Chapter Text
The early morning was calm and the café had a relaxed atmosphere. People came and went, on their way to catch a train, waiting for relatives to arrive or coming from a night out and searching for an open place that served coffee and cakes. The café had its peaks during the 24-hour period it was open, and at the moment, they were just waiting for the storm. Bradley took the chance to refill the coffee machine with beans, while Marion kept cleaning the counter. Their shift wouldn’t end until six in the morning, but they liked to have everything prepared for the morning rush. And Bradley didn’t want to risk staying longer. He had things to do.
At least, no big incidents had happened that night, he had to be glad about that. The most notable customers who were at the tables consisted of three drunk girls drinking coffee as it was their salvation in one of the booths, thirsting over a blond guy seated on one of the small tables near the counter. He couldn’t fault them, the guy, looking a couple of years older than him was handsome. He wore a deep green hoodie and baggy pants as if he was just a regular guy. His hair was cut sharp, and he had a nice tan on him. Bradley hadn’t missed the large tip he had left on the jar after Marion had served him. Also, the duffle bag he was carrying: had no branding but unmistakably good quality. It reminded him of the ones some of his classmates wore, showing status and economic wealth. If that wasn’t enough, the guy had spent the last twenty minutes typing furiously on his Blackberry.
“Can’t wait to be six o’clock,” Marion sighed, looking at the clock on the wall.
“Ditto,” he responded. He started to restock the coffee cups and lids, while Marion baked the new batch of goods. The three girls left, giggling, glancing over the blond, just to check if he was going to return the favour, with no success. Marion and Bradley looked at each other and, in silent agreement, Bradley went to clean up their mess. “Can’t wait to sleep a bit, I have too many things to do.” With only the handsome guy focused more on his mobile than anything else, he felt chatty.
Marion looked over the oven, curious:
“Oh, have you found a room yet? Do you need help with the moving?”
Bradley sighed.
No, he had not.
He had been the last three weeks couch surfing. First at Chelsey’s flat, until one of her roommates complained that her boyfriend wasn’t comfortable with a man living with them, even if said man was gay. Then Brittany, who left him her room the few days she was gone visiting her parents. And now, he was crashing on James’s couch. James had promised he could stay anytime he wanted. But Bradley was reluctant to stay in a place that was party almost 24/7 and he had to pay the same amount of money for using the couch as the ones who had a private room.
“No. We’re in April, I can’t find anything before September,” he said. He had two room viewings for this week, but he had no hope of getting anything decent inside his budget. Chelsey had promised him to keep one of the rooms for him as the one with problems with him was graduating already, but September seemed so far away yet. And his future seemed he would have to be at James’s messy flat through finals and summer. That, or take the advice of the college counsellor and go to a homeless shelter.
“I’m asking around, I promise,” Marion said and Bradley believed her. “But, yeah, until September nothing. I’m leaving for a couple of weeks in July, you can stay there. No need to pay me or anything.”
“Thanks, but I hope I can find something sooner,” he responded, feeling an endless dread to even contemplate that he would be during July in the same situation.
Life loved to throw him curve balls to destabilise him, and being in his second year of university hadn’t changed that.
First, it was when his dad died at Top Gun. Then his mother got cancer. His rejection to attend USNA frustrated his plans to get a degree just on the get-go, join the Navy and become a naval pilot. Then, his mother passed away while any chance for a baseball scholarship was gone, and shortly after, also his grandmother followed her in the same week that he discovered that Maverick, his uncle, the person he had admired the most, had been the reason his application to the Naval Academy had been rejected.
He had managed, somehow, to end up in Boston, attending university. Of course, he had to sell his family home, property taxes too high to pay with just a part-time job, while having to pay for the dorms and his living expenses. He had to sell the car that was left to him, too expensive to maintain, and the small inheritance he got from his grandmother had already run out.
He felt old. He felt behind. And even, a transfer with USNA wasn’t very likely to happen anymore. He already struggled enough to pass his classes as he spent more time working than studying. His dream to fly, to prove that he wasn’t a failure, or… even more simply, to get rid of the hospital bills from his mother’s treatment and pay off his student loans, felt impossible.
He didn’t even feel the need to cry, a constant pressure in his chest forbidding him to do so.
He wanted to ask Maverick for help. Would he be able to send him some money to stay at a hostel or somewhere until September? Maybe Chelsey’s friend could leave the house earlier, maybe he could move in in August. But every time he had tried to e-mail the man, he had felt a cold fever, tachycardia and breathing had felt almost impossible.
Could he ask the man who helped to do the preliminary application to the Academy? The same man that had pulled the rug under him, unceremoniously, without a warning? He didn’t think so. It didn’t seem like a sensible decision, and Maverick was usually outside the country, deployed. He would have to explain why he needed the money. And that probably meant a phone conversation that Bradley had no credit or energy to make.
‘You’re not ready’, echoed in his mind.
Some part of him believed that if he managed to contact the man, he would be asked to explain why he decided to room up with irresponsible people who failed to pay their rent on time, even if they were delayed just one day.
Lack of judgement, lack of character, lack of worth.
Since he had to sell the house he had managed to escape the streets. Well, he had slept in his car a few weeks, but it was because he couldn’t get earlier to his accommodations, not because he lacked one. He was now twenty, he should be able to figure out something.
He finished cleaning the booth, enjoying the repetitive movement that helped to calm his nerves. When he raised his gaze, the handsome man was looking at him.
“Do you need more coffee, sir?” he asked, fearing that he would have to tell the guy to buy another cup because they didn’t do refills and he was tired. He would give him one, but the expensive gear that the man wore put him off.
“If you’re looking for a place to live, I’m looking for someone to take care of my cat and my plants while I’m abroad,” he said. “I have a spare room in my flat, I can give you an affordable rate,” he proposed.
“I…” Bradley's first instant was to reject the offer. But also, he was in desperate need. The least he could do was to listen to him. He eyed Marion who wasn’t against the idea, yet was cautious.“Well, you don’t know me, I don’t know you.”
“I know but my acquaintances are quite useless, and me and my cousin really need someone who could stay the whole year taking care of the house. We are deployed overseas quite often. And you’re a student, right? You need to be here for the majority of the year, right?” he informed. Bradley felt a knot forming in his throat. Deployment. Military. Of course, the haircut, his perfect posture of a Ken doll. He was just fresh serving or he was a privileged kid playing soldiers. Either way, he didn’t like it.
“Which branch?” he asked instead.
“Navy, just to piss off my dad, who is a Colonel in the Army,” he said as he smiled. Bradley took a few seconds to register what he had been told, his smile so blinding.
“Oh, thanks for your service, sir,” he said, suddenly. The man raised his hand towards him, his Naval Academy ring flashing under the white neon lights. Bradley took his hand, a powerful handshake that made him shiver slightly. Navy. The guy was Navy, just like Maverick, just like the people he had lost contact with after their fallout. “Bradley Bradshaw, my father was Navy too,” he said, trying not to come across as rude. He figured that his face wasn’t the kindest. The man raised his eyebrows, surprised.
“Was? Killed during combat?”
“Something like that…” he responded, flatly. He didn’t want to open that can of worms. He didn’t want to talk about the accident or have to defend the man he had so much resentment for to a stranger.
“Sorry to hear that. My name is Jake Seresin, by the way,” he said. “Naval aviator,” he added with a wink.
Bradley frowned just slightly. There were too many similitudes with Maverick. But, yet, he needed a place to stay. Before brushing him off, he should listen to him. He did not have many options, he had to remind himself. The worst that could happen was he could get killed, and, in that case, he wouldn’t have to worry about finding a house, passing his exams or this job. The debt he owed the insurance company would disappear and his student loans wouldn’t be a problem anymore.
“Oh, that’s great,” he said. Jake mirrored his frown.
“You don’t seem very impressed.” Oh, shit, was one of those who needed constant praise. Bradley bit his lower lip. He needed to play this correctly.
“I’ve got to meet a few Naval Aviators before,” he responded. He didn’t want to sound rude, but…. “They were very cocky and arrogant. I guess they could back up their claims and they were good, but, you know, it’s not a novelty? I guess, sorry,” he decided to go for. He could feel Marion looking at him, probably impressed because she knew he never talked about his life before coming to the university.
Jake put a toothpick between his lips, moved it around, suave, capturing Bradley’s attention for a second. When Jake smirked at him, he blushed. Fuck, why he blushed?
“You’re honest, I like that,” he said. “I’m meeting one of my friends before we go to defend the nation. But I prefer to sort it out with you as soon as possible. You said you finish at six, right?”
Bradley nodded.
“Great! Let’s meet in forty minutes, then, and maybe in the afternoon we can figure out everything else.”
Another customer entered the place, a black man, nicely dressed, with a neat haircut. He went straight to the counter and ordered an Iced Coffee, even if the weather wasn’t that hot and the sun wasn’t warm. Bradley mouthed a silent apology to Jake and went behind the counter to start making a drink while Marion charged him.
“Coyote!” Jake said, and he and the man hugged. The complicity between them was palpable. Coyote, most likely a callsign. So, another pilot.
“Hangman, you old dog!” the man answered.
When he finished the drink he served it with the best of his smiles.
“Thanks, man,” the man called Coyote said, dropping a tip, not as large as Jake, but still impressive. At least they were good tippers.
“Hey, can we stay here until six?” Jake asked. “I might have been found a tenant for my flat. And I am meeting him here.”
“Who is going to be the poor soul? Have you checked with one of Natasha’s friends?”
“No, because I don’t want my house trashed,” Jake responded. “No, the poor soul is the great barista here, Bradley,” he said. “He is in a dire situation and I’m going to see if we can help each other.”
Coyote took his drink looking between them. There was something that Coyote was searching on him.
“Yes, I’m the poor soul,” he said, trying to break the tension with his most polite customer-service smile.
Coyote murmured something to Jake, whose answer was hitting his friend with a fist in his arm. But Coyote didn’t seem bothered by it.
“Ok, sure, we can wait. Bradley, right? Nice to meet you, name is Javy Machado.”
Jake Seresin ended up being nothing like Bradley expected and everything that Bradley needed.
The house that Jake was looking to take care of was a flat in the middle of the centre of the city. Beautiful views, great connections, meaning he could go to campus and work in public transport, and it was well taken care of. Jake’s cat was a rescued one, ginger, a bit fat, with the end of its tail damaged. Apparently, it was his ex's cat, but with the breakup, it ended up in the care of Jake.
“I know you’re a broke college kid,” Jake had said. “And I just want you to take care of Miss Saffron Stormae Seresin. As you can see, you aren’t the only one with an alliteration in their name. But we usually call her Mae, isn’t it girl?” The ginger cat looked at her owner and blinked. “She is a bit old but still hates people with the same passion as ever. I have her menu on the fridge, her routines and emergency numbers. Janet is the same age as you, she will be the most likely to pick up the phone but Julia will be the one to call in case of an actual emergency. She makes things happen.”
They moved around the big flat. It had a large kitchen with a dining area, apart from the actual dining room, next to the living room. A big gallery that connected the dining room, the living room and Jake’s office. It was full of plants in diverse degrees of health, most of them, struggling to be alive.
“My plants are in the indoor balcony, so they can have more light,” Jake informed. Bradley followed Jake through the beautiful place, too good to be real. “Instructions are also displayed on the cabinet. My elder sister always kills most of them every time she tries to help, so if you manage not to upset Mae and to keep half of the plants alive, you’re already surpassing my expectations.”
Jake smiled, but Bradley wasn’t sure. Even if Jake made him a special discount for being broke, for helping him to keep his cat and plants alive, there was no way he could afford this place. Not even the room he was being offered. Even if it was the smallest one with no en-suite bathroom.
“Also, because my family is kind of important, I’m afraid you won’t be able to have visitors over. Well, unless it's any sibling or your mother. In that case, just let me know and I’ll give them a pass at reception, no problem. Your mother could stay in Natasha’s room, even. The only thing I’ll have to check with her leave days so…”
“My mother passed away. And I have no siblings so that won’t be a problem.”
“Sorry about that, Bradley,” Jake’s voice softened, empathic.
“It’s, ok, you didn’t know it,” Bradley responded, a bit uncomfortable. He was always so clueless about what he was supposed to say to that. His mother, and his grandmother died and he was alone. That was life.
“Well, if you meet someone important enough, check it first with me, ok? I’ll have to approve them.”
Bradley nodded, but he didn’t know what to say. Except for some kisses here and there, there was nobody who really caught his eye. Everyone had that childish area to them. Innocence and nativity that Bradley wasn’t sure what to do with it. The uncomfortable truth that most of his peers didn’t want to know or deal with the fact that Bradley’s life hadn’t been the easiest.
Jake half smiled, and carried on with the tour:
“This is my room, this is Natasha’s and my office… they are out of limits. You can have a space in the common bathroom, I can clear one of the cabinets for you. And… this is your room, it’s the small one, but I bet you can figure out how to utilise the space, I mean, college kids should be efficient at that, right? But at least it’s not Navy accommodation, I’ll tell you that. But if you need more storage, I can get you some space in the storage room in the attic.”
Bradley glanced inside, the room was the biggest he had ever been. Bigger than his parent’s back in Nevada, in the little house that he had inherited.
“I think it will be enough, thank you.” he looked around, unsure, imagining already how much would be costing him, discount or not.
“Well, let’s talk business, shall we?” Jake said. “Because you’re going to keep an eye on our stuff, take care of Mae and the plants, and also, keep the house safe and tidy, I thought you could only pay for the utilities you’re using. When I’m back, of course, we’ll share the expenses, if Natasha comes here, she will be paying me directly. Think around $200, $300 monthly. Is that a problem?”
Bradley’s mouth went dry. That wasn’t a problem at all, that was paradise. Too good to be true, too. Only that with access to a proper accommodation? Even if he had half of the house off limits and couldn’t invite anyone over, being him and just the cat in silence was great. Jake had said his family was important. Maybe that was something wrong with them? His father was a colonel in the Army, that's for sure. But the rest?
“Hm… I feel like there is a catch somewhere,” he responded.
“Mae likes to bite and scratch people,” Jake answered. “As I said, she hates humanity.” Jake smiled at Mae with fondness and tenderness. “She’ll take over the world one day, I’m sure.”
“Are you aware that I don’t have any petsitting or pet care certificate?” he commented, just to make sure the guy wasn’t expecting anything great from him.
“Well, I thought we could wait until summer to see if both of us are comfortable with each other. If you want to move with one of your friends in September, I’ll understand. If you decide to stay here, I can arrange a course or something. Believe it’s better than just having Julia or one of her minions snoop around.”
Minions. Even if there was obviously a larger story there at play, Bradley ended up signing the contract. It was redacted easy to understand, and the clauses were clear and they seemed fair. And in any case, he would be leaving in September if any problem arose until then.
The two days that Jake and Bradley shared the flat were a bit awkward. Jake had expected Bradley to have more stuff with him and had enlisted Javy for help. And Bradley didn’t know what to say after Javy and Jake had taken one of Bradley’s suitcases followed by him with just a backpack. Jake had let him know that if he needed anything else, furniture, or anything, he could ask without any problem. He had even suggested he could use his computer to study if needed.
It was obvious that Jake and Javy were having some silent conversations between them. Still, a day later, they both left the country on a mission, and Bradley was left living in a completely luxurious flat with a cat that loved to nap and eat cold chicken in the morning and some plants that he definitively forgot to water as often as the instructions said. In less than a week, his life had turned around completely.
It was weird, being there. Like he was in limbo where he wasn’t allowed to think too hard about it. Finals were approaching, and without having to work so hard and so long, he had more time to study. In less than three weeks, he noticed how the lack of stress from being almost homeless and the extra hours, affected positively his performance at class and work.
The year finished and Bradley’s grades were higher than ever. He even had extra cash at the end of the month for the first time since his mother passed away.
“So, what do you know about your landlord?” Chelsey asked when Bradley told her he wouldn’t be needing the room at her flat for September. “I mean, apart from that he is really hot and serves in the Navy. Are you going to stay with him for the rest of the year? I’m asking because Jenny has a few people lined up for the room.”
“I’m probably going to keep the room. He said he could do the deal until I graduated.”
Chelsey nodded.
“That’s good, two more years! I always forget that you’re a year behind us,” she smiled. “But, anyway, so, how is he?” she insisted. Maybe she wasn’t as curious about the room and more about gossip in general.
“He’s twenty-five. He is a naval pilot, He is paying for my pet-sitting certificate,” he told her, none of the details she obviously wanted. It covered not only cat care but also dogs. It was quite complete and demanding, but Bradley figured that it could be a useful skill for the future if the job at the café failed. “So, that’s, why I won’t be able to go to Las Vegas to celebrate summer. Or… meet that often, even if I don’t have classes.”
Chelsey snorted.
“This is going to be our last year together!”
“I still have Brittany!” Chelsey slapped him in the arm.
“And you’re still avoiding my question. Is he kind? Is he funny? Smart?”
Bradley blushed against his will. He knew that Jake was hot. But except he was his landlord and he was absolutely obsessed with Mae (Jake would write him weekly e-mails just to ask for photos of Mae and had purchased a new phone for Bradley so he could take photos of the cat), there wasn’t much to say.
Jake had a strict routine thanks to the Navy, he wasn’t particularly messy, even if Bradley would argue that two days weren’t enough to judge a character, and he was polite and friendly when talking. Out of uniform, he wore expensive and elegant clothes, like half of the people on campus. But also, those people would have never considered enlisting.
“I don’t know, I don’t know him that well. He likes his cat. And he spends more of his time abroad, on a carrier.”
Chelsey rolled his eyes:
“Well, and I was here hopping that you would finally pop that cherry, darling.” Now it was Bradley’s turn to hit her. “Don’t give me that crap that you don’t have time for those things.”
“No, I actually don’t have. I still have to raise my grades, my average has dropped drastically.”
“Duh, we’re at college, not high school. Everything is harder,” Chelsey replied. Bradley sighed, not wanting to get into an argument with her, where she would try to push Bradley to hook up with a guy, any guy who might be gay. Bradley didn’t have the energy for one-night stands. And looking for something more serious when he was still trying to survive… “Hey, Brad, don’t put that face!”
“What face? This… this is my face.” She just laughed it off.
“Forget about your hot landlord. Seems you’re set until graduation. You don’t fucking have to work that hard! You can have some time to actually meet someone, you know? Go on dates or whatever. You aren’t coming to Las Vegas. Cool. But, I don’t know, Brad, live a little.”
“I mean, he could die during service and I'd be screwed over.”
“Brad, honestly, it’s almost like the possibility of something good happening to you is not possible."
He refused to look at her. He was too embarrassed with himself. It wasn’t like he didn’t find anyone attractive. But between his mother falling ill, his grandmother dying, Maverick’s betrayal, his economic situation, his studies… he had no time, and sometimes it was like his libido had disappeared completely.
“We’ll see, Chelsey. Have fun in Las Vegas.”
“I’ll bring you a souvenir, Brad.”
Jake approached him from behind, kissed his neck under his ear, his lips were soft. There was warmth inside him, he wanted more, he wanted to... Jake was on top of him. He was on top of Jake. In any case, Jake was kissing him and his hand travelled, sneaked, into his trousers, losing the belt.
"Bradley, baby..." Jake's voice was low, deep, raspy and sent shivers down Bradley's spine. He felt on edge, about to fall and he tried to hold himself closer to Jake.
"Fuck."
He woke up, hard as a rock.
The night wasn't especially cold, not warm, but he felt like he was running for the last hour. His balls hurt, while his mind was trying to process that he was having a sex dream about his landlord. About a navial aviator. A man who he hadn't seen since the end of April. Even if he had spent the last months sending pictures of his cats via e-mail. Their messages weren't even friendly, except for the mutual agreement about Mae's limitless cuteness. It would make more sense to dream about... Jordan, from his American Foreign Policy Since World War II class. They both were blonde, tall, muscular, rich and wore the same brands.
And still, his brain had decided to make Jake the main character of his fantasies.
He tried to calm down, not willing to take care of himself while his mind was still providing him with sexual images and situations about Jake. But it was no help. If he tried to do that, he was only going to make it worse for himself. He did not want to get horny thinking about Jake. Even, if he was really horny because of a man he barely knew.
"Fuck," he murmured.
He took a sip from the glass of water he maintained on his nightstand.
Maybe it was better to thirst about Jake than Jordan if he wanted to be honest. He had never seen Jordan tip, despite his wealth, and yet, the first thing he noticed about Jake was the generous tip he left.
He took a deep breath, and tentative, he reached to his dick, hard, almost leaking. The thought of someone leaving a tip wasn't enough to get him off, almost lamenting his dream cut off early, unable to see what his mind had prepared for him.
A bit frustrated, he felt how the heat was dissolving slowly. He laid back in the bed, staring at the ceiling, his mind drifting once again towards Jake. Maybe it was that the man had appeared out of nowhere, just a customer at the cafe, waiting for his friend, with a godsend solution from the sky.
He wondered how long it was going to last, to have somewhere to lay and rest a bit. He had managed to pass all his classes with a better grade than he expected. It wasn't enough to transfer to USNA. And because he spent his spare time working or trying to catch up with his studies, he hadn't joined clubs or associations. He had to admit his stronger application was the one he had when he turned eighteen and... And Maverick, still, had deemed him not worth it.
Even after all the preparation that he had put in. All the late nights studying even when his mother was sick. His baseball team, his volunteer at the church group and the Boy Scouts. All the afternoons and evenings he had spent working towards a goal, with Maverick's guidance just...
Just for nothing.
It didn't matter he had tried his best.
His best wasn't enough.
Only when Mae hopped onto his chest, he realised he was sobbing. He let the cat knead, even if sometimes she hurt with her nails. It was almost like permission to cry, to let it go. And he did that, trying to move the less possible, not to disturb Mae in her quest to find a better spot to sleep.
He didn't know how long he stood there, crying, letting his tears wash him. But Mae stood there, with all her weight and hypnotic purr. And finally, he fell asleep again.