My Dreamland ✨

IWTBY Verse on AO3 aka the NFL Fake Dating AU

Thank you so much @redfurrycat for having this done by the amazing @enthyrea

tagged by @exhuastedpigeon @welcometololaland @mxrcusflint @roosterseresin @tgmsunmontue

Another snippet from my ex-college baseball teammates fic which went from hehe i'm not gonna do it to 34k and counting. (it's...really fun)

“Technically, I was here first.”

“Making yourself into my boyfriend.” Jake smirked, giving him a once-over over the papers. “You really could’ve just asked me out, darlin’, but I’ll admit, the initiative is sexy. Never thought I’d be into the whole tellin’ not askin’ thing.”

Bradley huffed and zipped his bag. “Yeah, would you have said yes?”

“Guess you’ll never know.”

With a shake of his head, Bradley said, “You’re such a—”

“Love of your life?” Jake filled in, as gleeful as ever for the opportunity to be a shit-stirrer. “I know.”

Bradley could only let out a breath and check the time. “You were wrong about the hour.”

A cocky half-grin grew. “Guesstimate.”

“Let me guess, never brought a guy home before, so it’s new territory?”

Jake’s amusement didn’t dim, but his focus returned to his paperwork. “It is a matriarchal household.”

Bradley belly flopped onto the mattress beside him, smirking when it fucked up the note Jake was making and earned him a scowl. “It’s funny, seeing you surrounded by 50 women. Not what I expected, but it actually makes so much sense.”

“You make plenty of sense, too, Bradshaw.”

In his short time, he’d already put together the fact that Jake had his mother’s maiden name. He debated asking, but he had to know. “What happened to your dad?”

“I’ll give you the dirty details if you give me yours.”

Bradley let out a breath and rolled onto his back. As he shifted to get comfortable, he winced at the lower part of his spine that was always angry those days, the cost of professional sports. There was no doubt the run had aggravated it. He wondered if Jake had any effects of the game, or if he was annoyingly perfect in that way, too.

“You okay there, gramps?” Jake teased.

“I’m two years older than you.”

“Funny, I recall that meaning a lot.”

It was odd, teetering between the past and the present, with the person on the other side of the teeter-totter someone he’d never been good at fully predicting. He’d once known him so well and also not at all, a decision that he still stuck by even if the reasons no longer mattered. It was surprising and unsurprising that Jake was deadset on bringing it up as much as possible. Bradley sighed and closed his eyes, dropping his arms onto the mattress. “You’re retired, and my back’s fucking shot, think things have changed.”