Thank you demongurl111 for leaving a review! And yeah I agree - it's incredibly difficult to find a 4x5 fanfic D: It really upsets me because they're both my fave aside from Chad. I'm so tired of scrolling through pages and pages of just 3x4 -_- so that's why I decided to do this even though it doesn't really have a plot lol.

### means time skip and change of POV's as well. Sorry if it's confusing - I'm confusing myself too lol.

Disclaimer: I do not own KND.

Chapter 13: Operation H.E.L.P.L.E.S.S

After a few hours, Nigel had finally woken up. He looked active and much more refreshed than the tired, droopy Nigel from a couple of hours ago.

Abby was in the kitchen making some sandwiches when he had come down. Fixing his glasses, he cleared his throat.

"Ready, Numbuh 5?"

She wasn't. Not entirely.

A part of her wanted Wally to know what was happening so he could be jealous, and the other part of her wanted to slap the other half for being so childish. That wasn't the kind of girl Abby was.

She was well aware that those feelings of jealousy would never be directed at her, anyway. It was and always would be Kuki. She was practically the love of his life, and always had been.

There was no reason for things to change now.

"Sure, let's do this, baby." She shoved one of the small, triangular sandwiches in her mouth before following Nigel. They went to hurry past the other team members who were busy doing their own thing, but they immediately turned their heads when the two appeared.

"Well, uh, team, Numbuh 5 and I are going to head out. We have a top secret mission so do not, I repeat, do not tell anyone about this."

He went to leave when he stopped. "And no spying!"

The three kids nodded their head in obedience. Hoagie saluted them with two fingers.

"Aye, aye, Numbuh 1! Be careful out there, guys."

"Bye, guys! Have fun!" Kuki called out.

Nigel resisted the urge to facepalm and rushed out of the treehouse with Abby following close behind.

###

Hoagie looked at his watch before letting out a sigh.

"Say, where do you think Numbuh 1 and Numbuh 5 went?"

"Didn't ya hear? They have their top secret stupid mission or somethin'," Wally mumbled.

"I know but don't you think it's a little weird? The top-secret mission came out of nowhere. Numbuh 1 didn't talk about a mission like that until yesterday."

"Plus, it's been hours!" Kuki complained from her seat on the floor.

"So?"

"So...what if they're lying?"

Wally straightened up at that.

Lyin'? Ta do what? he thought, suddenly curious.

"Huh."

"Eh, it's probably nothing, though." Hoagie shrugged. "I'm gonna go work on tweaking some tech."

As he left the room, Wally sighed and grumbled some nonsense under his breath. He was itching to find out what Nigel and Abby were up to – not because of Abby or anything, but because he wanted to be a part of the top-secret mission, too.

And Hoagie was right. There was no mention of the dumb, cruddy mission before, so it had to be a lie.

All of a sudden, he was suddenly poked in the ribs by the Japanese girl now in Hoagie's spot.

"Ow," he hissed rubbing his aching side with a glare aimed at her, "What was that for!?"

"For not saying bye to Numbuh 5 and Numbuh 1!"

"That was ages ago! An' it's not like they're gonna be gone forevah or anythin'."

"Well, you never know," she said, with a shrug. "We don't know what they're doing, Wally. It could be dangerous!"

"Yeah, yeah whatevah," he replied with a stony indifference though it failed to convince even himself. Her sentence brought chills down his spine, fearing for Abby than anything. It made him want to leave the treehouse and track them both down to see if they were okay.

To get his mind off of things, he turned to Kuki who had been staring at him with a wide smile.

"Do ya wanna go somewhere or somethin'? I'm bored."

"Yay! I know just the plac-"

"Please don' say ya wanna go to that dumb Rainbow Monkey theme park, 'cos if ya do, then I ain't comin'."

"No, silly! We're gonna go someplace even better!"

###

Abby was holding hands with Nigel and it was beyond awkward. She didn't even want to go along with the silly plan in the first place because she knew it would only end in disaster.

But it wasn't like she really had a choice. Nigel was one of her best friends, and she couldn't say no.

As the 'date' went on, she felt herself suffocating, though. They couldn't even look each other in the eye as they walked passed an amusement park Lizzie usually went to. Even though Nigel claimed she would be there, there was no sight of her.

Abby resisted the urge to sigh; she just wanted to go home and chill on her couch as she read a magazine.

It would take her mind off of Wally, the boy who was always on her mind nowadays.

"Well," Nigel began awkwardly, "since Lizzie isn't here at the moment, wanna go on a ride?"

She was startled out of her thoughts and turned to Nigel with an eyebrow raised. He smiled sheepishly with a shrug.

"Boy, you have got to be kiddin' me," she muttered under his breath. She sighed. "I mean, sure, why not?"

So, that's what they did. Even though her heart wasn't fully into it, after a few rides, she found herself enjoying the time spent with Nigel.

Sure, he wasn't Wally, but he was still fun. He was still her friend.

"Man, that was awesome!" she exclaimed, feeling energised and wanting to go on more rides. Nigel held his head in his hands.

"Uh, I think I'm going to be sick," he mumbled as he plopped down on a bench nearby.

"You alright, Numbuh 1?"

"I will be in a little while."

She chuckled and took a seat next to him.

"You were screaming like a girl, you know that?"

"I was not!"

"Was too. Numbuh 5 could hear everythang."

Nigel mumbled grumpily under his breath but a slow smile curved his lips nevertheless. She found herself grinning at him.

The fake date wasn't as bad as it was in the beginning. The awkwardness had dissipated into something more comfortable, now that they were going on rides as friends and not as a 'couple'.

"Would you like some cotton candy, Num-I mean Abby?"

She blinked, partly shocked at his use of her given name. The only other person who used it was Wally - not that he was doing it anymore. "No, it's alright, boy. You ain't feelin' your best so keep restin'."

"I'm quite alright, now Abby. I just needed a moment to sit down and relax. So, how about that cotton candy?"

Abby was startled once again. He was being a gentleman. Nigel was always a gentleman, she knew that, but it was weird that he was acting how a boyfriend would. It made her feel special, even if it was fake.

"Uh, in that case, sure thang."

A few minutes later whilst Abby was waiting for Nigel to come back, two familiar faces came into view.

"Numbuh 5?" Kuki said with wide eyes. "What are you doing here? Where's Numbuh 1?"

"Yeah, I thought ya two were on a 'top secret mission' or somethin'," Wally said in an accusing tone, his eyes narrowed.

Shoot! Abby thought, trying to figure out what to say. Nigel didn't want her to tell them because he knew they would never let him live it down. The oh so serious Nigel trying to make Lizzie jealous by taking Abby out on a date?

He would be a laughing stock!

Abby shook her head as if to get rid of her thoughts. She looked up at the two, one patiently waiting and the other looking like he would burst in flames any second.

He was oddly quiet though, his shoulders slumped and hands buried deep into the kangaroo pouch of his rich orange hoodie.

"Uh, we finished the top-secret mission ages ago. We just stopped by to treat ourselves to some cotton candy."

"Ooh, really? I want some cotton candy, too!"

"I don't," Wally deadpanned. Kuki tugged on his arm.

"Come on, Wally, pleeeeaaaseeee?! I want some!"

"Okay, okay, foine, geez." Abby waited for him to glance at her, but he didn't. It was as if he was deliberately avoiding her for something. He just walked off with his head down.

Why's he actin' so weird? she thought, eyebrows furrowed.

"So, um, what're you two doing here?"

Kuki shrugged. "Wally said he wanted to go out and asked me if I wanted to come with!"

So they're on a date…she thought, with an internal sigh.

Abby forced herself to smile. "Oh...Numbuh 5 thinks that sounds great."

Kuki giggled. "Yeah, I know! Ooh, by the way, Numbuh 5, it kinda looks like you're on a date with Numbuh 1."

"What?! N-no!"

"I'm just joking, silly!"

"O-oh."

Abby's heart pounded against her ribcage and she gulped. It really wasn't a big deal, but she felt like she was being caught doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing.

Like drinking soda even though she was underage.

She could feel the sweat practically gathering in her red cap and she took it off to wipe at her forehead and smooth down her hair. Abby watched as Nigel appeared with cotton candy in hand, walking stiffly beside Wally who looked as furious as ever.

Or at least, from what she could tell from the snarl on his mouth anyway. His eyes were partly hidden but she could see the venomous shine in his emeralds. As the boys handed the sugary treat to the girls, an overwhelming, tense silence engulfed them.

Though, Kuki seemed to be as oblivious as ever, eating her cotton candy happily as she gazed around the park.

"So," Wally spat, eyes fixed on a certain dark-skinned beauty, "you two on a date, now are ya?"

Nigel spoke this time.

"I told you, Numbuh 4, we just came by to relax a little before we continue on our mission."

Abby wanted to smack him. They had both given completely different stories; Wally wasn't the brightest but he wasn't stupid. His green eyes glanced pointedly at her as if he hadn't believed a word she had said.

And she didn't blame him.

"Oh reeeally?" he started, sarcastically with a frown. "Well, that ain't what Numbuh 5 told us, eh Kuki?"

Kuki just looked between the two with raised eyebrows.

Nigel whipped his head in Abby's direction and their eyes met. Both of them were at a loss of what to say. They were already caught and lying would only make it worse so, helplessly, she shrugged. She watched as Nigel's shoulders slumped.

"Oh, alright, I guess I'll just tell you the truth," he muttered.

"Ya darn right ya do."

"We're on a date-"

"I knew it!" The blond cried out, a fixed glare now aimed at Abby. "I can't cruddy believe ya-"

"-a fake date, Numbuh 4." Nigel shot him a look.

"Oh."

"Fake?" Kuki questioned, tilting her head.

"Lizzie and I had a fight because she was flirting with another boy. Her excuse was that she thought he was me! Can you believe that!?"

As Nigel began to rant, the other three shared confused glances before they started to snicker.

"Man, you're whipped!" Wally commented with a grin.

Nigel shot him a glare. "Oh, shut up. Not like you're any better."

Wally stiffened, his face turning beet red. "W-what!? Whaddya say!?"

Abby's mouth twisted into a bitter smile as she watched. Everyone knew about his crush on Kuki and how flustered and easily aggravated he became when another boy hit on her. It was easy to tease him about it because he always got annoyed.

She wished someone felt that way about her, the way Wally felt about Kuki.

"Oi, Numbuh 5."

She hadn't even realised that during all the weirdness going on between them, Wally had stopped calling her Abby and was referring to her as Numbuh 5 again. She didn't know what had brought the change but a part of her didn't like it.

The other part was relieved because the others would question it...at least, that's what she thought. Only Kuki and Wally referred to each other by their given names. That's how it always was and always will be.

It looked like things were going back to the way they used to be, and Abby didn't know if she liked it or not.

She looked up at the person who called her name and saw Wally staring at her fixedly.

"What, boy?"

"You comin' on the rides, or what?"

Abby looked around to see Kuki and Nigel had already left, leaving only Wally and herself behind.

She shook her head, softly. "Nah, Numbuh 5's good."

"Come on, Wally, let's goooooo on the rides!" Kuki yelled from her place in a line a little ways away from where they were standing.

His blonde bangs flopped forward. It hid his confused emerald eyes as he debated on whether to go or not to go, peeking at Abby from under his hair occasionally. That look gave her a little bit of hope. Hope that maybe...just maybe he'd stay behind for her. But just then, he reluctantly turned and walked over to Kuki.

She didn't even realise that her shoulders were tense in anticipation until they slumped slowly in disappointment. For a split second, she had thought and expected that he would choose her over Kuki.

Abby resisted the urge to scoff at her immature thoughts. Wally would always choose Kuki, there was no doubt about that. She was a fool if she truly thought otherwise.

She watched as Nigel came over and sat next to her with a loud sigh.

"So much for keeping this a secret."

Abby said nothing, only handing the rest of the cotton candy over to Nigel who took it without a word. She let her eyes roam around the park but it immediately stopped on a familiar figure.

Lizzie was by herself, sitting at a nearby table looking around as well. Her eyes met Abby's before glancing at the person sitting beside her.

Well, what a coincidence, she thought, her eyes wide. But wow, Numbuh 1 called it! The girl's actually here!

Abby could tell in the way her face scrunched up and flushed a deep scarlet though, that they were in deep trouble.

Or at least Nigel was, anyway.

"Uh, Numbuh 1?"

"Yes?"

"Lizzie's here and Numbuh 5's got a bad feelin' about this," she muttered as Lizzie stormed over to them. Nigel let out a strangled gasp as the girl with glasses stood before them with her arms crossed.

Her eyes narrowed into vicious slits and she jutted her hip out.

"And what do you think you're doing?" she demanded, glaring daggers at Abby.

Just when Abby went to open her mouth, Nigel jumped in.

"We're on a date, Lizzie," he said, smugly. Abby wanted to smack the bald kid upside his head. He was only going to make things worse.

Lizzie looked like she was about to explode.

"But I'm your girlfriend!"

"Really? You weren't acting like my girlfriend when you were flirting with another boy!"

"Because I thought he was you!"

"Do you really expect me to believe that?!"

Abby stared blankly ahead at nothing, in particular, wanting to roll her eyes at the immaturity of both of them.

"Will you both shut yo trap?! Lizzie, Numbuh 1's just bein' a fool; we're not on a date, we're pretending because he wanted to make you jealous. You're the only one he likes."

Lizzie gaped at a blushing Nigel and a manic giggle left her lips, accompanied by a snort.

"Awwww, is that true Nigieeee?" she drawled out the vowels, batting her eyelashes as she did so. It was as if their mini spat from before didn't even happen.

Abby raised her eyebrows as Nigel rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly.

"Uh, yea—woah!"

Before he could finish his sentence, he was engulfed into a tight hug by Lizzie.

"I'll never ever mistake you for another boy ever, my Nigie poo!"

"Uh...heh."

Nigel smiled to himself but then looked away at the teasing look that Abby was shooting him. He cleared his throat and tried to push Lizzie away and Abby resisted the urge to snicker at the situation.

It was cute but also sickening at the same time.

As Lizzie took Nigel - and the cotton candy - away, Abby was left alone. Kuki and Wally were doing their own thing and so without saying anything, she slowly got up and left.

There was no point in her being there anymore.

Mission accomplished, she thought with an unsatisfied sigh.

She walked down the lane leading back to their treehouse when she glanced over at the Romantic Burger. Though she had never wanted to, for some reason, seeing all the couples around she wanted to go in there, too.

Before she could even think, she had found herself walking in. It was too lovey-dovey for her taste but she had to appreciate the work that was put into it. As she had expected and the name had hinted, there were only couples in there.

It was too disgusting to see all the PDA so she turned to leave when her eyes caught sight of Chad – also known as ex Numbuh 274 who betrayed the KND – sitting alone on a table, sipping a milkshake and lost in thought. He didn't look menacing this time; his lips were spread into a grim line and his eyes held a dim light.

Abby was still on full-alert, though. She shook her head to try and stop herself from getting curious or feeling bad in any way. Her eyes narrowed as she took a look around.

Why's he here of all places? she thought, stomach churning in suspicion.

She had no weapon on her at the moment but she marched right up to him, anyway. Crossing her arms, she cleared her throat.

His blue eyes dragged themselves away from the window and up at her. As realisation settled in, the troubled expression from before vanished and was replaced with a smirk.

He leaned back, raising an eyebrow. "Well, if it isn't a Kids Next Dork."

"What are ya doing here, Chad?" she spat with disgust. "Holdin' another one of your secret meetings with faulty plans to destroy the Kids Next Door?"

He snorted cruelly. "I could ask you the same thing, kid. This is a restaurant for couples. I don't see anyone cosy-ing up to you anytime soon. Or ever for that matter."

That got her blood boiling. She might be young but that didn't mean she was incapable of love.

She slammed her hands down onto the table with a bam causing the table to rattle and aggressively shoved her face right in front of him, scowling. It did little to deter Chad whose smirk only widened, eyes flashing with amusement.

"Hit a nerve there, did I?"

"You hit nothin', Chad. Numbuh 5, on the other hand, is gonna be hittin' your face in!"

He leaned in further, his gaze searching her face. "Well, I'd like to see you try."

Their noses were inches away now, Abby's eyes darkly piercing his crystal blue ones with a deadly glare.

"Uh, what are you guys doing?"

A familiar voice floated through the air causing her to jump back. Whipping around, Abby watched as Kuki's eyes widened and Wally's jaw dropped open at the scene before them.

"What in the crud were ya doin', Numbuh 5?! Were you kissin' that cruddy traitor!?"

Abby nearly vomited in her mouth.

"What are you talkin' about, boy?! Numbuh 5 wasn't kissin' nobody!"

"It really looked like you were kissing Chad, Numbuh 5."

"Numbuh 5 said she wasn't kissin' nobody!"

"But we saw you!"

At that moment she wanted to slap Kuki senseless but instead settled on a groan as she let her head fall into her hands.

Chad snickered from behind her.

"You lame dorks really think I would be kissing her?"

Wally's mouth pulled back into a vicious snarl, lips pulling against his teeth. He looked like he was just about ready to jump on him and punch the socks out of him, if not for Kuki holding his sleeve tightly.

"Why should we believe anythin' ya cruddy tell us, huh? You're nothin' but a lousy rat."

Chad just shrugged. "You don't have to believe anything I say. You're too dumb to understand anyway."

Wally growled and took a menacing step forward.

"Why, I oughta-"

Before he could do or say anything, he was pulled back by Kuki yet again.

"Let's just go to another restaurant and give them some space, Wally."

"Wait, Numbuh 3-" Abby tried to stop them but Kuki was already out the door. Just before Wally left, he turned to look at her.

It was a look that she had never received from him before.

A look of utter...disappointment.

"Ya coulda picked anyone...anyone but Chad." He shook his head, letting his blond bangs flop about. His irises were covered by the curtain of his hair, disappointment and heartbreak also hidden from clear view. "I never pegged ya to be the type to fall for a cruddy teenager, let alone a traitor like 'im. I thought ya were different."

With his head hung down low, he placed a hand on the doorknob. Before he left, he added, "I guess I was wrong."

Abby didn't know what to think as he left; the gears in her head were rapidly turning. She wanted to run after them and clear up the misunderstanding but at the same time, she wanted to let them go. To make up stories on their own. They could believe whatever they wanted to, it wasn't her place to do anything.

She knew what she was doing and that was all that mattered. However, the thought of Wally thinking that way about her...she didn't like it.

That look he gave her was still etched in her mind, like a record that kept playing over and over without stopping.

A heavy feeling hung over her heart and she swallowed, hard.

"Woah, that was dramatic."

Abby pulled a long face. She had forgotten that Chad was there, witnessing it all.

"Whatevah. Numbuh 5's leavin'."

"Wait-"

She turned to look over her shoulder at Chad. He was smirking widely.

"Maybe we should give your dorky teammates what they want and kiss," he teased with a snicker. "What do you say?"

That day ended with Chad practically taking a bath in his milkshake. Suffice to say, Abby left the place feeling completely satisfied and with a smirk of her own on her face.

And that was for messin' with Numbuh 5, she thought with a snicker.

###

"Wally, give it back!"

"No way, come and get it if you really want it!"

"Give it back!"

"I said no!"

Kuki stomped her foot, even though her eyes glinted with pure enjoyment. Wally, on the other hand, wasn't as happy.

He enjoyed spending time with Kuki but their conversations only revolved around Rainbow Monkeys, her sister and other girly girl stuff. There was only so much a guy could take. When he used to like her, he tolerated it all for her.

But now that he didn't...he didn't want to endure any of it if he didn't need to.

Besides, his mind was completely taken over by another girl.

A girl named Abigail Lincoln.

She was completely avoiding him, too.

Well, technically he was avoiding her. Not because he didn't like her or anything; he was completely whipped.

Just...he couldn't handle the fact that she had been hiding the fact that the so-called secret mission was to go on a date with Nigel.

It was fake but still, it was a date.

On top of that, she had been kissin' that stupid traitor Chad and lied to their faces. She wasn't the Abby he knew and that annoyed him. He shuddered in disgust at the scene of Abby and Chad together, a scowl taking over his features.

His hold on the Rainbow Monkey that he had stolen from Kuki, tightened dangerously just at the revolting thought of them two cosy-ing up together.

If I evah see 'im again, I'm gonna beat the crud out of that st-

Kuki gasped, breaking into his thoughts.

"Wally, you're hurting Mr Munchkins!"

"Huh?" He looked down. "Oh. Sorry, Kooks."

She reached out and tried to grab it from his grasp but he yanked it back. He wasn't sure what exactly happened, but in the next moment, Kuki was squealing as she slammed against him and they were both plunging towards the hard, wooden floor.

They both hit the ground with a loud thump, her on top of him. Wally could feel the back of his head throbbing painfully and he reached up and behind his head, only to feel a small lump.

He cringed in pain before looking up into Kuki's dark eyes. A slight blush took over the apple of her fair cheeks and she bit down shyly on her lower lip.

All thoughts vanished as he realised what had happened. He stared up at her with his mouth agape, not sure of what to do or say. If this was two months ago, he would have blushed furiously and probably even gathered the courage to lean up and kiss her.

But things had changed too much for him to feel what he used to for Kuki.

He could feel his face heating up and travelling down to his neck. Not because he was excited at the situation they had found themselves in, but more so due to the embarrassment.

"Uh, Kuki, could ya-"

"Woah!" Abby's exclamation caused both Wally and Kuki to simultaneously turn their heads in her direction. "Numbuh 5 didn't mean to interrupt ya love birds."

"Wha-No!" His eyes widened and he shook his head, furiously. "We ain't love birds, this isn't what ya thin-"

"You don't need to lie to Numbuh 5!" she cut him off with a small, uncomfortable smile. "Numbuh 5'll leave ya to things, but seriously fools, get a room."

Abby shot them a quick thumbs up before turning and speed-walking away. He watched with a frown as she retreated to her room and a sigh had left his lips before he could stop it. Not only was she acting strange, but she didn't react in the way he wanted her to.

He had thought stupidly that she would frown or something. Something to let him know that she felt the same for him as he did for her. She didn't even let him finish or clear up the misunderstanding!

She clearly didn't care, though. Abby had always supported him and Kuki together, from the very start. Her and Hoagie always teased them together so a part of him knew why. If Abby supported him and Kuki together, then that meant she didn't feel anything for him.

I dunno what to do, he thought, helplessly.

His chest constricted and his heart twisted painfully. He had the sudden urge to go into his room and punch out all his sadness and frustration on his sandbag.

That would make him feel a little better about the day's events.

But first, he had to be able to move his body first.

"Kuki, can ya please get off? My back's killin' me."

"Oh! Sorry Wally," she giggled quietly, "Silly me."

As she moved away and sat up, he followed suit. Without looking her in the eyes, he quietly handed over the doll. Before she could say anything, he stood up and raced to his room, hiding the tears that threatened to fall.