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Bradley Bradshaw could count on one hand how many people he’d felt comfortable enough around to shift into his animal form in front of, before now.
His mom, his dad, and Mav.
His parents were gone, and prior to being called back to Top Gun he hadn’t spoken to Mav in years. Coincidentally, he hadn’t shifted in years either.
When Maverick had pulled his papers to the Naval Academy, two things had happened; Bradley had become angrier than he’d ever been and had kicked the older man out of his life, and he lost the last remaining person who his inner cat deemed ‘safe’ and with it, his ability to shift into his other form. That part of himself suffering a living death and reverting so far inside himself, some days he could barely feel the brush of fur against his mind.
His cat hadn’t been pissed at Maverick, no that was just Bradley’s human side. His cat was pissed at Bradley for telling the man who had been his dad since he was 4, to leave; unable to comprehend the complexity of human emotions, and why they couldn’t just roar at each other, swing a few paws, and then get on as normal.
Bradley gave up pretty quickly trying to explain to his cat that Mav didn’t shift like he did, and it was a bit more complicated than that. His cat refused to accept the smaller man didn’t have some kind of animal in him with how insane and feral he could be, but Bradley just knew that that was just how Mav was.
Shifters were barely 1% of the world’s population. No one knew why some people could turn into animals, when everyone else couldn’t. Bradley had just never known any different. His mom and dad couldn’t shift, but when he’d rolled over one day as a baby and then next minute he was a Bobcat cub, well….they’d been surprised but didn’t love him any less.
Mav had just blinked when Bradley had charged at him one day and he’d ended up with an armful of fur rather than a toddler, hugged him close and murmured, “I always knew you were special, Baby Goose….though that is irony. A baby cat with a bird name.”
The years without Mav—without his dad—had been horrible. Him and his cat weren’t in sync, and he felt off-kilter the whole time. Anger always simmered in his veins, and whilst he used it to push himself to be the best he could so Mav would be proud of him, he’d realised pretty on that he wasn’t angry at Mav anymore. He was angry at himself.
He’d regretted kicking Mav out without letting him explain why he’d done it, almost immediately, but he was a stubborn prick at the best of times, and with his cat yowling in pain in his soul, he’d drowned in his own hurt, rather than reaching out. It was stupid and reactionary, but he couldn’t change the past.
He’d had to accept that the consequences of his actions had sharp edges and he was bleeding out from the cuts.
Bradley could only be really fucking grateful that Mav was so forgiving and accepted him back into his life without any fanfare.
He guessed going against orders and saving the old man’s life was a pretty big indication that he didn’t hate him like Mav had feared, so he wasn’t surprised that Mav—who was almost allergic to big emotional talks—took that action as the apology and declaration of love it was.
Once their feet had hit the tarmac of the deck, and after they’d been whisked away to medical and given the all clear (bar a few bumps and bruises), it was no surprise to Bradley that he gently shoved Mav towards a bunk room and then once the older man was on the bed, he shifted for the first time in about 18 years and then curled up in Mav’s stunned embrace and wept.
Whilst Bobcats in the wild were normally solitary creatures, Bradley’s was a part of him, and he didn’t do well alone. He managed, but he preferred having the people he cared for close by. And fuck, had he missed his dad.
Small feline cries echoed in the room, as Bradley and his cat felt at peace with each other for the first time in far too long, and the sorrow that had haunted him for years, finally released its claws from his heart. Part of him had feared that he’d never be able to shift again—that part of him truly broken—but when he’d seen Mav sat on the bed blinking at him with confused, green eyes, and feeling love in his veins rather than anger—because Mav had sacrificed himself for Bradley no questions asked, the stupid dumbass—he’d felt it all come rushing back, like he’d never stopped.
It had felt incredible.
“Oh, my little furball, we were both hurting huh?” Mav whispered as he hugged the Bobcat and pet his fur. In his animal form, Bradley was about two-thirds the size of Mav, but still that was quite a lot of cat for the small man to cuddle. He did it admirably though, even if he kept having to move his face so he didn’t get fluffy buff, black and brown fur in his mouth as Bradley kept nuzzling him; no longer crying, but purring in contentment as the scent of pine needles and rain that clung to Mav’s skin—the scent of family, safety, and comfort—filled his nostrils.
He licked Mav’s cheek; the rasp of his tongue picking up salt from the tears that were silently falling down Mav’s face. He blinked at him with big, brown eyes (those never changing no matter his form), and gently headbutted the older man. Mav let out a wet laugh, and pressed their faces together, curling his fingers in the thick, white furry ruff under his cheeks, that he’d seen grow, as Bradley had changed from a child and a cub to a teenager and his full size.
“I missed you, Bradley.” Mav murmured, stroking his fur and rubbing at his tufted ears; fingers always managing to find the white spots on the back of them, that were golden highlights on his curly head in his human form.
I missed you too.
He let out a deep rumble and just let himself cover the older man as a furry blanket; happy for the first time in nearly two decades that he had his family back, and they were safe.
Mav sighed knowing he wasn’t going to be able to push him off, and relaxing on the not-that-comfy mattress, they both fell into an exhausted sleep.
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Bradley woke to the smell of honey and sun-kissed wheat filling the room.
“Mav?”
His tufted ears twitched as he heard the southern drawl of the other man who had made him act a little nuts throughout his adult life; Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin.
There was a small sliver of light as Jake came fully into the room, before it was dark again; the three of them shut off from the outside world. Mav was asleep, snoring softly, and Jake obviously realised that as he didn’t try to get the older man’s attention again as he shuffled into the room.
Bradley could see him clearly even in the dark, as he peered out from where his flat face was pressed in between Mav’s neck and chest; his cat eyes well suited to seeing in the dark. He could see the tiredness clinging to Jake’s handsome face; the way his eyes were barely staying open and the way his usually neat hair was sticking up at all angles.
Jake didn’t look like the confident, cocky Hangman who ruffled Bradley’s metaphorical Rooster feathers, and his actual Bobcat fur with his jabs and smirks. No, he looked painfully human. He looked like the Jake Seresin who had gone against orders to save him and Mav. The Jake who had only mumbled I couldn’t accept any other option than you both living, when Bradley had just stared at him with confusion furrowing his brow (in the few minutes before he was dragged to Medical), and asked why he’d done it.
The whole time Bradley had known the blond pilot, something inside of him had always felt off balance; like their relationship wasn’t quite right. As he breathed in the scent of honey and sun-kissed wheat, and had to stop himself from purring really loud as the word MINE, echoed around his mind, he realised what the problem had been.
As he’d been out of sync with his cat, he hadn’t realised why Jake Seresin had made him go so crazy. He’d thought it was annoyance and frustration that had swirled in his gut every time Jake had smirked at him, or picked at his flying skills; but he’d been wrong. If him and his cat had been working together, he would have noticed how he always pushed back, how he leaned into the metaphorical, crazy-brand of affection from his rival.
He would have noticed how he had to swallow back a territorial hiss when others got too close to Jake; close enough to mess up the beautiful scent of the blond, with their own.
He thought Jake made his hackles rise because he hated him. He just realised though—now that he could think clearly and without anger and pain clouding his judgement—that he didn’t hate him. He wanted him, desperately.
In a way that was a bone-deep part of him, just as being a shifter was.
All those times over the years, he’d been drawn to Jake, and he’d often wondered why he couldn’t just ignore him if Jake just riled him up. But it now made so much sense.
He couldn’t ignore the person his cat had chosen as his Mate.
“Do you mind if I sleep here? I looked everywhere for Roo, but can’t find him.” Jake whispered, as if just to be polite, because Mav wasn’t going to answer him (being asleep), and he was already moving further into the room. Bradley felt his heart warm knowing Jake had tried to find him; instinctively knowing that Jake had sought them both out for reassurance that they both were alive.
That he had actually saved them.
“Wha? Why have you got a fancy, fur blanket?” Jake mumbled sleepily as he stumbled towards the bed and squinted at where Bradley was sprawled out over Mav’s sleeping form; not understanding that he was staring at a Bobcat and not a faux-fur blanket.
Bradley bit back a huff of amusement, because his mate was a dumbass when he was tired apparently, which both parts of him found rather adorable.
“No fair. I wanna warm, furry blanket. Clearly you’re the favourite.” Jake whined as he climbed up the steps to the top bunk—surprisingly agile in his exhausted state—before, getting under the covers, flopping onto his back and falling asleep within seconds.
Bradley waited for a few minutes to make sure Jake wasn’t going to wake up, and then he carefully climbed off of Mav—brushing his fur over his face and neck as he did so to scent him as belonging to Bradley and soothing his inner cat as he did so—and then half-jumped half-climbed up the ladder and curled up on Jake. His front legs that little bit shorter than his back legs, but long enough to make the climb from the bottom to the top bunk quietly.
Jake let out a sleepy grunt as he subconsciously accepted Bradley’s weight, and then his hands found their way into his fur; like his body sought out Bradley’s (whether furry or not), and wanted to keep him close.
Bradley sighed—they’d have to discuss things at some point, because this was going to be a change to their relationship—but for now, he and his cat were happy. His dad was sleeping below him, and his mate was as near as possible. His mate had saved him, and hopefully wanted Bradley like Bradley wanted him.
Nuzzling Jake’s chest, he snuggled up to him, and allowed his mind to drift into slumber.
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He knew the exact moment Jake woke up fully.
Bradley had been awake for about half an hour, and had just been content to continue laying on top of Jake, listening to him breathe, and swishing his short, black-striped tail as he did so. Jake had been snuffling in his sleep, seeking out the warmth from Bradley’s furred body, when he’d stiffened and wide, green eyes were staring at him; Jake barely breathing as he took in the sight of a Bobcat on his chest.
“Uhh….Mav?”
Jake’s voice trembled with confusion and a little bit of trepidation, as he tried to make it loud enough for Mav to wake up and hear, but without frightening the unknown feline that was laying on him.
If Bradley didn’t already understand that he was pretty much made for him, the fact that he was so considerate when Bradley could hear his heartbeat rabbiting in his chest, sort of proved it.
“Wha’is’t?” Mav mumbled from below them, never one to wake up quickly.
“Umm…” Bradley watched Jake’s tanned throat bob up and down as he swallowed, and he couldn’t resist sticking out his tongue and licking a wet stripe up the tempting column of skin and muscle. Jake let out a startled, and slightly hysterical laugh, but still didn’t shove Bradley off him. Which he could’ve done. He was bigger and stronger than Mav (though not by loads). He just gripped Bradley’s fur that little bit tighter. “…would you happen to know why there’s a rather large cat—a bobcat maybe?—sprawled out on top of me?”
“Ah—FUCK!” They heard a thunk as Mav rolled out of bed in shock and fell onto the floor in a bundle of sheets. Bradley moved his front half so he could peer down at his dad on the floor, and Jake tentatively moved to follow.
Mav was blinking up at them all sleep-muddled and confused as fuck. Bradley knew the confusion was aimed at him, and aimed at the fact that Bradley was in his bobcat form with someone other than him. It wasn’t a jealousy thing. Mav just knew how Bradley needed to feel truly safe and comfortable with someone before he showed them his fur.
If it was a curiosity thing—and Bradley’s cat had just wanted to sniff at Jake—then he could’ve turned back before Jake even woke, and snuck away; Jake none the wiser. But the fact that he’d stayed; was still laying on Jake as if to say, this one’s mine, Mav knew it meant something. He just hadn’t woken up enough yet to work out what.
“Are you okay?” Jake asked, as Mav stumbled to his feet and tried not to get tangled further in the bedsheets. The older man had barely had time to shed his flight suit down to his t-shirt and boxers last night before he’d had an armful of fur (Bradley’s own clothes disintegrating in his haste to shift without getting undressed first).
“Yeah, I’m good. Are you?”
Jake pursed his lips in thought and then slowly nodded. “I’m a bit confused as to how a bobcat got on a Navy ship in the middle of the ocean, but other than that…yeah, I’m okay. Rather toasty what with all the fur, but I think that’s helped with the post-mission come down, so I’m good.”
“That’s good.” Mav nodded and grabbed his flight suit, pulling it on up to his waist, and tying the arms around his middle. “That’s good.”
“Do you…happen to know who this pretty kitty belongs to?” Bradley purred at being called pretty, and butted his head against Jake’s shoulder to rub up against him. Jake let out an Oof as he was jostled, but his fingers were soon stroking his fur, so Bradley didn’t think he minded that much.
Mav was watching them with a smile on his face, and shook his head in amusement. “I think he belongs to you, Jake.”
Seems Mav had worked out what was going after all.
Despite all the years they hadn’t talked, Mav knew Bradley. He knew Bradley was only like this with those he deemed as his family. And he also knew he didn’t see Jake Seresin as a brother—the tension that had been between them rife with sexual energy—so there was only one other option left. Bradley was claiming Jake as his Mate.
“Wanna run that by me again?” Jake spluttered. “What do you mean he belongs to me? How do you know he’s a he? Mav, what the fuck is going on?”
Mav quirked an eyebrow at Bradley as if to say, how to do you want to play this, Furball?
Bradley tilted his head and looked at his dad with wide, brown eyes; hoping he’d understand that he wanted to be the one to explain everything to Jake when they were alone.
The older man huffed out a laugh and nodded. “You’ll work it out, Jake.”
Bradley blinked at him slowly—feline for love you—and let out a contented purr when Mav stroked his cheek ruffs, before leaving a bewildered and bed-headed Jake alone in the room with him.
“What the fuck? What the fuck does that mean—I’ll work it out?” Jake grumbled to himself, subconsciously cuddling Bradley to him as he played with his fur. “Does Mav think I’m like Doctor Doolittle or something? Why would I know why a ridiculously pretty big cat belo—” He stopped speaking and looked intently at Bradley’s flat, feline face.
Bradley stared back; his whispers twitching in amusement as he wondered what was going on in that cute head of his.
Jake brought a hand to Bradley’s face and stroked the soft fur around his eyes.
“Roo?” He breathed out in amazement.
Bradley blinked and his ears swivelled in shock. Did Jake really recognise him from his eyes alone?
“Holy fuck, it is you, isn’t it?” Bradley nodded tentatively. “I’d recognise those doe eyes anywhere—though guess they’re technically cat eyes now. Holy shit, you’re a shifter? Why didn’t you tell me? Wait—this is you telling me isn’t it? Does anyone else apart from Mav know? Why were you laid on top of me—shit have you…claimed me? Does that mean you actually like me?”
Jake was firing off way too many questions for him to answer in his shifter form, so taking a breath, he focused on the energy inside him and transformed back into his human self.
“Fucking hell, it is you.”
“Y—Yeah.” Bradley’s voice was rough from sleep and disuse; his body getting used to using his feline vocal chords again and then shifting back. “It’s me. I—uh—don’t tell people I can shift, not unless I feel safe enough around them to shift. So yeah, this is me telling you…surprise.” Bradley wiggled his fingers in a pathetic excuse for jazz hands and tried to look cute.
Jake let out a strangled laugh.
“Only you and Mav know. And—um—yeah, I like you. My cat sees you as his…mate? I was out of sync with him for years due to my falling out with Mav, so I didn’t realise until we got back.” He scratched his scarred cheek sheepishly, and waited to see what Jake would say.
The blond laid there for a few minutes with Bradley still on top of him, and the covers between them; processing all that he’d learnt.
“Okay, I have one question.” He said, eventually.
“Shoot.” He just hoped it would be a question he’d be able to answer, and that the answer wouldn’t send Jake off running.
“Are you naked right now?”
That….wasn’t any of the questions he thought Jake might ask.
“Uh…yeah.” He shifted slightly in embarrassment, as he’d sort of been blocking out the fact that he was laid on top of his crush—his mate—naked right then. He willed himself not to get hard, but now him and his cat were no longer a soul split in two, and he knew what to look for; he was having trouble not breathing in deep and glutting himself on Jake’s irresistible scent.
He wanted to roll around in it. Both parts of him did.
Jake wiggled his head in consideration and then nodded. “Okay, cool.”
Bradley’s eyebrows nearly disappeared into his hairline. “Okay, cool?! That’s all you have to say about this?”
Jake shrugged. “Everything else we can deal with later—like how you apparently like me enough and feel safe enough with me to share your secret shifter side that up until now only Mav was aware of—” Bradley flushed as Jake raised a pointed eyebrow at him. “—we’re on leave for the next few months, so we can deal with everything else like me being your Mate, then. Now though—”
He reached out and stroked his thumb over Bradley’s cheekbone. Bradley pressed his face into the warmth of his palm, because he really was a cat at heart.
“—Now I just want to deal with the fact that the guy I’ve liked for a really long time is spread out on top of me naked.”
Bradley huffed and rolled his eyes. “You’re taking this surprisingly well. Most people would freak finding out all this stuff.”
“S’probably why I’m your mate.” Jake smirked, though his green eyes sparkled with happiness. “And besides, I’ve always known beneath the grumbling and the unimpressed, twitching moustache that you’ve aimed at me over the years, that you were just a big ole’ pussycat. Guess, I just didn’t realise it was literal.”
Bradley aimed one of those unimpressed looks at Jake who snickered at his own joke, but inside his cat was stretching and rolling around in happiness at the easy acceptance of his shifter form.
“You’re a dumbass.”
“A dumbass that you’ve claimed as yours, apparently.”
“You can—” Bradley swallowed, looking away from Jake’s gorgeous face. “—You can say no, you know. I won’t force you, if you don’t want to be my mate.”
Jake tutted and moved Bradley’s head back, so he was looking at him again. “Did you miss the part where I said I’ve liked you for a really long time? Now, who’s the dumbass, huh?”
His mate was an asshole. Go figure.
“Bite me, Hangman.”
“I’d rather kiss you, Roo.” Bradley sucked in a sharp breath. “Also, that is hilarious how you’re a cat, and your call sign is a bir—” Jake was cut off by Bradley smashing their lips together, and kissing him. Bradley sipped at his soft lips, and licked his way inside. Jake moaned and went pliant underneath him; wrapping his arms around Bradley’s shoulders and pulling him close.
They kissed for what might have been days, but was probably only minutes; until Bradley’s lungs burned and he could no longer ignore the fact that he was hard and desperate.
“Fuck, you’re good at that.” Jake laughed, breathlessly; running his hands down the length of Bradley’s spine. “Even the pornstache doesn’t ruin it.”
Bradley rolled his eyes. “Pretty sure you like the ‘stache, Sweetheart.”
Jake gulped at the endearment, and flushed. “Can’t prove it.”
He chuckled lowly and nuzzled the crook of Jake’s neck; the bristles of his moustache gently scraping against his skin making him shiver. “You sure?” He took a deep breath and hummed in satisfaction and arousal, as he breathed in honey and sun-kissed wheat.
“No. I’m not sure. And did you just smell me?”
“Mmhmm. My cat likes your scent.”
“Oh.” Bradley could feel Jake’s own hard length through the bed sheets and his clothing, but both of them weren’t rushing to get off right then. They were just happy laying together. “What do I smell like?”
“Honey. Sun-kissed wheat. It’s very cowboy of you.”
Jake whacked him on the back of the head, and Bradley huffed in amusement.
“Anything else?”
Bradley peered at him, and licked his lips. There was one other thing he smelt like, but whether he said it out loud or not was the another matter entirely.
Jake quirked an eyebrow. “Well?”
Here goes.
“You—ah—smell like mine.”
It was possessive and territorial of him to say, but it’s what his cat believed. And he was done with not embracing his feline side.
Jake looked at him for a second and then his face split into a pleased grin. “I don’t have your snazzy cat nose, but I don’t need it to know you’re mine too, Bradley ‘Bobcat’ Bradshaw.” Bradley shook his head at the smugness rolling off Jake at the alliteration, as he didn’t want to encourage the idiot. “Oooh…Do I need to bite you or something to get others to back off?”
Bradley let out a choked laugh, because, oh god. “N—No. I mean, you can if you want. But—uh—you don’t have to, I just—that would be fine—if you wanted to bite me—my cat would take that as you accepting the mating and—it’s probably best—maybe hold off for a bit—I—uh—”
“Take a breath, Roo, before you have a stroke.” Jake chuckled. “I get it. Your cat is a big fan of the whole biting thing, and I should only do it if I want to and if I’m committing to this mate thing, right?”
Bradley exhaled and nodded. “Right.”
“Good to know. Now kiss me again and then turn shift back into your pretty kitty form. I wanna go back to sleep and you make the best blanket.”
Bradley rolled his eyes, because his mate was a spoiled princess, but he didn’t say no. He kissed Jake again and again, and then shifted forms; this time sneaking his way under the covers and curling up with Jake in their own little cocoon away from the rest of the world—only Mav knowing they were both in here.
That way, when he shifted back again in a few hours from now, there would be nothing blocking the way for him to touch, and kiss, and smell every part of Jake he could reach. Nothing except Jake’s clothes.
But then, Bradley had claws, so they stood no hope of staying on for long.
(Surprising neither of them, Jake just found the whole clothes shredding thing hot. And enthusiastically set about touching and kissing and smelling Bradley in return.
He really was Bradley’s perfect Mate).