Oakworthy oneshot

Oakworthy

The tacky neon disco lights flew out across the musty, dimly lit gym like flies to a lonely, forgotten sandwich on the ground. Despite the abundance of vividly purple squash and the slightly trampled flower arrangements, the tangy, odorous stench of sweat still had a prominent presence in the nostrils of the students of teen high. However, the worst assault to the senses was the plethora of clashing, blindingly hideous dresses sometimes paired with a vomit inducingly large number of fake diamonds. Although it's worth mentioning that some tuxedo colour schemes were...brave. Yet another ancient, 2010s pop song screeched through the speakers, it seems that today's youth enjoy the classics. It was a discordant scene radiating chaos verging on catastrophe. Hermie loved all of it. Everything about this prom was a nightmare, but it had one redeeming quality. Hermie would finally be able to dance with her.

The poor lighting somehow enhanced her hastily dyed hair and resentful scowl. Her hunched posture and glowering stare felt almost fatal. She looked perfect. The emo Batman to his charismatic joker. He swaggered over, hoping his smug, scarlet grin would smooth over his clammy, trembling hands. It was all going according to plan, soon the centrepiece of his master plan would commence, the slow dance.

"Hello Scary."

She let out a heavy groan that merged into a sigh and went on for a good 30 seconds. Her pitch-black glare somehow darkened. "Aren't dances just so stupid?"

Hermie felt his unearned confidence seep away rapidly like the final grains in an hourglass.

"What?" he squeaked.

"Everyone is just so obsessed with slow dances like it's soooo gross."

"Oh...yeah..." Hermie trailed off, defeated.

A voice chirped out through Scary's shadowy atmosphere. "Come on Scary it's part of school spirit! Dancing is an important part of every school prom." He received a mere grunt in response. "Oh hey Hermie!"

"Hello Normal." Hermie hadn't quite gotten used to Normal's energy yet, it was, simply put, a lot.

"You look a little down. Wanna dance with me?" He enquired so casually as if simply asking about the weather. So bold. So oblivious to the true meaning of dancing. Although, Scary would be watching. Hermie pondered on the question for a moment, allowing it to echo round his mind for a while. Perhaps there was a silver lining to this.

"Alright."

It was not what Hermie had hoped for. Normal had awkwardly placed his arms around Hermie's waist. His bulky mascot arms made it feel like a strange hug rather than a dance. Hermie struggled to position his arms in the bear hug he found himself in but eventually settled them on Normal's chest. There wasn't anywhere else to put them. The gentle ballad began and the two swayed a little too vigourously to the rhythm.

Hermie gazed longingly at Scary. She was fixated on hissing at innocent couples and, much to Hermie's dismay, not even giving him a second glance. Hermie's schemes had fallen apart and now he was in the weird mascot kid's arms instead of Scary's.

The weird, smelly, friendly, glowing mascot kid... If Hermie breathed through his mouth and saw him, really saw him, he would see that Normal was surrounded by a brightness, it wasn't just the harsh, neon disco lights, he was basking in an aura of cheery, chipper cheerfulness. He would see that under the grease and grime there were a smattering of freckles on his face like a thousand constellations, defined yet soft feature and his skin was slick and sheeny almost like a mirror. The shining mop of oily locks atop his head somehow made him even more endearing. He would see his eyes, oh his eyes, a dull, unremarkable brown but with a twinkle of dreams, ambition, motivation, a fiery spark of so much more than school spirit. If he held his breath for a moment longer, Hermie would see the multitude of fierce emotion, he would see Normal wasn't angry, sad, happy, he was feeling everything in a violent tornado so intense that it would knock Hermie's world off its feet, all contained within bright eyes and a pleasant smile. Hermie wouldn't see the mascot kid, he would see Normal, beautiful, passionate Normal. Hermie breathed through his mouth.

And then breathed through his nose. He didn't really mind the smell anymore. In a way, it only added to Normal's adorable charm.

"You probably were hoping to dance with Scary, weren't you?" Normal chuckled nervously.

"Huh?"

Scary. The person he had gone to this dance for.

They had stopped swaying, but Hermie still felt like he was spinning round and round and round. "I'll see you around Hermie!"

The song was finished. But the new melody in his heart continued.