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  "What? No, dude you have to come!" Dan held the phone to his ear as he paced around his new living room, stepping over and around several taped up boxes. "Why? Because you helped us get it in the first place! It wouldn't make any sense for you not to come." He sounded exasperated. Barry poked his head in from the other room. "Who are you talking to?" Dan turned to face the other male. "(Y/N)." He stated simply before going back to arguing with you. "Dan, it really wasn't a big deal to help you guys out, I'd just be sitting awkwardly in the corner." You rebutted. "You guys can have fun without me, I have work to do anyway." You heard rustling on Dan's end of the phone. "(Y/N) you're coming to the party." This was not Dan's voice. You could only assume who it was. However, before you could reply, you heard a long beep, implying that he had hung up on you. "I- guess I'm going..." You mumbled, tossing your phone onto the bed next to you. You hated phone calls; texting is just so much easier. In fact, you had texted Dan originally, saying that you weren't going. Of course, Dan being who he is, called you right up to convince you otherwise. You sat up, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes, picking up your phone once more to look at the time. 10:34am Saturday  your phone read. Tossing your phone back into the mess of sheets, you reached your arms up and arched your back, stretching hard.

    After getting up and getting breakfast, you got dressed and headed over to Dan and Barry's new place. As you drove, you couldn't help but wonder why you would even tell them bad news when you had to see them both later. You sighed and simply dreaded seeing them and hearing all about how you just had to join in in the festivities. Parties really weren't your thing- most really social situations weren't, really. You knew you would spend the entire time either on your laptop doing work, or worrying about all the work you needed to do. You were pulled from your thoughts as you heard a honk behind you, snapping you back to reality. You had apparently been sitting at a light long after it had switched. Waving apologetically, you set off with a sigh. Not too long later, you were pulling into the parking lot of the apartments. 

    You got out and made your way up the stairs to their door and rang the bell; repeatedly. "Daaaannn, Baaarryyy, I'm heeeeere." You called as your did your best to drive them crazy. "Jesus, calm down, we're coming, we're coming!" You heard Barry, but you didn't let up on the bell. The door swung open and Barry reached over to grab your wrist to stop you from pressing the button. "We hear you, you're here." He looked at you. You couldn't help but laugh as you pulled your hand back. "Come the fuck on." You heard Dan say with a slight chuckle in his voice. "Just come in, there's a shit ton of boxes to be unpacked in here." He continued as Barry stepped out of your way with an over dramatic bow, holding his arm out towards the entrance. You roll your eyes and step inside, dropping your bag off next to the door. "Where do I start?" You ask, hands in your pockets. 

   "I'm like halfway done with my stuff, I guess you can go help Barry, if you want." Dan suggested. "Or the kitchen stuff, but I don't think Barry's started yet." You looked over at Barry. "That's because I was helping you. Don't make me look like a procrastinator." Barry huffed.  With that, the two of you headed to the other side of the living room, where Barry's boxes were stacked. "So, how come none of the others are here? This could probably get done a lot faster if we all helped." You said as you plopped down onto the floor, pulling the nearest box toward yourself. "Suzy and Arin had stuff to do today, and I'm not sure I trust Ross not to hide stuff from us just so he can watch us look for it until he fesses up." He laughed as he handed you a box cutter. "And Kevin?" You asked, opening up the box in question. "He said he was behind schedule with some editing, so he's working today." You nodded. "So you're our last hope." He added, earning a giggle from you. 

    The two of you seemed to work pretty easily together as you emptied boxes, one by one, and he told you what to do with each box's contents. Soon, you had made a pretty large dent in the pile of boxes, and decided to start working on kitchen boxes. "Hey, we've- we've done a lot. You wanna take a break?" Barry said as the two of you walked toward the kitchen. You nodded. "Yeah that sounds like a good idea." You looked over at Dan who was one step ahead of you, sitting atop one of the boxes, legs stretched out in front of him. "How about a pizza?" You looked between the two of them. "On me." You added. Despite the two's arguments, saying that they would get it or that you've done enough, you simply grabbed your keys and headed out. "Gonna get pizza, be back in a bit!" You called behind you as you walked out the door. 

   When you returned, pizzas in hand, you all sat around a larger box and ate. "So..." Dan began, swallowing what food he had left in his mouth. "You are coming to the party tomorrow, right?" You groaned. "Why are you so obsessed with me going?" You sighed. "Yes, okay, I'm going, are you happy?" The two men rose their arms in victory. Honestly, it couldn't have been that  big of a deal that you show up. But, for these dorks... you could make an exception to your 'I really don't like parties' attitude. 

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   You heard laughter as you opened the door and stepped inside. "Heeeey! I told you she'd show up!" Barry pointed at you from the couch. You gave a small smile and waved awkwardly. Of course, knowing your luck, attention was drawn to you the moment you entered the scene. Barry scooted over and patted the seat next to him. As you sat down, people around began striking up conversation with you- mostly small talk. Amidst the talking and joking, the group began talking about a trip you had all taken together a little while ago. Specifically, they were talking about the amusement park you all visited. It was a fun time. The group stayed together for the most part, but occasionally the couples would break off to do photo-booths, or the cheesy love-tunnel rides. When this happened you found yourself doing those same activities- but ironically with either Dan or Barry. The couple's rides were normally Dan's area. It was amusing to you when he jokingly put on his Casanova act to try and "woo" you. Photo-booths were where Barry came in. He was the best at visual cheesiness. He took it to the next level. Kissy-faces, hand hearts, almost creepy adoring gazes- the whole nine yards. The three of you understood that it was all in good fun. It was an unspoken rule not to take anything too seriously. OF course, it was a little hard on your part.

    "The Tunnel of Love was my favorite." Dan chimed in, giving you an over-the-top wink and point. You laughed. "I think I had the most fun in the photo-booths." You chuckled. Barry sat up, looking quite victorious. "I knew I was the favorite." You grinned before receiving a look from Dan. "After all we've been through..." He turned away dramatically. You rolled your eyes and stood up. "I'll be right back. You guys are such losers." You chuckled as you headed toward the refreshments. "Hey, does anyone want anything while I'm up?" You pulled a beer out of the fridge. You weren't one to drink an awful lot, but it sounded kind of good. "I'll take one of those." Barry said pointing at your hand. You pulled another drink out for the bearded male. "Anyone else?" The group collectively shook their heads. 

   You returned to the couch and handed Barry his beverage. "Here you are, my good man." He took it with a nod. "Oh, why thank you." You nodded back and took a sip."So, (Y/N), on that trip, did you ever do what you said you were gonna do?" You nearly choked on your drink. Suzy snickered. "Sorry. You just never told me what happened." You cleared your throat. "No, I didn't." You wiped the liquid off your chin, that you accidentally spit up. "Of all times to ask me that, Suzy." You laughed. "What were you gonna do?" Barry asked, looking at you. "Uh. Ahaha it's not important." You replied. He shrugged it off, thankfully. 

    Suzy had served as your human diary throughout that trip. If you didn't spill your guts to someone, it would end up exploding in Barry's face. This crush had gotten out of hand. Every time he did anything you were internally screaming. He was adorable in everything he did. Hell, you even still had all of the photo-booth pictures from that trip. They sat right by your bed on your night stand. "Is it some kind of secret or something?" Barry asked, pulling you out of your thoughts. So much for him shrugging it off. "You plottin' on me?" He asked, narrowing his eyes. You laughed, but had no reply. "It's a prank, isn't it?" You heard Ross. "If we're pranking Barry I want in." You shook your head. "I wish that's all it was." You grinned. 

    "I'm gonna get some fresh air." You stated. "It's hot in here." With that, and a few confused looks from the grumps, you went outside. Crisp autumn air hit your face as you opened the balcony door and inched outside. You took a deep breath and leaned against the railing and looked around. That was awkward. That whole situation was incredibly awkward... You knew coming was a bad idea. Everything about being around Barry made you want to be around him forever and never come near him again. Everything that comes out of your mouth makes you want to backtrack and try again. You often wondered if he knew what he was doing- if he did, would he act the same? If you told him how you felt would you be able to keep acting the way the two of you act? It could ruin your entire dynamic. Plus, if you told Barry and he did feel the same way, you would probably get together... Which would leave Dan being the last single Grump. Poor guy.

   You weren't sure if that last thing was a reason or an excuse, but either way, you just couldn't tell Barry. No matter what, you had to hold it in... For Dan. Yeah, for Dan. It had nothing to do with you, right? You weren't scared, it was for Dan. So that you three could keep hanging out. You were happy enough like this, right? You were perfectly complacent.... Right?

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      The time spent with the grumps after the party was pretty awkward. You thought at the time that you had escaped the gossip without seeming suspicious, but thinking back, you were pretty certain that everyone knew what was going on. Everyone, it seemed, besides Barry. He seemed to just be acting how he always did. He would jokingly act suspicious of possible pranks awaiting him. You went with it, of course. Him thinking you were gonna prank him made you feel much better than him knowing about how you felt. 

      But.... Deep down, you kind of wanted him to have caught on. Because, you knew that deep down you really did want to be with Barry. Everything that man did seemed to set you off. Anywhere from making a joke to trying to reach something that's just a little too high, making his shirt come up just the right amount. But none the less, you had always thought that you managed to play things off pretty well. Until the party. You knew you should have stayed home. All that pressure- you just buckled and bailed.

     Whatever, no, fine it's cool, it's okay. You'd just let things work themselves out, and things would go back to normal. Barry seemed clueless, and anyone who was suspicious were thus far keeping their mouths shut. So, you could do this. Just be cool.

      ha... be cool.... yeah right. You haven't been 'cool' a day in your life. 

    "(Y/N)... Hey, zoning out is my thing." Dan was waving a hand in front of your face. You blinked. "Ah ha sorry." You shook your head a little. "What did you say, Dan?" He gestured toward the window of the apartment. "It's getting kind of late. Do you wanna maybe get going?" He leaned against the island, placed center-kitchen. You looked down at your box which had had only two or three things left in it for several minutes now. "Yeah that'd probably be a good ide-"

    "What about dinner?" You heard Barry from his room, just before he emerged. "You guys wanna go grab something to eat? We haven't like all hung out in a while. The three of us." You smiled a bit. It was true. With the apartment searching, your work, their work, and whatever else happened to pop up, the single grumps hadn't gotten together for at least a month or two. "Yeah, man! Let's do that!" Dan smiled his wonderful, goofy grin as he looked between the two of you, hair swaying with each motion. 

    "Where do you guys wanna go?" You asked, standing up and pulling the last few things out of your box. "Hm. Depends. Are we talking about something cheap so we could just hang out, or are we talking a big dinner at like a sit-down type place?" You and Dan both gave a shrug. "Whatever." You were definitely indifferent. Just spending time with these nerds was good enough for you. Add food to that mix- and you've passed the pearly gates into heaven.

    "We can't all  be indecisive, okay, this isn't going to work." Barry snickered a small bit. You sighed as you leaned against a wall. "Hmmm... Then we can vote." You suggested, earning a thoughtful nod from the two men. "I vote nice dinner." You raised your hand a bit to symbolize officialism. Barry followed suit and raised his hand. "I second this motion." He deepened his voice a bit. Dan straightened his back and put his hands on his hips. "All in favor, say 'aye'." He looked around as if there were some larger organization around you. "Aye." The three of you said at once. "Movement passed. Adjourned." He slapped his hand on the counter-top. "Off we GOOOOoooooo.....!" Barry's voice faded as he ran out of air. "Let me get my keys first." He added before turning quickly and going to his room. 

    In that two seconds that you and Dan were alone. You saw him glance at you. He gave you a look. Not just a normal glance. Something else. You shrugged it off. It was just your imagination. Dan's been known to have expressions on his face that don't really mean anything. He just zones out sometimes. "A'right, let's go!" Dan said as Barry came out of his room. You and Barry followed behind.

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    The dinner was a lot of fun, and it was over all too quickly. You were now just standing outside the restaurant chatting. You always had a lot of fun spending time with those two, but it was kind of a drag to have to hold things in when talking to Barry. God, he was so adorable. Everything that came out of his mouth gave you butterflies. 

   You kept noticing Dan give you looks. The same look from before. It didn't seem like a romantic type of look... More like a "I know something you don't know" kind of look. Maybe you were just crazy, though. "We should probably head back." Barry checked his watch. "If we're gonna drop you off and get a decent amount of sleep, I mean." You nodded. "Yeah, thanks for the ride by the way. I'll get my car checked out tomorrow. I don't know what's up with it." Dan shook his head. "You're the one helping with the apartment and unpacking. We owe it to you." Barry nodded in agreement. "Do you have everything?" Dan added. 

   You checked your pockets. "That's odd... I don't have my keys. I must've left them at the apartment." You looked at the two apologetically. "I guess we're gonna have to swing by there before you take me home." Barry held up his hand and shook his head. "It's no problem. It shouldn't take too much more time. Do you remember where you left them?" He asked as you all walked toward the car. You looked even more apologetic. "Uhm... No." Dan let his head hang back. "You're killin' me smalls."

   Once back at the apartment, the three of you looked for your keys. You could have sworn you had them with you. "Found 'em!" Dan turned a corner to approach you. "M'lady." He handed you your keys. "Ah, thank you, kind sir." You bowed a bit with a laugh. "I'm beat." Dan sighed with a stretch. "Oh, don't worry about it. I'll take (Y/N) home." Barry assured. "You sure?" Dan asked. "Yeah man don't worry about it." Barry waved it off. "Yeah, old men need their rest." You teased earning a laugh. "Shut up." You and Barry made your way to the door. "Night guys." Dan waved. "Goodnight, Grandpa." You snickered as you exited.

   The ride home was quiet. You and Barry weren't alone often. You hadn't really thought much of it until now. "So, uh..." You glanced over at him. "How have things with the grumps been? Are y'all working on anything right now? Well anything big, I mean. You're always working on something." Oh my god, stop rambling. He smiled a little. "Yeah. No, nothing big right now." You nodded. Right. If they had, Danny would have been going on about it. Stupid question. "What about you? How's business?" He inquired. "Ah. Slow, thanks to my car. Not a lot of clients want to pick you up for a meeting." You joked. Barry chuckled and nodded. "Yeah I'd imagine."

  Other than that conversation, there were few words exchanged. Once you got there, you double-checked to be sure you had everything. "Okay. Thanks so much for the ride." You smiled as you opened the door and stood up. "Oh- here, I'll walk you to the door." He got out and walked to your side. "You don't have to-" You furrowed your brow. "Yeah, but I want to." He grinned. "Come on." You both walked up the walkway and stopped at your doorsteps as you fumbled with your keys. 

  This was the perfect opportunity. You could tell, in the moment, that this could either make or break any chance you had with Barry. You glanced up at him and then back down at your keys. "Are you okay-" He was interrupted by you reaching up and grabbing his shirt collar and pulling him in for a kiss. God, it felt so good. You've waited so long for this. You both sat there, totally still for a moment, before Barry kissed back, wrapping his arms around your waist. Your heart raced.

  You held each other close as you kissed, but soon you broke off, looking at each other in shock. Even you hadn't expected this to happen. One minute you were contemplating- and the next the impulse had taken over. "Wh-Where did that come from?" He asked, raising an eyebrow, still holding you close. "I.... have no idea." You both laughed. "I've just... I don't know..." You broke eye contact. "I guess I just really wanted to do that for... a while now." You were suddenly aware of the close proximity. "Like... A long while." 

   He placed a finger under your chin and turned your face to him again. "Me too." He leaned in and connected your lips once more. This time with more preciseness. The kiss soon deepened as you wrapped your arms around his neck and arched your back into him. It didn't take very long for things to escalate. You were pressed against your door as you kissed him passionately. You had both had so much pent up by now; and it was all pouring out.

   You fumbled with your keys to unlock your door and turn the handle without breaking the kiss. "What- what are you doing?" He asked, only moving away slightly. "Come inside." You whispered hotly, swinging the door open. 

   As your front door swung open, you quickly fell back into the cool air conditioning, pulling Barry in by the collar. The minute you were inside, your lips slammed against his in a passionate kiss as he closed the door with his foot. You felt his arms wrap around your waist once again as he kissed you passionately. He pushed you up against the nearest wall as his hands trailed to your hips. His lips parted from yours, but only about an inch. "Are you sure you're okay with this?" He muttered quietly. You gave a quick, certain nod. "Absolutely."

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     You reconnected your lips with Barry's and tangled your hands into his hair. It didn't take long for the kiss to escalate. God, you wanted him so bad and you wanted him now. And within an instant, you got what you wished for. His hands slid from your hips down in separate directions. One went down to grab your ass, while the other worked at unbuttoning your pants. "Eager, are we?" You teased breathlessly. He gave you a small smile. "You have no idea." 

   Grabbing him again by the shirt, you pulled him into the livingroom, connecting your lips once again as you moved backwards. "Couch or bed?" You whispered, barely parted from his lips. He swallowed hard as his dark green eyes connected with yours. "At this point I don't even care. I just want you." His breathing was noticeably heavy now. A thin smirk spread on your face. You had wanted to hear those words come out of his mouth for so long. But now... Now you wanted him to repeat them- over and over until he can't stand the wait anymore. 

  You stepped away from him and turned, walking toward the steps. After walking a bit up the stairs you turned to him, as he stood frozen in the middle of your livingroom. "Are you coming?" He snapped out of this state quickly, and immediately followed behind you as you hurriedly made your way to your bedroom. After opening the door, you turned around and pulled him inside, kissing him passionately once again. You broke the kiss only to push him down on the bed, letting him bounce once. You then crawled over him and straddled him.

  You both sat in silence for a moment; simply staring at each other. This was happening. After all this time of silent admiration and unspoken attraction, this was finally happening. He reached up and gently grabbed your face, pulling you down for a kiss. This was much less sloppy and needy than the others. It was soft, and loving. Your whole body relaxed. 

   His free hand ran down your back, causing it to arch. "Mmm" You hummed before softly grinding your hips against his. This earned a quiet groan.  You moved to begin unbuttoning his shirt. You loved his button-up shirts. The way he always had one button undone. It drove you crazy. As his chest became more exposed, you moved down to kiss his collar bone. You then moved kisses downward as the fabric was moved out of your way. 

   Once his shirt was completely unbuttoned you immediately began to unbuckle his belt. "Eager are we?" He smirked down at you. "Don't be a smartass." You joked as you continued working to get his pants effectively removed. Once they were unbuttoned and unzipped, he assisted in sliding them down. Barry then sat up and pulled you up to his face. "It's not really fair that you're still fully-clothed, is it...?" He said softly before slowly switching positions, laying you on your back.

   He loomed over you, leaning down to kiss your neck. You let out a small moan, arching your back toward him. His hand slid up your side, under your shirt. You felt the cold air hit you as he pulled your shirt up over your head. He moved to place a kiss in the center of your chest. You ran your fingers through his hair as he moved downward to finish undoing our pants and sliding hem down. You smirked and sat up, looking down at him. "What are you doing-" You interrupted him by pulling his face up to you, and kissing him passionately. You then shifted back on top of him and resumed where you had left off.

  You started over at his neck, kissing down his chest and over his belly. He let out small breaths as you moved downward. You hooked your finger in the band of his boxers, pulling them down slowly. Once the boxers were successfully removed, you licked your lips, glancing up at Barry, who was watching you with intensity- his face red and his breathing heavy.

  You looked back down at his length, slowly lowering your head to take in the tip. You heard him release a heavy breath. Running your tongue over it before gradually taking more of his girth into your mouth. You pressed your tongue against it as you began to bob your head up and down. Small grunts escaped Barry's mouth as his hand tangled into your hair. He wasn't as loud in bed as you had hoped he was.

   You moved agonizingly slow as you slid him out of your mouth. He looked down at you with hazy eyes. You licked your lips again as you sat up, removing your bra as he watched intently. Once off, you discarded it with the rest of the clothes scattered on the floor. You then maintained eye-contact with him as you slid your panties down and off of you. Straddling him, you moved up to align his manhood and slid down onto him. His hands moved to your hips as he lay his head back on the pillow. 

   You bit your lip as you felt him enter you, moving to adjust and take every inch in. Once ready, you lifted up and went back down, leaning forward and supporting yourself on the bed on either side of Barry. Arching your back, you moved up and down his member, slowly gaining speed. "Ah.." You breathed as you found a pace. "F-Fuck." Barry pressed his head on the pillow. He began thrusting up into you, matching your speed. "Ah- oh fuck." You moaned. "God, yes, just like that." You spoke through your teeth.

   Barry's hand trailed from your hip to move up your back and then back down. "Mmmm." You hummed as you moved your face close to his. "You feel so good."  You whispered. "You're so big, it feels so fucking good." You praised as he soaked in every word. He suddenly stopped thrusting up and flipped once again to where you were on your back. He quickly settled between your legs and entered you again, immediately getting his rhythm back. Your breath hitched in your throat as he began thrusting roughly.

  He truly was even better than you had ever imagined he would be. He buried his face in your neck and began nipping and kissing. "F-Fuck..... Oh- oH GOD!" You arched your back. "Just like- OH right there!" You moaned out. "Oh, Barry!" He continued thrusting hard as he whispered into your ear. "Cum for me." His hot breath hit your skin, giving your goosebumps. "I-I'm so close." You whispered hotly.

  His motions sped up as he continued whispering. "You're so tight." His voice was strained. You continued moaning loudly as you dug your nails into his back. "I'm gonna- oH GOD. OH FUCK. BARRY!" You screamed as you arched your back hard. It didn't take him long to follow suit, his thrusts becoming irregular. "Oh fuck.... Fuck." His voice was tight as you felt his warm essence fill you. He slowed to a stop as you both lay there, panting. 

  He pulled out of you and plopped beside you, staring at the ceiling. Neither of you spoke for a few moments. "That was... Unbelievable." You said finally. Barry gave a small chuckle and nodded in agreement. "Absolutely."

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   Sunlight shone the curtains early in the morning. You slept amazingly. You yawned and smiled as your eyes cracked open. This mood didn't last long, though, as in your grogginess, you had almost forgotten about the warm presence to your left. Shit. You sat up slowly, trying not to wake him as you stared down at the sleeping bearded man. This was going to ruin everything, you just knew it. You held your face in your hands before taking a deep breath. Why couldn't you just suppress your urges like you always did? 

   If he wakes up and isn't awkward about all this, which you doubted, then you may end up together. That sounded good on the surface, but you were trying to avoid that. You couldn't do that to Dan. You did really like Barry, though. You sighed. What if things are awkward, though? It'll not only ruin your friendship with Barry, but the whole dynamic of the three single grumps! 

   Why did you have to go and do something stupid like this? Everything is going to fall apart and it's all because of your stupid impulses. Kissing him was one thing, but bringing him inside?! What's wrong with you?!

   Your self deprecation was interrupted by the sound of a light groan and stirring from the man beside you. Your breath hitched in your throat. Here it comes; you had to face what you did and you had to face it now. As he opened his eyes, you pulled the blanket to cover yourself. Though, you realized that was useless. He had already seen more of you than just your breasts. 

   "Oh-" Barry looked up at you tiredly with a yawn. He was so cute- no no not right now, now is not the time to fawn over him. "Good morning." He greeted, sitting up. "Uhm. Yeah." You ran your fingers through your hair awkwardly. "Morning." You both sat there for a minute, staring at each other. After the silence, you broke eye-contact. "I'm... I'm really sorry-" You looked back at him. "For...?"

   "For all this." You gestured between the two of you. "This is all so sudden." He gave a small, sympathetic smile that his eyes didn't seem to match. "Listen." He rubbed his neck. "I don't regret anything." He admitted. "But if you want to just pretend it didn't happen, I understand." Your brows furrowed. "I-" he paused, composing his words in his head. "I just- don't regret it." He reiterated. "I had always just assumed you weren't interested, so... I never did anything." He looked at you with soft eyes. "If that makes any sense.

   "I- Barry." You trailed off. "I don't regret it, per-say. I just don't know what to do, you know?" You gave a long sigh. "I could have asked if you wanted to see a movie- I honestly could have just poured my heart and soul out to you in one sitting and I still would feel like that was a better path to take." He gave you a serious, but confused look. "I don't know what you mean." You sighed. "I don't either." You admitted. "I don't wanna pretend it didn't happen." You said finally. He let out a small breath, as if relieved. "But I don't want to change things either."

   "I'm not sure how we could just be okay with this happening but not change anything." You added. "But if we're a 'thing' then that kind of messes up things between you, Dan and I, doesn't it?" He looked at the bed for a minute. "I don't think so." You looked up at him. "How wouldn't it?! If we're not single then that makes Dan the last single grump. That's our thing, Barry. We're the three single grumps that's why we hang out so much-" He placed his hand on your leg, effectively shutting you up. "Dan wouldn't mind." He assured. "But-" You tried to protest, but Barry wasn't listening. "I promise you he wouldn't." He gave you an assuring smile. "But if you want to keep things as they are, then we can." You nodded. "I think- I do." You sighed. "At least for now, I guess." He nodded. "I get it." 

    "I'm sorry." You mumbled. "Don't be." He stood, looking around for his clothes. You were suddenly reminded in the most startling way that he, as well as yourself, was still completely nude. He found his boxers and pants and slid them on. "Do you want to get breakfast?" He asked, glancing over at you. You weren't sure how to answer. Should you? Breakfast with Barry sounded nice, but if you were trying not to start anything, then breakfast could be a bad idea. Noticing the silence, Barry paused. "I get it if not. Just an offer." You shook your head. "No- no. Sure, yeah. Let's get breakfast." You smiled. You'd regret it, you knew, but... What's the worst that could happen?

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    And so it began... The awkward glances and passings by- the silences and lulls in conversation. When you spoke to any mutual friends, they would ask "What's up with you and Barry? You don't talk at all anymore." And you'd have to play it off, saying that work has been getting in the way, or something of the sort. It was such a hassle. You hardly even spoke to Dan anymore; which officially ruined the 'three amigos' dynamic. 

   Today was the last day of unpacking. There were few boxes left. You were only there, in fact, because you wanted to fix the trio. It couldn't be that hard, right? You and Barry had agreed (even if temporarily) to pretend nothing happened. This meant he'd be cool about it, right? You could at least pretend to not be in constant panic, and so could he. Pulling into the parking lot in front of their apartment, you couldn't help the ominous feeling in your gut. You dreaded it all. Even if things went back to normal, there would be permanent awkwardness between the two of you. How wouldn't there be? You got out of the car, your mind still in turmoil. The approaching door seemed to symbolize your impending doom. The closer you got, the smaller your steps became. Your breath hitched in your throat as you reached your fist up.

   This is ridiculous, you thought, as you became angry with yourself. You have been best friends with these two for what seemed like forever, and you're honestly dreading walking into their home that you helped them get. You marshaled your courage as you pulled in as much air as you could handle and forced your hand forward, knocking hard at first, but by the third knock, you were barely tapping. 

   Your air came out all at once in a strong gust. It was done. That knock sealed your fate. Good or Bad, whatever was gonna happen was happening- right now. The time it took for the door to creak open seemed like an eternity. Thankfully the man behind the door was the one you had been hoping; the fluffy one. "Hey!" He seemed as cheery as ever. You thought for sure Barry was gonna tell him about it. "Hey! Are you guys done unpacking? I figured I'd help with the last little bit, so you could be officially settled, you know?" You were rambling. You were painfully aware of that.

   "Yeah, no we're almost done. Come on in." He stepped aside. You took a small breath and stepped inside to see Barry sitting on the couch, bent over and digging in an opened box. He looked up and froze for a moment. "Oh- Hey (Y/N) I didn't know you were coming over." His happy tone seemed a bit forced, but not too much so. "Yeah, I meant to call, sorry." You gave a small chuckle. Dan pat your back after a small moment. "You wanna help Barry with his stuff?" He placed his elbow on your shoulder and pretended to lean on you. "I don't have much still packed. All that's really left is Barry's stuff."

    You hesitantly nodded. Of course. You just had to be thrown right into it. "Okay. Works for me." You walked over and sat beside Barry, with a considerable distance between you. "Just lemme know what to do." Barry took a breath in as he looked around at the boxes surrounding him. "Here, these are like, figurines and stuff. You can just lay them out on the table, here and then we can set them up in my room later." You nodded, taking the box. "Okay, gotcha." 

   You ripped the tape up and flipped the box open, getting to work. It was quiet, of course. You had nothing to say. You both merely exchanged questions and answers about the destinations of each object pulled from the box. Simple questions and one word answers. "Alright, you wanna go set up the figurines? C'mon, I'll show you where they go." He stood, and you each grabbed arm-fulls of figurines. Once in his room, he lead you to a shelf. "Here, it doesn't really matter exactly what order they're in. If I don't like it I'll just fix it later, it's not a big deal." He shrugged as he started placing them. You followed and did the same.

   As you placed the last figure, you stepped back and looked at him. "Okay. All done." He looked back at you and gave a small, satisfied sigh. "Awesome. All that's left is some clothes. I can do that myself." He stated. You both sat there, then. Simply sitting in awkward silence. "This is ridiculous." He stated, sitting down on his bed, looking up at you. Your brows furrowed. "Don't look at me like that. You know exactly what I'm talking about." He chuckled. "When I agreed to move on, I didn't think it'd be like this." He stared up at you. "I don't know what to say." You rubbed your arm. "I just... Don't know what to say. It was a lot easier just ignoring how I felt." You sat beside him.

  "But I can't exactly just take everything back." You mumbled, looking over at him. "Do you want to?" He asked. You sat quietly for a moment. "I mean.... Yes? I don't know. No, not really but..." You gave an exasperated sigh. "I have no idea." He looked at you intently for a minute. "I don't." He admitted. "Why do you?" You looked at him. "I don't know! I have no idea why I want anything. I don't know what I want, honestly." 

   "I want things to be normal again." You uttered, averting your gaze. "Normal was good..." He moved to look you in the eye. "But how about a new normal?"

Chapter Text

   A new normal? You could guess what he meant by that, but you didn't want to believe it. You didn't want to deal with this yet. "I... What do you mean?" You inquired hesitantly. "I don't really know, I guess... (Y/N), Do you want to get dinner?" ....Dinner? You furrowed your brows once again. "What?" He shrugged. "I want to do this right." He answered. Yes, but what exactly did he mean 'this'? 

  "When we... When we got together that night, I don't know, it was all just so sudden. I want to be with you." He adjusted to face you completely. "But I want to do it right." He searched your face for a response. "Right," You chuckled. "And this isn't sudden, either." You joked, earning a laugh. "But fucking on pure impulse is somehow better?" He jabbed back. "It wasn't pure impulse." You raised an eyebrow. "In my defense, I had been acting that out in my head for years." You laughed. 

  His brows raised. "Oh, really?" He chuckled. "Well then." You shrugged. "No use hiding it now, honestly. It's not like you don't know." You both chuckled, but trailed off- once again settling down in the lull of the conversation. "So is that a yes or a no on dinner?" He gave you a small smile and raised his eyebrows. What a perfectly Barry facial expression this was- so childlike... Almost puppy-ish. You remained silent, unsure of what you even wanted to say. He leaned back a bit with a nod. "No, I get it." 

   He stood, his shoulders slumped just slightly. "I'm sorry I brought it back up, you want to forget about it." You watched him. "Barry..." You flopped back onto his bed. "I told you I don't know what I want. I should be jumping at the chance to be with you- like with you with you, I mean. But..." You sat up. "I don't know." You gave a resigned sigh. He stood still, watching and listening. "I guess I don't want things to be weird... As if things wouldn't be weird after what happened." He smiled and sat down beside you.

   "You can say it." He giggled. "We had sex." You raised an eyebrow and shoved his shoulder. "You're the one to talk, Mr. 'we got together.' What was it a game of cards?" He laughed and wrapped his arm around you. You assumed it was habitual. This, for him, wasn't even a gesture of affection more than that of friendship. He had been doing this for years. You smiled. "I feel like it's awkward if we keep pretending nothing happened, but I don't want it to be weird if we date, you know?" You looked up at the bearded man to see him give a thoughtful nod. 

   "Yeah... But at least there's potential in the latter." He ruffled your hair. "But do what you want. Once you figure out what that is." He smiled at you and you returned it. With a aggravated sigh, you melted into him, wrapping your arms around his torso. "Let's get dinner." You felt his muscles relax as you spoke. 

    "Where do you wanna go?" He asked. You could hear giddiness in his voice. You sat up and looked at him with a slight pout. "Are you gonna make me decide everything?" He laughed. "I'm trying to be courteous, here, cut me some slack!"

    After a few more minutes of discussing the 'when and where' aspect, you emerged from his room, and began gathering boxes. "Uh- (Y/N) don't worry about the boxes, I'll bring 'em out to the trash later." You looked at the boxes for a minute before dropping them back down in their place. "Oh. Okay then." You shrugged. "Anything else I can help you guys with, then?" You looked between the two of them. They both shook their heads. "Well... Then I guess I'll just go home, then." You picked your keys up off of the coffee table and started toward the door.
   "Hey, wait-" Barry stepped forward. "I'll walk you to your car." You and Dan both gave him a look. "What? Is that abnormal to walk someone to their car after they help you with something?" He scoffed. "Yeah, yeah, no, of course! You should always walk a lady to her car at the late hour of-" Dan picked up his phone. "4:23 in the afternoon." You covered your mouth to stifle a giggle.

   "I do appreciate it, sir." You teased with a pantomime curtsy. He rolled his eyes at you. "I try to be nice, and this is the thanks I get." He said with a shake of the head and began to walk away. "Fine then I won't I guess." He snickered. "No- no! Barry, okay okay." You grabbed his arm, causing him to stop and turn toward you. You stood looking at him for a moment, stifling another giggle. "You may walk me to my car, sir." You offered your hand, palm down, mimicking a noblewoman of some kind. He stared at you, deadpanned, for a moment before simply walking to the door and opening the door.

  You took the hint to stop teasing and walked toward him. "M'Lady..." You hear Barry mutter as you passed through the door jamb. Turning on your heel, you faced him and gave him an amused expression. He responded with an innocent smile and exited the building, closing the door behind him.