Summary: Season 5 episode 2. Kid Danger and Captain Man have saved the kids from the nice monster from another dimension.
The Chenry storyline connects with the previous chapter.
Charlotte sat in her usual spot in front of the monitors, her legs twitching in anticipation. It had been a while since Henry and Ray left and she was starting to get worried. If a monster has a habit of stealing kids, it terrified her to wonder about the torture they had to endure, it terrified her even more what would happen to anyone who tried to rescue them.
A few days have past since the moment she shared with Henry. Neither of them brought up the topic, not wanting things to be awkward between them. It was left buried.
For Charlotte, it was anything but. Her mind has been plagued with those thoughts since it happened. Her feelings confusing her more as time went by. Did it mean anything? Was it just in the heat of the moment? Was the kiss intentional?
Charlotte could not forget about the kiss. It was a simple gesture that caused her heart to jump out of her chest, even just thinking about it. She liked it. She stopped denying that she didn't after how many sleepless nights. It made her wonder how it would feel if his lips touched her own instead of her head. The young girl shook it off. It unnerved her that she was thinking about her best friend like that.
Just then, the familiar swoosh sound from the tubes rang in Charlotte's ears. She turned around to see Ray and Henry step out, still in their suits, covered in green goo. A breath of relief escaped her lips at the sight of them.
"What happened?" She asked, standing from her seat.
"Went through an interdimensional portal, saved the kids, and came back," Ray answered. Charlotte rolled her eyes at his bluntness.
"What about the moonster?" Schowz asked.
"Turns out he was good. Just lonely," Henry shrugged. "Piper and the others weren't force to stay. She said they could've left whenever they wanted."
"So, there was never any real danger?" Charlotte avoided Henry's eyes. She tried to ask the question nonchalantly, but his ears heard the concern, and he wanted to assure her that they were alright.
"Nah," Ray dismissed with a wave of his hand. "Just a bunch of stupid scientists wanting to play God."
"Tho, thes thtill time tho go thrick oh threethin'?" Jasper still had trouble speaking properly after his accident at Junk n' Stuff. He was over by the couch with an ice bag perched on top of his upper lip.
"Boy, I have no idea what you just said, but let's go trick or treating!" Ray pumped his fist in the air, causing everyone to cheer in agreement, except Jasper who was looking betrayed. As they all headed for the exit, Charlotte suddenly stopped them.
"You two need to change," she pointed at Ray and Henry. The two of them looked down on themselves before taking out their tubes and popping a gum. She always watched the transformation, fascinated by the green glow and the power of one simple bubblegum. Once the glow died, she was met with the faces of her boss and her incredibly handsome best friend.
Woah, what?
Henry and Ray headed to their respective tubes, while Schowz, Jasper and Charlotte made their way to the elevator. They previously learned that they can't all fit in the elevator together unless they preferred to be squished against one another. Pressing the button, they were lifted up to the shop.
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Laughter and cheers echoed between the group of friends. Henry unlocked the front door to his house and invited the whole gang in. His parents were out of town so he didn't have to worry about any questions that they might have. Ray, Schowz and Jasper slumped on the couch while Charlotte went to the kitchen to grab a drink.
"I'm getting my tripod!" Piper yelled, running up the stairs. They picked her up after they left the ManCave courtesy of Henry.
"We don't need a picture, Piper!" Henry shouted after her but she was already gone. Shaking his head, he closed the door before walking over to the guys on the couch. He dropped a big bag full of candies on the coffee table, startling them. "Guess who got the most treats of the night."
Jasper scoffed as he stood up, placing a hand on Henry's shoulder. "Oh Henry. You clearly haven't experienced Halloween properly," he dropped a blue bag that looked a lot bigger and way fuller than the blondes'. "Booyah!" Jasper exclaimed, making weird gestures with his arms.
Ray laughed full-heartedly. He stood up and gave the two of them a mocked sympathetic face. "You children no nothing about taking candy from... well...children," he revealed his own bag and dropped it onto the table with a thud. Both Henry's and Jasper's combined candies stood no chance of beating Ray's. His was enormous.
"Well, I wasn't done yet," Henry pulled out another bag from behind him. It was slightly larger than Jasper's but smaller than Ray's, but combined, that made him, "Winner." Henry dropped placed the bag next to his previous one and held his arms out victoriously.
Charlotte came around, with a glass of water in her hand. "Isn't that mine?"
"Whaaa- pffft, no," Henry's voice rose up, giving her a cheeky smile. Charlotte shook her head and took a sip of water, hoping that it would cover up the smile that formed on her face.
Suddenly, Jasper clasped his hands, his eyes shining as an idea formed in his head. The bump on his lip having healed already. "Let's have a contest to see who eats the most candy."
"Uh, I don't think that's-" Charlotte was interrupted by Ray who snapped his fingers, nodding.
"Whoever loses has to wear a tutu and eat worms with Schowz for 3 days,"
"Yay!" Schowz clapped happily for his place on the couch.
"And whoever wins gets to run the ManCave for the whole week," Henry added, already pumped by the challenge.
"Deal! Wait, what?" Ray's eyes widened at the conditions.
"Guys!" Charlotte shouted, catching their attention. "This isn't a good idea." The guys all groaned loudly.
"Can't you be not responsible for one day?" Ray questioned.
"Someone has to be when the adult around here is a child."
"I'm not a child!" Ray pouted, making Charlotte roll her eyes.
"Can you at least do it after the picture?" She suggested. The three of them let out a sigh and nodded, although begrudgingly.
"Henry, I'm entering your room!" Piper screamed from upstairs.
"What? Why?" Henry shouted back.
"Because you stole my tripod!"
"Wha- no I didn- ah nevermind," Henry grumbled, running a hand down his face. Charlotte chuckled before turning around and walking back to the kitchen. She decided to prepare a ton of water if the boys were set on their competition. Somehow that became her role. Whenever they did something stupid, like now, she would always be there cleaning up their messes. She didn't mind though, as long as their ideas weren't over the top and can seriously hurt them.
She searched the kitchen of the Hart house for any spare pitchels. She's probably gonna need about 5, maybe more. There were already two inside the fridge ready to go, and she found two extra ones on the bottom cabinet. That left her with one more. She was about to ask Henry if they had anymore, but stopped when it appeared in front of her. Her eyes followed the holder and found a pair of chocolate eyes staring down at her.
"Thought you might look for one," he winked at her, the cheeky smile back on his face. Charlotte wasn't able to hide her own as she took the pitchel from him, a fuzzy feeling in her chest.
"Unless you idiots want a trip to the clinic, I'm staying prepared," Charlotte started taking glasses out, Henry following her lead.
"What would we do without you?" Henry nudged her shoulder playfully, electing a giggle out of the curly-head.
"End up losing a limb," she chuckled, lining up the classes neatly on the island.
"Seriously, Char," Henry said, tone becoming serious. "I don't think you know how much we appreciate what you do for us. For me."
Charlotte smiled softly at him. "Don't worry, Hen, I know."
"Still, I think we should say it more often, so I'll start," he took both her hands in his and looked into her eyes. "Charlotte, I appreciate everything that you do for us."
Charlotte couldn't help but laugh gently. His tone was a mixture of playfulness and being serious. "You're a dork."
"I'm your dork."
Her eyes snapped to his, laughter dying out. She honestly stopped breathing when he took a step closer, towering over her. His brown eyes stared deeply into her own making Charlotte's heart beat faster than normal. She became nervous wondering if he could hear it.
Henry's hands still tucked both of her own, refusing to let go. His eyes searched her own to see any sign that he should stop and move away, when he didn't, his confidence leveled up. He was worried about making the first move, thinking that she didn't reciprocate his feelings and potentially ruin their friendship. Seeing her just as nervous as he was gave him a boost.
That night in the ManCave, when Charlotte told him that she worries when he goes on missions, he couldn't get her out of his head. His feelings changed. He didn't just see her as a best friend now. He sees her as someone he could rely on, someone he could trust. A partner. Everything he was looking for in a girl. He mentally smacked himself for not seeing it sooner.
Charlotte was always there for him. When he needed someone to talk to, it was Charlotte he approached. When he needed advice, either for school or girls, he went to Charlotte. If he needed to vent about his family or his sidekick gig, Charlotte was always there to listen to him. He only regrets that he's never had the balls to tell her. That stops now.
"There aren't enough words in the dictionary to describe how thankful I am that I met you. You're always there for me. Helping me on missions, making sure that nothing goes wrong. You're the best best friend that I could ever ask for, along with Jasper of course," he winked, making Charlotte chuckle. "I'm the luckiest man alive to have you by my side, and I'm an idiot for not realising that until recently.
He took a risk and gently cupped her face with one hand, smiling softly when she didn't pull away. His heart fluttered when she leaned into his touch. "Remember what you told me that night after we stopped Barge?" She nodded. "I never want to put you through that again. I never want you to have to worry if I come back or not, or if I'm hurt. So I'm making you a promise; A promise that, no matter what happens, I'll come back. I'll return home to you, whatever it takes."
"Henry..."
He wiped a stray tear away with his thumb. "Even if I'm kidnapped or something, I'll find a way to let you know I'm okay, that nothing can stop me from coming home. And it'll be worth it, because I know what's waiting for me."
"Henry, I..." Charlotte was at a loss for words. She was literally speechless after his confession. One thing was for sure, if she wasn't in love with Henry before, she was certain that she's fallen now.
Henry gave her a soft smile, his hand falling to land on her waist. "I don't deserve you worrying about me. I don't deserve you caring about me. But I promise to do whatever to be worthy of it. To be worthy of you."
"Hen..." Charlotte let him lean his forehead on hers. They were so close that she could smell his cologne, it made her head spin. Gazing into his eyes, she saw nothing but love and adoration and it made her feel special to be on the receiving end of it. Never had someone looked at her like that before, and she loved it even more that it was Henry, her best friend, that held it for her.
Reaching up, Charlotte gently cupped his face, glancing down to his lips before back to his eyes. They had darken a tad bit and he pulled her closer to him. "You always have been."
Henry face slowly broke into an incredibly bright smile, arms circling tightly around her waist, pulling her impossibly closer. She mirrored his expression, beaming as if Father Christmas came early with her present. He slowly leaned in, Charlotte's breath catching in her throat.
Feeling her lips suddenly dry, she instinctively let her tongue run over it. Henry's eyes were glued to the movement, gazing hungrily. He raised his eyes back to her and Charlotte gasped softly at how dark they've become.
Henry leaned in again, his lips now hovering over hers, waiting to see if she pulled away. He was silently asking for permission and Charlotte's heart melted. He was using all his self-control to stop and ask for consent. With a subtle nod, Charlotte's eyes fluttered close as his lips was about to touch hers.
"I found it!"
They jumped apart.
"Nooooo!!"
Charlotte and Henry turned to see the guys were on their knees leaning on the couch, chins resting on the edge, a position that clearly says they were watching them the whole time. Charlotte blushed furiously at the thought. Knowing that people were watching her be intimate with Henry filled her with embarrassment. She groaned, burying her face in his chest that vibrated through his chuckle.
Piper bounded down the stairs, tripod in her hand. She beelined to where the TV sat, passing by Schowz and Jasper who were placing bill after bill in Ray's hands, she ignored it.
As Piper set the tripod up, Henry and a blushing Charlotte came back to the living room. "What are you guys doing?" He asked, brows furrowed.
"We bet that you two would kiss. I won obviously," Ray happily counted the money he had before placing it in his pocket.
"You watched the whole time?" Charlotte crossed her arms, giving them a disapproving look.
"If we say no, we won't get another lecture?" Ray grinned playfully at her. Henry pursed his lips to keep himself from laughing. Charlotte was shaking her head at them but he could tell that she was trying to hold back a smile herself.
"They would've kissed if Piper didn't interrupt them," Jasper grumbled.
"Who would've kissed who?" Piper asked. She finished setting up for their group photo and was just about to yell at them to get into their places when she heard the conversation.
"No one,"
"Henry and Charlotte," Ray gave Jasper a weird look, wondering why he was lying. Piper's face lit up and she looked at the pair for confirmation.
"Are you guys dating?"
The couple glanced at one another, unsure of how to answer. They hadn't exactly had the time to discuss it. Apparently the glance was all the confirmation Piper needed.
"Yes!" She cheered, holding a hand out to Jasper who groaned. "Pay up."
"Hang on, is everyone betting on us to be together?" Charlotte asked, bewildered.
"It was bound to happen," Piper answered, counting her money. "We just bet on the when."
"How come you lost twice?" Henry asked, nodding in Jasper's direction.
"I bet that you guys would get together on Christmas and kiss on New Year's Eve," he said, upset that he lost a lot of money in one night.
"Alright, picture time!" Piper hustled everyone into position. Ray and Schowz were on both ends of the couch. Jasper sat next to the crazy scientist while Piper sat next to Ray, saying that she would rather sit with a manchild rather than a foreign crazy person with a weird accent. "Newly coupled front and center."
"We're not-"
"You can't possibly say that we're not together after what happened," Henry cut in before she could finish her sentence. He pouted and gave her the puppy dog eyes when she turned to glare at him.
"Fine," Charlotte couldn't stop the smile that spread her face at the thought of Henry as her boyfriend. It gave her the butterflies. They sat in their assigned places, with Henry next to Piper and Charlotte next to Jasper.
"Say 'Chenry',"
"Chenry!"
Piper quickly took the photo before the couple realised what they all said. She was right, they were giving her an odd look.
"Chenry?" They asked at the same time.
"Yup," Piper responded, explaining no further, leaving them to figure it out themselves. "Let's do one where were standing."
The others agreed and got up. Henry placed an arm around both his favourite girls and smiled to the camera.
"Silly faces," Piper said. The others got into position and waited until Piper took the shot. Running up to her phone, she hurriedly swiped through to see the results. "I said silly faces, not cute ones," she turned her phones, allowing the others to see the last picture.
Jasper had Schowz in a headlock and it seemed as though he was trying to stay serious but failed as his face broke into a smile. Schowz, on the other hand, was full on laughing, not even pretending to choke.
Piper looked like she was about to attack Ray. A ferocious look was plastered on her face with her arm raised in a form of a punch. They all doubted that the fear on Ray's face was just pretend.
Henry was standing behind Charlotte, his arms wrapped around her midsection, and his head buried in her neck. Charlotte wore the biggest smile on her face. Her own hands were placed on Henry's and her legs were tucked nearly to her chest, laughing as he tickled her. It ended up looking like he was carrying her.
"Yeah, that's not fair," Ray complained, taking the phone from the little girl's hands and zooming in on his face. "You didn't get my good side."
"You don't have one," Piper snatched her phone back from him. Henry walked over to his sister and looked at the photo over her shoulder.
"I look goooood," he grinned.
"Only because you're standing next to Charlotte," Piper retorted.
"So not true. Hey, can you send that to me?" Henry asked, already pulling out his phone.
"Why so you can frame it?"
"Pfffttt, no... cause-uh- that would be lame pffft," Charlotte raised an eyebrow at him, a knowing smile on her lips. Henry smiled back and sent her a wink, making her heart flutter uncontrollably.
"Alright, let's get this competition started!" Jasper shouted as he knelt before the coffee table.
Henry knelt in front of his best friend as Ray sat on the side of the table. The three of them placed their hands down, eyeing each other, ready to begin.
"Ready? Set..." Piper hit record, making sure that they fit in the shot. "Go!"
And with that, the boys dug in. Consuming candy like there was no tomorrow. Shaking her head, Charlotte went back in the kitchen and poured water in each of the prepared cups, waiting for the next day, knowing she'd be giving them another lecture.