A/N:
YAY, UPDATE TIME! 8D Thank you all so much for your patience! My life's been crazy between work and going for my Master's degree now and just epic drama sometimes XDXDXD I've barely had time for anything, let alone writing unfortunately w But I've finally managed to finish this chapter and I really hope you guys all like it :) Please read and review and thank you so much for all of your support!
Also, just a couple quick notes.
I'm on fictionpress now under the same penname (Azure129). I'll be submitting some original stuff soon hopefully that I hope you'll all check out if you get the chance : 3 Thanks!
You guys know that when I credit someone for an idea they've given me I don't like to go into specifics of what exactly that idea was until the closing A/N just so I don't give anything away XD So let me just say now that someone who's helped give me an idea once before and who asked to be credited only as 'a collaborator' kept bringing the concept of a 'reciprocation' of a certain HA! event up to me which eventually lead me to include a certain part that occurs in this chapter maybe a third of the way through. I'll be more specific at the end about what I mean, but thank you, 'collaborator'! ^w^
Also, sometime in the first half of this, Helga thinks to herself 'Do I dare, do I dare' which is a small reference of mine to my favorite poem ever. Bonus points to anyone who knows what it is! :D
And just one more thing…I don't like to give anything away, as you all know but…if, hypothetically, a certain something of a 'proposal' nature was going to occur in this fic…it would not be in this chapter. I just don't want to get anyone's hopes up or anything. But trust me…there's a reason for the 'delay.' ;)
Okay, anyway, without further ado, enjoy! Thank you!
LEARNING TO BE HELGA
Chapter 25:
Helga's Anniversary Date for Arnold
"So, even if most girls don't like Sidney the frog…as long he's my best friend, I should stick by him and soon enough we'll find a girl who can accept us both?"
"Right, Sid."
"And also you're sayin' that even though I love lemon puddin' and want a girl who'll make me lots of lemon puddin', I should be nice enough to make her the kind of puddin' she likes too sometimes because even though makin' puddin' seems a little girly, it's more important that I show her that she deserves puddin' too?"
"Yes, Stinky, that's exactly it."
"A-And wait, so…girls…who know of my coolness…regardless of it…might not have the hots for me?"
"Yes, Iggy…They might think you're cool but…you just might not be the one for them. It's nothing you can help. It's just a matter of, um…chemistry, I guess."
"Okay but wait so I don't understand that other thing you said before…um…So sometimes…if a girl says she doesn't like you…it can really mean she does like you…but sometimes it could also mean that she really doesn't like you?"
A very confused Harold Berman posed this question to Arnold Shortman, looking to him from his place among all the other fourth grade boys who were currently sitting on our football headed hero's den carpet, munching on snacks and looking to the blond ten-year-old in question very intently on this Saturday evening (a little bit before seven). Arnold had promised them all last night an advice session on love before his date this evening…and he was currently in the process of delivering on that promise.
At Harold's question Arnold (sitting on the couch before them all in sort of a guru position and looking down at them) just sighed and smiled and nodded to him. He had already managed to 'explain' to his confused and eager friends (to the best of his young ability) what it was that made girls want to dress up, why it was important to be very nice and official and sincere about asking a girl out on a date, how it was important to be yourself and yet at the same time to be on your best behavior when you were with a girl romantically, and he had also managed to clear up any remains of that whole 'cootie' rumor that might still be around from their earlier elementary school days. And now, along with helping to clear up a few more minor, personal queries, he was trying to tackle the problem of…well, of sort of explaining the difference between 'hate' and 'love-hate' in terms of a romantic relationship.
Arnold adjusted his tie a little (the guys were going to stick around until seven when his and Helga's second anniversary date of the weekend would be starting with her arrival, and so, to save some time, Arnold had already gotten himself dressed up in his black pants, a white dress shirt, and a tie again—this one being the one he had worn on his and Helga's first unofficial date to Chez Paris during the pen pal fiasco). He considered for a moment and then replied to Harold carefully and a little unsurely, "Well…yes. Sometimes if a girl says she doesn't like you it can really mean that she does like you or it could also mean that she really doesn't like you, like she said in the first place. I-I know it doesn't make a lot of sense when you say it out loud but…it's something that makes more sense 'in feeling', I guess…" He thought a little more, green eyes full of memory and experience for a moment, but then finally, really still being just a ten-year-old boy, Arnold just had to sigh and finish with a shrug, "Girls are just….a little more complicated than us, I think…at least for right now." It really was the best he could come up with at the moment. There really didn't seem to be a 'short and sweet' answer to this observation…it felt more like something that had to be explained slowly and thoroughly and maybe even allegorically…
"Aw, come on, man, you can do better than 'just cuz' as a response to that question! You're DATING Helga G. Pataki—if you can't explain how 'I hate you, you stupid Football Head' somehow translates into 'ask me out, I'm nuts about you' then no one can!"
A bunch of chuckles went up at this humorous statement of Gerald Johannsen's as he smiled up at his best friend from his place on the floor and took a swig of a Yahoo soda.
Arnold chuckled a little as well and smiled more, shaking his head at his friend's remark. "Oh no, it can be explained…but I think it's going to take a while and a few more years of growing up for me to explain it in a way that's not very, very confusing for everyone, including me. I…I guess the only 'short' answer to it I could give is that, um…women have a different way of doing things." He shrugged with a touch of sheepishness.
"They're crazy, in other words…" Curly suddenly couldn't help but paraphrase with a little grin (his black eye was clearing up quite well by now and almost all of his usual good humor had returned). He and all the other guys chuckled a little again
Arnold blinked, his smile remaining though…and he paused as he very carefully considered his next words… "Um…well…"
The progression of Arnold's words stopped though. He noticed something. The faces of the boys around him looked suddenly sort of 'appalled' for a moment…and he had to wonder why…
But then now suddenly they were smiling (sort of strangely) and stifling some laughter.
Arnold, looking at them extra curiously at this point, hesitated for a second longer, but then just cleared his throat and tried to go on with what he had been saying . (He unfortunately did not notice Gerald trying to gesture behind our football headed hero's head with his eyes). "Well… 'crazy' is a little strong…" he started, and then he couldn't help smirking just a tiny bit and adding, "…but…you could call it crazy…" He looked out to the other guys again and now their jaws had actually fallen and they were staring at him with an undue amount of interest. Gerald seemed about to stand up and say something but something made him blink and silenced him and he just rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Though, um…" Arnold blinked, looking so very confused again. Okay, something was up and he had to know what it was, even at the sake of interrupting his thought. "Guys…what is it?"
"Arnold…Arnold…Arnold…Ah, so, 'women are crazy'—oh yes, Football Head, you're just the foremost young expert on females in the tri-city area, aren't you? Seriously, that's your explanation…? After a month of dating, that's the best you can come up with…We're crazy? Why not just blame it on those cooties you were helping disprove twenty minutes ago, Romeo? Sheesh!"
Surprisingly enough, Arnold was only thrown off for a moment by the sudden and utterly unexpected sound of a certain someone speaking directly behind him…There was only an instant of wide eyed, paling, panic…and then there was a smile…and calmness…and even a certain smoothness in his demeanor and tone. Arnold stood up from the couch. He adjusted his tie. Then he let out a sigh, not even turning around. His words flowed evenly and suavely. "You didn't let me finish my sentence, Helga G. Pataki. Not that I was getting much of a chance to even if you hadn't spoken up yet…After all, it was a little distracting watching the effect you were having on everyone and not understanding what was going on…" Arnold turned around now… and he had to pause and blink, his calm faltering, his jaw falling a little.
He almost didn't know why he had even bothered to expect Helga to be standing there behind him normally, possibly let in by his grandparents through the front or back door at some point earlier so that she could hide behind some furniture in here and spy on him or something…
No, of course not… At the moment Helga G. Pataki, dressed in her usual pink jumper and sporting her usual pigtails (though also with a shopping bag with her and a small, covered wicker basket) was hanging onto a rope tied to her waist that was hoisted over a rafter in his ceiling. There was a smudge or two of dust on her face but otherwise she seemed pretty together and quite pleased with herself. She was looking at him with a little smug grin and she shrugged at the surprised look on his features. "What? You couldn't really think I'd know about you 'explaining women' to all the other guys in our class tonight and NOT want to be a fly on the wall…or in the ceiling…for that little pep talk. Besides, I told you I could still pull crazy schemes on you, Football Head." She winked at him and chuckled a little, lowering herself to the floor and then gathering up the rope in her hands and preparing to untie it from her waist. "Honestly though, I have to admit, you were doing a sort of okay job until this last thing…" She shook her head, grinning away. " 'Women are crazy'…You know, I have half a mind to—"
"If you would let me finish, darling…" Arnold chuckled a little, his shock ebbing, replaced by a great degree of intrigue, as he took the now loose rope from her and placed it on top of the piano beside the couch. "I was going to say that…yes, maybe women are crazy…but…once you get used to it you realize that maybe you're a little crazy too…and that being crazy's not so bad." He moved a little closer to her, smiling more.
Meanwhile, the room full of boys had been watching this scene with immense interest and entertainment. They were really starting to get used to not just the idea but the sight of Arnold and Helga together and…not fighting…and actually flirting…It was kind of…awesome, a little. They were hilarious with each other, first of all, and second it was just…they just exuded something fun and nice and happy. They all liked it.
"Smooth save, paste for brains…"
"Smooth landing, Helga…The air vents? What, you couldn't tunnel in here for a change of pace?"
Obviously no one (save Gerald) was getting the references here but Arnold and Helga were smiling and exchanging playful barbs and there were snacks…why not enjoy it?
Helga shrugged and crossed her arms over her chest (though a tinge of a blush came to her features now) and replied with a growing grin, "Hey, I thought about sneaking in through the basement like your Grandma used to but it's dark right now—I'd have killed myself trying to get up those cellar steps. Not to mention, from the ceiling I could easily listen to your whole little 'guy's night' much more comfortably than I could have using the furnace pipe. Plus, I had to drag this along and it was much easier to do that with it tied to a rope than trying to lug it through a basement…" Helga held up the little shopping bag and the wicker basket.
"Hmm, yeah, I was going to ask about that, actually?" Arnold's own grin picked up just a little on one side. He did his best to keep his compulsion for flirtation down though (the last time she had brought over a shopping bag, after all, had ended in an afternoon of the two of them playing 'kitten and tiger' courtesy of his own suggestion) as he recalled their current audience. Instead, he merely smiled a little more and asked with interest, "Another new outfit, Helga? And…something else?" He faked trying to peek at the contents of the bag and basket.
Helga just rolled her eyes and put her arms behind her back, effectively concealing the two items. "Hey, I didn't get any hints about date activities from you in advance, so you can just wait til we get upstairs for any details about anything special I brought, Football Head." She tucked the basket behind her as much as possible. "And as for 'another new outfit'," she raised the shopping bag just a little forward before tucking it behind herself again, "…hey, I had to bring along SOMETHING nice for our next anniversary date tonight, but I wasn't going to get it all dusty and torn by wearing it in an air vent or walking through an old basement. Doi!" She winked at him.
The guys on the floor, despite their new respect for Arnold and Helga, couldn't help but chuckle and smirk a little at that reply from. Helga…in 'something nice'…all for Arnold. So much to tease about came to mind…
"Oh brother…" All of their potential thoughts on the matter were interrupted though as Helga G. Pataki, hearing this bit of laughter from the crowd before her, just sighed, let the bag drop to the floor behind her, and crossed her arms over her chest, turning to the boys with a half grin and a scowl more amused than dark. "What is now, you big goons?" she asked almost playfully. "Is it the ceiling thing, the smiling thing or the dressing up thing?"
"Uh, if I may speak for everyone who might be too terrified to…just in case you really would still pound them…" Gerald supplied, raising a finger with a grin. "I'm going to go with the idea of you dressing up for anything. Heck, that one still gets even me every single time, Pataki. I think it's something residual from when you gave yourself that makeover for Rhonda's slumber party that one time." He smirked at her quite a bit, though his tone and look showed that this was all in good fun, for him as well as for everyone else.
The truth was told…and Helga actually laughed, much to everyone else's surprise, rolling her eyes…She didn't cackle, she laughed warmly and fully to herself. She wasn't mad at all, even despite the reminder of the slumber party/makeover incident. "Oh…I see." She let out a deep sigh and rubbed one of her temples, shaking her head in amusement. "Yeah, yeah, okay, I take a fair amount of the blame for your laughter then, you bunch of chuckleheads…" Yet she then gave them all a bit of a look, though of course it was softened, just like everything else about her since…since she and Arnold had confessed to them all, actually, "Though you have to admit… you all drove me to that makeover with all of your whining and your teasing and your 'Helga's not a girl' stuff…" Something in her gaze became a little more chastising. Part of her couldn't help but be hoping for maybe a quick sheepish apology from the guys for that time of hurting her feelings…which she would indeed get right now, actually…though not before Arnold suddenly added a little something on her behalf.
"Yeah…" Our football headed hero stepped forward, looking at the guys with a smile though with something a little chastising in his gaze as well. His arms were also crossed over his chest. "You know, that wasn't very nice, guys…telling my girlfriend that she's not a girl. I told you guys back then that Helga was a girl…and speaking from my experiences now, she's…really a girl…" He blushed a tiny bit and smiled more and had to glance away, but managed to go on nonetheless... "And also, just for the record, whenever she dresses up…Helga looks really, really pretty."
"Arnold!" At this point Helga, blushing rather brightly, had to move forward as well and slap a hand over his mouth. "Sh-Sheesh, enough with the romance bit—rope it in, Romeo! Leave me with at least some degree of reputation!" She looked away nervously. She was fine with everyone knowing they were together, at this point…but handling Arnold 'singing her praises' would absolutely need more than forty-eight hours to transition into.
Despite the awkward moment though, the guys just laughed good naturedly a little, Arnold unable to help joining in quietly, and Helga's response could only be to just sigh and roll her eyes, remove her hand from her beloved's lips, and look back to the guys. She cleared her throat, prepared to try to add something to lighten the mood and to distract from Arnold's little digression…however sweet it had been.
However, she was interrupted from this strategy by none other than those aforementioned forthcoming apologies from the guys in question.
"Uh…Helga? Really though, about all of that stuff…the 'you're not a girl' stuff...I mean, you're a girl so, uh…sorry." Harold Berman was the first to speak up, sheepishly and stumblingly but sincerely nonetheless.
Helga blinked and looked at him with wide eyes, her mouth small. "Huh?" was all she could squeak in a touch of surprise. Sure, something inside of her wouldn't have minded an actual apology here and now for that whole slumber party thing, but…to actually get it, even from one of them, was sincerely unexpected.
And then, of course, to her further surprise, all of the boys, (even Gerald with a sheepish nod and a shrug) were nodding in agreement with Harold.
"Yeah, I reckon it wasn't very nice to start chanting that…." Stinky added with a sincere and humble look.
"Uh huh…" Sid seconded, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, "Yeah, it…it wasn't nice, I guess…"
"Yeah…Not cool…" Iggy chimed in, likewise looking a little abashed (though trying to seem 'coolish' still). "And besides," he added further, obviously taking this 'coolness' thing rather seriously as always, "…we shouldn't have been complaining—after all, the things we were teasing you about as being 'not cool' for a girl are actually the things that make you sort of a cool girl in the first place, if you think about it." He smiled a little.
Harold nodded in agreement, starting to smile again now too. "Yeah, I mean, you like wrestling and playing in the mud and baseball and junk…That's cooler than most girls!"
"Yeah, and, you obviously don't mind going a little 'extreme' to get the things you want—no waiting around or stubborn playing hard to get…" For most of this addition Curly had been smiling…but it ended with a little falter in his smile, though something of it and its hopefulness managed to shine through in the end.
(Helga noticed the details of this response of his, naturally, and she couldn't help a soft smile of her own going his way even though he seemed too distracted to notice. She made a mental note—she would have to talk to him sometime soon about some things...)
"Yeah, and along with all of that stuff that helps you relate to us so much, you write really pretty poetry and can be soft and sweet too, Helga…" Eugene suddenly added, causing Helga to snap out of her thoughts and her focus to come to him now. He was smiling away hopefully and optimistically as usual. "So it's kind of like you're the best of both worlds! No wonder Arnold likes you so much."
Okay, Helga had to blink and blush and look down now completely now. Not that something cheery and nice like that from Eugene wasn't expected but it was a little much for her to suddenly take in in such a public setting, especially when combined with all of the other sudden apologies and kind of nice junk everyone was saying about her. She cleared her throat and spoke up. "O-Okay, um…th-thank you, everyone, th-that's enough. You're sorry for the 'not a girl' stuff and I'm sorry for treating you all like loser geekbaits since preschool. E-Everyone's happy. Y-You can all quit sucking up now, heh…" She did her best to laugh it off a tiny bit, though she knew she sounded and looked just about as nervous and flustered as anyone had ever seen her be.
Meanwhile, Arnold was just smiling more and more, arms still crossed over her chest, leaning back against the arm of the couch a little, and observing her awkward yet sweet little moment. It was nice, watching her learn to be okay letting others be close to her, accepting compliments and realizing that they were sincere…and well merited…
And then his happy moment of reflection was interrupted by his own awkward moment.
"Yeah, and plus you being kind of a boyish girl kind of balances with Arnold since he can be a little girly sometimes," Harold suddenly couldn't help but add with a smile (though it was really more of a 'see, I'm helping compliment Arnold and Helga to make up for teasing them' smile than a 'now let's ream Arnold' smile).
Arnold blinked and the amused smile on his face dropped away into wide eyed embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Sid chuckled a tiny bit and nodded to Harold. "Yeah, Arnold's always telling us to 'be in touch with our feelings'…" He rolled his eyes, smirking a little.
Stinky laughed and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and what about how he's always dressin' and talkin' so neat and proper-like!"
"Oh and how about how he was having all that fun hanging out with Gerald's little sister the other month! Very risky coolness behavior for a guy…" Iggy couldn't help but add with a little half grin.
"Oh and then there's the kilt he always wears!" Eugene chimed in brightly (like he was 'helping' somehow or something). "Not that plaid doesn't look lovely on you," Eugene added nicely to Arnold.
Helga was in the process right now of trying not to go into a full blown giggle fit.
"Hey man, you know, come to think of it…" Gerald couldn't help but smirk just a tiny bit playfully, looking to his best friend, "You WERE awfully extra onboard with that campfire lass thing we did…"
Okay, and that one snapped Arnold out of it. "Gerald!" He blushed strongly and then cleared his throat and looked to the other guys, finally having regained the power of speech. "O-Okay, okay, that's enough, very funny, everyone…" He adjusted his tie awkwardly…though it was more like he was mercilessly wringing the heck out of it, just sort of wanting to be away from everyone now and alone with Helga on their date. It had to be seven by now, right?
"Aww, Football Head…" Helga gave him a little nudge, causing Arnold to come out of his nervous thoughts and to blink and then look at her. Though she was smirking a little, there was something good-natured about it nonetheless. She wouldn't tease him about this…just like he hadn't teased her. "Come on, they're just messing around…" she started softly to him. Then she glanced back at the other guys and shrugged casually and added more audibly, "Although I really don't think you guys are giving Arnold's 'boyish charms' enough credit." She had started walking away from Arnold and her shopping bag and basket and out into the crowd now. "Hey, one of you toss me a spare pillow to sit on and one of you toss me an ice cold Yahoo! I wanna take a load off, here!" After seven years, the guys, of course, were too well trained not to follow Helga's commands (even if they were delivered in a manner much less harsh than usual) and so as she turned to sit down she had both items at her disposal, upon which she plopped down onto a big throw pillow, and popped the top off the soda bottle and a took a swig…knowing she would have to do some talking now and needing something small to brace her for it. But her beloved deserved it and she was more than ready to stand up for him as a boy.
"What do you mean, Helga?" Sid was the first to ask in genuine curiosity about her comment about Arnold's boyishness, leaning a bit closer to her.
All the other guys joined him in looking to her in interest.
Helga swallowed her mouthful of soda and smiled more, doing her best not to blush. She just smiled. "Oh, well, I just mean the many, many ways in which he's…a good catch, from a female perspective, shall we say?" She shrugged and did her best to seem casual as she ate a handful of popcorn from a nearby bowl…though inside she was telling herself to just take even breaths and not freak out despite that she was the center of attention in regards to the topic of proving Arnold's 'manliness.'
Meanwhile, a couple of the more naturally sensitive of the guys sort of seemed to understand what she was saying though all of them couldn't help but look at her with further curiosity and intrigue.
Helga could feel their eyes on her…and she sighed…and smiled more to herself. 'Do I dare…Do I dare…' entered her head in a singsong way… Her grin picked up a little on one side. 'Oh why the heck not! Just go all the way with it, Helga old girl—you seem to be batting a thousand with that strategy lately.' She actually chuckled a little to herself and then just turned to all the guys, looking them in the eyes, and said like it was the simplest thing in the world, "What I mean, you bunch of geeks, is that Arnold is more than enough of a boy to attract any girl, i-including me." An instinctual, compulsive little giggle nearly left her. Saying she was attracted to Arnold…She could say she was attracted to Arnold in public, in front of other people, in front of everyone, and it was okay. It was going to take her a while to get over both the new opportunity…and her newfound courage to take it.
"Helga…"
Her thoughts left this amazement at her freedom at these words…These words she had known would be coming soon: Arnold softly yet sincerely letting her know by simply saying her name that perhaps now was enough.
It only made her smile more and she looked to him now, taking another swig of soda and shrugging and speaking calmly and soothingly. "Now, now, no need to 'Helga' me, Arnold. I'm not going to embarrass you or anything. There's probably been enough of that over the last seven years or so…Aw, but come on, just let me prove them wrong about the whole 'girly' thing a little, please?" She gave him a 'very sweet' smile and softened her voice to its lightest tones and even fluttered her eyelashes a tiny bit.
Okay, if the guys' attention had been glued to Helga before…it was permanently transfixed to her now. Where the HECK had that voice been hiding all of these years? Not to mention eyelashes that could flutter…?
And then their interest turned to Arnold. After all, he was the lucky recipient of such heretofore undiscovered feminine attentions from none other than Helga G. Pataki…
He was blushing…Not 'unbearably' or anything but yes, he was blushing…and he was smiling…and he sort of had that look on his face that they boys remembered him always getting around Lila only much less dazed and oblivious, and more…tender and just…happy. He smiled a little more and then gave Helga a small nod. "Whatever you'd like to do, Helga…" left him sincerely and calmly. "Just, um…" he cleared his throat a little bit and glanced down and to the side, "Nothing…private," he finished simply, adjusting his tie a little but otherwise just going back to sitting upon the couch. Inside, he was torn a bit between really sort of liking whenever Helga went on and on about him…and yet of course being thoroughly shy and nervous about the idea of her doing it in front of so many and especially so many new people.
The eyes of the boys turned back to Helga. Her grin distinctly picked up on one side and, looking down, she gave him a little nod in return. "Nothing private…I promise…" left her very sincerely and kindly in reply.
The boys continued to watch her. She looked lost in pleasant thought for a moment and then finally she sighed and shook her head to clear it a little and looked around at all of them with a much more normal and 'Helga G. Pataki' –esque smile and tone of voice. She gave a stretch up and took a final swig of her soda and put the empty bottle down on the floor. "Hey, tall hair boy!" she called across the room playfully to Gerald. "Since you'll already be familiar with most of this, unglue your surprised and amused eyes from me and toss me another soda!"
"Helga, you know…" despite his words, Gerald was smiling and also in the process of grabbing that fresh soda for her, "…just because you're not ordering around Arnold anymore doesn't mean you get to order the rest of us around extra now, and especially me, alright?" The soda was thrown to her and she caught it with ease as he added, his grin growing, "If anything I should be getting a free pass from any bossing around for how well I think I've been handling everything with you two over the last month." He chuckled a little and smirked at her.
Helga had to laugh a little as well as she popped off the bottle top, taking a sip, and then rolled her eyes and smirked as well, looking at the other guys as she spoke. "He fainted, you know. Out cold. Right in my kitchen, the moment he found out. It was hilarious." She looked at Gerald playfully.
Gerald just rolled his eyes (the guys were all loving this, meanwhile), and retorted, "No, no, 'hilarious' was the time Phoebe and I caught you and Arnold in the alley behind the school and he was saying something about carrying you off to—"
"Alright, Alright, rope it in, Geraldo!" Helga cut him off playfully but with a blush nonetheless, the soda bottle shaking in her hand a little (she hoped not too obviously though). "We get it—the whole thing's been hilarious all around. But enough teasing each other…time for me to do what I do best and tease Arnold a little…" She knew it was coming, of course, and so before he could say anything she glanced to her beloved and added with smile in reassurance, "Nothing private though of course, like I said, Arnold. Now then…" she turned back to the boys and a pensive look came to her face as she took another sip of soda and considered. "Where were we…? Ah, yes…the many ways in which Arnold is such a dreamboat." She was half messing around using that last word, half being serious and blushing a little more because of it. She just smiled more and moved on, the other guys still all looking to her with smiles as they continued to eat and drink. Helga gestured to Arnold and began, doing her best to be fun yet casual and just trying to enjoy herself and to hopefully make this moment enjoyable for him as well. "Okay, well, first off…" 'S-Say, it…Y-You can s-say it…'… "…n-not to be superficial, but just going with the obvious right now…well…look at him! He's…he's pretty freaking adorable! The unruly tufts of hair, the perfect green eyes, that wonderfully weird football shaped head." Her voice sort of squeaked, a touch of something high-pitched came to it, but all in all Helga G. Pataki managed to admit that she thought Arnold looked pretty cute to every guy in her class without her head exploding.
There was a moment of silence for everyone else except for Helga since a slight ringing in her ears wouldn't seem to go away any time soon.
"Th-Thank you, Helga…" made it past the ringing though and she glanced over to see Arnold swinging his legs calmly off of the couch, a small, humble yet proud smile on his face. He didn't look to her eyes just yet. He just smiled. Adjusted his tie. All of it suggested though that he was obviously both thanking her and indirectly asking her to move along please.
Helga swallowed and smiled again and even managed to roll her eyes. She did indeed go on to the next thing on her list about what made Arnold undeniably a boy. And it gave her some confidence that no one had teased her much about the potentially unbearably awkward first thing aka his physical appearance. "A-Anyway, um…s-second for why Arnold's a great guy…H-He's just about the nicest guy on the planet." Helga, feeling a touch of pride in her beloved's genuine and sincere niceness, managed to look out at all the boys again (they still just had that look of rapt yet amused interest upon their faces). Feeling even more confident and like her usual self, she chuckled a little and added, "Ugh, I actually had to get him to tone down the gentleman thing! That's how intense it was. You remember, Arnold…? Like during our one week anniversary when you snuck into my—"She couldn't help herself, though of course she had been waiting for her beloved to cut her off and had no intention of actually sharing any of that special evening between them.
"Y-Yes, I'm sure everyone gets it! Thank you again, Helga…" left Arnold quickly and firmly, though he still managed to retain his sense of humor and smile, and even to make eye contact with her now. And all the while he had to start to admit to himself that, all modesty aside…it was really, really nice to get compliments from your girlfriend in public. And he was so happy that he had given her some public boyfriend comments to start things off.
Helga just half giggled and half chuckled and crossed her arms over her chest but nodded to her beloved. "Okay, alright, you got me, my mistake—I was almost moving into the realm of the 'private'. I won't tell them though, I promise…Besides, gotta save something for any 'bragging to the boys' you might do about your exploits in regards to me." She looked to the side and did her best to control any new blushing that might be caused by the racing of her heart, putting the Yahoo soda bottle to her lips to take another swig as a distraction.
Arnold had a little more trouble controlling his own heart though, and the blood racing to his cheeks which it brought. 'B-Bragging…a-about…' Bragging to anybody about…Well, maybe he did do that already with Gerald a little but with everyone else? No, no, that…that was not his style, he decided then and there. He absolutely did not want everyone becoming aware of that side of himself that only Helga could bring out…the edgy side, the dark side, the passionate side… Still though now that a few moments had passed he realized that she was probably just joking…and that the best way to handle it (and to keep the guys from actually expecting him to brag from now one) would be to just sigh and roll his eyes to the side and tell a joke too. "The…" it took him a moment to compose his voice but, "The only thing I 'brag' about is the fact that I've managed to keep up with all of this romance between us with under half a dozen nervous breakdowns. I'd say that's pretty good for me, under the circumstances."
Arnold looked at Helga, Helga looked at Arnold…and then they looked at the guys…and they were all actually smiling and nodding in quite a bit of agreement at this observation of Arnold's.
Arnold and Helga slowly looked back to each other…and then both just burst into warm laughter, and the guys readily started to laugh along with them.
"O-Oh he's exaggerating…" Helga soon announced playfully after managing to get some of her laughter under control. She sat up and smirked at her beloved sweetly, "Seriously…he's only had…two nervous breakdowns at most." She chuckled to herself a little more and the guys and even Arnold couldn't help but join in once again.
The communal humor and happiness made a lovely moment in the room.
And then soon the laughter died down again, just leaving mutual joy and companionship in its wake. And it also gave Helga the chance and enough confidence to move on with the rest of her explanation of what made Arnold such a good (and undeniable) guy. "Okay, okay…" she held up her hands in a silencing gesture, still smiling quite a bit though, "That was all hilarious…but seriously though, to wrap things up…Arnold's attractive, he's very nice and considerate…and on top of that he's funny and caring and he listens and he's…he's very accepting and supportive…"
For a moment, something more serious than humorous was in Helga's voice and look. She looked down, hands in her lap and speaking to the other boys as though thinking about something specific and now trying to form a lesson or piece of advice from it. "Guys…I, um…I-I know you're starting to be very cool with Arnold and me and the whole 'dating' thing but…you have to admit, tall hair boy excluded, it took you all a while to get there…and a lot of teasing." A touch of something stern came over her but she managed to be considerate and calm nonetheless as she went on. She even managed to look to the other boys directly again. "If a girl ever comes to you and says she likes you…it's very important that none of you treats her how you treated me…I mean it. If you don't feel the same way about her, fine, just tell her that gently and say you're sorry if she's hurt and then leave it at that and most importantly don't spread it around or anything that she feels that way. It's not nice. And I know none of you would want a girl treating you like that if you told her that you liked her. Okay?" The okay obviously demanded (though softly) some sort of reply.
The guys were all looking at her very intently at this point. They had listened to every word. And now, wide eyed and several with a touch of shame on their faces that they couldn't help, they all nodded to her.
Helga took that in and then finally smiled again and nodded back at them. "Okay…" She took another sip of soda and let out a sigh. She finished in a voice light yet firm—a blend of the strong and the sweet. "Alright then…so to conclude, Arnold is…one of the best people in the world. And that is what makes him such a great guy who any girl would want to be with…and who I'm very lucky to be with." And with those words, Helga G. Pataki smiled sincerely over at her beloved.
And Arnold Shortman blinked and blushed, and then smiled back sincerely at her.
And then Helga smiled more and added, to get past the mushy moment, "Although I have to say, I don't know if I'd call him an 'expert in women' just yet." She winked at him. Arnold only chuckled a little in reply though and Helga laughed too and then sighed and looked back to the other boys with a shrug and a grin. "Don't get me wrong, most of what he told you, at least since I secretly arrived about a half an hour ago, was very good and accurate but to be honest if you want to know more about girls besides just what it's like to date one of them, then I'd come to…well, me…" She played with the lip of her soda bottle a little, looking down and speaking casually once more tonight (as casually as possible, at least, considering how hard she felt doing so suddenly getting now). "I-I mean, sheesh, I'm dating one of you—doesn't mean we all can't still be buddies right?" She grinned a little and shrugged and did her best to look at them all, though inside she really was quite nervous. To be honest, it wasn't that she specifically WANTED them all to start nagging her about romance and women but…one of Helga's fears about her secret being blown, besides of course general mockery and ridicule for herself and Arnold, had always been that…well…Despite how much she always mocked and teased them, Helga really did enjoy hanging out with the guys quite a bit…and she had always worried that once they knew she was in love, the would go from barely recognizing her as a girl to never being able to stop seeing her as a girl and thus excluding her even more often than they had already been starting to try to do lately…And Helga did not want that. Yes, she liked the girls too and spending time with them every now and again but she didn't want things to change with the boys. And she hoped they wouldn't want to change things either.
"You'd…really let us ask you about girls, Helga?"
Helga blinked at the question, freezing for a moment, and then looked over to Sid and just…nodded. "Uh…yeah…o-of course." She blinked a few more times and did her best to lose some of the shock in her tone. "Wh-Why not, heh?" Something a touch sheepish came to her smile.
Arnold meanwhile was watching this scene with great interest. He had considered interfering but…then he decided not to. Helga had to work this out on her own. It would be good for her. And he knew the guys wouldn't hurt her or upset her, not at this point. And so he sat back and watched with a smile.
Meanwhile, at this (rather interesting) question/retort from Helga, all the boys shrugged and looked at each other with hesitation and then looked to Helga.
Harold spoke up now again as well. "Well…I-I don't know, Helga. We just all figured that…you wouldn't wanna hang out with us much anymore…"
"E-Except for with Arnold, of course…" Stinky chimed in, smiling a little.
Harold nodded, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. "Yeah, except for with him. And maybe with Gerald too because of the thing with Phoebe. And then you invited all the girls to that sleepover before at Slausens…"
Most of the guys nodded in agreement (save Curly though, who had always known better about such things).
Helga just blinked at this revelation from the boys, her eyes going a little wide. Then she shrugged and looked down, trying to be causal once again though her swallow and tone suggested nervousness and uncertainty. She wrung her hands in her lap. "O-Oh…well…y-yeah, I mean, I've just been…trying to open up to people a little more and not be as defensive, and I feel like I-I've been, um… 'distant' mostly with the girls so I'm…sort of trying to repair that bridge a little…s-starting with the slumber party…" She cleared her throat. "B-But, um…th-that doesn't mean I don't still want to be friends with you guys…B-Better friends, e-even…" She tried to smile a little and look them all in the eyes more. Then she just sighed and did her best to level with them a little as she stated bluntly yet honestly, "I don't want things to change with us, guys, unless that means they're changing for the better. I know you're not going to tease me anymore about the dating stuff but I also don't want to be treated like I'm suddenly from another planet just because I lo—c-care for A-Arnold…I just want us all to be okay. And if you ever do have any questions about dating or women now that we're growing up, I wouldn't mind helping you. Really." She smiled sincerely out at all of them.
All of the guys blinked…then smiled in return.
Then Curly stood up and walked across the room, planted himself in front of Helga and held out his hand for her to shake. "Well, Helga, call me coocoo but I for one think that sounds dandy! And I think I speak for all the guys when I say you're just as much one of us as ever. Put her there buddy!" He grinned widely.
Helga blinked in surprise at first, her jaw dropping a little…but then she just smiled widely as ever and even laughed. "Aw, come here, ya loon!" And then she was standing up and she grabbed his hand and shook it heartily and even gave him a quick one-armed hug with a pat on the back.
It was the perfect way to break the final small tension of the room.
"Yeah, sure, Helga! We're all still friends!"
"Yup, I reckon you can't get rid of us that easy!"
"Yeah, it's still cool that we all hang."
"Oh gosh, guys, I'm so happy things turned out so well!"
"Hey, Helga, do you want another soda? Or some of the cookies Arnold's grandma made?"
"Yeah, stay more. It's fun when Arnold tells us advice but it's sort of even more fun when both of you try and tell stuff together!"
A smiling Helga had let Curly go and was enjoying all of the kind words multiplying around her, but at the offer for some more food and soda and to please stick around for a while, though she at first started to reach for a cookie from the tray Sid was gesturing towards and was about to smile and nod at Harold's desire to hear more advice from her and her beloved together, she paused and then waved her hand in a declining gesture to both boys. "Uh…thanks but no thanks, guys. Actually I…well, i-it really is getting close to seven, and that's…that's sort of when Arnold and I had planned for our…you know, date to start…" She shrugged, a little sheepish smile picking up at the corner of her mouth. "So I should go get all ready for that. But you guys have fun down here finishing things up. And I'll see you all at the first baseball practice of the summer on Monday. Oh and no slacking! I don't care if we did win that game against Wolfgang on Friday—we've gotta stay on our game for our first fifth graders versus sixth graders in September." She winked at them all and gave a little wave. Then she trotted over to where Arnold was still sitting with an amused and intrigued smile on his face. She delicately snatched up her bag and her basket and smiled down at him with a touch of sweetness. "You take your time finishing up with everyone, I'll head upstairs and change and get ready to give you your presents." A very small giggle escaped her and then she sighed and glanced down, and then reached out toward his tie with her free hand. "Sheesh, Football Head, you got so nervous since I showed up that you've practically wrung this Windsor knot of yours into a knotted mess. Here we go…" She adjusted and straightened his tie a little. "There, all better. And I hope you like what I decided to wear tonight, by the way. See you in a few, dreamboat." She gave his cheek a light kiss…then whispered by his ear, "The basket's got dinner in it…I made us a picnic. And that's the only hint that you get about what I've got in store for tonight." She giggled a tiny bit once more, and then gave him a wave. "Bye, Football Head." She glanced out at the other guys and gave them all a quick salute. "Bye, you bunch of chuckleheads." She laughed and then trotted up the stairs with her shopping bag and basket in tow.
"Bye Helga…Thank you for helping with my tie!" Arnold called to her with a shy, happy chuckle.
As finished ascending though, Arnold couldn't help but suddenly yawn. It wasn't that he was sleepy right now, it was just that somehow or other seven o'clock really had already come along and it had already been such a long day and weekend and month…and there was still a bit yet left to go…It was enough to pull a small moment of tiredness out of anyone. And so he decided, in an effort to still manage to be as fresh and ready as possible for his beloved, and also as part of keeping his promise to her about their time alone really starting at seven, it was high time he bid the boys a fond farewell. He stretched a little and stood up from the couch, glancing to the stairs which Helga had descended. "Hey, guys? If it's alright, could we actually wrap things up now? I know there's still a few minutes before seven but it's been a long…um…month, actually." He laughed a little to himself. "…And so I'd like to get to finishing up my anniversary weekend with Helga..." He looked out at his friends with a smile…but then Arnold blinked. Everyone was looking at him kind of funny (save Gerald and Curly), all with wide eyes and slightly slack jaws. "Uh…guys? What?" He blinked in genuine confusion. For a moment he had to glance over his shoulder but of course Helga wasn't there again popping out of the ceiling so he looked back to the boys (who were still struck silent) and repeated once more, still so very confused again, "What?"
Some of the guys just blinked at first…and then there were smiles…and then a few stifled chuckles and even a couple of blushes and whispers among them
Arnold raised an eyebrow, now crossing his arms over his chest. "Guys….what is it?" he asked with a touch more insistence.
"Boy howdy, she's like your wife or something, Arnold!"
Arnold went absolutely scarlet and wide eyed.
There were a lot more chuckles now! Then Harold chimed in with a nod, "Yeah! She fixes your tie for you and calls you cutesy names and even kisses you on the cheek and everything, just like my mom does for my dad every morning!" He laughed raucously.
"Yeah, and then Arnold's got her changing in his room all for their date night. Very cool…" Iggy threw in with a shrewd grin and a wink and a couple of clicks of his tongue.
A couple of good natured though juvenile 'woo's ' and other such noises accompanied by elbow nudges went through the crowd.
"Yeah, Arnold, we want to know how to get that to happen with a girl next!" Sid called out good-humoredly.
"Mmm hmm!" Arnold cleared his throat now to silence the crowd. He was heading (more like stumbling) over to the staircase and blushing like mad. "Um…e-everyone? V-Very funny…M-Maybe we'll wait until fifth grade actually starts before covering girls and…changing…and wives…" He sighed, smiling and shaking his head a little as he ascended the first step. "M-Meanwhile…I really do have a date to get to soon, and a little bit of my own fixing up to take care of before it happens so I'll see you guys later. Have a good night…and please no showing up here around ten to interrupt the end of things again." He looked at them sheepishly yet sincerely…and managed to end, finally learning to be much more confident much more quickly about all of this romantic stuff , "A-After all, if…if things keep getting interrupted…h-how am I going to get a good night kiss?" Arnold shrugged and smiled with a touch of pride, then gave the guys his own little salute. "Bye for now!" And then he was on his way upstairs, leaving the rest of the room with its chuckles and laughs and good humored 'Bye's' and 'Don't do anything I wouldn't do's' behind him, and laughing right along with them to himself.
Arnold's first stop had naturally been the upstairs bathroom for a few minutes to straighten his hair and adjust his tie and to maybe spritz a tiny bit of cologne onto himself.
And now he was walking along the upstairs hallway of the boarding house. He was smiling, a soft and very content look in his eyes. He thought some things to himself and smiled more. 'Only Helga would crash my guys night in to embarrass me…and through the ceiling…Only Helga…' He chuckled to himself as he made his began to ascend the steps to his room, "Well…" he sighed to himself, "…even if it some of that was a little embarrassing, at least…at least she's starting to get a lot more comfortable around the other guy… and now she even knows that they all still want to be friends with her too. And it was sweet that she even kissed me on the cheek in front of them again…" He blushed, and a touch of pride welled inside of him as he paused, his hand on his door handle. 'They think she's like my wife…' He recalled her little touches to his tie, her bag full of pretty clothes and loving anniversary presents, her last little 'dream boat' and blushed more to himself. 'My wife…Hmm…Well…maybe after tonight they…they'll be close to the truth with saying that…'
His free hand reached into his pocket and played with a small little 'velvet box-like' something in the pocket of his dress pants.
His other hand began to turn the door handle.
His mind was still rather full of the deep sense of peace that now came over him whenever he thought about himself and Helga and their wonderful, public, officially long term (by elementary school standards) relationship…
Okay, now the situation here was this: all of these thoughts and gooey, warm, in-love feelings along with all of that fluttery anticipation of another late night giving little kisses to Helga G. Pataki plus his own touch of pride in Helga as the perfect girlfriend and… 'wife' for himself were kind of diminishing Arnold's capacity for common sense at the moment.
That all being said…
Without thinking (or knocking), Arnold opened his bedroom door wide to greet his girlfriend.
These were the sounds of the next five seconds.
A slight creak of the door as it casually opened.
"Hi Helg—"
"ARNOLD!"
"H-HELGA!"
"GET OUT!"
The slam of a high-heeled shoe hitting against the wall near the door.
The slam of the bedroom door shutting.
Arnold's back slamming up against the now shut door…and the sound of him panting shallowly, which until that moment in his life he'd never thought it possible to do.
And then the sound of him collapsing sitting upon the top step of his stairs, a hand on his head, blushing so bad…oh, oh so bad…blushing, barely breathing…
About ten seconds later Arnold's thoughts started to at least manage to squeak out of his head…Oh but boy he wished they wouldn't! He didn't want to think about what he'd just…This horrible, awful, nightmarish… (well, maybe not 'nightmarish'…after all, Helga was a pretty girl and he'd…). He shook his football head violently. 'NO! No STOP that! This is BAD! This is a very, VERY bad thing! I just walked in on her getting…getting d-dressed! There is nothing good, or fortunate, or lucky, or…exciting or…NO! THIS IS VERY BAD, ARNOLD! VERY VERY BAD AND THAT IS ALL!' Yet he couldn't deny a familiar hot, pleasant squirm traveling through him right now despite all of his guilt and shock and humiliation…just like whenever he got too close to her while kissing…and just like last night…with her shoulders…and almost letting her spend the night here in—
KNOCK KNOCK
"AHHH!" Arnold Shortman had never been more terrified of a sound in his life! He practically jumped up and fell down the stairs at the sound of that light knock from the other side of his door.
"Arnold…" came a level sounding, almost casual voice to his ears… "Come back in here, please…"
Arnold stood up and swallowed hard and shook his head firmly, eyes wide. "Uh uh…" 'Oh no…' No way he was going into that room, no how. Helga could have it and he would just camp out in the hallway for the next eighty years or so until they both died. It wasn't much of a life plan, but it was one that involved him NOT having to face Helga G. Pataki ever about this, and there it had some merit.
"Arnold…" her voice broke into his thoughts and fears, and it was sounding a little firmer this time, "Come on—you can't just sit out there forever. Besides we do have a date to get to!"
"Mmm…" this small sound of distress escaped Arnold… 'O-Okay, fine, I know I can't live out here f-forever…' He gulped…He lifted his hand. Then he hesitantly reached forward and placed his hand upon the doorknob once more tonight…and then gave the door a very light push open (it was now barely ajar) and then of course he stood back from it like it was a snake ready to bite him.
"Arnold!" Now the girl calling to him sounded downright impatient.
Our football headed gulped but stepped forward and…gave the door a light push the rest of the way open…
…Though when Helga's eyes finally fell upon him he had a hand over his eyes.
"Oh for crying out loud I'm wearing a shirt now, Football Head! Now get in here!" And suddenly a 'sightless' Arnold was grabbed by his arm, yanked fully into the room, the door was slammed behind him and his hand was pulled from his eyes.
He now just stood there wide eyed, looking at Helga with her hair down and in a white skirt and pink three quarter sleeve shirt, and just about blushing all over. She had her arms crossed over her chest and some of that rose color from last night (when he'd been talking about her shoulders and wearing nothing at all…oh boy) tinged her cheeks and she was tapping a foot impatiently
Arnold's voice cracked and was as high pitched as could be as he instantly started, putting his hands up in both defense and innocence. "I'M SORRY, I'M SO SORRY! SORRY, SORRY, SORRY, SORRY, SORRY HELGA! AND I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING! I SWEAR! Well, okay, maybe I saw something or the side of something or…B-But I really didn't see ANYTHING IMPORTANT AT ALL! OH I…I mean not that there's nothing important to SEE…I-I mean I'm SURE there's not nothing important to see since I really wouldn't KNOW for SURE since I shut the door and you didn't turn all the way around right away and put your arms up anyway when you did and did I mention that I'm SO SORRY!" And now he just stood there, breathing heavily, all flushed, looking at her desperately.
Helga had remained pretty much unphased throughout this little rant of apologies….except for that little touch of rose red blossoming just a little more in her cheeks. He seemed done now though so she let out a breath and put her hands on her hips. "Are you done. Arnold? And keep in mind that if you go on any longer you'll probably just end up hurting yourself or something…"
Arnold gulped and nodded quickly. "Yes…Unless there's anything I can do to make up for it! Anything! I'm sorry Helga I was just distracted thinking about our date and the stuff downstairs and it just…just didn't process with me that I should knock first. I mean, when it's your room I knock all the time—it's just instinct. I wouldn't feel right not doing it but it just…didn't get through to me here, and before I knew it the door was upon and you were standing there with your b-back to me in the middle of the room, half turned around, the skirt on and about to slip the shirt over your head, and I just couldn't believe that I'd…Oh Helga I'm so sorry!" And suddenly he'd come forward and he was hugging her like crazy. But then his eyes flew open as he realized his arms were currently around the delicately curved waist and back that he'd just…seen…as one of the parts of this little…'experience'…and he instantly flew away, blushing all the more! "SORRY!" He looked at her with so much worry. "I'll do anything to make it up to you, Helga!"
Helga was just silent for one second. And then she sighed deeply. "Anything…really?" she asked levelly.
Arnold gulped but instantly nodded emphatically. Yeah, he knew full well that giving Helga the power of 'anything' over him after she had been offended in any way had a lot of potential to end very uncomfortably for him…but he also knew that he had just violated her privacy in one of the worst ways possible. And even though Arnold couldn't help recalling right now that Helga had violated his own privacy like that once before and ON PURPOSE…this right here still felt different to him. He knew it didn't make sense, and honestly he had no desire to try and explain it to Helga because he knew he would never be able to put it in a way that didn't ring of a double standard, but to him…such a situation was just different because she was a girl. Something was a little more…sacred…about…her…for him. It felt like her body had mysteries and like he…he really oughtn't to explore or point out or even probably think much about and certainly never see those mysteries until they could both handle that better, until they were a little older maybe or something and life wasn't so very mysterious. He didn't want to know the mysteries just yet anyway. It was already overwhelming enough for him as it was just experiencing the kissing and the holding and the shoulders…He couldn't bear much more just yet.
Especially on top of another thing he had planned for this night.
Anyway, the point was that Arnold felt very bad and sad and upset with himself for the mistake he had just made…and for the little piece of himself that had liked that mistake for a fleeting moment. It confused him, puzzled him. And he couldn't figure it out right now so at the very least he wanted to try and make her happy again. So anything she wanted, really, he was more than willing to be put through it.
"I know the chivalry is pretty much hardwired into your football shaped brain but could you stop acting like you just 'violated my honor' or something, Arnold? Seriously, it was an accident, it was brief, we've already been pretty physically intimate with each other over the last month anyway, and also, I mean…come on, Arnold, it's not like you walked in on some twenty-year-old super model chick. I know you find me pretty and attractive but when you do get right down to it, m-my body's not much different than yours, at least at present, so…in a nutshell can you just not make this whole thing way more awkward than it has to be?" At the finish of her request now Helga was giving an awkward half smile and trying to ignore the bit of blushing heating up her cheeks as she turned away, pushing a piece of hair behind one of her ears, and gathered up her former clothes from the floor to stuff them into her shopping bag (naturally in her surprise a moment before, they had gotten quite scattered and she had forgotten about them.)
Meanwhile, Arnold, with a continuing blush of his own, just blinked and looked at her with his head tilted to the side a little as she gathered her things together. He looked rather curious. He opened his mouth as though to make a response but then he hesitated, considering some more. His gaze roved a little bit once twice, and then he blinked and opened his mouth again, taking a (albeit shy) step toward her. "Um…I…I-I can try to be a little less awkward about it, Helga, and…and I guess that all makes sense but…" his blush increased a little, "I-I'm still going to need a little bit before I don't feel bad about it…and also, I.." he glanced away, and his next step forward took him a little bit away from Helga and toward nothing in particular though he did manage to find something on a shelf to play with for a moment as an obvious distraction as he went on, "…You…You didn't open my last present for you last night…the little pink package…did you?" He barely looked to her out of the corner of his eye and the question wasn't asked with curiosity or an accusing tone so much as just waiting for this deduction of his to be confirmed.
Helga blinked, her shopping bag now out of the way under an end table, not having expected that question. And instantly it made her indeed remember the little present in question. And she also remembered the fact that she indeed forgotten to open it last night. "Oh, ,um…s-sorry, Arnold, no, I…between the guys interrupting the end of our date last night and then that family breakfast of mine this morning and then talking to the other girls and Rhonda afterwards…" Helga had called Arnold first thing this morning after breakfast to let him know about that little ironic parallel experience of hers while he had been dealing with the boys, "…and then trying to satisfy a squealing Olga with details about our anniversary," she had to roll her eyes here before going on, "I just sort of forgot about that present, I guess…Sorry," she finished sincerely. She looked to him hopefully though and added, starting to rummage in her purse a little, "But I've still got it in here—I could just open it now, and—" 'Don't know why we're moving on to anniversary presents randomly but…as long as it means we don't have to talk about my body, fantastic!' she started to think anxiously yet gratefully.
She was cut off from both thoughts and words now though as Arnold just half smiled and glanced toward her a tiny bit more, politely interrupting her off with a blush and a half raised hand. "U-Um, no, that's…that's alright, Helga. H-Honestly, I couldn't handle that right now on top of everything else…please." He cleared his throat after that cryptic comment and smiled a little more, "I was just asking because…" he sighed and his eyes went away again and he became 'very interested' once more with tinkering with random knickknacks on the shelf, "…if you had already opened it…you would not be saying that we're the same in our b-bodies…" His face felt on fire, absolutely on fire, "Trust me. It doesn't matter how old we are. You, um…w-well, l-like I said last night, y-you make me…curious. Heh…" A nervous little laugh and shrug escaped him.
There was a moment of silence during which Arnold did not turn around.
Then he cleared his throat and walked off into another direction entirely. "Um, I…heh, if we're going to have a picnic, th-then I should probably get some blankets for us to lie—s-sit down on…Besides, I forgot something downstairs anyway. I-I'll be right back, Helga. And…please save the present for later." Arnold barely turned to her, gave her a small bow and then swiftly departed his room.
Arnold came back a few minutes later with a nice big quilted red and white checkered blanket under one arm and a little bouquet of daisies in his free hand. His blushing was much more under control by now and he even felt okay about maybe looking Helga in the eye again (and without going into total spazzing shock while doing so). "I-I know it's your night of our anniversary date, Helga," he started with a humble smile, closing the door behind him, "…but I still wanted to get you some flowers. Daisies…just like that first flower I gave you, that time you had 'amnesia.'" He even managed a chuckle as he put down the blanket on the floor and walked toward Helga, holding out the bouquet.
He paused though, of course, a couple of feet from her as his eyes caught how she looked right now.
Though perhaps it wasn't so very shocking, really.
Thankfully enough, she at least wasn't in the process of blushing like crazy and grinning as she read the new, secret love poem he had written her (she must have taken his small final plea to hold off on her last anniversary present to heart). But still, she was…well, she was lying on her back on his couch, looking up at the skylight ceiling…a light blush was on her cheeks and a sort of scrutinizing look was upon her features, neither of which had broken despite her beloved's address to her.
Arnold really couldn't be blamed for being a little confused and curious, and especially for not quite understanding specifically what Helga was doing at the moment. At the very least, he or anyone else probably would have needed several minutes of observing Helga G. Pataki closely to realize what she was doing.
In point of fact, Helga had spent her few moments of solitude between Arnold's departure from and arrival back to his room blushing and staring up…at her reflection in the glass skylight panes just above her. She had been looking at herself very closely and thinking a bit, just needing a moment to herself before they went on together, her thoughts going along back and forth but in general as something like this:
'I'm…I don't know, I guess I'm…I-I don't know, maybe it's wearing all the jumpers all the time that hides things. After all I…I doubt anyone would mistake me for a boy or something looking the way I do in this right now. And my body is…well, maybe it is…I-I mean…maybe there are more differences at this point between his and mine than I've been willing to admit. A-And he…notices…d-dressed and…n-not so dressed…I—'
Arnold had come in around then and interrupted her thoughts, of course.
"Helga…are you alright?" his voice broke in again softly after another second, and now with a blink Helga turned her head to see that he was a little closer to her.
She noticed the flowers in his hand and processed what he had mentioned before about getting them for her for tonight and why. "O-Oh, um…yeah." She smiled a little and sat up, giving a quick stretch. "I'm alright, Arnold. Just…thinking."
Arnold's curious smile softened and then he blushed and glanced down, gripping the flowers just a touch more tightly. "O-Oh…S-Still…about…the accident before?" He casually laid the flowers down on the end table of his couch and then walked over to the blanket, unfolding and preparing to spread it out for them upon the floor for that picnic dinner she had mentioned to him just before coming up here. She had wanted him to not act terribly awkward about all of this and that was what he was going to do his best to do.
Helga hesitated, shook her head, then shrugged, sitting up a little. "Sort of yes and no."
Arnold had to blink and glance over his shoulder to her at that reply. "Huh?"
Helga shrugged again and glanced away, crossing her legs. She did her best to speak plainly and sincerely, no awkwardness and no anger. Just Helga G. Pataki saying something to her Arnold. "I was thinking of how you made a good point before you left. A-And how I shouldn't let that nasty lack of self-confidence of mine mess with my judgment about something like that." She then stood up and walked toward him, placing herself in front of him. She clasped her hands together. "You're right. We are different enough, even now, that it's awkward. To be honest, I should have realized that from the start. After all, it…" she blushed and looked down, blinking a few times, "...i-it was one of the most nerve-wracking moments of my life w-watching you from behind the couch…that time…Why shouldn't it be the same for you seeing me?" She looked up at him again and hoped she hadn't made things too difficult by bringing up the parrot incident again in their lives, especially considering their silent agreement not to go into it again for a very long time. "S-So anyway, Arnold, I understand. And I'm sorry…a-and…I hope that…wh-whatever little experience you had, that it…that it was…a-as good as mine was…" She swallowed and added promptly though calmly, even smiling a little again as she tried to lighten the mood somewhat once more, "Th-Though, um…o-of course we can talk about that more later…m-much later. W-We've got an anniversary date tonight after all a-and a whole awkward adolescence together to get through besides, heh…"
She was met with Arnold blushing and yet not looking at her awkwardly or nervously so much as just intently. As she finished he took that all in and then swallowed and nodded. He opened his mouth to speak, paused…considered…then, "Thank you, Helga…for understanding. And, um...for what it's worth…" he quickly leaned near her and whispered into her ear while he still had the courage, remembering how she had done so for him once not too long ago… "I'll have only nice things to say one day when we really do talk about this along with the parrot one day. L-Look at the present first though…when you get a chance…i-it'll explain some of what I can't right now." A little kiss was placed upon her cheek and then Arnold smiled and blushed warmly and then pulled away from her and turned around, snatching up the picnic basket from the floor and heading over to the blanket. He glanced over his shoulder at her as he reached its edge. "Coming, Helga?" he asked causally, hoping to start bringing them back to a relaxed and easy state together.
Arnold had to smile more at the sight of Helga right now. She was blushing distinctly and had a grin on that was just about ear to ear with the shyest little look about her, hands clasped behind her back. "U-Uh, I…" she reached up and played with her hair a little, stroking a large piece over and over. "Y-Yeah, yeah, I'm coming. Sheesh, s-so much impatience, paste for brains. I-It's a good thing I like ya so much." She laughed and then headed over and sat down upon the blanket as he sat down. She began to unload the contents of the basket. "N-Now, it's nothing fancy…" she was starting to do her part for bringing them back to a normal, easy, young state now too, "…though if I had let Olga have her way she would have prepared us a gourmet meal, but I really wanted to do this all on my own so we've got stuff for sandwiches, some potato salad, some potato chips for me and some pretzels for you, Mister 'healthy, karate-practicing, boy of Zen'." Another laugh. "A few Yahoo sodas, and some apple pie for dessert…" She leaned close to his ear and whispered playfully, "I compromised on that one and bought a pie crust. Olga's really the Pataki sister who got the domestic gene."
Helga giggled and Arnold chuckled and smiled at her. "It's okay, Helga," he whispered back, adorably leaning in a little closer too, "I-I've always had to do a bit of cooking around here whenever my Grandma's recipes get a little too 'creative' for everyone so…you and I can switch on and off with that in the future. Maybe we'll even be able to learn some stuff from each other…"
"Thanks, Arnold…" It seemed like she was going to pull back then, but… "And Arnold…?" Her voice was the lightest whisper right near his ear, "I'll…only have nice things to say as well…very nice things…from what I remember of 'that time'…before I passed out in overwhelming bliss." She giggled, kissed his cheek, and then punched him lightly in the shoulder before he could get all nervous and blushing, and then pulled back to further unpack the picnic basket, humming a happy little tune under her breath.
"Ow!" Arnold exclaimed with a blink, rubbing his arm. It had worked—the sudden sore feeling in his limb really did keep him from expressing the…severe fluster he suddenly felt inside now. After all, in his attempts to avoid recalling the 'parrot incident', he had naturally never thought about the fact that he had made Helga G. Pataki pass out…The second she had reminded him though, he had been about to reply with something stuttery and bashful and awkward and that would probably make no sense, he would have been so tongue-tied… but now with the momentary flinch to distract him he just looked at her and she giggled and went right about making a sandwich with a smile like nothing had happened and so he just blushed and smiled and…started to do the same.
"The daisies are nice, Arnold. Thanks, my love." Helga spoke casually and naturally and smiled at him.
Arnold nodded, smiling naturally to her as well. "You're welcome, Helga. I'm happy you liked them. And, um…I really like your outfit tonight, and your hair…You look pretty." He looked at her with a touch of dreaminess.
Helga giggled. "Thank you, Arnold…I'll be sure to let Miriam and Olga know you approve. They were both poking and prodding me for tonight. Luckily I got out of there before Olga brought out her own personal makeup bag though—Helga G. Pataki draws the line at mascara." Helga faked a cringe and chuckled.
Arnold chuckled as well. "Yeah…Your eyes don't need anything, Helga…They're already full of blue fire. Why hide that under anything?"
"Flirt," Helga shot back playfully, her smile growing.
Arnold smiled more too. He reached into the picnic basket. " Should I open you up a soda, Helga?" He had two bottles in his hand as his arm moved out of the basket.
Helga nodded. "Yes, please, darling." She chuckled and added, "Oh and, uh, thanks for being such a sport about me showing up at your little get together before. I hope the guys didn't give you too much of a hard time after I popped up here."
Arnold just grinned and shrugged, removing paper plates and plastic utensils from the basket. "Oh no, not too bad…They, uh…just laughed a little and teased me a tiny bit…said that you sort of act like my wife…just that."
Helga almost choked on her first swig of soda and she blinked a few times and blushed quite a bit.
Arnold had to laugh at the reaction. He grinned at her, splitting up some napkins between them. "What?" He shrugged. "Personally, I thought it was cute, putting it like that. You have to admit, sometimes we act a little more serious than just 'boyfriend/girlfriend.'"
"Oh just shut up, you big lug." Helga finally snapped out of her shock and rolled her eyes, managing to smile again as she sat back a little on the blanket, laden plate in hand. "Wife… Huh, well, I'll tell you one thing—when I'm your 'wife', I'm not sneaking through air vents anymore, not in my own new home. I'm gonna crash your guys nights completely openly." She winked at him and laughed, snatching up a fork.
Arnold just sighed and sat back as well, likewise with a plate of food in his hand. "Whatever you say, Helga." He took up a utensil as well.
They both shared a laugh at that and continued their sweet conversation. Eventually, Helga requested some music and luckily Arnold had just the thing in his sound system at the moment—that Dino and Nancy Spumoni duet record that he and Helga had listened to here in his room so many weeks ago, and that he had given her an autographed copy of the other night as part of his anniversary presents for her. And so their lovely little picnic dinner went on, accompanied by happy conversation and the sounds of sassy and sweet, swinging love songs playing pleasantly in the background.
"Nope, it's not the cafeteria lady…Guess again, Arnold." Helga giggled, looking to her beloved in amusement.
Arnold, from his position sitting up on the blanket, a half empty pie plate in hand, looked at her with a curious smile, enjoying with the conversation with…and the sight of her. She was lying on her side, her empty plate pushed away, and her legs were pulled up a little and her head rested on one of her hands. Her blond hair gently sloped behind her head toward the floor in a shiny blanket of gold. He sighed, shrugging his shoulders, and put his own pie plate aside. "Helga…I-I know I've asked this about three times so far but are you sure it's okay to, well…gossip like this? I-I know it's just between us but still…"
Helga just sighed and rolled her eyes and laughed, waving him off. "Oh come on, it's not like we're going to blab this all over the school, Football Head. On top of which technically all of this is just speculation—no real secrets are getting told here." Then she blushed and grinned a little more and added, "And anyway in light of our new 'husband, wife' social status I'm pretty sure this falls under 'spousal privilege' somehow." She chuckled and winked. "And besides…" She rolled over a little more onto her stomach, stretching a bit, "I'm curious to see how your powers of perception have developed over the last month. You started off blind as a bat—I figure by now you should be at the standard girl level of romantic intuition, and pretty soon I'm hoping to get you up to my own level of it. So now, once more…Harold has a crush on…?" She awaited his reply with eagerness and a grin.
Arnold sighed (trying not to blush about the fact that she was now insisting on having continuous fun with that whole 'wife' comment the guys had made before) and considered, a smile on his face and his head resting on his hand. "Um…well….Rhonda?" he asked hesitantly.
"Ehh!" Helga made a noise like a buzzer and shook her head. "Nope, sorry, football Head. Close though. Rhonda was his crush until, oh, I'd say…three or four months ago. Any other guesses?" She laughed a little.
Arnold laughed as well. "Well, actually I was torn between Rhonda and Patty Smith…"
"Ding, ding, ding!" Helga announced, her eyes and smile brightening. "We have a winner! Very nice, Arnold. It's completely been Patty Smith ever since that dance Rhonda threw where they met and started to be friends." She winked at her beloved. "Okay, now here's an easy one—Lila has a crush on…"
"Arnie." Arnold sighed and rolled his eyes, smiling little more.
Helga giggled and nodded. "Yup. By the way, if he asks to come by this summer you really need to say yes, Arnold." Her smile got a little crafty. "Lila's been calling him and coaxing him toward that, and she and I think it would be just 'ever so wonderful' if you helped bring them into close quarters for a few weeks. Not to mention with her like liking him and him like liking me and you like liking me and me like liking you and you having like liked Lila, I sense a lot of very fun summer shenanigans we could get into! Awkward moments and romantic drama. I think it'd be a blast!" She almost sounded eager for all of the awkwardness and hilarity of it all…Matchmaking with her beloved by her side. What a refreshing way to be spending a summer.
In response to her excellent point, Arnold just laughed and nodded, unable to refuse if acquiescing would really make her so very happy. "A-Alright, alright, I'll say yes and he can come…as long as you let me help you with the matchmaking." He leaned a little down toward her, a touch of a smirk in his smile, and his feelings on the matter instinctively echoing her own… "I do love shenanigans with you, Helga…especially romantic ones." He winked suavely.
Helga blushed and giggled and glanced away. "O-Okay, okay…Meanwhile, sheesh, way to get off topic. So anyway, let's see…Sid has a crush on…" She looked at him with part of her (still slightly thinned) brow raised and her grin picking up on one side.
"Any girl he can get?" Arnold replied smugly without missing a beat.
Helga laughed, holding her sides and rolling on the blanket a little. "Y-Yeah, yeah, u-until he r-realizes his feelings, sure…" She finished her warm chuckles and sighed, resting on her stomach with her head propped up on her hands and looking back to her beloved as she concluded, "But after that…" she got a little shifty eyed and leaned in close, "Nadine… Completely and utterly Nadine."
Arnold blinked and then grinned. "Nadine? I…" he paused, considered, smiled more, looked back to her. He seemed rather intrigued now. "I…I like that. It'd be nice, actually. She likes bugs, he likes frogs…" For two ten-year-olds, those facts alone were more than enough to suggest an inkling of a potential relationship. Arnold chuckled and then glanced back at Helga. "He hasn't realized it yet though, huh?"
Helga just shook her head with a grin.
Arnold sighed and shrugged. "Poor guy. I remember when I was like that…I was so young." Our football headed hero shook his head melodramatically.
"You were ten-and-one-eighth instead of ten-and-one-sixth, Mr. Maturity." She reached out and gave him a little nudge in the shoulder, and then propped herself up on her elbows a little as she looked at him. "Now, no more losing focus from testing your observation skills, Football Head. Besides, this last one I'm going to ask you is a breeze—Curly is in love with—"
"Rhonda. Always Rhonda," Arnold answered completely confidently, gazing down at her with his head resting on one of his hands. Then he looked curious for a moment and asked Helga with interest, "Helga…does…does Rhonda have a crush on…on Curly? Or…Harold?...Or someone else…? Or…no one?"
Helga, to his surprise, blinked at his question, the smile leaving her face. She glanced away and cleared her throat, sitting up a bit. "Uh…Arnold? I…the thing is, I-I know the answer to that question but…n-not from 'observation.' What I mean is, it's…it's a secret that I know as a fact…and a confidential fact. So…" She shrugged and looked at him, "Sorry Football Head, can't give you an answer about that one. You'll have to try and figure it out on your own, if you want to."
Arnold blinked, looking at her in further interest. She had never withheld something from him like that. It almost tugged at something within him and yet somehow pride in her overtook the selfish feeling. This, right here and now, was Helga doing the 'right thing' in the circumstances in life that were important to her. If this had been a secret she knew about who had cut class or who had secretly barfed after lunch in the hallway, right or wrong, Helga would have spilled in a minute, at least to him. But when it came to love…she was too entwined with it, she felt it too deeply. Someone had shared a confidence of the heart with her and it would stay with her until the day she died, if that's what the other person wanted. It was a beautiful and noble side of her, and it warmed Arnold all over to see it. He smiled at his beloved softly. "You really are becoming better friends with the other girls, aren't you, Helga? It's very nice of you to let Rhonda talk to you about something like that, and to keep it a secret. I'm sure she's really grateful for it."
Helga smiled a little and sighed and sat up all the way. She nodded, her conviction and confidence making her glow a little. "Thanks, Arnold." She looked to her beloved's eyes and affirmed, "And she is grateful…That much I can tell you. It's…" Helga bit her lower lip a little absentmindedly, "…it's a complicated situation, there. I'm gonna try and help a little bit with it though. Not too much but just a little—I think it'll make things better." She rolled her eyes and sighed with a smile. "Ugh and then I have to focus on Brainy's deal…" she smirked a little, "Oh I wish I could tell you about that, Arnold…Honestly, I had started thinking he was the most astute one of all you chuckleheads and yet he's just as oblivious as you once were." She giggled and winked.
Rather than looking at her in curiosity though at this newest little cryptic statement, Arnold only smiled more. "Oh, I already know something about 'Brainy's deal' actually…You know, he was here earlier. I invited him to the party."
Helga blinked, looking at Arnold in surprise. "He was here? You mean…you invited him…" she seemed pleased, "…and he came!" She seemed doubly pleased, her eyes even lighting up a little. She moved closer to Arnold. "Did he enjoy himself? Did he have a good time? Did he do alright with the other guys? How did I miss him?" She was just bursting to know, obviously.
Arnold had to laugh a little at her enthusiasm. Admittedly, a tiny shimmer of jealousy couldn't help but come to him but it went away in the warmth of the laughter. Helga's interest in Brainy really was actually more sweet than anything else when you thought about, and she was so open about it…There was nothing to be jealous about. And he wanted to share with her. He nodded. "Yeah, he…actually seemed very happy. He mostly sat a little bit away from everyone but everyone said hi to him and…" an amused grin came to Arnold's face, "..actually, for a while until he left he was really hitting it off with Curly."
"Curly?" Helga couldn't help questioning, raising part of her brow.
Arnold nodded. "Yeah…Actually…" He leaned back on his arms, looking up toward his ceiling in thought as he kept speaking, "Curly seemed sort of, um…more quiet than usual when he came over tonight, but then Brainy showed up and eventually they started talking and…then Curly started to look better and then Brainy started to smile, and then Curly would make some big gesture with his arms and Brainy would laugh and say something back, and then some of the other guys even joined in and…you know, he even helped me with some of the 'advice on women' stuff." Arnold looked back to Helga's eyes, smiling warmly. "It was fun. The other guys were even sorry to see him leave."
Helga was just beaming. "Aw, that's so great, Arnold! Thanks for inviting him over, you big lug!" She lunged at him with a hug, chuckling a little, and then pulled back, adjusting her hair and sitting on her knees. But then she pouted a little. "Aw, but why did he leave early? I'd have loved to have seen him." She smiled again. Then looked confused and added, "And…what do you already know about 'Brainy's deal', exactly?"
Arnold smiled softly at her. "Well, first of all…I think he left because he really doesn't like social situations too much so an hour or so at one was probably all he could be a part of and still be comfortable for now…and for another thing, he…he probably knows you so well that he figured somehow, someway you'd show up earlier than seven…and he didn't want to run into you and have you ask him about another reason why he had to leave early…" Arnold sighed and added with a casual shrug… "…He was meeting someone tonight." He smiled a little more, still looking into Helga's eyes. "Oh and he told me I could let you know that, if I wanted, so there're still no confidences broken, just like you like." He winked at her.
Helga looked a little, well…stunned by all of this for a moment. "Wow…" she crossed her arms over her chest, "Darling, seriously, you have gotten very good at not being dense anymore. You know things even I don't know yet—I think this might be the first time that's happened since our mutual relationship began." She smiled. "You're so bright, my Arnold." She giggled…but then a little half frown came to her features. "But, so…Brainy…really wanted to avoid me?" She looked down a little. "Actually…maybe I can't blame him." She stroked a piece of her hair a little with both of her hands, looking down sheepishly. "I…think I've been a little intense about, um…well…there's this 'person' and…"
"Siobhan?" Arnold supplied, his small smile never faltering.
Helga blinked and glanced up at him.
Arnold shrugged. "Brainy told me before he left. And...from what else he told me…yeah, maybe asking him about her a lot and trying to bribe Brainy to ask her out and looking for an opportunity to introduce yourself to her all over the past two days whenever you haven't been with me, apparently, has been a little intense…" Arnold almost had to laugh at his love's enthusiasm before finishing sweetly and supportively, "But he knows your heart was in the right place, Helga." Arnold's smile grew a little as he added casually, "And, I don't know, but…I think some of that encouragement might have actually helped…since he was going to stop by her house on his way home 'just to say hello' tonight."
Helga's jaw dropped. And then everything on her face lit up again. "Oh…Oh! Oh he didn't! Oh no way! Oh I could just sock him for keeping that from me! Oh but I wish I could have followed him and seen it—Oh Arnold, it would just be so cute! She's adorable and he's such a sweetheart, my love! Oh Arnold, can we double date with them? Can we?" She looked positively ecstatic about the idea.
Arnold meanwhile was just watching her with wide eyes and an amused grin. It was just…every once in a while…just like with her hair last week on the roof, talking about it frizzing up with a blow-dryer and how she wanted to have it cut soon and everything…there was this very effeminate side of her that would come tumbling out and that normally he only got in bits and pieces or in the poetry…and now was absolutely one of those times. She was absolutely in womanly matchmaker mode and it was adorable!
Arnold reached out and took one of her hands in his. "Yes, we can double date, Helga." He chuckled and added with a warm, half lidded gaze, "And you know, you're very cute when your… 'gruff exterior' slips up and your warm, mushy good hearted girly center comes out like that. You should let that happen around Olga and Lila sometime—I think they'd get a real kick out of it." He winked.
Helga blinked, thought for a second and understood what he meant, and then blushed. She smiled. "Oh…Oh ha ha, very funny, Football Head…And if you ever do tell my sister or your ex-girlfriend that I can get like that about some things, I'll slug ya—nothing personal, just gotta keep up the 'I'm in love but I'm not a girly girl, you dolts' reputation I've just managed to cement." She winked back at him playfully...And then she leaned in and looked into his eyes, something tender and soft in her own… "And you're very cute…well…period…Ugh, but especially in that suit and tie." She reached out and gently started to twirl the end of his tie around some of her fingertips... "I do have such a weakness for you when you get all dressed up. Ooo and you're wearing the Chez Paris tie…Very nice touch, my most beloved Arnold…" Her smile grew…
"Th-Thanks…" Arnold was smiling and blushing and his heart pounded a little and he liked it.
Helga felt the same.
They were forehead to forehead now somehow, and all alone up here still. It would have been so easy to…
But then Helga sighed, caught hold of some of her self-control, and merely went forward and gave Arnold a brief kiss on the lips before pulling back, managing to let go of his tie, and saying to his look of confusion and enamoration mixed, "H-Hey, before kissing time…want your presents, Arnold?" Her coy little grin picked up on one side.
"Hmm…? Oh!" Arnold blinked, snapping out of his small daze. "Presents? Yeah, sure, Helga. Presents would be nice…before 'kissing time.'" He smirked a little back at her. Then he sighed and his smile became softer. "Although, honestly…after the 'first part' of my present the other day…with you being okay with loving each other in public…I really wouldn't expect anything else." He looked into her eyes, speaking sincerely. "That was the bravest and most wonderful thing you've ever done for me, Helga G. Pataki. And I'm…I'm really really happy you did it…and I'm really, really, really happy it's made you happy too..." He sighed softly, in a tiny touch of awe at her.
Helga was just blushing and smiling and looking down, playing with a few locks of her hair in her fingers. "Oh…Arnold." She giggled then managed to smirk at him again and roll her eyes. "Flirt." Then she scooched away a little to grab her shopping bag again and opened it up to pull out several things. "'But seriously, you and I both know it was high time I stopped making us put on some kind of charade about our love—no way I'm going to use actually finally going for it as some kind of 'excuse' to 'get out' of giving my favorite football head some presents." She winked at him, laying some small packages wrapped in blue tissue paper with pink ribbons tying them out on the blanket beneath them. "Okay, so, yours had multiple parts for me…and mine's got multiple parts for you. Well, actually it's got three parts besides the 'first part' of it that was me confessing…Anyway, I'm figuring you'll get a serious kick out of the whole thing so here you go." Finally there where three presents on the floor. One was of average size and rectangular-shaped, another was of a similar shape but somewhat larger and flatter, and the final one had a bit of height to it and was a little awkwardly shaped and stood up on its end, whatever it was.
Arnold looked from the first to the second to the third, and then looked to Helga, his smiled bright and happy, optimistic as always. "Does it matter which one I open first, Helga?"
Helga shrugged, smiling as well, trying to seem casual (perhaps a little too casual) though her deepening blush gave away that she really was quite excited and flustered about him opening his presents and what he might think of them. "Eh, I guess not…Though…" she sighed and glanced at him… "that one on your left…the larger, thinner one…" she gestured with her head, "…that's gonna probably bring out that wishy-washy emotional side of you…and the one on your right is just going to make you smile and laugh…and then that one in the middle, I don't know what it'll do to you, so maybe go with the smile and laugh one first, then the mystery one, and then get lost in the emotional one?" she suggested helpfully.
Arnold chuckled at her cute little assessment of things and nodded. "Whatever you say, Helga. I'll laugh first…then, um…the mystery, I guess…then I'll get all wishy-washy."
Helga smiled more and rested back on her hands a little. "Very good, Arnold. Really, this whole 'husband and wife' thing is going to go a lot more smoothly if you keep taking my advice about things." She winked.
Arnold just rolled his eyes and smirked a little as he started to unwrap the first of his presents (it happened to be the funny shaped one resting on its end). "Y-Yeah, w-well…I'll keep taking your advice about our relationship and you take my advice about everything else, 'Mrs. Pataki-Shortman,' and I'm sure we'll both turn out just…" Arnold paused. He had just finished unwrapping the present. And now he beamed. "Helga!" He laughed happily, admiring his new little possession…or rather possessions. "You didn't have to…e-even though I'm kind of glad you did. I always wanted a piece of your shrine to go with the poetry books you lend me each week." Sitting before Arnold on the blanket were two yahoo soda bottles…the yahoo soda bottles that he and Helga had used during the night he had confessed…the soda bottles she had then decorated as little dolls of himself and her and had put up in her yahoo soda bottle shrine almost four weeks ago. Arnold touched them, admiring them fully. "They're so cute, Helga…I promise I'll put them somewhere safe…a-and private…just for you and me." He looked at her warmly.
Helga was just smiling away and blushing, looking down with a touch of humbleness. "I-I just…and y-you're so obsessed with my shrines…a-and, yeah, s-somewhere private would be, um…Thanks, Arnold." She swallowed and looked up at him, eyes hazed in a touch of love. "I'm happy you like them. A genuine piece of a Helga Pataki shrine all for you, my beloved."
Arnold smiled tenderly. "It's a perfect gift. Thank you, Helga." He picked up the bottles carefully and placed them on one of the end tables near his couch, and then leaned toward her and gave her a warm hug.
Helga blinked and beamed a little and hugged him back. "Oh Arnold…you're welcome…" She let herself snuggle against his cornflower hair a little before pulling back shyly and with a blush. "Um…a-anyway…not that this isn't the perfect segue for that whole 'kissing time' thing I mentioned before, Football Head, but…before that, I really would like you to open presents two and three…" She gestured to them with her head, smiling softly.
Arnold blinked a few times, coming out of a small lovesick daze. "Hmm…? O-Oh…" His mind went away from 'kissing time' and back to the two remaining packages still on the floor. "Right…O-Okay, Helga…" It was her night of their anniversary, after all, and he wanted to respect her wishes just as she had respected his own last night regarding the 'schedule' of their evening. And so he reached out and took the present that she wasn't sure how it would make him react. He was very curious about this one and commenced to opening it eagerly. "I can't wait to see what it is, Hel-" The last layer of tissue paper fell away. Arnold stopped speaking now. And he was hesitating and looking rather puzzled at the moment because the present in his hands was…a videotape. But not a 'Helga went to the store and bought you a new copy of Evil Twin 4' videotape. It was black, unmarked, had no box…and looked quite beaten up to say the least. Arnold observed it carefully, really trying to figure out what it might be. But then finally he couldn't get it and he had to pause and look up at her in confusion. "Um…Helga? I-I'm grateful but…um…should I…know what this is?" he lifted the tape up a little.
Helga smiled a little more, just playing it cool and trying not to bust a gut. "Honestly…no, I can't blame you for not knowing what it is, Arnold." She sat up a little more, giving a stretch upward. "I actually didn't know it really existed until a few days ago…I mean, I've considered the possibility of it existing for a few months now but…I really have to thank Geraldo for pointing me in the right direction to actually find it." Helga crossed her arms over her chest and smiled proudly.
Now Arnold looked even more confused. "Gerald?" He looked down at the tape again but still just couldn't get it.
Helga noticed of course and spoke soothingly to him. "Don't worry, Arnold, I know you're not getting it yet and once again I really don't blame you. I should explain more…" she sighed and then went on, looking into his eyes (hoping to see soon the moment when they would light up with realization). "Gerald helped me…because he contacted Fuzzy Slippers—fantastic cover name, by the way…" She rolled her eyes and chuckled but then went on, "…and Fuzzy Slippers got me in contact with Bridget. You remember Bridget, don't ya, Football Head?" A bit of a gleam came to Helga's eyes. "That twenty-something-year-old chick in the skintight blue jumpsuit who ziplined down the side of a building to bring you the tape with Sheck burning the tomato document on it? Come on, you know, you and Geraldo kept ogling her out of the corner of your boyish eyes." She rolled her eyes and smirked fully.
A blushing Arnold just smirked a little back at her and adjusted his tie and cleared his throat. "I-I…I was under a lot of stress during those two days, Helga…And besides you know I really have gotten better about the 'older women' thing—" Something confident returned to his smile and he leaned in a little closer to her, looking into her eyes. "Now instead of wanting girls who are a decade older than me…I'm more than content with one who's five months older than me…"
"And don't you forget it, paste for brains—I've got seniority!" Helga laughed at his cute way of getting out of things and then scoffed and rolled her eyes. "And really, jumpsuits…ridiculous…Although…" she gave Arnold a little grin, "You know, I talked to that Bridget for a little bit and she's not SO bad…and she did offer to let me be part of her little group. My jumpsuit would even get to be pink. I'm considering it as a part time gig. Gotta give my awesome sneaking around skills at least some practice now that I don't need to use them on you anymore…much, Mister 'I'm one hundred percent sure Helga can't pull anything on me anymore.' Heh…barely even had to try with crashing your party tonight, paste for brains." She glanced at the nails on one of her hands casually.
Arnold rolled his eyes with a grin at her joke, and then his smile grew just a little and he glanced away with a light blush. "Jumpsuits, huh? Sounds fun, Helga…Oh but if you happen to zipline down something to any young guys just make sure to tell them that you're 'already married.'" He blushed absolutely furiously and couldn't help it and didn't want to.
She just giggled in response. "Will do, Mr. Pataki-Shortman, will do." She gave him a little elbow nudge for his silliness and then cleared her throat. "Anyway, the point of the story is that I got that tape from Bridget courtesy of Gerald and Fuzzy Slippers. Now as for what exactly the tape is, well…the answer to that question kind of goes back to that tape Bridget gave you."
Arnold looked at Helga quizzically for a moment. Then asked, "So…you got me the tape of Sheck burning the tomato document for our anniversary?"
Helga blinked and then sighed and rolled her eyes again. "Yes, Arnold—I was feeling nostalgic." She reached out and flicked his ear. "Doi! No, it's not the tape of Sheck—I only said it was related to that. Because they both come from Future Tech industries, or what's left of it. After all, there were cameras all around that building, Arnold…so many hours of footage…of the inside of that building…of the outside of that building…" She looked at him distinctly, hoping he would catch her drift.
However he just remained looking at her with an amused though pleading smile. "Helga…please stop teasing me…" he finally had to plea, just wanting to know so badly the little secret she was insisting on keeping to herself for just a tiny bit longer.
"Sorry." Helga smiled sincerely at him…
…and then she finally admitted to him, like it was the most natural thing in the world (though inside she was just dying to see his reaction and full of anticipation about it!), "I got you a tape of my love confession to you." Helga G. Pataki smirked from ear to ear…and blushed thoroughly all over her face. She went on. "The image quality is second rate, there's no sound, the tape's a little damaged in parts but otherwise…yup, full tape of Helga G. Pataki's love confession to Arnold…The only copy in the whole wide world. It came from a surveillance camera Sheck had out on the roof. Happy Anniversary, Football Head."
There was…silence…
Arnold looked confused still for another moment, his eyes down on the tape again. The denseness…somehow, in some small ways, it would always be there before realization in him.
And speaking of realization…
Arnold's jaw now fell open. Then he blushed brightly. Then he blinked several times.
Then he looked up at Helga…like she was the most brilliant person in the whole world. "You…You didn't!" It was all he could exclaim, a gleam flashing in his sea green eyes.
Helga, having thoroughly enjoyed watching the rainbow of emotions that had played across his cute face over the last couple of seconds, blinked at this response from him and shrugged, smiling a little. "Um…nope, kind of did." She blushed a little more.
Arnold was quiet for a moment more…and then all of the surprise and fascination and anticipation building inside of him finally burst forth. He laughed warmly and suddenly dove at Helga, hugging her tightly and causing them both to topple to the blanket beneath them. He looked into her eyes, then gave her a big, steamy kiss right on her lips and then pulled back panting and with a smile ear to ear. "Helga G. Pataki…you are the most brilliant girl in the whole entire world! And I love you."
Helga was just in stunned, delighted, dazed shock of course right now. She just smiled goofily up at him, eyes hazed in love, and giggled a little. "Uh…th-thanks, you…you Football Head, you…" She giggled a little more. "And I love you too." 'Definitely picked a good part two of his present…' She let out a happy, girlish, internal and external sigh and swoon
That pretty sound escaping her only made Arnold smile smoothly back at her and pop another little kiss upon her lips, and then he gave her another little hug and then sat up, bringing her to sit up with him. He picked up the tape again and looked back to her, suaveness replaced with an eager brightness in his eyes. "So when can we watch it together, Helga? How about Tuesday night after baseball practice?" Of course they would have to watch this, and of course it would have to be together…It was…their video. They just had to, naturally, and he knew it and he knew she knew it.
Helga just smiled more at the question, readjusting her hair a little, and trying not to roll her eyes.. 'Tuesday? Pft, please, like I'm waiting that long. It was hard enough sitting on that thing without watching it myself for the last week…'. "Actually, I was thinking it would be a fun activity for tonight if you're up for it." She smiled at him, awaiting his approval.
Arnold's eyes lit up. "Really? Now? In the middle of our anniversary date? Are you sure that's okay, Helga?"
Helga nodded. "Of course! I've kind of had that planned all along actually. Wow…" she crossed her arms over her chest and grinned at him a little. "You are really excited about this, aren't you, Football Head?"
But he was already up and getting things together, too busy to pay much mind to her rhetorical and humorous question. "We can look at it on my computer. I've got a hook up to watch videos…Now, let's see…." He stood up to start grabbing things and setting things up. "I'll bring the monitor over to sit on the couch and we can watch from the blanket. Oh boy…" he sighed to himself, smirking a little as he picked up the monitor, "…this is going to be wonderful, Helga, just wonderful."
Helga smirked a little as well, watching him work. "Just wonderful, huh? Sheesh, someone's certainly eager to watch permanent video footage of himself acting like a total spazz." She laughed to herself a little.
Arnold just rolled his eyes, putting the monitor down on the couch and tinkering with some wires a little. "Actually, I'm looking forward to the chance for you to see once and for all just how much you put me through up on that roof. I still don't know how I didn't pass out and I'm pretty sure any other guy would have the second your lips left his." He chuckled a little to himself.
Helga just rolled her eyes, grinning away. "Alright, it's on then—we'll see who remembers the confession better: me thinking that you acted way too overdramatic and petrified, or you thinking that I was emotional enough to overwhelm even the toughest of young boys. Winner buys the other a soda next time we go to Dino Land. Deal, darling?" She crossed her arms over her chest with a smile.
"A soda, a pizza, and some cotton candy…I intend to win this, Helga, and when I do I want to enjoy it a lot," Arnold just replied playfully over his shoulder.
Helga just chuckled, her smirk growing. "Alright, deal, you great big drama king lug."
They both shared a little laugh and then Arnold took the tape and walked back over to his computer to pop it in, and then he came back over to the couch and turned on the monitor, and then he sat back next to Helga. "Ready Helga?" he asked, turning to her and picking up his room remote.
He expected her to be grinning eagerly right back at him and to nod and affirm in some cute, sassy way that she 'had been ready for days' or something.
Instead though, he turned to see Helga smiling softly at him. And then to his momentary surprise, she asked softly, "Sure, Football Head…But…don't you want to open the last part of your present first?"
Arnold blinked, having almost forgotten about that. Then he turned around and noticed the last little package on the blanket. "Oh…" he smiled, and reached out for it. It was light, he noticed…Light, flat, rectangular… "I almost forgot. Thanks, Helga." He smiled at her and then started to open the gift.
Helga swallowed and smiled and looked down with a light blush, starting to gently play with her fingers as he unwrapped. "U-Uh, l-listen…about this 'last part' of your present, Football Head…i-if you don't like it or don't want to use it, it's really okay…I-I made it myself s-so it's not really the highest quality it could be, I guess, like if I bought it from a store, a-and I-I don't want to pressure you and I, uh…"
"Helga…" Arnold looked up at her, down to the final layer of tissue paper now. He spoke reassuringly and sweetly and with his usual loving smile. "I'm sure I'm going to love it. And especially if you made it yourself. Don't worry." If she hadn't genuinely seemed like she was worried about him not liking it, he would have even chuckled a little too at the very thought. But really…a handmade anniversary present from her…He simply couldn't conceive not liking it or using it.
Meanwhile, at his kind words of comfort, Helga swallowed and barely glanced up at him with a grateful smile. Yet there was still so much nervousness and uncertainty in her eyes, though she did at least manage sincerely in reply, "Th-Thanks, Arnold…" And then she swallowed and added, "B-But really, no pressure."
Arnold just continued to smile sweetly at her concern and sighed and nodded. "Alright, alright, 'no pressure'…" he grinned a little more and looked down at the almost unwrapped gift and had to add, "…even if I know I'll love it."
He reached down and finished taking off the last layer of tissue paper.
In his hands…was a picture frame.
It was for a large photo. The frame was made of simply cut yet beautifully colored cherry wood. And its four sides were secured by a touch of some metal lining the seam of each corner, which looked like it had been welded to attach the frame all together. There was your average prop-up in the back to let the picture stand on its own in case you didn't want to hang it, though there was also a little metal hook on the back of the top edge in case you did…On the front, the whole thing was simply decorated with a touch of paint on the edges. Bits of color and pattern to brighten up the frame. And then on the top on the front, short side written in a beautiful light blue script was painted the world 'My' and on the bottom short side was painted the word 'Family.'
Arnold looked at it and felt touched but couldn't place why for a moment, he was so stunned by its beauty.
Helga, meanwhile, was still acting nervously, though it was slight. She still played gently with her fingers a little and blushed lightly and only looked up a little bit at a time. She swallowed, seeing him not saying anything, and added in explanation, trying to smile, "Um…S-See, the other day when you…when you showed me that picture of you and your mom and your dad, I…I-I couldn't help but notice that it was just kind of loose and tucked away, a-and you've got every right to keep it like that, of course, but I-I was just worried that something might bend it or rip it or spill on it, a-and the edges are already starting to become a little worn, so I…I made you a frame for it. I-If you don't like it or something though or just don't want to use it for their picture that's totally fine, really, I promise I won't get all blustery or disappointed. I know it's a special picture to you and so you've got your own special preferences for it, so you could just use that frame for a picture of Phil and Gertie or something if you want. A-And even if you do use it for your parents, you don't have to start displaying it yet of course if you don't want to. It could still be tucked away, o-only a little safer now." She let out a breath, this long explanation finally over, and then smiled at him and gave him a little shrug. "Happy Anniversary, Arnold…"
There just weren't words. Not at all.
All Arnold could do was just hold the little picture frame in his hand like it was the most precious thing in the world, and like he had to keep holding tightly to it just to prove to himself that it was real in all of its wonderfulness.
It really did take him a moment, and he even had to wipe a little mist from his eyes before he could reply, barely able to speak. And when he did, he just…he just… "I…I-If I had a picture of all of us together…you and me and my grandpa and my grandma and my mom and my dad and even Abner…" His eyes looked into her eyes, green into blue, "…that's the only picture I'd rather put in here over the one of my parents that you made it for…because then it would really be my family…my whole family…Oh Helga!"
His arms were around her, the wind was knocked out of her in a gasp of surprise and he was lightly kissing her face and nuzzling her forehead with his and holding her in his arms as he still held the picture frame in one of his hands. Forget waiting…he wanted 'kissing time' now more than anything else.
"A-Arnold, I…i-it's no big…I-I'm happy you…Oh Arnold, I…Arnold…" 'I'm…I'm his family…', "Arnold…" Little tears were in Helga's eyes now too…Little tears and she melted with him…She closed her eyes and let herself dream of being Arnold's family.
When he felt her going completely limp in his arms, Arnold managed to ease his enthusiasm a little at least. His kisses and nuzzles and the intensity of his embrace tapered off. He just sat there, panting heavily, holding her gently, eyes half lidded and looking into hers. He smiled so much. "I…I love it…and I love you…and…" He kissed her cheek and then whispered into her ear, "I'll only put the picture of my parents into it…until…until maybe they come back one day and we can take a real picture of us all together to put in here. Thank you, Helga. It's a wonderful gift." He laughed warmly and happily, gave her another little hug, and then was up, dashing across his room to remove his parents picture from the secret place in his Dad's journal tucked away on the shelf next to his bed. He inserted the photo into the frame and looked at the effect—'Perfect.' Then he moved…then he hesitated. Words echoed in his mind, 'A-And even if you do use it for your parents, you don't have to start displaying it yet of course if you don't want to. It could still be tucked away, o-only a little safer now.' Arnold considered Helga's words…and then with a sigh and a bit more of a smile he pushed out the frame's prop and allowed the picture to be displayed on the shelf next to his bed. He observed it for a moment, getting used to the picture and thinking about whether he could get used to maybe other people commenting on it whenever they might come up here…His friends who didn't know the whole story. But somehow now the prospect of that didn't seem so scary, and he only let out a sigh of contentment, gave the picture a final glance, and then went right back over to Helga, sitting beside her once again on the blanket.
Helga was still a little dazed of course, though she was slowly starting to come back to reality at least. She smiled dreamily and blushed like a rose in bloom and her eyes were half lidded and she giggled here and there. It made Arnold chuckle. He nudged her a tiny bit to make known the return of his presence and then added with a little grin and a gesture of his head, "Look over at the shelf near the bed, Helga. What do you think?"
Helga blinked a few times. "Huh?" she asked in a girlish tone. Then she realized what he was saying and turned to look over her shoulder. Her blue eyes lit up a little. He was using it and he liked it and he was even displaying his parents photo and the whole effect really was pretty boss. Helga frowned for just a moment though and glanced back at him. "A-Are you sure you're ready to…display it publically though, Football Head?" she asked with sincerity.
Arnold nodded, not needing to have a second thought about it. "Don't worry, Helga. I'm ready…Actually I've…I've never felt more ready in my entire life." He chuckled a little and added with a wink, "Perfect timing with the picture frame for it actually."
That reply actually made Helga smile a little more and laugh as well. "Well, it is my job to obsessively know you better than you know yourself, Football Head." She winked back at him. Then she scooched a little closer and added, looking into his eyes, "But seriously though, Arnold…I'm happy you like it. Really…really happy." She let out such a deep sigh of relief. "I was so worried I'd be pushing it a little with that but…I'm so glad I made it and that it worked out." Genuine happiness came to her eyes…and then her eyes looked back into his and she added sincerely, "And I'm happy that you told me about your parents in the first place…It means a lot to me, Arnold. I-I know I gave you seven years of reasons not to trust me, a-and so for you to trust me now after only a month with something like that, I…I know that that's big…So thanks."
Arnold had never heard Helga sound so grateful in their entire lives.
Our young, football headed hero smiled more, gazing back into those 'fiery blue orbs' that he adored so much. "I'd share anything with you, Helga…" 'My parents, my love…my whole life…'… "…And you're welcome…" he finished simply.
The two remained caught in each other's eyes for another moment…and then came together in a tender yet passionate kiss…moving closer and closer…holding each other…hearts racing.
Once they started feeling that ever familiar compulsion to run their fingers through each other's hair, they broke apart for a moment, just to catch their breaths.
They looked at each other, smiling, panting.
Helga grinned at him between breaths, her face flushed with bright pink. "S-So, um…h—how about we take five minutes to pop in this confession tape and make some popcorn…and then we spend the next hour looping the tape and NOT eating the popcorn while we make out, hmm?" She giggled more.
Arnold chuckled, likewise looking all flushed and happy as could be. "S-S-S-Sure, Helga…I-I'll, um…" he was barely managing to unwrap his arms from the places they had found around her body, "I-I'll get the popcorn, you set up the tape…I-I'll be right back." He finally managed to pull away from her entirely and to stand, his balance swaying a little and a big dreamy smile on his face.
Helga giggled and winked at him, grabbing up the tape. "Whatever you say, my Football Headed heartthrob." She watched him make his dazed way to the door and couldn't help calling out playfully, "And hey, knock this time before you come in, Mr. 'Convenient accident.' " She stifled some chuckles.
Arnold almost stumbled at the comment but managed to grab the door handle before doing so. He smiled, blushing furiously, and just rolled his eyes, glancing over his shoulder at her. "V-Very funny, Helga…" He shook his head, doing his best not to laugh as he opened the door.
Helga likewise stifled a chuckle as he prepared to leave. "Oh just shut up and hurry back here so we can watch you being a big, crazy lug, you big crazy lug."
As Arnold left and Helga prepared to get the picnic stuff out of the way for their viewing of the tape, the two children shared one more laugh before they were out of sight of each other for the moment.
"Oh Arnold, I have the best idea!"
This announcement was made (rather brightly) by Helga G. Pataki as she sat upon the blanket on the floor with Arnold as he rewound the confession tape once again this evening. A bit of time had passed now during which the tape had been played and replayed several times, a few pieces of popcorn had been eaten, a ton of kisses had been given, and now the two of them were just finishing the popcorn and watching the tape one more time and laughing and making little jokes about it—just having fun. Granted, as Helga had pointed out to him from the start, the tape's quality wasn't exactly great, there were a few frames here and there where things got a little static-y, and of course there was no sound (not that either of them could ever forget the exact words of Helga's confession though, of course), but yes, indeed, as promised, it was a video tape of Helga G. Pataki confessing her love to…and kissing…Arnold. And though they had both already made a pact that no one was ever allowed to watch this tape ever except for the two of them…they had also agreed quite readily that a copy of this tape needed to be made as soon as possible so that they would both have it on hand to watch in either of each other's rooms at their own convenience. It was nostalgia…Think of this tape as a really intense version of 'home movies.'
But anyway, back to what was going on here and now…
Arnold, having finished rewinding the tape now, put it on pause and smiled at Helga in interest. "What is it, Helga?" he asked of her sudden exclamation.
Helga just grinned back at him, a gleam in her eye, and replied, "Let's do the voices!"
Arnold blinked, looking at her curiously. "The voices?"
"Doi!" Helga rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Play it again but this time we'll supply the confession dialogue since there's no sound…unless somehow you don't remember every passionate word of that moment between us that I sealed with your first real, genuine, one hundred percent no-holding-back Helga G. Pataki kiss?" She smirked a little at him, knowing the answer full well.
And indeed Arnold just blushed and smirked a little as well. "O-Oh, no, you…you imprinted every single word of that into my mind forever with that kiss, Helga…Absolutely. I know them all."
"All of 'em, huh?" A blushing Helga giggled a little. "Well, then, to really make this fun…how's a about instead of repeating what each of us said…we do each other's voices instead. Might be interesting…" She winked.
Arnold grinned at her, trying so hard not to laugh. "So…you'll say the things I said back then…and I get to say the things you said back then?" he asked, just to clarify.
Helga shrugged, looking to the side casually. "Hmm, yeah, more or less…" A little gleam was back in her eyes.
Arnold chuckled, watching her with interest…and a little gleam of his own in his eyes. And then he nodded and grabbed his remote to press the button to tell the computer to play the tape again. "Whatever you say…Deep Voice…" He put down the remote.
Both kids then turned back to the glowing computer monitor screen before them, prepared for their fun.
The tape, of course, began with a surprised and confused Arnold entering the roof and 'silently' yelling to the masked figure across from him. As a result of Arnold having been the first to speak during the confession, Helga, in the present, started the dialogue.
"Deep Voice!" she cried out dramatically with a smirk, glancing at Arnold and giving him a playful nudge.
Arnold eyed her a little, trying not to laugh so that he could supply the next line as Helga in black and white on the screen began to speak.. "Oh, don't come any closer! Pay no attention to the person who's obviously been stalking you for the last 48 hours!" Arnold rolled his eyes, almost losing it. He knew what she meant by 'more or less' when it came to repeating each other's words from that day, and he was more than willing to play along with the fun game.
A little chuckle escaped Helga but she managed to keep it under control as she supplied next for her video Arnold counterpart, "No, no more games Deep Voice! For once I'm NOT going to be a dense, gullible little shrimp. Just not on the agenda today apparently…." Then… "Helga! The (as I'll soon come to realize) wonderful, creative, talented, tough-as-nails Helga G. Pataki. You're….Deep Voice?" Helga wanted to just giggle uncontrollably. "And I have to ask it as a question because even though it's right in front of my I'm still just dense enough to not get it!" She smirked fully and crossed her arms over her chest, awaiting his next move.
Arnold just sighed, continuing his Helga impersonation, not missing a beat and smirking right back at her. "Oops. So much for being the queen of crazy schemes…"
Helga gave him even more of a smirk and leaned in a little closer. "Oh but gosh, I'm Arnold and I'm dense and I just don't get it! I thought you were on your Dad's side…thought you were going to get rich off the whole deal…" Helga made her voice sound dramatic and gestured upward with the back of her hand upon her forehead.
Without breaking into total chuckles (which was impressive) Arnold managed to counter, giving her one of his most charming looks (with a little touch of drama thrown in for effect), "Ah but's what's money compared to you, my perfect love god?" Arnold blinked and pretended to look shocked at himself, then very noticeably cleared his throat and corrected himself 'smoothly,' "Oh, uh, I mean…money isn't everything?" He winked at her, breaking into a few silent laughs. 'Okay, along with watching the tape we should also do this more often…It's fun.'
Helga, meanwhile, blushed at Arnold calling himself a love god via her, and also gave a few silent giggles at his little extra added jest. She did her best not to falter though as she went on with Arnold's next line, "Oh come on Helga…Why oh why did you risk everything all for my little do-gooder dream of saving the neighborhood? I just can't figure it out… Just like always!" She stuck her tongue out at him playfully.
Arnold just rolled his eyes up, feigning perfect innocence as he replied, "Um…hmm…generic excuse number one: something about a civic duty…" He looked at her and raised an eyebrow, his grin picking up on one side.
Helga let out a small laugh, having to hold her sides a little. "Hel-ga!" she countered dramatically, impersonating that patient yet demanding tone her beloved could take with her by using just her name sometimes.
Arnold just sighed dramatically in reply and went on, "Uh…generic excuse number two: I love a good mystery?"
He gave her a bit of a look, like the entire excuse had been one of her most preposterous, which Helga ignored, rolling her eyes up and countering, "Oh Helga, I've decided to be particularly demanding and astute today, so tell me the real reason since I won't buy any of your very plausible excuses!" Helga's eyes gleamed with fire and fun as they met Arnold's again.
"Well, I don't know, Arnoldo…" Arnold managed in his best, slightly sarcastic Helga G. Pataki voice, looking into her eyes, "I guess maybe I pitied you…which is the watered down way of saying that I'm so in love with you I'd do anything not to see you have to move away." He leaned in close as well, grinning widely.
"Helga! I am SHOCKED!" Helga was smirking like crazy, ready to burst into giggles and nearly falling backward onto the blanket from his sudden closeness. "You…did something… for ME?" 'This is hysterical, I'm dying! We need to do this again!'
They had both been coming closer to each other and giving each other playful little jabs and flicks this whole time. But now suddenly…
Arnold playfully pounced at Helga, pinning her down onto the picnic blanket and smiling at her. Maybe just a little payback for that day so long ago when she had cornered him so thoroughly on the roof of that building. "Oh that's RIGHT, Arnold!" he went on, breathing heavily, smile ear to ear, "I mean CRIMENY what else are you supposed to do when you're a talented, pretty, perfect girl who's passionately in love with apparently the most gorgeous guy in the whole world!"
Helga was blushing quite a bit at finding herself under Arnold like this (and little giggles were threatening to escape her at the fact that he had actually just used the word 'crimeny'), but she was really getting more and more into this game, just like he was. So she went on, eyeing him with a curious yet half lidded gaze. "Excuse me…love?" She let some giggles go now.
Arnold chuckled and smirked like crazy, the 'Helga G. Pataki-esque' passion still high in his voice. "Oh you heard me pal! I love you, love you, love you… Who else do you think stalks you night and day, builds shrines to you in closets, fills volume upon volume of books with poems about you? I love you Arnold, I've always loved you ever since I first laid eyes on your stupid (but actually very adorable and handsome, by the way) Football Head!"
And now Helga, with how accurate he was being (that little compliment to the shape of his head aside), started to speak along with him with a smile, their voices voicing Helga's confession in unison...
"And from that moment and every moment since I've lived and breathed for you, dreamed of the moment when I could tell you my secret feelings and could grab you and kiss you and…aw come here you big lug!" Then Helga suddenly brought her arms down and with a quick twist was now the one pinning Arnold down to the floor. And then the two of them just looked into each other's faces and burst into warm laughter.
Helga fell to the side of Arnold, holding her stomach in uncontrollable chuckles. "O-Okay, wow—best game ever, Football Head!" She looked to Arnold with a big smile, sitting up a little and catching her breath. "Oh and I like how you threw in that part about how nice the shape of your head actually is. Nice touch, Arnoldo." She winked.
Arnold sat up a little more himself, likewise catching his breath and with a big smile on his face. "Yeah, well—for all those years of you making fun of it, I figured I deserved that." He winked back at her.
Helga smiled a bit more and then, as she turned back over to lie on her stomach, her eyes fell to the TV again, and to the kissing scene. She sighed and her eyes went dreamy…She and Arnold's first real kiss. A small, girlish swoon escaped her. "Hey, Arnold?" she started airily, just wondering, her eyes never leaving the screen yet focusing on a different detail than usual now (though her memory still of course held strongly to the feeling of Arnold's body in her arms and his lips under her own for the first time in their lives under no silly pretext), "When we were kissing on that roof…uh, what was with all that bright flashing going on behind us?" And indeed, despite the fact that the tape was in black and white, there did appear to be varying shades of bright, flashing bursting light appearing behind she and her beloved as they kissed.
Arnold blinked at the question, smiled goofily at the dreamy smile on her face, and then laid down on his stomach too and likewise turned his attention to the screen. . "Hmm…" he raised an eyebrow and shrugged, really noticing it now too (likewise, his own memories of that kiss…of the first time he had ever seen Helga G. Pataki's passion outright and the first time a woman had ever kissed his lips…were more prominent than anything else in his mind while watching the kissing scene). He settled for shrugging and replying with a casual sigh, "Not sure…It was raining. Maybe a power line snapped or something and we just didn't notice it…We…were kind of distracted at that point." He blushed a little, smiling more to himself.
Helga let out a single chuckle, blushing too. She sighed and nodded. "Yeah. Honestly, a neutron bomb could have gone off during that kiss and I don't think I would have noticed it."
Arnold laughed and nodded. "Yeah, me too…" Arnold continued to watch the video of himself and Helga still continuing to kiss for a few moments longer… but then finally he almost had to look away for embarrassment (as he had done several times so far while watching this video…and most of the other times he had kind of ended up fast forwarding through most of this part, actually). He let out a sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger, eyes shut, obviously with something on his mind.
Helga noticed this reaction (as she had been noticing it the entire evening, and noticing that it specifically mostly occurred right at the kissing part of the video) and finally sat up and glanced to Arnold with a curious , kind smile. "Something up, Arnold?" she asked with sincere interest.
"Mmmm…." A slight blush came to Arnold's features and, removing his hand from his face and opening his eyes, he hesitated and then turned his head in her direction, though his eyes remained slightly downward and away from the screen as the kiss went on. "Well…" he gestured slightly to the monitor with his head, "Nothing, it's just…I guess I kind of understand now why you told the boarders I was a lousy kisser when we had that fight during the whole poetry tutoring thing last month." A small smile couldn't help coming to his face as his eyes returned to the TV screen. "Look at me, I'm just standing there completely frozen…My eyes are wide, I'm not moving, you're obviously doing all the work. " His smile picked up a bit more. "I mean, I know I was in shock but still that was a pretty passionate kiss—the least I could have done was hold your shoulders or even close my eyes or something."
Helga just had to let out a scoff and roll her eyes, turning her smiling attention back to the computer monitor and then back to her beloved. "Hey, don't be so hard on yourself, my little love god. I did kind of drop a bomb on you in the middle of a pretty stressful night 'slash' morning. Point is, sooner or later you were the one to pull a shocked me in for a passionate kiss…Remember, in my room after that poetry tutoring thing? The first kiss you ever gave me, my beloved…?" Helga's eyes went half lidded and she fluttered her eye lashes at him with a touch of playful enticement.
She had one of her hands lying on the blanket by her side, and at the reminder of this memorable moment in their lives—the first time he had ever just really truly gone with his 'instincts' (as Phil had once instructed him to do) in terms of Helga G. Pataki only to suddenly find himself grabbing her and holding her and kissing her with all of his might—Arnold couldn't help reaching over slightly and resting his hand over hers.
Helga felt a shiver pass through herself at his unexpected touch coupled with the memory of that time in her room, and then just let out a small giggle…and figured that as long as they were already touching…
She reached for the remote with her free hand and put the tape on pause. Then her finger hovered over the rewind button.
"Hmm…You know…we COULD do the sound effects for the kissing too, Arnold…According to you there were a lot of them…Some wacky claim of yours that I was moaning like crazy during that whole thing or something." She looked to him with a smirk and winked, a giggle escaping her.
Helga watched Arnold instantly blush, and then get a small goofy smile on his face and then look to her. He squeezed her hand. "Uh…maybe we could just do the sound effects for the rest of the tape first….you know, the part after the kiss that we didn't get to yet." Arnold gestured to the screen with his eyes, "I kind of want to see what we'll come up with for that, and besides…might as well save the best for last…" He let his voice lower just a little, a touch of charm gleaming in his perfect green eyes.
Helga blushed and giggled and looked just about as charmed and dazed as she could be. "Oh Arnold…" she cooed softly. It was just hitting her for a moment, in the part of herself from so long ago that had always been a little girl in unrequited love, how blissful this all was…Arnold loved her, they were having an anniversary, he was flirting with her and they were watching a video of their first perfect kiss. Something inside of her trembled in joy. She managed to come back to the moment though, and her current self—a young lady in mutual love—and reply softly, nodding "A-Alright, um…aftermath sound effects first then, you silly Football Head."
Arnold chuckled at her sweet tone of voice and nodded. Then Helga pressed the play button on the remote and placed it aside. Both children turned back to the monitor screen and Arnold fast-forwarded through a moment or two more of kissing and then pressed play just as Helga's lips were about to pull apart from his own!
Obviously, since Arnold had been the first one to speak after that kiss during the confession, Helga spoke for him now, overly dramatic Arnold impression in full swing. "Wait a minute—now I'm confused! You confessed and kissed me and risked everything for me and SAID you love me… Are you trying to say you love me?" Helga rolled her eyes dramatically at her beloved, smiling away.
Arnold did his best not to break, though he could feel warm laughter filling him again. He replied, his Helga impression as strong as ever (Helga on the video now was grabbing poor Arnold's shoulders and shaking him a little), "Maybe if I shake you, you'll get it! Are you deaf, Arnold?"
"Ohh! I call doing Gerald!" Helga quickly announced and then cleared her throat, just as the Arnold on the tape picked up his walkie talkie. "Hey Arnold, let me interrupt you at the worst possible moment!"
Arnold laughed and spoke for Helga in the tape as she snatched up the walkie talkie. "Not now, Gerald—I'm trying to make out with Arnold!"
Helga blushed and giggled, and said in her most annoyed-sounding Gerald impression, "Not now? Who the—"
Arnold rolled his eyes and made his voice a little light and airy as the walkie talkie in the tape was put aside for 'more important' things. "Oh Arnold just hold and cradle me in your strong arms!" he announced with flair, leaning in close.
Now Helga rolled her eyes upward, reclining her hand back against her forehead. "Wait, after seven years this is all happening too fast! I…I need time to think!"
"Yes, I suppose you'll have to do the thinking for both of us now, my darling…I'm far too distracted with thoughts of you and me." Arnold's eyes playfully burned with passion into her own.
"Whoa, I…I feel dizzy…" Helga merely went on at the height of her dramatics, enjoying herself too much to let herself get too distracted with Arnold's capacity to charm her without even really trying, "Denseness…leaving my body…I need to lie down!" Then she grinned at Arnold and whispered quickly, a gleam in her eyes, "By the way, Football Head, I think that comment was JUST a little subconsciously suggestive of you. You needed to lie down…when I was quite all over you at the moment? You lying down would have meant both of us lying down, case closed, Mister 'repressed feelings of attraction to Helga G. Pataki.'" She giggled.
Arnold just blushed and smiled more (though he glanced away in a gesture feigning innocence). He did Helga's line. "Wonderful, I'll go with you and snuggle my head into your chest and tell you that it feels strong so that you'll give in and kiss me." His voice lowered to a whisper as well, and then he replied playfully as himself, "Hey, I might have needed to lie down but you're the one who insisted on coming with me…" His grin grew.
"Ah, and yet…" Helga started to whisper, and then she cleared her throat and her Arnold impression was back, making her point, "NO!" Helga shouted in dramatic panic, just as the Arnold on the computer monitor obviously yelled 'no!'. "Oh, I mean…There's no time for lying down together." Helga's voice lowered to a whisper once more and she couldn't help but add, "I may have been the one to openly suggest we go off together to lie down but you're the one who could only say back, even in total panic, 'no, there's just no time…' So, was that implying that if there HAD been time, you wouldn't have minded a little cuddling somewhere?" Helga giggled, and continued on with Arnold's line from the video. "We only have mere minutes until the bulldozers roll!"
"Bulldozers?" Arnold asked in the airiest voice he could come up with, all the while blushing and grinning away, yet trying to keep up a bit of Helga dreaminess. "All I can see are your perfect green eyes…" His voice quieted once more and he added under his breath in response to her accusation about his subconscious desire to lie down with her, if not then during the confession then at least at some point, "Maybe…After all, we had just shared quite a kiss. Who wouldn't have an instinct for…well…afterglow…" He blushed a little and cleared his throat, glancing away.
Helga just giggled behind her hand at his cute little secret reply and then went on with Arnold's next line from the video, her voice full of determination this time. "Uh, the neighborhood! We HAVE to save the neighborhood! There'll be time for me to be all in denial about my feelings later. Let's roll!" Then it was just Helga in the here and now smiling at Arnold in the here and now and she added, ignoring the tape (they had both walked off screen at this point anyway, leaving the roof), "And then you went and put me through the unbearably uncomfortable (though quite fun) experience of clinging to your back while we went down the side of that building…Was that as awkward for you as it was for me, Football Head?" she asked with genuine interest.
Arnold nodded his head with a smile, chuckling and smiling back at her. "Helga, a girl had just told me she loved me and given me my first real kiss ever. And then she wrapped her arms around me as tight as possible and pressed herself against me while we hopped down the side of a building. It was…" He blushed and squeezed her hand again, entwining their still touching fingers a little over the top of the soft blanket, "Come on, Helga…you were holding on so tightly…couldn't you feel my heart pounding?" He glanced at her meaningfully out of the corner of his eye.
Helga blushed at the question and then smiled more to herself and gave his hand a squeeze back, entwining their fingers more as well. "I…was too busy worrying about my own heart pounding…After all, you were in my arms…My heart always pounds when you're in my arms, my darling…" She looked to him with a small smile. "Did climbing down together like that really make you that nervous, Arnold? Even before you realized you liked me back?"
Arnold gave a small nod. "Helga…you made me nervous half the time even before you confessed. I just never really knew what to expect from you—sometimes you'd yell, sometimes you'd do something nice, sometimes you'd just…" He sighed, remembering all of the many emotions she had made him feel over the years. "You were…interesting…" He gazed into her eyes, "But after that confession, of course, EVERYTHING about you made my heart pound…It just took me a little while to figure out why that was my reaction and what it meant…"
"Ah…I see." Helga smiled at him softly. She looked away for a moment in peaceful thought, and then giggled, a notion coming to her. "You know…I probably should have asked to rappel us down with you on my back…considering my experience scaling the sides of buildings and all. It's almost ironic that you did it, if you think about it…" She giggled more.
Arnold chuckled and sighed. "I guess so…But then, like you said once, Helga…Something about being aware of how perfect we are for each other makes us irony's best friends…" He winked at her.
"Oh…I remember…" Helga recalled that moment…Sometime last month in the middle of Arnold finally managing to succeed in the process of getting to talk to her openly about her feelings. She and Arnold had been sitting on his couch up here alone after all of their friends had gone home, poems all written for class the next day thanks to Helga's tutoring….That little joke about being 'irony's best friends' had been the first casual, carefree thing she could ever recall saying to him about her feelings…Nothing biting, nothing sarcastic, nothing nerve-ridden…She had said something funny about her feelings and he had smiled and laughed and she had smiled and laughed and…it had taken her until much later to realize it…later that night when she had been in her room secretly sobbing after giving her beloved one final kiss goodbye, believing that he must never really ever be able to bring himself to love her back… it had taken her until then to realize that that one fleeting moment of easy honesty with her beloved had been a happiness she had been searching for ever since the day they had met…And she had decided then, curled up in a ball on the floor of the attic space in her closet, that even though from now on she would do her best to cut Arnold out of her life entirely…she would cherish that little moment in her heart forever.
"Helga…what's wrong? Are you alright?"
These words of concern in Arnold's voice met Helga's ears suddenly. And indeed, now that she noticed it, his tone sounded very worried.
She blinked and was about to ask him what was wrong, when her blinking made two tears that had apparently been brimming in her eyes fall down her cheeks.
She blinked several more times now in surprise, wiping the trails of warm water away from her face. "Oh…Heh…" She smiled, her face clean again. "S-Sorry. Well, um…hey, at least I made the right call not letting Olga get anywhere near my eyes with that mascara of hers—o-otherwise I'd have big, black, Olga tears all over my face." She swallowed and laid down on her side on the blanket, resting her head on her arms and smiling, though it was faint. These moments didn't happen as often anymore but they still did, even a month in… She had explained them to her beloved a little only a few days ago, during their time on the roof after that food fight in the cafeteria following the end of their first major fight together that had progressed over so many days… though this particular kind of moment was different a little from the one she had discussed with him and learned to put behind her. She had talked to him then about her constant fears over the last month that they would try to be together and fail. But this here and now was different…This kind of moment, a little less frightening but still very unsettling and somewhat more frequent than she would care to admit, was when she would suddenly realize just how…how really possible and likely it had always felt that Arnold would reject her feelings from the start…and how much that had indeed seemed to be the case after her confession. It had hurt her very deeply, all of that doubt and then despair coming to sour fruition. And though she knew in her heart now more than ever that she and Arnold were meant to be, it couldn't help but almost make her shiver the idea of just how easily they could have managed never to be. Moments like that were a little emotionally tiring for her and that was why she had to lie down for a moment now. But at least now she didn't have to hide these moments anymore out of guilt or fear…Arnold knew about them and…he could be a comfort to her. And just the idea of that was a deep comfort in itself.
Indeed, Arnold was swiftly lying right beside her on the blanket. He looked at her with tender concern and a little frown, though her eyes were cast away from his. "Helga…" he started softly, reaching out and gently touching a curl of her hair, moving it behind her ear. "What is it?...Please tell me…I want to know."
He sounded about as sad as she had felt. It restored Helga a little, realizing that. They really were so very connected.
"Sorry. I…You said that thing about that time I made that crack about irony and it made me have a little flashback and then I…I had another one of those moments…s-sort of like the ones I told you about where I get afraid of us breaking up…where I kind of remember being almost as convinced that you'd never return my feelings at all as I am now that you'll love me forever…I-I really don't have them that often anymore, Arnold, I swear, but we've been so busy with stuff over the last few days that I guess I was due, right?" She smiled and shrugged, even managing to look back to his eyes now. "All better now though, Arnold. I promise." She spoke sincerely, her eyes looking into his.
Arnold gazed back at her. He still had that look of tender concern in his eyes but at least a small smile had found its way to his lips. He nodded, gently entwining his fingers a little more completely with her own. "It's okay, Helga…I understand. And if…if you ever…have to cry or anything like that, you know I'm always here for you…I know that that seven years wasn't just fun and games for you. And, even though I hate to see you sad, if you ever need to express something about it all, you know I'm here for you for that…okay?" He looked back at her with hopeful anticipation.
She nodded of course, smiling softly yet gratefully. "I know, Arnold…I know…" She moved a little closer, their foreheads lightly touching. "Thank you…Arnold." She had to end saying his name. She loved getting to say that name in front of him and sounding as in love as she pleased. It was wonderful. "I'm here for you too…Arnold."
Arnold nodded. He knew what she meant…even if he had never explicitly expressed it to her like she had done to him about her own doubts and worries sometimes. But in point of fact, sometimes he could stop them in the middle of a kiss or a moment together, or she would stumble in upon him up here in his room and find him deep in thought, his brow furrowed. Once it had been when he had found a really old picture of Lila that had fallen behind his desk drawer, and another time it had been after he had been flipping through an It Girl magazine and stumbled across an article about the likelihood of relationships lasting when starting at certain ages (and the percentage for elementary school had been quite low, to say the least), and it had happened several times before the whole 'Brainy' thing had been worked out. Arnold would stop and suddenly think how genuinely easy it would have been for himself and Helga never to have found each other. Certainly, fate had placed them in the same neighborhood, at the same school, in the same class…But how easily he could have never realized his true feelings for her, how easily she could have avoided and avoided confessing until college or marriage or something had torn them apart from each other forever, how easily he could have picked and stuck with the absolutely most wrong girl ever for himself if he had only listened to his own ridiculous tendencies of attraction and had never had Helga interfere…and how easily, on the top floor of FTi, he could have not seen that shadow out of the corner of his eye coming from the roof…or how simple to have seen it but ignored it, not followed it, left it alone….How easily he could have missed out on her and how lonely the idea of living another seven years or maybe the rest of his life like that seemed. Whenever he got like that though she was always so soothing. She would smile and hold him and try to lighten things for him, though she would still listen to any doubt or concern he had. She would tell silly stories from the pre-confession days and joke with him about how even if the FTi rooftop had never happened, she'd been ready to pop like a cork on a shaken up bottle of French champagne by that point, 'So I probably would have shown up at your house during breakfast the next morning and grabbed you and screamed it at you…then passed out and slept for a good two days to recover from the stress of that whole 'saving the neighborhood' thing.' And then she would laugh and soon Arnold would laugh and then they would go back to normal.
"Arnold?" Helga prompted softly, here and now.
Arnold blinked, coming back to the present moment and out of his thoughts. He recalled what she had said about always being there for him too. "Thanks, Helga…" He gently moved his forehead more against hers. He liked quiet moments like this, when they could just be near each other and knowing each other so well…
"Arnold?" soon came Helga's voice in a soft coo.
A soft sigh left Arnold. "Yes?" he asked, likewise quietly.
Helga smiled a little more. "Will you…press the button on the remote and put on some of that dorky jazz music of yours? And then can we just…lie here for a little while together? I hate to be a wet blanket but I'm so tired, Arnold…There's been so much, my darling…I'm…tired. Happy but tired…" She almost chuckled.
Arnold almost chuckled as well. He understood. "Yeah…me too…There's been a lot. I'll put on the 'dorky Jazz music'…" He smirked a little. Then his hand not holding hers reached behind him and, searching for a moment or two, found the remote. He didn't even have to look away from Helga's eyes, he knew the buttons by heart.
He pressed two and this time, instead of Nancy and Dino Spumoni crooning upbeat and gentle swing music, soothing, suave, velvety tones of saxophone with occasional hints of other brass filled the room.
Another button or so got pressed and the lights dimmed just a touch, enough to still see by and yet enough that two people could certainly rest peacefully together.
At these little effects of the evening Helga couldn't help but lightly blush and giggle. "Oh Arnold…You and your swinging bachelor pad…Always trying to 'set a mood' …" She smirked at him a tiny bit.
Arnold swallowed, lightly blushing as well, his eyes half lidded. "A little atmosphere never hurt…And that book of 'Cool Moves for Happenin' Dudes" I told you about does say that a 'swinging bachelor' always makes sure his 'pad' is very 'groovy' for his 'foxy chick'."
Helga had to giggle. "One day, can we go disco dancing, Arnold? I really would love to actually see you doing that…my 'happenin' dude.'"
Arnold sighed, blushing a little more, but nodded. "Alright, Helga, we'll go one day…But…alone or just with Gerald and Phoebe…and maybe some place downtown where we won't know a lot of people? At least at first?"
Helga nodded, smiling more. "Sounds like a plan to me. Thanks, my love."
Arnold smiled more back at her. "You're welcome, my love…"
And so, from there, the two stayed close together on the blanket surrounded by the dim lights and the mellow sounds of jazz. Sometimes little things were said, sometimes nothing was said at all, sometime a small kiss was shared or a touch…
Arnold and Helga were tired, they needed some quiet time together.
Naturally, when two people are quite tired…sometimes they fall asleep.
At least for a little while.
Arnold felt his eyes flutter open now though. Until right now he hadn't even been aware that he had fallen asleep, actually. But in order to wake up, one must first be asleep and so…his mind accepted that he must have been asleep.
His mind then tried to figure out his body's current situation, naturally. He was in his room, but on the floor, holding a hand…
He blinked. "Oh…" left him softly. He remembered now. Anniversary date, just lying here with Helga, so very peaceful…Not wonder they had fallen asleep. His eyes instantly went away from Helga and to the alarm clock near his bed in worry. 'Oh good…Only 9:30. Okay…' He felt relief that he hadn't missed Helga's curfew.
"Helga, I…" Arnold paused, looking to her again. She looked so…beautiful like this. He remember lying down next to her in her bed that one time while she slept. How she had looked…so soft, so peaceful, so happy…He had wanted to put an arm around her ,wanted to hold her close, wanted to be with her like that for a while…for a night…
It saddened him to think of disturbing her right now. She really did deserve her rest too… Seven years of crazy schemes and emotional denial weren't exactly the makings of a peaceful and carefree childhood…Saving the neighborhood had certainly taken its toll…Her confession had drained her entirely…That April Fool's dance had all but given her a heart attack…Those next few weeks of limbo had been a constant tension on her that had nearly made her snap…Finally getting them both to his confession had been the emotional roller coaster to top all emotional roller coasters for her…Then a month of building romance but such risky secret-keeping…Finishing with her public confession which had nearly broken her down so many times.
He didn't want to wake her.
For a moment, for just a brief moment, Arnold, always seeing Helga not only as the little love of his life but also his closest friend, Gerald excluded, had been unable to help a certain 'notion' about how to solve this dilemma of his from popping into his head.
When it had though, he of course knew why he shouldn't, just from an obvious angle…But…
He thought really hard about it. He considered it very, very, very carefully.
Really it was nearly ten before he finally decided.
And what he had decided to do, Arnold then promised himself that he would only ever consider doing again on the most special of occasions, and even then he would make sure to think very carefully about it and any potential consequences before committing himself to such a deep decision.
Arnold then carefully extracted his hand from the grasp of Helga's and slowly and quietly sat up, doing his best not to disturb her. Then he bit his lower lip and hoped for the best…upon which he then reached out and gently got one arm under Helga's legs and one around her back…and then he carefully lifted her up in his arms. Of course, she naturally snuggled in close to him when in his embrace (just like that time at the end of their first date after their one week anniversary when he had picked her up from the sidewalk after making her pass out with a kiss). She sighed softly too. She smiled a bit extra as well…and it went up a little on one side. Arnold noticed.
Our football headed hero was just dazed by her for a moment. Then he sighed and came out of it and took a step toward his couch at first…but then eyed the site, quirked his mouth a little and finally shook his head to himself. No, that wouldn't do…Maybe for one of the guys but this was a girl, this was Helga—in this instance he, as host, would provide something better. Arnold then took a step in the other direction and instead walked her over to his own bed. And here he gently laid Helga down upon the covers, the pillow under her head. He watched Helga's form relax on his bed and then she snuggled extra into his pillow, sighing deeply. "Arnold…" The noticeable half grin was still there.
Arnold gazed at her tenderly for a moment…He never wanted to forget the image of her upon his bed like this.
And then of course he leaned in and gently placed his lips to hers. What was a date without a goodnight kiss, after all? Even if she was asleep and couldn't respond…
Helga's lips puckered back slightly, making a kiss with his.
Arnold blinked as the kiss ended. He pulled back and paused and looked at her closely.
Then he smiled in a special way.
Arnold shook his head. And then he walked back across the room to his phone and picked up the receiver. He dialed a number and held the phone close, facing away from Helga. The phone on the other end rang a few times.
Finally the ringing stopped and someone picked up on the other end of the line.
Arnold listened to the person's greeting and smiled more. Then he replied back, quietly though still a bit audibly, "Hi Phoebe. It's Arnold…Sorry I'm calling so late…Thanks. Anyway, I…I'm sorry but, could I ask you a small favor Phoebe? If you're not comfortable with it, it's okay, but it would mean a lot to me and Helga." Some more talking from the other end. Arnold smiled more an nodded. "Thanks, Phoebe. Well, um…Helga fell asleep here and she's kind of had a long few days. I'd rather not wake her up. So I was thinking of letting her spend the night here—there's plenty of room to sleep. But I don't think her dad would like it too much if he found out she was spending the night here w-with me, and Helga mentioned you used to help her with her schemes so I was wondering if you could call her parents and tell them that you and her are…" A slight pause as Phoebe talked a little. Then Arnold's eyes lit up. "Really? You'll call them and set everything up? Thanks Phoebe." There was some more talking from the other end, and Arnold blushed, then said sincerely and gratefully, "Thanks again, Phoebe. Bye," and hung up.
He turned back around and sure enough Helga still appeared to be sleeping peacefully upon his bed. He had some work to do now.
He went to the picnic blanket first and the basket Helga had brought with her, and did his best to clean up all of the picnic stuff. Then he went around to his clothing drawers and grabbed a couple of items. Then he took the clothes and some of the trash from the picnic and he left the room.
About twenty minutes later he returned. He was now dressed in his pajamas, his suit tucked under his arm, and under his other arm were a couple of blankets and a pillow. He threw his old clothes in his small hamper, and then took one blanket and the pillow and laid them down on his couch, and took the other blanket and walked up to Helga (who was still just sleeping way, it appeared) and gently covered her with it. She snuggled into the blanket instantly, sighing dreamily once more.
Arnold smiled more at the sight. She was so very peaceful, happy…golden hair fanning out on his blue sheets.
He wanted to lie down with her again…and in a bed again…His bed, this time…It would be very easy…
It was very hard not to, but Arnold managed to take a small step back from the bed, putting the desire away for now. He had already decided somewhere inside of himself, long before this moment, that the next time the two of them really 'laid down' together, he was going to ask first and she was going to be awake during it….and also they weren't going to be ten when he did it.
So instead Arnold just smiled and leaned close and whispered softly into Helga's ear, "Goodnight, Helga. You win, you get to spend the night in my room for once, completely with my permission…I hope it's nicer than the other times in the wall or the couch. And thanks for a wonderful anniversary weekend."
She seemed to smile more at these words. Even a light blush came to her cheeks.
Can sleeping people blush, anyway?
Arnold just smiled more and shook his head again and straightened up. Then he walked over to the middle of the room, picked up his remote and turned out the lights. He placed his remote onto his end table and laid down on his couch (and tucked a small little something secretly away under his pillow…for now), and then snuggled into his blanket, hugging the pillow a little. He looked at Helga—a soft hill on his bed in the moonlight—and smiled more. 'Just once…Just this once. Helga…' He shook his head and closed his eyes.
But maybe he kept one eye open.
And he let his breathing slow, as though in sleep.
Five minutes later, Helga G. Pataki was still lying in Arnold's bed in the dark, resting comfortably and snuggled into his blankets, facing the wall…
And the grin on her face was a mile wide and her eyes shone brightly in the moonlight. 'Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, it worked!' She was utterly joyful! She listened carefully. Arnold's breaths had slowed, he wasn't making a peep, and she did know him to be a quick sleeper. 'Awesome, he's out like a football headed light!'
Very carefully Helga reached for her purse (the strap of which she had kept around her body) and pulled out something small. She pressed a button and spoke very, very quietly. "Hey, Grubworm this is Mighty Falcon. Thanks for going along with it when he called you, Pheebs, I had a feeling he'd turn to you considering I mentioned it as an option last night." Some talking from the other end. "No, he's completely clueless. I guess there'll always be a small dense part of him." She chuckled a little. "Well, good night, Pheebs."The voice on the other end said something else and then Helga pressed a button to shut off the small walkie talkie in her hand.
"Say goodnight to Grubworm from me too, Helga."
Helga G. Pataki's eyes flew open at these sudden words from across the room (coupled by a few of the ceiling lights suddenly coming on) and she sat bolt upright in Arnold's bed with a gasp!
She was only like that for a moment though…and then she just had to smile. It took all she had not to laugh entirely actually. She turned a little in Arnold's bed and looked back at her beloved, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear and shrugging. "H-Hey, you can't blame a girl for trying, Arnold. Especially when she succeeds. Guess I should have kept my mouth shut a little longer before calling Phoebe, huh?" She shrugged sheepishly.
Arnold, now sitting up as well, just crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes a little. "Sure, Helga, I didn't figure out anything until just now when I heard you on the walkie talkie her." He chuckled and then added with a little smirk, "Oh and by the way, I had my grandma get some pajamas together for you when I went downstairs before, and a clean toothbrush. They're in the bathroom if you want to use them. She also says she'll make us eggs in the morning just like you like…You remember, Helga…Being Eleanor Roosevelt and eating those eggs in your sleep?" He grinned a little more.
Helga's eyes went a little wide for a moment and her cheeks warmed with a blush, but then she just smiled more and laid back down a little, propping herself up on one of her arms. "Oh ho ho, you just think you're so clever, don't you Arnold? Figuring out I was faking still being asleep after you woke up…What gave it away?"
Arnold shrugged casually. "Oh, I don't know…a few little things that kind of built up. I guess the first one was when I brought you over to my bed and kissed you, you kissed back a little…and then eventually I knew." He smiled craftily at her.
Helga giggled. "Oh darn it…I guess I'm licked." She pouted a little, her eyes getting bigger. "Are you going to kick me out then and send me home, my Football headed little love god?"
Arnold blushed more and shook his head, still smiling away. "No, of course not. Why do you think I asked my grandma for stuff for you—you can stay, Helga…I-It can't be a regular thing…" he looked down shyly, then finished, "But…tonight, you can stay…" Arnold then gave a little yawn and then added with a small wave, "See you in the morning, Helga." He laid down fully on his pillow.
Helga just beamed and blushed and laid down fully on her own pillow too. Then she cleared her throat and suddenly added in as sweet and hopeful a tone as could be, "Oh but…Arnold? Most dearest, most darling, most dashing man of my dreams?"
Arnold was both blushing and smiling fully. 'Oh boy…this must be a good one…' He looked to her. "Yes, Helga?"
"…Along with just me getting to spend the night in your room with permission finally… weren't we saying something last night about cuddling together until we fell asleep on your couch…?" A grin spread across Helga's face and a bright gleam came to her eyes "…and, well, I mean, as long as we're both awake…and alone…and it is our anniversary..." She was actually starting to sit up a little, almost in anticipation of moving somewhere new…
Though she was quickly stopped by Arnold's rather nervous sounding though still firm voice interrupting her flirtation. He cleared his throat and spoke. "N-Not…Not tonight, Helga…Thank you, though " he merely replied graciously. He…really did want to wait until they were older before…for a whole night…The thought made him gulp and blush some more.
Meanwhile, from across the room Helga just giggled at her beloved's cuteness and nixed her 'I'm coming over there, you gorgeous little football head you' stance, resting back on her arm again. "Okay, okay, I get it—that might be 'uncomfortable'…all night long together on your couch…" The gleam came back to her eye and she couldn't help herself, "…We could try your bed all night instead…" She even started to pull back the covers for him.
But her beloved, set in his ways and able to tell at least a bit better now when she might be joking, he just sighed in a good-natured way, and smiled, snuggling into his blankets. "Goodnight, Helga…" he replied firmly but with an obvious attempt at not laughing a little.
Helga had to laugh a little though. She just had to. Always her modest, level-headed, sweet little love ,he was. And so very good now at figuring her out. And yet still she had to say one more thing. One more small thing, not said with suggestiveness so much as with determination and hope and love. It came from her in a quiet though sincere tone, and with a smile on her face that was looking forward to something wonderful. "You know, one day I'm going to get you to lie down next to me and sleep, Arnold…Mark my words."
Arnold just laughed a little, eyes closed in preparation for sleep. "Oh…probably," he merely replied back in agreement. Actually…definitely," he then added, going on after another yawn, "That's one of my goals for us too, Helga. But for now…maybe we should just work on being the way we are together. We're only ten, Helga and it's only been a month, after all. We've got forever." One eye was opened a bit to gaze at her lovingly and meaningfully.
Helga's smile softened at his cute way of putting things. She sighed, a hand on one of her hips as she sat up fully now in her beloved's bed, swinging her legs over the edge.. "Oh, I guess so, ya, Football Head. Fine, fine then…Gotta save something for junior high anyway, right?" She winked at him and then stood up and walked across the room, ready for those clothes and that clean toothbrush that had been promised to her (though to be perfectly honest she would have been willing to share Arnold's toothbrush in a heartbeat…Though once gain she figured that maybe something like that was better saved until 'junior high', or just the future in general. Or at least until the stress of the introduction of their new public relationship was behind them a bit.)
And so Helga just giggled and waved to Arnold's reposing form as she reached the bedroom door and opened it. "Goodnight, Arnold."
Arnold just yawned sleepily. "Goodnight Helga… I'll…leave the lights on until you get back up here…" Both of his eyes were closed again, a sweet smile upon his young lips.
Helga gave a small, appreciative giggle. "Thanks, Arnold…" She took a step out onto the attic stairs, but leaned back in the room once more to add, just in case he fell asleep before she got back, "I love you, Arnold…"
Arnold just chuckled and added without missing a beat, still with his eyes closed and lying upon the couch, "Yeah, the video tipped me off about that, Deep Voice."
Helga rolled her eyes, stifling another chuckle, and waved him off though the whole time she was laughing a little inside. "Eh, just go to sleep and start planning our one year anniversary, Football Head."
Arnold let out a small chuckle and replied casually, "Already have…The only question is how in the world I'm going to save up enough allowance money over the next 11 months to fly us both to Paris? But if that doesn't work then I guess I could just take you out for a really nice, and stress-free dinner at Chez Pierre or Chez Paris…" A touch of pride came to that little smile of his.
Helga giggled, her hand on the door handle to close it behind her. "Yeah, well…as long as neither of those two options involve me eating cow brains and eggs, being near cockroaches, or getting dishpan hands again…count me in, my love."
"Whatever you say, Helga…" Arnold merely replied back with a chuckle, eyes still closed.
She was half way out the door but had to pause once more and laugh, shaking her head at that familiar little refrain of his, "Oh and we've gotta work on some new material for you, Arnold."
"Yes, dear…." was all the met her ears from her beloved's smiling and nearly slumbering lips.
It was a simple reply. Yes, dear. But Helga felt as though he had never responded to her with that before and something about it made her heart skip a bit and her cheeks blush considerably. It made her think again of how the guys had teased her love…saying she was like his wife… Helga smiled goofily and replied softly, "Oh shut up, you big lug…"
Arnold just smiled more in his near sleep.
Helga started to take a step down the ladder and added over her shoulder, "Um…and, Arnold? I'm really happy you liked my night of our anniversary…And thanks for a wonderful anniversary weekend too. It really was perfect." She smiled happily.
Arnold nodded against the pillow, his sleepy green eyes even opened a little again tonight. "It was…And You're welcome, Helga. But except for Paris one of these days I really don't know if I'm going to ever be able to come up with anything to top it…I just hope you're not disappointed for our next anniversary." He looked to her sheepishly yet hopefully.
Helga just smiled sweetly at him though from her place half way down the ladder. She spoke reassuringly to him. "Arnold, I think you might be just as good as romantic plans as I am at crazy schemes. Don't doubt yourself. I'm sure you'll outdo even the perfection of tonight one day…and you'll have me to help. We'll work things out together." She winked.
Her sweet words made Arnold smile more. "Thank you, Helga. We'll…" another yawn, "We'll do our best."
"There's a love…" she softly cooed before slipping away entirely with a giggle, leaving him with that new little phrase of endearment.
As she descended the ladder and made her way down the hall, Helga's smile was about as bright as could be and her thoughts were airy and light and happy and ecstatic and they raced all over. 'Oh I always wanted to say something like that to him! And he said 'yes, dear' to me…just like we really were married.' She reflected over the whole past month—over the past few months in an instant! 'Oh, confession isn't just good for the soul! It's good for the whole package!' Multiple anniversaries with Arnold…could she really be that lucky? And maybe one day…really being married, really being husband and wife? 'Well, here's hoping… But I guess we should take things one step at a time….Better to just focus on breakfast tomorrow or something and see where everything after that takes us….' She nodded to herself as she entered the bathroom to prepare for bed.
She returned to Arnold's room about ten minutes later. He was asleep (she knew he really was, he was no good at faking things like that, at least not to an extent that he would be able to succeed at it if she was really observing him closely). She patted his cheek, took the remote, climbed into his bed under the covers and blankets and then turned out the lights in the room and put the remote on the end table and settled in for the evening herself.
Arnold and Helga's night together continued.
A/N:
Oh I really really hope you guys all liked that! ^w^ Thank you so much again for your patience! I really appreciate it so much : 33333
Oh and the thing that I mentioned 'a collaborator' giving me an idea for was Arnold walking in on Helga XD It always did seem a little unfair to me and this other person that Helga got the parrot incident and Arnold obviously is way too much of a little gentleman to ever attempt something like that so one day I was thinking…why not let him have a moment by accident? XDXD Just keeping things fun and fresh :) I hope you all liked that and that it didn't push anything too far XD
Oh and also, I'm not sure if anyone's ever theorized about the existence of a confession tape before but it's been something that's been on my mind for at least a few years now ever since I started working on the drafts to these later chapters of LTBH XD I hope you guys liked that and found it plausible!
Alright, I think that's all for now. I'm going to be trying very hard to wrap up a lot of my fics so hopefully the next update will be soon (definitely not six months from now!). I'd like to start working on a few original projects and also one or two fanfics for some more obscure things, which I hope you all will check out if you get the chance :) I'll post anything original on my fictionpress account! Thank you!
Happy Reading!
~Azure129 aka Jenna