Delaroux writing again, and a shout out to all my reviewers.
100th reviewer gets a drabble, I promise! (:
I feel so blessed; I've just calculated my read count and found that every day, I have an average of 282 readers from all over the world! Thank you all who are supporting me.

Anyway, thanks for coming back- Enjoy the chapter!

One week.

One full week had passed since the day he'd posed for a picture with Helga in front of the class, the whole damn school and God, and here Arnold was - Sitting in his kitchen and stupidly staring at a print of their photo. His thumb stroked over picture-Helga's cheek gently. He vividly remembered what Alaine, Slaine and Jericho confronted him about.

"Listen kid, we have nothing against you." Slaine said casually as he lit up a cigarette.
"Speak for yourself." Alaine immediately retorted, but there was no bite in his words.

They were on the roof; it was the only place the models and their handsome photographer could escape to without being hassled by students and crazy women. Arnold had taken up a chair to put under the door handle just in case someone attempted to bother them.

Jericho smiled. "But we do care for Helga. Very much."

Alaine nodded. "When she was dating Cho' over here..." He used a pet name to refer to Jericho, which Arnold found very curious. "… We got to know her better. She's rough, obnoxious, socially inept…" Alaine threw out negative traits none of them could deny Helga possessed. Jericho stepped in front of him and cut him off.
"But she's also a passionate person. She's not selfish, and always thinks of other people, even if it doesn't look like it when you first get to know her. She's a tender person."

"With a mean sense for character." Slaine grinned.

"Except that one time." Alaine muttered. Jericho and Slaine's eyes darkened.

The men were silent for a while and this prompted Arnold to ask, "What one time?"
"That's Helga's story to tell, not ours." Jericho said, and he lit up a cigarette up as well. Alaine took one of his and they smoked freely on the open rooftop.
Arnold watched them and waited for someone to say something.

"Listen, blondie." Slaine said. Arnold briefly wondered why everyone was suddenly calling him that. It wasn't like he'd just gotten blonde hair yesterday. "We think Helga's… Ur... Infatuated with you." He said, seeming to take good care to say the right words.
"Infatuated is rather mild." Alaine mumbled under his breath.
"What?" Arnold looked at the petite man.
"Nothing."

"Our point is… Don't hurt her." Jericho asked Arnold. For the first time, the man looked serious and he wasn't smiling. "We were with her from her second year in Firnest onward… and we've gone through a lot together." He confessed.

Slaine looked up at the sky thoughtfully. "She'd told us once, 'if my life were a horse, I'd shoot it' – And at the time, it was easy to see she'd meant it."

The three men watched as Arnold's brow furrowed. He didn't like thinking about Helga in depression, or wanting to end her life, ever. He waited for a while to gather his thoughts before he spoke.
"It's been a long time since I've seen Helga." He told them. "The last time I saw her, we were both nine; just kids. She used to bully me a lot, and-"

Slaine barked a short laugh. "Kid, you've heard of playground syndrome, yeah?"

Arnold nodded. "Where someone teases the other person a lot to get their attention, because they can't find another way to… to…" He looked at the three of them, his eyes widening a tad. Slaine's lips were lifted in a smirk, Jericho was smiling and adjusting his spectacles, and Alaine… Alaine was looking stoic and unimpressed with Arnold.
"Wow, blonde boy, you live up to your hair color." He said snarkily.

"Is your sole purpose of being here to mock me?" Arnold asked Alaine tiredly, kneading his forehead.

Alaine nodded. "More or less."

Slaine chuckled. "Alaine's a sweetheart, he's just misunderstood."
"All the time," Jericho added as Slaine and Alaine stood on either side of Alaine.
Alaine wasn't sure which he was more insulted and shocked by, the fact that he'd been called a sweetheart in front of a stranger, or the fact that he didn't protest.

Arnold looked at their united front suspiciously. "There's something about you three." He commented quite accurately.
Slaine smirked. "You mean between us three." He stated.
Arnold nodded carefully.
Jericho inclined his head in reply to Arnold's query. It was the only answer he was going to get, and Arnold took it.

"I'm just confused about what you three want with me... If Helga likes me, she should talk to me." Arnold said rather uneasily, and Alaine stepped forward with a scrowl.
Jericho countered him. "And if you like Helga, you should talk to her." He replied coolly.

Arnold's eyes widened fully, meeting their gaze.

He lowered it. It seems he really was as obvious as he'd like to believe he wasn't. It was enough of an admission for the three men however, who looked at each other with triumph in their eyes over Arnold's head.
"Basically, we just want to make sure you're not a fucking prick of a jackass." Alaine said blatantly, and Jericho sighed.
"What Alaine means is -"
"That we're worried about our little sister." Slaine jumped in with a smile. "We just want to know if she's in good hands over here."

Jericho nodded.

"So I have to gain your approval?" Arnold said with a smile, trying to lighten the mood. Slaine grinned.

"Not really Cho's and mine, just Alaine. Cause' we're pretty much 'Hey, it's her life and all,' so… Alaine's the only one you've got to make happy, yeah." The redhead said, putting an arm around the man. "Isn't that right, princess?"
Alaine glared at him in warning, which Slaine blithely ignored. "That's correct." He turned to Arnold and smirked.

"What do I have to do?" Arnold asked steadily.

Jericho lifted an eyebrow. The teenager looked determined and focused. He smiled and turned to Slaine, who nodded at him. It looks like Helga picked a good boy this time.
All this time.

"What does Helga like, Cho'?" Alaine asked, leaning back against the photographer, who hummed for a moment in thought.
"Balloons."
"What kind?"
Slaine answered this time. "Helium ones."

Alaine nodded and looked at Arnold. "The three of us are coming back to the school to collect some important documents from Echelon next week, on Tuesday during your Practical Design lesson." He intoned. "I want to see you bring two… no, three hundred helium balloons for Helga, or don't bother to go to school at all." He said with a cocky smirk.

Slaine whistled lowly, as Jericho winced. "Princess, don't you think that's a little…"

Jericho yanked Slaine back by his collar as the back of Alaine's hand almost got his right cheek for not heeding his warning about the feminine nickname. "Unwise, Slaine. Unwise." The oldest of the three advised, and Slaine put his hands over his mouth. Jericho turned to Alaine. "Are you sure? That sounds like quite the challenge, Alaine."
"It would be pointless otherwise." Was the bratty but expected reply. "He should be thankful I didn't decide on a number in thousands."

Arnold had stopped listening after "three hundred helium balloons". How the hell was he going to do that! Hillwood wasn't that huge of a city; there probably weren't even that many helium balloons around where he lived!
"Do you accept?"
"Yes." Arnold said, almost automatically, before he slapped his hand to his face, groaning. Alaine laughed maliciously.

"Some entertainment from this city, at long last." The albino said.

Arnold was almost certain this man was born to make his life difficult. Slaine and Jericho looked at him in sympathy.

'Three hundred helium balloons, by Tuesday…' Arnold said with his head in his arms. He glanced at the clock and sighed. It was Saturday night, 8pm. He was beginning to think he had truly lost this one; that he had run out of time.

"Hey, Shortman! Lookin' a little gloomy, I see." Phil said loudly from behind him. Arnold jumped and hid the photograph he held carefully under his hand. His grandfather came into the kitchen chortling. Arnold looked up to face him and smiled weakly.
"Hey grandpa. Yeah... kind of, I guess."

"What's the matter, Arnold?" His grandmother asked, sitting down next to him. Arnold smiled at his loving grandparents and immediately felt a little better.
As a child, he had wanted his parents so desperately. He still wished that they would be with him, but he'd accepted that it would be unlikely. He hadn't given up; more like he had come to terms with his life and appreciated what he had and who was with him.

"A girl," he told them honestly to their immense amusement. "Helga G. Pataki. She used to live around here, do you remember her?" He asked tentatively.

"My memory is as sharp as ever, Arnold!" His grandmother shot him a toothy grin. "That uni-browed girl with the pink bow, right?" Gertie asked just to make sure, and he nodded in amazement. Considering his grandmother was someone who could mix up the dates of Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July, he had to admit he was highly impressed she had managed to remember who Helga was.

"Oh yes, that girl. She leaves quite the impression." Phil chuckled. "But I thought her daddy was the beeper man?" Phil scratched his chin. "Didn't the whole family move their shindigs to another town years ago?"
Arnold nodded. "And now she's back… and she's really changed." He admitted to his grandparents, who looked at the situation pensively.
"How so, Arnold?" Gertie asked him gently.

The teen shifted in his seat and sighed. "She looks different… But more than that, she acts different. She used to torment me a lot, but she hasn't done that even once since she came back." He confessed, and his grandfather nodded. "If fact, she's been really nice…"
"Do you like the girl, Arnold?" Gertie asked slyly, and was surprised when Arnold didn't even bristle at her tone.

"… Yeah. I think I do."

Phil clapped his hands together gleefully. "So, what's stopping you, Shortman?"

Arnold sighed and stood up. "Three hundred helium balloons." He replied, and he quit the kitchen. His grandparents shot each other confused, and then worried looks as their only grandson continued moving through the house, deeply troubled.
As he walked up the stairs to his bedroom, he looked down at the picture in his hands and muttered angrily under his breath.

"Not to mention my lack of balls."

Gerald's eyes bugged out. "T… Three HUNDRED?" He yelled.

Arnold nodded miserably.

He hadn't been able to sleep that Saturday night, and had opted to sneak out of the boarding house via the roof. He pulled on a hoodie after calling Gerald, and made his way over to the Johanssen place post haste. Once he had settled in his best friend's room, he confided in his friend about what Jericho, Slaine and Alaine had spoken to him about. Gerald had initially been excited about Arnold's intention to confess to Helga, but was then hit by the whole three hundred balloon thing.

"By Tuesday. I looked hard all week; no one would sell canisters to kids. And they get really expensive, too." Arnold said, frustrated by his lack of options. He had been so determined to prove Alaine wrong.
He'd even travelled out to the city to look for helium suppliers for those huge parties! But no one would sell them to him, and buying tiny canisters of Helium for three or four balloons would cost him almost five times the price if he bought them from a supplier; Arnold just didn't have that kind of money.

"I'm sorry, man. I don't know how I can help." Gerald sighed.

Arnold shook his head. "There has to be some way." He frowned. Gerald watched as his friend paced up and down the length of his room, deep in thought.

"Dude, you really, really like Helga G. Pataki?" Gerald asked him as casually as possible.

Arnold stiffened a little and kneaded his forehead, sitting down beside Gerald's bed and leaning back against the frame of it. "… I never thought I'd say it, but yes. I do like her. I don't love her, I don't know if it'll happen, but I do like her."

Gerald smiled at his friend. "Like-her like-her?" He chuckled.

Arnold punched his best friend's arm, feeling a little better as he smiled. He'd finally admitted it to himself, and even to his best friend. He shouldn't have any problems having feelings for Helga. He liked whoever he liked, and he wouldn't let any insecurities get in his way. He was no longer the young naïve boy who thought people had to be in love before they dated. He was older now, and knew that sometimes feelings grew over a period of time when you really got to know someone.
"I think so." He smiled, tipping his head back. Gerald flicked his forehead and they smirked at one another.

"So." Gerald began to think hard, throwing his bed covers behind him. "Who else could we try?" He scrowled. "I'd try Fuzzy Slippers, but he and I kind of lost contact back when we were sixteen."
"Why?"
Gerald shrugged. "I don't know. Slippers just… un-fuzzed." He said nonchalantly. Arnold looked at him funny for a while, before sighing and nodding.
"I don't know… I asked Ernie if he knew anyone who worked in the industry but he says he doesn't deal with anyone in that line." Arnold frowned as he nibbled his lower lip in thought.

Gerald's eyes brightened with adventure. "How about we find the people who work in labs? We could intercept a truck that delivers helium to those science labs on the south side, and steal four canisters of Helium, no problem! They won't even miss it!"
Arnold sighed. "Gerald, I think they'll miss it, and you've been watching too much of that cop show again."

"Man, that used to be our favorite cartoon." Gerald sniffed, feigning annoyance. Arnold smiled at him and thought about who else they knew that was resourceful.
Resourceful…
Who could be resourceful enough to bring in things at the last minute? Who had contacts, not to mention extensive street knowledge, or business knowledge at least? Who could help him? Who would...

"Hey Arnold."

The blonde boy looked up and saw Gerald staring at his Practical Design project, which he had taken home that very day. Arnold's eyes roved over the model and how sturdy it looked, even with just the simple use of artcard and silicon glue.
Artcard… He looked up at Gerald and smirked. And silicon glue!

"Are you thinking… what I'm thinking?" The-dark skinned boy said cheekily.
Arnold smiled as an affirmative reply, and they did a celebratory thumbshake. Arnold hoped this would work; it was his last chance.
He would show Alaine.

The important thing wasn't that you entered the relationship with full on love to begin with, because that rarely if ever occurred. Arnold had learnt over time that the crucial thing in a relationship was respect, trust, the willingness to try, and the patience to wait.

And God, was he willing.

"May I hel- Woah, blondie?" Relial said, dressed simply in a black tank top and skinny jeans. He lifted an eyebrow. "How did you figure out where Echo and I lived?"
In the corridor on the seventh floor of the Vietta Hotel, Arnold was requesting help from Relial and Echelon. "I… over heard him talking to you in the hallway. It was empty and I don't think you guys knew I was there."
Relial's eyes hardened.

"I didn't tell, don't worry." Arnold replied his silent question quickly.

Relial paused to consider if he believed the teen, before he closed the door. Arnold blinked, but figured that Relial had to ask Echelon if it was alright if he came in. Soon, the door opened again, and Relial moved aside and let Arnold in.

"Blondie." Echelon addressed. The man was wearing a white working shirt that was tucked in, but had most of the buttons undone, with stylish leather jeans. Relial took a seat next to him on the luxurious couch. Arnold sat across them on the chaise lounge. "What do you want? It's the weekend." He said appraisingly.

"Helium." Arnold said, feeling nervous but looking at Echelon straight in the eye.

Echelon didn't react to this. "Yes, it's a gas that was discovered in 1868, titled after the Greek, Helios, for the sun. I don't understand your point." He ended. Relial smiled at Arnold, who looked at him as if to ask if Echelon was like this ALL the time.
"Wow, you're sarcastic." Arnold chuckled.
Echelon smirked. "Flattery will get you nowhere, blondie. Now, what was that about helium?"

"I need it in large volumes. And Helga's always depicted you as a very resourceful person." Arnold scratched the back of his neck. "I've gone all over Hillwood, but no one sells canisters because they think it's kind of dangerous." Relial smiled.
"What do you need it for?" He asked.

Echelon pulled the lithe redheaded teen against him and pressed his lips against the back of his neck. Arnold smiled a little awkwardly. He didn't have any problems with homosexuality, but did feel a little strange when it came to seeing his teacher and fellow classmate engaging in public displays of affection. "That's none of our business." Echelon said firmly, and Arnold seemed relieved by this. The teacher turned to his student. "When do you need it?"

"Tomorrow." Arnold said, determinedly meeting Echelon's eyes.

The raven-haired man chuckled. "How many canisters."

"Four industrial sized ones." Arnold replied immediately. He'd calculated.

Echelon nodded. "Done."

Arnold's eyes widened in surprise. "Done? Y… You…"

"Yes?" Echelon answered him boredly. Relial smiled and leaned up against the teacher, who put an arm around his waist.

"Aren't you going to ask me what I need the helium for?" Arnold asked cautiously.

Echelon shook his head. "That's not my business. Besides, I don't think you're stupid enough to inhale it to make your voice ridiculously high, allegedly for fun, which is more than I can say for Slaine." The man sighed had happened when Jericho and Alaine decided to throw Slaine a small birthday party a year ago. It distressed him when Slaine referred to him as "daddy," then went around committing these stupid deeds.

Arnold smiled brightly. "How much will the canister cos-"
"I have it covered." Echelon said stoically. "Consider it a good faith present. You have done exceptionally well in your Practical Design elective." He informed Arnold, who smiled widely.
"Really? I did?"
"You didn't hear it from me." Echelon said seriously, but one could tell he was joking if they knew him well enough. "Liam, show Arnold to the door. I have more work to do and his presence here will disturb it." He said bluntly. Relial nodded and reluctantly rose from his comfortable position.

"Thank you sir. I promise I'll make it up to you somehow, and I won't inhale the helium." Arnold said, trying not to laugh. Echelon waved dismissively at him, and Relial smiled, leading back to the door. He turned to Arnold.
"Thanks for coming to us for help, Arnold." He said politely.
Arnold nodded, somewhat dazed. "I can't believe he didn't even ask me what the helium was for." He muttered.

Relial smiled at Arnold mysteriously as the blonde put his shoes back on and got up, standing outside in the corridor. "Arnold, we're very close to Slaine, Alaine and Jericho." He confided, before he shut the door softly.

"He'll never do it." Alaine scoffed, as Slaine pulled the petite man into his lap. Jericho rescued the popcorn bowl.

"You're always far too critical, Alaine." Jericho scolded mildly, and sighed as the albino looked at him with a pout. Alaine crawled over and laid half in Slaine's lap and half in Jericho's lap. He seemed content after a few moments of wriggling, and settled for the movie they were about to watch – Shawshank Redemption.
Because Alaine loved Morgan Freeman's movies, Slaine loved prison-set movies, and Jericho loved his models.

Slaine chuckled as Alaine held his hands out for the popcorn bowl. "You're being hard on him, Alaine." He said. "Not everyone spoils their lover like how Cho' and I spoil you."

"In addition, there are two of us, which meant a hundred and fifty balloons each. Arnold will have to collect those three hundred balloons all by himself." Jericho smiled, proffering a glass of kool-aid in his right hand, which Alaine took a sip of. Slaine took it afterwards and drank deeply to force down a mouthful of popcorn.

Alaine sniffed contemptuously. "Helga deserves to be spoilt after so many years of having no attention from the people she needs." He replied, leaning back against Jericho as Slaine ran a casual hand over his knee. "If he can't do it, then he's not going anywhere near our sister." He insisted.

Jericho kissed the top of Alaine's head. "You are still being too harsh on him, my Spartacus." He chuckled. Alaine leaned back and sighed, unable to deny the nickname.

It was a long time ago that Jericho dubbed him Spartacus, a joke at how he was able to play both Jericho and Slaine like puppets whenever he wanted something, as Spartacus was dubbed the Greek king of the slaves – And Alaine Fortefrious was of Greek descent.
No one minded strange nicknames being thrown around now and then...

As long as they were alone in private.

"I am harsh on him because I care… marginally, for Helga." Alaine justified, and Slaine shrugged.

"I don't really care. I'm expecting him to show up, although I think that will be with less than the intended number of balloons." Slaine shrugged. He wasn't going to butt into the situation. He pitied Arnold, but it wasn't his problem. He was just that way. "Pass me a beer, Jericho."

Jericho nodded and smiled. "I'm sure he can do it." He tossed his redheaded lover a beer can, careful not to hit Alaine, who was very comfortable in both his and Slaine's laps. "All three hundred."
"You are revoltingly attracted to that bitter stuff, Hermes. It's gross." The Roman God of thieves, of course, was Slaine's allotted nickname. Alaine frowned as Slaine chugged deeply. The taste disgusted him and he sighed wistfully. "I'm not kissing you later."

Jericho laughed full on as Slaine looked annoyed for the first time in the entire day because of this. "Sounds like Hermes just got denied night entertainment."

"Means I'm all yours, Cho'." Alaine smirked at the photographer, who chuckled. Slaine glared at Jericho and snarled.
"Oh HELL no, Sparta-boy. I am not giving up your fine behind just because I took a can of beer. Besides! Beer's the nectar of Gods." Slaine insisted.

Alaine blanched and made a choking sound while Jericho threw a kernel of popcorn at Slaine for upsetting Alaine. Too bad the redhead just caught it between his teeth and savored it.
They paused to reflect on their childishness for a moment, and each man smiled to himself.

"Back to what I was saying," Jericho adjusted his spectacles. "I believe in Arnold."

"You can't be serious, Shen." Alaine sighed, referring to Jericho with his nickname – the Chinese God of medicine, Shen Nung. "He will never do it." The albino protested. "But since you believe in him so much, I hope for something interesting to happen on Tuesday morning after our early photo-shoot." The man took a piece of popcorn and looked at it thoughtfully for a moment.

"I don't really care." Slaine reminded them.

Jericho leaned his cheek against the top of Alaine's head. "I still say you're being too hard on him, Alaine."

"I refuse to acknowledge any of his other pathetic efforts unless he fulfills this one measly expectation."

Alaine's such a bratty little princess ;D
BUT HE'S SO CUTE. So it's okay. Plus he has his reasons for acting this way around Slaine and Jericho; and he is never like that with ANYONE else. Ever.

Anyway, review! And I will try to get on with the next chapter asap (: