Author Note: This is a short one-shot based on a prompt I found somewhere. It was written over a year ago, and I recently found it. I'm hoping it can inspire me to get back into fanfiction again, as I have been away from my fandoms for a while now. Sorry that it is so short but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.

Disclaimers: Lyrics from 'Blue Skies' ©Irving Berlin 1926. 'Hey Arnold!' is ©Craig Bartlett and property of Viacom/ Nickelodeon

Come A-knockin'

~A Hey Arnold ficlet~

I was blue, just as blue as I could be
Ev'ry day was a cloudy day for me
Then good luck came a-knocking at my door
Skies were gray but they're not gray anymore

("Blue Skies" by Irving Berlin)

Helga pulled the covers over her head and ignored the world. Beneath the warm quilt she could hide and avoid facing the misery of the outside world.

"But Helga-" Phoebe called from the other side of the door, "You can't stay in there forever." Her housemate and best friend had been a vigilant protector of her door. She brought food; she gave pep talks and read out the names of the visitors whose company Helga had avoided by staying locked away in her room; she did all of Helga's chores. Ever since the incident, Phoebe had been a rock. But right now, she was being annoying.

"I can, and will, Pheebs." Helga called back.

"But he's coming over to see you!" came the little voice from the other side of the door.

Helga flinched. He was coming over. That old giddy feeling came back to her, a tingling over her skin at the thought of him, the swoon escaping her lips before she'd even realised. When she caught herself though, she hissed. The pain welled up inside and she felt the need to tug the blankets closer than ever.

"I don't care." Helga shouted, muffled by her quilts.

She swore she heard Phoebe mutter something but it was hard to tell through the layers of quilt and door. Then silence. Phoebe must have left to go do something. Good, Helga thought, it's better to be alone anyway.

Everyday lately had been miserable. Ever since the incident, it was as though grey clouds swirled above her wherever she went. All because of a misunderstanding between them.

That's right, Helga told herself. It was a misunderstanding. When she got drunk at that party, she hadn't meant to kiss Arnold Shortman. He just misunderstood. So really, she shouldn't have been that bothered when he pushed her away and got mad at her. And she really ought to have explained herself rather than get angry right back at him, raising her fists and then running away.

Still, that misunderstanding ruined her mood so much that she hadn't left the apartment in nearly a month, even skipping classes. She was sure things were only going to get worse and the college would call soon to kick her out. But she really didn't feel like getting out of bed. The only reason she even left her room was to go to the bathroom across the hall and to accept food from Phoebe.

Helga heard the apartment door open and close. Whatever Phoebe had gone out to do, she'd done it fast.

There was a tap at her door. Ignoring it, Helga turned over in her bed.

"Helga?"

She froze. That wasn't Phoebe. The voice on the other side of the door was not that of her petite, timid Japanese-American friend, but a deep, kind male voice. It was the voice that whispered sweet nothings to her in her deluded dreams; it was the voice from her memories that had hardly said a bad word about anyone. It was the voice that cruelly reprimanded her for giving in to the depths of her passionate love for him.

"Arnold?" She squeaked.

"I'm sorry to bother you like this, Helga." He apologised. Helga sat up, letting the cover fall from her shoulders. "Phoebe told me you were upset and well… I think I know why."

Anger boiled up inside her.

"Oh really? Oh great and wise Football-Head, why don't you enlighten me with your theory?" She called back, edgily.

Silence. But she wasn't going to apologise for snapping. No more than she was going to apologise for kissing him.

"I know you're mad at me for what happened at Rhonda's party, Helga. I'm sorry I sounded so… annoyed at you."

Guilt hit her. Of course it did. How could she fault him for being annoyed at her when she just forced herself on him out of the blue? Until that moment, he probably still thought she hated him.

"No wait…" She got up, shakily and opened her door. She stood in her nightgown, all mussed up hair and sleep-blurred eyes. She knew she looked terrible – not in a state fit to be viewed by the one guy she'd loved since she was three years old, but he probably thought so little of her that her appearance made no difference anymore. "I should be the one apologising... I was drunk, rude and I made you mad. You had every right to be annoyed at me, and for that I'm sorry, Arnold." She looked up, daring to meet his eyes for the first time since that night.

She was surprised to see him dressed smartly, holding a bunch of flowers and smiling with a soft affection in his gaze. Her eyes widened in shock.

"No Helga – I should apologise. There was a… misunderstanding. I didn't mean to push you away. I was just surprised, and you were so drunk – I didn't feel right returning your kiss because I couldn't tell if it was just heat-of-the-moment again, you know?"

"Oh." Helga was lost for words.

"I was wondering if maybe you'd like to go out to dinner with me tonight?" He asked, offering her the flowers. She accepted them, dumbfounded and nodded. "Great. I'll pick you up at 6.30 tonight…"

Helga could hardly believe it. It was as though the grey clouds had floated away. The blue skies had returned, and it was looking all clear.

All she needed was for him to come a knocking on her door.

Author Note: Thank you for reading :) If you like this, please check out my other HA! fanfics. I also have fanfics on my deviantart page (cabbit-chan) including some not posted here.