As Eli walks down the street towards the playground, he starts questioning his decision. What if they react badly? They’re okay with him being gay, but they were never okay with Joss, and Joss being his boyfriend wouldn’t logically change that.

“Eli! Over here!” They’re all on the slide, lounging. There’s no one else in the park besides a mom and her toddler, and the boys seem aware enough to give her space.

Hernán raises his eyebrows at Joss. “Why is he here?”

One of the other boys, Mateo, pats him on the shoulder. “Relax. I’m sure Eli has his reasons. He’s as loyal as the rest of us.”

“Yeah! “ Hayden chimes in. “If not more, by God. He’s heard me bitch and whine about my brother enough.”

Hayden’s twin brother, Jayden, is on the hockey team, and Eli has heard him talk about Jayden enough to never purposefully cross paths with him in school.

Joss steps up in front of the slide, arms at his side. For once in his life, he looks defenseless, and Eli loves him for making an effort.

“Hi.” He says. “It’s good to meet you guys. I’ve heard a lot of good things about you, and I don’t think I’ve actually met you before.” He sticks out his hand. “I’m Joss Hall.”

Hernán comes closer to sneering than he ever has. Surprisingly, it’s the most private member who slips off the slide and shakes Joss’s hand.

“Hi. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Emmanuel.”

Joss smiles like someone just handed him a box full of puppies and sunshine.

Another boy steps up, proffers his hand, and gives Joss a firm shake. “I’m Mateo.” He jerks his thumb towards Hernán. “I make sure he doesn’t shit his pants getting all protective of little Eli over there.”

Hayden follows suit. “He’s just jealous,” he says in a monotone. Both Eli and Joss can’t tell if he’s joking.

Hernán slams his heel against the metal of the slide. “Nice meet and greet. Eliseo Luis Moreno Almonte, why the hell is he here? Why have you been sucking ass at patrol lately? Why haven’t I seen you AT ALL this week?”

Eli shifts his weight from foot to foot, and steps forward. He rests a hand on Joss’s shoulder, and opens his mouth. He closes it again.

“Well. I’m think I’m going to answer those backwards. You haven’t seen me because I was at his house tutoring him for money. Then because we were hanging out. I’ve been sucking ass because, well, I guess I was thinking about him.” He drops his hand off of Joss and bites his lip, but stands tall. “He’s here because he’s my boyfriend and I wanted you guys to meet him.”

It’s rare for Eli to speak with such power, so for a second, there’s only silence. Then, Joss takes his hand, and the boys jump on them in a pack.

“AYYYYYYYYYYY!!! MY BOY’S GOT HIMSELF A STRONG MAN!!!” Hayden screams, scaring the mother and child at the swings.

“Wow, Eli. You’ve grown up,” Mateo thumps him on the back.

Emmanuel looks Joss in the eyes. “If Eliseo thinks you’re good, that’s good enough for me.”

Still on the slide, Eli can see Hernán soften a little.

“Alright.” He says, the corners of his mouth twitching. “That’s a fair excuse. I hope you haven’t fucked already. How old is this relationship?”

“Like actually an hour. And no, pretty boy here is way too pure for sex this early.” Joss seems to be entertained to see Eli’s blush creep up his ears.

“Ah.” Hernán’s amused now. “‘Pretty boy’? Pet names already? I might not allow him to come back, Eli.”

Eli’s embarrassment can be felt by all. “He’s been calling me that since we met.”

“A man who knows what he wants. I like that. You don’t seem like the type to be afraid of going after your feelings.”

“Ah. Actually, I didn’t realize I liked him for a bit. I might have avoided him some in there.” Eli can tell that Joss is repressing the urge to call Hernán ‘sir’. He knows the feeling. He still has to stop himself from snapping to attention, saluting, and saying ‘Sir!’ sometimes.

Hernán laughs, a full body sound, and Eli knows he’s forgiven. Hernán has always found it hard to stay mad, and the news of their youngest member getting a boyfriend is too much for him to stay angry.

After half an hour of explanations and questions answered, Joss and Eli hop back onto his bike for a ride back to Joss’s house. Once they reach it, Eli calls home. His mom isn’t too concerned; he had told her that he was going to be out late yesterday, and she just assumed that he slept over. She isn’t aware that it was at Joss’s house, though, so Eli tells her about him. Not that they’re dating, though. He will save that for another time.

Joss grabs his arm, and steers him through the door while he keeps talking.

“What?” Eli says, setting down his phone.

“Can you work that pancake magic again?”