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Bradley leaned back on his hands, watching as Jake paced the room, picking up things that had a spot and putting them into a new spot. He had to fight to keep from smiling as Jake kept moving, tidying up a room that was already tidy, even by Navy standards. Part of him wondered if he should say something, do something to help Jake calm down, but he kept getting distracted by the fact Jake was only in a pair of old boxers, the waistband stretched and hanging onto his hips by a prayer and little else. It was hard to focus on anything other than the miles of skin, flushed from the shower he had just gotten out of.
“I fucking swore I cleaned yesterday,” Jake muttered, grabbing the shirt he had just pulled out and left on the dresser to toss it into the hamper, huffing in irritation when it hit the side and dropped to the floor.
Walking over, Jake bent down to grab it, and Bradley tilted his head to the side, admiring the curve of his ass before figuring he should probably say something before he tossed it in with the rest of his dirty clothes.
“You were going to wear that,” Bradley said, doing his best to keep a straight face.
Jake paused, looking down at the shirt in his hands before dropping his head forward with a groan, pinching the bridge of his nose and taking a few deep breaths. Bradley sat up and, thankful for the small rooms the Navy preferred in their houses, reached out and snagged Jake’s hand, tugging him closer until he was standing between Bradley’s legs.
Curling his hands around the back of Jake’s thighs to keep him close, he tilted his head back to stare up at the man. “Why are you freaking out? It’s just your Mom. I feel like you guys are close enough that she knows what to expect.”
“I’m not freaking out,” Jake said, dropping the shirt onto the bed behind Bradley and dropping his hands to rest on Bradley’s shoulders for a moment before moving, fingers curling around the back of his neck and thumbs pressed against the hinge of his jaw, rubbing just hard enough the ache that Bradley constantly dealt with from clenching his teeth started to fade.
“Yes, you are,” Bradley murmured, leaning forward and resting his chin on Jake’s lower stomach. “Why?”
Jake looked up, his eyes darting around the room before they met Bradley’s again with a sigh. “She’s meeting you,” Jake said in a voice soft enough Bradley had to strain to hear.
“So?”
“So. I’d kinda like it if you two got along,” Jake said, voice dry as he dug his fingers into the hinge of Bradley’s jaw, rubbing over the tight muscle. “Something you also want to do since you’ve been clenching your jaw all day.”
“Don’t know what you mean,” Bradley said, turning his head to kiss Jake’s palm, even though the ache in his jaw had faded from the massage. “I’m a hoot with parents.”
“Are you?” Jake asked, looking hopeful enough that Bradley felt charmed.
Bradley shrugged. “I mean, more parents have liked me than they haven’t,” he admitted, kissing Jake’s palm again.
He smoothed his hands up and down Jake’s thighs before squeezing the backs of his knees gently. “Look, I’m gonna be on my best behavior. And it’s not just me. It’s the whole damned detachment and their parents that’s gonna be there.”
“And?”
“And I can easily play the dead Dad card if anyone starts to look at me the wrong way,” Bradley said, shooting a grin up at Jake.
It made the man roll his eyes, but Bradley could see the grin tugging at the corner of Jake’s mouth as some of the tension left his shoulders. Jake’s hands tightened, tilting his head back before he leaned down to kiss Bradley, one thumb rubbing over the curve of his jaw before he pulled back but stayed bent over, keeping them close. “How often have you done that one?”
“Once,” Bradley admitted, grinning and leaning in to kiss Jake again. “The Dad was this old school Marine who went on and on about a man’s job, which was to teach his son to be raised right and that a man needed to be strong in order to protect his wife. It was kinda annoying, so I finally just dropped the fact that my Dad died while on duty, and it kinda shut him up real quick.”
“It was a training accident,” Jake said, pulling back and frowning slightly.
“He was still on duty,” Bradley pointed out.
It took a moment before Jake huffed and stood up, pulling away from Bradley’s grip, and he let him go, watching as Jake shucked the boxers, leaving him gloriously naked for a brief moment that ended all too soon in favor of a pair of briefs and jeans that had featured in more than one fantasy over the past few months.
“That’s pedantic of you,” Jake said, walking back to the bed and reaching to grab the shirt on the bed.
“Eh, I was dating his daughter. She was also a marine, and I knew she had a bit of a contentious relationship with him,” Bradley said, hands curling back around Jake’s legs, wanting to keep him close. “I’ll do that sort of shit with my Dad, but not with my Mom,” he explained with a shrug.
Jake finished pulling down the shirt before he knelt on the bed, sliding onto Bradley’s lap and wrapping his arms around his neck. “And my Daddy’s in prison, darling, you really think that’s gonna work?”
“Your Dad is a hulking SEAL who can probably kill me and make it look like an ant did it,” Bradley corrected, grinning when Jake rolled his eyes. He wrapped his arms around Jake’s waist to keep him steady as he leaned up to kiss him. He felt a hand curl around the back of his neck as Jake returned the kiss, and Bradley lost track of the conversation when he felt fingers curl into the hair at the nape of his neck and tug, making him shudder and his arms tighten around Jake.
“Dad knows who Admiral Kazansky is to you,” Jake said, pulling back from the kiss.
“Huh?” Bradley asked, blinking at Jake as he tried to focus on the conversation again.
“Admiral Kazasnky.”
“What about Ice?”
“My Dad knows he’s your Uncle, of sorts,” Jake explained, slowly like Bradley was being particularly stupid.
It took a second for Bradley to catch up. “Oh. Right. And? He’s retiring soon.”
“And yet, he seems like the sort of man who will meddle long after he’s out of office,” Jake said, fingers still stroking the back of Bradley’s neck.
It was distracting in the best way. Sometimes Bradley still couldn’t believe that they were here, these soft moments when it was just the two of them away from the world. That Jake was sitting in his lap, face soft and eyes bright as they talked without arguing. It never lasted long, they were both stubborn and Bradley enjoyed the back and forth entirely too much, but these soft moments like this never failed to make Bradley want to melt into Jake’s arms.
“He will,” Bradley said, forcing his mind back to the conversation as he leaned in and pressed his mouth against the side of Jake’s neck. “You ever gonna call him Ice?”
Jake hummed noncommittally as he dropped his head back as Bradley began to kiss over his skin. “We don’t have time for this. You need to change.”
That stopped Bradley as he leaned back until Jake lifted his head to meet his gaze. “I’m not changing.”
Jake frowned. “You’re wearing a fuckin’ Hawaiian shirt older than all of us.”
“It’s vintage,” Bradley said slowly, like it was Jake’s turn to be stupid. Jake opened his mouth, and Bradley continued before he could say anything else. “And this is one of the good ones that don’t have any grease stains in it.”
“You’re meetin’ my Mama for the first time in this?” Jake asked, plucking at the shirt.
“You dumped my Uncle out on his ass the first time you met him,” Bradley reminded Jake.
“Just doin’ as Penny told me to do,” Jake said, shrugging. “And I was in uniform.”
“Kinda makes it worse since he’s our CO.”
“Kinda still his fault,” Jake shot back before cupping Bradley’s face. “I just want her to like you.”
“My choice of shirt is not gonna determine that,” Bradley replied, leaning up to kiss Jake before he stood with a grunt, making sure Jake found his feet before wrapping his arms around Jake and holding him in a loose hug. “You’re just stressing and trying to control every detail.”
Jake huffed and crossed his arms, leaning back but not pulling away. “I am not.”
Bradley leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. “You are because you’re a fussy bitch.”
“Fuck you,” Jake said, glaring.
“Later,” Bradley replied with another kiss before letting him go. “Now come on, or we will be late.”
Bradley handed one of the beers to Jake, who took it and started rubbing a thumb over the label immediately. He watched as it started to roll and snorted, wrapping his arm around Jake’s shoulders and turning his head. “Calm down,” he murmured into Jake’s ear.
“They’re late,” Jake replied, downing half the beer in one go. “I should’ve had you drop me off so I could help them get there.”
Here being Ice and Mav’s entirely too big house that they had bought purely so they would have someplace to be able to host all of their friends when they were in town and would have a place to crash when, inevitably, they all got drunk and passed out somewhere. The party was in full swing, the families mingling as they got to know each other. Bradley could see Phoenix’s sisters talking to Bob, who, for his part, looked a little terrified, even with a slightly taller and older version of him standing next to him, talking to the sisters. Omaha had three kids hanging off him as he and Halo talked to someone who looked like she could be his sister, and the Ivies were in some argument with Fanboy’s twin sisters.
It was chaos, and only getting more chaotic as Payback arrived, his parents with him even though they broke off and made a beeline to where Fanboy was standing, talking to his parents.
“Honestly, they’re probably just taking advantage of the very nice beachside hotel you got for them,” Bradley said, looking back at Jake, who made a disgusted face. “What?”
“Don’t ever imply what you just implied.”
“Baby, your parents are barely older than us; if we’re not boning in our forties, I’m gonna be real pissed off.”
The elbow to his side was hard, and it made him jerk to the side with a huff of air as he stepped away and rubbed over the sore mark. “You know I’m right.”
“You keep going on with this conversation, and we’re not going to be boning in our thirties,” Jake said, shooting him a look.
Bradley raised both hands. “Alright, alright. Happy wife, happy life.”
Jake glared at him, and Bradley smiled back at him, leaning in to kiss him. “Calm down. They’ll be fine.”
“Who’ll be fine?”
Bradley turned to see Fanboy and Payback joining them even as loud laughter filled the area, and Bradley glanced over to see their parents cracking up about something.
“Bradshaw won’t be if he keeps talking,” Jake said, finishing off his beer before plucking the still mostly full one out of Bradley’s hand and giving him the empty one.
Bradley took it with a sigh, rolling his eyes. “I’m about to give you some shots to calm down.”
Jake glared at him, and Bradley grinned, leaning in to kiss him before he could reply. Before he managed, Jake pushed his face away. “Absolutely not, loverboy.”
“Aww, baby, you know we should never go to bed mad at each other,” Bradley teased, pressing in closer, only for Jake to lean back even more, but Bradley could see him fighting a smile.
“Sometimes I miss the fighting,” Fanboy said, getting Bradley’s attention and he stopped trying to kiss Jake and turned toward him.
“Really?”
Fanboy shook his head. “Nah, not really,” he said before jerking his chin at Jake. “Why do you need to calm down?”
“Hangman here always needs to calm down,” Phoenix said, joining the group, Bob right behind her.
Bradley glanced over to see who he assumed was Bob’s brother, still talking to Phoenix’s sisters, all of them laughing.
“I do not,” Jake said, fiddling with the edge of the bottle label again, his eyes on the wide-open back gate. He tensed up as someone walked through but relaxed when it was just another caterer carrying a tray of food. “I’m fine.”
“Uh huh,” Phoenix replied, elbowing Bradley in the side. “I thought you were handling that?”
“I handle him plenty fine, thank you very much,” Bradley replied, a little annoyed he didn’t have a drink, but he was half afraid if he left Jake with the others while in this mood, he would end up snapping at Phoenix and they would get into an argument.
For once, that didn’t even prompt a response from Jake, which made Phoenix’s eyebrows go up. Anything she was going to say dried up when Jake downed the rest of his beer, plucked the empty one from Bradley’s hands, and left. “You want another drink?” he called over his shoulder.
“Sure?” Bradley replied, unable to keep the confusion out of his voice, but he didn’t bother following Jake, figuring the man needed a moment alone. They had been together, actually together, for going on six months, but it was still a learning curve. Especially when Jake usually had no issue telling Bradley what he wanted or expected.
“What crawled up his ass and died?” Phoenix asked, unimpressed.
“His parents are late,” Bradley explained, looking at the other four. “And it’ll be the first time I meet them.”
Looks of understanding crossed their faces, and Bradley nodded as well. “Yep,” he said, thinking back to the twice-cleaned house and how the only thing that had stopped Jake from starching his jeans was the lack of starch in the house. “They texted to say they’d be here, but they were supposed to be here ten minutes ago.”
“Traffics always a bitch,” Payback offered.
“Oh, I know,” Bradley said, looking back at the quartet and shrugging. “But he’s worried, so I’m just letting him be.”
“Smart idea,” Phoenix said, wrinkling her nose. “He got any siblings?”
“Nope, just him,” Bradley said, looking around to try and find Jake, finally spotting him with Coyote, the two of them smiling and laughing about something, the tension that had been following Jake around was gone. Bradley fought a scowl, knowing it was stupid for him to get annoyed that Coyote could calm Jake down better than he could. They had been best friends for years. He knew it was stupid. But he still wanted to be the one who could make Jake relax like that.
“You are certifiable,” Phoenix said, getting Bradley’s attention.
He looked at her. “What?”
She nodded at Jake with a knowing look. Bradley flipped her off, sometimes wondering if deciding to befriend the smartest person in his class that wasn’t also a raging dick had been a smart idea. But the thought passed quickly, he was a better person because of her friendship.
“Who do they belong to?” Fanboy asked, getting his attention. “He’s not related to Ruben, maybe Coyote?”
“Maybe they’re Bradshaw’s friends; looks about the right age,” Payback said, winking at Bradley, who rolled his eyes and turned.
He caught sight of Jake’s parents, and he let out a sigh of relief before Payback's words came back to him and scowled. “Fuck you, I’m thirty-seven, not late forties,” he said, glaring at the man. He looked back at Jake’s parents to see them looking around, and he knew they were young. But he didn’t realize how young they both were until they were standing there, and he realized that they were barely a decade older than him.
“You know them?” Bob asked quietly.
Before Bradley could explain, Jake’s voice rang out.
“Mom! Dad!” Jake said, skirting around the edge of the pool only to be pulled into a hug by both of them, all of them smiling.
“The fuck does he mean Dad,” Payback said, getting Bradley’s attention.
Turning back to the group, he saw four identical looks of confusion. It took Bradley a second to realize what was going on, and he fought to keep a straight face. “It’s Jake’s parents. Marcus and Cory,” he explained, not bothering to give the last name. He knew Marcus had kept his own name, and Jake had gotten Seresin from Cory.
“Cory?” Phoenix asked, her eyes not moving from across the pool.
“Cordelia,” Bradley explained, glancing over his shoulder and catching Jake’s glance his way. He raised his eyebrows, wondering if he should come over. Jake waved a hand, and he turned back to the other four to see them still staring. “You guys are being weird,” he said, thankful for Basic for allowing him to keep a straight face.
“We’re not,” Fanboy said immediately, elbowing Payback in the side. “We just didn’t expect Jake’s dad to be uhhh?”
“A SEAL?” Bradley asked, wishing he had a beer. “Honestly, same. I’m a little terrified of meeting him, you know? I’m just thankful Ice is here, might keep me alive a little bit longer.”
“Yeah, a SEAL,” Fanboy said, latching onto the reason with a fevor. “What was that like growing up?”
“I didn’t get away with shit,” Jake said, rejoining the group, his parents in tow. “Daggers, Rooster.”
“Aw, I get my own call out,” Bradley said, moving to wrap an arm around Jake’s waist and tug him in, kissing the side of his head in hello.
He felt Jake’s hand rest on his lower back, curling into his shirt and gripping tight enough that Bradley was half afraid it would rip if he moved. “Only on special occasions. Ma, Dad. This is Bradley Bradshaw, Rooster, these are my parents.”
Bradley let go of Jake’s waist so he could hold out a hand, smiling at both of them. “Nice to meet you, ma’am, sir,” he said, nodding his head at both of them.
Cory reached out and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you. Just call me Cory, I’m not one for standing on protocol.”
“Sir works just fine for me,” Marcus said, shaking Bradley’s hand when Cory had dropped it, squeezing tightly. Bradley had been expecting it, and he just squeezed back with a bland smile he had learned from Ice when he was ten.
“Dad,” Jake said, rolling his eyes. “Just call him Marcus.”
Marcus glared at Jake. “I outrank you all.”
“And this is a casual event,” Jake shot back.
“Gonna call Ice, Ice, then?” Bradley couldn’t help but tease.
Jake sniffed but didn’t reply, and Bradley didn’t bother to even try and hide the smile. Jake rolled his eyes and waved a hand at the rest of the group. “Payback, Fanboy, Phoenix, and Bob,” he said by way of introduction.
“Wow, Rooster gets his full name and we get a callsign?” Phoenix asked, glaring at Jake.
Jake shrugged. “I like Rooster better.”
Bradley beamed. “See, he likes me better,” he parroted, some part of him always feeling giddy whenever Jake said something like that. It had been a long road, and he had never expected to end up where they were, but he was forever glad for it.
“And that like is getting smaller and smaller with each passing moment,” Jake muttered, glaring at Bradley, who blew a kiss at him.
“Liar,” Bradley said before turning back to the parents. ‘How was your flight in?”
“Not bad, actually,” Cory said, eyes darting between the two of them. This close, Bradley could make out Jake in her face, from the shape of her eyes to the way she smiled, a small knowing thing that he had seen more and more. Jake liked to say he got his looks from his asshole of a bio-dad, but Bradley could see a lot of Jake in Cory. “No screaming babies, and since it’s the middle of a week, we had an empty middle seat. Don’t get me wrong, love being pressed up against this man, but he is mostly shoulder, and sometimes a girl needs a little space, you know.”
“Ma,” Jake said, rolling his eyes, even as Bradley chuckled.
“I get that, mostly because I’m all leg, and sometimes having that little bit of space makes all the difference,” Bradley said, aware of Jake’s hand clenching and relaxing in the back of his shirt. He patted Jake on the side, wishing he could do something to help him calm down, but he knew the only thing that would help was time. “Hotel room good?”
“Stunning,” Marcus said, eyes boring into Bradley like he expected Bradley to fold, but Bradley had grown up with Ice and was used to the thousand-yard stare digging into his soul and demanding answers.
“Good,” Bradley said, jerking his head at Jake. “This one was worried there’d be something wrong with it even though he checked it out and read every single review.”
“He gets that from this one,” Cory said, jerking a thumb at Marcus with a roll of her eyes, almost looking like she was having fun. But Bradley knew that sharp look in her eyes, and he was being assessed, every part of him taken in and calculated and he wondered if he would ever know what she thought. He could definitely see Jake in that look.
She hummed and turned to the others. “Are all y’all’s parents here?” she asked, looking between the group.
“Yes, ma’am,” the four of them chorused in agreement.
Bradley turned to the side to see them all watching the interplay with entirely too much interest, and he glared at them. Phoenix raised a hand, no doubt to flip him off, but thought better of it and plastered on her CO smile.
“So, Bradshaw told us you were a SEAL,” she said, looking at Marcus before looking at Cory, and Bradley could feel Jake’s hand tighten in the back of his shirt as she continued, “but what about you, ma’am?”
Cory didn’t miss a beat. “Oh, I own a few strip clubs in Austin, used to work in a few of them before I got to be too old to walk in heels all the time. Might put on a show sometimes if needed, but these days I prefer to manage everything.”
There was a pregnant pause, and for the first time that Bradley had ever seen her, Phoenix looked unsure. “Oh, um…?” she said, looking at her with wide eyes, not sure what to say next.
“Why are you acting weird?” Cory asked, a familiar shark-like smile crossing her face. “I was stripper, paid well, let me spend time with my kid growing up and I had fun. Nothing better than taking money from men who will tip twice as much for a pretty smile and a wink.”
The silence, if at all possible, was even more awkward than before as the other four tried to figure out what to say. The resemblance had never been more apparent than in this moment, and even Marcus was smirking.
“Ohh, that explains the lap dance,” Fanboy said, finding his voice first before he stared wide-eyed at Cory when he realized what he had said, his eyes darting to Jake and back again. “Um?”
“Lapdance?” Cory asked, looking at Jake.
Jake didn’t look perturbed in the slightest. “Aunt Mimi.”
“Ahhh, lucky Bradley then,” Cory said, shooting Bradley a smirk. “Have fun?”
“Yep,” Bradley said, shameless.
She raised an eyebrow. “You don’t embarrass easily, do you?”
“Nah, had it beaten out of me growing up,” Bradley said, jerking his thumb over to where Ice and Mav were in a discussion with someone’s parents. “And neither of my parents were prone to embarrassment.”
“Good,” Cory said before her smile brightened. “I see why Jake likes you,” she said, reaching out and patting his cheek. “Don’t fuck it up.”
With that, she turned and left, Marcus nodding at Bradley in either acceptance or warning before he followed his wife, the two of them heading toward the drink table.
“So much more about you makes sense now,” Fanboy said, staring at Jake.
“Did they like me?” Bradley asked, ignoring Fanboy.
Jake let out a sigh. “Yeah, honey. They did, thank fuck for that.”
“Are you gonna calm down now?” Bradley asked, turning to Jake and stepping in close, ignoring the other four. “Or do you need more alcohol bottles to shred?”
“You are an asshole,” Jake replied, slumping against Bradley for a split second, forehead pressed against his shoulder before he straightened up and shook himself, Hangman’s smirk back in place as if that moment of weakness had never happened. Bradley glanced at the other four in time to see them look away, and he knew he could trust them to keep that moment to themselves.
They were growing as a group, getting to know each other, and Jake, allowing himself that moment with them around, said a lot about how far they were coming. He knew they would all let it slide, just like Jake’s comments were less barbed these days, softer, and they could all tell he was reigning himself in. Mostly.
“Soooo, that’s your Dad,” Payback said, giving Jake a once-over.
“Yep,” Jake said, shooting Payback a bland smile. “Skinned knees, first dates, and awkward sex talks and all. Only Dad I’ve ever had.”
Payback stared at Jake for a moment longer before he grimaced and left without saying anything else, Fanboy a second behind him. Bradley bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing, and he could see Jake fighting a smirk as well. Phoenix looked between them before she sighed and left, shaking her head and muttering something about needing a drink, leaving Bob looking between them.
“What’s your Dad’s last name?” Bob asked softly, looking at Jake, tilting his head to the side.
Jake raised his eyebrows. “What makes you think it’s not Seresin?” he asked.
Bob shrugged. “Is it?”
Jake huffed in amusement. “Of all the people I expected to ask, you ain’t even on the list, Bobert,” Jake said, reaching out and clapping Bob on the chest. “Hayes. Mama’s the Seresin. Still the only Dad I’ve ever had, though.”
There was a wealth of history behind that statement, but Bob just nodded, adjusted his glasses, and left. Bradley watched him go before looking back at Jake. “I think Payback is about to stage a coup.”
“Oh well,” Jake said, looking more at ease now. “I’ll let him know at some point.
“Really?” Bradley asked, looking back around the group for a moment before he shifted, standing in front of Jake and blocking the view. “You calmed down now?”
“Yes, really,” Jake said, arms crossed but he didn’t pull away. “And I was fine.”
Bradley let his raised eyebrows do the talking, causing Jake to huff and shake his head. “I’m fine, really. Worst is over.”
“Okay, good. Does this mean I can leave you alone, and you won’t spontaneously have a panic attack?” Bradley asked. “Or start obsessively cleaning everything in sight? Which Ice and Mav might appreciate but also make them question your sanity.”
Jake glared at him. “Keep talkin’ and you’re sleeping alone tonight.”
“That’s a lie, you like my bed better than the one the Navy gave you.”
Instead of replying, Jake cupped his jaw and leaned in to kiss him, something soft and sweet, before he pulled back with a smile. “I do. But it’s cute you think your bed is enough to overcome my irritation.”
With that, Jake patted him on the cheek and left. Bradley rolled his eyes, knowing Jake wasn’t actually annoyed. And even if he was a little bit annoyed, it would still be better than the anxiety he had earlier in the day. He turned in time to see Jake catch up with his parents, the three of them falling into easy conversation. Bradley watched them before he wandered over to where Ice was watching the gathering with clear eyes, taking everything in.
“How did it go?” Ice asked voice barely a whisper, no doubt doing what he could preserve it for the rest of the day.
“Well, I didn’t get murdered and dropped into some SEAL black site,” Bradley replied.
“If it helps, I know where most of those black sites are,” Ice said, shooting a smile at Bradley that was full of mischief.
“Not really,” Bradley muttered, wishing he had grabbed a drink. He glanced back over to where Coyote had joined Jake and his family before looking back at Ice, who had a knowing smile on his face. “He’s calmer? And he knows his parents better, so I think it’s all good.” He looked back over at where Jake had his head thrown back, laughing at something Cory was saying, the rest of the group laughing. “I’m sure we’ll end up getting dinner with them or something at some point.”
Ice wrapped a hand around the back of Bradley’s neck and gave him a small shake. “It’ll be fine. You just need to relax.”
“I am relaxed,” Bradley said, mostly telling the truth as he forced himself to focus on Ice and not on Jake.
Ice hummed before jerking his head to the side. “Come on, let’s get another drink and go and see where Mav ended up before something explodes.”
“You know, the way you used to talk about him painted a very different picture than what I just saw,” Cory said, arms crossed as she looked at Jake.
Jake rolled his eyes. “Because we get along now,” he replied, even though he knew what his Mom meant.
Despite how he felt about Bradley, the two of them had spent a lot of time at odds, getting in each other’s faces and his parents were the only others besides Javy he felt comfortable ranting to about the whole situation. They were the only ones who really knew how long he had pined for a man he would also rile up just because Bradley pissed him off.
“It’s the sex,” Javy interjected, grinning and ducking away from the punch Jake threw at his arm. “Calms them both down.”
“I think what’s calmed Rooster down is getting along with Mav,” Jake muttered, thinking about the history Bradley had told him, about pulled papers and years spent believing he wasn’t good enough. It made a lot more about Bradley make sense, and Jake could see his own part in that history. He wanted Bradley to be better because Jake had always known he could be, so he nagged at him, chased at his heels, and then teased him after, no doubt reminding Bradley of Mav in his own way.
It was a miracle they had ended up here.
“That too,” Javy agreed before nodding at Marcus. “Good thing you retired before you ended up with Admiral Kazansky around.”
Marcus snorted, lifting his beer to his mouth. “I never dealt with him personally, but my CO had a lot of respect for him. Said he was very to the point and didn’t mince words. But he also didn’t fuck around and had no issue telling people what they did wrong before it caused problems for other people.”
“Kinda have to be like that being married to someone like Mav,” Jake said, thinking of his own CO and how often they all ended up spending hours trying to figure out what they were doing wrong when it looked so easy for Mav to do. One day, Jake hoped he could fly like Mav, albeit with a couple of fewer marks against him.
“True,” Javy said, wrapping an arm around Jake’s shoulders and giving him a shake. “Don’t worry.”
“I’m not worried,” Jake said automatically. “What do I have to be worried about?”
“I dunno dude, Bradshaw meeting your parents, your parents meeting his Uncles. What on earth would you be worried about?”
“Nothing at all,” Cory said before Jake could. “He makes you happy?”
“Yeah, Ma. He makes me happy,” Jake said, unable to stop the smile that formed on his face even though it had been six months. The inability to stop smiling whenever he thought about Bradley had been annoying, and some part of Jake still found it annoying that he couldn’t help it, but he had gotten used to it.
Javy pinched his cheeks. “Awe, look at him.”
“Fuck off,” Jake said, jamming an elbow into Javy’s side.
“Hey, Hangman, Coyote. People I don’t know yet but are at my house.”
Jake turned and spotted Mav as he slipped into the group like he had been part of it all along. Wily little fucker. “Mav, hey. These are my parents, Cordelia Seresin and Marcus Hayes. Guys, this is my CO and Bradley’s uncle. Pete Mitchell.”
“Mav is fine,” Mav said, holding out a hand to shake. “Bradley’s told us a little bit about you.”
“And Jake has said a lot about you,” Cory said, shaking Mav’s hand. “Most of it involved swearing and then promises of getting you back.”
Mav grinned. “Yeah, I get that a lot. He’ll get over it and maybe even manage one day. He’s a hell of a pilot. Saved my life even.”
Jake glanced to the side instead of at his parents, not sure what to do with the raw honesty in Mav’s voice. He had saved Mav’s life and Bradley’s as well, but it hadn’t been something he had thought about. He had gotten permission to go, and so he had gone, flying as fast as he could to get there in time. It took a second to find Bradley, talking to Ice and the two of them laughing about something. The lack of anger looked good on Bradley, relaxed and at ease in the world in a way Jake hadn’t seen often. There had always been a little bit of tension just under his skin. There was a reason Jake had been able to get under it so often.
“He told us something about that,” Cory said, getting Jake’s attention again. “Somethin’ about some mission I’m not allowed to know anything about. Save me from the military and their goddamn secrecy.”
She glared at Marcus, who shrugged unapologetically, but Jake knew his Mom was teasing. She knew what she was getting into when she married him, just like she knew Jake told her everything he could.
“Could be worse,” Mav said, jerking his thumb over to where Ice and Bradley had been. “My husband knows everything about my career.”
Jake snorted before he could stop himself. “And he’s still letting you teach us?”
Mav shrugged. “For the moment. He’s in the middle of trying to find a replacement so I can retire as well, but finding someone to teach you guys is easier said than done.”
“That is because we are too goddamn good to be true,” Javy said, holding up his hand.
Jake slapped it with a grin. “Think of it this way, you’re irreplaceable.”
“Who’s irreplaceable?” Bradley asked, appearing next to Jake, handing him a new beer and sliding an arm around his waist, fingers sliding into his back pocket. Jake couldn’t help but turn just enough so he could half lean against Bradley, taking comfort in how close his boyfriend was standing.
“Mav,” Jake said, jerking his chin at Mav, who was smiling softer now. “Something about finding someone to replace him.”
“Mmm, last I heard Ice was considering a rotating group, with Dizzy in charge. I think that was mostly to watch Cyclone’s response,” Bradley said, kissing the side of Jake’s head.
Jake caught his smile out of the corner of his eye, and he turned, raising an eyebrow at Bradley, aware of his parents' eyes on him. “What?”
“Nothin’,” Bradley replied, kissing Jake quickly before turning back to the group.
“Man, it has been entirely too long for you two to still be acting like you’re newly dating,” Javy said, rolling his eyes. “How much longer do we have to deal with this?"
“Oh, it’ll never stop,” Mav said before Bradley or Jake could. He jerked his chin at Bradley. “Takes after both his parents for that.”
“Really?” Jake asked, looking at Bradley, who was looking at Mav with a small frown.
“Oh yeah,” Mav said, smiling and shaking his head. “The day we landed at Top Gun, the first thing Goose did after getting his billet was call Carole. First thing she did was pack her and Bradley up and fly all the way over as soon as she could. They hated being apart.” Mav nodded at Bradley. “It didn’t matter if Goose was just running to the store to get some milk or something; they always said hello as if they hadn’t seen each other in months. Carole used to say life was short, and there was no use in pretending she didn’t miss him.”
His smile turned sadder, and Jake could feel Bradley tense up next to him. He leaned more against Bradley, doing his best to shore the man up, knowing how hard it still was to talk about his Mom. He knew how much Bradley missed her every single day. It made Jake grateful that his Mom was still alive. He couldn’t imagine losing her at any age, let alone as young as Bradley had been.
“So, sorry, Coyote. You’re gonna be stuck with that forever,” Mav said.
Bradley’s smile was wide, but it wasn’t the same beaming smile he normally did. Instead, it was a little sadder, but there was still the joy there. Bradley pulled Jake in a little closer, and he went, long since used to his boyfriend's lack of personal space whenever they were together. He’d never admit it out loud, but Jake liked it.
“Good,” Marcus said before anyone else could. “Shouldn’t ever take someone for granted.” His Dad jerked his chin to the side. “Jake said you drive a Bronco, the one out front yours?”
“Yeah!” Bradley said, perking up. “Mav helped me find her when I was sixteen, and Ice and I fixed her up until I left for college.”
He went quiet, but Jake knew the rest of the story and he was glad when all his Dad did was nod his head before jerking his head toward the front. “Show me,” he said, turning and walking off, stopping just long enough to kiss his Mom goodbye.
“Am I gonna die?” Bradley muttered even as he dropped his arm from around Jake’s waist and downed the last of his beer.
“Nah,” Jake said, swatting Bradley across the ass before taking the empty bottle. “Just don’t show fear, and you’ll be fine.”
Bradley flipped him off but followed, Marcus drawing him into a conversation before they had even reached the gate. Javy snorted and shook his head, clapping Jake on the shoulder before drifting off to find someone else to talk to, leaving Jake standing with Mav and his Mom.
“Marcus loves old cars,” Cory explained to Mav. “Always has.”
“So does Bradley; I always prefer old bikes and planes, though. Never really been a car guy,” Mav said.
“Same,” Cory said, waving a hand. “Anything like that. That’s all Marcus and Jake, not me.”
“What about you?” Mav asked. “What do you do?”
“Stripper,” Cory said, still without an ounce of shame. “Mostly retired. I own the clubs now.”
“No shit?” Mav asked. “My friend keeps trying to drag me to some fucking pole dancing class thing and ignoring me when I remind her that I’m getting closer to sixty than fifty.”
“And on that note,” Jake said, suddenly knowing he didn’t want to be anywhere near that conversation. He left, wandering over to where Omaha was trying to reason with one of his nieces, and did his best to stop looking out the front, knowing Bradley would be fine.
Jake slouched down, ankles crossed as he grinned, listening to Fanboy argue with Fritz about something about some show they both watched, more amused at how they hadn’t yet realized they were arguing for the same thing. He glanced around the yard, watching as Omaha reappeared from where he had walked his family to the car. It was getting later, and the party was winding down, and one by one, people were leaving, and the Daggers were joining the circle, easily falling into conversation as if they didn't spend most of the week together as well.
He glanced back over to the table where his Mom was sitting with Ice and Mav, the three of them still talking and laughing and something else in him relaxed at the easy way they were getting along. The back gate opened, and Bradley reappeared with his Dad. Jake inhaled sharply, choking on his own spit and coughing a few times, glancing to the side and glad to see that the others hadn’t noticed him.
At some point, Bradley had lost his shirt, which was now tucked into his back pocket, leaving him in a white t-shirt that clung to his arms and chest, and even from a distance, Jake could make out streaks of black over his hands and shirt and rolled his eyes when he spotted a few similar marks on his Dad’s hands. He watched as Marcus said something to Bradley, causing him to laugh and nod before they split up. Marcus moved to join Cory, Ice, and Mav, and Bradley made his way across the grounds to the rest of the group.
“Taking lessons from Jake’s Mom?” Phoenix asked once Bradley got closer.
“Why would I take lessons from her when Jake could teach me, and it’d be so much more fun,” Bradley shot back, leaning down to kiss Jake, only to stop when Jake pressed a finger against his chest.
“Nope,” Jake said, pushing him back. “Not with that grease all over you.”
“Awww, baby,” Bradley said, pushing against the hand and still trying to get closer. “Missed you.”
“It’s been two hours. Go wash up,” Jake said, leaning back even more as he watched Bradley fight a smile.
“Fine,” Bradley huffed, rolling his eyes as he stood to head into the house.
Jake settled back in the chair and looked around the group, raising his eyebrows at their amused expressions. Before he could say anything, he felt lips press against his cheek, and he turned quickly, swatting at where Bradley had been as the man danced back with a laugh and made his way into the house.
“Asshole,” Jake called after him, settling back into the chair with a huff.
“Y’all are too cute,” Halo said, voice dry as the desert air.
“And apparently, according to Mav, we’ll never get away from it,” Javy said, dropping into one of the remaining chairs. “Apparently, Bradshaw comes from a long line of pro-PDA.”
“Raise your hand if you’re surprised by that,” Phoenix said.
No one raised their hands. Jake hid his smile behind the beer bottle as he took another sip, hearing footsteps and turned, seeing Bradley reappearing, hands and arms clean and his white shirt gone in favor of only the Hawaiian shirt. It was a look Jake had seen a dozen times, and it was a look he hoped would see a thousand more.
“Have fun?” Jake asked, shifting to the side of the loveseat he had claimed so Bradley could drop down, his arm settling around Jake’s shoulders as he stole the beer and finished off the last of it before setting the empty bottle on the ground.
“Yeah, your Dad knows a thing or two about old engines,” Bradley said, pressed from shoulder to ankle next to Jake. “Said he used to fix them up when he was younger?”
“Yeah, before he met Mom. Used to spend his leave fixing up old cars at his friends parents garage. He’s not really good at sitting down and relaxing,” Jake explained, dropping a hand to rest on Bradley’s thigh, thankful that the rest of the group was used to them sitting pressed close together.
“Wow, now I know where you get it from.”
Jake waved a hand at where he was sitting and relaxing. Bradley snorted and curled a hand around the back of Jake’s neck and leaned in to kiss the side of his head before he relaxed back against the chair, Jake tucked further under his arm. “Anyway, he said he knew a guy who could hook me up with replacement parts if I needed them for the Bronco.”
“Dad knows a lot of people,” Jake said, thinking of the holiday parties his parents would throw and how many people would be there. One of these days, he’d need to drag Bradley to one of them whenever their leave lined up with one of them. They were a riot, and he wanted to show Bradley where he had grown up.
“Mm, sounds like Ice,” Bradley said.
“At least it looks like they’re getting along,” Javy said, nodding to the corner.
Jake glanced over to see the four parents talking, smiles on their faces, and shrugged, doing his best to hide how glad he was that they were all getting along. He settled back in the chair and looked at the rest of the group, who were carefully not looking at him. “What?” he asked, already having half an idea of what was happening.
“Nothin’, man,” Fanboy said before anyone else could talk, his elbow finding Payback’s side. The man huffed and grimaced but didn’t say anything.
Six months ago, Jake wouldn’t have said shit to the lot of them, preferring to watch them squirm, but they were a team, they were working together, and while watching people squirm was funny, he also knew that it was something that should be saved for random people, not people he wanted to work with. He felt Bradley shift next to him, and he knew he, Javy, and most likely Bob wouldn’t say anything until he did, and he appreciated that.
Jake sighed. “Fucks sake,” he muttered, pretending to be more annoyed than he actually was. He had some reputation to uphold, even if it was slowly being eroded each time he let Bradley cuddle up with him like they were teenagers. “He and my Mom met when I was seven. He ain’t my stepdad because I never had a Dad worth anything before him. So, he’s just my Dad.”
There was a collective soft ‘ohh’ around the group, and Jake rolled his eyes again, shooting them all an unimpressed look. “Y’all are nosy fuckers.”
“Well,” Payback said, waving a hand at Jake.
“Don’t worry, Payback, I’m still one hundred percent purebred white trash, so don’t worry your pretty little head about it,” Jake said.
“Aww, you think Payback’s pretty?” Harvard asked.
“No, he doesn’t,” Bradley said before Jake could say anything.
Jake turned his head, seeing a slightly petulant look on Bradley’s face, and rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry, honeycakes, you’re still the prettiest princess I've ever seen,” he said, lifting a hand to pat Bradley’s cheek.
“You’re an asshole,” Bradley said.
“And you’re getting green with jealousy over fuckin’ Payback.”
“I’m debating on being offended here, but I also don’t wanna fight,” Payback said, settling back in the chair and crossing his arms over his chest.
“Ice might kill you,” Bradley agreed.
“Hangman’s a little annoyed at you, so maybe I can get his Dad to defend me,” Payback shot back.
“Nah,” Jake said, grinning at the offended look on Payback’s face. He turned his head and leaned up to kiss Bradley on the mouth. “I got plans for this one later, so I need him in one piece without bruises.”
The chorus of groans and a few bottlecaps thrown at him were easy to ignore as Bradley smiled at him, eyes bright and happy, and Jake did the only thing he could in the face of that sort of happiness directed right at him. He kissed Bradley again, ignoring the rest of the group as they changed the conversation and left them alone.
“Plans, huh?” Bradley asked, voice soft, just the two of them.
“Mmhm, big plans,” Jake said, kissing Bradley again once more before he settled back, turning and half leaning against Bradley. “Another hour.”
“Yeah?”
“Promise,” Jake said, feeling Bradley’s arm curl back around his shoulders, his hand dropping to fiddle with the buttons on the front of Jake’s shirt as he rejoined the conversation that had changed to potential new COs as they tried to think of who, if anyone, could replace Mav.
Life really was good.