The Boy Upstairs (DanXReader)

Chapter 9: The Sighlent Treatment

I walked over and blushed, seeing that Dan was holding the picture of us when we were younger. I'd completely forgotten that I'd put it up when inviting him in. I wasn't sure why it mattered, all of the photos on that shelf were of me before I moved. And yet, for some reason, having Dan see that I had the photo framed and on display was embarrassing to me.

"H-hey..." I said quietly.

Dan looked at me and quickly placed the picture back on the shelf. If I hadn't known any better, I'd have thought he was blushing. But what did he have to be embarrassed about?

"Hey... I was just... looking at the pictures..."

Dan looked so awkward and embarrassed. I wondered if my still having that picture made him uncomfortable. I hoped it didn't... I kept photos of all stages of my life and that was one of the happier memories I had, especially of the two of us.

"Y-yea?" I asked, looking at the photos as I tried to think of a way to excuse any awkwardness he might have seen in them. "They help me remember that the simple things in life are what matter most..."

Dan was silent for a moment before he began laughing. I looked at him with confusion. "I'm sorry, but are you calling me simple?"

I blushed and began rapidly shaking my head, mortified that I'd inadvertently insulted Dan. "N-no! Th-that's not how I meant it at all! I just- I mean! Si-sitting on the swings and being so happy! Just playing in the yard in with my parents! H-holding my cat..."

"Relax," Dan smiled, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. "I was just joking. But I agree... enjoying the simple things is really important."

I smiled and nodded, letting out a relived breath. I need to relax and stop worrying. The best way to do that would probably to think of an activity for us to do. "Do... do you want to play some video games?" I offered, remembering how we used to play different games when we were younger.

"Definitely," Dan grinned, following me to my entertainment setup.

"What do you want to play?" I asked, showing him my collection of games to choose from.

Dan let out a thoughtful hum as he began looking through my games. I watched, catching myself staring at his face. I quickly glanced at the floor and focused all of my attention on the patterns in the wooden panels. "Oh! How about this one?" Dan asked after a minute or so.

I looked up and saw that Dan was grinning at me, holding up Mario Kart 64. I grinned and nodded, taking the game and setting up my Nintendo 64. "The nostalgia!" I exclaimed as the startup screen came up.

Dan laughed and took the controller I held out for him. After a couple hours of swearing and shit talking each other I set my controller down and leaned back, relaxing into the couch as I turned with a grin to Dan. "Still got it!" I said, proud of having left him in the dust for the seventh cup in a row.

"Yea... well I haven't played this version in forever," Dan said.

"Sounds like someone's making excuses," I laughed.

Dan glared, crossed his arms, and sunk further into couch. He looked away after a few moments, giving me the silent treatment. I sighed, poking his arm only for him to shift away from "C'mon Dan... I was just joking..." I whined, turning towards him and scooting closer as he turned further away to hide his face. "Dan... Dannn... Daaaaaaaaaaan... DAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"

"OH MY GOD WHAT?" Dan turned towards me, laughing as I continued to poke him.

I laughed, smiling as I looked into his eyes. "I knew you couldn't keep up the silent treatment!" I teased.