Author's Note:Well, hey there guys! Bet you weren't expecting to see me again so soon! If you read my latest announcement, you know that I am back in school. Well, this week is spring break! So that means more Brad and Thea for y'all!
Also, I wanted to get everything I planned into this chapter so it's a little longer than usual. I hope that's a good thing because I love this chapter!
"Look!" Thea bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet near the window of their hotel room. She had been a ball of excitement since they had left their apartment that morning and travelling had done nothing to calm her.
Smiling, he made his way across the room to her, taking her in his arms and placing a kiss to the back of her head before looking out of the window. Before leaving the states, Bill had said he would take care of their travel arrangements and Bradley was happy he had. Just outside the frosted window was a breathtaking view of snowy mountains in the distance.
But that wasn't what held Thea's attention.
Her outstretched finger pointed down to the streets of the town below them where people sporting their warmest coats and carrying steaming drinks bustled to and from the tented vendors.
It was her Christmas market.
Brad had been right in assuming that Gwen would leave their destination up to him and had asked him in the days before leaving for Europe where he wanted to spend his vacation. He hadn't had to think about it. Thea had been waiting her whole life to visit the wintry market she had heard her parents speak so fondly of and he had a chance to take her there. Of course, he had chosen Germany.
"I can't believe we're here," she whispered, awe in her voice. She turned in his arms and her beaming smile stole his breath. With love in her mossy green eyes, she said, "Thank you."
He should have known that she would know he had chosen this white wonderland for her. It never ceased to amaze him how well she knew him. "You're welcome, sweetheart." He lowered his lips to hers, kissing her softly.
Her hands moved up his body, from his chest to his neck where her fingers traced scars she couldn't see. When he felt her tongue against his lips, he deepened their kiss. Her tongue tasted of the sweets she had eaten throughout the day and her hands were warm and soft in his hair.
Without thinking, he moved against her until her back was pressed against the wall. His hands moved from her sides to the swell of her hips and back up to cup her breasts. Pulling away from her mouth was torture but he needed to breath and her little huffs of breath filling the room let him know she did, too.
"Darlin'." Her voice was just a whisper as he pushed his hands to her back and pulled her closer to him so he could kiss roughly along the length of her neck "I really don't think we should keep my parents waiting this time."
She was referring to when they had arrived at the airport late, rushed and out of breath, and tried to blame it on traffic. After they had greeted each other, Bill had thrown an arm around his daughter's shoulders and led them from the airport. When she looked back at Brad with blushing pink cheeks, he knew they'd been caught.
She was right. They shouldn't keep them waiting again.
He rested his forehead against her neck, trying to catch his breath and calm his mind. When he felt more in control of himself, he pulled away to look at her. Her shaky breath and flushed skin were beautiful, and he wanted nothing more than to lower the leggings she wore beneath her dress and take her against the wall that supported them. "Later," he promised.
Smirking, she replied, "Yes, sir."
Thea knew what that little word did to him, and he knew she was messing with him. With a smirk of his own, he leaned back into her lips. "Or now."
"No, no," she giggled. Her finger on his lips stopped his descent. "Later."
Smiling wildly at the laughter he adored, he kissed the finger on his lips and waited for her to remove it. When she had, he pressed a quick kiss to her lips and took her hand so they could leave their room and find Bill and Gwen.
They weren't hard to find seeing as Gwen was already fully clothed to step outside and groaning about the cold.
When they approached the older couple, Bill was the first to speak. "Do you hear how she fusses at me?"
"I do not fuss, William." Gwen frowned at her husband. "It's going to be cold out there and I live in Texas for a reason. I like warmth."
His surrogate mother only smiled again when Bill pulled her into his side, kissed her temple, and said, "I'll buy you a Glühwein."
With that, Brad and Thea followed the other couple outside. The market was teeming with people, shoppers and vendors alike, and Brad couldn't help but notice the sparkling excitement in Thea's eyes.
They joined a line of people waiting for Glühwein, a drink Brad learned was a warm mulled wine. Once they had all received their steamy drinks and Gwen had taken a couple of sips, she seemed to come to life.
"She likes warmth," Bill muttered with adoration in his eyes.
"You," Gwen pointed at her husband, "shush." She turned to her daughter and pulled her from Brad's side. "You come with me. We have shopping to do!"
Thea let go of his hand, laughing as she followed her mother to the first vendor's booth. Brad didn't know how long he and Bill followed the girls, Bill never having to be asked to refill his wife's cup but always doing so.
When Thea and Gwen had gotten a few booths ahead of them, Bill asked him, "How's the new base, son."
Brad had thought nothing of it when Bill first started calling him son. He had met plenty of men who called any other man younger than them son. It wasn't until Logan had pointed out that only he and Brad were given that name that Brad had admitted to himself that he liked the older man calling him son. It made him feel like family.
"It's good. Maneuvers are going well. I like my commanding officer." He thought back to the time he and Thea had spent with Payback and Fanboy with a smile. "Thea's already got a pilot and WSO I work with wrapped around her finger."
"She does, does she?"
"Sure does, sir." When he had returned to work after karaoke, the two soldiers had sung her praises. "They think she's magical."
"Of course, they do," The older man replied with pride in his voice and a playful jab at Brad's side. "Speaking of my magical daughter…" He trailed off, watching the two women before them as they moved through booths. "She's happy."
It was so reminiscent of a conversation they'd had when Brad had first started seeing Thea. Only this time, his surrogate father turned to look at him. "You are, too."
It was his turn to speak with pride in his voice. "We are." He was proud of the life he was building with Thea. Proud of the love that grew between them each day. And they were happy.
"Good." Bill smiled and clapped a hand on Brad's shoulder. The two men shared a smile before catching up to the girls. "Now tell me more about these soldiers that think my Thea is magical."
The rest of the night was filled with smiles and laughter. The two couples made their way through every booth at the market, enjoyed more than one glass of Glühwein, and tried more German delicacies than Brad could count. They had even taken a spin on a carousel. It was wonderful to spend time with his surrogate parents and he was glad they had come to spend time with him and Thea before the holidays.
But Thea's eyes danced in the lights of the market and her cheeks flushed from the cold and all he could think about was the promise he had made earlier that evening.
Later.
Later couldn't come quick enough.
When the market started closing down and the night started getting older, they all made their way back to the hotel. With good night wishes, the two couples parted ways. Thea slumped against him in the elevator with a yawn and closed her eyes.
"Did you have fun, sweetheart?"
Without moving her head from his shoulder or opening her eyes, she replied, "Yes." He could hear the smile in her voice.
She sunk further into him and took his hand, and he decided that later would have to wait until tomorrow. "Everything you thought it would be?"
"Better." She squeezed the hand in hers and he knew what she was trying to tell him. He was the reason it was better than she thought it would be.
The elevator dinged, signaling their arrival at their floor, and he led her to their room. Once inside, they shed their coats and boots. That was when he felt hands move along his back and shoulders.
"I believe," she started as her hands moved down to the hem of his sweater. "That you said something about later."
He helped her remove his sweater, and though his skin broke out in goosebumps from the chilly air, her hands were warm and soft against his skin. "I did."
Hands on his sides, she began leaving kisses along his back. He knew she was kissing his freckles, and he couldn't help but smile. "I'd like to take you up on that."
Turning in her arms, he captured her lips with his. Her lips were warm and tasted of the spiced wine she had drunk that night. He sighed into her, sinking into her touch, and she took the opportunity to touch his tongue with hers. He would have sighed again, but her hands, which had been resting on his chest, began inching lower and he was suddenly very alert.
When her wandering hands reached his jeans, she quickly undid them and her hand delved inside to cup his hardening length. He couldn't help the moan that escaped him as that hand began to move, up and down, and there was a part of him that wanted to let her bring him to his climax just like this.
But he'd had an idea brewing since he had first stepped foot inside the hotel room that they both would enjoy.
He pulled away from her, resting his forehead against hers and cupping the hand inside his jeans to still it. "Clothes," he panted, reaching for the hem of her dress and pulling up over her head. "Off."
When she nodded, he backed away and watched as she hooked her fingers in the leggings she wore. Usually, he would love to watch her undress, but now he had some arrangements to take care of. With a final look at her creamy, freckled skin, he turned toward the floor-length mirror standing in one corner of the room. It had captured his attention immediately and he knew exactly how to take advantage of this opportunity.
He moved to the window where an oversized chair sat and made quick work of moving it across the room. When it was exactly where he wanted it in front of the mirror, he quickly removed the rest of his own clothing and sat facing the mirror.
"Darlin', what are you doing?"
Finding her eyes in the reflection in front of him, he held out a hand and said, "Come here."
She looked unsure, but took his hand and let him lead her around the chair. Standing in front of him, skin flushed from arousal now instead of the cold, he thought she had never looked more beautiful. He used the hand still in hers to turn her so she also faced the mirror. "Sit."
Understanding shone in her glossy eyes and she met his in the mirror's reflection. With a smirk, she began to lower herself. Using their free hands, they guided each other so she could sit on his cock. When he first penetrated the warmth of her, his head fell back from the pleasure of it and he had to remind himself of the mirror's presence.
Upon opening his eyes, he found her watching him, pleasure etched across her own face. She continued lowering herself on his aching cock slowly and every inch was pleasurable torture. When she was fully seated, he spoke. "Look at how fucking beautiful you are."
"Well, thank you, sir." Her lips twisted into a pretty smirk. "You're not so bad yours - ah!" Her words morphed into a moan as his fingers found the bundle of nerves just above the joining of their bodies.
He let her enjoy the pressure of his fingers for a moment, before saying, "Move for me, sweetheart."
Her first attempts were shaky as he kept up the gentle stroking of his fingers, but with the help of his other hand on her hip, she began to ride him. It was slow at first and he smirked when he saw that she couldn't tear her eyes away from the reflection of his fingers against her, their bodies moving together. "Hey," he spoke softly. "Look at me."
Thea's eyes snapped to his. "Good girl." There was an intense hunger in her mossy depths. "Do you want more," he asked.
Her voice was a gasp as she answered, "Yes, sir."
He could give her more. Continuing to move his fingers just the way he knew she liked, he began to thrust up, meeting her hips every time she came down on him. Her breath hitched, moans filling the room, and he knew she was close.
"Don't stop," she whined, her voice throaty and low.
There was no force on Earth that could make him stop giving her this pleasure. It wasn't long before her eyelids started to flutter and maintaining eye contact was hard. "Fuck," she panted. "So close."
"That's right, sweetheart." His own voice was nothing more than a raspy whisper as he spoke to her. "Cum for me."
He thought she might have tried to say something, but the words died in her throat as she tightened around him, her breath filling the room. When she was done convulsing around him, she fell forward, catching her hands on his knees. She took a few deep breaths and met his eyes again. "I said don't stop."
He hadn't noticed that his hips had stilled as she had cum around him. With a smirk, he began to thrust again, both hands on her hips to guide her up and down his length. He'd been so focused on giving her pleasure that he hadn't noticed how close he was, how good he felt sheathed inside of her warmth.
As he got closer to his own release, it became hard to focus his sight on her eyes in the reflection of the mirror. There was so much else to look at. Her breasts bouncing against her chest with every thrust of his hips. Her fingers touching that bundle of nerves he'd been stroking just moments ago. When she lifted her free hand to pinch a nipple between her fingers and she bit her bottom lip, he found his release.
His hips stilled from the pleasure, but she began riding him again. One, two, three strokes up and down and she followed him with her own release.
They both fell backwards, him against the chair and her against his chest. Their pants filled the room and he felt like his breath was alluding him.
"Darlin'."
He couldn't find words, so he hummed his acknowledgement.
Pointing a shaky finger to the mirror, she said, "We've got to get one of these."
—
Sunlight danced across the room, illuminating the apartment she was coming to love. Her time in Germany with Brad and her family had been a dream come true, but she was glad to be back in the space she and Brad had built for themselves.
Laying on the pull-out couch she shared with Brad, she faced the wall that held her family photos and Carole's games and photo album. Thea felt a smile spread across her lips. She loved that album.
She loved that it held happy memories for Brad, even if they were bittersweet. She loved that it held the poem that Nick had written for Carole and the words of the song she had begun writing for Bradley before she even knew him. She loved that she was a part of that album now, pictures of her and Brad and their family sitting proudly in its pages. Most of all, she loved that he shared it with her.
When Brad pulled her tighter against him, her smile grew. It was going to be a melancholy day. Her parents were leaving later that day, and while a part of her wished she could go with them, she knew that she would happily stay here with Brad. Her home.
"Whatcha thinkin' about, sweetheart?" His voice was low and raspy with sleep and muffled from where he rested against her.
"Oh," she began. "How great these past two weeks have been." She felt his lips against her hair in a kiss and she sighed happily. "That I'm going to miss them."
"You miss home, don't you."
"I miss Texas, sure." She grasped the hand that was thrown over her waist and raised it to her lips, kissing his palm. "But my home is right here."
He moved away from her just enough that she fell onto her back, and brought his lips to hers in a soft, slow, loving kiss. When he pulled away and rested his forehead against hers, he said, "I love you."
She smiled widely up at him. "I love you, too." She lay in his arms as long as she could, but eventually her parents joined them in the living room. At her mother's behest, the two men left the apartment in search of food and coffee. Thea smiled when she saw that Brad had put the kettle on the stove for her tea before he'd left.
"You really did a good job with the apartment, Thea." Her mother's voice was soft and happy, but her eyes were far away. "I remember trying to make these military apartments feel like home before your father and I settled." As if coming back from a memory, her eyes focused on Thea's. "It was never easy."
"No," Thea agreed. When she had told Brad that she would come with him to Italy, she hadn't thought about just what she was giving up. She loved her loft above the gym. She had plants and pictures and memories in that space that she had always thought she wouldn't give up for anything. But that had been before Brad. "But it's not the stuff that makes it feel home."
Her mother's smile grew. "Wise words." Thea recognized the look in her mother's eyes. She had looked at her with the same warmth when she had performed in a performance circle for the first time and when she had opened Charlie's gym. It was pride.
"Thanks, Mama." The kettle steaming took her attention away from her mother. She moved into the kitchen and made herself a cup. She would have made Gwen a cup as well but knew the older woman didn't particularly care for the drink.
When she had settled back on the couch that had been returned to its sitting position once her and Brad had gotten up for the day, her mother spoke. "I'm glad to see you're coming back out of your shell again, honey." At Thea's questioning look, Gwen elaborated. "You seem to be getting used to being here, letting go of the stress."
"I guess so, yeah." She knew her mother was right. These past few weeks had done wonders to relieve her of the stress of leaving Texas and the gym and settling in a new country.
"You guess so," her mother laughed. "You're happier than I've ever seen you." With a sly smile on her face she added, "And you and Bradley seem to be doing very well."
"We are," she replied happily. But when her mother stayed silent, knowing smile on her face, Thea asked, "What?"
"Nothing." Her mother looked like she was trying to hold back her laughter. "But you do know that no one bought that you and Bradley were late to pick us up because you were caught in traffic, right?"
"Mama!" Her mother's laughter made her own bubble to the surface. "I mean, I knew Pop knew."
"Oh, we both did, honey."
The two women shared more laughter and talked about everything and nothing. Not much later, the two men entered with three steaming cups and bags of food. When they saw Brad, they began laughing again.
Confusion creasing his brow, he asked, "What?"
Author's Note: So, what did you guys think? Brad and Thea got to spend time with Bill and Gwen and have some fun with a mirror. We also had some lovely parental moments. Let me know what you thought!