I'm back!
Sorry for the delay in getting this fic out, everything in my life been a little crazy lately, but I'm back now! Thank you to everyone who has been reading, reviewing, and favoriting, I really appreciate all of you.
This fic in particular is pretty boring, honestly, and it's not my favorite. I've been struggling with this one in particular because the next one I have planned is when everything starts really picking up and I was trying to get this one out quickly so that I could start on the next one. It was meant to purely be a filler, but I decided to add the last scene to set everything up for the next fic.
As always, special thanks to Lizlen for just being great all the time and reading my messy drafts of fics and helping me not hate them so much.
P.S. I was actually working on another fic while I was writing this one, and I may end up posting that one if I finish it. It's not related to the college series, but it's still pretty cute if I do say so myself.
Anyways, I hope you guys like this one, let me know!
Song: Falling Autumn by Alayna
Falling Autumn
October 2021
By the time October hits and the leaves are turning burnt oranges and deep reds, it's like they've lived together for years.
Sure, there's the obvious elephant in the room that stems from the smothering sexual tension, but other than that, everything is normal.
Charlotte actually likes her job at the small bookstore ten minutes from the university, and Henry's boss at the coffee shop often sends various pastries home with the employees at the end of the day.
All in all, life is pretty good.
Charlotte has always been very dedicated to school, and sometimes she can get a little too dedicated.
It's 2:13 in the morning on a Wednesday when Henry gets up to use the bathroom and notices a light coming from underneath Charlotte's door. He debates just leaving her alone, but eventually concern drives him to knock gently on her door.
"Yeah?" He hears her respond quietly.
He opens the door to see her hunched over the desk in the corner of her room, the desk lamp and laptop screen illuminating her tired eyes from behind her glasses.
"It's two o'clock in the morning."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." She apologizes instead, stretching her arms with a yawn.
"You didn't." He assures, then continues, "But you should be asleep."
"I know, I just have to finish this paper-"
"That paper isn't due until next Friday, Char." He reminds her, walking over and plopping down on her bed.
"I know, but-"
"Char." He interrupts softly, waiting until she turns around to face him, "Go to sleep."
She mutters something along the lines of "don't tell me what to do" but saves her document and shuts down the laptop. She stretches again when she stands up and he has to look away when her shirt lifts to expose a sliver of skin.
I need to go to sleep.
He doesn't even notice her settling on the bed next to him until she's nudging his shoulder.
"Thanks." She smiled sleepily, "I'm just a little stressed about school and it's already halfway through the semester."
"Me too." He admits, bumping her back with his knee, "I thought juggling being Kid Danger and high school was the most stress I could ever have, but this is coming pretty close."
"Hopefully you're getting more sleep now than you were then." She jokes, though he knows there's some truth to it.
"Well I would if I didn't have a roommate that stayed up until 2am writing papers-" He teases, laughing when she shoves him away, and he falls back onto the bed.
"You told me that I didn't wake you up!" She protested, although she laughs along with him.
"You didn't." He assures, then taps her leg gently, "Seriously, Char, get some sleep."
"I will." She promises, smiling down at him softly, "Thanks, Hen."
He doesn't think twice when he presses a kiss against her temple as he stands up, but before he can panic, she leans into him a little more.
"Goodnight." He says as he walks to her door.
"Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Murphy." He stops to look at the cat at his usual spot at the end of the bed.
The ball of fluff just opens his eyes to glare at Henry before closing them again. Henry shakes his head, huffing dramatically.
"Unbelievable."
Charlotte just laughs.
It isn't until her fifth night in a row of studying past midnight that she realizes that she really needs to get some sleep.
She takes a break around ten o'clock, only to use the bathroom and brush her teeth. She can not waste any more time away from her schoolwork than absolutely necessary.
She fights back a yawn as she walks down the hall, struggling to keep her eyes open after only getting a few hours of sleep a night lately. She's pretty sure she could actually fall asleep standing up at this point.
Just as she reaches the bathroom, hand reaching for the doorknob, the door swings open and oh.
Her very wet, very shirtless best friend-roommate-she doesn't even know what they are exactly is right in the doorway, towel wrapped around his waist.
"Whoa, hey!" He startles, stopping just before he runs into her as she braces her hands in front of her to avoid a collision.
She just stands there, frozen, because she honestly doesn't have enough brain power left to process anything. A stray drop of water drops from his hair, landing on his collarbone and slowly rolling down, down-
She snaps out of it and finally looks up at him, flustered, and he's staring back at her in question.
"What?" She asks dumbly, almost certain he just said something, but she didn't hear it over the roaring of her pulse in her ears.
"I said I forgot my clothes in my room and I didn't think you would be taking a break from studying anytime soon." He repeats, amused and she knows he knows that she is panicking.
"Oh." She replies, ever so eloquently, "Um, yeah. I figured I needed a break."
"Good." He smiles, "You've been studying a lot lately, you deserve to relax for a bit."
"Thanks." She responds because she doesn't really know what else to say. It's quiet again before he speaks up.
"I'll get out of your way then." He decides, and she waits for him to do so.
They stand in silence for another few seconds before he looks down expectantly, and she follows his gaze before she realizes that oh my God, her hands are braced against his bare stomach.
What the fuck, Charlotte-
"Sorry." She squeaks, quickly yanking her hands away and against her own chest as she jumps back to give him room.
He laughs, but she catches him eyeing her up and down in a flash of warmth. She wants to explain, to apologize, to say something, but he beats her to it.
"For both of our sakes, please get some sleep, Char."
He walks off to his room, leaving her wondering what exactly he meant by that.
As the month progresses, the weather gets cooler and it finally feels like autumn.
Charlotte loves all of the seasons for different reasons, but she has a special place in her heart for falling leaves and crisp air. She loves pulling out her sweaters and scarves and boots, and the thought of drinking hot chocolate on cool nights is exciting.
Unfortunately, this is all accompanied by midterm, which is almost more stressful than the end of the semester. She is doing well in all of her classes, but one slip up and it could all come crashing down.
(Maybe she's being a little dramatic, but if there's one thing that Charlotte refuses to fail at, it's school.)
She tries to follow Henry's advice and not stay up all night working on papers and studying for exams, but it's hard to relax when she still has a 10 page research paper to write and three exams to study for.
She tries to take breaks, tries to pace herself, but in the end, she often finds that she'll stare at her laptop screen or textbook for hours, barely blinking.
She's inches away from her laptop one night, eyes burning from exhaustion, and the sound of a knock at her door startles her. She looks over to see Henry leaning against the doorway, keys in hand.
"What?" She asks after a moment, taking off her glasses and giving her eyes a rest.
"Put some shoes on and meet me downstairs." Is all he says before walking away.
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see!" He calls back. She pouts at his mysterious answer before calling back.
"Do I have to put on something cute?"
"You already look cute, come on."
She's glad he's already heading downstairs so he doesn't see her giddy smile and flushed face.
She's glad for her thick cardigan when they get out of the car at the small diner, the air chilly at this time of night.
"A diner?" She asks as she walks around the car to him.
"I pass by it on the way to work." He explained as they walked to the door, the neon blue sign illuminating his face, "And I know you haven't eaten since lunch."
She wants to defend herself, but he is right. It's almost 10 o'clock and her stomach had been growling for hours.
"I was busy." She mumbles and he just shakes his head as he holds the door open for her. She steps inside, embracing the warmth that rushes to her as he closes the door behind them. She ends up picking a booth in the corner for them, although there are only two other couples in here at the moment.
"Welcome to Dellah's, what can I get for you two?" An older lady greets them, notepad in hand.
"I'll take a turkey club and a lemonade." She orders before handing the menu to the waitress.
"And I'll have the cheeseburger and a root beer." Henry adds, handing his menu over as well.
"I'll have that right up." She responds as she tears the paper off of the notepad, "My name is Margaret if you need anything."
They both thank her as she walks away before turning back to each other.
"Thanks." Charlotte says after a few minutes of quiet, the music overheard playing 50's jazz softly, "I needed a break."
Henry shrugs it off.
"You've kept me sane for how many years now?" He reminds her with an easygoing smile, "I'm just trying to do the same."
They're interrupted by Margaret bringing their drinks and food, and they don't talk much as they eat.
"Is it going to be one check or two?" Margaret asks as she comes to get their empty plates.
"One." They both say at the same time, and she leaves to get the check as they both eye each other suspiciously.
"I'm paying." Charlotte says firmly.
"No, you're not." Henry disagrees, his tone mirroring hers.
"You used your car and your gas to bring us here-"
"Which was my idea so therefore I am paying."
"Henry-"
"Charlotte-"
"Here's the check for you two." Margaret lays it down on the table just in time for them both to attempt to grab it.
"Ha!" Henry holds up the check triumphantly, grinning back at a very frustrated Charlotte.
"Give it." Charlotte demands, holding out her hand.
Margaret looks between the two, then just smiles at them.
"When you two are done, just come up to the counter." She instructs before shaking her head fondly and walking away.
"Henry." Charlotte warns, her hand still held out to him.
He smirks before grabbing her hand and kissing the back of it, winking at her while doing so. Her jaw drops open as she stares back at him.
"I'll be over here paying when you're ready." He says before getting up and walking to the main counter.
Charlotte tells herself that she needs a moment to gather her phone and wallet before getting up.
It has nothing to do with her knees feeling a little unsteady.
It's the day before her Biology midterm that could be the death of her and Charlotte is fully ready to pack up everything, move back to Swellview, and live out her days as a clown for children's parties.
Is that her goal in life? Not particularly.
But you know what else isn't her goal in life? Mole relationships and chemical equations.
The words of her textbook are blurring together at this point and she would kill for a nap right now. She's been studying for this midterm for weeks and she still feels like she is going to fail it before she even steps foot in the room.
She shoves the textbook away before standing up and taking a deep breath. She stares at the ceiling as if waiting for help when it seems to come in a different form than expected.
"You okay?"
She looks over to see Henry looking at her from the doorway, brown eyes filled with concern, and she smiles in spite of the overwhelming stress.
"Yeah, just rethinking all of my life choices that led me to take Life Sciences."
He huffs out a laugh, but waves her over quietly.
"Come on, you need a break."
She wants to protest, to remind him that the midterm is tomorrow, but she finds herself following him down the stairs.
They're almost to the kitchen when she smells a familiar, comforting scent.
"Did you make hot chocolate?" She looks at him before finding the two mugs sitting on the counter, steam rising up into the air.
"I thought I was going to have to bribe you to get away from your textbook." He admits, both of them grabbing a mug.
"Thanks." She takes a sip, closing her eyes at the rich, smooth taste, "Shouldn't you be studying for your Calculus midterm tomorrow?"
"Already did." He replies, "It's actually been surprisingly easy for me."
"Of course." She mutters as she rolls her eyes, and he grins at her teasingly.
"Don't worry, Char, you're still the smart one."
"We'll see if that's still the case after my exam tomorrow." She says offhandedly, but he sets down his mug and turns to fully face her.
"You're going to kick that exam's ass." He waits until she looks up at him to continue, "You're the smartest person I know-"
"Other than Schwoz-" She starts to cut in, trying to take the attention off of herself, but Henry keeps going.
"-and the most caring, beautiful, and amazing person." He finishes, staring down at her with such fondness that Charlotte feels her heart in her throat.
"You're going to do great, Char." He says quietly, and Charlotte can't even find the words to reply.
The only thing on her mind at the moment is just how much she wants to kiss Henry Hart.
But then he looks away and says something about switching a shift with a coworker tomorrow and she forces herself to drink her hot chocolate so that she doesn't do something stupid like actually kiss him.
The next morning, as she's walking to her Biology class to take the exam, she gets a text from Henry.
'You're going to do great. Love you.'
Charlotte's brain is officially out of order by the time Saturday comes around.
She's on autopilot on her way home from her shift at the bookstore, and it's not until she's walking to the front door of the house that she notices that Henry's SUV is in the driveway.
She walks through the door, confused, looking around for the blonde. She's about to call out for him when he comes from upstairs, two strips of brightly colored paper in his hand.
"Hey, what are you doing home?" She asks, setting her purse down on the counter.
"I switched shifts with Zack." he explains, all while suspiciously hiding the paper behind his back, "I thought I told you."
"Oh, yeah." She remembers, then eyes him cautiously, "So, what are those?"
"Hmm?"
"What are those?"
"What are what?"
"The two pieces of paper that you're trying to hide behind your back."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
She just glares at him.
"On a totally unrelated note, we're going out tonight."
She immaturely gives him the silent treatment through dinner and the car ride afterwards.
"I know you're mad at me right now, but I promise you'll forgive me in a few minutes."
She side-eyes him and he just gives her a smile in return before focusing back on the road.
Charlotte watches out the window, trying to figure out where they even are, but nothing looks familiar.
It all makes sense when two minutes later, they take a right turn and the world explodes with bright lights and loud noises.
Charlotte stares at the fairgrounds with a childlike wonder, a smile unconsciously making its way across her face.
"Still mad at me?"
She looks over at him, trying to appear unaffected.
"That depends. Do they have funnel cakes?"
"Okay, this game is totally rigged!"
Charlotte laughs at Henry's indignation, reaching over to grab a yellow ball from his hand.
"Here, let me try."
She knocks down two bottles in one throw.
"Unbelievable."
She sticks her tongue out at him playfully as the man behind the stand hands over a small stuffed lion.
Henry's eyes suddenly light up with mischief as Charlotte hugs the lion to her chest proudly.
"A lion, huh?" He smirks, and Charlotte looks at him in confusion before her eyes widen.
"Be careful, you might have a dream about me again-"
She is able to hit him twice with the lion before he jumps away, cackling obnoxiously.
"That was one time-"
"I remember you saying that you 'kept having that dream'-"
"Okay, so maybe more than once but that's not the point!"
He grabs the lion when she swings it again towards him, stopping her.
"How many is more than once?"
"I-" She stammers for a reply, "I don't know."
He waits, and she eventually relents.
"Four."
"Four?"
"Yes, I dreamed about you saving me from a lion four times." She retorts, trying to regain control of the conversation, "Are you happy?"
"I dreamed about you too." He says suddenly, and she looks back at him in shock.
"What?"
"Want to ride the ferris wheel?" He asks before walking away. She quickly chases after him.
"Wait, wait, wait!" She protests, walking in front of him to stop him, "What do you mean you dreamed about me?"
"I mean that after you told me you dreamed about me, my mind thought it made sense for me to dream about you." He comes off as nonchalant, but Charlotte can tell he's regretting saying anything.
"What happened?"
"Hmm?"
"Henry."
He sighs in defeat.
"We were playing golf in the Man Cave and you tried to kiss me."
"What?"
"Yep."
"That's it?"
He makes that sound that means he's not fully telling the truth and Charlotte stares him down.
"You said that if you missed the putt that we would kiss. Then you hit the ball in the opposite direction."
"Oh my God."
"On purpose."
"Yeah, I got that."
Neither of them say anything for a minute, and Charlotte finally looks away, a faint smirk on her face.
"What?" Henry prompts, trying to catch her attention.
"Nothing." She quickly replies, but he can see the self-satisfied grin on her face from a mile away.
"Oh, don't look so smug about it." He nudges her with his shoulder, "You dreamed about me four times. I only had that dream once."
"Only once?"
"Okay, fine." He relents with an eye roll, "Twice."
She giggles as they continue walking towards the giant ferris wheel at the center of the fairgrounds.
The ride on the ferris wheel is amazing, the view at the top taking Charlotte's breath away.
And then there's a loud screech and the entire ride jolts to a stop.
"Just hold on for a minute, everyone!" The operator calls from below, "We'll have the ride back up and running in a few minutes!"
"I hope nothing bad happens." Henry says quietly, causing Charlotte to look at him with wide eyes until he smirks.
"I don't have my gumballs with me."
Charlotte laughs, shaking her head at his attempt to lighten the situation.
"Yeah, I don't think you would make it to Swellview and back in time to help anyone."
"Actually," He almost look sheepish, "I have a tube at the house."
"What?" She asks in disbelief, "Why?"
"Schwoz had to make more since I helped Ray and the kids out a few times last year, so I had extra." He explains, and it reminds her of what she's been wanting to ask for a while now.
"What happened while I was gone?"
He looks back at her, uncertain, and she can feel the atmosphere change.
"Not much, Ray and I helped the kids with their powe-"
"I mean with you."
He seems a little confused still, but she thinks he secretly knows what's coming.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Henry."
He sighs, seemingly giving up his attempt to get out of the conversation.
"I just missed you, that's all."
"And?"
"That's it, Char."
She waits, not saying anything until he finally gives in.
"I was really happy for you, honestly. You deserved to go out in the world and make a difference and be recognized for it, and I am so proud of you." He starts, not maintaining eye contact tensely.
"But?" She prompts quietly.
"I guess, part of me thought maybe you weren't going to come back." He admits, finally looking at her, and her chest suddenly hurts.
"What?"
"You've always wanted to travel and start a charity and help people. It's your dream. You seemed so happy there, every time I talked to you on the phone. You seemed like you were finally where you wanted to be and you were happy. Really happy."
He pauses, taking in a shaky breath.
"I just thought that maybe since you were so happy there, that maybe you would end up wanting to stay there. Forever."
"Henry…" She wants to reach out, to hug him, to let him know that everything he thought was wrong.
"Which is incredibly selfish, I know, but you're one of the most important people in my life and you've always been there and the thought of you not being there was terrifying."
"I told you I was only going to be there for a year, you knew that." She reminds him, but he just shrugs, shoulders tense.
"Yeah, but things change."
"Henry, I-"
"Okay, everybody, we've got it fixed!" The operator yells from below, cutting off Charlotte, "Just hold on a minute and we'll have everybody back on the ground!"
Charlotte focuses back on Henry, but he doesn't give her a chance to continue the conversation.
"Good thing we're not afraid of heights, huh?" He jokes, then starts rambling on about everything but his insecurities.
She can't even bring herself to call him out on it.
The ride back home is quiet, and her brain is so overwhelmed by her emotions that she doesn't even know what to say.
The next week is full of short, strained conversations, and the tension between them is starting to choke them both. She stays in her room most of the time, and he rarely comes in to interrupt anymore.
She wanted so badly to know what happened while she was gone, but now that she does know, she almost wishes she had never asked in the first place.