Snot's always the first one awake.
He puts the coffee on, makes breakfast for himself and Boost, and usually leaves something out for Wingo and DJ to grab whenever they eventually crawl out of bed. Then it's off to work.
It's no wonder he's surprised when he hears rustling somewhere else in the house this time.
He frowns, double-checking the clock on his nightstand.
6:00 AM
He didn't sleep in. So what's with all the noise? Did DJ and Wingo actually pull another all-nighter? He should tell them to get more sleep.
Again.
He gets out of bed and gives the hallway a long look.The noise is coming from the kitchen.
He scrunches his mustache.
Whatever they're doing can wait five minutes.
He heads into the bathroom first.
Then it's routine. He washes his face, checks if he needs another shave, puts on some cream. The usual.
Thinking about it, it's probably just Boost looking for his pack of cigarettes.
He steps out of the bathroom and stops in the hallway.The voices are louder this time.
All the guys are awake.
Huh.
⟡⟡⟡
"He's up."
"The fuck do we do?"
"Go talk to him."
"Me? Nah- you go!"
"Yo, shut the hell up. DJ, you go."
"And what do I do??"
"Keep him busy."
⟡⟡⟡
Snot's about to open the door when it suddenly swings open. DJ slips through and slams it shut behind him.
"Morning,dude! How'd ya sleep?"
DJ is propped against the door, blocking the way. He looks dead, but not in an I stayed up all night kind of way. More like an I woke up ten minutes ago one.
Snot raises an eyebrow.
"Everything alright in there?"
"Yeah man. Smooth as butter."
"...Right. " There's a moment of silence "Did you eat breakfast? I was thinking about making eggs this time around."
He reaches for the doorknob but DJ immediately throws an arm around his neck.
"Forget breakfast. C'mon, let's watch the news."
Snot looks at him.
"...Actually- tell me about the girl you've been seeing lately."
"My girlfriend?"
"Oh, so you two are dating already? Ooooh- Snotty's got a girlfriend."
DJ slowly starts dragging him toward the living room, and Snot figures it's much easier to follow than oppose.
"For a while now... I've told you guys."
"RIGHT! Right. Love that for you, man."
"Thanks..."
He glances toward the kitchen. "Can I get a coffee first before we... chat?"
"We're out of coffee."
"Already?"
"Uh... yeah. Boost knocked the jar down."
"The whole jar?"
⟡⟡⟡
Before DJ can answer, Wingo wanders into the living room.
"Morning! What are you two talking about?"
DJ shoots him a look.
"Coffee."
Snot looks between them.
"What's going on, guys?"
"Told ya. Boost broke the coffee jar."
"Yeah! And he's, uh... cleaning now. He didn't want you to know because he knows you like that coffee and he felt bad about it, especially because it's your birth-"
"DUDE!" DJ blurts.
Wingo doesn't even look at him.
"Happy birthday, Snot!" is followed by a sheepish smile.
A loud thud echoes from the kitchen.
Well, that explains the whispering...mostly.
Good enough.
"Thanks, man. But really he shouldn't have worried so much. I have a coffee machine at work."
⟡⟡⟡
The kitchen door swings open.
"Yo- Snot! C'mere" shouts Boost.
Snot heads over, the other two right behind him.
When he steps inside, there's no trace of a disaster.
The kitchen smells...clean? There's no cigarette smoke hanging in the air like there usually is.
Then he notices the table.
A plate of cinnamon waffles, buried under enough whipped cream to hide that they're slightly burned.
A mug of coffee with steam still curling from the top.
And a silly hand-drawn birthday card.
Boost's already pulling him into one of those half hugs before Snot can even react.
He looks from the waffles...to the card...then back at the three of them.
"Yo..."
He presses his lips together.
"...Guys..."
Nobody says anything for a second.
DJ's already grinning. Wingo's trying not to. Boost scratches the back of his neck.
Then- "Happy birthday, dude!!"
Snot somehow manages to pull all three of them into one hug.
"Thanks, guys!! This is amazing."
"Would've been better if these two hadn't-" Boost sighs."...yeah, whatever."
He pulls away.
"This isn't all, bro."
Snot blinks.
"What?? There’s- more?? "
"Yeah dude" Wingo leans against the doorframe. "The rest of the surprise's waiting in the garage."
Snot slowly turns toward him. "You don't mean- no…"
"Oh, yes we do." DJ's already grinning again.
"Shut up..." He looks between all three of them. "Guys- that piece? For real?? How?"
Boost shrugs.
"We made it work."
Snot just stares at them for another second before shaking his head with a laugh.
⟡⟡⟡
The rest of the morning goes by in a blur.
Somehow, Snot still makes it to work earlier than usual.
But every time his mind wanders, he ends up thinking about the garage.
He catches himself smiling halfway through his shift.
His guys really are amazing.