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It was official, Ray had reached new heights of pettiness and Henry absolutely hated him for it. If it weren't for Schwoz saying Ray was "looking a little doughy" above his Captain Pants, the Defenders of Swellview wouldn't be in the midst of Captain Man-dated fitness challenges for the next month! This morning Ray had sent the Captain Fam group chat what was essentially an order for them all to do a 5 mile run. Henry thought that if he really wanted to he could probably knock 5 miles out in no time (and live to regret it later), but he didn't want to run by himself, so to Charlotte's he went. She was always up disgustingly early so he was pretty sure he could convince her to tag along … hopefully.
Once he jogged to the Page's and rang the doorbell, the door was opened for him not even 15 seconds later.
"Hey Henry." Ah, topknot puff, crop top, and compression pants Charlotte, he knew this look well. "What's up?"
"Oh y'know, just looking for somebody to share in mutual suffering with me." Henry explained as he slipped into the house, turning to look at his athleisure-clad friend as she closed the door. "You already started doing a fitness? It's disgustingly early Char."
A small smile graced Charlotte's face as she chuckled at his grimace while she followed him through the foyer to her living room. As Henry reached the room before her, he could see what seemed to be a paused workout video on the big TV screen.
"If you must know my leggy friend, Piper and I are doing our own little side challenge," Charlotte explained as she breezed past Henry into the living room to grab the remote. "Ray's dumb fitness challenge may suck but we're making the best of it."
"Uh, why not just do the run?" Henry truly didn't understand his petite friend's line of reasoning. "It's literally the bare minimum, you realize you're just making more work for yourself right? It makes absolutely no sense."
"Okay Captain Crazy Arms! First of all, let's calm down." Charlotte grabbed Henry's wildly gesturing hands and held them down between them, fingers interlaced with his. "Second, maybe I have … fitness ambitions."
Henry quirked an eyebrow and lifted his hands despite the fact that they were still clasped in Charlotte's. He managed to make awkward air quotes with his fingers as he questioned her.
"Fitness ambitions?"
"Yes, now if you really, truly want me to do whatever you came here for you can either wait for me, or leave." She let go of his hands and booped his nose as she turned back toward the TV.
After Charlotte hit play, Henry watched the start of the video and couldn't help but roll his eyes. He interrupted Charlotte rolling out her yoga mat with an amused huff. Hearing him, she turned around and gave him a quizzical, sassy look.
"What is this?" He asked as he came to her side, "Some silly little Envygram influencer's no results workout?"
"Is that what you think this is?" Charlotte countered.
"I'm 100% sure it is. I bet I could knock this out no problem."
"Then if that's the case, get down Power Boy," Char commanded as the actual workout was about to get started. With a begrudging, quiet 'I'm a man' Henry followed Charlotte's orders, confident he knew what was in store.
After 10 minutes of all the leg raises, Russian twists, and every variety of crunch Henry could imagine, he was on the floor wrecked and panting like he'd never get enough air. He managed to feebly turn his head to see that Charlotte was practically unaffected, breathing only slightly labored and … he couldn't even describe it as sweaty, it's like she was actually glistening. As she turned her head towards him with a radiant smile and a slight chuckle he felt something funny under all the exertion pain in his abs.
"So how was the Envygrammer's ab challenge Hen?" She mocked her worse for wear friend.
"I hate you," he gasped out, having to take in more air to continue, "and her."
Charlotte got up laughing and he watched her in amazement, wondering how she could do that like it was so effortless after what they'd just been through.
"You take five, I'm gonna put a real top on and see if you're still alive when I come back, kay?" Henry knew Charlotte was throwing his earlier taunting back in his face and though he deserved it, he felt the petty brat in him seething over it. He managed to stick his tongue out at her before she disappeared down the hallway with another maniacal laugh.
Once his exhaustion abated a bit more, Henry managed to sit up again and decided to scroll idly through whatever videos the internet had for him to see. In his search for time wasting stupidity he stumbled upon Char's collection of playlists, and seeing the workout one he felt the need to be nosy and critical. With a single click a whole regimen was laid out for him for a full work week's worth of quick but effective exercises.
"Monday abs and full body pilates, then legs and hips? All abs Wednesday … Glutes and squats and hips all in one day? Then abs again and arms on Friday." Friday seemed normal enough, but Henry was very confused as he looked at this layout.
He didn't think these were things Charlotte cared about. In his mind wider hips and a big butt didn't seem like it would even be a thought to her and well … he may have noticed once or twice that she already had a nice body, she knew that right? This wasn't like a thing for Charlotte was it?
Just then Charlotte returned, with what was indeed a real shirt on, and interrupted his confusing thought processes.
"Give me that," she angrily huffed as she took the remote from him. "Why are you being Babble Babe nosy?"
"I promise you it was an accident." Henry threw his hands up in defense before quickly bringing them to his mouth with his eyebrows of hyper consideration on. "But why though?"
Charlotte rolled her eyes, hand on her hip as she retorted, "Why what Judge Hart?"
He huffed as he paused, doing a small, awkward twirl as he thought about how to best say what he wanted to.
"You know petite is fine right? This isn't something you feel like you have to do is it?"
"Henry no," she sighed, "Look this is our senior year and maybe I decided that I wanted to look like an actual 18 year old in my pictures. It's not obsessive or anything, I'm just doing some toning and a little ... padding in some areas, that's all."
"A little?" Henry asked with a raised eyebrow as he glanced back at the thicc thumbnail for the hips video.
"Yes a little!" With her small shout she turned the TV off. "I'm not trying to be Mimi thee Thoroughbred or anything so calm down. I just wanna look good for my pictures, graduation, and summer in New York. Is that so wrong?"
"Alright, alright I'm sorry." His apology hands were up and out now so Char would know he was genuine. "My Babble Babe days are over."
Charlotte let out a chuckle of disbelief as she made her way to her front door.
"Hey! I meant that!"
"Sure Henry." She turned to look at him with an unconvinced smirk, one hand on the doorknob. "We doing this run or not?"
So here's the thing, in that moment Charlotte had a decent amount of legs, thighs, hips, and glutes turned his way, and this may have been one of the times he found himself noticing them. All of it, her entire lower body had filled out a bit since he last took notice and his noticing eyes may just have liked the view. Charlotte was not stupid and she wouldn't be doing what she was doing for a dumb reason, she just wanted to get a little thicker for herself. Being a young man learning to appreciate culture, this all checked out fine with Henry, very fine, and now knowing her reasons, his smol friend had his full support.
Henry was broken out of his epiphany-like reverie as he saw the slight raise of Charlotte's shoulders and her questioning eyebrow. With this silent prompt he made his way to her at the front door, and if he got a little close to her leaning over to open it he didn't make a big deal out of it, no sir.
"I bet I finish before you," he teased as he stepped out onto the porch.
"I don't know if a man should ever proudly say that to a woman," she quipped as she locked the door behind them.
"Dirty, dirty thoughts." He tried not to give this New Charlotte™ another once over, he really did, but he's only a boy!
"Not dirty," she stated as she finally turned to face him again, "just honest."
"Fair," he admitted as he fished his wireless buds out of his pocket, holding them up for Char to see. "Your playlist?"
"Just be ready for it," she said with a slight shrug as she synced her phone to Hen's Beat Beans. As her playlist queued up it started off with one of her recent favorites and, with an approving nod from Henry, they set off side by side jogging down the sidewalk.