Chapter Text
“Vinny—” Jake spoke with sincere love and affection for the dog that was bumping its square face against his thigh in the hope that that might help with the task of moving boxes. “—I appreciate your help, I do. You’re a very good boy, but I’ve got this box, okay? Why don’t you see what your moustached daddy is doing, hmm? He probably needs help. He normally does.”
“I heard that!” Bradley’s voice came from somewhere in the kitchen, where he’s unpacking pots and pans and generally making a lot of noise.
They were moving in together. They’d sold their separate apartments six months into their relationship, and now had a three bedroom house together; Vinny and Sootface joining them of course. The pair of them getting along rather well considering they were a cat and a dog; Jake thinks it’s because Vinny is as laid back as Bradley is, and because he doesn’t seem to mind the fact that Sootface likes climbing onto his back and curling up to sleep on him, the grey feline has accepted Vinny as a part of the family.
“You were meant to, Darlin’!” He put the box he was carrying down, and let out a sigh. This was the last of them. Everything was now moved into the house. They just needed to unpack and organise things.
Mav, Ice, Bob, Tasha and Javy had helped them unload everything and before they all left, it was agreed that they’d all get beer and pizza (Jake and Bradley’s treat), once they actually had the majority of things unpacked.
Vinny chuffed at him, and looked at him with eyes very like his daddy’s. “What is it boy, hmm?”
The Boxer nosed at the floor and Jake scrunched his face up in thought, before he realised the dog probably wanted his bed. Jake rummaged around for it, and with a loud Aha! he grabbed the soft, padded dog bed and put it down for Vinny to flump himself down on.
When Vinny boofed lowly in thanks, Jake got out Sootface’s litterbox, scratching post and climbing tree that he likes to perch on and watch them all from, like they’re his servants (which is about right).
“Sorted the important things, I see.” Bradley chuckled, pressing a wet smooch to his cheek and rubbing Vinny’s head. Sootface brushed against Jake’s leg as he walked by, and Jake rolled his eyes at the grey hairs now stuck to his jeans.
“Of course. I don’t want to find a surprise in my shoe because I didn’t sort these two out first.”
“That’s fair. Such a smart Princess.”
“Sure, I sounded like an idiot when we first met, but I was smart enough to know I wanted you and I’d be the biggest dumbass to let you slip through my fingers.”
Bradley shuffled in close and wrapped his arms loosely around Jake’s shoulders; his handsome face bright and happy as he looked at him. “And now we live together.”
“And now we live together.” He kissed his boyfriend and basked in how much his life had changed in six months. He swept his gaze around the room; taking in the bare walls they were going to decorate, and all the boxes with Bradley’s chicken scratch writing on the sides detailing what was on there.
His head whipped to a stop like a record scratch as he looked at one of the boxes.
“Bradley.”
“Jake.”
“Does that box say sex toys on the side?”
The gorgeous bastard didn’t even turn around to look. “Yup.”
“Are there actually sex toys inside?”
“No, they’re in the box saying bedroom stuff.”
“So, what’s in that box?”
“Books, I think.”
Jake closed his eyes and counted to five. “Babe, your dad carried that box in.”
“Which one?”
Jake looked at him flatly. “Well, seeing as the box is about half the size of Mav, it wasn’t him. You let Ice carry a heavy box labelled sex toys, into our new house.”
“So, what’s the problem?”
“I’ll tell you the problem, Bradley Bradshaw—” He cupped Bradley’s face and got up as close as possible so his moustache tickled Jake’s face without them actually kissing. “—the problem is you and your pranks, are not funny in the slightest.”
Bradley smirked, all loose and smug. “They are though. I bet Mav is cackling at Ice telling him we apparently own a big box’s worth of dildos, and plugs, and shit.”
“Why did I move in with you again?”
“Because you love me.” He fluttered his eyelashes, and smoothed his hands down Jake’s back to squeeze his waist.
Jake couldn’t bring himself to disagree. Even with the stupid mislabelled box right in his eyeline, he was still completely gone for Bradley.
Bradley wasn’t laughing though when later that night Jake got out the actual sex toys and proceeded to make him sob over and over as he teased and fucked him with the vibrating dildo they owned.
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He couldn’t stop looking at the white gold ring that wrapped around his finger on his left hand.
He was married.
Jake was fucking married.
556 days after they first looked at each other over that counter, they were now husbands.
Mav cried the most out them all at the wedding. Bradley owed him a blow job for losing that bet.
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“Are you sure this is a good idea, Jake?” Bradley whispered; both of them sat in the dark like a couple of weirdos.
“Yes, Darlin’. This is one of the best ideas I’ve ever had.”
Even though all the lights were out, Jake could feel his husband looking at him with beady eyes of judgement.
“And this has nothing to do with what happened after we first slept together?”
“Oh, it has everything to do with what happened after we first slept together. I have bided my time, waiting to get those two assholes back for that ambush, and this is the perfect opportunity.”
“I’ve married an idiot.”
Jake whacked him round the back of the head—his aim perfect even though he could see jack shit. “You’re here as a willing accomplice. That makes you just as much of an idiot as me.”
“Fine, we’re both idiots.”
Jake sshh’d him as they heard the front door lock go. They sat on the sofa, ready to pounce on their unsuspecting victims; one of Jake’s hands resting prone on the light switch of the sofa-side lamp.
They heard breathy moans, and soft bumps of bodies hitting furniture—a clear sign that two people were making out, fumbling their way into the room. When they were close enough, Jake flipped the light on, and revelled in the high-pitched scream Mav let out.
“What the fuck is going on?!” Mav yelled, jumping up to cling to Ice’s side as if Jake and Bradley were a massive spider he needed the extra height on.
“I think this is payback for when we ambushed them that first morning together, Mav.” Ice sighed, not even bothering to shove his husband off him.
“That was like three fucking years ago!”
“I like to play the long game.” Jake’s grin was all teeth. Bradley was sat next to him in silent support.
“Okay, very funny and scary, now you can go.”
“Oh no, this wasn’t the scary part.”
The pair of them looked at him with squinted eyes full of suspicion. “What’s the scary part?” Ice asked slowly.
Jake looked at Bradley, Bradley looked back and nodded. He held out a letter that they’d received earlier that day, in which contained confirmation that their life was about to change in a big way.
“You’re going to be grandparents.”
Him and Bradley had received approval for their application to adopt a toddler, and honestly Jake thought his heart might burst out of his chest. They’d been together for three and a half years now, and Bradley had asked him if they had plans for the third bedroom in the house (the second one often used as a crash pad for Javy and sometimes Mav when he was sulking about something Ice had said and needed somewhere to pout in peace for a few hours before going back home and having make up sex with his tall, blond husband). Jake had looked at him shyly and said he hoped one day it would be their kid’s bedroom. Bradley had kissed him against the wall and said yes; over and over until Jake realised he was serious about being parents together.
They filled in the adoption application form the next day, and now here they were; soon-to-be parents to a 3-year-old boy called Matty, who had lost both parents in a car crash and had been put into care.
He had curly, light brown hair, hazel eyes, and he apparently loved dinosaurs, bugs, cats, and dogs.
Jake thought he was perfect.
They were picking him up in three days’ time, and he was a big bundle of nerves and excitement.
And obviously, he couldn’t wait to tell his dad and pops-in-law; in the most dramatic and little shit way possible.
“G—Grandparents?” Ice, actually fucking stuttered.
“Us. Grandparents?” Mav looked terrified (though there was hope and excitement shining in those green eyes too amongst the panic).
“Yep. We’re soon to have a son, and you a grandson.”
“Fuck.”
Ice fainted, taking Mav down to the floor with him.
Suffice to say, Jake thought the whole thing was hilarious and well worth the patience it had taken to find the right moment to get back at his parents-in-law for embarrassing him that first morning.
They did make sure Mav and Ice were okay where they lay in a pile of limbs on the floor.
In between giggles, of course.
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“Bedtime storwee, papa?” Jake looked at his and Bradley’s son who was curled up under his dinosaur duvet, hugging a stuffed rooster toy (because like fuck Jake was going to pass up that opportunity to annoy his husband by getting a stuffed toy of his callsign), with Sootface curled up by his feet purring in contentment, and wondered when he’d gotten so fucking lucky.
“Okay, Matty Mash Potato.” The now four-and-a-half-year-old, giggled at his silly nickname; earnt from his inability to eat the soft food without making a mess everywhere. “What book are we wanting tonight?”
“You know what he’s going to say.” Bradley huffed in amusement from the doorway; his face soft and gentle like it is every time he looks at the small boy they’re blessed to have in their life.
“Don’t wanna book, papa. Wanna hear the storwee of how you and daddy met.” Matty looked at him with big, hazel eyes and Jake sighed.
“Told you.”
“Maybe you should tell it for once.”
Bradley shook his head. “Nah, you’re number one storyteller for a reason, Princess.”
Jake rolled his eyes, but shuffled to get comfy on the small bed all the same. “Okay, fine. Once upon a time there was a librarian called Jake, and one day, he came across the most beautiful man in all the world, right there in a coffee shop…”
“It’s cute, he loves that story so much.” Bradley whispered, pressing a kiss into Matty’s curls now the boy was asleep after Jake had finished his story.
“I think it’s your favourite story too—" Jake smirked, tucking their son in and stroking Sootface as he climbed off the bed. They turned on Matty’s plane-shaped nightlight and then left the room quietly.
Vinny was snoring softly on his bed in the living room, so Jake let himself be pulled into their own bedroom by his frisky husband. “—judging by the way you’re trying to get in my pants, Darlin’.”
“You know I have a weakness for you and kids. Our kid especially.”
“If you’re gonna fuck me, better kiss me the whole time to keep me quiet. Don’t want to wake Matty.”
“Oh no. What a hardship.” Bradley sighed dramatically, as he pulled Jake’s t-shirt off over his head. “I’ll have to kiss my husband while I fuck him. Boo hoo.”
“You can go off people, you know.” Jake glared at him, even as he let Bradley undo his jeans.
“Yeah, not me though.”
Bradley nipped at his neck, and wrapped his hand around Jake’s cock, and yeah, Jake couldn’t even bring himself to lie.
“No, not you. Never you.”
He let himself be undressed and then pushed onto their bed, and as Bradley swallowed his cock—stuffing his own t-shirt in Jake’s mouth because he knows how loud he can be, and his mouth was currently otherwise occupied sucking on Jake’s dick—Jake realised that while somethings changed, somethings stayed the same.
He was still an actual adult with an actual job (Number One storyteller in the local library because the kids adored him, and actual librarian the rest of the time), with an actual house now, two actual pets (a grey furball masquerading as a cat, who went by the name of Sootface, and the most chill dog there was, called Vinny), an actual child (who was the shining star of their lives and was adored by not only his parents, but his granddads too, and his Uncle Bob, Auntie Tasha, and Uncle Javy), and actual plants that were still yet to be killed all these years later; and despite all that, when it came to Bradley Bradshaw, he had yet to learn how to stop acting like a fucking idiot.
A horny, loved-up, sofuckinghappy, idiot.
But then he did go by Jake Bradshaw nowadays, so he figured the idiocy was terminal.
He was more than okay with that.