The Man Cave was quiet that night.
Henry, Ray, Charlotte, were all too tired to deal with Christina's chaos after the whirlwind of yesterday, so… they slept. Somewhere in the lair. Anywhere they could. Exhaustion won over vigilance.
The next morning, Christina was gone.
Henry trudged through the hallways of Swellview High, still grouchy from the night before. He rounded the corner toward homeroom… and froze.
There she was. Christina. Leaning casually against a locker, looking like she owned the place.
"Wait… you?" he muttered, stopping in his tracks.
"Huh, Kid Danger?" she replied, tilting her head, smirk in place.
Henry nearly choked on the air. He looked around wildly to make sure no one else had heard. "Are you trying to get me fired?!"
He grabbed her wrist and yanked her into the nearest empty classroom, slamming the door behind them.
"Okay, first—what the heck are you doing here?!" he demanded, voice low.
"And second—Schwoz spilled everything last night. So start talking."
"I told Schwoz not to tell anyone," she said, unimpressed. "And he had a chance to explain, but you guys just wouldn't let him speak up."
Henry gritted his teeth. "You've got some nerve, you know that? We're trying to keep our secret safe—and Swellview safe—and you drop in out of nowhere, stir up trouble, and then bail."
He rubbed his temples. "I swear, you've made my life a living hell in the last 24 hours."
"Whatever. I'm living worse than you. You've got a title. You're famous."
He sighed again. "It's worse than anything you can imagine. Trust me."
She smirked. "Then can I be a sidekick of Captain Man?"
Henry stared at her like she had grown three heads. "Seriously? Did you hit your head or something? No."
"Why not?" she asked, voice innocent.
Henry rubbed his temples. "Because one reckless, sarcastic sidekick is already enough trouble for Ray to handle. We don't need another loose cannon."
He crossed his arms. "Besides, you literally just showed up yesterday. You don't even have training."
He paused. "…And also, I worked my butt off for this spot. So no. No, you can't just waltz in and be a sidekick."
"Are you jealous? Well, Captain Man doesn't want you," she teased.
Henry's jaw dropped—and snapped shut. His face flushed bright red. "WHAT—NO—I—"
He sputtered for five seconds before settling on: "Captain Man loves me."
Somewhere, Ray sneezed, completely oblivious.
"Really? He loves me more," she whispered with a sly smile.
Henry's face twisted into an irritated scowl. "You—you don't even know him. Captain Man and I have a… bond. One you don't understand."
"You don't understand my bond with him," she countered, brushing her hand lightly against his arm.
Henry jerked away, flustered. "OKAY, that's enough."
He took a deep breath. "Look—whatever weird family reunion thing you think is happening? It's not. You don't get to just show up, mess with our heads, and waltz into our lives like some—some long-lost hero. And… Captain Man doesn't love you."
"Alright," she said, innocently.
Henry crossed his arms. "Good—we're on the same page finally."
He began to leave. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a class to get to—"
She smirked. "I have a class with you."
Henry froze. "…You're in my class?"
"Yes," she said, nonchalantly.
Henry groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Fantastic. Today just keeps getting better."
She laughed and linked her arm through his.
Henry stiffened, face flaming. "Hey—let go of me!"
She whispered, leaning close. "Hey… maybe there's danger around. You can protect me… Kid Danger."
His whole body tensed. "Do not say that name in public!"
"And no, I'm not protecting you—you wrecked my life yesterday!" he hissed.
As they walked to class, Jasper spotted her—arm wrapped around Henry's. Charlotte saw too. Both were stunned.
Henry groaned. "Please stop."
She chuckled. "Hey, Jasper!"
Jasper gaped. "Ohhhh, so this is why Henry's been acting all weird!"
Charlotte glared daggers. "Are you serious right now?"
Henry shot her a panicked look. "It's not what it looks like—"
She giggled, tightening her grip.
Finally, she pulled away and sauntered to her seat.
Henry exhaled in relief. "Finally. Thank you."
Jasper grinned. "I'm loving this. Best day ever."
Charlotte, however, was still plotting revenge. "You better have a damn good explanation for this."
"OMG! I'm in class with my best friend Jasper!" Christina whispered cheerfully.
Jasper high-fived her. "Awesome, right?!"
Charlotte's grip tightened on her desk. "Excuse me?"
Henry rubbed his forehead. "Oh my god…"
Jasper tried to lighten the mood. "Ooooh, someone woke up spicy today!"
Charlotte's glare turned toward him. "Shut it, Jasper."
Christina whispered: "Charlotte is jealous that Henry loves me."
Henry choked, face crimson. "What—no, I do not—stop it!"
Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Please. He's repulsed by you. Don't flatter yourself."
Christina chuckled.
Henry crossed his arms, exasperated. "Hey, believe whatever you want. Just don't bring me into this."
Charlotte snorted. "Riiight, you're the victim here."
Christina whispered again: "We had a passionate time before class."
Henry turned tomato-red. "Y-you're insane—"
Charlotte scoffed. "Yeah, in your dreams."
Henry threw his hands up. "I give up. Jasper, you deal with her."
Jasper grinned, thrilled. "Finally! Someone fun!"
Charlotte stormed off, already plotting revenge.
As class began, a folded piece of paper fell into Henry's lap. He discreetly unfolded it and froze: hearts, and C x H.
Christina whispered: "Christina. My name's Christina."
Henry sighed in relief. "Christina. Got it."
She smiled innocently. He groaned. The note just raised more questions.
"Hearts?" he mouthed. She shrugged, still smiling.
This drove Henry insane. He tried to focus on the teacher, but that damn note kept running through his mind.
Then she whispered: "Nice lips."
Henry choked, face nuclear red. He crumpled the note, muttering: "Stop… talking."
Charlotte glanced over at the exact wrong moment. "Oh my god, are you flirting in class?"
Henry panicked. "NO—she's—I'm—none of this is happening—"
Jasper leaned over, grinning. "This is so entertaining."
Christina whispered: "I'll taste them later."
Henry's face turned full-on nuclear. He shoved the note into his pocket. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"
Jasper, delighted: "Can I watch?"
Henry: "JASPER—"
The teacher noticed the commotion. "Henry Hart. Problem?"
Henry slumped in his seat. "…Nope."
Christina whispered: "Yes, Miss. He has a diarrhea."
Henry's jaw dropped.
Charlotte pinched her nose. "Oh my god."
Jasper grinned. "Yeah, Miss. Explosive diarrhea."
The class erupted in snickers. Henry glared daggers, but Christina just winked.
Chaos, chaos everywhere.
And Henry Hart? Completely undone.