Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story.

They all belong to their rightful owner: Craig Bartlett.

Title: "Leave the lights on"

In the last chapter: After the raining at the cheese festival, Helga woke up sick the next morning and Arnold had to take care of her, which wasn't easy. In her feverish state, she got her period as well and ended up being sick for more than a week. It was hard for them both to hold back their desires when Arnold had to help her shower and comb her hair afterwards, but Helga gave up since she thought his worry was sweet. Once she was healthy again though, Arnold couldn't hold back anymore and they weren't just late for school… they ended up skipping it altogether.

Author's 1st note: Um… weird, kinky stuff ahead? I don't know how it happened, it just did xD

[Please notify me if you notice any grammar mistakes. This isn't my first language, so there's bound to be mistakes.]

Chapter 26: "Be my canvas"

She's doing it on purpose… I know she is. Arnold told himself, but frankly, he wasn't sure. Helga did have her quirky habits and they only got worse when she was preoccupied with something. And right now, they were doing homework with each other so that was definitely an occupation for her brain. She seemed deeply focused on the math problem she had currently encountered, her right hand tapping on the paper with her pencil and her left hand holding a lollipop, resting the round ball on her lower lip. It was raspberry-flavored; he could smell it. And despite his inherited issues with raspberry anything, he desperately wanted to forget his homework and taste her no doubt raspberry-flavored lips.

"Spring-homework, Mrs. Oah must be insane. This sucks…" Helga stated under her breath, indicating Arnold wasn't even supposed to hear it, but he did. He flinched at the presumably unintended innuendo, especially when he could see in the corner of his eyes that the red sugar ball had entered her mouth again.

"Are you actually doing your homework?" Arnold wondered sarcastically, feeling slightly frustrated from not being able to focus on his own homework at all. "Or are you doing something else?"

Helga gawked at him, obviously insulted, as she lifted her paper and showed him neatly written math problems on the square-printed paper. "What crawled up your ass and died? Aren't you supposed to be better at this than me?"

"I've never done it before, so how could I be better?" Arnold joked to himself, holding back a grin at Helga's confused look and decided to go back to his homework now that he finally felt undistracted.

"What have you never done before? Equations?" the confused girl asked and looked at his paper, noticing the lack of any actual work done. Arnold just snickered and shook his head, signaling that he wanted to get back to work. Helga quirked a curious eyebrow at him, but as soon as she looked at her lollipop, planning to start sucking on it again, a thought crossed her mind. She looked from the lollipop to the boy sitting on the couch with her and then back to the lollipop before a mischievous smile spread on her face. "Could you help me actually?"

The hesitation on Arnold's face was evident and that only made Helga all the more sure that she had figured out what had distracted the hormone-filled teenager the last ten minutes. "Oh, uh. Sure. Which one?" he asked and looked at her paper, purposefully avoiding her face.

Helga pointed at a random equation with the lollipop. Just as Arnold leaned over to look closer at the equation, she lifted the lollipop and grazed his lips with it. It seemed innocent enough, almost accidental really, but the smell was hypnotizing and he jumped back in surprise. She gave a quick apology before looking at him through hooded eyes and letting the lollipop entering her pursed lips again. The blonde boy was full on looking now and for the life of him couldn't look away again.

"Hey, Arnold…?" Helga asked in a low voice and leaned closer to him. He made a small hum in response. "Are you jealous of me… or the lollipop?"

Arnold didn't answer, he knew he didn't have to. If he had wanted a damn lollipop, he could have gotten one earlier when she offered it to him. He shook his head though, which caused her to look at him curiously.

"That wasn't a yes or no question."

"N-No, but… this homework is for tomorrow…" he explained lamely, feeling his resolve shatter as she put the lollipop on her lips again, pretending to think.

"True… I don't think you're getting any work done though…" she pointed out and tilted her head towards his blank paper.

"Who…" Arnold started and then growled. "Whose fault do you think that is - - " He didn't get the chance to finish his sentence before raspberry-coated lips were upon his own and the aroma took over his entire being. Or maybe it was just Helga who was being her own intoxicating self… with a touch of raspberry. Just as he felt her sitting on his lap, the most annoying sound in the entire room filled the room; a ringtone.

"Criminy!" Helga cursed in annoyance and lifted herself up on her knees to grab her phone in her pocket. Arnold couldn't help himself; he put his mouth against her stomach and blew a raspberry against it. She laughed in surprise and slapped him at the back of his head. She sat back down and shot him an amused look as she answered her phone. "Hi, Miles. How's it going in Turkey?"

"Hi, Helga. Has Arnold lost his phone or something?" Miles asked in an airy voice.

Helga looked at Arnold questioningly. "Uh, have you lost your phone, Football Head?"

He shook his head. "It's upstairs."

"He just doesn't have it with him." Helga answered and snickered at what Miles said. "Yep. Dumb as a stump." She agreed and gave Arnold the phone.

He shot her a pointed look before he grabbed the phone. "Hi, dad. How is Turkey?"

"It's so beautiful, really. And the nightlife here is amazing. I've never felt more comfortable drinking anywhere as much as I do here."

"Drinking?" Arnold questioned in shock and Helga gawked at his words. "A-Are you drinking? Seriously?"

"I know you think I'm just an old man and that I'm done living, but even a guy my age needs a drink every once in a while." Miles answered and Arnold could hear him drinking again. He looked at Helga worriedly, but she just shrugged. Miles was allowed to drink if he wanted to as long as Miriam didn't join him.

Miles continued talking, but Arnold wasn't listening to the somewhat drunken babble. Helga had leaned closer to him, her raspberry-coated breath hitting his sense of smell like a hurricane, as she whispered in his ear. "As soon as he hangs up, I'm ripping your clothes off with my teeth…"

Arnold gulped and an excited smile spread on his face. "Awesome." Was all he could muster.

"Yeah, it is awesome!" Miles agreed on the phone, completely unaware of what Arnold had actually been referring to. "Oh, hold on. Miriam wants to talk to Helga. Could you put her back on the phone?"

"Sure." Arnold replied and gave the phone back to the blonde girl on his lap.

Helga was rolling the stick on the lollipop in her hand as she put the phone to her ear. "Hi, Miriam." She said before rolling the candy on Arnold's lips playfully. "How is Turkey?"

"Hi, honey!" Miriam replied in a drawled voice. "How's it going back home?"

Helga's shoulders slumped at the sound of her mother's voice and Arnold would have had to be blind not to see the sudden change in her mood. She wasn't answering her mom so he poked her gently and she shook her head as if she had just woken up. "I-I asked you first, Miriam…" she said with a somehow melancholic tone in her voice. I can't fucking believe it…

"Oh, yeah…" Miriam said goofily, but also tiredly. "Miles and I are having so much fun, dear. You and Arnold should join us another time."

Helga didn't have it in her to be excited about the possibility of going on an actual vacation with her mom. She recognized the voice she was using right now. It was a voice she had heard through most of her childhood after all and the ugly past was shoving its face in Helga's memories. She looked at Arnold for guidance, but he could of course not hear Miriam and didn't understand why she looked so sad.

"Miriam… how much did you drink?" Helga asked as she looked at Arnold who stared back in shock.

"Oh, just a few margaritas, dear…"

"It's 4pm, Miriam."

"It's 11pm here, darling." Miriam countered goofily and Helga could hear her slurp from something, presumably her next margarita.

"Why are you calling at 11pm?" Helga asked quizzically though there was a part of her wondering if it wasn't just because Miriam was drunk that she was calling.

"Oh, Miles and I just realized that it's Easter so we wanted to call you before it was over."

It's not midnight here yet. Helga thought and bit on her lower lip. "Happy Easter then." She said, unsure what else to say. Recognition flashed across Arnold's face and he smiled. Helga couldn't bring herself to smile though. "Where's Miles right now?"

"Oh, he went to the bar! Oh, he's coming this way now… Oh! He's kissing me." Miriam said sweetly and Helga cringed at the information. "Oh, he'd like to talk to Arnold again. Is he still with you?"

"Yeah… it's not like you were interrupting anything." The blonde girl replied sarcastically and gave the phone to Arnold who caressed her arm in a soothing manner. She put the lollipop in her mouth and pulled on the stick until it was separated from the candy. She threw the stick away in anger and pursed her lips in thought before moving to stand up. He tried to stop her, wanting to comfort her, but she was already walking towards the kitchen with her hands fisted.

Arnold wanted to go after her, but he stopped himself and tried to listen to his dad instead. He figured Helga would like to be alone at least for a moment because as soon as Miles hung up, Arnold would go to the kitchen whether she liked it or not.

"Yeah, that sounds fun, dad. Be careful now, ok?" Arnold asked and Miles agreed in a slurry voice before he hung up. Arnold quickly put Helga's phone on the table and jogged into the kitchen. She was standing in the middle of the room with her back turned to him. He could see her arms were crossed though and her shoulders were tense. He took a step towards her and enveloped her in his arms; he didn't know what else he could do to comfort her.

Arnold could feel Helga shake for a moment before she stepped away from him and showed him a deep scowl. "What is your dad thinking?!" she hissed. "Drinking with a former alcoholic!"

"I agree with you, Helga." Arnold told her, hoping the anger in her voice would fade.

Helga's face was contorted in fury though. "I'm gonna talk to him when they come home. This is not ok. Is he out of his mind?! This could destroy everything! And Miriam too! Why the fuck did she even have one drink? I know they're already married, but that doesn't mean she can't fuck things up again! She's doing it right now! They are both so fucking - - "

"Helga!" Arnold interrupted and she whipped her head around to look at him. "I agree with you… but this doesn't necessarily mean that she is going to have a relapse."

"Excuse me? Do you even understand what a relapse is?"

"A few drinks one night at her honeymoon is not a relapse." Arnold spoke calmly. It was clear that Helga wanted to argue against him, but she just crossed her arms instead. "Look… yes, you should talk to my dad, definitely, but let's not panic just yet."

"I'm not panicking."

"Get angry then… We'll keep an eye on Miriam when they come home and make sure she really doesn't have a relapse." Arnold suggested. Helga seemed hesitant to accept the suggestion, but then groaned in surrender and walked towards him. He lifted his arms and wrapped them around her waist as she rested her own over his shoulders. She put her cheek against his head and sighed.

"Stupid Miriam…"

"Let's change the subject." Arnold said with a smile and moved back. "Miriam reminded me that it's Easter."

"So?" Helga questioned as Arnold opened the refrigerator.

"So we should do some Easter traditions." He explained and took the egg carton. "I already bought some paint."

"Are you kidding me?" Helga asked, watching as Arnold took some paint tubes he had hidden in one of the drawers. "Arnold, we're not ten years old."

"So?" he asked as he grabbed some glassbowls.

"So we're too old for this. At least I am." Helga insisted, frowning as the boy grabbed some paintbrushes as well. She wondered why these things were in the kitchen to begin with, but didn't truly care. She figured he had just been hiding them there.

"It's just for fun, Helga. I don't assume you want to go to the church?"

"I don't think the devil who has possessed my body would react very nicely to that."

"You shouldn't joke about stuff like that." Arnold said, despite his amusement. Helga moved her hands up, moving them languidly as if she was a ghost and he couldn't help but laugh at the image. "Come on, it's just for fun."

"Arnold…" Helga complained as she followed him into the living room. "I've never even done this before."

Arnold dropped the items on the table and gawked at her. "You've never painted eggs before? Did you have no childhood?" he asked in shock. Helga arched an eyebrow and stared at him pointedly. He coughed awkwardly. "Sorry."

Helga rolled her eyes good-heartedly and sat down next to him on the couch. "Well, I guess this is the more fun alternative to do homework." She admitted and grabbed an egg. "Uh, what do I do?"

"You just paint it." Arnold answered in a snicker. After squeezing the paint out of their tubes and into a bowl each, he offered her a paintbrush. She blew a raspberry at him before going for the blue paint. After dipping the brush in the dye, she started gliding the small hairs around on the eggshell. She put her legs over Arnold's lap and felt him use her legs as leverage as he painted his own egg. She rested her back on the armrest and smiled in content. It was a funny feeling; to sit in silence and paint eggs of all things.

Helga snickered and showed Arnold her egg. "Done."

The blonde boy looked at the blue hat she had painted on the egg and snickered in disbelief. "See." He said and showed her his own egg which was decorated with a pink bow.

"Oh, come on! Are you never gonna forget that picture? I don't wear that thing anymore."

"I don't wear the hat anymore either."

"Well, I couldn't exactly copy the pattern on your amulet." Helga said and flicked the handle of her paintbrush against the necklace decorating his neck and chest. "Do you miss her?"

Arnold sighed. "Not as much as I did when I didn't know what had happened to them… but I do think about her from time to time. Like… I wonder what she was actually like. I mean, stories can only give you a hint of what a person was like. I would have liked to meet her just once. I mean, besides when I was baby of course… Everyone keeps saying she was so amazing and I just have to trust their words." He said with a tentative shrug.

"She can't be anything but amazing." Helga insisted and grabbed another egg. "She made you after all." She continued and Arnold felt a blush creep up on his face. He smiled in content and looked at Helga while she started painting the new egg. "The fact that she didn't break her pelvis giving birth to you continues to astound me."

"And the moment is gone." Arnold declared with a sigh and laughed in amusement. "You may not like your dad, but he did do one thing right."

"Knock up my mom?"

Arnold huffed. "I wouldn't put it so crudely, but yes." He agreed and laughed together with the blonde girl. "What are you painting now?"

Helga shrugged. "Don't know. I'm just… going with it, I think." She replied and spun the egg around in her hand. "I really don't know." She declared and frowned at the odd pattern she was in the middle of creating.

Arnold huffed in amusement and went to paint another egg himself. His paintbrush slipped from his hand though and it fell down Helga's bare legs. She swallowed the small piece of candy in her mouth in surprise and looked at the straight pink line down her leg. She looked at him questioningly and he apologized. She rolled her eyes and attempted to go back to paint her egg, but Arnold got an idea. It was a bit weird, but he decided that Helga might find this amusing as well. He put the egg back in the carton and placed his hand on Helga's knee.

"What are you - - Arnold!" Helga squealed when the cold paint ran over her thigh. "We're painting eggs!"

"I'm painting you." Arnold grinned and stuck his tongue out in concentration.

"You're kidding." Helga said with a tense smile. "It tickles!"

"Sit still!" Arnold begged in a laughing voice and held her leg tightly. "I'm actually trying here."

"So am I; trying not to laugh that is." Helga said with her face contorted in silent laughter. She never knew that such a thing could tickle so much. Then again, it was a brush brushing against her leg; why wouldn't it tickle? She looked at Arnold and smiled at the extremely focused expression on his face. She did her best to ignore the ticklish feeling and admire him. Oh, crap…

Soon, the ticklish feeling Helga had felt moved its destination and she leaned back over the armrest to force her gaze away from Arnold. He was currently painting on her thighs and he knew very well that her thighs were sensitive. He seemed to have forgotten that though and Helga damned him for it. Her legs were starting to shake.

"You have to stay still." Arnold reminded her again and put his hand under her thighs. He heard her gasp and looked up at her in surprise. She wasn't looking at him, he couldn't see her face at all because she had bend it back like that. All he could see was her exposed throat. He gulped at the sight and realized why she had stopped giggling. He looked back at her legs, at the abstract pattern he was in the middle of creating, and continued it.

Having Helga at his mercy did weird things to Arnold. Wanting to see how far he could take it, he moved to sit on his knees between her legs and leaned closer to her. "Hey, can I take your shirt off?" he asked gently.

Helga's head whipped up. "M-My shirt?" she questioned and saw that her legs were covered in pink designs. "Don't you think that you have painted me enough?" she asked with humor, but he shook his head. She could see in his eyes that the childish motive was gone and she therefore nodded at his request. She helped him take her shirt off and she wondered whether the was going to remove her bra as well, but he quickly got back to painting.

The brush glided almost sensually up Helga's sides and she arched her back at the ticklish feeling. "You have to stay still." Arnold reminded her again and put his hand over her stomach, just beneath her breasts, to hold her still. He could feel her putting her hand on his arm to urge herself to stay still.

Arnold was in the middle of making small circles on Helga's hips when her skirt glided up and ruined them. With a frown, he put the paintbrush down on the table and moved to unhook the clasp that held the skirt around her hips. She lifted her waist and let him take it off, exposing her almost naked body to him. Rather than taking the paintbrush again, he dipped his index finger in the blue paint and went back to paint on her hips.

"Criminy! What is this weird kink of yours?" Helga asked in disbelief, completely ignoring how much she loved it herself. "It tickles."

"I don't think ticklish is the correct word for what you're feeling right now." Arnold muttered with a grin.

"How would you know?" Helga contorted childishly.

"We've done this too many times for me to not know the signs, Helga." Arnold insisted and looked at her through half-lidded eyes. She gulped at the seductive stare and looked away, hoping to hide what he was doing to her. It was embarrassing to know that being painted turned her on. Then again, being touched is being touched after all and he wasn't using the paintbrush anymore.

Arnold dipped his long finger in the orange dye and then lifted Helga's arm. He put her hand on his shoulder and then ran his two paint-coated fingers down her arm, creating two perfect lines up to her shoulders.

"Orange and blue don't belong together!" Helga insisted with a giggle when he tickled her neck.

"Says who?"

"Every artist in the world!"

"If you haven't noticed yet, I'm not exactly very creative." Arnold countered and stuck his tongue at her childishly. She huffed before letting her arm fall down and put the other over his shoulder so that he could copy what he had just done.

This is so surreal. Helga thought in disbelief and sighed to calm herself down. Through half-lidded eyes, she saw Arnold open the front clasp of her bra – she thanked her past self for choosing that particular bra that morning – and take it off, leaving her only in her panties. She continued to watch curiously as the teenage boy seemed to ponder what color to use next. He decided to use a purple apparently and dyed his thumb in the paint. Her eyes widened when he put the thumb under her chin and waved it down between her breasts and down to her navel, circling it as the finish. Oh, for fuck's sakes!

Arnold snickered. "You like this a little too much, don't you think?" he teased. Helga huffed angrily, deciding it was time for some revenge. She dipped her fingers into some random colors and ran them down Arnold's face as if clawing him. He jumped back in surprise and she smirked at him.

"Oh, look. A rainbow-colored Football Head." Helga stated in a satisfied voice, waving her paint-coated hand.

Arnold smirked which, by the way Helga was staring at him, wasn't something she had expected. "Fine. You asked for it." He said and held her in place while he dipped his clean long finger in some red paint. She squirmed against him, but downright gasped when he circled one of her nipples with the dye-coated finger.

"You're taking this too far!" Helga insisted as her back arched.

"Nah, I think I'm taking it just far enough." Arnold insisted before enveloping her other nipple in his mouth, fully enjoying how much she was squirming underneath him. He usually loved being the one at Helga's mercy rather than the other way around, but this was a fun change. He'd never thought he could have the girl with the iron fists moaning underneath him after just a few minutes.

Helga's hips were bucking against his in wanton as he continued to lick her nipple and hold her in place by her hands over her head. "Enough painting!" she gasped and he looked up at her. He could see a pearl of sweat trickle down her temple and her eyes were completely clouded with lust. It was an intoxicating sight to say the least and he couldn't stop himself from kissing her, once again tasting that sweet raspberry on her lips.

Helga was a quick worker; Arnold felt his t-shirt leave his body and her skillful hands undid his belt, pulling his pants down within seconds. With a mischievous smirk, she planted kisses on his neck and down his chest, clearly coaching him to move his hips closer to her mouth. He was obviously moving too slowly to her liking because all of a sudden, he felt her hands on his ass and she pulled him close enough for her to start kissing at his engorged member.

"Helga!" Arnold gasped when he noticed something wet on his backside, but quickly forgot about it when her mouth consumed him with ease. He was clawing at the armrest behind her head, his fingers turning white from the strength he was using to hold himself above her head. He could feel her nails digging into the soft flesh of his rear and he was sure that her mouth was partially only doing what it was doing to move his attention away from what was happening behind him. "W-What are you doing…?" he asked when she suddenly let go.

"Oh, I just… put my print on you…" Helga answered innocently. When the blonde boy above her showed her a confused stare, she moved her hands between them. The usually cream-colored palms were completely pink with paint and she was waving them teasingly. As if that wasn't proof enough for him, he looked at the table and surely enough, the bowl with pink paint had spilled a little on the table from her eagerness.

Helga started snickering when Arnold showed a disturbed face. "Why, you!" he said and couldn't help but laugh with her. He grabbed her by her hips though and despite the continued laughter, she also gasped in shock when he managed to pull her all the way up on his lap until part of her lower back was resting on it too.

With his knees securely placed on the sofa, it was easy for Arnold to pull Helga's panties down enough for him to enter her from this position. The blonde girl shrieked as her calves hit his shoulders due to her knees being forced together because of her panties. Seeing her silent prayer, he moved to stretch her legs upwards and pulled the panties all the way off so she wouldn't be restrained by them. The hollow of her knees landed on his shoulders and he continued moving her hips against him.

"It has its perks, huh? Ha-Having sex with… an ex-ballerina." Helga said, moaning each time he thrust inside of her. "I-I can't move though… in this position."

Arnold smirked as he put his still paint-coated fingers on her breast and made a faded handprint on the skin. "I'll just have to do all the work then." He said and leaned purposefully closer, successfully causing her to gasp. She was clearly moving her hips in wanton, but no matter how much she moved, it was only him who could control their pace and therefore her pleasure. It was frustrating and arousing at the same time. She put her hands on the side of his thighs, desperately attempting to gain some sort of control of the situation, but it was futile; the only way to be in control was if he gave it up.

"A-Arnold, you-your belt… it's hitting my back." Helga told him. He stopped dutifully, obviously planning to get his belt off so she wouldn't feel any discomfort. Ever the gentleman. The blonde girl thought just as he let go of her hips. She put her legs down, grabbed him by the shoulders and moved them to the side until they fell from the couch and hit the carpeted floor. He groaned in pain, despite her trying to push him down as gently as possible, and looked up at her in astonishment. "Sucker."

"You tricked me!"

"Well, your belt was hitting my back." Helga insisted, but started grinding on him and she was instantly forgiven. She put her hands on his chest, creating two more handprints on his body, but he didn't care. If someone were to check for handprints on her body, he'd also be suspect number one. With or without the paint.

"I-I thought… I had you where I wanted you." Arnold said with an idle smile, his hands moving to her hips to guide her movements.

"Oh, but you do, Arnold…" Helga replied and let her body fall down until their chests were touching and his thumbs were caught between her thighs and stomach. She let her tongue, which still smelled and tasted like raspberries, lick his lips and he pulled on her tongue with his teeth. He got his hands away from her hips and put them on her head to angle her mouth so he could deepen the kiss and she moaned in appreciation. He could feel her circling her hips on top of him and he had to pull away from the kiss before he accidentally bit her. "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?"

"Cheeky." Arnold said in-between breaths and groaned when she somehow managed to suck him in deeper. "H-Helga… I'm, uh - - "

"I know." She replied cockily and picked up her pace.

"H-How?"

Helga smiled superiorly. "We've done this too many times for me to not know the signs." She whispered, batted her eyelashes and ground her hips harshly on his. He groaned deeply, put his hands on her thighs and dug his fingers into her. He wasn't sure whether he was punishing her or pleading with her, but he could feel his orgasm approaching rapidly and he hoped she wasn't planning to avenge herself for what he did to her earlier.

Luckily, that wasn't Helga's intentions; she would soon hit her own orgasm and so, she kept riding Arnold until they were both seeing white. "Oh, God…" she said under her breath and fell forward, her chest hitting Arnold's and they breathed slowly in harmony. "Best Easter… ever."

Arnold chuckled, but the sound was hoarse and he wrapped his heavy arms around her. "Agreed…"

"Hey, Arnold…?"

Arnold arched an eyebrow at the familiar sound in Helga's voice. "Yeah?" he said slightly apprehensively, but mostly with anticipation.

"Can you be my canvas this time?"

Author's 2nd note: There should be about… nine chapters left, according to my notes, but that can change – both ways xD But around nine chapters left! :O I know exactly what project I'm gonna start afterwards though so it's ok for me xD But 9 chapters… argh, dammit Dx ha-ha ~