Chapter Text
Mav stares at his roster and slowly, subtly, moves his hand in order to pinch at the skin around his opposing forearm.
Nothing happens besides his nails leaving two white half-moon curves staring at him.
He's still awake, supposedly, in the classroom with the Daggers, who are all waiting for him to read through the attendance sheet like he does every other morning. Not that he needs to anymore, he’s not really teaching them and they’re not in elementary school. If one of them are out sick, he gets an email alert, but it’s a nice way for them to start off the morning together before getting into tactics or hops.
The only issue is that there's no way this roster is correct. Unless someone is trying to play a cruel joke on Mav.
In for a penny, he supposes, and reads aloud the next name on the list, right after Billy Avalone.
“Bradshaw?”
It's a miracle he gets through the two syllables without his voice cracking.
He hasn't heard anyone say that surname aloud in years.
Occasionally, someone will make a passing reference to Goose, but always by his callsign.
Mav doesn't have time to think of his two best friends, the child he lost track of, and how he wishes certain parts of his life were vastly different.
“Present," Jake replies easily, like he hasn’t just turned Mav’s entire world upside-down.
“Seresin?" Mav's eyes snap up and Jake doesn't give any indication that there's something amiss.
“Bradshaw now, sir,” he corrects him respectfully.
"You changed your last name? To Bradshaw?” Mav feels like he's dreaming, or maybe in a Twilight Zone episode.
"I got married. Took my husband's name,” Jake says, still staring ahead.
There are a few whoops from the Daggers and one wolf whistle from Bob of all people. When Mav manages to bring himself to look at Jake again, his lieutenant is holding out his dog tags, a simply gold ring hanging off the chain alongside them.
It's new for sure, plenty shiny and judging by the delicate way Jake is holding it, he’s not used to its presence yet.
"And you're Bradshaw now? Jake Bradshaw?" Mav checks, feeling like the room is closing in on him.
"Yes, sir."
Mav doesn’t say a word to the squad. He just leaves the classroom in a daze, without dismissing them or finishing the roster.
"Did I miss something?" Jake asks, trying not to sound disappointed, but the Daggers know him well enough by now to see that he is. And he isn’t the only one.
"I guess we all did," Natasha murmurs. “We made a miscalculation.”
“At least we found out sooner rather than later,” Fritz points out, but he’s also still watching the door Maverick just walked out of.
“I think it’ll be worth sticking around. I like working with y’all. We’ve all had shitty COs before. He seems fine besides…whatever the hell just happened,” Harvard throws in his two cents.
“Has he said anything else to you before this?” Javy asks Jake, who tucks the ring and his dog tags back underneath his shirt.
He shakes his head and sits back down.
“Just the stuff with my name just now.”
“Huh, weird.”
“He say anything to you?” Jake asks Natasha, who grimaces.
“Haven’t really brought it up. You know how it is.”
“Well, I’m calling it.” Javy stands up and grabs his cap off the table in front of him.
“You can’t dismiss us,” Payback argues, rolling his eyes.
“He’s not coming back today. There's no way."
"Maybe we can"--
Before they can even think of doing anything, Cyclone strides in and takes their commanding officer's place at the head of the room. They all scramble to stand to attention, Javy letting his cap drop back onto the table.
“Maverick had to leave,” Cyclone tells them, sounding almost bored. “Family emergency. You’ve got me for the rest of the day and I already was busy, so get up off your asses and into the air.”
Penny has heard plenty of rumors about Pete. She practically deals in them at this point.
This one is new though.
The Daggers are favoring a low key kind of evening, which is surprising for the group. She suspects it’s less about being humbled and hopes it’s the group gaining maturity. But when she goes over during a lull to say hello, that's when she hears Fanboy’s question.
"You really think Mav is homophobic?"
It doesn’t sound like a question. It sounds like something they’re all already resigned to. Penny nearly drops the tray in surprise.
"He kept looking at my wedding ring and asking about my new last name,” Jake responds, but even he doesn’t sound too sure. He seems reluctant and Penny wants to speak up, to urge him to go with his instincts.
"It was a little strange," Halo admits. “It didn’t help that he just…left.”
Oh Mav, Penny thinks. What did you do now?
"Evening," she says, announcing her presence to their group in a way that has them all straightening up and passing their empty bottles towards her.
A few of them eye her with a suspicion she doesn't love, but they know she's friends with Mav. If she hadn't just overheard them, she would have been mighty confused.
"I heard you got hitched, honey. Congrats," Penny says to Jake, trying to infuse her tone with as much warmth and kindness that can be managed while also trying to stack their empties onto a tray.
Jake's hand goes to his chest, presumably where his ring hangs next to his dog tags and he nods at her.
"Thanks, Penny. Mighty pleased about it myself."
"Now we won't be able to get him to shut up about his husband, ma'am," Payback says with a grin, ducking a peanut Jake throws at him.
Penny keeps the same pleased smile on her face and tells him, "Oh well, that's the perk of marriage so I hear."
"See! Penny gets it!" She hears Jake say as she walks away.
She brings the tray right to the back room where Pete has been on the floor with Jimmy most of the evening, trying to fix the plumbing that's attached to their staff bathroom sink.
"Pete, what the hell do you think you're doing?"
Pete and Jimmy both shoot up off the ground at her tone.
Pete's "I'm in trouble" face really hasn't changed in three decades. Penny isn't sure how the Iceman puts up with it.
Sensing that he's not the one causing problems, Jimmy makes himself scarce and Pete watches him go, envy in his eyes.
"What?" He asks, swallowing.
"I've got a squadron full of kids out there who think you're about to commit hate crimes against Hangman because he's married to a man." Penny gestures towards the door and Pete's face turns white.
"What?" He looks like he wants to head out to the bar and set them straight, but he also doesn't move.
Penny hasn't seen Pete hesitate like this in years.
She lowers her voice and holds out a hand. Pete doesn't take it, but he does turn to stare at the ground instead of out towards the bar.
"Pete. Mav, what's going on?" Penny asks quietly.
"Lieutenant Seresin recently got married," Pete tells her in an emotionless voice, like he's giving her a report. "He changed his name and he is now Lieutenant Bradshaw."
Pete looks like he's about to vomit, and Penny doesn't blame him. Pieces of the puzzle are all coming together and oh, god, that's an old wound. She wishes Ice wasn't on the other side of the country right now.
"Oh," is all she manages to get out by the time she realizes she hasn't said anything.
"Yeah," Pete agrees. He takes a step back so he's leaning against the broken sink.
"Goose and his family. Your RIO, from back in the day," Penny whispers. "I'm so sorry."
"It caught me off guard, that's all." Mav rubs his hand down his face and takes a deep breath. “It doesn’t help that Ice is away for another week.”
“Well, your reaction caused some pretty skittish aviators out there," Penny tells him, remembering why she came to the back of the bar to find Pete in the first place.
“Fuck." She sees him swallow again and shake his head. "I didn't think of how it would look. Fuck," he repeats.
"You can fix this," she promises. “It’s just a misunderstanding.”
Pete shakes his head again and Penny runs through a mental rolodex in her head. With Ice in Washington, she’s can think of a few people, but no one that she has a number for. If she calls Beau, he might be able to get in touch with Rear Admiral Kerner, but it’s a big might, especially this late in the evening.
"I don't know that I can...talk about them.”
The Bradshaws. Pete’s lost family. Penny isn’t surprised. He's barely managing this conversation with Penny, and she's known him for years.
"I'll call for backup then, sailor."
"Ice can't"—
"Not Ice this time. Trust me?”
It’s more of a plea than an ask, but she’s grateful for their decades of friendship that Pete leans against her. She’ll take it for agreement.
Jake doesn’t love waking up to an email telling him to report to the air boss’ office before joining the squad in the ready room. It’s early, far too early to be discussing anything with Cyclone. The man is not an early riser and from the scuttlebutt Jake has heard, it’s not until long after his second cup of coffee that he even prefers to schedule meetings when he’s able to control it.
The halls of Top Gun are still quiet, barely anyone walking them just yet, and no planes in the air to shake the glass in the windows.
He had sent a text to Javy to let him know that he was going to be late, but he can imagine the rest of the squad waiting in the classroom for him to show up, wondering if it’s at all related to Maverick leaving them in a lurch the previous day.
It’s early enough that not even the Cyclone’s assistant is at his station yet outside of the office. That leaves Jake with the taunting task of knocking on the air boss’ door by himself.
He’ll give the man credit, Cyclone answers immediately, even if he does have a mug of coffee in his hand.
“Bradshaw.” He nods to Jake and steps aside to let him in.
“Sir.”
Jake can’t help it. A smile comes across his face at hearing his new last name. He hopes the elation never fades.
"You changed your name recently,” Cyclone says idly, walking around to the other side of his desk and sitting down.
Jake walks forward but doesn’t sit down. He takes in the office which is filled with photographs of past Top Gun classes, retired Naval officers, and trophies.
"Yes sir,” Jake answers firmly, refusing to shy away from the truth. Not even if Cyclone reactes the same way as Mav. “I took my husband's name."
“Congratulations, Lieutenant.” Cyclone’s tone is warm, not unlike Penny's the previous night, and Jake feels a little bit of tension in his shoulders ease.
“Thank you, sir.”
"Bradshaw,” Cyclone murmurs knowingly. "At ease."
Jake tries, he really does, but he can't help that he's not feeling very at ease right now.
"I know that your squad is unsettled by Maverick's actions yesterday and I’m hoping that I can shed some light onto the misunderstanding.”
"Sir."
Jake isn’t sure what Cycle has been told, but he’s been in this situation before and he’s ready to stay quiet until he has more information.
“It's not about you, not really, but I do know the issue, Lieutenant."
Cyclone isn’t looking at Jake. He sets his mug down on his desk, atop the fanciest wooden coaster Jake has ever seen and then he takes a turn around his own office.
"Sir..."
Jake feels like a broken record, but he obeys when Cyclone beckons him closer to the wall that has photographs of Top Gun classes framed and mounted.
Cyclone taps on the 1986 Top Gun class photograph.
"Maverick lost a wingman, decades ago now. Last name Bradshaw. Your new name is just a hell of a coincidence he wasn't expecting."
Bradshaw.
Coincidence.
"Oh," Jake manages to get out and god. All his years in the Navy and with Bradley, he’s never actually had the occasion to see an image of his deceased father-in-law.
Jake gets closer to the photograph and leans in, following the line of names unnecessarily until he gets to LTJG Nicholas "Goose" Bradshaw.
"Nick Bradshaw,” Jake reads it aloud. “I hadn’t realized…”
Well, he knew that Bradley’s father had been in the Navy, but neither of them had ever gone digging. It hurt too much, for his husband, he knows. Jake’s offered, as he’s climbed higher, but Bradley always just shook his head, so Jake left it alone.
Next to Bradley’s father in the photograph is a familiar-looking LTJG Pete "Maverick" Mitchell. Things are slowly coming together and Jake is realizing that Cyclone massively understated the situation when he called it a misunderstanding.
“Jesus,” Jake swears, but it comes out soft and fond as he turns back to the fuzzy image of Nick Bradshaw. "Goose. He really does look just like him. Mustache and all.”
"He?" Cyclone asks, and Jake doesn’t remember hearing Admiral Simpson sounding this quiet.
"My husband, Bradley,” Jake tells him, pointing to the elder Bradshaw in the photograph. "That's his father."
"His father?" Cyclone's question is interrupted by the office door opening.
“He grew a mustache?” Mav's voice is the smallest Jake has ever heard it. "He's your husband?"
Jake turns around and his eyes find Maverick, narrowed and wary. His CO is standing in the doorway, his exhausted expression much different from his shit-eating grin in the photograph on the wall. He’s not sure if Mav is more surprised by the mustache revelation or the husband one.
"Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell," Jake says quietly, realization creeping up on him. "You're Bradley's Uncle Pete?" He asks, giving Mav a look of surprise, seeing him in a whole new light.
"Yes. That's...me.” Mav says in wonder; he hasn’t heard the name in years. “Uncle Pete."
Jakes gapes at him and Mav isn't sure what he did to deserve that kind of reaction.
"I thought you were dead," he tells Mav. "We both did."
"What?" Mav’s mouth drops open. “Dead?”
“You’re also acting like you’ve never seen a photograph of your husband’s father before,” Cyclone observes.
“I haven’t,” Jake chokes out, finally losing some of his practiced composure in front of two superior officers. “We don’t own any photographs of Bradley’s parents.”
“What?” Cyclone asks before Mav can do the same. He's pretty sure he already knows the answer and it is going to kill him to hear it said aloud.
"Bradley and I met in foster care," Jake tells them both, handling the reveal so gently that Maverick almost wants to throw something. “When we were ten.”
"He's"— Mav has to take another breath to get the question out. "He's okay?"
"Alive. Healthy. Thriving," Jake answers all the questions Mav wants to know, had wanted to know for years, but couldn't get the words out properly in the moment to ask.
“That’s why you don’t have photographs,” Cyclone realizes.
“Foster care wasn’t a good time, for either of us.” Jake doesn’t elaborate, but Mav can fill in enough blanks. “We stuck together though.”
“Long enough to get married." Cyclone sounds impressed at the thought.
“Yeah.” Jake ducks his head in a rather decided un-Hangman-like gesture.
He looks like a completely different person, Mav thinks, watching the smile that appeared at even the mention of Bradley.
“Can I make a phone call?” Jake asks and Cyclone waves him off.
“Go ahead.”
He doesn't leave the office, giving Mav and Cyclone permission enough to listen in on the conversation that starts almost as soon as Jake hits the dial button.
"Hey sweetheart, how’s your morning going?” Jake says, with the same soft expression on his face as before. Soft and besotted.
All for Bradley. Mav can’t believe it. He is so loved. Thank god.
"Mmhmm mmhmm."
Jake nods along with whatever his husband is telling him.
“All good here," Jake promises. "Figured out why my commanding officer has been so weird. Turns out he knew your dad and my new last name threw him for a loop."
Mav suspects that Jake saying weird is being generous, especially after his chat with Penny last night.
"I know," Jake keeps talking to Bradley. "It's not what I expected either. Saw a photo though. You look just like him. I'll snap a picture of it for you. Maybe they'll let me borrow it and we can make a copy?" Jake looks at Cyclone hopefully.
Before Cyclone can answer, Mav snatches off the wall and holds it out to Jake.
He slowly takes hold of the frame and without losing eye contact with Maverick, asks Bradley, "Is it all right if I bring home a stray for dinner?"
“Lunch,” Cyclone corrects him quietly, not expecting either man to manage any work today.
“Lunch,” Jake repeats to Bradley. “Brunch, even. If you can swing it with your schedule today.”
Mav can't hear what Bradley is saying in response, but whatever his words are, they're making Jake smile again.
"Sounds good. Love you too."
Jake lowers his phone from his ear and focuses on the framed photograph that is in his hands.
"Do you have more photos?" He asks hopefully, glancing up at Mav.
"I do. He can-- he can have them all," Mav chokes out.
"He doesn't need them all, Mav." Jake seems stricken by the offer. "But maybe just a few would be nice. Some with his mom too, if you have them? We could make copies,” Jake offers.
Mav can't tell if he's being careful for his own sake, for Bradley's, or even for Mav's. He thinks it could be all three.
"Of course,” Mav still agrees so quickly that Jake only just nods. He doesn’t ask for anything else, probably worried that Mav will offer him and Bradley a god damn plane if he’s not careful.
You can have everything, Mav thinks.
“Do me a favor and see the Daggers on your way out to explain the situation. I don’t want another riot on my hands."
Cyclone's directives are more of an order than a favor, but Jake nods, his trademark smirk coming back onto his face.
“A riot? We would never.”
“Uh huh. Sure," Cyclone says dryly.
“We learned from the best. Right, Mav?”
“Don’t start with me, Bradshaw," Mav tells him.
That's when Jake beams at him and Mav thinks that maybe he can do this.
Mav follows Jake to a small house on the base, only a few miles away. It looks like all the others on the street and he can't believe that Bradley's been right under his nose for so long.
"We're home!" Jake calls, his keys hanging off the front door knob as he pushes it in. He puts them next to other rings all lined up on hooks next to the door and gestures Mav inside.
There's no time for Mav to take in the front room because the entire house blurs for him in favor of focusing on Bradley.
Mav's first thought is that Bradley is tall. Maybe even taller than Nick had been. The mustache looks much better too. His hair is darker, but he's still got some of Carole's curls up there. He's also looking at Mav like he's seen a ghost and well, the feeling is mutual.
"Baby, meet my CO," Jake says gently, for both their sakes. He goes to his husband and stands beside him, bolstering him if needed. "Captain Pete Mitchell. Maverick."
"Uncle Pete?" Bradley whispers in disbelief. He looks from Mav to Jake and then back to Mav again.
"Bradley."
The word comes out like a sob. Mav can't help it. After all these years, one of his lost Bradshaws is alive and whole and right in front of him.
They move forward at the same time and Mav clings. He's grateful that Bradley seems to want to let go even less than him. He squeezes his arms around Bradley's shoulders, breathing in a scent that stopped being familiar long ago.
He only pulls back to wipe his eyes. Thankfully, Jake is there with a box of tissues for both Mav and Bradley. His godson's eyes are red-rimmed and full of tears.
"Jeez, you got tall, kiddo," Mav says, tone watery and a little delirious.
"How about we take this to the couch?" Jake suggests gently.
Mav can see the merit in the idea and he thinks Bradley does too. Mav moves towards their sofa, but Bradley whirls around on Jake first and picks him up in a hug not dissimilar to the one in which he just held Mav.
"Oof," Jake punches out. "Baby, please. Air."
"What the actual fuck, Seresin?"
"Bradshaw," Jake reminds him with a pout. Bradley's expression softens at the reminder. He wraps Jake in another, gentler hug, using their minuscule height difference to kiss the top of his head. Mav can picture Goose doing the same to Carole dozens of times, and Carole doing the same to Goose and Mav whenever she got a chance.
"Couch," Jake says again. "Before either of you fall over."
Bradley sits in the middle with Jake at his back. Mav is pleased as punch to sit wherever they tell him so long as he keeps getting to watch Bradley exist in the same space as him.
"You're alive," Bradley says in a wonder.
"Who told you I was dead?" Mav asks. He's been thinking about it ever since Jake had told him that back in Cyclone's office.
"Mom definitely got told you were dead back in 90. Maybe 91? I remember that,” Bradley insists. “Jesus, I’ll never forget it."
Fuck, Mav thinks.
“I went missing. Me and a few other people who...didn't make it,” Mav explains. “I hadn’t realized they would have told anyone at all. It wasn’t for very long. A few weeks? But we were under a blackout even after the team got me back.”
Bradley grimaces and Mav supposes that's his fault for glossing over the actual timeline. He tries his best not to think of that time. His therapist and Ice know, that's enough for him.
“Some kind of clerical error. I remember not being able to access my accounts either. I guess by the time they corrected everything, it was too late," Mav says, feeling nauseous at remembering the years Bradley mentioned. One of his worst deployments, including the aftermath.
"It must have been," Bradley agrees and Mav wants to hit something. He's furious at himself and the Navy.
That won't help. Bradley is in front of you now.
"I had no idea she had been told anything. By the time I was able to make contact, your mom was gone and so were your grandparents. There was no one to tell me where you had gone," Mav tells him mournfully, unable to keep the wounded tone out of his voice.
"It all happened really quickly," Bradley whispers. Mav sees Jake's hand come up and squeeze's Bradley's. "Mom's cancer, the car accident."
"We used to look, every few years," Mav admits. "Tried to hire a PI, but we were told that they wouldn't let me keep you anyway. That it wouldn't be worth getting your hopes up and you"-- Thankfully, Bradley cuts off Mav's rambling.
"You believed them."
"I did," Mav whispers. "I'm so sorry."
"They probably weren't wrong," Jake concedes quietly. "A single Navy man with no blood relation to a kid. Especially in Texas. Unless you knew someone, it wouldn't have worked."
"Still."
"You're here now, Mav," Jake reminds him.
"I can't believe it. All because your husband changed his last name." Mav shakes his head in disbelief and gets to watch as Bradley and Jake both smile at the reminder that they're married now. Mav remembers himself and Ice acting the same way, for weeks and months after the fact.
"He told me there should be more Bradshaws in the world," Bradley says fondly. Jake just shrugs, completely shameless.
"When was the wedding?"
Jake grabs the framed photograph on the side table and passes it to Mav. He holds it with both hands and wonders if, when he gives Bradley photographs to copy, he can get this one copied. He would love to hang it in his and Ice's home.
It's Bradley and Jake in matching black suits with neat black ties. A classic look with their hands clasped together, beaming at the camera. Mav doesn't think he's ever seen Jake smile like that.
No uniform, he notes.
Natasha and Javy on either side of them, in a dark green cocktail dress and a matching suit respectively. They look just as pleased as their friends to be there.
"It was just the four of us at the court house," Bradley tells him.
"Right. Jake said that you both met in foster care." Mav doesn't think about how he could have been there. Him and the rest of the flyboys.
"Javy and Nat witnessed for us," Jake says. "We had a dinner with some of the Daggers and a few people from the garage."
“The garage?”
“I’m a mechanic," Bradley tells him.
“No kidding," Mav says with a laugh. Unbidden, an image comes to mind of when he taught Bradley the names of different tools, matching his plastic ones to the real deals in Mav's toolbox.
Bradley shrugs, but he’s got a smile on his face, clearly proud of himself. Even Jake looks approving of Mav’s response, like if he had given anything other than a positive reaction, Hangman would have come for him.
Mav has a lot of other questions.
Like how Jake ended up in the Navy, but Bradley didn't.
What kind of cars does Bradley work on?
Would he want to learn how to take care of planes engines?
Can Mav take him flying?
Do they want to come for Thanksgiving?
He doesn't want to overwhelm them. Or himself. This has all been so much already and thank god Penny got Beau to call Slider. He's flying in and staying with Mav until Ice gets home. Mav can't wait to see his face when he explains what the hell happened this week.
"Can I come back?" Mav asks, fully realizing that he hasn't left yet.
"Well, now that we know you aren't a homophobic asshole, sure," Jake jokes and Mav groans. Bradley elbows Jake, but it doesn't seem to do much, which isn't a surprise.
"Sorry about that, But maybe...I could bring my husband next time?" Mav says slowly. "Along with those photographs we talked about."
It's kind of nice to get one over on Jake. He and Bradley are wearing matching shocked expressions.
"We'd be honored. Are you sure?" Bradley asks, almost too seriously. It makes Mav feel itchy.
"I don't want to lose you again, if that's all right."
Mav will back off if that's what Bradley wants. If he never wants to see Mav again, then Mav will still die happy knowing Bradley is alive and loved. But he hopes that isn't the end of their story together.
"You and your parents were my only family for so long."
"You grew up in the system too," Bradley says, understanding. "I think…I remember Mom telling me that.”
"I did," Mav confirms. "I haven't told my husband about any of this yet. He's on a business trip. But I'd like to tell him and the other men that flew with Goose. With your dad.”
"I think I remember some of them. Mom used to talk about them. Flyboys."
Bradley isn't meeting Mav's eyes, he's looking right past him as though he's trying to grasp at a memory.
"That's us."
"I don't remember much about my dad. If they're looking for..."
"No, Bradley, nothing like that," Mav assures him. He reaches out and touches Bradley's knee. Before he can pull away, Bradley's hand covers his own. "Just knowing you're alive and healthy. That's good enough for us if it is for you."
"The more the merrier," Jake speaks for both of them.
"We've built our own family through the years. I know they'd want to bring you both into the fold if it's something you wanted too."
Jake puts his chin on Bradley's shoulder, peering over at Mav and offering his husband comfort as he gathers his words.
"All right. We'll give it a shot."
"I just..." Mav sighs, for what feels like the dozenth time.
"You can't be living in the 'what if's', Mav," Jake advises far too wise for his age. "It'll drive you crazy. Trust us, we know."
"I'll try."
"So, your husband?" Bradley asks curiously.
"He's been in DC for Pentagon meetings all week. He's not going to believe me."
"Who the hell is your husband?" Jake narrows his eyes and Mav can practically see him running through all the possibilities.
"Where's that picture? The 1986 class photo you took for Bradley."
Jake reaches behind him and places the framed photograph in Bradley's lap so it's in front of all of them
"Any guesses?" Mav asks, mostly to be cheeky.
Jake gapes at him, but Bradley takes it seriously. He runs his finger over the names and patiently matches the names to faces.
"Uncle Ice?" Bradley guesses, biting his lower lip as he thinks about it. "He was always following you home."
Mav wonders if his smile can get any bigger. He’s sure it isn’t possible. He can’t wait to tell Ice about that comment. And the way Bradley said it.
Uncle Ice.
Following you home.
Home.
God, Mav wants them to all be a home for each other again.
"Good memory, kid,” he says instead of offering to call his lawyer right then and there to figure out an adult adoption.
All things in good time.
"Admiral Kazansky?" Jake gapes at Mav and he does wonder if he’s allowed to adopt both of them if they’re already legally married.
Bradley leans over to kiss Jake's cheek and Jake turns his head to meet him, but he’s too slow. Bradley beams at him and Mav could be wrong, but he thinks it’s a game that the two of them play.
"Uncle Pete, don't kill my husband,” Bradley requests. “I only just got him.”
"I'll do my best."
"Fat chance," Jake mutters as he gets off of the couch. He motions for them to stay put. "We promised the old man lunch. How about I go out and grab us some sandwiches?"
"Don't stay away too long," Bradley orders and Jake leans down for a kiss.
"Wouldn't dream of it."
Mav watches Bradley as his eyes track his husband head out, giving them some time to themselves. It's incredibly kind and Mav would not have blamed Jake if he had wanted to stay and keep an eye on his CO after the week they've had.
"You're sweet together. I didn't expect it from him."
"You know how it is," Bradley guesses.
"I really do," Mav laughs. He can't believe his day. "God, kid. It is so good to see you."
"I'm not going anywhere," Bradley promises. "We've got time, Mav. I swear."
Time, Mav thinks, leaning back against the couch as Bradley starts to talk about the garage. Imagine that.