Once Upon a Stream ● dreamwastaken

chapter 16

"You're so small, like a little bug," he taunted, tilting his head back and laughing.

"I will kick you in the—"

"Do I want to know what's going on?"

I froze in place, pressed tightly against Rye's chest.

Rye stiffened behind me, but he didn't drop his arm. If anything, his grip tightened.

Brook's eyes flashed, her face blank. "I'll be home late. Don't wait up."

She was gone in an instant, the front door slamming behind her.

"You know, the doghouse isn't so bad anymore," he joked, releasing me to sit on the island.

One of his trademark abilities was alleviating tension, but this time, the lingering question in the air was impossible to ignore.

His smile faded when his eyes locked on the frown on my face. "What?"

"If you two are fighting again . . ." I hesitated, rolling my lip into my mouth before continuing, "I can help."

"It's nothing." Rye shrugged. "She'll get over it in a few days, anyway."

"But—"

"BadBoyHalo! You can't avoid me forever." He wiggled his eyebrows.

"I told you, he's my friend," I sighed, picking at my nail beds. "You've actually watched him. He's in a lot of Dream's videos."

"Wait, isn't he the muffin guy in the manhunts?" Rye's voice flattened, his eyes narrowing. "You're friends with them?

"Only a few," I said, picking up my phone and looking it over for cracks.

"Who?"

I kept my focus on my phone, avoiding his piercing stare. "Him, Sapnap, Dream . . ."

"How?"

I shrugged, catching a glimpse of the deep frown set in his face. "Dream? He introduced me—Well, he did for Bad. Sapnap found me on his ow—"

"Cool," Rye ground out. "Need anything from the store?" He popped up, headed for the key rack without waiting for an answer.

"What? No, I don't. Rye, what—?"

"I think we're out of milk," he wondered out loud, slipping on his pristine Nike's.

"Rye?"

He smiled at me. "She likes flowers when she's angry."

With that, he left.

His smile shined like every other he'd ever given me, but it didn't reach his eyes. They were too dark, too clouded with emotion.

I stared at the door for a while, caught between old habits and new changes.

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"That's strange, even for him."

I sat across from Major on my bed, watching his relaxed expression change after I finished explaining.

He paused mid-bite into his burger, the gears visibly turning in his head. "Want me to talk to him?"

"Absolutely not." I shook the last of my fries into my mouth, tapping the bottom of the container.

"Are you sure?"

I nodded, dropping the empty container into the paper bag by my feet.

"Well, try not to worry about it." Major glanced at his watch, eyes widening. "Shit! I'm gonna be late."