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

They all belong to their rightful owner: Craig Bartlett.

Title: "Blackmail toy"

In the last chapter of "Blackmail toy": After having most of Helga's peers noticing her odd behavior, Aaron finally decided to come clean: He had been the one to tell her parents about her trip to the hospital, though he left out a few, minor details.

To Arnold's slight embarrassment, his mom had suggested to him – rather vaguely, at least to him – that he should invite Helga over to for the evening, and perhaps night as well, while the rest of the family would go to the other side of town, eat at a restaurant and stay away from the boarding house all night.

After having agreed to the date with Arnold, knowing full well what it would mean, she came across Aaron in the school hallway. Wishing to both punish and thank him, she started out with punching his nose and then kissing to both his happiness and confusion.

Author's 1st note: Good morning! If you're reading this when I uploaded it, then good morning xD (Or very late goodnight, maybe? xP) I guess it also depends on where you're from… If you're American, then good morning! xD Here in Denmark it's after 12pm :P

Chapter 40: "It's gonna get messy"

"So, when is Helga coming over?" Aaron asked with a sly smirk, as he tied a bow around his neck. Arnold was currently pulling a dark blue shirt over his arms. "7pm. When you guys leave." He answered briefly and started buttoning the shirt. "So…" Aaron muttered and looked towards the clock. "You've got about a ten minutes to change your shirt a couple more times."

"No, I won't change it again. I'm going with the dark blue one."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Why? What's wrong with it?" Arnold asked with slight panic in his voice. Aaron started snickering. "Nothing! I just like seeing you so panicky about something so trivial." He answered and adjusted his bow a little bit as the final touch. Arnold sighed and looked at himself in the mirror. It was the fifth shirt he had tried at this point, and he still wasn't satisfied. "M-Maybe I should change…"

"Stay in the dark blue one. Blue suits you." Aaron answered and shoved his hands into his pockets. "It does?" Arnold asked, though he sorta knew that; he had been wearing blue a lot through the years. "Yeah, besides… you could be wearing a bag over your whole body, and Helga would still love you, so relax already!" Aaron answered with a slightly annoyed frown and shook his head in disbelief.

"I can't help it! I-It's my first date with Helga and I… I just want it to be perfect." Arnold explained with a small frown, since he was still really nervous about this evening. "Arnold, Helga doesn't want perfect; she wants you." Aaron answered, which made Arnold frown a little at him. "You know what I mean!" Aaron answered, causing Arnold to sigh again as he sat down on the bed.

"Arnold, listen… like you, then Helga's been waiting for this moment forever. Now, do you care about what she wears tonight?" Aaron asked. Arnold thought for a second, but then shook his head. "No… not at all." He answered and then started smiling. "She could be wearing a bag over her whole body, and she'd still look great."

"See? And Helga feels the same way about you. She's right; you are a worrywart." Aaron declared with a smile and sat down on the couch to put his shoes on. "Yeah, I know, but… it's not just about looks; I'm not that superficial." Arnold answered with a small sigh. "Then what is it?" Aaron asked and put on his left shoe.

Arnold opened his mouth to speak, but then started to bite at his lower lip and finally just shook his head. "Uh, no… nothing. I should probably talk to Gerald about something like this." he answered, though he knew that Gerald was actually together with Phoebe right now, as his mom had predicted. Besides, he didn't really have a lot of time at the moment, in case Gerald didn't answer his phone right away.

"Arnold, I am your cousin. You can talk to me about stuff you're worried about. Come on, tell me." Aaron inquired, as he put on his right shoe. Arnold opened his mouth for a moment, but then closed it again. "I don't know how comfortable you'd be with talking about something like this." he then admitted plainly.

Aaron quirked an eyebrow at the statement. "Oh! That's what you're worried about!" he announced and chuckled for a bit. Arnold watched as he tied his shoes and then went over to sit next to him. "You worried about… your performance?" Aaron asked which made Arnold's eyes go wide. "A-Am I that see-through?"

"Naw, but it's your first time. Every boy worries about the same thing as you."

"I just… don't wanna disappoint her, or… do something she'd hate me for."

"Ok, first of all; Helga could never hate you. Remember, this is a girl, who has been in love with you since she was in fucking preschool. You think she can suddenly hate you for something like that? Come on. Secondly, I really doubt you'll disappoint her too. Again, because she loves you, but also because you two have already done something before this. She sorta knows what to expect at this point. Besides… I know what it was you went shopping for earlier, and may I just say: Bravo! She'll love them."

Arnold blushed all over his body at that statement from Aaron. "Y-You think so? It's not too mushy?" he asked. "Oh, hell yes. It's mushy as fuck… but she'll love it." Aaron answered and patted his back a little. "So? Anything else that you're worried about?"

"I'm still worried about the other thing."

"Your performance?"

"Can we please not call it that?"

"Fine, you having sex with Helga?" Aaron asked, earning a slight blush from Arnold for the bluntness. "U-Uh-huh… I mean… I don't know anything about a girl's body. I mean, not really…" he answered, still blushing almost from head to toe. "You knew enough to make Helga scream like that. I think you'll be fine." Aaron answered with a snicker, as Arnold choked on his breath. "Well, uh… I was kinda just caught up in the moment."

"You'll be caught up in the moment tonight as well, believe me, and so will she. Seriously, you have all the right instincts to make this night amazing for the both of you. You worry about her pleasure, you even asked for help despite feeling awkward about it, you've already done stuff together, so you have a clue – even if it's only subconscious – to what she likes, and, most importantly, you love her, and she loves you. That's all you need."

Arnold took a deep breath and then smiled, obviously reassured by Aaron's words. "Thanks, Aaron… That makes me feel a lot better." He said. "You're welcome." Aaron said, patted his back and stood up. "I owed ya after all."

"Yeah… and you owe Helga too." Arnold pointed out with a frown and stood up. "Oh, trust me. She got her revenge." Aaron answered and rubbed his nose a little, though Arnold couldn't see that, since Aaron had his back turned on him.

"Uh-huh. Well, I haven't." Arnold pointed out. "Huh?" Aaron muttered and turned around, just in time for him to be slapped by Arnold. "Ow!" he exclaimed and let his hand start rubbing his cheek. "I'm sorry, Aaron, but I had to do something. I can't believe you blackmailed Helga! What kinda person does that?!" Arnold asked in slight anger.

"Ow… Man, you and Helga are really the perfect couple." Aaron muttered and rubbed his cheek a little more. "Huh? Why are you saying that?" Arnold asked curiously. "She punched me earlier today." Aaron answered and straightened his back a little, since he had been bending forward since the slap.

Arnold's eyes went wide. "She did? Wait… is that why your nose is all purple?" he asked. "Yeah, yeah, don't rub it in." Aaron answered with a slight smirk and let his hand fall from his cheek. Arnold snickered a bit, but then stopped the sound instantly. "S-Sorry… but I just can't feel bad for you."

"I don't want you to. I told Helga this too; I know I deserve it, but, please, no more, or else my parents will start wondering if you guys have been abusing me, when I get home." Aaron answered with a small chuckle following. Arnold chuckled along and nodded. "Yeah, I promise." He answered.

"Oh, Arnold!" a cheerful, female voice called in a singsong voice. "Uh, yes, mom?" Arnold answered with a slight frown. "Someone's here to see you!" she answered in the same singsong voice. His eyes went wide at that. "Helga!" he exclaimed and turned to look at Aaron nervously. "You'll be fine! Follow your instincts. The good ones… depending on what kind of bad instincts you also have." Aaron answered with a wink and walked past him.

Arnold blushed a little at that, as he wondered if he really had those kinds of bad instincts? He didn't have much time to think about it though, since Aaron was already holding the door open for him, gesturing for him to go first. He didn't waste any time; he went straight out of the door in something resembling a jog and barely heard Aaron telling him to 'calm down already' behind him.

Arnold only reached the top of the stairs, before he stopped short at that image in front of him – or rather below him. At the end of the stairs, Helga was currently talking to his parents about something, though he didn't really hear about what. All he saw was those blonde curls, cascading down her shoulders, which were only half covered by a black, leather vest. He couldn't help himself; his eyes traveled down further and noticed a pair of slightly familiar, creamy thighs. He also recognized the pink, plaid skirt covering half of them.

"Oh, there you are, Arnold." Miles said with a big smile, causing Helga to look at up Arnold instantly. He noticed how her hair flew through the wind as she had done so and now landed perfectly in place again. Oh, God, she's beautiful… He thought inside his head, and noticed how she blushed, as she looked him. I-I guess the dark blue shirt is green lighted…

"Hey, Arnold." Aaron whispered behind him. "How about using those two lumps at the end of your legs and start walking down to the girl you're gawking at?" he continued to whisper, before he gently pushed at Arnold's back. "Uh, y-yeah." He muttered in answer and started to descend the stairs.

"H-Hi, Arnold." Helga greeted, a little unsure of what exactly she was supposed to say in this particular situation. In addition, she felt slightly self-conscious at the moment about how she was looking. "Hi, Helga." He answered, feeling just as self-conscious as she did, though he still couldn't get over how beautiful she looked, and was mostly just wearing a goofy smile. Noticing that, she couldn't help but smile the same way.

"Well! I don't mean to be rude, but two is a company and seven is a crowd. We'd better get going." Aaron announced and went into the living room to fetch his grandparents. "Yeah, he's right. You two have fun now, ok?" Stella requested and went to open the door. "Stella." Miles said. When she turned around to look at him, he gave her a knowing look. "Oh, I mean, don't have too much fun, you hear?"

Both Arnold and Helga blushed at that slight reprimand, both of knowing far too well, what she was talking about. "Well, we're ready to go now, Shortman!" Phil said cheerfully as he, Gertie and Aaron emerged from the living room. When he laid eyes on Helga, they went wide. "Well, my! You sure look lovely tonight."

"Th-Thank you, Phil." Helga answered shyly and removed a lock of her hair from her face. Phil leaned closer to her and eyed her for a bit, making her back away a little in shyness. "You look just like Gertie, when she was at your age!" he observed with a big, loving smile. "I-I do?" she asked with a smile. She didn't mind looking like Gertie; she was a fairly good-looking woman for her age, and she couldn't help but adore her through and through.

"Come and take a look at your younger self, Pookie!" Phil said with a wide grin and turned to look at his wife. "Why, Eleanor!" Gertie said happily and grabbed both of Helga's hands. "You look positively stunning tonight!" she said as she swung her around gently. "Th-Thank you." Helga muttered again, as Gertie let go of her, sending her gently into Arnold's arm with her back turned against him. "B-But you really are overdoing it."

"No, they're not. You look really beautiful, Helga." Arnold whispered into her ear, causing her to blush slightly. "Thank you… You look really handsome yourself." she whispered back as she turned her head around to look at him with a loving smile. "Yeah, yeah, we get it! You wanna be alone already! Come on; let's get outta here before we'll all need appointments at the dentist!" Aaron said teasingly and started to push gently at his grandparents' back.

The two blonde-haired teens couldn't help but smile at the obvious attempt from Aaron at giving them as much time alone as possible. "Yes, yes. Have a lovely evening, you two." Stella said with a smile as she walked out. "Yeah, sweet her off her feet, Shortman!" Phil added with a teasing chuckle following. "G-Grandpa!" Arnold chastised, though he couldn't help but laugh when he heard Helga sniggering.

"Hey, Arnold." Aaron whispered into Arnold's ear, as he went back a couple of steps to do so. "Remember the bad instincts too." He added with a wink. "G-Got it! Shut up already." Arnold whispered, completely sure that Helga could feel his heart beat against her back. "See you!" Aaron simply answered with a wave before he went out of the door.

"What did you two just whisper about?" Helga asked when they had all left. "Uh… boy stuff." Arnold simply answered. He could hear her snicker. "I think I know what that means." She muttered and was about to walk past him to walk into the dining room, but was stopped, when she felt his warms wrap around her from behind.

"I missed you…" Arnold whispered into Helga's ear, causing a lovely shudder to run down through her spine. "W-What in the… We saw each other only…" she muttered, but then started to turn her face around to look at him. "… yesterday…" she continued, but then she saw his eyes, which were filled with longing. Longing for her. "Oh, who cares…?" she muttered and lifted her left hand to place it on his cheek. "I missed you too…"

Then Helga and Arnold's lips met for the third time – or, if you counted the kissed when they were children too, the sixth time – and they had both missed the feeling so much that it was almost scary. The first kiss had been gentle, sweet, tender… the second one was almost fiery.

Arnold loved the feeling of Helga's fingers in his hair, as she pulled him closer to her. She was devouring him completely, like an animal hungry for its prey. He wanted to touch her so badly, and his usual gentle attitude had somehow disappeared. His hands, which had been on her stomach a second ago, now went up towards her breasts.

Helga gasped a bit at the feeling and made an involuntarily buck against Arnold's pelvis, causing his mouth to hit her neck. "Yes…" she whispered, and though it hadn't been on purpose, he started kissing her neck. Her hand kept fisting his hair, while the other one went behind her back. "Helga…" he whispered in her ear, as he realized what she was searching for.

"Sorry, you guys, I forgot - - Whoa!" Aaron shouted in surprise. He had been just about to enter the hallway, but stopped short when he saw Arnold and Helga doing… well, that. Helga shrieked in surprise as Arnold moved his hands from her chest, but kept standing behind her.

Aaron blinked a couple of times before he sighed a bit. "Being interrupted seems to be your thing, huh?" he observed and went to grab a black coat hanging on the wall. "Look," he said as he started putting it on his upper body. "it's obviously not my business in which order you choose to do this, but if you'll let me give you a tip, then it'd be better to eat first. Trust me; you'll need the energy."

With those words, Aaron turned around, opened the door again and walked outside. "Oh, and sorry about the interruption. Seriously, please don't kill me tomorrow, Helga. Bye!" he said, before he closed the door behind him and left the two blondes alone once again.

Both Arnold and Helga sighed in unison and started leaning against each other. "He's right… interruption is our thing." Arnold whispered near her ear, causing that lovely shudder to go through her once again. "Yeah…" she muttered and then turned her face around to look at him. "But he's probably right about the eating first thing…"

Arnold nodded in reluctance, though he knew Helga's words had also born a bit of reluctance in them. "Come on, football head." She said sweetly and grabbed his hand. That small action was all it took for him to just follow her like a puppy into the dining room. "What did you plan for us to make?"

"Oh, uh, I was thinking something that was easy to make like curry or something." Arnold answered, hoping that Helga didn't have any hidden allergies to such a thing. He knew of her strawberry allergy, but she had never mentioned being allergic to anything else. She turned around with a big smile though. "Mmm, sounds good!"

Arnold couldn't help but smile at that. He was just happy he hadn't chosen something she hated or would be allergic to. No matter what Aaron had said, Arnold still wanted to make this night perfect. It was special after all. Not only was it their first date, not only had they only started dating only yesterday, but they also had almost everything to themselves.

"Well… we managed to not burn this at least." Arnold said, as he held up two plates of curry with a… well, almost decent amount on them. Helga couldn't help but giggle. "I guess we were distracted for too long, huh?" she wondered aloud as she eyed the more burnt version of the curry on the table. "Yeah… distracted." he repeated, as he let that exact distraction roam through his mind.

They had been in the middle of frying the curry and even mixing it with chicken, when Arnold hadn't been able to not take a peek at Helga's skirt. It wasn't his fault, damn it, she was the one to have bend down to get… whatever she had been about to get!

Nothing was shown, it wasn't like it was a really short skirt or something, so Arnold didn't see anything as such, but his eyes were still glued to Helga, when she suddenly straightened her back and turned to look at him. He had whipped his whole head away in such an obvious way, that there was no way she couldn't have realized what he was looking at.

"It's ok to look, Arnold." Helga had said and then jumped onto the counter with a hungry smirk on her lips. "As long as it's at me that is." She added, before she held both her hands out for Arnold to take. He had felt a little dumbfounded to say the least, but grabbed her hands anyhow, somewhat moving on only instinct at this point.

Helga pulled Arnold closer to her, as she intertwined her fingers into his. With a predatory grin, she let her tongue lick his neck in one swift motion, making him shudder in surprise and ecstasy. "Now you know how that feels." She whispered in his ear before she started biting the lobe of it. He gasped a little as he laid his hands on her hips.

As soon as Helga felt Arnold's hands on her hipbone, she snaked her legs around his waist and pulled him closer to her. She enjoyed how shocked he was and yet how completely enchanted he was by her. It was this kind of power, she preferred over anything else. She lifted her hand to beneath his chin and then let her thumb and index finger lift his face up towards her.

"What's wrong, football head? Cat got your - - mm!" Helga gasped when Arnold's lips clashed against her own, silencing her in the sweetest way possible. She let her eyes stay open for a couple of seconds, enjoying being able to look into half-lidded ones. It was different to actually look into those green orbs rather than just seeing darkness from her own eyelids.

Helga removed her lips though, wanting to try something. She laid her hands on Arnold's cheeks, and noticed how his mouth was a little open, because he was panting. Well, since his mouth just happens to be open… She thought with a small smile, before she moved towards his lips. His eyes went a little wide when he felt the tip of her tongue gently brush against lower lip. He didn't dare to try anything himself, at least not until her tongue went into his mouth.

Arnold lost his mind at that, and started rolling his tongue gently around Helga's tongue, enjoying how their moans overlapped each other's. He lifted his hand to put it on her neck and then pulled her closer to him. He hated that she was up on the counter at this very moment, and that actually gave him an idea. He just hoped he could do it.

Letting go of Helga's mouth completely, Arnold snaked one of his arms around her waist and lifted her up a bit, so he could snake the other one beneath her bum. She swung her arms around him in slight surprise, as he lifted her off the counter and carried her to the coffee table, which was considerably lower than the counter.

When Helga's back hit the table, she gasped in lust. She had never expected Arnold to do something so animal like and she loved it. His mouth went straight to her lips again, wishing with all of his being to feel her tongue against his again. He felt elated when her legs around his waist started to pull him against her, making his hardened member push against her moist area.

Then both teens noticed something. They removed their lips from each other's and started to sniff coordinated. "Do you smell something?" Helga asked with a slight frown, which Arnold nodded at in reply. Slowly, almost with fear, they turned their heads to look towards the pan, where the curry was supposed to simmer just slightly. Instead, black smoke had been emerging from it.

"Arnold!" Helga said in a loud voice, as she was snapping her fingers in front of his face. "Huh? What?" he said as he opened his eyes completely. "Did you go into your personal Wonderland again or something?" she asked teasingly with her arms crossed beneath her chest. "Uh…" he simply muttered, noticing that he was still standing in the kitchen with his girlfriend, holding the plates in his hands.

His girlfriend… Arnold almost felt like chuckling rather silly at that, but Helga pulled him out of his thoughts again by walking closer to him. "Why fantasize about me when the real thing is right in front of you?" she asked in a whisper, laid her hand against his neck and pulled him into a kiss. He gasped a little into her mouth, as he tried to hold the plates steady in his hands. He noticed one of them disappearing out of his grasp, as her lips also vanished from his.

When Arnold opened his eyes again, he could see Helga's blue eyes in front of him as she winked at him, and went towards the dining room with one of the plates with curry on it. He gazed at her for a bit, before he just sighed in deep happiness and followed her out of the kitchen.

Arnold and Helga simply chatted a little bit as they ate, at least until Arnold remembered something. "Right. You were acting weird. What was that about?" he asked gently. She frowned a little at him, not sure what he was talking about at all. "Huh? Oh! That!" she said with a smile and swallowed the chicken in her mouth. "Actually… on my way home from the hospital last night, my parents came to pick me up."

Arnold's eyes went a little wide at that. "They did? Huh… Uh, why?" he asked. Helga smiled at his surprise, knowing he was about to get even more surprised. "You won't believe it… They actually heard about me going to the hospital, and misunderstood completely! They thought I had been at the hospital, you know?"

"Oh, God. What did you say to that?"

"What could I say? I tried to explain to them that they were misunderstanding, but then… when we got home they gave me this long speech about how they were really sorry about not even knowing about the baseball game, that they knew they weren't the best parents, but they'd try to do better from now on and yadda-yadda-yadda."

"So… why aren't you happy, if they'll start caring more now?"

"I'll believe it when I see it." Helga answered with a frown as she started to push a carrot around on the plate. Arnold sighed a bit. He'd wish she'd try to believe them just a little bit. Finding out that your child had gone to the hospital might be a pretty big shock, he could imagine. Perhaps big enough for them to realize how much she meant to them both? "But…" she then added, gaining his attention again. "I'll give them a chance… I guess."

Arnold couldn't help but smile at that. "That's really great, Helga. I think you can trust them. I don't think they'll disappoint you this time." He said gently, as he laid his hand over Helga's wrist. "Yeah, they'd better not; this is their last chance." She answered with a smile and started eating again.

Arnold couldn't help but notice the somewhat pensive look on Helga's face, as they kept eating. She was eyeing her food oddly, as if she wanted to question something about it. "Helga…? Is there something wrong with the curry?" he asked carefully. "Huh?" she muttered and turned her face to look at him. "Uh, no. Why?"

"You just… You just look like there's something on your mind."

"… Well… I-It's nothing serious, really. Just a… sm-small, silly thing."

"You can tell me."

"… Can I… uh… Can I indulge one of my more ridiculously… girlish fantasies with you?" Helga then asked with her cheeks reddening in such an adorable way, that Arnold almost felt like blushing himself. "Uh… of course. What is it?" he asked a little nervously, since if she called something girly, she probably did mean really girly.

"U-Uh, i-it's really is just this really silly thing. It's just something I've seen in movies and read in books, and I-I kinda just wanna, you know, try it, just for fun and I - - "

"Helga… what do you want me to do?" Arnold interrupted gently, almost at the verge of laughing, simply because he found Helga's shyness too cute. She looked down at her curry again and scooped a little of it up in the spoon and then turned to face him again. "O-Open wide." She requested with a nervous laugh following.

Arnold's eyes went wide, and he could actually feel his heart stop beating. I-Is she gonna… feed me? He wondered in his head, but then just closed his eyes with a nervous gulp. He could hear Helga gulping nervously as well, before he felt the warm spoon against his mouth and he opened it. The curry, along with the chicken, some carrots and tomatoes slid into his mouth and he savored the flavor for as long as he could. Somehow, it tastes better…

Arnold then swallowed the food, opened his eyes and gave a tense and awkward smile. "Th-Thank you…" he said in embarrassment, which Helga just nodded at in just as much embarrassment. Despite the embarrassment, she was obviously also trying to hide a very big smile, which threatened to form itself on her face any second.

I wonder… Arnold thought as he eyed his own curry a little bit. I might as well… I kinda wanna try it too. He then scooped up a little curry on his spoon, blew a little on it and extended it towards Helga. "Helga?" he inquired quietly, making her turn around to face him again. "Yeah?" she answered, but then she noticed the spoon in his hand. Her whole body tensed as she realized his intentions and, for a second, it looked like she would refuse, but then she just gulped, closed her eyes and opened her mouth a bit.

Arnold's eyes went wide at seeing Helga like that. There was something oddly adorable about it, and yet… something oddly sensual too. Her, just waiting for him to feed her… Oh, God, was all he could think before he lost his senses and clashed his lips against hers. He could hear her gasp into his mouth, but after only two seconds, she was kissing him back with full force.

The kiss was heated, and yet brief. Arnold wasn't even sure how he managed to let go of Helga's lips at this point, but he forced himself to do so. "Did… Did you trick me?" she asked as she panted a bit. He shook his head. "No… I just… Seeing you like that made me… Uh, here." He simply answered and then extended the spoon towards her mouth again. Without hesitation this time, she opened her mouth to engulf the substance on the spoon and swallowed it gently.

Helga and Arnold's eyes met, when she opened her eyes again. He noticed a bit of the curry on the corner of her lips and let the tip of his tongue lick it away. She gasped at that, but then grabbed his cheeks to kiss him, as if she could steal the curry back from his tongue. His attempt at putting the spoon away on his plate was rather clumsy, but he managed to do it, so he could wrap his arms around her waist.

"A-Arnold, w-wait a second…" Helga gasped in-between the kisses, but it was as if Arnold couldn't hear her. Before she knew what was happening, he had moved away from his chair and was now sitting on his knees next to her, pulling her body around, so that it was facing him. He caused her to gasp, when she felt his lips kiss her leather-clad stomach.

"A-Arnold! Hold on!" Helga then begged, knowing that if she didn't stop him now, then she'd never be able to. She grabbed his cheeks, removed his mouth from her stomach and pulled his face up, so he could see her. "W-What's wrong?" he asked with a hard pant. She panted as well. "W-We need to… to clean the, uh…" she muttered and turned to look at the plates on the table. She shook her head to try to stop the guilty thoughts in her mind, so she could focus for at least a couple more minutes. "We need to clean the dishes first."

Arnold turned to look at the curry-filled plates, realizing that Helga was right. "Oh… yeah." He answered, gulped and then stood up. She stood up as well, both of them grabbing their own plates as they tried their hardest not to look at each other and thereby losing their composure again.

When Helga and Arnold had gotten into the kitchen, him starting to wash the dishes and her drying them off, he couldn't help but feel a major case of deja-vu. "You remember this?" he asked with a smile, earning her attention. "… Yeah. Don't remind me." She answered with a slight giggle.

"Oh, come on, that was a fun night."

"Oh, sure. Me mistaking Chez Paris for Chez Pierre and thereby ending up doing the dishes to pay for our meal was the most fun I've had my entire life."

"I enjoyed that evening. I got to see a new side of you, you ended up doing the right thing and…" Arnold said, before he splashed some water at Helga. She shrieked and almost dropped the plate in shock. "I remember doing this." he added with a chuckle. "Arnold!" she scolded, but couldn't but laugh at that very fond memory. "Shut up and rinse."

Arnold felt really happy at this particular moment. As he noticed that, he suddenly had a very blissful thought. He turned to gaze at Helga. Looking at the way she was drying the plate, he couldn't help but saying his thoughts out loud. "We kinda…" he started, but then went quiet as he simply started smiling dazedly. "Hmm? We kinda what?" she asked and turned around to face him, after having put the plate down on the counter.

Arnold kept smiling at Helga as he turned around to hand her the plate in his hands. "Cooking together, cleaning the dishes like this… We kinda resemble a married couple." He answered, as she took the plate. Her eyes went wide, he heard her gasp and then she dropped the plate. "Whoa!" he exclaimed as he quickly grabbed the plate again, stopping it from shattering on the floor.

"You trying to give me a heart attack?!" Helga shrieked, feeling her heart practically pump at her ribcage. "Huh?" Arnold muttered and stood up again to face her properly. Her face was as red as the tomato they had used in the curry, and he figured he had embarrassed her within an inch of her life.

"Stupid football head! D-Don't give me any funny ideas!" Helga said in embarrassment, cupped her hands beneath the running water and splashed it on Arnold. He gasped in surprise and managed to place the plate on the counter unharmed, before he stumbled back a bit in surprise. When he looked up at her, she was wearing a very happy grin on her face. Whether it was due to his marriage comment or her revenge, he did not know nor did he really care.

"Oh, you're gonna get it now!" Arnold announced as he went for the water. "No!" Helga shrieked, as he splashed some water on her, making the leather on her upper body start to stick to her body. "Idiot! This is leather. It's really uncomfortable if it gets wet!" she exclaimed with a laugh and looked down on herself. "You started this!" he pointed out as he started to look at her. "It's your own…"

Arnold's eyes went wide, as he saw the water drops trickle down Helga's neck and cleavage. He gulped loudly, causing her to look at him in slight confusion. It only took her a second to realize what he was looking at though, when she felt the cold water shimmer down on her breast.

"Well…" Helga said with a sly smirk and started to bite on her lower lip. "It's a good thing that I'm wearing something underneath this." she added. Arnold's eyes went wider at that statement. "Something…" was all he managed to repeat, before he gulped again, this time more inaudibly though.

"How about you finish up here, while I… go up into your room?" Helga suggested, as her fingers went for the zipper in her leather jacket. Arnold didn't start 'finishing' anything though; he just kept staring at her, as she turned around and pulled the vest off her shoulders as she did so, revealing some black, laced straps on them.

Arnold almost followed Helga, as she walked out into the hallway and out of sight, but then he remembered the small mess they had just made. He started cleaning up as quickly as he could, wanting to get up into his room as soon as possible. H-Helga wearing lingerie… I bet it's pink… He thought and then started to wash his hands rapidly.

When Arnold was sure he had finished, he suddenly looked at his hands and frowned. He laid one of them against his arm and almost shivered at how cold it was. Oh, great! I don't want to have cold hands now! He thought in a frenzy and went to the sink again. He turned on the water, this time making it warm before he put his hand beneath the faucet. He was about to grab the soap, when his hand flinched back instantly. No! What's the matter with me?! I don't wanna smell like soap either! He thought and shook his head before he turned off the sink. He was about to dry his hands in the towel hanging on the wall, but then stopped short again. Everyone uses that towel all the time and it haven't been changed since a week ago! Nu-uh, no way! He thought and went for the paper towels instead.

When Arnold was sure that his hands were warm, none-soapy and dry, he went out into the hallway. He practically jogged up through the stairs and was just about to barge into his room, when he realized something else. With a slightly childish, impatient groan, he went down the stairs again and into the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror and started straightening his shirt, but when his hands went up into his hair, the memory of Helga's hands running through it came to his mind.

What am I doing? It's gonna get messy in a second anyway… Arnold thought, shook his head and went towards the door. He stopped for a second though, groaned a bit, went back to the mirror and straightened his hair anyway. Then he finally went out of the bathroom, up to his door and stopped in front of it. With a deep breath, he took ahold of the door handle and slowly walked into his room…

Author's 2nd note: Sorry… I just like to string people along :P But the next chapter SHOULD be up later today (tonight, whatever xD) Nice morning reading, eh? xD I promise that they'll make love in the next chapter :P AND… *drum solo* it'll be the last chapter! We're talking le sex, le awkward morning and le goodbyes xD Then there'll be an epilogue, though I don't know how long that'll be, nor when it'll be finished. I just wanna finish the actual story before Wednesday, since that's when I'll start school, so my time will suddenly be limited xD And, remember, I'm Danish, we're 6 hours ahead of America, so I don't have as much time as you think! xD