Hey everyone!

I'm still writing very simple things, trying to get back into the swing of this. Hopefully this isn't awful, but we'll see, I guess!

This takes place as teens, in case it's not obvious. My writing often isn't.

Aaand I still don't own any of the characters. Okay, here we go, hope all is well with you and I love all of you.

"Jerk!"

"Sissy!"

"Give it to me, give it back!"

"No!"

Mother of all-

They still argued like children.

"You're not being fair!"

"I'm not being fair? You've been watching three hours of this crud! It's my turn!"

"No!"

Abby was done.

The girl shot up from her seat and stormed across the room in a way that made Hoagie think that she was about to face down an army. There was a fire in her eyes, tension rippling in the muscles of her arms, and a unbreakable set of her jaw; the look was somewhat attractive to Hoagie, but he would never tell her that unless he wanted to get clocked one.

Instead, he followed quietly after, watching the scene unfold before him as the dark-skinned girl moved right in between the two arguing forms.

"That's enough."
Oh, that silky, dangerous edge to her voice. It stopped them both in their tracks in a mere instant.

And then it started again.

"Abby, Wally took the remote from me, even though I told everyone that I wanted to watch the marathon today!"

"I told her that the match was today, and it's important! She can watch her stupid show anytime, but this is the final match!"

"He snatched it right out of my hand!"

"She wasn't listening to me!"

The girl's lips pressed together just a bit tighter, just enough to let them know that they were annoying the flip out of her. Any second now, she was going to cuff an ear just to get them to shut up, and Hoagie was silently betting it'd be Wally.

"Are you two gonna have a god at each other like this every day? You're driving Abby insane."

"But she-" The Aussie never learned.

"Boy? Shut up."

Finally the tone of her voice reached him, and he fell appropriately silent. Kuki was standing there with her head hanging, the picture of repentance and desolation. Abby's gaze flicked back and forth, back and forth, before finally she came to a decision. Hoagie could tell that it was gonna be a good one, from the way her eyes narrowed.

"Sit down, both of you."

"What?" Wally gave her a look like she'd gone mental while Kuki obediently scurried over to the couch and plopped on it. The Aussie only needed one look at her eyes to realize that arguing would do nothing, and then he was sitting beside Kuki in a heartbeat while Abby strode forward to stand in front of them, her expression like a drill sergeant and her tone no kinder.

"Since you two are gonna act like children, we're gonna treat you like children. You're gonna do this or Abby's gonna personally beat both'a ya until ya can't even talk, let alone argue."

Kuki's nod was so utterly solemn, her eyes wide as she gazed upward. Wally was more flippant, dismissive, but both of them knew very well that she would carry out her threat. Hoagie? Hoagie was just amused.

"We're gonna take turns. Kuki first, then Wally. You can say three mean things, anything you want, about the other person. But then you gotta say something nice."

"What." So accented and so thick with disbelief was the word uttered by the blonde male.

"You heard Abby."

Kuki looked slightly confused, and then her lips tugged downward, mirroring Wally's unhappy expression. But Abby was firm, staring both of them down like she might stare down a charging lion, and they were both forced to yield, simultaneously slumping back against the couch like they wanted to sink into its depths.

"Go, Kuki."

Her fingers fiddled together and her eyes flicked around, but then the words came fiercely. "He's selfish, and he only lets us do what he wants to do, and he can be a really big jerk sometimes!"

Wally scowled and looked like he was about to shoot back with something. Until Abby kicked him, that is, and then he just muttered cruel things under his breath. "Now something nice, Kuki."

Her arms folded, and her lower lip stuck out a little in mild dislike at the order, but finally she managed to come up with something. "He's always been there for the team."

Wally's eyes flickered with something, but when Abby glanced at him to give him his turn, he took it almost eagerly, spitting the harsh words right back at her. "She's so childish, she likes the dumbest things! And she doesn't make any sense, and she drags me into her ridiculous games until I want to vomit!"

The words had their desired effect; Kuki looked stung. Wally's mouth clamped shut until Abby prodded him with her foot, and his look was so utterly begrudging and vengeful. It took him longer to come up with something nice, and it barely made up for what he'd said before. ". . . Sometimes her games can be fun, I guess."

"Kuki?"

"He's downright mean sometimes," she said instantly, her eyes a little wet now. Wally pretended not to notice. "And he's intolerant of anything he doesn't like, and he can be so destructive sometimes." Her gaze flicked to the blonde boy, and then away. "But he's always been nice when it's really mattered."

Wally's brow wrinkled and unwrinkled. Hoagie made a note of his tone; it was less cutting than he'd let it be before. "She doesn't take anything seriously, and she tells the dumbest jokes on the friggin' planet. And her room still looks like a five-year-old should live in there." He didn't need Abby to prod him this time. "Uhh. . . she's really good at cheering people up and being there for them."

It was only there for a second, but Hoagie caught it: Kuki smiled.

Abby seemed more relaxed as it was Kuki's turn again. "He laughs at my television shows, that's not nice at all. And he gets mad too easily, and sometimes I think he's going to hit me."

"What?" Wally's face was incredulous as he turned toward the girl. If Hoagie didn't know better, he'd say the statement had offended the male. "I'd never hit you! Are you daft?"

"Shut up, it's not your turn." Abby kicked Wally again, just for fun, now, but she noticed Kuki looked so much happier as an aftermath of Wally's outburst.

". . . He does take good care of his friends," she admitted. "He's stood up for me a couple of times."

"Well, yeah," Wally grumbled. "Ya big pansy, you were lettin' 'em push you around, what was I gonna do?"

"Just go already." Abby sounded as amused as Hoagie felt, and it was so entertaining.

"Fine." Heaving a sigh, the male leaned his head back on the couch. He actually had to think about the bad things now. "She, uh. She doesn't stand up for herself a lot. I wish she wouldn't let others give her crap. And she messes around when we play video games together, it takes us like ten years to get through a single level. And. . . I dunno. But she's friends with like everyone, I don't think any of us know anyone nicer than her."

"Really?" The eyes of the girl were wide as she glanced at him in surprise.

"Maybe." Ah. The gruff edge had returned. Hoagie snickered silently. "But they don't ask for clarification when their hearing is perfectly good."

"Sorry." She seemed to have forgotten it was her turn until Abby gestured to her. "Oh! Uhhhm. You know, sometimes he doesn't shower after wrestling or soccer or anything and he smells so bad but he won't go shower when I tell him to. And, uhhhm. . ." She shrugged. "He's really good at a lot of stuff, though. I wish I could do a lot of things as well as he does."

Those green eyes flickered again, just once, and Abby knew her job was done. Her eyebrow arched, as though just to maintain her dominion over them. "You two done fighting?"

"Yes," Kuki murmured, at the same time Wally shrugged aimlessly. Nodding and stepping back to let them up, Abby watched them rise, pleased at the lack of any hostility.

"Kuki," she said gently. "You've been watching the television for a few hours, and the final match is something that's pretty big. How about you let Wally have the tv now, and I'll order the rest of them later and we'll watch them together?"

Kuki handed the remote over so peacefully that it was like there wasn't an argument in the first place, and Wally muttered a thank-you that was more tender than he would ever admit to again. It was so personal, in a completely not-personal way, that Abby felt like she needed to leave.

As her heels hit the floor, ponytail moving like a pendulum behind her, she heard Wally quietly ask Kuki if she wanted to watch wrestling with him, even though uh well she didn't er quite like wrestling, h-he knew, er, but she, maybe it'd still be kind of, uh, fun?

"When are they getting together?" Hoagie asked Abby under his breath as she re-entered the kitchen, and the girl struggled fiercely to keep from rolling her eyes. Hoagie's grin only widened. "C'mon, Abs. You know they're entertaining."

"Try a pain in Abby's-"

"Plus, it's kind of pretty awesome when you take charge like that."

"Shut up, Hoagie."

She settled into the seat next to her boyfriend and glanced back into the living room, a smile growing on her lips despite herself. Kuki, curled up next to Wally, was listening curiously while he explained the show to her, their expressions peaceful and contented. So easily appeased, with warm flushes and fleeting glances and soft smiles like it never happened.

Abby snorted affectionately. Mostly affectionately, anyway.

Children.