27 years old

"Where are we going?" Tyler whined, tempted to peel off the blindfold that covered his eyes.

"Don't worry about it," Josh teased, one hand kneading Tyler's thigh while the other rested upon the steering wheel.

"Joooosh," the younger whined, lips pursing in a pout.

"You're fine, T." He laughed, although he'd never been so nervous in his life.

His heart pounded in his chest with each breath he drew. He focused on the road ahead, grateful he had some distraction for the time being. He nervously grabbed onto the brunette's thigh, attempting to keep his hands steady. The whole situation was more worrying, making Josh afraid Tyler would realize he's acting weird.

"Are we almost there at least?" Tyler sighed, letting his head fall back against the headrest.

"Mhm," Josh hummed in response, pulling over next to a curb. "We're here now."

"Finally!" Tyler grinned, knees bouncing in anticipation.

Josh helped Tyler out of the vehicle. His hands guided Tyler by his waist until they eventually came to a stop.

"Can I look?"

"Sure." Josh's voice nearly gave out. He had no idea what to do next, his mind suddenly drawing a blank.

Tyler's little hands fumbled with the blindfold as he untied it, letting it fall to the ground. He glanced around in confusion.

"A playground? Why're we at a playground?"

"It's the playground where we first met," Josh pointed out, suddenly feeling shy.

Tyler gasped, eyes lighting up in recognition. "Oh yeah! I remember! Why'd we come here?"

Josh shrugged. "I thought it would be fun to play on."

His pocket seemed to grow heavier in such a way to remind Josh of what he came here to do. He tried to ignore it, laughing as he watched Tyler climb onto the jungle gym. He slid down a bright yellow slide, landing at Josh's feet.

"This was a lot more fun when I was little," Tyler frowned. "I barely fit on the slide."

Josh's heart thumped against his ribcage. Was this the wrong time? Wrong place? Would Tyler hate it?

"Josh? Are you okay? You look sick."

"I-I..." His hand instinctively covered his pocket, afraid the brunette would see the outline of the small box.

"What's wrong?"

"How about we try the swings instead?" He suggested, completely switching the topic.

"Good idea!" Tyler smiled, face glowing pink under the illuminating sun.

Josh followed Tyler to the swing set, pushing him at Tyler's request. His small giggles reminded Josh of when they were little boys swinging on the exact same swing. It was all so reminiscent. He wondered if Tyler was thinking the same thing. Probably not, it looked like he was having too much fun.

"Higher!" Tyler exclaimed in a childish manner.

Josh let out a laugh, following the boy's order. His heart was still beating rapidly, knees feeling as if they were going to give out.

"I'm gonna jump!" Tyler announced, pumping his legs hard.

"Be careful," Josh warned.

Tyler suddenly jumped off, flying though the air for a few seconds before landing on his hands and feet. He let out an excited laugh as he stood up.

"Did you see how high I went Josh?" He asked, turning around to look back at the man.

His smile quickly dissipated and instead fell open wide, eyes growing at the sight before him. Josh kneeled before him, big hands clutching a tiny velvet box where a beautiful silver ring sat inside.

"Tyler Robert Joseph," he started, holding Tyler's stare.

"I've been in love with you for as long as I can remember. I knew ever since the day I met you that you made me feel different. Even at five years old, you took my breath away. I'd never seen such a beautiful boy in my whole life, and I still never have. I love you more than words can tell and more than time can measure. It would be a pleasure to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

Tyler was frozen in shock. It took a while for Josh's words to set in, but when they did, Tyler's eyes instantly filled with tears.

"Josh, I love you so much... Of course I'll marry you!"

Josh let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He stood up, a smile spread across his face. He took Tyler's hand, sliding the cool ring onto his delicate finger. Tyler captured him in an embrace, sobbing tears of joy into his chest.

"I-I love you s-so much!" He stuttered between shaky breaths.

Josh couldn't help but laugh. "I love you too, baby. Why're you crying?"

"I'm s-so happy!"

Josh's laughter rang out again. He cupped Tyler's damp cheeks, wiping away the tears with his thumbs.

"You're such a big baby. I love it."

He made Tyler giggle, eyes wrinkling as his lips curled into a smile. They stayed just like that, Josh holding Tyler, until their feet started hurting.

"Can we go home?" Tyler mumbled, leaning into Josh's touch.

"No, because I'm taking you out for dinner."

"What!? I need to change!" The smaller argued, eyebrows scrunching together.

"Well we can go home to change, smarty," Josh teased, poking the top of Tyler's nose.

"Okay, lets go. I'm starving."

Their fingers intertwined as they started walking back to Tyler's car, his new engagement ring proudly visible for all to see.