Chapter Text
“All kids love toys right? Maybe that will coax him out?” Jake asked as he paced back and forth in Maverick’s quarters. Maverick who, by all accounts, was reduced to a child who was currently wrecking more havoc in the room. “Do they need milk?”
“Jake, stop pacing,” Bradley muttered, his hand pressed into his temple. “He’s not a baby Jake, he doesn’t need milk.” Usually Jake was better with children, Bradley has seen him with his nieces and nephews. This was an obvious sign that Jake was panicking and it was adorable but Bradley needed him to be more focused right now.
“But we don’t even know what age - this - is!” Jake said, using his arms to gesture to the child, who was currently under the bed and rifling through Maverick’s things under there.
“M’not a baby!”
“Yes you are!” Jake said as he turned towards the direction of that voice. They were too big to go after the child in there because the space was so cramped. “You’re tiny and you can fit in there, and you don’t listen, so you’re a baby!”
“Not!”
Bradley pinched the bridge of his nose. His headache was getting worse. “Jake please,” he started. But then a quick movement caught his eye, as the child crawled out from underneath the bed and swiftly kicked Jake in the shin.
“Oh you little brat! Come back here!” But the child was too fast and Jake ended up bumping his head on the edge of the bed as he tried to go after him.
“No!”
Bradley sighed and placed his hand on Jake’s shoulder. “Jake, let me handle him?” he asked. When Jake looked up at him, Bradley went closer and pressed a kiss on his temple. “Let me have a go ok?”
“Fine,” Jake muttered as he scooted away from the bed and stood by the door.
“Thank you love,” Bradley said before turning back to the task at hand. He crouched down and peeked under the bed. “Hey, you still in there kiddo?” he asked, keeping his voice soft so as not to scare the kid.
He saw the child go still for a bit and then saw him nod.
“I’m sorry I’m not Goose,” Bradley started. “I may look like him, but I’m not him. My name’s Bradley but you can also call me Rooster.”
“Like a chicken?”
“Yeah, something like that.” Bradley said. “Now what should I call you? What would you like to be called? You didn’t like it when we called you Pete right?”
“...... Mav. Just… just call me Mav.”
Bradley smiled. “Alright, we’ll call you Mav then, ok?”
The child nodded again.
“That’s a good boy,” Bradley praised. “Now Mav, can you come out so we can get you cleaned up? And you must be hungry too, right?”
There was silence for a short while, until Mav spoke up again. “Can I get ice cream?”
Bradley nodded. “Of course! We’ll find some ice cream for you, ok? Not sure what flavors we’ll have here, but we’ll get you some ok?”
“.... pinky promise?”
“Pinky promise.” He reached underneath the bed and opened his palm. “Hold my hand Mav?” He didn’t hear a response but quickly felt a small hand hold on to his. “That’s it Mav,” Bradley said as he gently guided Mav out from underneath the bed.
As soon as his mop of dark hair popped out, he asked, “Can the scary man stay away?”
“Why you little-!”
Bradley shot Jake a look and Jake quieted down. “Don’t start again,” Bradley mouthed. And Jake knew when to stop. “Trust me,” Bradley said out loud, but meant it for both Jake and Mav.
Jake looked like he wanted to say something more, but gave up and threw his hands up in the air in surrender. “Fine, I’ll play nice,” he grumbled.
That seemed to satisfy Mav and he finally crawled out from under the bed.
Bradley smiled and brushed the cobwebs from his hair. “You were scared huh?” he asked, voice gentle.
Mav nodded, eyes looking down. “He was loud. And he wanted me to drink milk. Hate milk. People said it makes you taller, but I don’t believe them,” he said with a pout.
“Then we’re not drinking milk tonight ok?” Bradley said. He placed his hands on Mav’s head. “Ok to pick you up kiddo?” he asked.
Mav nodded and Bradley picked him up, carefully balancing him on one arm. As he stood, he didn’t see Mav stick his tongue out at Jake. And by the time he had straightened, he was a little confused as to why his boyfriend’s eyebrows were furrowed in a frown.
“I guess, we better report this to someone,” Bradley sighed, ignoring the look Jake was giving Mav right now. “We can’t just keep this under wraps.”
“Not Cyclone, he might just toss him overboard,” Jake muttered, deciding to ignore the look Mav was giving him. “Admiral Kazansky maybe?”
Bradley groaned. “We better have a good explanation. I’m not looking forward to explaining to my godfather why his husband is suddenly so much smaller.”
