This is just a little one-shot idea that takes place in Arnold's point of view, what he's thinking and how he feels during his first kiss. XD The school play! Ta-da! This is my take on what he's thinking.
Inspiration and thanks goes to Commander, for her awesome fic "Five Kisses", that helped to inspire me. X3
And also, thanks to all of you! :) For your wonderful support and kindness, which means so much to me.
Enjoy, my dear constant readers.
--
This was it. They were just moments, or a minute or two, he couldn't tell by this point, from the big moment of the play.
The kiss.
Arnold now lay on the makeshift scenery stairs, eyes closed, pretending to be dead after Romeo just drank the poison. He could hear the very faint murmurs of the audience, and Stinky entering the scene. His death was the said boy's cue to enter, and he could now hear him speaking.
"Romeo! Oh, pale! Who else? What, Paris too, and steeped in blood! Ah, what an unkind hour is guilty of this lamentable chance!"
He then heard Helga yawn and wake up from where she was lying on the makeshift tomb in a comatose manner.
"Oh, comfortable friar, where is my Lord?" Helga was saying slowly in a soft, worried tone. It wasn't often he heard her talk like that, it was....kind of sweet, a refreshing change. "I do remember well where I should be, and there I am. Where is my Romeo?"
"Come, come away!" Stinky said. "Thy husband in thy bosom there lies dead-"
Helga gasped from where she was, which was a good touch. Arnold knew by now that he had definitely underestimated how good of an actress she really was. All through the play and their scenes together, there wasn't an ounce of hatred or any kind of spite thrown his way, and it didn't show in her eyes, either. It was as if she really loved him, exactly as Juliet saw Romeo. She really put a lot of passion and effort in her performance, he was blown away by how tender and sweet she could really be.
Too bad it was only acting. Oh well, she was amazing at it, that was for sure.
"and Paris too." Stinky went on. "Stay not to question, for the watch is coming. Come, go, good Juliet. I dare no longer stay."
Helga came to him then, kneeling next to him as she cradled his head. He stiffened lightly, but didn't dare make a move, since he was supposed to be dead. Surprisingly, she was gentle, as if she really cared about him.
"Go, get thee hence, for I will not away!" Helga moaned in anguish.
"Okey-dokey." Stinky said amiably. That wasn't a Shakespeare line, but it wasn't out of place. He then walked off stage.
"What's here? A cup, closed in my true love's hand? Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end! Oh churl, drunk all, and left no friendly drop to help me after? I will kiss thy lips." Her voice was shaking with despair, as if she were really torn apart about his death. Her finger then traced his lips, which made caused a shiver to run up his spine. Never would he have expected Helga Pataki of all people to actually inflict such a feeling on him. "Haply some poison yet doth hang on them to make me die with a restorative."
This was it.
The kiss.
Arnold remained still, waiting anxiously to just get this over with already. His stomach was fluttering with butterflies and anxiety was eating at his gut, but he kept his composure. He couldn't believe that in just moments, he was about to have his first kiss taken by none other than his nemesis.
She obviously didn't want to do this, so maybe she would keep it brief, a mere brush of the lips lasting no more than half a second. She was a great actress, but all they had done was simple interacting between people. A kiss, on the lips no less, was incredibly intimate, and it wasn't something you wanted to share with someone you hated. Not in the least. Not that he hated Helga, of course, he didn't hate her at all. Far from it. Often irritated, annoyed and confused, more so than he had ever felt with someone, but not hate. She wasn't his first choice in who he wanted his first kiss to be with, but she wasn't the last, either.
Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. A quick kiss, maybe a two-second peck at the most, and then they'd be done and could go one with their lives. Everyone would understand, right? He was pretty sure no one was expecting the kind of kiss scene you would see in a movie between two older people. So it wouldn't matter, Helga wouldn't have to suffer too much in kissing someone she didn't like, and Arnold wouldn't feel too bad for it.
Win-win, right?
So he waited, for what seemed like an eternity, even though it was about two or three seconds at the most, for her to get this over with and kiss him. Yes, just one little kiss and then she could finish the play off.
This was not what happened.
Before Arnold could think further, and with no hesitation on Helga's part, she leaned down and kissed him. Kissed him. Arnold's insides seemed to pop and freeze as her lips covered his in a soft, velvety smoothness he had never felt before. Her lips were soft, her breath was minty, and boy could she kiss! It was a little forceful, passionate, and yet, very soft and gentle, like she really loved him.
And she didn't stop. She kept on kissing him. His eyes popped open, darting around nervously, completely awestruck and unsure of what to do. Helga Pataki, his nemesis, was KISSING him! On the lips, and very passionately no less! She was even moaning! What was going on here? What was she doing? If she hated him so much, why was she kissing him as if she....
...really wanted to?
There had to be something going on here. No one in the right mind would ever kiss someone so lovingly, and so long, if they really hated the person they were kissing. Helga would definitely be no different. If she really hated him, she would not be kissing him like this. Yes, a simple explanation could have been that she was really trying to convince the audience, but they were nine years old, no adult would expect such a kiss! They were just kids!
And yet, it was happening, Helga was kissing him like she wanted to. REALLY wanted to. He had shivers running up his spine, his green eyes wide with surprise as he looked at her, her eyes closed tightly and kissing him like she loved him.
This was his first kiss.
His first kiss was during a school play.
His first kiss was with Helga Pataki.
His first kiss was with the girl who had tormented him mercilessly.
His first kiss was beyond what he expected.
His first kiss was filled with love and passion, and seemed so real.
His first kiss was amazing.
And he liked it.
She kept on kissing him. Kissing him. Kissing him. Kissing him.
Something wasn't right here.
Did she WANT to kiss him?
It sure seemed like it by now. Arnold was now beginning to think that maybe she didn't hate him as much as she let on. Could she possibly have a crush on him, and wanted to kiss him? Whatever it was, it was hard to think clearly with her kissing him so long, so passionately.
The lack of oxygen between them must have gotten to her when she finally pulled away, panting hard, as if she had been running a marathon. He too, had been left breathless, his eyes still wide and pretty much ruining the dead effect.
"Yea, noise? Then I'll be brief!" Helga cried breathlessly, and let go of him.
He fell with a painful wince, but remained still as he waited for her to finish the scene, and to get over that breathtaking kiss. He felt her grab the retractable dagger from his belt, and finished off the play.
"Oh happy dagger! This is thy sheath! There rust, and let me die!"
Helga let out a dramatic, anguished cry of agony that most may think of as over the top, and then unceremoniously fell over on top of him. Then again, when did people dying ever fall over gracefully after being stabbed?
The curtains closed, and the audience broke out into a huge applause, all of them in tears. The rest of the cast returned to the stage for the bows, some staring strangely at the two of them. Helga finally managed to stand herself up, grumbling to herself inaudibly, as did Arnold, who kept his composure despite still pretty taken aback by her kiss. They held hands as they got into the row of the cast members, with the curtains parting and all of them taking a bow. He could see that most if not all the audience were all still applauding and in tears, which was surprising.
Amazing. They had moved the audience to tears. Unbelievable.
"I guess we did all right, Helga." He smiled.
"I guess so." Helga replied casually, looking pretty surprised as well, and then reverted back to her usual mean streak. "Except for that disgusting kiss! Yuck! I practically threw up!"
Somehow, he expected that from her. But at the same time, Arnold frowned a little. That didn't make sense at all. Normally, he would have pretty much accepted and bought her usual excuse of being mean after she did something nice, but this was more than that. She would not have kissed him like that if she really didn't want to, let alone hated him. It was obviously her covering up doing something nice, just as she always did.
Still, it didn't make sense. If she REALLY wanted to cover something up, or even, if she really hated him, which he doubted pretty much, she would have kissed him in the least amount of time possible and yet long enough to be somewhat convincing.
But no. She had kissed him like they were lovers. As if she would never get a chance to kiss him again. Just as Juliet would kiss Romeo. She went past the normal "kid kiss" length, by a long shot.
Although he wanted to tell her he didn't buy that, he decided instead to take another initiative that got his point across without being too explicit.
"Then why did you kiss me so long?"
"Hey, I was acting, football head! I was being professional! Did you think I wanted to do that? I practically gagged!"
They bowed once again.
Arnold just sighed, knowing full well that she wasn't the least bit disgusted or gagging when she kissed him. Either she was that good at acting and was going the extra mile, which he doubted all the more-not that she wasn't a good actress, she was great-but there had to be something else in there.
Oh well, maybe one day they could talk about it, right now was obviously not the right time. No wonder, they were on stage, with the cast, in front of an audience. You didn't really discuss kissing someone in front of an audience.
For now, he had to play her game. He may have been dense, but he wasn't stupid.
"Whatever you say, Helga." He said, his usual brush off and yet "I'm not buying it" phrase to her, and gave her a good-natured smile.
As they bowed again, he saw her smile and let out a soft sigh at the corner of his eye.
--
Later on, backstage, Arnold was changing out of his Romeo clothing, when Gerald came into the dressing room, shaking his head.
"Man oh man Arnold, you all right? I can't believe you survived the nightmare of Helga G. Pataki kissing you!"
Arnold's cheeks turned a light shade of pink. "Actually Gerald, it really wasn't that bad."
"Not that bad? Arnold, that was your first kiss! And you lost it to Helga! Helga! That's just sad, man, I can't believe she would actually take your first kiss away!" Gerald exclaimed.
"It's not a big deal." Arnold shrugged. "It was just a kiss. I know my first kiss wasn't what I expected, but it was in the script and we kind of had to. Besides, I have my entire life to kiss a girl I like."
"Mmmm mmmm mmmm. You're a trouper, Arnold." Gerald remarked. "So...did she use her tongue?"
His eyes widened in shock. "Gerald! That's...no! We're only nine!"
"I'm just sayin', if Helga's gonna be ruinin' your first kiss, she may as well do it real bad."
Arnold sighed, taking off the Renaissance clothing and taking his jacket off a hook. "Like I said, it really wasn't that bad. She's actually a pretty good kisser, not that I have anyone to compare it to."
"Whatever you say, Arnold." Gerald said, and followed him out of the room.
As they left and headed out the back door, strange as it may have sounded, Arnold knew then that he could never look at Helga the same way from now on. Then again, if he could take back his first kiss, he wouldn't change a thing.
He wondered then, was it because his first kiss was, despite it being Helga, really something and left him breathless? Or was it that it was all of that, and being Helga? Or was it just the kiss itself?
He wasn't sure. At least not now.
Still, he smiled a little bit as he thought to himself.His first kiss, despite never being a big deal to him, something he had always thought that would just happen and be done with, was pretty good.