A Fuckton of Polygrumps

GGHSHC: Barry's Route Pt. 1

//Sorry this took 5 million years to get to you guys but thanks for being so patient!//

You hold a flyer in your hand, tracing it with your eyes very carefully. It's an invitation to the YT Academy Halloween Dance. It's something everyone goes to. Everyone you know...including your suitors will be in attendance. The talk of the campus is this Halloween Dance and this year, the theme is: Haunted Masquerade. Your eyes scan all the way to the bottom where the smallest font is: anyone on the planning committee gets to go for free. You ponder going for a moment, but every time you think about the dance, your head fills with millions of 'what-ifs' and you chicken out of giving it any further thought. 

"What're you gonna wear?" Suzy asks rather suddenly, actually making you jump when she appears from behind your locker door. "I'm thinking you, me, and Holly go as the Heathers but like, zombies."

"O-oh, I'm not going," you quietly admit, sheepishly hiding your face in your festive jack-o-lantern turtleneck sweater. 

"Aw, why not?" Holly whines, hugging your arm. "It'll be the only huge dance of the year to rival prom and it's super cheap this year because of the Grumps bake sale and car wash! You already skipped out on Homecoming!"

Holly has a point. You very adamantly refused to attend the Homecoming in favor of staying home with a particularly clumsy puppy and a cuddly new litter of kittens courtesy of your cat. The pictures from hoco looked unbelievably fun and in retrospect you kind of envied everyone who was confident enough to go. And every Grump made it undoubtedly clear that you were missed. 

You close your locker door and let out a soft, defeated sigh. Seeing Suzy and Holly be so excited about this dance makes you feel more inclined to go but you still feel nervous and unsure of whether you can muster up the confidence to go. You can dance just fine, but that doesn't stop you from being insecure. 

"I guess I could be on the planning committee and see if I want to go when things are set up," you muse quietly. "That way, if I don't want to go, I'm not wasting money on a ticket or anything like that."

"Yes! Talk to Barry about joining the committee," Suzy cheers, grabbing hold of your other arm. "He's the head of it this year."

You find yourself blushing a bit as you recall what you know about Barry. You see him at lunch a lot, chatting with members of various social groups. You guess a lot of things about him, but the one thing you know for sure is: nobody dislikes him. The Grumps themselves have confirmed that the only people who have ever disliked Barry have been people they never ended up liking. He says hi to you in the hallway every day, smiling cheerfully and asking very sweetly 'how are ya?' or 'how was your weekend, Y/N?' The word you would use to describe him is sweet. You've never met someone so wholeheartedly kind and gentle before. 

"Oh! There he is," Holly whispers, shoving you towards his locker down the hall. 

"I-I was just gonna talk to him during digital design-" you murmur nervously. 

"Barry! Y/N was looking for you," Suzy calls, waving to Barry while simultaneously still dragging you along. 

Barry stood up, holding his purple laptop to his chest and grinning. He certainly is adorable, you admit. Suzy and Holly dart off into their homeroom and leave the two of you standing in the hall. You tug on your sweater nervously, trying to think of a good way to start the conversation. 

"What's up, buttercup?" He asks, scratching his beard. 

"So...you're head of the Halloween Dance committee, right?"

"I sure am! Wanna join? We could always use more help!"

You nod slowly, your face getting flushed as you try to talk. He's really incredibly cute. Part of you wants to reach for his beard. It looks incredibly soft and touchable. 

"I'm heading to the computer lab if you'd want to come with. I could use a second pair of eyes on the decoration designs!"

He leads you to the computer lab, all the while chattering away about how excited he is to show you what he designed and how stellar the dance will be. You listen intently, enjoying the calm lull of his voice. Even being so animated, his voice is soft and enticing to listen to. He's in no way overbearing. 

You finally arrive to the computer lab, settling down into the rolling desk chair Barry pulls close to his own. He begins tapping aware at the keyboard in front of him, humming the Moon Theme from the Ducktales video game. You only know the song because it's also his ringtone and he gladly chatters on about it whenever he's asked. He takes pleasure in the little nuances of gaming, which you can appreciate. You catch your reflection in your phone as you look down. You're beaming like a geek as you cherish the calm that comes with being around an insanely attractive man. You don't get to be that calm often. 

"So, here's the poster design," Barry presented triumphantly, pointing to the computer screen. "The dance is gonna be this haunted ballgown sorta thing, y'know? Like, if you've ever been inside the Haunted Mansion ride at Disney World and-"

"The ballroom scene with the dancing ghosts," you finish, nodding wistfully. "That's my favorite part! It looks so gorgeous!"

Barry grins, seeming wholly pleased to find someone as excited about morbid children's rides as he is. His green eyes flicker to the computer screen, then back to you. 

"So, what're you going as," you inquire, genuinely curious. 

"Oh, to the dance? I'm probably not gonna go," he admits with a shrug, rolling up the sleeves on his flannel. 

"What do you mean," you continue, a bit offended though the irony of how hypocritical you're about to sound isn't lost on you. "You have to go! I-I mean...after doing all this work for it, you're not gonna stick around to see it all come together?"

"I mean, I usually just stay behind the scenes, y'know? It's just more comfy."

You don't care how easily you can relate to that. You pout a bit since you were actually sort of excited to see what the dance would be like. 

"It'll be my first dance at YT," you casually mention, looking down at your fingernails sheepishly. 

"Really? We have so many during homecoming week alone...I guess I just figured one of the other Grumps would've already asked you to go to one or something-"

"I mean, they did, but it just didn't feel like my thing. Still, I wanna do everything on campus at least once so I figured I should at least go to one or two dances since they're pretty cheap and they're an excuse to get all dressed up."

Barry nods and settles back in his chair, thinking for a bit. You silently pray he's persuaded enough to go with you. You could use the company. 

"I mean...I do have a wolf-man costume I was kinda dying to wear..." he quietly conceded. "I guess I could show up for an hour or so. Will you go with me?"

"Of course! Suzy and Holly really wanted me to go but I don't have a costume yet..."

"Are you free tomorrow?" He cut in eagerly. 

"I-I...I can be?" 

"We can go find you something! I love Halloween shopping."

You blush and nod eagerly. You've never gone shopping for costumes before since your parents always ordered you outfits online or made them for you. The idea of going to the mall with anyone...let alone Barry makes your pulse race a bit. He's the least intimidating person you've ever met, but you still feel a bit anxious. Suddenly, you feel him pat your back gently as he stands up. Apparently, the bell for fourth period just rang and you missed it in your daze. 

"I'll see you tomorrow around 8 or so, okay?" He says quietly, waving awkwardly. "Thanks for looking over the poster with me!"

You smile and nod, waving as he shuffled out.