Disclaimer: I do not own Henry Danger.

PART TWO

Piper stood at the arrivals gate at Tallahassee International Airport, waiting for her brother to walk through it. She had decided not to home for Thanksgiving, staying in Florida and taking full advantage of the fact that her roommate had gone home. Piper was looking forward to having it to herself. That being said, she tended to have the room to herself anyway, the roommate going out every night of every weekend. The two girls did not get on at the moment.

The doors opened and a crowd of people walked into the Florida heat. When Piper told her mom that she wasn't coming home for Thanksgiving, Kris had counter offered that they (she, Jake and Henry) come to Florida. Piper wasn't keen on that idea either, and so eventually settled for her mother's third offer that just Henry visited.

Piper scanned the crowd, looking for her brother's mop of blond curls. She couldn't see it though.

'Piper!' She heard his voice and looked over to her left. Henry Hart, her disgusting big brother was walking towards her, a large backpack hanging off a shoulder. He looked different; shorter hair and a little bit of stubble on his face.

'Hey' he said as they stood face-to-face.

'Hey back' she replied. 'You got a haircut' she added. Henry chuckled and ran a hair over his now short hair.

'Yeah. Seemed time to do it. The old hair was a little too Kid Danger' he said. The two Hart siblings headed out of the airport and towards Piper's car. Henry dumped his backpack in the back seat.

'Where are you staying?' asked Piper.

'Holiday Inn. The one near campus.' Piper drove the two of them over and Henry checked in. The room was your standard hotel room; large bed, TV, a window that barely opened, and limited charging ports.

'You want to get dinner?' suggested Henry.

'OK' said Piper.

'Any suggestions where?'

'There's The Gallery Paradise' said Piper. 'They do pretty decent burgers.'

'OK' said Henry. 'Lead the way.'

Henry walked out of the bathroom at The Gallery Paradise, wiping his hands on a paper towel. Piper was right. They did do good burgers. Looking around, he couldn't see Piper anyway, then spotted her standing outside with two guys.

'I'm fine guys' said Piper, as Henry stepped outside.

'Come on sweetheart' said one guy. 'Let's go somewhere a little more private.' He attempted to put his arm around Piper's shoulders.

'Hey!' called Henry as he walked over. Piper shoved the guys arms off her shoulders.

'Who are you?' said the second guy. 'Her boyfriend.'

'Eww. No. I'm her brother,' said Henry defensively.

'That's good,' said the first one. ''Cause we're looking for a bit of fun.' It was obvious both were not sober.

'Well look elsewhere' said Henry, pointing in the opposite direction. Henry and Piper started walking towards campus.

'Ow' said Piper, stopping suddenly and her hand going to the back of her head.

'What is it?' asked Henry. Piper around and saw a half empty water bottle lying by their feet. Henry heard sniggering and looked up to see the two guys who had been harassing Piper laughing.

'Did you throw this water bottle at me?' asked Piper, picking it up. She charged towards them, waving the bottle in the air. 'Did you throw this at me?'

Henry quickly followed Piper. He could see where this was going.

'Did you throw this at me?' Piper said loudly again.

'If you hadn't turned us down' said one of the guys.

'Why don't you just leave?' said Henry.

'Why should we?' the other one.

''Cause I really don't want to have to force you,' said Henry. He had broken up enough fights during his years as Kid Danger.

One of the guys stepped towards Piper but Henry lightly shoved the guy who staggered back. Clenching his fists, the guy swung at Henry, attempting to hit, and barely hit Henry. Henry swung back, fist making contact with the guy's jaw. He staggered back to his friend again.

'He just hit me,' the guy cried, rubbing his jaw.

'Get out of here' said Henry, taking a step forward.

'Come on Carl' said the second guy. 'She ain't worth it.'

The two men got up and turned around, staggering away. Henry turned to look at Piper.

'Why did you do that?' she asked.

Doors banged loudly as Piper charged down the corridor to her dorm room.

'Piper. Piper' called Henry as he followed. She stormed into her dorm room, Henry following quickly. As soon as he was in the room, something made contact with his head.

'Ow' he said. Looking down, he saw it was one of Piper's shoes. Something else hit him. Piper's other shoe. 'Piper, quit throwing shoes at me.'

'You just had to step in, didn't you' she shouted at him. Henry felt like they were back home in Swellview.

'They were harassing you. Two drunk guys were harassing my sister, throwing things at her. Of course I was going to step in,' he argued back.

'I had everything under control.'

''Cause it really looked like that,' retorted Henry. 'Waving a bottle in their faces, taunting them, shouting at them.'

'You didn't need to-'

'Piper, I'm your brother' interrupted Henry. 'It's my job to protect you.' He felt angry. Even now, she felt like she had to do everything by herself.

'I don't need your protection Henry. I've never needed your protection. I can do it by myself and I've been doing a damn good job of it. Do you really think that's the first time I've been harassed?'

'I don't doubt that you can't look after yourself Piper, but being your big brother has been my job ever since Mom and Dad brought you home from the hospital.'

'You were three and a half,' retorted Piper.

'Yes I was and it's been the most important job I've had' declared Henry. Piper looked at her brother, unsure what to say. Henry sighed.

'Look, being Kid Danger was amazing. I loved helping people and everything I got to do as him but it was nothing compared to being your big brother. You're right Piper. You can protect yourself but I'm still going to do it.'

'Why?' asked Piper, very quietly.

'Because I love you Piper' said Henry, 'and I cannot conceive of a world where you don't exist. A world without my baby sister is not a world I want to be in.'

Silence fell in Piper's dorm room.

'Piper?' asked Henry quietly. Suddenly, Piper flung herself at Henry, wrapping her arms around his waist. Henry quickly regained his balance in the momentum of having Piper hug him so fiercely. 'Hey, it's ok' he said, as he turned the hug. He heard Piper sniff. 'It's OK' he repeated.

'You mean that?' asked Piper, her voice muffled against Henry's shirt.

'Every single word' he said.

Eventually Piper pulled away and sat down on her bed. Henry now had time to look around her dorm room. One side had been covered with posters, photos, class schedules, and a Florida State Uni flag. It was not Piper's side though. Piper's side was practically bare. She had stuck up a couple of photos on the wall next to her desk. Henry noted that they were both of the Hart family and Team Danger.

'Piper, what's going on?' asked Henry, crouching down in front of her.

'Nothing' she said, trying to shrug him off. Henry stood up, annoyed that Piper still wouldn't open up to him. He spotted her room key and pass sitting on her bed.

'I'll be back in ten minutes' he said before leaving the dorm room.

True to his word, Henry was back ten minutes later, with two large tubs of ice cream. He handed one to Piper.

'Bubblegum?' she said, slightly surprised.

'Your favourite' he said, turning her desk chair around and sitting down.

'So, how's college going?' asked Henry.

'It's fine,' replied Piper, scooping out some ice cream.

'Piper.'

Piper sighed and put down her ice cream.

'It sucks OK' she said, defeatedly. 'That's how college is going.'

'In what way?'

'In every way' said Piper. 'The workload is immense. There is so much reading and feels like it's never ending. I can't seem to figure out how to take notes the right way and I'm barely passing my classes. Everyone is older than me and are either super focused on studying, getting drunk and high, or having sex. No one wants to hang around with a fifteen year old. I can't find a job because the only ones around here are bar related and I'm fifteen. I barely do anything on social media because I'm trying to keep on top of all the studying I have to do. The burgers we just had was the first proper meal I've had in about 3 weeks and I've run out of underwear because I haven't been able to do any laundry.'

'I really did not need to know that bit' said Henry.

'A part of me wants to quit and just go home.' Henry looked up shocked. He didn't expect to hear that.

'What?'

'It was easier in Swellview' said Piper. 'My friends knew what to expect with me and you and Mom and Dad were always there. I knew how it all worked.'

'Reality different from expectation?'

'Big time' said Piper.

'I don't think you should quit' said Henry.

'What?'

I'm not giving you an order or anything,' Henry said quickly. 'I just mean that you've never backed down from a challenge your entire life.' Piper gave a noncommittal shrug. 'You made for bigger things than Swellview, Piper' he added.

'You think so?' she asked quietly.

'I know so.' Piper smiled.

'What's it like at home?' she asked.

'It's quieter without you' said Henry, making Piper smirk. 'I think Mom and Dad are at a bit of a loss without you. They really want you to come for Christmas by the way. Oh, and none of us have any idea what's trending from day to day with you there to tell us.' Henry ate some more ice cream. He had chosen chocolate. 'Apart from that, I don't really know. I barely spent much at home. I was always at Junk-N-Stuff.'

'So, what are you doing now?' asked Piper.

'I finished summer school and officially graduated, and I have a new job,' said Henry.

'Doing what?' Henry paused.

'Um, temp cleaner at a hotel.' Piper burst out laughing, making Henry smile.

'Seriously?' She was surprised.

'Yep. I know it sounds odd but it's a normal job, with frankly slightly better pay than Kid Danger and far more regular hours. No more beeps at 2 am from Ray. It also means I can go to college.'

'College?'

'Community college' clarified Henry. 'Just a couple of classes here and there. Trying to figure out what I'm interested in. I've also gone back to coaching.'

'Coaching?'

'Your old team, the Woodpeckers, needed a new coach so I volunteered' said Henry. 'I start after Thanksgiving.'

'Wow' said Piper. 'I don't know what to say?'

Is Piper Hart speechless?' asked Henry jokingly, making Piper laugh. 'I really enjoyed coaching the Woodpeckers the first time around. Again it's nice and-'

'Normal?' offered Piper. Henry nodded as he ate more ice cream.

'Have you heard from Jasper and Charlotte?' she asked.

'Mainly Jasper' said Henry. 'He seems good. I think he likes the freedom from his parents.' Jasper's home life had never been horrible. His parents had provided the necessities in life and weren't cruel people, but Jasper disagreed with his parents on almost everything from the moment he could talk. 'He's got a girlfriend too.'

'Really?'

'Yeah. Hopefully this one won't try to kill me.'

'Or steal my teeth' added Piper making Henry laugh.

'Charlotte's emailed a few times and we've had one phone call but she's busy and they're visiting some remote locations so communication is a little sporadic.'

'What's she doing again?' asked Piper.

'Setting up elementary schools in the city and some villages' said Henry. 'The Dystopian education system is not very good. The team is helping to finish setting up and organising, opening the schools to students and doing a little bit of teaching as well.'

'Wow' said Piper.

'Yeah, I know,' said Henry. When she first told him that she was going to Dystopia, Henry had been worried for Charlotte, but reading her emails, he could tell that she was having the time of her life.

'Have you told her you're in love with her?' asked Piper. Henry spluttered.

'What are you talking about?' he asked, trying to be casual and nonchalant. Piper raised an eyebrow.

'I've seen the way you look at her Henry' she said. 'And the way she looks at you. I saw how close you were after Drex's attack. So, have you told Charlotte that you're in love with her?' Henry paused.

'Not in so many words' he said. 'But she knows.'

'And vice versa?' Henry nodded. 'Then what are you doing here? Why aren't you in Dystopia? Didn't Charlotte ask you to come?'

'She did, and I did think about going' said Henry. 'But I wanted to finish school and actually Mom made some good points about me not going.'

'Like what?'

'Like the fact that me and Char had spent most of our time together - working, school, studying, hanging out. Even if you or Jasper or someone else was there, it was still always me and Char. So, we're taking a year to try and figure out a few things. Who we are, what we want in life, whether we want to ruin 12 years of friendship by dating. Plus we've every right to do things on our own, for ourselves, and honestly, it's been kind of nice meeting people who don't know my entire life.'

'You miss her?' asked Piper.

'So much,' said Henry. 'Hey, how would you feel about me applying to colleges in Florida, more specifically, Tallahassee?'

'I don't know,' replied Piper. 'I didn't know you were applying to college.'

'I did think about not going but there's a part of me that wants to go. Plus Mom keeps leaving recruitment leaflets around the place. Found one in my bed once.'

'Subtle' said Piper. 'Where are you applying?'

'Couple of places near home. De Loughrey University up in Rhode Island.'

'That's convenient given that Charlotte is going to Harvard next year and Providence is like less than two hours away' said Piper, somewhat sarcastically. Henry just kept eating his ice cream. His little sister could see right through him. 'I don't care if you apply here,' she added.

Henry smiled, and finished his ice cream, chucking the empty tub, spoon and napkin into the bin under Piper's desk.

'OK' he said. 'Enough about me. What are we going to do about you?'

'Huh?'

'Piper, if you really want to drop out and come home, I will help you pack up and we drive home in your car. But I don't think you actually want to come home, do you?'

'No' said Piper eventually.

'So, what are we going to do to help you, otherwise the next few years are going to feel like an eternity.'

Over the rest of the Thanksgiving weekend, Piper and Henry made a plan to help her out at college. Before she had started, Piper wanted to complete her degree in 3 years.

'Why?' asked Henry, as he helped decorate her side of the dorm room.

'Get it over and done with' said Piper. Like I did with school in Swellview.'

'But you're already ahead of everyone else Piper. You skipped the entirety of high school. Why do you need to get college over and done with.'

Piper gave another shrug of the shoulders before sticking up some more photos. She and Henry had printed some out to help decorate Piper's half the room. He also managed to convince her that perhaps dropping one or two of her current 6 classes and extending to the normal four years wouldn't be a bad thing, and might help with Piper keeping hold of her sanity.

She made an appointment to see her advisor the week after Thanksgiving as Henry looked for jobs that Piper could apply to.

'What about social media jobs?' suggested Henry.

'I'm already internet famous' said Piper, coincidentally scrolling on EnvyGram.

'I was thinking more like a social media coordinator' explained Henry. He turned the laptop around. 'This small business wants help with their social media.'

'Maybe' said Piper casually, but as she looked at the job description, she could feel the creative cogs in her brain begin to turn with ideas.

'Oh, and perhaps join a club or something' said Henry.

'Huh?'

'You know, a social club. Trampolining or the college newspaper.' Piper gave a snort. 'Just try to start to make friends' he pressed. That earned Henry a loud sigh and major eye roll.

By the time Sunday night came, Piper felt much better.

'I can always stay longer' said Henry. His flight back home was the next morning.

'No' said Piper. 'I'll be fine and you've got work and college and the Woodpeckers.'

'Call me if you need anything even if it's just someone to rant at.'

'Will do. Tell Mom I'll be home for Christmas' said Piper. Henry smiled and pulled his little sister into a tight hug.

'Love you sis' he said.

'Love you bro' she replied.

Piper watched Henry walk down the hall to the exit. He was going back to his

hotel room for one last night. Piper had been dubious about this weekend. She had been feeling very lonely and she didn't want to be seen as weak. The fourteen year old (now fifteen) who tried to make it at college, but came home before the end of the first semester? That wasn't Piper. She just needed to be reminded by someone.

Henry's revelation had been a surprise to Piper. She knew that he cared for her but how much, she hadn't quite know. He was just her disgusting big brother. But deep down, Piper had missed him. She even missed her parents too, though she would never admit it to them.

Piper felt different now, more like herself and slightly less lonely. Henry visiting had helped. They decorated her walls, made it more like her bedroom back home. Henry had shown her his method for taking notes, something he had learnt from Charlotte. They had created a schedule to help Piper manage her studying, work and anything else. Henry had promised to always answer the phone if (when) Piper called.

Henry reached the end of the corridor. He turned back and gave one final wave. Piper raised her hand and waved back.

She was lucky. Not everyone had Henry Hart for a brother.

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.

This was partly inspired by my own experience going to college. I wasn't as young as Piper but the reality was vastly different from my expectation and I struggled a lot with homesickness during my first semester. I hope it makes sense. Piper is a very strong character, but I can see going to college could take her completely out of her comfort zone and it taking her longer to find her feet that she might expect.

The next part will feature Jasper and include an update on Piper. Also De Loughrey University is fictional.