Chapter Text
The first time Jake says it, it’s an accident.
It’s Bradley’s fault, really. It’d always been a secret Jake held onto so tight, but Bradley brings it bubbling to the surface. He pulls Jake into his orbit. He’s smooth. He’s overly sure of himself. He’ll appear to be completely uninterested one minute, to looking like he wants to devour Jake the next. And he has soft edges. He’ll say the filthiest shit in bed, and then call Jake his baby, his sweetheart. It’s no wonder the word slips out.
The night it happens, Bradley has him on his hands and knees, buried inside Jake and hitting that spot that makes his toes curl. Then he drapes himself over Jake, completely covering his body and pushing them both against the mattress. He props himself up with both arms, caging Jake in between them. From this angle, his hips move slower, but it feels like he gets even deeper. The heat that fully surrounds Jake washes over him like a warm blanket, and for a moment, Jake loses himself.
As soon as Jake says it, Bradley’s hips stutter to a halt, and Jake freezes.
“What was that, baby?” Bradley asks, panting into Jake’s ear. Jake shakes his head.
“Nothing. Don’t stop.”
Bradley lifts up, placing a hand on Jake’s shoulder and leaning over to peer at his face.
“Are you sure? It sounded like you said—”
“I just said ‘Bradley,’” Jake snaps, squeezing his eyes shut. "Are we done or are you gonna move again?”
“Jesus, you’re crabby.” Bradley wraps an arm around Jake’s chest and pulls them up so they’re both on their knees. The feeling of Bradley’s arm rubbing against his nipples makes him shiver.
As Bradley starts rocking his hips, Jake bites his lip. Bradley’s breath is hot in his ear and arousal swirls in his stomach and it’s all he can do not to let it slip again. He needs something to hold onto, so he reaches one arm back, plunging his hand into Bradley’s hair, the other hand clutching tight to Bradley’s arm across his chest.
Bradley chuckles in his ear. “Yeah? That feel nice, baby?”
When Jake only whines, Bradley takes Jake’s hand clutching his arm into his own. He moves them together, wrapping their fingers around Jake’s cock and stroking up and down. Then he lets go, leaving Jake’s hand where it is and setting his own back around Jake’s hip, squeezing hard.
“Go on, sweetheart,” Bradley murmurs. “Touch yourself.”
Jake is helpless to do anything but what Bradley tells him. He starts moving his hand, trying to time when his fingers wrap around the head of his cock to each time Bradley finds his prostate. The sensation from both sides makes him tremble, and it isn’t long before he’s gasping and coming into his hand.
Bradley isn’t far behind. He mouths at Jake’s shoulder, groaning into Jake’s skin as his thrusts become more frantic. When he comes, his fingers dig into Jake’s hips.
They both breath heavily as they come down. Bradley carefully pulls out, letting go of Jake. Crawling forward, Jake grabs a tissue from the box on Bradley’s bedside table and uses it to wipe the come off his hand.
Bradley steps into the bathroom, and Jake can hear the sink turn on and off. When Bradley comes back, he’s carrying two washcloths. As always, he holds one out to Jake and asks “do you want help?”
Jake shakes his head and takes the cloth. He wipes off his hand more thoroughly, and then gingerly moves the cloth between his legs, wiping away any excess lube around his hole. When he’s done, he sits up on the bed and looks over to Bradley, who’s fiddling with his own washcloth.
“So,” Bradley begins. Jake clenches his jaw, any tension that had left his body after his orgasm immediately flooding back. He drops the cloth onto the bed and swings around so his feet are on the floor and his back is to Bradley. His clothes are in a pile next to his feet, and he hurries to put his boxers on.
“Jake,” Bradley tries again. Jake can hear the concern in his voice, but he ignores it in favor of pulling on the rest of his clothes.
“I should go,” Jake says once he’s fully dressed. He turns to look at Bradley, who’s in the middle of pulling on one of his obnoxious Hawaiian shirts. Bradley frowns.
“You sure? You don’t want to stay and eat?”
The offer isn’t a surprise. They’ve been hooking up for the better part of two months, and one night Jake had complained loudly to Bradley about needing to wait to eat until he returned to his own housing on base. Bradley had foraged for something in his refrigerator that they could snack on, and now, more often than not, they’ll order takeout or find something in Bradley’s kitchen. It’s easy to pass the time while they eat, sharing music or watching whatever dumb YouTube video someone has put in the Dagger group chat.
Jake never stays the night, though. And Bradley’s never offered. It’s just sex, after all. Not a relationship.
But tonight, Jake feels tense and shaky all at once, and he wants to be far away from Bradley as fast as possible.
“Nope,” he says, over-exaggerating the ‘p.’ Settling back into a cocky demeanor helps give him control, alleviating some of the nerves he feels thrumming under his skin. “Sorry, Bradshaw. No time tonight. You’ll have to survive without me.”
Bradley doesn’t stop Jake from leaving, but Jake doesn’t miss the worried look on his face as he follows him to the front door of the house. It isn’t until Jake is in his car and backing out of the driveway that he feels like he can breathe. He bites his thumb the whole drive back to the base, worrying the nail between his teeth and cursing himself for how close that was. He imagines taking the word and shoving it back into a dark corner of his brain where it won’t see the light of day again.
Bradley doesn’t bring it up, but he also doesn’t stop giving Jake meaningful glances whenever they’re in the same room. Which, unfortunately, is more frequent than Jake would prefer given the circumstances. After the leave following the mission, their squadron was kept together, remaining at TOPGUN. Their recent fling has never impacted their working relationship. They still bicker and test each other at work, and they fuck at home. But now, Jake does his best to ignore Bradley at work, only engaging with him when absolutely necessary.
Although, avoiding Bradley on base doesn’t really matter, since they also don’t stop hooking up. The first half of Jake’s brain that’s logical and reasonable says he should call this whole thing off - the second half can’t help but keep getting caught in the other man’s orbit. It’s still good sex. For the most part, at least. They’re both getting off, and it’s more consistent than any relationship Jake has maintained in a long time.
But Jake can feel the elephant in the room. And he’s sure Bradley feels it, too. Before, falling into bed with Bradley was easy and fun. Now there’s tension. Jake can’t relax enough to let it go, and Bradley keeps asking Jake if he’s all right. Jake just hopes that with more time, the incident will be forgotten.
It finally comes to a head about two weeks later. Bradley has Jake splayed out on his back in bed. He’s taking his sweet time unravelling Jake - pressing bruising kisses from his neck down to the inside of his thighs, ghosting his fingers over his nipples, ignoring Jake’s requests for more when he arches his chest into Bradley’s hands.
It feels like hours before Bradley has two fingers pressed deep into Jake’s hole. He keeps nudging Jake’s prostate but refusing to go further, bringing Jake to an edge before pulling him back again and again. Jake finally lifts his head and Bradley’s eyes are locked on his, his gaze dark and heavy. The word is on the tip of Jake’s tongue.
“Bradshaw, come on,” Jake pants, wiggling his ass, trying to push Bradley’s fingers where he wants them. Bradley smirks and sinks down so he’s lying on his belly, his head in line with Jake’s cock. He moves his free arm over Jake’s hips, settling it firmly down in a silent order to stop moving. With his other hand, he continues to stroke gently inside.
“Oh fuck!” Jake gasps as Bradley’s lips seal around one of his testicles. The suction and the heat of Bradley’s mouth makes his toes curl. “Fuck, d— Bradley! Please.”
Bradley runs his lips up Jake’s shaft, swirling his tongue around the sensitive head. Beads of pre-ejaculate are already gathering at the tip, and Bradley licks them away.
“Please what, baby?”
“Please, just. Give me more.”
Slowly, Bradley pushes a third finger into Jake. The stretch feels good, but it’s not exactly what Jake wants. He squirms underneath Bradley’s arm, still pressed firmly into his belly.
It’s too much. The teasing. The heat. The pressure. Jake feels like he might burst with it. He wants more. So much more. Bradley’s eyes are warm and inviting and Jake is torn between asking for it and saving himself from the humiliation.
“That feel good, sweetheart?” Bradley doesn’t wait for a response before his mouth is back on Jake’s cock, sucking up and down in sync with the movement of his fingers.
“Yes, but. Fuck, Bradley. I need more.” Jake tips his head back, squeezing his eyes shut tight to fight off the sting of tears from the simulation.
“Like this?” Jake can hear the smirk in his voice, and instead of finally putting his cock into Jake, he presses a fourth finger along the rim of Jake’s hole, sinking it in along side the other three. Jake groans in pleasure and frustration, jerking his hips up as much as he can under Bradley’s arm.
“Bradley, I can’t— I need—”
Bradley’s lips kiss along the inside of his thigh, his mustache tickling Jake’s skin.
“Come on, baby. Tell me what you need.”
“I— I can’t—” Jake’s voice cracks. He feels like he’s on a precipice. Just one step before toppling over the edge. But he holds himself rigid, unwilling to let himself fall forward. Even as Bradley’s fingers continue to tease him mercilessly. He lifts his head back up and Bradley’s eyes are unbearably kind.
“You can ask me for whatever you want, sweetheart.” Bradley murmurs the words against Jake’s thigh and Jake imagines they’re being branded into his skin. “However you want.”
Despite the fact that he’s four fingers deep in Jake’s ass, Bradley’s voice is impossibly gentle and sweet. It reminds Jake of honey dripping from a spoon, and he can’t help it. He lets himself fall.
“Please, daddy,” he half shouts, half sobs. “Please fuck me!” He throws an arm over his eyes, wanting to curl up under the pillow and crawl inside the mattress. Away from Bradley. Into the pit of shame the word came from. But before the mortification can make its home in his body, Bradley is surging up, pulling Jake’s arm gently from his forehead and nudging his nose into Jake’s cheek. Bradley presses kisses to his chin, his neck, his lips. Jake’s vision is blurry and there’s an ocean roaring in his ears. But he can still hear Bradley’s soft voice cutting through the sound.
“Oh baby, that’s lovely. You’re so good for me, princess. So good for asking me. For telling daddy what you need.”
And then it’s hard for Jake to have any room for shame when Bradley is hastily putting on a condom, pulling up one of Jake’s legs, and then finally, finally sliding his cock into Jake. He doesn’t make Jake wait or beg for it - he finds the right angle and thrusts his hips forward, hitting the spot inside Jake over and over and over.
Leaning down, Bradley presses their lips together. Jake’s mouth feels clumsy as he tries to kiss back, and eventually they’re just panting against each other, Jake making these punched out little whimpers into Bradley’s mouth.
“Fuck, you feel so good, sweetheart,” Bradley says. “So tight for me still, even with all that prep.” The praise lights a fire in Jake’s stomach and he reaches for Bradley’s hand closest to his head, lacing their fingers together and clutching tight.
“Bradley,” Jake moans.
“You want to come, baby?” It might as well be a rhetorical question, but Jake nods frantically anyway.
“Yes— please, Bradley.”
“Jake,” Bradley’s voice is stern, as if he’s chastising Jake for not saying what he wants to hear.
“Please, daddy,” Jake cries. It’s easier to say it the second time. “Please let me come.”
“Fuck, baby. Make a mess for daddy.”
That’s all Jake needs before he’s coming untouched between them, Bradley’s body trapping him to the mattress, making him feel utterly consumed and surrounded in his warmth.
After Bradley pulls out, he ties off the condom and makes his way into the bathroom. The sound of the faucet turning on filters into the bedroom. Jake closes his eyes. He feels wrung out. It’s the same feeling that follows a long cry - like something has released inside him and he’s untethered without it. And now he can only sink further into the soft mattress.
When Bradley comes out of the bathroom with the two washcloths, he doesn’t ask if Jake wants help. Instead, he climbs onto the bed and says “let me,” carefully dipping the cloth between Jake’s legs to clean him off. Jake watches as Bradley’s hands move around his body, almost reverently. The gesture squeezes Jake’s heart and his breath hitches. At the sound, Bradley tosses the cloth onto the floor and scoots up the bed so he’s face to face with Jake.
“Doing okay, baby?” He strokes the side of Jake’s cheek.
“Yeah,” Jake replies, unintentionally leaning into Bradley’s hand.
“You look exhausted. I think you should stay here tonight.”
Jake closes his eyes. He should leave. He should get up, get dressed, and leave the house before Bradley can ask about what just happened between them. But it feels like he’s crossed a threshold and without meaning to, taken Bradley with him. And now they’ve made it to the other side together, and the bedroom is a sanctuary he’s not ready to escape yet.
Swallowing heavily, Jake says “all right.”
Bradley smiles and leans forward to place a kiss on Jake’s lips. “And tomorrow, maybe we can talk?”
Jake shifts away to pull the covers back so he can slip underneath, wrapping himself in a cocoon of blankets. He shifts to his side so he doesn’t have to look at Bradley and tries to ignore the nerves that are creeping back into his stomach. Tomorrow he’ll sneak out before Bradley wakes up. The next time they’re together, he’ll ask Bradley to forget about tonight. And if they can’t go back to normal, well - he’s managed without Bradley until now. He can manage again.
Before he falls asleep, he feels Bradley settling in behind him. There’s a squeeze to his hip, a soft kiss to the back of his neck, and a “goodnight, sweetheart” whispered in his ear.