talk me down

long overdue intro post for breedly holebrook bradley holbrook!! if you’ve seen my writing you’ll know i’m prone to go over the top, so naturally that’s what i’ve done here

so this is my warning, LONG POST AHEAD (lmao and i may still add to it, who knows) i’m always open to chat/plot/whatever if you ever want to slide into my dms, or feel free to ask for my discord!! 

The truth was Cory really did want Brad to play another song, sure he was trying to use it as an excuse to get the attention back off himself and the Scooby Doo Detective work that his friend was trying to do. However Cory had been almost disappointed with how soon the song had ended and, not that he would ever admit it openly, had enjoyed how Brad’s singing voice had filled the cabin. However it seemed his friend was much to intent with trying to needle some gossip out of him and had very much latched on to the scent of the shirt. Cory knew that he never wore cologne and often forgot deodorant, but he at least showered with soap, could the smell of this shirt really be so significantly different that Brad had been able to pinpoint it. On top of that he recognized the scent as one of his friends or at least someone he knew around camp which actually gave the beast in the pit of Cory’s stomach a harsh jab making it roar a little in jealousy. With the pout firmly in place on his lips though he tried to keep all that suppressed and instead rolled his eyes at the twinge of a grin on his best friend’s features.

“Are you done? You’re so fucking over dramatic and theatrical sometimes.” Cory scoffed as he watched Brad dramatically pretend to throw up and feel nauseated, unable to help himself from giving the other a playful but harsh shove. The fact Brad was still holding his guitar was the only reason why Cory had not already pounced on top of him to pin him down and begin wrestling in retaliation to the teasing and probing. “I don’t even know why you are being so dramatic, the joke is on you because I didn’t even hook up with the guy who’s shirt this is!” He pointed out, giving Brad a punch in the arm. The fact that the pair had gotten so close and yet never really steered into the realm of discussing sexual exploits might seem ridiculous to an observer. But given Brad’s affinity to use any possible other word than sex itself and the fact Cory had come to camp with no experience whatsoever it actually made sense. Besides the pair bonded over every possible other thing that could be discussed so they had never needed to talk about it before. They were teenage boys though and close friends, so it was natural to be curious and Cory didn’t want Brad to think he was hiding anything from him either. “If we have been with the same guys I think I would be so scarred that my virginity would grow back.” he huffed with a shake of his head but a grin on his lips. “Do you seriously want to get into this though? Because I’m not telling you shit unless you are going to give me all your juicy details as well.” this was certainly dangerous territory to enter given the events that had already transpired today but Cory wasn’t exactly one to ever back down. “Actually, the only way I’m going to tell you anything is if you can say the word sex or fucking without bursting into giggles or blushing like a tomato”

      The mystery of the shirt was definitely, absolutely, one hundred percent not a distraction technique to keep Bradley from leaving himself so open and vulnerable again. And not even because he hated how he felt, far from it in fact: performing in front of Cory had been liberating and had done wonders for his confidence. It was just the personal aspect of it. And if talking about S-E-X was the alternative, well, Bradley supposed it might be a little less personal. Or easier to confront, at least. As if to finalise his decision (as well as out of precaution following the thump he received), Bradley carefully leaned forward to rest his guitar at the foot of the sofa, nose wrinkling a little at the discarded food wrappers he made sure to avoid, before reaching over to grab handfuls of the shirt, balling it up in his fists and bringing it up to his face with plenty to spare over Cory’s slim form. Another strong inhalation, another careful consideration, but still, nothing.

“Do you really wanna hang up on me, babe?”

      “You think I won’t? I can-I can be mean, y’know.”

Jayce at first thought maybe he had been too obvious with his change of expression when the other mentioned dating, so he tried to put a good smile for the other. It wasn’t his fault that he was just so… beautiful and cute and hot. Of course a lot of guys would be interested in dating that young angel. He better take a number or something. The mention of his work seemed to make the other laugh a bit, which encouraged him a little. 

Then, Brad mentioned two things: An ex, which probably meant that he was single now. And Jayce would probably had only focused on that if it wasn’t for the other’s mention of Locker Room Games. That name made Jayce stumble and almost fall flat to his face. He managed to not embarrass himself too much by steadying himself by grabbing Brad’s shoulders. “I… Yeah, I have… Do you mean, like…” he said, as he pulled out his phone and found his own personal copies of the books. “… Like these? These Locker Room Games?” he asked, as he bit his lower lip and blushed as the other smiled at him so genuinely that he almost melt when he pronounced the next words. “That’s… those are mine… I’m James Ashman. I wrote those… And you read them…” he said, his smile growing with every sentence. 

      Determined not to let memories of his ex ruin the present, Bradley continued to defiantly smile through the sharp pang of emptiness that burst through his chest and sank to his stomach, a feat that he was grateful for Jayce for helping make it so much easier to smile. The other man’s features were so pleasant and intoxicatingly warm that Bradley could feel the warmth rising against the deflation in the pit of his stomach. A feeling that was briefly jeopardised when Jayce pulled a classic Brad move and tripped on nothing, the curly-haired boy reacting before he had time to think, long limbs stretching out to close the distance between the two and grab any part of Jayce to keep him on his feet. His efforts seemed to be in vain, however, as Jayce did totally fine of stabilising himself in a way that wasn’t a classic Brad move.

      “You okay there, pal?” Bradley asked with a chuckle, his hands having latched on to the underside of Jayce’s arms, a hand on each elbow, “If I wanted to be cheesy there I’d say you just fell for me there,” he laughed again at his own joke as he helped Jayce straighten himself off, a single eyebrow cocked out of concern despite the humour Brad had managed to find in the situation. The eyebrow stayed in place but out of curiosity rather than concern as he watched Jayce pull out his phone, intrigued eyes peeping on the screen to see what could possibly be so important that Jayce almost tripped thinking about it. When the familiar cover of Locker Room Games popped up, the butterflies began fighting back against the warmth as memories of his ex came flooding back, Brad’s features softening a little.

Was his eyes deceiving him or did he really see the younger man pouting when he pulled away. It made Dash want to reach out again and this time, let his hand roam further. There was something about Bradley that Dash just wanted to coddle him. 

“I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t mind,” Dashiell teased, smiling down at the younger man. It was endearing hearing Bradley trip over his own words, just when he thought that he couldn’t get any cuter, he went and proved Dash wrong. “I get what you mean,” he reassured, “I’m enjoying your company though… I don’t think I want you to leave just quite yet,” the man cooed, smirking this time as he nodded his head forward before guiding the way back towards camp. 

      Still reeling from his inability to engage in normal human contact, Brad blinked hard, muttered a rare curse under his breath, and plastered a smile across his face as Dashiell continued gathering his things. Even if he didn’t want Brad to accompany him, the least the younger could do was offer a hand, right? His mouth had barely opened following a tentative step forwards to offer when it quickly became apparent that Dash was just as efficient as he was rugged, all ready to set off with Brad’s company. There was no hiding the beam that emanated from the curly-haired youth after that, flashing a wide, toothy grin that he couldn’t help but feel looked goofy.

@brad-holbrook​

The campground was small enough to not feel overly crowded like a city would, but still sprawling to a degree that it seemed like Jason met new guys every day he was there. Men of all different kinds, too. That was part of Riverbend’s appeal to him.

Jason recognized Brad from around, but he never quite got around to introducing himself. It wasn’t for a lack of interest; you would be hard-pressed to find a boy cuter than Brad. That boyish face, those dark curls, a tight little body… nothing to dislike on him. After a chance meeting by the lake earlier that day, they got to talking and found themselves hanging out all day. Now here they were, within the confines of Jason’s private cabin, dancing around the very obvious reason for them both being there.

“I got some stuff in my fridge if you’re thirsty—” Jason says from the kitchenette, buying himself time to think of how to proposition his adorable guest. Brad seemed young enough that he could’ve plausibly still been a virgin, and he didn’t want to coerce him into something he wasn’t ready for. (And that was saying nothing of his long, thick cock, which intimidated even the most sexually experienced…) But on that same token, Jason wasn’t naive enough to think that the  younger guys these days weren’t sexually active. Especially not the ones here, it seemed. He had a feeling there was a mutual interest between them, but he needed to be sure before making a move.

He gets up from the fridge and leans on his counter, looking at Brad with a friendly —and slightly nervous— glance. “I’m glad we finally got ourselves acquainted today, mate. Been meaning to say hi since I saw you that first time at the canteen. Y’know when you get a good vibe from someone you don’t know? I try to gravitate myself towards those… so that includes you, I reckon.”

      Gigantic, muscular hunks were in no short at Riverbend, each one as attractive and intimidating as the last, and each one serving as a stark reminder as to just how out of place Bradley was at camp. His first few days had been spent hiding away in his cabin or deftly avoiding the daunting specimens of manhood at every opportunity, navigating the grounds and trails, exploring the nooks and crannies of camp, doing anything to keep himself occupied while he attempted to build the courage to be seen in public beside such Adonises. 

      Even now, weeks later, with friends and a handful of sexual encounters under his belt, Bradley was left absolutely in awe when a god-like man had approached him and engaged in conversation. He was by far one of, if not the most, attractive men Brad had ever seen in his life, with arms bigger than the younger man’s entire waist and a visage sculpted by the gods themselves. It was safe to say that Bradley was rendered his characteristic awkward, bumbling, stuttering mess for a good proportion of their interaction, so it was my some miracle that the teen had wrangled himself an invitation back to the god’s — Jason’s, he would learn his name was — cabin, he had surprised even himself when he said yes.

      “Y-yeah, sure. Whatcha got?” Bradley answered from his position by the counter, elbows bent and propped up as his lithe frame was bent over it, large doe-eyes fixated on the impressive figure of the older man before him. Christ was Jason attractive. If they hadn’t already spent enough time in one another’s presence (less than an hour that is), Bradley was certain his body would have betrayed him more than his trademark blushing. Drooling or tenting in his pants, or something of the like. As a precaution Brad had taken care to make sure his crotch was hidden behind the counter anyway. Just in case.

Juan blushed slightly at the kiss on his cheek. With Brad’s legs over his lap he just pulled the young man closer so he could wrap his arm around him. Which was pretty easy given how light the young man was. He nodded at the other’s call for wine and quickly reached over to pour a glass and give it to the young man. “Tell me how many you can tolerate. I don’t want you to have to experience a hangover if you’ve had more than you should.” Juan joined him, as his alcohol tolerance was pretty high. He clinked their glasses together in a small toast before downing a bit of his. When the other said his ankle felt better from the rest and Juan having taken his mind off the pain, it did make Juan chuckle and look over into the other’s eyes. “I was kinda weird about talking about sex openly too. But now, I don’t mind talking about it with others. Although, that’s an option for you. We don’t need to talk about it. I’m just glad I could help you that day, babe.” Juan moved in and pressed an actual kiss on Bradley’s lips.

“Any time. It’s nice to take a break from it, no?” Juan said cheekily and winked at his friend after the kiss. He reached to the side for the blanket as he placed it over the both of their laps, and reaching for the popcorn to place between the two of them. Juan wanted Bradley to be comfortable and enjoy this…date? Juan wasn’t sure Bradley would even consider it as such, but it was nice the young man wanted to hang out with him. He took a deep breath and held Bradley as they watched the film. And honestly, within five minutes of watching it, Juan was already confused. He wasn’t one to talk through a film unless he was explaining something a friend of his missed while watching it together. Right now, Juan was the one asking the questions because this B list horror film was all over the place. “I’m so confused,” Juan said at normal volume, “There were five of them going to the camp, but now there’s eight. Were the other three already friends with them and just joining the group?” he asked as he kept his eyes on the film, as if he turned to face Bradley he’d miss something. “Okay, now one of the main five are already gone…they just found his body in the ditch. We didn’t even see him die. What the hell is happening?” 

      Bradley was as compliant as ever with Juan, allowing the older man to move and manoeuvre him and his lanky limbs however he saw fit, the younger having complete trust in the older. And sure enough, Juan had manipulated them into a position that was both comfortable and intimate, a position that Brad shuffled around in so that his curls were able to rest on the strong shoulders of the older man without obscuring his view of the screen as the glass of wine was handed to him, spindly fingers immediately closing around the stem and cradling the drink close to his chest after the clink. He had just raised his arms so that his drink wasn’t buried underneath the blanket when his lips were caught in an unexpected kiss that had Brad’s cheeks taking on a pale roseate tint, gulping down his wine as a cover to save himself from embarrassment. It was actually a pleasant tasting drink, nothing like the sharp, biting wine his family allowed him to have at Christmas, more akin to the fruity wine coolers he and his friends would sneak out to share between them.

      It didn’t seem necessary to thank Juan again for his help before, or to address his issues with the word sex or anything relating to it. He was content just to snuggle up with the older man and enjoy his presence, taking the occasional sip of wine, and popping in a kernel or two of popcorn to quietly munch throughout the film. Or throughout however much he could manage to sit through. Brad’s face had begun to twist into a look of confusion as something resembling a plot began falling apart only a few minutes in, something it appeared Juan had also noticed based on the slew of questions that he posed to Bradley, questions that the teen had no hope of being able to answer.

Dashiell retracted his hand, instead reaching to rub the back of his head nervously. He was afraid that he made the younger man uncomfortable by his sudden bold gesture. “Sorry, I have a habit of doings things before thinking,” the man chuckled dryly as he reached down to collect the fishing pole that was on the ground. “I plan on walking back to camp, if you’d like to join me?” He asked curiously, reaching for his ballcap as he placed it upon his head. “Or, I can leave you to finish the walk that you were on.” He tucked a small tacklebox under his arm, holding the fishing pole in the other hand. 

     The second tonal shift was just as sudden as the first and had Bradley in a state of emotional whiplash. The unanticipated intimacy that had sprung from seemingly nowhere and that Brad hadn’t realised he’d craved was pulled from him with such urgency that the younger was actually pouting when Dash’s hand was retracted, longing eyes trailing after the taller man as he began gathering up his belongings. In the meantime, his stomach began untying the knots, his lips were moistened by the swiping of his tongue, and his hands had found idle work of playing with the cords of his hoodie, something to occupy himself while Dash did his thing and Bradley pretended to consider his offer. Granted, there was some hesitation as he hummed, part of him thinking Dash didn’t really want his company — but if that were true, would the older man have been so apologetic about the skin-on-skin contact?

It would be fair to say that in Jude’s life he had very unique relationships with all his friends and lovers, but very rarely did he find someone who could slip into both roles interchangeably. However as the two of them lay there in the early morning light naked bodies so close and mind full of their lust filled evening before, the ease and energy with which they were conversing made the older of the pair believe Bradley could indeed be someone to be both lover and friend. Their sex had been undeniably incredible, the chemistry between the pair through the roof, and now the closeness and intimacy was exacerbated by the shared interests and passions. Seeing the way Brad’s face lit up and Jude grinning, heart pounding in his chest as their shifting bodies caused the occasional bump of crotches or tangle of lanky limbs. However Jude’s focus was entirely on the other’s face, in particular his lips and the words which were flowing out of them with ease. The fact Bradley seemed so relaxed and comfortable around him was a huge compliment given how shy and awkward he had seemed when they first met.

Jude listened intently, hooked on every detail that Bradley was providing and noting the modesty in his gestures and the passion in his tone. “Ed Sheeran meets Adele meets John Mayer, interesting, I can kind of picture that. Pop-y but raw is always a good place to begin for any young songwriter I think. Then the more you play and perform and see what works the more it will evolve into your unique sound.” He nodded, clearly invested already in Brad’s music despite having only just learned the guy did that. “Oh I’m sorry, did that hurt?” Jude teased sarcastically, knowing the other had taken a whole lot more than a simple poke to the chest last night. Deciding to quickly roll himself over, propping up on his arms and knees so that he was now hovering over Bradley, one of his limbs on either side of the smaller male. “I didn’t realize you were so fragile” he smirked, taking Brad’s wrists and pinning them above his head before swooping his neck down and planting a long kiss to his puffy lips. “As it should be, all parents should blast Dreams to their kids until they can perform it perfectly.” he nodded approval at Brad’s mom’s methods. “How many sisters do you have? Are they older or younger than you? Are they also musicians?” Jude began to rattle off questions again, the tone of his voice making it clear there was genuine interest in the answers to each one of them, keen to learn all there was to know about this beautiful and sexy man in his bed.

     The soreness and stiffness from last night’s activities still lingered in Brad’s aching muscles and abused hole, a lingering that even his deep slumber had done little to soothe, but was able to be ignored (or at least supressed) by the conversation. He had to admire Jude for that. The younger briefly rolled onto his side to stretch and yawn away from Jude, sparing the older man his morning breath and sprawling limbs, before returning to face Jude again to face another onslaught of questions. He had to admire that too. Jude was mostly certainly attentive, in more ways than listening. 

      Brad himself was returning the nods to Jude’s praise and suggestions, a grin developing as the tone shifted a little more towards the playful side, and then a lot more playful when Bradley found himself pinned underneath the older man. He was too tired to fight back, frankly, wide eyes pleading and his mouth beginning to open to protest before being silenced with a very unexpected but very welcome kiss, one that had literally taken his breath away due to the lack of time to prepare. When it was finally broken, Brad gasped for air, lightly panting as more questions were posed.

“Mmmm, I had to be, given how…tight you seemed to be, haha. You’re just as sweet, Brad. And you’re charming, and caring. You’re your own unique person, which I love. I’m happy we met too, babe. The night we spent was amazing. Babe, you’re being silly. You look cute with rosy cheeks.”

      “Gosh, you’d better stop. I mean it. I’m gonna burn up over here! I’ll hang up on you and don’t think I won’t.”

“You woulda had a hard time expressing your feelings back in my day. I guess if we’re talking about it…I had…a lot of fun with you. Like…so much. You’re one of the ones I feel a deep connection with and the other night really…well, it was amazing, being with you.”

      “Aww, Juan...that’s so-that’s so sweet. You’re so sweet. And, and, and so kind and thoughtful and-and patient with me. Especially with...y’know...size issues. I’m glad we met. Aaaand I’m gonna have to add a filter soon. Look, I can see my cheeks going red in the camera. Jeez. Gross.”

“All of a sudden you’re not the shy type, huh?”

      “We both know my generation gets, like, ten times bolder behind a screen. Plus I can use a filter to hide my blush if it gets too much, so, win-win.”

📹📞 Video Chat

@brad-holbrook

“You only enjoyed the snacks? That makes me sad.”

      “I meannn...maybe broaden the definition of snacks and see if you feel the same.”

"Is that because we just abandoned the movie altogether when we couldn't make anything of it and did something else that was fun?"

      "Ohmygod you'd better stop! No, it's cause you had a killer snack selection. Obviously."

      "Yeah, can't complain. Same old same old, y'know? I've missed you too though! You throw together, like, the best movie nights ever."

      "Might be a little flashy for a headshot, thinking about it. But thanks, Juan! Can always count on you to make me blush. You're gonna give me such an ego, I swear!

Cory may not have been the sharpest tool in the shed, his lack of acceptances to any colleges a clear indication of that, however he also wasn’t a complete idiot. He had also gotten to know Brad intimately and knew just how much of a big deal the last few minutes must have been for him. However Cory also was not the type to throw fake compliments at someone merely for the sake of it, Brad was not dumb and would know that they were fake so they wouldn’t even benefit him. Besides if anyone believed their craft was perfected at their age then they were seriously deluded, this was Brad’s first time performing live to someone and so of course it’s not like it would be perfect. Life was not some cheesy movie where everything happens perfectly without hard work and effort. Cory was sure Brad knew he still had work to do to improve but wanted to make sure that his base was at least strong enough to work up from. Merely the fact that Cory was not mocking him or making a derogatory remark was more than enough to reinforce that although he already regretted being so nice as long arms suddenly wrapped around him from behind and the curly haired musician rested on his shoulder. Of course inside he was happy to have caused that gleeful lighting up of his friends features but he couldn’t let Brad know that or he’d never live it down. “Yeah, whatever, you’re not totally shit, don’t let it go to your head though. There’s only enough room for my ego in this friendship”

Cory rolled his eyes and huffed as Brad hugged him from behind and nuzzled into his neck inhaling his scent, pretending to find the intimate moment highly distasteful but also not making any effort to stop it from occurring. He was about to make another sarcastic and snarky comment when he heard Brad’s nose inhale harder and suddenly found him sniffing around his neck and shoulder like some kind of sniffer dog in search of drugs.  “What’s what?” Cory frowned trying to shift himself and move his body away from the incessant sniffing that was coming from his friend, however Brad’s arms remained firmly wrapped around him and his squirming proved to be fruitless. “Fucking rude…” he mumbled at the commenting of him not washing, despite the slight truth in his laziness in that department. The nose pressed into his neck, so close to his hickey was making his flesh become covered in goosebumps while Bradley continued his ridiculous detective work. Then it came together as he realized the shirt he was wearing must have been giving off a different scent, within Cory the contrast of emotion at the fact his friend knew his scent so well that he noticed the difference and the fact he wanted to punch the smug jeering look of Brad’s face was dramatic. “Of course it’s not my shirt, look at the size of it dickwad. It’s basically a dress on me and keeps falling off my shoulders” he scoffed as he was finally able to detach himself away from his friends’ arms. “Aren’t you supposed to be playing music and working on that performance anxiety Bradders?” he pointed out as he tried to swat the long finger which jabbed his cheek away, his lips as pouty as they had ever been. “Not talking about my sex life” He tutted, of course the irony being he had borrowed this shirt in an entirely non sexual situation. However, despite their closeness and friendship, Cory and Brad had never really fully delved into discussing their sex lives and in particular who exactly around camp they might be involved with. 

      Cory’s reaction was...well, a Cory reaction. Bradley couldn’t possibly claim to know the shorter male as well as he would like, not to the extent where he could read his mind or anything, but he could tell what was good and what was bad, and thankfully, his friend seemed to have enjoyed Brad’s song. It was a relief, truly, but Bradley was a little distracted by something he did know about his friend, and that was that this wasn’t his shirt. Given his penchant for baggy clothes, appearance hadn’t been enough for Brad to make the connection. It was the scent, after all, that had lead him to going full Scooby Doo mode. Even if there was a vague familiarity about it, the smell just wasn’t Cory. It was the scent of someone who made an effort, who actively used deodorant and cologne, and it had Brad wracking his brain as to who he knew at camp intimately enough to be familiar with their smell, his features continuing to be twisted into a look that conveyed hard thought even as he was pushed away from Cory, arms idly swatting away the shorter boy’s attacks.