Chapter Text
It's funny how we remember things. In our youth, things we did just the day before is often times hard to recall as live in the moment and take in so many other new things happening. But as we get older, have time to sit down and really think, we start to remember things from when we were barely old enough to talk. And often times we yearn for those past days that we recall in our older years. A sense of nostalgia, as it were. Whether it's listening to top forty songs of yesteryear or watching a cult classic film that you used to watch on loop – nostalgia can come in many shapes and forms. Other times, however, the ability to recall things far back in our life can also be more of a curse than a blessing. Whether it's because it makes us yearn for people no longer with us in the present as they were in the past, or because we remember regretful moments from our younger years.
And in the case of Bradley Uppercrust the 3rd, he knew the good and bad points of nostalgia all too well.
Now at the prime age of thirty-three, it's safe to say that much about Bradley has changed over the years. He wasn't the same college fraternity head that once called the hallways of Welig University his stomping grounds. Today he's an adult with a whole new life. Now he was an established author of a popular swashbuckling adventure series by day and a competitive track and field star by night. Yes – Bradley has really made a name for himself in recent years.
But, of course, even though the man has made a new name for himself now there are times when he's still haunted by the old name he used to carry. The name of someone so infamously jealous and bitter over the title of champion that he almost killed his rival over it. And even after doing everything he could to put the past behind, it never let him forget in his new present.
After the X-Games had concluded with a certain freshman winning the big trophy and Bradley came down from the literal high of being shot into a blimp, what awaited him down below wasn't a soft landing but hard consequences. Naturally the first thing to come were legal consequences. Several of the skaters who Bradley and his team sabotaged during the X-Games wanted payback. Some to get medical fees and property damage fees paid. Others to add to the injuries he already had. So lot of money was paid out to the aggrieved parties – with those who wanted physical retribution getting their students loans paid off as extra incentive to not start a brawl.
Then came the legal and educational consequences from Welig University. Another pretty penny went towards repairing track that Bradley's sabotaging stunts had destroyed. And of course the college had absolutely refused to allow him to spend another day in the halls. So it came as a surprise to no one when Bradley was expelled and the Gramma Mu Mu Fraternity was abolished shortly there after. It was only because he was able to literally pay for his transgression that the Saluki didn't wind up paying behind bars. Bradley then made the executive decision to go back to his native Sussex so that he could spend a gap year in the UK and complete his degree there. It would only be when he turned twenty-eight that he returned to the United States – the scandal now mostly forgotten by the masses and replaced with whatever the latest drama of the hour was.
But even with all that, nothing topped the personal consequences Bradley had suffered during that time and that he's still paying for even now. He didn't care that he lost the respect of the Welig University faculty and got no letter of recommendation while they used him as a cautionary tale to new students. He didn't care that his former classmates condemned him for his actions and made inside jokes about his fall from grace even after the seniors then graduated. He didn't care how, in spite of the intense physical therapy he underwent that healed and renewed his body, his shoulder would still ache during heavy rain or snowstorms. He doesn't even care that his name carries a certain level of infamy to this day. No, none of that mattered. What did matter was how it ruined his personal relationships. His family was devastated by his actions. His parents were woefully ashamed, his grandfather inconsolable with heartbreak, his younger sister could barely look him in the eye and the family butler had some very respectfully choice words for his young master. After the legal and financial dust settled Bradley's family were cordial but not as close to him as before. Everyone would call and check in with him or make small talk on occasion, but it was mainly surface level. While they still love and care for Bradley, the trust and admiration they once had for him had waned considerably. It was as if they were afraid of what he was capable of. As if they were afraid of him. And despite acting like he wasn't bothered that much by it – it did actually hurt his soul to see that the bonds with his family have broken because of his actions.
Then there were his fractured friendships. Naturally, Tank casting Bradley into that blimp was a sign of things to come for the once close-knit brotherhood of the Gammas. Slouch, Kevin, Shades, Boris and Federico weren't far behind in turning their backs on Bradley. They likewise were served with expulsion from Welig and faced their own family issues for the cheating and near deadly X-Games sabotage towards the end. And that was the straw that broke the camel's back. That day as the former fraternity brothers walked off of Welig University campus grounds – Tank and the others went in one direction while Bradley went in another. They said nothing to him. No parting remarks reminding him of how he ruined his former friends' lives. No hollow well wishes of the brotherhood bond that they once had. Not even an outright condemnation of Bradley's life and prayers that he suffer for the rest of his days. Just silence as the young men left and went on about their new, separate lives. Bradley has heard good things about them, though, as the years passed. Slouch has become a worldly play actor who's currently on tour for the latest production he's the male lead of, Kevin has become an acclaimed hairstylist with his own boutique that has reservations books a year in advance, Shades utilized his love of fashion and tech to create hybrid smart gear that took the security industry by storm, Boris finally answered the call of the road and became a race car driver and has already won three tournaments, Federico became an architect that restored historic buildings and Tank actually became a doctor and opened his own practice that ironically specialized in physical therapy.
More than once, Bradley caught himself wanting to call his former fraternity brothers. But every time he stopped himself short just before he dialed that last digit of any of their numbers. He didn't deserve to try and form a relationship with the same men who's youth he screwed up because of his own dangerous ambition and burning envy. At least that's what he told himself for a logical reason. Deep down Bradley knew the real answer. He was a coward. A coward who couldn't bear to hear the righteous venom in the voices of his former friends as they spoke to him or endure the scrutiny of their disgusted glares. And so the Saluki chose to live in his own self-imposed exile from connecting with people. Apart from the obligatory parties for his books or meet and greets for his track career, he kept people at arm's length at best or kept them away at worst. This way he would never hurt anyone again or be forced to face the ugly results of his actions. It was a lonely life, but it's worked for him so far in these past ten years.
Ten years. A whole decade. Feels like everything and everyone was a lifetime ago. Not even his own lifetime. And as he's been so lonely Bradley's mind couldn't help but stray to questions he knew he shouldn't be asking yet couldn't help the curiosity. What became of the other people from the life he used to have? Are they doing better than he could ever hope to? Are they miserable? Or are they no worse off than before the debacle began?
But mostly...Bradley wondered about him. How was he doing? And was he just as goofy as he remembered...?
"...ster? ...Mi...ster? ...Hey, mister!" A voice called out, snapping the author out of his thoughts.
"Wh-What?! H-Huh?" Bradley asked, blinking and gathering his senses. He looked around his surroundings and eventually his eyes landed on a group of three teenagers.
"Hey. Sorry to bother you, mister, but we just wanted to skate down the handrail here. And we didn't want to hurt you since you're sitting on the steps." Said the first teenager, a leopard gecko.
Bradley blinked again and looked around again to fully assess where exactly he was. A skate park. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he wandered into the skate park. The Saluki couldn't decide if he should find this funny or cruel. The last time he's been on a skateboard was in his dreams, and even those have been few and far between. It isn't that he's physically incapable of skating ever again. He was cleared of that after the physical therapy. No, no. He just couldn't bring himself to do an Ollie ever since that day at Welig. Call it trauma, call it guilt. All Bradley knew was that he hasn't been skating since he was twenty-three.
"Oh...right. Sorry." Bradley apologized as he stood up from the stairs and walked away. As he left, he heard the teenagers converse.
"Hey, that guy looks familiar. I think he's that writer who makes that book series my older brother really likes." Said the second teenager, a spider monkey.
"I think you're right. I've seen his stuff at the bookstore I help out at. But what's he doing at a skate park? A posh guy like that you'd expect to be on a golf course." Said the third teenager, a cockatoo.
Bradley couldn't help but scoff in amusement to himself. Those kids had no idea how much he loathed golf. His "posh" background notwithstanding. But the third teen did raise a good question. What WAS he doing at the skate park? After so many years of not skating? He couldn't even say it was a reflex to following his old jogging route since he hadn't been in the United States until three months ago to finally get a new house. So why was he here?
"Well, whatever. I should probably get going and head to the real estate office." Bradley said, shaking his head as he made his way to the main exit of the skate park.
As he got halfway towards the exit, though, he heard a voice say something that for some reason made him stop.
"Dad! Where are you?" Called out a young female voice that sounded strong and energetic but had a worried, fearful tone to it.
That question, that tone, made Bradley stop cold from his path to the main exit and stop to turn around. Standing partially at the center was a young girl, probably no older than eleven, who was a dog anthro like him wearing neon orange roller skates and matching colored protective gear. She appeared to be a mix breed. Part Belgian Shepherd based on the distinct pointed, strong muzzle she had and a similar short fur coat like his own. But her ears were lopsided instead of pointed – and he noticed the soft curls in her coat and tail. What breed those features came from he couldn't exactly pinpoint. That didn't matter now, though. What mattered was helping this kid. Bradley turned away from the main exit and walked over, slowly and with a small smile to start as to keep the tension low, then cleared his throat.
“Excuse me, miss? Are you lost?” Bradley asked. The girl jumped a bit and turned up to stare at Bradley. She had big, bright hazel eyes with brown that dominated the greens and blues. She looked Bradley up and down, but she didn't run away.
“Yeah...I'm trying to find my dad.” The girl replied in a neutral tone, not giving any information. Very smart, Bradley thought to himself. Clearly her father taught her not to volunteer any information to a stranger.
“I see. I guess you got separated, huh? Well, if you'd like, we can sit by the skate bowl and wait around for him. I'm sure he'll show up.” Bradley suggested.
“...Why would you want to do that?” The girl asked, both sounding suspicious and genuinely surprised that a stranger would make such an offer.
“Well, a gentleman can't just leave a lady in distress. Now can he?” Bradley asked back with a small smile. But inside he cringed and beat himself with a baseball bat. He literally quoted a line his main character says in his swashbuckling adventure series. What in God's name possessed him to use self-promotion as a means of comfort? Besides – there's no way this girl would even –
“Oh my gosh! That's a line the hero in King of The Seas Beyond says in chapter three of the second book! You know that series!?” The girl asked in a loud and cheerful voice, cautious nature turning to bubbly like a flip of a coin.
….Well, that wasn't a response he expected. Shocked as he was Bradley decided to roll with it and smiled further.
“I ought to know it, young miss. I'm the author of that series.” The Saluki responded, taking out his reading glasses and putting them on his face as he gave his signature wide smile. Basically making the same pose he always does for the author profiles on the backs of his books.
The girl's jaw dropped in a dramatic fashion as she gasped – now recognizing Bradley for who he was. Then she smiled widely and literally bounced up and down with elation.
“Oh gosh, oh gosh oh gosh! I can't believe this! Of all people I got to meet the author of my favorite book series! You're really the one and only...!” Before the girl could finish her excited announcement, she was cut off by another voice. A new voice. Or rather...a voice that was new to him after so long of not hearing it.
“...Bradley?” The voice asked, astonishment clear in the speaker's tone.
The author's whole body went still at what he just heard. At whom he just heard. That voice...no. There's no way, he thought. It defies all the laws of probability, he reasoned. There's no way that the voice who called his name belonged to that person. And so he lifted his head up, looking away from the excited child before to prove it to himself. However, fate decided to prove Bradley wrong today.
There he was. Standing there looking nothing like what he expected, yet also somehow managing to appear the same as he did when they last met before Bradley lost in the X-Games. It was Max Goof. He still wore clothes that were slightly bigger on him as he did back when he was a freshman, but somehow the aesthetic looked good on him. It didn't look as sloppy as it did in their youth. Maybe it was because the clothes were name brand, which greatly surprised Bradley as Max never came off as one for expensive clothing. Or maybe it was because he filled them out slightly with toned muscle that was evident by the jeans and the v-neck shirt he wore and those voluminous curls of his Labradoodle fur coat. And of course he still had those signature buck teeth that were as goofy as his namesake. Yet somehow they didn't look as silly as they did back then, like they didn't fit him right. Now they looked like whimsical statement pieces that makes any diamond pendant look like cubic zirconia. It was really Max....right before him.
“....Hi, baby Goof.” Bradley greeted after a long pause.
Once again the Saluki cringed from internal shame as he beat himself, this time with a metal chair as a voice in the back of his head chanted 'watch out'. What is WRONG with him!? Besides the narcissistic personality disorder and anger issues that his therapist diagnosed him with and recommended partaking in clay pottery to cope, of course. Ten years he doesn't see hide nor long curly tail of Max – and the first name he chooses to greet him with isn't his first name or just his family name. Oh no – that would be far too simple for Bradley Uppercrust the 3rd! He chose to use one of the nicknames he'd tease Max with back in college. And a name that was probably the most derogatory as it referenced the embarrassing moment in which his father enrolled at Welig. What in HELL and the Seven Deadly Sins that spawned from it was the matter with him!?!
But before Bradley could try to apologize for his words, Max did something he didn't expect. He laughed. Not a sarcastic laugh, either. It was a genuinely amused, happy laugh.
“Oh yeah, it's you alright. Good to see you too, Brad. But I have my own baby Goof now. And it seems like you've met her. Sky, are you okay?” Max asked, bending down and holding out his arms. The young girl then whipped around to face Max and smiled widely.
“DAD! You're here!” The girl, Sky apparently, exclaimed happily and ran into Max's arms. “I'm so glad you found me!”
“Me too, little cloud. I'm so sorry I lost you in that crowd. I finally managed to get away so I could look for you.” Max said in an apologetic tone as he held the girl close.
In that moment, Bradley felt his heart fill up, break and then fill up again. It filled up because he saw Max again after ten whole years. He was the one person he hasn't kept track of ever since he was expelled from Welig. Mainly because he felt like he didn't deserve to know what Max was doing with his life after he had almost took it in that fire while casually skating ahead to the finish line. But to see him now, no longer covered in soot and wearing that bright, geeky uniform of his really threw him for a loop. Then his heart broke at the realization that this young girl was Max's daughter. Of course he was married. Why wouldn't he be? Plus, looking at Sky now, Bradley could finally figure out where she got those soft curls in her fur and the slightly loppy ears. Clearly the mother is the Belgian Shepherd. Not that it was his place to care either way. Then his heart filled back up again when he realized, since the Labradoodle's daughter apparently has great admiration for his book series, that he had an in to talk to Max. Why would he want to talk to him after so long? Well, Bradley wasn't entirely sure. But...his gut told him that he had to. And that was good enough for him.
“She's a...fine young lady, your daughter, Max. I can she she's well-read too.” Bradley spoke suddenly, interrupting the father and daughter's moment. Remembering who she was talking to Sky looked to Max with bright eyes.
“Dad! You never told me that you actually know the Captain Uppercrust, the author of King of The Seas Beyond!” Sky exclaimed, bouncing on her toes.
“Captain...Uppercrust?” Max asked slowly, doing a slight double take as he looked to Bradley with an amused smile.
“Ahem! Yes, well uh...that's my...pen name. It's a series about a phantom pirate in the future, and my agent said it's good for the theme. You know how it is, heh.” Bradley replied with a nervous chuckle. God, when he goes to Sussex again he really is going to fire that smarmy raccoon as his agent. Lower percentage rates be damned!
“Aha. Well that makes sense. I guess I have you to thank for entertaining my daughter then, Captain Uppercrust. She's been a member of your crew since the first book.” Max said with a smile.
“Is that so? I'm greatly honored then.” Bradley replied, giving a smile of his own that felt genuine for a change. If only slightly.
“Dad! Since you know Mr. Uppercrust can he come with us when you go to do your job at the hotel this Wednesday and talk about his next book? Pretty, pretty please?” Sky asked with big puppy eyes.
“Aww little cloud, I'm sure that Brad is really busy and...” Before Max could finish his response Bradley spoke up.
“No I'm not!” Bradley yelled in a panic, startling both Sky and Max as well as a few passersby who looked at him for his sudden outburst. Immediately recovering his composure Bradley fixed himself and gave a polite expression. “I meant, I'm not so busy that I can't give time to one of my fans and their parent. Especially when that parent is someone...that I'm familiar with.”
“Seriously? You'd do that for us?” Max asked in surprise.
“Of course! After all, I wouldn't be where I am today if not for the patronage of people like Miss Sky. Plus, I am curious about this job of yours involving a hotel. Did you open your own line of bed and breakfasts, Maximilian?” Bradley asked with a slight tease to his voice that sounded like a remnant of the person he once was. Again, Max gave a laugh.
“Ha, ha! Not quite, but this job has me involved with many lines in business. It'll be at the Wags & Riches Hotel.” The Labradoodle explained.
“Really? Well, I guess I'll be seeing you there the first thing in the morning. That's the hotel I'm staying at.” Bradley replied with a shocked expression.
“Seriously? Heh. I guess it's been a real luck of the draw today. Like, what are the odds of you being the writer of my daughter's favorite book, seeing you again after so long and you staying at the same hotel that I'm doing a gig for?” Max asked.
“Slim to none, I'd say.” Bradley agreed with a single nod of his head. Sky looked between her father and the author, then gave a smile as she replied.
“It's like it was fate for you two to meet!” Sky stated cheerily.
This made both men nearly double over from the shock of the words, then they looked at each other. And, whether it was because of the moment or just Sky's unfiltered response in general, both canines blushed. They quickly looked away from each other before Max cleared his throat and stood up.
“Heh, heh! Anyway, we better headed off now. My job will be in the ballroom of the hotel. We'll be there at 2PM on Wednesday.” Max replied.
“Great. I'll see you then.” Bradley said, giving one final nod before he turned away.
“Hey, Brad?” Max called out making the older man stop and turn to look at him.
“Yes?” The Saluki asked.
“It's good to see you, man. You look good after all this time. Take care of yourself.” Max said with that kind, selfless smile that Bradley's jealousy almost ruined.
He was so stunned by the statement that he actually fully turned to look at Max, watching him take Sky's hand and leave out the side exit of the skate park. When Sky waved goodbye to Bradley he just waved back out of reflex.
“...You look good, too.” Bradley replied, even though Max was already long gone and couldn't hear it. Eventually he snapped out of it enough to finally leave the skate park and get to his car then drive to the hotel.
As he drove, Bradley felt something warm settle in his chest. And it wasn't just the vent blasting the heat he turned on to combat the chill from the cold rain earlier.