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“Mav?” He turns from where he’s making PB&J sandwiches to look over at where Bradley is sat at the kitchen table; legs swinging back and forth, tongue stuck out to the side as he colours with concentration, the fat, yellow crayon in his small hand leaving streaks of colour on the paper.
"What is it, baby?"
The six year old boy who was Mav's favourite person on the whole planet hums and wiggles his head from side to side, like he does whenever he's holding back from saying something until Mav is what he deems close enough. Which usually means cuddling him because Mav is a pushover when it comes to Bradley Bradshaw.
He sets the jelly-covered knife down and walks the few steps to the table; scooping Bradley up and sitting down on the wooden chair in his place; peppering wet kisses all over the side of Bradley’s face making him squeal and giggle in his lap.
"Hmm? What is it, peanut?" He presses more kisses into the soft, golden strands of Bradley’s curls; squeezing him gently, because he can never get enough of the unconditional love the boy has for him. "Must be important if you stopped me making your sandwich."
"It is, Mav," Bradley says; high-pitched and giggly. "S'very important."
"Okay, okay," Mav sighs dramatic and playful. "Hit me with it, Sweetheart."
Bradley picks up Mav's hand and plays with his fingers; chewing on his bottom lip, suddenly shy despite how eager he'd been a moment ago. Mav is happy to wait though. "Billy at school said that people who love each other get married..."
Mav smiles softly; nuzzling at Bradley’s curls. "They do."
"So, can we get married, Mav? Will you be my wife? Because I love you and you love me so we should be married, right?"
His heart clenches at the bashfully asked question, even as his eyebrows raise slightly at Bradley assigning him the role of wife. Knows he can't treat this as anything other than serious. Bradley isn't.
"I think you're a little too young at the moment, baby," he says gently; lightly tickling Bradley’s squidgy tummy. "Only adults can get married."
"Oh," Bradley sounds heartbroken. But then he nods with determination, brow set in a firm line as he looks up at Mav. "When I'm older? Can we get married then?"
Mav huffs out a laugh; so very, very fond. "Sure, Sweetheart. You can ask me once you turn eighteen, okay?"
Bradley nods and then goes back to colouring; Mav clearly having given him exactly what he wanted. Mav sits there cuddling him for a while until Bradley’s tummy rumbles with the hunger of a growing boy, and then he goes back to making their PB&J's, quite sure Bradley will have forgotten all about this when he's older.
Mav will always be happy though that Bradley loves him enough to want him around for a long time....even if he's obviously a little confused about the whole marriage thing.
Because no one wants to marry him. He's not someone people settle down with. Bradley will learn that soon enough.
+
"Mav?"
He looks away from the starry sky, and turns his gaze to Bradley who's sat next to him on flattened blankets, stretched out on the sand in front of Mav's hangar.
"Yeah?"
"How come you never got married?"
Mav blinks in shock at the topic; mouth falling open, words croaking in his throat. "I..."
"And don't say it's because no one asked, because I know at least someone will have wanted to marry you."
He huffs; rolling his eyes. "People may have hinted it, but no one outright asked me. Despite what you may think."
Bradley hums; swipes a thumb over his moustache. "Would you have said yes if they had asked?"
Mav shakes his head. "No. Wouldn't have been right. I never saw myself growing old with anyone I'd been with, so would've been cruel to say yes to a marriage I know I wouldn't have been fully invested in."
"Fair enough."
They go back to their companionable silence; taking intermittent pulls of their beer and just being at peace with the desert around them. Ever since the mission him and Bradley have worked on finding their way back to each other, and Mav thinks they're there now. The bond between them solid and as unbreakable as it was when Bradley was a child, though changed, as they have.
Mav is swallowing another mouthful of beer when Bradley asks, "would you marry someone now?"
The beer tickles his throat as it goes down and he wheezes out a shocked breath. "You have anyone specific in mind? He asks, as his mind whirs trying to work out what Bradley is getting at.
"Yeah." Bradley wets his lips and then turns to look at him; those gold-flecked eyes shining like amber in the silver light of the moon. "Me."
Mav opens and closes his mouth like a confused fish. "Wha--you want to marry me?" They weren't even together romantically. Never even kissed. Though Mav can't deny that Bradley’s the person he's closest to on the whole planet; that they practically live in each other's pockets. Unsure how to truly define their relationship other than they're Bradley and Mav, and all that that encompasses.
"Yeah."
"But- But we've not even kissed!" He's not sure why his mind is stuck on that, only that he's been wondering more and more how the bristles of Bradley’s moustache would feel rasping against his top lip.
Bradley grins and then leans in; cupping Mav's face in his pilot-rough paws. Mav knows what's coming and doesn't stop it, leans in instead. Mav exhales shakily as Bradley slots their mouths together; opening up to his searching tongue, nose crinkling in happiness at the tickle of Bradley’s moustache over his skin.
It's over too soon for Mav's liking.
"There. We've now kissed. Will you answer my question now?"
Mav swallows; nervous fingers carding through his hair. "You actually want to marry me?"
"Yes, Mav. Doesn't matter that we've not had sex yet, I know we'll be good in that department." Bradley winks and Mav can't help but shake his head in fond exasperation at the cheek. "You remember when I asked you to marry me when I was six?"
He jerks out a nod. "Yeah, but you were a kid. You weren't...you weren't serious."
"I was." Bradley grabs his hand and brushes his thumb back and forth over Mav's knuckles and it's clear he means it. "You were the person I wanted to spend my life with. That...that hasn't changed. I know we're not actually together right now, but I don't think it matters because we're us and I meant it when I asked you to marry me back then, and I mean it now. I want to grow old with you, Mav. So...will you?"
Mav takes a steeling breath and then just decides to go for it. Doesn't matter if it's not what everyone else does. They've never been like everyone else.
"Yes."
"Yes?" Bradley laughs in disbelief.
"Yes, Bradley."
"You'll marry me? You'll actually marry me?" He sounds like a kid at Christmas; overjoyed and like he's just been gifted the one thing he'd been praying every night for.
"Yes, Sweetheart," he laughs bright and airy. "Need me to say it again?"
Bradley shakes his head; brown eyes glistening with unshed tears. He shuffles closer and pulls Mav into the crook of his arm; beak of his nose pressing into the underside of Mav's jaw. "I can't believe you said yes."
"I can't believe you want to marry me."
Bradley scoffs. "There's no one else I'd even think about marrying. It's you or no one, babe."
Mav hums; snuggling into Bradley’s warmth. "Yeah. I feel the same. It feels...right with you."
Bradley kisses him again and Mav knows he never wants to go without them now. They sit and watch the stars sparkle, a small part of the universe but in their own little world; entangled in each other’s orbits since the very beginning.
Mav leans into his fiancé, his Bradley, and smiles to himself, happy.
"You going to call me your wife again?" He asks some time later, tongue in cheek. Bradley laughs; loud and delighted, broad frame shaking Mav where they're tucked in close.
"Only if you ask me to, Mav. Only if you ask me to."