Chapter 1: He Remembered!

                 March 29th, 2011: Tuesday 

                                Spring

                           ~~~~~~~~~~

  There was still a chill in the air as Tony walked out of the bedroom, fully dressed. When his alarm had gone off, he had just assumed it was another work day until he got out of the shower. That was right, it was his twenty-first birthday today. The owner of the shop, old man Jace, always gave the employees their birthdays off. It was actually mandatory, and the smarmy, old codger would get really upset if someone came into work on their birthday. He was a nice guy, but strange in many ways. 

  Since he didn't have work that day, he decided to just wear a pair of his favourite sweats and a tank top. Dillon had found some really nice form-fitted tank tops that he said Tony looked great in and they were comfortable. His hair was still a bit damp from the shower and it gave him the chills a little bit. It was the end of March, but the temperature had still been under fifty all week. Far too cold for comfort. As he brushed his fingers through his clean hair to dry it more, he opened up his phone. It was only ten of six. Too late for Tony to go back to bed.

  No texts from Dillon yet. Hopefully he hadn't slept in again. He'd better get his ass up soon or he'd get hit with a breakfast tax. It happened at least once a month, and he'd even tried to bypass it when he asked Tony for a ride. Unfortunately, he said no. The kid needed to learn to get up himself, and he was sure Mrs. Tracey would be very appreciative for the free breakfast. 

  Tony was a little bit anxious for a silly reason. He wondered if Dillon had remembered his birthday to begin with? Tony had only mentioned it once or twice, but he still hoped that he had remembered. None of it really mattered though. Birthdays were always just another day for him. Although he did have a few good memories with Ethan. Really, it wouldn't be so bad if Dillon did forget. He didn't want any special attention or anything crazy. Just let the day pass like any other. 

  It seemed like it would be a chill day that day. Tony was ready to relax. Granted, he'd only worked the day before and he had had off all weekend. He didn't care. The crazy amount of hours he pulled other times more than made up for it. He was still tired from the week before. The weekend was nice though. Every Friday into Saturday Dillon would stay over at Tony's. It had become an important ritual for them. A much needed constant in a chaotic world. He had pretty much gotten blanket permission to stay over from his folks a while ago. They viewed it as like their 'guy's night.' Well, they weren't wrong.

  Dillon likely wouldn't be able to come over that night, unfortunately. It was a school night and his folks were serious when they said they wanted him home at ten during the week. That was fine, Tony would live. He missed the kid all the time and was bummed to have to wait days to see him. At least their Friday nights were consistent. Sometimes Dillon would even stay over until Sunday if he wanted an excuse out of church. 

  It had taken Tony nearly twenty minutes to get his hair perfect. Why? He didn't plan to go anywhere. Why not? Out to the kitchen he went. The coffee was done at that point, since he always turned it on first thing. Perhaps it was time to get a new one. The one he had made strange noises and smelled like burnt plastic frequently. Dillon would be ecstatic because he had promised the kid when the old pot broke down, he'd get one of those keurig k-cup makers. The dude had a hard-on for kitchen gadgetry. He opened the cabinet to grab a cup.

  Up in the cabinet above the sink was one of Tony's greatest stashes. Call him a fanatic, he cared not. He was a proud Marvel and D.C. fan. Over many years, Tony had saved all the Marvel or D.C. themed cups, bowls, and utensils and now had one of the largest collections out there. It nearly filled the cabinet, and Tony swore that when he got a bigger place one day, he'd built them a proper display cabinet. They were his pride and joy, and some of them were worth a lot since they were vintage. Every day, Tony had his coffee in a different superhero-themed insulated cup or mug.

  That morning he was in a Spider-Man mug mood, and got his coffee. One of the best smells in the morning. Only if it was black though, since cream and sugar muddled up everything. Coffee is meant to be drunk black. He wished he could get Dillon to see sense and lower his chemical sweetener consumption-rate. 

  Before he dropped down onto the couch, he pulled his phone from his pocket and put his coffee down. While he swiped his phone open, he flipped the TV on. There were three messages from Dillon that weren't there five minutes ago. Eventually Tony settled on the Food Network, like usual. He'd typically watch the Food Network when he ate meals alone at home anyway. All he had was coffee right then though. He'd have to think of a solution to that breakfast dilemma.

  Dillon 6:03 AM: YO HAPPY BIRTHDAY YA SUNUVA BITCH!!! YER 21 AND LEGAL NOW! YEHEHEHEEEESSSSSSS!

  6:03 AM: You probably thought I'd miss that haha nope. Whatcha up to today? 

  6:04 AM: Can I come say hi this mornin and or can we hang today? It's ya bday man!!! I told my mom and she said it's cool if I stay over cuz my grades are killer. She just screamed happy bday at me btw.

  Leave it to Dillon to put a smile on his face before he'd had a sip of coffee. When he first saw that 'Happy birthday', he grinned so wide it hurt his mouth muscles. There were others besides Ethan now that knew and cared about his birthday. It touched him. 'How was Ethan?' He wondered. He'd touch base later. For that moment, he just wanted to feel the joy of Dillon's 'happy birthday'. It was true that he thought Dillon would miss it, so it made Tony feel acknowledged. 

  Another pang of happiness hit when he saw the last text. Dillon was allowed to stay over on a Tuesday? That was one of the best birthday presents he could have imagined. It would probably be a good idea to tell the kid he had off today so he didn't swing by on his way to the bus. There was no reason Dillon couldn't come over after class today that he could find. That meant he'd be there around four, since he took a different bus to get to Tony's apartment. Still with a huge grin, tapped away on his keyboard. 

  Tony 6:07 AM: Haha thanks man i wasnt sure if i told you. No more fake ids for me! Dont go in this mornin cuz i got off. Old man Jace gives everyone off on their birthday so i aint in now. 

  6:08 AM: You comin over after class? Want me to get you?

  Dillon 6:12 AM: Oh cool lucky you! I'm in the kitchens cookin today and i was planning on it, but I'll take the bus. It'd look a little weird if you pick me up from school too much. 

  Tony 6:15 AM: Really dude… people know we're best friends already. Who cares if i get you? 

  Dillon 6:21 AM: Come on you know I wanna keep things discreet. That's why i take the bus there in the first place.  

  Tony 6:23 AM: Ok ok i get it. Ight see you round four?

  Dillon 6:28 AM: Yupyup. You arent upset are you? 

  6:29 AM: I just think itd be best if people dont see us together too too often if you know what i mean.

  Tony 6:32 AM: Yea, whatever man. I get not wantin' to talk about it or attract attention. But to not wanna even be seen with me? I rarely pick you up as it is. Like im gum on the bottom of your shoe. I hear what your sayin so ill see you later then have a bangin day

  Usually Dillon didn't care about who saw them. Even if Tony understood what the kid was worried about. He himself had gotten a lot better at it, but he had to remember that Dillon was a highschool student with a reputation to protect. Truth be told however, he was a little bit hurt that Dillon was fine to be seen with him at the shop and all, but not at school. Weren't Kat and Brenden his friends too? Was there someone or something he didn't want Tony to see?

  He decided to not follow that distrustful line of thought. There was nothing wrong with a teenager that wanted a little space? They couldn't be joined at the hip all the time. Either way, he'd have his Dillon after school and he was excited about that. It was always fun to hang with him, even if they did absolutely nothing. Not to mention, Dillon was always ready to serve him the second he walked through the door. Yup, Tony was excited in every way.