Chapter Text
Though it’s just after twelve when Jake pulls the car back into the driveway, Bradley feels as if he’s been awake for days. The emotional turmoil of his fight with Jake, making up, and going to see his parent’s graves has taken a toll on him mentally. Given the lethargy he feels in his joints, he adds a physical toll to the list as well. He’s exhausted.
Bradley makes for the bedroom immediately, stripping out of his rain-soaked jeans and socks and redressing in dry, comfortable clothes. Jake walks into the room a minute later, grabbing Ducky and Roo-Roo from the dresser and tossing them onto the bed.
“There wasn’t anything else you wanted to do today, was there?” He asks.
Bradley shakes his head. “Aside from lying down and cuddling with you for the rest of the day, no.”
The blonde flops down on the bed and opens his arms, inviting Bradley into them. It takes no convincing for him to fall into his boyfriend’s embrace, leaning into his touch. Jake arranges Ducky and Roo-Roo on the bed next to them, making the two plushies cuddle.
“You just had to get the ‘kids’ involved, didn’t you?” The brunet asks, fondly.
“Of course. Why not make cuddling a family affair?” Jake adjusts the plushies so that Roo-Roo is wrapping a wing around Ducky. “Look how well they get along!”
Bradley can’t help but laugh into his boyfriend’s chest. “You’re a dork.”
“But you love me anyway.”
“God help me because I sure do.”
Jake plants a kiss on Bradley’s forehead as he flips the TV onto the sitcom they’ve been watching. Before the theme song starts playing at the beginning of the episode, Bradley can already feel his eyelids drooping. With Jake giving him occasional forehead kisses and running his fingers through his hair, he sees no reason to fight off sleep as it pulls him under.
***
Bradley wakes up a couple hours later, groggy and confused after the midday nap. He groans as he sits up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and coming back to himself. The TV is still on, and an episode of Parks and Recreation is playing. Based on the tapping sound against the window, Bradley infers that the rain has started up again.
Yawning and stretching, Bradley realizes that Jake’s side of the bed is vacant. He spends only a moment wondering where his boyfriend might be when he hears a clatter coming from the kitchen. Bradley rolls out of bed and shuffles across the room to the door.
In the kitchen, a large pot is steaming on the stove, and Jake is washing a cutting board in the sink. He notices Bradley in his peripheral vision, his eyes lighting up as he turns his gaze on his boyfriend. “There’s sleeping beauty.”
“Ha-ha,” Bradley deadpans. “How long was I out?”
The blonde looks over his shoulder at the clock on the stove. “About two-and-a-half hours.”
“Damn,” Bradley runs his hand through his hair. “Whatcha making?”
“Well, since it’s rainy and nasty outside, I thought I would make a Seresin Family special,” Jake answers, walking back over to the stove and stirring whatever it is he has cooking in the pot.
“And what would that be?”
“World famous chicken gnocchi soup,” He gestures for Bradley to come over. He lifts the ladle out of the pot and offers it to him to try. Bradley slurps a bit from the spoon, letting out an involuntary moan from the taste.
Jake chuckles, clearly proud of himself. “Pretty damn good, huh?”
“Pretty damn good,” he confirms. “What made you decide to cook?”
The younger man shrugs, “It was getting late and we hadn’t had lunch yet. Plus, I bought enough ingredients to make enough for a couple meals. So, you’re looking at a late lunch, and dinner later tonight.”
Bradley kisses him on the cheek. “You just might be the best boyfriend ever.”
“I know,” he replies, cheekily.
Bradley swats playfully at his chest, “Smartass.”
“I wear that badge proudly, Roo. You ought to know that by now.”
“Oh, believe me, I do.”
Jake finishes up with the soup a few minutes later, presenting Bradley with a bowl at the table. “Eat up, darlin’.”
The older man inhales the soup, not caring that it’s still a bit too hot. He can’t figure out why he’s so hungry until about halfway through the bowl when it dawns on him that he hasn’t had anything to eat all day. It’s probably part of the reason he was so tired and lethargic earlier.
As he finishes up his 3 PM lunch, Bradley asks, just to have a conversation, “Did you get any sleep?”
Jake shakes his head, “No, I watched an episode, got a phone call, then decided to make soup.”
“Oh, who called?”
Jake’s gaze moves from Bradley to his bowl of soup, seeming to find it fascinating.
“Jake? Is everything okay?”
He nods, “Yeah, it’s just…it was my mama.”
Oh. So that’s why he hesitated. “Jake, you don’t have to hide that you were talking to your mom just because mine is gone.”
“I just felt bad after all you’ve been through. It’s a hard enough day for you already, I didn’t want to accidentally make it worse.”
Bradley reaches across the table and takes Jake’s hand. “I can’t tell you how much that means to me, but there’s no reason for you to feel bad. I’m glad that you still have your family around and that they love you. It’s a blessing.”
“I told her and Dad about us,” Jake admits.
Bradley smiles, “What did they say?”
“Well, it’s far from the first time they’ve heard about you, I’ll say that much,” a small blush appears on his face. “They got an earful over the years when we were more rivals than anything else. They’re really excited to meet you.”
“Do you think they’ll like me?”
Still holding Bradley’s hand, Jake gives it a reassuring squeeze. “Darlin’, they’re going to love you.”
“I hope so,” Bradley says, sheepishly.
“I know so, sweetheart. Trust me.” Jake gives him one of those beautiful, loving smiles and he can’t help but believe him. “They wouldn’t have offered to fly us out there if they didn’t think they’d like you.”
“They really offered that?” Bradley asks, incredulously. They must be awfully confident in Jake’s decision to date him if they’re willing to fly them all the way out to Texas.
“Sure did. I told you they’re dying to meet you. After twelve years of hearing about you, I think they’re ready to finally see you in the flesh. And God knows Mama can’t wait to go through the baby pictures with you.”
“Any chance I’ll get to see that seventh-grade photo you talked about at Mav’s hangar last week?” Bradley teases.
Jake blushes. “Unfortunately, yes. She’s got years’ worth of pictures stored in an ungodly amount of albums.”
He laughs for a moment, though the laughter fades as his brain takes him down another negative path. He can’t help but think of how much his mom would have loved to do the same thing. She’d sit Jake down in the living room with coffee and snacks and lay the photo album out on the table. They would spend an afternoon poring over the pages of photos, and Jake would inevitably tease him about the ones from his awkward years. Bradley would laugh and give Jake kisses on the cheek while he reminisced on his childhood with his mom.
His boyfriend squeezes his hand and gives it a little shake, bringing him out of his thoughts. “Bradley? You with me, baby?”
Bradley shakes his head to clear the fog, “Yeah. Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking,” he clears his throat to choke back the emotion he feels building, “just thinking about how much my mom would have loved to go through my baby photos with you.”
“Oh, sweetheart,” Jake stands and rounds the table, hugging Bradley’s head close to his chest.
Somehow, Bradley doesn’t cry this time. Part of him thinks he may have cried himself out for the day.
“Do you have any of those photos here?” Jake wonders after a few moments.
“Actually, yeah. I do.” Bradley hadn’t even thought about the storage bin tucked away in his closet. It has his dad’s old Polaroid photos and camera, and the photos his mom took of him growing up.
“Would it make you feel better to look through some of them?”
If Bradley is being completely honest with himself, he has no idea. The box has been tucked away for years, full of too many painful memories. The few pictures he framed on the piano were about as much as he could bear when he officially took over the house. And for a while, they were still hard to deal with on bad days. But maybe with Jake by his side, he’ll be able to get through it.
The only answer he can come up with is “maybe.”
Jake runs his fingers through Bradley’s hair and gently tilts his head up so he’s looking at him. “Tell you what, we’ll get them out and if it’s too much for you we’ll put them right back and go lie down and cuddle.”
“Okay,” Bradley nods, trying to encourage himself.
Jake kisses him on the forehead, and then they make their way to the bedroom, where Bradley riffles through the closet for the storage bin. He pulls it out, blowing off the small layer of dust that has accumulated on the lid. It’s fairly heavy and awkward, but he manages to navigate it through the house to the living room with Jake’s help.
Placing his hands on either side of the lid, Bradley takes a deep breath, then pops it off, revealing albums and folders, and even some smaller boxes full of photos, along with his dad’s old Polaroid camera.
“You okay?” Jake asks after Bradley has stared at the inside of the bin for a moment.
Bradley nods. Surprisingly, he does feel okay. As sad as some of these photos will make him feel, it seems right to go through them. Especially on this day. He knows his mom wouldn’t want him to be miserable—she had said so countless times in the final months of her life—but rather she’d want to be celebrated. She would want her life and memory to carry on by looking back at the good times, not locked away in a closet to only be known by the few people still alive who knew her. Bradley may never be able to go through the photos with both Jake and his mom, but he’ll be able to go through them with Jake to remember her.
Somehow, right now, that feels like enough.
Reaching into the bin, Bradley pulls out the Polaroid and the small box that must have once been white but has yellowed significantly with age. Written in red marker on the lid is the label Goose’s Gallery . Bradley chuckles at the goofy name, which is remarkably consistent with the idea he has of his dad in his head from the stories he’s been told.
He slides the lid off, revealing dozens of Polaroids inside. Bradley sifts through every one of them. Many of them are of work, with shots of F-14s or aircraft carrier hallways and tarmacs. Some of them are of him in the co*ckpit, Maverick’s helmet visible in the reflection of the mirrors at the front. Bradley and Jake both burst out laughing at the shot of Maverick flipping off an enemy pilot while inverted. There’s nothing else out there that could so perfectly describe Maverick’s flying.
There are a lot of photos of Bradley and Carole, too. A shot of Bradley running in the backyard. His dad pushing him on a swing at the park. The three of them sitting on a big blanket with a picnic basket. Bradley taking some of his first steps. A picture of Bradley smiling with his mouth wide open, only a few teeth having grown in. Bradley’s first birthday with a smushed cake on the high chair and blue frosting covering half of his face. Another shot from that day with his mom and dad kissing both of his cheeks. Yet another from that day with Bradley sleeping on Maverick’s chest in the living room.
Bradley laughs fondly at that one, snapping a picture of it with his phone and texting it to Maverick.
Sifting through the box, he finds an old photo he’d almost forgotten about. It’s one of him, his mom, and dad in the front yard of this very house, with Bradley sitting on his dad’s shoulders. Next to them in the yard is a realty sign that says “sold.”
“I guess that’s when your family bought this house,” Jake observes, quietly.
Bradley nods, “We were in the process of moving out here from Virginia when Dad died. We already had the house and sold ours back in Virginia, so we went through with the move. Mom wanted to stay close to Maverick, too. They were like siblings.”
Jake places a gentle, reassuring hand on Bradley’s shoulder as they look through the other photos from when they bought the house. There’s a shot of Bradley running through the living room, and another of him beaming at the camera in what used to be his bedroom, but is now one of the guest rooms.
“Looks like you’ve done some renovating,” Jake laughs, pointing at the painfully outdated eighties wallpaper in the background.
The brunet laughs, too, “I debated about renovating for a long time, but some of that old stuff had to go.”
“I can’t say I blame you,” Jake says.
“It was a lot cheaper than moving, too, and I really didn’t want to part with the house.”
“Too many memories?” Jake ventures.
“Yeah. My mom said that she and my dad bought this house in particular because it had enough room for a growing family.” Bradley feels a pang of sadness crash into him at the thought. His parents never had the chance to grow that family.
Jake kisses his cheek, “Darlin’, I can only imagine.”
“Once she told me that, I could never bear to part with this place.”
Continuing through the box, Bradley finds one that he has just the slightest memory of. It’s one of his dad holding him on the tarmac and kissing his mom. Bradley’s face is scrunched up and squinting from the sun in that photo. He vaguely remembers he and his mom going out to see his dad just a few days before he died. This is one of the last pictures he ever got to take with him.
Jake seems to sense his shift in mood. Probably because of how long he’s been staring at the picture. “What is it?”
Bradley hands the photo to Jake. “It’s one of the last pictures of my whole family together. My dad died just a few days later.”
“sh*t. Honey, I’m so sorry,” Jake kisses his cheek and gives him a side hug.
Bradley shrugs, “It’s not your fault.”
“I meant that more for what I said in the briefing room that day than anything else,” Jake confesses. “I was just trying to push you, and I didn’t know any other way to get through to you. I’m sorry.”
Bradley looks over at him. “Jake, I let that go a long time ago. You’ve apologized several times, and your actions have shown that you’ve changed. I promise, I don’t and will never hold that against you.”
The blonde rests his head on Bradley’s shoulder, who wraps a loving arm around him and pulls him closer. “Do you think your dad would still like me?”
“Jake, he would love you,” Bradley replies, sincerely and without hesitation. “From what I’ve been told about him, when he loved someone, it was with his whole heart, and nothing you ever said or did could change that. He may not have liked what you said, but he would have forgiven you and moved on.”
“Well, then I see where you get it from,” Jake mumbles into Bradley’s shoulder. He brings his head up a moment later and holds up one of the photos of his dad next to Bradley’s head. He glances between the two for a second, tilting his head in consideration.
“What are you doing?” Bradley asks, smiling despite his confusion.
“You two sure look a hell of a lot like each other,” Jake observes.
Bradley chuckles, “If I had a dollar for every time someone said that.” He picks up another picture of his dad, wearing his helmet, smiling, and flipping off the camera. He would bet all the money he has that Maverick is the one who took it.
“I wanted to be just like him growing up. He died so young that I feel like I spent my childhood trying to be just like him to keep him alive in my mind. I didn’t think about it like that at the time, but looking back it feels like that’s what I was doing. It still sort of feels like that now.”
Jake takes his hand, giving it a loving squeeze. “I can’t imagine what it must be like.”
“I’ll admit, it’s really weird a lot of times,” Bradley says. “I only have a few memories of him, and they’re so fuzzy that I’m not sure if they’re real or things I made up years ago to shape the image of him in my head.” He sighs, sitting back on the couch and tilting his head up toward the ceiling. “It’s hard when you miss someone you don’t really remember. It’s almost like I just miss the idea of who he was as a person.”
Jake doesn’t seem to know what to say to that, and Bradley has to admit that he wouldn’t either. So, when Jake just leans back and rests his head on his shoulder, he wraps an arm around him again and holds him just a bit tighter.
After a few moments of sitting like that, Bradley leans forward toward the table, carefully placing the Polaroids back into their box and moving on to the albums that rest within.
“Thank you for doing this with me, Jake.”
“Of course, sweetheart. I told you I’d help you in any way I could. This is part of that.” Jake boops him on the nose with his finger, and Bradley giggles.
The older man takes one of the albums out of the box, setting it down on the table. He’s not sure what he’ll find until he opens it. It’s a collection of late middle school and early high school photos. “Oh, you’ll love these,” he says to his boyfriend.
Jake laughs immediately at a picture of a very awkward freshman year Bradley. “Why do you have Hulk hands?”
Bradley swats Jake’s arm playfully. “‘Hulk hands?’ I’ve never been more insulted in my life.”
Jake is still carrying on, laughing his head off. “Why are they so big? Like they’re the same size they are now.”
Shaking his head fondly, Bradley pulls the picture out of the sleeve. “I grew late, what can I say?”
Jake brushes a tear from his eye, still laughing. “You must have. How tall were you there?”
He looks closer at the picture, trying to remember. “I think like five foot five? Maybe five foot six on a good day. I hit my growth spurt the summer before sophom*ore year. I grew six inches in one year.”
Jake whistles, impressed. “The same thing happened to me.”
“But I still got that extra inch of height on you,” Bradley brags.
Jake rolls his eyes, “Always the competition with you.”
“Says the one who admitted on day one that this relationship would always be a competition,” Bradley fires back, though there’s no heat in either of their tones.
Jake shoots him a playful glare. “Touche.”
Bradley laughs, flipping through a couple of pages. There are photos of him on the baseball team. Volunteering at a shelter through one of the clubs he was involved in at school. Him posing with his science fair project on aerodynamics that won him first place. His mom is in almost every picture as well. She was his biggest supporter, even after she’d gotten sick. She did everything she could to make it to all of his baseball games, cheering him on while he pitched. Unfortunately, she only ever got to see one season. She died several months before his sophom*ore season, and he’d been so deep in grief that he didn’t try out for the team again.
“I remember this one,” Jake says, pointing to one of the last photos in the book, “from out at Mav’s hangar.”
Bradley slides it out of the sleeve. “I remember this day vividly. It was the day I came out to her.”
“Oh,” Jake says, clearly unsure of himself. “I don’t remember you saying that before.”
“I didn’t say anything out at Mav’s, I think I was too caught up pining after you to think about it then,” Bradley jokes, though there’s definitely some truth in that. But he really hadn’t thought about it then.
Jake huffs a laugh, “That goes both ways, darlin’. I was reading into everything you said or did. I even slipped in some pet names to try and read your reaction.”
“You made me blush a lot, that’s for sure.”
“I remember,” Jake smiles.
Bradley stares at the picture a little longer. If he looks closely enough, he almost convinces himself he can make out the bit of red in his eyes. She had been more than accepting of him being bi, but with his emotions running wild, he remembers crying.
“Given what you’ve told me I’m assuming she…you know…took it well?”
Bradley smiles, “Better than I ever could have hoped for. I knew she would, but I was so nervous before and so emotional that I cried. Bawled really. She held me close and told me that she loved me no matter what. Then she thanked me for telling her. She didn’t say ‘Thank you for telling me while you still have the chance’ but I could feel that sentiment in the air. I would have regretted it if I hadn't.”
“That’s the same thing my mama said to me, actually.”
“Really?”
Jake nods. “Yep. She said that I was her son and that there was nothing I could ever say or do that would make her stop loving me. And, like your mama, she thanked me for telling her.”
“Was she the first person you came out to?” Bradley hopes it’s not too personal of a question, but he’s curious, and since they’re both sharing he figures he might as well ask.
“No, I told Jess first. My older sister,” Jake clarifies. “I had a complete breakdown over it. Cried so hard I threw up. But I felt a lot better after she knew. Jess helped me work out what to say to my mom, and then to my dad.”
There’s a sad look on Jake’s face, and the thought of him being so scared about his sexuality as a teen breaks Bradley’s heart. He gives the younger man a kiss on the cheek and takes his hand.
“I was raised Southern Baptist,” Jake admits. “My family wasn’t the most devout, but I was worried they wouldn’t handle my sexuality well. When I told Jess, I had known I was gay deep down for years, and I just couldn’t keep it in anymore. A few weeks passed, then I told my mama. Then about a week later, my dad.”
Jake’s eyes are welling up with tears. “I was scared they’d tell me they hated me and that I was going to hell or something, but all they did was encourage me. They said that the God they believed in created everybody, and that he doesn’t make mistakes, so therefore, my sexuality couldn’t be a sin or mistake. They said God still loved me just as much as anybody else.”
“My mom was Christian, too. Or at least, I think it was Christian. I get the different sects confused.”
“Did that have anything to do with you being scared to come out, too?” Jake asks.
Bradley shrugs, “Not really. I’d always heard her say what your parents said—that God loves everyone, no matter what. I think it was more of me just being a scared kid because I still didn’t fully understand my feelings, and I was worried that if I didn’t, then she wouldn’t either.”
Jake raises an eyebrow. “Were you raised in the church, too?”
“I guess you could say that. I vaguely remember going with my mom and dad when I was really little, and then again for years with my mom. I think religion helped me cope with Dad’s death. But then Mom got sick, and while she grew closer, I grew more distant. I put up a front for her so she wouldn’t worry, and because I knew it brought her peace. That was my biggest priority before she died, and part of why I didn’t want to tell her I was bi. I knew she would take it well, but I didn’t want it to make her worry about how it could impact my future when a lot of the world is less accepting.”
Jake brings the back of Bradley’s hand up to his lips. “I can’t imagine how hard it must have been to lose her. I’m so sorry, honey.”
“Nothing to be sorry about,” Bradley states, “just the cards I was dealt. I’m just glad I got to tell her who I was before she passed. I’m glad you had parents who took your sexuality well, too. That’s rare considering our upbringing.”
“Very true. But I think mine might have already known anyway. Or at least suspected,” Jake says. “I’d only ever been out on a few dates, and my first kiss made it clear to me that I wasn’t interested in girls. The second and third only reinforced that idea. I never gave dating much thought, which I think my family found unusual given that I was the quarterback and captain of the football team.”
“I didn’t know you played football,” Bradley says.
Jake gives him a little smirk, clearly a front to the vulnerability he’s showing. “Don’t seem so surprised, Roo.”
He nudges his arm, “I’m not surprised, I just didn’t know.”
Jake shrugs, “Yep. It’s not often you get a gay quarterback on the varsity football team in Texas.” He says it like a lighthearted joke, but it’s pretty clear that he meant it self-deprecatingly.
Bradley hugs Jake close, breathing him in and cradling the back of his head with his hand. He runs his fingers through his hair as his boyfriend lets out a sigh of contentment. “I’m glad you had your family on your side back then and that you still do.”
“Me too,” Jake sniffles, holding back tears.
“I wish I had known you back then,” Bradley says.
The blonde chuckles, despite the tears welling up in his eyes. He wipes at the stubborn tears. “Do you think we would have gotten along?”
“I have no idea,” Bradley replies, truthfully, “but I like to think we would have. I would’ve been your supportive older boyfriend cheering you on from the student section, painting your number on my face, and screaming ‘Go Jakey’ just to embarrass you. Then I’d run out on the field after you won the game and give you a big kiss on the lips in front of everyone.”
The younger man laughs as Bradley carries on with the scenario. “You know that high school isn’t like the cheesy rom-coms or TV shows, right? Especially not in Texas.”
“‘Course I do. But in a perfect world, that’s what would have happened,” Bradley leans close to Jake, brushing their noses together and giving him a kiss. “I would’ve made a huge production of asking you to prom, too.”
“I have no doubt about that,” Jake giggles. “You probably would have serenaded me in front of the whole school at lunch or during an assembly.”
“I absolutely would have done that.”
He smiles fondly at Bradley. “I think younger me could have really used someone like you in his life.”
“I know younger me could’ve used someone like you,” Bradley says. “Someone to make me feel less alone in my sexuality, and someone else to help me work through my mom’s passing.”
Jake brings him in for a hug, holding him tight. “I may not have been able to back then, but I'll do everything I can to make it easier now.”
The brunet chuckles a bit to himself. “I think we’ve both really been through hell in our own ways.”
Jake laughs in his ear, such a sweet, melodic sound. “No kidding.”
They’re still holding each other as their laughter dies down. “I love you so much, Jake.”
“I love you so much too, Bradley.”
When the embrace breaks, at last, Bradley begins packing the albums back up into the bin. They didn’t go through all of them, but there will be more time for that down the road. He got to feel nostalgic for a while and remember his love for his mom and all of the good times they had. Now, he wants to spend the rest of the afternoon and evening focused on Jake.
He organizes the bin, making sure everything is meticulously placed so that the pictures won’t get bent or ruffled while stored away. Jake follows him into the bedroom, and while he’s stashing the bin back into its corner in the closet, he hears the water start running in the bathroom.
“Watcha doing, Jakey?” Bradley asks as he walks into the bathroom. Hot water is streaming into the bathtub from the faucet, while bubbles form along the surface. Jake is in the middle of lighting a lavender-scented candle.
He sets the candle down on the edge of the tub. “Preparing a nice romantic evening for us.”
“Is that so?” Bradley quirks his eyebrow suggestively at his boyfriend, who blushes lightly.
“Yep,” Jake replies, popping the ‘p’. “First, a nice hot bath to relax and unwind after the stressful and emotional day. Then, a nice dinner of the leftover soup, and a night filled with cuddling in bed with our show, and maybe a glass of wine.”
Bradley steps into Jake’s space, resting his hands low on his hips. “An excuse to get naked and cuddle, and a whole night together? I like the sound of that sweetheart.” He leans in for a passionate kiss.
“I thought you might,” Jake smirks against his lips.
Jake moves his hands to the bottom of Bradley’s shirt, gently lifting it up and pulling it over his brunette curls before tossing it to the floor. Bradley leans in for a quick kiss, then removes Jake’s shirt. They take turns trading kisses and taking each other’s clothes off until they’re both completely naked. Bradley’s hands roam over the expanse of toned muscle that makes up Jake’s back, while Jake’s fingers tangle in Bradley’s curls, pulling him closer to deepen the kiss.
When they have to part for air, he looks up to see Jake’s beautiful green eyes blown wide, a light pink blush running from the tips of his ears to the top of his chest. His lips are slightly swollen from their shared kisses. He’s the most beautiful thing Bradley has ever seen.
Silently, they move to the bath, Jake sliding in first, sitting with his back against the wall and with his legs spread, inviting Bradley to sit in the open space. He doesn’t hesitate, sliding down into the invitingly bubbly water. A sigh of contentment escapes his lips as he situates his back against Jake’s chest in the warm water. The blonde’s strong, loving arms snake around his front, resting on Bradley’s abdomen. A kiss is brushed against his temple.
“Relaxing, right?” Jake whispers.
Bradley only nods, leaning back into his boyfriend and kissing his cheek. “You always know just what I need.”
“What can I say? I know my man,” Jake grins, stealing another kiss.
Bradley giggles, settling back in and resting his head on Jake’s shoulder. They sit in silence for several minutes, the scents of lavender from the candle and citrus from the bubbles creating a relaxing aroma and atmosphere. Bradley lets his eyelids flutter shut, content to stay like this forever with Jake’s warm, strong body pressed up against his own, wrapping him in a blanket of love and security.
It’s hard to believe how quickly he and Jake have reached this point. Less than two weeks ago they were simply friends, nothing more. And while he was in love with Jake back then and just hadn’t realized it yet, he can’t imagine how he went so long without him in his life. Jake is the physical embodiment of the love Bradley always dreamed of having but never thought he could.
“I wish I could freeze time and the two of us could live in this moment forever,” Jake whispers, suddenly breaking the silence. “No upcoming deployments, nothing to keep us apart, just you and me, holding each other.”
“I wish we could have that too, Jake. More than anything.”
Jake rests his head against Bradley’s in the water, causing the brunet to smile softly to himself.
“Do you remember last night when I said I never thought I’d have someone to take back home?” Jake asks.
“I do,” Bradley says, unsure of where his boyfriend is going with this. “I remember being surprised, because you seemed to have been so put together when it came to our relationship, and I’d felt like such a mess.”
“You thought you were the mess?” Jake asks, disbelief in his tone.
Bradley attempts to shrug. “Well, yeah. I’ve never been with someone that I so desperately wanted to have a future with. I was scared I’d f*ck it all up.”
Jake is quiet for a moment before his chest vibrates with a laugh, “That’s what I was afraid of. You were the one who was brave enough to kiss me first, suggested we go on dates, and invited me to live with you for God’s sake.”
Bradley starts laughing, too, the irony of the situation becoming funnier by the second. “I thought you had it all figured out based on the note you left on my forehead, insisting on taking me out first, buying me flowers, helping me through the nightmare on that first night.” He can’t list anything else, laughing too hard at his own obliviousness and stupidity.
Their laughter carries on for a few minutes, the water in the tub splashing as they move around a bit in the water. “Looks like we’re just as oblivious when we're in a relationship as we were before,” Jake snickers.
“God, we need help,” Bradley brushes a tear from his eye after laughing so hard.
“I think we can agree that we need to talk about these things when we have concerns,” Jake says, his tone growing a bit more serious.
“I agree. We’re supposed to be a team, and we’re not gonna be a good one if we don’t communicate.”
“We’re a team,” Jake agrees. “There’s no one else I’d rather have on my side.”
Bradley swats at his chest, leaving suds on his boyfriend’s golden skin. “Sap.”
“I mean it,” Jake fake pouts.
“I know, sweetheart. Me too.”
“That’s actually what I was trying to say earlier,” Jake rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. “I never thought I’d have someone to take back home. I figured I was destined for a life of hook-ups and pointless attempts at dating until I became old and undesirable. Being in Texas didn’t exactly give me a lot of hope for finding someone I could be happy with and settling down. And you know that the Navy life has its own set of challenges in that regard.”
The blonde takes a deep breath, seeming to gather his thoughts. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m glad I found you. Honestly I…I prayed that I would find someone like you, not knowing if it would do me any good. One of those religious habits I could never really shake.”
“I still pray sometimes, too,” Bradley confesses. “I never really prayed for love or anything, but after a long time, I prayed that I would be able to forgive Maverick and have him back in my life. And I think that fate or God or something had to step in to make us realize how we felt about each other. I think that was nothing short of divine intervention.”
Jake laughs along with Bradley. “I prayed for the whole squad as you guys launched off the carrier,” her says when their laughter has died down. “And then I begged God to bring you and Maverick home safely. My feelings for you back then were still…complicated to say the least, but I knew that I didn’t want to keep living in a world without you in it.”
Bradley kisses Jake’s cheek. “During those few seconds when I thought that bastard had Mav and me, I swear I felt time slow down. It felt like an hour went by. All I could think about was all the things I’d never get to do, and all the things I’d never get to say. I thought about all the time I wasted being mad at Maverick and all the stupid, petty things I said to you that I never meant. I thought I was going to die loaded down by regret for the things I’d never get to set right.”
Bradley realizes that he’s started to cry by the time he’s finished recounting those last few seconds. He’s never told anybody about that, not Maverick, not Natasha, not even his therapist. It felt too personal for anyone to know. But with Jake it’s different.
“That’s why when you gave me the chance for a fresh start after the mission, I took it,” Bradley sniffles, wiping the tears that just won’t seem to stop.
Jake softly shushes him, running a wet hand through his hair. “I’ve got you, baby. Shh, I’ve got you.”
“You’ve saved my life, Jake,” Bradley croaks, “in more ways than one.”
“We saved each other,” Jake replies, voice thick with emotion. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Neither do I,” he replies, never meaning it more than he does at that very moment.
Bradley turns his head and brings one of his hands up to rest on Jake’s cheek, wiping a tear. “I love you more than anything.”
“I love you, too. You’re my whole world.”
When Jake leans in for a kiss, it’s the easiest thing in the world for Bradley to lean into it, too. It’s soft, gentle, and passionate, if a little salty from their tears. But it says everything else that they can’t articulate. Bradley brings up another hand, holding Jake's face as he deepens the kiss. When Jake licks against his lips, it takes no convincing for him to part them for his boyfriend’s tongue.
The kiss deepens, and Bradley finds himself breaking for air at the last possible second. Panting, he repositions himself so that he’s straddling Jake, then leans down to suck a mark into his neck.
“ Bradley ,” he groans, his legs kicking in the water.
Once he’s left a mark on Jake’s neck, he works his way down his body, nipping at the mark that’s still on his boyfriend’s collarbone from a few days ago, and then leaving open-mouthed kisses on his pecs. Jake’s hands run through Bradley’s curls, his fingers pulling the strands just enough to give the sensation of that semi-pleasant pain.
Bradley groans against Jake’s nipple, biting gently around the nub, then moving over to give his other nipple the same treatment. Jake is quickly falling into the pleasure, sweet, beautiful moans passing his lips at the stimulation. The brunet only lets up when he’s sure that his marks will linger on his boyfriend’s perfect, golden skin for days.
He continues leaving open-mouthed kisses down Jake’s abs, enjoying the way his boyfriend’s toned muscles flex upon contact. He kisses down past his navel, and just above his now achingly hard co*ck. Bradley takes it in his hand, his eyes fluttering up to meet Jake’s. The lust is so strong in those eyes that the usual emerald green is nowhere in sight. Bradley pumps his hand over Jake’s co*ck a few times, enjoying the moan it elicits from him before he licks a stripe up the shaft.
At the head of Jake’s dick, Bradley plants a gentle kiss, then takes it into his mouth.
“ f*ck, sweetheart ,” the blonde gasps, hands tangling in Bradley’s hair. He moans at the feeling, and because he knows the vibration will increase Jake’s pleasure.
Hollowing his cheeks and swirling his tongue around the head, Bradley allows himself to get lost in making Jake feel good. He grips the base of his co*ck, stroking the lower portion while he bobs his head along the majority of the length. He’s done this enough times now to know what Jake likes best, and the weight and feel of his boyfriend’s co*ck against his tongue has become intimately familiar.
Jake leans down, kissing Bradley’s head, “Feels so good, darlin’. You’re doing such a great job. Being such a good boy and sucking me off.”
Bradley blushes, only spurred on by the praise. Jake begins to thrust his hips ever so slightly, very lightly f*cking Bradley’s mouth. He allows his jaw to go as slack as possible, letting the younger man use his mouth to get off. The idea makes his own painfully hard erection twitch. He can feel precome leaking out.
Jake’s hands slowly guide Bradley’s mouth off of his co*ck, until he’s releasing it with an audible ‘pop’. “Come here, Roo.”
He pulls Bradley closer until he’s essentially sitting on his haunches in Jake’s lap. The blonde’s chest is covered in suds from the water, and a quick glance down shows that Bradley’s chest is too. The glow of the candle only increases the beautiful golden tan of Jake’s skin. As if his entire body was chiseled out of the rare element.
He leans in for a kiss, licking into Jake’s mouth and moaning as their tongues dance together. This has become very familiar as well, the feelings of their tongues exploring each other’s mouths.
Jake takes Bradley’s co*ck in his hand, giving him a few strokes and earning some desperate whines. He presses his own dick against Bradley’s before stroking them both at the same time. His arm moves in slowed, deliberate strokes, drawing out the sensation of pleasure for as long as possible.
“Oh, f*ck , Jake,” Bradley pants into his lover’s mouth.
Jake kisses his neck, his cheeks, his forehead—anywhere he can on his face while he jerks them off. “You’re so beautiful, Bradley. You’re everything I ever wanted. I can’t believe you’re mine. I love you so much.”
The brunet kisses any and every area of exposed skin that his lips can reach. “I love you too, sweetheart. Wanna spend every day of my life just like this. Want to be yours and have you be mine, forever.”
The blonde kisses him. “Deal.”
The strokes from Jake are beginning to increase in speed, his hand gripping the tips of their co*cks a little harder and twisting to maximize pleasure. Bradley’s eyes roll back at the sensation, lost in the feeling of them being jerked off together and the love he feels radiating from the man he loves.
Bradley knows he isn’t going to last much longer. Not with how much he loves Jake. Not with how blissfully perfect he’s feeling. The two of them moan in pleasure as Jake continues jerking them off. All the while, pants and whispers of how much they love and mean to each other freely pass their lips.
“f*ck, Jake ,” Bradley whimpers, “I’m about to come.”
Jake groans. “Me too.”
His free hand reaches behind Bradley and grips one of his ass cheeks hard enough to bruise. He moans, leaning forward to kiss Jake. He wants to have his lover’s tongue in his mouth when he comes.
Jake is more than happy to accept the kiss, especially when Bradley gently takes his bottom lip between his teeth. Jake moans at the little bite, and Bradley knows that’ll send him over the edge.
“f*ck, baby. f*ck, I’m coming. I’m coming !” Bradley’s load shoots from his co*ck, coating Jake’s and his chest in the warm, sticky fluid.
“Oh-ho, f*ck , baby. That’s a good boy, coming for me. So f*cking beautiful, baby.”
Bradley whines, Jake still stroking both of their co*cks as he chases his own org*sm. It’s only a few seconds later when Jake is crying out, his own load mixing in with Bradley’s on his chest.
“ f*ck , that’s hot,” the brunet pants, gripping Jake’s shoulders and kissing from his lips down to his neck, and then licking up the mess on his chest. Jake moans as Bradley’s tongue runs over his flesh, collecting their come and swallowing it all. His hand runs through the older man’s curls.
“God, you’re such a good boy,” Jake praises.
Bradley feels himself blush fiercely, “I’m your good boy,” he corrects.
“ My good boy,” Jake confirms, lifting Bradley’s head and smashing their lips together. He moans into the kiss, offering Jake his tongue and letting his boyfriend taste himself. They lick into each other’s mouths gently, tenderly, neither of them willing to break for air first. When at last they have no choice, Bradley rests his forehead against Jake’s breathing heavily.
“I love you so much.”
Jake kisses him, just a quick peck on the lips. “I love you, too. More than anything.”
While they work on catching their breath, Jake reaches over the side of the tub and soaks a washcloth, wiping the residual mess from his chest.
“I guess we don’t even have to f*ck to have amazing sex,” Jake breathes out a laugh, tossing the wrung-out washcloth into the hamper by the door.
Bradley chuckles, “I could have told you that. It’s always amazing with you.”
His boyfriend kisses him for the umpteenth time, a dopey smile on his face and adoration in his green eyes.
“What is it?”
Suddenly, Jake’s face takes on a shy look. “You have to promise me you won’t laugh.”
Bradley cups Jake’s cheek, “I promise.”
“It feels like we just made love for the first time,” Jake says, sheepishly. “And I don’t mean there hasn’t been love between us the other times, this time just felt more personal and intimate.”
Bradley smiles, kissing Jake and hopefully ending his worried ramblings. “I think we did. I think we may need to really make love soon.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” The blonde smirks, though Bradley can still see the vulnerability behind it. He loves that Jake feels safe to share that vulnerable side of himself. He vows to do a better job at being vulnerable with the man he loves.
“I think every time we have sex after this is going to feel like making love,” the brunet says. “It gets better every time.”
“It does,” Jake agrees. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too, Jakey.”
The water and their wet skin are starting to grow cold, so they get out of the tub and dry off with warm, fluffy towels. They dress in T-shirts, pajama pants, and fuzzy socks. Feeling cozy, clean, and content, Bradley follows Jake into the kitchen where they reheat soup leftovers on the stove for dinner.
While Jake oversees the soup, Bradley decides to lean into the relaxing, romantic evening that Jake suggested before their bath. He rummages through one of his cabinets, knowing he has another scented candle lying around somewhere. Eventually, he finds the lilac candle in one of the kitchen cabinets, lighting it and setting it on the table as a centerpiece. He grabs two wine glasses, filling each with a small portion and setting the glasses at their respective places at the table.
Jake is stirring the soup on the stove when Bradley is done setting the table. He walks back over to him, wrapping his arms around him from behind, pressing his body into Jake’s, and giving him a kiss on the cheek.
“Bradley, I can’t stir the soup with you trapping my arms,” Jake huffs a soft laugh.
“Sorry,” Bradley giggles, setting him free.
Jake smiles, shaking his head and making a tsk tsk sound. “Have you learned nothing about cooking?”
“It’s hard to remember all the rules when the chef is so beautiful,” Bradley leans in, kissing his cheek again, and resting his head on his shoulder. “And you’re so comfy .”
“Well, you’re in luck, the soup is done.” Jake grabs the bowls he set off to the side, ladling the soup into them. “You’ll get a night full of cuddles after we eat.”
“Promise?” Bradley asks.
Jake chuckles, booping him on the nose with his finger. “Promise, darlin’. I wanna cuddle just as much as you do.”
He hands Bradley his bowl of soup and nudges him toward the table. Bradley sits down, pleased with the romantic atmosphere that the candles and dimmed lights provide. They eat in companionable silence, making short work of the soup and their glasses of wine.
Bradley insists on washing what few dishes they have after dinner, while Jake goes into the living room to turn on their show. Once the dishes have been rinsed and loaded in the dishwasher, he heads for the living room, anxious to snuggle up with his boyfriend.
In the short time it took for Bradley to do the dishes, Jake transformed the living room. Or the couch and coffee table at least. Several throw blankets are draped over the cushions, and half a dozen pillows from the guest room are organized on top of them. On the coffee table, two refilled glasses of red wine sit waiting for them.
“Ta-da!” Jake beams, extending his arms to proudly display his handiwork.
Bradley laughs, “I’ll never understand how you work so fast.”
“I promised you a night full of cuddles and I intended to make good on that. Making promises to your boyfriend makes for an excellent motivator.”
“Thank you, sweetheart,” Bradley kisses him.
“Of course, darlin’.”
They’re quick to snuggle up on the couch, putting their feet up on the coffee table and sipping their wine while watching Parks and Recreation . Jake wraps an arm around Bradley’s shoulder, pulling him in closer. Bradley finishes his wine, setting it on the table and leaning back into Jake’s touch, loudly sighing in contentment.
By the end of one episode, Jake is absentmindedly playing with Bradley’s hair, and resting their heads together. Bradley slides his hand under Jake’s shirt, resting it on his left pec, soothed by the feeling of his heartbeat and the warm, smooth skin.
“I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for me today, Jake,” Bradley says between episodes. “And I’m really sorry I picked the fight this morning.”
His boyfriend lifts his head, turning to look at him. “Honey, all is forgiven, I promise. We agreed that we were a team earlier, right?”
Bradley nods.
“This is what teams do, baby. They face the problem and work through it together. That’s exactly what we did today, and it brought us closer, even if it wasn’t in the most ideal way.”
“I’m so lucky to have you.”
Jake blushes, kissing Bradley on the forehead. “I’m lucky to have you, too. Both in my life and on my team.”
“I love you, Jake.”
“I love you too, Bradley.”
As they cuddle back into each other’s arms, a new episode begins. Bradley stops paying attention, though, too busy being grateful for the wonderful man that is Jake Seresin, and that he chose Bradley of all people to love. Because that’s what love is at times, a choice that has to be made. It’s not always going to be convenient—today proved that for them—but Jake says he loves him enough to work through it. And damn it if he wouldn’t do the exact same thing for Jake, over and over again. He loves him more than he can possibly express. So much that it actually hurts.
Bradley has no idea what he did to deserve him, or how he got so lucky, but he’ll spend forever being grateful for it. As long as he has Jake, he’ll never want to have someone else on his team.
