Title: Happy Valentine's Day

Pairing: Helga/Arnold. slight Phoebe/Gerald. Non-romantic Helga/Phoebe.

Prompt: "When my eyes meet yours I get this overwhelming emotion I can't put into words."


AN: Happy Valentine's Day! I wanted to write a series of love themed one-shots in honor of Valentine's Day. I used prompts from Pinterest and tried to create a story from them. I wanted to end with a Helga/Arnold story on Valentine's Day—but the story I was writing for this didn't work out. However, I like this story. The Gerald/Helga story is still my favorite of the series though. I hope you've enjoyed this. See you next valentine's day!


"What are you doing for Valentine's day?" Gerald asked as he walked down the hallway with his best friend.

"I don't know—Valentine's Day isn't really the holiday for me." Arnold responded, he thought back to the previous Valentine's Day when he double booked himself for two dates only to discover that the girl of his dreams was anything but. As for his other date, who she actually was remained a mystery to this day.

"Come on, I'm taking Phoebe to this nice sushi restaurant. She's going to love it. They don't even have chairs there Arnold, you take your shoes off and sit on giant pillows. I can't wait." Gerald said excitedly. Arnold came back from San Lorenzo with his parents, which was exciting. However, on the girl front, Gerald came back with a girlfriend and Arnold came back with more questions than answers.

"Sounds like a fun time." Arnold admitted, before his thoughts wondered off.

"Well, there's still a week until valentine's day. Don't write the entire holiday off just yet." Gerald said before the boys entered into Mr. Packenham's classroom.


Arnold pulled down the front door of the boarding house towards him, releasing all of the animals that waited behind it. Abner's oink disappeared in the background as he closed the door behind him and dropped his book bag onto the floor of the kitchen and searched for an after school snack.

"Something got you down Shortman?" Phil asked, entering the kitchen after hearing the commotion of the animals.

"Is something wrong son?" Miles asked, placing his hand on Arnold's shoulder. "Girl troubles?"

Arnold paused and looked back at his father and grandfather with a blank look on his face.

"Let me guess-" Phil started to say.

"Grandpa, don't start." Arnold warned.

"It's your little friend with the one eyebrow, isn't it!?" Phil couldn't contain himself.

"The girl from San Lorenzo?" Miles questioned.

"Yes—okay." Arnold said plopping himself down into a seat at the kitchen table. "I don't know what to do—it's complicated."

"You're eleven years old, what could be so complicated?" Miles bluntly remarked and Phil shoved a bony elbow into his son.

"Well, do you like her?" Phil questioned, taking a seat next to his only grandson.

"Yes." Arnold responded with a low voice.

"Doesn't she like you?" Miles asked.

"Yes. Well—I don't know. She said that she did, then she said it was just the heat of the moment." Arnold admitted, he thought back to how nervous he was as she confessed her love for him. I was over the top—it was Helga. He was shocked at how often his mind went back to reminiscing about the feeling of her lips touching his.

"Why don't you tell her how you feel?" Phil suggested, "I know the advice seems simple—but simple problems call for simple solutions."

"Great Idea, what do you have to lose?" Miles reiterated.

"The remaining parts of my dignity." Arnold quipped in return.

"Ahhh, dignity is overrated anyway." Phil chuckled.

"You know what—I think I have an idea." Arnold commented before grabbing his book bag, a bag of chips and a bottle of yahoo and heading up to his bedroom.


"Aren't these decorations just lovely Helga?" Phoebe asked as they walked down the hallway towards Mr. Packenham's classroom. The hallways of P.S. 118 were decorated with red, pink, and white streamers. Heart shaped decorations were plastered everywhere.

"Yeah, I guess—if you're into all of that lovey dovey nonsense." Helga remarked bitterly.

"Well, I think it's just beautiful!" Phoebe swooned, before she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Now, Lila and Rhonda have just gone too far with this decorating nonsense. Just look at my locker Pheebs." Helga remarked before rushing up to her locker, which had shiny red streamers and a large heart shaped balloon attached to it.

"I don't think that this is there doing Helga." Phoebe remarked, pulling a note from the end of the streamers.

"Give me that." Helga said, snatching the note from her best friend's hand.

Helga—

Love is just a word until someone comes along and gives it meaning.

-Your Secret Admirer.

"What, is this some kind of a joke? When I find out who did this, they're going to answer to Betsy and the five avengers." Helga scowled, throwing the note onto the ground.

"I think it's sweet." Phoebe admitted, picking the note up from the ground. "Someone did this just for you. Who do you think it was?"

"It's probably Rhonda playing a prank on me. Real sweet." Helga remarked.

"This isn't her usual style Helga. Do you think this could be from—ice cream?" Phoebe whispered softly.

"No." Helga said bluntly, "Come on—lets get to class before Mr. Packenham has a conniption."

Helga made sure her best friend wasn't looking before she tucked the note into the pocket of her jeans for safe keeping, just in case.


The next morning Helga was relieved to see that there was nothing strange hanging from her locker. However, she was surprised to see everyone gathered around her desk when she strolled into the classroom.

"Ooh, Helga, someone left some purdy flowers for you." Stinky remarked from the desk next to hers.

"What are you talking about Stink-o?" Helga remarked, she walked up to her desk and saw a small arrangement of white daffodils that all had a beautiful pink center. A red envelope accompanied the flowers. Helga could feel all eyes on her as she opened the envelope.

Helga—

"As soon as I saw you, I knew an adventure was going to happen." – Winnie the Pooh

- Your Secret Admirer.

"Well, what's it say?" Rhonda asked, trying to get a glimpse of the envelope that Helga was desperately trying to keep hidden. Her heart was racing. She met eyes with Arnold and they both quickly looked away. Can't be him. Helga told herself.

"Ms. Pataki. You can place your arrangement on the windowsill and retrieve it at the end of the day. Now class, we need to settle down and move on with our day. I know that valentine's day and love notes are on all of our minds but let's try to channel that energy…"

Mr. Packenham's voice faded into the background as Helga racked her brain with the possibilities of her secret admirer.


"Happy Valentine's day!" Phoebe shouted when Helga walked on to the bus, she handed her friend a small package.

"Happy v-day, Pheebs!" Helga responded with less enthusiasm, handing her best friend a simple white package with a small pink bow.

"Oh, I love it!" Phoebe remarked, opening her package to reveal a charm bracelet with a bff charm on it.

"Phoebe, you're too much." Helga remarked, when she opened her package to reveal two wrestlemania tickets. The girls shared a quick hug.

"So, it's valentines' day—do you think that your secret admirer will reveal himself today?" Phoebe asked, raising her eyebrows slightly above the rim of her glasses.

"Uh… I don't know. I figure, it's probably Brainy and I don't want to punch him on this day of love." Helga responded, rubbing the collar of her pink t-shirt.

When they arrived at school they saw many exchanges of gifts. Some wanted and some definitely unwanted. Curly was carrying a heart shaped giant box of chocolates, so large that he could barely see over it.

"Rhonda, darling, your valentine is here!" Curly called out from behind the box.

"Ugh." Rhonda remarked, ducking into a hallway to avoid the young suiter.

"Hey babe, you ready for tonight?" Gerald asked, walking up to Phoebe in the hallway and placing a kiss on her cheek, causing a smile to wipe across Phoebe's face and a slight blush to fill her cheeks. Helga suppressed the urge to make a vomiting face.

"I'm so excited. Our first valentine's day." Phoebe exclaimed quietly.

"What are you doing tonight?" Gerald asked Helga.

"I'll probably sit back and catch up on Gossip Girl." Helga responded with a monotone voice.

"That show has been off the air for years." Gerald remarked, raising his eyebrow.

"Well, I didn't see it—so, I guess I'll be chilling with Netflix tonight." Helga said, "Well, I'm just going to leave you two lovebirds alone."

Helga arrived at her locker and found it bare, her desk in Mr. Packenham's classroom was bare as well.

So much for that secret admirer. Helga thought to herself, placing a hand on her chin and staring outside.


"So, no sign of your mystery man today?" Phoebe asked quietly as she unpacked her lunch.

"Nope." Helga responded, taking a bite of a peanut butter and banana sandwich. "I told you Pheebs, probably someone playing a joke."

"Phoebe Heyerdahl?" A voice asked approaching the table.

"Yes?" Phoebe asked meekly.

"Candy-gram." A random fourth-grade student with short blonde hair responded as she handed a single blue lollypop with a small note on it to the raven-haired girl.

"Cute." Helga remarked.

"Helga Pataki." The delivery girl questioned.

"That's me, what do you want bucko?" Helga growled.

"Two for you." The girl responded, handing Helga a single pink lollipop and a bouquet of pink and white lollipops—both with notes wrapped around them.

"Uh—thank you." Helga responded.

"Well, who are those from?" Phoebe questioned eagerly. Helga unwrapped the note around the pink lollipop first.

Helga—I'm sweet on you. Love, Brainy.

Helga rolled her eyes and groaned. She turned around and saw Brainy breathing heavily behind her. She raised her fist behind her but instead of punching him she just motioned for him to go away.

"Seriously, do you see this!?" Helga exclaimed, motioning towards Brainy walking away.

"Open the next one." Phoebe pleaded.

Helga—

You're the person I'll never stop looking for in a crowded place. Meet me at Chez Pierre tonight at 8.

Your Secret Admirer

"That is so romantic." Phoebe swooned. "What are you going to wear tonight?"

"Who says I'm going to go?" Helga remarked.

"Aren't you the least bit curious on who this person could be?" Phoebe questioned.

"Yeah. Maybe." Helga responded taking another bite of her sandwich, allowing her mind to play through all of the possibilities.

Helga flipped back in forth in her mind on whether or not she wanted to go to Chez Pierre or not. Part of her was convinced that it was a cruel joke, the other half of her wondered if she did have a mysterious suiter out there who couldn't get their mind off of her. Either way, she wanted to know who was behind the secret gifts of the past three days.


She walked into Chez Pierre at 8:15, she wore a white tank top and a pink skater skirt. Her hair was down and wavy with a small braid framing her face.

"How many in your party?" The host asked when she arrived.

"I'm kinda meeting someone here. I guess." Helga said, shuffling her feet nervously in the foyer of the restaurant.

"Helga Pataki?" The host asked, causing Helga's heart to nearly beat out of her chest. "You can follow me right this way."

"I uh—I almost didn't think you were going to show." Arnold said when Helga walked up to his table. Helga sat down across from him.

"You—you sent me all of that lovey dovey stuff?" Helga asked, her mind was racing and her heart was beating faster than she knew that it could.

"Yes, I hope that you liked it." Arnold responded simply, taking a small sip of his water. He was attempting to appear cool and collected but internally he was anything but.

"But—why?" Helga questioned.

"Well—I guess because when you told me that you liked me it was right after we saved an entire neighborhood. I can't top that—but, I hope that this will still be memorable." Arnold smiled.

"What are you trying to say?" Helga gulped, her connected eyebrow arched with confusion. Arnold looked into her widened ice blue eyes and took a deep breath before responding.
"Helga, when my eyes meet yours I get this overwhelming emotion I can't put into words. I like you Helga. I like you like you. I don't know—it might even be love." Arnold answered. "You don't have to say it if you don't feel the same way—but I had to tell you."

A smile wiped across Helga's face and her eyes lowered. Arnold leaned across the table and gently grazed his hand across her face, he tilted her chin up and leaned in to place a kiss on her lips. Helga moved forward to close the gap between them when Arnold raised a finger to her lips.

"Wait." Arnold gave a sly smirk. "I don't know how you feel about me."

"Oh," Helga cleared her throat, his face still dangerously close to hers. "I like you." She whispered in a barely audible voice.

"Hmmm. Like or Like like?" Arnold teased. Helga could feel his breath tickle her lips.

"I uh—I like like you." Helga responded softly.

"mmm—I've been thinking about doing this for a very long time." Arnold whispered, before he planted a soft but eager kiss onto her lips. "happy valentine's day."