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

They all belong to their rightful owner: Craig Bartlett.

Title: "Alter ego"

In the last chapter: After the nude model incident the day before, Arnold and Helga spent most of the next day casting glimpses at each other, none of them truly daring to approach the other. After some coaxing from Phoebe and Lila though, Helga decided it was time to ask Arnold out. She decided to push Gerald towards Phoebe first though, telling him that Phoebe felt the same way about him.

What should have been a regular asking out turned into an accident when Arnold spilled his hot cocoa on Helga's hand. In the meantime though, Helga managed to ease Arnold's mind about his dark side and ask him out.

The date was a success and ended with Arnold not only convincing Helga to join the rest of the class on the cruise they were going on, but with a passionate kiss that held promises for their upcoming trip.

Author's 1st note: Happy new year! Not particularly a new year's eve themed chapter, but it's a new beginning still xD Hope you all had fun celebrating the new year and that you're looking forward to the next year in your lives :3

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

Chapter 11: "My alter ego"

Helga shivered as she gave a groan. "When are we getting on the damn ship?!" she complained and stuck close to Phoebe who rubbed the taller girl's arm.

"Patience, Helga. It should only be a minute now." The teacher answered tolerantly.

The blonde simply groaned again, still standing close to Phoebe and gave heat the same way she received. When did it turn this fucking cold? She wondered and blew some air into the palms of her hands. She rubbed them together as she looked towards Arnold who was talking with some of the boys. She smiled a little and looked at Phoebe. "I think Arnold and I are getting somewhere."

At the whisper, Phoebe felt goose bumps down her spine and looked at Helga with a frown. "Don't whisper in my ear; it tickles!" she said, rubbed her ear and then looked back at her. "What do you mean; getting somewhere?"

"I mean Arnold was actually in my room last night."

Phoebe went bug-eyed. "Helga… did you two…?"

"No, no. Bob ruined the mood… but I swear, Phoebs, if he hadn't, I think we might have."

"You think something will happen on the cruise?"

"I'd love that, but I'm not sure how. It depends on our roommates for the cabins, I guess. I mean, if Rhonda is going to be my roommate, there's no chance in hell I can get her out of the cabin long enough to bring Arnold in there."

"So?" Phoebe asked even though she knew what Helga was plotting.

The blonde smirked at her. "Let's plot how to become roommates."

"Plotting!" the shorter girl responded cheerfully and started thinking. While she did that, Helga looked towards Arnold again. Her eyes fell on Gerald and she hummed.

"Phoebe, has Gerald said anything to you since yesterday?"

"Huh? Oh, no. Why?"

"No reason…" Helga insisted and shot a scowl in Gerald's direction. As if he could feel her eyes burning holes into his body, he turned his head and looked at her. The blonde bopped her head in Phoebe's direction without the girl noticing.

Gerald flinched in discomfort and ignored the girl's silent order. He sighed and looked at Arnold. "Arnold, how did your date go yesterday?" he asked. The boys all nodded, clearly liking the new subject.

Arnold smiled as he scratched his cheek awkwardly. "It went… well." He replied casually, clearly to the dissatisfaction of his hormone-filled friends.

"Oh, come on, Arnold! There's gotta be more than well." Harold insisted.

"Well…" Arnold emphasized and shot Helga a quick glance, confirming that she wasn't listening. He grinned at the boys. "I think I like her more than I did before. Helga's a lot more fun now. It's like she's letting her guard down because she knows I like her. I wish I had confessed to her sooner."

"You didn't confess shit, I did." Gerald insisted and Arnold rolled his eyes, nodding in agreement. "So, are you planning anything for the cruise?"

"I said to Helga I'd entertain her if she came along, but I'm actually not sure what I'm supposed to do."

"I know what I'd do." Sid said before thrusting his hips a couple of times, earning a laugh from the other boys.

Arnold just blushed. He put a hand over his face, looking in the girls' direction again. Some of the girls had heard Sid and were rolling their eyes or sticking their tongues out in disgust. Helga though didn't seem like she was listening. She and Phoebe were chatting about something secretively. He got curious, but the boys caught his attention once more.

"Are you telling me you're not planning to at least get to second base? You've seen them; isn't it time to touch them?" Harold joked.

Arnold felt his eyes burn as he rolled them. "I've touched them already." He said as images from the school dance flooded through his mind. "I want to be inside you so badly", he heard his own voice say and he blushed heavily before hiding his face. I can't believe I said that! Well, it was true, but still…

"What?! When?" Sid bellowed, obviously unhappy with not having heard this piece of information before.

The boys all closed in on Arnold as he stepped back. "At the school dance… before the fire."

"So that's where you went!" the boys bellowed loudly and Arnold had to hush them. All the girls were staring at them at this point, even Helga and Phoebe. Arnold tried to shrug innocently in Helga's direction, but she still quirked an eyebrow at their odd behavior.

"Shh." Arnold said to the boys and pointed at them. "Guys, shh."

The boys didn't go quiet until the teacher asked them to as well. "All right, everybody. We're about to go on the ship, so I'm going to give you the cards for your cabins." She said and started handing them out. "Please stand next to the person you want to share a cabin with. Girls with girls and boys with boys."

The boys bellowed unhappily, but jokingly while a few of the girls did the same, Helga being one of them. She and Arnold locked eyes for a moment, both smiling knowingly. Good thing we can choose our own roommate. The female blonde thought.

Phoebe grabbed Helga's hand and lifted it into the air. "We're sharing!" she yelled at the same time Gerald said the same about Arnold. Both blondes looked at their best friends, questioning why they seemed so excited about sharing cabins with them even though Helga had a faint idea why.

Once they all had gone on board and unpacked their things in the cabins, the ship started sailing. Most of the people from the class had decided to join each other for lunch on the fifth deck where the Italian bistro called Little Italy was. Helga and Phoebe were walking together with Nadine and Rhonda when the ship started swaying.

"Ok, this is ridiculous." Helga stated as she grabbed ahold of the corner on a wall. She could barely stand straight and she heard Nadine groaning before she hit the wall behind her. "Why is this ship rocking so fucking much?"

"Watch your mouth, Helga." Rhonda warned, walking as graciously as she could despite feeling dizzy and a little seasick from all the movement.

"Don't tell me what to do." Helga growled before pushing the button to the elevator. The girls went inside and sighed in relief when the ship finally seemed to stay still. "This is ridiculous." Helga stated once more before the walked outside.

The ship was swaying again and it took the girls by surprise this time. While Phoebe and Nadine managed to grab ahold of something sturdy, Helga tumbled backwards into Rhonda who hit the closed elevator doors behind her.

"Watch where you're going!"

"What's that gonna help, princess?" Helga asked sarcastically, motioned herself upwards and continued to follow Phoebe and Nadine.

The girls finally saw some familiar faces and Nadine waved at the boys. "You just as dizzy as we are?" she asked jokingly, earning a few head nods.

"Can we grab a table as far away from a window as possible?" Luka asked hopefully, looking more than a little seasick.

"No! I want a window seat!" Rhonda insisted and plumbed into the nearest booth. "This is perfect. Sit down."

What about this situation is perfect? Helga wondered sarcastically before grabbing ahold of the booth. Before she could sit down though a particularly hard wave knocked her backwards. She could hear someone groan behind her and she lifted her head to look who it was. "Oh, perfect." She stated sarcastically.

Luka scowled as well. "Of all the people who could have bumped into me, it had to be the girl with the iron fists." He mumbled in dissatisfaction.

"Hey, you weren't exactly my first choice either, bucko." Helga retorted before seeing a hand in front of her. She smiled at the way Arnold was frowning in Luka's direction as she took his hand and let him help her up.

"Don't look at me, Arnold. It was the wave that did it, not me." Luka said with a sulk before almost jumping into the booth due to another wave. The wave made Arnold stumble as well and he and Helga ended inside a different booth. Helga landed on top of him on the two-seat couch in the booth and Arnold grabbed ahold of the table before they fell under that too.

"Get a room!" Sid joked before sitting into the booth with the others.

Arnold blushed a bit before moving upwards and helping Helga stand up again. With some difficulty, they all managed to sit down, but that didn't stop the waves.

"How are we supposed to eat like this?" Rhonda asked in a complaining tone before almost hitting the big square window with her face.

"I guess we have to hold onto our plates." Luka suggested before tumbling into Rhonda. She smiled at the proximity, but Luka was quick to pull himself away.

Once the food arrived, the teenagers did indeed have to hold onto their plates so the food didn't spill on the table or the floor. While Arnold regretted ordering spaghetti, Helga thanked the lucky stars she had been smart enough to order pizza. The somewhat chewy crust helped the pizza stay on the plate, making it that much easier for her to keep her food in check.

Once they were all done, they decided to explore the ship. It had about nine decks, all with some sort of entertainment on each. On their way though, Gerald decided he was going to need help if he wanted to get Arnold and Helga alone together on this cruise. When the time was right, he grabbed Phoebe's mouth to keep her quiet. She shrieked, not knowing it was him at first, but then looked at him. He signed for her to be quiet before he let go of her mouth and grabbed her hand. She followed him confusedly, but obediently.

"What are you doing?" Phoebe asked with a somewhat high-pitched voice once she and Gerald were away from the others.

"We need to help Arnold and Helga." Gerald explained as he turned to look at her.

She frowned in confusion. "How so?"

"Look. Who knows if they're ever gonna get anywhere back in Hillwood? Helga lives with her parents and despite Bob not having that much interest in her, I don't think he'd be very keen on the idea of her having a boy in her room. Arnold's home is a madhouse, there's no way they're ever gonna have any privacy there. This is basically a one in a lifetime opportunity for those two so I'm gonna help them. What do you say?"

Phoebe smiled in confusion. "Well, yes, of course I want to help Helga too, but what are we supposed to do?"

Gerald grinned mischievously. "We switch the cards."

A grin like Gerald's spread on Phoebe's face. "If I switch my card with Arnold's, he'll end up in Helga's room instead of me…" she stated and laughed. "Perfect! Let's do it."

Once the plan was scheduled all there was left to do was get ahold of Arnold's card without him finding out. Phoebe suggested simply telling him about the plan as well, but Gerald had insisted to surprise the blondes; it'd be more amusing that way and Phoebe couldn't argue against that. Since Arnold was a dense boy, grabbing his card at the right time wasn't hard, especially not with the waves throwing them all around like lotto balls. At the right time, Phoebe managed to switch her own card with Arnold's and she headed back to Gerald to show the fruit of their labor.

"Awesome, Phoebs. Now we just have to wait until we're all going to bed and then we'll hear their stories in the morning." Gerald said and patted Phoebe's head as a way of praising her. She almost blushed at the motion, but kept it down. She looked at her new card, the card that had the same number as Gerald's did.

Then she realized something. "Gerald?"

"Yeah?"

"Now that Arnold is going to be Helga's bunkmate…" she said quietly, still processing the new information in her mind. Gerald looked at her, waiting for her to continue her sentence. "Doesn't that mean… that we're going to have to sleep in the same cabin?"

Gerald's eyes widened and if his dark skin would have allowed it, he would have blushed heavily. Oh, shit.

Arnold was looking at his room card in confusion. He had been sure he and Gerald had gone to the second deck, but this card told him to go to the first. Once they had all explored the ship, they agreed to go clubbing. The club had a dress code so they had all gone back to get redressed, but Arnold had missed Gerald somewhere along the way and had to find his way back himself. That should have been easy, but something told him he must be needing glasses, because this wasn't the same hallway he had been in before when he, together with Gerald, had placed their baggage casually in the cabin.

Arnold shrugged once he was in front of the room his card told him was his and moved the card inside. He walked inside, closing the door behind him and then heard some ruffling. He was about to ask Gerald why he had run off so quickly, when he saw some blonde hair fall down a creamy back. "Helga?!"

The blonde girl jumped at the sudden voice behind her and turned to look who had entered. "Arnold?" she questioned in surprise and looked down at herself. She was standing in front of him, wearing only a pair of red panties and bra. Her instinct told her to cover herself up, but her brain told her that would be ridiculous at this point, so she simply crossed her arms, seemingly casually. "W-What are you doing in here?"

"What are you doing here? Isn't this Gerald's and my room?" Arnold asked and looked at his card.

"What? No. Phoebe and I are sharing this one." Helga insisted and moved towards him to look at the card.

Arnold ignored the way his heart was throbbing at the fact that an almost naked Helga was standing next to him… alone… in a cabin. "This card worked for your room though…"

Helga frowned thoughtfully and then growled. "Phoebe."

"Gerald." Arnold had realized at the same time, but looked at Helga in confusion which she mirrored. "Wait. Phoebe? Are you sure she'd do this?"

Helga grabbed the card out of his hand. "This is her card. Gerald may have given her the idea, but she was the one who switched your cards around." She said before giving it back to him and walking back towards porthole. She sat down on the fold-out bed with a small sigh. Typical Phoebe. She thought and couldn't help but snicker.

Arnold gazed at Helga as an idle sunbeam seemed to strike the window behind her, haloing her with a perfect romantic glow. He shook his head and forced his eyes away before his gaze would travel any further down her body.

The attractive blonde girl saw that he shook his head and stood up from her bed again. "I'm guessing this is a hint." She said as she moved towards Arnold. He looked at her, wondering if she was about to do what he thought and hoped. She moved as close to him as possible before she moved her hand over his shoulder. He moved back a bit, watching her as she looked past him and grabbed some black fabric. "Too bad we have to go that dumbass club first…"

Arnold looked as Helga moved the black fabric over her head. What he suddenly realized was a dress slithered down her body, embracing every curve as it fell perfectly around her. She moved her hair over the dress and looked at him with a pair of eyes that left him breathless. She caressed her nose with his, still looking intensely at him as their lips touched gently.

With a sigh, Arnold closed his eyes and pushed his lips firmly against Helga's. Oh, how he hated they had to go to that stupid club; he'd rather stay here and just hold her more than anything. His hands moved to her back, pulling her against him as her arms went over his shoulders to do the same.

As soon as she did though, she moved away with a groan. "We have to at least make an appearance."

Arnold groaned as well and automatically looked further into the cabin. He frowned at the sight of a certain bag lying on the other bed. "That's my bag…" he stated.

Helga looked towards it. "I gotta give it to those little sneaks; they must have changed it all around at some point." She said before bopping her head towards it. "You'd better get changed too." She pointed out and went inside the midget-sized bathroom.

As Arnold listened to the sound of water dripping out of the faucet from inside the bathroom, he blushed a little at the thought of changing in the room just next to Helga, but he moved towards his bag anyway. As Helga's words about how they just had to make an appearance echoed in his mind, he decided just to change his t-shirt into a dress shirt. As soon as his t-shirt was off his body, he heard the door behind him open and Helga appeared behind him.

She stared at him, not in surprise, but in awe. "Whoa." She stated simply, crossed her arms and leaned against the door. Arnold blushed and tried to ignore her gaze as he started buttoning his dress shirt.

He heard Helga chuckle behind him before approaching him. "A little shaky, aren't we?" she teased before swatting his hands away and starting to button his shirt herself.

Her fingers touched his skin from time to time and he knew she was doing it on purpose. It sent shivers down his entire body whenever she did and once his shirt was fully buttoned, he moved to kiss her again. She moaned in his mouth, her hands dragging down his chest and stomach, showing him how much she wanted him too.

"Appearance." Helga reminded him though and Arnold moved away reluctantly. She smiled at him, happy to see how desperate he was for her. She kissed him one last time before grabbing his hand and pulling him with her out of the cabin.

At their way to the club, their hands never left the other's. Once they were in the elevator, Arnold could feel Helga's thumb caressing his skin and he kissed her cheek. With a moan, she moved her lips towards his and kissed him along his jaw. His free hand went to her neck and he kissed her on her ear, biting her lobe.

A cough interrupted them and the two blondes moved away from each other awkwardly, smiling politely at the older couple that had caught them in the elevator as they walked out. They chuckled at each other before opening the door to the club. The place was dark, only lit up with purple neon and candles on the small round tables around in the room. Near the far end was a stage with a band currently playing and next to the door was a bar.

"There you are!" Gerald declared loudly when he noticed the blondes entering. "Can I get you anything?"

The blondes didn't have to look at each other to confirm that their answer was no. If they ordered anything they had to stick around long enough to finish their drinks and neither one of them had that much patience.

Gerald smirked at them, obviously aware of the reason to the declination. "Do you like my surprise?" he asked as he wiggled his eyebrows.

"If it wasn't because I was so utterly devoted to Arnold, I could kiss you." Helga replied jokingly, kissing Arnold's hand for good effect. The blonde boy sighed as he nodded in agreement.

"Well then! Go out, dance for ten seconds and then you can do whatever you want." Gerald retorted with a wink and headed towards Phoebe who was waving at them.

"Hold on. Doesn't this mean Gerald and Phoebe are going to bed sleeping together?" Helga asked as she and Arnold moved towards the dance floor, smiling at their classmates whenever they got eye contact.

"I guess so." Arnold said and smirked at Helga, moving his mouth towards her to whisper in her ear. "I wonder if that's just a hidden bonus for them or if they were planning that all along."

Helga shrugged at Arnold's suggestion before moving her arms over his shoulders, her hips pushing against his as they swayed. "Ten seconds was it?" she asked with a smile as her fingers dug into his neck and eventually went into his hair.

Arnold groaned before moving his mouth to her neck, licking it hungrily. "I don't think I can wait that long."

"Me neither." She admitted and bit onto his lobe before her tongue licked the shell of his ear. "How long has it been?"

"About one second." Arnold sighed in her ear.

"That's enough isn't it?"

"Yeah, it only needs like a zero." He stated huskily. "That counts as an appearance."

"Hell yeah." Helga replied before grabbing Arnold's hand and moving away from the dance floor again. She could hear some of their peers asking them where they were going already, but both blondes ignored them as they jogged out of the club and back towards the elevator.

Once they were inside and heard the doors close behind them, Arnold swung Helga around. She squealed in surprise when she felt the wall hit her back, but giggled softly before accepting Arnold's kiss. His hands roamed over her hips, traveling up towards her breasts, but never truly touching them. She groaned impatiently as she opened the few top buttons on his dress shirt.

Once again, a cough interrupted the two. This time, they didn't bother to look apologetically at whoever had caught them; they simply ran outside together as fast as their legs could carry them. Arnold was the first to get his card out of his pocket, so Helga didn't bother taking out hers. As he fumbled with the card on the lock, she pressed against him, her hands fumbling with his belt in the meantime.

Helga managed to get Arnold's belt off just as he got the door open. He turned around, kissing her and pulling her inside the cabin. He didn't see it, but he could hear her closing the door and since her hands were on his chest, he assumed she must have closed it with her foot.

To Arnold's dismay, Helga suddenly let go of him, taking her intoxicating lips away from him. He saw how she pulled her dress off over her head and he tried to open the last few buttons on his dress shirt, but barely opened two before her hands took over and got it ripped open within a second.

Helga might have seemed like the more impatient one, but it wasn't like Arnold wasn't desperate to feel her skin against his as soon as possible too; he just didn't like not to have her mouth pressed against his long enough to get any undressing done. So while Helga continued with his pants, he kissed her neck, licking the taut skin on her collarbone. When he leaned down and felt fabric against his mouth, his hands went to her back, trying to find the clasp that was holding the fabric over her breasts.

The impatient boy wasn't sure whether the girl he was touching had helped him removing the bra or not, but it came off quickly and his hands went to her breasts, squeezing them tightly, eliciting a passionate moan from the girl above him. His mouth found a hardened nipple and he suckled on it, earning the possibly highest moan the owner of it had ever made.

Helga's hands pulled Arnold's pants down and he felt his boxers leaving with them as he grabbed her panties and pulled them down as well. Together, they used their feet to kick the clothing away and once he felt the fabric leave his ankles, Arnold let himself fall backwards on the fold-out bed, pulling Helga down with him. She straddled him, his hands helping her sit comfortably on his lap and he heard her groan again when their sexes touched.

It was as if time suddenly stood still; this small touch made them realize how real this was. They smiled at each other in content, Helga moving slowly down to peck Arnold's lips tenderly in contrast to their former desperate kisses. Her hands found his and they tangled their fingers together as they ground their hips against each other's, earning muffled and sloppy moans from the other.

"I don't have the patience." Helga told Arnold when she felt his hand on her inner thigh, which she assumed had been on its way towards her sex. He simply nodded at her, deciding he didn't have it in him to fight against her even though the logical part of his brain told him being impatient was very ungentlemanly.

Helga sat up on Arnold's lap and he gulped at the sight of her naked form. He had been so obsessed with feeling her that he hadn't been looking at her. She was perfection in its purest form and he grinned boyishly. She smiled back at him shyly before biting on her lower lip nervously.

They both looked down at their hips as Helga gently grabbed Arnold's pulsating flesh. He gulped again at her somewhat cold fingers that sent an electrical shiver down his spine. When he felt his smaller head touch something warm, moist and foreign, his hands went to her thighs encouragingly. She took a deep breath and then moved downwards, hissing at the stinging pain she felt. She forced a pained cry down as she moved all the way down until there was nothing more to take in.

Helga was cursing silently as she looked at Arnold. Her vision was blurred and she could barely see him, but she felt him grab her hands and pulling her down towards him. He held her gently, kissing her around her face soothingly. She chuckled at the weird feeling of being in pain and yet feeling so loved as she let him shower her with kisses.

Helga moved her hips experimentally, her thighs shaking when the pain came back for a mere second due to the motion. She rolled around, subconsciously deciding to take all the pain in one go rather than a bit at a time. She could feel Arnold's hands holding her desperately, but he stayed still besides that, letting her choose the speed. She made a solemn vow to thank him for that later as she moved to sit up again. Her hands caressed his chest lovingly, smiling at him before moving upwards and then down again. His arms tensed, his dull nails digging into her thighs in passion, but he stayed still, ignoring the carnal desire to thrust his hips.

Helga made same motion a little slower, watching Arnold's face twitch in restrained need and she moved again, starting a slow rhythm. She put her hands atop of his which were still on her thighs. The blur in her vision slowly disappeared as she blinked and she could see him clearly again as the pain disappeared and pleasure took over.

At Helga's first moan, Arnold let himself moan as well. He had held his voice back until then, but now he dared show and let her hear what she was doing to him. He considered pulling her down to him again; his lips were itching to kiss her skin again, but he decided to sit up instead. She gasped as he moved inside of her, his hands pushing her encouragingly on her back as he licked her throat hungrily. Her fingers got tangled in his hair and she caressed his scalp as he slowly started to thrust back inside her.

Helga leaned back as far as she could. Her hands holding onto his arms, which were holding her as well, were the only things eventually holding her up. She moved her legs so she weren't sitting on her knees anymore, sighing in relief when she could move against him. Her legs tightened around him frantically, desperate to feel more of that friction he was giving her. She tightened around him, groaning at how much more she could feel of him and did it again.

Arnold's hands on Helga's waist were starting to shake. He hated himself for it, but he recognized the feeling of something coiling in his stomach and he looked at Helga, hoping to get the message across without having to say it. He wasn't sure if she understood or not, but her hands went to his cheeks and she pulled him in for a kiss. He kissed her desperately, trying to keep his voice down as he came inside her. He kept thrusting erratically until he fell backwards, completely exhausted.

Arnold could feel his skin prickling from Helga kissing him sweetly across his chest and throat. He moved his hand into his hair, doing his best to reciprocate the small touches even though his hand was still shaking. He felt Helga shift before the tight heat around him disappeared and he shivered from the sudden cold. He turned his head to the side, smiling at Helga who smiled back at him.

"I wonder… if the cleaning staff is… going to hate us." Arnold stated, panting almost every word.

Helga chuckled breathlessly. "They should have stayed in school then."

"Helga!" Arnold scolded in surprise.

She turned to look at him. "What?"

He looked at her in disbelief. "Rude." He said, as if he was reminding of something.

She sat up on her elbows, quirking an eyebrow at him. "You're calling the girl you just fucked rude?" she asked.

Arnold blinked a couple of times before grabbing her and embraced her in his arms. "Point taken." He said in surrender and she chuckled before she kissed his nose.

They stayed still for what felt like a long time before Arnold heard Helga whisper his name. He hummed, telling her he had heard her. She grabbed the blanket and pulled it over them before she turned onto her stomach, using her arms as a pillow.

"I just want to make something clear." Helga said uncharacteristically seriously. Arnold gulped and turned onto his side so he could see her properly, waiting for her to say whatever she had to say. "I love you." She said first, taking a small pause to let him process those words first. "I've always loved you and I think… I think, thanks to Madame Blanche, I now love you even more because I know you have flaws… My whole life I've put you up on a pedestal no person could possibly live up to, but not anymore." She smiled. "I will love you unconditionally, Arnold Shortman. Flaws and all."

Arnold just stared at Helga. He could feel something building up inside him or more like something was disappearing. All the worry he had felt for more than a week, all the insecurity and all the questions he had asked himself seemed so unnecessary now. Suddenly, his eyes burnt for a mere moment as what felt like a clasp around his heart unclenched and he inhaled sharply.

Helga put a hand on his shoulder, shaking him a bit. "A-Arnold, are you ok?" she asked.

He moved his hand up to his heart, blinking until his eyes felt normal again and then nodded. "Yeah…" he whispered and looked at her. She was still looking at him worriedly so he smiled at her as he put his hand on her cheek. "More than ok." He stated before surprising her with a deep kiss.

Helga wasn't sure what had just happened, but something told her that would be the last time she'd see the magical shine in Arnold's green eyes. She smiled before he pulled her on top of him. She chuckled happily, feeling so giddy that she couldn't contain herself. Her laugh stopped sharply when she felt something poke her from behind and she looked at Arnold in slight disbelief.

Arnold shrugged innocently. "Can we blame that on my dark side?" he asked with a smirk as he nuzzled his nose against hers.

She laughed breathlessly. "Sure…" she said sarcastically. "Your alter ego is all to blame."

The end

Arthur's 2nd note: And it's done! I have to admit, it feels a little weird to finish yet another project, but *sigh* I guess it's always going to feel like you're sending a kid off into the world whenever this happens xD I hope you all enjoyed and I thank you for reading my story till the very end. If you liked this, please consider reading my former projects and perhaps the new long project coming up. I won't reveal anything about the upcoming project, but I can say this much: If smut is your thing, my next project will be your thing too ;)