Chapter Text
Jake Seresin may have done one of the stupidest things in his entire life, and he doesn’t say that lightly. There have been plenty of other stupid decisions made along the way, like when he was seven and ran through the barn back home while the horses were out. That got him his first kick, which luckily just grazed him and gave him a nasty bruise for a couple of weeks. Or when he climbed the old tree in the yard when he was ten and fell out. That resulted in a broken arm. Or when he was sixteen and he and some of his friends egged a bully’s house on Halloween. That resulted in running from the cops, tripping in the woods, and getting his first concussion.
So, Jake has done some stupid things in his life, there’s no doubt. But today, he might have done the stupidest one of all. He lied to his mama. Any good Southern boy knows that lying to their mama is the easiest way to guarantee an early, untimely death. Jake, being a thirty-one-year-old man, is not exempt from this law of nature.
In his defense, it wasn’t a lie told with malice or with any intention to hurt someone he loves—quite the opposite, actually—but it was a lie nonetheless.
Around thirty minutes ago, his mama called to provide him with some updated information about one of his older sister’s upcoming weddings in a couple of weeks. Jake is the youngest of three siblings, with his eldest sister, Jess, already married with two children, and his other sister, Johanna, soon to be married. The conversation with his mama shifted to Jake’s personal life and what he had been doing since he had been permanently stationed at North Island. That’s when she asked about his dating life.
“Surely my sweet Jakey has somebody in his life he’d like to bring to Johanna’s wedding, right?” She had asked in her kind, southern voice.
Jake doesn’t know if it was because he feels like a loser for never bringing anybody as a date to family events, if it was just to placate his family, or if it was his own fear of never finding someone to settle down with, but he lied and said yes. As a matter of fact, he did have a boyfriend and he’d be delighted to bring him along to meet the rest of the family.
His mama had squealed with joy and excitement on the other end of the phone as she ended the call, saying how thrilled she was and that she couldn’t wait to meet him.
Unfortunately, Jake couldn’t be more single than he is at present, with not one dating prospect in the lineup, much less an actual boyfriend. He resists the urge to bang his head against the wall of his apartment. God, how in the hell is he ever going to explain this situation?
He could wait a week and then call his mama and tell her that he and his “boyfriend” had broken up, so he’d be going alone. He could call her back right now and fess up before this lie gets even further away from him and he digs himself a bigger hole. Or—and he’ll admit that this is easily the worst option his mind could ever come up with—he could bring a fake boyfriend to Johanna’s wedding. What would be the harm in that? That way, his family thinks he actually has someone and he doesn’t have to break his mama’s heart by not only admitting he lied but by also not having anybody special in his life.
That wouldn’t be such a bad idea, right?
Despite knowing it is, in fact, a very bad idea, Jake is starting to lean toward that as the best possible option, though he doesn’t yet know how he’s going to make that work. With a sigh of exasperation, Jake pulls out his phone to temporarily distract himself from the stress and anxiety that is currently plaguing his thoughts. He hates that a part of him is now dreading going to one of his older sister’s weddings.
Before he gets too much time to ponder that thought, he sees that Javy has sent him a text, asking if he’s planning on meeting the squad at the Hard Deck in a couple of hours. Talking to Javy might be one of the best things he can do right now. The man is his best friend and like the brother he never had. If anybody is going to be able to help him through this situation, it’ll be Javy.
Jake shoots him a quick text, asking if he wants to go early and hang out for a bit. Javy responds within seconds, saying that he’ll see Jake there in twenty minutes. He takes just enough time to check himself out in the mirror to adjust his wavy blonde hair, then sprays on some cologne before heading out the door to his truck. He turns on one of his playlists for the drive, hoping the music will keep him from spiraling over how badly he’s just fucked up.
As much as he knows it's wrong to lie, especially to his mama, part of him almost feels worse at the idea of calling her back and telling her he doesn’t actually have a boyfriend. He feels like that will hurt her more than the fact that he lied. She’s always talked about how she wants him to find the right man and settle down, and now he feels like he’s going to have to crush the hope that he gave her. It’ll make his dad worried, too.
Shit.
It takes him about fifteen minutes to get to the Hard Deck from his apartment. Despite his best efforts with the music, it doesn’t do much to help him turn his mind off. Jake pulls his truck into a parking space outside of the bar and shuts the engine off, leaning forward to rest his head against the steering wheel with a sigh. These next few weeks leading up to the wedding are going to be rough.
A tap on his window has him jumping out of his skin, but he relaxes when he sees that it’s just Javy, giving him a little smile and wave. He feels a smile forming on his own face as he sees his best friend and hops out of his truck.
“Good to see you, man,” Javy says, bringing Jake in for a hug.
“You, too.”
Javy gives him a knowing look. “What did you do?”
God, Javy can read him like a book, he’s always been able to. “Something really stupid,” Jake confesses.
His friend laughs. “I don’t doubt that. Come on, let’s go get a drink and you can tell me about it.”
Jake follows Javy into the bar, claiming a couple of empty bar stools for the two of them and ordering their first round from Penny. She’s as lovely as ever and happy to see them, so Jake lays on the usual Southern charm to appear less stressed out. He has Penny put Javy’s first round on his tab as well. With all of the crap Jake needs Javy’s help working through, the least he can do is buy his best friend a drink.
That’s exactly what he tells Javy when he insists that Jake didn’t need to buy him a beer.
“Trust me,” Jake says, “I’m gonna owe you one after this anyway.”
His friend picks up the drink and takes a quick swig. “You must have fucked up pretty badly, care to give me the details now?”
Jake takes a deep breath, contemplating if it’s even worth rehashing all the details. Maybe he should just lay in this bed he’s made for himself. But no, that’s probably a bad idea, even worse than lying. With Javy here in front of him and willing to listen, he needs to lay it all out. Hopefully, his best friend will be able to ease his worries.
He takes a long pull from his beer bottle, then starts in. He explains the phone call from his mama about the wedding. The conversation went from wedding talk to Jake’s personal life, then dating life, and how that came back full circle to talk of him bringing a date to the wedding. Javy smirks a bit and seems to try and stifle a laugh as Jake explains the lie.
“So, there you have it,” Jake finishes, downing the last of his beer.
There’s a look on Javy’s face that’s hard to decipher, though Jake would bet it’s amusement. After a few seconds, his best friend laughs and claps him on the shoulder. “You, my friend, are screwed. Lying to Mama Seresin? You just signed your own death certificate.”
Javy is laughing, but Jake has yet to find the situation amusing. He gets it, he’s fucked. Why is that so hilarious?
”Javy, it’s not funny,” Jake insists, “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
His friend has the good grace to stop laughing, though he can tell that Javy is having to force it back. “I’m sorry, Jake. I am. But it is kind of amusing that you managed to back yourself into a corner so quickly.”
Jake smacks his hand against his forehead. “I need you to help me get out of it. Help me think of some options. Please.”
Javy sits up and his demeanor shifts into something more serious. “Okay, okay, maybe you’re not entirely screwed. You could…” he trails off, brainstorming, “…call your mama back in a week or so and say that you and this guy broke up?”
The blonde shakes his head. “No good, I already thought of that, and I don’t wanna break Mama’s heart. You should have heard how excited she was on the phone, Javy, she was over the moon. I don’t wanna ruin that for her.”
Taking a deep breath in contemplation, Javy leans forward a bit, his face sympathetic. “Look, Jakey…I know you don’t want to upset her, but aside from saying you and this guy broke up, calling her back and telling her the truth is the only logical idea I have left.”
As much as he hates to admit it, Jake knows that Javy is right. He’s backed himself into a corner that he can’t get out of—he’ll have to face the music.
Unless…
The terrible idea that Jake had earlier suddenly resurfaces. Maybe Javy will actually give him some positive reinforcement here and won’t call him a complete dumbass.
”What’s with that look?” Javy asks.
”I had one other idea earlier, though it was really stupid,” the blonde confesses.
“At this point, you don’t seem to have many other options. Let’s hear it.”
”What if I bring a fake boyfriend?”
Jake honestly can’t even blame Javy for bursting out laughing. Or when that laughter carries on for a full minute and his best friend is clutching his side from cackling so hard. Javy takes a sip of his beer to settle himself, though he’s fighting back more giggles when he speaks again.
”Jake, this is real life, not a rom-com. The world is not some made-for-Netflix movie where two people pretend to date and fall in love.”
”Who said anything about falling in love?” Jake asks, defensively.
Javy brushes that off. “What I’m getting at is that a scenario like that is not bound to play out well in real life. It would be different if you were going to have someone pretend to be your boyfriend for a night out or something. But several days with your family at your sister’s wedding? Probably not bound for success.”
Well, fuck, there goes Jake’s hopes for some positive reinforcement from his best friend.
Jake sighs in defeat and resignation. “I knew it was a stupid idea, I just hate that I’ve set myself up to emotionally hurt my mama.”
Javy places a comforting hand on Jake’s back. “I know, man, I’m sorry. It’s just unless you get really lucky, I don’t think you’re showing up to Johanna’s wedding with a boyfriend. Real or otherwise.”
He takes another sip of his beer, contemplating what he could possibly do next. “I was kind of hoping the fake boyfriend idea would be just stupid enough to work.”
”I mean, I guess we could try and figure something out, but it wouldn’t be easy.”
”What if you come as my new boyfriend?” Jake suggests, knowing it wouldn’t work for a multitude of reasons.
Javy chuckles, knowing that the blonde is only half-serious. “Jake, for one, I’m straight and your family knows that. For another, we’re too good of friends and practically brothers, they wouldn’t believe it for a second if I suddenly showed up as your boyfriend.”
Just as he suspected, Javy has made very solid points on every front.
“Maybe we can think of someone else…” Javy trails off and appears to be deep in thought.
Jake mimics his actions. Javy is out of the question, so he mentally strikes him from the list. All of Jake’s close friends are either part of his old squad, Vigilante Squadron, which is on a carrier deployment in the Pacific, or the new Dagger Squadron, which is stateside here in North Island. He begins to think of who could be an option on the squad.
For some reason, his brain supplies Natasha as an option, but there are just as many if not more reasons why he can’t take her. For starters, she’s a woman, and Jake has made it abundantly clear to his family that he is very, very gay. Plus, she’s dating Bob, and it would be weird to have someone in a relationship pretending to be his boyfriend.
Because Natasha and Bob are dating, he strikes both her and the sweet-faced WSO from his list. Shit, his options are dwindling quickly already.
Mickey and Reuben are the next two people he considers, but much like Natasha and Bob, the two men are in a committed relationship with each other. He can’t ask one of them to run off and be his fake boyfriend for a few days. That would be just as weird and uncomfortable as it would be for him to ask Bob. He scratches their names off the list as well and moves on to another option.
With Reuben and Mickey out of the running as well, that only leaves—and it seems to dawn on Javy at the same time who the only remaining candidate is—the one person Jake has the most tumultuous relationship within the entire United States Navy, and possibly in the entire United States in general if not the whole world. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw.
Jake hesitates to look at Javy, knowing he’ll find the most shit-eating grin imaginable on his best friend’s face. Sure, enough, when his eyes flutter over, Javy is giving him the most insufferable knowing look of all time.
“Shut the fuck up,” the blonde snaps before his friend can even say a word.
Javy scoffs, lightheartedly. “Man, I didn’t even say anything.”
“That look was so loud I’m surprised the entire bar didn’t hear it,” Jake retorts, venom in his voice, even if it’s not entirely warranted. Javy is just giving him shit. It’s not like Jake wouldn't do the same thing, or be even more insufferable if their roles were reversed.
“All I’m saying is that it seems awfully coincidental that the man you’re pining after just happens to be the only one who you could bring as a fake boyfriend,” Javy observes, his tone that of an adolescent child teasing their friend for having a crush.
“You’re the one who was just telling me this sort of thing only worked in rom-coms and Netflix movies,” Jake snarks, using Javy’s words against him.
The look on Javy’s face falls just slightly, giving Jake a fleeting feeling of victory. “That may be true, but with Bradley? I don’t know man, he gives you a lot of those same longing looks.”
Jake’s face burns red at the comment. It’s not that he’s embarrassed about the way he feels for Bradley or anything, it’s how crazy it is that he feels this way for the other man at all.
For a decade or more, Jake and Bradley were bitter and petty rivals, always butting heads when they worked together, but especially when they were in the same class at Top Gun. Some of their arguments were so heated and intense that on more than one occasion their instructors threatened to remove points, ground them from hops, or even kick them out of the program altogether and send them back to their squadrons.
Even on the occasions when they were deployed together after Top Gun, their rivalry didn’t cease. If anything, it grew more intense and personal as time went on, and they learned which buttons they could push to set each other off the most. This is when things went from bad to worse. All of their conversations consisted of insults aimed to hit where it would hurt the most and ended with wounded egos and pride.
Not exactly the kind of relationship that would lead to Jake growing fond of and even becoming attracted to Bradley.
But then, about eight months ago, they were two of the pilots called back to Top Gun for what should have been a suicide mission. By all accounts, Bradley and Maverick should both be dead. It’s only because of Jake’s fast thinking and pushing his jet to its limits that they’re still alive today.
Jake didn’t even realize how much he cared for Bradley until he aired out the history between Maverick and his rival to the entire detachment in the briefing room (and almost got a well-deserved right hook to the face for his efforts). He remembered telling Maverick that Bradley wasn’t ready, and sauntering off to the locker room as the Captain dismissed them all. The look of devastation on Maverick’s face in the briefing room, the glare of death Natasha shot at him in the hall, and Bradley peeling out of the parking lot in his Bronco with tears in his eyes was enough for Jake to realize he’d majorly fucked up.
The next day, he apologized to the entire detachment for his behavior and said that he didn’t expect forgiveness, just that he wanted them all to know how much he regretted his actions. That same night, he got Bradley's address from Natasha and drove over to apologize to him personally. He hadn’t expected the man to forgive him, but with an impending suicide mission on the horizon, it seemed Bradley was willing to let things go, even if Jake could tell his feelings were still hurt.
All of this to say, Jake is fairly certain the only reason he and Bradley have even become friends is because Jake saved his life. He never wanted anything bad to happen to Bradley, of course, but the mission made him realize that the brunet man had grown to mean a lot to him, even if they weren’t on the best of terms.
It still amazes him how in less than a year, Bradley has become one of his best friends, and that he now may have a bit of a crush on him. Nobody could really blame him. Bradley is handsome, smart, confident, and a total dork in a way that everybody finds endearing.
“Jake, are you still with me?” Javy asks, gently nudging his shoulder and bringing him back to the present.
The blonde blushes at being caught daydreaming. “Yeah, I’m here. Was just trying to figure out how Bradley being my fake boyfriend could ever work.”
Javy chuckles and finishes off his beer, fiddling with the label that’s peeling off the bottle. “I have no idea. But for your sake, I’d like to see all of the odds and logic be defied and the two of you make something real work one day. You guys would make a cute couple.”
”Stop making me blush,” Jake faux-whines, giving his best friend’s shoulder a playful shove. “And I’m not gonna ask Bradley, that would be so fucking awkward .”
“Maybe so,” Javy agrees. “But who else is there, really?”
Shit. Jake knows Javy is right, but he can’t help but throw another name out there. “What about Maverick?”
Javy scoffs in disbelief, too disoriented by the outlandish idea to cackle in the way Jake had been expecting. “Dude, you’re gonna ask a man thirty years older than you—who’s married to the COMPACFLT of all people, I might add—to be your fake boyfriend? That is by far the stupidest idea you’ve ever had.”
”Alright, alright, I get it,” Jake pouts. “Maybe I’ll put an ad online and see if I get any takers.”
Javy is sure to find a major flaw with this idea as well, but it’s the last one Jake has. Otherwise, he’s got to admit that he lied to his mama, or ask Bradley to be his fake boyfriend for a few days. Maybe down the line he’ll think back on the conversation and be able to laugh at the ridiculous situation he’s found himself in, but today is not that day.
“Really, Jake?” Javy says, already calling Jake’s bluff. “You’re gonna invite some random man you’ve never met and can’t trust to your sister’s wedding with all of your family for a few days. And you’re going to stay in a hotel room with him? Have you ever seen a crime show on TV? This is how most of them start.”
Jake huffs an annoyed sigh and finishes his beer with a long pull. “Okay, you’re right. That would be creepy and dangerous in a lot of ways.”
His best friend gives his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Jake, I love you like my brother, so I’m going to be blunt about your options with you. Invite Bradley to be your fake boyfriend, or tell your mama the truth.”
Just as Jake had expected, those are in fact his only two options. He already knows he can’t bear to break his mama’s heart by telling her he doesn’t have somebody, which means he’s going to have to project a truly delusional level of confidence to casually ask Bradley along. Maybe he’ll say no anyway and then Jake will just have to live with telling the truth, even if it’ll hurt himself and his mama. That might be the better option anyway.
Regardless, he’s got one hell of an awkward conversation to have with Bradley when he sees him later tonight. But, somewhere deep in the back of his mind, he can’t suppress the feeling that taking Bradley along as his fake boyfriend might actually be kind of fun. He and Bradley get along really well now, and he’ll admit that he trusts the other man and finds him quite charming. Even if they’re just friends in reality and it stays that way, maybe they’ll still end up having a good time.
The blonde lets out another long sigh, coming to terms with his odd situation. “Well then, I guess I’m about to ask Bradley to be my fake boyfriend.”
Javy laughs but gives Jake a pat on the back. “I can’t wait to see how that goes.”
Jake rolls his eyes fondly and orders another beer when Penny comes by. He has a feeling he’s going to need a few of these in his system if he’s going to make such a ridiculous request when he sees Bradley in a bit. When Penny delivers their next round, they thank her and head over to the dart board to kill some time until the rest of the squad shows up.
As per usual, Jake beats Javy at darts and makes twenty bucks when his friend bets that he can’t hit three triple twenties in a row. He happily collects the money after successfully making all three shots. He slides the bill into his wallet and looks out across the bar to see Bradley sauntering in, clad in his usual Hawaiian shirt and jeans. Tonight, the shirt is burnt orange with white floral patterns, and Jake has to admit it looks good on him.
Bradley catches his eye and smiles, giving him a little wave as he walks up to the bar to get a drink. Jake waves back, eager for the man to come over to the dart board with him and Javy.
“Dude,” Javy says, “you’re down bad.”
”Shut up,” Jake says, though there isn’t any heat in his tone.
His friend nudges his arm. “Are you gonna finish this game with me, or gawk at Bradley for the rest of the night?”
Jake ignores the slight burn in his cheeks as he turns his attention back to the game. He’d been so distracted looking at Bradley that he hadn’t realized Javy had taken his turn. The blonde throws his last three darts, ending the game right as Bradley makes his way over with a beer.
Jake smiles and turns on the charm. “Bradshaw, as I live and breathe.”
Bradley shakes his head fondly at their little greeting. “Hangman, you look,” his eyes move up and down Jake’s body slowly, “good.”
”Do I even need to say that I’m very good?” Jake jokes.
The older pilot chuckles. “Nope, I know how this goes by now.”
Javy looks between the two of them for a moment, then over Bradley’s shoulder to the door. “Oh, there’s Natasha and Bob, I’m gonna go get another round and settle my score at pool with Bob.”
With that, Javy leaves Jake and Bradley alone, though he does give the blonde a knowing look as he heads off to greet his other squad mates. Jake watches Javy walk away for a moment, then turns his attention back to his friend.
Bradley smiles at him and gestures to the dart board. “Wanna give me a chance to redeem myself after last time?”
Jake chuckles slightly at the memory of him wiping the floor with Bradley. If he didn’t have a pit in his stomach from the anxiety of having to ask this man to be his fake boyfriend, maybe he’d be rubbing it in a little more. ”Sure, why not?”
The brunet gives him a questioning look for just a moment before grabbing a set of darts and taking aim at the board. Jake always lets Bradley go first, usually insisting that the man needs all the help he can get to beat him. He throws his three darts at the board, having an average round, then gives Jake a playful wink as he steps aside to allow the younger man to take his turn.
Given the amount of anxiety Jake has coursing through his veins, the score winds up being much closer than normal, and he’s barely able to pull off a victory. Bradley teases and trash-talks him the entire time, insisting that he must be getting better, or that his words must be getting in Jake’s head tonight. Bradley isn’t entirely wrong, the younger pilot supposes. He is getting in his head, just not the way he thinks.
The older man insists on another rematch, which Jake obliges saying “If you’re that desperate to lose, Roo, then I don’t see why not.”
Bradley chuckles and gives Jake’s chest a playful swat as he lines up for the next game. Jake tries to ignore the way his cheeks heat up at the swat and the bright smile on Bradley’s face.
Their second round is even closer than the first, and Jake has almost completely run out of smart-ass comments to make as he focuses on winning the game. It comes down to his very last dart for him to narrowly beat Bradley for the second time that night. He breathes out a sigh of relief, not ready to let his losing streak end simply because of a stupid situation he backed himself into.
He had thought about casually mentioning Johanna’s upcoming wedding and using that as a segue to asking Bradley to be his date, but every time he tried to open his mouth, the words died on his tongue. It’s going to take a lot more confidence than Jake thought to get the ball rolling on this one.
Just when it seems like Bradley is going to ask Jake to play a third round, Natasha’s voice rings out from the pool table.
“Bradshaw! Are you gonna give me a rematch or what?”
He turns to Jake and gives him a sheepish smile. “I value my life, so I better not keep her waiting.”
Jake chuckles and follows Bradley over, pulling out a ten-dollar bill and placing it as a bet on Bradley winning. “Don’t let me down, Roo,” Jake winks and smirks, trying to project that delusional level of confidence he’s going to need later.
Bradley’s cheeks and even the tips of his ears turn a lovely shade of pink as he smiles at Jake, then turns to focus on the game. Jake takes a seat next to Javy, who leans over as soon as he’s settled.
“So…did you ask him yet?”
Jake sighs and shakes his head no. “I’m still working up the nerve.”
Javy doesn’t say anything as a response, seemingly okay with dropping the subject for now. Jake is grateful. He’s already going to be a nervous wreck, he doesn’t need anybody else adding pressure onto him.
The next couple of hours are spent drinking beers, playing pool and darts, and chatting about everything and nothing with the squad. For a few moments here and there throughout the night, Jake manages to forget about his situation, until reality comes crashing back in. He tries to be his usual extroverted and cocky self, but even he can tell it comes off as forced tonight.
It gets to a point where he can’t keep up the facade any longer. When the squad is engrossed in a story Mickey is telling, Jake quietly slips away and heads out onto the back deck for some fresh air. The blonde walks over to the railing that overlooks the beach and ocean, willing the cool salt breeze and sound of the rushing waves to calm his nerves. It doesn’t work.
Asking Bradley is going to be a stupid idea, Jake is sure of it. There’s no way he’s going to be able to ask for such a favor from him without Bradley thinking he’s fucking insane. He and Bradley have just managed to get a solid friendship going, he doesn’t want to fuck that up already.
He sighs heavily in frustration as he looks out to the horizon, wishing he had just told his mama the truth. Technically he still can, it’ll just hurt her feelings.
Right when Jake has all but decided to call his mama and fess up, the back door of the bar opens and Bradley walks out with a beer in each hand.
“Hey, there you are, Jake,” Bradley sidles up next to him, standing less than a foot away. “I wondered where you wandered off to.”
Jake shrugs, feeling a bit self-conscious. “Just needed some fresh air.”
”Thought you could use another one of these as well,” Bradley replies, holding out a bottle of Jake’s favorite beer.
The blonde blushes as he thanks Bradley and takes a sip. It’s quiet for a moment as they watch the waves until the brunet breaks the silence. “Is everything okay tonight? I don’t mean to pry, but you’ve just seemed…off, I guess.”
And there it is, the perfect opportunity for him to bring up the topic he’s been dancing around all night when he’s interacted with Bradley. He’s got his chance now, he might as well take the shot.
Jake rubs the back of his neck, feeling a bit awkward. “Well, It’s kind of a long story.”
Bradley doesn’t appear to be deterred in the slightest. “I’ve got all night. If you want to talk about it, that is.”
If Jake wants to ask Bradley to be his fake boyfriend, then he doesn’t have a choice. He takes a long sip of his beer and then turns his head to Bradley, seeing the man looking at him expectantly, though not impatiently. He takes a deep breath, then explains every detail of the situation that he feels the older man should know.
As it turns out, Bradley is a fantastic listener, nodding and offering small comments when appropriate, and assuring Jake just with his body language that he’s offering him his full attention.
“So, the way Javy and I are looking at it is that I either need to call my mama and tell her the truth, or find a fake boyfriend, and quickly,” Jae finishes, taking a deep breath and feeling a bit embarrassed for dumping so much information on Bradley at once.
”You’re in a hell of a situation here,” Bradley chuckles. ”But it sounds to me like you’re leaning toward the fake boyfriend option, which I understand. No need to break your mama’s heart if you can avoid it. Do you know anybody you can ask?”
Jake feels his face burn hotter than the sun as Bradley asks that question. His heart leaps in his chest, and he can feel anxiety pooling in his stomach. He’s hoping none of the nerves he’s feeling are too obviously written on his face.
“Well, the thing is,” Jake begins, avoiding eye contact with Bradley and chuckling nervously to himself, “you’re kind of the only person I know who is available and that I trust enough to bring along.”
It takes every ounce of strength in his body to flick his eyes up from the wooden deck to meet Bradley’s honey-brown eyes. Where he expects to find disgust and rejection, he instead finds understanding and amusement. He feels his heart do somersaults in his chest. Maybe he hasn’t totally fucked up and overstepped.
“It’s a good thing you know one very handsome and eligible naval aviator who can fill the role for you.”
Jake almost can’t believe what he’s hearing. Bradley actually is willing to help him out with this? Does the brunet have any idea of what he’s getting himself into? The two of them are going to have to hold hands, wrap their arms around each other, call each other pet names, kiss each other, and be casually affectionate in every way in front of his entire family. Either Bradley is absolutely insane, or he’s just a great man who’s willing to help his friend out.
“Are you actually saying you’d be down to act as my fake boyfriend for five days?”
Bradley shrugs, a cheeky grin on his face. “That depends….”
“On what?”
”Are you asking me?”
Jake feels the corners of his mouth lifting up into a grin. “Yeah…Yeah, I guess I am.”
”Then I’d be happy to,” Bradley extends his hand to shake. Jake happily takes it, enjoying the brief but strong grip of Bradley’s hand holding his own.
“You’re serious?” Jake can’t stop the question from passing his lips.
The older man looks at him as if saying yes is the most obvious answer in the world. “Jake, you literally saved my life less than a year ago, I think this is the least I can do for you.”
That may be true, but Jake doesn’t like to dwell too much on the mission if he can avoid it. Too many unpleasant memories are associated with that day, even if things did work out in the end. “You know that’s not something you owe me for. I did what anybody would have…and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
Bradley takes a couple steps closer, leaving only about a foot of space between them. “I know, Jake, but this is more than that. We’re friends now, and friends go out of their way to help each other out when they need a favor. It’s the right thing to do. So, just think of this as me doing you a solid.”
”I’m not sure you fully understand what you’re getting yourself into,” Jake warns, partly as a joke, and partly to offer Bradley one more out if he decides he wants to bail.
“I’m not worried about it at all. I love weddings, so I think it might actually be kind of fun. Plus, I’ve gotta meet the people who raised this,” Bradley gestures up and down Jake’s body, eliciting a loud, genuine laugh from the younger man.
“Smartass.”
”Hey, is that any way to talk to your fake boyfriend?” Bradley asks, feigning offense in his voice.
The blonde rolls his eyes. “Oh, please.” He can’t help but smile at Bradley’s antics, though. “There’s gonna be a lot I have to fill you in on over the next few weeks, but I’ll handle all of the details, all you need to do is attend and put on a good show.”
”Sounds good to me. But if I can help out in any other ways before we go, just let me know, yeah?”
Jake nods. “Yeah, I will. Oh, and you’re gonna have to request time off. If it even gets approved.”
Bradley doesn’t seem to be concerned in the slightest. “A man who is as good as my dad is the COMPACFLT, I think it’ll be okay.”
”Nepo baby,” Jake teases, always somehow forgetting how personal of a relationship Bradley has with the Admiral because of their mutual association with Maverick.
The brunet makes a tsk-tsk sound with his mouth. “There you go again, insulting your fake boyfriend. Not a very good look on you.”
”You’re really gonna milk that for all it’s worth, aren’t you?” Jake asks, rhetorically.
“You know it, Jakey,” Bradley giggles, and Jake feels his cheeks burn at the nickname, and even more so as the older man’s face softens and his eyes fall on Jake. “There’s one more condition on my end if I’m gonna do this.”
”You name it.”
Bradley leans just a bit closer. “You’re not allowed to fall in love with me.”
Jake isn’t sure how to respond until his friend laughs. “Don’t worry, it won’t be a problem,” the blonde teases, but he’ll be honest with himself, he isn’t completely sure if his words are true.