Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

And though it seems so quick and easy
Sentimentally assumed
Walking parallels, heart to heart
To all the days we were together
To all the tome we played apart
In each other's lives, heart to heart

   > Heart to Heart - Mac DeMarco

Bradley sighed deeply as he found himself in front of the door that led to Maximilian Goof's dorm. On any normal day, Bradley would do everything in his power to avoid Max. If not going to his usual spots meant he wouldn't see the boy, he would go across town for some coffee. He even went to rundown areas to skate, no matter how disgusting they were.

To his displeasure, though, this wasn't a normal day.

After the X-Games, Tank had given Bradley the beating of a lifetime. Bradley had thought they were even, that things would just go back to normal. Instead, he found himself standing outside the Gammas fraternity, Tank's body blocking the door.

"C'mon baby, you didn't think we'd let you off that easy, did you?"

Bradley knitted his eyebrows together in confusion. "What are you saying, Tank?"

"Karma's a bitch, sweetheart."

Before Bradley could respond, the door was slammed shut in his face. 

Now, he was debating whether or not to just leave. Before he could convince himself to find anywhere else, he firmly knocked.

At the first knocks, nobody answered. He knocked again.

The door creaked open just as he was about to knock a third time.

"Who the fuck-" Max groggily asked, sounding slightly annoyed.

Once he fully opened the door, Bradley stopped and stared as he watched him lean on the doorway and reach under his shirt to scratch his chest. His happy trail was visible. God.

"Oh, it's just you." He yawned. "What's up, Brad?"

Fuck.

"I need a place to sleep. The Gammas kicked me out." He muttered, looking away. "And it's Bradley."

Max stayed quiet, and Bradley looked up to see if he was probably making a face. Instead, he was met with staring. Bradley wasn’t sure if he was squinting due to the bright light of the hallway, or just confused and processing what Bradley had just said.

Bradley was ready to be questioned, as it would be reasonable for Max to question why someone who had tried to kill him was suddenly asking him for help.

"'Kay."

What.

"Come on in," Max rubbed his left eye as he motioned for Bradley to enter. "Fuck, it's late." 

Bradley felt awkward as he walked inside and passed the bunkbed where Max's friends were sleeping. 

"Ignore them, they won't mind you."

Bradley felt very out of place. The room felt cramped, or well, at least compared to his old one, and he felt like he was intruding or something.

He looked around to see a mess of clothes on the floor and some open textbooks on the desk. It made Bradley cringe. He hated untidy things, and he always did his best to keep his room as tidy as possible.

Despite the unpleasant feeling of sharing a room with 3 other people, and the… uncleanliness of the area, he felt grateful that it wasn't Max on the bunk bed.

He stood and watched as Max climbed into bed. For some reason, it hadn't dawned on Bradley that asking Max to let him crash for the night meant that they would possibly be sharing a bed. He stood like a statue, even holding his breath as he continued to just stare at Max.

Once he was in the bed, he looked up at Bradley and rolled his eyes. "It's either the cold floor or next to me. Your pick." He drawled as he pulled the covers over him.

Bradley made a face at the thought of having to share a bed. Especially with Max, of all people. The other option wasn't even a possibility. Bradley Uppercrust III was not going to sleep on the floor. He sighed as he climbed onto the bed, Max moving over to give him room. Unlike Bradley, Max quickly fell asleep; his breathing became even, and he slightly curled into himself, facing the wall.

Despite the uncomfortableness of two people on one bed, Bradley was more focused on Max. His enemy. The man who had beaten him in the X-Games. Bradley had sworn up and down that he would hate Max forever, that no matter what happened, Max would always be his number one enemy. He never wanted to forget the humiliation of not only losing but also having Max pity him by calling off their deal.

For god's sake, he got kicked out of his own fraternity due to this boy.

Or well, technically trying to murder his teammates got him kicked. 

Either way, contrary to everything he had thought before this, he was now lying in Max's bed. He had been the first person Bradley thought of when he needed a place to stay. However, it wasn't because he liked Max; it was just because, even after everything, Max still tried to be civil with Bradley. As much as he hated it, Max was a good person who he knew would never leave someone who needed help, no matter who they were. It annoyed Bradley beyond belief.

Even with his whirlwind of thoughts, he surprisingly fell asleep quickly. He felt his eyes go heavy, and it suddenly hurt to keep them open.

Before he knew it, there were no more thoughts; all he could pay attention to was Max's steady breathing.

Bradley Uppercrust III is a prideful person. He holds himself to high standards and always ensures he's better than the best. He never wants to be seen as less than or a failure; he wants everyone to hold him in high regard. Respect fuels his ego more than anything.

"No fucking way. P.J., get over here, oh my fucking god." 

However, it was hard to feel respected when Max's roommates loomed over him and Max in bed. Cuddling.

Bradley had woken up to one of Max's roommates gasping and presumably slapping a hand over his mouth. He hadn't opened his eyes, but he could clearly feel Max's arms wrapped around his torso and his legs tangled with Bradley's. Instead of quickly getting up and escaping the situation, he felt stuck. If he moved, it would wake up Max, and then they'd be confronted by his roommates. 

Instead, Bradley saw that the best option would be to pretend to be asleep until Max woke up. Maybe they'd all leave for class and just leave Bradley behind.

Maybe.

"Is that- Oh my god?" 

Max's roommate, whom Bradley recognized as Bobby, laughed behind his hand. If Bobby was the one laughing, then P.J. was the one walking around the room.

"We should wake them up," Bobby snickered. 

"No!" P.J. exclaimed. "No." He repeated, this time in a whisper.

Bobby shook Max anyway. Bradley felt him stir next to him, mumbling and moving his head. "What?"

"Having fun with your boyfriend?" 

Max hugged Bradley tighter and buried his face deeper into his chest. Bradley was worried Max would hear his heart racing.

"The hell are you-" He started before cutting himself off and throwing himself away from Bradley, causing him to fall on the floor. "Oh my fucking god," He could faintly hear him whisper.

Bobby was trying to silence his laugh. "Want us to wake him up?"

For a moment, it was completely silent. Then,

"No." He could hear shuffling from the floor. "Just, um. Uh," 

"Leave him here?"

"Uh, yeah. Let's just- Um, go to class before he gets up. You know how he is."

Bobby snorted. "Yeah."

Bradley heard a lot of movement and shushes from one boy to another. It felt so awkward to just lay there pretending to still be asleep. Every time he moved because he started to get uncomfortable only led to the room going dead silent.

Finally, they began to leave the room. Before the door closed, he could hear Max shout down the hallway, "Hold on! I forgot something!" 

Even though he couldn't hear a reply back, Max entered the room again and went over to the bed. Bradley assumed he must be getting something from his nightstand, but instead, he leaned in close to Bradley's ear. 

"I know you're awake." He felt his blood go cold. "I could hear your heart race, Uppercrust."

Bradley kept his eyes shut out of embarrassment. He didn’t want to see the look on Max’s face.

"Be sure to lock my door behind ya, alright?"

He didn't respond.

"I'll take the silence as a yes." Bradley could hear Max moving towards the door. "See ya later, princess!"

"Fuck you, Goof."

Max only snorted in response before shutting the door.

Chapter Text

'Cause sometimes I look in her eyes
And that's where I find a glimpse of us
And I try to fall for her touch

   > Glimpse of Us - Joji

A week had passed since Bradley had spent the night in Max's dorm. He has tried to forget about the events of that night, opting to almost make it seem as if it never happened.

To his dismay, Max's friends took every opportunity they could to tease Max about it. Any time Bradley was in the area, Bobby would announce loud enough for everyone to hear, "Look! It's your boyfriend!"

Unlike Bradley, Max only laughed it off and playfully shoved his friend.

Bradley felt like shoving him, too.

Off a cliff.

It annoyed him beyond belief when Max didn't quiet his friends, as one of the instances led to questioning from Tank.

"Baby, did Goof's friend call you his boyfriend?" Tank asked, raising an eyebrow and trying to keep a smile from forming.

Bradley had felt such deep embarrassment from the question that he could only shake his head.

"Yeah. Sure."

Now, Bradley has to make extra sure that not only is he not in close proximity to Max but that he doesn't see him at all. Not that he had seen him much before either way.

The last thing he needed was for anyone to assume he and Max were... queer or something.

The more Bradley tried to avoid Max, the more he seemed to be appearing everywhere. It was as if he couldn't escape him. He was fucking everywhere. He was somehow around no matter how far Bradley went for a cup of coffee. It was driving him insane. Was he stalking him or something? This couldn't be a coincidence.

Bradley had reached his breaking point when he went to his usual spot, which he had chosen a few days ago due to its quiet atmosphere and lack of students, and found none other than Max Goof.

"Seriously, are you fucking stalking me or something?"

Max seemed so caught off guard by the question that he laughed. Laughed. In Bradley's face. It made his blood boil.

"Sorry- sorry," He tried his best to stop laughing, but the smile remained on his face. "I just- What? Stalking you? Really?"

Bradley firmly nodded his head. "Yes! You're fucking everywhere! I can't escape you!"

Max laughed again, holding his stomach and hunching over. "Oh my god, Uppercrust!" He stood up straight again, still holding his stomach with one hand and using the other to wipe a tear from his eye. He smiled as he raised an eyebrow at him. "You really are something, huh?" 

"I'm being serious!" He chastised as he put down his skateboard. "I go across town from coffee, and you're there. I go to the stores, and you're riding around with your friends on the street!" Max's smile faded with the more Bradley exploded. "I could probably go to the fucking bathroom, and you'd somehow be there, too!"

Now, the other boy was no longer smiling, much less laughing. He was frowning. He was mad. 

"I'm sorry I fucking go outside? Want me to apologize for having a life?" He scoffed. "Oh, I'm oh so sorry that my existence is such a fucking bother to you!" Max stepped forward and pointed a finger at Bradley's chest. "I'm not stalking you, princess." Bradley tried to ignore how Max negatively using that nickname stung a bit. "I'm just living my damn life! Why do I bother you so much? All I ever did was try to be fucking nice to you! Even after the X Games, I didn't make you my towel boy; I let you out of the deal even though you definitely wouldn't have done that for me if the roles were reversed!"

Even though Max was right and everything he said was a hundred percent true, Bradley just never knew when to be wrong.

"So? Are you expecting me to be nice back?" Bradley seethed. "I didn't ask you to be nice to me! Never once did I ask for your kindness, and never once did you ever have to be nice to me."

Max barked a laugh. "I know that! But I was still nice to you!" He stepped back, picking up his skateboard. "Nice people aren't nice for something in return, Bradley."

Without another word, he walked past him. Bradley turned around to see him getting on his board and skating away.

Nice people aren't nice for something in return.

Bradley stopped seeing Max around. He stopped seeing him in the coffee shop and the stores around the college. He wasn't even in the local skating areas. Especially not the one where they had fought.

Despite this being everything Bradley had wanted, he couldn't help feeling a sense of constant dread. Every time he was reminded of Max, his stomach churned. 

Why did he care? What does it matter if Max avoids him? Isn't this what he's been wanting?

Why did he miss Max?

Tank had begun to notice his strange behavior. For some reason, Tank was still his friend even after the X-Games. 

One night, he had found Bradley outside on the porch, just sitting by himself, staring at the sky.

"You okay, sweetheart? You've been a bit... odd lately."

"I'm fine."

Tank snorted. "No offense, but I seriously don't believe that."

Bradley looked over at him and rolled his eyes instead of responding.

"Don't roll your eyes at me, baby. What are you? A kid?"

He remained silent, looking back at the sky. Tank sighed and sat next to him.

"So, what's up? Something happen? Was it your parents?"

Bradley cringed at the mention of his parents, but he shook his head.

"Okay... so what? What is it?"

Was he seriously going to tell Tank about this? Was he really about to vent his feelings about Max Goof like a teenage girl?

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"No."

Tank looked up at the sky. "Is it the Goof boy?"

He whipped his head to look at Tank. "How-"

Tank looked at him and barked out a laugh. "It's not exactly a secret, sweetheart."

Bradley opened his mouth to speak but closed it. If Tank knew, did that mean everyone knew? How many people assumed something was going on between them?

"Have you seen how that Goof boy stares at you sometimes?" He questioned with a grin. "You guys act like an old married couple. Always bickering but never meaning actual venom behind your words."

Bradley stayed silent. So many thoughts were racing in his head that he couldn't focus on one of them. 

"So what happened? What are you moping around for? Did he do something?" He nudged Bradley's shoulder with his own. "Did you?"

For a few seconds, Bradley didn't say anything. Finally, he put his face in his hands out of embarrassment and mumbled out a response.

"I don't understand mumbling from behind your hands."

He moved his hands from his face but kept his head down. "I got mad at him for being nice to me."

"You're kidding." 

Bradley shook his head, trying to ignore the way Tank was shaking with laughter but still trying to hold it in.

"Wow." Tank snorted. "You have a way with people, huh?"

He looked up to glare at the other boy. 

"What? Am I lying?"

Knowing he wasn't, Bradley rolled his eyes in response. "Are you just here to make fun of me?"

Tank shrugged. "Maybe. I mean, why should I be nice to someone who left me to die?"

If it were anyone else, Bradley would assume they were reminding him out of spite, but this was Tank, and Tank was smiling. For some odd reason, no matter how badly Bradley treated Tank, he continued to be his friend. If Bradley did something terrible, he'd get his revenge but still go back to being his closest friend. Sometimes, it concerned him.

Nice people aren't nice for something in return.

Max's words rang in his head. He groaned loudly, throwing his head back.

"What? Realized how awful you can be?"

"Yeah."

Tank's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "That's definitely not the response I was expecting, but okay."

The two stayed silent. Both stared up at the sky without saying another word. 

Bradley isn't quite sure how long they stayed like that. It could have been almost an hour, or it could have been only a few minutes.

Tank was the one to break the silence.

"Are you going to be better?"

Bradley was never the best person. He wasn't kind or selfless, and he certainly never cared much for others. Maybe he could be a coward and blame his behavior on his family; he could just say his cold father and selfish mother made him into the man he is today. Bradley could easily say that if he had different parents, he'd be much better; he'd be kinder. It was easy. It was so easy to blame his actions on others, to say it wasn't him, it was them. He was just his parent's child; he was just the product of a bad home life.

"I'll try."