Chapter 4: Kat-yness

  When Tony made it down to Harley, he noticed that he forgot his wallet upstairs in his jeans. He didn't usually wear sweatpants out, so he didn't think to check. Of course. It gave him a chance to check the couple missed texts he had from Dillon and the one he had from Kat. He was pretty sure he knew exactly what Kat's was about. Dillon was quite right in his claim that Kat was indeed very Kat-y. On his way back up to his apartment, he opened up her message first out of sheer curiosity. 

  Kat 11:20 AM: You got him that chain didnt'cha ya sly bastard? Tell me da truth!

  Tony 12:36 PM: Crap. Well theres no gettin nothin past you is there? Yea, i did. 

  12:37 PM: Please please don't confront Dill over it. I talked him into tellin you bout us, so let him open up?

  12:37 PM: Hes gonna tell you n Brenden soon so keep this convo between us? Dont even tell Brenden? These kind of things he should do himself. 

  As he thought, he knew exactly what Kat's message would be about. He huffed out a "Damn it," as he really wanted Dillon to be the one to break the news to them. Well, at least Brenden was(hopefully) still in the dark about it. If he wasn't, he knew he could count on the two of them to act like they didn't know. It would send Dillon into a panic of epic proportion if he found out they had simply guessed it. 

  That was a big insecurity of Dillon's. It terrified the kid that people would catch on with a small detail or out of place mannerism. He was always so careful with his public facade, which Tony understood entirely. Tony didn't have a facade, but he also didn't have any family but Ethan. Nor did he have a reputation with other peers to uphold. It didn't upset him(he lied to himself), but it did sometimes annoy him to have to play along. Come to think of it, if Dillon didn't want them to be seen even if it was just to pick him up, would he want him to come into the restaurant? Damn, he should have thought about that. No matter. He'd ask first. There were plenty other places for food around, though he wanted to see Dillon. 

  That was another thing he wanted to be honest with him about later. It hurt a bit that Dillon didn't even want to be seen in the area with him in a totally innocent capacity. It contrasted weirdly with how openly he expressed his pride and connection to him on Christmas eve in Center City. Granted, they were all strangers, but still. To not even want to be seen around with him when everyone already knew they were inseparable friends was silly to Tony. On his way back down with his wallet safely in his inside jacket pocket, he pulled out his phone to see what Dillon had sent this time.

  Dillon 11:58 AM: Fuck man that statistics class was a doozey even for ME. Well it be over now and i'm on my way to chef-mode! Just a few more hours Sir!

  12:10 PM: Haha dude the bakery has cake pops. Ill grab you some. Chocolate, cookie dough, or mint chocolate? Pick mint chocolate and i wont touch you the rest of the night 

  Tony 12:42 PM: YES! NEED ALL THE CHOCOLATE ONES! And a few cookie dough. Would you be against me comin into the restaurant? I know you don't wanna be seen with me, but i just wanna see you n im starvin. You dont gotta say hi or nothin

  Dillon 12:44 PM: Aww… Tony, it isn't that i dont wanna be seen with you… ah fuck. Idk how else to explain it. Yea you can come in haha everyones strangers so of course ill say hi.

  12:44 PM: It's really only outside at the busses that ppl that live and go to school in our area can see us. Idc if ppl see us, just not ppl we know super super often. Im not ashamed of you, im scared of ppl puttin 2 and 2 together. 

  Tony 12:46 PM: Ok. Ill see you in a bit then. Just comin for food i don't wanna embarrass you. I'm leavin now.

  Dillon 12:47 PM: Your still upset arent you? We'll discuss it later. Gotta get to work.

  Tony rolled his eyes. Really, if he thought about it, he was just as silly as Dillon. To get so hurt and bent out of shape over something like that was childish. At the same time, emotions were emotions. They weren't wrong or right, they just were. Like he said, he definitely understood why Dillon wanted discretion, but it still made him feel like he was a dirty secret. It still made him feel like he wasn't wanted. Of course he knew in his head that was the furthest thing from the truth, but alas, it was what he felt in his heart. He couldn't wait for the day Dillon had described where everyone would know and they could freely and openly live their lives. So close yet so far away. 

  While he did recognize how mean it was, he almost hoped that someone they knew did make the connection between them. It would make things so much easier if the choice was taken away from them. He knew he could never purposely do that to Dillon though. Not only because he loved him, but because at the stage he's in right now, that would be the end of their relationship. The kid still felt immense love and loyalty to his family and friends. He would cut out anything that they perceived as a threat to the family's reputation. It sounded harsh, but Tony could understand. That's why he's been so patient through all of it. Well as patient as he could be.

  Tony mounted Harley and figured he'd get cash out from the ATM at the ACME down the street. For some reason, his card frequently failed to read in store and restaurant machines. So what if it had a few scratches from tools and bits in his pockets at work? It worked in the ATMs and at the bank so why not everywhere else? Once he got his stupid helmet on(he had his hair perfect too) he pulled out and away. Even though it had been a chilly week, it was actually a pretty nice day out. There had been so much rain that it was nice to feel and see the sun shine off of Harley's finish. Well, see it through a helmet anyway. Dillon was lucky he loved him.

  A few minutes later, Tony disembarked from Harley and sauntered inside the ACME. Anytime he entered a grocery store alone, he had his 'girl sonar' up and ready. The last time when he was felt up by that crazy flexible chick(Joyce?) was enough to put him on his guard. At the time, he was tempted, so he viewed every solitary grocery store trip as something to be wary of. He hadn't run into anyone else yet, but it never hurt to be careful with such an active libido. 

  When Tony walked up to the ATM not far inside, he saw there were a couple people already in line for it. No matter, since he felt his phone buzz in his pocket a second later. Hopefully it was Kat. He was in a light mood, but the thought that Kat in her 'Kat-yness' might have told Dillon she knew put a knot in his stomach. The chick was too smart. He tried to calm down as he opened his phone up. No way Kat was that stupid. She had known him longer, so surely she would know he wouldn't take it well?

  Kat 1:09 PM: Dont worry bro dont worry! We ain't said nothin. I would agree to not tell Brenden but he sorta guessed the same time I did. We wont say anything for real man. I agree with you he needs to do it himself. 

  1:11 PM: Tell him to just get it over with. It'll end up eatin him up inside if he sits on it. Trust me. 

  Tony 1:13 PM: Interesting. Definitely good he doesn't know you both guessed haha. Lemme guess, you know itll rip him up cuz how he felt for me before, well y'know

  Tony's turn for the ATM arrived quickly. As he inserted his beat up card, he thought to himself. Had Dillon really been that eaten up over how he felt for Tony before they became an item? One part of him hurt for the kid, that he had to go through pain like that for so long. God, and he had to see and hear of his conquests with the "chick of the week." It must have hurt him bad all the time. Tony was all the happier that they found each other so Dillon never had to hurt like that again.

  Another part of him felt a bit flattered, truth be told. He appealed enough to Dillon in enough ways for him to be so bent out of shape over him. Any kind of hurt that he had brought him, Tony sincerely prayed he had been able to make up for even just a little bit. Dillon deserved no pain in either the past, the present, or the future.