They fall asleep in exhaustion, pillowed on the world’s best couch, wrapped together. No more clothing comes off, but they kiss until their lips are numb, whispering their feelings in the quiet night air.

When Eli wakes up, his first thought is that he has to turn off his alarm before he shoots himself. Then, half a second later, he realizes that it’s not his alarm. His phone is ringing. He checks it, and it’s Hernán calling.

He answers the call. “Hey?”

“Esé, where the fuck are you? You had patrol this morning, and now it’s once de la mañana y no estás aquí. ¿Que carajo? You had one job, Eli.”

Eli pales. He hadn’t intended to sleep over, and he definitely hadn’t intended to skip patrol. He was supposed to have been there at 5am, to make sure nothing happened in the early morning, and that all the squatters left before daytime. He hadn’t been there.

Beside him, Joss groggily lifts his head from the couch cushions. “Whosat?” He asks, voice bleary.

Eli can practically hear Hernán’s thought process.

“¿ESTÁS EN LA CASA DE ESE CABRÓN?”

He tries to explain without telling them about his relationship with Joss, but Hernán’s words dissolve into mixed Spanish and English yelling. He gives up, and sets down the phone with a sigh.

“Do they know…?” Joss asks warily.

“About me liking you?” Joss blushes. “Yeah, probably. About us? I don’t know. What is us, anyway?” Eli asks in an offhand way, but the answer really matters to him.

“Do you want to date? Or do you want to do that thing that all the freshmen do when they don’t want to defy their parents’ dating rules?”

Eli’s expression skews confused. “What thing?”

“Are you saying you’ve never done the thing!?”

“No…?” He’s even more confused.

“Okay, so what happens with some of the freshmen is they find someone they like but then they’re not allowed to date so they do this stupid shit where they, like, say that they’re in an ‘undefined relationship’ or some shit, but they’re actually dating.”

“I’d rather just date, thanks.”

Joss wiggles his eyebrows. “Date me?”

Oh my God, he’s never gonna stop. Eliseo, this is what you’ve gotten yourself into. No complaining.

“Yes. I’d like to date you. Will you be my boyfriend, Joss?”

Joss stops cold the moment he realizes he’s actually just been asked to date someone. And not really someone, but Eliseo Almonte.

He swallows, his Adam’s apple catching. “Yeah. I’d like that, Eli.”

Eli stands up. Joss holds out his hand, and Eli pulls him to his feet, palm against palm, skin against skin. He kisses Joss lightly on the forehead. Joss wipes it off.

“Will you come with me to talk to the Leóns? I want to introduce you guys properly.”