#gkff

It was late Friday evening, and he'd wanted nothing more than to come home from work and unwind with the laptop he'd been meaning to take apart for the last week. He was pretty sure Ray had mentioned that he really needed to study tonight too, but apparently his need to gossip about his former team members had won out.

"Yeah, he's acting really fucking sketchy. We grabbed lunch earlier, and I asked him if he wanted to come over on Saturday for the game, and he totally blew me off."

"Maybe he just didn't want to hang out with you. I mean, it's understandable."

"Yeah, love you too, asshole. I mean it though, that's fine if he doesn't want to hang out, but like I said - really fucking sketchy." Ray pointed out, folding his arms as he leaned the chair back onto two legs. With a quick glance in Ray's direction, he reached over to nudge the chair back onto all four legs as Ray continued to speak, "He just said he was busy, but he wouldn't tell me what the fuck he was doing. I know he was planning on proposing, so I asked him - all sneaky like, of course - whether he was taking Allie out, and he got all stuttery and shit, kept avoiding the question. If it were anyone else I'd think he was fucking around, but I've never met anyone as pussy whipped as that kid."

Rolling his eyes, he was unable to resist huffing out a breath of laughter. He found that if he avoided humouring Ray for long enough, eventually he ran out of steam and got bored. Any indication that he was amused though, was enough to encourage Ray and really get him going. He supposed though, that he had signed up for that when he'd asked Ray to move in with him six months ago. It was his own fault.

"See, I knew you were listening." He chirped, reaching over to playfully pinch Brad on the forearm, "I mean it though. Like I said, I'm pretty sure he's taking her out to propose - I know he's already bought a ring and shit - but he could have just told me. I could be out spreading all sorts of rumours that he's cheating on her."

"Please don't, I know he looks like he wouldn't hurt a fly, but he's still a Marine." He pointed out, turning his attention away from the laptop for the moment. He was pretty sure he wasn't going to make any progress with it now that Ray had gotten this conversation in his head, "I know you've got abandonment issues, but just because Walt is marrying his girl doesn't mean he loves you any less." He teased.

"Whatever. I mean, obviously I'd be happy for him, y'know?"

"Maybe he knows you can't keep a secret." He suggested, smiling and rolling his eyes at Ray's outraged look, "And don't even try to tell me that you can." He continued, before Ray could get started again, "We'd been sleeping together for a week and a half before Walt found out, and it certainly wasn't me who told him. It's fine, nobody blames you for your inability to keep your mouth shut, we all know the Marine Corps irreparably damaged your brain before giving it back."

"Oh, yeah. Talk dirty to me, daddy." Ray huffed, pushing one of his screwdrivers off the table - similarly to how a cat would have.

Ordinarily, he would have continued to tease Ray, but he was a little taken aback by the way his words had hit him low in the gut.

"Plus, I can totally ke- what the fuck is wrong with you?" Ray asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked in his direction.

"What? Nothing."

"Dude, you've got that deer in a headlights look going on right now."

He rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to the laptop just for something else to focus on. He could feel his cheeks burning though, and he swiftly made up his mind that he was never going to forgive his body for betraying him like this.

"Wait." Ray said after a moment of watching him unscrewing a panel from the laptop, and he could already hear the shit-eating grin in his voice, "Were you into that?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, my God. You totally were! Dude, Brad, it's totally okay if being called ‘daddy’ gets you all hot and bothered, but I need to know all about it."

"Shut the fuck up." He groused. He wasn't having this conversation, and he certainly wasn't about to admit that Ray calling him 'daddy' had piqued his interest, to say the least. If he could feel his mouth drying up a little, that was entirely his own business.

When he glanced up, Ray was still grinning - although the grin itself had turned a little less shit-eating, if that was even possible.

"Alright." He shrugged, wetting his lips with his tongue, "I can't be bothered studying tonight though, so I'm just gonna go hang in the bedroom." He told him, rising from the chair he'd been sitting on, before glancing back down at Brad as he slid a hand over the arch of his shoulders, "You coming.. daddy?"

The low pitch of his voice had goosebumps rising over the skin at the back of his neck, as did the way Ray grinned back over his shoulder at him as he strolled into the bedroom, the tip of his tongue caught between his teeth.