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It’s been a long day.
The Daggers had been invited to Mav and Ice’s to celebrate Mav’s long-awaited retirement from the Navy, and while Bradley was more than excited to enjoy the day with his godfather, there was a headache creeping along his temple. As the day went on, though, he was more inclined to think it was one of his rare migraines, waiting for just the right moment to go after its prey (unfortunately, Bradley’s head).
He thought he was being stealthy and hiding it well, but both Jake and Mav’s concerned looks every half an hour proved him incorrect.
Eventually, after nearly five hours of the event, Jake settled a hand against Bradley’s back and directed him into the corner of the backyard, away from the earshot of everyone else.
“You feelin’ alright, baby?” He asked, green eyes swimming with concern.
Bradley squinted against the sunlight that was directly in his face from this angle. “Just a headache. I’ll be fine in a little while.”
“You sure? It looks a little more than a headache…” Jake’s hand spread out against the small of his back.
“I’m not leaving early on Mav’s day, Jake.”
“Do you at least wanna take somethin’?” Jake was already looking around for Mav, and Bradley knew he was going to ask the older man if he had any painkillers laying around.
“Don’t bother him,” Bradley said, grabbing Jake’s wrist.
Jake looked down at his hand before his eyes diverted back to Bradley’s. “You’re in pain, baby. I just wanna help.”
“Fine, just ask him for something for me to take. But don’t make a big deal out of it, okay?”
The blond didn’t say anything, just nodded and went off to find Mav.
Ten minutes later, his godfather arrived near Bradley’s chosen chair for the day and crouched down with a bottle of pills in his hand.
“You feeling alright, Roo?” His voice was soft, as if not to alert the others, but loud enough that it still hurt Bradley’s head.
Bradley resisted the urge to wince and forced a small smile. “Just a little headache, Mav. A pill or two should help.”
Mav looked down at the bottle for a moment before locking eyes with Bradley again. “Why don’t you and Jake go home? You’ve been here long enough and should get some rest.”
“But Mav--”
“You made me more than happy just being here for a few hours.” Mav smiled, and it seemed genuine -- his eyes crinkling at the corners. “You need to focus on yourself now, kiddo.”
“You’re sure?” The last thing Bradley wanted to do was make Mav upset on one of the most important days of his life.
“Yep,” Mav patted Bradley on the knee. “Here, you can take two before you leave. Hopefully it’ll work before you get home.” He opened the pill bottle and slid two pills out, handing them to his godson.
Bradley took them and threw them back with some of his leftover water. He sighed and leaned back, closing his eyes for a moment before looking at Mav again. “Can you get Jake for me? I think I saw him go inside with Ice.”
“Sure thing, kiddo.”
--
Within half an hour, Bradley and Jake say goodbye to everyone, gather their things, and head out to their shared housing. Jake drives and Bradley rests his head against the window. The bumpiness of the road doesn’t help his migraine, but the cool window does, so he stays in that position.
He must fall asleep at some point, because suddenly they’re home and Jake’s soft voice is filling his ears, telling him he needs to wake up. Bradley grumbles but unbuckles himself and hops out of the car with little resistance. He’s looking forward to face planting on their bed and passing out for at least eight hours. Jake hurries over to him and leads him to the house, making sure he doesn’t trip on the cracks in the cement.
Once they make it to the front door, Jake opens it and murmurs something to Bradley about laying down in bed. Bradley doesn’t need to be told twice, so he makes it up the stairs after stumbling a few times and flops down on their bed the second he sees it -- not even removing his shoes.
When Jake enters the room, Bradley knows because the other man chuckles at the sight.
“Don’t make fun of me,” Bradley mumbles into the comforter.
“I’m not, I’m not.” Jake gently removes Bradley’s shoes and sets them on the floor. “But you have to give me some room too, baby.”
Bradley half-heartedly attempts to shift over, but can’t get his exhausted body to do what he wants.
Jake chuckles again and, after removing his own shoes and jeans, helps Bradley move over to his side of the bed before slipping in himself.
Bradley curls against him almost immediately, relishing the cool temperature of Jake’s skin. “You feel so good…” He mumbles.
“I’m glad I can be of service to you, baby.” He slips his arm around Bradley’s back and rubs his hand soothingly over the fabric of his shirt. “You just focus on resting, alright?”
“Mmm.”
Within five minutes, Bradley’s breathing evens out and soft snores emit from his parted lips.
Jake kisses the top of his head and murmurs, “I love you.”
--
It’s not until nearly nine in the morning that Bradley wakes up feeling like more of a human being than he did the day before. He rolls over to find Jake looking at him, softness in those green eyes that he loves.
“What are you still doing in bed?” Bradley mumbles, voice an octave lower than usual.
“Wanted to wait for you to wake up, princess.”
Bradley’s tempted to roll his eyes at the term of endearment, but he loves it more than he’d admit.
“Mm. Can you make me some coffee?”
“There’s already a pot made downstairs.” Jake says, and Bradley’s heart swells in his chest.
“God, I love you.”
“Love you too, darlin’.” Jake leans over and kisses Bradley’s forehead.