"Tyler," Josh said as he ran into the bedroom. "Why didn't you remind me it was your birthday yesterday?"

Tyler shrugged. "Doesn't really matter."

"Yes it does," Josh said, sitting down beside Tyler. "It matters so much. And I'm so so so sorry I forgot it."

"It's ok," Tyler said as he continued sending emails for work on his computer.

"No it's not," Josh said.

"It's fine,"Tyler said, looking at Josh. "I promise."

"Baby..."

"I was doing work all day anyway," Tyler said.

"It was your birthday. And I'm your fiancé. You're really, really not supposed to forget things when you're fiancés. But I did, and I'm really really sorry."

"It's okay, Josh."

"No it's not," Josh said again. "Let me make it up to you."

"You don't need to make it up to me," Tyler said.

"If there's anything I could do for you, what would it be?" Josh asked.

Tyler shrugged.

"Baby," Josh sighed, closing Tyler's laptop and taking it from him. "You didn't even take a break on your birthday. Let me take you out on a makeup birthday."

Tyler sighed, looking down at his lap.

He knew Tyler had been struggling with depression, and he knew forgetting Tyler's birthday probably didn't help the matter.

"We can go dancing," Josh said with a smile. "Or to the bakery or to the record store or wherever you want. Let's go to the mall so we can get you some gifts."

"I-I don't want anything."

"C'mon, Ty. There's gotta be something you want."

Again, Tyler shrugged.

"I know," Josh hummed with a wide smile. "You wanna go get cupcakes. You want a strawberry cupcake with cream cheese frosting. That's what you want."

"Chocolate frosting this time," Tyler said with a shy, tiny smile.

Josh grinned widely, giggling as he hugged his fiancé tightly. "There's my sweet TyTy's sweet tooth."

Tyler blushed, giggling shyly.

"Gimme a kissie, birthday boy," Josh grinned.

Tyler giggled and leaned forward, kissing his lips shyly.

Josh grinned, kissing him back happily.

"Let's get you a lil birthday hat," Josh grinned, leaving the room and coming back with a party hat, setting it on Tyler's head and taking a picture.

Tyler smiled shyly and blushed, ducking his head shyly.

"C'mon, baby," he grinned, holding both his hands out to him. "Let's go get some cupcakes in ya and go shopping."

Tyler nodded, following Josh to his car.

"You can take the hat off if ya like, TyTy," he giggled softly as he noticed he still had it on halfway to the cupcake place.

"I like it," he mumbled quietly.

Josh chuckled and nodded.

They eventually reached the store, Josh holding Tyler's hand as they walked inside.

"Aw, I like your hat!" The girl smiled.

"Thank you," Tyler said quietly, looking at Josh.

Josh ordered for him. Tyler always got nervous when he had to order.

They got the cupcakes Tyler wanted and got back in the car, Tyler eating his quietly, his knees pulled up to his chest.

"Is it good?" Josh asked.

Tyler nodded, continuing to eat silently.

Normally, Tyler would be talking up a storm with Josh about anything and everything happily. But ever since his depression really settled in, he'd just been extremely quiet.

"Ok, we had cupcakes for breakfast. What else do you wanna do?" Josh asked.

Tyler shrugged.

"Let's go get you some presents," Josh said, taking Tyler to the mall and walking around with him.

He'd pick something up he thought he'd like then would put it back.

"Is there anything you've been wanting for a while?" Josh asked him.

"Shoes," Tyler said quietly.

"Ok! I can do that!" Josh said excitedly, happy he could give Tyler something he wanted. "There's a Vans store downstairs. Wanna go?"

"Ok," Tyler answered, holding Josh's hand as they went down his escalator.

They went into the store, Tyler finding a pair he liked.

"Ooh, those are cool," Josh said as he saw Tyler holding the box.

"They have flowers on them."

"I see that," Josh grinned. "Do you want those?"

"Y-yes."

Josh smiled and nodded, going with Tyler to the cashier and paying for the shoes.

"Oh, is it your birthday?" The woman asked with a smile as she saw his hat.

"Y-yesterday."

"Aww, well happy birthday!"

"T-thank you. J-Josh, can we go home?"

"Y-yeah, baby, yeah. O-of course," Josh quickly said, signing the receipt and thanking the lady before they went to the car and Josh drove them home.

He knew Tyler got overwhelmed in public easily, so he figured that was why he wanted to go home.

Tyler just sat on the couch for the rest of the day, playing with his shoe laces sometimes.

Josh really didn't know what else to do. It was clear not remembering his birthday had hurt him, but he refused to admit it because he didn't want Josh to feel bad.

"Wanna watch a movie?" Josh asked.

"Maybe later," Tyler replied softly.

He continued just sitting there, staring at the blank TV, not making any noise or doing anything at all.

"Want me to sit by you?" Josh asked a few minutes later.

Tyler nodded.

Josh immediately at down beside him, wrapping his arm around his waist. "What else do you wanna do today?"

Tyler shrugged.

"Wanna maybe um... maybe try to..." Josh started.

"M-maybe not tonight, Joshie," Tyler said quietly.

Josh nodded.

Tyler also hadn't really been wanting to do the whole sex thing, either. Which Josh understood. Tyler barely felt like getting out of bed and he probably really didn't feel like doing something to active where you have to be present mentally as sex.

Tyler felt awful for not wanting to. He knew it was really important to Josh, but he just couldn't. He simply couldn't.

"Wanna do something else romantic with me?" Josh asked. "Maybe we can dance."

"Ok," Tyler said quietly.

They both got up, Josh turning on their record player and swaying back and forth to the music with his Tyler.

"Sorry even your makeup birthday was such a bust," Josh sighed. "It'll be the best birthday ever next year. I promise."

"I-I liked today," Tyler said softly.

"You did?"

Tyler nodded.

"Oh," Josh said.

"T-there is one thing I wanna do, though."

"Really? What is it? Anything. Anything at all."

"I wanna pet the neighbor's dog."

"What?"

"I-I wanna go pet him."

"O-ok..." Josh said, confused but not trying to show it. "Let's go pet him."

They walked to their neighbor's house, Tyler sitting on the other side of the fence and patting the dog's head when he came over to him.

"Hello," he said.

Tyler simply just sat there on the ground, looking at the dog. The dog looked right back at him.

"I'm Tyler."

He checked the name on the dog's tag.

"You're Spooky. Hi Spooky."

So Tyler sat there and talked to the dog for a while, asking how his day was and if he ever gets bored being outside all the time.

He eventually shook his paw and got up, bidding him goodbye before walking back with Josh to their home.

"I enjoyed Spooky," Tyler said. "He's my friend now."

Josh texted the neighbor that Tyler had gone and said hi to their dog so they knew why he was barking, smiling at the reply.

"Do you really like Spooky?"

"Yes."

"Like really, really like him?"

"Yes."

"Do you want him?"

"What?"

"Jenna said she's been trying to find a home for him for forever now. We can have him! And you can have a friend while I'm at work!" Josh grinned. "Wanna go get him?"

Tyler smiled the tiniest bit and got up.

They got Spooky, walking with him back to their house.

Tyler and Spooky immediately snuggled up together and watched TV. It turned out Spooky was a trained ESA.

Over time, he helped Tyler a lot. And Josh felt a lot more comfortable leaving him at home now that he had Spooky there to be with him.

It ended up being a great makeup birthday because Tyler received the gift that got him back on track to being himself again:

Spooky.