Chapter Text
Saturday, December 24th, 2016
When his boyfriend offered to bring him home for Christmas to meet his baby brother and parents, Bradley of course said yes. Jake couldn’t have been more ecstatic. The whole flight to Texas Jake talked about how this was the first time both him and his brother would be home for Christmas. A small part of Bradley can’t help but feel like they’re moving a bit fast. They barely started dating a few weeks ago. But honestly, it feels like they’re making up for the time they could’ve spent talking and falling in love instead of fucking. It’s also cute to hear Jake talk about his little brother like the other man is still 5 and not a grown man who’s 3 years younger than him. Hangman finds that every other sentence he says is a nostalgic ramble about how he and Bobby used to get into trouble.
They get off their plane and walk over to rent a car after picking up their luggage. Bradley insists on being the one to drive, so he’s stuck with the paperwork. Jake goes and finds a seat with their bags, pulling out his phone. He scrolls on Instagram for a bit before he opens up his messages.
Seresin-Floyd Family Group Chat
Bobby, 12/24/16, 4:32 PM: Hey everyone, is it okay if I bring my friend home for Christmas? His flight got canceled for him to head back home and I don’t want him staying on base for Christmas
Ma, 12/24/16, 4:34 PM: Of course! Is he just a friend or a special friend? :)
Bobby, 12/23/16, 4:37 PM: He’s just a friend
Jake blinks. His brother hasn’t brought home anyone in years. In complete fairness, Bradley is the first person that isn’t Javy he’s brought home ever. He rereads the text quickly. Base housing, huh? Is it one the Daggers? He clicks out of the thread for just the family and into the daggers one Payback and Fanboy set up, insisting it was a need since they’re officially a special unit. He skims over the unread messages and sees it’s just banter between the group. He feels the sun that was shining in his eyes get blocked by a figure and looks up to see his boyfriend holding up a key fob.
“I got our ride,” Bradley smiles and his porn-stache covers his top lip. Jake laughs and stands up to grab as many bags as he can.
They walk out just as one of the workers pulls up with the truck for them. They both say a quick thank you before throwing their things into the backseat. They settle in and Jake zones out as he stares out of the window. He feels a warm hand rest on his knee and looks over to see his boyfriend looking at him a bit concerned. Jake clears his throat and turns to look out of the front dash. “Sorry. I got zoned out.”
“Are you okay, baby?” Bradley asks, and his boyfriend's heart stutters at the nickname. He moves his leg to lean into the touch of the other man before nodding.
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just weird being back here, you know?” he shrugs. “Plus Bobby’s apparently bringing someone home this year.”
Rooster chuckles softly as he takes a turn, looking down at his phone for a second to listen to the GPS. He looks over at the blonde and sees his furrowed brows. “You’re just cute, is all. Being all protective of your little brother like he’s not a grown ass man too.”
Jake playfully flips off Rooster and laughs for a second, but they both know it's not genuine. He swallows dryly. “I know. He’s just…he’s been through a lot of shit. He’s brave but man is he sensitive at the same time. Came out to me at 14 and was open about his queerness all throughout high school. It was rough. Lord knows being back home isn’t always much help. Seeing all those assholes who used to call him shit when I left for the academy,” he shrugs. “I guess I’ll always just worry about the kid, you know?”
Bradley doesn’t know. They both are aware of that. Sure, he’s got Nat, but that's different. Rooster got pushed off on to her dads after his mom died. They loved him like their own, and yeah, he’s family, but being blood siblings is different. He always dreamt of a younger sibling before his mom got sick. Never mentioned it. Kept it as a funny little thought to think about when he saw the big kids go pick up the kids a year younger than him during pick up for their walks home or to the bus stop. Jake knows he touched a sore spot and put his hand on top of Bradley’s to say sorry for bringing something like that up. Bradshaw just nods and keeps his eyes on the road and his hand on Hangman’s knee. Jake reaches over to turn on the radio and laces their fingers together.
The rest of the drive is quiet, but not awkward. It’s soft. They’re affectionate despite the lack of words, indulging in the presence of each other after so many years of fucking in the bathrooms of bars. It’s nice. For it to feel real. For them to feel real. Like a solid relationship and not just a fling or some sad one sided love affair that felt like it would turn into a story they’d tell their kids about the one that got away. It’s nice for both of them to get what they wanted for so many years after denying themselves the necessity that is love. Now Jake gets to share his holiday traditions with the man he loves. They get to make new ones. They get to have a life together. He breathes in the scent of Bradley’s sandalwood body wash that’s wafting into his nose and closes his eyes tight like he never wants to let go of this moment. Like he wants to be surrounded by what he can only describe as his Bradley.
He only realizes he’d fallen asleep hard when Bradley pats his cheek. “We’re here.”
Jake yawns and turns to crack his back, rubbing his eyes. Rooster smiles at his boyfriend and turns off the car, climbing out and running over to the other side to open the passenger door. “Who says chivalry is dead?” Hangman jokes as he climbs out and opens the back door to grab their bags.
Out of the corner of his eye Bradley sees a figure. He turns and sees a mop of curls before a familiar face follows. He frowns. “Fanboy?” He questions. “What are you doing here? I thought you were going to Illinois with your sister.”
He watches Mickey’s eyebrows furrow. “Flight got delayed. I’m staying with Bob for Christmas. What are you-”
“Bobby!” There’s a thud behind Bradshaw as Jake’s voice echoes from the bottom of the driveway. They turn and see Jake walking towards his brother as they go in for a hug. They laugh and banter for a second after they put their arms down before they turn their heads and see the two other men staring at them with confused looks.
“Thats-”
“J is-”
They start talking at the same time, voices overlapping before they both pause and look at them. “You’re brothers?”
Jake and Bob both stare at them, eyebrows knit together in confusion. They look back at each other and then back at their guests. “You didn’t…know this?” Bob can’t help but crack a grin. The two of them are laughing within seconds as the others stare in disbelief.
“But you don’t even have the same last name?” Bradley just stands there as Mickey processes what they’ve just heard. “Nor do you look alike?” He swallows dryly.
Jake tries to calm his laughs but his little brother’s belly giggles make it hard. He wipes away the tears starting to form in his eyes and stands back up. He breathes out slowly to ground himself for a moment before he speaks. “Our parents hyphenated. I use our dads and Bobby over here uses our moms to differentiate the two of us. Really, it’s not like we’re hiding it. Honestly, I thought you knew.”
“Well we obviously didn’t,” Mickey says before he cracks a grin.
Then all four of the grown men are giggling as they walk up the steps into the house. Bob opens the door for the other three men. They’re immediately hit by the smell of cinnamon and pine from the Christmas tree. There's no spot left with a lack of decoration for Christmas. Everything is a dark stained wood. There’s a table with a bowl full of keys and piles of shoes under it by the door. Jake slides off his shoes and throws them on top of the pile and Mickey and Bradley follow. The walls follow a similar color palette of dark wood molding that goes halfway up the wall and some loud floral wallpaper. A man who looks like a copy of Jake sits on a floral couch, a rug sitting under a glass coffee table. He smiles at the boys. The doorway to the kitchen is filled by the presence of an older lady who looks just like Bob. She smiles too, her apron covered in flower. The kitchen behind her is full of Christmas foods and sweets. She rushes over and kisses Jake’s head before pulling him into a hug.
“Hi Jakey! I see you met Mickey,” she gestures to the man before she looks at Bradley. “Is this the Rooster I’ve heard so much about?”
Bradley flushes and waves. “Hi, Mrs. Seresin. It’s nice to meet you,” he grins nervously. He hears the creak of the old wood in the living room and looks over to see his boyfriend father walking towards them. The older gentleman gives Jake a hug before putting his hand out for Bradley to shake. He firmly returns the gesture. “Hello sir.”
“It’s nice to meet you, kid. Jake can’t stop talking about you,” he teases and his eldest blushes. “You can just call us Margaret and Jonathan. You’re family now.”
A warmth blossoms through Bradley’s chest as he nods. His boyfriend laces their fingers together to show that there’s no need to be nervous and that if their son loves him, the Seresin-Floyd parents will too. Jake takes in the smell of his childhood home and the way the weight on his back seems like it’s been lifted.
Jake gives him a quick tour before they settle down in his childhood bedroom. It looks much like the other areas of the house. Dark wood molding and a loud wallpaper. Except this time it’s little drawings of various pieces of sports equipment. Bradley smiles and lets his eyes linger on the several sports trophies. Soccer, football, baseball. He wonders if the other man ever took a moment to breathe when he was a kid or was just as fast paced when he was little as he is now. They unpack and take a second to lay down on the mattress. It feels much smaller than Jake remembers. Their limbs tangle together. Bradley’s fingers find their way into his boyfriend's short blonde hair that's grown out a bit since they started their leave. He kisses down his neck for a second before he looks up at the ceiling.
“Did you and Bob play a lot of sports when you were kids?” He asks and Jake laughs.
“Bobby wasn’t much for sports. Hell of a good pitcher, but with anything else he would rather be doing something like reading. He used to help me practice my hit. Threw a hell of a curve ball, I tell you.”
Bradley laughs and takes a second. “Do you think him and Fanboy-”
“Oh lord I hope not,” Jake’s twang comes out for a second as he sighs into Bradley’s shoulder.
“You are aware that your brother is a grown man, right?” Rooster looks at his boyfriend. Jake makes a small grumpy sound.
“He’s…He’s sensitive, okay? I just don’t want him to get hurt,” he fusses, pouting like a small child as he fidgets with his boyfriend's shirt.
“Whatever you say, baby.”
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They go out and around town. Jake and Bob show off some of the area, but the older of the siblings can tell his brother is a bit queasy about being back home. They stop at a few stores and Fanboy and Bradley go off to find a few last minute presents. Bob goes on a walk on his own. When they all meet back up and get to the truck it’s 6:00, and Mrs. Seresin is calling Bob to make sure they’re all heading back for dinner.
After dinner, the six of them all settle down in the living room for the night. Jake's glare is hardly noticed by anyone but his younger brother, who glares right back. The others in the room watch Christmas movies and play board games together. Sometimes Mickey’s hand will brush Bobs, or will linger on his shoulder. Bob feels his face flush every time but doesn’t care to mention it in front of his family. He’ll feel his brother give Mickey a look that says ‘I swear to god if you do anything to my brother this Christmas I’ll kill you’ and he returns the favor with a small ‘I’m not 14 anymore, Jake’ look. He knows he worries. He always worried. But Bob’s sober and grown and responsible now. He knows how to take care of himself, even if his brother doesn’t agree.
Jake’s in the kitchen getting himself some of their moms eggnog when Bob walks in. Both of their boys are talking to their parents about them both being pilots too, and how they both met their sons. He leans against the counter and watches his older brother for a beat before he speaks up.
“He’s not a douche bag who’s gonna hurt me, you know. He’s different. We haven’t even kissed,” Bob glares, words rolling off of his tongue. It’s not like he doesn’t wanna kiss Mickey. He does. But this sudden romantic attraction to him is new-ish. Sure, when they first met he thought he was beautiful. But now they’re close. Now they both have found common interests and Bob finds his eyes lingering and his thoughts being clouded with the other weapons system officer. “I don’t need protection. I’m 28, not 18.”
Jake turns and puts his mug down, his eyes soft. “I know you don’t, Bobby. But I don’t-”
“No. None of that ‘Bobby-boy’ shit. I’m grown, okay? I’m not your little brother you left behind in this shitty town for the academy. I’m not the high school kid who got his ass beat. Mickey isn’t like them,” Bob barks out in a hissed whisper. “Quick acting like I’m a baby.”
Jake’s jaw sets. “I don’t want you getting hurt. Just because he’s showing you this version of him now doesn't mean it means anything. He could be just using you for your body and a place to stay before his flight home.”
The younger of the two scoffs. “Right. Because you and Bradley’s decades worth of hook ups was so much better.” He pushes himself off the counter before he walks back into the living room, leaving Jake alone in the cold kitchen, the snow outside making it brighter than normal. He swallows and looks at Bob and Mickey sitting together. He watches Bob’s face light up as they speak.