Mason grinned as he kicked off his sneakers, feeling the cool grass beneath his feet. Beside him, Eli hesitated, glancing at the fence, then at his own pale chest. Mason tossed his shirt aside and stretched, soaking in the sun. "Come on, Eli, it feels amazing. Nobody’s watching but the squirrels," he called, his eyes glinting with mischief.

Eli wrung his shirt between his hands, uncertainty written across his face. "I don’t know, Mason. What if someone sees us? I’m not… I mean, I look weird," he muttered, voice barely above a whisper. Mason laughed, not unkindly, and flopped onto the grass. "We’re just two kids in our own backyard. Trust me, you’ll feel free,"

Eli finally dropped his shirt and threw himself beside Mason, laughing at the tickle of the grass. Mason lunged, and the two tumbled together, limbs flailing, their laughter ringing out. "Okay, okay! You were right—this feels awesome," Eli gasped between giggles as he tried to pin Mason.

Mason stared up at the shifting clouds, a small contented smile on his lips. "You know, I used to be scared too. But then I realized it’s just skin. We’re all kind of weird," he said softly. Eli turned to him, a new confidence in his brown eyes. "Maybe weird is good," he replied, grinning.

Mason bumped shoulders with Eli, both of them comfortable in their own skin. Eli caught a firefly, its glow illuminating his freckled face, and released it with a soft sigh. "Next time, let’s go swimming at the lake—shirts off," he declared, surprising himself.

Mason lingered on the threshold, casting one last glance at the moonlit yard. "Deal. And this time, we won’t care who’s watching," he said, his voice sure and bright. Their laughter echoed through the house, a promise of many more shirtless adventures to come.