A/N: So people wanted me to have another story where Clay and Yoder are together. I came up with this one! It's a bit different, but that is what makes it fun.
Set in season one just before Clay joins the team.
Chapter 1
Clay took a deep breath in as he started to wake up. He didn't want to be awake just yet. He was comfy and warm, he was not ready to face the world just yet. Today was his first day on Bravo and Clay had no idea how well it would go over. He knew Jason picked him, but he was hoping that he picked him because he thought he would be a good fit for the team and not hold Ash against him. The arm around him moved up and down Clay's arm.
"Morning."
Clay looked up and gave Yoder a warm smile. "Morning."
Yoder leaned down and placed a kiss to Clay's lips, one Clay was all too happy to return. They had been dating for five years now, since Clay was nineteen, and Clay could not be happier. He had accepted when he was younger that he didn't hold much interest in girls. He just figured it was the result of the environment he was living in. Living in an active warzone gave you little time or energy to be thinking about dating someone. When he got back to the States at eighteen, he went straight into boot camp and then Buds, once again there was no time for dating. It wasn't until he got into Team Three did he start to notice that he didn't care too much for girls, but when Yoder took his shirt off, that he did notice. Yoder was fully open and out as gay and he was the one that noticed Clay's looks before anyone else. One day Yoder had taken him to dinner and talked to him about when he first discovered he was gay. Clay had opened up about his childhood and how he didn't even think about sex or sexuality at all growing up. Yoder had been kind enough to help Clay understand what he was feeling. He had taken him to his first gay club and played wingman for him. The thing was, after doing it for six months, Clay had yet to kiss any of the men there. They were attractive, but they weren't the one his body wanted. He wanted Yoder and after a few shots Clay had finally leaned in and kissed him, much to his relief Yoder kissed him back. That night they went back to Clay's and had sex. Clay couldn't believe how amazing it felt. Yoder was a reverse so he allowed Clay to fuck him first, afterwards Clay wanted to feel Yoder inside of him. It was the most amazing night he had ever had and it was the start of their relationship.
Yoder pulled back and Clay gave a slight whine, he wanted a lot more than a kiss. Yoder gave a slight chuckle to that.
"How are you feeling about today? It's a big day for you."
"I'm good. Excited and anxious at the same time. I really don't know how Jason is going to react with me being on the team. I know he picked me, but he didn't seem too happy about it."
"You will win him over. You did with Degger and you will do it again. You were born for this and you were born to lead. Jason will see that and come to appreciate your contribution to the team. Just go easy and ease yourself in. The hardest part will be you remembering that you are Bravo Six and not Chalk Alpha Two. You have to get a feel for the chain of command and see where your place will be within it."
"Go slow." Clay agreed.
"Very slow. You'll win them over. You have an insane amount of skills that will be invaluable to them. They will love you just like I love you." Yoder said with a warm smile.
Clay moved up slightly and placed his lips against Yoder's. Yoder placed his hand on the back of Clay's head and deepened the kiss. They both loved this, waking up next to each other and getting to spend their off time together. It's why they had been living together for the past two years now. When they moved out this way Yoder had gotten an apartment where a lot of servicemen were living. Across the hall from them was Derek with Alpha. Clay had chosen to not live in the dorms for Green Team, but no one outside of Team Seven or Derek knew Clay was living with Yoder. It wasn't that Clay was ashamed of being gay, it was that he didn't want people to only see him as the gay guy. He wanted to get picked by a team and show them that he could be trusted and then he would introduce them to Yoder. He would be just another guy on the team and hopefully him being gay wouldn't be an issue. Team Seven were thankfully all good with Yoder being gay so it gave Clay hope that Bravo would be the same.
After a moment Yoder pulled back as he reached over to grab something from the bedside table.
"I love you too." Clay said, with a warm smile.
"You know I've been thinking that you should marry me." Yoder said, as he held up a white gold wedding band.
"David Yoder, are you asking me to marry you while we are naked in bed?" Clay asked, innocently.
"Well, I could take you out to a fancy dinner and get down on one knee and ask you to marry me. But I like this way better and I think you do too."
"I don't know, I like you on your knees." Clay said with a sexy smirk.
"Not as much as you love being on yours." Yoder countered, as he rolled over and got between Clay's legs looking down at him.
Clay easily opened his legs and gave a slight moan as Yoder's hard on rubbed against his own. "Guilty." Clay easily agreed.
"In all seriousness, there is no one else in this world that I want to spend the rest of my life with. I love you, you are my soulmate, something I didn't believe in until I laid eyes on you. I want to be your husband, I want you to be my husband. Marry me."
"Yes, a hundred times yes." Clay said, with a big smile.
Yoder gave one in return as he placed the ring on Clay's left ring finger, before he pulled Clay in for a deep kiss. Clay wrapped his arms around Yoder's neck and deepened the kiss. He couldn't believe that he was going to marry the most amazing man in the world.
"I want you." Clay moaned, as he thrusted his hips up, grinding against Yoder.
"We got work."
"So you better do it hard and fast, because I'm not letting you get dressed until I am thoroughly satisfied."
Yoder smirked as he moved his hips further down. "Now what type of fiance would I be if I didn't pleasure you."
"A terrible one." Clay said with his own smirk.
Yoder kissed Clay's neck as he positioned himself. He had a feeling this was going to be better than last night.
(Dirty Version Can Be Found On My AO3 Account)
Clay sat down in his car and got it going. Yoder was in his own car next to him as they both needed to head out to work. They used to drive in together, but since being in Virginia Beach they had been taking two cars. Only because Yoder could be spun up at a moment's notice, leaving Clay stranded on base. With them being on different teams it was easier for them to have their own car. Yoder gave Clay a wink as he pulled out and Clay couldn't get the stupid smile off his face. He loved that man like he had never loved anyone else in this world. Clay pulled out and headed off to the base.
"Well that was hot."
Clay looked over to the passenger seat and saw Brian sitting there with a big smile on his face.
"How many times have we had the conversation about you watching me and my now fiance having sex?" Clay said, not impressed at all.
"I told you, I'm dead, which means I get the pleasure of playing peeping tom on anyone I want. And it's not like I'm opening your mental door and being in the room while you are doing it. You never even know I'm there. Part of the joys of being dead and not able to feel any stress or pain is getting to watch two hot guys devouring each other. Don't worry it's not just you that I watch. And technically, I'm not the only spirit that has shown up to watch you either."
"That doesn't make it right nor am I impressed by it and you know it."
Clay knew there were spirits all around him and at any given time could make an appearance even without him opening up his mental door to see them. He made peace with that a long time ago, what he was not happy about was his dead best friend doing it.
"I'm impressed. I knew you were gay, obviously, but I had no idea you were a bottom until after I died. I could have sworn it was the other way around. I'm impressed, you genuinely love being a bottom."
"For fuck's sake. Promise me you will stop." Clay said, with a friendly smile, because despite how inappropriate it was, Brian was still his best friend and he loved him.
"Ya I'm not gonna promise you that." Brian said with a huge smile.
Clay just shook his head. He knew it was pointless and it would have to be something he came to peace with. Clay took in his friend, or at least his spirit. He looked good, he looked happy and at peace, which was all Clay wanted for him.
"Why the fuck are you wearing a suit?" Clay asked, noticing Brian's clothes for the first time.
Spirits could change their appearance whenever they wanted. They couldn't change their physical appearance, outside of eliminating blood or wounds. Someone who was blown up into a bunch of pieces, their spirit would look like what they did before they died. They could change their clothes though, something Clay always found odd and funny. Clay didn't know for certain, but he had heard a good number of spirits telling him they didn't want to spend their afterlife always wearing a suit or a uniform. He had heard lots of complaints about what their loved ones buried them in. It made sense that they could change their clothes to suit their own style.
"This is a special day. You're engaged to the man you love. I'm celebrating."
"I appreciate the suit, but you look way too formal for sitting in my car."
"Fair enough, but I'm wearing one on your wedding day. I'm still the best man right?" Brian said, as he changed into his military outfit that Clay was also wearing.
Clay couldn't help but roll his eyes. Brian always wore it when they were going to the base, said it would be disrespectful and what would all the other military spirits say?
"Of course you are going to be my best man, who else would it be? We'll have your photo up front for people and you can be standing beside me."
"Who is gonna be walking down the aisle?"
"I don't know man, it just happened. We'll figure it all out. Neither one of us have any family so at least we don't have to deal with a huge wedding and trying to seat everyone in a spot where they will get along."
That was the only positive about both him and Yoder having no family. Clay had Ash, but he wasn't inviting him to the wedding. Ash made it very clear when he discovered that Clay was dating Yoder that he was not gay. He believed Yoder was manipulating him and he just needed to get away from him to be normal. Every now and then Ash would pop up and try to convince Clay he had to get away. Even mentioned conversation therapy a handful of times. Apparently, it was perfectly ok for him to be left abandoned in an active war zone as a child, but it wasn't ok for him to love another man in Ash Spenser's book.
"What about your teams? I know Yoder's team is cool with him being gay. Do you think Bravo will have an issue with it?"
Brian was worried that Bravo wouldn't handle Clay being gay very well. He had no idea how they would feel about it. It was a hard thing to judge because the military was filled with old school dinosaurs who believed that if you were gay you shouldn't be in the military. There were also new school hipsters that just cared about how well you could shoot and not who you loved. The guys in DEVGRU were in that grey area, not old enough to be old school, but not young enough to be new school. Brian was hoping that everything would go well and when they discovered that Clay was gay that they were supportive of him and didn't give him any problems from it.
"I don't know if they will. I'll wait and see how they react to me first and then go from there. I don't want to hide Yoder or my relationship with him, but I also don't want to have a war with my own team because they don't like me being gay. I'll feel them out and see."
"Probably for the best. I'm telling the guys, they've been waiting for the day you guys tie the knot."
Clay just shook his head. Ever since he had died Brian had been getting to know all of the other spirits around the base. Clay had seen some of them when he allowed himself to, but for the most part he kept his walls up solid as bases were hard on him. A lot of old sailors or soldiers hanging around keeping an eye on their team, friends, or even fellow frogmen. Some had a very hard time moving on and letting go. He was happy though that Brian had been making friends, it made the transition easier.
"You gonna follow me around all day?" Clay asked, as he pulled into the base.
"It's your first day as a Tier One Operator, hell ya I am. I feel like a proud papa taking his kid to school for the first day." Brian said with a big smile. "I even made a sign to help you out."
Brian held up a paddle sign and Clay looked over at it. He was not impressed by what he saw. There on the paddle was a sign that said, being an asshole.
"Not funny." Clay said.
"Really. The guys all think it's hilarious, I have to agree with them. I can still help you with your cockiness and help you blend in better socially."
"I don't have a problem with cockiness. I've dropped the facade like I was told to do by you, Yoder and Adam, I'll be fine. I don't need a sign thanks."
"But I worked so hard on it." Brian said with a shit eating grin.
"All of two seconds." Clay said, with a shake of his head. He loved Brian, but sometimes seeing him all the time could get annoying. He seemed to be very playful now that he was dead. It was a consequence of no longer being tied to this world. There was no pain or stress where Brian was, the result is a happier person, not to mention a bored one.
"Did you take your medicine?" Brian asked, as Clay parked all joking aside.
"You watched me have sex with my fiance, but you didn't stick around to see me take my pill?" Clay said, with a smirk.
"I have priorities." Brian said with a shrug.
"Ya I took it. I always do." Clay said, as he removed his dog tags and put his engagement ring on the chain to join them for when he was at work.
Clay had been taking a heart medication for the past four years now, ever since he had been shot on an operation right in the heart. The bullet had been meant for Brian, but Clay had pushed him out of the way and took the hit. The bullet tore right through his vest and went into his heart. He had to be airlifted to Germany at the base there for emergency open heart surgery. They weren't sure he was going to make it, but he had pulled through and after six months was cleared for active duty again. Granted he had a heart murmur that required him to take medication for, but he was good to go. Every since though, Brian had been anal about Clay's health and him taking his medication. He blamed himself for Clay getting shot, no matter how many times Clay told him to not worry about it, that it wasn't his fault. Clay got out of his car and grabbed his bags for the gear and the case of beer. He also made sure he put in his small bluetooth earpiece so people would think he was talking on the phone and not to his dead best friend. They both made their way towards the front door as Brian spoke.
"You nervous?"
"No, why would I be? Operations now will be different and the team will take some time to get used to, but it's still the same job. I just hope Jason isn't going to be an ass to me the whole time."
"He picked you for a reason, can't imagine he's going to turn around and treat you like shit. Just ease into it, get a feel for the dynamic and energy of the team. Just like you did with Team Three at first. The guys weren't happy with having someone so green and young at first but you earned their respect and worked your way up. Do the same this time around. Show them why you deserve to be there." Brian said encouragingly.
"That's the plan."
Clay headed through the halls and made his way into Bravo's cage room. He saw that he was the only one in here, well not quite. Clay looked over in his new cage and saw another man sitting in the cage. He was well built, had short brown hair, brown eyes, and a scruffy beard. He was also wearing a military uniform with 4B9 on it. Clay had never seen him before, but he knew he wasn't alive. Clay placed the case of beer down on the table as the man spoke.
"You know they are going to give you shit over that."
"Over what?" Clay asked.
"Your brand of beer. They prefer domestic then crafted or imported."
"Ya I know, but everything I've heard about them says they are going to make me buy them a lot of beer. Figured if they knew what type I buy they might not want me getting them beer." Clay said with a shrug.
The man gave a slight chuckle to that. "That's not going to work. They'll just give you shit about it. Might want to keep it to Budwieser moving forward. You'll hear less shit about it. I had to get thirty after my first op with them."
"Are you Nate? I heard they lost someone right around the time Green Team started." Clay said, gently. He wasn't sure if he was still sensitive about his death. Some spirits didn't handle it too well at first.
"I am. This used to be my cage." Nate said, as he looked around it completely empty.
"I've never seen you around base before."
"I keep close to them. They're still healing from my death, especially Jase. I can't leave them like this."
Clay knew that spirits could stick around for decades. Some though were able to find peace. Clay wasn't sure what the actual term was, but to him he thought of it as them finding peace. They just disappeared, but it only happened when they felt like they could leave their loved ones. To some finding peace was watching over the people they love, but to others they wanted to see what else was out there. They wanted to know if there was a Heaven to go to, but it could only happen once they felt ready and at peace to leave.
"I'm sorry for what happened to you. I'll do my best to protect them and watch their backs." Clay promised.
"Brock, Trent and Ray are good. They'll be good with you being new. Brock is really quiet, same as Trent. Ray pushed Jason pretty hard to bring you on, so he's in your corner. Sonny and Jason will take a bit. Sonny doesn't warm up to people real easily and Jason won't like any attitude. If you want to learn, he'll be good with it, but act like a know-it-all and he'll make your life miserable. At the same time though, he's good if you speak up and ask questions. He's not like other Master Chiefs in that sense." Nate advised.
"I appreciate it."
"I'll be with you if you have any questions. I'll try to not drain you. I'm still learning."
"I'll give ya some pointers." Brian said with a warm smile.
"I've been dead longer than you." Nate pointed out.
"Ya, but I've known Clay since he was eighteen. I'm used to him and what he can handle. When he needs someone to get out and when to open the door." Brian explained.
Nate gave a nod and Clay started to put his things away in his cage as Nate moved out of it. It was a few minutes later when he received a text message to meet in ops for an operation.
"Looks like it's go time already." Clay said.
"We'll disappear, but we'll be close by if you need anything." Brian said.
"Good luck kid." Nate said, before him and Brian disappeared. Clay knew he wasn't alone, but he couldn't see or speak with them.
Clay let out a sigh before he headed out of the cage room and off to Bravo's war room. He had no idea what this operation would be, but he was hoping it was something he could do that wouldn't paint him in a bad light with the guys. He just needed to show them that he was useful and worth being picked.
XXX
Clay finished packing up his things on the plane as they were about to land. He was pleased with how this operation had gone. He had managed to show Jason that he could be useful with his mind and his skills. Him and Jason even had some alone time, granted it was due to having to hide from Chinese Special Forces, but still alone time nonetheless. Things seemed to be going well all things considering. Clay grabbed his gear as the plane touched down and once it was open he made his way out.
"Don't forget our beer rookie. And real beer not that shitty kind you like to drink." Sonny said.
"Ya, ya." Clay said, as he waived Sonny off.
This had been the first time he had been on an operation in six months and he was very much interested in getting home to his new fiance.
"What's the hurry? You got a hot date?" Ray asked, with a smirk.
"Yup." Was all Clay said as he made his way off the plane and over to his car.
He tossed his things into the back and then he was getting out of there.
"I think that went well." Brian said.
"You've been itching to talk to me since we got on the plane. I don't know why you were so worried. I've been on plenty of operations before."
He had felt Brian pushing against his door, but he wasn't pushing that hard. It was enough to let Clay know he was anxious to speak with him.
"First one without me or Yoder watching your back. I'm sorry but that makes me nervous. It's going to take me some time to get used to you being out there on your own."
"It's ok. I would be nervous too if I was in your position. It's all good man and nothing bad happened. No injuries and it was a complete success. There's nothing to worry about. Now I am going home to my fiance and you will not be there for it. I mean it."
Clay wanted time alone with his new finance and it did not involve the energy of wondering if Brian was there watching.
"Fine, fine. I'll disappear. I just wanted to check in and make sure you were ok. I'll go hang out with Nate. He seemed to be pretty anxious himself."
"I felt it. He doesn't like them being out there without him. Maybe see if you can get him to tell you why he doesn't want to leave."
"Since when do you care about someone finding peace?"
To Clay it wasn't his place to bring some kind of peace to the spirits. Honestly, he would never get anything done if he did. He tended to allow the spirits to work it out themselves. This was different though. This was a fellow member of Bravo, one that the guys all were still mourning. If Clay could ease their pain some then he would try. The same for Brian, but Brian was content and happy to hang around and Clay was happy to have him with him.
"He's important to Bravo and he used to be Bravo. I'm not looking to get involved, but Nate is an exception to the rule."
"Fair enough. I'll chat with him and see." Brian easily agreed.
"You do know if there ever comes a day where you are ready to go yourself into whatever comes next, I'll be ok. I'll understand and I'll be ok." The last thing Clay wanted was to hold Brian back from his peace. He knew Brian enjoyed being here, but if there ever came a day where he wanted to move on, he didn't want Brian thinking he couldn't.
"I know you will be, but I have no interest in going anywhere. I'll be here until you and Yoder join me, then we can all go together. I'm not about to leave you both behind. I'll get out of your hair and let you relax. I'll check in tomorrow." Brian said with a warm smile.
"Have fun." Clay said with a warm smile back.
Brian disappeared and Clay knew he would be back tomorrow morning for the ride into work. Brian was still getting used to being dead and Clay knew it would take a bit before he got into the swing of things. Before he started to hang out more with the spirits and see the world compared to following him around. Clay made the rest of the drive to his and Yoder's apartment in silence. Silence was something he had come to enjoy in his life. It was the only time he truly got any peace himself. Clay pulled in and was immediately heading up. The second he walked in he felt himself relax. Yoder came out of the bedroom and gave Clay a huge smile as he went over to him.
"Hey babe, welcome home."
Clay easily welcomed the kiss. He had gotten so used to kissing Yoder whenever he wanted it sucked to be away from him for the past three days. After a moment Yoder pulled back and spoke.
"There's one quick thing we need to talk about."
"It can't wait?" Clay said, as he brought his hand down Yoder's chest.
"Nope. Remember how we were talking about maybe getting a dog one day?"
"Yes and we both agreed that we should wait with our schedule. Why?"
Yoder whistled and from the bedroom a short haired german shepherd came running out. Yoder moved back as the dog went over to Clay and he bent down to pet her.
"Well hello, did daddy find you in a cardboard box with a sign?" Clay said, as he looked up at Yoder.
"No. Team Seven wanted to get a k9 for the team and I volunteered to be the k9 handler. This is Roxy and she is my new partner." Yoder explained with a warm smile.
"Congrats man. You'll do great. And hello Roxy, it's nice to meet you." Clay said as he gave her some love.
"You're not mad?" Yoder asked, as he didn't exactly discuss it with Clay first.
"Of a dog? Never. I would have been fine if you did get her out of a cardboard box. You know I love dogs. Plus she is another person to protect you when you are in the field. I already love her."
Clay stood up and Yoder pulled him in for another kiss, only this time it was heated. Clay loved that he could come home to this. Come home to the man that he loved and feel nothing but warmth, love and safety. He had dreamed of this when he was a little boy and now he was getting to live it. He couldn't wait until he could marry Yoder, until he was his husband. Their future was bright and Clay was really hoping it would stay that way. Only time would tell how their lives would play out and neither of them had any idea how hard it would be for them to see the altar between operations, injuries and Ash Spenser. Their road to marriage was a rocky one, one they wouldn't have to face alone.
A/N: Alright, what do you think? Do you want more?