Sepia Makes Everybody Cry With a Dyle Fanfic

four

Kyle, for once, seemed to be choosing his words very carefully. He spoke slowly and far in between. But waiting for him to respond did seem to distract me enough. "So... different how?" he asked after a minute.

"I... Kyle, really, I-I don't really know," I sighed, leaning away.

"Wait, no," he said, reaching out and touching my arm. I stiffened and he pulled away. "Are you sure I didn't do anything wrong? Dan, please. Just tell me."

"No!" I snapped, immediately regretting it. "I'm sorry... But really, you haven't done anything wrong, I'm just really stressed." I ran a hand through my hair, trying to ignore Kyle watching me. "I feel strange... like, the way everyone seems to know our names. They adore us, and I can't seem to understand why. The new stress of trying to please thousands of people now, instead of just myself, hiding away in my room... It's maddening." I swallowed and looked hopefully at Kyle.

"Oh, Dan, it's that?" he suddenly replied. He broke into a smile and leaned over to hug me tightly. I forced myself to relax and realized how much I enjoyed his hugs.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he said, sitting up and folding his arms. "I've got some news for you: yeah, sure, it's different now. But it's true! They do adore you! I swear to God, in their eyes, you can do no wrong. I've heard it with my own ears." I laughed, despite myself. Kyle continued, the smile growing on his face. "And besides, we're in this together. We're not leaving you. This is too much fun!" I covered my face in my hands to hide the massive grin. "So, it's okay to feel stressed, man," he reassured me again. "Just don't bottle it up. Let us help you. We're not leaving you. I'm not leaving you." 

I pried my face from my hands and looked at him long and hard. I felt worlds apart from the person I'd been just a few minutes ago. I launched myself at him and tackled him into a tight hug. He laughed, falling over and into the grass with a gasp. I rolled off of him and laid on my back, breathing deeply.

"Thanks, Kyle. Thank you so much," I finally told him quietly. 

He faux-punched me with a small chuckle. "Don't worry about it."

We clambered to our feet and brushed ourselves off. I took the moment of Kyle's distraction to run a mental check. Did I still have those strange feelings toward him? I casually glanced over at him. No. The sight of him didn't make my stomach flip. Was I feeling uncomfortable? No. I felt calm. The most peaceful I had in a good long time. I smiled and finished brushing myself off.

"We should go check back in with Will and Woody," I suggested, nodding back the way we'd come. "It's been a while. I'm sure the bus has plenty for tonight."

Kyle nodded and we started walking. We met back with the boys, reporting our findings (leaving out the emotional intermission) and found the same was true for them. It didn't matter, anyways. I didn't feel very hungry.

"I'm just tired," I told them. Will nodded silently. "Let's just head back and get a good night's sleep."

When we got back to the bus, I didn't stay out long. I grazed the few snacks we had hanging around and relaxed in the back room with everyone for a while. Then I said, "Goodnight, guys," and headed to my bunk.

I climbed in and pulled as many blankets as I could around myself, like a cocoon. I was extremely tired and floated between consciousness and sleep for quite a while. It was a frustrating loop when I realized I wasn't going to really go to sleep any time soon. I sat up a little, propping myself up on my elbows and gazed out the window. It wasn't a bad view. I could see across the parking lot and the quiet city streets were calming and slightly beautiful, in a rugged, strange way.

I stifled a laugh and rolled my eyes. I sound so stupid, I thought with a smirk at the glass. This stuff is really getting to me.

I sat in bed for another few minutes before sighing and rolling out. I might as well try something to go to sleep. I'd need it if I was going to function properly. I glanced around and noticed the other boys had made it to bed; Will, with his meaty arm draped over his face, Woody curled into a ball, and Kyle...

Where's Kyle? I took another few looks at his bed to confirm that he wasn't there. I shrugged and meandered down to the bottom part of the bus. It stood in as a dining room, doorway, and kitchen.

I flicked on the small lights above the sink and rifled through the cabinets to find a mug and a tea bag. I nearly laughed at myself. I'm such a stereotypical Brit, I thought with a grin. I shrugged again, filling the mug with water and sticking it in the microwave. I leaned against the cabinet with my arms crossed, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.

I nearly jumped when I heard a rustling and the door bang open. I stared at the doorway as Kyle stumbled in, holding multiple plastic bags filled with... food?

"Kyle, what are you doing?" I said stupidly. Then I shook myself and tried again. "Did you go grocery shopping? It's the middle of the night—Where did you go?"

He laughed and set the bags on the counter. "I didn't buy much. I don't know, I was restless so I decided to go for a walk." He smiled at me as the microwave beeped. I blinked but ignored it. "Well... I came across a 7-Eleven—it's a convenience store—that still hadn't closed and bought a few things," he explained. "You know, cities are really pretty when they're empty at night."

I laughed shakily and shook my head. "Oh... Okay. Wow. Um... thanks."

Kyle rolled his eyes and stepped over to lean against the counter. "So why are you up?" He narrowed his eyes playfully at me. I had to force myself to breathe. Dammit I thought I was over this...

"I-I couldn't sleep," I said, looking away.

"I'm sorry," he replied quietly. "I'll be trying again in a few minutes. You do that, too, okay?"

I nodded with a smile. "Yeah, sure Kyle. I'll try."

He propped himself up and began putting away the groceries. I didn't say anything. But as he started moving past me to head up the stairs, he paused. "Goodnight, Dan," he said. He leaned forward and held the back of my head in his hand, pressing his lips to my forehead.

I froze. He released me. I stared at the wall behind him and he was silent, still standing in front of me. He opened his mouth like he was going to say more, then shook his head and hurried up the stairs.

I reached up and felt my forehead. He kissed me goodnight... My pulse raced and I had to lean farther back onto the counter to keep upright. Oh, this is not good... I'm not getting over this now.

The microwave beeped again. I opened it and slammed it shut.