find them anywhere.

He even looked inside the fridge and the freezer; at one point, he contemplated in climbing in it and staying there till he froze. It seemed like a more fun thing to do than whatever they were supposed to do now.

Glancing at Numbuh 5 for a second, who was determined to find these ingredients, he sighed. A part of him was glad that he wasn't paired up with Numbuh 3 - that would have been nothing but awkward.

"Phew," he muttered to himself. After a couple of minutes of searching, Numbuh 4 was becoming restless. Though going home would mean that he would either be grilled by Numbuh 5 or back to the awkward situation with Numbuh 3. But, obviously, he didn't wanna think about that.

"Ugh, when are we gonna find the cruddy thi-"

Numbuh 5 gasped then, and he jumped, hitting his head on the top of the freezer. "Ah, crud!" he blurted, his face twisted in pain as he rubbed his head. He turned to look at Numbuh 5 who turned also, a box labelled 'SECRET: JELL-O KIDS NEXT DOOR' in her hands.

A smirk adorned her face and her dark eyes glinted under her red cap as she looked up at him. "Found it."

"Alroight, go Numbuh 5!" he cheered, a grin on his face.

"But guess what?" she asked, peering at the writing on the box. "It's not slime, boy. It's Jell-O!"

Jell-O?

"Jell-O?" he exclaimed in surprise. "The crud?" His was face twisted into confusion but he shrugged; those kids were strange and stupid, so he didn't want to question it.

"Well, 'least we found the cruddy thing! Now we got-"

"AGGGH!"

From close by, the sound of the Delightful Children's cries echoed throughout and suddenly the door banged open. Numbuh 4 and 5 jolted and stepped back to see that they were covered in slime and half-conscious, yet their faces still displayed pure anger. Numbuh 4 and 5's eyes widened.

"Give that back to us, or would you rather end up like your friends?!" they yelled in creepy unison. Numbuh 4 glared at him like they were nothing but dirt - which they were.

"Numbuh 4, hold them off 'till I get rid of this thing!" The latter yelled.

Numbuh 4 smirked and turned to face the Delightful Children glaring at him. He cracked his knuckles and chuckled sardonically. "Oh, I can do that! Beating these Delightful Dorks will be a piece a'cake!"

Numbuh 5 ran off behind him and he went to throw a good punch when his hand suddenly went through a gooey substance. His mouth suddenly drooped into a frown. "Gross!" he exclaimed as he yanked his hand back. "Where the heck did this come from!?"

The Jell-O moved towards Numbuh 4 who gulped and backed away. "Stay away from me you disgustin' slime-ball!" he yelled. His eyes suddenly spotted an empty cookie jar and chucked it...but it only got stuck in it. His shoulders deflated and he pressed himself against the cabinets, awaiting his death.

"What are you doin' Numbuh 4?! Boy, it's Jell-O!" Numbuh 5 yelled from behind the Delightful Children. "I've destroyed the box so hurry it up, will ya?!"

Numbuh 4's eyes widened. Hold on a cruddy second...she's right! The Delightful Children looked horrified as Numbuh 5 jumped on them, taking care of them whilst the green slimeball still approached him. He let out battle cry and leapt onto it. His mouth twisted in disgust and he muttered, "I can't believe I'm doin' this," before chomping on it.

-.-.-.-.-

"I was sure it was going to be an utter and complete disaster." Numbuh 1 walked into the main room, dusting off his dirty clothes. "But, I was wrong. Numbuh 4," he spun around, his arms behind his back with a hint of a smile on his face, "you saved our lives!"

"Yeah, Numbuh 4! I thought we were goners for sure," Numbuh 2 cheered a look of relief on his face. Numbuh 3 was grinning widely, but she said nothing to Numbuh 4.

Numbuh 4 scoffed and waved his hand dismissively. "Nah, I did nothin'..." he then clutched his stomach, the reminder of what he did still in his mind "...except for eating that cruddy jelly. Probably shouldn't have done that." Suddenly feeling the urge to vomit, he grabbed his mouth and sprinted off.

Everyone watched with wide eyes and glanced at each other at the sudden event. Numbuh 5 resisted the urge to laugh and found Numbuh 3's eyes on the back of Numbuh 4. The smile faded and she suddenly felt really bad for the situation that the two were in - the remorseful look in Numbuh 3's eyes made it seem as though she felt guilty for not talking to him.

It looked like she really wanted to talk to him.

As the team split up to do their own thing, Numbuh 5, instead of going after Numbuh 4, decided to sit on the lounge chair and do her own thing. If he needed her, he'd come to her, anyway. She took out a magazine and placed her headphones on, putting her feet comfortably up on the armrest. As she enjoyed the music and tapped along with it, screaming caught her attention.

"Woah, what happened you two?" Numbuh 1 came rushing, his eyes wide.

Numbuh 3's face was furious as Numbuh 4 held the head of one of her many stuffed dolls.

"Numbuh 4 tore Mr Huggikins again!"

"Well, I wouldn't 'ave done that this time if it wasn't shoved in my face!"

"It was not shoved in your face! I placed it outside your door as a gift!" Numbuh 3 said, pouting, her eyes burning with anger.

"Uh, guys-" Numbuh 2 tried to butt in but was cut off by a furious Numbuh 4.

"Some gift!" He scoffed with disgust, "Y'know I don't even like these cruddy stuffed dolls so why would I want it?!" Numbuh 4 spat, chucking the doll head on the floor.

"Guys, w-"

"Shut up, Numbuh 2!" Both Numbuh 4 and 3 yelled, snapping their head towards him. Numbuh 2 suddenly raised his hands in the air, eyes wide in alert.

"Alright, alright, I'll shush, geez!" he muttered. "Sue me for trying to help!"

Numbuh 3 ignored him and continued, looking at Numbuh 4, "You usually like what I give you, Numbuh 4...even if you say you don't like it." Her voice suddenly turned meek and she hung her head. Numbuh 4, seeing the look on her face, froze. He was being too harsh - he saw that now, what, with everyone staring at him wide-eyed.

Gah, great. Now I feel like nothin' but a big ol' fat bully!

"Ugggh," he let out a frustrated groan, his lips set into a frown and he turned to Numbuh 1 with his arms raised. "Numbuh 1, will you please talk to 'er?!"

Numbuh 1 sighed and rubbed his forehead. Watching as he tried to talk to Numbuh 3, Numbuh 4 suddenly felt his heart drop in his stomach. Now he regretted doing that. He wanted to comfort her but...he was useless at that kind of stuff.

He went to reach for Numbuh 3 and drag him to his room so that they could talk...but he was afraid she'd tell him to let go and be seen as a bigger fool than he already was. So, instead, he grabbed the nearest person and dragged them to his room instead.

"Woah, what are ya doin', Numbuh 4?!"

Numbuh 5's familiar voice came from behind him as he stormed angrily towards his room. Shutting the door, he plopped down on the boxing ring and stared at the ground. He was beating himself up about being a big twerp to Numbuh 3; he knew he shouldn't have done it, but he still did. Numbuh 5 crossed her arms and looked down at the depressed Australian boy sitting on the ground.

She couldn't help but feel bad for him; after all, he wasn't the best at revealing his feelings when he was nothing but brash. But at the same time, she felt like slapping him across his face with her cap for being so dumb. Instead, she plopped down across from him, watching him, worriedly.

"Numbuh 4, wanna tell Numbuh 5 what's goin' on?"

"No," he replied, grumpily.

"Then why'd ya bring me here, boy?"

"I meant to grab Numbuh 3, but I panicked, alroight? So...here you are," he said, crossing his arms, a frown on his face.

Numbuh 5 shrugged; she didn't want to push him. If he wanted to speak, then he would and there was no need for her to pressure him into doing something. Besides, she knew what he was going through - something very similar had happened to her, yet she had never told anyone. It was something, a painful memory she held dear to her heart, not wanting anyone to know.

Numbuh 4, on the other hand, was struggling with what to do. He wanted to tell Numbuh 5 everything - she already knew most of what was going on, but he didn't want to bother her with his problems.

He was independent, he knew things!...just...he was lost when it came to girls and girly stuff.

"Is there anythin' I can do to make it up to Numbuh 3?" he asked, looking up, his eyes wide and desperate. Numbuh 5 chuckled and shook her head. Sometimes, he could be sillier than silly.

"You can apologise," she offered. He gasped and his eyes bulged out as if she had uttered the dumbest thing ever. Numbuh 4 couldn't believe she thought he could just apologise and things would be fine!

"I can't apologise to 'er, Numbuh 5, are ya crazy!?" he exclaimed.

"No," she dead-panned, staring blankly at him. "Why can't ya apologise? If ya find it that difficult, Numbuh 5 will help."

Numbuh 4 looked away, shaking his head furiously. "I just can't, alroight?" he mumbled.

It wasn't that he didn't want to - he really couldn't. Even though he would never ever admit it, he was afraid Numbuh 3 would refuse to accept his apology after everything he had done. She always tolerated his behaviour but still, there was a tiny part of him that believed she would one day crack.

Numbuh 5 sighed and twiddled with her thumbs. "Ya know, Numbuh 5 been through somethin' similar to ya."

That caught Numbuh 4's attention immediately. He snapped his head up to look at her with wide eyes. "You...you couldn't apologise to someone either?"

Numbuh 5 facepalmed, the sound of her palm meeting her forehead echoing in the silent room. Numbuh 4 looked at her as if he didn't understand.

"What?"

She sighed. "Numbuh 5 meant, she been in a situation where sh...liked someone and found it hard to confess and managed to ruin things."

Numbuh 4's jaw dropped in shock and he gawked at her. She..she liked someone? he thought, incredulous.

"What?" she asked, defensive of the way he was looking at her. "Numbuh 5 can have crushes too."

He shook his blonde head in-denial. "N-no, that wasn't what I was thinkin'! I just...it was surprisin' cos you never speak 'bout things like this, is all."

She shrugged and looked down at her hands. Telling people meant everyone would know about it and it was always one-sided, so she didn't even bother acknowledging her crushes anymore. It was now at the point where crushes meant nothing to her - not that it was a bad thing. It allowed her to truly focus on her missions, and nevertheless, she was happy.

But, a part of her knew that confiding in him would let her move on from the past and hopefully help him somehow, too.

"There ain't no point in telling people about failed crushes."

His eyebrows raised behind his long blonde bangs, his stomach twisting and turning as he waited for her to continue. Numbuh 5 looked so sad that he felt his face automatically twist into despair. "Numbuh 5..." his voice was low with guilt.

"It's nothin', Numbuh 4. Numbuh 5 was over this ages ago."

There was a sad yet comfortable silence between them before Numbuh 5 broke it.

"Numbuh 5's sayin' that you're not alone. Things may not have been good for me but it ain't too late for you if ya apologise. Numbuh 3 is the sweetest person we all know, so there ain't no doubt that she'll forgive ya."

Her words were the only thing keeping him going at the moment. He was truly relieved that Numbuh 5 existed, without her, he'd most likely be a lost ball of sadness and confusion. But...there was a thought lingering in his mind and a pang in his heart as his green eyes locked on Numbuh 5's face. She tried to hide whatever it was she was feeling with a small smile, but he could see right through her. There was a hint of sadness - of despair - and it angered him.

Whoever did that to 'er will pay, he thought, frustrated. I mean, if I knew who it was...

"Uh, Numbuh 5?"

"Hmm?"

"Can you...can you tell me more 'bout it?" he asked, hopeful. He regretted the question instantly when her dark eyes locked with his; they were distraught, but she attempted at a smile anyway.

There was a voice in Numbuh 5's head telling her no, urging her to firmly refuse him, slap in the head or something that would make him forget he asked such a dumb question. However, for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to do either. She wanted to tell him and let it all go.

"Sure, Numbuh 4. Just get ready for a big ol' sap story."