sempr-gumby:

Thank you for this ask! BradNate was my first ship for the show and I don’t write/talk about them nearly enough. The explanation for my favorite canon moments and my favorite headcanon overlap, so it’s all kind of mushed together. Hope that’s okay!

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Okay, so there are a great many canon BradNate moments that I enjoy (how much meaningful eye contact can two characters share?), so picking a favorite was difficult, but I think I’ve got it. My favorite moment for Brad and Nate takes place in Episode 3…and it’s actually two moments, but they’re connected so I’m going to talk about them both.

So let’s get started and delve into what I have taken to calling the LSA Exchange (I enjoy giving titles to my favorite shippy moments, okay?). We’ll start with Brad blatantly flirting with Nate while hunched over an Mk. 19 and right in front of Walt Hasser. Brad calls Nate over and says the following: Sir, the main weapon on your point vehicle is unreliable. Ah yes, what an appropriate exchange, wouldn’t you say? Brad has effectively communicated a critical issue and now all he has to do is inform his C.O that he needs some LSA in the same manner. Instead we get this: Given the prevailing climatic conditions, using this lubricant is like trying to buttfuck a virgin underaged Phuket whore with chalk when KY is clearly called for, sir. While this doesn’t fall under the category of “cute things to say to your crush,” but it’s flirting – the unnecessary verbosity and the delivery, it’s flirting. He pauses, looks down and up again before delivering the KY part. And Nate’s smile and little headshake in response? He totally picks up on it, but it’s right back to business with, you’ll have to deal with it, Sergeant. We have four more towns to assault through today, and I swear Brad looks kind of disappointed at that. (no, I haven’t rewatched this scene too many times, I have no idea what you’re talking about)

The next canon moment is the gateway for the discussion on my favorite headcanon. Not much later in the episode, Nate manages to scrounge up some LSA and passes it onto Brad and we get the Sir, not to get homoerotic about this, but I could kiss you line. This line is delivered as a joke and Nate laughs it off, but I really do believe that LSA meant a lot to Brad. I headcanon Brad as being really intuitive when it comes picking out gifts and selecting the best time to give them (he holds on the the Chef Boyardee until the right moment because it’s not just about his team being hungry). Idk about you guys, but the best gift givers in my life are always super thrilled when someone takes the time get something for them, even when it’s something practical. I see Brad being that way too. Nate took the time and effort get him something he needed – I headcanon that meaning a lot to Brad. Later, when they’re together, this pattern of “gift giving” continues. Nate pays attention to kind of mints Brad keeps in his car and quietly replaces them when he notices Brad is getting low. Stuff like that.

astreetsussserenade:

I think a lot more than is necessary about Bomb in the Garden, because I just feel like the Brad/Nate interaction is so much different than all of the other times Nate let Brad down or pissed him off, because it wasn’t because of command? Like Brad felt so exhilarated and like he was finally doing something good, something that required skills, and Nate shut him down, based on Nate’s own judgement.

I just want to see the scene where Brad’s pissy, but doesn’t confront Nate about it, because he knows Nate doesn’t owe him an explanation, but then Nate finds him anyway and has, like, a list of six excellent, well- reasoned arguments about why Brad had to get out of the hole, and Brad doesn’t necessarily agree, but he understands and he feels valued and respected that Nate explained, and..ugh, I just need more.