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Bradley’s standing in their bathroom, combing his mustache into place, when he hears a knock on his front door.
“Jake? Can you get that?”
There’s no response and Bradley frowns at himself in the mirror. Putting down his little comb, he grabs the Hawaiian shirt he’d picked out for the night and heads into the living room. Bradley looks around the house, his husband nowhere to be found. Everything’s quiet. He stands there, looking around in confusion, when there’s another knock at the front door. He steps over and flips the lock easily, pulling the door open. When he looks up, his face breaks out into a wide smile.
“Oh, that’s smooth,” Bradley says, blushing softly as Jake steps into the house, a bouquet of sunflowers in his hand. He just grins, stepping into Bradley’s space and pressing the flowers into his hand.
“You take forever to get ready, you know that right?” Jake says softly, pulling back slightly as Bradley goes in to kiss him. “Ah, ah. This is only our second date.”
Bradley’s cheeks warm again and he sighs, shaking his head. Jake continues to smile at him, his eyes impossibly soft. Bradley does the only alternative he can think of and picks up Jake’s left hand and kisses his knuckles gently.
“Thank you for the flowers,” he murmurs against soft skin. When he looks up, Jake closes his mouth and smiles.
“Charmer. Now go put those in water, we have a date to get to.”
---
Jake has kept the details of their second date to himself, only telling Bradley when it was and what to wear. Jake had told him to wear one of his nicer shirts, and maybe not the first pair of jeans he’d grabbed with holes in the knees. Jake had come out of the closet wearing a dark pair of jeans and a button-up Bradley had never seen him in and almost lost his shit. Jake had left so Bradley could focus after that.
Jake drives, opening Bradley’s door for him and letting Bradley kiss him on the cheek as he gets into the car. Jake doesn’t pull up anything on his phone, so Bradley’s completely in the dark as they drive towards the coast. Bradley looks out the window and lets Jake hold his hand, his thumb rubbing the flat top of the ring on his finger. It makes Bradley smile.
“Are we going to the beach?” Bradley asks as they drive closer and closer to the shore. Jake shakes his head, turning down another street. He drives slowly, letting go of Bradley’s hand entirely to turn into a parking lot.
“We’re going here,” Jake says, gesturing to the building to Bradley’s right. It looks like every other building in the area - tan with a darker tan roof. Spanish architecture. The parking lot is mostly empty and no one’s walking around outside. Bradley looks at Jake and smiles, unbuckling his seatbelt.
Jake waits for Bradley at the back of the car, hands shoved in his pockets. He looks nervous, more nervous than Bradley had been when he’d taken Jake on their first date, to the only restaurant in the area with a table available on such short notice. Bradley walks up to him, reaching up to smooth down his collar. Jake smiles at him, touching Bradley’s waist gently.
“Why do you look so nervous?” Bradley asks, ducking his head to brush their noses. Jake shudders a laugh, gripping Bradley a bit tighter.
“Maybe you drive on the way back,” Jake says softly, looking at Bradley’s neck. Bradley leans in and kisses his forehead.
“Of course, babe,” he says softly, pulling Jake in close. He feels the tension leave Jake’s body and Bradley smiles. “You gonna be okay?”
“Yeah, just got in my own head,” Jake says, leaning back so he can see Bradley’s face. Bradley nods. “Come on, I have a reservation for two under Seresin.”
“Not under Bradshaw-Seresin?”
Jake rolls his eyes but he laughs, lacing their fingers together and pulling Bradley towards the entrance.
The hostess shows them to a table along a wall of windows, the ocean meeting the shore right outside. Bradley’s mouth drops as he sees how high the tide is, the water reaching the building. He sits when Jake pulls out his chair and looks up at his husband as Jake sits down.
“This is beautiful,” Bradley says, reaching over to take Jake’s hand. Jake seems to calm at Bradley’s hand and Bradley squeezes their fingers together slightly. Jake scoots his chair a bit closer to Bradley and Bradley pulls their joined hands into his lap. He plays with the ring on Jake’s finger as he orders their drinks.
“This is much more romantic than the Italian place I took us to,” Bradley says as their waitress walks away. Jake shakes his head and waves Bradley off.
“It was better than Taco Bell Cantina,” he says with a wink, laughing as Bradley giggles. “Although, when we go back to Vegas, I want to go there.”
“Anything you want, sweetheart,” Bradley mumbles, pulling their joined hands to his lips. Jake’s eyes widen and his smile turns soft as Bradley kisses Jake's ring finger. “After this, anything.”
“Oh, baby. This is just the dinner.”
“There's more?” Bradley says with a laugh, looking out the wide windows. A wave crashes against the building, water covering the glass. It’s almost as beautiful as the smile Jake is giving Bradley.
“Of course there is,” Jake laughs, shaking his head, “you took me to the fountains after. I had to pick something special for after this.”
“Jake,” Bradley mumbles, looking down at the table. Their waitress comes back with their drinks and Bradley feels a blush at the fact that Jake got him exactly what he would have ordered. It's somehow more touching than the date location, the hand holding, and all of it.
“Are we celebrating anything special tonight?” the waitress asks, smiling at their joined hands. Jake looks at Bradley and they laugh a little.
“Our two week wedding anniversary, I guess,” Jake says, biting his lip. Bradley shakes his head, offering the waitress a smile. She seems amused by them, looking between them as they laugh.
“You'll have to excuse him,” Bradley says, waving a hand at Jake. The waitress nods.
“Well, congrats on the marriage, you two seem very happy,” she replies, shifting the menus in her hands. “Let me tell you about tonight's specials and I can leave you two to the waves.”
When she leaves Bradley looks at Jake. He’d stopped giggling as the waitress explained the menu, thanking her politely. But Bradley's not worried about pissing her off.
“Jake, this place is much more expensive than where I took us,” Bradley says softly, leaning closer to his husband. Jake nods.
“You're worth every penny, princess.”
Bradley blushes and shakes his head. “You're ridiculous.”
Jake just winks.
---
They order with the intention to share, and when the waitress places the food in front of them, Bradley thinks he hears Jake moan softly. He looks over and Jake laughs.
“Baby, this is going to be the best meal we ever eat.”
Bradley shakes his head and thanks the waitress as she smiles at them.
“I'll tell the chef,” she quips as she leaves.
Jake pulls the plate of lobster closer to him, looking at the plating. It's a beautiful plate of food and Bradley almost feels bad that it's going to be gone so quickly. His plate of surf and turf is as beautiful, and he catches Jake's eyes flitting to his steak.
“You can have some steak if I can have some polenta,” Bradley says, leaning over to kiss Jake’s cheek. Jake grins at him, eyes sparkling.
“Light of my life, you are,” he replies, picking up his fork. Bradley feels his face warm and he takes a drink of his water. Jake smirks at him like he knows everything he's doing to Bradley's brain and Bradley can't find it in himself to even be a little mad.
It's nice to see Jake smiling and joking around. Bradley wakes up most mornings to Jake either clinging to him tight or already out on a run. His nightmares have only gotten worse since coming back to San Diego, the sounds of jets setting him on edge at times. Bradley knows his nightmares are bad too, keep him awake late into the night at times, but Jake seems to struggle handling them while Bradley is used to them.
He knows Jakes is close to being cleared for duty again. None of them are cleared for flight yet - he knows it'll be awhile for him, at least. They still have a little over a week before they have to report for assignments and Bradley wants time to slow down. He wants to stay in the soft glow of the house, watching Jake weed the garden beds as he lounges on the deck.
“Where'd you go?” Jake's voice breaks through Bradley's thoughts and he shakes himself. Jake’s watching him carefully, his hand resting on Bradley’s thigh.
“Just thinking,” Bradley says, heart in his throat. “I could stay here forever.”
Jake gives him that look that lets Bradley know they’re on the same page. In less than two weeks, his entire world view has shifted and expanded to include the man sitting next to him. It’s a lot to think about sometimes and it feels like the days are going too fast and too slow all at once.
“I know, baby,” Jake says softly, leaning over to kiss Bradley’s cheek. “But then your steak would get cold.”
Bradley snorts, looking up at his husband. Jake smiles at him, really smiles, and Bradley feels his stomach calm a bit. He covers Jake’s hand on his thigh and gives it a squeeze.
“I love you.” Bradley watches Jake’s face, the creases by his eyes and the dimples in his cheeks coming to life before him. “This is perfect.”
Jake bites his bottom lip, seeming to wrestle with his thoughts for a moment before he turns his hand over on Bradley’s thigh and laces their fingers together.
“We aren’t even done yet,” Jake whispers to him conspiratorially and Bradley’s cheeks warm. He turns his head and his nose brushes Jake’s. “So eat up, baby. We’re paying top dollar for this.”
“You haven’t given me any of your polenta.”
“And I have yet to experience surf and turf, Seresin.”
Bradley laughs. “Right away, Bradshaw.”
---
Bradley tries to help pay for dinner, but he thinks Jake put his card on file with the server before Bradley even thought of that. As he comes back from the hostess podium, he sees there’s a little plate on their table. They’d eaten their entire dinners, much to the waitresses amusement, and Bradley had thought they weren’t going to get a dessert.
“What’s this?” Bradley asks as he sits down, gesturing to the plate. There are two little jars with creme brulee in them, tops perfectly caramelized, sitting in the center of a bright red heart drawn on the plate.
“Our waitress brought it over. Compliments of the chef.” Jake puts his hand on Bradley’s thigh again, grinning. “He thanks us for our compliment of his cooking.”
Bradley chuckles, looking at the plate again. “Have you taken a photo of it yet?”
“Oh yeah, baby.” Jake grinned. “Sent it to Javy. He didn’t even comment on the jelly heart - he was very impressed with the sugar work.”
Bradley laughs and leans into Jake’s side, sighing as Jake kisses the side of his head. Jake takes his hand as Bradley turns towards the table, He picks up one of the spoons and looks to Jake, gesturing between the two jars. “Which would you like, my darling husband?”
The setting sun paints pink streaks across Jake’s face as Bradley looks at him, expectant. But Jake isn’t saying anything, his mouth half open as he gazes at Bradley. It catches Bradley off guard, the completely unguarded look of love shining back at him in Jake’s eyes. The side of his mouth quirks up and Bradley swears Jake’s eyes are a little wet. He smiles a bit wider, and now Bradley is sure there’s a few tears in his eyes.
“Marry me.”
Bradley’s jaw drops and he watches as Jake’s mind catches up to what he just said. There’s several different thoughts slamming into him at once but Jake opens his mouth again, floundering a bit.
“I - oh fuck,” Jake says, laughing a little too loudly. He covers his mouth and looks up at Bradley. “This wasn’t when I’d planned to say that.”
“What?” Bradley breathes, breath catching in his throat. “When you planned to what?”
Jake looks at him, eyes begging him quietly. “I - can you hold your answer until later?”
Bradley laughs, tears falling onto his cheeks. “Yeah, sweetheart. Of course I can.”
Jake takes a deep breath and Bradley squeezes his hand. He feels too anxious to eat now, his insides shaking a bit. Jake’s planned a time to propose? He’d planned more than just their second date? Bradley grabs his spoon and pulls the plate towards them.
“Which do you want, my darling husband?” Jake asks, setting his chin on Bradley’s shoulder. Bradley taps the top of the right one, breaking the sugar easily. He feels Jake’s hand shake a bit in his and he squeezes their fingers together. “Perfect because that one looks gross.”
Bradley laughs, the anxiety in his stomach leaving him all at once. Jake eats his dessert with his head on Bradley’s shoulder, the sun making the waves below look glittering. Bradley watches them with a smile on his face, Jake’s hand never leaving his hand. He swipes up the jelly on the plate and Bradley snorts at him.
When they finish the waitress takes their plate and tells them they are all set to go. Bradley shakes his head at Jake, dislodging him from Bradley’s shoulder. Jake’s lips are still a little red from the jelly, or maybe because he’s been chewing on them. Bradley leans in to kiss Jake but he pulls back, placing his hand gently on Bradley’s lips.
“Date’s not over yet, cowboy.”
“I’m going to kiss you so hard when we’re done,” Bradley grumbles. Jake just laughs, patting his cheek with his free hand.
“I look forward to it, dear,” Jake whispers, putting his napkin down on the table. “Now let’s go.”
The waitress and hostess smile at them as they leave, Jake pulling Bradley along as he thanks them for the wonderful evening. The nerves are back in his stomach, a fluttering in his chest as Jake leads him to the car. He opens Bradley’s door again, hand on his back as Bradley sits down in the seat. He looks up at Jake and they both smile, an undercurrent of excitement filling the space.
“Are you sure you’re good to drive?” Bradley says, reaching out to touch Jake’s hand.
“I’m sure, my love.”
“Will you tell me where we’re going this time?”
“Absolutely not, darling.”
---
Bradley figures out where they’re going as soon as Jake gets off the freeway, turning down the familiar road back towards the Naval Base. He bypasses where Bradley thought they might be going (base classroom) and heads towards The Hard Deck . There’s a part of Bradley that finds that amusing, a little cheeky, for Jake to propose in the bar. There’s another part of him that hopes it isn’t there.
They park in the bar parking lot and Jake comes around to open Bradley’s door again, hands shaking a bit as he takes Bradley’s arm. Bradley keeps fighting the urge to kiss him in some way, to calm him down. Jake seems to know and keeps his face angled away from Bradley’s as he walks them towards the beach.
The sun is slipping beneath the horizon by now, the sky turning a brilliant orange. Bradley would think Jake planned it himself if he didn’t understand how the weather worked. It’s the sunlight that hides the bonfire until Bradley’s all the way around the bar and looking down the beach. There’s no one around and there’s two beach chairs near the fire.
“Jake,” Bradley breathes, turning to his husband. Jake smiles and pulls on his arm.
Bradley distantly thinks of their shoes and all of the sand they’re going to have to clean out Jake’s car as Jake pulls him around the bonfire and closer to the water. He stops with enough distance from the waves that they’re not going to get wet. Bradley looks out at the sunset, heart in his throat.
Jake doesn’t say anything - he lets go of Bradley’s arm and entwines their hands. Bradley looks at him, the sun making his face glow. Bradley isn’t sure if it’s the slight wind or emotions making Jake’s eyes well up with tears again.
“Jake?” Bradley whispers, squeezing his hand. Jake laughs, shaking his head and wiping at his eyes.
“This is so dumb, I shouldn’t be so scared.”
Bradley feels his heart clench. “I’d be scared.”
Jake laughs, turning to face Bradley. He bites his bottom lip, looking at Bradley for a long moment. It’s the same look he had in the restaurant - open and loving and so many other romantic verbs.
“Well, I ruined the surprise,” Jake whispers, leaning in slightly. Bradley leans into him too and their faces practically brush. “My original plan was to sit in the chairs for awhile, have a beer.”
“We can still do that,” Bradley says, smiling as Jake rolls his eyes.
“No we can’t,” Jake steps back slightly, “because I’ve just told you.”
Bradley shakes his head, watching with a lump in his throat as Jake reaches into his pants pocket. Bradley hadn’t even clocked the slim ring box there, and he thinks that Jake must’ve grabbed it out of the car when they reached the beach. It’s blue felt and Bradley can see Jake’s hands shaking as he holds it tight.
“I don’t want to get down on one knee, these pants are too nice.” Bradley laughs, holding Jake’s shoulders and nodding. “I love you, Bradley, but…”
“Sweetheart, sincerely, I don’t care.”
Jake grins at him, twisting the ring box between his thumb and middle finger. “Good,” he whispers, taking a deep breath as he continues, “because…, jeez, Bradley, I love you so much.”
There’s tears already in his eyes and Bradley knows there will be snot on his mustache by the end of this speech. Jake takes a deep breath and sighs heavily, looking up at Bradley.
“I just… I feel like I fell in love with you all at once one day, and I can’t remember when. I can’t remember when because I was probably in love with you long before I realized it and was… too dumb to realize it.”
Bradley squeezes Jake’s hand, the lump in his throat growing as Jake speaks.
“I’ve woken up almost every day of the past two weeks happier than I’ve ever felt, all because you’re right there next to me. Even when I had the worst hangover of my life and didn’t know why I was wearing your dad’s ring. Hearing you snoring next to me, feeling your body near mine - I woke up with a raging headache but a calm heart.
“And you’ve,” Jake laughs wetly, squeezing Bradley’s hand three times, “you gave me space and just… caught me when I was falling apart. Keep catching me, every day.”
Jake’s bottom lip wobbles and he takes a deep breath.
“You’ve - fuck, Bradley, you’ve given me a family,” Jake whispers, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand. Bradley bites his bottom lip. “You’ve given me what you have of a family. And that’s… that’s the greatest thing anyone’s ever done for me.”
Bradley squeezes Jake’s hand three times.
“And I know we’re already married,” Jake continues, grinning as Bradley laughs, “but you once said that I hadn’t given you a pretty ring or a dazzling proposal, so I decided I needed to rectify that.”
He opens the ring box and Bradley’s breath gets stuck in his throat. The ring is a beautiful silver color, thicker than the ring Bradley wears everyday but much more intricate. The band looks like waves of water moving across the surface of the ring. Bradley is speechless as Jake pulls it out and closes the box, slipping it back into his pocket.
“I know it’s no Seresin family ring,” Jake whispers, lifting Bradley’s ring finger to his lips. He kisses along the ring already there, lips lingering for a moment. His eyes close and he takes a deep breath. Bradley’s free hand twitches at the sight of tears on Jake’s eyelashes. “But it’s supposed to be the ocean waves of the Pacific. And there’s an engraving on the inside.”
Bradley takes the ring and holds it up in the fading light. He’d been so focused on Jake that he hadn’t noticed the sun sliding behind the horizon, now just a sliver of light out at the end of the earth. He turns it until he can see the faint etching in the silver. His heart skips a beat.
“Yes,” Bradley whispers, pushing the ring back into Jake’s hand. “I know I can’t say no but yes, I’ll marry you, Jake.”
“You could absolutely say no,” Jake argues, kissing Bradley’s finger tips. “We haven’t told the Navy about this yet.”
“Shut up, Jake, oh my God,” Bradley gasps, cupping Jake’s face. Jake pulls back once again, shaking his head.
“Let me,” he says, finding Bradley’s ring finger. He holds it up away from Bradley’s other fingers, slipping the silver band down until it’s snug against Jake’s grandpa’s ring. “There we go.”
Bradley wraps his arms around Jake tight and kisses him, hard. He feels it reverberate through his teeth, their mouths starting off hot. Jake seems to cool him down, holding his face and slowing the kiss easily. Bradley whines into his mouth when Jake tries to pull back, but he just pushes back in again with his tongue on Bradley’s bottom lip.
“I love you, so fucking much,” Bradley whispers when they finally break apart. His chest is heaving and Jake’s cheeks are a beautiful pink and Bradley feels overwhelmed with how much he loves the man in his arms. “I’ll marry you as many times as you’ll let me.”
“Bradley,” Jake sighs, smiling at Bradley and melting into his arms. Bradley keeps him upright, tucking his head into Jake’s neck. He feels hands in his hair and another on the small of his back. He grips Jake’s shirt tighter.
“Deal, Jake.”
Jake pulls his face back and they make eye contact, Jake’s eyes lighting up happily.
“Deal, Bradley.”
Bradley feels the words on his skin, pressed against him by beautiful silver.
He kisses Jake again to seal it.